> City of Guilds
>  by DoctorDoguu
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Ready?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The stone tower looked like a sore thumb among Ponyville's hay roofed houses. It had been there for several moons. Inside it was pleasantly furnished and felt like an actual home. A perfect place to stay. Most of the time it had no residents, only one pony was allowed in while its owner was away, and that pony made sure everything was in order. Its owner made sure all the bills would be paid while he was away, and in fact had everything planned for his long trips.
Today however it was different. Its owner was there, but he was not alone, the pony he trusted the most was with him. They were preparing everything for a trip together. There were some suitcases and other forms of luggage. Most of it was from the homeowner, he was making inventory of his belongings before their departure.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” The stallion spoke, his green eyes looking at his companion, wondering what she was thinking. His blue, almost teal, mane was arranged in a half high ponytail, his deep purple hide was covered by a black cape which concealed his cutie mark, a sword with a red trail which changed under certain circumstances.
“Come on Midnight. We already talked about this. I AM going! This is the second time we go on an adventure beyond Equestria. And it's the first time we go somewhere only you know about.” The stallion's companion responded. She was not just his companion, she was actually his lover, some could say they were engaged considering some past events. Despite their age difference, their love faced little opposition from the general public. Her dark pink mane was shaped in a way that positioned a long bang in front of one of her eyes, which often led her to blow air on it to keep her sight unobstructed. Her hide had a light brown hue which looked almost orange, and her cutie mark was a pair of scissors combined with an apple, reminder of her legacy as member of the Apple family.
“Well. We are taking your sister with us. She kind of forced me.”
“I know. She'll be here soon.”
“I am glad she hates me no more. It will make things easier.” The stallion remembered how long it took for him to be fully accepted into the family. Now he was trusted with taking both sisters on a trip with him. “Remember Babs, this is not your average vacation trip. The place we are going is slightly more dangerous than Manehattan, so you better not deviate from the map I gave you. And stay away from any place marked with the symbols on the list I gave you, especially the spider eye one, those guys are messed up.”
“I thought you said the red and black skull guys were the bucked up ones.”
“They are certainly insane, but not even as evil as the spider guys. But stay clear from them, they will try to get you into their crazy stuff. And it includes things you don't like.”
“And I thought you were kinda pervy.”
“Oh! They are not perverted. They are downright disgusting. Their definition of love making requires at least a few legs lost in the process, not always reattached in the end. But whatever rows their boat. At least they are no longer inviting unwilling guests to their parties.”
“What is that thing?” The filly looked at an artifact the stallion took from an old satchel.
“This? A piece of advanced Anathelan technology. A telepathic communication device. Allows verbal communication between different languages. Ideal when you have no idea where you are going. I was just making sure it is working properly. It is always on. Sometimes I wonder if I ever spoke to you in our native language.”
“Does it translate sleep talk?”
“No, only conscious communication.”
“Then I'm pretty much sure we speak the same language. You say some weird stuff in your sleep.”
“Is that so? Riv often says watching me slip is both funny and disturbing. I guess it has something to do with that. What kind of things do I say?” The stallion asked, wondering why everyone was amused about his sleeping habits.
“Well. You say some crazy stuff. Sometimes you give motivational speeches to dream armies before battle, sometimes you are pursued by angry pumpkins. And well... You dream about some things I already told you are never going to happen. There are also other weird dreams, and other lewd ones too. I'm glad nopony else heard those things.” Babs Seed blushed looking at Midnight Edge with bedroom eyes. “I unleashed something in your mind.”
“Wait! You mean I have been dreaming about performing the most impure acts with you, as well as many other forms of hedonistic behavior, while broadcasting it to anything nearby? And nobody told me! I will tan Riv's hide the next time I see him!” The stallion was less than amused with his discovery.
Babs Seed giggled at Midnight Edge's reaction. Understanding his exaggerated mannerisms were a form of being humorous at the unpleasant realization of how easy it was to pry on his privacy. Soon after that a pony knocked at the door.
“It's open. Come in.” Midnight Edge spoke, concentrating on two strange artifacts, they were golden objects with a shape that vaguely resembled a key. On the wider part they held a gem surrounded by complex filigree which was actually a form of magical circuitry.
A mare opened the door, her pink hide made a fitting combination with her blonde mane, she wore a sunflower hair clip on her mane, which matched her sunflower cutie mark. She looked at the large amount of luggage and spoke. “You better take us to somewhere safe. If we get hurt I'll make sure all of Equestria will make you pay.”
“There should be no worry about that. I prepared all safety measures. Here! Take these.” Midnight Edge levitated the strange key shaped objects in front of the ponies with his magic.
“What are these things exactly?” Sunflower responded wondering what could such strange objects do to keep them safe.
“The best in Anathelan void technology. The masterpiece of the portal makers. The source of the great Anathelan portal revolution. A perfect combination of magic and science. The creation of two civilizations working together. Rift keys!” Midnight Edge responded as if he felt proud of those artifacts even though they were created by another species in a distant universe.
“I remember these things. Riv had one. Right?” The filly noticed similarities with the object she once saw held by the traveling alien.
“Exactly! These were blank just a few hours ago. But now they are fully functional. Here! Take these instruction manuals with them. You will know how to use them in no time, but I will explain the basics. These things record locations in the multiverse, allowing you to create a portal connecting your current location and the one selected on the key, well, as long as both are far enough. Like different planets, or entirely different planes. But, you must register them first. If there is any sign of danger you must use those keys to open a portal back to Equestria. It will take you near Twilight's castle.”
“So that city we are going is dangerous?” Sunflower asked, concerned about their safety.
“Normally it is not. And thanks to its current leader it has not been safer in decades, probably centuries. But that doesn't mean there is no danger. All cities have dark alleys, raving lunatics, and evil organizations.”
“Am I the only one having second thoughts about this?”
“Come on sis! It's gonna be just fine! Midnight wouldn't take me to a dangerous place.” The filly spoke, trusting her life to her beloved stallion.
“Well. I am actually having second thoughts about this too. But Babs persuaded me into this and it is too late to change my mind. I already made a promise.” Midnight Edge stated, no longer sure that place would be good for a family vacation trip.
“That city has families right? The it must be safe! Nopony... Well, nobody would keep a family in a dangerous place.”
“Babs. Your coltfriend might get us killed someday, you know?” Sunflower still felt going to an unfamiliar place only a borderline insane stallion knew was a terrible idea.
“I would never allow that. She is right. It is a rather family friendly place, provided you do not venture away from the areas I already marked as safe.” Midnight Edge took a deep breath and placed all his luggage, as well as that of the sisters inside the magical brooch on his cape. “All right, hold on to me. This is going to be a rather unpleasant ride.” The two ponies held hooves with Midnight Edge as he gathered magic around him. “You might need a paper bag soon.”
“Wait Wha-” Before Sunflower could complete her sentence, the three ponies disappeared in a flash of mana, planeswalking into another world.
> First impressions
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A hooded figure looked out a window at a well tended garden. It was an elf wearing rags decorated with bones and scavenged artifacts. His skin was pale, his long hair had a glistening black color resembling tar, his eyes carried the calm look of a simple farmer, yet his face reminded more of that one would expect on a mortician. The Devkarin elf waited for someone to show up at that garden, the garden he had been taking care of ever since he moved to the humble house where he stood.
...
Planeswalking was not a pleasant experience, it felt like a roller coaster ride gone wrong. An unpleasant feeling of motion and vertigo, combined with the uncertainty of having no gravity coursed through the bodies of the two sisters as they moved through the Blind Eternities. There was no need to breathe, yet they felt breathless, it was a torment, fortunately it all lasted less than a second, an extended second of emptiness and motion.
Finally the group reached their destination. They were in the middle of a garden, it was a rather pleasant place, a place they would have enjoyed if they were not feeling sick. “What was that?!” Babs Seed yelled trying to not give in to nausea.
Midnight Edge responded recovering himself from the side effects of planeswalking, he was rather used to it. “Well. We just moved through the Blind Eternities, it was quite a bumpy ride. You get used to it over time. Don't worry, the keys and portals do not have that effect.” As he responded, Sunflower vomited on the floor and fell unconscious. Midnight Edge held her before her face reached the ground. “She will be fine. Just give her time.”
“I didn't expect it to be so...” Before Babs Seed could continue, her gag reflex took over her forcing her to vomit. After relieving herself from her sickness she continued. “Tell me it won't get worse.”
“Well, much likely it won't. You actually endured the worst part. Unlike your sister. She fainted, I did the same the first time Riv took the lead. Let's say passengers always have it worse. It's like seasickness.”
“But painful.” Babs Seed responded, recovering from the trip. Then she looked at a humanoid walking toward them from the threshold of an elegant house, he looked strange, almost dangerous, but he did not seem to pose any threat. He did not seem to fit with their location or the urban landscape around them.
“Edge! You are on time as usual!” The elf was clearly familiar with the stallion, and expected the group's arrival.
“Yevgeny! My favorite rot farmer! Looking healthier than the average Devkarin as usual!” Midnight Edge responded to his friend, who would keep them at guests in his residence.
The elf stood a few meters before them with a wide smile. “Oh. This one must be your little sister I guess.”
“I'm his fiance” The filly replied, surprising their host. “My name is Babs Seed, she's Sunflower, my sister.” She pointed at the unconscious mare.
“Oh! You are younger than I expected. Well. Nice to meet you” Yevgeny extended his pale hand in front of the young pony, an unpleasant smell floated around it.
“Wow! What's that smell! It's awful! It smells like shit!” The filly responded turning away from the elven hand. She found the smell unpleasant.
The rot farmer realized the smell of his craft still lingered on him. “Actually, it's a dead animal. My apologies”
“God damn it Yegveny! You should take a bath after working!” Midnight Edge responded, shocked by the behavior of their host.
“I did. I couldn't get the stench off. My wife will be mad at me.” The young elf felt frustrated by his situation. He loved his wife, but sometimes felt they were not meant to be together, they were too different. As he cursed his fate an elven maiden wearing a long white dress with green accents and wooden decorations approached him.
“There is no need to worry my dear. I do not hold you accountable for it. You keep this city clean after all.” The elven woman embraced her husband from behind, showing a kind and nurturing smile and then kissing him.
“Ulyana. I was hoping for you to show up! I am glad to see my favorite married couple together.” Midnight Edge greeted the elven lady with a smile.
Ulyana noticed the unconscious mare which almost everyone else seemed to ignore for a moment, her attention focused solely on her as she approached. “Your friend seems to need help, let me handle that.” The elven healer placed her hand on the unconscious pony and began to release energy from it, relieving Sunflower from her affliction.
The mare opened her eyes and began to pay attention to her surroundings, the garden which she observed for a few seconds before fainting, the two strange creatures standing close to her, and the unfamiliar city landscape visible from the garden. She knew the creatures she saw posed no threat, but couldn't feel uneasy with the one which seemed to be male, his pale face looked almost unhealthy, he wore patched rags and bones, he reminded her of a grave digger. The female was a contrasting sight, her clothes were clean and looked like some sort of ceremonial dress, her wooden decorations and head dress made her seem like some sort of nurturing priestess.
“Well, I will take you to your rooms, you must be tired.” The Devkarin elf spoke, still slightly worried due to his apparent flaws.
“Wait, let me help you before that.” The Silhana elf gave her husband a flower petal and placed it on his hands. “This will get rid of that smell. You shouldn't be afraid of asking for my help.”
...
Midnight Edge looked out the window, usually he was not pleased with large cities, but Ravnica was different to him, it was a place where adventure waited on every turn, he found the Undercity rather fascinating. In fact his friends and him had chosen the place they were staying at because of its convenient location and size. The house was once a Selesnya communal house which fell in disrepair after years of conflict. Its proximity to the market and its current state made it a surface outpost to the Golgari Swarm, from which they brought fresh produce from the Undercity to the market, connecting both places from its basement.
Babs Seed entered the room after Ulyana guided her around the house. She learned the location of every room inside the place quite fast, and noticed a few rooms were occupied by other guests which were friends of the couple in charge of the place, some of them also acquainted with Midnight Edge. She was amused by the new location, the house was not precisely a fancy place, and it was clear it had been through better years, but the whole city promised new experiences, and the place had a warm feeling.
“So. What do you think? This is where we stay ever since we met Yevgeny. I would rather stay here than at any Orzhov owned in. They would charge for the air there if they could, and might try to drink your blood.” Midnight Edge was extremely cheerful, Babs Seed was used to seeing him in a cheerful mood whenever she was around, but this time it was different. She knew what that glimmer in his eyes meant, adventure.
“It's nice but... It feels a bit weird. There are many... I don't know what to call them, living here.” Babs Seed responded, wondering what were the things she saw inhabiting some of the rooms. They were not humans or elves, she was ready for those, but a skeleton with vines on it sitting on a chair was not what she imagined as a normal guest.
“I guess you mean Yegeny's friends.” The stallion responded. “They are mostly harmless, Yevgeny and Ulyana would not allow troublesome folks in their outpost.”
“What about Yevgeny and Ulyana? They are elves, but they look so different. Yevgeny looks almost like a dead guy.”
“I am glad you asked me. It is a sensitive topic for them. They are from different breeds and guilds. Just like ponies are divided in three groups, so are the elves here. Yevgeny is a Devkarin, Ulyana a Silhana, and there is another group of elves which is almost extinct. Remember when I told you this city is divided in ten guilds?”
“Yes. I remember that. You said I should stay away from some of them” The filly responded wondering how that was related to the elves.
“The Devkarin elves are part od one of the guilds, the Golgari Swarm, the guys with the insect symbol. That guild is in charge of farms and other less pleasant jobs required to keep the city. They take care of the dead, keep sewers clean, and in general act as silent keepers of the city. They accept those who are sick, maimed, and even zombies among their people. Even their farms are less pleasant, they use dead bodies and waste as fertilizers, great to make fresh produce, but the smell is unpleasant.”
“Like dark elves? So the others are the light ones?”
“Sort of. The Silhana are part of the Selesnya Conclave, the ones with the tree symbol. A semi religious group which worships nature and works to preserve it. They were actually a bit evil in the past, and they are seen as religious nuts by some. Their leader is not precisely fond of the Golgari. Imagine how they reacted when one of their own decided to marry a Golgari rot farmer.”
“They had to fight for their love?”
“Not at all. The Golgari leader is a rather pleasant zombie. I have heard back when he was alive he married a Selesnya lady. He managed to convince the Selesnya of allowing the marriage. But both parties were no longer allowed to enter Selesnya territory, and Ulyana would not move to the Undercity. And so Yevgeny came up with the idea of opening this outpost. He noticed it was an abandoned Selesnya communal house, and it was so damaged it connected to the Undercity, where the Golgari live, so it became a common territory for both guilds. Under command of their leaders they began to manage this place, where both guilds meet and cooperate.”
“I don't see why talking about that would make them uncomfortable.” Babs Seed still wondered how could they feel bad after their love managed to overcome so many obstacles.
