Chapter 1

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The sun shone down through the leaves of the forest, the dappled patterns swaying in the slight breeze. The late summer afternoon was pleasantly warm, and many of the minor nobles from the nearby Castle Redmont were enjoying the sunshine in the meadows near the castle. The woods themselves held a small wooden cabin. It was nondescript enough, with a well maintained porch, a small stable on one side, and a large door. Above the door, a small oakleaf insignia was carved into the lintel.

A few meters behind the house, a few targets had been set up. They were arranged in a haphazard pattern, seemingly spaced so as to confuse the archer in as best a manner possible. There was also a track parallel to the range’s firing line. All of a sudden, thundering hoof-beats was heard, followed by a small horse, almost a pony, galloping along. On its back, and astride the saddle, sat a small human in a green, mottled cloak. He seemed to blur in and out of focus. In his hands was a massive longbow, and a large number of arrows were poking out from behind his back. As the horse and rider passed the targets, multiple blurred motions, followed by a deep thrum, disguised the rider’s movements. Seconds later, dull thuds resounded throughout the clearing, emanating from the targets spread throughout the range. The rider slowed his horse, who responded by immediately stopping, not even winded by the exercise. The rider got down and patted the horse.

“Good boy, Tug,” the rider said, a boyish voice coming from beneath the cowl of the cloak. The rider proceeded to travel down the range, checking each shot. Every single one was embedded in the small red bulls-eye in the center of the target. However, the rider, obviously an archer of great skill, scowled beneath his cloak.

“I need more practice. I’ve been putting it off for too long. This shot is a few centimeters away from the center. I should have hit here,” he pointed to a spot in nearly the exact center of the target. “I can’t let Halt see this. What do you think, Tug, another round?”

The horse didn’t answer, of course, but Will fancied he could see his response through the eyes. They seemed to say, You should have practiced earlier.

“I know, I know. Let’s go again.” The young man collected his arrows and jumped back on his horse, the silver oakleaf pendant around his neck flashing briefly in the sun. The man absently put the pendant back into his tunic while Tug cantered towards the beginning of the track. The horse again ran towards the target, and again the deep thrum filled the small clearing. The arrows all struck home, digging into the hay-stuffed linen targets. If one paid close attention to the shots, one would notice no two arrows went to the same target, and the rider constantly changed the pattern of his shots and which target he shot at next.

The rider continued the practice throughout the day, occasionally breaking to give his horse a rest or to take a quick meal. The rider also changed his practice, pulling out two knives from his belt and tossing them at soft pine targets nestled in another area. One of the knives was a large, Saxe-like knife; the blade was wide, with a leather-wrapped hilt and a small brass pommel. The other knife was a smaller one, more attuned to being thrown. Both knives were perfectly balanced. He would also alternate between riding on his horse and standing, running, crouching, jumping, and all sorts of other combinations. It was as if he was preparing for both a massive battlefield and quick surprise attacks. He was a great warrior, one could tell just from his familiarity of his weapons. Unbeknownst to the rider, however, he was not alone. In the branches of a nearby tree, a small crone sat. Her image shivered and waved, as if she was made of vapor. She studied the man before her muttering under her breath,

“Oh, yes, I know this one,” she said, her voice a crackly, grating whine, “He is the one of whom the prophecies speak. This Will Treaty. He is the one who will ruin my plans. No, I must stop this. How much longer till the time is right?” She asked of no one in particular, looking at a small glass ball in her hands. “Oh, no, it’s almost too late!” She almost yelled, her voice never carrying past the tree. She began to chant in an unknown language, performing gestures with her hands and throwing bits of powder. She finally pointed at Will, a curl entering her fingers. She watched as the small figure on the horse disappeared in a flash of light, releasing the first arrow of the drill just before he vanished. The arrow thudded home into the center of the target, wobbling slightly.

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Will released the first arrow, feeling, rather than seeing, the arrow hit home. He reached for the next arrow, but a huge flash of white light enveloped him. Tug reared, dropping Will. Will instinctually turned, so as to save his arrows, but was too late to see the large rock on the ground. His head cracked against it, knocking him out instantly, while Tug whinnied and turned to check on his rider.

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Fluttershy was sleeping soundly, having just fed the last nocturnal animal under her care. She was dreaming about buying a nice large animal shelter, with spaces for any animal she might have to take care of. She would have a few trusted friends to help her, and Twilight would have a library filled with books about animals, and Fluttershy would have a nice, new doctor’s coat. She smiled, her dream filling her with good feelings. Suddenly, someone brought in a huge stallion, whose whinnies filled the shelter. Then a second whinny shattered her dream and bringing Fluttershy back into the land of consciousness.

She looked around for a moment, disoriented. It took her a moment to realize what had awakened her, and then peaked outside to see what was wrong. Outside her front window, a huge stallion stood, nuzzling something on the ground. The stallion dwarfed Big Mac, and was built strangely. His hooves were black, while his coat was brown. His legs were similar to those of the cows at Applejack’s farm. His eyes were small and black, and his body was heavily muscled. In fact, he reminded Fluttershy of a Cro-Hoofnon drawing she had seen when looking through some of Twilight’s books. On the stallion’s back was a saddle, with a few saddle-bags tied to it. The thing the stallion was nuzzling was a small, green-wrapped thing. It was breathing, so Fluttershy guessed it was a pet. It seemed to be hurt. Fluttershy swallowed her fear, opening her door to see if she could help. When she walked out, she heard the stallion talking.

Will, Will wake up! Come on Will. What’s wrong?

The voice reminded Fluttershy of the voices she heard of her animal friends. It wasn’t resounding, and it didn’t echo. Fluttershy stopped for a second, wondering why he was not speaking Equestrian. Then she shrugged, moving forward to help the injured animal.

“Umm, excuse me sir, is, umm, there a problem?” Fluttershy asked, approaching the stallion.

Who are you, little horse? Are there any healers around? Will won’t wake up!

Fluttershy flared at the insult, but it died down almost immediately, replaced with concern. “Is Will your pet? I-I can help him. I take care of many animals.”

What are you talking about? He’s my human. Are their any human doctors around?

“Umm no, I… what’s a human? Let me bring him inside, you’re welcome in too, I guess, I’ll try to help him.” Fluttershy moved towards Will, intending to get a look at the animal, to see what was wrong, but the stallion moved in front of her, stopping her.

What do you mean what’s a human? Look, I mean no disrespect, but you trying to treat him would be… like.. well, me trying to treat him. I guess I can let you try, but if you so much as hurt his little toe, I will ground you into a pulp.

Fluttershy gulped, but nodded, and walked towards the now unprotected Will. She moved aside the cloak covering him, and turned him over. She gasped. “I’ve never seen any animal like this before. Oh, umm… I think he’s hurt his head.” Maybe if I use ice, and those new casts the vet sent me… "Umm.. If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?” Fluttershy had begun to dart around, her sympathy for the animal in front of her trying to get past her fears of the outside world. She pointed the last question to the large stallion standing next to the animal, still nuzzling him and looking at Fluttershy with a penetrating gaze.

I am Tug.

Fluttershy nodded, turning towards the animal. She picked him up, grunting with the weight, and began to drag him inside, fluttering her wings to try to gain extra power. Tug let out a whinny in surprise at her wings, but he helped Fluttershy move the animal onto her couch. She asked a few questions about Will’s diet and other needs, but Tug just told her not to worry about it. Fluttershy nodded, ran and grabbed the bandages and other things she needed, before returning to Will and wrapping his head tightly. She then bade the stallion goodnight, and proceeded upstairs to sleep.

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Will woke up suddenly, but his instincts immediately took over. He forced his breathing into a regular pattern, seeming to still be asleep. He covered his sudden intake when he woke up with a turn of his body. He risked a quick peek from under his eyelashes, peering into the green lattice of the couch he was on. He cursed silently, realizing it was too late to try to turn around. He listened carefully to the areas around him, waiting to see if he was safe. He still felt the familiar weight of his knives on his belt, but his cloak and quiver were missing. He heard a few footsteps from behind him, as whoever was approaching leaned over his side. He took this moment, jumping up and twisting in the same movement. He grabbed the neck of his victim, feeling the soft fur of the person’s coat. His saxe was already in his hand and at the throat of the helpless person in front of him. Will realized he hadn’t even opened his eyes yet, silently praising himself for the quick reaction. He opened his eyes, and saw a large, pink hairdo in front of him. Underneath, being held at the throat, was a pale yellow horse about half the size of Tug. The horse stared at him with immense fear in its eyes.

He released the horse, falling into a crouch as he inspected his surroundings. He was in a small unfamiliar cottage. There was furniture and a few pictures around, though Will just thought they were well-done paintings. He furrowed his eyebrows at the overabundance of wild animals throughout the cottage, all of which were staring at him with a mix of horror and curiosity. He completed a 360, seeing a small, white rabbit that would have made a nice stew if he had had the time, before finally setting his gaze on the small yellow horse in front of him. Will sighed, sliding his saxe back into its well-oiled sheathe. He bent down and rubbed the head of the small animal, just accepting it as a fluke of nature. He had stopped being surprised by these things ever since he met Malcolm’s troupe.

“Well sorry there, little fella,” he said, in the same voice he used for the teenaged Ebony, “Where has your master got to?” He proceeded to search the house, absentmindedly scratching the bandage on his head. He found the whole house was empty save for the abundance of animals. For some reason, the miniature yellow horse was following him. After succeeding in finding nothing, he sat down on the couch he woke up on to think. He was in a house surrounded by unfamiliar animals. He had been hurt somehow, but the last thing he remembered was training with Tug. He had been there all day, and through some of the night. He couldn’t remember anything after that. Just a blank space. All of a sudden, he remembered Tug, and, guiltily whistled for him. At the whistle, the ears of most of the nearby animals, including the yellow one, went down while they jumped in surprise. Will was oblivious of their discomfort, waiting for the answering whinny. He did not have to wait long. A very familiar sound came from a nearby open window, and the head of a very-familiar horse poked in.

“Where have you been?” Will asked, absently rubbing Tug’s head. The horse didn’t respond. Will shook his head and soothed his horse, commanding him to wait outside on alert. Will turned around, intent upon exiting the cottage, and immediately tripped over the yellow horse that had been following him. The horse toppled over, crying out in a very human-like way. All of a sudden, Will saw a flash of white and orange launch itself from a position on high. Instinctually, Will drew his saxe, knocking the thing down to the ground and stabbing into the belly of the would-be assassin. At the exact same moment, Will heard a gasp from behind him, and an obviously female voice begin to speak. For some reason, Will wanted to classify it as ‘shouting,’ even though it was a soft, quiet voice.

