The Runaway: Journey to Tambelon

by Hope Caster

A Peculiar Party

He was going to be the greatest knight who’d ever lived. Looking down at his son, who laid in the crib swaddled in his mother’s blanket, Bright Macintosh knew that his son was going to do great things. He would not live the life of a farmer as his forefathers. Why would he? He had something that no other Apple or Pear had ever had before: a large horn protruding from his head. The first unicorn to be born to their family. His wife sat with her head against his, her hoof gently stroking the side of their child’s face. All they needed now was a name. And he had the perfect name. They would name him….

---

Mcbiggen plunged his sword into the ground as his vision slowly came back to him. Twelve corpses, each with several large gashes in their torsos and necks, surrounded him. All of them were gargoyles, hairy creatures that were foreign to his home in Equestria. Some of the gargoyles had swords; others carried iron knuckles while the last of them had a bow.

He didn’t have the right to complain about his current job. He chose to be bodyguard after all, and a stallion lived with his choices. The pay was as good as it got, that was something he couldn’t argue. His employers would give him 50 pieces of gold the moment he delivered them to an area of Arcania where an old recluse lived, a centaur if he was remembering correctly. He wondered why three ponies had any business with a centaur, but it was not his place to ask.

A slight chill crawled up his spine as his thoughts fell on his employers. He cursed himself for sending them off in a random direction when the fighting broke out. While their absence did alleviate any short term pressure to keep them safe,it only provided that much more stress after the dust settled. He quickly banished the thoughts from his mind. It was the right thing to do, sending them off. If he were to die, and if the mares were able to survive somehow, they were obligated to send 25 gold back to his family. It was a comforting proposition for him. At least if anything happened to him, they would know and have some money to help keep their inn afloat.

Mcbiggen rested his head against the handle of his blade to catch his breath as blood slowly trickled out from three wounds he had received. He didn’t feel any pain, just a swearing sensation, as if someone was pressing a heated brand against his flesh. He took several deep breaths as the adrenaline drained from his system, listening to the rustling of the leaves and snapping of twigs as the three mares he told to run slowly came back to him.

“I see you did quite a number on them,” A yellow mare said, examining the corpses strewn across the forest floor. Her name was Adagio Dazzle, a yellow earth pony, leader of their party. Her hair was a vibrant orange and was as puffy as a cloud. She wore a sleeveless top, a short skirt, and leggings that allowed her tail to poke through the fabric. Her eyes were a piercing violet, and her voice sounded like it could to enchant all sorts of men. She seemed to slither towards Mcbiggen as she began to examine each of his wounds, making sure to trace along every muscle she could. Though he could not be completely sure, Mcbiggen swore that she licked her lips at one point. “And they seem to have done a number on you.”

Of course she’s the first one back.

For the past few weeks, there had been no greater thorn in his flank than Adagio Dazzle. Adagio was a pretty mare, a stallion who laid eyes on her would tell you that. Pretty as she was, she was much to forward for his taste. Though he was not one to brag, many mares saw Mcbiggen as an attractive, rugged stallion. He towered over other stallions and would be able to take on a buffalo single handedly. In Equestria, such strength was prized. So, it was no surprise that Adagio saw him the same way.

However, there was something else about her that put Mchbiggen on edge. He noticed a hunger in her eyes whenever they were alone. The gleam in her eyes weren’t like the eyes of other mares. Then again, that could just be her natural look. Perhaps, had he been just a few years younger, he would taken it as a go ahead, and tried to get just the two of them in a room by themselves the very first night, and every night since.

Adagio began to trace one of three wounds, a large gash in his leg, eliciting a sharp breath from him. The second was a wound he received taking an arrow to the shoulder. Some small part of Mcbiggen was almost disappointed that the archer missed anything vital. He had already ripped the arrow from his flesh, and it now rested in the throat of the archer. The final wound was in his lower back leg, where a gargoyle had sliced him with a knife. Mcbiggen had used his magic to turn the knife back on its owner, plunging it into his heart. He was lucky to be wearing such heavy, black armor. Though his injuries primarily covered his legs, he’d be able to walk away from the experience, unlike the gargoyles who wore mostly animal pelts.

“There, there,” The mare cooed as she gave him a small peck on his cheek. Mcbiggen jerked his head away and let out a snort. His blazing gaze would have frightened off any person, however, after showing it to Adagio so often, all it did was elicit a small giggle from the mare. “Come now, a little kiss won’t kill you. The blood loss will. How about that we get you fixed up? Aria, we need you,” she called, looking back into the woods.

