//------------------------------// // Implied Death, Potential Death, Living Death // Story: Descent Into Birthright // by Amber-Citrine Sunset //------------------------------// Act 1 of 7: Episode 3 of 15: Implied Death, Potential Death, Living Death Life is a precious thing. It's precious enough that others want to take it from you. “Alright, let's split up.” Ridge Dasher said almost commandingly. “We'll meet at the north gate out of here when we're done with our respective jobs. Ocean and Amber can head for the wagon shop while Moonlight goes to the pawn shop, and I'll go secure the cache then circle around and meet you later. Ocean can lead Amber to the cache when we've got ourselves a wagon, but stick to the back alleys. I don't want Jester's Thorn spotting us and thinking that we're up to something.” “What about Kavesh?” Sunkissed Amber asked as they headed away from the inn, pointing over at Kavesh with her hoof. The Ruined had a little group standing in front of him in a semicircle and it looked like he was boasting a tale of his exploits. The muzzle he'd been forced to wear earlier was now off and laying in pieces nearby; he'd ripped it off as a show of strength and several guards were surrounding him yet wisely keeping their distance. Kavesh was completely ignoring the guards, having told them “Not eat soft ponies today.” He didn't even notice Ridge and the others leaving the inn. “He'll live. He would have attacked by now if he thought he could get away with it. We can swing by when we're ready and hitch him to the wagon.” Ocean's Sledge replied, pointing toward the far corner of the village where four wagons were hitched to a long wooden pole. “We'll see you soon, Ridge.” The group split up, each of them keeping a careful eye on the sky, watching where Jester's Thorn was flying and trying to stay out of his line of sight. The group split, with Sunkissed Amber and Ocean's Sledge heading to the wagon shop to acquire a means of travel and a place to store their supplies. The store was built on a hill overlooking the village, and the sign hanging from the doorway had one corner broken off so part of the shop's name was unreadable. “Wagon Wheels and Better Deals.” Ocean's Sledge said, pointing at the sign and smiling at Amber. “My friend Wing Mist runs the place and will give us a great deal on an armored wagon we can use to travel through the Blistering Mountains.” The pair entered to see an old mare with her back to them, bent over and rummaging through a crate. She was completely oblivious and tossing bits and pieces of wagons aside, obviously looking for something in particular. Sunkissed Amber ducked as a piece of an axle went whizzing by her as they approached. “Wing Mist!” Ocean's Sledge said. “We're in need of some help today!” The mare turned around, her silver eyes and brighter silver hair shining in sharp contrast to her dark brown coat. Her tail had been clipped very closely to her rump, showcasing several interlocking scars marking an old-yet-severe injury of some kind. “Ocean's Sledge! Whatcha need?” She smiled. “And who's your friend?” “My friend Sunkissed Amber here needs to go into the Blistering Mountains. Ridge Dasher has some work up there for her.” Ocean's Sledge replied. “We need a wagon that can withstand a long trip and come out the other side in one piece.” Wing Mist tilted her head and another deep scar just above her right eye caught Sunkissed Amber's eye. “The Blistering Mountains? That isn't an easy trip at all... they're named that for a good reason.” She looked down at her hooves, one of them gnarled and twisted a little as if it had been crushed in the grip of something huge a long time ago. “It's not a safe stretch by any means, and none of my wagons are currently armored for such difficult movement.” She turned back to the crate, thinking. “I can have one armored within a week, though.” “We don't have a week.” Sunkissed Amber explained, shaking her head. “We need to leave immediately. Do you have anything ready on short notice?” “You've obviously never been to the Blistering Mountains.” Wing Mist replied, rolling her eyes and trotting over to a large map, showcasing the trail most commonly used to get through the mountains. “The path is treacherous, the ground uneven and littered with sharp stones that will go through a hoof like a dagger's point, there are many places where robbers and thieves will set up falling rocks as a roadblock or trap, and bandit activity is on the rise. Shantyshack got pillaged five times in the last three months.” Ocean's Sledge turned to Sunkissed Amber. “Shantyshack's one of the only towns in the Blistering Mountains. It's got a strong outer wall but its name implies its nature. It's hard to live out there, and is a haven for outcasts. It's harder still to directly assault it, and if it's been successfully hit five times in three months, that makes me worry. Blazing Wheel often told me even he had problems with the place when on a bounty hunt.” Wing Mist nodded. “If your wagon isn't sturdily built for the heavy road and armored to survive the bandits, you're going to end up with just damaged