Spear of the Windigos (Daring Do #2)

by BookeCypher

Rating: teen
Tags: Ahuizotl, Adventure, Daring Do, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Original Character
Length: 71610

Travel back to the start of Daring Do's career as she and Zapapple Tock race to stop Ahuizotl from obtaining an artifact of untold power that could plunge Equestria into an ice age. Book 2 of the Daring Do New Revision series

Daring Do New Revision Edition Book 2

Travel back to the start of Daring Do's journey's as never told before.

Daring Do has just been appointed to Royal Canterlot University Department of Equinology when she and her best friend, Zapapple Tock, uncover a clue pointing to an ancient secret thought to be little more than myth. Venturing out into the wilds for the first time, Daring and Zapapple will soon find themselves fighting for not only their own lives, but the future of all of Equestria as they face down a strange new enemy. But as the sweet and mild bookworm fumbles her way through her first dangers, she may get more then she bargained for...

Reviews for 'Quest for the Sapphire Stone':

"Epicness"
- Manehatten Review

"It kept me hooked from the beginning to the end!"
- Canterlot Royal Tribune

"A thoroughly entertaining read."
- Tall Tale Times

Published 2016-02-28 01:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2017-01-29 18:17:19 UTC

Foreword

This story represents the first major divergence from original cannon of the stories – and, as is common, it is over Daring Do's past.

Due to the great deal of time between the first stories being released and the first version of Spear of the Windigo's being released, other writers (amateur and otherwise) had a great deal of time to fill the blanks in themselves. And they had quite the choice of blanks to fill – from how Daring had first met Coco to the origin of her iconic hat, along with the dozens of so-called 'noodle incidents' that appear (including at least one actual incident involving noodles). The event that drew the most attention, however, considered Daring's best friend.

Despite appearing in only one of the original stories, Zapapple Tock among the stories of the expanded cannon of Daring Do, and anypony can see why. After all, it must take a special sort of pony indeed to be the best friend of the world greatest adventurer, let alone such an influential figure in Daring's life. With so little known about such a major figure, the fans had what is known in literary circles as a 'field day'.
Perhaps the best known – and most widely accepted version of the role Zapapple had in Daring's develop pre-sapphire stone is in 'Ballad of Chickerufus', if only due to it becoming the basis for the point of divergence in the highly popular alternate universe series by Muffin Parcel – the same stories that eventually led to the 'Universal Cracks' stories.

Why Teal Roper decided that to have Zapapple appear in this tale we can only theorize, but given the rationale for this 'New Revision Edition', it is not hard to guess. Teal Roper has streamlines, as it were, Daring Do's backstory and in the process greatly amplified Daring's relationship (such as it is) with her archnemesis – to say more then this though, is to spoil things – at least for those unfamiliar with the original books. To those hoping for a different turn of events for the polychromatic maned earth pony this time around, I can only offer my sympathies and a recommendation to search the expanded cannon – given its breadth, there is likely at least one story that matches what you seek.

For those of you who have been seeking this story in particular, the lateness of this release is regrettable. A freak accident in our editorial office meant we had to restart transcription from scratch at one point (as well as replace all of our typewriters – getting pudding out of those mechanisms is apparently impossible). T. Roper seemed to have a similarly interesting time, given the collection of stains and dirt smugs decorating the manuscript when it arrived.

I'll leave you now with the words of Teal Roper, once again from a note left attached to this manuscript when it appeared on our doorstep:

Ever hero needs a beginning.

Chapter 1

Author's Note

This chapter may be a little rough - our editing department is still clearing the pudding out of its offices.
- Booke Cypher

Chapter 1

“This was a really bad idea!”

“Nopony said you had to come, Daring.” Zapapple yelled back to her lagging friend. The tan-coated pegasus was lagging behind Zapapple, and the pale blue earth pony couldn't help but smirk at Daring's sudden onset of regret. She really had brought this on herself.

“Hey! I was the one who tracked the book down.” Daring shouted over the rumbling of the worn sandstone structure around them like it was caught in an earthquake. Her greyscale mane whipped around her head as she ran, twisting about her as she craned her neck left and right as the dark wood bookcases that towered above them trembled as something further below rattled the entire structure, sending ancient scrolls and antique books tumbling down around their ears.

Zapapple glanced over her shoulder, strands of multi-chromatic mane drifting into her face as she ran, dark pink eyes seemed to glow in the odd subterranean twilight, Daring's similarly shaded eyes glaring dagger's into the earth pony's back. “Its not my fault you didn't think this out! I tried to warn you, you know.”

“At least tell me you know how to get out off here.” Daring grumbled as another towering shelf toppled over. Down below, the rumbling seemed to be growing more intense.

“Me? What about you.” Zapapple retorted as they skidded to a stop at an intersection just long enough for Zapapple to poke at the mark on Daring's flank. “You're the one with a compass for a cutie mark.”

“And your's is a sextant.” Daring replied as she glanced at the three directions they had to choose from.

“Fair point.” Zapapple studied the intersection for a moment before jabbing a hoof to her left. “This way.” Zapapple made it three steps before she felt a sharp tug on her tail. She turned just in time to see Daring dropping it from her mouth. “What n-” The rest of the sentence was cut off as the hallway to the left simply caved in in a cascade of stone and wood. The pair of them stared at it for a moment before Zapapple managed to say anything. “G-good catch, Daring.”

“Actually,” Daring gulped nervously. “I was just going to say that I think it's a right.”

“Oh” Was all Zapapple managed. For a moment, silence reigned. “We should probably get out of here.” Zapapple managed after a moment.

“Agreed.” Daring squeaked, still slightly pale as the pair tore down the right-hoof hall. “So,” Daring turned to her friend as they dashed around another corner. “Did you at least grab the book?”

Zapapple replied by simply flipping open her saddlebag and briefly pulling out a worn-looking journal before slipping it back into the bag. “Considering the whole place started caving it as soon as I grabbed it, we're lucky I didn't drop it!”

“Who booby traps a book?” Daring thought out loud as they dodged another collapsing.

“Maybe they're all really dangerous books?” Zapapple suggested.

“So the entire place is designed to collapse!?” Daring replied. “What sort of – gah!” Daring skidded to a halt with Zapapple a heartbeat behind as the two came to a precarious stop at the edge of a yawning chasm. Ahead of them, the space opened up into a wide underground cavern. “Where'd the bridge go!?”

Zapapple looked around for a moment before spotting the ruined remains of the bridge hanging uselessly on the other side of the chasm. “Seems the bridge faired as well as the rest of this place. Think you can fly us across?”

Behind them, a massive thunderous crash echoed from inside the archive, followed by a low rumbling that seemed to be steadily growing closer. “Look's like we're about to find out.” Daring's wings flared as she leapt into the air as much as the confined space would allow before hooking her legs around Zapapple and darting out over the chasm with a beat of her wings.

Zapapple for her part had just enough time to let out a small yelp of surprise at her friend' legs wrapping around her torso before suddenly finding herself suspended far, far, far higher in the air then earth ponies were ever supposed to find themselves. Not many earth ponies ever found themselves in aeronautical roles, despite the proliferation of airships and the like. There was a good reason for this.

As Zapapple found herself temporarily struck wordless by a combination of vertigo and sheer terror, Daring was having issues of her own. Unaccustomed to the weight or dynamics of carrying another pony, the young pegasus found her flight performance had taken a significant hit with the addition of one – though Daring would never say it out loud – fairly hefty earth pony. Zapapple it would simply claim that it was because earth ponies were made of sterner stuff then light-as-feather's pegasi, but it didn't change the fact that at the moment Zapapple weighed a moon-cursed ton.

There was a brief moment when Daring thought she might have actually had it under control, but as was seeming to become a pattern the old archive seemed to have other plans. A massive plume of dust and debris shot out of the hall behind them, a gust of wind created by the air displaced by the collapsing archive following the path of least resistance as quickly as possible.

The gust crashed into Daring from behind like a small freight train and nearly sent her tumbling out of the air. Daring managed to stay airborne, just barely, as she found herself tumbling head over tail that in a way that was likely not helping Zapapple's vertigo. Daring's twisted her body and her wings, attempting to garner some control over their destabilized flight path as the gust seemed to be trying its best to drive them into the cliff face ahead of them, and Daring found herself fighting just to stay level. With one final twist of her wings, the pair was back over solid ground, crashing into the far ledge just above where the former rope bridge was still dangling from. The pair tumbled dozen meters before coming to a final stop in a tangle of limbs and a collection of pained moans.

Zapapple pulled herself out from under one of Daring's unfurled wings and shakily got onto all four hooves. “O-Okay,” She managed. “That sucked.”

Daring didn't even bother righting herself, staying splayed out on her back. “Agreed. Anything broken?”

Zapapple did a quick inventory. “Four legs, four hooves and a tail intact – you?”

Daring finally rolled onto her hooves, flexing each wing momentarily before furling them. “A few bruises but I think that's it.”

“A few bruises and one throughly trashed set of ruins.” Zapapple pointed out. “I hope you're right about that book.”

“My research was flawless.” Daring defended as she sorted out a few errant feathers. “Everything leading into those secure archives matched the school records and the archived journal entries. Besides, it was on a big pedestal – the important stuff is always on a big pedestal right?”
Zapapple sighed. “You've been reading your fathers old journals again, haven't you?”

Daring laughed sheepishly. “Maybe a little?” Zapapple just glared at her friend and after a moment Daring started to glare back. “Oh come on! Where else was I supposed to do research for going into an actual abandoned ruin? Those journals are the only one's I know are accurate!”

“You really think those are going to be-” Zapapple was cut off as another tremble tore through the building, passing after a moment and leaving Daring and Zapapple to realize that they were now clinging to each other as they nervously eyed the walls. “So,” Zapapple started as she turned her gaze to Daring. “Talk about this later?”

Daring nodded quickly. “Agreed.” The two, somewhat awkwardly, separated and started down the roughly-cut path, following the torches toward the tunnel that had brought them down in the first place. “So, that library didn't start this far down right?”

“I imagine not.” Zapapple replied as she peered about in the near pitch darkness. “Probably sank over the years – build stone building like that weighs quite a bit and with the ground around here being what it is...”

“Okay then.” Daring continued. “So – who built this tunnel?”

Zapapple opened her mouth, but after a moment closed it again as she suddenly came to a stop. “Thats...It was...uh...” She scratched at her mane. “That's actually a good question.”

Daring stopped and spun around to face her friend. “You mean you don't know!?”

“You're the one that did the research!” Zapapple retorted. “You tell me!”

“Well, my first thought was they were part of the catacombs.” Daring explained as she took a seat on the ground. “Canterlot is an old city, and it's seen its share of cataclysms and expansions. The Canterlot cliffs are crisscrossed with drainage tunnels, cisterns, escape paths, and all sorts of gem mines of varying levels of legality. Given the geology of the area, it seemed probable that the archive had been built on a softer substrate then much of the surrounding geology – when gravity and time took its toll, the archive sank and intersected the older tunnels.”

“So the tunnels were already here,” Zapapple summarized. “And the library just landed in the middle of them. Doesn't explain the bridge.”

“Exactly!” Daring replied excitedly. “Or the torch mountings along the wall. Somepony had been down here before. Probably poking around the archive looking for something.”

“Who do you think it was?” Zapapple wondered out loud.

“No idea!” Daring chirped happily. “There was nothing about in my research. I was thinking we were going to have to try that flying trick a lot sooner.”

“Huh.” Zapapple shrugged before starting back along the narrow path. “Thought you seemed a little too ready to grab me like that.”
“I've been practicing.” Daring replied, jumping back onto her hooves to follow after her friend. “The library had several books with flight exercises in them – A good chunk of the physiology section, actually.”

“You always find the answer in a book, don't you Daring?” Zapapple chided, but the small smirk was proof enough that there was no venom behind it.

“No reason to relearn something somepony has already figured out.” Daring defended with a shrug. “Passing on knowledge is the hallmark of society.”

“I still prefer learning things myself.” Zapapple replied. “Though I will admit this is a lot faster.”

“Never doubt the power of solid research.” Daring said. “Now, its just back up the....stairs.” Daring's voice trailed off as the got within sight of the staircase. The formerly rough but structurally sound arch the marked the bottom of the winding flight of steps had been reduced to a over-sized pile of rubble and dust. “...uh oh.”

“Oh, don't be such a pansy.” Zapapple rolled her eyes as she saw Daring begin to pale slightly. “It's not like we're trapped down here. We've just got to dig it out.”

“What if the entire staircase has caved-in?” Daring asked nervously as she watched Zapapple prod at the pile. “Or if its still unstable?”

“Well, you said that their were other tunnels, right?” Zapapple answered. “We'll just have to find one of those and follow it back to the surface. Piece of pie.”

“Zapapple, the tunnel networks down here stretch for leagues!” Daring waved her hoof at the cavern around her. “Who know's how long we could be wandering around down here. There was this one story, a few years back, about somepony they had found in one of the tunnels while digging out a apple cellar.” Daring shifted around nervously on her hooves as she glanced around at the shadows. “Turned out that the pony had been a shop owner twelve blocks over. The last time somepony had seen him was when a sinkhole in his plumbing stores basement had swallowed him up – eleven years ago!”

Zapapple put a hoof on her friends shoulder. “Daring – calm down. You're getting hysterical.”

“How is this hysterical?” Daring questioned. “Hysterics would be more...panicky.”

“For you?” Zapapple patted her friend on the shoulder. “This is hysterical. Now come on and help me clear this out so we can get out of here.”
Daring took a moment to take a deep breath before following Zapapple toward the pile. “Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you if this doesn't work.”

“Noted.” Zapapple replied dryly. “Start with the top ones – that way we don't drop the whole pile on us.”

“No kidding.” Daring took wing, quickly moving toward the top that was well beyond Zapapples reach. From above, the rockfall was even more impressive. The arch had been a surprisingly large piece of stonework and if Daring had to make a guess that quake had taken out the key stone. Gravity had taken care of the rest. “You actually expect us to clear all of this?”

“Just enough to make a hole.” Zapapple replied as she gave one of the larger boulders near the base a solid kick. The stone cracked and fractured into a flurry of smaller pieces that gave way under the weight of the stone on top of them.

“I thought you said we were starting from the top!” Daring shouted from above as she watched the entire pile shift.

“Yeah, well.” Zapapple muttered. “I don't have your wings and I don't fancy trying to climb this thing. Keep taking stones off the top. Less things to land on me if things go pear shaped that way.”

Daring rolled her eyes but complied, and began shuttling stones from the top to a quickly growing pile off to the side. She grudgingly noted that the stones Zapapple were adding tended to be a lot larger then Daring's. Earth pony's and that insane level of strength – still, Daring didn't think she'd trade her wings for the ability to bench press Canterlot. She had the feeling Zapapple was of a similar opinion regarding her own abilities.

“This stinks.” Daring managed after around twenty minutes of working at the pile, and they had made little obvious progress. Her wings were killing her, and if she had been wearing anything she was sure it would be drenched in the sweat that was making her coat slick. She was glad she had ditched her saddlebags. Zapapple was in what looked like a similar state of dishevelment.

“You want to go get lost looking for a different way up,” Zapapple grinned as she panted. “Be my guest. How long did you say that guy had been down here?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Daring sulked back to the top of the pile, grabbing another stone with hooves that were well past aching. If this was what field work was like, it was a bigger pain in the flank then she had thought. Daring was too absorbed in her own internal complaints to notice her grip on the stone failing until it was too late. “heads up!” Daring shouted as the rock crashed into the top of the pile, knocking loose several other stones. Within moment, the chain reaction had turned the single falling rock into a minor rock slide that had Zapapple scrambling out of the way. The heavy cracks and crashes of stone meeting stone echoed around the cavern until, finally, the rocks settled back down and after a moment the sounds subsided.

Zapapple glared up at her flying friend, who at least had the good grace to looking mildly embarrassed. “hehe – oops?”

Zapapple shook her head slowly. “Forget it – still in one piece at least. And it looks like your little slip might have done us a favor.” She started clearing out a few loose stones that were still hanging around the opening as Daring descended back to ground level. “Thats the second cave-in you've caused today. How yoy got promoted to the Equinology Department, I have no idea.”

“Hey!” Daring defended. “Its not my fault the book was booby-trapped. Why booby trap it after putting it behind that many locks?”

“Well, we got past them, didn't we?” Zapapple replied a she shoved another stone out of the way. “Still wish you would let me read the thing – we don't even know if its the right book.”

“The book is anywhere from five hundred to nearly fifteen hundred years old.” Daring pointed out. “If it is the journal, then it dates to the initial founding of Equestria – the pages would probably turn to dust if we looked at them funny.”

“Yeah, yeah...” Zapapple grumbled. “Let's just get out of here before something shows up.”

Daring suddenly looked a lot more nervous. “You, uh, actually think something might be down here?”

“Something made that bridge.” the earth pony replied as she shifted one final stone out of the way. “Ah – there we go.”

Daring poked her head around Zapapple and peered into the space beyond. “Well, at least the stairwell looks safe.”

Zapapple groaned. “Don't say stuff like that. You'll jinx it.”

“Fairly sure reality doesn't work like that.” Daring pointed out.”

“The sun and moon are moved around by a pair of princesses and there's a honest-to-Celestia lord of chaos petrified and sitting in the royal gardens.” Zapapple pointed out. “And do you remember what you said before you grabbed that book?”
Daring stopped for a moment. “...point. After you?”

“Not a chance.” Zapapple gave her friend a little push. “Your jinx, your problem.”

Daring grumbled something under her breath but started crawling through the narrow gap anyway. Despite Zapapple's work, it was still a tight squeeze as Daring tried not to think about what would happen to her if another cave-in happened while she was still crawling through the space. Daring repressed a small shudder as the phrase 'flat as a pancake' came unbidden to her mind. After a few minutes of twisting, squirming and a couple of tight squeezes that felt like they were going to cost her a wing or two, Daring finally found worked herself free and dropped into the inky black of the staircase. “Okay – I'm through!”

“Anything unpleasant?” Zapapple shouted through the crawlspace, her voice echoing oddly.

“No,” Daring replied. “It's just...dark. Torches must have gone out in the tremor.”

“Try and see if you can light them while I get through.” Zapapple replied. Daring pulled out a box of matches as Zapapple started pulling her way through, punctuating the darkness intermittently with unmare like grunts while Daring fumbled in the darkness trying to light the first torch. It was actually harder with the match lit then without it, since her eyes quickly adjusted to the glow of the match and left everything beyond that little sphere of light indistinct black shapes. Daring waved a hoof around blindly until she finally felt the rough stone of the walls, then she just had to follow it uphill until she stumbled across the first of the torches. Once she had the first one lit, it was decidedly easier to find the second one.

She had just finished lighting a third torch when a string of curses began to echo from the small tunnel. “Daring.” Zapapple finally announced after she had ran out of explicatives. “I think I've got a problem.”

“Are you stuck?” Daring asked as she approached the small opening. From inside, Zapapple's voice echoed back.

“Seem's like it.” A sigh carried up the tunnel from the trapped earth pony. “Mind giving me a tug?”

“Uh, okay.” Daring started to crawl back down the tunnel until she had half of herself through the opening and found her friend. She wasted little time in grabbing onto a hoof and giving a tug. “A little help would be nice.”

“I am helping!” Zapapple replied. “You try getting proper leverage when you can't see what you're pushing against.”

“Well, this isn't working!” Daring answered back. It felt like pulling on lead weight - A lead weight tied to the ground.

“Well, you're a pegasus, aren't you?” Zapapple replied. “Put some wing power into it!”

“I don't have enough clearance in...” Daring started, but she let the sentence trail off as an idea struck her. “Hold on.” Daring crawled back out of the tunnel, rushing back over to discarded saddlebag and began digging through them. A few moments later, Zapapple felt a line of rope land on her face followed shortly by hearing Daring's shouting. “Hold onto that as tight as you can and, uh, try not to lose any teeth.”

Zapapple had just taken up the line in her teeth when the second half of the sentence processed. “Wht' tht mn?!” Zapapple tried to yell around the rope, but it was too late. Outside, Daring bit down on her end of the rope, flared her wings, and pulled.

For a brief moment, Zapapple thought that her teeth were about to be pulled out of her head. But then, before she could be separated from her molars, the stone's grip on her faltered and she found herself being yanked free. Without the resistance, both Daring and Zapapple found themselves reeling. “Okay,” Zapapple managed after she spat out her end of the rope. “That hurt.”

“Not as much as having an earth pony land on you.” Daring groaned from somewhere underneath Zapapple. “Do you mind getting your overbuilt rump off me?”

“Sorry!” Zapapple scrambled to get off her friend, but it was a task easier said then done, what with the rope they had been using having some how wrapped itself around the two of them. The resulting squirming and effort to disentangle limbs would have been hilarious if anypony had been around to actually watch it. But after much flailing about and undignified grunting until the two finally managed to free themselves.

“Okay.” Zapapple said as she laid across the stone floor on her back. “That hurt. Anything damaged?”

“I think I landed on my wing when you popped out of that tunnel.” Daring replied as she flexed her wings, cringing a little as she stretched them out and refurled them. “Don't think I actually broke anything though. I think I'm going to have a heck of a bump on my head by this afternoon. What about you?”

“Overbuilt, remember? I'm fine.” Zapapple grinned as she stretched, cringing as she stretched one of her hindlegs. “well, mostly fine. At least we can both still walk, right?”

“Hardly something worth getting excited over.” Daring replied. “Let's just get out of here already, okay? I'm really tired of this place trying to horribly maim me.”

“And you thought field work was no fun!” Zapapple gave Daring a rough pat on the shoulder as she past her and started up the stairs. Daring took a moment to regain her balance from the over-eager attempt at reassurance before following after her. “So,” Zapapple asked as they paused to light another torch. “Now what?”

“Now we get it to a lab.” Daring replied. “Then we can stabilize the paper and start the preservation process.” Daring did a little dance. “There some new reagents I want to try!”

“So old temples don't do anything for you but dripping potions over an old book gets you dancing around like a foal?” Zapapple quirked an eyebrow at her friend. “Sure you're in the right line of work?”

“Well, if I let grave-robbers like you do all the acquisitions,” Daring replied with a small smirk of her own, “I would never get anything back in one piece.”

“Lab rat's like you should just leave the real work to the big ponies.” Zapapple shot back as th pair of them fell into a familiar pattern of playful verbal fencing as they continued their way up the stone steps. As unusual as a game it might be, it proved to be an effective way to whittle away the time as they continued to wind their way upward until, finally, they found themselves facing a worn and rusting metal door that marked the end of their assent. Daring gave it a few tugs, but the door didn't budge. “Huh, that's weird. It can't be locked since we broke that off...”

“It's just jammed.” Zapapple replied as she pulled her friend back before turning around, facing away from the door and began to line up her hind legs. “Allow me.” The earth pony drove both of her hind hooves into the door, and the rusted metal gave off a cloud of dust as it gave a dull ring and swung open before crashing into the wall. Daring peered around at frame at the door as her friend smugly polished one hoof. The door itself was sporting a not inconsiderable dent centered at the point of impact. Daring was just glad that the door was still on its hinges after that sort of blow. “Uh, nice work Zap.”

“No problem.” Zapapple replied with a small shrug as the pair stepped over the shreshold into the room beyond. The only light in the space came from the lone oil lamp hanging from the wooden column in front of them and a series of dirt-encrusted windows set high in the stone walls, leaving the space lit in a dim orange. Long shadows snaked out from a myriad of piping sticking from the stone floor and ceiling, the soft sound of dripping water echoing from somewhere in the space. Crammed in between, sagging wooden shelves were stuffed full of worn and disused pieces of maintenance items – pipes, wrenches, sheet metal, and cans upon cans of paint. “So,” Zapapple asked as she started weaving her way around what might have been a water main. “Why did you know there was some sort of super-secret passage way down in storage?”

“I didn't” Daring replied, a few steps behind her friend. “But I found it when I was digging through some of the older school blueprints.”

“If its on the blueprints, why hasn't anypony else poked around down here?” Zapapple asked. Somewhere nearby in the maze of pipings a pressure valve tripped, and a low hiss of escaping steam echoed through the enclosed space.