Mcbiggen eyes looked past Adagio to see a second mare approaching. Aria Blaze was a unicorn like him, with light blue and deep violet pigtails turn towards them. She wore mostly baggy clothes, which kept her body well hidden. She was not one to emote, and constantly sighed whenever anyone spoke.

“What is it, Adagio?” Aria grumbled.

“Get the needle, Mcbiggen needs to be stitched.”

Mcbiggen let out a grunt as Adagio moved her hoof to his arrow wound while Aria rummaged through her bag, pulling out a steel box.

“Should I help with something?” The third and final mare asked, coming to the clearing. Her name was Sonata Dusk. She had a very light blue coat, and light blue hair with deep purple streaks running through. She wore a loose fitting, short dress, tight leggings, and a red pendant around her neck like the others.

“Sonata, go search the corpses. See if they have anything good on them,” Adagio demanded, her eyes never leaving Mcbiggen’s body.

“But I don’t wanna loot the corpses again,” Sonata cried, stomping on the ground. “I had to loot the last few people he had to kill, make Aria do it!”

Mcbiggen tried to be annoyed with Sonata, but found himself unable to do so. Though she could come off as annoying, Sonata was a child at heart. Her innocence reminded Mcbiggen of his own sisters, of which he had two. Perhaps that was why he was so tolerant of her. His sisters. He couldn’t help but ponder about them. One was a young mare by now, and the other only a tender child at the age of twelve. He still wondered if they were okay, kept safe from any seedy customers that wondered into his family's tavern. Hopefully his cousin, an auburn stallion, was taking good care of them.

“Aria needs to suture Mcbiggen, Sonata. If she helps you, he dies,” Adagio explained.

“And what are you doing? Why don’t you help?” Sonata asked, huffing at Adagio.

“I’m providing Mcbiggen with some much needed emotional support!” Adagio wrapped her arms around his neck and put her head against his. “You need someone to hold onto in this most trying time, right Mcbiggen?”

“Nope.” He growled in a deep voice. The last thing he needed whilst getting stitches was a clingy mare that didn’t understand personal space.

“I’m sorry; it sounded like you’re telling me to loot corpses, like I’m Sonata.” Adagio’s eye twitched a bit. Never had she been relegated to grunt work, she was normally the supervisor.

“Yup.”

“I see. Sometimes I wonder why I bothered hiring you,” she grumbled. “Come Sonata, the quicker we finish, the quicker we can leave them to rot.”

Mcbiggen fell to his haunches and tensed as Aria approached him with a bottle, a piece of cloth, a matchstick, and a threaded needle. She uncorked the bottle and poured a clear liquid on the cloth. He shuddered, knowing what was going to happen next. Mcbiggen was no stranger to stitches, but it never got easier the more he needed them. It was hard to name the worst part. The disinfecting portion stung like hell, but the needle filled him with dread. Not to say it hurt all that much, it was more in his mind than it was anywhere else. Just the thought of anyone plunging a needle into made him want to take his chances with bleeding out.

“Leg,” Aria demanded.

Mcbiggen didn’t move.

“If you want to die do to blood loss, more power to you. Your family gets 25 gold, and are told that the reason you died was because you were too big a baby to get a few stitches.”

Letting out a sigh, Mcbiggen held out his foreleg and clenched his eyes shut. A burning pain shot through his body as Aria poured the liquid into his wound, forcing him to let out a curse.

Aria rolled her eyes and forced an arrow shaft into his mouth. “Just bite down on that whenever you need to,” Aria said, readying the needle as she pressed the cloth against the wound.

Mcbiggen nodded as his teeth clenched down on the arrow. He nearly bit it in two when the needle entered his flesh.

Nearly an hour had passed before Aria tied a knot at the end of Mcbiggen’s last laceration. Lifting up a pair of shining silver scissors, she carefully cut the suture’s short end and made one last stitch, entering the very end of the wound and exiting upward through his skin.

“There we go,” she murmured, cutting off the remaining thread. She wiped the sweat from her forehead before taking a bandage from the steel box.

Mcbiggen spat out the arrow and began to get control of his breathing.

“In pain?” Aria asked as she wrapped the bandages over his wounds, tying them off.

“Yup,” he growled.

“Well, that’s what happens when you don’t let us handle things.”

Mcbiggen rolled his eyes. Every time a minor situation came up, the mares said that they would handle it. While not meaning to insult them, Mcbiggen doubted that three little fillies could do much against a band of bandits or a towering, drunken gargoyle that got a little too handsy. He normally ended up taking care of the problem, as he did with the bandits. Besides, if they could take care of things, why did they need him?

Aria tied the last bandage off, and looked past Mcbiggen towards Sonata and Adagio, who were sitting against a tree. Adagio sat organizing their findings, while Sonata held a cloth to her mouth, with her eyes clenched shut. She rocked herself back and forth, letting out small whimpers.

