Chapter 1: Arkhoof Horror
Azure Shield ducked her head briefly beneath the top of Arkhoof's wall, trying to escape the mid-day sun. Though barely past winter's end, the land already burned with heat. She sighed and poked her head above the edge, ducking it back down when she saw nothing of interest.
Sometimes she wondered about ancient times, when ponies changed the weather by hoof and wing. It seemed impossible, but she imagined that whatever heat it brought, she would appreciate a spring she helped shape herself.
A distant sound brought her head up above the wall's edge. A dark shape wavered wildly in the air some distance away. After a moment, it resolved into a brown pegasus with dark green markings across her body, approaching Arkhoof at an uneven gait.
Azure scrambled to her hooves and darted to the stairs down, moving as quickly as she could dare to, which still felt unbearably slow. Nevertheless, when she reached the ground, the pegasus was still out of earshot, and fluttering closer to the ground.
"Can? Can Do?" she demanded as the pegasus dropped to the earth. The pegasus nodded weakly but didn't move. Azure trotted to the other mare's side and offered a bottle of water. Can drank deep, gasping before she handed the bottle back to Azure.
"Thanks! I took that at a bit of a sprint," the pegasus explained.
"Is something the matter?" Azure asked nervously. "I've never seen you fly that fast-"
"Oh! Yes!" Can Do declared, snapping her head up. "I saw something back a couple of miles - I think it was a whole pack of Blind Walkers!"
"Blind - are you sure?" Azure asked. Can Do was already fluttering off the ground, eager to take to the air again, but at Azure's question, she paused, hovering, and gave Azure a careless shrug.
"I don't know. They were all bald, and their wings were all wriggly." Can Do shivered at the memory, while Azure wracked her memory for some sign of whether the scout was right. She'd never seen a Blind Walker before, but the description sounded like one, and if any were remotely near Arkhoof, anypony nearby was in trouble.
"Sounds like you're right, Can Do. Okay, you find Iron Hoof and see if he can help. I'll warn everypony, and-"
Can was off before Azure could complete her thought, but that was well enough; she didn't need to plan if she could be off. She turned out towards the south and took a deep breath.
"Inside the walls, everypony!" she bellowed.
No matter what Eye Spy said about it, they had to break off any farmers outside the walls rather than risk anypony being attacked by...Blind Walkers. Azure shuddered. They were likely not the most terrible creatures to walk Equestria, but they were bad enough, if the stories about drinking blood were true.
Shaking off the unpleasant thoughts, Azure Shield turned back into the town, ducking through the now-crowded gate and along the inside wall to Eye Spy's home. Kickstarter and Hurricane, pale ponies who were brothers in all but blood, stood on either side of the thin curtain that divided Eye Spy from the rest of the world. Kickstarter, earth pony and stockier of the two, bent his head to Azure's level.
"Problem?" he asked.
"Maybe," Azure hedged. "Can Do saw something a few miles south - thought it might be Blind Walkers-"
Kickstarter hissed and shook his head. "Bad enough to bring everypony in. I'll go sound the alarm."
"And I wanted to know if-"
"Go on in if you need to!" Kickstarter shouted as he galloped from the house.
Azure glanced around between the door and Hurricane, who watched her with wary grey eyes.
"You gotta see her?" he asked softly.
"I want to go after them," Azure said meekly. "Me and Iron Hoof and-"
"Go in, see what sort of mood she's in," he said. When Azure didn't step forward, he nudged her flank, sending her stumbling forward through the curtain. She heard his laughter behind her.
At first, Azure couldn't see anything. Eye Spy lived in almost complete darkness, as a testament to her weakening eyes, but someponies thought there was another reason. For one thing, Eye Spy was awfully well-informed for a pony who spent all her time indoors.
As she blinked, Azure made out the stacks of rugs and cushions that made up Eye Spy's home, technically also a warehouse. A low light flickered from a brazier around which Eye Spy had curled. The elderly earth pony, pale green in the dim light, looked up from the brazier and smiled at Azure.
“Good morning, Azure,” the earth pony said. She stood, unsteadily, revealing, for a moment, the single, unblinking eye that marked her flank. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
The unicorn shivered; the statement alone spoke wonders. Eye Spy expected everything. “Can Do came back from patrol saying she saw a couple of Blind Walkers on the southern borders. I was going to get Iron Hoof and go after them-”
“Do you think you should?” The question showed that, expecting it or not, Eye Spy took this with the same unflappable demeanor she took everything. And it made Azure stop short, uncertain.