“No, don’t hurt him!” It said. Will finally looked down at what he had stabbed, and found a bunny in his grasp, a carrot held like a knife. The saxe was buried deep into the wood between the bunny’s legs. A scared, but determined expression was on the human-like face. Will sheepishly turned around, beginning to apologize.

“Look, ma’am, I’m sorry for reacting like that, but—“ He trailed off, there being no one behind him except for the yellow horse. The thing was shaking with fear, one of its forehooves extended.

“King’s Ranger. Show yourself!” Will commanded, turning his normally boyish voice into a deep, threatening growl. He wrenched his saxe from the wood, changing the grip and pulling his throwing knife from its sheath. “Where are you?” Will said again, searching around for even the slightest movement. The voice spoke again, emanating from the small yellow horse in front of him.

“I-I’m here. Just.. don’t hurt my animals, please.” The horse threw open it’s outrageously proportioned eyes in such a cute puppy-dog face that Will was instantly ashamed, even if he was alarmed at the sheer impossibility of a talking horse. Will talked to Tug, and he fancied Tug responded, but this was way to far out of his league. The last time he met a talking animal was when Malcolm insisted that he and Halt take a ‘self-discovery’ journey and force-fed them mushrooms.

“Look, talking-horse-thing, I’m sorry for attacking your rabbit, but where am I, and who are you?”

The horse stared indignantly at Will, raising its voice to regular speaking decibels. “I am not a horse! Can’t believe you would say that. Hasn’t your owner at least taught you manners? I am a pony. My name is Fluttershy, and you are in my house because your kind owner brought you here for healing. On top of that—“ she trailed off, emitting a soft ‘eep’ and then began speaking again in a very quiet voice, almost trying to hide behind her mane. “I’m so sorry, I just can’t control myself sometimes, ever since Iron Will I’ve been having problems. Look, I know this may be confusing for you, but your owner brought you here some how. You had a nasty cut on your head, but I fixed you up. Umm, your owner was too big to come in here, he wouldn’t have been comfortable. I lent him the bear’ lean-to I made for the night. He was very anxious to meet you. Umm, though he did poke in here when you whistled.”

Will looked at the pony for a moment, surprised at the sudden changes in demeanor. “Well, umm, Fluttershy, you’re mistaken. Tug isn’t my owner. I’m his owner, although I don’t like to think of it that way. He’s more of my companion. Do you know how I got here?”

“Well, Tug didn’t say, he was more concerned about you. Why don’t you ask him?”

Will contemplated for a moment, then came up with a good reply. “Well, you see, where I come from, horses, and ponies I guess, don’t talk, in fact only us humans talk. You don’t know how strange it is to find myself talking to a yellow pony. Imagine trying to talk to a cow.”

“But I talk to them all the time, they’re some of the most intelligent people I know, aside from Twilight.”

Will facepalmed, “Nevermind, just drop it…” The conversation lulled for a moment, then Will spoke up again. “What did you do with my cloak, and other items?”

“Oh” said Fluttershy, “I’m so sorry, I just put them in here for safekeeping, they were in the way when I tried to bandage you, so I moved them where nopony could get to them.” She pulled out his quiver and bow, wrapped in the cloak, from a nearby cupboard.

Will donned his gear, feeling better now that he had his tools. Will turned to talk to Fluttershy again, but was interrupted by a soft whinny. Fluttershy looked towards the sound, feeling concerned as Will melted into the shadows of her cottage.

“I wonder what’s wrong.” She said, turning to talk to Will, but he had disappeared. “Oh, where did you—“ She was interrupted when a huge blast blew open her door. In the doorway stood a blue cyan pony with a rainbow mane. The pony dragged huge gasps of air, until finally saying something in an equally feminine, but many times more powerful, voice as Fluttershy’s.

“Fluttershy! Some strange green monster just appeared in town, with some sort of cave-pony. And Pinkie was the first to talk to him!” The pony exclaimed, while Fluttershy ‘eeped.’ “Twilight said to gather our friends, and something about the elements possibly being needed. I think she just wants your way with animals, but this one is meaner than anything I’ve seen.

In the shadows, Will grinned.

Chapter 2

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Another fine, summer morning dawned upon Redmont Fief. The smell of an amazing breakfast wafted from the inn that housed the famous Jenny, protégé of Master Chubb. The smell was an enticing mixture of eggs and fish, with more subtle and spicy aromas mixed within. The aroma was enchanting enough to drag even the laziest of farmhands out of bed, rousing the entire town from its sleepiness; however, the inn itself was leaking customers at a tremendous rate. The villagers were almost climbing over each other, like rats escaping a conflagration. The source of this panic was found inside, where one table still held two customers. One of them was an elegant lady, wearing an unadorned white dress, marking her as a Courier. She was, in fact, Lady Pauline, the leader of the Diplomatic Corp. Her aged face was framed by blond locks, turning silver. Her beauty, instead of being detracted from, was only enhanced by her age, and her poise gave one the impression of a lady who could handle herself in any situation. On her hip, a decorated dagger was sheathed.

Sitting across from Lady Pauline, a small, nondescript figure sat hunched, facing the door. He wore a green, mottled cloak, and had a drab brownish tunic on. At his waist hung a double-knife sheath, marking him as a King’s Ranger. This particular King’s Ranger was named Halt, and his eight-foot reputation intimidated all he met. He held a legendary status in the kingdom and beyond was earned through his many battles. He had a graying, ragged beard that appeared like he cut it with his own saxe knife. The rest of his face was hidden by the deep cowl of his cloak, and the reason the people were fleeing could be seen in the candle-light. Halt was smiling; a genuine smile of happiness filling his face.

In front of the couple lay a fish, surrounded by sautéed mushrooms omelets and bacon, artfully crafted into a work of beauty. Nearby stood a slightly chubby girl with a beaming face, a carving knife slowly cutting through the fish. She portioned out the food, globing generous helpings of the sumptuous breakfast onto both of their plates.

Halt and Pauline’s faces jumped into even bigger smiles, the deliciousness overloading their thoughts. Jenny gave and even bigger smile, pleased that her work had meant so much to the two of them. She soon left to the kitchens however, concerned over the lack of customers. She shrugged, attributing it to a slow morning.

After finishing the meal, Halt and Pauline left the inn, slowly walking back to the castle. Abelard, Halts short, shaggy horse, followed behind. The couple launched into small talk, ignoring the panicked locals running from the smile on Halt’s face. As they reached the drawbridge, however, a young voice launched towards them.

“Halt, Halt!” said Alyss, the esteemed student of Lady Pauline. Halt’s smiled vanished, replaced by the raise of an eyebrow and a roll of the eyes.

“You should not talk to Gilan so much.” Halt said, the amusement he felt locked behind his impassive mask. The young blonde in the white dress in front of him merely smiled, an inner light shining through.

“Oh, so you think I can’t come up with a witty remark on my own?” she said, overplaying the incredulousness in her voice.

“Oh, yes,” Halt said, keeping his voice as impassive as ever, “You may be the unofficially adopted daughter of my wife, but you still need help in the sarcasm department.” He said, laying on his own sarcasm as much as he could.

“Stop it you two,” an amused Lady Pauline interrupted, leaning on the post of the bridge.

Alyss nodded her head in the direction of Lady Pauline, her face all business again. “Halt,” she began, “I have a letter from Crowley. I’ve already given Horace his, and I attempted to give Will his, but I can’t find him. When you next see him, give him this.” Alyss handed Halt two scrolls, one labeled with his own name, and one with Wills. King Duncan’s seal adorned the wax sealing the scroll. Alyss leaned towards Halt again, this time giving him a full blown hug and peck on the cheek.

“And those are also for Will.” She said, ignoring the amazingly Halt-like expression emanating from her mentor. “I need to get some messages to Seacliff as well, apparently a certain Skandian has been sparring a little too hard with the Battleschool Apprentices there while he visited, and the Baron is begging for reimbursement. Too bad the castle has no moat.”

Halt raised his eyebrow again. “Two things: One, I hope you don’t expect me to transfer those in person, and two, doesn’t the castle sit right next to the ocean?” Halt said, amusement edging his voice. Alyss grinned mischievously, before walking off in the direction of the stable.

Halt bade his wife goodbye, hopping on Abelard and heading towards Will’s cottage. Halt forced his demeanor to become grimmer than ever, trying to make up for his previous expression of happiness. As he neared the cottage, however, a genuine frown filled his face. The chimney held no smoke, and Abelard didn’t whinny a hello to Tug. Halt wasn’t fully worried until he checked the archery range. He saw one of Will’s arrows still embedded in the target, looking as if it had been there a while. Halt pulled out the arrow, putting it into his own quiver, and then ran back to the track, scanning the ground.

At first, all Halt saw was a mess of hoof-prints from Tug and, more recently, Abelard. There was no sign of a struggle. He continued to read the tracks, until his keen eyes caught something unusual. In the center of the track, a small circle of perfectly flat ground stood. In the center, a small, spherical, jet-black pebble sat. Inside the transparent pebble, a small, green and blue sphere sat flanked by a small white one and a larger yellow one. Each internal sphere seemed to move on its own. Halt grasped Abelard, reaching for the pebble. The tips of his fingers brushed the surface of the pebble, feeling its smooth texture. However, Halt was blinded by a sudden surge of light that engulfed him; leaving no trace that he had even visited the small clearing.

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Fluttershy turned back to Rainbow Dash, the latter panting on her doorstep.

“Oh, w-w-what kind of monster?” She asked, fear edging into her voice.

“Well, it’s a strange, green thing. It seems to be wearing clothes, but its face is hidden in shadow. Its’ mouth is covered with gray bristles, and it can teleport, but it has no horn. It is friends with a huge cave-pony, and it hardly moves, and it—“ she broke off as Will seemed to melt out of the wall behind Fluttershy, holding up a half-drawn bow, complete with a nocked arrow. “Fl-Fl-Fl-FLUTTERSHY, THERE’S ONE BEHIND YOU!” Rainbow shouted, pulling Fluttershy away. “Leave her ALONE!” She shouted again, spitting at Will. Will, however calmly pulled the bow to full draw.

