Paved with Good Intentions

"I didn't ask for your respect, I asked for your screams of fear and pain. It looks like you're extremely bull headed, anyhow, I tire of our little game. I'll have Amethyst Mind come in and tear and or rape it out of you since you won't play. She loves it when they can't fight back." And with that, Auftrag slammed the door in the pegesai's face, and listened to the sound of it locking. "Any requests that probably won't get met? Make them now, before I get Amethyst, when she's done with you, you won't be able to speak coherently enough for anyone to guess what you're asking for" Auftrag licked the blood off of one of his knives while he waited, though he wasn't going to wait much longer.

"I would love a tour." Hoodwink said immediately with a low bow. "Not like I had anything else to do but tour the home of a prince." Hoodwink said with a false admiring tone. And see exactly what you've got in here worth stealing you pretentious blowhard. He thought to himself as he tried to tell Xereth with his eyes "I'll explain later".

Wolfe would escort the Pegasi's leader toward his own chancellor and the pegasi guarding her, moving with calm, deliberate steps. Manure. He always hated hostage trades. Made him all tense and bristly. He'd have to take a day off after this, he'd decided, then appended a mental remark about the possibility of not making it out of this.

Though honor was something Dusk valued, ganging up did not violate anything. He joined the fight, making sure to say out of the way of his knight and thrusting his halberd down on the Earth Pony. As soon as he fell, he'd go to find another one of his knights, or another friendly soldier, to help.

"A mysterious aura in the middle of a pitch-black forest? What could possibly go wrong." Accentria commented sarcastically to herself, venturing closer to the source when her hoof met something warm and furry. Looking down, her eyes widened in surprise at what she saw. A Manticore, seemingly asleep its chest rising and falling calmly. Accentria, of course, did the most reasonable thing a pony in her situation could do; she carefully withdrew her hoof... And petted the beast, smiling contently to herself. That was when she noticed the unicorn, particularly, the pendant on her neck.  She thanked the Everfree, making a mental note to plant a tree or something later. "That... makes two of us," She laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. "But uhm, I'm Accentria! Hi!"

Griff bowed one last time before walking out of the Blueblood's house and closing the door behind him. "Now... What should I do with these documents... I look too rugged to even be allowed near the castle... buying new fancy clothes just for this mission would be a waste as well..." Griff thought as he walked away from the Blueblood's house slowly, plotting. He walked into a dark alley between houses and took out the documents and map, mainly to read the map, memorize what he has to do. "Hopefully windows are open, then." he thought before transforming into his eagle-like form and flew towards the castle.

Upon arrival, he made a circle around the castle to find the northern side, the library, and check it out. The windows were closed. "Damn!" he thought as he landed on one of the open-able windows. He inspected it closely. "Ah, simple latches, this shouldn't pose a problem. Not too big one, at least." he thought as he attempted to squeeze one of his claws through, nudging the latch. After a minute of effort, the window was finally open, and Griff flew inside. "Not much of security there... I suppose they don't get robbed often. Not surprised, who would even want to rob a library of a castle when there are other libraries around to rob?" His thoughts were racing through his head before he landed on top of a bookshelf, making sure he stayed out of receptionist's sight, before walking to the edge of it to inspect the door he was supposed to go through. He flew down and turned into his pony form to inspect it closer. The door was, obviously, locked, and the space underneath the door seemed 'a bit' too tight for his snake form.

He looked around, making sure nopony was coming before turning one of his hooves into the sabretooth tiger's claw, extended the claw and inserted it into the lock. After good 10 minutes of trying, he finally got the door open, dashed inside and left it only slightly open, placing a book between the door so it wouldn't accidentally close. He searched the room until finally, he found the brown box he was searching for. He placed it into his satchel, before sneaking out, closing the door behind him, transforming into his eagle-like form behind one of the bookshelves and flying out through the window.

He flew around for a good five minutes before landing in front of Vision's house, he transformed into his pony form again and placed the package under the mat, just like he was ordered to, before making his slow walk away, his thoughts being partially on reward and partially on getting a drink.

