Harmonics

by appendingfic

Bucking Destiny

Harmonics

by Appendingfic & Read

Chapter 2: Bucking Destiny

~~~

With Lucky Clover in the lead, the party swiftly left behind even the rolling hills beyond Arkhoof’s forests and entered clear, rocky hills. Not quite willing to address the sorceress, Azure took a chance questioning the other newcomer.

“So...you’re good with animals?” she asked Wild Heart. “I thought pegasi mostly were good with weather.”

“Not as much as we used to. The old stories said pegasu could create or calm the greatest storms, but nowadays...either the Winged Horror is controlling the weather, or it’s simply become uncontrollable. Mostly, anyway.” He flapped his wings a few times, generating a small gust. “But a useful skill you’ve got. Protection?” He nosed at the shield on Azure’s flank.

She grinned and nodded, generating a flickering suit of armor about her. “Never let me down!”

“Glad to hear that, because it looks like it’s going to rain!” Lucky shouted from the front of the pack. A moment later, the sky opened up to release a torrent of water that soon had the ponies drenched.

“This is going to ruin my armor!” Lance grumbled as Lucky bounded forward, galloping towards a tiny overhang set in one of the hills. The overhang proved to be just large enough to fit all of them, even Wild Heart’s bat companion, who huddled his wings over the pegasus.

Wild Heart glowered at the rain, as if he could make it stop through sure force of will. After a minute of this failing to occur, he sighed and glanced down, green eyes sloping down with dismay. “This isn’t natural rain,” he muttered. “This is the sort of thing you get near the ruins of Cloudsdale.”

“Or near the old nag,” Lucky declared. “I think her cave’s somewhere close by.”

Azure shivered; the short sojourn in the rain had soaked her, armor notwithstanding. But so, too, was she worried at Lucky’s mysterious nag. Lucky was evasive about just what the creature was, or where she’d heard of her. In the Equestria she knew, the unknown was dangerous. Still, the weight of Lance’s unwillingness to charge into danger without helpful intelligence and Iron Hoof’s need to seek out anything that could help track down his sister meant Azure had to go along with this.

“Do you know how long this is going to take?” Azure asked Wild Heart. “Because it might be best if we can find this cave sooner if it’s going to rain for a while.”

Wild Heart sniffed before shrugging. “Quite a while, I guess.”

“Yeah, I bet it’ll be better at the old nag’s,” Lucky interjected. “You wanna head out soon?”

“I want to head out right now,” Azure said, pushing to her hooves. “Let’s go, everypony.”

Lucky took the lead, quickly leaving behind the lower hills until the group reached a higher, rockier mountain, and a cavernous opening surrounded by-

A piercing howl cut through the air, the source of it being a terrifying creature twice the size of a pony, looking something like an overgrown cat with the flesh peeled from its head. Five smaller creatures looking much like it stood arrayed about it, and as Wild Heart dropped to his belly in terror, they loped at the ponies, bony, fleshless jaws slavering.

“Oh my goodness!” Can Do whimpered, covering her eyes. “The King’s been using his magic on kittens!”

“Less talking, more-agh!” Lance’s shout was cut off when one of the creatures worried at his leg. The rest of the group met the line of ponies, snapping at legs and sides with wicked-looking teeth.

Azure focused her will and flashed the nearest two creatures with a flash of rainbow light that sent one to the ground, dazed an unconscious. Wild Heart’s companion lunged at a creature that drew too close to Can Do and tore at it, sending it similarly to the ground. The large creature snapped at Azure, teeth missing her by inches.

There was something odd about the creatures’ movements; Azure tried to dodge away from the larger creature as it feinted towards her, only to earn a sharp cuff on the side. It hurt, but...well, she’d expected the creature to rip her limb from limb.

“Azure! I don’t think they’re - down, kitty - trying to hurt us!” Can Do’s shout had less of a desperate edge to it, and with that declaration, Azure had to agree.

“Can we maybe all just sit down and talk over this like civilized creatures?” Azure demanded.

The larger creature yipped, sending the others to sit obediently. This provided the ponies an opportunity to back away from combat.

“Now, look, I don’t know what we did wrong, but we were sort of hoping we could move along without any more trouble,” Azure said to the big creature. “Anything we can do to help that?”