“Other then whoever made that bridge?” Daring replied. “Well, it wasn't like the passage was marked on the blueprint as 'secret door hear' – though that would have made things a lot easier.” Daring hopped over a low pipe that snaked its way out and over the floor. “I actually missed it the first few times, but the outside and inside layouts didn't match up quite right in that spot.”

“So you're first thought was 'secret room'?” Zapapple replied. “Seems like sort of a leap...and how the hay do we get out of here?”

“Left once we reach that red water main.” Daring pointed with one hoof at something somewhere ahead before she continued. “And, actually, my first thought was 'secret room' – small chambers get boarded up and lost in old buildings like this all the time. When they resurvey the school to update the blueprints, they end up missing it.”

“Wait...” Zapapple paused and turned to Daring. “Lose a....room? You can do that? People actually lose rooms?”

“Oh, all the time.” Daring nodded. “Some scholars at the royal library speculate that anywhere from five to ten percent of the Royal Palace's floor-plan is occupied by lost rooms. The Princess has her architects go looking around for them every once and a while.”

“Why does the princess need help finding some rooms?” Zapapple asked as they found themselves detouring around a particularly dense knot of piping. “She would have been there when the rooms were still around right?”

“Apparently she forgot where they were.” Daring shrugged. “The castle is pretty big. Last year, they were expanding one of the pantries and they broke into what turned out to be an accounting annex! The entire space was stuffed from floor to ceiling with scrolls of census data from all the way back before the Discordian era. So much of what we know about that period is from anecdotes or second-hoof stories written down long after – now they can actually get an accurate idea of not only the population and income distribution, but also the economy of the period and even a better idea of the political landscape just after the princess's ascension. We might even learn about-”

“Daring, you're rambling again.” Zapapple interrupted. “Now, I'm sure thats all really fascinating, but can we get out of here first?”

“I told you,” Daring replied. “Just turn at the red....water....” Daring's sentence trailed off as she looked around and realized that the red water main she was speaking off was nowhere in sight. Nor was their anything she recognized. “Well, its not that big of a room, right?” Daring said, though she didn't sound convinced of herself. “We just keep going until we hit a wall and then follow it until we find the door.”

“How long do you think that will take us?” Zapapple asked.

“Umm....” Daring thought about it for a moment. “Maybe an hour? Or two?”

Zapapple resisted the urge to hoof up to her face and simply sighed. “Then let's get moving – lead on.” Zapapple stepped to one side to let Daring take point, and the tan pegasus took only a moment to get her bearings before leading them off to their right. Despite the numerous levers and valves around them, the spaces around them did not seem designed to allow ponies in very easily. The pair found them squeezing past and under pipes, water dripping from the joints and valves and onto their heads and backs. It was a haphazard space, with all the hallmarks of having been added onto year after year with no thought of how the new fitted with the old.

Luckily, however, the piping seemed to thin out once they reached a wall. They picked a direction at random, and after worming their way through more piping and taking three turns finally found the narrow staircase leading out of the sub-basement.

“Finally.” Zapapple sighed and started up the staircase. Compared to the trip to the subbasement the staircase out of it was refreshingly short, terminating at a worn green-painted door. “Lets get out of here already.” Zapapple hooked a hoof through the door pull and opened the way back out to daylight.

And found herself face to face with a very angry griffon.

Chapter 2

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 3

Storm Talon looked up from the scrap he had been handed and at his two equine students. “You know, when I told you to bring me you next insane idea, really didn't expect you two lunatics to actually bring me another one the same bucking day.”

“We haven't had a chance to compare the map to any of the University's archives,” Daring explained. “But it looks consistent with the geography in the Unicorn mountain range.”

“Given that the school has sent expeditions into the region on several occasions,” Storm Talon replied. “I find it hard to believe that we missed an entire castle.”

“The university hasn't sent an expeditions to the area in years.” Daring pointed out. “And most of them were just scouting and surveying. Besides, this doesn't seem to be a really big castle – more like some sort of per-unification fortification. It could have been overlooked.”

“Assuming this map is real...” Storm Talon replied, his beak giving a little click as he gingerly flipped the parchment over with his talons. “You said this looked like the Unicorn range?”

Daring nodded. “The northern Unicorn range, from what I can tell.”

“Hrm...” Storm Talon set the parchment down before giving Daring a knowing look. “Wasn't your father looking around that region before he vanished?”

Daring visibly flinched before she managed a reply. “A-among other places. My father tended to...”

“I know exactly what your father tended to, Do.” Storm Talon cut her off. “Star's know I helped with enough of it. My question is why you are so bucking interested this.”

Daring couldn't meet professor Talon's eyes as she answered. “It's purely academic interest.”

Storm Talon snorted. “Academic my feathered arse. You're a shit liar, Do – just be glad I don't give a shit. You want to investigate this? Be my guest – but this sort of moon-touched idea needs approval. Presidential approval. And since you are now a duly appointed member of the Equinology department, you can pitch it yourself.”

Daring gulped. “You mean to the president of my department, right?”

Storm Talon gave his head a little tilt in that way only avians could and gave his beak a little series of clicks that Daring only recognized from prior experience as what passed for griffons as smiling. Or, in this case, smirking. “The the president of the University.”

“The new one?” Zapapple asked to be sure. “The one you call the Tyrant Queen and make sound like the Mare in the Moon or some such?”

“Which makes me very glad I don't have to make the presentation.” Storm Talon replied. “Stars and stones, I don't even run your damned department.” He paused for a moment before staring at them with a small quick of his head. “Why the buck are you talking to me and not your Department head anyway?”

Daring chuckled sheepishly. “He's gone for the day.”

Storm Talon gave another snort. “Figures as much. I'll file you a meeting request with the new despot if you want – earliest you're going to get is likely this time tomorrow. She still has to unpack of course.” Storm Talon's beak clicked again as his amber eyes seemed to alight with what Daring could only describe as a predatory glee. “In fact, shooting down your little project will probably be her first real act as President.”
“You really think she's going to refuse it?” Daring asked as Storm Talon rose from his seat, prosthetic tail and hind leg clicking a whirring softly as he started across the room.

He paused halfway, right next to Daring, before he replied gruffly. “Kid, you've got the single worse lead I've ever seen and almost no plan. If you are doing this for why I think you are, give it up – finding him isn't worth getting dead.”

Daring studied the floor between her front hooves. “How do you know?” she asked softly.

Storm Talon's hind leg clicked softly. “I know. And he would never let me hear the end of it if I let you get dead.”

“She'll be fine.” Zapapple said as she stepped in. “She's got me to keep her from getting too stupid.”

Storm looked at the Earth mare for a moment before giving a small 'harumph'. “If she's anything like her old man, you have your work cut out. You want to get this thing green-lit? Go come up with some real proof. Come up with a plan. And come up with a reason that isn't stupid or insane.” With those final words of advice, Storm Talon marched out of his own office and left the two mares behind.

“You really think he'll file that meeting?” Zapapple asked as she stared at the door the professor had just left through.

“If he said he will,” Daring replied. “Then he will. Come on,” Daring gave her friend a pat on the back as she headed for the door. “We have research to do.”

This late in the day the only ponies in the library were the librarian sitting behind the main desk, and a gray unicorn walking around the stacks. Zapapple and Daring made their way past the main book stacks toward the archives section, staking a claim on one of the tables before hitting the shelves. “So,” Zapapple asked. “What are we pulling?”

“University activity in the region.” Daring replied as she approached the rolling stacks and grabbed the nearest crank with her teeth and gave it a yank. “See if they found anything in the past.”

“Might want to do some research as well,” Zapapple suggested with a shrug as she started poking around the shelves of old school reports.

“See if we can find just what they were keepin' in that place.”

“But thats what a field expedition is for!” Daring replied cheerily. “I thought you were all for field work?”

“And I thought you avoided it like the plague.” Zapapple replied. “Mind telling me whats up with all of this?”

“All of what?” Daring attempted to reply casually. It didn't work.

“All of this.” Zapapple gestured to the shelves around them. “The professor was right – something is up. If this is about your dad-”

“Of course its about my dad!” Daring replied sharply. “My father spent most of his life running around in the field, digging things up.” Her face dropped. “He disappeared because of it. I just want to know why. How.”

Zapapple let out a sigh as she walked up to hr friend, setting a hoof on her back. “See, that wasn't so hard, was it? I can understand why you want to find your father – I know I would want to. Stars and stones, I'll help you look for him – but it helps if you tell me the plan first, ya know?”

Daring looked at her friend for a moment before giving a small chuckle. “Zap, I'm going after a lost castle with hidden treasures – I couldn't stop you from coming if I tried.”

Zapapple leaned back with a smug grin. “Darn right – this is the stuff my dreams are made of. So, whats the plan?”

“The plan?” Daring replied. “The plan is to make a proposal that doesn't...”

“Make this look like the personal field trip it really is?” Zapapple finished.

“I was going to say 'sounds like a complete snip hunt' actually.” Daring replied. “But close enough.” Daring pulled a tome off of the shelf and made her way back to their table. “Either way, it means I get to do what I do best.”

“Egghead out?” Zapapple suggested.

“Research.” Daring corrected.

Zapapple sighed as she pulled a book of her own from the stacks and made her way over to their table. Over the next couple of hours, the first two books were joined by a half dozen more, followed by another half dozen. Their pile of books steadily grew as time dragged on, volumes from the school archives getting mixed in among research texts from the main shelves.

Zapapple was half-way through skimming a volume on the early history of Equestrian settlement when Daring suddenly shouted at the heavens, venting her frustration at the ceiling, before dropping her face onto the table. Zapapple stared at her friend for a moment before trying to speak. “Uh, you okay?”

“This is getting us nowhere.” Daring's muffled voice came from the book. “There's too much information – we're never going to find anything useful – gah!” Daring leaned back, hooves pressed to her face before she suddenly hopped into the air. “I need some air – be right back.” With that, Daring bolted toward the door.

“Daring!” Zapapple shouted after her airborne friend as she rounded the corner and vanished into the hall. “Slow do-” She was cut off as a crash echoed through the door. With a sigh, Zapapple rose to her hooves and trotted out into the hall to see what damage had been done.
She found Daring in a tangle of limbs with an indigo unicorn, her previously neat and ordered librarian's outfit now in complete disarray due to pegasus influence. “uugh...” she groaned, one hoof swiping a strand of blue and white-striped mane from her eyes before she froze.
Daring didn't seem to notice as she disentangled herself from the unicorn. “Hehe-sorry, you alri-”

“My glasses!” the unicorn said suddenly. “What happened to my glasses?”

“Must have flown off when I ran into you.” Daring replied. “Sorry about that.”

“...crashed...” The unicorn echoed as one eye started to twitch involuntarily. “If you broke them...”

Daring found herself stepping back involuntarily as the unicorn glared...well, not quite at her, but in her general direction. She didn't know what was up, but she had the feeling that she really didn't want to know what would happen if they were broken. “I'm sure they're...” Daring paused mid-step as she felt her rear hoof about to step on something she really didn't want to step on. Keeping an eye on the librarian, Daring reached one wing back and plucked up the glasses. “Found them! See, perfectly fine.”

The unicorn snapped the glasses out of Daring's grip with a burst of magic and settled them back on her nose. After a moment of assuring herself that they were, in fact, fine, her anger dissipated as suddenly as it appeared. “Much better – I apologize for that, Miss...”

“Do.” Daring replied, holding out a hoof. “Daring Do. You new around here?”

The unicorn stared at Daring's hoof for a moment before returning the gesture. “Not quite. I'm the head librarian.”

“Really?” Daring said before turning to look behind her. “Hey, Zap! I think I found somepony who can help us with our research.
That seemed to get the unicorns attention. “Research?”

“Yup.” Daring replied. “Trying to find some old Unicorn castle up in the mountains – having some trouble finding what we need. Mind giving us a hoof, uh...”

“Tabula Rasa,” The Unicorn replied. “And I think I might know just the thing.” She led the pair back into the stacks, walking with easy confidence of a pony who knew exactly where they were going. “Now, lets see...where was that...” Tabula muttered to herself as she scanned the shelfs. A pair of massive emerald, slit-pupils eyes suddenly opened in the darkeness. Daring and Zapapple reeled back in surprise, but Tabula took it in stride. “Ah, thank you Esmeralda.” She reached a hoof up to pull out a book, and along with it came a black cat that settled onto Tabula's back, resting its head just above her cutie mark – which, Daring noticed, were some sort of lay tablet with writing. Made since for a Librarian, she guessed.

“Now, I think this will help you out immensely.” Tabula said as she levitated the book from her own grasp and over to Daring.

“Wow,” Daring said as she started skimming through the book. “This is perfect.”

“Guess you aren't the biggest egghead I've meet anymore, eh Daring?” Zapapple ribbed her friend.

“Professor Egghead here has a distinct advantage.” Daring replied. “Not sure its fair.”

“Uh...” Tabula said with a blink as she tried to work out if she had just been complimented or insulted. “...thank you?”

“So,” Daring asked as she tucked the book under one wing. “Think you could find us some more?”

Many hours – and quite a few more tips from Tabula – later, the librarian had departed and Zapapple felt her energy waning. “Sweet Celestia I could use some coffee...” she groaned as she looked up and across the table. At the other end of the table, Daring had her nose buried in a dusty old book whose title Zapapple couldn't make out. Despite how Zapapple was feeling, Daring seemed unfazed by the late hour. “Hey, Daring did you see any coffee on are way in?” No reply. “Uh, Daring?” Still nothing. “Hey, Daring!”

Daring finally looked up from her book. “Huh?”

“I asked about coffee.” Zapapple replied. “Are you alright?”

“There should be a coffee machine just past the front desk.” Daring replied before going back to her book. “It should be free. Just remember to refill it if you kill the pot – they get kind of testy if you leave it empty.”

“Daring, I wasn't actually talking about coffee...” Zapapple sighed. “I'm trying to get you to have a conversation. You've had your nose buried in some book or another for hours – can't we take a break?”

“Not yet.” Daring replied. “I think I've got a good lead here – it looks like the University might have sent a team into the region before. You can go get some rest – don't hang around for my sake.”

“Pretty sure the definition of friend is hanging around for your sake, Daring.” Zapapple replied as she rose from her chair and stretched her legs, each on giving that satisfying pop that usually squicked Daring out. “Ah – that's better. Nothing like a good....stretch.” Zapapple sighed as she saw that her friend had already buried herself in her book again.

Zapapple made the short walk around the table, pulling out the chair next to Daring before dropping into it. “Daring, I know you want to find all the answers right this minute, but it just doesn't work that way. Put the book down, and lets go grab some rest. The books aren't going anywhere.”

“But something else might.” Daring shot back as she finally looked up from her book and stared at Zapapple. Up close, the pegasus looked a mess – strands of gray mane sticking out at odd angles, pink eyes bloodshot and a few tan feathers sticking out at strange angles after being pressed against the back of a chair for hours. None of it seemed to bother Daring. “Something on that mountain could disappear – something could get misfiled overnight...” Daring suddenly shot a panicked gaze at the stacks. “What if they reorganize the library overnight? What if they toss out a bunch of old books and one of them is the key to all of this?! What if-”

“Daring, don't make me slap you.” Zapapple warned her. “I know what you get liked when your worked up, and it helps absolutely nopony. Just breathe.” Daring took a few deep breathes, as instructed. “There.” Zapapple gave her friend a small, reassuring smile. “Better?” she got a small nod in return. “So, how about that break?”

“I...” Daring hesitated for a moment. “I wish I could, Zap. But I don't think I could sleep right now if I tried. I'm just too tense from...” she waved a hoof at all of the books around her.

Zapapple let out another sigh. “Well, if you aren't going anywhere, I guess I'm not going anywhere either.” Zapapple leaned back in her chair. “besides, somepony has to make sure you don't work yourself ragged.”

“If you're going to hang around, at least make yourself useful and hand me that book.” Daring pointed across the table as she sank back into her research.

“I assume you have some sort of plan?” Zapapple asked as she pulled the book over.

Daring quickly took the book and started flipping through it. “I'll think of something.”

“Thats what worries me.” Zapapple replied with a sigh before pulling a book of her own over and flipping it open.

The next thing Zapapple knew, she was jolted awake as the Univerity clock tower rung out, counting out the hours to tell her it was way too early to be up after last night's research marathon. “Dammit, Daring...” Zapapple groaned as she rubbed at her face idly with one hoof before pulling it back. The pale blue fur of her leg was streaked with drool. Well, she thought, she'd had worse pillows – Her calculus book was less comfortable then her leg and a lot harder to wash. She grimaced a little as she wiped her leg off on the nearest convenient surface before returning to her search for her friend. “Hey, Daring! Where'd you get off too?”

“Over here!” came a muffled reply. Zapapple turned drowsily just in time to see a rather haggard looking tan pegaus trot around the corner, saddle bags stuffed full of over-sized scrolls and rolled up posters. “Sorry if I don't look so good. Some grey unicorn drank all the coffee and forgot to put on a new pot. You'd think somepony with a coffee-based Cutie-Mark would know better.”

Zapapple blinked. “Don't look so...Daring, have you been here all night!?”

Daring dropped her saddlebags with a sigh of relief before she replied. “Of course not – I had to head a couple blocks down to get some of these visuals printed up, and I stopped for a coffee or three on the way back.”

Zapapple groaned as she felt a familiar headache starting to return. “Darn it, Daring – we talked about doing all-nighters like this...”

“We only talked a little.” Daring shot back as she started digging through her bags. “And last night was sort of contrary to every other talk we had ever had, so...”

Zapapple brought a hoof up to her forehead. Headache returned – hello, old friend! “How long do we have before the presentation?”
Daring looked back over her shoulder at a clock hanging on the wall. “A couple of hours. Why?”

Zapapple rose to her hooves and grabbed her friend by the tail as she started to forcibly drag her from the library. “You're a mess.” She managed around a mouthful of gray-scale hair. “And so am I – we're goin' to the showers. No way the president is goin' to sign off on anythin' if we look like a couple of vagrants.”

“Agreed.” Daring nodded as she was dragged along. “And you don't think I can walk out of here on my own why...?”

“Don' trust ya.” Zapapple replied simply.

Daring slumped a little. “Ah.”

Luckily for for Daring's tail the University had some showers not too far from the library, attached to one of the squash courts nearby. Daring was loathe to admit it to Zapapple, but after last night that shower felt absolutely divine. She was once again confronted with the fact that her focus on whatever task she had set herself too might have been a tad...single-minded. Well, that was why you had friends, wasn't it?
Daring spent a little longer under the blissfully warm water before turning off the faucet and giving herself a quick shake-off to rid herself of most of the water before stepping out of the stall. Zapapple was standing in the changing room, trying to wring out her multichrome tail. “I think I might have forgotten a small detail.”

“No towels?” Daring asked.

“No towels.” Zapapple replied. “It's going to take us ages to dry properly.”

Daring replied with a grin as she spread her wings, and it took a moment for Zapapple to notice. As soon as she did, her eyes widened as she started backstepping. “Daring, don't. Daring you can't! Don't, don't DON'T-”

Too late. Daring brought her wings down in a powerful flap, and the entire room was rocked by a massive gust of wind. Zapapple teetered on her hooves as she felt the pegasus-generated windstorm pull every drop of moisture from her blue coat. “Darn it Daring!” Zapapple yelled through the roar of the confined cyclone.

Daring simply gave her wings another flap that nearly drove Zapapple into the wall before she finally folded her wings and grinned at Zapapple. “There – now we're dry.”

“Yeah.” Zapapple replied as she started to try and smooth out her throughly frazzled coat. “But some of us aren't accustomed to preening after every shower.”

“Consider it a life-experience.” Daring replied as she started to straighten out her feathers.

“You're crazy idea's have given me a plethora of live experiences, Daring.” Zapapple replied. “You ever think to run this ideas past me before you try them?”

“It got us dry, didn't it?” Daring replied around a mouth full of primary flight feathers. “I was just trying to expedite our situation.”

“Sure you were.” Zapapple replied with a roll of her eyes. “So, time to go put together that presentation?”

“Already finished the bulk of it.” Daring replied as she stretched a little. “I could really go for some coffee...”

“How about some sleep?” Zapapple suggested.

“No time.” Daring replied. “Believe me, some sleep sounds great right now, but we have a presentation to make in – what? An hour?”

“Hour an a half.” Zapapple corrected.

“Thats just enough time to get our notes sorted out and make our way to the presidents office.” Daring said with far too much perk for how little proper sleep either of them were running on. “Onward to victory!”

Zapapple let out another sigh. Way too much perk.

Ninety minutes later, the pair were sitting on a air of chairs sitting in the hall just outside the presidents office. The passage way was packed with a jumble of crates, many partially unpacked while others waited to be cracked open.

One of the already cracked open crates was sitting next to their chairs, just off to Daring's side. It's lid sat tantalizingly ajar, the shadowy darkness inside concealing its contents.

Daring's hoof was halfway through its slow approach to the box before Zapapple's hoof hit her in the back of the head. “Ow!” Daring said as she glanced turned to her friend, both hooves now busy rubbing at her bruised noggin.

“Don't touch it.” Zapapple ordered flatly.

“Why not?” Daring's response was simple and earned her a level stare from Zapapple.

“You are about to ask the new president to fund a trip.” Zapapple said calmly. “The new president who is a former royal guard and nicknamed by the professor 'the Tyrant Queen. Does digging through her stuff seem like a particularly good idea?”

Daring gulped. She hadn't thought of that. “hehe...no?”

“Darn right, 'no'.” Zapapple replied. “Just...check your notes again.”

“I think if I check my notes again I'll go crazy and jump out the window.” Daring replied as he dropped her head into her hooves. “Gah! Why did I think this was a good idea yesterday?”

“Because you didn't take any time to actually think it through.” Zapapple helpfully explained. “You did what you always do – run with your first impulse and make it up as you go.”

“If you thought it was a bad idea, why didn't you stop me?” Daring asked as her panic started to get to the better of her.

“Because I did think this through.” Zapapple replied. “And I think this is going to be great – an expedition of our own? Where we get to call the shots? Sign me up. Don't tell me you're getting cold hooves?”

“No!” Daring replied quickly. “Maybe....” She added more hesitantly. “...okay, maybe a little.”

“Deep breathes, Daring.” Zapapple said as she wrapped a foreleg around her friend's shoulders reassuringly. “Deep breathes. If anypony can convince this mare to fund this, its you.”

Daring glanced up from her hooves at her friend as her ears perked up a little. “Really?”

Zapapple nodded. “Really. I mean, come on – you convinced me to head into the basement after I had come up with a plan, and you managed that without any preparation. After a full night of research? You'll have her lending you half the department to go with us!”

“I don't need half the department, Zap.” Daring replied. “This is just supposed to be a scouting expedition!”

“Exactly.” Zapapple replied. “You'll get us what we need, Daring.”

Before Daring could say anything else, the door to the office swung open and a familiar looking avian head poked out. “Alright, you two. Get your behinds in here.”

“Professor Storm Talon?” Daring said as she got to her hooves. “What are you doing here?”

“The president decided that it would be helpful to have me around during your presentation.” Storm Talon said with a huff. “What I get for sticking my neck out for you two.”

“Much obliged, professor.” Zapapple said with a small smile as she helped Daring with her overstuffed bags.

“Yeah, yeah.” Storm Talon muttered as he held the door open for the two. “Just get in here so I get this over with. I've got other places to be.”
The pair shuffled into the office. Daring had been in there a couple of times before when it was still the last president's office. He had been big fan of old art and stuff and his office had been stuffed to the gills with it – paintings, sculptures, and tables covered in smaller pieces he had collected.

All of that was gone now. What had replaced it was an impressively large amount of book cases and filing cabinets. The room was still getting organized, but a pattern was already starting to show – on one side, books and on the other files. Simple, but effective. The only piece she did recognize from the last administration was the large, ornate wooden desk that the president was sitting behind. There were a few pictures hanging on the wall behind her, and they all looked like pictures of royal guards or that sort of thing.