“Both see the beauty in nature, but one embraced death as part of it, the other sees death as separate from life. They sometimes fail to understand each other, and so the biggest obstacle to their love is not their guilds, but themselves. That makes Yevgeny feel he does not deserve Ulyana's love.”
“So Yevgeny feels he is just what he smells like and thinks Ulyana shouldn't love him because of that?”
“To put it bluntly, yes. Also their disagreements make them doubt the marriage could work. But it will, I know it.” Midnight Edge had more faith in his friends and their marriage than they had, but that was another reason for him to be there. He would prove them how powerful love was.
...
> Gilded heart
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Babs Seed woke up, her sleep disturbed by the sounds coming from outside. Soon after waking up she looked out the window. The crowd was flanking what looked like some sort of parade. Babs Seed looked around and noticed Midnight Edge was still asleep on the other side of the bed they shared.
“Wake up! There is something cool going on the street!” The filly elicited a reaction from Midnight Edge.
The stallion responded with a tired groan. “I don't feel like waking up yet. Ask them to keep it quiet.”
“Come on! It looks really cool.”
“Cool as in an Izzet engineer blew something up or as in some rich Orzhov is throwing alms-coins at the crowd?” The stallion responded with his eyes still closed.
“I think it looks like the rich guy thing.” Babs Seed responded, mildly confused by the question.
“Alright, I am up. Want to see something so decadent it will make you feel glad you are not rich?”
The coupled walked down the stairs and out to the street, followed by Sunflower, who was mildly confused by the situation. They were met by the sight of a lavish parade. Gilded knights walked on both sides keeping the crowd away from the rest of the parade. Groups of strange half dead masked creatures playing different instruments and guiding the path of a large creature with a carriage on it's back, robed men threw coins to the crowd from the carriage. In the distance a well guarded litter held by a group of masked creatures moved forward.
“Look at that. They think they could buy everything with their stupid coins, they even refuse to die.” Yevgeny spoke in anger looking at the parade. He was already out before the rest, waiting for the parade to end and the crowd to disperse before moving on with his daily life.
“I am taking some of those coins anyway. I could use trade them for something useful later.” Midnight Edge lifted a small pile of coins with his magic before they could reach the eager crowd.
“Diamond Tiara would feel at home with these guys.” Babs Seed spoke looking at the armored guards, one of which noticed the presence of the foreign creatures, whispering something to his companion as they moved on.
“Maybe. But they are rather villainous in comparison. That does not make them bad business partners though.” Midnight edge responded with a wide smile as he stored the coins in a purse.
“I would avoid them if I were you. I don't know how you manage to avoid their trickery.” The Devkarin elf spoke, displaying distrust at the parade as the litter approached.
The litter was carried by creatures similar to those playing instruments. They were in better state than the rest, wearing decorations and ceremonial robes, their golden masks had detailed decoration which obscured their grotesque facial features, and two of the creatures which were on the litter spoke directions at their own kin.
Inside the litter was a young vampire woman, her appearance almost resembled that of a child thanks to her extended youth result of many questionable sacrifices and bargains. Another of the subservient creatures stood close to her obeying her whims and listening to her. The lady looked at the crowd with disdain. “Look at them. They are disgusting. So desperate to grab whatever we throw as charity. Yet they are always reluctant to give any form of contribution. Of course they will confess their sins to us because we are the only ones to ever make them believe they could be absolved.”
“Master Sveta, is there anything I could do to ease your discomfort?”
The young vampire looked around and noticed three unusual faces. One was that of a creature she had seen before, a strange being from distant lands which sometimes made deals with her guild. The other two faces were similar, clearly of the same species, but they looked more feminine, probably females or children of the same species. “Febah, stop the parade! I saw something worth saving among this disgusting crowd.”
The servant gave a command to one of it's own, which sounded a large trumpet, halting the parade and spreading awe among the crowd.
“Great! They want to mess with us again.” Yevgeny placed his hand on the hild of a concealed bone dagger, ready to fight if needed.
The litter opened, revealing a beautiful maiden inside. She was dressed in a fancy white and burgundy dress with golden accents, two black sun symbols decorated the lower part of her dress, her jet black hair flowed with every motion she made, and her crimson eyes felt cold and merciless. Babs Seed recognized the symbol on her dress as the signet of one of the ten guilds, one which should be avoided under most circumstances. A horrible voice yelled a command. “Make way for lady Sveta!” The crowd moved aside where the guards ordered, leaving an opening toward the ponies.
“No... No... No! Fuck! This is bad. Stay behind me. Both of you now!” Midnight Edge commanded, afraid of the attention they managed to draw. He was torn between casting a spell or bribing the guards to betray their own, both were possible.
The vampire walked toward the ponies and looked at them, once she got close enough she spoke. “You! The small one. Come closer.
“Stay away from her!” The stallion responded, ready to kill if needed. He was outnumbered, yet he was willing to sacrifice himself to protect Babs Seed and her sister.
“Silence equine! You are inconsequential!” The Orzhov vampire spoke in a threatening tone. “I ordered you to come closer.”
Babs Seed refused to comply, instead she looked at the vampire and responded in a defiant tone. “I won't unless Midnight says it's safe.”
“Midnight... Is that your name equine?” The vampire asked to the purple stallion who was prepared to fight.
“Yes. And depending on your explanation might be the name of your executioner.” The stallion responded full of anger.
“Your insolence offends me. I will tolerate it for the sake of satisfying my curiosity.”
“Then answer. What do you want with her?”
“No harm will come to her. I do not intend to buy her or enslave her either. I... I understand why you commoners feel distrust toward us, but I just intend to know you better.” Her last sentence did not sound as confident as her previous words. In fact it was as if she displayed a vulnerability in her mind to earn the trust of those around her.
“To hell with that! I am not buying your nonsense!”
“Fine. Let's strike a deal. I will only speak to her, no more no less. If I touch her... My own guards shall kill me.”
“Are you kidding me! And what is my part of the bargain then? What should I pay? My soul? You are not the first Orzhov to ask for that, nor the last to be greeted by my right hoof!”
“No... All I expect in exchange is your trust.”
“Sounds like a deal to me.” Babs Seed responded, actually feeling pity for the undying woman. She noticed there was one thing which the maiden couldn't find in her life, something no coin could buy, something her guild kept away from her. “But if you want to be our friend your guards must go. All this thing must go. Come back when you are done with this parade thing.”
“Your terms seem... Acceptable. We shall meet again little one.” Sveta walked back to her litter with a sad expression on her face. She was actually surprised, in all her life she never felt sad, she never felt defeated, yet still she was not as uncomfortable with that as she imagined.
She was frustrated, but after a long time she was excited, she was full of expectation. She made few friends, and most of her friends were actually bought by her family or her guild, this time she could make a new friend on her own, she had the chance to build a friendship so valuable no coin could pay for it.. “Febah. I think those three are worth more than all the coffers in Vizkopa.”
“What do you mean my lady?” The thrull servant failed to understand the words of his master. Not only he was not intelligent enough, but also was unfamiliar with friendship, the closest thing to friendship he could understand was his devotion for his master.
“You are my friend because you were made for that purpose. Those equines... The only way we could become friends is through my own merits. I must earn this. I rarely earn things. Most of the time I just inherit them or take them from others. And there was something else, something I saw only once in my whole life.”
“What was it? I am to ask and understand your needs.”
“Love. The male, and the filly. I have no idea of what kind of bond they have, but he was willing to kill every single one of our guards, and us, to protect her. It was love, the same love my parents felt for each other, the same love they showed to me. Willing to kill for someone, willing to die for someone, and not just because you were made for that purpose. I shall converse with them. I shall befriend them and know what made their bonds so powerful.”
“Wouldn't it be loyalty? Isn't that the greatest bond there is?” The only form of affection Febah truly understood was loyalty. His mind was built by necromancy with loyalty as its most important command.
“For subordinates, but not for equals. Love seems to be more profitable than I used to think. Mother was right, there are things we can't buy with coin or contracts, we must buy those things by giving some of our essence to the involved parties. I thought she talked about offering our lives into eternal debt. I realize now that she spoke of a very different form of profit.” Sveta was yet to remember true affection, growing among the Orzhov made her cold toward anyone outside of her own, and among her guild she knew little about love. It was not that the Orzhov were devoid of love, if that was the case they would never breed new members. She distanced from love, and most emotion, to cover her weaknesses and insecurities.
As the litter moved away the groups looked at the parade with an unpleasant feeling. The crowd remained in awe, some feeling envy for the ponies, others feeling sorry for them. Midnight Edge looked at Babs Seed with uncertainty in his eyes. “We got into something big. Remember those keys I gave you? Keep them ready, just in case.”
...
The group sat at a table waiting for the arrival of their less than welcome guest. None of them knew what the Orzhov vampire intended to do, all they knew was that she could pose a threat to the peace at the outpost. Midnight Edge was deeply concerned with the possibilities, he could not imagine how things could end well. For all they knew, that rich undying noble would attempt to keep Babs Seed for her own amusement.
“I think she needs a friend.” Babs Seed uttered feeling pity for the mysterious lady.
“I don't think Orzhov vampires know what friends are. They don't even understand the value of life. How could they? They refuse to die.” Yevgeny felt a deep seated disdain for the Orzhov, most Golgari disliked the lavish syndicate due to their contrasting views on death.
“I would rather believe Babs is right. She is quite good at reading others. I prefer that to the alternative of becoming some rich girl's pet.” Midnight Edge broke his silence still fearful of the future.
“How can you stay so calm! This is wrong! All wrong!” Sunflower was notably stressed, ever since she saw those crimson eyes she felt a deep primal fear in her heart. She recognized the eyes of a predator, the fangs confirmed her fear. After she yelled at everyone a knock was heard on the door, the mare screamed in terror imagining what it could mean.
Yevgeny opened the door preparing his bone dagger for a possible skirmish. He was quite reluctant to allow an Orzhov in his place. If she was going in, it would be under his terms. Before him stood the same black haired vampire they met earlier. She was surounded by gilded guards and followed by her servant.
“Let me in scavenger.” The vampire threatened Yevgeny with her look.
“Not until your guards leave. I am already making an exception for you.”
“What do you say little one? I agreed to meet under your terms, not his.”
“If the guards stay there's no deal. You won't need them. I promise.” Babs Seed responded to the question. Everyone was shocked, a guildless child, a foreigner, had the bravery to issue commands to an Orzhov noble. She displayed such bravery because she was completely oblivious of Ravnica's system, but that was their greatest advantage.
“Insolent!” A guard yelled in anger, preparing his sword.
Before he could walk forward Sveta extended her arm to obstruct his advance. “Leave. I intend to stay for the night. Come for me at noon.”
“But master!” Everyone was shocked, especially the guards, in fact they were terrified, the idea of a small equine issuing commands to their master. The mere idea of their superior obeying the command of a complete stranger was horrible, it made the order of their pious world collapse.
“I commanded you to leave. You shall comply.” The Orzhov noble would not tolerate any form of insubordination. She might be following the command of a complete stranger, but it was in the form of an investment, her guards were still bellow her. Her tone calmed as she directed her voice to the filly. “My guards are leaving, but my personal servant stays. I need his assistance during my stay.”
“The ugly guy, right? Fine, he doesn't look dangerous. I bet I could beat him without dropping a sweat.”
Sveta commanded her guards to leave one last time, this time with a nod. The guards followed her command, still upset by the situation. “Understood. We shall take you back to your residence at noon. If something happens to our mistress there will be consequences.”
“Enough! If any of you threatens that filly again yo will stay for diner.” The vampire spoke, spreading fear among her guards. They knew her words meant she would kill them on site at the next provocation. Without much to do they left.
The maiden walked into the building, followed by her servant who spoke once they were inside. “Allow me to introduce my master. Lady...”
Sveta interrupted her servant raising her hand, commanding him to stay silent. “Febah, this is a personal matter, I shall introduce myself. I am Lady Sveta Morozova. The honor is all yours.”
“Name's Babs Seed. Nice to meet you!” The filly responded to Sveta's introduction with a smile. “That one is Midnight Edge, my coltfriend. And the mare hiding in the corner is my sister, Sunflower.” Babs Seed pointed at her sister, who squealed in terror after noticing the vampire's eyes focused on her.
“I am Yev-”
Sveta interrupted the rot farmer before he could complete his name “Silence scavenger. Your name is inconsequential.”
“Hey! He's our friend too!” Babs Seed reacted to Sveta's disrespect toward their host.
“I see. Continue then scavenger.” Sveta was unwilling to engage in any form of conflict with the creatures she was interested in. She would do anything, even interacting with a man from a rival guild.
“As I was about to say, I am Yevgeny, my wife and I are in charge of this outpost. You better behave while you are here.”
“Enough Yevgeny. We are not picking a fight with her unless it is necessary. Let Babs handle her.” Midnight Edge spoke, hoping there would be no need for conflict. He knew they were ready to endure a confrontation with the Orzhov, but preferred to solve things peacefully. “Lady Morozova, could you please explain your intentions?”
“The truth is I am curious about the female ones. They are adorable, the little one in particular. I think... I think I want to be friends with them.”
“I am in charge of ensuring their safety. You are not allowed to touch them.” The stallion uttered in an almost martial tone.
“Come on Midnight. Give her a chance. I don't think she's lying.” Babs Seed spoke as she walked toward her sister. “It's O.K. sis. She won't hurt us.” Sunflower stood, still nervous, but believing in her sister. Then she sat next to her on the table.
“Make way stallion. I want to sit next to the little one and her sister.” Sveta commanded Midnight Edge, expecting him to comply.
“He won't move. Look Lady Morozova...”
The vampire noble interrupted Babs Seed with a smile on her face. “You are free to call me Sveta, and so is your sister.”
“Fine. Sveta, I want him to be next to me, my sister too. You'll have to find somewhere else to sit.” Babs Seed was still in charge of the whole situation, she noticed everyone else was extremely stressed, and knew she would be the only one wiling to treat the Orzhov noble with kindness.
“I see. Do you have something comfortable to sit in?”
“What you see it's all. We do not cater to nobles here.” Yevgeny responded to her question in a bitter tone.
“Fine. Febah, could you please do something about these seats?” Upon hearing her command, the thrull took a piece of cloth from the bag he carried. The piece of cloth looked only slightly less expensive than the fabric on Sveta's dress. The masked creature placed the piece of cloth on one of the stools, where Sveta sat, facing Babs Seed.
“So. You wanted to talk right?” Babs Seed spoke, expecting Sveta to fully explain her intentions. Unknown to the others was that she was ready to attack if needed, in fact she had the upper hand since Sveta willingly lowered her guard before her.
“Well. I want to be your friend. You seem interesting, and your bond with that stallion is fascinating. I think I could understand it better by becoming your friend. Of course you could reap the benefits of our friendship too. I get to understand love and friendship, and in exchange you will have access to many useful resources and earn the respect and fear of those around you.” Sveta spoke with naive confidence. She believed friendship could work as a form of formal contract where both parties would earn material gain of some sort. If there was a lesson she failed to learn from her family was the value of friendship.