The creature stared at her for a long moment before the skin around its neck rolled forward to cover its face. It yelped at its pack, or pride, and the other creatures padded away. The large creature approached the now-unconscious smaller one and nudged at it. Feeling embarrassed, Azure handed a bandage to Can Do. “Maybe you could...”

“Aye aye!” Can Do saluted and tended to the creature, who stood unsteadily after a moment. The large creature herded it away from the group, until both loped away at high speed, leaving the ponies alone in front of the cavern. As the ponies watched, a spark of blue light approached from within the depths of the cave. The form flickered before a voice, high-pitched and melodious, emanated from it.

“Clever are you, to find this place. Wise are you, not to fight. Follow, and you will find what you seek.”

The light began to retreat; Azure broke into a gallop to follow after the light, not bothering to make sure her companions followed. The sound of hooves behind her, however, suggested they were, which was well, because the cavern was a maze of branching paths that the light followed almost randomly. Still, Azure did her best to remember the turns it took, certain she might have to make the trip on her own sometime.

Eventually the paths opened into a large room of natural stone. Inside was nothing more than a hooded shape seated on the ground. It stood slowly, revealing quite possibly the oddest creature Azure had ever seen. It had the body of a minotaur and the head of a sphinx, elongated claws at the end of its front paws, and a compact face with no fur and dark purple skin. It wore a gold ring inset with a single ruby on its right front paw.

It smiled at them, revealing sharp fangs. “Welcome, Azure Shield. I have been expecting you.”

“I - have you?” Azure felt her chest hitch at the suggestion the creature had seen her before.

“The queen of sleep saw fit to visit me with visions of your arrival,” the creature said softly.

“The queen...?” Azure wracked her brains, trying to recall what she’d heard about such a creature. Nothing came to her, except the vague knowledge that creatures other than ponies had different stories about the world. “Did she tell you what we wanted?”

The creature shrugged. “Your quest is hardly unique. The King of Madness has stolen much. It is natural to seek vengeance on him-”

“We just want our friends back,” Azure said. “He’s keeping them prisoner in Canterlot.”

The nag’s smile took on a dangerous, toothy quality. “Well. I suppose if you want to head to Canterlot...it’s a difficult thing, what you’re asking for. I’d appreciate it if you indulged me. Can I ask a question? There are many creatures that concern themselves with the path of the future. One such race gazes upon the future, knowing that the visions they see are unchanging, the pattern of things to come. Another knows that the future is a maze of choices, and the future shaped by those choices. The third...fears the future. They see its coming as a nightmare beyond imagine. Every choice is made to prepare against the battle against the coming of tomorrow - the coming of death.”

“Is this going anywhere?” Can Do asked, tilting her head at the nag.

“Yes. Tell me, Azure Shield, which of these races has the greatest predilection for evil?”

“I?” Faced with the creature’s dull, yellow eyes, Azure’s mind skittered to a halt. She wanted to deny that there could be any difference. Any creature growing up with one of those philosophies could become evil. A creature who saw the future as his to change might do terrible things, even with the best intentions. And fear of the future could make a creature fatalistic and hateful. But she suspected the nag wouldn’t accept an answer like that; she sounded like she wanted Azure to tell her only one.

Which meant...

“If somepony believes the future is fixed, she has no motivation to choose a better future. She might not take responsibility for her actions, because if the future is fixed, there’s no blame in choosing evil. So...the creatures who think the future is fixed. Those are the evil ones.”

The nag stared fixedly at Azure, smile all but gone, and when the unicorn was finished speaking, the nag’s smile returned, albeit slowly. “Well. What a statement. Not many make that guess. You are largely right. Of course, we both know no race is predestined for evil. And even a well-meaning beast can do terrible things. I would advise you not put too much faith in the words of dragons, mind you, if you ever meet one.”

The nag settled onto the ground and nodded, falling into silence. As it stretched on, Azure felt a little uncomfortable.

“Um, aren’t you going to help us?” Can Do asked. “Or was this just riddle time with the creepy old mare?”

