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Chapter 12,931 words
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Chapter 32,899 words

Chapter 3

Author's Note:

The following Chapter is written by Dirty Bit.
This will be the last chapter that will be written by him.

The group, after finishing their meals, exited the inn, and by extension, the seahaven as they journeyed to Hamil. After adjusting to their new forms, attire, and the world they're in, the ponies and dragon took in the vast landscape with more appreciation than before with the exception of Applejack.

Several beasts were littered across the wilderness, walking about in a seemingly docile fashion so long as the group kept their distance. Fluttershy would have been more enamored by the sight, if not for the fact that the monsters were hostile.

"So, going by your friend Rainbow Dash," Milla broke the silence as they continued along their own trail. "All of you are capable of combat, yes? What weapons are you most proficient with?"

Fluttershy squealed instantly at the question.

"Wh-What?" Twilight asked, caught off-guard by Milla's question. "Well, yes, my friends and I have fought before, but not exactly with weapons. We much prefered our own magic and hooves." She stared at her peach colored hand before chuckling sheepishly. "That is, when we were ponies."

"Twilight has your answer." Rarity said before flipping her hair with a hand. "Besides, I don't really see myself weilding some sword like some battle-hungry maniac." She looked over at Alvin. "No offense, darling."

"None taken." Alvin said as he briefly pulled out his weapons. "After all, I've got more style than your average brigand."

"I have a weapon!" Pinkie voiced herself cheerfully before pulling out her party cannon, shocking her friends. "This baby's stuck with me for the longest time!"

"Interesting. I've never taken you for a cannoneer." Milla said as she inspected the fun-sized cannon."

"Wait a minute," Rainbow Dash said incredulously. "You had your party cannon with you the whole time!? How's that possible when we don't even have our own supplies?"

"Hey, that's right." Applejack piped up. "Just how in the hay can Pinkie Pie still have her items when we lost ours after transforming?" Twilight paused before the realization dawned on herself.

"Oh no, Rainbow Dash is right!" Twilight said anxiously. She and her friends did feel lighter on their feet after performing her transformation spell.

"You didn't lose them, silly. I got our saddlebags right here!" Pinkie chirped she held two saddlebags in arms, further shocking her friends.

"Huh. I suppose Pinkie's got a solid inventory going for her. You folks came prepared." Jude said nonchalantly.

"Seriously? None of you are the least bit surprised by this?" Rainbow Dash said to Jude, Milla, and Alvin.

"Well, it doesn't seem out of the ordinary that you would have your own plethora of items at the ready for your quest. Perhaps Twilight's spell helped to adapt to our world's rules."

"Yeah, we sort of got an inventory of our own." Alvin said as his arms rested behind his back. He smiled at Pinkie. "Nice cannon, by the way."

"Thanks. I made it myself." Pinkie replied brightly.

"Well, perhaps Pinkie can lend us her assistance before we accumulate enough gald to purchase weapons for the rest of you." Milla proposed as she crossed her arms.

"Even me?" Spike asked hopefully. Milla looked down at the dragon-turned-human.

"I don't see why not. You seem capable for being a young human." The lord of spirits watched Spike grin from the compliment.

"Spike, I don't think it's right for you to risk your life so easily despite us all going on this quest." Twilight interjected, looking down at him with mild sternness. "You're better off leaving the fighting to us." Spike puffed his cheeks.

"There you go again, treating me like a child. I helped you before in a different world, you know. And besides, what if this world had young people who can fight so well?" Spike asked.

"You know, Spike," Jude voiced himself, grabbing Spike and Twilight's attention. "Fighting in this world isn't as glamorous as it sounds. Not even I enjoy harming people myself. Besides, judging by Twilight's concern, you're obviously important to her. Wouldn't it be better to spare her the worry and stay safe for her sake?" Spike stared at Jude before looking away and huffing.

"Fine. Everyone else would've probably said the same thing, anyways..." He muttered bitterly.

"They wouldn't be wrong, little man." Alvin said. "Besides, it's better to live to see another day, right? The rest of your friends are as toothless as you right now."

"An' just who're ya callin' toothless, buster?" Applejack shot a glare at Alvin, who simply looked away with a playful smirk.

"No one in particular." He said tersely.

"I believe we've reached an agreement about our formation earlier." Milla said finally before looking at her new companions. "We can properly size up your combat experience when we reach Hamil, but until then, we have to get moving."