“Adagio, what’s wrong with her?”

“It smelled,” Sonata said, as tears welled in her eyes.

Mcbiggen couldn’t help but feel sorry for the youngest mare. It was difficult to get used to the smell. There were days that he had trouble handling it, and gagged every so often. Still, there was no point in trying to fix what was wrong, the best they could do was move on.

“Wipe that look off your face, Mcbiggen, it always smells, she just needs to get used to it,” Adagio said, lightly hitting the back of Sonata’s head.

It was almost scary how well Adagio Dazzle was able to read him. He wondered if she knew what else he was thinking.

“And no, they didn’t have anything good on them. Just a few coins.”

“If they don’t got anythin’, let’s get a move on,” he said, standing up, stumbling each step he took.

“You’re the guide, why not?” Adagio nodded, slipping the extra purses of coins into her own bag. It was probably for the best. Though they could not know for sure, the slain bandits could still have friends that would have surely come searching for them.

“Whatever,” Aria said, slinging her bag over her back. Sonata weakly flapped her wings and followed the party.

Shaking off any lingering pain and discomfort, Mcbiggen found a stride and continued leading his party forward.

The sun was almost set by the time they made it out of the forest and approached the capital city of Arcania, King’s Reach, also called Castle Town by the locals. Mcbiggen effortlessly outpaced the mares, even with the slight limp he walked with. He could feel how lively the town was even from so far away. A castle loomed in the distance, shining with a silver gleam, surrounded by countless buildings of both wood and stone.

The ponies trotted along a dirt road, passing several farms on the very border of the capital, with crops starting to bear fruit and vegetables sprouting from the earth. Seeing the toiling gargoyles and the occasional centaur out in the fields filled Mcbiggen with a sense of nostalgia that Adagio immediately noticed.

“Something the matter?” She purred, rushing ahead of Aria and Sonata to walk next to Mcbiggen.

“Nope.” Mcbiggen focusing on the road ahead of them, trying his hardest to ignore Adagio.

“Are you sure, Mcbiggen?”

“Yup.”

“If you say so. Girls,” Adagio turned towards her sisters, “keep an eye open for a nice inn.”

Mcbiggen paused for a moment. Inn? Why would they need to go to an inn? Surely, they would be able to complete their journey tonight, and by extent, go there separate ways. “Why not go to yer destination?”

“He can talk,” Adagio gasped, before letting out a light chuckle. “Mcbiggen, it’s much too late in the day to stop there. The centaur, he hates guests this late. Perhaps If you’d let us handle the scuffle in the woods, we could have made it. Unfortunately, you needed to show off. So, we’ll have wait until tomorrow.”

“Nope!” Mcbiggen declared.

Adagio smiled. “Mr. Mcbiggen, I’m not making a suggestion. It’s the inn, or we go our separate ways and you can explain to your family why they’re not getting much money from you.”

---

Mcbiggen bitterly followed his employers to an inn called The Sleeping Centaur. Upon entering, they found that the innkeeper, a youthful, female gargoyle, hovered about while making sure her workspace was in order. The main lodge separated off into two hallways. In one direction the aroma of baked goods, smoked pork, and fried treats seeped forth, enticing nearly all who entered. In the other direction, drunk patrons stumbled into the hallway towards their rooms to rest their bodies and nurse their hangovers the next day.

“Smell that?” Adagio asked, stopping the group. “Sonata, how long has it been since we had a good meal?”

“Weeks,” Sonata mumbled, “and I said I was sorry! I’m not good with tying knots, it’s not my fault that a manticore ate all our food!”

“Yes it is,” Adagio said with a growl. She forced herself to smile before turning to their bodyguard. “Mcbiggen, while the three of us check in, why don’t you get us some food?”

Mcbiggen’s eyes narrowed. She was planning something; there was no doubt in his mind. Adagio was not a chaste mare. She practically threw herself at anything with a pulse and spent nearly the entire trip trying to tempt him with his more primal urges. At the same time, it was hard to pass up an order to fill his stomach with good, cheap food.

Noticing a small twinge of desire in his eyes, Adagio produced a small bag of coins and tossed it to him. “By all means, Sir Mcbiggen, feel free to splurge. You earned these afterall.”

With a small grin, he lifted the bag of coins up in his aura and trotted down the hall.

As she watched him leave, Adagio chuckled to herself, licking her lips as she took her time to watching his flank. She always did preferred him leaving a room than entering one. While Adagio took time to admire Mcbiggen’s assets, Aria trotted up to the counter and gave it three knocks.