The nag shot the camouflaged pegasus a sharp look, causing her to quail. “It takes a little thinking, Azure Shield. I can see two paths ahead of you. I know well the ways of the dragons, who study the stars to see the shape of the future. They see the future as a series of consequences, the knowledge that certain acts lead to certain futures. I know of one of these paths, which will certainly lead to success. But...”

She stood and crossed to Azure, pressing a hand on the unicorn’s head. “The future is a twisted path, one convoluted and full of complications. Who knows when your success would come, or what would happen between then and now? So I could offer you a chance. One shot at achieving your dreams without mucking about with the requirements of destiny. There is no guarantee you would succeed, but by Faust, it would be something to remember.” The nag’s smile took a softer tone as she spoke, and Azure felt a fraction of her worry fall away. The nag couldn’t be all bad if the thought of Azure kicking flank in Canterlot made her smile.

And then she realized that the nag was speaking to her, rather than the group as a whole. The nag wanted her to make the decision. “I...can I sleep on that?”

The nag’s grin went toothy. “Of course. You are welcome to stay as long as you wish. The only question is how long you can afford to wait.”

“Thanks,” Azure replied, heart sinking.

The nag clapped her hands and the blue spark led the group to a set of small caves set apart from the main one. Azure tried to sit and think on her own, but after only a few minutes, she rose, agitated, and sought out Can Do.

The green-and-brown mare was lying on her back on the stone floor, staring at the ceiling, but glanced over when Azure approached. “Hey.”

“Can, what do you think we should do?”

The pegasus let out a gusty sigh, rolling onto her front. She didn’t stand, however. “I guess I’d go with the quick way. If we take too long going along with the destiny thing, we might find that His Terrificness has built an army of gigantic metal ponies that shoot laser beams out of their eyes! Or we have to fight Iron Filing as some sort of mutant pony with powers over laser beams. Or-”

“Thanks, Can,” Azure muttered before leaving. She realized, as she turned to leave, that if she asked one pony, she’d have to ask them all. And that made Iron Hoof next.

She found his cave by irregular thumping that proved to be Iron kicking the walls with tremendous force. When he saw her, he narrowed his dark eyes. “I wanna do this quick,” he said simply.

Silver Lance was meditating, which gave Azure pause. She hadn’t expected him to spend much time in thought. “Lance?”

“Asking for my advice, Azure?” he asked mockingly.

“I suppose,” she said. “It’s a big decision.”

“Very well.” Lance sighed. “I didn’t come out after you to fail, Azure. This mare’s offering us a sure thing. I’d go for it...and probably see what other advice she might be willing to offer.”

Azure rolled her eyes. “Thanks for the advice, Lance. I’ll think about it.”

She turned from the room, only to run into Lucky’s dark violet form. “I don’t agree with him,” Lucky said. “Fate’s a mug’s game. I’ve never held much with it.”

“You’re about rolling dice,” Azure said. She wasn’t certain she held much with it; she preferred to rely on her skill than chance.

“No, about weighting the dice in my favor. And when things go wrong, roll again!” Lucky winked a gold eye at Azure. “So that’s my advice. Tell destiny to take a hike, and if the plan fails, try again!”

“I...” Azure left Lucky behind and found her way to Wild Heart’s room. Her companions were split, almost, but this wasn’t something she could leave to chance, or even a simple majority vote. It was too important.

Singer, Wild Heart’s bat, hung from the ceiling of the room. Wild Heart was sprawled on a pile of cushions, but brightened when he saw Azure. “Hey, Azure. What do you want?”

“It was what they knew inside,” Azure concluded, sitting down hard.

After a moment, Wild Heart twisted his head to look at Azure from below. “Did I help?” he asked.

“Maybe,” Azure hedged.

She wasn’t sure he had; as Azure settled down to sleep, her mind whirled with everypony’s opinions. She had no better idea when she woke the next morning, and that left one last creature to ask.

When the nag gathered them in her waiting room, Azure took a deep breath and steeled her nerves.

“Have you made a decision?” the nag asked.

“What would you choose?” Azure blurted out.

The nag’s smile turned odd, yellow eyes fixing on the unicorn almost hungrily. “Do you want to hear what I would choose if it were me, or what I believe you should do?”

“Both,” Azure declared.