remnants to show for it. Besides, an unarmored wagon would just be a tempting target for thieves. I did hear that the royal family is doing something about it, though.” “What are they doing about it?” Sunkissed Amber asked, looking at the wagons. She wanted something big, so it could hold more supplies while adequately sheltering them all during the long chilly nights. “They're sending one of their old knights to lock the place down with a regiment of elites, or so says the local gossip. The guards at the gate even said they might even bring in Shattered Shield, one of their best ever, despite him being almost beyond elderly by now.” Wing Mist replied matter-of-factly. “No one, not even the lowliest of thieves, would dare harm somepony who turned a pair of dragon clans on each other the way that Shattered Shield did.” Ocean's Sledge nodded at Sunkissed Amber. “She's right. The bloodshed the dragons caused to each other left them without the numbers to come down and bother us without a fight they could not afford to take.” Sunkissed Amber froze. “That's recent history... something like forty years ago if I--” Ocean's Sledge began, about to tell a story before Sunkissed Amber interrupted him. “Listen,” Sunkissed Amber said, putting a hoof on his shoulder. “One of my... things to do is meet up with Shattered Shield. I was supposed to meet him in Triple Hooves for some 'answers', but if he is this close...” “Triple Hooves?” Wing Mist asked. “That's a looooooooong way.” She turned back to the wagons that were available for rent or for sale, then glanced over at the map of the lands while making a second map in her head. “That's through the Claw's Run... if you're still planning to go out there... hmmm... okay, I think I can help. Ocean, can you get some metal plates together and attach hinges to them? I'm thinking a series of plates on hinges to cover the wagon like a curtain, so it can all be removed to lighten things up when you need to move, but still have a defense handy at night.” “That's a lot of plates...” Sunkissed Amber said, unsure. “Yes, but we don't have any better ideas, do we?” Ocean's Sledge asked back at her before turning to Wing Mist. “That's a tall order for just one pony on our schedule.” He looked up at the map of the lands while accepting a smaller copy of the map from Wing Mist. “We're on the go and need to leave soon.” “But you have some spare plates laying around, right?” Wing Mist asked. “Or better yet, shields. Shields strung together on metal chains.” The dark blue pony nodded. “I'll get what I have available and work on them while we're traveling and hopefully I'll have something ready by the time we reach the more dangerous points. Things shouldn't get serious until we reach Stone Bridge; the bandit activity is particularly thick out there last I heard. We can't go around it, either. Stone Bridge is the only easy way into the heart of the mountains without taking a month or so in a detour into even more dangerous areas." “Yeah, if you're going anywhere at all,” Wing Mist agreed before walking Sunkissed Amber up and down the line of wagons. “You'll want to head for Shantyshack. How big of a wagon are you looking for?” “How big do you have?” Sunkissed Amber asked back. Wing Mist's eyes glittered greedily. “My largest wagon is a very sturdy model that can hold up to eight ponies, but it needs big ponies to pull it. I'll even throw in a few supplies for the road since you sound like you're in for the long run.” She was only half joking. She smelled gold and she never failed to pounce on an opportunity for it. “Well, we do have a Ruined to pull the wagon for us, so at least that part is covered.” Sunkissed Amber replied, hooking a hoof behind her. Even from where they stood, one could pick out Kavesh far in the background where the group had dispersed and he was alone, left laying down with his head in his front paws, waiting and watching ponies pass by. The guards around him seemed confused since he wasn't attacking rabidly, but none of them lowered their guard even for a moment. Wing Mist blinked, then blinked again, then a third time as she looked into the distance before looking back at Sunkissed Amber, obviously impressed. It wasn't easy to impress her. “I... uh... I think I can give you a discount...” Wing Mist stammered. “Let me go get some rations and supplies for your journey then. It's NOT going to be a short one.” =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= After several careful, planned movements through the streets of the village, Ridge Dasher waited until he saw Jester's Thorn turn his back to him and dive down. He noticed that Moonlight Silence had attracted his attention, and he knew that while that wouldn't end well, the heat was off him and he could head for the cache. Ridge Dasher was pretty sure that Blazing Wheel was at least still alive; if he were dead Jester's Thorn would have gloated a lot more back in the inn. The fact the crimson pony was that cocky heavily suggested that the planned “action operations” that Blazing Wheel was attempting to pull were compromised at the very least and known to the Commodore at