The gargoyle gasped and quickly shot her head up. “I’m terribly sorry. Welcome to the Sleeping Centaur, how may I help… you… ponies,” she said as her head slowly tilted to the side. She fell silent, even as the mares became annoyed.

“Arcanians,” Adagio sighed. Putting on a sincere smile, she cleared her throat, bringing the gargoyle back to her senses.

“Oh, my sincerest apologies, malady. How may I help you and your party?”

“Two rooms please. One for those two,” she said, motioning toward Sonata and Aria, “and one my knight and I. We’ve had a long journey, and need some privacy.”

“Oh.” The innkeeper’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson, nearly matching the skin of a passing centaur. “Right away.”

---

“Sure you’re Equestrian, boy?” The bartender asked as he placed a third platter of fritters in front of Mcbiggen. “I swear, I’d say that you’re more of an Arcanian with an appetite like that.”

The stallion shrugged, smiling as he reached for another fritter. For the first time in ages, he almost felt like he was home. He was still without his family, but the food more than made up for it. He followed his meal down with half a tankard of ale that tasted almost as good as his family’s cider. He noticed that If there was one thing that Arcanians knew, it was how to brew some good booze.

Stationed around the table were two small goblets and a mug full of beer. One contained a fine red wine for Adagio, as she only ever drank wines, or champagnes if the meal called for it. The mug of beer was for Aria. It was a simple drink for a simple mare. She would not speak to them as they enjoyed themselves; she would just listen and drink. Finally, there was Sonata’s drink. Sonata loved sweet drinks. He didn’t know exactly what the bartender had brought him, all her knew was that girls around town liked it.

“These seats taken?” Adagio asked taking a seat next to Mcbiggen as Sonata and Aria sat across from them. Sonata picked up her drink, took a sip and then proceeded to gulp the beverage down. Aria rolled her eyes and slowly sipped her beer.

“Nope,” Mcbiggen said, before swallowing a mouthful of food. “Did y’all get rooms?”

“We certainly did,” She pushed a key with the number twenty-four carved into the metal towards him. She looked to the center of the table where a platter of greasy looking fritters sat. “Did you order us anything that isn’t deep fried and fatty?” Adagio nudged the platter of fritters away from her, and towards a waiting Sonata.

“Nope,” he answered with a smile. He took a sip of ale as Adagio and Aria gloomily took a fritter. “So what are y’all hopin’ to find once ya get to this centaur?”

“That’s on a need to know basis,” Aria said.

“Yeah! You’re being paid to get us from point A to point B. Why would you need to know that we really want to meet his pet dragon? I mean, I guess it wouldn’t hurt telling you, but we’re not supposed to! Can I have more of that drink? I could use more of that drink!”

There was a short silence between the three mares as Aria and Adagio stewed in their own growing anger, glaring at their youngest sister.

“Sonata, if we’re still sober later tonight, we are going to have a very long discussion about what ‘need to know basis’ is,” Adagio said through gritted teeth.

---

Their meal lasted well into the night before the party decide to retire. The mares had all headed to their room after having a cup of alcohol each and a few fritters between them. If they got up early enough, perhaps Mcbiggen would be able to shepherd the mares to their destination and be done with the job. He opened the door to his room and slowly lumbered his way towards the bed.

In addition to being some of the best tasting booze, Arcania seemed to brew some of the strongest alcohol there was. Sonata was reduced to mumbles and slurs while Aria struggled to walk straight. The only one that seemed to hold her liquor was Adagio, and Mcbiggen didn’t know if that was impressive, frightening, or both.

Mcbiggen used his magic shut the door before locking it, placing his sword, a black piece of sharpened steel, against the foot of the bed along with his bag. The bed was bigger than he expected, not that it was a bad thing, just out of the ordinary.

More room fer me, he thought, joyous at the aspect of having his own bed to sprawl out in. For weeks he’d been confided to a tent that was nearly too small for him, in a sleeping bag that felt more of a prison than it did propper bedding.

Beside the bed were two nightstands, one on each side. He placed the key Adagio had given him on the right nightstand and let loose the straps of his armor, allowing it all to fall to the floor with a thud. He took a deep breath as he removed his helmet and allowed his bright orange hair to fall free before running his hoof through it, stopping just as he reached his unicorn horn. That accurst, useful horn. There were times he wished for it to be removed. However, such things would only come back to bite him. There were more than one occasions that his horn had saved his life, and had helped his family back home.

Mcbiggen was the only one in his family that had a horn. His sisters, his cousins, his aunts, uncles, mother and father were all earth ponies. His father used to tell him that the Old-Gods, the supposed keepers and guardians of the world, smiled upon his birth, and blessed him with the strength of an earth pony along with the horn and magic of a unicorn. Despite knowing better, he still desperately clung to the explanation.