The nag was silent for a moment, and as the silence stretched on, Azure worried she’d offended the nag. Perhaps the creature would banish them from her cave or make the decision for them. And then the nag began to laugh; although the sound was dry and rough, as if out of practice, it was clearly a sound of amusement. Azure felt the fear dissipate as the nag continued laughing.

“A selfish pony, aren’t you?” she asked Azure weakly around continuing chuckles.

“Maybe,” Azure agreed. “But I hope I’m cute enough to make up for it.”

“Hmph,” the nag replied. “But very well. I watch the stars to find the paths the dragons know. I know well the path you might take. If you can follow the trail I set for you, I promise success will come for you. But...”

The nag fell silent and her gaze drifted above Azure’s shoulder to fix on the wall of her cave. “The King in Plaid - His Terrificness - hurt me once. I have stood in your place, and lost much. I have spent decades studying the future, only to find what I had hoped to prevent had already become the past.” The nag sank onto her haunches and sighed. “This is the burden I carry with me.”

Azure nodded as the words sank in. She knew to her core what she would do if she’d headed out on her own. “I...if this were me, I know that I’d take all the time I needed to be sure to succeed. But this isn’t just about me. This is about eight other ponies...about countless other ponies who are hurting now. We have once chance...and if it fails, we’ll make a new one.”

The nag began laughing again, a full-throated guffaw that went on for a long time. When the laughter died down, she wiped at her eyes. “Very well. Here is your chance. Canterlot is ruled by His Terrificness’ servants. Among them is a demon that is aware of every thinking creature within the entire city. To enter the city is certain death, for the beast would know of your approach the moment you entered into its awareness. And yet...there are those who have gone to great lengths to conceal themselves from creatures such as this.

“Once there was a pony who bore with him such fear of the unknown that he imagined enemies arrayed all about him, terrible creatures that could see into his thoughts. He would have borne magic to protect himself from his enemies, and such magic would now rest with him within his tomb.”

“Tomb-robbing?” Lance asked, narrowing his eyes.

“It’s a perfectly respectable occupation,” Lucky retorted. “Um. For certain definitions of respectable.”

“Is it safe?” Can Do asked.

Azure felt her heart sink. “Probably not,” she said. “If this pony had a lot of magic, he probably followed an old unicorn tradition - making his resting place as well-protected as possible. Especially if he was worried about secret enemies.”

“Well-protected?” Can Do asked.

“Full of traps,” Azure said. “Come on, let’s go.”

With a map provided by the nag, they found their way, in short order, to a heavy stone door set into a nearby mountain. Azure hesitantly tried to push the door open, revealing a branching hallway cut into stone, unremarkable in its appearance.

“Looks like things aren’t as bad as I thought,” she declared cheerily before letting Can Do step up to a door set on the left.

“Glad to hear - ow!” When Can Do tried to open the door, it sparked, sending a shock into her hoof. She glared at Azure. “You said it was safe!”

“Apparently...not so much,” Azure said. “Um. Sorry.” She peered at the door for a moment, letting her awareness spread out to the door; weak magic still pulsed from the doorknob. “Oh...” she sighed. “Do you think you could open the door without touching the knob?” she asked Iron Hoof.

“Yup,” he said with a grin. “Out of the way, Can.” He turned and slammed his rear hooves into the door, sending it splintering open.

Inside was a large room, devoid of almost any decoration, and occupied by what appeared to be the corpse of a pony, rotted and almost disintegrated with time.

Azure stepped around the corpse, taking stock of the several doors out of the room. “Okay...Can, you check out the doors for traps, okay?”

Can Do looked like she might have considered protesting, but instead wandered over to a door on the far side of the room and spent a few minutes examining it. “I don’t think anything’s wrong with this one,” she offered.

“Great!” Azure walked to the door, but the moment she touched the floor immediately in front of it, the ceiling collapsed on her; only her quick reflexes kept her from being completely buried.

“Okay,” she said. “I officially hate this pony, whoever he was.”

After Iron Hoof and Lance dug her out, Azure resolutely raised a hoof. "Okay. It looks like everything's trapped, so Can Do? You're on lookout."

The pegasus gave Azure a wide-eyed look of dismay. "Everything?" she asked.