“You have no idea how friendship works. Right?” Babs Seed asked, wondering how could a noble be so dense about real life. Even Diamond Tiara seemed an expert in friendship compared to that vampire.
“The truth is... I don't remember having a single friend.” Sveta admitted, she felt ashamed of the fact. “I dedicated my life to pious devotion and profit. Gold was my friend and faith my only love. Until the maze was completed. Then I began to feel something was missing. Something made the strongest unable to complete the maze, yet weaker ones seemed more successful. I realized something was missing. And you... You were the first to speak to me from your heart, without caring about my status, without fear, but also without disdain.”
“Well. At least you get the honesty part. One down, five to go.” Midnight Edge spoke in a mocking tone, he was lowering his guard too, starting to realize Sveta was not so different from his own sister. Isolated, focused on her interests, ignoring friendship or love. But just like her sister, this one was still on time to be saved.
“You... Are right. I found her honesty interesting.” Sveta began to warm up toward the stallion. She felt he could be her friend too. In that moment her only enemy in that room was herself. She had no idea how to make friends, and she refused to admit she was weak. Weakness was something she was not allowed to show. The reason her parents' lessons on bonding and interaction failed to reach her was because she followed their other lessons, those of strength. She refused to show any sign of weakness, any wound, any vulnerability should never be exposed, but that also meant her heart was locked, safe from the cold touch of enemies and the greedy reach of her own.
“You are hiding something.” Babs Seed looked at her in the eye. Those merciless crimson eyes no longer carried the sight of a predator, but that of a wounded animal. The youth she preserved on the outside was a reflection of the childish personality hidden behind acts of severity and constant prayer. “Spill the beans now.”
“You deserve the same honesty you offer me. I never had friends because I didn't want to. Those who get too close to you could hurt you. Those who don't seem loyal would never betray you. But after a few hundreds of years, things get boring.” Sveta began to open her heart. It was not easy for her, but maybe that was what friendship was about.
“What about your servant. Isn't he like a friend?”
“Febah. He is meant to be loyal, he is meant to care about me. But I don't know how much of it is because he was born that way and how much of it is because of true affection. I never earned his friendship, he wouldn't even see me as a friend. He won't see beyond ranks.”
“Well. I think we could be friends. But no dirty tricks.”
“I... I promise I will not squander your friendship” The Orzhov noble had no idea how things would work. But now she had a chance to make a true friend. She was no longer expecting to gain something from that friendship, friendship itself was the reward, now she was worried she might have nothing to offer to her friends.”
...
Sveta spent the night at the outpost, and even enjoyed breakfast in company of her new friends. Of course her Orzhov manners did not fade overnight, and so her meal was provided by Febah, who carried a bottle of blood. Sveta was fortunate enough the blood she drank required no death to obtain it, since that fact reduced the shock everyone felt at her diet. She revealed with pride how some of her debtors offered an amount of their blood as payment. She preferred to draw enough blood to feed her without killing them, otherwise they could not return to pay the rest, either in blood or coin, and they would never contract another debt.
At noon her guards arrived to take her back to her residence. Upon arriving she realized she no longer felt at home within those empty halls. And so she came up with an idea. It would take her time, but she would set in motion a plan to open her heart to her new friends the only way she knew, the lavish Orzhov way.
...
> Benefactor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next five days went on with much event. Life in Ravnica was not much different from that of other big cities. Babs Seed and Midnight Edge spent time browsing the markets for interesting objects and souvenirs while Sunflower enjoyed the garden at the outpost. In the third day Riv joined the group and invited them to a dinner at a local bistro.
During their dinner Riv mentioned something that made Midnight Edge extremely glad, soon one of their friends would arrive, bringing much needed resources for the other planeswalkers. The mysterious friend was named just as Him and The Masked One, Babs Seed and Sunflower could not remember Midnight Edge mentioning that mysterious being before.
The next two days Sveta joined the group, guiding them through the most interesting places in Ravnica, places Midnight Edge often overlooked during his visits, preferring to explore the market district and the Undercity. The vampire often used her reputation to benefit her friends, something they often mentioned was not necessary, but she would not change her ways since generosity was the only selfless act she was used to.
The mysterious friend mentioned earlier by Riv arrived after the fifth day. His arrival seemed to be more a rumor than actual news, it was kept in secret for some reason. Many would consider the secrecy a mere absurd, but the mysterious benefactor preferred to keep the Dimir at a safe distance, making sure his activities and presence remained unseen until there was need to act publicly.
Midnight Edge was extremely excited to introduce his friend to Babs Seed and Sunflower, he considered his arrival a good sign and a way to finally explain where most of his resources came from. That mysterious benefactor was actually an important member in their group, while his activities among the group were often tacit and cautious, he provided them with important resources, and was probably the strongest planeswalker among them.
“Well, it is time for you to meet a very special friend of mine. He is a rather mysterious guy, but he is also quite nice. So. Are you coming?” The stallion spoke in a merry tone, his usual frown was replaced by an excited smile.
“If he's your friend count me in.” Babs Seed responded, her confidence grew stronger everyday, and it was notable in the way she acted. Meeting another planeswalker was part of the big adventure she expected during her stay in Ravnica.
“It would be nice if we knew his name first. I mean, you never mention him by name.” Sunflower was not as eager to meet another of Midnight Edge's strange friends, she was already having a hard time getting used to the residents at the outpost, in particular the unsettling vine covered skeleton and the talking insect.
“Oh. About that... We don't know his name. He just calls himself The Necromancer. He says revealing his name could make things harder for him. We don't mind, other than his name he keeps few secrets from us.”
“There's no way we are meeting some mysterious guy called The Necromancer. I mean, you know what a necromancer is right?” Sunflower was actually scared of the idea of meeting an actual necromancer, she already knew more death handlers than needed in her life. “Babs is not going either.”
“No way! I am going. Midnight wouldn't take me to dangerous places. It must be safe.”
“Well. Go if you want. I'm staying with Ulyana, she is the only one who doesn't seem to have ties with evil magic around us.” Sunflower reluctantly allowed Babs Seed to meet that mysterious necromancer, but she was actually too scared to join.
...
The Necromancer's residence was hidden within the Undercity, the only way yo access that location was through the outpost's basement, making sure only those tied to the outpost had access to that place. Some even assumed he was tied to the outpost in some way, even accusing him of damaging the foundations of the former Slesnya communal house to further his own goals. The true story was known by his friends, it was not so far from the rumor, but the motives were very different. He accidentally damaged the foundations while he collected fungal samples from them.
Midnight Edge guided Babs Seed through the Undercity, keeping her at safe distance from its most unsavory inhabitants. Every now and then they stumbled upon some Golgari Swarm members which gladly greeted the purple stallion and guaranteed their safety. Some of the guild members they met were actually very different from what Babs Seed expected could be considered as people, from walking sentient corpses to self aware mold. It was evident the Swarm was composed of very strange creatures, but most of them were actually harmless, preferring to go on with their lives as any other citizen would do.
“Exactly what kind of guy is your friend?” The filly inquired, expecting the mysterious man to be some sort of strange being.
“Well. Remember the void communicator and all those artifacts I carry?”
“Like the keys right?”
“Yes. He is the one who brings those things to our group. He was born in Anathel, the world where those artifacts were made. The inhabitants of that world combine magic with technology and mastered the creation of portals to connect different places, even separate planes.” Midnight Edge explained, notably impressed by the achievements of that civilization.
“So they could make a portal to Equestria. Right? I could visit many worlds if they did. That would be so cool!”
“Well. That is exactly why we must meet him.”
“Will he make a portal? Really?”
“No, not yet, but he is our middleman with Anathel. And there it is. His place!”
“That door on a wall? Are you sure? It looks a bit... plain.” Babs Seed was surprised by the simple look of the door. No signs, no windows, it did not look like a house.
“Look.” Midnight Edge placed his horn before the door, a faint glow came from it, revealing a green eye shaped symbol on the door. After revealing the location he knocked on the door.
The door opened almost immediately. The inside of the place was actually larger than it seemed. The fair sized chamber was actually the entrance hall, on the sides lied two doors which led to other rooms, the room was decorated with an assortment of objects, banners with signets of some of the ten guilds hanged on the walls, with a large Golgari banner hanging in the middle, the faint glow of mushrooms with different colors lit the whole room, a large throne stood in the middle, with a large table in front of it, it's back side aiming at the door.
“Come in my friend. I expected your arrival.” The mysterious voice sounded almost spectral, the whole atmosphere seemed to be made to cause awe on the visitors.
“Don't worry Babs. He is a bit of a showman.” Midnight Edge smiled at the filly, who walked in without hesitation.
The door locked behind the ponies, as soon as it locked the throne turned making a loud noise as it moved on the floor. A medium sized male humanoid figure clad in a green coat and black clothes sat on the throne. His hands displayed a pale green color, his face was covered by an avian shaped mask, a plague doctor mask to be more precise, with long brown hair flowing from the head adorned by a brownish yellow wizard hat. “Welcome Unicorn. You brought a friend, a rather young one. I am glad to see you after so long.”
“Necromancer. I want you to meet Babs Seed”
“Welcome little one. Are you by any chance related to...” Before he continued, the mysterious pale figure noticed the rubica hair clip on Babs Seed's mane. He recognized the hair clip, that filly was not just any filly, she was important. “I see. So you are the one. Unicorn, I did not expect you to pick such a young one. I actually expected you would fall in love with The Nurse.”
“How did he know?” Babs Seed was surprised by the Necromancer's statement. She did not expect him to find out so easily.
“I know everything. I knew of your arrival long before you were here. Of course I would find out.” The Necromancer spoke with a serious tone, there was a wide grin behind the mask.
“He just saw the hair clip. Quit the show dude. Take off that mask and stop pretending you are an ominous mage.” The stallion spoke, mocking his friend.
“Oh my friend. I can not do that. I just acquired this mask, and so I must wear it.” His voice was almost a whisper. The Necromancer intentionally kept his speech and behavior to match the style of the mask. “Besides, I am more surprised than any of you. I seriously thought that execution traumatized you so much you would never engage in love relationships with those younger than you. Yet you date a child. I am glad I was mistaken, love should never be obstructed.”
“Yup. He told me about that. But I made sure he got over it.” Babs Seed spoke with a confident smile, she considered their love some sort of accomplishment, an act of defiance to some extent. “We'll marry when I grow up!”
“It is a long story. But yeah, Babs and I are really close. That is why I wanted to talk to you.”
“Is that so? You should be cautious. She is young, the Azorius might not take it lightly. You should be out of their jurisdiction, but they would be glad to outlaw your relationship under a technicality.”
“I know. I hate those guys. Well, let us talk about what I intended to ask. Shall we?”
“Of course. I knew our current conversation would not be as casual. Otherwise there would be food. This must be rather serious.”
“I need a portal connecting the Coalition nexus and Equestria.” The stallion uttered his demand, he knew his friend might refuse to comply, but it was worth trying.
“I can not do that yet. I must talk to your leaders first and then inform the Coalition. Did you give the void communicator to your leaders? That could hasten the process.”
“He didn't. I have that flower thingy. He said your people make them.” Babs Seed responded, expecting the mysterious man would understand the motivation behind Midnight Edge's actions.
“I see your devotion Unicorn. You were meant to give that communicator to someone important. It is logical there would be no one as important as this little filly for you now.” The pale man seemed glad with the results.
“Could you at least connect Equestria to the Utvhal market? That does not require authorization from the Coalition.” The stallion tried to at least get closer to his goal.
“I am afraid I can not. Not yet. I must have an audience with your leaders first. Your highest ranked leader. Her name was Celestia, right? She must allow me to place the portal first. I can not just place a portal without warning the local population. I assume you require that portal because you have found your place now.”
“Is there another way? I think this is very important for Midnight.” Babs Seed asked, attempting to improve her lover's chances of convincing the mysterious man.
“Well, Rubica...”
“Did you just call me Rubica?” The filly interrupted before the Necromancer could go on with his sentence. She was surprised at the fact that he did not mention her name, also realizing he never mentioned Midnight Edge by name at all.
“That means he likes you. He gives nicknames to everyone he likes.” The stallion explained, expecting Babs Seed would not be upset by his friend's strange behavior.
“I expect it will not cause you discomfort. I name my friends in unusual ways. It is rather amusing.”
“If that means you like me I think it's fine. I would prefer to be called Babs though.”
“We shall reach an agreement on how to address you later young one. For now I must answer your question. There is in fact another way. I could build a portal there. It is a small place we found in our travels. Our safe haven. I have set a few portals to specific locations. They are designed for private use however, which means there are rather strict safety measures. Would that suffice?”
“A portal to the Valley? It would not allow contact between our civilizations, but at least my family and friends could use it.” The stallion was satisfied with the offer. He did not even consider it an option, but it was good enough.
“Patience Unicorn. It will take time. Portals are not set overnight, I must make preparations first. It may take a few months, even years. I must visit your world, find a proper place, gather the components, prepare spells, and hire some artificers. We require advanced void technology.” The Necromancer informed his friend of the nuances of placing a portal.
“Fine. Now we may move on to more casual conversation. Could you take your mask off already?”
“I assume I could comply with that request for a few seconds.” The Necromancer took off his mask. Babs Seed expected to see some sort of monstrous face behind the mask, maybe a zombie like being or a threatening wizard. Instead she saw an almost normal human like face. The Necromancer's face was that of a young man, his skin had the same pale green tint, a slightly long and pointy nose laid close to two green eyes resembling those of a dragon, his thin lips shared the same pale tone and were shaped in a grin, the most unusual traits were his pointy ears and two patches of green scales where sideburns would be.
“You're half as ugly as I imagined.” Babs Seed spoke in a humorous tone.
“Give me a break! My wife says my eyes are just perfect!” The Necromancer changed his tone as soon as he took the mask off. Now he seemed more like a young man, not as casual as Riv, yet still more casual than Midnight Edge.
“And Babs thinks I am smart and interesting. Love blinds us to facts. I think you were better with that mask on.” Midnight Edge went on with the teasing.
The once mysterious and ominous Necromancer turned out to be just another adventurous planeswalker, as the conversation went on Babs Seed noticed Midnight Edge was the serious and normal one in the group, which was further proven by The Necromancer placing another mask on his face and altering his behavior to match the mood and style of the mask.
...
After a few hours of conversation and a meal, Babs Seed and Midnight Edge left The Necromancer's den. In the end Babs Seed managed to convince The Necromancer of addressing her by her name, however instead of preventing him from using nicknames on her, he began to alternate between her name and the nickname he selected based on her hair clip. It was clear The Necromancer was the weird one in the group.
“Your friend is a bit crazy. Don't you think so?”
“Crazy? He is totally insane! Well, he pretends to be. He is actually pretty much normal, but he pretends to be even weirder. And his wife is just like him. I met her only once, they are matching pieces of insanity, and she keeps her name in secret too. She told me they keep their name in secret because they are public figures in Anathel.” Midnight Edge explained.
