> A Bounty Hunters Work
>  by LordKioshi
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> "All in a Days Work"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“’ It'll be simple’, they said. ‘It’ll be a quick job’ they said. Yeah right.”

To say that I wasn’t happy would be an understatement and a very big one at that.

Before we go further I feel an introduction is in order. My name is Fendral Merika and I am a Mandalorian of the bounty hunters guild.
And as to why I wasn’t in a good mood was that my current bounty, a necrotised Manticore,  was being particularly stubborn. 

Roughly two weeks ago a Unicorn had come across an old tome in a castle ruin near the centre of the Everfree forest and had begun to dabble with its contents, with necromancy, unfortunately, being rather prominent among them. Bringing to life all sorts of creatures, ranging from a simple domesticated house cat to the before-mentioned wild Manticore.

Said unicorn was thankfully caught shortly after by the local guard. The damage, however, had already been done and with the guards trying to protect the locals, the Guild was called in. And bounties were put on the animal's heads, all that was left was the Manticore. But because they were animals, the traditional method of tracking would have to be changed to older methods. These were poster on the wall bounties.

I had picked this one up because several had picked it up before me and had either returned empty-handed or not at all, so I thought with my particular skills when it comes to tracking, it would be easy money. That and it had quite a high price too. That was four days ago.
So here I sit, among the foliage, shrubbery and other plant life, my supplies ran dry, following the uneven tracks of this Manticore, but it always seemed to be one step ahead of me every time I thought I was close to it. And as I said before, due to the fact this wasn't a person I was hunting but a wild beast and a dead one at that, the tracking fob was useless and I was losing patience. 

"Why can't it ever be easy? Why? Just one easy and simple job is all I ask for."

I slowly get up from my prone position and into a crouch. I lift my head and take in the scents of the forest. The smell of pine, wet moss and other flora hitting my nose. A smile worked its way across my face. I had always enjoyed forests, the tranquillity calming my nerve, no matter what I was feeling at the moment. But there was another smell, one that erased my smile as quickly as it appeared. One that did not belong.

The smell of Death.

Snapping my head in the direction of the smell, I jumped up from my crouched position and made my way to the stench, making sure not to make my presence overtly obvious. Soon enough I came across an opening in the tree line and past it was a cave. Seems even though it was dead, its instincts were somehow still intact.

I stopped just before the tree line ended and took my time to evaluate the situation. The cave seemed vacant, other than the occasional bone or patch of fur. But something didn't feel right, this seemed almost too easy. The damn thing has been evading me for four days, why is it making itself known now? Something was wrong.
Before I could finish my thoughts, I felt a presence behind me. Slowly turning around, taking out my rifle, I came near face to face with my bounty. 

Its necrotic flesh barely clinging to its skull, its once golden-yellow fur was now a dark grey, fallen in places to reveal a sickly green coloured skin beneath. Its breath smelling of the scent I had smelt moments ago, now becoming a near blinding stench even with my helmet. 
The look in its one remaining necrotic eye told me everything I needed to know. This is exactly where it wanted me.

"You've gotta be fucking kidd-."

before I could finish my statement, It made its move. Pouncing with surprisingly powerful hind legs, it jumped towards me, baring its claws and teeth.  Giving out a mighty war cry, it Rammed into my chest, knocking my rifle out my hands and towards the cave, sending me tumbling backwards.
Falling onto my back, I groaned as I got up as quickly as possible, only to be met with the same fate as before. It spared me no moment of respite, as I saw it mear moments before its mighty paw hammered into my side, flinging me back farther. 

As I tried to get back up, I expected to be bombarded again, but nothing. I looked up and saw the Manticore circling me. It was challenging me.

I made my way to my feet as quickly as possible, the beast now stopping in front of me. Staring down the beast, I unsheathed my hunting knife from my back and issued my own challenge. Giving my own cry, I charged. To most, this would be suicidal, but I at least had a plan.

The beast saw my challenge and accepted and barrelled forwards, again baring teeth and claw. When within range it took a swipe from the right, I anticipated this thankfully, sliding underneath it, I held up my knife out and cut into its belly. It gave out a pained cry as its guts spilt onto the floors in a steaming mess.
Coming to a stop behind it, I was surprised to see it wasn't going down that easily. Pretty sure I just pissed it off more than it already was. Turning around to me, it gave a powerful roar and charged again. I dodged out of the way of a Herculean bite, I realized I'm going to need a new game plan. If there one thing I'm good at and that's thinking on my feet.

This thing is undead and the traditional way of taking down an undead was either: go for the head or burn it.

A stare down started yet again as I thought it would be better to be safe rather than sorry. I knew what had to be done.
The undead beast charged again, this time I stood my ground and when it was close enough, I threw my arm out and a burst of flame erupted forth making the Manticore cry out, trying to shield its face with its paw. It was a futile attempt.

I kept the stream of fire going as I slowly walked forwards, knife in hand until I was about ten feet away, I switched my flame thrower off and ran as fast as I could,  plunging my blade into the cranium of the beast that had given me so much trouble.

It simply stood there, not moving an inch. A few seconds later, it went limp. Falling on its side with a thud, I waited for it to move. Even a little.

Nothing. It was over. It was finally over.

Pulling my knife from its skull, I collected a few teeth and a patch of fur as evidence of a job well done, wiping it on what remained of its fur to clean the Blade of the blood and the grey brain matter and looked around for my rifle, eventually finding it near where the bout had started.
Taking a moment to sit on the stump of a tree, I went over my equipment to be sure nothing was broken or on its way to be. Everything was in tip-top shape.

I took out a metallic syringe and gently poked the needle into my side. I let out a pained groan as the small, concentrated amount of bacta worked its way into my system. Slowly, I felt the ribs that were once broken, fall back into their original position.
Collecting all the remains of the now-deceased manticore, putting them in a pile, I burned anything that remained. You can never be too safe. Not in this line of work. Now all that was left, was ash.

Once all that was done, I walked away from the clearing and to the dirt path I needed. Looking to the sky, the sun appeared to be coming from the east, telling me I needed to go south-west, down the left of the path back to Ponyville.

It was a slow trek back, but eventually, I made it back, greeted with the sight of a quaint, bustling rural country town.
Making my way further down the path, and past the reinforced fence, I walked towards the centre of the town.

As I walk past the townspeople, I was greeted with the usual "hi" or simple nod, both of which I simply nod in acknowledgement. And finally, I arrive at my destination, the bucking bronco, the local bar and main Guild hub of Ponyville.

Opening the double doors, a few of the patrons stopped what they were doing and stared at me. I continue in without pause and walked up to one particular stall near the middle. Situated at the table was the mare I was looking for. The one who handled most of the Guild work here in Ponyville. Hard Strike.
The mare in question was the one who essentially ran the Ponyville branch of the Guild: thing’s like collecting and distributing bounties and handing out payments. Of course, that wasn’t all she did but its all anybody needed to know and that was fine by me.

"Ah, if it isn't my favourite bounty hunter! What took you so long? Come! bring a seat, have a drink." She exclaimed with a Hayland accent.

I stopped in front of the table she was sitting at, unclipping a pouch from my hip, I dropped said pouch onto the table. A loud clunk made itself known as she looked at me quizzically. I indicated my head towards the pouch. She raised an eyebrow and opened the pouch. Almost as soon as she opened it, her head whipped back in disgust. The Stench of necrotic flesh briefly taking over her senses. Clamping her nose shut, she lightly pushed the pouch to the side, trying to mitigate its smell.

"What took me so long, was that the damn beast was more intelligent than I gave it credit for. Always seemed to be one step ahead of me." I said, taking my rifle off my back and putting it on my lap as I sat down.

"That would explain a lot." she took a glance at my pouch, swiftly looking back at me. "But you obviously took care of it, so here’s your payment."

She put a small back on the table and instinctually I reached out to grab it, but as I did, the bag felt to light for the amount that was on the Manticores head and quickly let go. 

"This isn’t the price that was agreed." I said calmly.

The mare gave me an unsympathetic look, which annoyed me. I didn’t spend four fucking days in the Everfree, running my supplies dry and tracking a Manticore that went past its expiry date, just to get underpaid.

"Unfortunately, your timing couldn’t have been worse." That made me raise an eyebrow,

"Why?"

"They bumped down the prices. Their now only giving out a down payment."

“By how much?”

She gave out a heavy sigh. “Sixty per cent.”

“When did they do that?” I asked, now getting rather irate, though not letting it show. This had happened to me before sure, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be peeved about it.

“This morning.”

“Do you know why?” 

She simply looked over to the pair of guards who were stationed just outside the bar and looked disdain.

“They simply got impatient. Said it was `taking to long`. Insensitive pricks. We lost a lot of good stallions to that fucking Manticore.”

I let out a hum of agreement. The guards had always looked down at us like we’re somehow inferior to them. I’d like to see them do the things we do. Maybe then they’ll start to respect us.

“So that’s all you can give?”

“Hmm. Tell you what. Since your the best we have and you always bring in results, I'll give you a deal. I can give you some Griffon credits I've had for a while.”

As I was about to accept her offer, she held up her hand to silence me.

“But I can only give you half of what I have and it isn't much. Griffons only use their own currency after all. And I have to keep some for myself. ”

I gave out a long and winded sigh. I never liked getting down paid, though to be fair, nobody does. But at least Strike was willing to compensate and give me a payment closer to the original price. Even if it was in a different currency.

“Fine.”

I grabbed the bag as Strike put down another, slightly smaller in size than the last. Taking the credits, I looked up to her.
“Have you got any other bounties?”

“Nope. None. Gave out the last one’s I had to the black talon company. Come back tomorrow and I might have something then.”

And with that, I got up and with a nod, I left. Putting my rifle back on my back and putting this whole fiasco behind me.
> "Home Sweet Home"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As I walk the dirt path, I walked with a heaviness in my step. 
The payment I had received put me in a much fowler mood than I had already been in and I think the citizens sensed this, as they did their best to avoid me. A good decision on their part. I'm not saying I would have said or done anything harmful to them, it's just anything they'd say wouldn't help my mood any.

Eventually, though I arrived at my destination. I arrived home.

It was a simple, one storey bungalow. It was about as generic as you could get, but it was as comfortable as you could get. Light cream painted walls, brown tiled roof, the works. Your generic rural townhome. It served me well.
The interior, however, felt more like something you'd find in a cabin in the woods or the snowy mountains of Alaska, being of a mostly wooden finish and a nice, sizable fireplace with a decent mantlepiece on top. Not to mention it was quite spacious.

Opening the door, I walked in, letting the wind close the door gently behind me. I simply stood there a while, letting the quiet take over my senses briefly. I let out a sigh. It's been a long four day's, but at least I was lucky enough to come back.

Taking my rifle off my back, I walked towards my storage room. Entering, I swiftly made my way towards the back, gently placing my firearm on the wall, I quickly stepped out and strolled towards the living room.
I began taking off my armour, starting with my grieves and making my way up. Neatly folding the fabrics, putting them on the long sofa near the back, placing the armour pieces atop the pile. 

So there I sat, staring into the newly started fireplace, a hot cup of tea in hand, a warm hoodie and a loose pair of joggers and my helmet sitting on the table next to me. It was peaceful. 

I just sat there, thinking. Thinking about what my life had come to. Thinking about how long I've been here. And about life, I could have had. I find myself doing this rather often, especially now as I've gotten older. It's not quite an existential crisis, Just an ageing man thinking about his life.
I was abruptly taken back to reality when I heard a popping sound from behind me. Smiling, I put down my tea and reached out for my helmet and affixed it to my head. Theirs only one pony I know who would come to my home unannounced.

"Long day?"

I gave a slight chuckle. Getting up from my seat, I turned round to greet my guest. The Nocturnal protector, the lunar matriarch, Princess Luna.

"You could say that," I said spreading my arms slightly before letting them fall limp to my side.

Luna and I go back. Her being one of the first I befriended when I came to Equestria. Well, the first I properly befriended anyway. Most before her being quick acquaintances I was friendly with, those I met on my travels or just people I worked with. It's nice having someone who I can rely on.

"How so?"

"Where to start? Well for one your guards bumped down my payment for that Manticore Bounty. Which I had to track for four fucking days. With my supplies ran dry" I said my irritation making itself known. "And you know the reason why they didn't pay in full?"

She seemed to be caught off guard and very surprised at my accusation, her head tilting slightly to the side, eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"No. No, I do not." She said shaking her head. As I expected. Not seeking the approval of your higher-ups. Shouldn't have expected anything else

"They got 'impatient'."

It was her turn to become exasperated. Her hands coming up to meet her face and with a mighty groan, she tilted her head back.

"What?"

"I told them specifically not to. Purely because I knew you had picked up that particular job. I told them you'd bring them results. You always do. You always have. I'll have that looked into."

I had guessed they hadn't sought approval, but going against direct orders? Now, don't get me wrong, orders are always being broken, but orders from your ruler? That was rare, not anything to worry about, but still rare none the less.

"That would be best. Anyway, if you don't mind me asking. Why're you here? You come for a reason or what?"

"What? Can I not visit a dear friend of mine?" She asked, giving a mock pout, seemingly forgetting her previous irritation.

"No, you can. I was just wandering. Come, please, sit. No point in standing around." I said motioning to the chair beside me, to which she smiled and obliged. I was about to offer some tea, but she summoned her own cup. Where she had it and when she had it made, I have no idea.

"I think you'll be happy to know Hard Strike was willing to compensate a little," I said indicating to the smaller bag sitting next to my armour. "So, What's the news in Canterlot then?"

"That's good. Hard strike has always been reasonable mare. In regards to Canterlot. What's to tell? Nobles are trying and failing to gain more power. The renovation's to the castle is as slow as ever. And don't get me started on the paperwork!"

"So, same as usual then?" I said a genuine smile spread across my face. One Luna shared. Even though she can't see my face, I think she could feel it. And that was enough for me.

"Hmm."

"And what of the unicorn? The one that caused all of this. What happened to him?"

"Cinder has been taken care of. He had gone for a couple of tests at the royal infirmary for any corruption he may have gotten. He had trace amount's and was treated shortly after. He should make a full recovery in a few days or so."

"Good."

For the next while, we just sat there, looking at the bright fireplace as the wood snapped, crackled and popped, taking in the presence of each other. If you've known someone for long enough, no words are needed. Just the comfortable silence. But, of course, all silence must be broken.

"So what's next for the mighty veteran then?" She asked putting her cup on the side table next to her.

That got a genuine laugh from me. I've been described as many things in my years, but never that.

"Way to make me feel my age. To be honest, I don't really know to be honest with you. I've got more than enough money to take an extended break, so I might just to that."

"Sounds like a splendid idea! You might actually get some much-needed peace. Faust above knows you need it."

I simply hummed in agreement. It has been a while since I've just sat back and relaxed.

Looking at the clock above the fireplace, Luna grumbled. I could guess as to why.

"Unfortunately, I must head back to Canterlot. As much as it pains me to no end, I have duties I must attend to. I could only allocate an hour for this little visit." She said as she got up from her chair.

"Well, as always, Luna, I enjoyed your company. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to visit me." I said before giving a wave goodbye. She gave one back before popping out of existence, leaving me alone once again with the crackle of the fireplace.
Taking a look in my fridge, I saw a lack of in date produce. Throwing out any spoiled foods and drinks, putting out the fire and grabbing my coat, I made my way out the door. Making sure my helmet was secure, I wandered off to the main market area of the town. As I walked I got a few strange looks from some of the travelling merchants. And that's due to the fact I still had my helmet on.

That's what most don't understand about my order. Most of us are unable to remove our helmets in front of any living being. And there a simple, but significant to that. Mandalorians are not one particular race. It is a religion. A way of life to those willing to following the code. The point of the helmet is to show the individual is Mandalorian and not what they appear underneath the helmet. I may be the only Mandalorian left, but I will sure as hell enforce our customs. Even if it's just on myself.

I had explained this to some of the local populace, who then spread it to those who didn't know. That's why it's just some of the non-permanent merchants giving me looks. Some of the merchants were frequent visitors to ponyville, so as a result, they had gotten used to my religions customs.

Like a well-oiled clock, I got into my shopping routine, going from stall to stall, buying any essentials I had ran out of or had to throw away. While I was doing this, I couldn't help shake the feeling I was being watched. My instinct was confirmed when I saw something shift in the left of my peripheral. Taking a step back, a pink blur whizzed it's way past me.

"Su'cuy Pinkie."

"Why is it no matter how many times I try to sneak up on you, your always prepared?" she said lightly rubbing her head, still as upbeat as ever. I offered her my hand which she gratefully accepted.

"I think you know exactly why," I said, pulling the pink earth-pony to her hooves. But when I got her up, I saw her eyes gaze behind me ever so briefly. It was a 'blink and you miss it', but I saw it. Stepping to my left, another blur shot past me, this with a rainbow hue, giving an almighty thud as it barrelled into the energetic pony in front of me.

"Su cuy'gar to you too, Dash," I said, smiling at the two groaning ponies. I knew the two of them could take the hit, which is why I wasn't concerned. They've taken harder hits and walked away just fine.

"Ah buck it! Why can't we ever hit ya!? I just don't understand!" The Rainbow haired trickster shouted as the locals around us either laughed at the display or just shook their heads, somewhat amused.

We've been doing this sort of 'game' for a while. If they could hit me, I would teach them and their friends more about my society and it's culture. They wouldn't be integrated, just taught about my customs.

"That might be because I'm much older than you and much more experienced," I said, lifting the two to their hooves.

"Well, you don't move for your age. How old are you again?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. Besides, I already told you my age. Now, what're you two doing?"

"I felt someone wasn't in a good mood so I was going to try and cheer them up and when I saw it was you, I thought me and Dashie could try our luck! Why are you feeling down anyway?" Pinkie stated, dusting herself and Dash off of any dirt they had on them.

"You know the Manticore that the unicorn brought back?"

A look of realization slowly dawned on the pair's faces. "Oh yea, I remember that one! What about it?" Dash asked

"Well let's just say tracking the thing down was harder than expected and to top it all off I wasn't correctly paid." I said moving over to a stall "Your best spices please." I asked the stallion manning the stall. He nodded before stepping over the bags behind him.

"So what's the plan for you two then?"

"Not much. You?" Dash asked.

"I have more than enough money to be able to take a long-needed break. So I plan on relaxing a bit."

"Relaxing? do you even know how to relax?" Dash remarked

I gave her an unamused stare. Even though she can't see my face, I think she could feel the look I was giving her, as she rubbed the back of her neck and adopted a sheepish look. I paid for the spices and picked up the small amount of bags, tied them together and placed them on my belt to free up my hands.