“Don’t step any closer,” he said in his deepest impersonation of Halt’s gravelly voice. However, the warning was not heeded as the cyan pony stepped closer, menacing Will with her face. Will released the arrow, sending between Rainbow’s ears. A large swath of her mane fell to the floor as the razor-sharp broad head carved through her mane and buried itself in the door behind her. Will nocked another arrow. “Next one is between your eyes.”

Rainbow recoiled, reaching a hoof up to her newly-cut mane. Her equine face scrunched into an expression of pure hate. “You little hay muncher.” She said, her voice going into a low, deadly growl. Will accepted the stalemate here, but he recognized the burly, ‘threatening’ manner that heralded an undisciplined brawler.

Will motioned with his bow, indicating to the two ponies in front of him to go outside. To his surprise, they did so without complaint. Will followed them to the door, pulling out his arrow from the soft wood. He then walked outside, keeping his bow trained on the ponies.

“Turn around, cover your heads with your hooves, and wait.” Will commanded after whistling for Tug. Tug appeared from behind a clump of bushes, his extensive Ranger training having allowed him to fins the best hiding spot. Will swiftly mounted Tug, keeping his bow trained on the ponies while he slowly led Tug down the incline and away from the cottage.

Will turned his back when he was a safe distance away, needing to decide which way the town was. He turned around again, keeping an eye on his charges, but the cyan one was missing. Will searched around, his keen eyes picking out obvious hiding spots and discarding them almost immediately. He looked up as well, searching the nearby trees, but found nothing. The only out-of-place object was a small cloud that was extremely low compared to the other visible ones. Will shrugged, turning his back, testing his theory. He heard a war cry, but he waited. He turned at the last moment, dropping his bow and dragging out his saxe. However, he was taken by surprise by being attacked from the air rather than the ground.

He was tackled by the cyan pony from above, wings sprouting from her back. Will tumbled out of Tug’s saddle, Tug kicking at the blue mass that grabbed his master. Will, however, used the unexpected momentum to put himself above Rainbow, his saxe immediately finding her throat. He allowed a huge, evil grin to cross his face. He leaned in close to the now-limp and extremely scared Rainbow Dash. His sharp, white teeth scaring the cyan pegasus nearly to death.

“Look here, princess” Will said, allowing a smidge of Halt-like evil creep into his voice, “You just attacked a King’s Ranger. I currently have enough reason to slit your blue furry throat right now. But you know what? I am—“ He was cut off by a massive force hitting his left side, and a loud scream.

“LEAVE HER ALONE!” shouted an enraged Fluttershy, her previously-unseen wings spread wide, her back legs in a position to where Will realized she had bucked him. Tug reared, attempting to attack the yellow pegasus, but she just turned and looked at Tug, and the ranger horse backed down, almost cowering. Will and Rainbow’s jaws both hung agape, staring at the panting pegasus. She seemed to notice, and suddenly her entire demeanor changed, she suddenly backed down, trying to hide behind her mane. “eep,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper, “just, d-d-on’t fight. A-and don’t hurt my fr-friends.”

Will and Rainbow snapped their jaws shut, eying each other with hate for a moment, before the guilt set in. Will swallowed his pride, stepping closer to Rainbow and Fluttershy. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice returning to its natural, jovial tones, “I… oh, nevermind” Rainbow apologized too, her mane not hiding the blush that suffused her cheeks.

“L-let’s go see what Twilight wants,” Fluttershy said, seeming to be an inch away from tears.

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Halt could not see. He was crouched, still on a dirt road. Abelard was still next to him, but the light had blinded him. He blinked a few times, his vision slowly returning. His head was still bent towards the ground, his hand no longer reaching for the pebble. The world around him was unnaturally quiet. He slowly looked up, and was immediately confronted with the most amount of garish pink he had ever seen in his life. Attached to this large, pink thing a small, equally pink, equine face peered at him. Behind this pink thing, a small ring of equally brightly-colored horses stood, and behind those were a few buildings. One building, which looked like it was carved into a tree, had a small, purple equine with a horn attached to its forehead standing in front of it. This equine had a cyan, rainbow-maned equine next to it. The purple one leaned towards the cyan one, it’s muzzle moving slowly as if speaking. The cyan one nodded, then pulled out wings and flew off into the distance.

Halt crouched stock still, peering through the crowd that surrounded him. Slowly, he sat down, crossing his legs. His thoughts were very angry. In a low, gravelly, world-ending tone, he said “Next time I visit Malcolm, I’m going to grab that pathetic excuse for a healer and shove every one of his mushrooms DOWN. HIS. THROAT.” He closed his eyes and began to meditate, not noticing as the pink horse in front of him cocked its head.

“Hi there! Do you like parties? Of course you do, who doesn’t like parties? I can make cupcakes. OOOHHH, what’s your favorite flavor of cupcakes? Do you have cupcakes where you’re from? What else do you—“ Halt tuned out the manically talking horse in front of him, waiting for his hallucination to end. Abelard snorted next to him, seeming to shut up the pink horse.

“Good boy, Abelard,” Halt said in Gallic, patting his horse. For some reason, the pink horse started talking again.

“What kind of pony is that?” she pointed a hoof at Abelard, “And you know Prench? That’s so coool! What else—“ The pony, Halt realized, began talking again, continuing on and on. Halt again tuned her out, going back into his meditative state. However, when he heard an all-too-familiar clanking sound from behind him, he cursed to himself before leaping into action. He knew that although the hallucinations themselves couldn’t hurt him, his brain could change the reality that can harm him and incorporate it into the dream-state.

He leapt up, turning towards the sound while kicking away the pink pony and pulling out his bow and nocking an arrow. This entire action became one fluid, graceful motion. The pink pony let out a gasp of air, whilst the clanking sound faltered. Standing in front of Halt were two ponies in full plate armor. They had horns on their heads and both were glowing. A large net hung between them, glowing in the same color as their horns. Halt noted this, aiming his bow at the horn of one of the guards.

“King’s Ranger, drop your weapons!” Halt shouted, infusing his voice with as much of the authority as he could muster. The two guards faltered again, confusion entering their eyes. Then one of them shouted back in an equally authoritative tone.

“Royal Guard. Drop your weapons!”

Halt cocked an eyebrow, the expression hidden by his cowl. He figured that these ‘unicorns’ were his brain’s interpretation of the Royal Guard, though why Duncan would send them after him was unfathomable. He lowered his bow, reaching into his tunic as he replied to the guards.

“Do you see this?” he pulled out his silver oakleaf, “My authority is sealed by King Duncan himself. Unless the king has signed a specific warrant for my arrest, I suggest you back off now before you find yourself missing a very important organ.” His bow was still lowered towards the horn of the foremost ‘unicorn,’ his hand returning to the string.

The guard looked confused for a moment, but then resumed his stance. “You dare to threaten a Royal Guard of Canterlot? By the authority vested in me by the Princess, you are under arrest. If you resist, extreme force will be used.”

“What the devil?” Halt murmured, raising his bow as the ‘unicorn’ stepped forward, “What does Cassandra want me arrested?” He raised his voice again at the guard inching closer. “And what does Cassandra want with me?”

The guard looked taken aback. “Cassandra? Who are you talking about. Certainly you don’t mean Princess Celestia, the sun princess!” Halt furrowed his eyebrows, noticing the quiet sound of someone attempting to sneak up on him.

“First off, tell your friend behind me that if they take one more step, your ‘horn’ may find itself having a rather large protrusion splitting it in twain.” The footsteps behind him stopped.

The standoff continued, Halt occasionally loosening his grip on the string, going from half-draw to full draw and back, making sure the tension would not harm the yew longbow. It probably would have lasted all day, until the order of the leader of the guard echoed across the small area between them.

“Alright, lets try this.”

Halt pulled the bow back to full-draw, about to say something, when a deep thrum echoed across the small area in the town, followed by a hiss-thump. A gray-shafted arrow with goose-feather fletching appeared between the front hooves of the guard.

“Drop your weapons!” A young, familiar voice followed the arrow. Halt shouted over his shoulder

“Malcolm got those shrooms to you again too?”

Will laughed, his young face walking forward and parting the sea of ponies. He was astride Tug, followed by the cyan pegasus and a yellow pony. The guards in front of Halt stopped unsure of what to do. The arrow had scared the two guards to the bone, but they stood their ground, trying to protect the townsfolk. Will jumped down next to Halt.

“You know, usually, I’m the one in the bind, and you’re the rescuer.” Will laughed, earning a sharp glance from Halt. “I say skip the tip.”

Halt nodded, understanding Will’s plan instantly. The two rangers turned towards the guards, twin grins filling their faces. A blurry motion followed by a double thrum and hiss heralded the arrival of two arrows. They sped towards the guards, the broad-heads barely touching the tips of the horns before burying themselves in the wall of the building behind them. The effect was instantaneous. The two guards screamed in pain, collapsing into the ground, the net falling on top of them. The townsfolk screamed all at once, running in every direction possible. However, six mares stood their ground, sharing an expression that was equal parts fright, anger, and appall. The rangers brought up their bows reflexively, aiming at the purple unicorn that led the band.

A large purple field surrounded the rangers, pushing them against the wall of the building behind them. Halt and Will struggled to get free as the purple unicorn advanced. Tug and Abelard ran to their masters’ aid, bucking at the outermost. Tug attacked a pink pony, which seemed to disappear before reappearing on Tug’s back, whilst Abelard was stuck in Fluttershy’s Stare. Then a huge flash of sunlight blinded the two rangers, the sheer power behind it knocking them out instantly.

Chapter 3

View Online

A small rise situated in the folds of the lands gave the first view of Redmont Castle to all travelers that venture along the road. One such traveler, astride a massive, bay battlehorse sat peering at the distant castle. He wore a coat of mail over his massive, barrel chest, and a sword hung at his side. On his back, a shield with a stylized oakleaf symbol sat, ready for use at almost any moment. A bulging bag of gear indicated that more armor was hidden within his pack. An open face helm was tied to the saddle in front of him.

“I’ve missed this sight,” the young man, Horace, said to his horse, “what about you Kicker?”

The horse tossed its mane, stepping forward at Horace’s direction. The duo passed through the town, bypassing the gate and heading towards the cabin of his old friend. Horace dismounted, walking forward towards the small house, his massive frame making the steps to the porch groan under his weight. He knocked on the door, only to be met with loud yips from the other side.

“Will? WIIL!” Horace shouted, his deep voice shaking the window shutters. He tried the door, and to his surprise it opened with a loud squeak. A small, black and white dog immediately jumped up and began to lick his face. “Hey, Ebony. Where’s Will?”

