• Published 5th Jan 2017
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Age of Kings - A bag of plums



When King Sombra took over the Crystal Empire, one pony went into another world to seek help. Featuring the ancestors of the cast of Equestria Girls, this is the account of her quest in the human world.

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9 - Leftovers

The first things Emerald Edge saw when she opened her eyes was the starry night sky and the face of Sir Morn Dread, giving her a warm, friendly smile.

“Good to see you up, Emerald Edge,” he said as he helped her sit up, one hand on her back and one on her arm. “We finished setting your leg, but try not to use it too quickly. It’ll still hurt a little.”

“Sir Morn.” Setting? Emerald looked around, noticing she wasn’t in the same place she had fought the bear. This new area was a flat dirt ground with trees dotting out the area. There was a campfire not too far from her position, a pot boiling over it, and a tent to the north of it. “Where are we? Did you set all this up?” Emerald noticed she was still holding on to one of Morn Dread’s arms and quickly let go and looked away.

“Oh, no.” He shook his head. “You’ll be surprised where we are. Just don’t panic when you find out.”

“Don’t panic?” Emerald heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Spectrum Song walking in carrying a bunch of wood, another woman walking next to her.

The spymaster struggled to remember, but she recognized the outfit. She had seen the woman just before she passed out. She had on a brown and green attire with a bow, quiver, and dagger slung over her back. Ruffled pink hair stuck out of her hood, underneath it, a pair of intelligent green eyes, looking back at Emerald.

“You!” Emerald shouted, remembering the wanted poster of the outlaw she had come to apprehend.

Morn Dread quickly grabbed Emerald’s shoulders and held her down. “It’s fine, Emerald. She’s not an outlaw. We’ve already had a… friendly chat. It’s all just a misunderstanding.”

“She knocked me out!” Emerald tried to reason, remembering the foul smelling arrow.

“I apologize, Emerald Edge,” she said, placing a hand on her chest. “That stink arrow was meant to chase away the bear. I wasn’t aware you were injured.”

“She carried you out of the ditch,” Morn Dread told her. “All the way to the main path. That’s where we found her.”

“You should’ve seen it, Em!” Spectrum shook her fists. “Sir Morn thought she was trying to capture you, so he drew his sword and attempted combat, but Posey’s really skilled! Even against a knight!”

“Tis true,” Morn Dread nodded in agreement, having new respect for the archer. “She has incredible skill with the bow, a commoner’s weapon. And she saved your life, Lady Emerald. That is all I needed to know.”

“So you say she’s not an outlaw?” Emerald looked back at Posey. “Then why are you wanted?”

"The corrupt are after me," she began, placing the wood on the fire. "The Sheriff of Trottingham earns off the misfortune of others. He steals from the poor, but because of his entitlement, there is nothing they can do about it. I became an outlaw to him and his people because I steal and give back to the poor."

"She's doing that little town a lot of good, but most people just don't see it," Spectrum joined in.

"So you're a vigilante?" Posey confirmed Emerald's question with a nod. "If that's the case, then I cannot turn you in. That would be unjust."

“Then how are we going to get your bits, Emerald?” Spectrum looked between the archer and the spymaster.

“I’m just going to have to earn it the normal way,” Emerald sighed. “I do have that job at the stables after all.”

“But it’ll take forever before you can buy that sword!” Spectrum tried to get her words through.

“Maybe I can settle on a cheaper sword for now?”

Posey raised a hand, silently asking for silence as the three companions turned to look at her. “If I may. I might be able to help you with your finance problem.”

“You could?”

“Yes,” Posey nodded her head. “But there’s a catch. I’ll first need your help to take down the Sheriff. If I could just find some evidence of his corruption, I can rid the town of that greedy slug once and for all.”

Morn Dread suddenly clapped his hands together, the metal making a loud ping across the forest grounds. “That is an excellent idea, Lady Emerald. If she can find proof of the sheriff’s treachery, I have the right to arrest him and take him before the king for trial. If all goes well, you are permitted to receive a reward for your good work by my permission. It is also a more noble idea than stealing from the rich.”

“Sir Morn is right!” Spectrum pounded a fist into her palm. “This is a good idea! Two birds with one scone!”