The president looked up from whatever paperwork she was looking at and gave Daring a small smile. “Ah, Miss Do.” The president rose from behind her desk and started around it toward them. She was an earth pony, steel gray with a dark purple mane. Daring tried not to gulp to loudly as she noticed the presidents cutie mark – a dagger wrapped in some sort of wispy scarf. “A pleasure to finally meet you. I am president Masra. You may refer to me as 'president' or 'ma'am', understood?”

Daring managed a little nod. “Yes ma'am.”

Her smile widened a little as she turned to Zapapple. “Miss Tock? Any confusion on this matter?”

“No ma'am.” Zapapple replied quickly. Behind them, Storm Talon gave a little snort.

“Excellent!” Masra replied cheerily as she walked back round her desk and retook her seat. “Please, sit down. Professor Storm Talon says you have a proposal for an expedition?”

Daring took a deep breath before she started. “The other day Zapapple Tock and I found a map inside the Book of Days we recovered from the University's forgotten archives...”

“The Book of Days?” Masra arced an eyebrow. “That is the journal of Clover the Clever, correct?”

“Yes Ma'am.” Daring replied. “The map we found inside was newer then the journal, and the writing on it matches notes that were scrawled in the margins of the journal – which leads us to conclude that the map was placed their by somepony in order to make sure that it wasn't lost.”
“Which makes a fair bit of sense if the journal was already considered important.” Zapapple added. “They could be fairly sure their hiding spot wasn't going to be tossed out on them.”

“Exactly.” Daring said before she continued. “Now both the map and the notes in the journal mention some sort of castle.” Daring reached into her bag before dropping a large roll onto the president's table and unrolling it. The poster-sized piece was a enlarged version of the map. “Some of the text along the bottom tear seems to line up with the text from the journal concerning what is in the castle.”

Marsa studied the poster before her. “And what, exactly, would that be Miss Do?”

Daring shrugged. “It doesn't say. Whatever it is, the pony writing this was terrified of it or what it stood for. But that isn't the most interesting part.”
“And what is the most interesting part then?” Storm Talon asked, his usually foul temper briefly supplanted by genuine curiosity.

Daring replied by pulling out another item from her bags – this time a massive ream of paper. “I've poured over the records for every expedition the University has ever sent to the region, and then I cross-referenced their travels to the most probable location of this castle. None of our expeditions in the last thirty years have passed anywhere near the site – I don't think they ever would have even gotten a look at the valley.”

“You have four expeditions here.” Marsa pointed out as she flipped through the papers Daring had presented. “I distinctly remember that there was a fifth expedition into the Unicorn Range.”

“That was more then thirty years ago, Ma'am.” Zapapple pointed out.

“As I am well aware.” Masra replied before turning back to Daring. “I am also aware of that expeditions official status. Are you?”

“They went into the mountains and were never heard from again.” Daring replied. “Ours isn't the only one. Seven expeditions in the last fifty years traveled through the area and simply vanished.”

“Impossible.” Storm Talon waved a clawed hand dismissively. “Someone would have noticed.”

“Every expedition entered the range from a different direction.” Zapapple pointed out. “And all of them were heading to different locations – One wasn't even interested in the range and was just passing through. The only connection is that, if you look at the maps for the range, the most likely route sends them all through the same mostly unmapped section of the range.”

“And you wish to take an expedition into this area?” Masra replied. “Knowing that it is most likely deadly?”

“The other expeditions didn't know what they were walking into!” Daring replied. “We would know better. A small expedition would be able to confirm the site location and make initial surveys of the region – we could will in some big blanks on the map at the same time.”

“Quite an efficient expenditure of resources, as you present it.” Masra said with a grin. “But I remain uneasy. You wish me to send a large contingent of my own ponies into a complete unknown.”

“But we know-” Daring started, but was quickly cut off.

“You know nothing.” Masra cut her off sharply. “You yourself have pointed out that we have no knowledge even of the terrain, let alone what hazards we might face.”

“But, ma'am” Daring started to reply. “This expedition would be a chance for-”

“For you to hunt for clues concerning the whereabouts of your father, yes?” Masra completed for her and Daring winced.

“Why does everypony know about my father?” Daring mumbled quietly, but not quietly enough since Masra quickly replied.

“You're father was – is, a well-known figure.” Masra said, her voice tinged with sympathy. “Especially around this campus. His records of travel have long sense become a matter of public record – and I make a point of knowing the history of my ponies. Many around here would love to find a lead related to his whereabouts, and nopony deserves it more then you.” Masra's expression suddenly hardened. “But that does not permit me to expend university resources on the faintest of leads.”

Daring slumped. “I...I understand.” That was it. It was over. Her first lead – her first REAL lead on her father in as long as she could remember, and just like that it was gone. But it wasn't gone – it was just out of reach. That, in a way, made it that much worse. It could have been the one – the clue that lead her back to her father – but she would never know.

Unless – if she couldn't have university backing, she would just do it herself. She would get help from Coco, or her brother – from whoever it took, whatever it took, no matter the cost.

“I know that face.” Daring looked up in surprise, brought out of her thoughts by the presidents words. She had that small smile on again. “I've seen it many a time – often in my mirror. That, Miss Do, is the look of a mare with a plan – most likely a very, very, bad plan. You are likely considering going out and hunting down this lead yourself, aren't you?”

“Ma'am,” Zapapple tried to assure the president nervously. “Daring would never...”

“If I have to.” Daring said, cutting of her friend. “I will. I don't care if I have to head up the coast in a row boat! I'll walk all the way there if I have too!”

“Daring,” Storm Talon cut in. “You have almost no experience in the field...”

“I'll learn!” Daring replied heatedly. “The one thing I won't do is sit around here when a clue about my father might be somewhere out there! I don't care what you say, Professor. I don't care what the president says. I don't care what the whole school says. I don't care what anypony says – if there is a chance I can find my father, I'm taking it.”

“Every inch the stubborn bastard that your old man was.” Storm Talon said with a huff, but his beak softly clicked all the same. “As much as I would like to find him, if only to get what he owes me, I can't help you on this Daring.”

“And as I have said,” Masra added. “The University cannot fund an expedition.” She paused for a moment. “But...”

Daring and Zapapple's ears perked up almost instantly. “But...?”

The president spread her hooves and gave a simple shrug. “It would not be remiss for the University to fund a small scouting party to determine if the area is of interest.” She grinned at Daring. “Say, two ponies?”

Zapapple had to physically restrain Daring from tackling the president in a hug.

Chapter 4

“Daring, stop that.” Zapapple said with a sigh.

“Can't!” Daring managed through her ear-to-ear grin as she literally hopped down the university hallway. “Too excited!”

Zapapple let out another sigh. “We don't even have a plan, Daring. And it's not like they're giving us supplies. Heck, they aren't even giving us many bits.”

“We can find a plan later!” Daring replied. “Stop being a spoil-sport. This is awesome – we get to plan our own expedition and everything.”

“Do you even know where we can buy some gear?” Zapapple asked.

Daring nodded emphatically. “I know the perfect mare to help us out! She's always got all sorts of great stuff and she does this sort of thing all the time. It'll be great.”

“One slight problem, Daring.” Zapapple replied before pointing out a nearby window, beyond which the sun was on its way below the horizon.

“We just killed the entire day in the president's office. Toy shopping will have to wait until tomorrow.”

Daring stopped her hopping and transitioned straight into pouting. “aaawww...”

“Lets just get back to the dormitory, alight?” Zapapple replied as she led them down the hall.

The next morning saw the two heading there way into the markets of Canterlot. Around them a dozen storefronts and countless more little stalls that cluttered the wide road between them. “So,” Zapapple said as they passed a cart that was selling a variety of apple pastries. “You're friends got a stall in here?”

“Yup!” Daring replied as she hopped into the sky, hovering a foot above the heads of most of the crowd. “Just...gimme a minute to remember where it is.”

“Wait.” Zapapple replied as she arched an eyebrow. “You don't remember where your own friends stall is?”

“Well,” Daring said nervously. “She sort of moves it around a lot.” She looked around for a moment as she tried to get her bearings. “She always sets up shop near the art dealers though – guess thats because thats the closest to what she sells.” Daring shrugged mid-air before pointing a hoof toward one side of the market. “Look like the art dealers are over there. Mind if I go take a look around?”

Zapapple waved her ahead. “Go – hopefully you'll find her before I get over there.” Daring gave her a quick salute before zipping off. Zapapple sighed as she started worming her way through the crowd. The market was bustling with the morning crowd, though she soon found herself drifting away from the food and common wares dealers as they were replaced by what many would describe as higher class affairs.
The boisterous sounds of hawking and haggling had vanished, and instead the low whispers of private dealings filled the air as she passed down the narrow but sparsely populated row of dealers. Each of the stalls was loaded with a small but meticulously laid-out collection of items. Some were laden with pieces of pottery, others with a variety of painted canvas's in hoof-carved frames. A griffon stood behind one stall that was laden with every sort of bladed weapon that Zapapple could think of, and a few that she couldn't. griffon weapon smiths were unsettlingly creative like that – came with being a carnivore she guessed. The one thing she couldn't see, she realized after a moment, was Daring.

Zapapple sighed. “Darn it, Daring.” The only problem with being Daring's friend was that, on occasion, she forgot that not everypony could fly. So she was left to wander around the artifact market in the vain hope that she would get lucky and spot Daring – since she had no clue what Daring's friend looked like.

She was fifteen minutes into her search and heavily considering just shouting around until Daring showed up when she suddenly felt a weight on her hindquarters.

Zapapple slowly turned until she could see behind her. Standing there, staring very very intently at Zapapples cutie mark, was a mint green earth pony. Zap couldn't make out her cutie mark from this angle, given the mare – for it was most certainly a mare – had her hindquarters uncomfortably close to Zapapple's face, her milk chocolate tail flicking across Zapapple's face every so often.

This arrangement was possible because the mint mare was actually standing on Zapapple's back as she studied the golden sextant on
Zapapple's flank. “Can I, uh, help you?” Zapapple asked, very very confused.

“Don't know yet.” the strange mare replied quickly. “you know you have a really rare cutie mark? I've never seen a sextant before! I saw a telescope once, but that guy was a big meanie and Chocolat had to take care of him. You're also blue!”

“Uh...” Zapapple stared at the mare for a moment while she tried to figure out how she had managed to say all of that without seemingly breathing. “yes?”

“I'm looking for a blue pony!” The mare turned to look straight at Zapapple, her bouncing curly brown mane bobbing about as her head spun around so fast that just watching it hurt Zapapple's neck. “And you have the right mane too!”

“I...uh...what?” Was all Zapapple could manage.

Luckily, that was the point where Daring decided to finally show up. “Coco, you can't just run off into-” she paused as she turned the corner to see the strange scene Zapapple was in the middle of. “Oh, hey Zap. You've met Coco?”

“Wait, this is your friend?” Zapapple asked as she pointed at the mare that finally hopped of her back. “You're artifact dealer friend?”

The mare did a little spin before dipping into a dramatic bow. “Coco Pie, at your service madam! I deal in information, quirky knick-knacks and sometimes rides!” She hopped back up to all four hooves as shot Zapapple a big smile. “So, what do ya need?”

“We've got an expedition to put together, Coco.” Daring explained while Zapapple just gaped for a moment. “We're gonna need to know anything you can tell us about the Northern Unicorn range.”

“Oooh!” Coco spun around to Daring and seemed to grow, if it was even possible, more exicited. “That area is fun! Lots of ponies tend to go missing around there. Me? I'd rather go missing somewhere warm – maybe a nice desert island. Preferably with other ponies – or a griffon. That would be fun!”

“We aren't going there to get lost, Coco.” Daring replied with a smile – it seemed that Coco's good cheer was infectious once you got past the weird. Zapapple was still processing, but she was catching up fast. “We're looking for a castle. Think you can help?”

“Well,” Coco drawled. “I don't know about a castle, but a pilot friend of mine mentioned he might have seen some sort of structure around those parts...” Coco looked around suspiciously before leaning closer to Daring. “But not here.” She stage whispered. “Let's go to the cafe.”
“You just want another chocolate pie, don't you?” Daring asked with a smirk.

“Yup!” Coco replied with absolutely no shame. “So, deal?”

“Deal.” Daring replied with a nod. Coco wasted no time after that hopping off into the crowd. Daring smiled as she waved a hoof at her friend before turning to Zapapple. “...you okay Zap?”

“...Who the hay was that Daring?” Zapapple finally managed.

“That was Coco.” Daring replied with a shrug. “Yeah – she takes some getting used to. Nopony I've met knows more about the artifact trade then she does, legal or otherwise.”

“Wait a minute...” Zapapple turned to Daring. “She's black market?”

“More like gray market.” Daring replied. “She also has a lot of contacts thanks to her dealings it seems.”

“And you've used this how so far..?” Zapapple asked.

Daring gave another shrug. “I met her looking for a piece I needed for a paper – she's always got all sorts of old books and maps for my research. She also enjoys gossiping.”

“So you just sort of...” Zapapple arched an eyebrow. “...hang out with her?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Daring replied. “Why?”

“Uh, no reason.” Zapapple replied. “So, where's this cafe?”

The cafe was a couple blocks away and a street over. It was a nice looking place, the outside patio covered in little tables packed with ponies enjoying a wide variety of pastries. A sign hanging over the front door identified it as 'Cafe Genoise'. “Looks busy.” Zapapple commented.

“Coco usually has a booth reserved or something.” Daring replied as she led Zapapple through the front door and past a line of ponies waiting to place an order at the bakery counter. “Come on.”

Sure enough, Coco was waiting for them in a corner booth in the back, hopping up and down in her seat as she waved one hoof in the air. The other was clutching the chocolate milkshake she was in the process of draining. Three already empty glasses sat next to her. “Hiya guys!” She greeted them as she finished off her fourth shake. “What took you so long?”

“Coco, it's been three and a half minute since we saw you.” Daring replied.

“I know!” Coco cheerfully replied. “I've been waiting her for sooooo long.”

Zapapple shot Daring another glance. The pegasus simply shrugged and slipped into the booth, flagging down a waiter as Zapapple took a seat as well. “So,” Daring asked as the waiter came by just long enough to drop off another milkshake for Coco and to take Daring and Zapapples orders. “What have you got for us?”

“Well~” Coco replied before pulling a map out of her mane and unrolling it on the table. “You wanted to know about anything in that uncharted part of the Unicorn range?” The pair nodded. “Well, I've got a friend who does flights over the range fairly often, and he says that there's a reason nopony flies over that part of the mountains.”

Daring rolled a hoof, motioning for Coco to continue. “Which is...?”

“The place is mega spooky!” Coco explained exuberantly. “Its always shrouded in clouds, and all the passes in or out are so high that its always snowing. The weather is super freaky so it makes it really hard to fly through there without, you know crashing.”

“And your friend flies through there why?” Zapapple asked.

“Because nopony is ever watching the pass of course!” Coco replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world – which, to her, it might have been. “He uses the route to slip around customs checks and that sort of thing when he smuggling goodies.

“What sort of-” Zapapple started to ask, but was stopped by one of Daring's hooves.

“Don't ask.” Daring told her. “Trust me – at the very least, it means you don't have to lie if anypony asks questions.”

Zapapple shrugged as Daring lowered her hoof. “Way I see it, just knowin' she's involved in that sort of thing kinda ruins that particular idea, but okay.”

Daring turned back to Coco. “So – what did this friend of yours manage to see?”

“Not much.” Coco replied as the waiter stopped by again just long enough to deliver Daring and Zapapple's drinks. “He did tell me about a pass and what he thought was a lot of ruins. I could ask him for a map if you want.”

“Please.” Daring replied. “How much is this costing us?”

“For you?” Coco tapped on her chin for a moment. “I think I can cut you a deal – I'll give you the bill once I get the map. Give me a day and I should have it for ya!”

“Thanks Coco.” Daring replied as she took a sip of her coffee. “Now, lets talk supplies...”

The rest of the meeting was spent talking about where and what they might need for a trip, and it was a conversation that Zapapple ended up taking the lead on. Even with the benefit of being used to dealing with Coco, Daring couldn't compete with the fact that Zapapple had actually been on these sorts of trips a lot more then she had. Which was fine, Daring thought – she could figure out where they were going, and Zapapple made sure they got there and back in one piece. “Getting all this together isn't going to be easy.” Zapapple lamented as she tucked their newly acquired supply list into one of her bags. “Still, your friend gave us a good start.”

“But its just a start.” Daring replied as they continued down the street, a few ponies running past them. “Now we need to...what is that?”

Zapapple looked down the street at what Daring was pointing at as the two stopped dead. Down one of the streets was a sizable crowd, gathered around a very large wheeled contraption that vaguely looked like a carriage. In front of it, a pair of mares, mirror images of each other and resplendent in their striped blue and white vests and bow ties, stood as they talked to the crowd.

“Fillies and gentlecolts!” announced one. “My sister Swinn and I have criss-crossed the continent in order to bring to you the most fantastic and rare of items! We bring you griffon amulets, Zebra masks, and treasures from ancient lands.” She turned to the other mare, their pale yellow coats identical as were their red manes, complete with matching streak of white. The Only difference was that the second mare looked slightly more annoyed. “Sis, grab something to show the audience.”

“Sure thing, Dell.” Swinn replied as she gave the wagon a swift kick and as if on cue a small jeweled box fell into her waiting hoof as she smirked. “Think this should do it?”

Dell's smile widened. “That will do wonderfully, sis.” Dell extended her hoof as her sister tossed her the box. She caught it with a flourish, levitating it before the crowd tantalizingly. “My dear ponies, what I show you now is among the rarest or rarities. The griffon kingdom's would have my head as well as my sisters if they knew we had this, but we think this is a risk that is well worth the price. Behold!”

There was a collective 'oooh' from the crowd as the box opened. Inside, surrounded by soft red velvet, was an ornate dagger. Its black blade gleamed in the light like glass and was curved into a sinister looking points while the handle was covered in ornate silver-work, all curving lines and strange glyphs. “What you see before you is a dagger from the griffon Kingdoms, a memoir of their darker past – when they would ritually sacrifice their captured foes to their gods.”

The grandiose artifact dealer continued on with her explanation – a detailed yarn about just how the dagger had been smuggled out of Sieyrie Lione and included not only the authorities but no less then three criminal enterprises seeking the blade – while Daring pushed her way through the enraptured crowd, nopony giving her any mind as she made her way to the front row and finally got a close look at the dagger. “Hey, Zapapple, take a look at this.” Daring gestured at the dagger even as the showmare continued her story. “Does something seem off about it?”

“Hrm...” Zapapple studied it for a moment before giving a small nod. “Yeah, I think it does.”

“It's really good work though...” Daring added as she leaned further forward, craning her neck out as dagger was moved out of sight.
“You seem mighty interested!” Daring nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden voice from her right. She spun back around and found herself face to face with the other showmare, who was at the moment grinning at her. “So, wanna make an offer? We can't hang around for long so if you want it talk fast.”

“Oh, no.” Daring shook her head quickly. “Its just that, its not real is it?”

The story that had been going in the background suddenly tapered off as both mares turned to stare at Daring. The one closest to Daring – the one not carrying the dagger – was struggling to keep her composure, her grin twitching slightly. “W-What are you talking about?”

“Well, the metalwork doesn't look old enough.” Daring replied. “It really really good – some of the replicas in the museum aren't that good – but its the wrong style for the time period.”

“Your blade is also a little off.” Zapapple added with a small shrug. “Its the right style, but the wrong color. Also, not enough pitting for the supposed age.”

Swinn – the twin not holding the dagger – sputtered for a moment before managing a retort. “And just what makes you think you're qualified to make such judgments on an esteemed item such as this?”

“Well,” Daring replied. “I'm Daring Do,” She gestured a hoof at Zapapple. “And this is Zapapple Tock, both of the Royal Canterlot University Department of Equinelogy, so this is sort of our job.”

The entire crowd stared at Daring and Zapapple for a moment before turning to the twins and then, finally, looking at each other. Then, with a collective shrug, they turned and began to disperse. “Wait!” Dell shouted. “We have other items! This next piece will...” She wilted slightly as the crowd continued to walk away. “...oh, forget it.”

“Nice work.” Swinn said dourly as she walked up next to her sister. “I don't know about you, but I actually enjoy having bits.”

Dell turned to shoot her sister a sharp glare. “Me? You're the one that decided to open with this piece.”

“You could have asked for another piece you know.” Swinn replied defensively.

Dell turned to face her sister head on, and the two ponies from the University were promptly forgotten. “That would have sent the crowds running even sooner – because hiding wares from the marks always looks good, doesn't it Swinn?”

“It was still your metalwork that blew it.” Swinn replied with a huff.

“And your glasswork!” Dell countered. “What were you thinking!? Did you even...”

Daring missed the rest of the argument as Zapapple tapped her on the shoulder, pointing back down the street and away from the bickering twins. Daring shot the pair one last look before following after Zapapple with a shrug.

An interesting diversion, but a couple of con mares weren't going to get them the supplies they needed.

The rest of the afternoon was spent hunting down the supplies they would need for their trip – cold-weather gear, food, climbing equipment and a dozen other things. It was only when they had finally dropped into a pair of seats outside a small cafe that Daring realized something. “I know we're going to the Unicorn Range, but how do we get to where we start?”

Zapapple looked up from her double-checking of some of their bags. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Daring replied. “You can't be thinking of walking all the way there, can you?”

“Good point.” Zapapple replied. “The last expedition I was on, we had wagons. We also had a lot more stuff. Hold on...” Zapapple dug through one of the bags before pulling out one of several maps and splaying it across the table. “Lets see...ah – We can take the train north until we reach the range – then we can charter a boat upriver, probably from Yanhoover.”

“Sounds expensive.” Daring replied. “Is that really within our budget?”

Zapapple shrugged. “We should be able to hitch a ride on one of the boats usually running the route – supplying the mining and lumber business up there.”

“Make's sense. So...” Daring looked at the bags around them. “...where are we going to keep all of this stuff until then?”

“I thought we were keeping it in the department offices?” Zapapple replied.

Daring shook her head. “They don't even like it when I leave my saddlebags laying around in there.”

“What about an empty lab?” Zapapple suggested.

“They won't be empty tomorrow morning.” Daring replied.

“hmmm....” Zapapple thought it over for a minute. “Your office?”

“I don't have an office.” Daring replied. “I have a space in the department offices. See point one.”

“Darn.” Zapapple slumped over on the table. “We could keep them in our place I guess.”

“We barely have enough room for us in there Zap.” Daring replied.

“I know!” Zapapple replied. “Do you have a better idea?”

“...the basement?” Daring suggested sheepishly.

“The basement we got in trouble for running around in?” Zapapple replied flatly. “After we had nearly gotten killed by it?”

“Not that part!” Daring replied quickly. “Just, you know, the entrance part of it.”

“The part with the creepy furnace?” Zapapple asked.

“Well, at least it won't eat us.” Daring paused. “Well, probably. Nopony ever goes down there anyway, so it should be fine.”

Zapapple finally just sighed and got back onto her hooves. “Well, I don't have a better idea as you so helpfully pointed out, so sure why not.” She tossed a couple of bags onto her back. “We should get goin' if we want to get back before it gets dark.”

The trek back to the school seemed a lot longer then it had been in the other direction, most assuredly due to the collection of equipment they had just purchased on the school's bit. Much like the might before, the school was empty at such a later hour when they finally got back, which meant there was nopony around to ask them where they were going with several hundred bits in outdoors and survival gear. Which was good, since Daring doubted anypony would like 'hiding it' as an answer.

The basement was likewise empty, and Daring and Zapapple wasted no time in stashing their goods in the dimly lit space. Zapapple just dumped her bags at the bottom of the stairs as soon as she reached the bottom, but Daring was quick to point out she should move them. “Why?” Zapapple asked even as she hoofed one of the bags toward a corner.

“Well, I found this place.” Daring replied as she dropped her own bags behind a tangle of pipes once she was sure the spot was safe – no point in hiding the stuff only to have a pressure valve flash-steam the lot of it. “So, somepony else might find it to.”

“Good point.” Zapapple replied, tucking her bags a little further into the dark little corner she had chosen. “Think Professor Storm Talon might look around down here?”