The dog ignored his words, jumping to the ground and running around in a display of extreme hyper-activeness. Horace frowned, his mind grinding through the facts methodically. He walked over to the dog’s food and water bowls, refilling the nearly empty water bowl and pouring a small amount of leftover chili into the food bowl. He closed the door behind him, and left for the castle.

____________________________________________________________

“What do you mean where’s Will? Didn’t you say he was given a mission from Crowley?” Baron Arald was sitting behind his desk, the slightly rotund, yet surprisingly fit, man watching Horace.

“I mean,” Horace replied, “That he left Ebony without a caretaker. I was supposed to meet him, and I can’t find him or Halt.”

“Well, they are Rangers.”

Horace nodded, saying, “True, though I know Will. He would never leave Ebony alone…
Something is wrong.”

The Baron sighed, “Why don’t you go ask Pauline about Halt. She probably knows more than me.”

Horace nodded again, backing out of the room with a slight bow. He was still fighting the urge to bow to everyone he met, the time in Nihon-Ja had affected him more than he felt comfortable. Reminiscing about the trip, Horace smiled, images of Duncan’s smile about the engagement filling the warrior’s mind.

Banishing his sentiment, Horace reached the doors leading to Halt and Pauline’s suite. He knocked, waiting politely for the door to be opened. He didn’t have to wait long, Pauline herself opening the door wide.

“Horace! What a pleasant surprise.” She said, ever the flattering diplomat.

“Not so pleasant, milady,” Horace replied, shaking his head, “Have you seen Halt?”

“Not since yesterday morning. Alyss arrived with an assignment, and he left almost immediately. He went off to find Will.”

“Oh,” Horace said, his face falling, “They were supposed to meet with me earlier today. If you see them, can you tell them to meet me at Macindaw? Malcolm needs some help.”

Pauline nodded, remembering the ‘adventures’ her husband had relayed to her about Will. Horace turned around, about to leave, when he thought of something else.

“Umm, milady?” He asked tentatively,

“Just call me Pauline.”

“Okay, Pauline, would you be so kind as to watch after Ebony while Will is gone? I can bring her and her food bowls up here.”

“I would love too. That little puppy is just too sweet.” Inwardly, Pauline cringed. She liked the puppy, alright, but she never liked dealing with her ‘businesses,’ and she was sure she would have to stop it form chewing on her furniture. However, she understood that Horace probably had no idea what to do with it, and that it was very important to Will. It took most of her diplomatic skills to smile and accept the puppy.

“Thank you, Pauline.” Horace stopped himself before bowing, instead nodding and leaving the room. His conscience clear, at least in respect to the puppy, he left for the stables.

On his way, Horace thought upon the scroll given to him. It was a very confusing document, filled with unfamiliar legal terms, but the gist of it was that Malcolm and his tribe had felt an ancient force stirring deep within Grimsdell, and that requested the help of Macindaw, who in turn sent help to Duncan, who sent them. Horace sighed, mounting Kicker. He knew that his mission would prove much harder without Will and Halt. His only hope was that they had left before him.

Before he left, he passed a hastily written scroll to a ‘mailman,’ as he liked to call the people in charge of the mail. He had addressed it to Alyss, writing in a simplified form of code so as to not pass on sensitive information.

He turned north, preparing for a long, grueling haul towards Macindaw.

__________________________________________________________

Will sat on the slightly lumpy bed, peering through the bars of his cell into the one across the hall. He had woken up a few minutes earlier, surrounded by dark, mossy stone. The cell was small, about ten paces across and the same deep. It was an average jail cell, with a lumpy bed and not much else.

When he had first woken up, he had instinctually felt for his Saxe, the familiar weight missing from his belt. His throwing knife was gone too, as was his bow and quiver. He still had his cloak and a few of the items in his more hidden pockets. His strikers were still in their holsters, appearing to an outsider to be a decorative piece. Strangely enough, that alteration on the uniform was first proposed by Alyss, learning from the experiences of the new ‘decorative’ daggers that the Couriers wore.

Will’s thoughts were interrupted by a groaning from the cell across from him. Halt slowly sat up, blinking in the soft, flickering torch light that filled the hallway and part of the cells.

“What happened?” Halt said, confusion evident in his voice, “I seem to remember being assaulted.”

“Well,” Will said, “When I heard about you appearing in the center of the town, I rushed in. When I got there, you were rolling on the ground, crying like a baby, while a pink pony thing was bouncing in front of you. I closed the distance, pushing away the pony to find out what was wrong. There was a small dart in your neck, probably poisoned. However, before I could take much more than a cursory glance, two armored unicorns with a net tried to attack. I kept them at a standoff until I was forced to incapacitate one of them with an arrow. I believe I hit it to the right of the knee. After that, all I remember is a glowing field of purple and then a flash of sunlight.”

Halt grunted, disturbed that his memory was so different from what Will just told him. “Wait, did you say unicorns?”

“Yes, I—“

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud, metallic bang, followed by the stomping of armored boots against the ground. Then a white, armored unicorn stepped forward, two bowls of hay floating next to him. Both the bowls and the horn were glowing.

“What the devil?” Halt said, “Damn, I have yet to stop hallucinating”

“Shut it, Prisoner!” The guard bellowed, attempting to cover up his fear by overpowering bravado. To his dismay, however, the two monsters just stepped closer, both of them seeming to menace him with their unnatural height.

“How are you doing that?” Will said, obviously curious, despite his predicament. Halt rolled his eyes, muttering something about this not being the right time for questions.

“I said SHUT IT,” yelled the guard, shoving the bowls through the slits at the bottom of the cell. “Enjoy your breakfast,” The guard said again, forcing the bowls to ‘catch’ on the ground and spill the hay everywhere.

Will eyed the hay lightly. “I hope you don’t expect us to eat this. We aren’t horse— Oooh. Right,” Will began, before realizing why he was given hay.

“You’ll eat it or you’ll starve!” the guard shrieked, his voice betraying him and turning into a squeak. Will had an idea forming in his mind, and he decided to test out his theory. He slowly began to wave back and forth, matching his temp to the flickering of the torches.

“What are you doing?” The guard said, his abnormally large eyes growing larger in fear, “Stop that!”

Will began to chant gibberish, much like Malcolm had when he scared McHaddish. Halt was watching with interest, catching on to what Will was doing. He, too, began to join in, enjoying terrifying the guard. The guard began to back slowly away down the hallway, shaking with fear and holding a spear in front of him with his magic. All pretense of bravado was gone, replaced by pure terror. Then Will and Halt, after a discreet hand signal, melted into the shadowy corners of the room. This was the last straw for the guard, who comically ran down the hallway, shrieking with fear. Will quickly stepped towards the bars, a plan having been formed in his head.

“Halt,” he whispered. “I have a plan. Let’s wait for the guards to burst in. I still have my strikers; we can knock them out and escape!”

Halt, however, saw a few holes in his plan, namely the fact that they had no knowledge of how many guards were here, or where here even was. He shook his head slightly, lying down on the bed and pretending to sleep. He looked up and gestured for Will to do the same. Will shrugged, trusting that his former mentor knew what he was doing. He laid down on the bed, evening his breathing and falling to ‘sleep.’

They only had to wait a few minutes for the guards to come back, dragging the first one along with them.

“N-n-no, don’t make me come back here! They’re gone. They’re GONE!!” The original guard was moaning piteously, while the two others rolled their eyes at him. The right most one rubbed his hoof along the bars, the metal armor clanking against the bars in an attempt to ‘wake’ the prisoners.

“Alright you prissies, wake up! Breakfast is here.” Will and Halt ‘blearily’ got up, shaking their heads to ‘clear’ them. They both finished their acts before Halt looked down at the hay on the floor.

“I hope this is not what you mean by breakfast,” He said, nudging the bowl with his boot. Will rolled his eyes, the action covered by the cowl of his cloak.

“Be thankful for what you get. If I was making the decisions, I wouldn’t even give you this.”

Halt lowered his cowl, his gaze penetrating through the guard’s metal visor. “Then I guess you are in charge, because we CAN’T eat this. Even if we could, it is pitiful. I wouldn’t even give it to a packhorse, much less a prisoner.”

The guard recoiled as if struck, the low, dangerous growl coming from the grizzled Ranger sounding far more dangerous than the Royal Canterlot Tone. For a moment, the guard reflexively mumbled a “Yes, sir,” before realizing what he said. The guard shook his head, laughing.

“Your mind tricks won’t work on me. Have fun eating your hay.” The two guards filled with mirth, while the middle one shrunk to the ground, covering his head.

The two slowly pushed their companion into moving, leading him down the corridor. The guard that had yet to speak looked back, and began to speak in an obviously feminine voice. “So, what DO you eat? I can’t wait to bring a large portion down here just to stuff my face in front of you.”

Halt grinned, an evil smile spreading across his evil face. “Oh, I don’t know. My favorite meal would be a nice beefsteak, wrapped in bacon, sautéed with herrings, and surrounded by a brace of duck. Add in a boar, slow-roasted after being covered in a honey glaze, and an apple artistically placed in its mouth. Surround the whole feat with lettuce to catch the delicious grease, and add in a side of roast ox for the main course. For dessert, a nice, sweet, apple and chicken pie.”

The guards visibly paled at his words, whatever colors that were in their white faces fading away. The one who had asked gagged, almost losing whatever lunch she had. The original guard was the first to break the trance, running down the hallway shouting “CARNIVORE,” followed closely by the others.

Will grinned at Halt, his face filling with mirth. “Halt, I guess I should leave terrifying the locals to you.”

Halt, contrary to Will’s expectations, sat down on the bed, holding his head in his hands. “So, why the hell am I seeing colorful horses, or ponies, or unicorns, or whatever. Can you explain that?”

Will shrugged, the grin draining from his face. “I can’t. The best I can tell you is that I am seeing them too. I believe they are real, as I have actually fought with them. Twice. One of them actually bruised my arm.” Will shoved his arm through the bars to give Halt a view, pulling back his tunic’s sleeve to reveal a small, circular bruise.

Halt eyed the bruise, the torchlight making his hidden eyes shine through the darkness of his cowl. “Well,” Halt said through his scowl, “I’m just going to accept this for now and go crazy later. Until then, what else have you got?”