Mcbiggen levitated his sword and placed it near his armor. There was a slight chill in the air, the feeling digging up memories of him, his sister, and his cousin. On cool nights, the three foals would wrap themselves in a blanket as their granny read them stories of Knights and Dragons, Trickster Humans, and even star crossed lovers. If their Grandmother’s stories couldn’t settle them down for bed, then his cousin would recount the time he dreamt that a swarm of fairies saved their farm from a horrid case of apple blight, and gave him a cloak. If he hadn’t kept telling the story to everything that walked, perhaps it would have been a staple in their collection. The one thing that his cousin could never explain why the fairies helped them.

Finally, there were the cold, sleepless nights when his baby sister would wail with all her might. His mother would do her best to calm her, but it normally fell to him when exhaustion finally caught up with the mare. Mcbiggen would lift the baby in his aura and wrap her in a quilt that his grandmother had made. Not too loose, but not too tight so that she was uncomfortable.

After that, he’d put her back in her crib, tell her a story about their late father, a good stallion if there ever was one, and give her a kiss before carrying their mother back to her room using his magic. There was never a time Apple Bloom stayed up after he did that. He could feel his heart crush itself as his thoughts fell on his precious baby sister. She was such a small filly the last time he saw her, she probably didn’t even remember what he looked like.

As Mcbiggen rocked himself back and forth, a gentle hum filled the room, slowly easing his mind and body. He wanted to question where such a tune was coming from, but he didn’t. There was something enchanting about the song. The notes slowly drew him deeper into a trance as the hum turned into a harmonization. It lasted several minutes, but when it finally ended, his body became more relaxed than it had been in years. For some reason, it made the memories of home even warmer. It brought a genuine smile to his face.

“Something on your mind?” He heard Adagio ask as her forelegs wrapped around his neck. She leaned her head against his, enjoying the warmth from his body.

“Yup.” he mused as his eyes lidded.

“Nice to know you’re finally opening up to me.” Adagio rolled her eyes before leaning in and giving him him a small peck on the cheek. If not for his fur, the blush would have been noticeable. “What are you thinking about?” She gently hummed as she traced her hoof down his body, careful to avoid his stitches.

“Home.”

Adagio paused her song. “What about home though? No one can be that deep in thought over nostalgia.”

“I haven’t seen my family in a while,” he admitted. Some small part of his was screaming to stay silent, but for some reason, his mind refused to do so. “I just wonder if they’re alright. My baby sister, shoot, she probably can’t even remember what I look like no more. Probably has her cutie mark. That’s somethin’ I can’t get back.” Mcbiggen let out a sigh as Adagio gently kissed the crook of his neck. This was almost nice. He was alone in a room with a warm bed and a gorgeous girl. Maybe tonight was going to be better than he expected.

As Adagio left a trail of kisses down his neck, there came a cry from inside his heart that shook his entire body.

Wake up! It shouted, jolting him. His eyes shot open as his senses returned to him.

He slowly turned his head to see Adagio, wearing nothing but a thin, almost see-through nightgown, as her hooves traveled down his chest. His instincts screamed for him to throw her away from him, slap her, anything that resulted in a painful reminder of who he was. However, a little voice in the back of his head told him to handle things in a calm manner.

“What are ya doing in my room?” He asked, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. Adagio looked almost shocked, before giving him a smirk.

“Your room?” Adagio let out a small giggle before explaining, “Oh, Mcbiggen, this is my room. I need my own space after all.” As her eyes became lidded, and her smirk grew. “Of course, I’m more willing to share a bed if it’s with a stallion who needs his sword polished.”

“It’s next to the nightstand if you want to get started,” He said, pointing towards broadsword. “Tell you what? Take my sword back to ya’lls room, and you can polish it there while I get some sleep.”

“Not that kind of sword,” she hummed. “Come now, don’t be such a tease. Those gorgeous locks, those green eyes of yours, they’re all just perfect. And your body, sweet Poseidon, your body. How is it that a unicorn gets so toned?” Her hooves moved to his underbelly, gently tracing over his faded scars.

“I’d appreciate it if you stopped feeling me up. Side’s I have three stitches I need to take care of. Don’t want ‘em ta break.”

“Oh, don’t be like that; I’m the victim in all of this. I’m just a poor, lonely mare that’s never really known love. I can’t help it if I lose my composer at the sight of a strong stallion,” She whimpered. “The boys at home are all scrawny little things that don’t have the will to even look me in the eye. But you’re able to stand up to me! I can’t help but be attracted to that. Can you at least tell me your real name? Surely you’re parent’s couldn’t have been that cruel to name you something so horrid. Besides, depending on what happens, I want to know what to scream.”

