The Travelling Argument

"Do you hear that?" asked Evening. "Sounds like singing."

"Sky, you think you can sneak ahead and see what it is?" asked Willow.

"Yeah, I can do that," Sky stealthily made her way forward. "Weird. I don't know what they could be singing about." She moved closer and listened carefully to hear one of the Griffins singing.

"-So pass me another flagon, of that good old Dragon-" sung the griffin.

"I wish he wouldn't drink on the job," another griffin spoke. "It's unprofessional."

Evening crept up behind Sky. "Can you hear anything?"

"I think we're in luck. Sounds like one of them's hit the cider a bit earlier than usual!" answered Sky.

Willow appeared behind Evening. "Do you think we can take those guards, or should we try to sneak past them?"

"I've got another idea... watch this," Sky pulled out a small glass capsule filled with a bright green liquid. "Guys, hold your breath. I think it's time we got all of these griffins to take a nap."

Evening took a deep breath. "What is that?"

"Where did you get that?" asked Willow angrily. "That's Equestrian Guard gear!"

"It was? Wow, I didn't know that... I didn't think for a moment that perhaps it was a guard's property at one point! I just... found it on the ground one day," said Sky innocently. "I thought it would come in handy. Does it not count as using stolen property if I'm using it to fight evil?"

"But those griffons aren't evil. They are just doing their job like any guard," said Willow.

"Willow, I don't think it will kill them," said Evening. She pointed at the capsule. "It's glowing the same color as the dart she used earlier, and that guard is just unconscious."

"Evening, I don't suppose you know WHERE in this fort those bakers are being kept?" asked Sky.

"Not a clue," answered Evening with a smile.

Sky rubbed her hooves together. "I guess we're doing this the old-fashioned way then! Come on guys! Let's yank this place out by the roots until we find those bakers!"

"And if we run into more guards? Will you knock out an entire fort?" asked Willow.

"Sounds good to me," said Evening. "Between my skill and Sky Dancer's darts, it will be foal's play."

Sky took a short look at her bandoleer which held her darts. "I've only got about five darts left, so if we run into TOO many griffins... well, I hope you can run really fast."

"I won the Monastery Marathon every year, but what does that have to do with the griffons?" asked Evening.

Willow sighed. "Sky, a word with you please?"

Sky smiled. "Sure!" Willow walked back through the pipe a short way with Sky until they were out of hearing distance from Evening. "What's on your mind?"

"I don't think Evening knows the meaning of retreat," explained Willow. "She's nice enough, but this is the third time she's misunderstood something you said about self preservation.

"I know, right? She'd be an absolutely terrible rogue!"

Willow gave Sky an angry stare. "Sky, this is serious."

Sky sighed. "Okay, I think I know how to handle this. If we run into trouble, I THINK I can make her run the other way, all right?"

"I hope so," Willow looked back at the young warrior. "The Sisters would not approve if I let her die because she doesn't know when to run."

"What are you whispering about? We have some bakers to find. I have to prove myself to my master," called back Evening impatiently.

"That's the spirit!" cheered Sky. "Come on, let's start with the dungeons!" She darted off towards Evening, giving an unsure look at Willow.

The three of them finally find an exit from the pipe and make their way through a few tight hallways and down some staircases. The insides of the dungeon were all laid with dark stone. They made it to a dungeon, multiple empty cells surrounded the outside of the place. No griffins were to be seen.

"Oh wow!" said Evening. "Look at the craftsmanship of this place. I don't think I could slide a blade between these stones. And the bars?" Evening tapped her staff against one of the cell bars. "It's adamantium! I wonder if I would work one loose."

A harsh whisper came from above the group. "Don't work it loose, don't work it loose, don't work it loose!"

The group looked up at the ceiling. There was a single pony hanging on for her life.

"Evening wait! I think that pony needs our help," said Willow.

"Do you need help getting down?" asked Evening.

"I most certainly do not! I will get down myself," said the ceiling pony. She walked across the ceiling and down the walls using suction-boots. "There. Now what are you doing here!? You've almost blown my cover!"

The three of them looked at her in confusion. "What the hay? Who are you? One of Shining Armor's spies?" asked Sky. "How long have you been following... never mind. We're here to find something. If it ain't the same something you're here to find, maybe we can help each other."

"Find something? Shining Armor's spy? No, I'm here as a testament to my people, to prove myself worthy as a pony. And because the Griffins here have an excellent sense of humor!" The pony began to introduce herself. "My name's Maboo. Kind of a funny name of you ask me, but I think it's a good representation of my vast curiosity in life. As for what I was doing on the ceiling, I was playing hide and seek with some of the Griffins. You didn't happen to see any on your way here have you?"

"Yeah, we saw a few... but we sorta... ran over them," said Sky.

"Hide and... Seek?" asked Evening. "But I thought... I'm confused."

"Maboo, a word?" asked Willow.