“I...”
“This is the sort of thing I like to expect, Azure,” Eye Spy said. “It could be something dangerous. It could be some sort of trap. But if you think you three should chase it down, I’ll support you.”
Azure gulped, heart pounding unevenly. “I...” She wasn’t certain she could handle the responsibility Eye Spy was giving her, but at the same time, if nopony got rid of the Blind Walkers, they could hurt somepony else.
“I’ll do it,” she declared at last.
Eye Spy nodded. “They’re waiting for you,” she said before sitting down. “And good luck.”
Azure galloped to the southern gates to find Can Do trotting around a light brown earth pony, taller by each of them by a head. Azure could see only hints of his pale, blue-silver mane around the helmet he’d donned, but she would have recognized Iron Hoof’s bulk anywhere.
“Hey! Azure! We’re ready! Are we going to kick flank?” Can Do fluttered at Iron’s eye level before dropping unceremoniously to the ground.
Azure smiled at the scout. “Yeah. We are.”
~~~
The trip through the forest surrounding Arkhoof was tense; Azure knew all too little about their foe, and stealth wasn’t easy with Iron Hoof moving in the leaf-woven armor he favored. And given time, Azure grew more and more nervous. Can Do had said the creatures were no more than a mile or two from the town, which meant her little band could already be sharing the woods with-
“Look!”
Azure’s gaze darted in every direction before falling on a pale shape drifting from behind a tree. Like a pegasus, it was lithe and athletic, built for speed, not strength. Its skin, visible for it lacked a coat, was pale and bloodless, and its eyes hollow sockets within its skull. On its back, masses of tentacles writhed in a shape that was a mockery of a pegasus’ wings. And its flank...bore no mark, no sign of talent or purpose beyond the hideous tales told of it.
Azure let her magic flow, summoning armor, translucent but as hard as any steel, between her and the monsters. Can Do yelped and tried to leap for the trees, instead freezing in place with a yelp as the creatures closed in.
Iron Hoof glowered and pawed at the ground. “Come on, if you think you’re hard enough,” he growled.
The blind creatures moved more slowly than a pony, but with an eerie, and silent, assurance. One slipped close and flapped its wings at Azure. She felt the tentacles wrap around her flesh, barbed tips drawing, and then sucking out blood. She cried out in pain while another attacked Iron Hoof, who roared and lashed out with his hooves. He dodged under another strike and kicked one of the creatures, dropping it to the ground.
Azure tried to help, summoning a lance of flame that went wide and struck the ground next to one of the Blind Walkers before fizzling out.
Now two of the creatures menaced her, hungry for the blood they stole with every successful strike. She saw an arrow cut through the foliage and distract one of the creatures long enough for Iron Hoof to bring it down, but then another cut nearly dropped her to her knees. Her vision faded as she felt her heart beat only weakly. Another cut and-
“Keep your dirty hooves off of her!” A hoof struck one of the creatures soundly in the skull, dropping it to the forest floor, and sending the other galloping from them.
Azure glanced wildly after it, expecting another arrow to follow the creature, and herself lacking the energy to try and strike its fleeing form. Instead, she heard a cheerful cry of, “You ok? I think I...ow...overdid it?”
She glanced towards where she’d seen Can Do run, and saw the pegasus upside-down on the forest bed. The pegasus waved at her, and Azure shuddered, the shock and blood loss hitting her all at once.
“I...”
“You all right, Azure?”
She shook her head, causing the world to shake around her; a sudden warmth at her side indicated where Iron Hoof was leaning against her, supporting her movements as they turned back towards town.
Her thoughts were slow, and fuzzy. “I...are they dead? The Blind Walkers?”
“They’re not getting up again anytime soon,” Iron Hoof said. Azure guessed that was going to have to be good enough. She couldn’t work up the energy to care one way or another, at least until she heard a squeak from above them.
“Is that...smoke?” Iron Hoof stiffened, and Azure, still walking forward, nearly fell.
“Arkhoof!” Iron declared.
Can Do pumped her wings and sped into a brown-and-green blur, while Iron Hoof picked up the pace only marginally. Azure was still breathing heavily when they reached Arkhoof to see the western gate in flames, and the guards of the little town helping wounded ponies back inside.