“So they hide their identities because they are celebrities? It makes sense. I wouldn't like to have fans following me everywhere I go.”
“That is what they say. But I think they just do that for their amusement.”
“I bet we'll do silly things together too. We'll do many things together.” Babs Seed embraced her lover. They remained close to each other on their way back.
That night Babs Seed pondered on The Necromancer's words. She knew Midnight Edge gave her the void communicator because she was important for him, even though he was meant to give it to a princess, yet still The Necromancer made her realize how important they were for each other. It was evident Midnight Edge was commanded by The Necromancer to bring that void communicator to a princess, and Midnight Edge willingly neglected his task for her. He was willing to sacrifice everything for her, and the feeling was reciprocal. Meeting his friends just proved her how close they were to each other. That night Babs Seed had a dream about their wedding, a dream she expected would be a premonition.
...
> Concern
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day after meeting The Necromancer, Babs Seed met with her new friend, Sveta, they spent time together, sharing their world view with each other and, at least for the Orzhov noble, learning life lessons she failed to learn before. As they spent time together, Sveta began to show a slight change, she grew cheerful and amicable, she no longer felt as the merciless, cold, and extremely religious noble carried on a litter by a bunch of deformed monsters. She was still carried on that same litter, and still had a large entourage of thrull servants and armored knights, but her facial expression changed. Even among the Orzhov their friendship was seen as good news, both for the mental health of one of their own and to secure ties with the rather resourceful group the filly was connected to.
After her meeting with Sveta, Babs Seed returned to the outpost. Not long before her return, Midnight Edge and Yevgeny went to a local tavern. Babs Seed went to her bedroom to rest, waiting for Midnight Edge to return.
...
An Orzhov woman walked into the chamber and spoke before a large groups of ghosts which seemed uninterested with the outside world.
“Spirits of the Obzedat, I need your advice.” The woman spoke, expecting them to give her instruction.
“Tell us what is the cause of your concern, Teysa Karlov.” One of the ghosts replied, barely interested about the cause, yet worried about one of their own feeling concern because of it.
“The current head of house Morozova, Sveta, she seems extremely interested in a group of outsiders. That generally would be no issue, but she is far too generous to them. I have even heard she intends to organize something big to celebrate their friendship. I just wanted to know what were your views on it.”
“She has earned the right to spend as much as she wants on others. It is not something out of the usual, the spirits of her parents do not seem as concerned as you.” Another ghost responded, it intended to guide their contact with the mortals, but had little interest in taking action.
“But they could try to take advantage of her generosity, until now she has asked nothing in return other than their friendship. I am afraid she might even lose faith in you due to her obsession with those outsiders.”
“Do not worry my child. She prays to us quite often, and her faith in the guild has not diminished. In fact she seems to feel more faith than before. This friendship has renewed her will to live, and so, her will to act on the best interests of the guild, her friends, and herself.”
“But her friendship could interfere with her loyalty to us.”
“It won't. They seem to value loyalty as much as we do. As long as no harm comes to them, she will remain unchanged, and in fact she could reap the benefits of such friendship. Her generosity is not likely to go unrewarded. You know well the importance of friendship and social bonds to pursue our goals.” A third ghost responded, slightly more interested in helping than the other two.
“Should we offer them membership into the guild?” Another ghost wondered. Its thoughts were shared by Teysa herself.
“That will not be necessary, and could prove detrimental. Their friendly interaction with other guilds without belonging to any could also benefit our interaction with other guilds. The benefits of such alliances are of relevance to the current state of the guild pact. It would be better to keep our current stability rather than risking any unintended change.”
“Should we act if lady Morozova faces betrayal?” Teysa asked her superiors.
“If her bloodline remains strong, there will be no need of action from us, she will handle it herself. If she requires our help, she must request it, and pay in kind. And if she fails to handle such issue with our help, or refuses to seek it, then she is to face the fate she brought upon herself. It is after all better if we do not act.” Another ghost spoke, hoping there would be no further need to address the situation.
“As usual” A female ghost spoke, tired of the whole conversation.
“I understand your concern. We know very little about these creatures and their other foreign friends. Their origins are as enigmatic as that of that young man Jace Beleren. And based on our experience that could bring great change, unwanted change. But we know they do not seem to engage in deception. They are likely to prove beneficial at some point. Other tha their origin, such friendships are not unprecedented. Have faith my child.” So spoke the spirit which displayed interest in the situation. He was actually curious about the results of such unusual interaction.
“I will.” Teysa Karlov responded. Her feelings toward the Ozedat were still bitter, but she intended to follow their plans until she could strike again.
...
The tavern was full of citizens from all places, from simple guildless men to members of different guilds. Yevgeny and Midnight Edge sat at a small table, one drinking a heavy alcoholic drink to ease his emotional pain, the other drinking a tall glass of kompot. The Devkarin elf felt miserable due to the hardships brought upon his marriage with Ulyana by their guilds.
“So this is why Ulyana wanted me to go with you. I bet she already noticed you drink until your heart goes numb.” The stallion spoke and took a sip from his glass of kompot, his mind was partially focused on the conversation, the other part imagining that fruit scented shampoo at Babs Seed's residence could actually taste like the drink he was consuming at the moment.
“I wish I didn't have to. I don't know how to make things work.” Yevgeny responded with a depressed face.
“You mean your marriage? You look happy together.”
“Sure, we are happy. But we can't agree on many things. She sees nature as only growth and life, I work with the dead to grow new life.”
...
Ulyana and Babs Seed were sharing a similar conversation while they waited for their lovers to return. The conversation was initiated by Babs Seed, who wondered why Ulyana seemed sad even though things went quite well. They grew quite close to each other as time passed, since Babs Seed would seek advice from the elven healer sometimes. This time however she was the one giving advice.
“Well. But both care about nature and all its creatures don't you?” The filly inquired
“We do. And he seems to understand me better than anyone. But our disagreements are not the biggest issue. Trostani, the representative of my guild, does not trust the Golgari. She said terrible things before our wedding, cursing it to fail from the beginning. And the rest of the conclave mock me. They say... No... I can not say it. It is too horrible.”
“Is it something sexual? You can tell me, I already told you about that.”
“I am afraid so. How did you know?”
“Well. You didn't want to say it.”
“They say Yevgeny is revolting, and so having sex with him should be revolting. They call me degenerate for loving him, and say our children will be abominations just like their father.”
...
The troubled Devkarin elf was holding back tears as he continued. “Our first night... I was afraid she could feel disgusted by my appearance.”
“Come on! You are pretty much plain for a Devkarin. Unless you have some sort of deformity hidden under your clothes.”
“It is not that. The other farmers said she would be horrified by my smell and my look. I am not a fancy guy. They even said how I should “defile her” as if laying with her was something I was not worthy of. The only one to ever have faith in us was Jarad. And even he was not as confident. He feared our contrasting views could ruin the marriage. It happened to him. All that crap got in my head that night. I felt guilty of touching her. She is my wife, and I feel guilty of seeing her naked or touching her skin. I feel unworthy.” Yevgeny was crying as he continued. He confessed his suffering before his friend, and of course before any eavesdropping stranger.
“Know who else was afraid of messing things up and feels guilty for having sex with his lover? This big oaf before you.”
“Wait! You... With that kid?! I hope there are no Azorius around. You might be a foreigner, but they would find an excuse to have jurisdiction over your relationship and outlaw it.”
“See? You are not the only one who feels he did something wrong. But it all fades when you realize you love her. Don't you think so?”
...
“He can't help feeling guilty. Everyone tells him he does not deserve me, after that night many in my guild said I was tainted, that is why I am no longer allowed in most of their buildings. They say his touch corrupted me.” The Silhana elf was pained by how her own guild treated her. “Trostani is so dogmatic, she thinks Yevgeny is a negative influence on me, and many reject me because of that. Even when Slesnya's will favored our marriage, they shun it.”
“So what?! Nopony believed Midnight and I could be together. He felt guilty quite often at first, and my cousins did not like him. But now they're cool. As long as you don't give up, nothing will break your love. In the end they will accept it. You said they were like a big family, and your family will not stay angry with you, or your husband, forever. They shouldn't.”
“What if they refuse to accept him? My mother supported me, and so did my sister, but my friends... I am not even sure they were my friends at all.”
“You don't need them then. If that Trostani is really as kind as she says she is, even she will realize your love deserves a chance. I bet she is just afraid it won't work because it already happened once.” Babs Seed looked at Ulyana in the eye, trying to inspire her with her look. “But this time it will work! I bet deep inside many hope it will”
...
Babs Seed and Midnight Edge brought hope to the heart of the tormented couple. They eased their pain, guiding them through their own example. A love that could not be defeated, a love which could not break no matter what.
...
> Disclosure
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night was calm and pleasant, the street was still busy as always, but within the outpost lingered an air of peace. Sunflower was celebrating with some of the outpost tenants, their strange appearance no longer made her uncomfortable. The tenants celebrated with some food and drink. Only four residents did not take part in the celebration. Ulyana and Yevgeny were at the garden, the place where their hearts found solace. Midnight Edge and Babs Seed were in the bedroom assigned for their stay by Ulyana. Both couples had a lot to reflect upon that night.
...
The room was warm and dimly lit, Midnight Edge and Babs Seed were sitting next to each other on the bed. Babs Seed placed her small hoof on Midnight Edge's shoulder. He was slightly uneasy, the element of transgression in their relationship was a burden, which grew stronger in proximity to Babs Seed's relatives.
“I still feel guilty sometimes.” The stallion spoke with a concerned look. “I feel I have done something terrible to you.”
“What do you mean? Is this about what you talked with Yevgeny?”
“Not exactly. He just reminded me such things are taboo in this place. That made me think, maybe you were too young for that.”
“Why? Cause I'm a filly? How many times must I tell you it's fine for you to get it?!” Babs Seed was not comfortable with what she heard, she thought Midnight Edge was no longer worried about such nuances.
“Because normal fillies do not do that. Because I constantly have lustful thoughts about you. And I don't think that is normal.”
“We're technically engaged. Normal couples make love.”
“But... What if I am taking advantage of you after all? What if this is all wrong?”
“Celestia wouldn't allow that. Everything is fine. I mean, you can't tell me you don't like it. And I like it too.”
“But what if no one understands that here? What if we get caught and we get in trouble.”
“Don't be scared. We always find a way. Remember?”
“So... Do you want to... I mean... Right now? It has been a while since we...”
“Well. We're alone, and my sister won't hear with all the noise.”
The stallion kissed Babs Seed, they exchanged saliva as their tongues touched, it was a long and passionate kiss. Then both laid on the bed and looked at each other.
“You should go on top. I don't want to be too rough.”
“I get the feeling you just like when I take the lead.” Babs Seed responded and winked at Midnight Edge. “I'm OK with that. I bet I can fit a bit more this time.”
The filly began to play with Midnight Edge's phallus, her hooves caressed the organ. At the same time Midnight Edge rubbed her crotch with one hoof while he brushed her mane with the other and then went down to her back. The filly let out a moan when he reached the base of her tail. They kissed again, this time as they touched each other, in order to stay close enough Midnight Edge found himself forced to stay in an awkward position, but he didn't seem to mind.
The foreplay did not take too long, both were already aroused quite fast since they actually expected it from the beginning. Babs Seed was right, she managed to take in a larger portion of the shaft this time. At that moment Midnight Edge thanked he was average in that sense. Once she took the member inside herself she began to move her hips. Midnight Edge began to caress her chest and belly with one hoof while caressing her flak and thighs with the other.
“Is it wrong if I tell you I missed this?” The stallion spoke, placing his right hoof on Babs Seed's face while she continued moving her hips.
“It's fine...” The filly let out another moan, it was loud enough to be heard, yet still was masked by the sounds of the celebration downstairs. “I missed it too.”
Midnight Edge accommodated himself to kiss the filly, holding her right hoof while he caressed her flank with his left hoof. This increased their arousal, making Babs Seed move faster, trying to take the shaft deeper inside of her. Midnight Edge focused his magic to rub her wet vulva using telekinesis. The trails of green energy moved over her body in an attempt at simulating fingers.
“H-Hey!”  The filly spoke between moans of pleasure “That feels so good... Don't stop.”
“I won't” The unicorn continued caressing Babs Seed's body, using all his resources to please her. As her arousal grew, her insides tightened. The pressure was not uncomfortable at all, in fact it was pleasant. For a moment Midnight Edge began to lose his focus as the pleasure increased, his member was throbbing, almost ready to release his fluids inside Babs Seed.
After a few more minutes of pleasure both reached climax. The stallion released his load inside the young filly's body. Afterward she rested on his chest, mildly exhausted by the activity. Midnight Edge looked at her and noticed how the innocent filly had a facial expression which looked like a combination of her usual childish expression with that of a more mature mare. For a moment he thought of how she could be trying her best to reach him in all ways possible, even trying to mature faster. He felt glad he was rather immature sometimes, or maybe it was that, he was slightly immature for his age, and she was slightly more mature than the regular filly. Maybe that was why they matched, because their gap in their mindset was smaller than the one in their age.
As they laid on the bed smiling and embracing each other, Midnight Edge spoke in a mildly humorous tone. “Funny isn't it? Your name is Babs Seed, and I love to pour my seed inside of you.”
Babs Seed giggled at the sexual pun. “That's cause you love me.”
The stallion smiled and uttered a response. “How couldn't I? You are just perfect for me.”
As they rested they heard a voice in the distance. “Maybe I left it in their room. I'm going to check.” It was Sunflower, she was heading toward the room where Babs Seed and Midnight Edge laid still in their afterglow.
“Your sister! What should we do?”
“Cover me with the blankets!” Babs Seed responded figuring a plan.
“That won't work!”
“Put that pillow in the drawer, I'll pretend to be the pillow. I tricked her once that way, it's late so she won't notice. You're too big to hide.”
“If you say so.” Unable to question her logic, Midnight Edge followed her plan.
The sound of Sunflower's hooves echoed in the room as she approached. Once she was close to the door she spoke to herself. “I hope they won't mind.” Then the door opened.
Midnight Edge pretended he did not expect her arrival while Babs Seed tried her best to pretend she was not there, expecting Sunflower to be tired and focused on whatever brought her to enter their room. “Oh. I was not expecting you here. Need something?”
Sunflower looked at the stallion, the smell in the air made it clear something was off, and her eyes focused on the thing under the blankets she once thought was a pillow. Soon she noticed it formed the outline of a filly. She knew what was going on. “Come on Babs. I won't fall for the same trick. I know what's going on.”
Babs Seed moved between the blankets, covering all but her eyes with it as if she felt ashamed. Both Midnight Edge and Babs Seed were extremely uncomfortable, it was the same thing as in Sweet Apple Acres barn all over again. Babs Seed refused to speak, she was almost paralyzed, red in shame and afraid of her sister's reaction. Midnight Edge however spoke in a nervous tone. “How did you...?”
“Riv told me you were with The Necromancer, but I didn't see any of you returning from the basement. That means he lied and you were here. You don't have to hide the rest.”