- Zen -

Almost imperceptibly, Cyclone shook his head at Sonata, once he had noticed what she was planning to do. He held his hoof up in a recognised symbol to wait. Not yet, he seemed to be saying. But he didn't indicate that she should back down either.

In the meantime, the fires on the stage were growing bigger, though the pegasi there didn't dare to back down from the hostage trade. Similarly, fires had engulfed the rest of the encampment, presenting a problem for those on the stage to get out.

---

- Eq -

Slowly, as Wolfe approached, the pegasi moved towards him too, partly to effect the exchange and partly to move further away from the fire that was blazing towards them. As soon as he was close enough, the pegasi would wait for Wolfe to hand over the Commander before they returned the Chancellor themselves. In the meantime, however, the fires were growing ever bigger, and the fires in the encampment stood between the stage and safe ground - or at least, relatively safe ground.

---

- Sharp -

"Accentria...?" The unicorn mused quietly. "Well, nice to meet you, Accentria. My name is Clover." She gazed at the Geas. "I'm sorry if I seem nosy, but where did you get those swords? They seem particularly... exquisite. And special. You aren't holding them with telekinesis, are you?"

((Enter conversation mode. I'll reply more often for this one.))

---

- Dragon Soul -

Despite the earth pony's valiant resistance, he was too preoccupied with the other knight, and Dusk's halberd caught him in the neck and killed him instantly. When he was done and began searching for new targets, he would notice two soldiers fighting each other shortly before a fireball took out the earth pony among the two. Mages were once again raining fire from the sky, and now a few fireballs were heading towards the earth pony encampment, starting what may well turn out to be the beginning of an inferno.

Several new fights between the earth ponies and unicorns were becoming apparent around him, and at this point the earth pony knights severely outnumbered the unicorns, with several unicorn knights around him trying to fend off two or three enemies at once.

---

- OP -

Blueblood smiled at Hoodwink's response. "Indeed, I'm certain you will be particularly amazed at what I have to show you. My mansion has never failed to impress." With that, he gestured Hoodwink to the top of the staircase beyond, which he had noticed earlier upon the first entry. He himself walked up to the top and pushed the door open, which would open up onto a long, long corridor, decorated with patterned white wallpaper and a red carpet along the entire length. Lining the sides were various suits of armour, along with assorted jewelry resting within occasional display cases - the glass lids secured to the rest of the case with solid-looking locks - and Blueblood walked along it, expecting Hoodwink to follow him down the corridor.

---

- Arry -

As soon as Griff's slow walk away took him a fair distance from Vision's mansion, he would hear a voice echoing in his head. "Well done. You'll find your payment in a brown envelope, in the alleyway behind the bar on 11 King Street. And in that envelope... I believe you'll also find your next mission and its details, if you choose to accept it. I trust the reward from that one may also be quite enticing."

While the voice was speaking, nothing else of note occurred around him, except for the door to Vision's mansion creaking open, and the faint yellow glow of a magic aura pulling the welcome mat in.

---

- Wiserodin -

The pegasus snarled at Auftrag, though other than that he didn't say anything. He merely kept an angry and defiant stare on Auftrag, as if daring him to say or do anything else to him. However, it was clear that he was simply a broken shell of the pony he used to be; helpless as he was, he could only do so much.

Receiving the nod, Sonata didn't take the shot, yet. Instead, she lessened the tension on the string just a bit so the bow wasn't being unnecessarily taxed. She also glanced around from time to time to make sure nothing was coming at her, the last thing she wanted was another round of flack or lightning to try and dodge.

Griff slightly jumped at the familiar voice talking to him in his head. "I better get used to that..." he thought as he was about to make his way back to the tavern to collect his reward. He looked back just in time to witness the magic take the welcome mat along with package into the house, before he continued on his merry way.

After a good few minutes of walking, he finally arrived at his destination, and picked up the brown envelope, but before he decided to open it, he went into the tavern to get slightly drunk. He stored it somewhere safe, where he knew nobody would know it exists, and sat down by the counter, ordering a few beers and planning to spend at least one hour in the said tavern before he'd open the envelope.