“I don't see why he would.” Daring replied as she stowed the last of her bags. “He doesn't really have a reason to come down here unless he's following us so-”

Daring stopped mid sentence as her and Zapapple just stared at each other for a moment before turning and looking up the stairs in unison. Both let out a sigh as there was no sign of the griffon professor. “Whew.” Zapapple said before shooting a glance at Daring. “You trying to give me a heart attack or somethin'?”

“Sorry Zap.” Daring shrugged as she smiled sheepishly. “I don't know what came over me.”

“Yeah, well.” Zapapple started up the stairs. “Lets get out of here before he does show up. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted.”

The pair turned in for the night, collapsing into their beds as soon as they reached their quarters. The net morning they made their way back to the cafe, where once again Coco was waiting for them. “Hiya guys!”

“Morning, Coco.” Daring greeted her as her and Zapapple slipped into their seats. “So, any luck with that map?”

“Yep!” Coco replied cheerfully, pulling a scroll out of her mane of all places and rolling it out on the table. “My friend was nice enough to draw this up for me. Any ideas how you're going to get there?”

“Train to Vanhoover.” Daring replied. “Then we should be able to grab one of the boats heading up river.”

Coco nodded with a 'hmm'. “Sounds like a plan. I' just borrow a plane, or a griffon, but thats not for everypony.”

“right...” Zapapple replied. “You got anything else for us?”

“Well, he did say that there had been some funny rumors going around.” Coco replied. “Strange figures about, that sort of thing.”

“Well, that can't be that strange.” Daring replied. “All sorts pass through that area all the time, if only due to the lumber work in the area.”

“She's got a point.” Zapapple added with a shrug. “Maybe they were just there for business?”

Coco shook her head. “Nah. Another dealer I know said they'd come to talk to her about the mountains.” Coco frowned. “And they didn't even buy anything from her either, the big meanies.”

“Did she get a look at them?” Daring asked, deciding not to comment on that last bit.

“Nope.” Coco replied. “They were all wearing big creepy cloaks with super spooky hoods. They did talk funny though.”

“Well, thanks for the heads up.” Daring said as she scooped up the map. “And thanks for the map. We'll keep our eyes out, but we'll probably never see them.”

“Right.” Zapapple nodded. “I mean, what are the odds?”

“Well,” Coco said as she slurped down the rest of a milkshake before hopping onto her hooves with a bounce. “Just try to be careful, kay! See ya latter girls!”

“Well,” Daring quipped. “That went faster then I expected. What do we do now?”

“Guess we can start by working out our route.” Zapapple suggested. Once back at the University, they hunted down an empty classroom before unfurling the map out on the table, laying the map from the journal out next to it. “So,” Zapapple asked as she turned to Daring. “Now we've got two maps – and one of them ain't exactly to scale.”

“The locations on it in relation to each other by the way should be accurate though.” Daring replied. “See? These rock formations match. That lets us get the map oriented – So now we know that this pass on the journal map matches this one on Coco's map.” Daring grabbed a ruler from nearby and started working out angles. “So, from there, we can start working out the rough location of the ruins we're after on the more accurate map.” Daring went back and forth between the two maps with the ruler for a moment before grabbing a small Celestia sculpture from one corner of the table and plopping it down part way down the mountain pass, slightly up one side. “Our ruins should be somewhere around there.” Daring said confidently before adding. “well, probably. Definitely in that general area though!”

“How utterly brilliant, Daring.” Zapapple deadpanned. “That only leaves half the valley to search.”

“Hey!” Daring shot back. “Its not like you could do any better! Like you said, the journal's map doesn't have a scale – the only thing we can be sure is even remotely accurate is relative position.”

“Okay, okay.” Zapapple waved a hoof in assent. “So, did the map show anything around there?”

Daring turned back to the map for a moment. “Uh, doesn't look like it...wait.” Daring leaned closer to the map. “There's a landmark feature here.” Daring pointed a hoof at the small black square that had been sitting just under her Celestia statue.

“What sort of feature?” Zapapple asked.

Daring squinted at the small hoof writing. Whoever Coco's friends was, his penmanship was awful. “I think it says...temple.”

“A temple?” Zapapple leaned over to look at the marking, but unlike Daring she had no talent for reading that sort of chicken scratch. “You think that's what we might be looking for?”

“Possibly...I think there's more here.” Daring said as she continued to study the small section of the map. “They look like...dates.”

“Dates for what?” Zapapple replied as she finally gave in and nudged Daring to the left as she starting pouring over the map herself. “Wait, theres more chicken scratch in the corner here – think you can read this too?”

Daring craned over and studied the notes for a minute before nodding. “Looks like weather observations....hrm. Some of these dates match up with the dates for the temple.” Daring read one of them aloud. “clear, Tailwind...” she squinted. “Okay, I can't make that out. Some sort of notation system. But it looks like the wind was always coming from the same direction on the dates under the Temple marking.”

“So, observation dates then.” Zapapple replied. “When the winds are right, he could actually see the temple.”

“Which means the weather is going to be an even bigger problem then we thought.” Daring replied. “No point in hiking out to this place if we'll never be able to see what we're looking for.” Daring pulled out a small book from her saddlebag. “Good thing I brought an almanac.”

Zapapple rolled her eyes. “Only you, Daring, would be walking around with an almanac for the middle of nowhere.”

Daring looked up at her friend, confusion evident on her face. “But we're going here. Why wouldn't I have an almanac?”

Zapapple sighed. “Doesn't mean you need to carry it around, you know.”

“But its a good thing I did!” Daring replied as she flipped it open and started scanning through the pages.

Next to her, Zapapple simply let a small sigh before turning and walking back over to her chair before pulling out another map – this one covering the better known stretched of the Unicorn Range near Vanhoover – and started working out if there were any logging trails that could take advantage of. Getting across Equestria was going to be a chore, she had no doubt. After that though, the real adventure would begin.

Chapter 5

“Daring, get out of there.”

“No.”

Zapapple sighed as the little steamer boat continued up the river. The trip to Vanhoover had been uneventful, save for a small spat with a pushy griffon in a dining car. Now that they were on their way into the wilds, Daring had announced that, if they were going to start adventuring she 'needed to dress the part.' With that, she had gone into the ship. But after a twenty minutes and some indeterminate muttering from inside, Daring had yet to emerge. “Come on, Daring.” Zapapple said through the door. “How bad can it be?”

“I look ridiculous.” Daring replied through the door.

“But you chose it out.” Zapapple replied.

The door opened in front of Zapapple and Daring stepped out. She was now wearing a dark olive shirt, its front festooned with a pair of pockets, though she was more occupied with trying to get her wings through the holes on the back while not tripping over the front sleeves. “I can't making this darn thing fit right.”

Zapapple tilted her head as she studied the outfit for a moment. “It looks adjustable.”

“It's also water and stain resistant.” Daring replied as she kept fighting with the back. “But its too adjustable! I can't get it to fit right.” She finally gave up and just plopped down onto her rump. “This is impossible.”

Oh, stop your whinin' and get over here.” Zapapple replied as she started helping her friend out. “You do realize you're supposed to adjust this before you put it on, right?”

Daring let out a small sigh as her wings were finally released from there cloth prison and finally unfurled. “Thank you. Anyway, I thought it would be easier to get it right if I was wearing it while I did it.” With her wings sorted out, she finally turned her attention to the sleeves, rolling them up to jut above her knee before snapping then into place.

Finally sorted out, Daring smoothed out her new outfit before turning to her friend. “So, how do I look?”

Zapapple studied her for a minute. “Something's missing...” She tapped her her chin until lighting up as an idea struck her. “I got it!” With that, she trotted past Daring and into the boat, stepping back out into the deck after a minute with a box, roughly larger then her head and wrapped in brown paper and parcel string. “Alright – Daring, close your eyes.”

“Why?” Daring asked, a look of confusion on her face.

Zapapple rolled her eyes. “Just close 'em.”

Daring grumbled but complied. All she heard was the rustle of paper being torn and a box being unpacked before, after a brief silence, she felt something settle onto her head. “Alright, now – no, wait.” Zapaaple's voice came from right in front of her. “gimme a minute.” Rapid hoof-falls faded away before after a minute returning. “Okay, now you can open your eyes.

Daring opened her eyes and found herself looking at her own image. The olive vest looked good against her tan coat, and gave the pegasus in the mirror an air of preparedness. She looked like somepony you wanted on your expedition, not a new hire to a University Equinelogy department on her first real outing.

But what really sold it was the hat.

The tan pith helmet sat at an angle on her head, tilted back and out of her field of view, leaving her mane pouring out from under the front rim. Her usual messy mane do simply made her look, to quote her department head, 'unkempt' most of the time. Now though, it worked perfectly. “I dare say that you were made for that hat, Daring.” Zapapple quipped, apparently agreeing with Daring's own line of thought.

“Isn't this sort of thing usually for the jungle?” Daring asked, running one hoof around the olive band that wrapped around the helmet. “And why doesn't it have ear holes?”

“Your ears stay inside, Daring.” Zapapple replied.

Daring adjusted the helmet a little. “I feels...funny.”

Zapapple rolled her eyes. “Come on, Daring – it looks good on you!”

“This is an expedition, Zap.” Daring replied as she pulled of the hat with one hoof. “Not a fashion show. We need to be practical.”

“It is practical.” Zapapple replied. “Where we're goin' is pretty cold. I'm an earth pony so it won't bother me too much, but a light ol' pegasus like you is going to freeze your ears off, fancy flight magic or not.” She shrugged. “Besides, if your ears are inside the helmet, they'll stay safe won't they?”

Daring gave Zapapple a flat stare. “You just want me to wear the hat, don't you?”

Zapapple grinned. “Yup.”

Daring sighed and put the hat back on. “Fine – but only because it's practical.” Outfitting complete, Daring turned to look around at their surrounds. “So, how far are we from landfall?”

“Reckon another half hour or so.” Zapapple replied. “I was talkin' to the captain while you were changin'. Say's there was another group up this way not to long ago.”

“Let me guess,” Daring replied. “Our mysterious cloaked friends?”

“Got it in one.” Zapapple replied. “He said they were travelin' pretty light, but from the way they talked it sounded like there might have been others ahead of them.”

“Well, they still aren't our problem.” Daring replied as she stepped over to the railing. They had long since left the expansive forests behind, and now they were surrounded by the steep rock faces left behind by the river when it cut its way through the mountains. Fog and mist rolled around the ridges up above, curling around what few tree's had manged to grow into the cracks far overhead. “If they're after the same thing as us, we'll just have to get to it first.”

“Well, its just two of us.” Zapapple pointed out. “Versus what sounds like a whole lot of these other guys. And, nice outfit or not, this is till your first rodeo.”

“Well, that just means we're more mobile!” Daring replied defensively. “If we're small and they're large, then that just means we're fast and they're slow.”

“Quoting that eastern philosophy stuff again?” Zapapple replied. “Still, guess you have a point this time...”

“Hey!” Daring shot back. “I had a point last time too!”

“Some line about chariot fighting has nothing to do with taking a math final, Daring.” Zapapple replied flatly.

“It...sort of does...” Daring replied weakly. “...okay, so it mostly doesn't. But it totally works here!”

“Agreed.” Zapapple replied as their boat cleared the river gorge and entered into a steep valley. Most of the passes this far north were dusted with a fine layer of snow, but the surrounding rock left this place largely untouched. The boat shuttered as it began to slow as it banked to the left, coming to a lurching stop next to the gravelly beach before lowering its gangway. “Well, looks like we're here.”

“Last stop, ladies!” A shout came from the wheel house above them from the captain. “I gotta load of logs to retrieve!”

“Well, thanks for the ride then.” Zapapple grumbled as she started down to the beach before leaning closer to Daring. “I swear to Celestia, half of what we paid him was a bribe.”

“Pretty sure that's just normal price gouging.” Daring replied, carrying the few things that the earth pony hadn't opted to carry. Both mares were laden down with heavy hiking packs, but Zapapple's seemed positively massive. The burden however, didn't seem to slow her down any had she said as much when Daring asked.

“So,” Zapapple asked as they watched their boat steam off. “How long until he comes back?”

“A week.” Daring replied as she pulled out the map. “That should give us plenty of time to survey the ruins and get back here. We've got fifteen hundred meters to climb and way more then that to transverse – lets get going.”

The only way out of the gorge they had landed in, other then the river, was a narrow crack barely wide enough for one pony. Pushing her way through the tight space, Daring wished that she wasn't with the over-sized bag that was keeping her grounded for the time being. She had least could look forward to being able to fly around the ruins once they made camp.

Daring breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped out of the crevice and into a scene from the front of a Hearths Warming Eve card. Tree's stretched out for as far as the eye could see, thinning out only as the ground curved upwards into mountains in the distance, the white-tinged browns and green's of evergreens fading away into the pure white of snow caps and cold gray of raw stone.

A gentle breeze whistled softly as it snaked its way among the treetops, sending a sprinkling of snow to the ground to trace its path as it went. The snowfall on the ground was untouched, not even any animal tracks to blemish its appearance. Zapapple let out a whistle as she stepped out from behind Daring. “Well, ain't that a pretty picture.”

“Sure is.” Daring agreed as she tentatively tested the ground in front of here. Her leg vanished halfway up to her knee. She stumbled backwards as she recoiled from the cold. “Pretty and really freakin' cold.”

“Baby.” Zapapple replied with a smirk as she trotted past her friend and waded into the snow. “It's just snow.”

“Oh, laugh it up Zap.” Daring replied as she followed after her friend. “But do you have any idea where you are going?”

Zapapple nearly replied before pausing with a frown. “yeah..no.”

Daring trudged through the snow past her, sporting a smirk of her own this time. “Didn't think so. The route to the valley is pretty clear, so we should make good time.”

“Makes you wonder why the place isn't mapped out if its that easy to find.” Zapapple replied as they pressed through the snow-filled forest. The forest around them remained eerily quiet as they past, none of the usual sounds of life carrying along with the gentle sound of the wind. Even given how subdued things could be in such, there should have been signs of life. “Might have something to do with how downright creepy this place is.”

“Maybe they're all hibernating?” Daring suggested, but it sounded like she was trying to convince herself more then Zapapple. “Or maybe we scared them off with all of our noise?”

“Still,” Zapapple replied. “I'd expect to hear something other then the wind...”

As if in response, something in the far distance chose that moment to let out a long, piercing howl. It was a high-pitched sound, nearly a whistle, that seemed to blend into the wind as it went on, echoing from what seemed like every direction. It was a sound that sent a shiver down Daring and Zapapple's spines, ears pinned back as their eyes scanned the skies above in a vain attempt to figure out where it had come from.

“Okay.” Zapapple said shakily after the howl had tapered off and finally faded away. “I take it back – I'm fine with just the wind.”

“W-what was that?” Daring asked with a gulp. “Timberwolves?”

“Didn't think they got this far north.” Zapapple replied. “And that sounded nothing like 'em.”

“Diamond Dogs maybe?” Daring suggested. “Maybe the one's in the cloaks were...”

“Once again,” Zapapple replied. “wrong sound. To be frank...”

“Don't say it...” Daring groaned.

“...I don't know what that was.” Zapapple finished.

Daring dropped onto her stomach and into the snow, throwing her forehooves over her face. “You said it. Why did you have to say it? Now this is gonna turn into one of my father's old stories except we aren't him and we're going to get eaten and...”

“It was probably just the wind, Daring.” Zapapple replied, but she sounded about as confident as a candle in a twister. “...probably.”

“You don't believe that, do you?” Daring replied as the two stared at each other.

“Not at all.” Zapapple answered flatly. “How far until we get somewhere that isn't completely wide open?”
Daring fumbled with the map for a moment. “uh...maybe half a kilometer? This forest is a lot denser then I was expecting.”

“Then lets get moving.” Zapapple said as she started forward through the snow again, picking up the pace in the face of possible mystery monster presence. Daring deferred to her friend, who had far more field experience, and quickly followed behind her.

“Well, at least we know why its so quite.” Daring quipped as she found herself glancing around. “Right?”

“Not helping Daring.” Zapapple replied without taking her eyes off of what was ahead of her. “Just make sure we're goin' the right direction.”
A slight shift the their right and about forty minutes of wading through snow and the pair finally reached the far side of the forest and found themselves face-to-face with a stony hill slope. “Interesting.” Daring said, leaning over to examine one of the nearby stones as she flipped it over with a hoof. “It looks like a scree.”

“A what?” Zapapple asked.

“Basically a pile of rocks.” Daring replied. “Specifically a pile of rocks formed when the rock face collapsed.” Daring looked up from her geological sample, scanning the cliff face above them before pointing to one side. “See, it's mantled over there – perfect way to get over.”

“Is this, uh, stable, Daring?” Zapapple asked as she nudged one of the nearby rocks.

“Sure.” Daring nodded as she starting picking her way up the rocks. “Most of these boulders are probably larger then we are and they've all settled by now. It'll be fine.”

After a moment of hesitation Zapapple followed after her friend, and soon found herself cursing as she tried to follow Daring's path up.

“Would you slow down already?” She finally shouted after nearly falling on her rump for the third time.

Daring, a fair distance ahead, paused as she looked back at her friend. “Whats the problem?”

“The problem,” Zapapple replied as she carefully took her next step. “Is that not all of us have that pegasus agility to keep us from fallin' over.”
Daring chuckled sheepishly. “Sorry – got carried away. My bad.” Daring gave Zapapple a minute to catch up, taking the chance to examine more of the rocks as the earth pony mare picked her way over the stones. “Think we could find some fossils in these?”

“Depends,” Zapapple managed, giving her friend a low-level glare. The hill wasn't too steep, but those rocks weren't nearly as stable as Daring made them. The pegasus had made the climb look annoyingly easy. Daring wasn't even winded. “Do you want to carry them all the way up this mountain and then all the way back after a week?”

Daring glanced up the hill before glancing back at the rock she had been studying and kicking it away with a sigh. “Not really. So, you ready to go?”

“Sure am.” Zapapple said with a nod. “How much further do we have anyway?”

“After this ridge?” Daring replied. “Not far. Its almost entirely downhill from there.”

“Good.” Zapapple said as she adjusted her pack. “I'm getting tired of these rocks.”

They covered the rest of the way to the top in short order, and took a moment to take in the landscape before them. A long valley stretched out before them, the snow-dusted trees coating the bottom spreading out along the valley floor before vanishing around a curve. “I should have brought a camera.” Daring said in awe.

“We'll be back.” Zapapple replied as she started down the slope. “Take a picture then. Which way are we goin'?”

“That curve in the valley.” Daring replied as she followed her friend. “That should put us right at the entrance to the valley we want.”

“Any suggestions on a route that doesn't leave us out in the open again?” Zapappled asked as she scanned the terrain.

“Best bet would along the tree-line.” Daring replied, pointing with one hoof to where the forest growth petered out. “Between the occasional rockfalls and glacial actions there should be plenty of places to hide if we need to.”

“And the tree's will give us some cover.” Zapapple added as she started for the narrow band where dull green met harsh gray.

“Cover from what?” Daring asked. “I thought you said you didn't know what it was.”

“I don't.” Zapapple replied. “Right now I'm just assuming its Nightmare Moon or something.”

“Didn't Nightmare Moon nearly conquer all of Equestria?” Daring asked.

“Yup.” Zapapple replied.

“So,” Daring said as she continued her train of thought. “If it really is Nightmare Moon, aren't we kind of hosed?”

“Well, if its not her then we should be alright, right?” Zapapple said back. “Expect the worst and all of that.”

“Not sure if planning to be eaten by a evil Alicorn Moon Monster is what they meant by that.” Daring replied as the ground leveled out a little beneath them, the stone giving way to proper dirt. “Might be better to assume something more likely.”

“Sure, why not.” Zapapple said with a shrug and a grin. “So, which would you prefer – dragon or hydra? My bit's are on a dragon.”

“Thats just as bad!” Daring yelled back. “We would still just get eaten or something.”

“Well, tell me if you think of something better while we walk.” Zapapple replied. With their destination before them, Zapapple took the lead again and picked her way through the underbrush, keeping the wide open of the mountain side to their right. Zapapple made her way over and around low branches, tree roots, and the various other hazards with the smooth ease that only comes with experience.
Daring was fairing less well.

It wasn't her fault, really – most pegasus just fly over such obstacles. It had nothing to do with her almost complete lack of field experience, she assured herself. It wouldn't have changed anything, she was sure of it.

Zapapple couldn't help but chuckle when she finally took notice of how far behind her friend was falling. “Need a hoof, Daring?”

“No!” Daring replied as she finally managed to free herself of a branch that had snagged on some part of her pack. “I'm good.”

Zapapple looked unconvinced. “Don't push yourself too hard. You get hurt out here, ain't nopony comin' to rescue you.”

“I've got you, don't I?” Daring replied as she finally managed to catch up to Zapapple.

“Some things even I couldn't help you out of.” Zapapple replied with a chuckle. “Lets just not do anything stupid, okay?”

“We're in the middle of nowhere and trusting our lives to a map from a smuggler.” Daring replied. “Most ponies would say that is already something stupid.”

“Then lets not do anything else that's stupid.” Zapapple replied. “Now, come on – I'd like to get a camp set up before the sun goes down.” The walk across the valley was long and, thanks to the specter of their mystery monster, not exactly enjoyable. But, despite constantly keeping one eye on the nearest cave in case of sudden monster attack, the made it to the bend without incident.
What was waiting for them on the other side was nothing they were expecting.

The valley widened out, leaving wide stony clearings and terraces lining up the sides of the mountain. Daring was almost certain they were artificial.

What held the true focus of their attention was the encampment just down the hill from where they now stood. A collection of canvas tents of various sizes, ranging from small one-pony affairs to one that looks more like an old Royal Guard field hospital. All of the tents – a few dozen, at least – were torn and slumming, wind flapping through holes in there sides, the gentle clinking of metal in the wind as abandoned personal effects hung listlessly. Crates, some smashed, lay tossed about the site. A tall pole leaned off-kilter in what seemed to be the center of the camp, a wind-torn Equestrian flag flapping in the breeze.

Zapapple's eyes widened as she took in the seen. “What by the Sun...”

“Come on.” Daring said as she started down the hillside toward the camp. “We've got to check it out.”

“No.” Zapapple replied. “No we do not. Something took out this camp, Daring!”

“And we might be able to find out what.” Daring replied. “This might be one of the missing expeditions – we've got to see what they found.”

“Daring!” Zapapple shouted after her friend, but to no avail – Daring was already half-way down the hill and making a bee-line for the nearest tent. “Sonofa- Daring, wait!” Zapapple started down the hill after her, only making up the distance as Daring began to slow down once she drew closer to the first tent.

“It doesn't look like they were attacked.” Daring said, poking around the tent. “It's like they all just...upped and left.”

“Well, that isn't creepy at all.” Zapapple deadpanned. “But something must have chased them off...”

“Well, we haven't seen the other tents yet.” Daring replied as she peered through a hole in the tent to examine its interior. She couldn't make anything out in the darkened interior though. “They might have ended up in there...”

Daring paused as she realized what she had just said, turning to her friend whose expression closely mirrored her own. “What if we do find 'em Daring?”

“They're probably long gone by now.” Daring tried to reassure her. “These tents look pretty old.”

“So they just vanished.” Zapapple said with a shudder. “I think that might me worse.”

“Well, since we're here we might as well poke around.” Daring stuck her head through the flap of the tent before slipping inside entirely.

Zapapple sighed and followed her in. In the gloom, they could make out the tables and chairs that filled the room. “Huh,” Daring said as she poked around one of the tables, blowing away the fine layer of dust that had collected on its surface and revealing a yellowed map underneath. “This looks like it was a planning room – or, well, one of them.” Daring ran a hoof over the table, tracing it across the map as Zapapple poked around the rest of the room. Smaller tables were overturned as were several folding chairs around the edge of the room. The tables that weren't flipped were still covered in notebooks and pencils, many of them still flipped open to pages where somepony had been transcribing notes or sketching out some feature of the surrounding landscape. “I think this was for their geological team, maybe?”