the very worst. Ridge Dasher knew that returning to base looking for help and a proper squad for a mountain journey would be a very bad idea. Moving to a large pile of refuse and irregular boulders stacked up against one wall of the village, he looked for a specific arrangement of circular stones. Ocean's Sledge passed by this location in the mornings on his way to work and a key leading to the cache was hidden under one of the stones. To keep ponies guessing if in fact they knew where to look, Ocean's Sledge moved the key to the cache daily on his way home, making sure that nopony was watching as he hid the key under a different stone each time. Ridge counted the days since he was last here, did some complicated math in his head, then put his hoof under one stone and pushed it aside. He was rewarded with a wrought iron key, which he then used to tap against one of the bigger boulders. The boulder and key were enchanted to react to one another, and the boulder parted to either side, revealing a stairwell down into a back room of the village's communal wine and water cellars. Slowly he went down as the boulder behind him sealed back up, went to one of the walls and removed a false wall panel, and after a minute of crawling through a narrow space on his hooves and knees, he emerged into a large, hollowed out spare chamber. Lit by a few candles set into sconces in the walls, Ridge Dasher could see that lining the walls were a large number of shields, flails and swords. Here and there was the occasional piece of armor to protect the rump or flanks. Heaped in the corner were six hardened leather-and-steel battle saddles fitted with spears and crossbows depending on the wearer's role. Finally in the back corner was a small stone chest carefully made from fitted slabs of stone. The key fit the chest, and he opened it to reveal Blazing Wheel's enchanted horseshoes, enchanted coral necklace and his father's metal badge insignia affixed to a ribbon. Captain Running Waves had done as hard as he could to raise Blazing Wheel right, and when he had been assassinated the badge was one of the only things left to Blazing Wheel thanks to base politics and the Commodore's meddling. Ridge often had three guesses as to who had put the captain down (and on whose orders) and the first two didn't count, but no one could ever link Jester's Thorn to the crime. “Good, it's been untouched. Now how am I going to get all this out into the open? The original plan was to hide it in plain sight under 'orders from the base'...” Ridge Dasher said to himself. “I can't carry all of this out on my own.” From behind him he heard the sounds of movement and low voices. Somepony had followed him down! Thinking fast, he put on some of the pieces of armor, carefully covering his cutie mark. Putting on a helmet almost too big for his head so his eyes would be almost completely concealed and leaning a shield against himself, he worked himself into a battle saddle just as the first of a pair of front hooves emerged from the crawl space. He froze, remaining stock-still as if he were a fashion dummy. In the dim light of the room, his fog-colored coat worked to his advantage. How could he have been followed? Keeping his eyes shut except for the faintest of squints, he watched the pony... no, ponies... appear at the crawlspace. His blood ran cold when he saw it was the Commodore's flunkies, Frozen Breeze and Cracked Shadow! The former was an idiot whose mouth couldn't be sealed even if it were removed from his muzzle and the latter was an assassin in training under Jester's Thorn. Of the two, Cracked Shadow was far more dangerous. The black colt often feigned ignorance and ineptitude with melee weapons, and in public he acted like a sniveling worm, cowardly following at the Commodore's flanks. Ridge Dasher knew better, as the black colt could be the spitting image of Jester's Thorn when he wanted to be and in the barracks in private he was a wisecracking psychopathic smartass capable of betrayal. Cracked Shadow was a sociopath that would probably find ruining the Commodore's plans amusing if he thought he could get away with it, but it was more funny to him to remain allies to the Commodore and therefore annoy the hell out of Blazing Wheel and Ridge Dasher. Jester's Thorn was cocky and overconfident but knew his limits and when not to betray or anger somepony in order to save his own skin. Cracked Shadow had no such restraint even if outfoxed or outfought and would likely die while trapping himself in a corner, laughing all the way while monkey wrenching somepony else's plans. Ridge Dasher was surprised he hadn't already tried something and had always gotten the sense that the black colt was waiting for something... “Well, this stuff is still here, just as the Commodore said.” Frozen Breeze said. Ridge tensed slightly; the babbling pony's mouth could prove most useful. “I lost sight of Ridge Dasher while watching Jester's Thorn. Do you think he's on his way here?” Cracked Shadow asked, walking over to inspect the stone chest before glancing at the 'fashion dummy.' “Not yet. He'll stay out of Jester's way first, and