“What happened?” Azure asked.
The answer came from Can Do, dropping out of the sky. “Not half an hour after we left, a whole bunch of Blind Walkers showed up and attacked Arkhoof. They...killed a couple ponies, but that’s not the worst of it. They took a couple, too!”
It was as if Iron’s skin turned to ice; Azure could feel his muscles stiffen and body chill. “Who’d they take?”
Can Do wilted under the focused gaze, landing and kicking at the dust. “A couple of foals, they said...including Iron Filing-”
“I’ll kill them!” he howled, turning towards the west, letting Azure stumble and fall, and revealing the puckered wounds oozing blood on his own flank.
Can Do caught Iron’s tail in her teeth and pulled back against the straining earth pony until his movements ceased. She fixed him with a serious glare.
“Maybe you will,” she said, “but you’re still bleeding - both of you. And I don’t like our chances, anyway, without some help.”
“I could talk to Eye Spy,” Azure offered.
“And I’ll find somepony to try to see what we can do about those cuts,” Can Do announced. “You stay here,” she ordered, which made Iron sit, even if he did so with a sullen look on his face and glared at anypony who looked at him.
The way to Eye Spy’s was strangely unfamiliar, with the streets all but empty and the haze of the still-burning gate. Azure found the door unguarded, and tapped her hoof against the jamb.
“Come in, Azure.”
Azure trotted in, warmed by the show of normalcy in Eye Spy’s apparent omniscience. The elderly earth pony, however, looked battered and worn, and didn’t look up at Azure.
“So it was a trap,” Azure said. “I’m sorry-”
“Don’t,” the earth pony snapped. “I told you. Something fixed its eyes on us to blind me to what was coming. I’ve told nopony else about this, but you know, child, that my gaze goes further than anypony else’s. I watch our borders from here, and sometimes gain the barest insight into the future. And something blocked me, kept me from seeing anything until our children were taken from us.”
“Iron Hoof wants to go after them,” Azure said quietly. She wasn’t certain if she was asking a question, or what she could say if Epy Spy again asked her to make the decision.
But the elderly pony just looked up at the unicorn, eyes hard. “Can you stop him?” she asked.
“What?”
“If he goes alone, he’ll die,” Eye Spy said. “Can you keep him from going after his sister?”
Azure shook her head rapidly, and Eye Spy let her eyes slide closed. “Then there you are. I wish you the best of luck.”
Azure stumbled back, uncertain what to say and only belatedly remembering a quick bow before bolting. Out there, she nearly ran into a lean, pale bulk. She screamed and her horn flared, magic rising before she recognized the shape of Silver Lance, an earth pony, and one of Arkhoof’s hunters and trackers.
“A little jumpy there, aren’t we?” he asked Azure. “Were you hiding in here during the attack; I didn’t see you on the walls.”
Azure’s heart rose at the sight of the white-coated pony. He was a tracker and something of a scrapper, skills they would need chasing down the Blind Walkers. “I - we were chasing some Blind Walkers down at the southern border.”
Silver Lance made a dismissive noise. “Of course. You’re aware you’re bleeding, right?”
“You need to come with us!” Azure blurted, realizing how stupid she sounded a moment too late.
Silver narrowed golden eyes at her. “Come where?”
Azure sighed. There was likely nothing to be done for it; she might as well try. “Come with us to track down the foals the Blind Walkers took. Eye Spy told us we could go after them.”
“Funny. She usually isn’t that eager to let ponies die. Mama’s right, she is getting old.”
“Look, if you’re scared, you don’t have to come,” Azure retorted.
Silver ignored the taunt, but circled Azure slowly before snorting. “I think you’d better let Mama take a look at you before you bleed to death in the middle of the street. Might as well make it a little harder to turn you into a monster appetizer.” He turned, trotting away, and Azure followed, grateful for even the small favor offered. Silver’s home was the only functional hospital Arkhoof had, and the home of Bleeding Heart.
The unicorn who greeted Azure looked far more menacing than she could be said to be; the pitch-black mare with a single drop of blood as a Cutie Mark tutted at the sight of Azure. “Look at you, darling! Let those monsters get too close, didn’t you? Back so soon, Silver?”
“Got things to do,” the earth pony muttered as he passed through the room.