The next hour was the most torturous of Azure's life. It seemed that every door that wasn't trapped was locked with fiendish devices, or swollen and stuck into their frames. Can Do luckily noted one door coated in poison before anypony touched it, but Azure was growing frustrated when at last the first door Lucky touched opened without a hitch and without triggering a trap.

"Maybe you should have been opening these to begin with," she sighed.

Lucky shrugged and offered Azure a helpless grin.

The room beyond was massive, almost empty except for the ornate tiles on the ceiling, depicting dozens of magical beasts, from ponies all the way to impossible-looking creatures that looked like a cross between owls and bears. A staircase climbed to a blank portion of wall. Azure noted something scribbled on the wall up there, so followed the stairs to the top.

"Aren't you lucky this isn't another trap?" it read.

"I hate him," Azure growled. "Whoever he is, wherever he is, I hate him. I'm going to kick him in the head, and once we're done here, I'm burning this place to the ground."

"It's set inside a mountain," Wild Heart said uncertainly.

"I am a unicorn. I'll find a way," Azure retorted through gritted teeth.

A door in the far wall opened again without hindrance to reveal a silver circlet on a small pedestal. Azure gave Can Do what she hoped was a pleading look.

"Do you think you could check this for anything suspicious?" she asked.

"Not like I haven't already," Can Do grumbled. She spend close to a minute wandering around the circlet in a tight circle before she tapped the pedestal. When nothing happened, she nudged it again, and then rapped the pedestal hard enough to send it swinging backwards to the far wall, revealing a heavy wooden chest underneath.

"Huh," Can Do muttered. She knocked open the chest to reveal it was full of bits, the occasional gleam of silver or gold proving it bore a greater treasure. "Wow."

Azure, for her part, had found the strange crown too tempting to resist. She had put it on by the time Can Do opened the chest, and at the revelation of the small fortune, a new sense of annoyance at the owner of the tomb sparked across her mind. If he expected this to prevent her from enacting her vengeance-

It occurred to Azure that violence wasn't the sort of thing good ponies engaged in on a whim. It was such a clear, obvious thought that she stopped all thought for a moment in shock. It occurred to her too late that ponies could make items that influenced their wearers, and such items might appear innocuous.

She idly considered a few quick thoughts. She was still irritated, but she could probably see just prying whatever artifact the pony had concealed off of his body-

Good ponies wouldn't make a habit of tomb robbing.

Azure considered the intrusive thought. It sounded like her own thoughts. She still sort of wanted to just take the dead pony's stuff and get out of here - even knowing it wasn't right - which proved that whatever this circlet was, it wasn't actually hurting her. It was, she decided, offering advice. The nature of the advice might be suspect, but she certainly didn't see any harm in it. And it did look quite attractive.

Azure realized at this point that Can Do and Lucky, the two ponies small enough to fit in the small room with her, were staring at her.

"Are you all right?" Can DO asked. "You've been staring at that wall for some time."

"I'm fine," Azure said, shaking her head. "I just wanted to make sure this crown was safe."

Lucky giggled. "That's the sort of way I would have checked that out," she said. "You struck me as a little more cautious."

Azure blushed. "It didn't look dangerous; and besides, I thought it might be the thing we were looking for. It wasn't," she offered.

"I think we need a break from all this dungeoneering," Lucky announced, lolling her head. "You're getting a little loopy."

Azure considered for a moment before nodding. It seemed like a good enough plan. She was a little tired of worrying about traps and the like, and they could take some time rearranging their packs to carry the contents of the small chest (funds very might well be short later, she told herself, and whoever collected the money didn't need it anymore).

Lucky, either out of anticipating Azure's agreement or just plain presumptuousness, had told the others to settle in the first large room they'd found; Azure found the others already settling down. She, however, only had eyes for the one unopned door in the room. A thousand possibilities of what could lurk on the other side while they slept assaulted her, and she knew she wouldn't get to sleep until they made sure it was safe.

With great trepidation, she approached Can Do. "Um. Do you think you could do one more favor?" she asked.

Can Do followed Azure's unconcious glance, scowling when she saw the unopened door.

Still, after a moment, she took a wide, defiant stance. "Fine. But Lucky's taking the lead tomorrow. And I get your share of that treasure."

"Fine," Azure agreed hurriedly.