“I believe the saying is ‘two birds with one stone’, Spectrum,” Emerald smiled at the young squire’s enthusiasm.

“Not when I bake the scones...” Spectrum cackled knowingly before dusting off her lute and giving it a strum. “What matters is that we can help a town out, while at the same time, earning the bits you need to buy one of Stone Anvil’s best swords! Plus, they’ll definitely make me a knight for doing this!”

Emerald nodded. “So how do we do this, Posey? How do we find the evidence?”

Posey blew a strand of hair out of her mouth. “The sheriff is meticulous with his details,” she said plainly. “A man like him likes to know just how much money he has, and I’d bet my bow that somewhere in that house of his is a ledger or record book. If we could find it, then we’d have all the evidence we need.”

“Sounds pretty simple,” Spectrum pointed out. “How come you haven’t done it yet?”

“Two reasons. One, the only way I know this book exists is because he brings it with him on his belt whenever he goes outside. I might be good, but I’m not that good. Two, I’m a wanted outlaw. Even if I did get the ledger, who’d believe me?”

“She has a point.” Morn Dread put a armored hand through his blue hair. “If we are going to acquire this ledger, it will have to be done speedily and stealthily.”

The group put their collective heads together and thought. The fire crackled and spat sparks up into the sky.

Eventually Spectrum Song nudged Morn Dread, a smile spreading on her face like a grease stain on an apron.

“Hey,” she said thoughtfully. “Sir Hors is always going on about how you Knights of the Round Table are all really well known and how everyone has to obey everything you tell them to do, right?”

Morn Dread grimaced at his fellow knight’s embellishments. “That’s not strictly true…”

“Aw, close enough. My point is, if you went and told the sheriff you wanted a word immediately, he’d have to come out quick! If you call for him urgently enough, he’ll probably leave the ledger in his house! So if we can keep him out of there long enough for Posey to sneak in, we can get that ledger no problem!”

Posey coughed. “That’s... actually quite a workable plan, Spectrum Song. There’s just one thing I’d like to add.” The archer stirred the coals with a stick. “I’m going to need Emerald to come with me.”

“Huh? But why?”

Posey sniffed at the stew boiling on the fire, then added a handful of salt from her belt pouch. “I’m just one person. If we run into any of the sheriff’s guards, my bow won’t be much good indoors. I saw how well you held off that bear; we’ll have a much better chance of succeeding if I have you to keep watch while I pick the locks.”

"Splendid, Posey!" Spectrum swung a fist. "That way, if you do encounter guards, Emerald can train her fighting skill!"

"If I must..." Emerald remembered her first fight against humans. It hadn't gone too well, but she had improved since then. "I will do what I can, Posey."

"Then it's settled," Posey nodded. "But it is getting late. We'll start tomorrow."

"And you have your first day of the job tomorrow too, Em," the squire reminded her friend. "You'll want to make a good first impression."

"Looks like we'll have to head back." Emerald got up, testing her leg mobility. It hurt when she bent it, but at least she could walk.

"Won't you stay for dinner?" Posey bent down to pick up a few wooden bowls. "It's almost ready."

“Food that isn’t Sir Hors’ leftovers?” Spectrum cheered. “I’m staying!”

Morn Dread picked up his own bowl. “Yes, I think we will. Thank you for your hospitality, Posey. And I’ll have a word or two with Hors once we get back to Canterlot,” he added in a surly mutter. “Leftovers indeed.”


Emerald Edge had gone straight to her job after finally pulling herself out of bed. It was almost too comfortable for her to part with it, but if she wanted to keep the house and the comfortable mattress, she was going to have to get out and get to work.

The horses were a lot more stubborn than she had first believed. One of them, Richard, just refused to have a wash, retreating to the far side of the stable. When Emerald walked to it, it ran to the opposite side. It happened a few times before Emerald finally gave up, slumping down on a bale of hay next to her rainbow haired friend. If only the horses had been like her friends back in Equestria; they were caring and understanding enough to know that Emerald had to wash them to finish her job.

“Tough?” Spectrum asked as she checked Sir Hors sword, making sure it was sharp enough for the knight’s liking by cutting a strand of hair from her head. “Takes a while to get used to, but they’re alright. Much better than some people, actually.”