Bleeding Heart set Azure down on a low couch and began tending to the wounds with careful applications of her magic. As soothing energy drifted across her bloody flanks, Azure relaxed slightly.
“You won’t bully him into helping you,” Heart murmured. “And protecting these ponies is as much his duty as helping those poor foals.”
“How did you know?”
“Hurricane said you’d taken Iron Hoof off to fight monster before the fight,” Bleeding Heart said. “And Silver Lance is angry at you; he doesn’t like being pressured. Likes to think himself an adventurer, though. There we go! You’ll be right as rain in the morning.”
Azure slept fitfully that night, Bleeding Heart’s words preying on her mind. When she awoke, she’d made a decision, and went to the hospital the next morning, before the gates to meet Iron hoof.
“You didn’t hurt yourself again, did you?” Bleeding Heart asked when she answered the door.
“I want to see Silver,” Azure said.
The dark unicorn smiled and stepped aside. “Somepony to see you, Silver!”
The earth pony arrived a moment later, but scowled when he saw Azure. “What are you doing here?”
“We’re leaving soon,” Azure said. “I just wanted to check one more time if you wanted to help us. I mean...I don’t know how long we’ll be gone.”
“What do you mean? You’re gonna get the foals back, then run right back here,” Silver said, rolling his eyes. “Assuming they don’t drink your blood. Or their boss doesn’t just break you. You know someponies say there was something worse with the Blind Walkers that attacked yesterday. Those are blind pegasi with tentacles for wings, you know-”
“We had to fight a whole bunch in the forest! I told you that!” Azure snapped. At the gleam in Silver’s eyes, though, she calmed herself. “Anyway, I don’t think it’s that easy. I mean, what if we get the foals back? It’ll happen again in a couple months, or a year, and maybe we won’t get them back that time.”
Silver’s eyes seemed to glow even in the bright light of his mother’s home. Azure tried to keep a grin off her face. “What? Are you going to gallop into Canterlot and try to kill His Terrificness with your cute little glare?”
Azure scowled even as her cheeks flushed. “S-shut up! And I don’t know! All I know is this can’t continue! If we just huddle here, things will never get better! I’m asking you to come with us and see if there isn’t anything we can’t do to help...everypony!”
Silver took a step forward, bending his head down. He took another step, and when he spoke, it was low and quiet. “They say that when...He appeared, Clover the Clever gathered Smart Cookie and Pansy to fight him. They were old ponies, but had been friends for a lifetime, and those bonds were as strong as they had ever been.
“Nopony heard from them again, Azure. The Fires of Friendship - the most powerful magic in the world - were nothing to him. Do you think you’d stand a chance?”
Azure stepped back and fixed Silver’s gaze with her own. She set her jaw and glared. “Maybe. But I’ll never know if we don’t try.”
Silver smirked, suddenly. “Sounds good. Come on; let me just grab my things.”
Azure stood, frozen. She could barely believe it had worked! She still couldn’t, even as Silver Lance accompanied her to the gates to find Iron Hoof pawing absently at the ground. Silver Lance grinned at Iron and at Can Do as she fluttered to earth.
“Well! Looks like the gang’s all here,” he announced cheerily. “Now, I’ve some experience tracking monsters like this, so any objections if I take the lead?” Nopony objected, although Azure noted he didn’t give anypony time to do so before he trotted outside the burned gates of Arkhoof.
The next few days went slowly, with at first almost no sign of the monsters’ passage. Eventually, however, Azure began noticing small creatures strewn beside the paths Silver Lance led them. The creatures were pale, skin covered in tiny puckered marks that made her remember the biting touch of the strange tentacles that covered the Blind Walkers’ backs.
“They’re traveling by day,” Silver Lance announced one night. “Either for the benefit of their captives, or for the benefit of another member of their camp.”
“I heard someponies talking about something leading those things,” Can muttered from the far side of their small fire. “Something terrible. Made someponies drop without touching them.”
“Do you think it’s the same thing that kept Eye Spy from finding out about the attack?” Azure asked.
Silver shrugged. Iron, normally placid brown eyes hard, grunted. “Don’t know. Just know it’s a dead beast.”
Azure looked at her friend. He hadn’t spoken much since they’d left Arkhoof, and she was worried for him. He seemed angrier than he normally was, and this confirmed it. And yet she didn’t know what to say. In the end, she said nothing.