Mcbiggen sat silent as he pondered. His real name? He didn’t even remember his name at this point, or perhaps he did and he just wanted to forget it like an embarrassing moment from his childhood. It could be that Mcbiggen was his real name, and it was just so stupid that nobody could take it seriously. He closed his eyes as she removed her hooves from his front and drew them towards his back.

His breathing and temper steadied as Adagio began to draw circles on his shoulders. “It’s been a long journey. You and I had to deal with a brooding teenager and a child trapped in a mare’s body every day and night for the past five weeks. So why not just relax, lay down, and let me do everything I can to relieve you. I promise,” She tilted her head up to his ear and whispered, “It’ll be a nice time for the both of us.”

As a small hum filled the room again, Mcbiggen started to find the offer tempting.

“Nope,” he said, shaking the thoughts from his mind. He lifted Adagio in his golden aura and carried her to the door. He expected Adagio to thrash about, complain, or whine, but all she did was stare at him. There was no malice in the look, just curiosity.

“G’night,” Mcbiggen mumbled, placing her outside of the room. The door slammed shut and he was once again alone. He crawled into his bed and slowly closed his eyes, only to be disturbed by a powerful knock. Opening the door, he found Adagio looking at him with a lack of emotion.

“Didn’t I kick you out?”

“You kicked me out of my room, yes. My companions aren’t answering the door,” Adagio said as she ground her teeth into a fine white powder. “I do not want to pay for third room, so may I sleep here if I promise to keep my hooves to myself?”

“Fine.” He leaned in and matched her intense stare. “And no hummin’. It’s messing with my head.” Adagio grunted in agreement and walked passed him, climbing into the bed. “Hell are you doin, girl?”

“You don’t expect me to take the floor, do you?” She asked.

“Yeah, I am.”

“So to be clear, you going to make a mare sleep on the floor?” She raised a brow.

As much as he wanted to respond, he couldn’t. That little voice in the back of his head berated him once more. His father had instilled in him a need to make sure a mare was always treated right, even if they were more of a harpy than a mare. Letting out a sigh, Mcbiggen took his sleeping bag from his saddlebag and rolled it out on the floor.

“If you get lonely, feel free to climb into bed,” Adagio said, laying on her side. “It has to be more comfortable than the floor.” Mcbiggen refused to respond. For the first time in his life, Her smile made him want to strike a mare.

---

Mcbiggen’s head pounded against his skull as he slowly crawled out of his bag. Images haunted his dreams last night. Well, they weren’t haunting, just unwelcomed, all of them featuring himself and Adagio partaking in less than modest activities. He looked towards the bed to see Adagio sleeping soundly, looking pleased with herself. He had to finish his job, before Adagio broke him. It was no longer a matter of if, rather when. He quickly changed his bandages before gathering his equipment and putting his sleeping bag back into his saddlebag. He picked up Adagio’s discarded clothes and tossed them into the bed, the Impacted stirred Adagio from her slumber.

“What is it?” She whimpered, stretching her limbs. “Are we going to have fun?”

“No. Get dressed, we’re heading out in ten,” Mcbiggen said, lifting his armor in his aura. With total precision, the Mcbiggen strapped the armor to his body in a matter of moments. He placed his black iron helm on his head and slung his sword over his back. “Anything you don’t have on by the time I get back is being left behind.”

“Mcbiggen, I know you don’t understand this, but I plan on looking presentable when we meet our host,” Adagio said, knowing that her hair was a mess. “Why don’t you wake up Aria and Sonata, tell them to get ready, then you can grab some of that greasy, fatty food you love so much. We’ll meet out in the front when we’re ready, or you could help me get ready, lord knows I need someone to wash my back.”

“How about-”

“It’s not something that’s up for negotiation.” Adagio climbed out of the bed, and made her way towards the bathroom, making sure to flick her raised tail every so often. “In my opinion, the second choice would be a lot more pleasurable for both of us.”

“I’ll go get the others,” He hissed, his blood slowly coming to a boil. “Just be ready soon.”

“If you insist,” Adagio sighed, lowering her tail.

Mcbiggen slammed the door as he exited the room. There was something not right about the mare. Not much was able to shake the stallion, but the song somehow did just that. It was so pure and gentle when he first heard it, yet recalling each note made his stomach churn. Could Aria and Sonata do the same? All three of them said they could handle everything that they encountered, so did that mean that all of them were able to do what Adagio did? If so, what was it? Earth Ponies, to the best of his knowledge, were incapable of using magic of any sort. Could it have been a charm? Mcbiggen left the questions behind as he came the Sonata and Aria’s door, and gave it three gentle knocks.

