Corridor after corridor, Commander Sharpe takes her time to explore the Dungeon for the first time in her life. Despite the amount of stories she has heard in the past, nothing truly compares to the real thing. She finds herself drawn to the smallest of details, —the rock formations, the crawling insects, the overgrown vegetation, the subtle hints of past civilisations… Even in its most basic aspects, this underground realm has so much to offer.

A small stream runs lazily before her hooves, and she recognizes it as denoting the edge of the map she was given before going down. While exploration is a fascinating endeavour, Shape knows better than to dive deeper into this unknown dangerous world on her own.

Just as the Commander turns on her heels, a brief glimpse of blue light catches her eye. She whips her head around toward the source: with unfathomable speed, what appears to be a living blue flame zooms into a nearby corridor, out of sight.

Sharpe cocks an eyebrow. What was that?

Suddenly, the flame flies back into view, having visibly backtracked into the room. It stops as quickly as it was moving, just a few dozen metres away from Sharpe. A shiver runs down the Commander’s spine, feeling observed. In that very brief moment, she recognises the creature for what it is: a wisp.
Guiding spirits or death bringers depending on the myth, but Sharpe certainly isn’t going to take any chances. 

She squares her stance when the creature moves again, this time towards her. Its frantic flame dances around, sparks flying out as it swirls in front of the courser. And just as the soldier expected an attack, the wisp turns around and leaves, just as fast as it had arrived.

Okay, what was *that*?

While her brain screams to get the hell out of here, her guts beckons her to investigate. Ever a courser of action, the Commander crosses the stream, and carefully follows to where the wisp has just disappeared.

Sticking her head around the corner, she immediately notices the flame is still dancing around in place. When it notices her, it rushes to her, swirls around her body once, then zooms further down the corridor. Now it’s obvious, that thing wants to be followed. And it seems to be in a hurry.

Sharpe picks up the pace behind the creature, until they reach an open chamber with similar characteristics as the one where she met Sir Ribbitton. High ceiling, vegetation abound, a soft light coming from nowhere… But instead of a pond, a large ruined structure stands in the middle of the chamber, visibly ancient by the look of it.

The Commander doesn’t have the time to admire the sight, for the wisp catches her attention again. This time it is dancing above a small chasm, seemingly recently caved in, with countless vines tangling into it. From the placement and the faults in the ground, it clearly looks like it could have been some kind of trap, no doubt with spikes lining the bottom of the pit.

Is the wisp actually trying to guide her to her death?

Before she can change her mind and turn around, a voice emanates from the chasm.

“Ellie, you’re back!” a feminine voice exclaims. “Have you managed to find help?”

The wisp jumps in place, and Sharpe can feel its attention resting on her. Stepping closer to the edge, the scene below confirms her suspicions: not only is this indeed a spike trap, someone has actually fallen into it. Thankfully, the sturdy vines seem to have stopped her fall and saved her from the bloody affair that expected her at the bottom.

“Oh, hello!” the trapped courser rejoices at the sight of the Commander. “I’m sorry to bother you but do you think you can help me get out of this predicament?”

Sharpe wants to laugh at the poor lady’s polite attitude despite the circumstances, but thinks better of it. 

“Hold on!” she barks while starting to walk around the chasm. “Are the vines strong enough for me to pull you up with them?” 

The other mare sighs. “They’ve held me so far despite my forceful attempts to break free”

“And how long is “so far”?” The soldier jumps the thinnest part of the pit, landing on the other side.

“Just a few minutes, thankfully. It helps to have a little helper who can be dispatched in emergency situations” she lets out a nervous laugh.

“I take it this is your pet” Sharpe tilts her head toward the still frantic wisp swirling around them.

“Her name is Ellie” the mare reveals. She pauses when Sharpe finally reaches the vines that are holding her up. “And I’m Blanche, by the way. Thank you for helping”

“Commander Sharpe, Celestial Legion” the soldier responds in kind. She ignores the way the other mare’s eyebrows rise at the mention of her title. “Try to aim your legs toward the cliff, so you don’t slam into it”

After receiving confirmation, the Commander takes a strong hold of the vines and starts pulling. With a clever use of her knife to anchor the vine into softer ground, she is able to reposition herself several times for maximum efficiency. In less than two minutes, the damsel in distress has been saved.

Sharpe helps her to her feet once the vines have been definitely detangled from her coat. “Any injuries?” she asks as she gives her a once-over.

“I’m fine, thank you” Blanche answers honestly, though she sounds a bit out of breath. “I mean it, I don’t know how long I would have stayed down there without your help.”

Sharpe shakes her head. “Don’t mention it. Glad to have been at the right place at the right time”

“So am I” Blanche offers a genuine smile that the soldier can’t help but return.

The white mare’s attention turns to her spirit companion, reassuring it that she is okay now that she is out of the pit. The sight is quite adorable, if Sharpe is to be honest. The way the wisp seems permanently attached to Blanche’s cheek, how that draws a soft amused laugh from its owner…
Beautiful, Sharpe’s heart chimes in, and she’s quick to ignore the misplaced comment.

“If all is good then,” she says instead, “I was about to head back up to the Guild Hall. We could walk together if you’re heading that way too”

Blanche beams at the offer. “I would like that”