A/N: The comments I've received so far have been very helpful. A big Thank You to all you wonderful reviewers out there. Seriously, keep 'em coming and keep me updating regularly.

Chapter 4

The Adventure Begins

Clydesdale was once a humble mining town on the edge of civilization, but one could hardly recognize it as such anymore. The remains of a simple palisade lay in disrepair from neglect just within the high cobblestone walls that now surrounded the settlement. Buildings that were once simple and quaint had long since had their windows barred and ponies that once went about their day free of worry now hung their heads low, their eyes looking upwards occasionally in fear. Clydesdale was quieter than it had been in centuries, but it was an uneasy quiet. The only things that seemed to stand out at all in this fortress that thought it was still a town were two mares that had only just arrived.

The first was a deep purple with a lavender mane. Her body was covered in a white cape that itself was adorned with black stars near the edges. A matching pointy hat sat on top of her head. Her cutie mark was a five-pointed black star and an unnatural light emanated from where it sat above her hind legs.

The second was rather small and thin for a mare, though not nearly enough to be mistaken for a foal. Her delicate body was a dull off-white, almost yellow color while her short mane was a vibrant green. She wore what looked like a series of vines that were loosely wrapped around her. Her cutie mark was a small, leafy green plant.

"Um, so..."

Fluttershy's voice was as quiet as ever. She looked over the piece of paper in front of her, taking note of how Roller's description of the second pony matched the one on her character sheet. She still seemed unsure as she asked, "That's, uh, Twilight and I, right?"

Roller nodded, "Yes, these are yours and Twilight's characters. You two have been traveling together under the orders of Queen Solaria to investigate the disappearances of ponies and the build up of monsters on the near edge of the wilderness..."

"...now as I was saying..."

Though heavily guarded and with the distinct presence of paranoia in the air, a few businesses in Clydesdale remained open. The One Trick Pony, a local inn, seemed to be a particularly poplar place with many a stallion and mare visible inside even through the barred windows and the sounds of lively music echoing from within. Across the street was its former rival, Salt Lick Corner, looking uncared for and abandoned.

"Alright," The purple pony spoke, "We need information on what's been going on in town and probably some help, so let's check out the place that doesn't look abandoned. That sound good to you, Fluttershy?"

"Um, my name's not Fluttershy," her partner answered, "It's Flute R'Shye. Remember? You helped me pick it out, Twilight." The first pony giggled a bit. "Sorry, Flute," she apologized before reminding her, "and my name is Twin Star, not Twilight," before putting on a silly accent and stating, "I know NOT of this Twilight Sparkle of which you speak!"

Both of the travelers laughed for a bit at their mistakes before entering the inn. The entrance hall seemed to be some kind of restaurant. It was crowded, full of ponies that were sharing stories and meals. The tension in this place wasn't nearly as thick as it was outside, though there was still a feeling of dread hanging over a few of the patrons.

At one table sat a bright pink filly with a wild mane that matched her coat. She wore a rather bright cyan dress and strummed away on a guitar. Her high voice carried through the room as she sang a lighthearted melody.

At the table next to this one was a pegasus mare that looked just the opposite of the singer. Her coat was a pale blue, her mane giving sharp contrast with its many colors. Around her hooves were black, iron rings covered in spikes. Under her eyes were streaks of a multicolored paint and on her flank a black cloud with lightning forking from it could be seen.

"Hello," Twin Star greeted the pony with spikes on her legs, "Are any of these other seats at your table taken?"

...

The pegasus sat in silence for a moment...

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…

…

…

"Uh... Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash looked at Roller. "What?" She asked, "Did I do something wrong? What happened? Is the game over?"

Roller shook his head and let out a sigh. He looked a bit annoyed, but not surprised. Gesturing to Twilight, he told the pegasus, "Twin Star is talking to your character. Would your character like to respond, or just play the strong and silent type?"

"Oh, okay. I'll say..."

"Table's pretty much empty, have a seat."

"Thank you," said Twin Star as she and Flute R'Shye sat down across the table from the savage looking pony before them. Once they were seated, Twin Star started talking again, "My friend and I are here to investigate the disappearances. Could you tell us anything about that?"

The pegasus shrugged, "I think you guys know about as much as I do. I just sat down a few minutes ago," she sat up a bit straighter, "But do you think the disappearances have anything to do with the monsters gathering at the borders?" Flute R'Shye shrugged while Twin star answered, "I don't know for sure. Maybe."

Just then, a waiter stopped by their table and dropped off three glasses of a sweet-smelling purple liquid. "Hey, I didn't order this," the blue pony told him, slightly annoyed. The waiter pointed at the table nearby and told her, "It's compliments of the filly with the guitar," but when the others looked, that filly was gone. "Weird," Twin Star whispered under her breath, "Pinkie, where did your chara-"

Without warning, the musical pony popped up next to Twin Star and gave an excited squeal. Both her and Flute R'Shye jumped at the noise in surprise, while the other pony at the table just covered her ears. The pink pony introduced herself with a nearly toxic level of cheer, "Hi! My name is Pin Kay and I couldn't help but overhear what you three were talking about. Are you really here to look for the lost ponies and fight monsters and have adventures and- ?"