She woke late into the night, startled by a strange noise. She could see, by the dying embers, Can Do, who had taken second watch, struggling against something.
“Iron!” Azure shouted, and pulled a small wand she’d scrounged up some time ago from her pack. It had some small, but destructive magic; with a little focus, she summoned a blast of energy that sent a Blind Walker, seemingly unhindered by the darkness, stumbling away from the pegasus. Iron lumbered to his feet and launched himself at the creature, dropping it, and then, in a swift combo of magic and hoof, sending yet another to the ground.
Only then did Silver Lance rouse from his slumber to find his companions adrenaline-pumped and one bleeding. He offered forth a bottle his mother had sent with him, sealing some of Can Do’s wounds and setting the camp to sit watch through the rest of the gloomy night.
Azure couldn’t help but look at the broken shapes on the ground, and wonder if they had been somepony’s brother before, or if the Lord of Equestria had simply created something new to walk the world, its resemblance to ponies just a malevolent prank.
“We’re close,” Silver said. “Close enough we could make a push and attack tomorrow morning.”
“Let’s do it,” Azure said. As indecisive as she’d found herself previously, the prospect of a fight seemed energizing. In any case, she was certain Iron Hoof would have pushed for the same decision; as if to confirm this, she saw him nod at the declaration.
They crept west, until Silver pointed to a distant camp, where close to ten shapes moved or sat on the grass. Azure tried to move as stealthily as she could manage, but about four hundred feet away, she saw half a dozen Blind Walkers turn their scarred faces towards the group, and begin moving at a charge towards them.
She glanced at Iron Hoof, who just roared and charged right back. Azure closed her eyes, and focused on her magic, calling forth the magic that had appeared on her flank at first casting. Translucent shields flickered into existence next to each of her allies, dancing and shifting to block any attack.
Silver Lance joined in the charge, as well, pulling the polearm from his pack as he moved. Iron, who preferred to fight bare-hooved, leapt into the fray, punching a Blind Walker with enough strength to drop it before two more ganged up on him.
Azure tried to lay down cover fire with magic, but assault magic was not her forte, and she seemed to have poor luck with her shots. Can Do was having worse, most of her shots going wide.
With barely any notice, however, a gigantic bat dropped from the sky, slamming into and dropping another Blind Walker while Iron Hoof threw off one of his attackers. With the addition of a new combatant, the tide surged in the ponies’ favor, and soon, the Blind Walkers were vanquished.
The bat lurched up from its last victim and flapped towards the camp. There, a unicorn with a dark purple coat and a short, black mane that all but blended into her coat, tore away ropes from the flank of a pegasus, a timid-looking stallion with coloring like a cloud, blue suffused with transparent white patches. The unicorn’s mark showed a six-sided die, and his a lion curled around a rabbit.
The unicorn bounced forward to meet Azure. “Oh! Thank goodness you’re here! Did you happen to see a little brown bag on one of those things?”
“I-” Surprised at the sight of captives other than the ones she’d expected, Azure faltered, and the unicorn just darted past her rather than waiting for an answer.
Back at the camp, the pegasus still struggled with the remains of his bonds. “Lucky, what about-”
He never finished his sentence, because the ground seemed to open up, releasing two more Blind Walkers and...something else. Like the Walkers, it resembled a bald pony, but its skin, rather than pale, was a dull, rubbery gray. It bore no wings or horn, and its snout ended in a monstrous mess of tentacles that writhed as it glanced across the group of attackers. Azure recoiled; a sensation like a physical blow nearly sent her unconscious. She could see the others reacting similarly. The pegasus captive dropped, and Silver Lance grit his teeth, a trickle of blood leaking from his nose, but aside from the one creature, all sustained the attack. Azure glanced at the retreating purple unicorn, hoping for a moment that the name the pegasus had called out was a good sign for this fight.
Iron Hoof and the bat lunged at the hideous monster, while Can Do, exhibiting her usual enthusiasm, launched at the Blind Walkers.
Azure, for her part, tried to attack the creature with magic, only to find her spells evaporated before touching it.
The creature took a serious blow from Iron before it glared at him. The stallion staggered, eyes glazing over before he aimed a vicious bite at the bat, bringing down the surprise ally and pushing the odds in the monsters’ favor.
Iron then turned on Azure, and she felt her heart seize in terror. SIlver Lance was trying to simultaneously fend off a Blind Walker and the new monster. Can Do, unused to close combat, was struggling with her own foe. She couldn’t fight off her friend, if he was a puppet of this monster.