"Well I don't know about you girls, But I'm quite tired and I need a good nights sleep. So I'll see you later."

"Okie Dokie lokie, see ya later then Fen! Hey, that rhythmed."

I waved the girls bye as I walked back home, chuckling lightly at the pink mares antics as I went. When I got home, I got right to work, putting away the items I had bought in there rightful place in my kitchen. Making my way to my room, I made sure I sure I was alone I sat on my bed before I removed my helmet from my head. Taking out a few tools, I touched up my helm. Mainly cleaning it of dirt and removing any dents it may have had. Placing it on the nightstand, I laid down on my bed, letting sleep take me soon after. 
The next day being a mystery in what it would bring.
> "A New Job"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thunderclaps sound above me, the rain coming down in lumps, as I walk the partially flooded cobblestone paths of the Griffon capital city. A hot and humid place, populated by more hardy people. Due to this, I forgo the armour weave cape and fur neck that I usually have adorning my apparel, leaving me with my beskar and my armour weave fabric undersuit. Not that it's going to be of any detriment to me.

Coming to a stop, I look to a building to my left across the street and look to the sign. The Secret Tankard Outpost. A rather popular local bar, if what I'm told is to be believed. Steeling my resolve, I cross the street towards the pub. As I get closer, I can hear sounds of commotion coming from inside. Opening the doors, anything that might have been happening stopped, as all the patrons turn their heads to see the new arrival. 
A few gasps sound out and quiet murmuring breaks lose. If there's one place that my reputation is at its highest, it's in the Griffon Empire, having done more than enough jobs to garner the attention of its people. Briefly looking around, my eyes land on what was causing the ruckus. Near the back and not too far from the bar counter, a trio of what look to be mercenaries appear to have been harassing a young-looking hippogriff. And of course, it just had to be the bounty I was after.

Looking closer, I saw that the three comprised of two stallions of average size, with one being slightly larger and a very large and very hairy minotaur, who they more than likely use as the muscle and intimidation factor of the group. And I think they knew why I was here. Because they did not look pleased to see me here. Not in the least.

"khren ty smotrish' na?"

Taking my eyes off of the scene before me, I walk towards the bar, all eyes either being on me or the three.

"ty prolil moy napitok."

Not saying a word, I continue to the bar. Once there, I place my hands on the counter, letting my weight rest on my arms.

"Privet! Mando!"

Disregarding the dirty insult, I simply let a sigh escape my lips. This did not sit well with the bigger stallion next to me, who I assume to be the leader, lets out an irritated groan. Coming towards my right, he comes close to my personal space. An intimidation act. It always is with mercenaries.

"ya skazal, ty prolil, moy napitok." The leader said, getting in my ear. My lack of a response was clearly getting on the guy's nerves.

"He said you spilt his drink." The bartender said. Of course, I knew what he said, I was just looking to get a reaction out of him, other than idle threats. 

Looking over to his lackeys, he jerks his head slightly. The minotaur lets go of the hippogriff letting him bounce slightly off the table and onto the floor as he and the other stallion make their way towards me.

"It's ok, it's on the house." The barkeep said as he turns away, getting another tankard. The leader reaches to his thigh and grabs a knife out of its sheathe.

"tak eto beskar to?" He said as he scraped his dagger across my chest, no mark being left behind and a small amount of spark being made. The minotaur bumps into me from the left, letting out a slow growl and the stallion stopping just beside him.

"Here." I look over to the bartender, who has a new tankard in his hand. Sliding it across, the leader puts his hand out to catch it. That's when I act.

Putting my hand out, I grab the cup. Placing my boot on the front of the bar, using all the momentum I can gather, I push the mercenaries off of me. Ramming the metal tankard into the skull of the stallion to my left, he crumbles easily as he was knocked out cold. Dropping the tankard, I grab the beard of the minotaur and slam his head into the edge of the bar counter, he too falls to the ground with a thud.

The leader, clearly not happy, tries to stab my throat. Catching his arm, I spin round slightly, quickly positioning it over my shoulder and bring it down with a resounding snap. Twisting around, I topped it off with punch a square in his chest, knocking the wind out off him. He flies back a few, landing in a heap on his back, clutching his newly broken arm, wheezing as he does. Hearing shuffling behind me, I twist on my heel and spot the minotaur crawling away.
Throwing out both my arms, a wire coming out of each vambrace, locking themselves around the minotaur's waist and neck. Using all the strength I have, I heave him towards me, his face displaying his clear fear. When in range, I step to my left slightly and fling my right arm out, close lining the poor bastard to the floor.

Looking back to the hippogriff, who was just now picking himself off the floor, I walk towards him. He had clearly taken a bit of a beating before my arrival. He had a cut above his left eye, a few of his feathers were ruffled and a small crack could be seen on the tip of his beak. But he was still very much alive.

"You...you really did me a favour there friend, thank you." He said, pulling himself up, rubbing his head as I stand before him. Either he's clueless I'm here for him or he's the literal definition of a feather brain.

Reaching down to my belt, I pull out a small disc which I place on the table. Pressing down lightly on the centre, a holographic image and number underneath is projected from the small disc. The hippogriff looks from it to me to the disc and back again.

"Is...is that me?" He said with a slight chuckle. I had gathered he wasn't the smartest, but this was taking the piss. "L...look. I...I can get more credits-"

"You have two options here," I said, cutting the hippogriff off from trying to bribe me. 
"I can bring you in warm-" I reach down to the pistol holstered on my thigh and unclip it. "-or I can bring you in cold. Your choice."





The trip back to my ship was uneventful. Thankfully, the hippogriff wasn't as dumb as I had thought and decided came with me peacefully. Possibly knew I was his best option at actually staying alive past his current age. There are those out there more ruthless and uncaring than me when it came to bounties. Thankfully the city guards didn't give me any trouble as well. As I mentioned before, my reputation within the Griffon Empire is rather high and because of this, I had quite a bit of respect from any who lived within Griffon territory. More than that, I had also had their fear. I didn't use it often, only when I needed to.

Coming up to my ship, I press a set sequence of buttons on my vambrace, the hatch door of my ship opens with a slight burst of steam. The hippogriff hesitated slightly, possibly because he's never actually seen anything like this, only heard the stories. Grabbing his cuffs I pushed him up the ramp and into the lower section of the ship. Directing him towards a padded indent in the side of the wall, I pushed him. He looked at the rim of the indent and saw some small circular openings evenly spaced from each other.

"What are you gonna do to me?" He asked while I strapped him in place. I do this to avoid any complications. 

"You'll find out soon enough," I said ominously, looking the clearly nervous hippogriff in the eye.

Pressing a series of buttons on the control pad on the rim, I step back as pressurised steam made of liquid carbonite is shot out of the openings onto the man in front of me. What was left behind could only be described as an expertly crafted artistic representation of a hippogriff made of a strong metal alloy. Taking him out of the small chamber, I put him on his back as he gently floats a few feet of the floor. Bringing him over to a rack on the ceiling, I lift him up and into a small, magnetised section of the ceiling, letting him hang loosely.
Taking a step back, I overlook my day's work, softly counting under my breath. One, two three, four, five. Looking to my wrist, I score off the final bounty on my list. Five in one day. Not my best record, but still commendable none the less.

Walking off and up a ladder leading to the upper section, I press a button on another control pad, a door opens directly to the cockpit. Taking my seat, I punch the start-up sequence and set the coordinates I need to go to. Looking to the estimated time it'll take for me to get back, I let out a sigh through my nose.
This is going to be a long trip. Good thing I have music.





Looking to the horizon, I finally see my destination come into view. Switching my music off, I slow my craft down and release the landing gear. Quickly making my way towards my landing zone, I lower my ship to the ground as softly as I could. As I did, I could see an assortment of different species come over to do their jobs, but keeping a safe distance away.

Finally, as I land, I switch off my ship ad make my way down to the lower section to unload. Opening the hatch door, I unhinge the bounties I collected, lightly floating down the ramp and into the hand of the ponies below, taking them to a nearby blast furnace to remove the beings within. Unlike regular carbonite, this more portable version doesn't have a release code and can be evaporated with a sufficient enough heat source and still leave the inhabitants relatively unharmed, maybe a bit hot and shaken from the experience, but otherwise safe and sound.
Walking down the ramp, I stride towards Hard Strike, closing the ramp behind me as I do.

"Well, you made short work of them. Fine work as always. Here. Catch!" She said as she threw a sizable bag towards me. 

"Any more jobs?" I said as I catch the bag.

"You know, I thought you said you'd take some time off? It's only been a few days. You need some time off. Real, proper time off. Not this half-assed excuse of an attempt at taking a break. You need to take it easy once in a while."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that. It's been a couple of days since the fiasco with the Manticore and in that time I had tried to spend some time off, but I just couldn't. I tried, but I just can't. I've been doing this for too damn long, I guess I just never got used to the idea of just stopping.

"Do you have any more jobs?" I repeat, only to get an eye roll from the mare.

"Actually, Twilight wanted you for something. Not sure what, but it seemed important. She was in a bit of a rush. Said she wanted you sent to the library as soon as you got back." She said adjusting the satchel over her shoulder. "Well. If that's all, I'll be off."

Nodding to the waving mare, I look towards the large oak tree at the centre of town. What could be so important that Twilight Sparkle would so urgently need me. Taking a stride to the library, I walked as quickly as I could. I knew this had to be important. Soon enough I arrived at the library, I could already hear voices inside. Sounds like the rest of her friends were here as well.

Without knocking, I walk inside, startling the ponies and dragon present. Looking to Twilight, I see a look of urgency, slight panic perhaps? It looked more like she had just come down from a large rant and knowing Twilight, she probably did. I could tell they had been waiting for some time. As when they saw it was me, they visibly relaxed. That or they were worried something had happened. Unlikely.

"Alright, I'm here. What is it you need me for?" I said coming to a stop before the group.

"Princess Celestia has issued me another test but is also requesting you to be present as well. I'm not sure as to why, but I'm sure she has her reasons."

"It must be important then. Just let me get my gear together and we can be off."

Before I could fully turn around, I noticed Twilight wore a rather sheepish look. Looking around the group, everyone else had the same or a similar look.

"What."

"W...Well, Princess Luna took the liberty of gathering what you would need from your home. So there won't be any need to leave." She said in a rather bashful tone. 

'What I would need'? What are the princesses planning? What is could be so important that they would need my presence, fully kitted out? My interest was now piqued.

"Alright then. Shall we?"

Giving a nod, we gathered beside each other, putting a hand on the shoulder of the person next to us. And with that, we vanished.

I have experienced teleportation a broad number of times before, but I could never string together the words to fully describe what the sensation feels like, but I can at least try. It starts with the initial burst, the feeling of weightlessness, your muscles tighten up and an unseen pressure is forced on every inch of your body. After that, the feeling of pins and needles replace the pressure as your muscles relax and you feel like your falling. 
During this, you're placed in what I can only describe as a plain black, space, your head feels like its doing loops as your pulled towards a purple, oval opening. And in a matter of seconds, your feet land on a solid surface as you pop back into existence at your desired destination.

As we appear in Canterlot castle's courtroom, I take a moment to let my mind catch up to my body, as it were. I could never get used to the feeling of being teleported somewhere.

"Princess, It's good to see you." I could hear Twilight say, probably bowing along with the rest of the group. "I'm ready for the test."

As I shook off the last of my dizziness, I saw Celestia standing from her throne as did Luna and walked down the steps towards us with Luna coming towards me with what I presume she had gotten from my home in her hands. My suspicions were confirmed as she got closer.

"This is going to be a different kind of test, my faithful student." She said as she stopped in front of the group "Tell me. Have any of heard of the crystal empire?" She continued as Luna handed me my equipment with a smile.

Thanking her I walk over to one of the many pillars and take a seat on the floor. It was at this point I completely zoned the conversation out as I equipped myself with what Luna had got together. It was a quick thing to do, seeing as it was just muscle memory and I went into autopilot, not really thinking about what I was doing. It didn't take long, however, for me to be taken out of the back of my mind as I was directly spoken to.

"-and that's where you come in Fendral." Celestia addressed me as I quickly looked at her.

"My apologies, I zoned out for a while there, I wasn't really paying attention," I said as the group of seven rolled their eyes. except for Pinkie, she was just happy to be there.

"Well, I may as well start from the beginning. An empire in the frozen north went missing a few hundred years ago due to the one who ruled it at the time. A unicorn by the name of 'Sombra' went mad with power, overthrow the existing ruler at the time and enslaved the citizens, taking a great amount of joy out of their misery. My sister and I went to stop him, but he had a failsafe planned. When defeated, he cast a powerful spell that that made the empire go into a magic-induced suspended animation, freezing everyone in place, along with pulling the empire into the Icey depths below. 

Now, it has returned, but with me and Luna unable to wield the elements, the only thing capable of destroying the corruption that took over the city, and having a kingdom to oversee, we see no other alternative than to send in the current element holders. And as I said before, that is where you come in."

Taking time to process the information, I finally understood why they called for my person. They wanted me to protect them.

"And you want me to make sure they come back alive."

The bluntness of my statement seemed to impact the six ponies and dragon present the most. They probably assumed the princesses wouldn't send them in if they didn't have full faith in them. But I know otherwise. 

"Unfortunately, that is the case. The element bearers are free to do anything they can to free the ponies from their misery, but seeing as they have no formal combat training and you're the most well-trained person we know, we need you to go along with them, just in case Sombra gets any idea's to harm them." Luna interjected before Celestia could give them any false realities.

That's one problem I have with the Solar Matriarch. She sugar coats everything. Don't get me wrong, she's a fantastic ruler and she's not one to mess with, but she doesn't always give the full truth.
Much like Luna, we go back. Luna introducing us shortly after we met. It was a very rocky start but soon became good friends, thankfully. She knows what I think of her and I know what she thinks of me.

"So is this an informal job or are you giving me a full contract?" I asked, making sure that all my equipment was ready for the task ahead.

"It'll be informal and you'll receive your payment once the task is complete," Celestia said with a slight smile. She always poked fun at my seriousness, always finding it amusing for one reason or another.

"Good. Anything else we should know?"

I could see Celestia hesitate briefly before sighing.

"I sent Shining Armour and Cadence to investigate about four days ago. We haven't gotten word from them since. But I can feel their safe for the time being, however." She said, getting in the last bit quick enough to prevent Twilight from having a panic attack.

Deciding to ignore the obvious lapse in judgement, I didn't want to delay this any longer than it needed to be.

"If that's all, then let's get this show on the road." 

"Don't worry princess we won't let you down!" Twilight said, her statement being reciprocated by the group with a mass agreement.





Soon after the rather quick meeting, we found ourselves on a train to the last known location of the Crystal Empire. How the hell there was still train service to the Icey tundra of the north, I'll never understand. But at least the journey there wasn't boring. There were quite a few games that Pinkie had somehow found in the cart we were situated in.

To kill time, we started and finished several games. Thing's like Two Truths and a Lie, Monopoly, Chess, Dominos and Pictionary. Many laughs were had, everyone had a chance to win and lose. All in all, we greatly enjoyed ourselves.

"So fen. I thought you said that you were going to relax. What happened to that plan of yours?" Dash asked, a curious look taking over her face.

This caught the attention of the rest of the ponies and singular dragon present. While they knew I had given up on my plan to take an extended break, they didn't know the full reason why I stopped.

"Do you want the full answer, or do you me to beat around the bush?"

"I think we should have the full answer. We're all friends here and friends look out for each other." Applejack said, the rest of those present agreeing with her.

Sighing, I nodded my head. These ponies were indeed friends. There is a story for why each of them is friends of mine, but that's for another time.

"Truth be told, I was never really been one to just sit down and take time off. I always had to be doing something. After becoming a Bounty Hunter, this aspect of me was made worse. And now that I've been doing it for so long, the thought of stopping has become...foreign. Unnatural." Sighing again, I lean back into my seat, letting my shoulders slack a small bit. "I suppose doing this for forty years tends to affect someone."

The girls and dragon look at me sympathetically, seemingly unsure how to process the information.

"Well if I knew it would as depressing as that I wouldn't have asked, sorry." Dash apologised, seemingly feeling responsible for the sudden mood shift.

"Bah! Enough of this depression. Why don't we continue with these games, huh?" I said, the once moody atmosphere now gone in a flash. The girls excitedly agreeing with me and pulling out a game of charades with a slight cheer.

Sometime during the rematch games, the grassy plains of equestrian turned into a snowy, frozen landscape. Nothing but white to be seen for miles. with everyone now wrapping themselves up in warm clothing, I decided to double-check my equipment, going over my mental checklist of what I had.

Amban rifle? check. E5M pistol? check. Vibro sword? check. Bowie knife? Check.

While I was doing this, the train came to a sudden stop, lurching all present passengers to one side. The conductor came into our cart with a rather frazzled look. Clearly what had us stop was having putting him into a bit of a state.

"Why did the train stop?" I asked the conductor

"Because this is as far as we can go. The track just...cuts off. Looks like either: we're going back or you're going to have to walk from here."

"Do you know how long it would take to reach these coordinates?" I ask, writing them down on a piece of paper for the conductor to see, having memorised them from when Celestia told me before we left, very possibly for this exact scenario.

He readjusts his glasses to his eyes as he processes the information. He takes a while looking up from the piece of paper to the snow-covered land outside back to the paper.

"I'd say about fifteen-twenty minutes due north-west." He said, pointing just behind us.

"Ok. Thank you. Alright, girls, you heard the man, get everything you need together, let's move out!" I said receiving confirmation from each of the group. I didn't have to wait long and before we knew it, we were out in the bitter cold snow in silence. And like all silence, this one was quickly broken.

"Wait! Look! I see someone!" Pinkie shouted, pointing to a silhouette.

I squinted my eyes to try and better my sight to see into the never-ending storm and soon a figure appears out of swirling ice and snow wearing thick fabric clothing. The figure removes his goggles and scarf around his face to reveal a rather dreary Shining Armour.

"Twily? Is that you?" He shouts over the storm, hope taking over his voice.

"Shining!" Twilight did her best to make it over to him in the shin thick snow. He notices this and meets her halfway in a tight hug, quickly letting her go.

"We should get moving. We do not want to be caught out in the open after dark." He said not attempting to hide the fear in his voice.

"Why?" I ask.

"There are things, unlike anything you've seen." He said. I doubt that.