“I have some emergency rations, and by that I mean a few pieces of jerky. I also have a flint and steel, an oiled rag, and small whetstone. Oh, and I have the strikers, like I mentioned earlier.”

“I have pretty much the same, a bunch of useless junk and my strikers. Hmm… Well, for now, why don’t we just…”

_______________________________________________________

A cacophony of sounds reached the resting Rangers, echoing through the hallways. Following the sound, a large group of armored ponies, mostly unicorns, appeared in sight. Leading the small army, a lone unicorn stood. His armor covered most of his body, like the guards he lead, but his mane was a deep blue, in contrast to the gold of the guards behind him.

“You two things are to come with us. The princesses have requested a meeting before your trial.” The blue-maned unicorn stepped forth, allowing the insignia on his armor, a small, blue shield with a purple star in the center, to flash in the torchlight. His horn lit up, unlocking the doors.

Will and Halt walked slowly out of the cells, warily eying the fearful guards in the hallway. Will glanced around, taking in every single detail he could. His eyes chanced downwards, and showed him the unicorn leader had a distinction between his hooves and legs, something lacking in every other one of the equine creatures they had encountered. Will filed that nugget into the back of his brain, focusing in what was happening now.

The group slowly moved through the maze of hallways, Will memorizing the path as best he could, Halt doing the same. They eventually emerged from the catacomb-like dungeons, and entered the castle proper. Will knew it was a castle the instant he saw the magnificent architecture in just the hallway alone.

The roof was a good twenty meters above them, with buttresses of white marble adorning and supporting it. Huge stained-glass windows were set into the outside, overtop of shorter, clear glass ones that lent a view into the amazingly green land far below them. They passed through these gilded halls with complete silence, save for the clanking of the overly-protected, armor-clad ponies behind them.

Finally, the group reached a large, golden door, flanked by two expressionless guards. The blue maned unicorn sorted his troops into two distinct lines, one behind Will and one behind Halt. He then took up a lead position and opened the doors in front of him. The group proceeded to march forward, into an ornate throne room. Rows of empty benches and seats flanked the small red carpet beneath their feet and hooves. Columns rose every few meters into the vaulting ceiling above. At the far end, a half-dozen ponies, unicorns and pegasi, three of which looked familiar to Will, sat around two towering equines with horns and wings. At a glance, Will surmised that the smallest one would be about Tug’s size, while the larger one would have been slightly taller.

A jolt ran through Will’s mind. I forgot about Tug! He thought to himself, mentally beating himself over the forehead. At this point, the group, which had stood still while they waited to see the Ranger’s reactions, began to move forward again, driving Tug from Wills mind. Halt, meanwhile, had continued to dart his eyes around the room, finally picking up on something.

A discreet hand signal went towards Will, who responded in kind. Halt then proceeded to motion first for the direction in which he had seen what he saw, and then another direction, using the hand-signals taught in the Ranger Corp. He then preformed a ‘choose your target’ motion towards Will, who responded with the second direction Halt had indicated. The grizzled Ranger nodded, sending the ‘wait’ signal to Will.

During this exchange, the guards looked on, figuring that it was some sort of cultural thing with the two obviously intelligent creatures in front of them.

Halt waited until they were less than five meters away from their targets before giving Will another hand signal. Almost immediately, the two Rangers pulled out their strikers, each having threaded them together in the cell. With a fluid, practiced motion, they flung the heavy metal cylinders, putting as much force and accuracy into their throws as they could.

The effect was immediate. Their targets dropped, falling to the floor with twin thuds, while the guards around them lowered the spears and crossbows at the Rangers. Simultaneously, a dark blue field engulfed their torsos and heads, pulling them forward while a dark purple field dragged their feet towards the door and a light blue field engulfed their arms, trying to hold them where they were.

Looking back, Will could only liken the feeling to what he thought being drawn and quartered would feel like before your limbs were chopped off. He had heard about the barbaric practice while talking with the Tuscan general before heading off to Nihon-Ja.

“ENOUGH!!!” The word echoed throughout the room, with enough force to shake the ceiling and make the guards to drop their weapons. Instantly, a bright, white light surrounded Will and Halt, releasing the hold of the multi-colored fields that had been slowly pulling them apart. They were lowered to the ground, where they collapsed into twin heaps of groaning human.

“Tia! Hast thou gone mad? These things have tried to attack thou and thine! What if they had not missed? What would thou have done then?” Will and Halt looked up to see the smaller of the two winged unicorns, with a dark blue coat and billowing, starry mane, talking to the larger, white-furred and rainbow-maned one. Both of their manes moved on their own, seeming to be filled with sparkling powders and unearthly powers.

“Luna, I doubt these creatures could miss unless they wanted to. In fact, I am under the assumption that they hit their targets perfectly, and for that, I thank them.” The larger one, Tia, said.

At this, Rainbow Dash stepped forward from the group of stunned ponies flanking the two larger equines. “What do you mean, thank them?!” she asked incredulously, “They attacked you Princess! I mean this is, this is… INCONCEIVABLE!”

A purple unicorn stepped from behind the princess. “Rainbow, the princess is right. Besides, I don’t think that word means what you think it means,” The purple unicorn said.

“You’re right, Twilight,” The Princess replied, casting a hoof towards the edges of the room. “Look, Luna, Rainbow. These creatures may have just saved us.”

At the walls, two small, black shapes were crumpled in separate piles, both wearing the golden armor of the Royal Guard. Next to them, two small crossbows sat haphazardly on the ground. The entire room gasped, save for the two green-cloaked humans that were just beginning to stand up, grimacing at both their pain and their success.

Chapter 4

View Online

The scene in the Canterlot throne room was anything but normal. A full company of Royal Guards, and two Solar Guard squads stood in the over-crowded throne room, with their weapons drawn and pointed at four strange creatures. Two of the creatures were black and insect like, with holes in their hooves, jagged horns, and insectoid wings sprouting from their quadruped, pony-like forms. The other creatures were even stranger, their bipedal bodies towering over the ponies, green cloaks surrounding their still frames.

The princesses looked down upon these creatures, along with five of the six ponies behind them. The sixth cowered behind a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane.

“Changelings, in the throne room?” came the voice of Luna, princess of the night. “How can this be? We should have sensed them!”

“Calm, sister. It has been a long time since we last faced them; it is a small wonder that we didn’t sense them. This brings a whole new aspect into this equation.” Celestia, the princess of the day, replied to her sister. Then she turned to one of the unicorn Guards next to her, adopting a commanding tone. “Shining, can you still cast your force field spell?”

The indicated Guard saluted, replying with “Yes, Princess.”

“Good, I want it erected over Canterlot as soon as you’re ready. I’m sorry that it has to be so close to your big day.”

“Yes, Princess.”

Suddenly, a purple unicorn with a blue and pink mane stepped forth, bursting in to the conversation. “Shining, what big day?” She asked.

Shining looked around uncomfortably, rubbing his armor-clad foreleg against the back of his head. “Yeah, ummm, about that. You see, I wanted this to be a surprise, and let you know with an official invitation, but: I’m getting married!”

“WHAT?!?!?!?!?!” Came the shout from the purple mare, followed by similar, surprised shouts from the five ponies behind her. “To who?”

“Cadence, your old foalsitter! We are supposed to walk the aisle in three weeks.” Shining said, trying to appease the angry mare in front of him. “Isn’t that great Twili’?”

Twilight stopped, her face completely frozen in surprise. Then she began leaping about in an excited huff, chanting “Your marrying Cadence!” in an amazing show of child-like enthusiasm.

Throughout this exchange, which had stolen the attention of everyone in the room, Will and Halt had slowly begun moving towards the exit. They crept along, stooping to collect their strikers, before continuing towards a small door set in the wall which probably led to the servant’s quarters. They reached the door, slowly tugging open the heavy gold-plated orifice. However, just as they opened it far enough to squeeze through, a golden field enveloped the door, slamming it shut. Will and Halt grinned ruefully, stepping away from the door, returning to the center under the gaze of Celestia.

Finally, Twilight stopped prancing, seeming to return to her senses and turn back to the obvious problems moving towards and slumped in the center of the room. Celestia took this cue, addressing the group in front of her.

“We have a major problem. Canterlot has been infiltrated by Changelings. All Guards are to report to the medical ward for scanning. Also, if there is anyone you notice acting strange, even the slightest, report to me and I will scan them. Hopefully the Captain can keep those changelings not in the city already out, and we can rout those inside. You have your orders. As for you,” she gestured with her hoof towards Halt and Will, “we will continue our discussion in the privacy of my study.” She stopped for a moment, thinking. Then she called out to the guards again. “Do not tell of this to anyone outside the Guard, and make sure that those you tell keep the secret. It would be better not to panic the populous.”

Nodding to herself, Celestia led her sister, the six ponies, and the Rangers into a smaller door to the right of the throne. The room they entered was small as well, the curved walls covered in bookshelves. There was a small desk pushed into an alcove, covered in papers and quills, a small inkwell expertly hidden within the desktop. Celestia sealed off the door behind them, and cast a silencing spell so that they could not be overheard. Then she turned to the ponies and humans in front of her.

“First off, sister, can you rouse your night guard and give them their purpose again? We need to know which citizens are changelings without alerting them of the problem. The last thing we need now is panic.”

Luna nodded, walking out another door set in the wall of the small room. Celestia then turned towards the Rangers, who were examining the room around them behind their cowls. Their mouths were placed into the carefully structured scowls that they held when trying to inspire fear and mystery into those they spoke to.

“Alright,” She sighed, forcing herself into a poker-face, “I can’t let you off. I still have to put you through the trial. The people would call for blood if I just gave you freedom, Cobalt Shield is the most popular Solar Guard, and injuring him like you did has colored the peoples’ opinions of you.”

Will fought the urge to say ‘You don’t say,’ keeping his taciturn expression locked on his face.

“The best thing I can have you do is plead guilty. I have complete control over your punishment, and if you fess up and accept it, it will change the population’s opinions, and it won’t allow the jury to ‘suggest’ the sentence. Until tomorrow, you will have to stay in your cell. As for your diet,” she shuddered for a second, revolution breaking through her poker-face for a moment, “I regret to inform you that we can’t provide for a carnivorous species.”

Loud gasps filled the room, the six ponies stepping back in fear. Fluttershy hid under the desk, only the tip of her pink mane showing from beneath the wooden structure. Twilight and the rest backed up, disgust etched onto the surprisingly human-esque equine faces.