"I don't really know, to be honest." Accentria replied as the longest of the Geas positioned itself between her and Clover to allow the unicorn to better see it. "They've kinda always been there for as long as I can remember." She continued. "No... They hold themselves up, somehow---But I can move them just as easily as I'd move a hoof." She waved at Clover for emphasis, the three blades behind her copying the motion exactly.  Accentria put her hoof  back down, the three Geas returning to their passive floating. "Uhm... If you don't mind my asking, your necklace. Where'd you get it?"

"Interesting..." Clover murmured as she observed the Geas. Then she smiled at Accentria as the next question was asked. "Oh, nothing as fantastic as your story. It was just a present from my friend, that's all." She touched it with her hoof. "She always was more into baking than crafting, so I can't imagine why she decided to be the one to make this."

She shook her head wistfully. "Sorry about that. I don't want to bore you with my own reminiscing. If you don't mind me asking, why are you here in the forest?"

Seeing his knights were having trouble, he rushed over to the nearest one to join the fight. The more knights he helped, the more help he'd have later. He ran over to one on his right and charged the closest enemy, hoping to kill him before they even knew he was coming.

Accentria decided to drop the topic of the emblem for now. "Well...  this is probably going to sound very strange, but, this forest is the first thing I remember." she sighed, the Geas between the two returning to its place behind her. "I woke up here one afternoon, my mind blank, save for a name... Accentria. They were there too," She nodded behind her, at the blades. "So... I keep coming back here, because it's all I have."  Accentria smiled, laughing a little awkwardly. "Sheesh.. Talk about boring reminiscing, heh. But.. uhm.. That wasn't even what you were asking, was it---Nice job, Accentria" She chastised herself.

"I'm here now because the town I was at previously is currently a battlefield. The three factions are at one another's throats again--- This time, at ponyville."

Clover chuckled as Accentria apologised. "Don't worry about it. That was a very interesting story. Now if only my life was as interesting... but then again I suppose it's all for the best this way."

Then she heard Accentria's explanation of why she was here. "Oh..." Clover's ears folded back and she looked back to the ground, downcast. "They're fighting again? Here? I should have guessed, after the news of the execution..." She sighed. "Pity. Perhaps one day we can have peace, even if it's nowhere to be seen for the moment." She smiled at Accentria. "Well, it seems this place is no longer safe for us, then. I think you know the Forest better than I, so I'd appreciate it if I could follow you out of here." She indicated the manticore Accentria had seen earlier. "Many dangers lurk here in the darkness."

Auftrag looked at the pegasus, the poor soul had refused his help. How did this pegesai get off, knowing that he was going to die? He could have spoken, and he would have been spared, maybe even adopted by a noble house. But no, even under threat of death, he was defiant. Auftrag almost felt like crying, but that wouldn't do the poor, misguided thing justice. If the pegesus wasn't so bull headed, he could have been introduced to the wonders of chaos! Where everypony was equal! But that dream would have to wait. He had things to do. He trotted back, singing Old Drunken Whaler, a song from the old lands. As he sang, it sounded as if a chorus of disembodied voices were singing with him.

"What will we do with a drunken whaler,
What will we do with a drunken whaler,
What will we do with a drunken whaler,
early in the morning?

Way, hay and up she rises,
Way, hay and up she rises,
Way, hay and up she rises,
early in the morning.

Stuff him in a sack and throw him over,
Stuff him in a sack and throw him over,
Stuff him in a sack and throw him over,
early in the morning.

Feed him to the hungry rats for dinner,
Feed him to the hungry rats for dinner,
Feed him to the hungry rats for dinner,
early in the morning.

Way, hay and up she rises,
Way, hay and up she rises,
Way, hay and up she rises,
early in the morning.

Shoot him through the heart with a loaded crossbow,
Shoot him through the heart with a loaded crossbow,
Shoot him through the heart with a loaded crossbow,
early in the morning.

Slice his throat with a rusty cleaver,
Slice his throat with a rusty cleaver,
Slice his throat with a rusty cleaver,
early in the morning.

Way, hay and up she rises,
Way, hay and up she rises,
Way, hay and up she rises,
early in the morning."

As he walked by, the prisoners shrank away from him, for the first time, they saw true abomination standing in front of them. Some of them screamed in fear He stopped singing when he got to the front and stopped at the desk, and dropped off the keys.