"What k-kind thi-things?" Fluttershy asked, timidly. Poor girl. She was shaking like a leaf. Whether it was from the cold or it was just her being scared, I don't know.

"Let's just say the empire isn't the only thing that returned." 

Just as he finished, a noise could be heard over the sound of the blizzard in the distance. Turning around. I saw nothing. When all of a sudden an enormous, writhing mass of black mist erupted out of the ground before us, with a pair of blood-red eyes oozing strange purple energy baring down at us with malicious intent.

"Sombra. RUN!"
> "The Crystal Empire"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Run. That's all I could do. That's all any of us could do. No matter how many blaster bolts I dished out, no matter how much fire I sprayed, it didn't seem to faze him. Not even a little bit. It seemed to just piss him off.

"Come on! We're almost there!" I could barely hear Shining Armor over the blaring wind. It felt stronger than it did previously.

Sure enough, just ahead of us, a clear light blue dome could be seen through the thick snowfall. The city beneath completely unaffected by the blizzard.
With a final surge of energy, we raced towards an opening in the dome, Sombra not far behind us. Looking over to the girls, I could easily see the fear in their eyes and it easy to understand why.

As we were coming up to the barrier, something didn't feel right. I stopped and looked back and I saw Shining Armor trying to stand up to Sombra, firing shots of magic at the black mass. Nothing worked. 
Without thinking, acting out of pure instinct, I ran forward as quickly as I could, time slowing to a crawl. I could barely make out the screams of the group behind me. Coming up behind the unicorn, I grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and heaved with all the strength I had and threw him towards the barrier, before Sombra came down upon me, forcing me to take a knee.

As the cloud of inky black enveloped me, Sombra's face materialised in front of me, his sinister grin baring down at me with malevolent intent. I could feel him poking and prodding at the back of my mind, testing my mental defences, trying to find a way in. But I wasn't going to take it lying down. Like hell I was.
Reaching down to the holster on my thigh, I grabbed my pistol and fired from my hip, the bolt finding its mark in Sombra's left eye.

Lashing out in pain, I felt my body come into contact with a strong shock wave, sending me soaring through the air and, thankfully, into the opening in the dome.





I don't think I have ever run as fast as I did at that moment. My only focus was on getting my friends and myself to safety.

"Come on! We're almost there!" I was just able to hear Shining shout. The wind didn't feel this strong before! Could Sombra have control over the weather?

Shaking the thoughts out of my head and focusing on the task ahead, I could make out the light blue of the shield over the Crystal Empire. We were so close.
Pushing any fatigue I had, I ran forward as fast as I could. We came upon the opening in the dome, I did a quick headcount to make sure no one was left behind. I came up two short and looked back. What I saw, made my heart skip a beat.

I saw Fendral sprinting with a burst of speed that would make Dash blush, running towards my brother who was trying to fight Sombra to try to ward him off.

"SHINING! FEN!" I don't think I've ever screamed louder in my life, the girls and Spike joining me in my attempt to get their attention, but our hollering fell on deaf ears.

Grabbing Shining by the collar, Fen threw him with a strength that would make Big Mac jealous, I saw Sombra rearing up to pounce. Before we could even try to warn him, Sombra had already made his move.

As he came down on our friend, he fell to one knee, a physical manifestation of Sombra's face coming up close to his own. I know Fen's strong, but from what I was able to research, Sombra is very powerful when it came to mind control magic. He stood no chance of fighting back.
But before any of us were able to react or comprehend what was happening, Fen reached down to his thigh and pulled out his pistol and shot Sombra in the eye, making him send out a mighty telekinetic burst of magic, sending all of us farther into the hole in the shield.

As we came to a stop, I looked up to see the hole had closed and Sombra flying away, leaving a trail of crimson red smoke behind him as he went. Fen really did a number on him.

"Is everypony ok?" I heard Shining ask, getting a nod of confirmation from all that was present.

"Not everyone," Spike said, pointing to where we had come from.

Before I could ask what she meant, I heard everyone give out a gasp. Looking behind me, I saw Fen on his hands and knees, shaking and twitching. it was random, sporadic. Something was very clearly wrong. But there was something else. Even at the distance we were at, I could plainly see what it was.
Coming out of every inch of his body was a wispy black smoke, similar to Sombra's, but less intense. Getting up, I rushed over to his side, making sure not to touch him, the others doing the same.

"Twi, darling, do something!" Rarity shouted.

"I can't! I've never dealt with dark magic before!"

I could hear him muttering, but it was slightly muffled, so I couldn't make out what he was saying. I've never felt more powerless in my life before now. All I could do was watch and pray that our friend would be ok.

"Come on, Fen fight it. Fight it like I know you can!"





PoV shift: Fendral

Anger. hatred. This was all I could feel as my vision blurred to darkness, my whole body on fire with pain never before felt. I could feel something in the back of my mind, a whispering soon turning to a murmur. Murmuring turning to comprehensible words. Words of corruption. Sombra's words of corruption.

"W̵̞̉h̴̨͝ò̴̡ ̶̝̎I̴̲͂s̸̩̈ ̶̗̄ȟ̵̘e̷͇̿r̷͒ͅé̶̪?̴̟̿ ̶̩̏Ÿ̸͇́o̸̭͝ư̵̢ ̷̰̈́w̷͍͋i̷͖͋l̸̕ͅl̵̤̃ ̷͍͛f̴̗͊ǎ̶̭i̸̓͜l̴̘̍,̴͓͠ ̴̙͂y̴͖͐ó̴͈ǘ̶̻ ̶̲̾w̵͔͝ḯ̵̮ḷ̵̊l̸̛̠ ̸̬̽a̵̙͂l̷̦̓ḷ̴̆ ̸̬̏f̷̈͜a̶̳̋i̶̗͑l̸̓͜.̸̫͑ ̵͇͛T̷̪̾h̴̩͂e̸̼̾y̷͚͌ ̷͇̓d̶͔̂e̶̠͊ṇ̵̇y̶͛͜ ̶̦̏o̶͕͐u̴͕͊r̷͈̕ ̵̖͘t̶̗̔ơ̴̼ư̵̮c̶͕͌h̸̝̓.̵̤̕ ̷̨̈́W̸̻͗e̵͈͠ ̴͉̉m̴̤̾u̵̖̐s̸͇̈́t̷̯͒ ̸̟͐r̵͙̋ȅ̸̼t̵̺̐ũ̴̠r̵̜͆n̵͕͆.̷̙͂ ̶̳͆B̴̬̔r̷̘͌e̴̲͆á̵̡k̷̻̂ ̵̦͊y̴̬̐o̸̱͝ų̷̉r̷̛̮ ̵̛̟s̸̫̀e̵͓͝a̶̝͆l̷̟̇.̴̰͠ ̵̞͘Y̴̗͘ŏ̷͚ȗ̴̯'̷̞̏l̸̡͌l̵̟̐ ̵̞̍n̷̢͛e̸̤̍v̴͓́e̶͉͊r̷̟̆ ̶̡̂s̵͖̀u̵̠̾r̴̢̆v̷̝̚ĭ̶̹v̷̡̇e̸̪͝!̷́ͅ ̵̱̍Y̸͈͝ò̵̧ů̷͔ ̷̫̉m̶̫̑u̵̥͝s̵̲̚t̵̮̽.̸̖̅.̵͔͂.̴̛̯t̴͇̐a̶͕̽k̷͎͘e̶̱̕ ̵̲̑t̶͊͜h̷̬̍ẽ̴̟m̴͓̆!"

Resisting the words was no easy feat. With every push I gave, came a shove. This was a battle of the minds and I was quickly losing. Sudden, the whispers stopped and I was taken back to reality with a start, gasping for air, as I was holding an unknown breath. Coughing out my lungs, I got my breathing to a manageable state, my mind trying it's best to grasp what it had just gone through. 
I've had mind-control attempts before, but this was completely different. And it scared me. Looking to my hands, I see the tails ends of a dark mist dissipating from my arms. That's not concerning what so ever.

Hearing sighs of relief around me, I look up to see I was inside the dome, safe from the biting cold of the outside world. Scanning the area, I see we arrived in what I can assume to be a simple housing estate of the Empire.

"Fen?"

Jumping slightly and giving out a small growl, my headshot to my right to see Applejack with a concerned look on her face. She took a step back, startled by my sudden movement. Letting a sigh escape my lips, I let my head hang, Glad to see everyone managed to make it. 

"Are you ok to walk?" Applejack asks, clearly very worried for my well being, so too were the others.

Nodding, I stand up with a groan. Whatever Sombra did took more out of me than I expected. With Applejack and Fluttershy helping me to my feet, my eyes quickly land on the unicorn Captain. Walking over to him, I simply stared down at him, me being taller by a few considerable inches, before socking him in the face. Hard.

Gasps of surprise sound behind me, the girls and dragon clearly not expecting this reaction, including the Captain. But before any of them could sound their displeasure, I gave the unicorn in front of me a piece of my mind.

"What the krif were you thinking, taking Sombra on your own! You could have been killed! Never, and I mean never, take on an opponent unless you know you're guaranteed to survive." I said, my words clearly hitting the stallion deep.

"I see your reputation is warranted." He said rubbing his nose to minimise the pain. "Yea, I realize now it wasn't exactly the brightest of ideas. Thank you, for saving me, I mean. But the same could be said to you. You didn't need to risk your own life to save mine."

Sighing, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. 

"I was tasked with protecting the seven you see behind me. You may not be apart of the group, but as long as your in the presence of this group, I will do anything and everything I can to ensure your safety. That's a promise. That and you have a wife and sister to be alive for." I could see he brightened up a bit when I said that. Of course, I meant every word. "We shouldn't stay here for too long."

"Agreed. Follow me. I'll take you to Cadence and we'll figure it out from there."

"Lead the way alor'ad."





PoV shift: Twilight

"Do you think he's alright?" I heard Fluttershy ask.

I looked over to Fen in front of us, following Shining to the palace. He looked ok, but then again, he isn't exactly one to show signs of injury. And that bothered me. I had learned that lesson the hard way.

"I don't know Fluttershy. I really don't. I'll keep an eye on him" I said, gaining a soft nod from her.

As we continued down the path, I couldn't help but notice that the streets were empty, but the strangest thing was that it didn't look like there had been any sort of rush. Like the ponies had just up and left what they were doing.

Shaking the thoughts from my head, we entered the palace, passing staff as we went, receiving the occasional bow or curtsey. Eventually, we entered the throne room and inside was Cadence, exhaustion clear on her face.

"Cadence!" I took a short jog up to the throne where she sat. "What happened?"

“We found out shortly after we arrived that love seems to be the primary source of power along with light magic. Cadence has been able to use her magic to imitate them to power the empire. But it's taken a lot of energy to do it and she's barely been able to sleep, but has been eating enough to fuel her magic." He said, adopting a downcast expression. "I wish I could help, but there's only so much I'm able to do."

"Shining." Cadence started, smiling at him. "You've done more than enough to help."

"Is there a way to make the shield permanent?" Fen asks.

"If there is, we're unaware of it. We haven't been able to research it or get any information from the crystal ponies. Though not for a lack of trying." Cadence replied, slouching on the throne slightly.

“Crystal ponies, there are crystal ponies?” Rarity asked, gaining an expression from everypony that said 'seriously'
"Apologies, uh, please continue."

“We believe, at least one of them knows how to acquire a means to protect the empire without Cadence having to use all her magic. It's just the matter of getting the info we need." Shining continued.

"So you think that one of the citizens knows how to get away to protect the Empire from a powerful, paranoid, bloodthirsty unicorn hell-bent on taking over said Empire and then some. Think about that." Fen replied. "And mean, really think about that."

Thinking about what he said, it made sense. Sombra would have most likely hidden or destroyed any way to gain access to any kind of power that does what Shining described. Thinking as hard as I could, I tried to think of anything that could point us in the right direction. But my mind drew a blank every time. 

"No one? Does no one know what to do?" Fen asked, looking around everypony present. "Really? I'm surrounded by some of the most intelligent ponies I know and none of you knows what to do?"

"We could always try the library," Spike replied

Slapping my forehead, I couldn't help but feel slightly thick. It made sense. If no pony knows where to start then the library was a sure-fire way of at least gaining a hint, hoping Sombra overlooked something.

"Why didn't I think of that."

"Ok, so we know where we're going. Come on every pony. Let's not waste any time."

"Don't worry Shining, we won't let you down. I promise."





Finding the library wasn't a particularly hard task, but finding a book that would help is a completely different story. We looked for what felt like hours and time was a commodity we were running out of.

"Argh, this is getting us absolutely nowhere!" Dash shouted, only to be shushed by the librarian.

"And you shouting isn't helping us either," I said, getting an irritated sigh from the Pegasus. "Ok, so let's just stop and think. We need a book that can give us an idea of how to generate love and light magic, both on a massive scale. We've tried all the spell books and tomes available. What else could help?"

"What about a book on the Crystal Empires history?" Fluttershy suggested. 

"That could work." Pinkie said.

"Shy you're a genius!" Twilight exclaimed, giving the shy Pegasus a quick hug before rushing off to find said history book.

We didn't need to wait long as she came running back with a sizable book in her arms. Letting it go, it dropped to the table with a loud thud. Opening it to the index near the front, quickly finding the right section. Scanning through the pages, we find what we were looking for. And it was hiding right under our noses.

Running as quickly as we could back to the palace, some ponies coming out of their homes to see what the commotion was about. Soon enough, we had gathered a bit of a following. Bursting through the large double doors of the throne room, we made our way to Shining Armor and Cadence.

"Please tell us you found what we need?" Shining asked with a hint of hope in his voice. 

"We have. It says here a crystal faire was established by the Empires first queen and quickly became their most important tradition.” Twilight read the book to Shining Armour and Cadence when we returned to the castle. “The faire was held every year to renew the spirit of love and unity among the people of the empire so they may be protected from harm."

Murmuring broke out amongst the crowd behind us, but as it did, a gasp from Cadence silenced it. Looking over her, she looked knackered and would have fallen had Shining Armor not caught her. Her usually bright pink coat now seemed dull and pale. She was losing magic.

"Well. Looks like we have a faire to plan, it seems." I said. "But I don't think eight people are capable of doing such a task alone. We need help."

More mumbling was cast out from the vast majority of the large crowd, somewhat disheartened by the time they had spent under Sombra's regime.
"Are there instructions in that book about the faire?" I ask.

Flicking back to the index and looking it over for a few brief seconds, she flips to the page she needed and smiles.

"Yes. Here." She said, showing me what had to be done.

"Ok. Me, Spike and AJ will do the heavy lifting and you can decide amongst yourselves what you're going to do." I said, walking away from the group. 

"Ok Everypony, listen up please!" I shouted, gaining the crowd's attention. "We're going to need your help with this. We cannot do this alone. We need all the help we can get. This is your tradition. And we need you to work with us as a team to get this done. Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much. After all, It takes two flints to make a fire. So, please. All I ask you is this: Will you help us?"

One stood forth from the mass. "You have my hammer!"

And another. "And you have my instruments!" 

And another. "And my land!"

And with that the multitude before us erupted in jovial cheers, marching out to start preparations. AJ and spike came to my side and Jack patted me on the shoulder.

"I gotta admit, Fen, you know how to rile the masses." She said with a slight chuckle. 

"You sure you'll be ok to work?" Spike asked. Knowing what he was referring to, I lightly patted him on the back, nodding my head.

"I'll be just fine Spike, don't you worry about me," I said walking off to prepare for a long day ahead. "Believe me when I say AJ, I wasn't even trying."





Preparations went about as smoothly as I expected. Since the locals were far more familiar with the faire, they knew what had to be done and how it should be done. And after my little speech, as well as explaining that the six mares I accompanied were the new wielders of the Elements of Harmony, they were more than happy to help.
Applejack, Spike and I were doing most of the heavy-duty stuff, while the rest of the girls did decoration or organising what went where. It was hard work, having to strip most of my heavier pieces of gear not long after we started to prevent tiring too quickly. All in all, I think we did a pretty good job.

While we were doing so, we were helped by a female Lycan by the name of 'Selene', a friendly, well-spoken individual and one that did not leave my side throughout the endeavour, all too interested in the newcomer to leave. Eventually, once the job was done and I was reattaching my armour, Selene started asking all manner of questions. And I was more than happy to share my religion with those who had an interest in it.

"So you can't take your helmet off?" She said, not attempt to hide her enthusiasm.

"It is not a required rule, as it is clan specific, but it is a widely accepted rule for...reasons I won't go over," I said, securing my vambraces in place. "But to answer your question directly. No, I cannot."

"Why is that?" She asked, her interest now piqued at an all-time high.

Smiling under my helmet, I gave the only appropriate answer. One that is synonymous with Mandalorian's.

"This is the way."

"Ok! Now all is left is to set up the Crystal Heart. Rarity and another jeweller had one cut." Twilight said, abruptly, shaking us from our conversation, putting no effort to try and hide her obvious excitement.

I'm not sure why, but for some inexplicable reason, there was something in the back of my mind that told me that something just wasn't right. Something felt off. And it bothered me. It was like the feeling you get in your stomach when you know something bad is about to happen. A feeling I was all too familiar with.

"Twilight, can I see the book for a second, please?" I asked, snapping on the piece of armour in its rightful place.

"Uh...sure." She said, uncertain as to what I was doing.

Taking the book from her hands, I flicked to the index and found where I had to go. Flipping to the section I needed and scanned the page. What I found was less than desirable.

"Can I speak to you guys in private?" I asked, the seriousness in my voice putting the others on edge.

"Well it seems this is going to be rather important, so I'll leave you to it then," Selene said, before leaving, waving as she does.

Without waiting for an answer, I got up from my seat and walked off to a secluded part of the land, away from any prying ears. The group quickly caught up with me, their faces displaying their obvious apprehension.

"Fen. What is it? Is everything ok?" Applejack asked, resetting her Stetson into a comfortable position after the short, but sudden jog.

"No. No, it's not." I said quietly. "I'm not going to beat around the bush with you guys, but we have a problem. A big problem."

Flipping the book around, I showed the page to the ones in front of me, their faces paling slightly.

"Oh dear, this is bad," Fluttershy whispered. "This is really bad."

"So the Crystal Heart is an ancient artefact rather than just a piece of carved stone?" Twilight said. "But where would it be, if even exists any more?"

Not giving a reply, I started thinking of the best way to go about this. The girls started talking amongst themselves, quietly debating the best course of action to take. Eventually, I came up with something. It wasn't the best plan ever, but it would do for now. Not like we had many choices to begin with.