“However,” continued Celestia, “I can ask the griffin embassy to share a part of its imported meat,” she shuddered again, “with you. I would ask you to refrain from ‘digging in,’ as some carnivores are want to do, and attempt to keep the mess from filling the cell. Also-“

“Hold on,” Will interrupted, his mind having just caught what was wrong with the Princess’s statement, “Did you say Gryphons?”

The Princess blinked at the interruption, but recovered quickly. “Yes, I did say griffons. Half eagle, half lion. Don’t you have them in your world?”

“Well, Yes and no. They are mythical beasts, much like unicorns, in our world.”

An indignant huff distracted them, as a white unicorn with a purple mane stepped forward, throwing out her chest.

“Do I look like a myth or a beast to you?” She asked, her snobbish manner immediately reminding Will of some of the minor nobles of Castle Araluen.

Will looked over at the elegant unicorn, deciding to milk some enjoyment out of her. He had an intense dislike for people with a superiority complex, and only barely holding back anger with the human nobles in Araluen. The Princess watched the enfolding scenario with veiled interest.

“Well, I guess I can’t call you mythical anymore.” Will said, folding his arms. It took the unicorn a second, before the hidden insult crossed into her brain. However, instead of the arrogant anger usually held by nobles towards someone who has insulted them, she immediately began to tear up.

“You think that I’m, I’m, I’m a BEAST!!!!” She wailed, pulling a small read couch out of nowhere and falling onto it. Twilight sent a reproachful glare towards Will as she and her friends moved towards Rarity.

Will was taken aback by the unexpected reaction, and it took him a moment to move. His conscience was bothering him, and he shot a glance towards Halt before walking towards Rarity and apologizing.

After Will apologized, Rarity immediately brightened up, shoving the couch back to wherever it had come from. A short cough from the Princess stopped further chatter, causing Will and the ponies to turn towards the previously forgotten ruler.

“As I was saying,” she said, her voice betraying no emotion other than veiled mirth, “I can have the griffons provide meat for you, but I cannot allow you to eat outside your cell or, if you are allowed to be free, outside the griffon embassy. And if you even think about making a meal of my little ponies, I swear that your last days will be spent in complete and utter pain.” The normally jovial ruler let her face slip for a moment, showing a hidden anger and power that was enough to cause Halt to take a step back. It was as if the fury of the sun was contained within the delicate body of the Princess, held back by willpower alone.

“That won’t be necessary, Your Highness,” Halt said, showing a rare flash of actual fear, “We don’t survive solely on meat, and have gone fully vegetarian quite a few times in the past. I am sure we could find some sort of vegetables here, assuming you do eat foods other than hay, grass, and oats.”

“That is a relief.” replied the Princess, “If you will return to your cells, I will send down a meal for you both.”

Will and Halt turned to leave, when a high-pitched voice suddenly beckoned them back.

“Hold on, we haven’t been introduced yet. Well, I mean I introduced myself to him, but he wasn’t really in a state to respond. I’m Pinkie Pie. I almost forgot we have to be introduced for the plot to make sense, but I remembered anyway. Who are you?”

Will was taken aback by the voluble flood that flowed from the lips of the energetic pink pony. He took the hoof that was pushed into his face, slowly shaking it and wondering how she had somehow been stretched down from the chandelier so she could be at a comfortable height to talk to.

“Hi, uhhh… My name’s Will. Will Treaty.”

“Nice to meet you Will Will Treaty! Who’s your friend?” the pony replied, flipping down from the chandelier and walking over to Halt. Will held in his laughter at Halt’s expression, replying to Pinkie.

“That’s Halt, and by the way, my name has only one ‘Will’ in it. It’s Will Treaty. Just call me Will.”

“Okay Will. Anyway, This is Applejack, “ she pointed to an orange pony with a blonde mane, who kept eyeing them with distrust. “this is Rarity,” the white unicorn that had cried at his insult, “this is Twilight Sparkle, “she pointed to the purple unicorn mare, “and you’ve already met Rainbow and Fluttershy,” she gestured at the two pegasi in the corner, one under the desk and one trying to pull the other out of her hiding spot. “Oh, and of course, you know Princess Celestia, the kind, benevolent ruler that raises the sun!”

Halt and Will blinked, slowly chewing through the info-dump shoved at them in the span of three seconds. Halt was the first to recover, replying with a curt nod of the head. Will followed soon after.

“Oh, and who were those cave-ponies with you?” Will stopped, turning back, panic in his eyes.

“I forgot about Tug! Where is he?” He asked, turning towards the princess.

“Your companions? They are safe, in their own cells. They are to be held on trial for being an accessory to your crimes. I was going to hold their own audience, to hear their side of the story before the trial.”

Will stopped, his eyes bugging out. He stared at the princess for a moment, his face impassive.

“I think you broke Will, Princess.” Twilight said, leaning over to get a closer look at the still figure, only to jump back at the loud, raucous laughter than began to roll from between Will’s lips. Everyone in the room jumped at the sudden noise, only for it to be doubled when Pinkie joined in.

Halt stood in the shadows, holding back as much as he could, determined to keep up the reputation of stoic, grim Ranger. He was moderately successful, only giggling for a moment, until Will finally stopped, panting for breath.

“Oh, you… have got… to be kidding… me. You honestly… think that Tug… and Abelard… can… Hahaha…” He wiped a tear from his eye, slowly recovering from his fit. Finally he stood up, casting a shadow upon the small ponies with his slender frame. He opened his mouth to speak, before being interrupted by his former mentor.

“I do believe,” Halt said, keeping his voice level, even if he was giving off a small smile under the cowl, “that my young friend here wished to say that our horses cannot speak, and, though they are intelligent and cunning, they cannot be held responsible for any actions we make. They have been trained to be our companions, friends, and allies. Every action they make is generally to protect us or those that we hold dear. I cannot be held responsible for what I and my companion here will do if they are harmed in any way.”

The grim Ranger’s voice became the gravely, terror-inducing tone that Halt had perfected over the years. The ponies visibly flinched, save for the Princess, until two stepped forward.

“Ah hope ya’ll.. ain’t trying to thre.. atn’ ahr Princess,.. right now. If you are, then I… aught to buck you down the cliff o’er thare.” Applejack and Rainbow said, their voices mingling and merging as they talked.

Celestia, however, stepped forth, having picked up on the hidden concern within the Ranger’s warning.

“I assure you that your… horses, as you say, are being well cared for. I can summon them here, but I will not be held responsible if rash actions on your part jeopardize your footing with us.”

Halt nodded, acknowledging the threat, while the group moved back to the throne room. There was no sign of the changelings; in fact, the only sign that something was amiss would be the amount of guards now stationed within the room. Celestia drew up two chairs, quite literally in fact, and placed them done next to the throne close to where the cushions the other six ponies were now sitting on.

Will just sat there, his mouth agape, staring at the two brand-new chairs. He walked over, touching them, feeling the rough grain of the wood.

“What sorcery is this?” He asked, remembering the words that a certain scribe had used in one of his more recent plays.*

“Sorcery?” replied Twilight, “No, the Princess used conjuring, not sorcery. That’s a completely different branch of magic.”

“Right, I’ll just pu…” Will was cut off by the Princess clearing her throat, before she began speaking to the guards.

“Storm Chaser! Bring the other prisoners here.” She said, her commanding tone allowing no argument. The indicated guard flew off, his wings beating furiously as he sped through the gates and down the hallway.

The conversations held between each group went along the lines of “Now what?” “I don’t know.” After about twenty minutes, the sound of hooves clacking against the marble floor of the castle met them, along with the grunts of a few other ponies. All of a sudden, a piercing whinny was heard, causing the guards to jump and open the doors to see what was wrong.

Will, upon hearing Tug’s whinny of alarm, began racing down the throne room, jumping over the guards and grabbing a spear as he passed. Halt followed close behind, mirroring Will’s actions with the other guard. They rounded the corner, seeing a small group of unicorn guards trying to hold back Abelard and Tug, both of whom had been unsaddled and unbridled.

The two Rangers began to attack the guards, being careful to use the butts of the diminutive spears. Soon, they overcame the already-tired guards, dropping the spears and moving to calm their mounts.

“It’s okay, Tug,” Will said soothingly, rubbing Tug’s muzzle, “No need to be worried.” He looked into the horse’s eyes and could swear that Tug responded with something along the lines of:

Worried? Me? Ha, I’m more worried about what you’ll do to the people that captured us.

“I know, I know. We should get back to the Princess.” Will said, turning towards Halt. Halt arched an eyebrow, a small, sad smile hinting through his taciturn expression.

“She’s right behind me, isn’t she.” Halt nodded. “And she’s rather angry, isn’t she.”

“Yes, she is.” Came the deceptively calm voice of the enraged princess. “I thought you could be trusted. I thought you would control yourselves.”

Will looked down, ashamed with himself for some reason. “I… I….”

“There are no excuses for this. I am disappointed.”

That broke Will out of the stupor he was in. Why should I be ashamed? I was only protecting my kin! “Now look here, I was protecting one of my few friends, one who has seen more blood and gore than forty score of your puny little lives! He has saved my life more times than I can reasonably count, and you think that I should have just left him while he was in distress!” Will ranted, barely drawing for breath as he poured all of his confusion and anger into it. The force of his shouting was literally causing the small yellow pegasus to slide slowly away, as if in a gale. Every pony in the room, guards, the ones from the town, and the princess laid their ears flat against their heads. Even Halt took a step back from his enraged former apprentice.

“I have traveled farther than any of you probably have, I have faced down hulking Kalkara, I have leapt across huge chasms, burnt bridges, faced down Wargals, lived as a slave, routed an invasion, exposed a false sorcerer, faced down assassins, pulled my friends from the brink of death, been stabbed, shot, slashed, burnt, and beaten, stopped a revolution twice, taught fighting styles I only saw once to a group of farmers, commanded an army, and killed off insurrectionists wishing to kill a king. Most of these achievements were accomplished with my horse. I braved a god-damned desert, became dehydrated, and was almost eaten alive, just to find Tug. If you think that I will let my horse, my friend, my brother get hurt because of a few waist high ponies, and the anger of a damned princess, then you are sorely mistaken.” Will finished, breathing heavily as the ponies around him took quite a few steps back.

Halt moved up, placing his hand on his former apprentice. “I think they understand.” He whispered into Will’s ear, before slowly leading him back to the horses and walking towards the cellblock. He flashed a quick signal, and the horses began to follow them.