"Yes, I know many words. How many do you know?" asked Maboo.

Willow flinched. "Another naive... nevermind. Anyway, our unicorn friend there is a very naive warrior on a quest for griffin bakers. You wouldn't happen to know where we could find some, do you?"

"Griffin bakers eh? Um, no, sorry. I've never met any griffin bakers," answered Maboo. "I don't think they'd be anywhere around here either, griffins normally like to hang around in the clouds."

Evening frowned. "What? But this is a griffin stronghold, and my Master told me to seek the bakers here."

"Well you could try the upper levels," suggested Maboo. "They have a kitchen and everything so I'm told, but I haven't seen any bakers. To get there just take the stairs to the left and then take a right and another right and when you come to the 3 section split you want to take the furthest left. You passed it on the way in here, but you probably don't have any memory of that place. The kitchen should be the second door on the right."

Evening stomped her hoof on the ground in frustration. "The top floor? The top floor?!"

"Relax, Evening. Maboo, we thank you, and the Two Sisters thank you," said Willow.

"Don't mention it. I'll be following you all for the time being, but you won't see me. Ninja vanish!" Maboo disappeared into the sudden mist, leaving the three ponies alone.

Evening sighed and turned back to one of the cell cages. "Well, these bars would have more heft than this iron bar I'm using now, and less likely to get stolen from me because it's so heavy. Of course I'd need to get it trimmed down, these bars look to be twice the size I would need."

Sky began yanking one of the bars free. "You say something?"

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Pulling one of those things might alert more guards," said Willow.

"Well they're not going to use it!" argued Sky. One last yank pulled the bar free. It fell to the floor with a loud clang that echoed across the room and hallways beyond. "Whoops."

"It's mine!" said Evening. She jumped to the bar and swooped it up, giving it a few experimental twirls through the air. "I was right, this is too long. I can't use it yet."

"Well I dunno, drop it on their heads or something," suggested Sky. "But come on, we don't want the entire garrison finding us!"

"I guess I can use it like a spear. It's not my specialty, but I want to be useful."

"We should move, we made a lot of noise just now," suggested Willow. A heavy door could be heard swinging open down the hall, a brief thud was felt after. "Run!"

Evening looked at her companion curiously. "Why? Are you not ready to meet these griffins in battle?"

"Didn't you know? There's bigger and more glorious villains to fight down this way, where we're running!" said Sky.

"Really? Then what are we waiting here for? Let me at em!" Evening hugged her new metal bar close to her and galloped up the stairs to the left, making sure to follow Maboo's directions. Willow and Sky chased after her.

"Okay, I take back most of those nasty things I said about you, Sky. But what are we going to do when she doesn't get the fight you just promised her?" asked Willow as they tried to keep up with evening.

Sky hesitated. "I'll... er... I'll get to that part when it comes up, okay? Hopefully when we find the bakers she'll just stop running around looking for a fight. Until then, we've got to make up her own Order's code for her or something. I dunno, improvise!"

Willow looked at the rogue in fascination. "That's a brave idea, Sky... I misjudged you. I will stand by you when the hammer comes down. Until then, let's just keep Evening pointed in the right direction."

"Why do you two keep whispering when you tell me to go ahead? Don't you trust me?" asked Evening. "Maybe I shouldn't tell you that we just passed a door marked kitchen."

"We passed a what now?" Sky skid to a halt and looked at the door Evening pointed out. "Awesome! I bet they're in there! Hey Evening, wanna introduce yourself to the bakers?"

Willow looked Evening in the eye. "Be good, Evening. We're rescuing them, remember?"

"Of course I remember. It's my mission," replied Evening sternly. She kicked open the door. "Who in here is the Baker? I promise that you will come to no harm if you cooperate!"

"Evening, sweetie, you have to be a bit more gentle with your rescues and hostages," said Sky. "You've gotta let them know that everything's going to be all right. Come on, say a nice hello, and give them your name!"

"Oh... Um... Hello everyone, I am Evening Flash and I will be your rescuer tonight."

Sky facehoofed. "Yeah, close enough."

"Now which one of you is the Baker? I see a sous chef, a dessertier, and prep cook."

Willow whispered over to Sky. "Sky, why is it that she knows kitchen terms to that detail, but doesn't know about retreating? I'm starting to worry about her Order."

Sky gave her a look. "Her Order? I'm starting to worry about her! They are a little screwy though. Seriously, I let a whole herd of drugged-up buffalo loose in Canterlot while I was sneaking into their castle, and they went after them instead of me. Can you believe it?"

Evening began going from worker to worker in search of the baker.

"What kind of ponies are we dealing with?" asked Willow. "She's too innocent to let that go on. Maybe it would be better if she didn't find her target."

"I don't know about any baker, but I can direct you to the butcher or the candlestick maker," said one of the griffins. The rest of the kitchen's staff began laughing loudly at the joke.