“I think I agree.” Zapapple replied as she skimmed a passage of notes identifying striation in the nearby cliffs, all written in the crisp twirling script of a unicorn's magic. “Anything useful on the maps?”

“Some better topographs of the valley.” Daring replied as she rolled up one of the maps, shoving it into her bag. “According to one of them, there's a nice cave nearby. Let's ditch our gear before we search the rest of this place.”
The cliff was just up the hill opposite the way they had come in, tucked in near the treeline and looking over the abandoned camp. It was a massive, sprawling thing – more akin to a small village then a camp. “Who do you think it was?” Zapapple asked as they finished pitching their tent.

“We'll find out soon enough.” Daring replied as she struggled with a knot. “We've still got a little bit of daylight left. We can poke around a few of the tents near the edge at least.” Daring didn't bother waiting for Zapapple's reply before stretching out her wings and flying off toward the camp. Earth-bound, Zapapple took a moment to dig out a lantern as she let her friend survey the camp and stretch her wings.
Above the camp, Daring finally had a chance to take in the whole scene. With her newly gained altitude she could make out the far edge of the camp, butting up against a creek that flowed down from one of the nearby mountains before snaking its way further into the valley. The dozens upon dozens of tents stretched out in a rough circle a couple of hoofball fields across that was only interrupted when they ran into some piece of geography – the forest to one side, the cliffs on another and the creek on a third. It was an impressively massive operation – and that just made it worse. Two or three ponies vanishing in the middle of nowhere? Not a problem – as much as nopony liked to talk about it, ponies in this line of work vanished every year. It was an occupational hazard. But this many ponies? An expedition of dozens, if not hundreds?

Zapapple was right – it just made it worse.

Daring tried to push the unsettling thought aside as she focused on the tents nearest to their own camp. Most of them were small affairs, probably for sleeping, but every now and then there was a larger one – maybe for cooking, or medical or a lab like the first one they found.

Daring focused in on one such tent, not far from their camp and nestled under a small bluff where the mountain side and the forest converged with the field the camp was occupying. Daring resisted the urge to make a beeline for the tent, instead turning around and swooping down before flaring her wings to land next to Zapapple. “Found us a tent to check.”

Zapapple arched an eyebrow. “What's wrong with these ones?” She tilted her head toward the nearby smaller tents.

“Those are literally small fry.” Daring replied with a wave of a hoof. “This is one of the big ones.” Daring hopped back up into the air, circling above her friend. “Besides, if we want clues, are best bet is going to be their notes or something, right?” Zapapple couldn't find any real faults with Daring's point, so the earth pony mare simply went along with the pegasus's idea as they headed toward the tent in question.

As they approached though, something seemed amiss. “Daring,” Zapapple yelled up to her airborne friend. “Are you seeing what I'm seeing?”
Daring landed next to her friend as the two came to a stop. “Yeah.” Just up ahead, the tent was coming into view – along with the pair of cloaked figures digging around the crates outside it. We have company.”

Chapter 6

Zapapple and Daring ducked into the nearest bushes before they could be spotted as they watched their mysterious company continue their work. At this range, Daring could just make out the glint of claws underneath the long cloaks the pair in front of the tent were wearing, along with the occasional glimpse of a fur-tipped tail languidly swishing past the hem. “griffons – What are they doing here?”

“Looks like they're looking for something.” Zapapple replied. “Wonder what...” At that moment one of the tent flaps swung open as a stern looking white and tan griffon stomped out, his cloak fastened around his neck with a silver clutch. The two outside snapped to attention as he approached them. “Find anything?”

“No sir!” One of them replied immediately. “It seems the expedition was wiped out before they could reach the temple sir.”

The stern griffon, who Daring was mentally labeling their 'commander' gave a snort. “Good – then the spear might still be in place. Our employer is not paying us to loot an empty temple.” He pulled his cloak tighter around himself. “Too bucking cold up here. Alright – regroup with the others at the main complex. Raptorians - All efforts are to break into that fortress!”

“yes sir!” The two junior griffon's snapped off salutes before launching into the air and flying off across the camp. The two watched them go before Daring whispered to Zapapple. “Think they're military?”

“Can't be.” Zapapple replied. “Sierre Lyone doesn't have any reason to be sneaking around Equestria.”

“Friends spy on friends, Zap.” Daring pointed out.

“Yeah, well.” Zapapple shot back. “This ain't Canterlot. I could understand them pokin' around the capital, but out here? They said they were lookin' for some spear...”

“Maybe that's what the journal was talking about.” Daring suggested.

“Why the blazes would they want something like that?” Zapapple asked. “Especially since it seemed to drive its last owner bonkers.”

Daring was about to reply when a sudden snap had them both snapping around. A griffon in another of those dark cloaks was glaring at his own hind foot before looking back of the pair and braced to pounce as he bit off a curse.

His mistake had cost him his only advantage though. Daring and Zapapple lept out of the bush as the griffon crashed into it. “Sweet Celestia,”

Daring said, wided eyed as she found Zapapple grabbing her by one hoof and dragging her forward. “I think that griffon was trying to-”

Whatever she was going to say as a piercing shriek tore from the bush a moment before the attacking griffon stumbled out glaring daggers at them.
“Think he just called for back-up.” Zapapple informed her friend as they back away from the angry hybrid. “Daring?”

“Yeah?” Daring replied nervously.

“Run.” Daring needed no further encouragement from Zapapple as the pair of ponies turned tail and bolted into the sea of tents. Out the corner of her eye, Daring could just make out the griffon commander staring in their direction, slack-beaked before his feather started to stand on end in a look Daring usually saw when professor Storm Talon was truly enraged.

And then her view was lost as they passed into the maze of abandoned tents. The griffon behind them had taken wing and quickly gaining ground. They weren't going to be able to out-run him. “Zapapple.” Daring shouted to her friend. “Brace yourself.”

“Brace for-” Zapapple started to reply, but she didn't get a chance to finish it as her friend flared a wing, kicking up a massive plume of dust from the barren ground of the campsite as she grabbed Zapapple. The griffon plunged headfirst into the dust cloud and losing sight of everything, before careening out the other side of the cloud just in time to catch Daring's tail vanishing around the side of the tent that was square in front of him.

The pair of ponies had no time to watch their pursuer entangle himself in canvas as they continued their headlong rush into the abandoned camp. “Where are we going Daring!?” Zapapple shouted.

“Anywhere but here!” Daring replied as another pair of griffons appeared ahead of them. She took a sharp turn to the left and continued onward. But as they started to put distance between their first set of pursuers, another pair would appear. After a few sudden turns they had at least six griffons on their tails. “They're everywhere!” Daring shouted as she took another turn.

“Well, they have to run out of bodies eventually.” Zapapple replied, still hanging in Daring's grip. “How are you doing?”

“I can manage.” Daring replied, but her body told the truth. Her breathing was coming in short gasps, and even in the cold weather sweat was beading across her fur. “We just need to get to the woods. We can lose them there.” Zapapple wasn't sure if her friend could, but a moment later it became a moot point.

A massive brown wing suddenly unfurled in front of them, and Daring had no time to react as it swung into them and sent them cartwheeling. They hit the ground hard, tumbling head over tail until they collided with one of the tents. All Daring could do was groan as the world spun around her and her lungs decided that they weren't interested in air intake at the moment. She managed to get her eyes to cooperate at least as the sound of foot falls drew closer, looking up two see dual images of that griffon commander leering above them. He studied her for a second before turning to somebody else. “Tie them up and take them two the temple. Our employer will no doubt want to see them.” The griffon turned back to Daring as she tried to get her hooves under her. The last thing she saw was him curling a claw into a fist and bringing it down on her.

And then nothing.

The next time Daring awoke, she found herself laying on cold stone. A groan escaped her lips as she tried to bring a hoof up to rub at her aching head, but found she couldn't move them. Her head wasn't cooperating either, but she eventually managed to look down to see that she was hog tied.

A groan to her side made her look over to see Zapapple in a very similar position. “Zap?” She finally managed after a minute.

“Oh, my head...” Zapapple winced as her own headache hit her with its full force. “Daring? What happened?”

“We got caught.” Daring replied as she looked around the room. Her headache was thankfully retreating, and she could finally take in where they were. It looked like an entry hall of some sort, like what you would expect in a castle – if a little smaller. It was barely wider then one of the University's hallways and not much longer. The entire space was the same blueish-gray stone, the walls decorated with worn reliefs Daring couldn't make out in the gloom. The only light sources was the light from the doorway behind them, and a torch ahead of them held by....something.

The creature had its back to them as it studied the wall at the far end of the hall, and it seemed to be holding the torch with tail. It was maybe twice as tall as Daring and covered in purple fur. Next to Daring, Zapapple gasped as she caught sight of the thing at the far end of the room and that was enough to draw its attention. Daring found herself mimicking her friend as she saw the creatures head. It looked vaguely feline, or maybe canine – Daring wasn't sure. Its head was elongated, but where its nostrils should have been, and a grin that looked like it might wrap itself around its head slowly grew on its face as it saw they were awake. “Ah, how good of you to join us.” It's voice had a decidedly masculine lilt to it, and he spoke Equestrian with an accent that Daring was having trouble placing thanks to her headache – maybe horsepanic? He crouched down to Daring's eye level. “I go by Ahuizotl. Who might you be, my little pony?”
Daring gulped. “Daring. My name is Daring Do.”

His gaze slid over to Zapapple. “And you?”

“Z-Zapapple Tock.” She stammered.

Ahuizotl nodded as he rose back to his full height and turned back to the far wall. “It is fortunate that you could join us today, Miss Do, Miss Tock. Today is an auspicious day! For today, we rediscover one of Equestria's lost relics!”

“So, what do you need us for?” Daring managed to ask.

Ahuizotl glanced back at them an grinned. “Oh, do not fret my dear. You are most important.” he turned and gestured to the wall he had been studying. “It seems that whatever pony built this place was not keen on sharing – only a pony may open the way into the inner sanctum.” He gestured at the ground with his torch, and in the light Daring could make out a set of indentations in the floor that could have been hoofprints. “So, you will help us get inside – and past any other little obstacles that may have been left for us.” His elongated ears flicked around as the sound of others entering the chamber echoed behind them, but otherwise he didn't visibly react. “Ah, commander – I trust your people didn't find any other... surprises?”

“No sir.” The gravelly voice of the griffon commander sounded somewhere a few steps behind Daring, out of view. “We located their camp near the tree line – they barely had enough supplies for themselves, and no indication of back-up.”

“How fortunate then,” Ahuizotl replied. “That we will not be interrupted while we work. Get them up.”

Daring found herself roughly pulled back onto her hooves. “Do we need both of them, sir?”

Ahuizotl shrugged. “If a trap kills one, it will be nice to have a spare. Besides, if both are still alive at the end we can simply kill them then. Get the pegasus into position.” Daring was dragged forward by a pair of rough claws, the Ahuizotl creature side-stepping to let the griffon drag her into place. Her efforts to fight it were useless as another pair of griffons soon joined their friend in rough-handling her. After a few minutes of her struggling, one of the griffons had enough and socked her across the face. Daring felt her entire body tense at the hit before she went limp. The hit hadn't been enough to knock her out but it had been enough to knock her, quite literally, senseless.

With her no longer struggling, the griffons had little trouble planting her hooves in the waiting floor marks. As her last hoof slid into place and her full weight was settled onto the indentations, something underhoof triggered with a heavy thunk before the wall before them began to swing downward like a draw bridge. “Ah! Excellent – get them up. No reason to waste time laying about.” Daring found herself dragged back onto her hooves as they started forward. “Bring the earth mare up front – no reason to make the pegasus do all the work, hmm?”

Zapapple had apparently decided that fighting would do her no good for the moment as she glowered at the griffon dragging her forward as they passed Daring. Ahuizotl gave her his best friendly smile – which, considering just how many sharp teeth it displayed, wasn't too friendly.

“Miss Tock, you're cooperation is most appreciated.” He turned to the commander. “Leave one guard at the door – no reason to be caught off guard now.”

One griffon fell back as the rest of them continued forward. Soon, the only light was from Ahuizotl's torch until at some unseen signal the other griffon's not otherwise occupied by prisoners pulled out and lit torches of their own. Under the new light, the murals and writings on the wall popped out in contrasting shadows. “It's quite the story, you know.” Ahuizotl said casually as lead the way, keeping Zapapple a few paces in front of him. “Well, the story up front was. A stallion in the times before your hearth's warming traded everything for the chance to be spared from the storm – and he got exactly what he wished for.”

“I'm sensing a 'but' in there.” Zapapple said from up ahead.

“But,” Ahuizotl continued. “He couldn't control it. So he locked up in here for safekeeping until he could. Guess he never got back around to it.”
“So, what?” Daring asked. “This is some sort of weapon?”

“It is much more then that!” Ahuizotl stopped as he spun to face Daring. A wide, almost manic grin had spread across his long face. “Imagine it – control over the very powers that once threatened to destroy the world! Power that even the Princess couldn't hope to match!”

Daring found herself trying to back up from the manic creature, only to run into her griffon escort. “Why would you want something like that?”

Ahuizotl arched an eyebrow as he leaned back from Daring. “Why wouldn't you? The creatures of this world are judged by how much power they can accumulate. It is the way of things – the strong defeat the weak. You ponies value athleticism and knowledge, even wealth – all forms of power. Why shirk away from another?”

“The last guy who had this...whatever it is,” Daring replied as she found herself prodded along. “couldn't control it – what makes you think you can?”

“Simple.” Ahuizotl said with a shrug. “I am not a pony.”

“What the hay are you, anyway?” Zapapple asked, voicing a question that had been on both her and Daring's mind for a while.

Ahuizotl just smiled. “I am unique. Now, keep going – I'd like to claim my prize before night falls. Disposing of your bodies in the dark would be extremely troublesome.”

“Not really a good way to get us moving, you kn-” Zapapple started to say before she found a blue-furred hand wrapped around her neck.

Ahuizotl looked her in the eyes, his gaze as cold as the snow caps on the mountians outside. “Whould you prefer I end your torment and just kill you now?” Zapapple gasped for breath as she shook her head. Ahuizotl released her, letting her slump to the ground as she caught her breath. “I thought so. Now – continue.”

They pressed on, until the stone gallery they had been in finally showed signs of ending. As Zapapple stepped out through the final doorway, she came to a sudden stop. Ahuizotl nearly tripped over her and started preparing to berate her when he too suddenly fell silent.

When Daring and her escort finally caught up, she could see why.

Even with countless centuries of neglect, the grand hall they had stepped into nearly put the Royal Throne Room to shame. Vaulted ceilings arched overhead high enough that Daring figured she could use it for flight practice without worrying about altitude. Every column was intricately carved, designs of ponies and griffons and dragons were intermixed with curving trees and flowers – all inlaid with precious and semiprecious stones. The result was a gallery of twisting murals whose colors hadn't faded under the passage of time. Overhead, a treasuries worth of gem's was embedded into the ceiling to create a shining star-scape. The only piece of décor that had suffered for age were the windows along either wall – all that remained of the towering windows was now the skeletal remains of their frames, leaving a stiff breeze whistling through the room and little between them and what, as far as Daring could see, was a sheer cliff drop just beyond. “Sweet Celestia...” Zapapple whispered.

“Magnificent!” Ahuizotl rubbed his forepaws together in obvious glee. “These will make for an excellent bonus prize.”

“Compared to what?” Daring asked a she tore her gaze from the ceiling.

Ahuizotl replied by simply pointing across the room to the far side. There, where one would expect the dais with the throne in any other castle, was instead a towering stretch of wall decorated with a complex pattern of gems. “The real prize. This is not some simple castle, young mare. Residing within-”

“Is a weapon of great power.” Zapapple finished with a roll of her eyes. “Yeah, yeah – you said that already. Care to share what it is?”

Ahuizotl shrugged. “Not particularity. Now walk.”

Zapapple glared at Ahuizotl again before turning back to face the room ahead of her. She didn't even get as far as her first step before Daring put a hoof in front of her. “Its a trap.”

“Undoubtedly.” Ahuizotl replied nonchalantly. “That is why she goes first, you silly little pegasus.”

It was Daring's turn to glare at Ahuizotl. “Well, if there's more then two traps you're going to run out of ponies real fast.”

“If you can think of a better way,” Ahuizotl waved at the room ahead. “Be my guest. I will wait here.”

Daring turned back to the floor ahead of her. Like the walls and roof, it was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, but more closely resembled the abstract designs of the fall wall then the murals of the columns. It was a dizzying array of tiles, a mixture of blues and grays and black and white. Some were squares, others were triangles. None of tiles seemed to border the same color, and the result made the entire floor look like an abstraction of the surface of a rolling sea.

Daring studied the pattern of tiles closely, especially there surfaces. “Hey, Zap.” She asked as she nudged her friend. “Is it just me or do some of those tiles look less dusty then the rest?” Zapapple stared at where her friend was pointing and nodded. It was only on a few, and only near the front, but several of the larger black tiles had a notably thinner coating of dust on them then their neighbors.

Daring decided to play a hunch, scooping up a nearby loose stone and tossing it across the room. It hit the nearest of the black tiles with a heavy thunk.

Almost instantly the tile dropped away, swinging down like a trap door and dropping the stone into an abyss below. It was just close enough that Daring could see, if she stood on her toetips, the faint sheen of sharpened spikes rising from the bottom. “Who actually has those?” Daring asked to nopony in particular.

Next to her, Zapapple risked edging a little closer to peer down into the bottom of the pit. She felt her mouth go dry as she noted the rather sizable collection of skeletons at the bottom. “A-Apparently the pony who built this place. You think all the black tiles are like this?”
Daring nodded. “based on the state of the others near the front few rows.” she pointed at a few black tiles further out. “There's no way across that doesn't intersect a title – no straight way across, at least.”

“Why not go around them?” Zapapple suggested. “I mean, you figured it out.”

“Only because I got lucky with that dust.” Daring replied. “If it had been long enough since the last...visitors, they'd have all looked the same and we'd be skewered right now.” Daring shuddered. “We'd have just walked right into them...”

“But now we won't.” Zapapple replied. “Though, I have to wonder – why only the ones in front?”

Daring shrugged. “They probably spread out to search for traps – when they found them, they panicked and rushed forward.”

“That is...” Zapapple paled slightly. “...highly unsettling.”

“Tell me about it.” Daring shuddered again. “Lets just get across this already.” Carefully, the pegaus started to pick her way across the tiles.

Zapapple was right behind her, followed closely by Ahuizotl and his griffons. There was no rhyme or reason to the tile layout, meaning that what should have been a short walk across the room became more akin to navigating a minefield. “Not really much of a trap,” Zapapple quipped as they toed there way around another pitfall. “I mean, once you know which one's are deadly...”

“That assumes they are the only trap.” Daring replied as she worked out their next move. “Which it probably isn't.”

Zapapple glanced down at Daring before glancing down at her hooves like the floor was suddenly at risk of catching fire. “How do we find those traps?”

“Carefully.” Daring replied.

“That's not very comforting.” Zapapple said nervously.

Daring continued forward. “It wasn't supposed to be.”

Luckily, for everyponies health, they didn't find any other booby traps hiding in the floor and managed to reach the far side intact. The small group crowded onto the dais, everyone eager to get off the potentially lethal floor as soon as possible. Most of the griffon's were eying their surroundings nervously, but Ahuizotl and Zapapple were both staring up at the same thing as Daring – the massive stone monolith that occupied the chamber's back wall. “This looks almost like one of the Royal Vaults in Canterlot...” Daring mused as she studied the stone.

“Because you're SO familiar with those...” Zapappl said sarcasticly as the pegasus took wing to study the top of the stone.

“There was a chapter about them in Unturned's 'Castle on a Hill – a History of the Equestrian Capital.'” Daring replied. “Apparently the designs for some of the ceremonial vaults date back to the founding.”

“Wait, Unturned?” Zapapple replied. “As in Stone Unturned? I got assigned one of his books for my Foreign Relations classes – it darn near put me to sleep mid-class. How did you get through it!?”

“A lot of coffee.” Daring replied. “And he wasn't that bad.”

“The professor fell asleep mid-class while reading from it.” Zapapple replied. “You can't be serious.”

“yeah, yeah...” Daring ignored her friend as she studied the stone. “You know, if this is a vault like the one's in Canterlot, its been modified.” Daring paused before adding. “or, the one's in Canterlot were modified versions of this one...”

“What are you talking about Daring?” Zapapple said, cutting off her friend before she could get going.

“The vaults in Canterlot are designed to be opened by unicorns.” Daring explained, gesturing at the wall with a hoof. “But this one doesn't have a socket for a horn. Whatever unlocks it is something else.”

“Okay.” Zapapple said with a nod. “Any idea what?”

“Not a clue.” Daring replied. “Maybe the right sequence of gems? It could be tied into some of the tiles out there for all we know.” She gestured at the floor behind them. “There are literally a million possibilities. There is no way we'll be able to figure out which one its supposed to be in any sort of reasonable time.”

“I suspected this might happen.” Ahuizotl interrupted the pairs conversation before turning to one of the griffons. “Prepare the charges. Do try to keep it neat.” The griffon's went to work almost immediately, a few that had been bringing up the rear unloading their packs. Inside where a series of large brown cylinders, about the size of Daring's lower leg and each trailing a long fuse. The griffons brushed past them and began placing them around the vault's edge at regular intervals, tying and stringing the fuses together as they go. Ahuizotl watched the griffons work for a moment before turning to Daring and Zapapple. “Best to step back if you wish to live a little longer.”

“Don't you plan on killing us anyway?” Daring asked as she none-the-less took a few steps back. The griffons did much the same as one of them wired the fuse line into a small box with a plunger on top.

“Well, not by blowing you up.” Ahuizotl replied. “What do you think I am, a monster?”

Daring decided not to answer that, lest her demise be moved up the schedule. Instead she took another step back, slipping behind one of the griffons and coming to stand next to Zapapple. “Is it just me, or is this guy slightly...”

“Insane?” Zapapple finished for her.

“I was going to say 'unstable' actually.” Daring replied.

“Hey,” Zapapple said with a shrug. “If it keeps us alive...”

“Wonder how long that will last...” Daring replied, slumping a little. Ahead of her, the griffons had finished their work placing the charges, backing away from the wall before one bellowed a 'fire in the hole!' and depressed the plunger.

The thundering crack of the charges reverberated through the room as the charges detonated in sequence, working their way around the door clockwise until the last one detonated. Dust hung in the air, tossed up as the explosives rendered the ancient stone into powder, but it slowly settled to the ground. As their vision returned, Daring found herself slowly leaning forward along with the griffons and Ahuizotl as they all tried to get a look at their results.

Slowly, the shape of the stone slab began to reveal itself in the dust. They all held their breath as they stared at the slab. It stood solemnly for a moment before, slowly, it keeled over with a low groan before crashing into the floor beyond the doorway with a heavy crash. Around Daring and Zapapple, the griffons all gave a resounding cheer, patting each other on the back before Ahuizotl shot them all a glare, after which they quickly regained their decorum. “Now,” Ahuizotl said as he turned and started through the doorway. “it is time to finally collect my reward.”

Daring and Zapapple found themselves pushed along again as they stepped through the doorway and into the vault itself. The air inside seemed to drop in temperature almost immediately, and Daring found herself shivering in seconds. The room was walled in dark, almost black, stone with the only illumination coming from a series of gems studded into the floor like running lights that marked out their path. A thin layer of frost covered the corners and edges of the room, glinting an eerie blue in the gem light.

Other then the lights along their path, the only illumination came from the structure in the center of the room. Two massive pieces of stone stretched from the floor and ceiling, like intricately carved stalactite and stalagmite. They met in what seemed to be the exact center of the room, a series of circular steps leading up from the floor to the gap that hung between them.

And hanging there, suspended mid-air and lit by the pale blue glow of two massive gems above and below it, slowly spun a spear. It was maybe three meters long, and was a uniform blue the shade of a glacier. It's entire length was engraved with twisting and turning embellishments, swirls and lines that reminded Daring of a storm. The only part that was unadorned was the leaf-shaped blade tip, a smooth and uniform pale blue that seemed honed to a wickedly sharp edge.