After turning a few corners, they entered the dungeon-like area. So far, no signs of pursuit had been heard or seen, so the two Rangers proceeded to search the area for their equipment. They looked in through the bars, using their skills to ghost silently to each cell. Tug and Abelard had been told to stay in a small closet-like area, kept on a ‘quiet’ stance.

After peeking into the minor guard posts, and searching the empty ones, they finally reached a small, locked door. The room inside was empty and dark, although small glints of metal reflected what little light actually fell in through the window in the door. The simple lock was easy enough to pick open, falling to the ground as the rangers entered the room.

Inside, they found their horses’ tack, along with the few emergency supplies they kept in the saddlebags always. They hoisted the tack, searching through the rest of the room, finding nothing else of use. They quietly ran back to their horses, saddling them, but keeping the straps loose.

They left again, moving back to their previous area, searching through for a weapons storage area. They finally reached a small hallway, with multiple doors on either side. The hallway had four guards in it, two on each side. Will ghosted to the other edge of entrance to the hallway, pulling out his still-threaded strikers. The two Rangers attacked at the same time, hitting the armored guards simultaneously. The only sound was a small, muffled yelp and a quiet clank as they moved the bodies to the side. The guards at the other end didn’t move until Will and Halt knocked them out as well.

After stashing the unconscious guards, the two Rangers searched through the remaining rooms, finding their equipment and emergency rations. Will grabbed a piece of jerky while Halt had a biscuit. They ate on their way back to their horses, their thoughts bent on escape.

They reached the closet, pulling out their horses and leading them back to the main hallway before mounting. They slowly cantered along, searching for a gate. They kept to the center of the hallway, allowing the red carpet to muffle the hoof falls of the horses. Their heads moved, their keen eyes seeking out every possible escape route. However, each and every door was locked and sealed with an unknown power, unable to be opened. They continued down the hallway, making sure to keep arrows nocked and ready to fire.

As they rounded a corner, they saw two things. One: A large drawbridge, raised and held in place by two ropes. The second thing they saw was a line of guards in golden armor, completely covered with almost no weak points, save for those that would completely kill the guards if an arrow entered that spot.

Will leaned over to Halt, whispering a plan in his ear as Shining Armor, the captain of the Guard, stepped forth.

“The Royal Sisters command you to stop, before more drastic measures must be taken. Remove your weapons and lay them on the ground next to you, and no harm shall be brought upon you.”

The unicorn stood there, his purple, full-plate armor glinting in the torchlight. The shield emblem on his chest flashed as he nodded his head in satisfaction as the two Rangers lowered their bows. He watched as they placed the arrows back in their quivers, their hands moving down and resting on the pommel.

“Good, now remove your knives and other weapons, and lay them on the ground, ther- wait, what are you- SCATTER!!!” The unicorn yelled in surprise, his guards jumping to the side as the two Rangers suddenly pounced forward, their horses jumping in a spurt of acceleration that would have shamed an Equestrian Games runner. The two Rangers pulled out an arrow each out of their quivers, their sheer speed allowing only a glimpse of the crescent-shaped arrowheads before they shot said arrows, their bows releasing twin thrums before a hiss, snap, thump reached the ears of the guards. Then a huge thud followed the rangers, the drawbridge having fallen down. The two arrows were buried deep in the wood on the far side, the ends of the two ropes lying next to each of the arrows.

Will grinned at Halt, his plan having fallen into place perfectly. They galloped down the bridge, heading for the edge of the city. There was a pink glow suffusing the entire city, and the horizon was covered in the very same color. They wondered at it, but had no time to think about it as they fled down the road. They reached what looked like a road leading out of the city, although there were two metal bars running down each side. The purpose of these bars were unknown to the Rangers, but they filed it away as they ran towards the transparent pink haze cutting through the path. They spurred their horses on faster, hearing their pursuers

Tug pulled ahead of Abelard, the young horse’s speed increasing without the horse seeming to tire. Both horses jumped, pulling their riders towards the pink haze. Time slowed around Will as they rocket towards the insubstantial color, before a brink pink light flashed, sending both horses and corresponding riders flying backwards. Will felt a great pain in his back, and heard Tug whinny as if from far away. He tried to turn towards the sound, a long tunnel of blackness entering his vision, only to be blocked by intense pain. The last thing he saw was a blue mane, and a white horn.

*Made up completely, no hold in the series’ canon.

Chapter 5

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Celestia watched the two green-cloaked Rangers walk away, holding a poker face, even though she had just been insulted and then defied. As they walked around the corner, the six ponies around her began to talk at once.

“Ya’ll just gonna let them..” Applejack began,

“…run away without getting my hoof up their…” Rainbow continued,

“… goodness, I hope that the guards are ok. Those two…” Fluttershy started.

“…ruffians should be shown what for. I mean come on, think about…” Rarity stated,

“…how my brother’s actually getting married!” Twilight finished, still partially surprised, and only able to express it now, after the Ranger’s had left. The other ponies looked at Twilight.

“But what about the guards? We should throw them a ‘Recover Fast From Getting Beat Up By Aliens’ Party!” Pinkie said, breaking the silence that had spread from Twilight’s unexpected comment.

“My little ponies,” Celestia said, “hold on now. The guards will be fine, I’ve already called for a medical squad. The… well, whatever they are …are going back to the cells. Hopefully they will cool down, and be more cooperative. They were acting out of concern for their kin. What would you do if you were in their position, and Sweetie Bell, or Applebloom, or Spike, or even one of you, were in their… horses? …position?”

The six ponies looked down, somewhat shame-faced, although they weren’t fully sorry. The group returned to the throne room, where Luna stood waiting.

“Sister, we… I mean, I, am confused. Was not the next hearing to be held now?”

“Yes, Lulu, but circumstances changed. Apparently, the two horses, as the other prisoners called them, cannot be held responsible. To them, they are mere beasts of burden, albeit treated like family and known to be intelligent. They are returning to their cell now.”

Luna nodded, accepting her sister’s explanation. “I have roused the night guard, and re-opened the.. uhhh… place. I had almost forgotten the enchantment I had laid on the… headquarters? That’s what they are calling it now, is it not?” When her sister nodded, she continued, “I have re-opened the headquarters, and the tunnel system, although I still need to train my knightingales. However, I think the regular night guard can take care of the duties for now.”

“Good,” Celestia said, ignoring the confused looks on the faces of the six ponies behind her. “We should probably—“

She was interrupted by one of the Royal guard bursting through the door at the far end.

“Princess!” He yelled, rushing forward, “Princess, forgive me, but the prisoners have retrieved their weapons. They’re trying to escape!”

Celestia stood there for a moment, before taking action. “Get Captain Shining Armor to rouse his squad. Get them to cover the gate. The prisoners may not be able to escape the city, but they can still cause panic and mayhem.”

She turned back to the six ponies behind her, the shocked and outraged faces making their emotions easily readable. Celestia was starting to have an idea on how to deal with the new prisoners that seemed to only want to escape. She decided against helping her guards, instead turning to the ponies she so trusted, preparing to lay out her plan.

“My little ponies, I have an idea. If we just—“

________________________________________________________________________

Will woke slowly, a pounding pain coursing through his head. The first thing he realized was that he was no longer in his clothes. Instead, he was wearing a very thin, papery covering. Underneath him was an extremely uncomfortable bed. He would rather sleep in the forest than on this bed.

Finally, after venting his displeasure with his thoughts, he opened his eyes, immediately being assaulted by a bright white light.

“Unngghhh…” He moaned, raising his hands to cover his eyes. After a minute or so, he became used to the light. He re-opened his eyes, this time actually being able to look around. He was in a small room with green walls, a white tiles floor, and a white ceiling made of an unknown material. The papery covering he wore was also green, the same green as the walls. A box on a pole sat next to him, a small green-lit line going across it in a strange pattern.

As he looked around the room, he noticed that his head really itched. He reached up to scratch it, instead touching a large bandage wrapped around his head.

“What the devil?” Will muttered, feeling around his head. The entire top of his cranium was covered in a hard bandage. Then the memories flooded back. The strange castle, the talking horses— no, ponies –and the mad rush to escape. Then the pink wall.

Suddenly, Will sprang to his feet. “TUG!” He yelled for a moment, before clutching his head as it began to throb.

After the pain receded, he got up more slowly. He walked over to the window, looking out and into the valley many feet below. That strange pink light still suffused the city, like a large bubble encasing the area. He turned away from the window, before searching through the small, metal chest of drawers set into the wall. In the top drawer, a large amount of white packages sat, inside of which were apparently cotton pads, or so the labels said. The next drawer had a large amount of needles with tubes attached, lines and numbers going up the tubes.

“What are these?” He asked no one in particular, looking closely at one before putting it back and continuing to the last drawer. This one was larger and deeper, and inside his clothes, belt, cloak, and pouches sat.

He quickly tore himself out of the covering he was in, before donning his clothes. It felt good to be back in his familiar garb, even if he missed the weight of his knives and quiver.

Finally, he turned towards the door, his newly-donned soft leather boots making next to no sound on the tiled floor. He turned the handle slowly, easing open the door on its well-oiled hinges. Outside, the hallway was empty. Two other doors were visible across the corridor.

Slowly, Will peeked out from the room, turning his head first right then left. The corridor was rather short, ending on one side with a window, and on the other with a door. Another door was set into the wall on Will’s side of the hallway.

Will quietly left the room, cautiously closing the door behind him. He walked to the door across the hall, slowly opening it as well. Inside, another room was laid out, this one containing an unconscious Halt. He had a bandage on his left arm, and his chest was also bound tightly.

Slowly walking over, Will first checked on his former mentor, before retrieving his clothes from one of the drawers in this room. He placed the bundle at the foot of Halt’s bed, before gently shaking Halt’s shoulders. The effect was instantaneous, the grizzled Ranger jumping up and grabbing Will by his throat. It was an entirely instinctual action, although Halt let go almost immediately after recognizing Will.

“Don’t wake me up so suddenly.” Halt said, groaning. “Can you get coffee on?”

Will raised an eyebrow, practically jumping at the chance to use it against his mentor. “I think you may have forgotten something. I’ll let you figure it out. I’ll be outside when you’ve finished.”

“Damn ungrateful apprentices.” Halt mumbled, attempting to sit up. Will left the room, holding in as much of his laughter as possible. He finally regained his grim Ranger demeanor, before checking the next room. What he found would have made him laugh, if it wasn’t for one thing. Inside, Tug was lying sideways on a small bed. On his shoulder, a bandage was wrapped tightly around.