“Yeah, I can tell...” Emerald smiled as she watched Sir Hors’ sword clatter to the ground behind the squire. “Well, I’ve done everything as the stable master has ordered. Cleaned all of it, fed the horses, washed the floor and… all but one horse.”

“Your leg okay, Em?” Spectrum asked as she bent down and put a hand on the spymaster’s knee to move it.

“It still hurts…” Emerald began moving it up and down, wincing as she moved it too high. “But I should be good to go.” The squire gave her a concerned face, but Emerald waved it off. “It’s fine, Spectrum. I’ll be fine.”

“Please, Emerald,” Spectrum asked as nicely as she could. “At least do it for me. I don’t want to see you cringe every time you take a step.”

“Oh, alright,” Emerald surrendered. “If you insist. I’ll go have it looked at at the Mages’ Tower.”

“Thanks, Em!” Spectrum got back to her lute playing. “I’ll leave you to it! Go on ahead. I’ll finish up here for you. We can head out when you come back.”

Emerald followed the dirt path towards the Loft District, crossing over the bridge and arriving at the nicely paved paths of that side of the town, still thinking why the king hadn’t done something like build up the Shades to match the Loft District.

Why leave one part of town that way? Emerald thought to herself. The Crystal Empire and her world’s Canterlot didn’t have anything like this. Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Amore had always managed their kingdoms’ infrastructure perfectly, ensuring that the upkeep of each city was more or less uniform. At that moment Emerald was almost glad for the throbbing in her leg, for it distracted her from the sudden ache in her heart as memories of her fallen princess drifted to the forefront.

Soon the spymaster found herself outside the walls of the Mages’ Tower, looking once again to the top of the cylindrical stone building before making her way in.

Moon Tide was easy enough to find this time around, seated at one of her workshop tables with the muse Adagio Dazzle, both sharing in a pot of perfumed tea. Adagio noticed Emerald approach and gave her a half-smirk.

“Why hello, Emerald Edge,” the muse greeted, her voice low and sultry. “So eager for a performance from me already?”

“Oh no, Adagio.” Moon Tide watched Emerald walk towards them, noticing her slight limp. “I believe she’s here for some medical attention. I heard you and my son went off to the Shetland Forest yesterday,” She gestured for Emerald to take a seat with a disapproving cluck. “Don’t tell me that boy got you injured looking for that wish-granting cup of his. Again.”

"Oh not at all, Moon Tide," Emerald chuckled as she sat down. "In fact, he volunteered to help me track down an outlaw."

Moon Tide skillfully undid Emerald’s left greave and poked at her leg with a teaspoon. “Is that so?” The mage sniffed and screwed a circular glass disc over one eye. “And it’s this outlaw who is responsible for your injury?”

“Uh… kind of...” Emerald didn’t like hiding things from Moon Tide, but she had a feeling that Posey might object to people not treating her like an outlaw. From previous experience she knew that when operating in the shadows, fear was one of the best weapons to use.

Moon Tide didn’t seem to notice the evasion. “I don’t suppose it matters,” she sighed. She sifted through a passel of glass urns on the countertop before retrieving what looked like a jam jar filled with a thin green paste.

“Run a bath and mix in two scoops of this.” Emerald unscrewed the jar and sniffed. The mixture smelled faintly of limes, intermixed with the odor of rusting iron. “Soak yourself in the water until the pain stops.”

“Is that it?” Emerald shook the jar and watched as its contents slowly slid from one corner to the next.

“It also helps if you think positive,” Adagio added helpfully. Emerald couldn’t tell if she was being serious or not, but the muse continued to smile like she usually did, giving the spymaster no reason to doubt her. She still had a lot to learn about this world’s ‘magic’ anyway.

“Thank you, Moon Tide, Adagio,” Emerald stood up unsteadily. “I’d love to stay longer, but I’ve got... an outlaw to catch, so-”

Whatever Emerald was about to say next was lost as a huge tremor rocked the entire tower, upending the tea cups and making the jars clink ominously. Were it not for Adagio grabbing Emerald’s arm, she would have fallen, although Moon Tide merely sighed in annoyance and went back to her shelf of curatives. Emerald got the distinct impression that this was probably a common occurrence at the tower.