"Hey, look who's here! It ain't a party without a clown!" said Sky. She lifted up her crossbow at the griffin.

The griffin waved his claws and backed away. "Whoa, whoa! Calm down there. Is she for real? A baker?"

"Who, her? Nah, she's... some kind of warrior or something. I dunno," Sky looked at the griffin curiously. "So, you're not going to get every griffon in this fort to come and get us? Who are you?"

"This is just a paycheck, cloudhorse. They hired me to run this place," The griffin turned towards the rest of the staff. "And these guys better get back to work and ignore the warrior if they want to keep working here!"

"So you have no idea where the bakers are?" asked Sky.

"When did ponies start asking so many questions?! Argh!" The griffin sighed in defeat. "Look, I'll level with you. If there are any bakers here they wouldn't be in this place, they'd be up top, where the Talons live."

"They're the bosses, aren't they?"

A random voice popped out of nowhere. "Well they definitely seem bossy to me. I couldn't take two steps towards them without being ordered to bring them more cake." It was Maboo, once again dropping down from the ceiling.

"Yeah. They're the toughest griffons in the keep. I hope you don't plan to fight them, because they'll win," said the griffin.

"Sky, Willow... there aren't any bakers here," said Evening.

"Don't worry Evening! This friendly griffon just told me where we can find those bakers!" said Sky. "Apparently we have to beat the Talons! They don't sound too tough, do they?"

"Sky... I've heard of them. They're going to tear us apart," said Willow.

"You found me a fight? You didn't have to do that," said Evening gratefully.

Sky gave her friend a reassuring smile. "Anything for a great friend like you, Evening! So wait, what was that about getting torn apart?"

"You don't know Sky? They're the terror of the sk-" Willow looked at the rogue's wings. "Oh, that's why. I forgot you're grounded."

Sky grunted. "Yeah, I'm grounded. It really sucks, I know. So they're terrifying, huh? Probably no worse than Sword Shield... although I don't think anypony could be as bad as he was."

"So what?" asked Evening confidently. "We can beat them, we will beat them, and it will be... Glorious!"

Maboo piped in. "Hold on a minute. Sword Shield? That Lieutenant pony?" She snickered. "He isn't that bad, he just takes his job a little too seriously. Get him riled up by calling him or the Royal Guard names. But I've met these Talons before. They might seem tough, but they can hardly turn their heads up. If I sneak in and attack from above, they'll be so surprised you'll have a perfect surround on them. Are you ponies up for it?"

"I was born ready!" said Evening. She twirled her staff around and accidentally broke two pots filled with honey.

"Hey! I never said you could break anything here! Get out before I throw you out a window!" shouted the griffin.

The four ponies scurried out of the room and down another hallway.

"The Talons are much worse than any Guard you've run across. They like to break a pegasus's wings, then drop them for sport," explained Willow.

"That's terrible... they must be stopped!" said Evening.

"B... breaking... pegasus... wings?" asked Sky, losing a bit of confidence. "Erm, yes Evening! They have to be stopped! For the good of Equestria! We should... fight them... really indirectly... like REALLY indirectly."

"Oh, like using feints? I can do that!" said Evening.

"Yes, you do that Evening," Willow shooed the young warrior down another hallway till she was out of hearing range. "Sky, do you have any more of that knockout juice left?"

Sky nodded."Yeah, tons! Why do you ask?"

"To use on Evening if things get out of hoof," answered Willow. "I can heal her if she's hurt, but she's going to get herself killed."

"I know what you mean. She's getting kinda creepy."

"I've seen this before, especially with these warrior types. When they are asked to prove themselves, they throw themselves into it. Evening is a special case, because she-"

"This is it. I will avenge all those pegasi, save the bakers, and finally prove myself to her," said Evening from down the hall.

"Hold that thought!" Sky fired a dart at Evening. "Proceed!"

"-is so naive about how the world works..."

"Evening sleepy... Goodnight." Evening fell onto the floor with a thud, snoozing dreamily.

Willow looked at Sky in shock. "You just shot her? But we're in a hostile environment! And we have an unconscious... teammate... You know what? You get the front, and we can get her out of here."

Sky pouted. "She started it."

A shout was heard from the room nearby. "NOW! Hiiii-yaah!" There was a loud crashing noise. The trio ran up to the door where it came from and listened to what was going on. "Oops," the voice was Maboo's. "Hey, where's my backup?! Guys? Hello? Bad day..."

Sky opened the door.  "Maboo, what the hay are you doing?! We're going to get spot- oh... ponyfeathers." There was a group of Talon's inside staring at Maboo, right in the middle of them all.

"I go, you stay, no following!" shouted Maboo. "Wait, no, I mean, you go and get Evening to safety! I stay and distract them! Hey you stupid big black bully Talons! Over here!" Maboo disappeared further into the room with the Talon's giving chase.