“What is it?” Aria asked opening the door. She was dressed in a plain white nightgown, and slowly rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She blinked twice, revealing her bloodshot eyes a few times before finally being able to see straight. “You look horrible. What did she try last night?”

“She hummed a bit.”

There was a sudden change in Aria’s expression as her face morphed into a scowl.

“Of all the-” She stopped herself from uttering a word, allowing a silence to grow between the two as she shook her head. “Did anything happen?”

“No. I was fuzzy for a bit, but I shook it off.”

Aria kept a straight look, still shaking her head. “I’ll have a talk with her after Sonata and I get ready. Why don’t you get some food while you wait? Just send us the bill.”

---

Mcbiggen belched as he finished his second serving of fritters. He quickly followed his meal down with a glass of milk. Despite the warm feeling in his stomach, there was a sense of danger lingering in the air. The way Aria acted, it made him worry like he did when he couldn’t find Apple Bloom or Applejack late at night.

She knew what Adagio was able to do, that much was certain. It almost seemed taboo though. Never during their journey did Aria say that she would talk to Adagio, not even when he begged her to. He was just thankful he was able to keep control of himself. Mcbiggen shuddered as one final question entered his mind. What would have happened if he didn’t wake up like the voice said? He would probably woken up with a mare pillowing his chest.

Putting a few coins on the table, he made his way out of the inn and sat against a wall. There was nothing like a good meal to make him feel better. When he was a small child, his Granny always made sure to have some food on hoof just in case he ever turned up fussy. He knew not to make a habit out of eating to cure fear. If he did, he would not be able to fit in his armor.

It wouldn’t be long once the mares met with him. They would head east and he would finish his job. He rubbed his eyes as a single question lingered bounced around in his head. How far was east? Eastern part of the town, the market, the city itself? They were so vague with their plans for the entire trip; the only thing he knew was that they needed to visit a centaur for his pet dragon. What was so important about a pet dragon though? What could a fire breathing reptile have that made a trip like this worth it? Mcbiggen heard the door to the Inn open as his party joined him outside. They had changed their clothes to formal sundresses, each a color to complement their complexion. Adagio stood out the most, with a small saddle bag slung over her back.

“Ladies,” he said, bowing his head, shooting a slight glare at Adagio. The mare gave him a smile at him and blew him a small kiss. Aria quickly elbowed her and gestured towards Mcbiggen.

“I know, I’m just having some fun,” Adagio whispered. She cleared her throat, before standing up straight. “I apologize for my behavior last night. What I did was purely selfish and uncalled for, and I wish to put it behind us.”

Had any other stallion raised him, Mcbiggen probably would have told her to go to Hell. Unfortunately, he was raised by Bright Macintosh Apple, and he was a stallion that would sooner see his son dead than insult a mare, especially after the mare had apologized for her transgressions.

“I suppose it’s alright. Nothing happened, so we’ll jus’ pretend last night never happened.”

“Oh, Mcbiggen, that is absolutely marvelous to hear.”

“It really is!” Sonata added. “Considering we could get in a lot of trouble for singing outside of a dire emergency, and-” A loud smack echoed throughout the market as Aria’s hoof came down on Sonata.

“Just ignore her.” Aria said, shaking her hoof. “Get us to the house, we’ll pay you, and we can all go our separate ways.”

They could all do it, whatever it was. Mcbiggen began to re-evaluate the situation. Not only did all three mares know about the song, it seemed as if all three of them were able to sing. THey constantly told him to let them handle most situations, did that mean they would sing? If so, what would happen, and why did they hire him?

“Going our separate ways sounds good. So, where am I taking y’all?” He asked, after mulling over the questions for a few short minutes.

“First, we’re heading to the center of the market,” Adagio said. She showed him a map of the city and pointed to a star connected to a red line. “From there we head east until we reach our destination.”

“How will we know when we get there?”

“You’ll know. The house is different”

When the group reached the center of the market place, they headed towards the east in as straight a line they could. They past several houses, and even some patches of farmland, but each time he stop to ask if they had past the destination Mcbiggen was told to keep moving.

As they continued east, all signs of the town slowly faded, leaving only dried grass and dead land. Arcania was a naturally lively country, only the beaches on the coast lacked any amount of green. Therefore, the fact that the area they were entering seemed to lack any life at all made Mcbiggen raise his guard, especially as Adagio neared closer to him. The mares seemed not to mind the abnormality, and continued down the path as if nothing had changed.