Can Do stalked towards the door but abruptly halted about five feet away from it, eyes fixed on the ground.

"Can?"

"Trap door," Can Do murmured. "But hold on; I think I can handle it." She backed away from the door. Azure and the others cleared the way as Can Do moved, Azure more uneasily than the others.

"Are you sure-"

"I'm fine," Can Do growled. She shook herself once, crouched, and then launched herself forward, galloping forward until she leapt ten feet from the door. She hit the door at its middle, sending the whole thing clattering open. A moment later, Azure heard an almighty crash.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine!" Can called back. "And you gotta see this!"

Each pony followed, Azure last, until they all stood in a room covered with gold coins, goblets, circlets, and other valuables. Azure let her gaze travel over them, until she glimpsed what the others had not yet noticed.

A raised platform bore a dead pony, a pegasus, given that it bore the appearance of wearing a feathery cloak. The creature's skin fit oddly; after a moment, Azure realized it looked as if the pony had been skinned, and his coat stitched together and fit back over him like a suit. She giggled a little hysterically, drawing her friends' attentions. They each gasped or muttered at the sight of the dead pony.

"Look at that," Lucky murmured in awe. Azure stared, trying to see it; she almost gasped herself when she saw what the other mage had seen. The pony was largely unadorned, except for two rings fixed around his hooves. One was a watery, silvery ring that deflected the light oddly, making it almost invisible. The other was a gold ring adorned with a ruby.

"Do you think those are it?" Azure asked as she drew closer. Nopony answered even as she drew almost to the dead pony's side. She might have wondered about that if she hadn't been so intent on gaining the tools she needed for this quest.

Because she was so intent on the hooves of the pony, she saw them twitch a moment before he moved.

She screeched and recoiled, trying to summon some sort of defense before the creature could touch her. "It's alive!" she shouted. A small part of her suggested this might not have been totally accurate, but Azure suspected there would be a time for semantics after they'd escaped with their lives.

The others reacted slowly, but Azure summoned a weak blast of flame to strike the pegasus as it struggled to its feet. The fire spattered against its skin, causing the creature, whose teeth were clear around rotted flesh, grinned toothily at her as the red pinpricks of its eyes gleamed.

"Try this on for size," it hissed. Flame licked out at Iron Hoof, causing the earth pony to dance back. Azure narrowed her eyes. Pegasi couldn't use magic like that. It looked like he'd just copied-

Lance charged in, missing the creature with a swing of his favored weapon, and Wild Heart just seemed to be focusing on his own defense. "Go on, Iron!" she shouted, knowing that the pony might be able to meet magic with magic, but likely didn't have such a defense against hoof and tooth.

Iron Hoof charged forward and dragged the pegasus to the ground with a well-placed tug to its hoof. The creature struggled and growled and then vanished.

Azure had seen the rings on the creature's leg; expecting magic, she wasn't quite as surprised as she might have been. She called a scatter of light into being, showering the area near the door with glittering motes.

They settled on every creature, object, and surface in the area, and, consequently, revealed the indistinct shape of a pegasus.

"We didn't come here to fight," Azure said quickly, before the fight could escalate. "We just need something from you, an artifact to protect us from creatures who can see our minds-"

"That's mine!" the creature growled. "I need it!"

Azure stepped back from the pegasus' vehemence. "Well, we could bring it back..."

"I need it all the time, to keep them from finding me! Creatures that lurk and steal and hide and disguise," the pegasus ranted.

Azure glanced at the others, but nopony offered any advice. She felt that she should be able to reach this pony and convince him of their need for his help, but she had yet been able to say anything to move him.

"Look, I understand that you're worried. We're fighting something big - one of the servants of His Terrificness - the King of Canterlot?"

The pegasus tilted its head; Azure wished she could see his eyes to see if he were considering her words or just planning-

The motes of light faded, and the pegasus, now fully invisible, bolted, sending a blast of wind along his passage. Azure stared helplessly after him.

She'd failed. They needed whatever magic he'd had, and she'd failed to get it.

"Do we go after him?" Can Do asked.

"With him invisible and suspicious of us already?" Azure asked. "No, I don't think we can."