“So the legends are true.” Ahuizotl nearly whispered as he padded up the step until he could peer at the weapon. “The power of Winter bound into a single weapon. A boon granted from those that feed and flourished in the discord of you ponies squabbling.”

“Zapapple,” Daring whispered to her friend as she tugged on her tail. “We shouldn't be here! This is a bad place.”

“I think that chicken's already flown the coop, Daring,” Zapapple replied as she watched Ahuizotl. “As much as I agree with ya.”

“The very powers that nearly destroyed the three tribes...” Ahuizotl tentatively reached out with one paw, magic crackling around his hand as he reached into whatever field kept the weapon suspended. “...is now mine!”

There was sharp crack as Ahuizotl took hold of the polearm and the magical field around it collapsed. Daring and the griffons flinched back from the altar, and when they turned back Ahuizotl was standing above them, his newly gained prize held out in front of him. “Behold! The Spear of the Windigos!”

Around them, the lights pulsed in the darkness as the stone centerpieces slowly retracted into the floor and ceiling. The castle rumbled around the party as they started out of the vault, long dormant mechanisms groaning to life after centuries of laying idle as they awaited the chance to serve their purpose.

And somewhere, buried deep in the caves of that lost valley, creatures stirred for the first time in ages. Chilling winds howled as they gathered their power, wispy forms of wind and ice that slowly coalesced into more equine forms. Someone had answered their summons – a claimant to their gift. A dozen pairs of eyes, glowing blue stars in the darkness, flickered to life as their slumber was broken.

A ghostly hoof came down on the stony cave floor, ice and frost spiderwebbing out from where it landed. The herd gathered in the cave's center, deep down in the cold and the dark, and turned their gazes upward. Up through the stone, through the castle, and to the nexus of their power as they felt the hate and malice flow through it.

And they howled.

Chapter 7

Daring and Zapapple found themselves dragged out of the vault and back into the throne room by the griffons as Ahuizotl admired his new prize. Outside, the wind had kicked up into a shrieking howl, whistling through the empty window frames and kicking up the thin coating of dust that had coated the floor. “So, how do you want them handled sir?”

“Well,” Ahuizotl mused calmly. “No need to get our paws dirty. Commander, where did you leave that map of the auxiliary chambers?” The commander barked something, and a moment later one of the other griffons stepped forward and handed passed up a map. Ahuizotl took it with a small nod and unfurled it. “Lets see...Chamber three-one should do nicely, I think.”

The griffons looked at him in confusion for a moment before something seemed to click and they all started clicking their beaks softly. “Hey, what so-hey!” Daring was cut off as she was once again dragged along. With their route across the deadly floor already worked out, they were back in the main hall in short order before they were dragged down a narrower side hall that Daring hadn't noticed before in the gloom. It's wall were less heavily adorned then the main hall, but still showed an astounding level of craftponyship.

“We haven't had much time to study these murals,” Ahuizotl explained as they walked along, “but I am sure you will have time to give them a look where you're going.” The small group came to a stop outside a small stone door, with naught but an aged wooden lever next to it. Ahuizotl gave the lever a length and the door slip open. “Tie them to the column.”

The griffons moved to comply, dragging Daring and Zapapple inside the chamber. Inside, the room was empty save for a towering stone column that reached from the floor all the way up to the room's apex that was surprisingly high above them. Combined with the narrow size of the room, it made Daring think of what you would get if you managed to invert an obelisk.

Daring struggled valiantly against her captures, but it did her little good. Zapapple had a little more luck, one kick finding its way to a griffons sensitive anatomy. A wing to the back of the head put an end to that though – wings, as feathery as they were, were still astoundingly strong. Anypony but an earth pony would have been out cold. As it was, Zapapple was left reeling long enough for them to finish tying her to the column. “Enjoy your new accommodations, my dears.” Ahuizotl said as he pulled the lever again and the door began to slide shut. “You won't be leaving them any time soon.”

The door shut with a resounding thud, and for a minute all Daring and Zapapple could here was their own breathing. After a time, Zapapple broke the silence. “So, any idea what this room is?”

“Some sort of worship chamber maybe?” Daring suggested as she looked around. “The pole looks sort of like poles some villages used to erect for midsummer celebrations – but those were made of wood...”

“Any reason it's indoors?” Zapapple asked as she struggled against their bonds.

On the other side of the pole, Daring just shrugged. “We fairly far north – maybe its just easier to have it indoors due to the weather?”

“Guess that makes sense.” Zapapple replied before she sighed. “The rope ain't budging.”

“Well, it can't get any worse.” Daring said with a shrug. Zapapple glared at her through the pole, but whatever she was about to say was cut off as a heavy crash echoed somewhere above them. “...What was that?” Daring asked.

Zapapple sighed. “Things getting worse. You really had to say that?”

“I've been tied to a pole in some ancient castle by an honest-to-Celestia villain! I didn't really see how it could get worse!”

“you're still breathing!” Zapapple replied. “It can always get wore.”

Another heavy crash echoed from somewhere above them, and both of them looked up. High above, four new beams of light were casting into the gloom above, lighting up the upper reaches of the chamber. “Huh.” Zapapple said. “Looks like they put windows up there.”

Daring stared up at the new windows as she watched something very very small flutter its way down until after a long while it finally settled onto the tip of her nose. “A snowflake?” Daring said aloud as she stared crosseyed at the flake as it melted.

Her ear twitched as another flake landed on it. And then one on her mane. She glanced back up at the new openings to see a flurry of snow blowing in through them twirling about in the draft before settling toward the ground. And the amount of snow was increasing. “No,” Daring said. “Now it has gotten worse.”

Zapapple glanced up as the snow flurry became a cascade. “Sonofa-why does it even have that?”

“Maybe its just a side effect?” Daring suggested. “They could just be windows and in the intervening centuries the snow piled up to the top of the structure and...”

“Not now, Daring!” Zapapple replied as she redoubled her efforts to escape. “Now try and help me find a way out before we turn into pony-sicles!” The rate of snow pouring in had continued to increase, and was now a constant low rumble in the background.

“We won't actually turn into popsicles.” Daring replied. “You see, snow doesn't-”

“Daring!” Zapapple snapped. “Ropes! Escape! Now!”

“Right! Sorry!” Daring replied quickly as she joined her friend in fighting against the ropes. The snow was soon up to their knees and it was obvious they were making no progress. “Zap, this isn't working! We need something to cut the rope!”

“Well, how are we supposed to do that if we can't move!?” Zapapple replied.

“We can work that out after we get it.” Daring replied as she started to scan the small room. There were a few chains hung between the walls and the pole, their anchors in chamber walls surrounded by a spiderweb of cracks. “There! Water must have seeped in and refroze. But how to get it down...”

“What about your hat?” Zapapple suggested, and Daring glanced up to see the brim of her hat hanging just above her eyes.

“Huh.” She had completely forgotten that she had been wearing it. She had half expected that it had fallen off somewhere between the chase and their capture. “Well, that might work.” Daring gave her head a quick shake, sliding the pith helmet down until she could flip it off her head with a flick and grabbed it with her teeth. She turned to try and pass it off, but found the pole in her way. “Ey cn't giv et too you!” Daring managed around a mouth for a hat brim.

“Then throw it!” Zapapple replied quickly. The snow was starting to climb up past their flanks.

Daring gave her friend one last glance. Their lives were on the line, and who was the one who had to make the throw? The bookworm, not the actual adventurer. If Daring didn't have a hat stuck in her mouth, she would have sighed. They were probably going to die – what did she have to lose?

Daring threw the hat has hard as she could, sending it arcing through the air toward the wall. It twisted in flight, nearly vertical when it careened off the wall and bounced upward before launching upward and ricocheting off the pole and toward the anchor of one of the chains.
The hat crashed into the anchor with a spray of stone chips as the anchor came lose. The pith helmet continued on its new trajectory as the anchor pulled free and swung toward them, sharp chunks of stone cutting through the rope as it collided with the pole. “It worked!” Zapapple exclaimed as the ropes fell from around them. She pulled her self free of the snow before jumping up and snatching the hat out of the air as it circled back around before she set it back onto Daring's head. “Nice throw.”

“Thanks,” Daring managed as Zapapple helped pull her out of the snow that was half way to her forelegs. “Though we're still in here.”

“So how do we escape a locked room filling with snow?” Zapapple asked. As she looked at the snow underhoof.

“Well, if we wait the snow will fill all the way up to the top of the roof.” Daring suggested just as a chunk of snow founds its way straight down her collar.

“Or you could just carry us up,” Zapapple suggested. “since you're, you know, a pegasus.”

“O-One problem,” Daring replied through chattering teeth as she pointed skyward with one wing. “The snow is coming through the windows too fast. It be like trying to swim up a waterfall, only harder.”

“Right...” Zapapple replied as she stared up at the windows. “Well, any chance we won't freeze to death before we get further up?”

“Not really.” Daring replied. “So – new plan?”

“We never had an old plan, Daring.” Zapapple replied.

“The hat thing was a plan!” Daring defended.

“'plan' indicates it was pre-prepared,” Zapapple replied. “That was, at best a ploy.”

“Then we need another ploy.” Daring said as she started toward one of the walls. “Maybe there's a secret door or something...”

“Why would there be a door this far up the walls?” Zapapple asked as she sidestepped as a pile of snow collapsed.

“I don't know!” Daring replied. “It's not like we can just...” Daring's voice trailed off as she stared up at the pole they had been tied to.

Zapapple arched an eyebrow. “Daring?”

Daring pushed her way through the snow to the pole. “I have an idea. How much do you think this pole weighs?”

Zapapple looked up at the pole. It was nearly as thick as a pony, but it was still pretty ridiculously thin for its height. “Quite a bit, why?”

Daring pointed up at the three remaining chains. Zapapple notice for the first time that they seemed to have shifted since their escape. “There's no way this thing could stay upright on its own – not under its own weight. Those chains helped keep it vertical – Like the support lines for an airship mooring. If we take out the chains-”

“The whole column comes down.” Zapapple finished as she rushed over to Daring. “Daring, you're a genius. Gimme your hat.”
“With pleasure.” Daring replied, flipping the hat off her head and handing it to Zapapple.

From outside the chamber, there was a low groan. If there was anything alive in that passage, it would have noticed the wall starting to bow out – a behavior not usually associated with stone block walls.

A split-second later the wall buckled and a wall of white powder rushed around the sheared end of the column that jutted through and down the hall, a tan blob rushing by followed closely by a similar blue one.

As the hall opened onto other chambers, the wall of snow spread out and slowed down. It was still, however, moving at a fair clip when a blue hoof shot out of the torrent of snow, catching on a doorway before hauling its owner out.

Zapapple pulled herself from the snow flow, dragging Daring behind her as they both collapsed onto the stone floor. Zapapple spared enough energy to glance back at through to door in time to see the snow flow beginning to die down before collapsing onto her back. “Well, that sucked.”

“Stop whining,” Daring managed between heavy breathes. “It worked.”

“Shut up.” Zapapple replied, equally winded. “whining proves I'm still alive.”

“This trip is turning into a great way to fix that.” Daring said as she managed to bring a hoof up to dust snow off her hat that had just barely made it back onto her head before their little ride. “I mean thats what, six near death experiences since this morning?”

“I haven't been counting.” Zapapple replied without moving. “One is more then enough for me.”

“So, any idea where we are?” Daring asked as she looked around. The room they were in was dimly lit, but lit none the less. The only source of light seemed to be a narrow window along the top of the back wall that let in just enough light to refract off the crystals embedded in the ceiling.

“Forgot my map,” Zapapple replied sarcastically as she finally turned over and started onto her hooves. “I think I left it somewhere between the creepy ghost camp and the murder attempt.”

Daring ignored her friend's snark and focused on their surroundings. “These walls look like they're engraved.”

“Well, that makes no sense.” Zapapple replied and moved closer to the wall Daring was looking at. “This room is too far from the main chambers. Most civilizations from around this period would only decorate walls in a chamber like this-”

“If its a tomb, yes.” Daring finished for her. “But if it was a tomb, this is the sort of room where they'd keep the deceased's possessions. Since we aren't tripping over urns...”

“You think its something else.” Zapapple concluded as her friend studied the wall. “So, any guesses?”

“I think,” Daring replied with a frown, “I think it's a journal.”

Zapapple blinked. “A what now?”

“A journal.” Daring repeated. “I think somepony wrote some sort of record on the walls.” Daring ran a hoof over the worn engravings. “They wanted ponies to remember this.”

“And what is this, exactly?” Zapapple asked.

“You know the stories about the three tribes?” Daring asked her. “Before they migrated to Equestria?”

Zapapple nodded. “Yeah – big blizzard that froze everything. Why?”

“This seems like some sort of, I dunno,” Daring explained, “an account of a pony who had lived through that.”

“Daring, that was centuries ago.” Zapapple replied. “That would make this place one of the – if not the – oldest settlement in modern Equestria.”

“I know, its insane.” Daring replied. “But I'm just telling you what I'm reading. And what I'm reading is about some poor pony trying to prevent his family from freezing to death.”

“How can you even read any of that?” Zapapple asked as she squinted at the stone in the half-dark gloom. “I can barely see, let alone translate something.”

Daring shrugged. “Perk of being a pegasus. There are some old engravings here, but also a lot of pictorials.”

“Fully illustrated, huh?” Zapapple said with a small smirk. “Guess he wanted to make sure language wasn't a barrier.”

“Surprisingly far-sighted of him.” Daring quipped as she kept scanning the wall. “It looks like his village got subsumed by the blizzard, but they kept trying to live their any way.” Daring walked along the wall as she read the ancient narrative. “Other ponies kept leaving, but he stuck around with his family.”

“Well, that's bonkers.” Zapapple said as she watched her friend. “Any reason why?”

“Let's see...” Daring followed the wall, but a fr0wn steadily grew as she circled the room. “hrm...its not in here. The rest of it is just a history of his village.”

“Well, that's annoying.” Zapapple muttered. “I hate it when a book jumps between narratives like that.”

“Then lets go find where it picks back up.” Daring replied as she started toward the door, climbing her way up the bank of snow that had settled there. “Besides, I don't want to be around if the Ahuizotl thing comes looking around to make sure we're dead.”

“I figured you would have read enough books to know this, Daring.” Zapapple replied as she followed after her. “The bad guys never go looking for the body.”

The pair worked their way through the snow-logged hall, stopping now and then to examine the other chambers that they passed. Some of them seemed to be short chronicles of the maker's village. Others seemed to be records of older stories – memories of better times. None of them seemed to be what they were looking for though. “So, are we looking for more clues or are we trying to get out of here?” Zapapple asked after they stopped to check a seventh chamber.

“A bit of both.” Daring replied as she walked out of the chamber. It had been different from the other ones, and that had gotten her hopes up. In turned out to be nothing but genealogies. “No reason we can't take our time getting out.”

“Keep saying stuff like that and you're going to jinx us again.” Zapapple warned. “Besides, I don't know about you but I'm hungry and I haven't seen so much as moss in this place.” Zapapple sighed. “There were some really good looking wildflowers back near our camp too...”

“Please don't talk about food right now...” Daring whined. “I've been running on nothing but adrenaline for the last few hours and I'm trying to keep that crash at bay as long as I can.”

“Well, it's gonna hit sooner or later.” Zapapple replied as she started down the hall again. “So might as well spend the meantime looking for something to snack on.”

Daring followed after Zapapple as she tried to ignore the growling in her stomach that was deciding to make itself known. The hallway ended a short distance later, and the scene they found left them stunned.

It must have been a hot spring, Daring thought. That was the only way to explain the lush spread of vegetation that filled the wide chamber before her. It was as if somebody had built an amphitheater and then filled it with plants. Vines, flowers and small tree's spilled town the stepped ledges, filling the entire space with aromas that were leaving Daring's mouth watering. And after so long in the cold dry mountain air, the warm mugginess of the chamber was like a slap to the face. “This seems to good to be true...” Daring muttered.

“What did I tell you about jinxing things?” Zapapple murmured back as she stepped into the chamber. Along the edge of the roof above, a series of massive skylights let light pour into the room. “Just enjoy it and have a bite to eat.” She didn't wait for Daring to reply before she trotted down the steps and toward what looked like a massive krinkleberry bush.

Daring followed after her, albeit much more slowly, as she stared around the chamber. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting to find up here, but a little slice of the tropics wasn't it. Somewhere in the background he could hear the gentle babble of water, which gave credence to her 'hot spring' theory.

She continued down the steps, past where Zapapple had busied herself stripping the bush of its edible fruit, stopping as she came to the edge of a pool that was where the stage would have been in a normal theater. “This is amazing.”

“I know,” Zapapple said as she wiped her mouth with the back of one hoof while she made her way over to Daring. “You think a theater got overgrown or something?” She nodded back toward the steps they had come down as she asked.

Daring shook her head. “No – this is deliberate. Some of these plants are from hundreds of miles away – and none of them are native to this biome. Somepony planted all of these here on purpose.”

“Can't say that I blame them,” Zapapple said with a shrug. “Given the usual weather outside and how gloomy the rest of this place has been.”
“But that's what doesn't make sense.” Daring replied. “Some of this place seems like a temple – the expected some form of traffic. Other parts are more like a tomb and are built to last even if they were forgotten. But this...” Daring gestured to the foliage around them. “This is the sort of thing you'd expect in a palace or something – some sort of residence. Not a crypt.”

“So what are you getting at?” Zapapple asked.

“I'm not getting at anything!” Daring replied. “This place makes zero sense. It's as if-” Daring cut herself off as her ear's swiveled around. “Did you hear that?”

Zapapple perked her ears, straining to hear what her pegasus friend was speaking of. “It sounds like...whistling?”

“Or howling.” As Daring replied, a cold breeze curled through the chamber, all the more noticeable when contrasted to the muggy heat of the garden. Back up the steps, something that looks like mist or maybe fog was curling around the plants nearest to the outer wall.
Daring found herself squinting as she tried to make out what was going on, only for her eyes to shoot open wide when she finally did.
Where ever the mist touched, frost coated almost instantly. Plants froze solid in the blink of an eye as the fog enveloped them. “What the-”

“Stop staring at it and run!” Zapapple gave Daring's tail a yank as she got the pegasus to start running away from the freezing fog. With the pool in front of them and the mist behind them, they were forced sideways. The creeping coating of ice made its way down the steps, seemingly making a beeline toward them. The pool froze over in an instant, freezing mid-slosh before spilling over the edge as it chased after them.

“How is it doing that!?” Daring asked as they darted toward the only door in sight. Behind them, the cold snap was chasing behind them as it continued to consume the garden. Great blooming flowers, once such vivid shades of color, withered as they froze before shattering under the force of the wind that was steadily building in the tight space. Whatever force drove the ice seemed to sense that its prey was about to escape as the encroaching cold seemed to redouble its speed with a shriek of wind.

Its efforts would end in vain as Daring and Zapapple all but dived through the waiting door before Zapapple kicked it shut. The door kicked under her hooves, and Daring quickly moved to help her brace it. For a minute it was like a cyclone was attacking the other side. Soon though, the attack died down before finally coming to stop. The two mares collapsed to the floor, now out of apparent danger, as Zapapple turned to Daring. “So, any idea what that was?”

“Not a clue.” Daring replied. “But I don't think we should hang around to see if it can figure out how to open a door.”

“Right.” Zapapple said with a nod. They made it half a step from the door before Zapapple glanced back and, after a moment of consideration, gave a decorative column next to the door a swift kick at the base. It promptly collapsed into a pile blocking the door. “There, that should by us some time.”

They grinned at each other for a moment before Daring noticed a thin coating of frost spreading across the door, emanating from to door handle. “My not us much as we thought.” Daring said as she back-stepped slowly.

“Right.” Zapapple replied as she matched her friend. “I think we should be somewhere else.” The two continued to back up slowly as they watched the door slowly become encased in ice before they both turned and bolted down the hall.

The two only let up their pace when they found themselves in a familiar looking set of tunnels. “Hey, Daring,” Zapapple said as she looked around. “Is it just me or does this look like where we started?”

“You mean where we were tied up?” Daring asked.

“No!” Zapapple replied. “I mean when we first got to this moon-cursed place. I think we might be near that front hall again.” She made her way forward and sure enough they found themselves back where they started, not ten paces from where they had first woken up. The entrance at the far end was blocked, a pair of heavy wooden doors closed over the large archway. “Well, looks like we aren't getting out that way, are we Daring.” She turned to her friend, but Zapapple found her across the hall staring at the wall. “Daring?”

“Zap, come check this out.” Daring gestured for her friend to come closer. “I think I found something.”

Zapapple trotted over to her friend and took a look at the wall she seemed so interested in. “Looks like more of those engravings you found down in those chambers.”

“But these one's are different.” Daring replied as she ran a hoof over the worn etchings. “If I'm reading these right, then I know why this place is so strange.”

“Care to enlighten us?” Zapapple asked.

“This place,” Daring gestured at their surroundings. “Was all built by one pony. He was a craftspony – a skilled one. But with the blizzard it was all he could do to keep feeding his family. One day, after everpony else in the village had been gone, he wandered out into the middle of the storm. He pleaded with the storm, he offered it anything – in exchange for a way to save his family. The storm responded by presenting him with a spear imbued with power over the storm. He used the spear to ward his family's farm, to keep the storm at bay. For a while, they were safe.”

“I'm sensing a 'but' here, Daring.” Zapapple said.

“But,” Daring continued. “Other ponies took notice of the little patch of green in the sea of white. They came and tried to take his farm. He used the spear to fight them off. But more kept coming and the fighting grew worse and worse. The fighting destroyed his crops and destroyed his house. When the fighting finally claimed his family, he just...gave up. He tossed the spear back into the storm and went back to the ruins of his life. But the spear was waiting for him. He tossed it away again, but it kept returning. He pleaded with the storm, asking what it wanted to take back the spear. They said they wanted a home. So he built them a palace. A grand castle to live in. But he knew that they would just give the spear to somepony else. So he tricked them – he locked the spear away and made sure that nopony would ever be able to get to it again. Then he just walked into the blizzard and...vanished.”

“Just like that?” Zapapple asked.

“Well, that's what I'm guessing.” Daring replied as she gestured to part of the wall. “This is all written from his perspective. This part here – 'the beasts of wind believe themselves so much more then us, but I have fooled them. They will lay beneath this castle for all days, their spear unable to ever tempt another. Now I can finally be with my family.' Then it just...ends.”

“Do you think he's the one that wrote in the journal?” Zapapple asked.

Daring shook her head. “this is older than the journal, let alone the writing. What I think is that somepony else managed to stumble across this during the migration to Equestria, And realized just how dangerous this was. I think he wrote in the journal because that was what was on hoof – maybe he planned on writing it into something else, maybe it was supposed to be a message to somepony in particular. Whatever it was, I think he realized it was better off locked away – and that was how it ended up in the old library.”

“But why would the windigos give a weapon to a pony?” Zapapple asked as she studied the engravings.

“They feed on unrest,” Daring gestured at the wall again. “And creating a patch of green in that horrible blizard created plenty of it. It cost dozens – maybe hundred's of ponies – their lives. Most ponies would have broken under that.”

“Or would have kept fighting.” Zapapple suggested. “No matter what was letting them do it, most ponies aren't too keen on just rolling over and dying.”

“He managed to figure out a way to make sure they couldn't ensnare another pony again.” Daring said. “If he hadn't...then that spear might have doomed Equestria.”

“And now that Ahuizotl guy has it.” Zapapple pointed out. “That can't end well.”

Daring nodded. “We need to get it back.”

“We?” Zapapple echoed. “There is no we in this, Daring. The only thing we need to do is get off this stupid mountain and call in the cavalry.
You're clever, but you can't make up everything as you go.”

Daring shrugged. “It's worked so far.”

“And what happens when it doesn't?” Zapapple replied as she laid a hoof on her friend's shoulder. “We didn't come up here to save the world.

We came here looking for your dad. Now, I haven't had much of a chance to poke around much but I'm pretty sure that whatever you're looking for ain't up here. So lets get out of here and leave this to ponies who know what they're doing.”