Babs Seed broke her silence, her sister did not sound angry, which calmed her fear. “You mean... That?”
“I know what's going on. I knew it for a while already.”
“How long exactly have you been aware of it?” Midnight Edge inquired with a concerned tone, he felt that knowledge gave Sunflower some control over him.
“After you were taken to the hospital back in Manehattan. I began to notice something was off with your visits, sometimes there were stains on the floor, and a weird smell. At first I thought it was just Babs, I knew she masturbated every now and then. But one day I kind of eavesdropped on you. I was terrified at first, but I kind of got over it.”
“You mean you don't mind?” Babs Seed spoke, expecting a chance to avoid further conflict.
“Not exactly. It's just that... Well... I don't want to get in the way. It's weird and all, but both of you are happy now. That's why I allowed you to share the same bed.”
“Wait! Hold on a second! Babs... I mean... I didn't know she... Since when did she...? Damn it dude!” Midnight Edge was extremely confused, For a long time time he felt guilty believing that before the barn incident Babs Seed had no form of sexual activity. The possibility of things being different shocked him. He was not upset, just surprised.
“After we started dating. I... I felt a bit ashamed of it. I didn't want anypony to find out.” Babs Seed confessed, admitting she felt attracted to Midnight Edge in a sexual way almost from the beginning of their relationship.
“Well. It's good to know you felt that way about me from the beginning.”
“Don't worry sis. I will keep your secret. I won't tell anypony about your lingerie either. I would like to know where did you get lingerie your size though.” Sunflower said reveling to what extent she knew about Babs Seed's private life.
“You knew about that too? Come on sis! I need some privacy!”
“You should be glad I'm the one who found those panties lying on the floor.”
“I guess you're right. I'll tell you everything, but you must keep it quiet. O.K.?” Babs Seed responded realizing Sunflower made sure her parents did not find out for a long time. She actually deserved to know the truth.
“Should I leave?” Midnight Edge spoke, he did not want to give any further explanation unless it was necessary.
“No way. Both of you will explain everything. I will be back in a few minutes, you should clean your mess first. It would be too awkward to talk to my sister while she is full of... Look. This is getting too awkward already. I'm out.” Sunflower left, wondering exactly what the full story could be. Normally it was the younger sibling who would find the older one in such situations. The situation was truly awkward.
...
Later that night Babs Seed and Midnight Edge explained everything to Sunflower in exchange of her silence. She was surprised by some of the facts they revealed, such as their engagement under her grandmother's order, the approval of Princess Celestia, and the connections between both families resulting of their relationship. In the end she admitted she did not expect her brother in law would be such a weird stallion.
> Lavish Banquet
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a bright and calm morning, Ulyana and Sunflower were dealing with the aftermath of the previous night. The party was rather austere, but that did not mean it was not wild, bottles and empty plates littered the floor, and furniture was moved from its usual place. Sunflower turned out to be the only one to offer Ulyana her help, the elven lady would usually push the other tenants to help her with clearing their mess, but this time she was content with having only the mare's help, mostly because the other tenants would sometimes leave tracks on the floor.
After putting everything in order the ladies heard a knock on the door. Ulyana opened the door and found an Orzhov courier with a scroll. The courier was a young man who probably was either a slave or a new recruit from the guild, dressed in white clothes with black accents and holding a bag with a small amount of missives in the form of scrolls. The young man spoke in a surprisingly meek tone. “I come with a message for... What was her name? Um... Babs Seed, on behalf of house Morozova.”
“She's asleep right now, but I will give it to her.” Ulyana responded kindly.
“I am afraid I was ordered to give this missive to no one but Babs Seed. I would rather not defy my superior's orders.”
“It's for me right? Wait. I'm coming.” Babs Seed spoke through a window in one of the upper floors. The filly walked down the stairs, still drowsy and with her mane looking rather unkempt. The filly stood in front of the courier and spoke. “So, you have a letter for me right? What's with the funny look.”
The young man looked at Babs Seed, he did not expect to see such an alien creature, in his shock he whispered trying to remain unheard. “What the fuck are you?”
“Did you say something? Come on, give me that letter. It's from Sveta, so it must be important. I bet she wouldn't like to find out you froze and I didn't get her letter.” The filly actually heard his words but pretended she only heard a whisper. She knew the locals were not used to see ponies of her kind around, but never saw anyone as shocked as that young man.
“Oh... Sorry... I need some proof of your identity, a signature or something.” The courier took a scroll and a small record book with a primitive pencil attached to it. Babs Seed signed the book holding the pencil with her mouth and then took the scroll. The young courier was not sure she was the recipient of the letter, but he was not experienced enough to seek any further proof. “Well. It is done. I will inform Lady Morozova you got her missive.” The young courier left quickly, without even asking for a tip as it was expected from Orzhov couriers. Compared to other couriers of his guild, this one was rather sub par.
“So. What is it?” Sunflower spoke in anticipation, wondering why Sveta would send a letter instead of speaking directly to Babs Seed as she usually preferred to do.
“Dunno. I can't read it. It's not written in Equestrian.” The filly passed the scroll to Ulyana, assuming she could read it. “Could you lend me a hoof... I man, hand?”
“Let's see.” Ulyana took the scroll and began to read. “My friend. Through this missive I invite you, and your friends as well, to a soiree at my residence. At sunset transportation shall arrive at your current location to take you and no more than seven companions to my residence, where you will enjoy a delightful and pleasant experience with those you have chosen.” The elf stopped and then left the letter on the table. “I don't like the look of this.”
“Why not? She's our friend.” Babs Seed responded wondering the cause of Ulyana's concern.
“The Orzhov are dangerous. We don't know what will happen if we go there.”
“She IS our friend. She won't hurt us. I heard Orzhov vampires respect contracts. And friendship is like a contract.”
“I hope you are right.”
“Good, because I'm taking you with me.” The filly smiled and rushed up the stairs as she spoke. “Gotta tell Midnight! And I'll need a dress!”
...
The group arrived at the Morozova residence on gilded carriages pulled by enormous thrull beasts. Babs Seed brought with her those she was fond of, Midnight Edge, Sunflower, and Riv arrived with her in the first carriage, in the second were The Necromancer, Ulyana, and Yevgeny, who were convinced to join by Babs Seed and Midnight edge.
The group stood before an enormous palace guarded by gilded knights, its garden decorated with decadent statues. The whole building looked like a mix between a residence and a cathedral. As they approached the guards obstructed the entrance.
“Halt! You are not dressed properly!” The guard looked at the group. Babs Seed and Sunflower were clad in semi formal dresses they packed in case they went to any form of event, Babs Seed wearing a green dress and Sunflower wearing a blue one. Midnight Edge wore a black cape with red lining and a matching high hat. Riv wore his usual noble attire. 
The ones who seemed to be the offending parties were The Necromancer, who wore a dark purple overcoat, black suit, gloves and hat of the same hue as his suit, and a mask resembling a white avian face; Ulyana, who wore Selesnya ceremonial clothes and a matching head dress; and Yevgeny who could not care less about dress codes and decided to put on the most filthy, ragged, mold covered clothes Ulyana allowed him to wear just to spite their host.
“Let them in! They are my honored guests.” Sveta stood before the crowd, wearing a long tight fitting black dress with long sleeves. Her dress was decorated with golden sun shaped symbols and white accents.
“Yes mistress.” The guard moved aside, allowing passage to the group.
“Forgive my guards. They tend to expect guests to dress formally.”
“I must inform you this is a formal necromancer attire. I even filled the beak with scented materials.” The Necromancer spoke, his voice muffled by the strange mask.
“No matter how much you insist on pretending to look like a plague doctor, I am not calling you Doctor!” Riv spoke to his friend in a mocking tone.
“I am glad you arrived. I feared you might not read my missive, even worse, that it never arrived.” The Orzhov vampire smiled at Babs Seed, attempting to conceal her sharp fangs with her lips to not look menacing.
“I couldn't read it. I asked Ulyana to read it for me.” Babs Seed spoke with a sincere tone. “Your delivery boy is kind of a jerk by the way.”
“That courier is one of our new members. He is lacking in experience. Did charge you for the delivery?.”
“He didn't”
“He was meant to if I am not mistaken.” Midnight Edge spoke looking at Sveta.
“I am afraid it is so. But he will live without one less meal per day for a few weeks “ Lady Morozova confirmed the stallion's assumption.
“Couldn't you give him a chance or something? You said he was new.” Babs Seed asked, hoping her friend would show mercy.
“For you I would. I could pay him on your behalf. But I am afraid that won't make much difference. He forgets to charge the recipient on every single delivery he makes. He will have to live with only half of his pay until he learns his lesson.”
“Come on. Just help him a bit.”
“All I can do is to train him personally. Become his mentor. But I will be strict.”
“Sounds better than let him starve.”
The group entered a large hall. Many other guests from Orzhov lineage sat on a large table, a there were free seats for eight guests next to a large golden throne. Two creatures guarded the entrance. One was a slim winged creature with long snout and most of its face covered by a golden mask, a long leathery tail went down its spine ending in a sharp bone structure at the tip, making it look like a deformed bat. The other monster was a bulky quadruped with a flat face partially covered by a golden plate, it had wings large enough to allow flight, yet looking mismatched with the rest of its body, golden chains adorned it's body and served also as bindings when required.
Febah walked in front of his mistress and sounded a trumpet. “Stand to welcome Lady Morozova's most honored guests!” The Orzhov guests stood following the creature's command. Normally they would not obey such a lowly servant, but this time he spoke on behalf of his mistress, whose authority remained unquestioned.
“Let's take our seats shall we?” Sveta walked toward her golden throne and sat. “Little one, you may sit next to me, the rest shall sit wherever they see fit.”
After their host's prompt each guest took a seat. Babs Seed sat to the right of the Orzhov noble, Midnight Edge and Sunflower settled who would sit next to Babs Seed by flipping a coin, in the end Sunflower sat next to Babs Seed, with Midnight Edge sitting to the left of Sveta, Yevgeny sat next to sunflower and Ulyana next to him, both Sunflower and Ulyana acted as buffer zone keeping the animosity between Yevgeny and the Orzhov at bay. Next to Midnight Edge sat Riv and The Necromancer.
“Wait. There's a free seat.” Babs Seed spoke to her friend.
“I will handle that. Febah, I would like you to join us.” Most Orzhov guests were shocked, but they felt compelled to respect their host's behavior to avoid her wrath, or even worse, the shame carried by it.
“But Mistress! Who will serve our guests if I sit there?” The servant spoke surprised by his mistress' request. He noticed she began to treat him less like a servant, instead treating him like some sort of pet.
“Let Let Hephit and Mephit handle that. Hephit, Mephit, could you please serve our guests? There is enough decoration already.”
“As you wish” A feminine voice came out of the thin creature.
“Consider it done.” The bulky creature replied with a deep voice.
“Now, with that settled, everyone may sit.” Sveta commanded and the remaining guests returned to their seats, still astonished by their host's behavior.
Allowing a Golgari into the palace, ordering a thrull servant to take a seat and pretend to be another guest, and welcoming such strange creatures. It was unheard. but even the Obzedat approved. They heard rumors of her friends, and every single Orzhov expected to see them bring doom to house Morozova and reap the benefits. The Obzedat on the other hand expected to prove the benefits of loyalty, and therefore enforce it upon the rest of the guild.
“I prepared a banquet in your honor, then after the banquet we shall dance. I understand you do not feed on meat so I prepared different dishes for those of you who will not enjoy it. Tree of you if I am not mistaken.” The vampire spoke as her servants brought trays with food to the table.
“You are not mistaken, but it is not the three you expect. I in fact enjoy meat, it is Ulyana who is not that fond of it. Not that she will never eat it, but prefers not to.” Midnight Edge responded, seeking both his benefit and that of Ulyana.
“That will be no problem. Hephit, Mephit, the stallion next to me will have meat instead of the vegetable dish we prepared for his folk, and it seems the Selesnya healer would prefer vegetables over meat, make the necessary changes to the servings.” Sveta smiled at both Babs Seed and Midnight Edge. “Some of the guests from my guild will also refrain from eating meat as penitence, so it will be no problem if an elf eats them. I just hope you won't find them bland.”
After serving the lavish delicacies prepared by experienced Orzhov cooks, the servants began to serve drinks. Most of the guests were served wine, except for the penitent Orzhov and those who requested otherwise, which were served kompot instead. To Sveta's surprise Yevgeny, Midnight Edge, and The Necromancer refused to consume wine.
Babs Seed, who was expected to drink non alcoholic beverages due to her age looked at the cup filled with berry kompot and then at those drinking wine. “Is it good? I mean... Can I taste it?”
“I would have no objections, but I understand you are not allowed to.” Sveta responded taking a sip from her cup, the bright red wine almost looking like blood on her lips. She remembered the first time she tasted wine, probably she was the same age as her young friend, her parents were still there and taught her to be careful when drinking spirits, for they clouded the mind in excess.
“I guess you could try it.” Sunflower passed her cup to Babs Seed, who took a sip from the red drink almost immediately in order to calm her curiosity.
“It's the train thing all over again.” Midnight Edge spoke remembering the time Babs Seed convinced him to let her taste meat, resulting in her reacting with disgust to the taste.
“Not bad. But this berry drink tastes better.” The filly spoke eliciting surprise on most of her friends who expected her to find the taste of wine rather unpleasant due to her young age.
“I knew it! She's a keeper bro! She can handle her drink better than you! Welcome to the club little one!” Riv spoke in his particularly uncouth manner, at odds with his clothes as usual.
“I assume I shall pass this lesson to you, little one, thread carefully when drinking spirits. One cup is pleasant, two cups bring bliss, three cups bring decadence, more than that and your mind rots.” Sveta recited the words of her father with incredible accuracy.
“I guess a cup would be a bit too much for me.” The green eyed filly spoke, aware enough of the effects of alcohol on the mind.
“It is good to know that. Drunkards waste their hearts and minds, and waste is the opposite from joy.”
“That was another lesson from your parents right? They sound smart. Where are they?” Babs Seed asked something most of Sveta's guild knew well, but the fate of the previous heads of the house was a mystery to the young filly.
“They still watch over us. Even now they guide me, but now I am the head of this house. Just the way they wanted.”
“You mean they... Died?”
“Not exactly. They left their bodies, because they wanted to. They became spirits when they decided I was ready to lead. Hephit and Mephit were their parting gifts to me.”
“The winged things? What are they?”
“Thrull servants, like Febah. But they were made with what my parents left behind. I hope that won't make you feel upset. It is the Orzhov way, when we become spirits, our bodies are used to make thrull.”
“An insult to the natural order of things!” Yevgeny spoke, he saw the thrull as an example of Orzhov decadence.
“We refuse to waste such a valuable thing. I hope you will understand.”
“It's not big deal. But doesn't it make you sad? I mean, seeing the bodies of your dead parents all the time... It's kind of sad.” Babs Seed spoke, she was not upset about how the thrull were made, instead it made her feel concerned about her friend.