"Of course." Twilight nodded before looking at Pinkie. "Pinkie Pie, place our supplies...wherever you got them from and we'll be on our way."

"Okie dokie loki!" Pinkie said before easily stashing her items behind her, her cannons and saddlebags moving out of view entirely.

"I'm used to things coming out of your mane and junk, but I'll never get used to that." Rainbow Dash said before the group resumed their journey.

The sun hung over the sky as the group reached what appeared to be a rural town with buildings resting on varying elevations of land. Fluttershy looked around with a small smile.

"So this is Hamil? It seems like a rather peaceful town." She said warmly.

"I know. And would you look at all this fruit?" Pinkie said impressively. "I could make so many parfaits with that!" Applejack sniffed at the air for a moment before smiling to herself.

"Feels like home, alright. Ah'm pickin' up some cider 'round these parts. These folk must run their own orchards."

"Quite the keen nose. I catch it, too." Alvin said while smirking.

"Well, well, well!"

The group noticed an elderly woman dressed up in a unique burgundy coat with white fur on her sleeves and collar. White fur was also seen on the end of her black trousers. Her eyes were closed as she approached them.

"We don't get many visitors around here, especially with your numbers!" The lady said as she stopped in front of the group.

"Do you live here, ma'am?" Jude asked politely.

"I would hope so. I'm the mayor!" The lady said proudly.

"You're the mayor? Neat!" Pinkie grinned. "This place is already reminding me of Pony-" Her mouth was instantly clamped shut by Rainbow Dash as her muffled voice stopped after a second.

"Pony? Well, if you're referring to those Fleet Mares on the trails between this town, I wouldn't put it past you to think of them." The mayor chuckled heartily. "So, what brings you all out here?"

"We seek passage to a certain destination. Is this the right road to Nia Khera?" Milla asked.

"Nia Khera? Now that's a name I haven't heard in ages." The mayor said with an air of mild nostalgia.

"What do you mean?" Alvin asked curiously.

"It's what people call a long-forgotten village. I don't even know if it still exists." The mayor responded.

"I beg your pardon?" Rarity said in surprise "I was under the impression that this Nia Khera was more of a well-known location in this world."

"Well, your journey hasn't been for naught, young lady." The mayor said with a smile. "I heard tales of the village as a child. People claimed that it lies beyond the Kijara Seafalls."

"Does this mean we're gonna be swimming?" Spike asked his friends. "What'll we do with our clothes if we do?"

"Where can we find it?" Jude asked.

"You'll have to cross some seriously rugged terrain to get there. It won't be an easy journey." The mayor warned with a serious expression.

"In that case, we should probably rest here before heading on." Alvin proposed.

"Agreed." Jude chimed in.

"I'm afraid our village doesn't have an inn." The mayor said with a penitent frown. "Not much call for one."

"That's okay." Pinkie replied before pulling out her own saddlebag "We got tents, so we'll camp out here for the night."

"I see. Well, enjoy your stay." The mayor said before heading back to her own home.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but honestly, continuing on doesn't sound all that bad." Rainbow Dash said with her arms crossed. "I mean, we've made it here from the Aladhi Seahaven without any scratches. Also, we're pressed for time, aren't we? Why don't we just keep going so we won't have to waste too much time sitting?"

"I won't deny that every second counts for our mission, but there's still the matter of you folks getting into fighting shape for the journey ahead. Conflict is unavoidable in this world." Milla stated matter-of-factly.

"Ain't that the truth." Applejack said as she crossed her arms and shook her head. "So what do ya suppose we do about our own means o' self defense? Unless we can get by in our own bodies without weapons, we'd be easy pickin' for our enemies."

"Well, considering that Twilight has demonstrated magic, it's probably best to see if each of you carries your own set of spells and skills." Milla responded.

"Hang on a second." Alvin interrupted. "I understand you possess magic and junk, but do you even have their own Lilium Orbs?" Alvin asked. "Can't exactly fight monsters without them."

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that." Jude said as he pulled out a white oval shaped orb. "I don't know if you'll ever get far enough without the use of a Lilium Orb."

"Hey, we don't need no fancy orb to know we can kick some butt after a little practice." Rainbow Dash said as she slammed a fist into her left hand. "Just a little training and we'll be ready to go in no time."