he was looping by here a few minutes ago.” Frozen Breeze replied. “Do you think he'll actually 'pay' the ransom for Blazing Wheel's release?” Ridge Dasher felt himself tighten and he suppressed a growl. “I think so, once he learns we have Silent Rings in the lockup.” Cracked Shadow said, tapping his hoof on a shield and resisting the urge to gloat about it. “They like each other and it's easy to twist that, although I think Commodore Triangle Star has been having an itching to kick the horseshoes right out of him for a while now.” Frozen Breeze held up what appeared to be a copy of the key used to get into the chamber, and Ridge Dasher had to use his training to remain calm and unmoving instead of jump in surprise at the sight of a spare key. “Then it's 'pay the ransom,' then the base spins it as Blazing Wheel taking a bribe from Ridge, then they're both out of our hair once we chase them down and arrest them. On the other hoof, that honey-coated pony that they're with worries me. She spooked Jester's Thorn back in the inn when I was watching them from an opposite corner. Is that even possible?” “We'll have to tell the Commodore about her and await new orders. I want a shot at them before they reach Stone Bridge.” Cracked Shadow said. “I don't want to fight Ridge in Ruined territory. They'd jump on both parties and kill us all.” Ridge Dasher furrowed his brow. That... meant problems. Stone Bridge was usually safe even with the occasional banditry being more bark than bite, but if it was currently Ruined territory... “Agreed.” Frozen Breeze said, turning his back to Ridge Dasher. “Current intel suggests that their war chief has quite a bit of dragon in her. If the bandits don't get them or we don't get them, she will. Let's get out of here before they show up. Leave the chest, it has Blazing Wheel's personal effects and those things are enchanted to backlash on anypony wearing them instead of him or Ridge Dasher, his 'heir apparent'. A speed enchantment on the horseshoes I can understand, but a water breathing enchantment on the necklace?” Ridge Dasher arched his eyebrows, causing the helmet to move slightly. Neither of the other ponies noticed. Bloody hell. He thought. Okay, Crash. You got what you wished for, now live up to your boasts! Frozen Breeze blew on the key, and a thin enchantment issued from it, its sparkly motes of white light coming together in a dimensional portal. “Let's give our report to the Commodore and await orders. We need to move before they leave the village.” Both ponies slipped through the portal and as it snapped shut behind them, Ridge Dasher relaxed a little bit. “Okay, recap to self.” Ridge Dasher said to himself, looking up at the shields. “Blazing Wheel and Silent Rings are being held, there is trouble impending at Stone Bridge for sure, and they were planning a smear game against me. I know the Commodore doesn't like me, but to do the things he is doing, even with his reputation as a war hero and 'savior'... now he's nothing more than just another 'accepted' thug with power. Blazing Wheel was right, he does need to be removed. But can it be done without force? We'd be no better than he is if force were used.” He pawed the ground in annoyance with a snort, unintentionally mimicking Kavesh while resigning himself to the fact that his friends were in trouble and his new-found friend Sunkissed Amber was going to be in way over her head with the Commodore's antics. That was the last straw. “Okay, gentleponies.” Ridge Dasher half-growled under his breath as he took off the armor and went to return to the others. “You just bought yourself some trouble. If you thought Jester's Thorn was bad...” He let himself break into a full on sarcastic grin from ear to ear that would rival Jester's Thorn's. The clever prankster, master of one-liners, and completely immature (if resilient) brat came back out of him, repressed by weeks of focused military training. Now, with some training under his belt, he was ten times as obnoxious. “... No more mister nice Ridge Dasher. You ain't seen nothin' yet.” =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= Moonlight Silence made a beeline for the pawn shop, keeping her eyes peeled for that obnoxious dragon. She'd given her word that he wouldn't be killed, but she hadn't said that she wouldn't be gentle, either. The reptile was more trouble than he was worth and if she didn't keep him out of the way, she was sure he was going to cause far more problems to her in the future. Nudging open the door, she took a quick look around before heading to the center counter where there was a small bell and a “Ring Bell For Service” sign. The room was very clean and well-kept, housing all manner of bric-a-brac and odd pieces from all over the local lands. Hanging on the wall was a mounted serpent-haired dog's head, lining the walls were an odd assortment of pieces of armor of many different styles, in the center of the room was a glass sculpture that looked almost too big to have fit through the doors, and in one corner were several large wood chests with bronze locks that bore the royal seal. She went to the central