Half an hour passed before any new structure came into view. All that he could see in the distance was a horrid looking house that looked as if someone abandoned it long ago. The front door was a hideous red, with a faded copper knob that was in desperate need of replacing. The shutters were scattered about the yard, and every inch of the walls could use a washing. All across the yard, weeds and vines spread about, yet they never came close to the house.

“So, where’s the house y’all need to get to?” Mcbiggen asked, wondering they had passed their destination by mistake.

“That is the house we need to get to,” Adagio said, pointing to a lonely house that loomed over them. “I told you, it’s different.”

“You ladies sure that this is the place?” Mcbiggen asked as he came to a near screeching halt. Looking at their destination, he could not help but feel like he was sending three unsuspecting mares to their deaths. After all, he was not sure that Aria and Sonata deserved what was waiting for them inside. Then again, perhaps they could finally handle a situation by singing a few notes together.

“We’re sure. Not to worry, the interior should be nice. Mcbiggen, I’d be lying if I said that I got everything I wanted out of this venture, but it is what it is. Aria, pay the stallion if you would.” Adagio began to saunter towards the door, leaving Sonata and Aria behind.

Mcbiggen’s eyes narrowed as Aria approached him with not one, but rather two large bags of coins in her aura. “What’s this?” He asked, lifting the bags in his own aura.

“A small thank you for what you did the other day,” Aria clarified. “And an apology for Adagio. She’s our leader, but she’s a handful.”

Mcbiggen placed his payment in his own saddlebags that hung off the sides of his armor. Before Aria could turn to join Sonata and Adagio, who were making their way towards the house, Mcbiggen used his magic to tug her tail. “Why’d y’all hire me?”

“What do you mean?”

“That singing thing, I’m guessing the three y’all can do it. That’s what you meant by handling it. If you three can screw with people like that, why did you hire me for protection?”

Aria could feel a bead of sweat begin to form on her forehead. There were so many things that she could say. She could explain that he was a mere contingency, something to be had in the event they couldn’t sing. She could say that they had only recently perfected their song, and were nervous using it on large groups. There were countless lies to tell, however, Aria decided to tell the truth.

“We didn’t need you for anything. Adagio saw you, thought you were hot, and probably fun in the sack, so she offered you a job so she would have plenty of time to get what she wanted. When it was getting close to the end, she decided to sing. Consider the song a tantrum thrown by a spoiled brat that finally heard the word no. If you’ll excuse me, I need to join my group.”

Mcbiggen released Aria’s tail and allowed her to return to Adagio and Sonata. With his gaze fixed on the ground, he began his trek back into town. Part of him knew he was a piece of meat to Adagio, but he didn’t expect that all he was. Looking at his injuries, he cursed himself for putting himself in harm’s way the other day. He could have died, and for what? Some mare that wanted him to take a roll in the hay.

He shook his head as he came to the more lively land. The fresh air began to slowly rejuvenate his spirit, and, for a brief moment, he smelled the fields of Equestria. There was a weight lifted off his shoulders as he walked further and further away from the mares. Dare he say, it was peaceful.

What would he do now? First, he would need to find a currier and have at least half of his payment sent to his family. After that, he would take a week off from job hunting. He would find a cheap place to rest and wait for his wounds to heal, before beginning the cycle again doing odd jobs or perhaps some familiar farm work. Some small, insignificant part of him was disappointed though. He wasn’t going to meet the fabled centaur the mares constantly talked about.

If only he knew at the time that he would soon meet Tirek in just four days.

---

“I can’t believe you sang.” Aria’s voice dripped with venom as she caught up with Adagio. Mcbiggen had just turned to leave, leaving the three mares to meet with Tirek.

“Don’t be so dramatic, Aria. What’s so bad about me drudging up the fun thoughts in his head? I’m wondering how he broke free.” Adagio looked back at the stallion as fire ignited deep in her being, sending a twinge of excitement to her core. “I find it exciting. He may have looked ready to kill, but his type of will he has is rare. Oh, the things we’d do if it just faltered.” Adagio became lost in her fantasies. A shiver went up her spine and she bit her lower lip. Thoughts of the stallion giving in and throwing her down filled her mind, sending surges of electricity throughout her body.

“Just remember, we’re not supposed to do that crap here.” Aria’s voice ripped Adagio away from her fantasy, just as things began to get rough. Aria quickly turned to Sonata and shot her a look. “And you, keep your hole shut. The last thing we need is you saying anything that comes into that empty head yours.”

“I know not to sing here, Aria. That would go against orders. And I’m sure that despite her mental impairment in regards to most social situation, she can keep quiet and be her usual annoying self. The dragon’s young, he might find her adorable. You can do that, right, Sonata?” Adagio looked towards Sonata to receive a nod. “Excellent.”

Smiling, Adagio gave the door three powerful knocks.