"Yes, well... perhaps we'll have better luck like this?" Discord suggested, transforming herself into a unicorn mare and grinning.
Aborel blinked. "good point" she said, turning herself into a pegasus mare. "now, to ask someone and actually get an answer!"
"Hmm... how about him!" Discord suggested, pointing at an ancient-looking stallion with a beard and a long cloak who hadn't been there a moment ago.
"Yes? What do you want!?" The old stallion replied, grumpily, glowering at them from under his big bushy eyebrows.
"could you help us find an arcane artifact that's bee n lying somewhere in the desert for several centuries?" she asked cheerfully
"What!? Who have you been talking to!?" The old stallion demanded, looking outraged as his beard waggled with anger. "A dragon. Ooh, and a Princess!" Discord answered, grinning broadly.
The old pony finally groaned and hung his head resignedly. "What exactly is it you seek?" He asked, realising the two strange ponies weren't going to be deterred by his unfriendly demeanour.
"a magical item that can reverse the effects of a ring that looks like two dragon-snake-thingies" she said, not sure how well known draconequui were in this world
The stallion gave them a deadpan look as Eris nodded in agreement with Aborel's summary. "Two... dragon snake thingies?" He shook his head and started to trot off. "For a moment, I thought you were serious students in the ancient arcane, but clearly I was mistaken." He said, dismissively, as he went.
The pony's ear twitched a little at that and he stopped, still not turning around. "Yes, and there's... a draconequus that needs our help," Discord said, quietly, "That's why we're looking for this artefact." That got the ponies attention. "Really?" He asked, sceptically, slowly trotting back over to them, "A draconequus asked you two for help?"
Aborel frowned at that, trying to decide whether that was an insult to them, or who they currently looked like. "yes, they did"
The pony narrowed his eyes, as if summing them up. "And are you willing to do what it takes to help this draconequus, no matter how perilous?"
"Hmm..." The pony gave them a final look, then sighed. "Very well, follow me." He said, reluctantly, turning and trotting off down the road out of town.
Eris looked at Aborel strangely as she hummed some odd tune, and the old stallion led them to a small stone hut just outside the town; clearly this was his home, and clearly he was quite the sage. Despite being in the desert, he'd managed to cultivate an impressive herb garden, containing many exotic and a few deadly plants, and his hut contained so many ancient scrolls, a few had started to spill out the doorway. He headed into the hut, and beckoned them to follow.