counter and rang the bell, and after only a minute a cocoa-colored stallion with a gray mustache that flared out almost half a foot in either direction stepped from behind a curtain. “Wasn't expectin' any business today...” The stallion began. “Name's Glass Bottlecap. What can I do for you, miss...?” Moonlight Silence tensed a little. Somepony with shadows on their heart was approaching from the air, fast. She had no doubt she and this stallion were about to have unwanted company, and rather than make with pleasant talk to try to sweet talk him into getting the Dragon's Heart out, went for the direct approach instead. “I'm looking for a particular... valuable object that was... delivered here.” Moonlight Silence replied quietly. “Don't play dumb, we both know you're in possession of something rather valuable you recently acquired.” Her horn glowed briefly and she turned from looking at the door to Glass Bottlecap. The surprised expression on his muzzle told her all she needed to know. “I see.” Glass Bottlecap said nervously. “It belongs to you?” “After a fashion, yes.” Moonlight Silence replied matter-of-factly as the darkness-hearted pony quickly closed the distance. He'd be here within a couple of minutes at most. “And in about three minutes another party will want to take it from you, by word or by force.” “Now, now. I knew something that exquisite was going to be trouble, and trouble is the last thing I want in my store. Wait here and I will retrieve it. I assume you don't want questions asked and, as they say, 'you were never here'. I've read my history. I know what it is.” Glass Bottlecap said, rubbing his front hooves together nervously. “Then you should know that somepony who preys on the innocent is about to arrive right through those doors.” Moonlight Silence said. “You are an innocent stallion and the pony about to arrive might use the Dragon's Heart in the service of evil. I will compensate you fairly, later, for the safe procurement of it.” Moonlight Silence oriented her spell on Glass Bottlecap, turning away from detecting the incoming Jester's Thorn. Glass Bottlecap was mostly innocent, though there was a huge stain on his heart about the width of one hoof. He'd done something bad as a colt and had gotten away with it, but the guilt and remorse stuck with him. She guessed murder of another colt or filly, and it was likely not an accident, either. While normally such a deep stain was enough to turn him into a thrall to her, harming ponies at this moment would only cause more trouble than good. Still, later on she was going to return and “compensate him fairly”... giving him what he deserved. As Glass Bottlecap returned with the Dragon's Heart in hoof, Jester's Thorn burst through the doors and waltzed right up to the center counter, scowling at Moonlight Silence as he rudely pushed her aside. “You, shopkeep! That's mine, not hers, and I think you'll want to give it to me if you know what's good for you.” Glass Bottlecap frowned. “I don't take well to threats, sir.” He took a step back. “What are you offering that can beat what she's offered? You both want it; I want a profit. What's in it for me?” “I can pay you twice what she is offering, guaranteed.” Jester's Thorn boasted. Moonlight Silence put one hoof to her mouth to hide a laugh. “Not good enough. Let's hear a price in coins.” Glass Bottlecap stubbornly said, clutching the Dragon's Heart close to his body. “Not going to lie, she's only said 'fair compensation'. I want a value in coins instead of in words.” Jester's Thorn scoffed, dropping all pretense of payment and threatened Glass Bottlecap. “I can give you your life. Give me the Dragon's Heart.” He looked slightly nervous. “On a schedule, dearie? Am I in your way?” Moonlight Silence taunted, easily picking up on it. “You're going to kill me to silence me anyway, I'm sure. This thing is too valuable to not invite death. But you're not going to have it easy. Not without a fight.” Glass Bottlecap growled, edging backward toward a sharp, notched axe in the corner. “Don't try that, you'll never reach it.” Jester's Thorn warned. “I'll let you keep your life if you give it to me.” “I can give you eternal life...” Moonlight Silence tempted, her stripes briefly rippling on her coat for a second. “As an undead mindless husk, necromancer?” Jester's Thorn accused, turning his head to look at Moonlight Silence, who snarled just a little bit. Glass Bottlecap's eyes snapped open as Moonlight Silence's eyes briefly flashed their supernatural green color and he caught sight of them. “I won't serve those that deal with the dead! I hope you mean it when you say you can give me my life!” Glass Bottlecap said. “Catch!” In a series of agile moves that caught Moonlight Silence off guard, Glass Bottlecap vaulted the counter, tossed Jester's Thorn the Dragon's Heart, and charged at Moonlight Silence, body-checking her and knocking her off balance before spinning around and sprinting behind the counter, disappearing into the back room. Both of them could hear a pair of heavy doors being slammed shut and a lock being turned. He was likely hiding in a panic room. Jester's