“Tug! Are you alright?” Will said, rushing forward. Tug, startled awake by his master’s call, almost rolled out of the bed and onto his back. He was checked just in time by his master, who helped him out of the bed.

I’m fine. Are you sure you’re alright?

Will let out a relieved sigh, before responding. “Yeah, just a slight bump on the head. I’ll be fine. Don’t be such a worrywart.”

Who’s calling who a worrywart?

If normal equines were able to make an amused face, Tug’s would have matched it perfectly.

“I’m never going to get the last word with you, am I?”

Never.

“Thought so”

Yup.

Will laughed, searching through the drawers for anything useful. He found Tug’s saddle and saddlebags. His extra arrows were missing though. He emptied the saddlebags into his own pouches, before placing Tug’s horse blanket and then saddle onto his back, only tightening the straps enough to keep it secure.

“There we go. Sorry about the saddle, but I have no where else to put it.”

I’m not invalid.

“I know, I know.”

Will left the room, followed by Tug. Across the hall, Will could see Halt saddling Abelard, who seemed to be perfectly fine, apart from a very slight limp.

Will nodded to Halt, before slowly easing open the doors at the end of the hallway. Unfortunately, they were met by a dozen Royal Guards, armed with spears and crossbows.

“Come no further. You are to wait here until the Princess arrives.” One of the guards said, almost managing to hide the slight quaver in his voice.

“Damn” Halt said under his breath, before nodding and closing the door behind him.

“Got any rations?” Will asked, looking over towards Halt.

He pulled out a piece of hard tack, wrapped in a leaf. “I’ve got this, but it’s our last piece of bread, unless you have anything.” He broke it in half, passing one to Will. Absently, Will chewed on the hard biscuit-like piece, ignoring the flavorless texture.

After an hour of waiting, the hallway door opened. Princess Celestia stood there, flanked by the guards and a small unicorn with a tattoo of a scroll on its flank.

“Law Book, are you ready to record?” The Princess said, looking over to the tan unicorn.

“Y-yes, your majesty.” The unicorn, Law Book, replied. He reminded Will of George, the weasel-like snout of the unicorn only accentuating the resemblance.

“Good. Now you two, I have a proposition to make. But first, you must waive your trial. If you do, it will be the same as a guilty plea.” The princess said, turning to the Rangers.

“Why should we? Let’s hear your proposition first, before deciding. For all we know, you plan to have us executed on a guilty plea, which would make this entire thing pointless.” Halt said, his scathing gaze resting upon the Princess.

Unfazed, she continued. “The death penalty was removed almost nine hundred years ago. I saw to it myself.” A small amount of anger was noticeable in her voice, before it was covered up. “I cannot tell you of my decision unless you waive the trial. It would invalidate your answer, and force me to allow the people to decide your fate, and I doubt they would allow you to leave the dungeons for the next few years.”

Halt looked over towards Will, who just shrugged. Will felt Halt knew what to do in this situation, even though his diplomatic skills were best used when a castle had a moat.

Sighing, Halt turned to the Princess. “Fine, I waive my trail right. I believe my companion here does too.”

“Yes, I do.” Will said, speaking up.

“Alright. Now we can continue. You will be forced to do a week of community service, with at least four month probation. Depending on your behavior, and behavior of your horses, this may be lessened or extended. At the completion of one week, you may be eligible to retrieve the rest of your belongings, although that, too, will depend on your behavior. Is that clear?”

Halt nodded, following along.

“You will carry out your punishment in Ponyville, under the watchful eye of my student, Twilight Sparkle. She will report to me every morning and every night, and if I do not hear from her, you will be arrested. If she tells me about unsatisfactory behavior, you will be arrested. She will fill you in on what jobs you will have to do as they appear. You will take the train from here to Ponyville in two hours, assuming you have recovered enough from your… incident. Additionally, you will take tutelage in the power of friendship from my student in order to help you adjust to our society.”

‘Did she really just say that?’ Will thought while Halt raised an eyebrow.

Yes, she did.

“I didn’t say that out loud!” Will blurted in surprise, looking at his horse. Then he realized he just spoke suddenly in front of a large crowd, apparently to no one.

“Excuse me?” Princess Celestia said, confused.

His cheeks burning, Will responded, “Nevermind. I was just… just ignore it.”

Celestia picked up her right forehoof uncertainly, before shaking her head. “Unless you feel ready now, I will leave. If you require something, just ask of my guards and, depending upon your request, they will grant it.”

Halt grunted, before calling out to the Princess. “Might as well get this over with. Right Will?”

“I guess so.” He walked forward, knowing that Tug will follow.

“Alright then, follow me.” The Princess said.

Soon, the small group emerged into the open, the bright sun peaking through the pink bubble encasing the city.

“You know, Princess, “Will said suddenly, “I’ve been meaning to ask. Where are the King and Queen? Surely they would take greater interest in the goings on of their kingdom, especially with this… Changeling? …threat.”

A pained expression flashed over the Princess’s face, before her poker face returned. “No, my parents died long ago. I wished to share power between my sister and I, so I kept the title of Princess. It makes more sense to have two princesses rather than two queens.”

“I’m sorry.” Will said. Halt raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

“It is of no consequence.”

The group walked on in silence, before they suddenly reached the strange road they had attempted to escape on. A small building stood next to it, with a large platform in front of it. It was upon this platform the group sat, waiting. Soon, the six ponies of before joined them, standing almost as silent and grim as the two armored unicorn guards who had been assigned to watch over the Rangers.

After a short while, a large thing began to chug down on the two metal strips in the ground. It looked like a long chain of boxes, all connected together by a small walkway. At the front, a larger box with a chimney was attached, apparently to pull the rest.

“What is this? Where are the hor—I mean, how is this being pulled? Is there some hidden hole in which someone or something walks, dragging along this contraption? It would take quite a lot of strength to pull it though.” Will said, practically bursting with curiosity.

“Actually, it has an engine that pulls it.” The purple unicorn, Twilight, replied, “You see, they burn coal, which heats up the boiler. This builds up pressure in the form of steam, which is let out unto a turbine, which turns, and the turbine is connected to the wheels, so when it turns, the wheels turn, and it pulls along the entire train.”

Halt and Will both put on thoughtful expressions, mentally taking down notes of the structure and build, along with how it works. It would be very interesting if Araluen could have these trains covering it. They would definitely cut travel time.

All of a sudden, a large, brown stallion peaked his head out of the window in the engine, yelling out over the platform. “ALL ABOARD! Oh, sorry your highness, didn’t see you there. Are those minotaurs with you? Rather small if you ask me though. I suppose this will be one of the private trains?”

The princess took a step back at the sudden flood of words flowing out of the stallion’s mouth, before catching herself and nodding. “Yes, it will. It’s a one-way trip to Ponyville for my little ponies here and the… minotaurs. You will be compensated for your lost business.”

“No need you highness. I’ll gladly take them. Besides, they’re pretty much the only business I get anyway. Not many ponies like the train.”

Two hours later, Halt and Will knew why no one likes the train. It swayed and bucked, almost like a ship on land. Halt’s face was green, and Will fared little better.

“If this is how you feel on a ship, I’m sorry for teasing you.” Will said, turning towards his mentor.

“Don’t talk to me. I might be sick.” Halt replied curtly.

The ride ended soon, with the two Rangers rushing off to a nearby pile of bushes and empting their stomachs into them.

Wiping his mouth, Will stepped back.

“Ewww.” Said Twilight, looking over towards them.

“At least we held it till after the ride.” Will replied in his gravely ‘Ranger’s Voice.’ Halt, who had finished his episode, stood up, cocking an eyebrow.

“Does he always do that?” Rainbow asked, stepping forward and jabbing a hoof at the grizzled Ranger.

“Yes.” Will replied as Halt cocked his other eyebrow.

“We should get to the library. That’s where you’ll be staying while you serve your punishment. It’s better to get there now, before full dark.” Twilight spoke up.

The group walked through the near-empty streets of Ponyville, the cool dusk air chilling the Ranger’s faces. Eventually, they reached a large tree, situated near the center of town. A sign outside proclaimed it to be the Books and Branches Library.

They entered the small central room, the lights flaring on as she pressed the light switch. The Rangers were amazed by this, although they kept it hidden in their expressionless faces.

“You two can sleep in the guest room. I’m sorry I don’t have anything larger than the average pony cot, but I have a few blankets and pillows if you want them.” Twilight said, indicating the corresponding room. “Also, your horses can stay in here, or if they want, a small shed I just recently had built.”

“What do you think Tug?” Will said, cocking an eyebrow. Tug did a horse equivalent of a shrug. “He’ll be fine in the shed, if you could give him a measure of grain and some water. I assume Abelard would like the same.” Will looked over towards Halt, who nodded.

Twilight also nodded, attempting to lead the indicated horses to the back. They sat there, bemused.

“This way, Tug.” She said, frustration evident in her voice. “Grrr… Fluttershy, can you help me with this?”

“Oh, ummm… Sure Twilight. Tug, Abelard, if you would just come with me please, I mean, if you want to…” Fluttershy replied.

“Go along, Tug.” Will said, while Halt spoke to Abelard. The two horses then walked out following Fluttershy. Will sighed, turning back into the room.

Will walked over to the guest room door, opening it and peering into the small guest room. A cot-like bed was pushed against the far wall, although it was far too small for the Rangers. A large couch was against another wall, however, and a richly decorated mirror adorned the third wall.

“This will be fine, in fact, it’s rather opulent. How did you get enough money for a mirror?” Will asked, amazed at how rich Twilight must be.

Halt cocked an eyebrow at his former apprentice’s praise and wording, but said nothing.

Twilight was caught off guard by his question. “It’s nothing, really. In fact, I got it at the store a few weeks ago. It was really a steal, only ten bits! Or so Spike said.”

Will put on a puzzled face, before filing away that piece of information. He opened his mouth again, but Halt cut him off with a quick glance. Then he began to speak.

“Well, this is nice. Thank you for the couch, I’m going to sleep.” He glanced meaningfully at Will, who jumped up off the couch, before closing the door and then laying down on said couch. Will shrugged, accepting his fate. He laid down in front of the door, spreading out the blankets. He was used to sleeping on the ground.

The Ranger's Apprentice: Book 'EQ,' Malkalam's Wife

by GordonFreebrony

~ANOUNCEMENT~

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5