“Why would I. They love me. They love me so much they wanted me to take care of their bodies. These thrull servants, just like Febah, are not just servants, they are my family.” Sveta's words made something clear, even her cousins and the rest of her relatives were less valuable to her than the bond she had with her parents, those of her bloodline at the table were not so pleased with that. “And so are you, well, most of you.” Sveta's words welcomed Babs Seed as her friends into her family, with the exception of Yevgeny who would reject such invitation. This reminded her relatives of how much they disrespected her parents in the past and how much they failed her.
The party went on without much issue, everyone enjoyed it to some extent, even Yevgeny who at first refused to join the celebration was convinced by his wife to give Sveta a chance and try to enjoy her displays of generosity.
...
Sveta ended the celebration by giving a present to her friend, a present gold could not buy for it was her own creation. Her life style allowed her to have spare time to dedicate to the fine arts. And so she made a painting, a portrait depicting Babs Seed, Midnight Edge, and Sunflower, together, as a family. Sveta's well trained memory allowed her to depict them without the need of their presence as models. And with that present the celebration came to an end. 
Every guest returned to their respective residences to rest. Meanwhile behind dark shadows rumors flowed, rumors about the strange foreigners, their ties to house Morozova, the presence of a mysterious group of men who shouldn't be there, and even of the interactions between the foreign creature. Their caution and silence were nothing to the web of information flowing in the undercity, the Dimir laid their eyes on them the moment they arrived, and would sell that information for a fair sum.
> Midnight Carnival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day began with a calm atmosphere, everyone at the outpost resulted pleased with the celebration, Sveta's message made it into their hearts. They understood it was not just any party, it was meant to celebrate her affection for them, even proving she began to grow fond of Yevgeny. The Orzhov noble was no longer a suspicious stranger, now she was a friend welcome at the outpost. Soon the Obzedat would be proven right.
The calm afternoon soon turned into a bitter moment when Ulyana heard a loud knock at the door. As she answered she found a small bloodied creature before her. Febah was badly wounded. The tormented creature was desperate, his wounds were severe, soon everyone gathered to hear his final words.
“You must save her... My mistress... My friend... Save Sveta... They took her... Please, don't let them hurt her!” The deformed creature spoke with his last breath, coughing blood between words, and then he succumbed to is wounds.
Everything went silent, everyone was shocked, they did not understand much of what Febah said. How could they save their friend not knowing where she was. Only The Necromancer seemed to act, he noticed a clue in the cause of Febah's demise, a metal cylinder with sharp projections in one of its ends, a crude and brutal projectile made by a depraved mind. The Necromancer pulled it causing further damage to the dead body.
“What are you doing? Leave the poor thing alone, show some respect for the dead!” Sunflower spoke in tears, gathering enough strength to react toward the Necromancer's cold act.
“This is our only hope to save them, to save Sveta and Febah. There is a message in this thing.” The necromancer opened the morbid container and a piece of parchment came out.
On one side the parchment had en image, advertising the Juri Revue, the most morbid show in all Ravnica. On the other was a crude message beckoning Midnight Edge and a map leading to the place where Sveta was kept starting at the Rakdos guild gate. They knew what was going on, a cultist kidnapped their friend expecting them to arrive to rescue her.
“Well. We know where she is now. Time to save our friend.” Babs Seed spoke, eager to fight to the bitter end to save the vampire from a certain doom.
“You must stay. This will nott be safe, we could die. Yevgeny, Riv, Necromancer, I will need your help.” Midnight Edge began to prepare a plan, they would fight to the bitter end.
“Only four, against a whole horde of Rakdos cultists. This is suicide!” The Necromancer knew how dangerous their quest was. “Let's get going! I'll bring the chips!” The masked mage continued, ready to kill as many as he could before going down.
“I can't put myself in danger, I'm just a rot farmer, and I'm married.” Yevgeny refused to join the fight, even though his skills were necessary for their success.
“You must go with them. They need your help. We both know you were not always just a rot farmer.” Ulyana compelled her husband to help.
“I promised I would not do that again, you made me promise not to kill again.”
“This is different, you must break your promise. We can't just sit here and let her die!
“I guess there's no other way. My blades shall make blood run again.” Yevgeny looked somber as he spoke, remembering a biter past long before Ulyana, the life of an assassin seeking to avenge the Swarm.
...
The four warriors departed ready to save Sveta or die trying. Their fate uncertain, four men waging war against a whole guild, at least that was what they feared. For all they knew they would face the depraved parun of the guild, Rakdos the Defiler himself. All they cared about was saving their friend, the one who trusted them and saw them as family.
At the outpost three maidens were left behind, an elven lady, a mare, and a filly, uncertain of the fate of their friends and family. They were uneasy, they wanted to act but did not know what to do. Babs Seed remembered the last time Midnight Edge placed his life on the line, she knew what to do.
“We can't just sit and wait! We must seek help, police, royal guard, there must be some authority we could speak to! Wait I know! Ulyana, ask your friends, my sis and I will go to ask the other guilds.” With those words Babs Seed left the outpost and began searching for the first Azorius officer she could find, Sunflower ran behind her.
It didn't take them long find an Azorius enforcer, in fact they were eager to meet the foreigners hoping to write laws to involve them in their jurisdiction. The enforcer was a tall blue skinned female, there was no hair on her head and she seemed slender, it was the first time Babs Seed saw a vedalken, but there was no time to be surprised.
The filly walked to the tall blue woman and spoke to her. “You're an Azorius right. We need your help.”
“What a strange creature we have here. I am pretty much sure we have laws against small horses speaking loudly to...”
Before the enforcer could go on Babs Seed interrupted her. “The skull guys kidnapped our friend! You must do something!”
“You mean the Rakdos? I am afraid I can't help you, but I will report the situation to the pertinent authorities, soon a law enforcement officer will handle your case.” The lady spoke in a calm tone, her bureaucratic mind refused to break protocol and start an assault on Rakdos domain without authorization.
“Well, move it then and do something! My friend is in danger!”
“I... I will inform the Boros Legion. They could handle this. Now be patient.” The enforcer walked away toward a Boros outpost, filling a report as she walked, she understood the severity of the situation but still felt coerced to follow the standard protocol by the vows she made.
“Babs... This is going nowhere. We should go back and wait.” Sunflower spoke with concern.
“No! We must find one of those guys in golden armor. They are from Sveta's guild, they can help her, they must help her!” The green eyed filly moved on to seek one of the gilded Orzhov soldiers.
...
“Ulyana, you have returned. What do you seek?” A Selesnya priestess spoke to the elven healer. It was evident she was uncomfortable with her presence yet felt no animosity to her.
“I need help. A friend of mine was kidnapped by those monstrous Rakdos cultists.”
“After all this time gone you come back to beg for help. How dare you? You reject your heritage, married a rot farmer, and then return to take from us. You should be ashamed!”
“I am not taking anything from you. I am asking you to save a life!”
“I will speak to our guild. They will decide what to do. But do not expect our help.”
“I no longer expect anything from you.” Ulyana left hoping Maat Selesnya would guide her words to the rest of her guild.
...
“Mister, we need your help.” The small pink haired pony spoke to a soldier in golden armor. “Are you listening? We need your help. Some skull guys kidnapped one of your friends.”
The armored man reacted when she mentioned his guild. “You claim they kidnapped an Orzhov? Who?”
“This vampire girl, Sveta Morozova. They took her, she's in danger.”
“Morozova. An important noble. But not my business, we need at least twice the amount requested as ransom.” The gilded soldier did not care much about the fate of house Morozova, in fact he could reap the benefits of her demise.
“Come on, she is just a child. At least tell her a white lie.” Another armored man spoke, his face obscured by his armor.
“What the buck is wrong with you! She's of your same guild! You can't let her die, she's your friend! Midnight told me you looked for each other in your guild. And she is my friend too!” Babs Seed attempted to convince the armored men, her reasoning attempted to appeal to their loyalty. “Don't you have any friends at all?”
Her words had an effect on the knights. They understood how important that Orzhov noble was to the filly before them. For the first time in decades they felt the need to help a total stranger. The bond they noticed reminded them of their own friendship. “There might be something we could do. But we will ask for a reward once she is safe.”
“Fine! Just do something!”
“Babs, let's go back to the outpost.” Sunflower held the filly as both walked on their way back. Uncertainty tormented their minds.
“That child is right. We should do something.” One of the gilded men spoke to his friend.
“Yes. Friends look out for each other.” The armored men remembered their friendship. They joined their guild together, technically selling themselves out of poverty. Ever since then it was just the two of them against the world, climbing the social ladder of their guild without much concern for others. But this time they were reminded of how important loyalty should be for their guild. They could not let someone else lose a friend, not this time.
...
The night covered the district with a mantle of darkness. Horrendous figures danced near large bonfires, breaking things, yelling, and flaying each other. The four warriors walked past the brutal hordes of demons and abominations slaying all in their path.
The Necromancer walked into the district wearing violet robes and a mask resembling a monstrous red face, on his right hand he held a large ancient sword while his left hand called forth entire armies of fungi, spirits, animated clay dolls, and other creatures, commanding them to fight on his behalf; Riv hurled fireballs and released thunder from his hands while his sharp claws slashed through their foes with cruel accuracy, his eyes displayed a violent bloodlust often concealed by his humorous behavior; Midnight Edge advanced slashing through the armies of demons with his sword, healing his allies and shielding them from harm with his spells as they advanced; Yevgeny moved unseen between enemy lines, silently killing as many as possible and causing distractions.
Even though they were able to push forward and slay many foes, the small army still remained outnumbered. Every bystander in the district soon became a foe to face, most of them were not even aware why the district was under attack, they just wanted to maim, torture, and murder the outsiders for fun. They could not push any further and were not able to bring a full genocide on the district, not to mention probably the enemy would find their behavior entertaining. An enemy without morale or fear could not be defeated so easily.
The Necromancer devised a plan which could allow them to advance even further. “I will handle them. Mushroom, Create an opening for the rest!” The masked man commanded Yevgeny while he and his small army of summoned beings stayed behind.
“I'm on it! Riv, Edge, let's get moving!” The three remaining warriors moved on leaving their friend behind.
...
Babs Seed searched for something in the room, any artifact left by Midnight Edge in case of an emergency. Soon she found something that could be of use, a black obsidian mirror resembling a pool of endless darkness. The filly held it before her and looked at it, expecting to find out its function. 
The more she looked the darker the room became, eventually she found herself engulfed by a smoky darkness. Her heart was consumed by fear, but instead of trying to run she went further into the dark, determined to find something she felt was hidden there. The more she tried the more she saw, and finally reached it, a vision.
Before her was a familiar landscape, the undercity, Golgari territory. A vehicle buried under piles of filth, it was a device once used by the Izzet to explore the area in their search for the Implicit Maze. The more she looked at the abandoned object the more she knew about it, she understood how to use it, it was not difficult, even she could pilot the mizzium covered tank. The vision told her everything to do in order to command that vehicle as well as its origins, a support tank designed to send lightning at targets to power or damage them, it was meat to work as a mobile emergency power source, but in her hooves would turn into a weapon. The a whispering voice spoke to her as the vision faded. “It will work.”
She was back to the smoky darkness, now a strange figure with a mirror for a leg spoke to her. “Is this all you seek? I understand. Let your determination guide you little one.” After he spoke, Babs Seed found herself back in the room.
The filly ran down the stairs and called Ulyana and Sunflower. “Come on! I know what to do! We're going to the undercity!”
...
After a gruesome battle through enormous halls within the district the three warriors finally reached the location marked on the map. A large demon sat before them on a throne made of rubble and corpses, surrounded by an entourage of blood witches, lesser demons, ravers, and other depraved cultists who catered to his depraved whims.
“Where is our friend!” Midnight Edge yelled at the monstrous lord
The obscene horror laughed at him, his enormous reddish brown body stood tall before them, large arms with hands ending in sharp claws, muscular legs often used to crush smaller creatures for fun, two sharp horn like protrusions on his shoulders, four on his back close to small vestigial wings, an enormous head with a monstrous grinning face, sharp fangs, eyes like corrupted red flames, and three large black horns crowning it.
The giant roared and then spoke. “You arrived faster than I expected, I was hoping I could torture her a bit before we met. Minions, leave! I will handle our guests.”
“Where is she.” Riv spoke, his patience long gone, his body covered in blood.
“I have no use for you two. I want to talk to the unicorn. You may go for your friend if you want. That is of course, before my minions get bored and start playing with her. She is nearby.”
“Go! I will deal with this bastard.” Midnight Edge commanded his friends, hoping they could find her on time. Riv and Yevgeny left with no objection.
“Now we can talk.”
“Is that all you wanted? Talk? You didn't have to kidnap my friend to do that.”
“Oh. I could have taken you instead. But where's the fun in that? Maybe I should have taken that filly of yours.”
“What? What do you want with her?”
“Isn't that obvious? The Dimir spoke to me. I know deep inside you are just like me. You lay with that filly, with a child.”
“I don't think I get your point. Are you in love with a young one? We could talk that without this mess!”
“Love? All I love is defiling everything I can. And I know you understand the pleasure of defiling such a young and small thing. I want her. But I preferred to ask you to bring her, she will do anything you ask her.”
“And let you hurt her? Go fuck yourself!”
“Oh. You don't want to share. I see, we are so alike.”
“I am not like you. I love her. You understand nothing of love. I won't let you get close to her, no matter what.” Midnight Edge steeled his blade to fight the enormous tyrant before him.
“Well. I wanted to outdo Rakdos by screwing that filly, but I guess your corpse will do for now!” The demon charged at the green eyed stallion attempting to crush him to death. The stallion rushed to avoid th attack and slashed the beast in the back. The wound did not cause the desired result, the enormous horror groaned in pleasure as blood flowed down the large gash.
“What the fuck is wrong with you!” Midnight Edge leaped launching a fireball at the enormous creature. The monster responded by breathing his own flames out consuming the fire spell.
“Soon you'll find out!” The demon laughed as he prepared to strike again.
...
> Demons Run
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

He was outnumbered, for every soldier he summoned three fell, and he had no time to prepare a ritual to bring back those which were not made from aether. Even his life was in danger the longer he fought. Not that he would care, the many pacts he made kept him from staying dead, and he secretly used them to protect his friends. There was a price to pay for such feat however, and it could eventually grow to high for him. The situation was far from optimal. The Necromancer couldn't see a way he could make it through the battle the way things were.
The masked mage ran into an empty building to take a momentary rest from combat. As he looked out the window he saw the tides turning to his favor. A group composed of different guilds pushed against the monstrous hordes. Boros soldiers took the lead, followed by the best combatants the Azorius Senate could find, including sphinxes. The vanguard was supported by Orzhov knights, thrull soldiers, and a group of Selesnya warriors and healers. A few Golgari Swarm creatures joined the battle from different fronts, some even entering from the undercity, the Swarm decided to bring help after rumors of the conflict reached their leader, who saw this as an opportunity to display their desire to cooperate with the other guilds, even if that meant fighting the Cult of Rakdos. 