"Too. Loud," the blue pegasus cut her off, "Seriously, Pinkie, try decaf." Pin Kay gave her new acquaintance a curious look. "Pinkie?" She asked, "That's a funny accent you have there, Stranger. It's pronounced Pin Kay, okay? Try it again; Pin... Ka- OOOH! What's your name?"

Twin Star and Flute R'Shye introduced themselves, but the pegasus didn't. She sat in her chair, as silent as Pin Kay was loud...

…

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for several minutes...

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"...Okay, seriously?"

"You don't know your character's name?" Roller was irritated, "That's, like, one of the first things you're supposed to write down. How do you not have a name?"

Rainbow Dash angrily replied, "I do too have a name. It's an awesome name! You guys won't believe how cool my name is!"

"So... What is it?" Twilight restated the question. Rainbow Dash seemed hesitant and nervous, her eyes darting around the room. She seemed to be at a complete loss for words as all eyes fell on her. She made a gulping noise just before a roaring noise could be heard some distance away. "Hm," Twilight commented, "I guess there's a pretty big storm over Everfree Forest right now."

"Uh... That's it!"

"What is?" Twin Star asked the wild-looking pony across the table. "My name," she responded, "It's Rain...Uh...An'...Thunder. Yeah! That's it! Reyna Anne Thunder," the blue mare suddenly seemed much more confident, "See? I told you it was awesome."

Twin Star and Pin Kay gave each other a smug nod and tried not to laugh while Flute R'Shye just smiled and took a sip of her drink. Reyna could see the smirks on their faces though and she snarled as she challenged, "Yeah? You think I have a stupid name? Well if you guys are such clever ponies then how come you don't know where the missing ponies are?"

Twin Star blushed slightly, but Pin Kay was quick with a response. "I heard some rumors," she told the others, "There's some kind of old mines near the town. Monsters keep going in and out, but nopony knows why 'cause those mines have been out of gems for years. Maybe-"

"Wait a second..."

"...how do you know all this?" Rainbow Dash had a puzzled expression on her face, "You just rolled that clunky ball and then Roller gave you a card full of information. What was that about?"

Roller actually managed to speak before Pinkie Pie did, much to everypony's surprise. "It's called Bardic Knowledge," he explained, "Pin Kay is a bard, so she travels around and collects stories, songs and rumors. When she rolled that twenty-sided die, she was checking whether or not her character knew anything useful. Unlike some ponies, Pinkie actually read the handbook when she was making her character."

"What's a bard?"

The guitarist bounced up and down as she explained, "I go around the world playing music, telling stories, making friends... Basically my life is one big party! What do you do, Reyna?"

Reyna thumped one hoof against her chest and exclaimed, "I'm a barbarian! I beat up monsters and stay awesome," She looked to the other two, "So, what' s up with you guys?"

"We use magic," was Twin Star's answer, "Now, about those mines. Where-?" Suddenly, the barbarian interrupted her, "Whoa, wait a second. Flutter... I mean Flute isn't a unicorn. How can she use magic?"

Flute could barely be heard as she answered, "I'm a Forest Pony. There, uh, aren't very many of us. You probably don't see a lot of ponies like me." She lowered her head and blushed as she finished speaking.

"Like I was saying before," Twin Star continued, "Where did you say those mines were? Flute and I have a job to do and this sounds like a great lead." Pin Kay bounced toward the door. "Follow me," She chimed, nearly singing.

It was midday when the travelers reached the entrance to the mines. The path they had followed was a simple, dirt trail that was badly in need of maintenance and the yawning opening in the side of the mountain didn't look much better. The only sign of life was a series of footprints going in and out of the mines that Flute R'Shye noticed. From the darkness of the dungeon before them came the sound of howling wind and the smell of wet fur.

"Ooh, spooky," Pin Kay commented. Her eyes were wide, but more due to fascination than fear. If it weren't for Reyna grabbing onto her tail and pulling her back, the bard would have been the first pony to enter.

Reyna spat out her companion's tail and told her, "I'm the biggest and the strongest. I'll go first," before doing just that and setting foot in the darkness of the mines. Her knees shook slightly and she took a deep breath before urging the others, "Come on, follow me! We'll get those ponies back home and show these baddies who runs this mountain," to which she added under her breath, "I hope."

A/N: Alright, so that's the end of Chapter 4. It feels good to be writing fan fiction again after so long, even better to be able to update on a good schedule and even better than that to get feedback from you guys. Come on, fillies and gentlecolts, you know how this works. If you send constructive reviews then I'll have another chapter ready for you next week of even better quality. Post those reviews and I'll see you next week.