"Alright, here's a game plan. Twilight: you go search for the Crystal Heart. Do anything you can. I suggest getting a floor plan of the entire palace and go from there. Spike, you join her. Everyone else: Do your best to distract the citizens. Keep the faire going for as long as you can. It may not be the best plan, but as I see it, it's the best of a bad bunch."

"Wait, what're you gonna do?" Dash asked as I handed the book back to Twilight.

"I'll aid in the search, but I'll be searching out of palace grounds. That should increase our chance of finding the Heart. In theory anyway." I said, steeling my resolve with determination. "So, you all know what you're doing. Then let's get to work."

Scattering, we left to fulfil our jobs. I headed to the local cemetery. It was a long shot, but it was worth a look. I hope so anyway. Quickly coming across said cemetery by random chance, I found the front gate. Stepping inside, the atmosphere rapidly soured. The dark grey, almost green-stained stone path was ripe with moss, vines and other vegetation. It was clear that not a lot of care was put into the maintenance of this place, as surprising as it was.
Walking between the tombstones, the names altered to the point of being unrecognisable due to the passage of time, I soon noticed the sheer size of the graveyard. There was a chance, a small chance Sombra could have hidden something here. But as the hours ticked by, that chance was swiftly smothered.

"Nothing. Damn it. I better start looking somewhere els-"

My small monologue was cut short by a sound. A sound I'd recognise anywhere. Explosions. And screaming

Moving as fast as I could, I burst through the front gates of the cemetery, sprinting full speed through the now-abandoned street, which didn't help my state of mind.

Rushing as fast as I could, I soon came to the faire grounds. My haste coming to nothing. I was already too late. The scene could only be described in one word. A massacre. 
The bustling streets of the area were now littered with the bodies of the once jovial Crystal Ponies, their faces contorted in an expression of pure fear. Blood splattered the crystalline ground as their organs spewed onto the floor with reckless abandon. Craters littered the ground haphazardly. Bone was snapped, poking out of the skin and fur of the ponies, their flesh sliced to ribbons, fresh blood leaking from the newly made wounds. 

Pushing back the foreboding feeling, I look up, now noticing something painfully obvious. The shield, once protecting the city, was down. How did I not notice that before? Snow now fell lightly to the ground, the blizzard overhead now gone. How could all this happen so quickly?

"So he finally arrives."

Whipping around on my wheels, I spotted the last person I needed to see. Sombra. Or at least a shadow of him.

This one was similar to the one we encountered out in the open but was vastly different. This one had a more humanoid visage, the mist appearing to act something akin to a robe, the ends twirling up as they disappear. His eyes were pure white orbs casting off trails not dissimilar to the rest of him. This was a magical projection.

"So, this is what you are truly like in the flesh? I must say, I am not impressed." He said gliding around me. His voice was deep, almost intimidatingly so, with a slight growl in the background of it. 

Looking at the tyrant in the eye, I stood my ground, standing as tall as I could. This gained only a what appeared to be sneer from the shadow, clearly not impressed with my display. As he came about my front, he stared blankly into my eyes before resuming his circling glide. 

"What have you done with my friends? What happened here?" I asked, my patience and composure slowly slipping.

No reply was made, only a piercing gaze. I could physically feel his eyes inspect every inch of my body. Letting out a hum he finally stopped his analytical survey. His calm demeanour putting me on edge, flinching slightly when he spoke at last.

"In time, you will know." He said before slowly dissolving, leaving only me and the destroyed faire ground.

Silence. That was all I was left with. An eerie, ear-splitting silence. My breathing as my only company. I just stood there amongst the rubble and debris, unsure of what to do. Hearing shuffling behind me, I spun around, pulling my rifle off my back as I did so, only to be greeted by a sight I least expected. Selene.

"Is he gone?" She asked in a low tone, a small group of ponies forming behind her, most likely those who survived this apparent surprise attack. Nodding, I let my stance go more neutral, doing so slowly as to not scare them any more than they already are.

"What happened here?" I asked, steadily putting my rifle away, calming the locals slightly. "What happened while I was gone?"

"It happened so fast. There was a bright flash of blinding light, then they came in a blur. There was so much blood...there was nothing we could do to defend ourselves." Someone said, stepping forward from the posse. "We did all we could to save those of us that survived, but we still lost a lot of ponies."

"Where are the Elements of Harmony?"

There was a brief silence, the group gaining a look of trepidation suddenly. whether for fear of how I would react, or something else, I'm not sure.

"They were taken to the palace by some of the ones who attacked us," Selene said, pointing to the large crystal building.

Turning around, I looked up to the palace, the colour slowly draining from it, the once bright blue colours were now turning dulled and grey. It was an honestly depressing sight. To see what was considered a beacon of hope for its people, now to be reduced to a shadow of its former self.

I knew what had to be done, but I don't know if I have the strength to do it and come back alive. The possibilities were decreasing the more I thought of a way to save them. My hopes were receding. But I had to give it my all for there were no other options.
I was tasked with protecting them and I'll be damned if I failed them now.
> "The Saviour"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are you fucking insane?!"

Those were the first words uttered from Selene's mouth when I was done explaining what I was going to do. And they were words that were etched with nought but concern. For some inexplicable reason, Selene was very worried for my well being, despite only knowing each other for a few hours. But that did not stop her in the least.

"I said it before and I'll say it again. There is no other way I'd be able to save them, and if there were any other way, I'd be more than happy to use them, but as it stands, this is my only option." I said.

My goal was easier said than done. I planned to sneak through the palace, find and rescue the Elements of Harmony. But, like all plans, there were innumerable amount of variables. 
How many guards were there? Where were they placed? How skilled are they? What is their equipment like? Are there traps? So many to account for, it honestly hurt to think about. But as I said, I didn't have any other choices.

"Look, I know your skilled at your profession, but Sombra's trained guards are in there, corrupted by his magic to make them more powerful."

"Well if the Canterlots guard is anything to go by, that doesn't mean much." I joked in hopes to lighten the mood. It didn't work.

"This isn't a laughing matter! You could die!"

I couldn't help but chuckle. This didn't sit well with the white Lycan in front of me. The look she gave me said everything I needed to know.

"My life has been in danger more times than I can count. Being a Bounty Hunter, it does that, it comes with the territory." I said, my words seemingly putting her at ease, even if just a little bit.

"Ok, fine." She conceded. "Just promise you'll come back."

"Why is it your so concerned for my well being? Why is it you care for a person you've known for a handful of hours?"

She seemed to be taken aback by my question. A surprised expression made its way onto her face. Brushing a lock of her dark sliver hair out her face, she placed her hand on her opposite arm, rubbing it slightly. She looked embarrassed.

"As cliché as this sounds, I didn't have a lot of friends growing up, being left to myself mostly, others seeing me as odd, even as I got older. So when you and the others actually accepted my conversation attempts, it felt nice." She said, her ears flattening back on her head. "I don't know...it just feels nice to have someone I can at least talk to."

Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, I gave a small squeeze, doing my best to alleviate any fears she may have.

"I swear upon my forefathers of old, that I may return alive and well. I promise you this."

"Ok." She whispered, giving a small nod. 

Giving her a soft pat, I turned away, steeling my resolve and made my way past the palace. Walking towards higher ground, I made sure I wasn't being watched or followed and crouched down, pulling out my amban rifle, unscrewing the scope to use as a small, makeshift telescope. 
Bringing it to my eye, I switched the scope to inferred and looked to a series of windows near ground level.  They appeared to be rather unguarded and seemed easy enough to get to. I looked around my side of the palace and noticed a suspicious lack of guards. This had me worried, surely Sombra would have placed more around or have patrols in place, but there was near enough nothing. Just the occasional guard here and there. He's planning something. And nothing good.

Quickly jogging to the underside of the windows, I launched the wire from my vambrace, using it as a grappling hook stand-in. Making sure it was secure, I extended small spikes from the soles of my boots and steadily ascended, using the sheer surface of the palace wall as my means of affixing my feet. Climbing through the window as discreetly as I could and began stalking the halls of the maze of corridors. It was easy enough to avoid any who I came across, hiding behind statues that occasionally dotted the long hallway.

Despite my observation earlier, I was now coming across far more guards that I entered the palace. A few times I had become close to being caught, but narrowly avoided detection, fortunately. But it was not looking good. I couldn't go more than a few metres before having to hide. This was going to take longer than I initially expected.

Eventually, I knew, my apparent luck would have to run out.

While sneaking the halls, I came across a patrol of three. They were well-armed, two of them appeared to be of average build, one being a unicorn and the other a Pegasus. The Unicorn was shorter than the Pegasus, But the third one was a massive Earth-pony on both height and build. And I was out of cover to hide behind.

"Hey! Intruder! Stop!" The Pegasus shouts, swiftly gaining the attention of the other two.

Inwardly cursing myself, I stood to my full height, stepping out into the middle of the hall, keeping my side to them, while making sure they were still within my line of sight.

"State your business here or you'll be forced off the premises." The Pegasus said, pointing his halberd at me.

"Come any closer and I'll rip out your intestines and strangle you with them," I said, lowering the pitch of my voice to come across as menacing as possible.

As I said that, the Unicorn began whispering to the large Earth-pony, pulling his arming sword out its sheathe. Once he was done, the large pony hefted his Dane axe off his shoulders, a sadistic grin spreading over his helmeted, but visible face.

"Oh-ho-ho-ho. This is going to be fun." He said, his deep voice booming across the corridor.

Knowing I was now in some deep shit, my hand rushed down to my hip and pulled out my Messer. The blade vibrating at an astonishing rate. Getting into a wrath stance, I tightly gripped the straight, leather-bound handle and placed the blade just above my shoulder.

Accepting my challenge, the large earth-pony taking long strides towards me with malicious intent. As he made his way to me, he held the equally large axe in both his hands, getting ready to cleave me in half. 
Closing my eyes, I released a breath to focus. I felt the heavy steps of the earth-pony in the ground coming quickly at me and waited for the right moment.

As I felt his movement slow suddenly, my eyes burst open, swinging my Messer out, it came into contact with the handle of his axe, the wooden frame putting up no resistance against the vibrating blade, a clean-cut dividing the two halves. Due to the shortening of the long handle, the axe head was sent off course and into the dark marble floor mere inches from my foot.

A look of shock took over the Earth-ponies face, I took this opening to deliver a solid kick to his stomach, sending him stumbling back to his peers, who had the same expression as their colleague. Getting into a low stance, I looked between the three before me and issued one last warning.

"Come any closer and I'll shove my foot so far up your arse you'll have toes for teeth," I said.

This didn't sit well with the Ponies in front of me, as the two who were still armed rushed forward, raising their weapons to strike. Switching the vibrating blade off, I inverted my grip and grabbed the blade portion. Once in range, I used the blunt pommel as a makeshift club, impacting the face of the Unicorn, knocking him to the ground with a thump.

Ducking down, barely dodging a massive swing from the Pegasus, I thrust the tip of the blade into the opening in his shoulder, cutting deep and through the other side. Ripping it out in a spray of blood, I leaned back to avoid a hack from the now recovered Earth-ponies broken axe head. Rapping my arms around the waist of the Earth-pony, I used his momentum against him and arched my back, brutally ramming his face into the solid stone floor, knocking him out cold.

Getting up from my position on the ground, I readied myself for another attack, but none came. Looking down, I saw I had the three on the floor, either unconscious or rolling on the floor in pain. So much for being powerful. 
Walking over to the still conscious Pegasus, I grabbed him by the collar of his armour and pulled him up to meet my gaze.

"Now you're going to tell me where the Elements of Harmony are being held or my fist is going to be well acquainted with your face. Now talk." I said, raising my clenched fist to his face to emphasize my point.

"You'll have to beat me for that." He said, a smug grin accompanying his pained expression.

"Well, let's get to it then, shall we?" I said before my fist collided with his muzzle.





PoV shift: Applejack

To say this is not good would the understatement of the bucking century.

How could this happen so fast? We were caught completely off guard, with us being captured and tied up in chains with Shining Armour and Cadence. Anypony else was slaughtered like they were nothing. Their screams of agony are now permanently burned into the deepest parts of my mind. Never in my life am I going to be able to forget what happened outside. But what had me concerned the most was that Twilight, Spike and Fen were nowhere to be seen.

Just as I was starting to fear the worst, I heard the throne room doors open. I look up to see a guard walking up to Sombra with a look of apprehension.

"What news do you bring me Major?" Sombra asked.

"Sire, we have looked over the palace grounds, however, we've been unsuccessful in finding any trace of them. All we could find were the unconscious bodies of echelon 6." She said nervously.

Sombra simply stared down at the unfortunate mare. leaning back into the throne, he gave out a long, drawn-out sigh. Anxiously waiting for his reaction, the Major fidgeted slightly behind her back.

"And is there a reason for this, Major?" Sombra asked calmly. 

The Major opened her mouth to answer, but no sound could be heard. It was like the words got caught in her throat. Unable to answer, the mare bowed her head, diverting her eyes down, suddenly fascinated by the ground beneath her.

"I have given you all the resources you would need to be able to find them. And yet here you are, standing before me, empty-handed." Sombra said. "I'll ask again. Is there a reason for this incompetency?"

"I have no excuse for the lack of results, your grace." She said, her voice cracking slightly.

"Very well." He said, his seemingly passive demeanour putting the guards present on edge, even if they're not dealing with him directly. Slamming the arms of the throne, Sombra stood quickly, his face contorting into an ugly snarl. "Double the search! I will not have my plans foiled by a child and a vagabond! Find them!"

Everypony jumped at this abrupt change in emotion, the suddenness of the noise causing poor Shy to pass out. Scrambling out the room, all but a couple of guards left to try and find our friends. As much as I feared for their safety, deep down I knew they wouldn't be found.

Taking a deep breath, Sombra softly sat back down, closing his eyes as he did so, muttering to himself in a language I wasn't familiar with. Hours went by. Hours of silence from the search parties, as well as the additions that were sent to aid them. Hours that finally allowed me to take in Sombra appearance. He looked like nothing I expected.

Clad in thick segmented armour, a long tattered red cape with a white fur neck swept over his shoulders, a large pauldron overlapping his left, a small chain connecting both sides. A long battle skirt stopping at his knees protected his lower half, his hooves clad in similarly thick armoured boots. All in all, his armour almost reflected his `kingly` status.

His face, however, was a different story entirely. His mane was a warm black, specks of grey dotted here and there. His eye was a bright crimson, with the sclera being a near neon green, a purple mist emanating from them. A deep scar running from his left temple running down his eye, turning it a milky white and lacking the colour of the other, and further down his neck. All supported on a well-chiselled jawline. It was clear he was once a handsome stallion.

Just as Sombra's frustration was at its pique, that was when a sound started coming from the large pair of doors. A sort of ticking sound. it was faint, but it was there. The girls and Sombra also seemed to notice as well, looking to the doors in confusion. Seconds later the ticking quickened in pace, becoming a rapid beat. And in an instant, the once large doors were consumed by a bright ball of fire, causing splinters to start flying, forcing us to look away.

When the smoke and debris cleared, we looked over to the mess of wood and crystals, the nearby area scorched black and partially melted by the intensity of the explosion. And out of the smoke came a figure, one that we all least expected. 

Fendral.

We tried calling him, but our exclamations were smothered by the tight face masks we were forced to wear. Walking without pausing, he quickly continued down the long throne hallway, a heaviness in his step and his fists clenched.

"Sombra!" He shouted. "I'm gonna use you fucking intestines as god damn jumps ropes! "

My eyes widened at this statement. I've never seen Fen this angry before. He's only ever been mildly frustrated, only raising his voice rarely, if at all. But now? He was in a rage. And it scared me. 
Looking to the others, I saw they had the same look of concern as me, though Shining and Cadence weren't as surprised as they don't know him as well as we do.

"A bold statement from one in your position," Sombra said, indicating to me and the others.

Fen looked to us and for a moment, a very brief moment, he seemed to calm slightly. But as soon as it came, the rage intensified. His body visibly tensed, his fists clenched so tight the gloves could be heard stretching and his breathing deepened, becoming quicker.

Reaching down, he unsheathed his sword with a high pitched ring of steel and standing with it in front of him. Sombra didn't react to this, he simply looked at Fen with an unamused look, almost like he just didn't care. Standing, Sombra walk the stairs down to the base of the throne.

"You would be wise to surrender," Sombra said, while walking the steps, his voice an icy cold tone.

Fen didn't respond, deepening his stance and gripping his sword tightly. Closing his eyes, Sombra only gave an irritated sigh.

"So be it." He said.

Before his words could register, Sombra blasted Fen from his feet, sending him tumbling down the throne rooms long corridor and to where the doors used to be, with Sombra not far behind. All we could do was give out muffled screams of fright. Fen may be tough, but there was only so much his armour could do. And before we knew it, they were gone, out the remnants of the doors to Faust knows where.

Hearing the sound of chains falling, I looked back to see Rarity unlocking the binding we were held in, taking the face masks off first.

"Since when were you able to pick locks?" Dash asked once her chains were off, voicing what we were all thinking.

"Remember when I was captured by those vile diamond dogs?" She asked, unlocking Twilights chains as she did.

"I don't think anypony could forget that," I said.

"Well, when I was captured, I was placed in chains much like these and after it all happened, I figured it wouldn't hurt to learn to lockpick. I've become quite proficient at it at this point." She said. It made sense.

"Well, what are we waiting for? We need to help Fen out!" Rainbow said, jumping to her hooves.

"Whoo there! There ain't nothin' we could do to help him." I said, grabbing her tail before she could get any further.

"Are you crazy!? He could die if we don't help!" She shouted.

"I know! But what would you suggest we do? If we try and help, we'll just get in his way and get killed ourselves!" I shouted back.

"Girls! Shouting and yelling won't get us anywhere!" Cadence said, getting in between us. "The only way we may be able to help is by trying to help Twi find the Crystal Heart."

"Well ok then, let's go!" Pinkie said, racing down the throne room, the rest of us following.





PoV shift: Fendral

Coming to a skidding halt, I grunted as I clutched my chest. Beskar may be the best at dispersing blaster bolts and magic, but it doesn't do so well against the kinetic energy it produces. And by fuck does magic fire hurt like a bitch.

Quickly standing, I was barely able to dodge another magic blast as it whizzed by my head by mere centimetres. Looking to Sombra, he looked unimpressed, his hand clasped around his wrist behind his back, almost like he was toying with me.