Among the combatants was an odd looking vehicle, there were a few armored transports, but nothing like it, it was an armored vehicle covered in mizzium with an electric coil on it. The Izzet vehicle joined the charge on its way toward the guild gate, releasing lightning arcs from the coil toward the enemies. Each lightning arc spreading toward other enemies on impact. The vehicle was controlled by a Babs Seed, it was not a hard task, most of it was controlled through a psychic link, with some valves, levers and buttons for emergency situations and dials informing of the vehicle's status. The psychic link was an example of Izzet innovation, but also its greatest flaw. Due to the connection between the pilot's mind and the vehicle, certain actions returned a painful feedback to the operator. Every hit and ever arc of lightning released inflicted slight pain upon the small filly.
Sunflower sat next to her, monitoring her status and ready to take part of the toll. She was not just a copilot, she was a buffer. In case the feedback became too much for a single individual, the copilot was meant to push an emergency button and take part of the toll. There was also a fail safe which would make both share the toll if the feedback grew too close to become lethal. The Izzet league once considered changing the design to get rid of such dangerous features, but in the end considered them useful enough to keep them.
...
Yevgeni walked through the dark dungeons deep within the Rakdos building,  his search for Sveta guided him through guarded areas, every now and then Riv would join him to create a distraction while the Devkarin elf proceeded to the next location to search. Time was of essence and both warriors were growing concerned over their friend's fate. Suddenly there was an uproar outside, cultists rushed out of the building to join the battle, for them it was just another chance to bring mayhem to the district. Only a handful of them remained keeping watch over the path to reach Sveta. Their poor strategy made her location evident.
Finally the two warriors reached the room where the noble was kept prisoner. The guards did not even try to resist, most of their plan already went through as intended, they remained expecting they could torture their prisoner. At the sight of Yevgeni before them, the guards left toward the exit, preferring to join the battle outside rather than fighting a boring lone elf.
The vampire was bound by rusty chains, her clothes torn into rags and covered in blood and filth, her body was slightly injured, mostly as result of her escape attempts. Blood symbols were placed on her body to prevent her from using magic. Her eyes did not show pain or fear, only hatred and anger, which changed into calm upon the arrival of her friends.
“Did they hurt you?” The elf spoke as he hurried to release her.
“I never expected you would mind my safety. I am glad for your arrival though.”
“Of course they hurt her you nitwit! I would rather make sure she was not tortured, mutilated, crippled, or had a pole up her...” Riv was interrupted before his words spoke of more fates many would consider worse than death.
“Silence. I was fortunate enough to not suffer more than a few bruises and scratches. Those savages needed me safe enough to lure you.”
“Well. Let's get rid of those shackles and get the hell out of here.” The dragon man assisted Yevgeni with the task.
...
Midnight Edge endured another blow from the demon's fist, his magic barrier blocked most of the impact, preventing all lethal wounds. The stallion was at disadvantage, his enemy found pleasure in pain, and moved too fast for Midnight Edge to land a lethal or incapacitating hit on him. As long as the vile monster remained in motion victory was impossible. Midnight Edge released a binding net spell he learned in a previous battle against a formidable enemy expecting that would be enough to defeat his adversary, but the spell did nothing to his foe, the creature was too large and strong for the net.
The Equestrian planeswalker refused to give up, launching ice needles at the horned brute. The shafts pierced through the demon's skin, releasing ribbons of blood as the creature charged. Contrary to the normal expectation, the more the demon bled, the stronger he grew.
“You should be dead already! I can't even stand the stench of your filthy blood anymore!” The stallion yelled in anger, the pain began to take a toll in his mind.
“Nothing a bit of blood magic can't fix. I bet you would love to have this power! You could have it. Join us and you will have anything you want. Accept you are just like us!”
“Like you? I already made it clear. I am not like you! I would never hurt others out of pleasure.”
“Don't give me that crap! You are glad to screw a child, and now you say causing pain is where you draw the line? You already threw your morality away and shat on that of others!” The demon spoke with disdain toward the stallion.
“I would never cause harm to her! If I ever made a mistake it was following her will. But if that was a mistake, then I don't feel any remorse over it.”
“Don't make me laugh! You destroyed her innocence! You warped her, and you enjoyed every second of it. You're just like me.” The demon charged at the mage again, ready to land a lethal blow.
“You are the sick one. You believe an act of love becomes an act of depravity just because of her age. You could never understand love!” The stallion dashed avoiding the impact, his blade slashed once again through the demon's flesh.
“Love! All I love is pleasure. I already told you, join us and you will understand. With us you will get everything you desire, and if you can't, you just take it from others!” The demon released his fiery breath on the stallion, while the magical barrier protected the mage from most of the heat, pain flowed through his skin as the demonic flame fell upon him.
Recovering from his wounds, the stallion stood in defiance before his enemy. “I got news for you whoreson! I already possess all I need, and probably more than I deserve.” The stallion charged, still at disadvantage but refusing to give up, he knew his defeat meant a terrible fate for those he loved.
...
Pain flowed through her small body as she commanded the machine to release another arc of lightning. She learned to control the vehicle through her vision, and was fully aware of the risks. Controlling the machine was an easy task, it was designed to allow even the most incompetent operator to control it, enduring the pain was the true challenge, but saving her loved ones made the pain worth it.
Sunflower looked patiently, reading the dials to make sure her sister was not in danger. The mare understood her motivation and so accepted to help her. She was not the only one who joined her on board of that vehicle, Ulyana stood within it's cargo compartment, casting spells to soothe the pain produced by the machine's feedback. The three worked together inside the armored vehicle, cooperating to stop the demonic hordes.
As Babs Seed's eyes moved to observe her surroundings she noticed a fight taking place in the upper floor of a building. Within that hall designed to worship monstrous demons, a demon lord fought against a familiar face. Midnight Edge was unable to defeat the demon alone, the filly felt compelled to act and help her beloved before that demon would end his life. Remembering her visions he filly prepared a desperate plan. She initiated an overload mode, another insane feature approved by the Izzet league just to find out how much destructive power the machine carried, arguing it could be useful.
The dials began to move as the energy built up, Babs Seed suffered the effects of excessive feedback, the pain would not reach lethal levels, but soon it would be painful enough to make her feel close to death. Sunflower looked at her, those green eyes were full of determination, she was willing to go so far for some reason. Her sight was focused on something, when the mare directed her gaze to it she understood, her sister was trying to save her lover from his deadly adversary, but at a price too high for such a young filly. Sunflower looked at the two emergency buttons, one severed the link between pilot and vehicle, the other allowed the copilot to share the toll, reducing the pain for the operator. There was no choice, she had to act, she approached her hoof to the panel, ready to press one of the buttons.
“N-No! I must... do this! You can't... s-stop me!” The filly spoke, sweat falling from her face, the pain building up in her small body as she prepared the overload blast. A tear rolled down her face, not out of pain, but fear, she feared her sister would try to save her, sacrificing Midnight Edge instead.
“I won't. We are going to do this together.” Sunflower pressed the button to share the burden, soon part of the pain flowed through her. It was unbearable, it felt as if all her nerves were tormented by electricity, she wondered how her sister managed to endure something so horrible, but there was relief, because the green eyed filly would not go through something worse.
The coil released a large electric discharge, then the machine ran out of energy, the emergency lights turned on and both sisters looked at each other. They were barely conscious, breathing heavily and covered in sweat, their eyes full of tears, but it was done, they directed the lightning at the abomination and that was all they could do. It was over, the armored vehicle no longer followed their command, the link was severed the moment the overload finished. All they could do now was waiting and hoping for the best.
...
Midnight Edge looked out the window as the light reached his eyes, he saw an armored vehicle releasing lighting upon his foe. The demon was paralyzed, it was the opening he needed, he did not know who was on board of that vehicle, but for a moment he thought he saw a familiar face through the vehicle's window. It was just a glimpse, but he hoped he was mistaken.
The stallion gathered his thought and struck, the shock gave him enough time to land several blows, dismembering the demon. First he slashed through the arms, blood spraying as they fell to the ground, some chunks of flesh and strings of tissue falling and hanging due to the poor cuts, deep enough to detach the arms but not enough to make a clean cut on those large limbs. The the legs, it was like cutting a tree, again the sword could not reach far enough to make a clean cut, but the legs could no longer sustain the way of that enormous body as it fell, pulling from the remaining tissue as it broke.
“I'm done here. Time to end this!” Midnight Edge prepared to kill his adversary and make sure he would no longer pose a threat.
The demon laughed, he was not even afraid. “This is nothing. I do worse things to myself for fun!” It was true, but the monster only revealed it intending to cause enough shock on his opponent to make him lower his guard.
Midnight Edge was ready to strike when he heard a roaring voice from afar. “What the hell is going on here!” The voice was threatening, full of anger, brutal, and every single demon froze upon hearing it as the source arrived at the hall. A sphinx flew in the same direction and entered the hall. Before Midnight Edge stood two large figures, one was a demon larger than any demon he saw before, the other was a respectable Azorius sphinx. The stallion knew who the demon was, and was glad the sphinx did not have as much authority, otherwise the conflict would escalate into a war between guilds.
The dismembered demon looked at his superior in horror. “Master Rakdos! I was just having fun with this little thing!”
“This is why we can't have nice things! I promised that Jace boy we would keep our party to ourselves so we could keep it going. We no longer force others into it!” The brutal leader was angry, insulted by the acts of his subordinate. “But you had to fuck things up didn't you! And now we have all these other guilds trying to stop our party because you made them angry or something. We finally got them to mind their own business, all we had to do was not messing with them or with the guildless!”
“Your cultist kidnapped an Orzhov noble. Who will take responsibility?” The sphinx spoke in a calm tone.
“You did what?!” The demon yelled full of anger, then punched his cultist on the face. The impact destroyed most of the cultist's head, part of his brains came out of his ears and, nose, and one of his eye sockets as it pushed his eyeball out of its orbit. The bloodied, disfigured face was damaged beyond recognition, and so the creature died.
Yevgeni, Riv, and Sveta arrived at the gruesome scene ready to call for a retreat, their plans changed when they saw the sphinx and the parun before them.
“We are not done here. The kidnapper had accomplices. They must be punished.” The sphinx spoke, her tone even colder than earlier.
“I was their victim so to speak. As such I would like to choose their punishment.” Sveta spoke, formulating a plan in her mind.
“That could be a fair sentence. Do you accept?” The sphinx looked at the enraged demon.
“Do as you please with them. For all I care they can go fuck themselves.” Rakdos took the corpse from the floor and prepared to leave. “I will ask a blood witch to bring this one back. I'm not done with him. He will know why they call me the defiler.”
“Wait! Is he going to... That is fucking sick!” Midnight Edge reacted in horror as he imagined what future held for his fallen enemy.
“Mind your own business and I'll mind mine. I'm getting out of here. Now I have to start the party all over again!” With those words Rakdos left the hall carrying the bloodied corpse in his claws.
“Lady Morozova, what sentence shall you bring upon your kidnappers?” The sphinx spoke as she took mental notes of the case to register them later.
“I will have them all enslaved. Then I will do as I please with them.” Sveta did no bother to thing through how she would punish each one of them individually, but she would start by taking their freedom away.
...
The battle stopped, Babs Seed most of the events after her strike through the window, they won, a team of Selesnya healers led by Ulyana took her and her sister out of the deactivated vehicle, a team of Izzet engineers arrived at the scene to recover it soon after. The filly looked around as their allies walked through the secured area within the district. Even though it was a Rakdos district the air was calm, all of the residents went into hiding under request of their leader, that being the only way to preserve their future freedom.
The Necromancer sate next to Babs Seed and Sunflower, taking his mask off and holding a strange vessel. He was not sure how to address the situation, but knew he had to make sure the filly was safe, he understood how important she was for his friend. After counting the lights shining within the vessel he attempted to relax.
“So, I guess this is your first combat experience. How was it? Awful, or just quite bad?” The mage tried to not sound worried, he feared the effects battle would have in such a young mind.
“Something in between I guess. I'm never getting on that thing again.” Babs Seed looked as the Izzet vehicle as it was carried away by its owners. “I feel pain in places I'm not sure I have.”
“Probably you don't, you felt the damage inflicted upon that thing. I guess you don't have an electric coil.” The Necromancer changed his expression as he went on. “I hope this won't weigh heavily in you heart. The first battle is often the most painful.”
“I'll be fine. My sister and I are from Manehattan. We are tough.”
“Say that for yourself. I need a break from all this.” Sunflower spoke, it was all over, now she could complain as much as needed.
“I hope both of you are as though as you say. I wouldn't want to make such a young one go through that again. I... I don't think he will like this.” The mage looked at the distance as his friends approached. They succeeded, Sveta was safe, there were no casualties, yet Midnight Edge had a somber expression on his face.
...
> Recovery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sveta stood before the broken creature, his dead body covered in blood still on the same place where he spoke his last words. Everyone was looking at her, wondering how she would handle the loss of a friend.
“I shall stay here for a while.” The vampire spoke with sadness in her voice. “I need time to bring him back.”
“Wait! You mean you will revive him?” Sunflower spoke in disbelief.
“It's rather easy with thrulls, they are made from lifeless bodies.” Sveta approached the corpse of her servant and caressed his masked face. “Be patient my friend, I will heal you.”
Without any delay the Orzhov noble commanded one of her guards to bring everything she needed from her residence, including her other thrull servants.
...
Midnight Edge and Babs Seed were finally alone. The stallion was upset, something troubled him ever since the battle ended.
“What were you thinking? You should not have been there!” He spoke with anger in his voice.
“I couldn't just stay put and do nothing.”
“You placed yourself in harm's way. That thing could have killed you!”
“I had to...” Babs Seed spoke, Midnight Edge placed his hoof on her mouth.
“You should not. You could have died. I wouldn't be able to bear the weight of your death. The idea of bringing the news to your family, of being responsible of your demise, of losing you. If you died, the loss would be too great.”
“How do you think I would feel if you died? You're asking me to sit and wait to find out you died! You were losing. You'd be dead if I stayed!” Babs Seed held back her tears, she understood her lover's concern, but she felt the same way, inaction was not an option. “And what about our friends? What about Sveta? I couldn't let them hurt her!”
“I can't let you do this. You are not just any companion, and you are too young. You are a filly!”
“After all we have gone through I'm not just a filly. After what happened at the barn I am not even sure I'm a filly anymore!”
“That is exactly why I could not bear the weight of losing you. You are not just any filly, not just any companion. No one could fill your place.” Midnight Edge faced one of his greatest fears, losing a loved one.
“I'm technically your wife! You can't say you want me to be part of your life and then keep me out of it!”
“But if I let you do that I...”
“We'd be together, no matter what. If we are gonna fall, we should fall together.” The filly interrupted him, there was determination in her eyes.
“I should have known I could not keep you out of it.” Midnight Edge spoke, accepting the fact that now she would be a part of his travels. “There is no other way, I will take caution and keep ourselves out of danger.”