Daring looked at her friend for a moment before nodding with a sigh. “You're...you're right. Guess I just got excited.”

“More like you started remembering your dad's stories,” Zapapple replied as she gave Daring's hat a little flick. “I swear, I dress you the part an you suddenly think you're some sort of adventurer.”

“I thought that was going to be your thing?” Daring replied with a grin as she hopped back a step and started down the hall. “Come on – I think I saw a window over this way. I can fly us out.”

The two trotted down the hall until they reached one of the tall windows they had seen when they first past through. The scene though was very, very different.

Snow was piling into the hall, the weight of it occasionally triggering the pitfall traps laid out across the hall. Outside, the wind howled as a blizzard roared, turning the view into nearly solid white. “What in the world...?” Zapapple asked as she stared at the sight.

“Oh sweet Celestia,” Daring said as she realized what was going on. “we released the Windigos.”

Chapter 8

There was a soft knock on the university president's door, and Masra didn't even look up from her paperwork as she shouted “Come in.”

The door swung open just enough for an indigo unicorn to slip inside, one hoof adjusting her glasses nervously. “Miss President?”

“Miss Rasa,” Masra replied as she set aside her quill and looked up at her new guest. “What can I do for you this evening?”

“Well,” Tabula Rasa started, rubbing the back of her foreleg with the other, “It's just that it's been a while since Daring Do and Zapapple Tock left on their trip and...”

“And based on their time frame they should have been on site for a little over a day.” Masra replied calmly as she tucked an errant strand of her silver mane back behind her ear. “Why do you bring it up?”

“I was talking to the weather department earlier,” Tabula explained as she slowly made her way toward the president's desk as she pulled a paper out of the saddlebags slung across her back. “and they seemed to have noticed something very...peculiar to the north.”

She unfurled the map across the table once she was close enough, and Masra found herself leaning over the table to take a better look at it. “A weather map?”

Tabula nodded. “Based on observations from the last twelve hours of the northern Unicorn Range.”

“Correct me if I am mistaken,” Masra said as she tilted her head. “But am I reading this properly in that there is a blizzard in those mountains?”

“There is,” Tabula confirmed. “One that wasn't on any of the published weather schedules.”

“A wild storm?” Masra asked as she looked up at the library unicorn.

“The strange part is where is seemed to come from.” Tabula said as she pulled out a few more scrolls which turned out to be yet more maps.

“It's as if it just...popped up half a day ago over a valley and has been growing ever sense.”

“Isn't this the valley miss Tock and miss Do were heading toward?” Masra asked.

Tabula nodded. “I..I helped them with their research. I helped them pick that spot. If I sent them into a wild territory like that...”

“There is no way you could have known.” Masra said, quickly cutting of Tabula's train of thought. “This region is unmarked and unknown – it's why they were going there.” Masra turned back to the map. “Still...this is a troubling development. I assume you've looked through the climate records?”

Tabula gave another nod. “There's no history of errant weather patterns in that area – at least nothing of this scale. Most that's usually reported is heavy mist, maybe some secondary precipitation triggered by nearby weather activities. Its like this storm just came out of nowhere.”

“Nothing come from nowhere.” Masra replied as she studied the map. “Everything has a cause – you said this was centered on the valley?”

Tabula nodded. “We can't get a good angle with our telescopes and observation balloons just end up looking down onto the storm – we can't see the valley interior at all.”

Masra expression quickly grew troubled as she continued to study the map. “This is...highly troubling. You are certain this isn't being generated by natural effects?”

“Not absolutely,” Tabula replied nervously, “But if it is then something has significantly altered the local atmospheric behavior.”

“Indeed,” Masra agreed, “But why now?”

“I..I don't know.” Tabula replied. “Not yet – I thought you should know about this before I started further research and...”

“You are worried about your friends,” Masra finished for her as she pushed the map back towards her. “Please keep me appraised of your progress. In fact...”

Tabula gave Masra a confused look as the president suddenly moved out from behind her desk and started toward the door. “Miss president?”

“Please follow me, Miss Rasa.” Masra said as she opened the door. “There is somebody else I think I need to talk to about this...”

Tabula Rasa quickly followed behind the University president as she quickly started her way through the halls of the school. It was still the early afternoon, which meant a great many students were still in the halls heading between classes. Rumors of the new president had been circulating for days, but for most of those in the halls, it was their first chance to get a look at their new president. A few looked disappointed – stories of the former Royal Guard that had grown with each telling until, when presented with the genuine article, made the somewhat svelte grey-coated earth pony seem quite underwelming.

Others, however, found themselves cowering away from her as she passed for reasons that had little to do with her position of authority. The purple-maned earth mare marched don the hall with the steady and deliberate pace of a Canterlot locomotive, and her steely gaze suggested she was as likely to be just as unforgiving on anypony that ended underhoof.

One pony did not seem bothered by her, however, as the brown-coated earth stallion half trotted and half stumbled through the crowd of students and coming to a fumbling stop a few steps in front of the president. “Ah, miss president!”

Masra gave the stallion a nod of recognition, the smallest quirk of her eyebrow the only change in her expression. “Professor Ed, you look...troubled.”

Tabula leaned around Masra to look at the professor and had to agree. His black mane was a mess, and his cutie mark looked like it hadn't been properly brushed any time recently, its Phi symbol looking uncharacteristically dull.

“I came in this morning and my entire department had been moved!” the professor exclaimed. “Like it had just upped and left. I found everything in a trio of offices in in the east wing.”

“That is because I had the philosophy department moved, professor.” Masra replied calmly, “The vast majority of the ancillary courses and fields that interact with your department are located across campus. By relocating you and co-locating you with related offices, student transit times will be reduced Twenty-three percent. Reduction of your office space to that which is more in-line with your needs reduces department costs by seventeen percent. The knock-on effects are less numerically quantified, but are likely non-trivial.”

Professor Ed nodded slowly, seeming to only understand maybe half of what the president had just said. “I...see. Well, thank you for clearing that up, president. I suppose I should go make sure everything is in order then.”

Tabula watched professor Ed start down the hall before looking at Masra. “Did you really move his offices because of all of that?”

“Of course,” Masra replied as she started down the hall again. “Ponies may lie, but numbers do not – quantified observations are the closest one can get to absolute truth. Numbers, unlike ponies, are absolute.”

Tabula nodded as she followed behind her. “Not everything can be absolute though, right? Some things don't fit into numbers.”

“As expected from the university's librarian,” Masra said, a small smile unseen by Tabula as they walked along. “and I imagine you are quite right – not everything is rational, and many have expressed a similar sentiment as yourself. Sadly, that doesn't make grasping such things easier – so, I make do.”

“R-Right...” Tabula nodded, not quite following but deciding that she wasn't going to get very far asking more questions. Every so often a pony from the physics or mathmatics department would come into the library, claiming to have cracked the key to everything – that they had figured out how to break down everything into ever so many numbers.

The president was not like those ponies. She knew that even numbers had their limits – and that, Tabula imagined, is why she had made it as far as she had.

Nopony else interrupted them as they made their way across campus to the International Studies department, stopping in from of a wood and frosted glass door, the lettering on the front reading 'Storm Talon', with a small piece of paper taped below it that said, in a sharp scrawl, 'if you knock, it had better be good.'

Masra ignored the piece of paper and rapped on the door with one hoof before taking a step back and waiting for a moment while Tabula remained behind her. The librarian was more than happy to let the president take lead on this.

The door was yanked open and an angry looking head of black feathers stuck itself out. “I already told you that you aren't getting any bucking-” Storm Talon let the sentence trail off as he saw who was at the door. “Oh, you – hear to chase me out of my office as well?”

“Not at all,” Masra replied calmly. “Your department is perfectly placed in relation to both the political science and history departments. An issue is at hoof concerning two of your more notable protégées. May I come in?”

Talon considered her for a moment before sighing and stepping back, pulling the door open to let them in. “What did those two morons do now?”

“That is what I was hoping you could help me figure out,” Masra replied as she stepped into the office, Tabula following closely behind. Professor Storm Talon's office was softly lit, leaving the room in a slight gloom that Masra likely assumed was intentional. The desk that Talon had was a simple affair, as were the bookcases on either side that were crammed full of books and papers with little regard for order. Other than the two chairs in front of the desk, the only décor was the collection of pictures and nick-nacks adorning the open wall space. Where most professors hung their diplomas, Storm Talon hung swords and pictures of his earlier days. Several showed him, younger and still processing all of his original limbs, standing at attention with other griffons in full military uniform, the deck and accouterments of a griffon airship obvious in the background. Other showed him with a couple of ponies, and almost always the same ones. Only a couple were in color, and in those the tan pony he was with had a very familiar looking gray-scale mane. “Fond memories?” She asked as she examined one of the blades hanging next to the bookcase.

“Reminders of the past,” Talon replied as he took the seat behind his desk, eyeing Masra as she took one of the remaining chairs. “But I'd imagine you know how that goes.”

Masra gave him a small smile. “You've read my file.”

“Would have been stupid not to,” Talon replied with a shrug. “same reason you read mine.”

“I read yours so I knew what I had at my disposal.” Masra replied calmly. “I find it best to be prepared.”

“So what does the Tyrant Queen of Numbers want with me?” Talon asked. “And what do my two *squawking* dumb-ass's have to do with it?”
Masra's smile transitioned into a small grin. “I'm surprised that name is still following me around – do you know why I have it?”

“Because you work in just one way,” Talon replied. “By cold hard math. I've heard about some of the crap you managed to pull of during the war – some seriously impressive shit if even half of it is true. Not sure if I could have done some of that.”
Masra shrugged. “The needs of the many.”

Talon snorted. “If that lets you sleep at night – ever regret any of it?”

“Never,” Masra replied without hesitation. “Now – about your students...”

The next twenty minutes was spent explaining the matter at hoof to the griffon. His avian features were damnably hard to read, but the steady increase to the tilt of his head said more then enough.

“So,” Talon said after Masra finished her explanation, “Either those two have even worse luck than I thought, or something is trying to kill them.”

“So it seems,” Masra replied with a nod, “Though in the case of the latter we cannot be sure if their deaths are the primary aim or simply a byproduct of a larger action.”

“Still leaves the question of what the buck they found.” Talon replied as he pulled one of the maps closer.

“You assume that they are the ones that triggered this,” Masra replied sceptically as she waved a hoof at a map. “Nothing we have observed indicates anything as such.”

“You want my opinion?” Talon snapped back, “The bucking odds of this sort of shit-show coming down at the exact same moment those two are up there are about as good as the odds of a snowball seeing tomorrow if I shoved it up Celestia's ass.” Talon leaned back in his chair. “You like math – I'll give you a moment to work it out.”

Masra's smirk widened a little. “I think your analogy is sufficient, professor. And I did come here for your opinion.”

“And my opinion is that those two are bucked seven ways to sunday.” Talon replied. “So unless you've got an airship shoved up your rump, this entire exercise is moot.”

“I may not have an airship anywhere on – or, rather, in – my person, but I do know of one close at hoof.” Masra replied. “You are aware that this University has an airship, yes?”

“Yeah,” Talon replied with a shrug, “Getting tested by the aeronautical department before they start building more.” Talon paused as he realized what she was getting at. “Okay, I take back what I said about you sense you arrived. You aren't evil – you're just *squawking* insane.”
“Is it doable?” Masra asked.

“Is what doable?” Tabula finally spoke up from the seat next to the president. She had lost track of the conversation some time around the first string of explicatives.

“Madam president here wants to steal an airship.” Talon replied. “Not just any airship, mind you – a Royal Guard prototype. A vessel created as part of a project under the direct auspices and observation of the Solar Throne. You want to steal Miss Sunshines personal toy? Be my guest, but I'm not feeling up to suicide at the fucking moment – and if you ant to save those girls, neither should you.”
“Suppose you had to do it,” Masra replied, “Hypothetically speaking – how would you do it?”

“I'd need six months to plan it and a operational fund that could cover the theoretical arcana department until the sun goes out.”
“And if you had to do it on a shoestring budget?” Masra asked.

“Then a motherbucking miracle.” Storm answered. “You need inside access.”

“Which I have.” Masra replied. “Obviously. Anything else?”

“People to pilot the damned thing.” He continued. “Only problem is that you need a lot of loud idiots to pilot a ship, which makes getting them in real bucking difficult.”

“Assume you only need to get one pony in,” Masra replied. “What about then?”

“How the fuck-” He cut himself off as he glanced at Masra. Then at Tabula. Then he groaned as he brought a claw to his face with a groan, “Oh. Oh no. I know hat you're thinking – you might have been hot shit way back when, but I don't care what you think of the girl – she cannot pilot an entire airship single-hoofed.”

“Oh, I don't know about that.” Masra replied with a small shrug. “But either way you are avoiding the question – if she was the only one you need to ensure reached the ship, how would you do it?”

“You want an infiltration,” Storm said flatly as he leveled a glare at the president. “You'd have to sneak on and then do...something to get the actual crew off the thing. This is still ignoring that this is all completely bucking insane.”

“Could I not simply order the crew from the ship on some sort of pretense?” Masra asked. “I am afraid naval protocols are somewhat beyond me in regards to such things.”

Talon waved a claw dismissively. “The working crews, maybe, but that ship is a high-end piece of military equipment and you have foreign nationals running around your campus. As nice as Celestia likes to play with our neighbors, doesn't mean we trust them around that sort of shit. You need something to get them off the ship.”

"So,” Tabula mused out loud, head tilting as she stared at the ceiling, lost in her thoughts. “What would make a bunch of ponies evacuate a magically powered ship?” Tabula looked down as she noticed the professor and the president stared at her. “What?”

“How do you-” Talon pointed at her with one claw, “Know what the buck that thing runs on?”

“They needed a text on magic storage in crystalline minerals,” She replied nervously, “Only reason I could think of for why a the work crew on a ship could need that was if they were powering something magically.”

Masra grinned. “An astute observation, Miss Rasa. I do believe you've given us our means of clearing the ship.”

“You want to blow up some sort of magical battery?” Storm Talon asked, quickly catching on.

“Just simulate a possible failure,” Masra replied with a shrug. “We came across a few artifacts of the arcane persuasion during the war – none of them were particularly stable. Most ponies, naturally, have a great fear of uncontrolled magics.”

“Its not fear if its justified,” Storm Talon replied with a small shudder. “So, do I even want to know why you're risking your tail on this bullshit?”
Masra raised an eyebrow. “Why are you?”

“I'm a moron and I owe somepony.” He replied with a shrug. “What's your excuse?”

“I don't leave my ponies in harms way,” Masra replied simply. “Not when I don't have to.”

“Didn't figure you were one to value people so much,” Talon replied gruffly.

“On the contrary,” Masra replied, taking what most ponies would consider an insult without so much as a twitch, “I weigh lives greatly – and the only thing that is worth more then the live of one innocent soul is the life of two. Compared to that, the cost of this...operation,” She gestured with a hoof at the notes strewn across the table, “Is trivial.”

“Uh-huh.” Talon replied as he leaned back in his chair. “Well, on the up side the ship should be well-provisioned – they've been taking it out on shake-down cruises nearly every weekend and they've got a damn sight more ponies then we will.”

“A stroke of good luck.” Masra replied.

“A pearl in the shit.” Talon corrected. “Still means your up past your fetlocks in shit. Not where you usually want to be.” He turned to Masra.

“So, you've got flying the ship and getting the ship worked out – what about you? As much as I'd love to see you head off to your most likely hideously gruesome death, I unfortunately need you to live through this – and if the university board finds out about this, we're all bucked – starting with the girls.”

“That...” Masra replied, “...is an excellent question. It is rather early for me to be taking a trip, even if I claimed it was for university matters.”
“Because the board would wonder where the trip suddenly came from.” Talon replied. “Office politics is a bitch, ain't it?”

“Not as much as actual politics,” Masra replied. “But I lack the insulation of distance that I once had – I hate politics.”

“Then why take this job?” Talon asked.

Masra quirked an eyebrow. “If not me, then who?”

Talon looked at her for a moment before sighing. “I should have guessed. So, any ideas?”

“What about Professor Dachshund?” Masra and Storm Talon turned to Tabula Rasa as she suddenly spoke up, and the unicorn suddenly felt the urge to make herself very small. “I-I mean, uh, maybe we could ask him to, uh, cover for us?”

“While mister Dachshund is no doubt discrete,” Masra replied with a sigh, “I doubt that he has the ability to manage this University for any period of time.”
“If by that you mean he's stoned out of his gourd most of the time,” Talon replied, “then yeah.”

“His file clearly states that his consumption of psychoactive substances is for medical reasons.” Masra replied.

“And I'm queen of Shiva and wear a shiny hat.” Storm grumbled back.

“Well,” Tabula interjected nervously, “He doesn't have to actually run things while you're gone, right? The University deals with the president being absent all the time – the only difference with this is that its not, uh...official.”

“You still have not addressed why Mister Dachshund would be better suited then say, Professor Ed.” Masra replied.

“Well, professor Dachshund is a writer, isn't he?” Tabula said slowly.

Masra and Storm Talon looked at Tabula Rasa for a moment before looking at each other. “That's...” Storm Talon started, “Actually bucking brilliant. Assuming he's not so bucking high he tells them the moon is invading, that could actually work.”

Tabula looked at him in surprise. “Would he actually say that?”

“I once found him running around the city ranting about how a dragon was eating all of the streetlights.” Storm Talon replied. “Guess he mixed up his 'medication' that day.”

“Is such a 'mix-up' likely to happen during this operation?” Masra asked.

Storm shrugged. “Probably not. I hate to say it, by the kid probably has the only workable idea.”

“So,” Masra asked, “Which of us would be better suited to try and convince him to join this endeavor?”

“Convincing him won't be a problem,” Talon replied. “They can't fire him without a real good reason or this risk a equal-opportunity clusterbuck and he's always willing to screw with the board.”

“Then what is the problem?” Masra asked.

“That he should stay,” Talon said with a shrug. “He'd love to go along on this – probably figures it would make a good book or something. We'll need a bucking good reason to convince him to stay.”

“Covering our activities is insufficient?” Masra asked.

“Oh, he'll agree that somebody should stay,” Talon replied. “Just not that it should be him – he'll probably say you should stay.”

“I am the only one capable of ensuring the ship will even reach our destination,” Masra replied. “And you have the necessary aeronautical experience. The reasoning should be clear.”

“Ghoul ain't always big on 'reasoning', Masra.” Talon said with a snort. “Tends to find it boring and inconvenient – in this case, mostly the latter.”

“Well, that settles it then.” Masra rose from her seat. “You shall have to talk to him.”

“What?!” Storm Talon squawked. “Why me?”

“If reason will not persuade him, then I have little leverage.” Masra explained. “You, at least, have your personal relationship to leverage.”

“You want to say that in Equestrian?” Storm Talon asked.

“Um,” Tabula said, “I think she means that the professor trusts you.”

“I bucking knew that,” Storm Talon snapped as he rose from his own chair. “I just wanted to see if I could get her to talk like she didn't have a stick shoved up her ass.”

“You do realize I can hear you, do you not?” Masra asked in a level tone.

“Quite,” Talon replied as he met the president near the door. “So, after you then president?”

Masra gave him a steady gaze before turning and starting out the door. Talon followed after her, Tabula a step behind, as she turned down the hall and started toward Literature department. “I will have to organize my schedule with something to explain my absence, I imagine.”

“Now you're over thinking it,” Talon replied with a huff as he followed behind her. The halls around them were relatively quiet, most of the students currently in class for the moment. “The Board doesn't even pay attention to daily administration most of the time – I mean, you meet with them, what? Once a month?”

“When scheduling permits,” Masra confirmed with a nod. “The board prefer to set long-term goals and leave implementation to myself.”

“So if they aren't going to be looking at you,” Talon continued, “Don't give them a bucking reason too! I thought you were from some sort of special operations bullshit. Surprised you don't get that.”

Masra shrugged. “Very rarely was I the one who had to do the lying.”

The trio came to a stop outside a small office door, the placard that had once identified its owner having vanished, either lost or purposely removed. Masra moved to knock, but Talon beat her to it by simply shoving the door open with a kick.

Ghoul S. Dachshund – professor, writer, eccentric and only Diamond Dog on the teaching staff of any institute of higher education – was sleeping behind his desk. His fisherpony hat was sitting slightly askew, as were his sunglasses due to what looked like a comic book that he was using as an impromptu sleeping mask. Tabula had enough time to notice a pair of large, hairy primate-like beings in fedoras on the cover before Talon yanked it off and tossed it way and began roughly shaking his friend awake. “Up and at em, Ghoul – time to get shit done.”
“Gah-wha-wazzat?” Ghoul flailed for a moment before adjust his sunglasses and staring at the griffon. “Stormington?” He leaned to one side, taking a better look at Masra. “I miss something?”

“A shit-ton, but most of its not important,” Talon replied. “We need you to cover us for a few days and make sure the board doesn't lose their shit.”

“And, uh,” Ghoul asked as he pulled out a fresh cigarette and lit it. “Who is 'we' in this case?”

“That would be me,” Masra supplied as she took a step forward.

Ghoul looked at Masra before turning to his friend. “I take it this is one of the important bits?”

“The girls have gotten themselves into some serious shit,” Storm Talon said succinctly. “The sort of shit that gets good ponies killed when you like red tape handle it.”

“So why are you takin' her!?” Ghoul asked as he waved a paw at Masra. “Let her keep the board busy or whatever.”

“One, this whole thing is her idea,” Talon replied. Masra didn't see how that mattered, but it seemed to give the Diamond Dog pause as his friend continued. “And two, she has something planned.”

Masra grinned, “what makes you think that?”

“I've read your file,” Storm Talon replied, “you know bucking well we're going to need crap not on the ship, QED you have a plan,”

“So, you trust the broad?” Ghoul asked.

“Assuming she's as good as her file claims?” Talon replied with a shrug, “sure.”

“I assure you,” Masra replied with calm confidence, “I am quite capable of backing my claims. I just hope your friend is as capable as you have claimed.”

Ghoul raised an eyebrow high enough to be seen over his sunglasses at that. “Pardon?”

Masra gave a shrug as she dusted off one of the chairs in the cramped office and seated herself on it. “Professor Storm Talon has made a great deal of your...creative talents,” Masra took a look around the small office. Most of the walls were occupied by bookcases and filling cabinets, all haphazardly stuffed and overflowing. A beaten old typewriter sat next to a mess of quills and ink wells, both covered in a mess of papers. “Though I find myself doubting if you are the Dog for the job, as it were.”

Ghoul stared at the president for a long minute before turning to Storm Talon. “You got a plan?”

“She does,” Talon replied as he pointed at Masra with one claw. “More like half of one. Still, all we've got.”
“And the girls are in trouble?” Ghoul asked.

“Big time.” Talon nodded. “You remember Istanbull?” Ghoul nodded. “This is worse.”

“Well, Istanbull wasn't that bad.” Ghoul said with a shrug.

Storm Talon stared at his friend as his head slowly tilted. “You and I remember Istanbull very differently.”

“Uh,” Tabula spoke up hesitantly. “What happened in Istanbull?”

“Are you talking about Istanbull during the war?” Masra asked in surprise. “That was you two?”

“And Daren.” Talon added with a shrug. “If you want a history lesson, go down the bucking hall.” He turned back to Ghoul. “Can you help us or not?”

Ghoul leaned back in his chair with a sigh as he rubbed at his face. “You just need me to make sure the board doesn't catch on, right?” Ghoul shrugged. “I guess I can do that. How hard can covering for two people be?”

“Uh, three actually.” the three of them all turned to look at Tabula Rasa. She just looked back at them in mild confusion. “What? I thought it was obvious I would be coming along.”

Storm Talon's beak clicked softly before he tilted his head back in a room-shaking laugh. “The egghead wants to come along!? This isn't a camping trip, sweetie!”

Tabula gave Storm Talon a sharp glare as she adjusted her glasses. “I will have you know that I am one of the highest evaluated practitioners in the University.”

“You ever been in a fight, sweetheart?” Talon asked levelly. “This isn't some school field trip. If something isn't trying to kill us at some point during this fiassco, I will be very disappointed.”