While she did so, a middle aged man dressed in soot-blackened robes staggered down the steps, smoke still rising from his charred shoulders. He coughed, expelling a cloud of black smoke before approaching the tea table.

“Sorry!” the man shouted at Emerald and Adagio. Even his teeth seemed to have been stained by whatever had occurred upstairs. “I was just seeing how powdered horseroot would react when mixed with sulfur and then exposed to an open flame, but I forgot to account for how large the explosion would be!” The mage tapped the side of his head. “I also think I’ve deafened myself again!”

Emerald tried not to breathe through her nose; the stench of burning hair hung around this man like a musk. “Is that what the shaking was?” she asked.

“What?!” the man yelled. “I’m sorry, you’ll have to speak up!”

“Leave this to me, Emerald.” Moon Tide was back with two objects, one tiny corked vial filled with a purplish mixture and a huge clay pot. The latter was marked with a scrap of parchment that matched a charred symbol on the scorched mage’s clothes.

Emerald and Adagio watched while Moon Tide gently but firmly tilted her colleague’s head to the side, pouring half the vial’s contents into one ear before repeating it with the other.

“Better?” she asked wearily.

The mage tapped the side of his head before grinning back. “Much better. Although I think I’ve burned myself a touch…”

“Your eyebrows are gone,” Adagio pointed out flatly.

“Oh, pish-posh, they’ll grow back.”

“Your beard’s still on fire,” Emerald blurted out.

“It’s fine,” he said blithely. Then he did a double take and his pupils shrank to tiny pinpricks. “Wait, what?”

Adagio sighed and slapped a hand to her forehead, stepping back just in time to avoid the backsplash of brown liquid that drenched the unfortunate mage, putting out the fire and washing away most of the soot.

Moon Tide put down the now-empty teapot. “Please sit down, Secret Fire; I can’t help you if you keep moving about.”

Emerald, who was about to leave, had decided to stay and watch the fascinating scene before her. It seemed like Moon Tide was incredibly used to dealing with this red and yellow haired mage, even having a pot with the man’s mark on it: a jar with a half-hidden fireball inside it. Even now she was daubing Secret Fire’s face with smears of pale yellow cream and binding most of his face with clean linen strips.

“Now keep that on for at least three hours, Secret Fire,” Moon Tide said, wiping her hands on a dishcloth. “If you can avoid blowing yourself up for the rest of the day, even better. I need to mix up more burn ointment. You’ve almost used up all my stock.”

“Right,” Secret Fire laughed nervously. “Sorry about that, you know. Sometimes I just get so excited about new plants, I just want to grind them up and set them on fire!”

“So you keep saying,” Moon Tide replied evenly before remembering the spymaster was still with them. “Secret Fire, this is Emerald Edge. Emerald, Secret Fire. He’s our resident… pyromancer.”

“Pyromaniac is more like it,” Emerald heard Adagio mutter.

The excitable mage sprang forward and shook Emerald’s hand. “Always good to meet a prospective mage!” His bandaged face was close enough for Emerald to smell the bitter tang of the burn cream. “You must have a lot of aptitude if Moon Tide is recommending you to join us!”

“No, no.” To Emerald’s relief, Moon Tide pried Secret Fire away and sat him back down to deal with the burns on his arms. “Emerald isn’t here to be a mage. She’s just here to visit.”

Secret Fire didn’t seem put out at all. “I see! Well, maybe I can show you around my laboratory! It’s quite the sight for a visitor-”

Aiieeeeeeee!!!” A banshee-like wail echoed down from the higher floors, making everyone jump. “Everything’s on fire! My notes! Someone save my notes!

“On second thought, maybe I’ll show you around another time,” Secret Fire said quickly, edging toward the front door. “I think I’m going to be at the tavern for the rest of the day. And maybe tomorrow too.”

And with that, Secret Fire was gone, running out of the tower fast enough to leave an afterimage of himself. Moon Tide simply shrugged and began to clean up the sooty tea on the floor.

“Nightfall Gleam is going to kill him,” she sighed. “Again.”


Author's Note:

Posey Hood, as seen here.

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