She closed her eyes and tried to remember some scrap of magic that could free him. When she remembered, she almost laughed. She’d learned magic from the old tomes of ‘Magic of Friendship’, where they mentioned three ancient spells that spoke to a heart chained to evil.
“Iron, it’s me,” she pleaded, and cast forth the magic she recalled. For a moment, the magic struggled, but then, through some extraordinary luck, Azure remembered the last twist of the spell, and whispered, “your friend.”
Iron Hoof’s eyes cleared before focusing clearly on the tentacled monster that had, even briefly, enslaved him. He lunged at it, only to bounce off of a translucent suit of armor that materialized around it. The creature spun, fixing eyes on Azure.
Something tickled at the base of her skull; for a moment, Azure’s breathing stopped. But another tingle ran up her spine, and whatever magic the beast had tried faded. Silver Lance stabbed at the creature, catching it a strong blow in the side. The monster pulled away, wrenching the weapon away from Silver as it turned hateful eyes on Iron Hoof.
But Iron Hoof was done. He bit the tentacles protruding from the thing’s face and used the leverage to force it to the ground. The creature flailed and tried to brush a hoof, glowing gray, against Iron Hoof’s leg, only for Iron Hoof to kick it away and lower a hoof to the creature’s neck.
i surrender
The words were not spoken; they seemed to enter Azure’s memory without passing her ears. She could still ‘hear’ a sense of the creature’s voice; it made her mind feel greasy and unclean. Still, Iron Hoof didn’t move, glowering at the beast.
allow me to live, and i will tell you where your sister is
The voice, or thought, or memory, took on a wheedling quality as the creature spoke.
you will not find her without me
The scene held for several tense seconds before Iron Hoof stepped back.
“Fine,” he growled. “Tell me. And then get out of my sight.”
the Master has created many wonders with which to fill your world. some are his own creations, and others are things already here, which the Master has improved. some were ponies, once. some time ago, one of these creations told the Master something which He had not realized. He had changed many types of ponies, except one. those with no marks upon them.
Azure’s body shivered of its own accord. Whether the thing said its Master had improved it or not, the Master was torturing ponies. And now it wanted foals-
“Where is she?” Iron demanded, lunging forward so his hooves ended up on the thing’s shoulders. It stumbled under the weight, but made no sign of distress that the furious stallion was so close to it.
a colleague has taken the foals to canterlot
Azure could feel the creature’s smugness tainting the bland words. Iron must have felt the same, because he smashed his skull into the creature’s own, a movement that sent the remaining Blind Walker galloping for the hills. Azure, for her part, froze in shock, unable to do more than watch as Iron slammed his hooves into the prone form until it stopped moving.
A part of her spun along, already trying to wonder how they might get into Canterlot, find the foals, get out-
“Oh! I was wondering why the brain-eater stopped talking.” Lucky stepped up behind Azure, startling her. The purple unicorn bent over the blue pegasus and nudged him. “You okay, Wild Heart?”
“Fine...Singer!” He bolted upright at the sight of the unconscious bat, and moved to its side, producing a cloth from seemingly nowhere to tend its wounds.
“Who are you?” Azure managed to choke out.
The other unicorn smiled winningly at her. “Lucky Clover, at your service. That’s Wild Heart. And I heard what that brain-eater said to you. Going after your friend’s sister to Canterlot is suicide.”
“I don’t care!” Iron bellowed. “I can’t leave her to that - that-”
“Easy, honey,” Lucky said, brushing past the rearing stallion, bringing him up short. “I don’t mean ‘suicide’ in the way ponies normally say something’s foolhardy. I mean literally, suicide. His Terrificness’ generals live there, and one of them’s got this way of sensing who and where everypony in the city is. That thing’s magic is a sight better than yours, I promise.”
Azure shook her head. “We can’t go back. We can’t leave her there.”
“Well,” Lucky said, settling on the ground next to the cooing Wild Heart, “there is one way. I’ve heard of an old pony - well, more like a nag - who they say knows everything. If there’s a way to do it, she can tell you.”
“And you know where she is?”
Lucky offered Azure a bright smile. “Course I do! Just one warning - she’s a little crazy.”
“I think you need to be, to survive around here,” Azure said wryly.
~~~
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.