Deciding to put on some pressure, I rushed forward with my blade on a level plane, Sombra firing off a few bolts, all of which I narrowly avoided. Taking a quick overhead swing, he stepped to the side, taking a quick jab at my ribs, inducing a painful pulse to ripple through my body as he impacted the bruised area he had hit earlier causing me to stagger slightly. Swinging my sword for his head, Sombra simply ducked, receiving another jab from the tyrant king, to which I responded by barging into his chest with my armoured shoulders.

Stumbling back, I pressed my own advantage. Half swording, I rammed my pommel into his face, a satisfying crack resounding throughout the room. Spinning around, I slapped him with the flat of my blade, sending him off balance into the wall behind him. Attempting to stab him, I aimed for his heart, but my aim was not true. Sending my blade through his shoulder, I earned a pained scream. Only to be punted back by a telekinetic burst, the grip on my sword now broken.

Once again landing on my back, I hastily got up and looked up to see Sombra pulling my sword from his shoulder, throwing it haphazardly to the side. An amused snarl now adorned his face, blood flowing down his face from his newly broken nose.

"So there is bite behind the bark? Good. It will do you well" He said. "Time to get serious."

As the words registered in my brain, Sombra released a powerful blast wave. I attempted to evade the attack, but it launched me backwards through a window behind me, send me plummeting down to the streets below. Rushing for my bowie knife from its sheathe from my lower back, I forced it through the hardened crystal wall in hopes to decrease my speed.
Landing on the ground below me with a thud, I quickly surveyed the immediate area for any civilians. Once I made sure the street was empty, I heard a crash behind me. Whipping around, I saw Sombra standing before me, my sword in hand. Then he did something I did not expect.

He threw my sword to my feet. And he soon caught on to my confusion.

"I know a warrior when I see one. I will give you the honour of a warriors death."

I was honestly surprised, this guy is a tyrant, bad through and through. Yet here he stood, giving me this chance. He was honouring my people's way, even if it had a subtle threat behind it, but I knew he wouldn't keep this honour.

Nodding my head in acknowledgement, I picked my sword from the ground and got into a fools guard stance, Sombra made his prepared himself. Reaching to his back, he pulled out an axe. It was a rather unorthodox design, having a handle big enough for two handing, but small enough for single-handing. The head was almost akin to an executioners axe, but smaller and had a wider profile and was adorned by what looked like Nordic runes. As I said, unorthodox.

Taking a wrath stance, we both locked eyes. For what felt like an eternity, we both stood there like statues in silence, observing each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Finally, Sombra made a move.

Leaping the distance with a surprising amount of speed, I quickly deflected the incoming strike to the side, using my momentum to give a quick slash to his back. Spinning around, he swung for my head, I ducked down and when it passed, I slammed my pommel against his chin, uppercutting him. Stumbling back, he rubbed the area I hit to mitigate the pain.
Taking another stance, I stood my ground.

Grinning, Sombra rushed forward again, going for a sideways swing. Stepping back, I used the opening to try and stab his side, only to have it swatted away by the butt of his axe at the last moment. Slamming the flat of his blade on the side of my head, he slammed into my chest, knocking me off my footing and onto my back. I rolled away, narrowly evading a powerful overhead strike. Kicking up from the ground, I used the momentum to stab the leather opening in his armour.

My aim was true and the point of my sword drove through the leather joint and the other side in a gush of blood, Sombra yelling out as the blade ripped through his flesh. His horn started glowing and I soon found myself flying through the air as he hit me point blank with a blast of magic. Landing in a painful crash, I felt a few ribs breaking with the immense force produced by the blow. Looking up, I saw Sombra pulling my sword out his shoulder, causing more blood to rush out the wound. His attention now on me, he started walking over to me, a dark chuckle ripple through his throat, his grin never leaving his now bloodied face.

"It would seem I underestimated you. You are far more competent than I realized. You at least have my respect. But like all things, the fun and games end here." He said, his horn glowing once more.

I felt the control of my body become lost as a green and purple energy enveloped me, my joints locking in place, unable to move. Quickly, the numbness subsided as my body was forcibly spread out, leaving me vulnerable and quickly levitated up into the air. Spinning around, my front now facing the ground, Sombra made a gesture, and I was smashed into the crystalline floor and was levitated back up, only to be met with the same fate as before. Up, down. Up, down. Again and again. I felt as each blow was made. I felt as each blow created a cavity in the once well-crafted ground. I felt as each dent and scar was made upon my armour. I felt everything. And all I could do was scream.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he stopped and let me go. Groaning, I wedged myself out of the hole created by my body. Thankfully my armour had taken most of the hits, but my left arm and a few more ribs were definitely broken. My armour may be strong, but it's not invulnerable. Feeling a foot on my side, I was flipped over to see Sombra standing over me, a complacent look on his face. Humming slightly, he simply put his axe back in its holster and walked away. And I was not having it.

Grunting, I made my way to my feet, my legs felt like jelly as they tried to hold my weight. Stopping in his tracks, Sombra spun to meet my gaze, a bemused look taking over his features.

"You are wasting your breath. It's futile. You are outmatched. You have lost." He said, spreading his arms out to emphasize his point.

"I...am Fendral Marika, a proud Mandalorian warrior. And as long as I have breath in my lungs, I will fight." I wheezed out, gripping my broken arm, my breathing now becoming painful and shallow. "You may break my body, but you will never break my spirit."

"Then perhaps this will demoralise you."

With a pop and bright light, Sombra now had a familiar Lycan within his magical grasp.

"Selene?"

Her once pure white fur was now caked in blood that had previously not been there. A look of fear could be seen in her bright blue and green eyes. And it was easy to see why. She must have been captured along with the others. 

Acting out of pure instinct, my hand rushed down to my thigh, hastily pulling out my pistol and held the trigger slightly longer. Releasing it, a powerful bolt fired from the muzzle and impacted straight into Sombra's chest at high speeds in a burst of dust, tearing the breastplate clean off its bindings. As he shot backwards from the kinetic force produced, the grip he had on Selene disappeared, dropping her roughly to the floor. Getting up and rushing over to me, she was about to start talking, but I swiftly stopped her.

"Selene, I need you to leave. It doesn't matter where, just away from here." I said.

As she was about to respond, a flash of light came from where Sombra had been, clearly aimed for her head. Pushing Selene out of the way, I found myself in the place where she stood, in line with the incoming magic fire. Once again being flung back, this time with much more force, causing me to spin in mid-air, losing my sense of orientation. Bouncing slightly as I landed, I lay there in a wheezing mess.

Walking out from the smoke and dust, Sombra glared at me with a look of anger, his chest was indented slightly and smoking from the melted metal and burnt leather, leaving a gaping hole in the armour where the breastplate used to be. His horn glowed, as a green and purple aura enveloped Selene, dragging her in front of me a few metres away.

Advancing upon me, Sombra grabbed me by the neck and forced me to my knees, walking behind me once the action was done. With his axe still firm within his grip, he lightly pressed the sharp head on my neck. Even though the armour weave I could still feel its cold bite. Limpley looking up, Selene had a look of horror etched on her face, a sudden realization of what Sombra was doing. Bells tolled in the distance, striking three times to announce an upcoming death.

"And as the bells toll, the demand must be obeyed. Such are the ways. Any last words?"

"Go fuck your self with a rusty screwdriver," I said, the coming out slightly slurred from my injuries.

Sighing irritably, Sombra closed his eyes and raised his axe high into the air, my death incoming. Looking at Selene, tears running down her face, matting her fur, I couldn't help but hang my head slightly.

"I'm sorry," I uttered, my words coming out in a mournful whisper.

As Sombra was about to swing, a loud thunk resounded through the air, emanating from high above the crystal palace. Looking up, I saw a beautiful sight. Atop the crystal palace stood Cadence, Shining Armour and Spike, all holding the Crystal heart, setting it upon its rightful place on its pedestal. A powerful shockwave ripped through Empire, washing away the dark and ushering the light back in. peering over my shoulder, I saw Sombra staring at what was unfolding in front of him, an expression of pure rage dominating his face soon after.

Gripping his axe with both hands, he swung it high above his head in hopes to lop mine off. As his swing came down, I felt a surge of adrenaline course through my body. Catching the handle with my unbroken arm, I tore the axe from his hands and spun to my feet and using the adrenaline rush I felt, I buried the head deep into Sombra exposed chest, a surprised gasp escaping his lips. 

Pushing him away with the remains of my strength, Sombra stumbled back, staring dumbly at the mortal wound I caused him and back to me. Seconds later, cracks started opening all across his body, a soft light blue glow seeping through the cracks and the remains of his armour. Soon the glow overtook his entire from, his eyes glowing a brilliant white. Screaming, Sombra body detonated in an explosion of pure white light, the dark clouds above dispersing as the shockwave rippled through the now brightly coloured streets. A horn falling to the ground with a soft clink.

It was over. It was finally over.

Collapsing to my knees, my body gave out under me, exhausted from what it just went through. Rushing to my side, Selene started calling my name, but the sound was muffled as my hearing soon completely went and I eventually fell to my back. As I lay there, my conscious slowly drifting off, a single thought crossed my mind. I thought I couldn't help but voice to the world as fell into the world of dreams.

"I could use some tea right now."
> "Recovery"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Twi darling, beating yourself up won't make matters any better. There was nothing else you could have done." I heard Rarity say, ushering my mind back to reality.

"I know...I know. But you saw the state he was in when we arrived. It's a miracle he survived." I said, my ears flattening against my head.

"I mean that syringe with...what did he call it? Bacta? Yea. The bacta syringe did make things better, to be fair." Dash chimed in, giving her two bits.

"Still doesn't make me feel any better," I whispered.

It's been a week since the Crystal Heart was returned and Sombra was defeated. Fen was found not too far from the palace with severe and some life-threatening injuries. Multiple lacerations, multiple minor burns, a broken left humerus and ulna, his right femur was broken, a few broken ribs and a punctured lung.

We had thankfully got to him in time to administer bacta into his system, but the small dosage was designed for only minor injuries. He said it himself. We had to provide a large amount of magic to his system as well, but even then, the Hospital staff needed to perform emergency surgery. As I said, it was a miracle he lived through it.

During this time, the ponies of the Crystal Empire had all come together to fix the damage that had been done by Sombra and continued with the festival, mostly to boost morale. Repairs are still an ongoing endeavour. But it's not all good. Some will have to undergo rather intense phycological therapy because of the events of recent and past, but they have more than enough support to get through it. 

"Do you think he'll be up soon?" Fluttershy asked, idly combing her mane as she spoke.

"Honestly Shy I'm not sure, it's hard to tell. I've never seen anypony, never mind him, in such a state before. He could be out for quite a while." I said. "But if I know anything about Fen and it's that he's tough. He'll be fine in the end. All we need to do is wait."





Pain and agony are all I felt. Sanguine caked my hands to the wrist as tears and flakes of white blurred my vision as I threw my helmet to the ground, my hands darting to her side in a mad rush to bind the wound closed. Her word words of comfort did nothing to alleviate the oncoming sorrow. Knowing there was nothing I could do, I gingerly placed my hand on the back of her head and brought it to mine, taking her hand in my own.

Letting loose a deep breath, the remnants fading in the cold winter night as her hand fell unceremoniously to the ground, leaving me alone as I silently sobbed, her now limp body still within my grip, refusing to loosen as the world around me darkened.



As my eyes fluttered open, they were assaulted by a bright white light, causing them to slam shut quickly after. I opened my eyes again after a brief moment, slower this time as to allow them to adjust to the light. Taking in a deep breath, a slight ache surprisingly being the only form of pain I felt. Opening my eyes fully, I saw the source of the stinging light. I was in the hospital. The obnoxious but necessary beeping now registering in my ears. I first noticed my helmet was still, for some reason, on my head.

I lay there in silence as the numbness I felt in my body begin to subside, control becoming the predominant force once more. With my motor skills now back in action, I looked around the room. It was about as generic as you could get, nothing remarkable or sticking out. Trying to shift my position, a sudden pain shot through my chest, causing me to gasp and groan, my hands shot to the area that was affected.

"Oh my gosh, Fendral!" 

Looking up, I saw none other than Selene clambering from a seat situated near the bed I lay in, a tired look of distress locked onto her face. Seems she's become quite attached. Steadying my breathing, I got the pain mostly under control, now only being a mild, but annoying ache. I lightly waved my hand, giving her a none verbal confirmation that I was fine. I slowly leaned back into the surprisingly soft hospital bed, letting another groan escape my lips as I did. Hearing the sounds of scraping, I looked over to Selene as she brought the chair closer and let my head limply fall back to the headrest.

"You look exhausted." I chuckled, my voice coming out gruff and deeper than usual. A clear sign that my throat was in dire need of water.

"What does that say about you?" She chuckled back, her smile disappearing soon after. "We thought you wouldn't make it."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Clearly."

For a while, we simply sat there, not saying a word, the only noise being the heart monitor, the beeps akin to a metronome. 

My fight with Sombra plagued my mind, playing in my mind an innumerable amount of times and with each replay, something became clear to me. Sombra wasn't even trying. Sombra was a mythical dark magic-user. He could have ended the fight as easily as a snap of his fingers, but he didn't. He didn't even use magic other than a few basic spells, but even then they were catastrophic to me. Was he toying with me? Did he want to make an example of me? I don't think I want to know.

Shaking those thoughts from my head, I cleared my mind to make way for another, hopefully, more positive way of thinking. Shifting my head slightly, my eyes landed on the Lycan next to my bed and a thought appeared in my mind. One that confused me slightly as I thought about it.

"Selene?" I hollered, my words shaking her from her daydream.

"Hmm?"

"How long have I been out for?"

"Roughly a week I think." She said, taking a glance at the nearby clock.

"And have you been by my side the entire time?" I ask, steadily shifting my body carefully into a sitting position.

The question seemed to give her pause. Opening her mouth, she quickly closed it and appeared to be cannily considering her words. Soon her ears flattened to her head, a look of apprehension on her face. Looking to me, a look of sincerity taking overtaking her features.

"I have." She said.

"Any reason for this," I asked. 

"You directly saved my life more than once. You placed your life in danger so that I could live. Within my culture, when a being willingly does this, the Lycan, of any subspecies, forever owes that being their life. This is called a 'livets offer' which roughly translates to 'life's sacrifice'." Stopping briefly, she took a deep breath. "When a 'Life's sacrifice' is established, the saved person is obligated to pledge their lives to protect and looking after their saviour, even to the point of sacrificing their own life, should they deem it necessary."

"A life debt," I said, letting my head fall back to the head of the bed.

"Correct. So I am now obligated to do everything in my power to ensure your safety."

I couldn't help but chuckle slightly at that statement, which gained a curious head tilt from Selene.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"That's my line."

Once I said this, a nurse entered the room and swiftly took notice of my awoken status.

"Oh, your awake?" He said, making his way over to my current bed, Selene moving to give him room to work. "That's a good sign. We had estimated you to be asleep for a few more days. You had us worried for a bit there."

"Have you eaten or drank anything yet Miss Selene?" He added, looking to the Lycan in question.

"Not yet Nurse Monitor."

"Well I think now would be a good time to do so, you wouldn't you?" He said, looking over his glasses like an expectant father.

Nodding, Selene got up from her chair and quietly left. The nurse waited a couple of seconds for her steps to disappear before turning back to me.

"She seems quite fond of you doesn't she?" He said, a kind smile on his face. "Before we can continue, I'll have to bring in the Doctor to conduct a few tests. I'll be right back"

Swiftly leaving, he soon arrived with the Doctor he mentioned with a jug of water. The tests were about what you'd expect. Things like: Heart BPM, Blood pressure, even my cholesterol, as well as checking the external and internal injuries and a fitness test. I was honestly surprised by the severity of the wounds, no wonder Selene was concerned.
Soon, the tests were done, leaving me laying in my bed once more. During this, Selene had come back from, I assume, having eaten the meal the Nurse suggested she have. The Nurse and Doctor were looking over the results and came over to me once they were finished.

"Well it seems your external and internal wounds have healed over remarkably, but the external ones have scarred due to how deep they were. Your bones have healed nicely as well it seems." She said. looking over the clipboard in her hand. "But I would recommend taking it easy with any strenuous tasks and just slowly work yourself up, just to be on the safe side of things."

"It's honestly amazing just how quickly you healed. Even with magic helping the healing process, wounds like this would typically take weeks to heal." The Nurse chimed in. "Especially with how last minute the surgery was."

"That would be from the help of a healing fluid my people created," I said, sipping on the water the Nurse brought through a straw under my helmet.

"Ah yes. The Element of Magic briefly mentioned it when they brought you in." The Doctor responded. "I believe it would be an immense benefit to hospitals all over the world. Could we perhaps have a sample to see if we could replicate it?"

Thinking for a bit, I honestly couldn't find a reason to say no. I have more than enough to do me for a while still, so giving them a sample wouldn't be of any detriment to me. I'm not sure why I haven't given it to the health industry sooner.

"I don't see any reason not to. You can take one of my syringes when I have my effects back in my possession."

"Sounds wonderful." She said, an excited smile never leaving her face. "Now I believe you have visitors waiting for you. Shall we send them in on our way out?"

"Please," I said, taking another sip from my water.

Politely nodding, they left, leaving me and Selene in the room alone again. We didn't have to wait long, however, as hoof steps could be heard coming down the corridor and soon enough, eight ponies and a dragon made their way in.

"Fen! Your ok!" Pinkie practically shouted as she came into the room, coming up to me and giving me a soft hug

"Elek pinkie, I'm fine," I said, patting the energetic Earth-pony on the back before letting me go.

"We were worried there, big guy. Glad you're ok," Dash said, lightly grabbing each others forearm In a warriors handshake.

As she backed up, Shining Armour and Cadence came up to my bed, an unreadable expression upon their faces. Staring them down, a deep sincerity quickly replaced the seriousness they had. 

"Thank you," Cadence said.

"What for?" I asked.

"For defeating Sombra. Without you, we may have never been able to win, to retrieve the Crystal Heart and cleanse the Empire. And for that we thank you." Shining Armour said, bowing his head once we were finished, Cadence copying him.

I simply stared at them for a bit, before irritably sighing, shaking my head at the statement. This received a look of confusion from the group next to me, the bewilderment clear on their faces.

"I got my shit pushed in. If not for your impeccable timing, I would have lost. Hell, even then I still technically lost and the only reason I'm still here is because of you three." I said, indicating my hand to Shining, Cadence and Spike. "The fact I was even able to get a hit in should be a testament to that. Sombra wasn't even trying and I had to give my all. I don't deserve your thanks."