She glanced quickly at the others, who all seemed to share a look of resignation she felt (this was a lie; she didn't look at Iron Hoof, unwilling to see what he felt).

"I suppose we still can go back and ask the nag about her path to victory," Wild Heart said quietly.

The others made noises of agreement. They didn't sound enthusiastic, and Azure could sympathize. It had felt empowering to make a choice to try doing this without following some impersonal sweep of destiny; to have failed almost immediately was disheartening.

"Do we take any of this gold?" Lance asked. His saddlebags were already stuffed full, Azure noted.

"No," Lucky replied. "It's lead. I think he must have had some sense of humor, this paranoid pony."

Azure had to agree, however grimly.

They left the tomb silently and slowly; it was this speed that enabled Azure to make her discovery. Resting just outside the cave's entrance was the silvery ring. It had less of its watery quality, but she still might have missed it had she been moving faster.

"Is that-?"

"I think it's his ring of invisibility," Azure said in wonder. She picked up the ring and put it on, and the item proved its worth as she faded from view.

"But why would he leave it for us?" Lance demanded. "He said he wasn't going to give his treasure to us."

"He didn't," Azure said. "This wouldn't do any good against somepony who can sense where you are without seeing you. But maybe...the King of Canterlot is one of his enemies, and he thought he could afford to give up something to help us."

It wasn't quite a cheering thought; Azure couldn't see how this could help her sneak into Canterlot. But it was nice to think even the paranoid pegasus had thought her worth helping.

Back at the nag's cave, the rain started in earnest as they approached, but no creature tried to stop them, and no creature led the way in. Azure, however, relied on her memory of the original passage.

It took longer than it had before, and she was certain, once or twice, that they were lost, but in the end, they found the way to the nag's cave.

The nag was waiting for them, hands crossed in front of her. Azure saw a flicker of gold and red on the creature's hands.

"That's your ring!" she declared. "Was that tomb some sort of test? Were you that pegasus?"

"He is not the only one to fear the probing minds of others," the nag replied. "And no, to put your mind at ease, we are not one and the same. I had hoped he was truly dead - or that you could persuade him to give up his ring. It shields the mind from any attempt to seek it or read it. It is of great value to those who would fight the Lord of the Twisted Cross without fear of retaliation." She sighed.

"You won't give it to us either," Azure said. There was no need to ask; she knew the answer.

"I can tell you of the long path, the destiny that can win this fight for you," the nag said.

"But you won't give us the ring," Azure repeated.

"You may stay the night," the nag said.

"But-"

"You can stay the night," the nag repeated.

Azure was the last to file out to the small guest rooms. She suspected she must have been the only one to see the nag crouched, staring at the floor of the cave as if meditating.

It occurred to her only then to wonder how old the nag was, and what she had already seen.

They awoke the next morning in somber moods, moreso when they found the nag's cave empty.

Almost empty. Azure was the one to spot the scroll, rolled up tight and bound with a gold band. When she slipped the band off, it expanded into the gold ring with the ruby both the pegasus and nag had worn. The letter was simple.

"The time has come to stop studying and take action," it read.

Lucky settled a hoof around Azure's shoulders. "You're going to need a guide to get to Canterlot," she said softly.

"What are you - you don't expect me to go do this!" Azure declared, feeling her nerves racing. "It's Iron Hoof's sister-"

"I think you'd be the best," Iron said quietly. "You're smarter than I am, and sneakier, and your magic would be a better help than mine."

"This is not a mission for charging in waving a sword," Lance said.

"I don't know who to look for," Wild Heart said.

"How far do you think I'd get?" Can Do asked seriously, and Azure chuckled in spite of herself.

"And you?" she asked Lucky.

The purple unicorn shrugged. "I don't know your friends, like Wild Heart. But I can get you as far as the city limits, and help you a little with what to look out for. You'll be as safe as I would in that city, I promise."

Azure looked to each of them and nodded, feeling her hopes rising again. She hadn't exactly planned to go, expecting somepony else to need to, but she wouldn't turn down the mission. She met Iron Hoof's eyes and gave him a weak smile.

"I'll bring her back to you," she vowed.

"Never doubted it for a second," he replied.

Azure turned to Lucky. "Let's go," she said.