He opened the door, and stepped outside. He had a date with Amethyst, and he could always file his report.

Wolfe would reach for the chancellor as he released the pegasus in his grasp, hefting his hunting knife in order to throw it if something went wrong. "Let's both walk away with what we want from this, shall we? I'd hate to see any blood spilled without reason."

"Anything is possible, especially where ponies are involved." Accentria smiled. "On the bright side, they didn't really go through with the execution, what with being attacked and all. At least, they hadn't yet while I was there." she said cheerfully, moving closer to Clover. "Yeah... We probably should get moving again, before something worse than a manticore decides to pay us a visit." She continued, taking a few steps past the unicorn and stopping.  "Ah" She laughed "I should probably should ask you if you have any destination in mind before I go off charging into the Everfree, shouldn't I?" She turned around, facing Clover once more. "So... Any place in particular you'd like to go, Clover?"

"None in particular, at the moment." Clover smiled at Accentria. "So long as it's out of the forest. This place has a certain darkness around it... I would prefer to leave as soon as possible." She glanced around. "If we could avoid the battle it would also be best. I don't fancy seeing any more bloodshed than I have to."

Suddenly, she stopped herself and rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I forgot to ask about your current condition. Do you have any accommodations anywhere on the continent? Or have you eaten recently? If you woke up in this forest without any of your memories I can't imagine you have very much in this land."

"Well then. Out of the forest and away from the battlefield... Eh? Unicornia it is. Though... The only problem is, well, it's literally on top of a mountain." Accentria sighed. " Yeah.. Not really. I usually just stay at an Inn when I need to. I don't really need all that many material possessions--- What with moving around all the time. Dragging all of that along wound kind of be... a drag." she giggled at her own pun.
"Anyways, Unicornia should be...Uhmmmm" Accentria hummed, the Geas turning to face north. "That way!"

"Hm." Clover eyed Accentria with a gleam in her eye. "Actually, I've got a better idea for now. If you don't have much to return to I know a little place just east of here. It's a sort of hole in the wall..." She giggled. "In more ways than one." She took Accentria's hoof in her telekinetic grip. "Come on, you might like the place. At the very least we can give you a permanent home."

"Oh? I don't doubt it... I'm pretty easy to please." Accentria replied smiling playfully. "A permanent home, eh? I can't say I remember the last time I had something like that. She joked, giving a small laugh and following Clover.
"Hey... Clover. Do you know what that symbol on your necklace means, or what it represents?" Accentria would ask, after a while of travelling, subconsciously making the largest of the Geas jerk slightly sideways.

Clover took the amulet in her magic grip and lifted it as she walked. If Accentria was fast she'd just be able to pick up another symbol at the back of the emblem, this one just a standalone horn. "Oh, this? It's, ah... a symbol of friendship, I guess. One of us is a pegasus, and the other is an earth pony. And I'm a unicorn, of course. In times like these... staying friends is hard, so we tried to set it in stone. I guess it worked." She chuckled. "Though I'm not sure if it was really necessary."

"Ah... Well.. Alright." Accentria mumbled more to herself than Clover.  "Maybe I'll meet them one day--- No, I think it's nice, to have something concrete like that to help you remember, and to never forget." she replied wistfully, sighing.  "I just wish I had something like that. It hurts when your only friends are four enchanted swords.." She continued quietly, her eyes full of sadness.

"I'll introduce them to you sometime." Clover said, smiling, and then stopped in her tracks and slung her right hoof around Accentria's shoulders. "Don't worry, Accentria. You'll realise that friends are all around you, so long as you look. And maybe you already have more friends than you think you do." She gestured to the rock face she had just stopped beside. "Here we are. Rambling Rock Ridge. Let's just go in, shall we?" She walked forward, on a collision course with the side of the cliff, and then seemingly walked right through the wall."

"Come in!" came her voice, though she herself was nowhere to be seen. "It's safe, don't worry."

"Thank you, Clover. That... Means a lot." Accentria replied smiling slightly. Upon seeing the unicorn walk into a wall, she couldn't help but laugh. "A hole in the wall, eh? Amusing." She mused, following shortly after Clover's affirmation of safety.