"Fendral, whether you believe it or not, you were paramount to his defeat. You delivered the fatal blow to him. You saved the lives of thousands." Cadence said, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "You can accept our thanks or not, it doesn't make anyone any less grateful."

"As long as everyone is safe, I can rest easy."

Cadence nodded and backed up, knowing I wasn't going to change my opinion. As she came to Shining Armour's side, she looked at him expectantly. A few seconds past and she looked back at him. Sighing and rolling her eyes slightly, she lightly nudged him in the ribs, as a look of realization came to his face. Coughing into his hand, he stepped forward, looking at me with a smile.

"We had found this near we found you. We thought you'd like to have it." He said, holding his hands out, a brief flash and an object I became rather familiar with appeared in his hands. Sombra's axe.

Reaching out, I tightly gripped the leather-bound grip of the wooden handle and took it out of His hands. Taking it in both hands, I admired the intricately designed runic patterns that were inscribed into the metal and noticed an equally intricate pommel at the base of the handle, possibly acting as a counterbalance. 
I bounced the axe in my hands a couple of time to test the weight. Not too heavy, but not overly light. Shifting my hand down to the middle of the handle, I let the axe sit on my index finger to find the balance and waited for it to sit still. It wobbled a small bit before becoming still. Perfectly balanced, just as it should be.

"Thank you. I'm sure this will be put to good use." I said looking back to the royal pair.

"Of course. It was the least we could do." Cadence replied.

The next few hours were spent simply talking and me being informed of what had transpired during my coma. That being said, I wasn't exactly happy that most of the populace had the same mindset about me that Shining Armour and Cadence had, but who am I to tell them otherwise. At some point, Shining and Cadence had to leave to some sort of business matter, not for me to know, leaving us to mingle amongst ourselves, drinking hot tea as we did.

"So Selene." Applejack started. "What ya gonna do when Fen's outta Hospital?"

"My home was destroyed in the initial attack along with the vast majority of my personal belongings. That and there's the debt I owe Fendral." She said before taking a sip of her cup of tea. "So I'll be joining you back to Ponyville."

"Will that be the 'debt' you mentioned before?" Rarity asked, gaining a soft nod. "I won't claim to fully understand it, but as long as your okay with leaving."

"I don't have any friends here, not really, just people I get along with and have no family in the Empire." She said taking another sip before continuing. "So I won't be leaving much behind. I'll be ok with leaving"

"Well, you'll be able to make plenty of friends in Ponyville!" Pinkie said, the ever jovial-optimist.

"Heck yea!" Dash joined in, high fiving the pink Earth-pony next to her, Fluttershy quietly joining in with their enthusiasm.

"I can get used to the idea," Selene said, a smile spreading across her lips.

~~

The ensuing weeks were slow, to say the least, working back up to my previous self, taking it easy as the Doctor had suggested, getting daily check-ups to monitor my progress. That being said, my recovery was quickened with the help of magic, naturally. I had asked if they removed my helmet any time during my stay. As it would turn out, they used a version of the Golem spell to perform the surgery needed to save my life, as they had been informed of my customs. For some reason, they respected my culture and used a Golem spell, which didn't count a living being, for which I was immensely grateful.

My time in the hospital wasn't as bad as I initially suspected if I'm to be honest. The staff were more than accommodating, being either kind natured or having a wicked sense of humour, making my stay more than amusing. And as I expected Selene didn't leave my side, Nurse Monitor, my assigned Nurse, having stopped any attempt to get her to leave. Plus the food wasn't nearly as some Hospital food I've had before. Could be because the Empire is several hundred years behind some current practices.

Now I was able to walk the streets of the Empire now and then, unimpeded by a seemingly insurmountable task weighing on my mind, free to take in the sights properly. I've encountered many things in my life, but this was probably one of the most beautiful places I've been to. No wonder Rarity was so enthusiastic about it.

For one reason or another, Twi and the gang had decided to stay and wait for me to recover fully, coming in for daily visits, never once missing a beat. Truthfully I was thankful that they decided to stay. It makes the process less arduous.

As I lay in my bed, I stared blankly at the ceiling above me. I had not been able to sleep the previous night, leaving me to lay awake for hours, until the sun came up. I'm not sure how long I lay there, but eventually, Nurse Monitor had come into my room and started taking some vitals.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked, taking my blood pressure.

"No." I quickly replied.

Simply nodding, he proceeded to do the rest of the test, eventually documenting the information on the clipboard placed at the end of the bed.

"Well Fendral, I think you'll be happy to know that you can finally be able to be discharged today." He said, a smile spreading across his face. "You made a remarkable recovery. You surprised all of us. Let me get the documents sorted and I'll bring you your belongings."

Swiftly leaving, a smile of my own made its way onto my face. It hadn't been bad here, just long. Looking over to the chair next to my bed, I spotted Selene sleeping soundly with a blanket wrapped snuggly around her, lightly snoring. I didn't have to wait long, however, as Nurse Monitor came back with my armour in hand, clearly struggling to lift them and placed them on the end of the bed.

"Here you go. You go get changed and I'll wake Selene here up." He said.

Nodding, I got up, gathered my things and made my way over to the bathroom on the other side of the room, swiftly locking the door behind me. Stripping myself out of the hospital gown, I removed my helmet and began changing into my armour, starting with the robe-esque armour weave undersuit, attaching each piece of Beskar in their rightful place. Finally putting my helm back on my head.

Unlocking the bathroom, I walked out and saw an awake Selene and an amused Nurse Monitor. Nodding in satisfaction, he indicated for us to follow him and we did so. Walking through the Hospital, we eventually came up to the front desk. The receptionist pulled out an information sheet from a drawer behind the desk and put them in front of me.

"Sign here, here and here please." Nurse Monitor said, pointing to a few empty sections in the information forms.

Quickly putting my name in the allocated sections, the receptionist took the forms once I was finished and put them into a different drawer from where she got them from.

"Thank you Monitor for what you've done," I said, putting out my hand.

"Of course, it's my job after all." He said, taking my hand giving it a firm shake.

"Oh, and before I forget," I said before reaching into my satchel and pulling out a Bacta syringe. "As promised."

"Thank you. We will put this to good use I assure you. Thank you again." he said taking the syringe from my hand.

"I know you will," I said before making my way to the front doors.

As I walked out, I was greeted by the sight of eight certain ponies and dragon. Exclaiming, they all jumped towards me. I did not attempt to dodge them and decided to just accept my fate. Spreading my arms out, I welcomed the oncoming technicolour tidal wave. 

"All right girls, I think Fenradl's had enough near-death experiences recently, don't you?" I heard Cadence asked, her and Shining Armour being the only ones to not tackle me.

Letting the group climb off of me, I lay there for a few seconds, taking the hand Selene offered and swiftly pulled me to my feet with a grunt. Thanking her, my gaze shifted to the ensemble in front of me.

"Now that I'm up and about, what's the plan?" I asked. "Do you guys want to stay a while longer, or do you want to leave now?"

"If you're feeling up to it, I think we could leave today," Twilight said. "The train service was fixed a few days ago and one is scheduled to arrive in roughly an hour. So that gives us plenty of time to pack."

"Ok so, we meet back here in an hour then?" I asked.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Applejack replied, everyone else happily agreeing.

So that left me and Selene to walk for a while, greeting the residents as we did. The idea I was the one who had 'defeated' Sombra had spread like wildfire through the Empire, almost everyone shared the same mindset Cadence had. I decided to just let them think what they want, rather than tell them otherwise. Seemed easier that way.

"So any place you'd recommend, or do you just want to go on an adventure?" I asked.

"OH, an adventure sound fun!" Selene said, a childish grin spreading across her face.

And so for the next hour or so, we walked to-and-fro, from new housing estates to the market area, talking as we did, no place was out of bounds to us. Before long, time had flown by and we made our way to the station, Selene leading the way being more familiar with the area. Eventually, we came to the station and spotted the group of seven. Cadence and Shining armour were with them as well. 

Coming up to the group, the train could be heard in the distance, its whistle an unmistakable sound. As the train stopped at the station, the girls said their goodbyes and boarded the train. Letting Selene say bye first, she walked onto the train before I did the same and was about to walk onto the train, but was very quickly stopped by Cadence.

"She seems quite fond of you, doesn't she?" Cadence asked, a hinting tone behind her words.

Knowing what she meant, my shoulders visibly sagged and my head hung slightly, the Princess of Love caught this and looked at me with concern clearly written on her face.

"It wouldn't work," I whispered.

"Why? Does your religion restrict you from loving somepony?" Shining Armour asked, 

"No."

"So why then?"

Pausing, I looked to the window and saw Selene happily mingling with my friends. Memories of the past flashed in my mind as a sigh managed to escape my lips.

"I loved...once. But that was a long time ago." I said before walking away and towards the train, the doors closing behind me.

The moment I walked into the cart, my mood improved drastically as I saw the group begin to pull out the same games we had played when we were on our way to the Crystal Empire. It's amazing how time can fly by so quickly. As we played, I could help myself but smile the whole time, as we had more fun this time around. We played for another unknown amount of hours, the cold and frozen north changing into beautiful sprawling green fields. We were nearly home.

As we neared Ponyville, I could see that Selene was getting quite nervous. Looking over to me, I gave a nod, reassuring her it was going to be alright. We soon came to Ponyville's train station and quickly stopped. The doors opened, the girls and Spike picked up their luggage and walked out. As Selene came up to the doors, she paused before taking a deep breath and walking onto the wooden floor.

Coming up behind her, I put a hand on her back, I took a glance at her, an unseen smile on my face as I looked over the now quiet town.

"Welcome to Ponyville."
> "Augury"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As I walk through the doors to my home, I promptly collapse onto the large sofa near the back of the living room, making the wooden frame creak under the weight of my armour. The past few weeks have been tiring and all I did was lay in a Hospital bed. I lay there as I heard Selene walk into the room, taking a seat next to me, chuckling lightly.

"You look exhausted." She said.

"Yea, you could say that," I said, my voice muffled slightly as my face pressed against the thick cushions, despite my helmet still being on my head.

"I think it was nice of Pinkie Pie to give me a tour of Ponyville." She said, nibbling on a bag of popcorn Pinkie had given her. "I didn't know she knew so much."

"She does that for newcomers," I said picking myself up. "And yea, that's Pinkie for you. My advice: Best not try and understand her, it'll only cause more trouble than it's worth. Trust me."

"Ok fair enough." She said.

Looking around the living room, she had a look of quiet content on her face.

"You know, I could get used to living here." She said.

"It does have a certain charm about it doesn't it?" I agreed. "Well, I need to change into something more comfortable. Feel free to help your self to anything in the fridge."

Standing, I made my way to my bedroom and swiftly shut the door behind me. Once I made sure I was alone, I removed my helm from my head and stripped my armour and changed into a simple pair of joggers and a hoodie. Now I'm not saying my Beskar is uncomfortable, it is, it's just casual clothing is more so. I did some quick stretches, my joints cracking and popping loudly as I did. Walking out, I see Selene in the same place she was before, now with a piece of parchment in her hands.

"What you got there?" I ask.

"It looks like a letter from the princesses." She replied, closely inspecting its seal. "Looks like it's from Princess Luna."

Taking the scroll from her, I inspect the dark navy blue seal and gently remove it without breaking it and open it to review its contents.

"What does it say?" Selene asks.

"They're requesting my presence as soon as possible. It doesn't seem urgent, however."

"Sounds important though." She pointed out.

"Well, no better time than the present," I said. "Hold onto my shoulder please."

She did and I grabbed the seal firmly gripped in both hands and break it over my thumbs. What happened can be best described as a makeshift teleport. The seal contained the specific type of magic that causes teleportation and can, when broken, transport up to three beings at one time. But only if it had that type of magic.

In an instant, we found ourselves in the throne room of Canterlot Castle, Celestia and Luna both present with the large room being empty otherwise. Once they were aware of our arrival, they gained a look of happiness and pride. Striding towards us, the two matriarchs pulled me into a tight hug and let go after a few moments.

"We are glad you are alive and well Fen," Celestia said. "You had Luna worried."

"I will assume Twilight told you what happened at the Crystal Empire," I said.

"Indeed. What you did is far beyond anything any of us expected of you." Luna stated. "You singlehandedly took down a very powerful dark magic-user. A feat not many can say they pulled off."

"I got my ass beat is what happened. Sombra was barely trying." I started. "I was at death's door at the end. I was only able to beat him because he was distracted. Though he deserved it, it was dishonourable."

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Celestia said after a moment of silence. "But Twilight and her friends wouldn't have succeeded if not for you."

"I have a feeling this wasn't why you called me here," I said, quickly changing the subject.

Celestia noticed this and briefly gave me a look, but quickly disregarded this and moved on.

"Unfortunately no." She said. "There is a...matter that we think may involve you."

Indicating for us to follow, we obeyed her request and followed her to a rather unassuming room. Stepping inside, we were greeted by what appeared to be a cosy study, a large rectangular table in the middle accompanied by an open fireplace. Standing at one side of the table, Luna pulled out a very old and worn scroll, an odd dialect written on its surface, spread it across the table and spoke first.

"Thousands of years ago, Starswirl the Bearded made what he believed to be a prediction of the future. However at that time in his life, he was old and was beginning to become mentally unwell, so we didn't pay much attention to it, but kept it in the castle archives for safekeeping."

"As the years passed by, we had mostly forgotten about it. That was until the arrival of you and your family." Celestia continued. "We thought nothing of it and went about our daily lives, but decided to keep an eye out just in case. But with the happenings of recent events, we are unable to ignore the similarities and now can't just put it to being 'just coincidence'."

"What did this 'prediction' read?" I ask slowly, unsure of how to take this new information.

Looking down, Luna went over the text, seemingly familiar with the language therein and quickly translated it.

"When the tyrant king falls, another shall take his place.
When the dark sun rises, the immovable helm's shall pull him down.
And only by the Creed's abetment, shall the darkness crumble once more."

"Of course it's a fucking prophecy," I said.

Stepping back, I breathe slowly, rubbing the back of my neck as I try to process the words fed to me. 'Tyrant king'? 'Immovable helm's'? This wasn't just the ramblings of an ageing man going senile. There was no possible way. Thinking back to the second line, I couldn't get the words 'Immovable helm's' out of my head, and I soon came to a sudden realization.

"There's only one of me left," I whisper, gaining a look from all present. "'Immovable helm's' suggest more than one individual. I'm the only one still alive."

"I know this is all very sudden and it is a lot to take in Fendral," Celestia said. "But we saw no other choice and we needed to show you this. If purely to prepare you for anything that may come."

"And we are aware of your...familial situation." Luna started. "But if I may give a rather bold suggestion?"

"How bold?"

Taking a deep breath, she stared me directly in the eyes, whether she knew it or not, and issued her idea.

"You train others to be Mandalorian."

Her words took a moment to register in my brain, which subsequently went into a full-on reboot before processing the words fully and properly. To say I was surprised she suggested the idea, would be an understatement.

"That is a bold idea," I said, breaking the apparent silence that overtook the room. "I would be more than happy to do it. Spreading my religion? Absolutely. But I'm afraid others may not share my enthusiasm."

"I would."

Turning quickly on my heels and facing behind me, I see Selene sitting on a chair, still eating her popcorn, absolute determination plastered on her face.

"I would." She repeated, making sure we all understood her this time.

And now, I was more than just surprised, I was astounded. First Sombra, then the life debt, then a fucking prophecy and now the one I saved was willing to become Mandalorian. All of this was happening so quickly, I found myself becoming overwhelmed and started feeling around for a seat so I could sit down and calm my stressed-out nerves.

"Are you alright?" Luna asked, worry plastered on her face, her hand placed softly on my shoulder with Celestia sharing the same look.

"Y-yea. Just...just a bit overwhelmed is all." I replied. "Just give me a minute to process all of this."

After a few moments, I look over to Selene with my own determination.

"If you want to be Mandalorian, there are things you need to know, but here isn't the right place to do so," I said, standing from the chair I sat on. "I will go over them with you when we're home."

Looking back to the table, I saw Luna had already put the scroll away and was leaning against the table, a happy smile on her muzzle.

"Now with a complete one-eighty, that wasn't all we called you here for." She said. "Of course, we had shown our gratitude prior, but a quick thank you just isn't enough for saving a literal Empire."

"So we brainstormed for ideas for a gift best suited for you," Celestia said. "And we came up with this."

She reached down under the table and pulled out a long, leather-wrapped object and placed it on the table. Pulling at the silk string tying it closed, she delicately removed the wrappings and revealed the gift.

It was a sword. The flat-backed, curved blade shone from the soft light coming from the fireplace. Elegant words I did not recognise swirled up the blade on both sides before stopping halfway up the blade from the single curved hilt. All held on a solid wooden ovoid handle, the pommel coming forward slightly with a small sharp stud protruding from the bottom.

"I...ori'vor'e," I said, speechless.

"What?" I hear Selene ask.

"He said 'thank you," Luna replied.

"We can't thank you enough for what you've done," Celestia said. "But this is a start."

"This is more than enough," I reply, picking the blade up and admiring its beauty.

"We do tend to forget your love for weapons," Luna said light-heartedly. "But there is, of course, your real payment."

Reaching under the table, she picked up a very large bag, the contents of which jingled loudly as she placed it on the table. I leaned over and grabbed the bag, bouncing it in my hand before a wide smile crossed my face and I placed it in my hoodie pocket.

"Thank you," I said.

"Anything for a dear friend," Celestia replied. "But we won't keep you any longer. If you don't have any questions, we can teleport you and Selene back."

"I have many questions, but I doubt you'll be able to answer most of them," I said, Selene coming to my side, knowing what I was going to say. "So I won't waste any more of your time."

Nodding, her horn glowed with her golden yellow magic and with a pop and flash of light, we were back in my home in the blink of an eye. Looking to Selene, determination filling my being as I walked to the kitchen.

"You realize that the path to be a Mandalorian is going to be a long and hard journey, don't you?" I ask, filling a kettle and putting it on my stovetop.

"I will do what it takes." She said putting down the now empty bag of popcorn.

Nodding, I began to formulate a training regime to get her started on what is going to be a long and hard-fought journey. But there was one thing that needed to be done. One thing that would truly start this. I knew what I had to do.

Lifting the kettle off the hot stove surface, I walked towards my storage room. Once inside, I punched in a passcode into a control panel on one of the walls. My gun rack rattled slightly before moving up and back, moving out the way for another. This one of much greater significance.