"Ah'm with Rainbow." Applejack nodded. "We did hold our own before y'all came along an' saved our hides from them monsters when we arrived."

"I'm surprised you even showed up when we were doing a job." Alvin said as he shook his head with a smile. "Life really is funny at times, isn't it?"

"Well if it wasn't, no one would be laughing!" Pinkie said proudly with a giggle to emphasize her point.

"Maybe you can teach us some spells?" Twilight said with an eager smile. "I'd love to know the spells that humans know in this realm." Milla hummed as she rubbed her chin.

"Well, I'm personally not one for teaching humans about magic, but we've not much else to do at the time. Not to mention, we have the entire day to practice if it means getting you all properly fit for future battles."

"Oh dear. Can I sit this one out, please?" Fluttershy said as she looked away and fidgeted her hands "I'm not one for fighting."

"Trust me, I don't blame you on your feelings about this." Jude said to Fluttershy in comfort before he inspected his own gauntlet. "I, myself, want to help people, not hurt them. It just pains me to have to raise my fists on so many occasions, even if it means having to fight for my own life."

"Well, duh, that's the idea. You can't be pushed around your whole life, or even give up on it." Rainbow Dash said before looking at Jude. "Actually, maybe you can help me, since you're not as much of an egghead as Twilight."

"Hey!"

"I'd be happy to, but how can I help you?" Jude asked.

"You got some smooth moves, and I'm a black belt in karate back home. Maybe you can show me some of your moves." Rainbow Dash said as she grinned "You'd be doing me a huge favor. You're totally awesome in battle!" Jude blushed lightly at the compliment.

"Thanks. It's something I picked up as a child." Jude said nervously.

"Think ya can give me some lessons, too, sugarcube?" Applejack asked Jude "Ah'm tryin' to get used t' this body, and ya know yer way around it."

"Now our honor student's becoming a grandmaster. I'm really impressed, Jude." Alvin said with a smirk.

"Perhaps I should learn magic alongside Twilight, provided I wouldn't have to take any physical measures." Rarity said as she looked down at her dress "I wouldn't want to get this beautiful ensemble ruined on the field of battle."

"Then it's settled." Milla nodded in approval. "I'll take Twilight and Rarity under my wing while Jude will teach Rainbow Dash and Applejack martial arts."

"What about me?" Pinkie said before bouncing up and down. "I wanna learn stuff, too!"

"Something tells me you're fine, sister." Alvin said while scratching his head. He somehow felt that there was more hidden potential beneath Pinkie Pie than what was shown in her cheerful demeanor.

"Very well. Then perhaps we should go into the Aladhi Trail so that we'll have an appropriate expanse to practice on." Milla said to the group.

"You mean you're going back to kill those monsters?" Fluttershy asked. "But wouldn't that be wrong to just intrude on their home and just..." She gulped. "...murder them?"

"We've no other option." Milla said firmly. "Some day on our journey, we will possibly be ambushed again by either humans or monsters, and you'll have no choice but to take a life in order to spare your own." Jude looked at Milla before hanging his head down, a depressed look on his face. Fluttershy whimpered before she hung her own head as well. It wasn't long until the rest of her friends followed suit.

"I suppose I've never thought about it that way, now that Fluttershy put it to perspective." Twilight said, pausing before she took a deep breath. "But, if it means we stop the Lance of Kresnik, then we really do have no other choice."

"That's the spirit, Twi! We'll learn some skills and take down that crummy lance no problem!"

"Be warned that destroying the Lance of Kresnik is no simple task." Milla chided Rainbow Dash.

"Maybe Fluttershy and I can go take a look around town while the rest of you are busy with your workout." Spike said as he stood by a sullen Fluttershy.

"Smart move. At least you'll find a way to occupy yourselves while we're gone." Alvin said with a respectful nod.

"Alright then. Let's go to the Aladhi Trail and get on with your training. I expect big things from all of you, since you're from an entirely different world." Milla said as she led the group back out of Hamil's entrance and back into the wilderness.

"I hope they'll be okay..." Fluttershy uttered as she looked out at her friends gaining distance from herself.

"Hey, this is our friends we're talking about, remember? I'm sure they're in good hands." Spike then looked at his body and grinned. "Speaking of hands, I gotta get used to this new body. Let's go!" Spike said as he grabbed one of Fluttershy's hands and led her further into town.

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