“You can't just stop being the way you are for me. That's not what I want.”
“I will not. I will train you, teach you how to defend yourself. I might tone down the adventuring a bit too. I have a family now, I can not just go around acting carelessly anymore.”
“Isn't it funny.” Now both felt better, Babs Seed could feel it. “It was our first fight, and it wasn't as scary or sad as I though.”
“What do you mean?”
“Couples fight you know? It's normal.”
“I don't like that. I don't want to fight with you.”
“Well. What matters is what we argue about. This was important, normal couples fight because of serious thing. And nopony got hurt, it wasn't a bad thing.”
With their hearts at ease, the couple took their deserved rest. There was so much to do, but for the moment things were calm.
...
The door opened, The Necromancer waited on his decorated seat, his face not covered by any mask. His friend walked toward him.
“Unicorn, you seem worried.” The Necromancer spoke, standing up and approaching his friend. “Tell me the cause.”
“Babs put herself in danger.”
“I see. Do you want me to do something about it? Maybe send someone to erase her memories of...”
“No! Do not even dare to suggest such an atrocious act!” Midnight Edge displayed anger toward his friend. The idea of tampering with the mind of those he loved was an unthinkable act of depravity to him.
“We are like minded. I have gone through the same in the past. I think I know what you seek. Rubica needs a weapon.”
“I was thinking about training, but a weapon could be useful too. We need access to the imperial training grounds. A place where we could train with little to no risk.”
“I will prepare everything and also craft a weapon just for her. I might not be an artificer, but I learned enough from my sister to craft weapons, just nothing high tech.”
“You never mentioned your sister is an artificer.” The stallion was surprised, he remembered his own family.
“I did, you weren't there. But I do know your sister is an artificer too. You would be surprised to see how much we have in common.”
“Thanks for your help. Your generosity will be rewarded.”
“Don't worry. I would do anything for my favorite pony couple.” The Necromancer spoke truth, he had plans to not only provide them with weapons and a training location, but also guard them against an untimely death. Of course he kept that part in secret from their friends, for there was a price he had to pay for it, a price they might refuse to let him pay.
...
Sveta sat on an old bed, her eyes fixed on the window. Her loyal servant, now resurrected, stood next to her, his simple mind focused on listening to her.
“They came for me. They saved me. I felt uncertain regarding their loyalty and affection, but even those who once hated me were there.” The Orzhov noble spoke, tears rolling down her face.
“They had to.”
“No. They wanted to. My own guild hesitated when I needed their help, but these outsiders, they were willing to risk their lives for me. And you, were not because of you I would be dead.”
“It was my duty. It is in my nature.” Febah failed to realize his loyalty went beyond mere instinct, it was not much different for him anyway.
“My relatives were not even there. They refused to save me, they expected to gain something from my demise. My own blood had no interest in my safety.” Her heart was full of sorrow and anger, she felt abandoned by her own bloodline, she realized her title as head of the family only caused resentment in their crooked hearts. “I should make them pay, purge house Morozova from all the traitors... But I will not. I will not act the way they do.”
“What is your will then? What does my mistress intend to do?”
“After my parents abandoned their bodies to become spirits, I lost the only family I ever had. The Orzhov claim our guild is like another family to its members, but I see those words were mere deception. These strangers on the other hand, most of them have no blood ties, but they work together, they protect each other.” Sveta looked at the window again, then looked at the dress Ulyana gave her, the dress she wore after her arrival at the Outpost. It was a simple dress, a plain white dress with not much detail, something a peasant could afford, yet compared to her torn clothes, it looked as if made of the finest silk. Her torn Orzov clothes looked like a representation of her guild's corruption. “These strangers care about me, not because of my status or my power, but because they like me... They are my family now.”
...
> Custom made fate
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The three ponies were at the garden, Midnight Edge called Sunflower and Babs Seed there to speak with them. After the battle at the Rakdos district things changed, and now it was necessary for them to discuss how their lives would change. The life of an adventurer is full of risk, and the two sisters jumped into it not so long ago.
“We must discuss this. Delaying it would do no good to us. Both of you got involved in a battle, you put your lives in danger. You were not prepared. That shall never happen again.” The stallion spoke, the frown in his face marking his constant thinking.
“Of course it won't. I don't want to have anything to do with all that anymore!”
“Well. I'm in! I know it's dangerous, but there's now way I am giving up now.” Babs Seed responded, her sister would not stop her from following her own path.
“It is too late for any of you to turn back now. Due to Celestia's mandate Babs and I can not take separate ways anymore. Our lives are bound now. And that is also our will if I am not mistaken.”
“And we both know Midnight won't stay put for too long.”
“I don't want to be part of this. And Babs shouldn't be. It's too dangerous.” Sunflower was concerned, she knew there was nothing her parents or her could do to separate the couple due to the current circumstances, yet still she feared for their safety.
“I am willing to make some concessions. From now on I shall be even more cautious regarding the locations we will travel to. That however does not mean there will be no risk. Wild animals, criminals, unexpected situations, all this things await not only adventurers like me, but even the average pony. Even if we stayed in Manehattan for the rest of our lives...”
“Which we won't” The green eyed filly interrupted, making sure Midnight Edge did not attempt to convince her of giving up.
“As I was saying. Even if we stayed in Manehattan, the odds of us facing danger at some point are high. From regular criminals to deranged interdimensional monsters, there are many things that could turn a normal urban environment into a battlefield.”
“So we just leap into danger cause danger could find us at home anyway? That's stupid!” Sunflower was not pleased with the words reaching her ears.
“No. I have no intention of plunging us into the worst case scenario. In fact I have determined which locations would in theory provide us with less risk in our future travels.”
“You're free to drop out whenever you want sis. I bet Applejack would not be to scared to go with us.”
“I consider forcing any of the Elements of Harmony to join us would be an inconvenience due to their presence often being necessary to keep Equestria in order. However, if it is needed, I would call for their help. They have faced rather dire threats. Of course, we could invite other equally capable ponies.” Midnight Edge spoke pondering on who would take Sunflower's place, he knew she might not stay. “If it is necessary I would even take your father to prove him everything will be safe.
“Then Babs is never going to fight again. Mom and dad wouldn't let us. They would faint if they found out what happened.”
“Such events will only be brought to their knowledge once they are no longer capable to object. However, Babs might find herself in the need of engaging in combat again. It is not normal for a hairdresser to do so, however, she would not be the only martial artist in her family.”
“Wait! You mean I'm gonna be like one of those black belts or something?” The filly seemed excited at the idea. She intended to take martial arts classes later that year.
“Not exactly. I will train you... Both of you if needed, in the arts of combat. I am not a disciplined monk or anything similar however, which means you will be trained in the ways I know other than magic. Including the way of the sword. You will need a weapon.”
“That's it! You're not giving a sword to a filly. That's just...” Before Sunflower could speak any further, her sister's small hoof was obstructing her mouth.
“I learned to wield a sword when I was younger than her, my siblings too. With discipline and caution she will learn to defend herself and wield almost any weapon. It is not unusual for young ponies to learn how to wield some weapons, especially when they aspire to join the royal guard.”
Midnight Edge opened a long box he carried with him, revealing two objects covered in decorated fabric.
“These are yours to wield, but only once your training is complete. Until then you will train with wooden swords.”
Babs Seed uncovered the objects, finding before her eyes two sheathed swords. The blades had a rather unusual design, looking sharp and almost resembling separate scissor blades but with an additional outward edge, one slightly longer than the other, the hilts had a circular ring designed for her hooves to fit in, part of the hilts extended in a design meant to allow both swords to connect, turning into a large pair of scissors. It was an impressive pair of weapons, even their decoration was custom made, the blades had an engraved pattern resembling tree branches, covered in a green alloy of unknown origin, the circular hilts were vaguely shaped like halves of an apple, and were made of a familiar red material decorated with ribbons of brown leather.
“The Necromancer made them just for you. The blade is made of enchanted mythril decorated with sylvan alloy. The hilts are made of a mythril tang, that is the part of the blade connected to the handle, combined with sturdy rubica covered in leather made from the hide of an unknown beast.”
“Cool! Are they really for me?”
“We are not taking those things with us.” Sunflower was not pleased with the idea of her sister handling weapons, let alone taking those things to their home.
“Of course you will not take them. I will keep them safe until she is ready. They are meant for her, but first she must learn to use them. These are not toys, they are tools of a trade.” Midnight Edge replied, making it evident that he would take all precautions needed during the training.
“Do they have a name? I mean, all cool swords have a name, right?”
“They do, both as individuals and as a combined weapon. The longer one is called Determination, the shorter one Defiance. Combined they form Exultance. The Necromancer came up with the names. I hope you do not find them strange.”
“Sounds awesome! Well, maybe I will look for the last one in a dictionary.” Babs Seed smiled. “When are we starting my training?”
“Soon, but keep in mind that if you ever neglect your education I will no longer train you or take you with me until your grades improve. I can not allow you to neglect your daily life for the sake of adventure.”
“I'll be a model student if that's what it takes!” The filly's stance on the matter made clear the name of her weapons was fitting of her. “Wait! You never told me the name of your sword.”
“It was named Fervent Rebel. I know not the story behind the name, but my friends claim it is fitting of me.”
From that moment Babs Seed officially became an adventurer, she would still follow her calling as a hair dresser, but she was not bound to only one path in life. Now she had two lives so to speak, the one in Manehattan as a young hairdresser, and her life close to Midnight Edge as an adventurer in training. Balancing both lives sounded like a grater challenge at first, but eventually they would realize it was easier than expected, all the Apple family carried adventure in their blood, Babs Seed was no exception.
...
Sveta walked down the stairs, a few days passed after the events leading to her stay at the Outpost. She wore a rather plain white dress which made her short height and youthful appearance more evident, making her look almost like a child. Her hair was tied into a complex braid decorated with golden ornaments, the only reminder of her wealth. Her change in wardrobe was both a safety measure, allowing her to pass unnoticed within the city, and an act of defiance toward her relatives.
The vampire sat at the table, with her three thrull servants standing close to her. One of the servants handed her a parchment scroll from her guild, her friends looked at her expecting an explanation.
“I would like to read this missive in front of all of you. I have not broken the seal in order to know its contents in the very same moment as you.” The noble broke the wax seal and unrolled the scroll. “Shall I begin?”
“Don't keep us waiting, this is important!” Riv replied, everyone was eager to know the content of that scroll, and his words spoke for everyone.
Sveta took a deep breath and began to read. “Sveta Morozova, your request to act as representative of our guild within the location know as The Outpost has been approved by the Obzedat. We expect your decision will bring benefit to our guild, and will consider this endeavor a failure if we see no results within a year.”
Her friends felt relief after hearing the approval from the guild, cheering and smiling, Babs Seed interrupted their early attempt of celebration. “Hey! Let her finish.”
The vampire continued. “Be aware that failing in your objective, being said objective the improvement of the interaction between our guild and other guilds with representatives within The Outpost, will result in economic penalties to your house in order to recover the investment made by our guild. Signed: Teysa Karlov.”
“I say this demands a celebration. I will get everything ready.” Ulyana left the room to prepare what they needed to celebrate.
“Congratulations Jackdaw. I will do everything I can to assist you in your task.” The Necromancer extended his hand to the Orzhov noble, who he named Jackdaw due to her black hair and short height.
“Thank you my friends. Let us work for a brighter future together.” The vampire smiled at her friends, expressing both her gratitude and joy. She had no words to express how important they were to her, and how much her life changed because of them.
...
> Let's go!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A few days passed, the time for the ponies to return to Equestria eventually came. The night before their return everyone celebrated in a farewell party for them. The next day everyone gathered at the main hall to see them off.
“It is time. I will open the portal.” Midnight Edge held his Rift Key, creating a portal back to Equestria.
“Why didn't you use that before?” Sunflower wondered why their arrival was required to be less pleasant than their return.
“We prefer not to use them. But Midnight Edge can't planeswalk so often. He is not that used to it yet.” Riv explained.
“Well. See you later guys. I'll write whenever I can.” Babs Seed spoke, waving her hoof.
“We shall wait patiently for your missives to arrive my friend. I promise I will reply promptly.” Sveta responded, knowing their friendship changed her life. “I assume you have procured means to send them between worlds.”
“I just hired the best errand boy for the task.” Midnight Edge spoke, Riv was the one he requested to deliver their letters.
The group said their farewells to their friends as they walked through the portal back into Equestria.
...
They were back. Things looked pretty much the same. Soon the three ponies were walking back to Midnight Edge's residence. The tower remained just as they left it.
“Did you enjoy your stay in Ravnica?” Midnight Edge inquired as he opened the entrance door. The ponies walked in and sat at the couch.
“I guess it wasn't that bad.” Sunflower answered after remembering all they went through. The events that took place during their stay at The Outpost had a major impact in their lives, and the people they met eventually became close friends with them.
“It was awesome! Where are we going now?” Babs Seed asked, she was excited over the idea of going on adventures with Midnight Edge.
Midnight Edge placed the portrait Sveta painted for them on the wall, then replied. “Well. I guess we are going to Manehattan now. You must not neglect your studies, and I could use some rest. I will stay in Equestria for a while.”
“What about later? Where are we going then?.
“I have some plans. There are a few nice places I would like you to see. Of course they will be safer. There will be no big cities and no maddened demons. It will be like a camping trip.”
“A camping trip in an unknown place? I'll pass.” Sunflower spoke nervously.
“You will have enough time to change your mind. For now we should focus on what we can do here. I have not forgotten your training.”
“You mean it will start soon?” Babs Seed asked, the idea made her feel excited. She wanted to learn how to defend herself and gain adventuring skills.
“Indeed. But your education will have a higher priority. If you neglect your education I will no longer be able to train you or take you with me.”
“Don't worry. My grades have been quite good.” The green eyed filly replied with a wide smile.
“Is that true?” The stallion looked at the blonde mare, hoping she could prove her sister's statement.
“Yeah. She is doing fine.” The blonde mare answered. “But it's good to know you care about her education.”
The sisters began to prepare everything for their return to Manehattan. Midnight Edge would arrive there a few days later.
...
Sveta opened the letter Riv handed to her. She learned the language it was written in in order to be able to read them without Riv's help, which also allowed her to write her own replies. The words in the letter spoke of a world she was not familiar with, but she intended to change that. Her guild did not exert much pressure on her anymore, which allowed her to travel without causing much issue.
After reading her friend's letter she approached Riv and spoke to him.
“I was wondering if you were able to take me to Equestria.” Sveta spoke her mind without hesitation.
“I guess it would not require much effort.” Riv replied, he inferred the motive of her request.
“I will inform you when I am done preparing everything.”
Sveta returned to her room and began to prepare for her first visit to Equestria. This time she would be the one seeing her friend's homeland. She was not the only one within the Outpost who wanted to visit Equestria, but she was the only one to actually plan to do so.
The Orzhov noble began to write a letter to inform her friend. She wanted her to know of her arrival before causing her any inconvenience. Soon their paths would cross again.

THE END