Stepping forward, I gently pick up one of the three helmets situated on the magnetised mannequin heads and immediately recognised its maroon and teal colours. The colours of one of my family. Bringing the helm to my forehead, I close my eyes to fight back the oncoming sorrow and whisper four simple words. 

"This is the way."
> "Progress"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stepping out of my storage room, I breath a long winded sigh, releasing any tension in my body and turned to make my way into the living room, Selene still sitting where I left her. Upon seeing me, she quickly stands and notices the helm within my grasp. As she's about to speak, I swiftly cut her off.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" I asked. "If this is what you choose, there's no turning back. There's no changing your mind. This is it for the rest of your life."

"Yes." She replied, the determination in her eyes never faltering, only intensifying. "This is what I want."

"Good." I said. "Follow me please."

Walking over to the dining table, I place the helmet I got on the table gently and look back to Selene, an inquisitive expression on her face.

"This helm belonged to someone who was...very close to my heart." I started. "It's done nothing but gather dust for years. I want you to wear it."

Selene walked to the helmet, admiring the maroon and teal colours hand painted onto it's surface. Picking it up with care, she ran her fingers over the many scrapes and scratches on it's surface, the chipped paint revealing the silver metal beneath and looked up to me.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"I wouldn't be giving it to you if I wasn't." I said before sighing. "This is your last chance to back down. You put that helmet on, you will be considered one of us."

She looks at me and smiles warmly, the helm still within her grasp.

"Anything you say wont make me change my mind." She said. "I've made my decision."

"Then you know what to do." I said indicating to the helmet.

Looking down to it, she took a deep breath and spun it in her hands, so that the back now faced her and brought it to her head. Slipping it on, her face became obscured, now unseen to the world as she now donned the helmet of a Mandalorian, the start of what would be a long journey.

Looking back to me, she tilted her head slightly.

"It's...more comfortable than I expected." She said, a surprised tone in her voice. "And how is it that despite the helm being flat I can still wear it?"

"Well if your going to wear it for prolonged periods of time, it has to be." I replied. "And in regards to your question: I don't know. They've always been like that."

"That's awfully convenient." She comments, readjusting her helmet to a more comfortable position and after a few moments, looked back to me.

"So what now?" She asked.

"Now, you learn." I said. "You'll want to bring a note pad."

I turn my back and quickly walking to my front door.





Sitting on a tree stump behind my house, I found myself idly sharpening my knife with a flat stone I found, Selene on a large stone a few feet away from me.

"Ok, we're going to start off with the basics." I said, chucking the stone over my shoulder and sheathing my knife, a large smile crossing my face. "So lets start with the Resol'nare."

"The what?" She asked.

"The Resol'nare. Or the Six Actions. These are the core tenets to Mandalorian life. Most of what you need to know basically stems off from these six core ideas. They consist of: wearing armour, speaking the language, defending oneself and family, raising your children as Mandalorian's, contributing to the clan's welfare, and when called upon by the Mand'alor, rallying to their cause."

"Who's the Manda'lor?" She asked, scribbling down what I had told her.

"Manda'lor was the title used by the supreme leader of the Mandalorian people and culture. In its truest, native rendering Mand'alor meant "sole ruler" in the Mandalorian language of Mando'a." I said, rattling off the information like a school teacher, not once missing a beat. "The position of Mand'alor was a combination of king, warlord, and general in function.

"A non-hereditary role-" I continued "-only a Mandalorian who was deemed worthy could claim the title of Mand'alor, exemplifying the Mandalorian meritocracy ideal."

"Your very knowledgeable." Selene said looking up from her note pad after a moment.

"I would have to be, I was the only one left." I said sullenly, my smile slipping slightly. "It fell to me to continue our legacy."

"What do you mean 'the only one left'?" She asked.

"That's a story for another time." I replied quickly, gaining a curious head tilt from Selene, but didn't say anything.

For hours we sat there, with me enthusiastically sharing the knowledge of my people. I spent a considerable amount of time going over each of the Six Actions and the importance of each of them and why they should be upheld. I also went over a few other topics, such as: Societal structure, cuisine and how little importance is put on a persons origin.

In what felt like no time at all, the skies above us darkened, shadows casting over us and Luna's moon becoming the dominant force in the inky black sky. Making our way back inside, I directed Selene to her room. Before closing the door, she turned to me and spoke.

"What's for tomorrow's agenda?" She asked.

"Tomorrow-" I started, craning my head round. "-we continue."





As the next day rolled in, me and Selene found our selves back at the rear of my house in the early hours of the morning, with me sitting on the same stump the previous night.

"So what am I learning today?" She asked, sitting on the boulder opposite me.

"Today, you learn our familial structure." I replied.

"Oohh! I'm looking forward to this!" She said, rubbing her hands together in child like manner. Good to see she was enthusiastic.

"As your you've more than likely become aware of, in the early years, Mandalorian culture revolved around battle, with war being a source of honour and pride in our community." I said. "But as the years went by, the war centric ideology softened significantly, making way for a more family centric ideal. With the most important, in my opinion, being marriage"

"In direct opposition to our infamy as a ruthless warriors, we cherish family and shower affection upon those we love and care for." I continued. "In Mandalorian society, marriage is expected to be a life-long commitment and usually takes place shortly after one turns sixteen-years-old. The marriage itself was often a private ceremony between only the two involved, where they are entered into a legal commitment by reciting the following pledge: "Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome, mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde."—translating as "We are one when together, we are one when parted, we share all, we will raise warriors."

"Family seems to be held in very high regard." She commented.

"Family come's before everything. "Family is one of natures masterpieces." I said. "That was something my brother used to say."

I could see Selene wanted to say something, but seemed to be reluctant to speak her mind.

"Moving on. Additionally, adoption was extremely common in Mandalorian culture. To the point that even adults were adopted. This is due to the fact Mandalorian's constant connection to war, widows and orphans became an inescapable fact of life" I continued. "-and adult males became not only welcome, but necessary. Like marriage, the Mandalorian ritual for adoption was rather simple. Known as "The gai bal manda—"name and soul"—the adoption is carried out by the adopting parent stating "ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad" to the intended child—"I know your name as my child."

"Adopting adults?" She whispered to herself. "That's a concept I've not heard of."

"You wouldn't have." I said. "Seeing as we, as far as I'm aware, are the only one's who practised this idea."

"Was adopting war orphans apart of these ideals?" Selene asked.

"Indeed. It was also quite common as well." I replied. "Even children of a defeated enemy, whereas another species might kill them."

"Wow. So Mandalorian's took the whole 'family come before all' idea pretty seriously."

"Of course." I said. "How else would we survive?"

"That makes sense." Selene replied, quickly scribbling into her notepad. "Shall we continue?"





In the coming days, Selene had made exceptional progress, swiftly having a tight grasp on our culture and history and being able to incorporate a select few words into her sentences. At night, I would often hear her repeating the days lessons, doing her best to absorb the information I taught her. It came as a pleasant surprise. Perhaps this wouldn't take as long as I initially expected.

However, that being said, having blasted through what is essentially written work, it was time to get practical.

Standing outside Selene's door, I began bagging two very large pans together, eliciting a loud 'thud' to emit from her room. Hearing an almost panicked scrambling, I simply stepped back as the door opened to reveal the dishevelled Lycan with her helmet on. She got into that habit quickly, thankfully.

"Get yourself ready. We're going out." I said.

"Out for what?" She asked groggily.

"Today we are starting your physical training."

Turning away, I sat down on the long sofa and prepared for the day ahead, strapping my Beskar to my undersuit. I didn't have to wait for long, however, as I soon heard Selene approach as I pulled the robe like armourweave over my shoulders.

"Take a seat, I have to get something."

Doing as I said, Selene sat down as I got up and made my way to my storage room. I walked over to a large crate and removed the lid and reached inside and pulled out the intended object. Putting the lid back on the crate, I walked back into the living room, Selene giving me an inquisitive head tilt.

"What you got there?" She asked.

"Weighted clothes." I said, chucking the the Lycan opposite me.

As she caught them, she was thrown off the sofa and onto the floor with a crash. 

"Gods above! Do you really expect me to lug this around?!" She exclaimed, trying to lift the clothes.

"As a matter of fact, I do." I said, folding my arms. "We won't go straight into exercise. That just would be a waste of energy. No, you will start by doing your daily routine with these clothes to get used to them. Then and only then, will we get more extreme."

Over the period of a week, Selene slowly got used to clothes weighing her down, being able to most, if not all normal tasks with only the slightest bit of difficulty, while reinforcing the my teaching, going over the various notes she took. So I decided it was time to put my regime into action.

"Ok, what are we going to be doing then?" Selene asked.

"I think it's about time your physical training officially begins." I said.

"What will the that entail?"

"One hundred sit-ups, one hundred push-ups, one hundred squats and a ten kilometre run." I said. "This will help with cardiovascular health, endurance, strength and agility, just to name a few benefits."

"So what do we start with?"

"I would suggest starting with the run." I said, turning to walk to the front door, hanging up my robe and fur collar as I pass the coat rack.

Stepping out onto the street, we started with a few basic but necessary stretches to minimise injury and began the long run around Ponyville. We got a few odd looks from the citizens, but were thankfully uninterrupted in our endeavour.
It started off fairly well, Selene was able to keep up most of the way. But as we past the two mile mark, she began slowing as her breathing became heavier. As the four mile mark came up, her breathing was physically audible and she became slower than before. Upon finishing the six mile mark and coming back to the front door, she promptly collapsed onto the ground.

"Take ten minutes, get a drink, relax for a bit." I suggested. "Then we'll move on."

"How...are...you...not exhausted?!" She said, taking in large breaths between each word.

"I've been doing this for a long time, I've gotten used to it." I shrugged.

The ten minutes quickly pasted and we swiftly moved onto the next exercise, push-ups. As expected, she had some difficulty doing them, having taken the better part of an hour just to complete. Rolling over to sit-ups, she found these to be more doable, but still taking awhile to be done. And the squats were by far the easiest to complete. With all that taken most of the day to be done, I decided to let her take the rest of the day to relax.

Over the next few weeks, Selene became far more efficient at the exercises as each day past. I could see a physical difference the training was making. She walked and talked with more confidence than before, whether or not she's aware of these, I'm not sure. But the changes are there and she should be ready in little time.





PoV shift: Selene

Falling painfully to the ground, I grunted as I impacted the solid dirt beneath me, the weighted clothes making it more intense. I give a short sigh as I get off the ground and face Fendral who stood defiantly a few metres away from me.

Its been roughly three months since we started my training and if there's one thing I can take away from my experience and that it's hasn't been easy. Then again, I never expected it to be. But with Fendral's training, it was worth it. I can feel the difference it made. 

My muscular definition became more apparent and my muscle's had filled out, my digitigrade legs being more pronounced than the rest of me, but I was overall slightly bigger than I had been two months prior.

Gripping the Bo staff Fendral gave me, I got into a low guard and waited for him to make the first move. Rushing forwards, he swung his large practise sword overhead. Raising my staff, I redirected it to the side, but was hit in the face with the swords pommel. Despite it being wood, it still hurt like a bitch. Stumbling back, I stepped to the side, catching the wooden stand-in under my arm, locking his in place with my staff and punch him in the chest.

Yanking his sword from his hands, I threw it behind me and out of the ring, completely out of his reach. Running forward, I jump and bring the staff back for a powerful over head swing. Bringing his arms together, I brought down my staff between them, causing him to swiftly grab it and ram his shoulder into my chest. Feeling the staff being torn out of my grip, I look up to see he had done the same thing I had done to his sword. Karma's a bitch.

Running forwards, I bring my fist back for a haymaker. Fendral sidesteps me and I feel my feet leave the ground as he chucks me over his shoulder and firmly boot me in the stomach. Tumbling on the ground, he slams his fist into my head. Blocking another hit, I punch him in the throat, giving me enough time to deliver a kick to leg, bring him to his knees.
I aim for his head, only for him to shield it with his forearms and deliver a punch to my gut, forcing me to my own knees. Quickly standing and using the momentum, he flips over me and grabs my neck, bringing me into a chokehold.

I struggle as my vision starts to blacken. In a moment of a spit second decision, I throw my elbow into his side, forcing him to let me go. Scrambling to stand, I quickly distance the space between us. Charging, Fendral unleashes a flurry of kicks and punches quicker than I was able to counter. I step back as he sends his fist out, I act quick. Slapping it away, I bash him on the back of his neck, my hit disorientates him briefly, allowing me to get to the ground.

Pouncing for his legs and wrapping my arms around them, I drive all my momentum forward and threw him off balance.  Locking my arms around his neck, I restrain his legs with my own. Hold the position, he struggles for a few seconds, before I hear the rhythmic sound of him tapping the ground beneath us. Letting go the moment I heard the sound, he stands up from where we lay and I soon follow him.

He simply stands there, unmoving, unwavering. I began getting unnerved by this, thinking I had done something wrong. But before my doubt could get worse, the sound of his chuckles fill the air. He soon starts clapping, approaching me, his head nodding up and down and firmly places his hands on my shoulders.

"I think your ready."
> "The Test and a Signet Revealed"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three months have past from when I started my training. Three months of Fendral teaching me everything I needed to know. I now know the culture, their do's and don'ts. I know their language and all their intricacies. I know their history, how and why we came to be.

I had been taught how to hunt and handle their weaponry. Now we were putting what I learned to the test.

Today was the day of my Verd'goten.

Armed with an EE-3, vibro sword and a few grenades, I was ready to hunt. And what a hunt it was.

Roughly a week ago, a small neighbouring town had an incident regarding a small feral dragon. There were no casualties, thankfully, but there was a report that it was heading our way and that put Ponyville's citizens at risk, so we tasked ourselves with hunting it. This technically isn't an official job, seeing as there's no actual bounty out for it, but Fendral said it would give me a taste of what to expect.

"Remember, this is your Verd'goten. I will be unable to help you." Fendral said. "Now under normal circumstances, this would be a coming of age trial as you know. However, seeing as your already of age, this will be your integration trial. After you complete this, you will be one of us."

"You make it sound so easy." I chuckled, sitting on a tree stump, making sure I was fully equipped.

"You'll be ok." He said, putting his arm out, with me meeting half way and grabbing his forearm in a warriors handshake. "This is the way."

"This is the way." I recited back.

Releasing my grip and turning away, I quickly found myself in the dense foliage of the forest with a bad reputation. Keeping an eye and ear out for any sign of the dragon, it proved to be far harder than I anticipated, taking the better part of a few hours. But eventually, I spot a branch limply hanging from a thick trunk. 

Striding towards the branch, I closely inspect it and realized it hadn't been snapped like I thought. It had been torn apart. Looking around, I spot a series of more branches almost ripped from their trunks. Following the trail of destruction, I finally find what I had been looking for. Tracks.

Resting the butt of my EE-3 on the ground I looked down at the tracks and analyse the sizeable imprints in the damp dirt beneath me, taking in every little detail. Reaching down, I press my hand into the ground, roughly matching the depth and remove it. The prints was rounded off, while mine had sharp edges.

"It's been here a while. No more than 24 hours." I said, referring to the track. "Four fingers, likely a drake. The print is no more than 2 feet long and 3 foot in width, so it can't be taller than 10, maybe 15 foot tall and 30 foot long."

Looking up, I notice the tracks didn't have a set pattern, each print being made here and there, almost like it was stumbling.

"The tracks seem some what sporadic, leading...due north-east from my position. Could be injured." Gazing up, I look across the area and spot a leaf. Looking closer I notice a few drops of Crimson and nod to myself. "Definitely injured."

Moving on, I followed the tracks in hopes of finding a lead to the dragon I quickly noticed large scrapes and scratches on the sides of trees and branches were snapped like twigs, now limply hanging from the thick trunk they originated from, leaving a clear trail to where ever it fled to.

Soon, I come to an opening in the tree line and past it was a cave. It seemed unremarkable at first, but upon closer inspection, I notice a rather sizable scorch mark on the ground near I had stopped and a small amount of ash clinging to the ground around it.

"Hmm. Wonder what happened here?" I said to myself.

Sure enough, my suspicions were confirmed when a large pale green drake limped out of the cave, dried blood caking it's scales on the left shoulder and down it's arm. Some of the large asymmetrical spike's covering it's body were cracked or bent, showing it to have survived many battles. Smoke bellowed slightly from its square muzzle, parting as it past the single horn on it's snout.

But what caught my attention wasn't it's battle worn body, but what was sticking out it's back. Peering through the brush, what I saw were the tips of spears, broken and worn like the spike's and spines beside them.

"Standard issue Guard spears. Looks like they tried to take it down." I whispered.

Standing from the foliage, I swiftly strode forwards, gripping  my EE-3 rifle tightly in my hands. The beast heard my approach, snapping it's to face me, a small amount of froth dripping out it's mouth and It's yellow eyes lacking any manner of sane coherence. Thing thing really was feral.

Slamming the ground with it's front claws, the Drake reared it's head and let out a mighty bellow and charged forward. Taking the initiative, I ran forward as well, raising my rifle and aimed for It's face.

The three round burst hits it's mark, singeing the thick scales, leaving a smoking black mark, causing the beast to roar in pain and slam it's eyes shut, but the shots failed to slow it down. Rolling out out of the way of the charging brute, the Drake barrelled past me, skidding to a stop with a bloody intent clear in it's rabid eyes.

Charging again with baffling speed and leaving a trail of dust behind it, the Drake's large claw impacted my side before I could react, sending me flying into the wall beside the cave, the durasteel breastplate taking most of the force of the blow, but a few ribs were definitely broken. I stood quickly with a groan and saw the beast beating it's snout into the ground. Thinking fast, I made my game plan and the beast charged once more.

As the Drake was upon me, I rolled out the way, the beast ramming into the wall, the spike's on it's head breaking from the impact, a few bits of rock lodged themselves between it's scales. Reaching to my belt, I grabbed a modified thermal detonator, primed it and threw it at the Drake. As It shook it's head and came out of it's daze, the beeping grenade caught it's attention. Peering down at the metallic orb, it sniffed the grenade then shifted it's gaze towards me.

Seconds later, the beeping stopped and the area was engulfed in a friary orange aura, with the Drake being caught in the ensuing explosion, sending it reeling. It howled as the searing heat consumed the left side of it's face, it's eyes melted in it's socket, the scales and flesh on the beasts face slowly melting away, revealing the scorched skull beneath.