Thorn bolted out of the shop, crashing through the window as his clockwork wings unfurled and he took off into the skies. Moonlight Silence cursed her luck and turned to look at where the stallion had dashed off behind the counter; she'd be back for him later. For now, Jester's Thorn needed to be stopped. She darted out of the building and began to give chase, passing Ridge Dasher just as the stallion reached Kavesh. The two looked at each other and joined her in the chase, but Jester's Thorn made it to the edge of town first, flying past the stockade and out in between a pair of tall trees that marked the start of the forest on that side. “Looking for something?” Jester's Thorn gloated, holding up the Dragon's Heart. He never missed a chance to taunt Ridge Dasher, though he kept a very sharp eye on Moonlight Silence. “Give that back!” Ridge Dasher growled. Kavesh squinted, staring at the crimson pony. Even with a lack of depth perception, he could see that this particular pony was not ordinary. He noted the pony's scars just under his fake metal-and-feather wings, and could feel the malevolence radiating from him. He could tell this was a pegasus who'd lost his wings in battle, and the scars that remained combined with the fact he didn't seem to quit showed that he was a strong survivor. This was a worthy opponent! This pony would feel his wrath for glory to the tribe! Kavesh would bring back his wings as a trophy after he was done tearing the dead-yet-walking pony's head from her neck! On the other hoof this was a cocky, strong pony that could probably kill Kavesh's entire tribe, and it looked like the fog-colored stallion and the dead-yet-walking mare were his enemies. For several moments he was tempted to side with this powerful pony; he appeared to be the enemy of the soft ponies, he had something the soft ponies wanted, he mimicked the Ruined through use of his wings (an artificial mutation), and his coat was the color of blood... a very powerful mark of status. For the first time in a long time, Kavesh felt threatened and nervous... even fearful. Kavesh decided against it... for now. He was still in the territory of the soft ponies, and he didn't want to be ganged up on for picking the wrong side to ally with. Glory was one thing, but not being alive to bask in it was something else entirely. “Don't bother using your magic, sorceress.” Jester's Thorn taunted. “I can dodge anything you can throw at me.” “SIC' EM, TWISTER!” Sunkissed Amber suddenly called out, stepping out from behind a building. Twister dove out of the sky and flapped her wings right in front of Jester's Thorn's muzzle, causing him to growl and slap the avian aside with his free hoof. The hawk spiraled into the trees, almost slamming into a tree trunk beak first. “Your attempt was for the birds, Amber.” Ridge Dasher said. At the same time Jester's Thorn was distracted slapping the bird aside, Moonlight Silence took a step forward to make her move. “Dodge this, dearie.” Her horn pulsed, and she sent a beam of scalding white light out at the trees, snapping a big branch above Jester's Thorn. The crimson stallion could only look up as the branch came down on his back, fouling his wings and causing him to drop the Dragon's Heart as he plummeted. “NOW, Gleam!” Sunkissed Amber called. She'd found the dragon just as they were concluding their business with Wing Mist. He'd been hiding in the forest all this time, waiting for a time when it was safe to make himself known. Faster than Jester's Thorn by a fair bit, Gleam darted out from behind the crimson pony and caught the Dragon's Heart in mid-air with his front talons. With a taunting hiss of sarcasm he stuck out his tongue at Jester's Thorn then flew off through the trees, running away as fast as his wings could carry him until it was safe to return. By the time Jester's Thorn recovered from his fall a couple seconds later by opening his wings just before he hit the ground, the dragon was out of range and rapidly disappearing into the distance. Now the ponies of the village were beginning to assemble behind Moonlight Silence and Kavesh, wondering what was going on. Jester's Thorn knew he would be outmatched here if a scene were made; the village was neutral but would not take kindly to him especially if his earlier threat to Glass Bottlecap became common knowledge. While the village could be cowed into submission by the base as it relied on the base for most of its guards and protection, the better action in the short term would be to retreat. Then later when he located that damn dragon, follow them and look for a new opportunity. He would not return to base empty-hooved. “All right, you win this round.” Jester's Thorn growled, launching himself high into the sky and hopefully out of range of Moonlight Silence's interference. “But it isn't over yet!” He cursed himself at getting too overconfident for once, and it was a mistake he would not repeat in the future when it came to dealing with this group. “You'll wish it was when ah get mah hooves on ya.” Moonlight Silence muttered quietly as Jester's Thorn zoomed off, trying to catch up to Gleam.