Taking this opportunity, I ran as quickly as I could and jumped on it's back and pulled out my vibro sword and plunged it into the Drakes neck and twisted, intending to do as much damage as possible. Roaring, it tried it's best to rid me off it's back, bucking wildly and ramming it's body into anything it could find, all while I wiggled the blade to drive it deeper.
Slamming it's side into the rocky wall, my sword came loose and I was sent over opposite side. Pulling out my knife, I jammed it into it's unprotected belly and scraped to it's haunch. My knife lost grip in it's belly, sliding me to underneath the behemoth. Taking this opportunity, I brought my sword back as far as I could and plunged it deep into the soft tissue and pulled down as hard as I could.

A split second later, I was showered in a deep crimson, flakes of scales flicking off my now wet armour. The Drake crumbled as it's innards fell out the gaping hole in it's stomach in a steaming pile, my helm doing little to shield me from the revolting stench as I let go mid fall. I land on my back and lay there for a second or two before I'm shaken from my moment of respite. The beast was somehow still alive.

Walking over to it, I grab my sword off the ground and I make my way behind it to the hole I made in it's neck. Offering a small prayer, I bury my blade to the hilt, the Drake writhing for an instant before falling limp. Removing my blade, I decide to check over my equipment before any further action. Peering down at myself, a large amount of dirt and mud, along with the still wet blood and fresh guts hanging from my armour. I shake my hands in a futile attempt to rid myself of the mess. Quickly checking over the rest of my equipment, I quickly found that the durasteel breastplate was barely hanging on, being damaged beyond repair by the fight. Good thing Fendral has more. Everything else was either: fine or at least repairable.

Looking back to the Drake, I walk over to it's mouth with my knife in hand and began pulling a few teeth and scales as proof, putting them in a sturdy leather pouch. Once done, I quickly find the dirt path and slowly trek back to Ponyville. The walk back to town was a slow one, the fight, while not being long, took a lot of energy to complete. But the journey ended, as my eyes landed on the quaint little town as I past the tree line and the reinforced fence.

Groaning as I sit on a near by rock, I close my eyes and let a content sigh pass my lips, now feeling repercussions of the fight as the adrenaline in my body begins wearing off.

"Is it done?" A deep, familiar voice asks.

Opening my eyes, they instantly lock onto Fendral, who stood a metre away. Reaching to my belt, I pull out the leather bag and hold it out. Fendral takes it without hesitation and peers down into it. Nodding softly, his shoulder raise a small bit and closes the bag.

"Follow me." He said, offering his hand to help me up. "And use this while your at it."

Handing the bag back, he also gives me a metallic syringe. A bacta syringe if I'm remembering correctly. Poking the syringe into my side, I groan as I feel my ribs fall back in place, the broken bones fusing back together. Following closely behind Fendral, he leads me through the towns centre, Ponyville's citizens making way for the gore covered Mandalorian initiate. Soon, we stop in front of the town local black smith.

Banging on the door leading into the forge beside the main shop, Fendral steps back and places his hands on his hips, almost expectantly. We didn't have to wait long, however, as a well built earth-pony mare comes out the main shops entrance.

"Ah Fendral, what can I help with today?" She said, immediately noticing my presence and looks back to him. "Is it time?"

He only nods in response.

"Then follow me." She said, a wide smile braking across her face.

She leads us behind her shops and into the circular forge, her leaning against the door frame and indicating for us to go in. It was a large and very well maintained space, each tool having their own designated area. The main forge situated in the middle was large, taking up the majority of the room, with enough space to work at each of the equally well maintained work stations.

"Kneel here please." Fendral requested, indicating to a pillow near the entrance. "And don't move until I say."

"What, if I may ask, are you going to do?" I ask.

"Forge you new armour." He said simply, turning to get to work.

Bringing up a small white metallic box and pulling out a large bundle of steel grey ingots, I watched him intently, mesmerised by his actions. He moved from here to there in a flurry of movement with grace unsuspected of one of his stature. His motions were like a well oiled machine, moving across the forge in a blur of precision. 

Placing the ingots in a large worn tray, he hefted the container and placed it in the equally large forge. The ingots melted quickly there after, filtering out and into a mould affixed to the side of the forge. Letting it solidify, he took the roughly shaped piece to a table, hammering out most of it's imperfections. Lifting it once more, he took it over to and placed it on an odd looking circular device, the now less rough piece now softly floating several inches above it, blue beams of light being produced at an angle from the rim keeping the plate from falling. Pulling a lever, a large hammer fell onto the piece, the scuffed edges dulling out.

Doing this several times, the piece became a clean, rounded edged breastplate. Dipping it in a basin, the water bubbled as the excess heat cooled and then placed it in what appeared to be mud of some sort. He let go and patiently waited for it to dry. Once done, he lugged it up and onto another table, breaking the now dry clay like substance.

Polishing the breastplate, he detached the broken and bent durasteel and discarded it of to the side, replacing it with the newly made Beskar armour. Doing this with every piece of armour, the time it took to be done was lengthy and the deed was an ambitious one, having to create a full set of armour from scratch. But, eventually, it was done and it was a truly impressive sight. But it was not done. Not yet.

Getting together a small amount of the excess metal, he brought it over to a workbench, pulling the metal out straight and bending it to form a small intricate design. Sparks flow as he welded the compact construct and soon enough he was finished.

"What is is?" I ask as he walks towards me.

"Your signet." He replied, welding the piece on my left shoulder pad. "A symbol determined from the damage dealt to a warrior's armour. In this case, your signet is that of the Drake you slew."

"Stand." He continued, reaching over to a can of spray paint and a piece of cardboard with a . "From this day forth, you are one of us."

Placing the cardboard on my right shoulder, he sprayed on the design onto it, permanently marking the armour. He stands in front of me and gives me a hard nod.

"This is the way." He said proudly as a smile now crossed my face.

"This is the way."
> "Celebration's and Grief"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Walking out of the forge and onto the streets of Ponyville, the local populace marvelled at the newly silver clad Lycan who walked by my side. This was a momentous occasion. This was the first step to a brighter future for Mandalorian's. And it was a time of celebrations.

"So what now?" Selene asked.

"Now?" I start, bringing my hand to her shoulder. "We rejoice."

With the declaration, there was only one place I knew that could provide the stiff drink for such an event. As such, I led us to none other, than the Bucking Bronco. Opening the double doors, most of the patrons inside stopped what they were doing and stared at me and Selene, something she had gotten used very quickly. Ignoring them, we walked up to the bar and I rest my weight on the dark, hard wooden finished surface, causing it to creak a bit, with Selene simply sitting on one of the stools. Lightly tapping the counter, I quickly got the attention of the bartender, a Pegasus stallion I was familiar with.

"Fendral! When was the last time you ordered a drink around here?" Cold Brew, a rather aged stallion asked.

"Couldn't say." I said plainly. "How's the husband?"

"Ah, you know how it is." He replied, idly cleaning a large pint glass in his grip. "He's constantly going at me to stop and retire."

"Will you?"

"Will you stop doing bounty hunting despite your age?"

I simply chuckled. That answered that. He got me there. It was in that moment that he seemed to take notice of Selene, who sat quietly during the whole interaction. He gained a brief look of surprise, which rapidly changed to a look joy.

"You mad dog you!" He proclaimed. "You actually went through with it!"

"Didn't you know?" I asked.

"I've been on holiday to Cloudsdale for a few months." He explained. "I mean, I heard rumours floating about, but nothing was concrete."

"Well let me introduce you to Selene." I said, patting her on the back.

"How do you do." He said, firmly shaking her hand in an iron like grip. "So what can I get you then?"

"I think you know what we need." I requested.

"Done." He said, his trade mark smile plastered on his face as he left to organise our drinks.

There was a period of quiet between us, the only noise being the hub bub of the patrons who had went back to whatever they were doing before we arrived.

"So what do we do after this." Selene asked suddenly.

"Tomorrow we get you registered in the Guild." I replied. "Then you get your first job."

As I finished, Cold brought the drinks I had ordered, placing a single straw in each and I wordlessly set my bits on the counter top and picked up my drink. Turning where I stood, I brought up my drink, Selene following suit not a second later.

"To your success." I toasted. "And a brighter future."

Clinking the metallic tankards together, I lightly tapped the base on the counter surface, Selene copying my actions. As we each took a sip through the straw, I could see her shoulder lift slightly as she quickly looked from me back to the tankard.

"Gods above, this is good." She said, practically cheering, though it went unheard over the noise of the bar.

"I know." I said, taking a sip of my own. "Because it's our recipe."

"Really?" She asked, peering down at the strong drink. "You gave away your recipe?"

"It was doing no good with me. I rarely ever drink. So giving it to someone I knew who could reliably make it was the best option." I said, taking a deep sip. "It's become very popular around here in the last few years."

"What's it called?" She asked.

"Ne'tra gal, or black ale." I replied.

Hours then past as we casually talked. There was no particular topic we settled on, simply moving on to what ever crossed our minds. In what felt like no time at all, most patrons had left, leaving only a few who still had drink left. Looking to a near by clock, I drank the last of my drink before turning to Selene, finding her already finished her own.

"Are we leaving?" She said, swivelling on the stool to face me.

"Yea, I think we should." I said. "You have a long day ahead of you."

Pushing myself off of the counter top, I waved goodbye to Cold Brew, Selene doing the same with a bit more cheer. As we left the pub and made our way home, I began noticing thing. The look the populace had. It wasn't an ominous look, only one that told me they knew something I didn't. It was a quick and simple side glance that didn't last anymore than a second. That, along with a tiny smirk, made me somewhat suspicious. It was then, I remembered. And I physically sagged.

"Selene." I said quietly, catching the attention of said Lycan. "New plan."

"What?"

Wordlessly, I turned on my heel and walked in the total opposite direction of my home and made my way slowly down the street towards our new destination. Jogging up to my side, I could tell She wanted to say or ask something, but seeing my sudden mood change, said nothing and walked silently beside me. Soon, in less than a few minutes, we came to our short journey's end. Sugar Cube Corner.

Taking the door handle in my hand, I slowly opened the door, internally preparing myself for the long hours ahead of me. As the door fully opened, I took a small tentative step forward, then another, then another. Suddenly, the lights blared, luminating the inside of the bakery and, as I expected, six ponies and a dragon were present.

"SURPRISE!" They shouted.

Party streamers were thrown with reckless abandon and party poppers were shot off, filling the air with the smell of blown out candles. Sighing, I stepped in fully, Pinkie bouncing up to me and in a soft hug, one I happily gave back, and let go seconds later.

"Happy birthday." She said in her usual, cheerful self, never failing to spread said cheer.

"Thank you." I said.

Looking up to the banner over head, my eyes skimmed the letters and numbers, painfully bringing my age to the forefront of my mind. This bit of information is one that I have told very few people, only those I deem worthy are privy to such a personal fact.

"Your fifty seven?!" Selene shouted, seemingly dumbfounded at the sudden reveal.

I only hummed in confirmation as the six ponies and single dragon make their way over to us, bright smiles all around.

"Yea, he may not seem it, but he's getting on a bit." dash said, giving me a hard pat on the back, only to get swatted by a certain Stetson wearing mare.

"Now Dash, you know that ain't the way to treat your elders." She chastised.

"It was a bit rude." Twilight said, Fluttershy and Rarity agreeing with the statement, the latter more quietly.

"Didn't have to hit me though." Dash muttered to herself.

"It's fine, I know she didn't mean any offense." I said, waving off the three mares before they could get another word in. "Besides, it takes more than that to offend me."

"Just consider yourself lucky Granny Smith weren't here to hear it." Applejack said.

Dash didn't say another word, a strong shiver running up her spine was more than enough to silence her. If there's one even the bravest of Ponyville's souls don't dare ever do, is disrespect others in front of Granny Smith. That is a guaranteed ass kicking.

"Yes, to answer your question. I am, indeed...fifty seven." I said slowly. "How old did you think I was?"

"To be honest, I thought you were in your thirties." Selene said.

I only shrug, quickly walking past the group and to a table near the back, intent on passing the time, however long that may be, by my self.





PoV shift: Selene

As the party went on, we played a lot of different games, ranging from: beer pong, cards against society and pictionary. However, during the time we played these games, I noticed Fen was absent for them, relegating himself to the back of the bakery, seemingly in a rather sullen mood. The girls and Spike didn't seem to take notice of this, which made me worry slightly. As I was about to approach him, a strong and firm hand stopped me in my tracks, preventing me from going any farther.

"I wouldn't suggest doing that sugarcube." Applejack said softly.

"Can I ask why?" I asked as the rest of the group observed the interaction.

Sighing deeply, she indicated for me to sit at a near by table, and so I did. Sitting, the atmosphere changed in an instant. Gone was the cheer and joy of before, now replaced by a solemn and trepidation that felt out of place amongst ponies capable of spreading such joy.

"It really isn't my place to tell you." Applejack said. "And I'm not sure how he would rea-"

"Tell her." I heard Fendral say.

Looking over, I saw he was still in the booth he had assigned himself to and slowly looked up. The way he held himself in that exact moment told me something. Behind the calm, serious and sometimes humorous attitude, was man that held a sadness only those who have lost everything could have.

Getting up from his seat, he moved with far more lethargy than usual and made his way past us and to the front door, before stopping and turning his head slightly.

"It would save me the pain."

And with that, he was gone, not a single trace to suggest there was another presence here a moment ago. Looking back to the six ponies and dragon, there was not a word I could have said that would reignite the previous rapture. Turning back to me after a moment, Applejack finally spoke.

"Well that answers that, I guess." She said. "As I'm sure you've guessed, the reason for his sadness is because, simply, he's in grief."

"But that would be oversimplifying it." Twilight chimed in. "It's...far more complex then that."

"What is it." I ask slowly, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"I'm not gonna beat around the bush sugarcube." Applejack conceded. "Today marks the day of the death...of his wife."

There was a period of total silence, not even the noise from outside could be heard as my mind attempted to process the information that was given. Eventually, I snapped out of my stupor as my brain finally caught up, the surprise never truly subsiding however.

"He's...a widower?" I ask dumbly.

"Yea." Pinkie said sadly, her hair seemingly deflated. "But it happened way before he moved to Ponyville and us meeting him."

"We don't know how, why or exactly when this happened, but it clearly weighs the guy down. Even now." Rainbow Dash said.

It was then I realized, there was so much of the man I pledged my life to that I was utterly clueless to. Even this fact, shook my view of him. Before, I saw him as an honourable warrior who was simply trying to get by as best he could. Now? Now I see a man who had lost everything, his whole world had been shattered in one, agonising moment. One event to throw him over the edge. And with how skilled I know he is, thinking about how he dealt with it, made me shudder.

"Is there anything we can do for him?" I ask.

"No." Applejack said quickly. "There nothing we can do for him. Only time can heal those wounds."





PoV shift: Fendral

As I jump the reinforced fence, I walk an over grown, but well beaten path. Roots and moss overtaking the vast majority of the dirt track, my thick boots crunching leaves and twigs alike. Walking for a few minutes, I soon come to a large clearing and at the centre, a lone tree, It's wide reaching branches creating a natural canopy.

As I come to the base of natures life giver, I pull out a small thistle and peer down at it. Memories swirling around in my head in an organised whirlwind of recollections. Kneeling down, I place the thistle in a equally small nook, confident it won't get swept away by the strong winds of the unpredictable forest around me and remove my helmet and placing it on the ground next to me.

Putting my hand on the thick trunk, I gently place my fore head against the hard bark, closing my eyes as I think of the love I lost all to quickly. Looking back up in front of me, my eyes land on the only indicator of this tree represents to me. It's faded, but it's there. Letters scratched into the wooden surface, spelling out one thing. One simple, but deeply fundamental thing that has made me the way I am. A name. My wife's name.

Karlia Marika.
> "Admission"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was late and there had been, so far, no word from Fendral. Normally I would have started worrying, but I knew him well enough that the thought was immediately disregarded.

As I sat in the soft leather chair, I silently stared into the fire place, the crackling creating a pleasantly comforting atmosphere, a hot mug of tea in hand. The early evening of the mid autumn year soon turned into a mild night, a soft low hanging fog permeating the surrounding area. It was late hours of night before I heard the door open, revealing Fendral still within his previous state.

Walking up to his chair, he groaned as he softly sat, loosely staring into the fire.

"I've been in Equestria for forty years." He sighed suddenly. "Forty years of honing my skill. Forty years of trial and error. In all that time, I had held my family in the highest regard. But despite that..."

He trailed off, his voice becoming light and distant, akin to remembering an old, once long forgotten memory and he looked to me.

"I was unable to save them."

There was crack in his voice as he continued. It was slight, but it was there. He suddenly stood, walking over to the window, staring out it in an almost wistful way. His shoulders slackened as he clasped his hands behind his back and let his head hang slightly.

"I'm getting old Selene. I may not look it, or even act it, but I can feel it. Both in my body and mind." He conceded. "I've lived a long life, and I'm afraid I'm going to live for time longer than most. And it scares me."

I remained quiet during his monologue, not wanting to miss a single piece of information. I couldn't, however, figure out why he was telling me these things and I couldn't help but ask.

"Why are telling me all of this?"

"There are a great many things about me that few know about me." He said. "And there are more that I wish to never see the light of day."

Peering back at me, he takes a quick glance out the window before closing the blinds, shielding us from the outside world, casting a comfortable shadow over the room.

"But if there is one thing that most know, and that it's my trust is not easily earned." He said, turning back to me. "And you have earned that trust."

Walking towards me, I took that as a sign to stand. I did and I found myself looking up to match Fendral's gaze. Putting out his hand, I put out my own and firmly gripped his forearm and he mine.

"I tell you this, not because I seek pity. I am long past that." He continued. "I tell you this, not as a teacher or trainer. I tell you this as a sign of that trust, as a friend."

"Promise me you will stick by my side." He asked. "Through thick and thin."

Giving a strong nod, I tighten my grip around his arm in a reassuring manner, one I'm sure he felt.

"I promise."

He gave a quiet sigh in an almost relieved manner and let go of my arm, repeating my nod of one of his own.

"Good." He said, stepping back slightly. "Go get some sleep. You have another long day ahead of you."

And without another word uttered, I turned and made my way to my room, softly closing the door behind me, setting my helmet on the bedside table and hunkered my self in the soft duvet, the words Fendral spoke to me bouncing around in my head.
Two questions, however, were at the forefront of my mind. Just who was his family? What happened to them? Deciding to dwell on these thoughts at a later date, I swiftly fell asleep soon after, ready for the trial and tribulations of the day ahead.