“I... might not have as much time in the field as Miss Tock or Miss Do,” Tabula replied, “and I will be the first to admit that I prefer to work in...controlled conditions, but if I cannot step out of my comfort zone to help my friends than what sort of friend am I?”

Storm Talon studied her for a moment before his beak clicked together softly. “Your funeral, girl – at least I'll die with somepony other than the Tyrannt over there.”

Masra sighed. “Why must you assume we are going to die?”

Talon shrugged. “Safer that way. So – what's the plan?”

Chapter 9

“Daring!” Zapapple shouted as the earth pony trudged through the snow after her friend, but Daring either couldn't hear or was simply ignoring her. Zap found herself slightly thankful for the nearly blizzard conditions that kept her pegasus friend from simply flying off without her. “Daring, slow down! You aren't making any sense!”

Daring wheeled around and dropped down in front of her friend. She sank up to her knees into the snow as the wind threatened to tear her hat off and carry it into the white void around them. Even in the shadow of the castle, with the great stone monolith and the ruin atop it providing cover from the worst of the storm, the to mares could barely hear themselves think.

Daring trudged up to her friend, fear and panic clear on her face. “Ahuizotl said it himself – that was the Spear of the Windigos! The creatures that nearly plunged Equestria into an eternal winter before it could even be founded! And we helped let them out!”

“Daring, that wasn't our fault,” Zapapple said as she laid a hoof on her friends shoulder. “We couldn't have stopped this.”

“I know...” Daring nodded with a sigh as she let her had hang for a moment. In an instant though, her head shot up as she locked eyes with
Zap, brow furrowed. “...but we can sure as Tartarus do something about it now.” She turned around before unfurling her wings and shooting into the air with a single flap, though this time she stayed closer to Zapapple. “Come on – we've got to get back to the research camp.”

“For what?” Zap asked as she started through the snow again. A tremor was starting in her hooves as the cold began to sink in, but she did her best to ignore it. At the least, walking through the snowfall was plenty enough work to keep her warm.

“Notes,” Daring replied as she pushed against the wind. “records, artifacts – anything that might give us a clue of how to stop this.” Around them, the wind began to pick up as they left the far-reaching cover of the Castle and its outcropping and into the storm proper. The scene around them was a solid sheet of white, and the only indicator that they were going the right way was the looming silhouette of the castle behind them. Slowly, however, another collection of shapes began to emerge from the white ahead of them. They were slow to resolve as they drew closer, and it wasn't until they were practically on top of them that the shape of the trees finally resolved itself. “Okay, we're back at the forest...somehow – that would mean that the camp is...”

“That way,” Zapapple said as she point off to their right. “We should stay inside the forest for a while – it might give us some cover from the storm.”

“Good idea,” Daring said as she nodded before lowering her altitude until she was just above the ground and below the lowest branches. After everything that had happened, getting taken out by a tree branch would be highly anticlimactic and undignified.

Zap had been right – in among the trees, the wind died down significantly, though the howling whistle of the storm rushing through and between the trees was even louder the the howling of the wind before. A side-effect was that they were dusted almost constantly with a thin covering of snow as the wind cleared it off the branches high overhead.

Even with the lessened wind, the snow was piled high and the tree's close together – it made the going slow. Even in the best conditions, there were enough hidden holes, loose rocks and general underbrush to trip and sprain something over that forests were a pain to navigate. In the middle of a snow storm, the danger was multiplied drastically. So, Daring wasn't entirely surprised when Zapapple lost her footing on something concealed under the thick layer of snow and she face planted into a snowdrift that had gathered at the base of a particularly large tree. What she hadn't expected was what she felt when she helped Zapapple out of the drift. “you're freezing!”

“Not all of us can be as well insulated as your fluffy feathered rump,” Zapapple replied as she dusted the worst of the snow off. “Don't worry about it – Earth Pony, remember? We can take worse than this.”

“Maybe I should carry you...” Daring started to say. Trudging through all that snow couldn't be helping.

“Oh no,” Zapapple said as she shook her head. “I'm not letting you exhaust yourself when I'm perfectly fine walking.”

“But-” Daring started but was quickly cut off.

“Which of us has more field time?” Zapapple said as she quickly cut off her friend.

“You,” Daring replied. “but-”

“No buts!” Zapapple said as she started forward again. “Now, lets keep moving – the sooner we get to that camp the sooner both of us can get warm.”

Daring watched Zap for a moment before following after her. Zapapple was probably right – its not like she'd be able to fly very far carrying her, especially in this weather – but leaving her literally out in the cold like that still felt...wrong. The only thing to do about it was like Zapapple said – get to that camp and get warm. Well, no reason she had to be cold alone.

Zapapple looked up in shock as Daring dropped down next to her. “What the hay are you doing?”

“Walking like you,” Daring said as she shifted her hooves in the snow a little. “No reason for you to be down here alone.”

“There's plenty of reason!” Zapapple replied as she tried to push Daring skyward again. “Starting with the fact that you have wings! I told you – I'm an Earth Pony. I'll live. Your skinny pegasus rear, however, will be a popsicle before we clear the trees.”

“I'm not leaving you alone!” Daring said with a stomp of her hoof. The thick layer of snow made it decidedly less dramatic then she would have liked.

“You aren't,” Zapapple replied, pointing a hoof overhead. “You're flyin' above me – not ditching me. Now stop being so darn silly and get your behind back in the air.”

Daring stared at Zapapple for a moment before taking wing again with a sigh and a small 'fine'. Daring found herself glancing at her friend as they set off again. Zapapple was probably right.

That didn't mean Daring had to like it though.

The two trudged on in silence after that, neither having much to say – speaking just meant breathing more of the freezing air anyway. Luckily for them, soon a familiar looking stone outcropping started to emerge from the blanket of white ahead. “Oh, thank Celestia...” Zapapple muttered as her pace sped up. “Come on – the camp isn't far!”

“Hey, wait!” Daring shouted, but Zapapple wasn't listening to her and vanished around a clump of trees. Daring poured on a burst a speed to catch up with her friend, and was caught off-guard when she found Zapapple still standing at the edge of the forest. “Woah – you trying to get me to crash into you? What are you...” Daring trailed off as she finally noticed what Zapapple was staring at.

The field that had once help the old expedition camp – the field that they had put their own camp on the edge of – was now nothing more then a field of white. Only a few tent poles, pulled loose from their anchorings and now jutting out of the snow like stunted trees, were left to mark what had once been the site of a veritable tent village. “its all...its just...”

“It's gone.” Zapapple said. “It's all gone.” And Equestria was going to end up just like it, Daring thought, if they couldn't do something to stop it. But what could they do when all of their best leads were under who knows how much snow and they were left to freeze their hooves off?

“Come on,” Daring replied as she looked around, “Our camp was on higher ground, wasn't it? Maybe we can still get to that...”

Zapapple stared at the field for another moment before nodding. “Right. Hopefully it wasn't under too much snow...” In fact, their campsite was in an even better state then they could have hoped – the terrain and the tree's had shielded it from the worst of the blizzard, and once they dragged their packs out of the snow and back into the tree-line the wind was almost bearable.

Zapapple mumbled a quick thank-you to Celestia before the pair started digging through their packs for sleeping bags and, crucially, some matches. A lightning bolt might have done the trick, but Daring didn't think she could manage to keep a cloud coherent enough in the middle of a wild storm as big as this one. It was, after that, short work to get their small camp set up and a fire arranged.

'Arranged' Daring thought, instead of 'lit', since every piece of kindling they could find was damp from the snow and as a result, no matter what they tried, the wood refused to take light. Daring gave up trying after wasting nearly half of their matches in absolute futility. “So, what were you saying about a fire?”

“Shut it,” Zapapple growled as she picked through the pile of kindling, setting a few aside before she dug out a utility knife. “So, any ideas on how to not freeze to death?”

“Uh...” Daring looked around for a moment before turning to her friend with a shrug. “...igloo?”

Zapapple shrugged as she started shaving the bark off of her collection of sticks. “Worth a shot – You start on that while I try and make some dry kindling. Hopefully we can get warm and out of the wind soon enough...”

The did their work in silence, focusing their energy into getting warm sooner. Unfortunately, neither of them was having much luck. The snow wasn't cooperating with Daring and after an hour she gave up with nothing to show for her efforts but a pile of semi-melted snow. “You know, I think I'm supposed to have a mold for this for sort of thing...”

“Hey,” Zapapple replied as tossed another twig into the pile she was building. “the igloo was your idea.” she sighed as she set her knife aside. “So, this is going to take forever at this rate.”

“Tell me about it,” Daring said with a nod before she turned to her friend with a grin. “Want to go check out that camp now?”

“You do realize that we'd have to get this all sorted out when we get back, right?” Zapapple replied as she waved a hoof around at their half-finished camp.

“Yeah,” Daring replied. “But come on! They probably have maps of the whole castle and this time we don't have to worry about getting jumped by angry griffons!” Daring clapped her hooves together excitedly. “The layout of an entire pre-classical fortress! Can you imagine the possibilities?”

“I can imagine that digging through all of that snow will be a royal pain.” Zapapple replied. “You do realize that the camp is buried under goddess knows how much snow, right?”

“please,” Daring replied nonchalantly. “We can see some of the tent poles through the snow. That puts the depth at two meters tops.” She paused before adding “maybe three.”

Zapapple blinked. “...okay. Do you have any idea where to dig?”

“Tent poles,” Daring replied as she started digging through their packs. “Duh. Did we bring any shovels?”

“Technically,” Zapapple pointed out as Daring pulled out a small folding shovel with a muffled 'aha!', “we should set up a grid and work our way through methodically.”

“Too boring,” Daring replied with a shrug as she trotted past her friend toward the nearest flag pole. “I'm just going to start digging and see what I find.”

“And how are you going to keep the hole from collapsing?” Zapapple asked as she followed Daring. “That snow wasn't packing too well for you when you were trying to make bricks – what makes you think a hole will do?”

“Well, I'll make it down to something eventually, right?” Daring replied as she stopped next to the thin wooden strut that had once held up the canvas roof of one of the tents and began unfolding the shovel. She fought with it for a moment before the blade flipped out and locked into place with a small 'click'. “There we go...” Daring said as started digging.

“You going to do that on your own?” Zapapple asked.

“If you want to help, be my guest,” Daring replied as dug. She bit back a curse as a gust sent a flurry of snow to fill in what little progress she had made. “You could keep watch or something – make sure those Raptorian guys don't sneak up on us.”

Zapapple took a quick look around. “Daring, they could walk within fifty paces of us and probably not see us in this weather.”

“Well, I'll be sure to tell them that if they catch us.” Daring replied as she kept digging.

“Yeah, yeah – I get the...” Zapapple paused mid-reply as her ears pivoted around, followed by the rest of her head. “...do you hear that?”

Daring paused in her digging as she tried to hear what her friend was talking about. “Sounds like...hoofsteps?”

“Its a little off, I think.” Zapapple replied. “doesn't sound like griffon's either. Coming from the wrong direction too...” Their speculation ended as the angled silhouettes of a trio of timberwolves resolved from the haze of white. The dusting of snow over them turned their usual brown wooden bodies into a dirty white, but nothing would conceal the green flow of their eyes or the bared teeth as they slowly stalked toward the two ponies.

“I almost wish it was griffons,” Daring deadpanned as the pair slowly back-stepped.

“The day is young,” Zapapple replied dryly. “Go, I can hold them off.”

Daring stared at her for a moment and laughed. “Not a chance – I might be new to this field stuff, but I'm not leaving you to fight three timberwolves all alone.”

“Our funeral,” Zapapple replied with a shrug. “Just don't blame me when this all goes to the moon.”

“Well, aren't you cheerful,” Daring said back with a frown. “You could be at least a little positive.”

“What?” Zapapple replied, “and miss my last chance of being right?”

At this point, the timberwolves stopped advancing for a moment and two of them exchanged confused looks. Usually the squishy colorful things were louder and more screamy when they saw them. The relative calm of this pair was somewhat odd – and the fact that the flying one was still at a convenient biting height was even weirder. After a moment, the pair just turned to the third wolf, who just rolled his eyes before nodding toward the pair of ponies. The message was clear enough – just eat them already.

The other two didn't need any further instruction. With a pair of howls, they bounded toward Daring and Zapapple. Fangs bared.

Daring shot skyward as Zapapple dodged to the side, and the wolf ended up with nothing but a muzzle full of snow for its trouble.
It quickly found itself with a second muzzle full when its friend used him for a launching board as it made for a snap at Daring. Daring gave her wings another quick pump and managed to avoid the snapping teeth, letting the timberwolf's arc carry it back into the snow where it rolled over once before rolling back onto its feet.

While Daring was dodging one, the other was making what professor Storm Talon generally called 'poor bucking life choices'. It took a few bounding strides to build up momentum before leaping at Zapapple again. Unfortunately for it, those few strides gave Zapapple enough time to turn around and brace before snapping out with both rear legs. Two solid earth pony hooves met timberwolf jaw mid-leap with enough force to not only snap it off, but send it crashing backward hard enough to take out one of the front legs.

The broken timberwolf flew backward and crashed into the snow with a small yelp and a whimper, but its broken state would not last for long – thin wisps of the magic that held together its being were already snaking out and pulling the disconnected bits back toward the main body. Zapapple didn't get a chance to enjoy the respite, no matter how brief it might have been, as the third timberwolf that had been waiting in the wings decided at that moment that it was time to join the fray.

Daring barely had time to shout out a quick warning before the arborian carnivore was on Zapapple. Zapapple landed on her back, hooves desperately pushing back the wolf as its jaws snapped inches from her face. Her entire view was filled with a blur of flashing thorn-like teeth and sickly green glowing eyes. “Daring!”

“Hold on!” Daring cried back as she dodged another lunge from the pair below her. The pair had given up trying to reach her has she hovered, but stayed below her no matter what she tried. Her first dive toward Zap was cut short as she dodged a lunge that would have nicely removed a hoof. “I can't get close!”

“Try harder!” Zapapple yelled back. One of her hooves was jammed up under the wolf's jaw, desperately trying to keep it away from her throat. “I don't know how long I can hold this!”

Well, at least the other two are focused on me, Daring thought. The two timberwolves had all of their attention directed at her – in fact, Daring realized slowly, they seemed very focused on her. “I have an idea!”

“What sort of-”Zapapple said as she glanced toward her friend, only to see her shooting off away from her at low altitude and high speed, the two wolves in close pursuit. “Daring!”

Daring was almost out of the earth pony's sight when she made a sharp turn left. Underneath her, the wolves kept their gaze aimed skyward at her as she took another turn. “Thats right – follow the pegasus...” She took another sharp turn before slowly arcing her way back toward Zapapple. Daring risked a quick glance at her friend. The combined weight of her and the timberwolf pinning her had sunk her into the snow, leaving only her hooves fighting against the wolf to show she was really there. “Zapapple, keep it distracted!”

“Not likely to be a bloody problem!” Zap yelled back as she tilted her head back in an attempt to but a little more distance between her throat and the jaws that wanted to rip it out. “What are you-”

Her sentence was cut off as she saw a tan blur pass overhead, followed closely by what sounded like a lumberyard collapsing as the two timberwolves chasing Daring crashed into the one that had been pinning Zapapple. One of its paws remained with Zap as the rest of it was carried along in a tangled mass along with its friends, shedding twigs as it rolled and crashed along.

Zapapple was breathing heavily as she slowly sat up, wiping beads of sweat from her forehead as she glanced at the mass of wood that was slowly pulling itself together. “Good – huff – plan, Daring.”

There was a small poof of snow as Daring unceremoniously crashed down next to Zapapple. “Thanks, but I don't think I can do that again.” Both mares were breathing heavily as they glanced back toward their now partially reassembled enemies. “Should would be nice if we had some fire, right now...”

Zapapple glared at Daring for a moment. “Can't you summon lightning?” Daring's mouth snapped shut and Zap smirked. “Thought so – now get ready for round two.” the earth pony climbed back to her feet as she kept her eyes on her enemies as they put themselves back together. “Think we should hit them while they're down?”

“Very unsportmare-like,” Daring replied as she got back to her hooves, dusting off some of the snow. “lets do it.” The two mares shared a quick nod before both charged at the timberwolves. Daring came in high and Zapapple came in low, and one wolf somehow managed to yelp despite missing its lower jaw as two speeding masses of pony crashed into them hooves-first. Two of the wolves managed to get out of the way, but the one that was unfortunately missing its two left legs had no such luck.

Zapapple's first buck sent its head flying clear off into the blizzard, vanishing into the persistent haze of snow fall. Daring hit it a split-second afterward, displacing its torso from its two remaining legs as it splintered.

Sensing that one of their own was now down for the long haul, the two remaining ones kept their distance from the two ponies. Now lacking surprise or superior numbers, neither was willing to make the first move.

“Why aren't they backing off?” Daring whispered to Zapapple as they stared down the two timberwolves. “We no longer seems like soft targets - they should be backing off at this point.”

“Maybe they can't?” Zapapple suggested. “Its not like we can go anywhere at the moment, after all.”

“But they aren't-” Daring started before a piercing, shrieking howl. The two wolves hunched low, ears pinned back as they glanced around quickly. They didn't wait for the howl to die away as they rushed over to what was left of their comrade, one grabbing onto its torso by a branch while the other collected the legs. The one with the legs shot Daring and Zapapple one last glance, growling at them before running off and vanishing along with its friend into the snow storm.

Daring and Zapapple just stood there for a moment before Zapapple finally said “okay – what just happened?” Before Daring could reply, another piercing howl cut through the air as something seemed to part the snow ahead of them. Daring found herself squinting at the strange change in the otherwise uniform sheet of white around them, watching the falling snow swirl into strange patterns under the influence of an unseen force. It was almost like...

Daring's eye's shot wide as she realized what it was. “Move!” Zapapple didn't have time to reply as Daring grabbed her and yanked her off her hooves. The pair once again found themselves buried in a snow drift as the curtain of white finally parted.
It would have been a stampede if their had been any actual mass to the hooves to the creatures storming past. Spectral hooves sent ice spiderwebbing across the ground wherever they touched, compacted snow taking on a glassy sheen. Flaring nostrils sent out plumes of ice crystals, a curling mist that parted as the herd sped through it.

Zapapple could only stare in shock as the pack of Windigo's sped past to parts unknown. “Where did they all come from...?”
“The castle,” Daring said back as she watched the spectral wall of ice spirits continue past. “The spear was holding them back.”

“But that many?” Zap replied as she turned to her friend.

“Well, they nearly ended the world once,” Daring replied. “can't do that with just three of them.”

After another minute, the stampede finally started to die down. Daring hadn't even tried to keep count of all of them, but if she had to guess its was dozens, maybe hundreds. She found herself mentally revising her estimation of how long Equestria had. She wasn't liking what she was coming up with. Zapapple summed things up quite succinctly. “We're doomed.”

“Don't say that!” Daring shot back. “We still have a chance to stop this, don't we? We just have to find something in the camp...”

“Then we better get down there fast,” Zapapple replied. “Since I don't think Equestria has as much time as we thought.”

Daring gulped. “R-right, no pressure.” The two quickly went back to their digging their hole, which due to the passing of the Windigos didn't collapse in on itself as they descended. “Guess they were good for something, at least.”

“'We help our own destruction', right?” Zapapple replied as she chipped away another layer of compacted snow.

“The line is 'we sow the seeds of our own demise', Zap.” Daring corrected, punctuating the statement as she brought her shovel down again.
Zapapple shrugged. “Same-difference.”

Luckily for them, the snow wasn't as deep as either of them feared. Unfortunately, it seemed that those tents had been way sturdier then the had expected.

The sound of heavy canvas tearing was the only warning either of them had as the shovel cut through something that was most certainly not ice. They had just enough time to turn to each other before the ground gave out underneath them.

Zapapple hit the ground first and, though her flailing was enough to slow her down slightly, a two meter fall was not enough time for a pegasus to actually remember how to fly. Zapapple had barely gotten her bearings again when a mass of tan fur and feathers crashed into her.

The two mares just sat there in a tangle for a moment before Zapapple finally spoke up. “Daring?”

There was a brief pause before Daring replied. “Yeah, Zap?”

“Get off.”

Daring pulled herself off her blue friend, flopping onto her back next to Zapapple with a groan. “Zap? I take it back – this field stuff is horrible and I want to go home.”

“After this,” Zapapple groaned, “I might just pick up lab work.”

Daring cracked an eye open and looked at her friend. “Really?”

“Nah,” Zap replied. “just sayin' stuff. You alright?”

“I landed on you,” Daring replied. “How about you?”

“I'll live.” Zap replied as she pulled herself back onto her hooves and looked around. The canvas was ripped in several places, letting faint pale blue light that filtered through the snow and ice leak through along with the bright circle that marked where they had fallen in. The same hole was letting though a gentle breeze that made combined with the weight of the ice overhead to make the entire structure groan ominously. “Are you sure this will hold?”

“It hasn't collapsed yet, has it?” Daring replied as she paced around the tent. They seemed to have lucked out – it seemed that they had dropped into the middle of one of the larger tents, and based on the tables and effects scattered across them it seemed like it was either a main lab or some sort of field archive. Their weren't any proper bookcases, but there were plenty of books – Daring suspected that their might have been an airship or at least a few wagons buried somewhere nearby. Scattered among the tables were crates, lids open to reveal the straw packing inside along with whatever item the straw was protecting. “besides, this looks promising.”

“And lethal,” Zapapple replied. “You sure about this?”

Daring, however, was already digging through the nearest crate. “Zap! Take a look at this – they recovered pieces from one of the castle murals!” Zapapple sighed as she watched the pegasus drag the piece out of its crate and over to a table, blowing a dusting of snow off an arm-mounted magnifier before pulling it over the piece and examining the chunk of mural. “This is amazing – some of the writing on this is minuscule. And it doesn't match the script on the mural – this could be an undocumented dialect! If I can just work out the vowels...”

Zapapple left her friend to her work as she poked around the rest of tent. She still found herself eying the straining canvas above her head, but it looked to be holding. What the hay were they made of, anyway? Whatever they were, she was glad it seemed to be ridiculously over-engineered. For now, she decided to see if there was anything in the personal notes laying around.

With little method in mind, Zapapple just walked up to the nearest table, pulled over a book and flipped it open. She gave a small snort.

“Figures...” It was somepony's notes, alright, but either their mouth script was terrible or they were on way too much coffee to keep their telekinesis stable because its was pretty much unreadable. She pushed the notebook aside and pulled another one closer. She really hoped this wasn't sompony's personal desk, otherwise all of the notes would be useless.

Luckily, it was either a common desk or somepony had brought an assistant all the way out here because the first page she flipped to was filled with neat, compact writing. She didn't see a date, just a heading indicating some sort of lot or batch number, followed by a list of objects and notes about them. In all, it looked like a fairly standard field log of artifacts – the sort you put together after you got the worst of the dirt off of the finds, but hadn't had enough time to do more than eyeball it all. She quickly settled into a more comfortable position as she started scanning over the pages. Maybe, just maybe, they had found a way to undo all of this.

She didn't get more then a few pages in though before Daring suddenly spoke up. “Wait a minute...Zap! I think I found something!”

“So do I,” Zapapple replied as she walked over, the notebook still held in one hoof. “Wanna compare notes?”

“Sure,” Daring scooted over to make room for her friend, waiting for Zap to settle the book onto the table before pulling her over. “Take a look at this part – it was mixed in with the rest of the script, but I can actually read this part. It talks about some sort of key or something – I think the rest of script might be part of a ritual or something...”

“Well, that sounds about right,” Zapapple replied as she pulled the notebook over. “A few of the entries in the log mention a 'key room' of some sort – probably the same thing.”

“If its some sort of control room, then it could be a way to turn this all around.” Daring turned to Zapapple. “We should at least go take a look.”

“Agreed,” Zapapple nodded. “I'll stay here and get camp set up while you zip over and-”

“What!?” Daring cut Zapapple off. “No – we stick together.”

“Daring, I'm freezing,” Zapapple replied, “And I do not want trek through that snow again – you can fly over the worst of it, and you can move a lot faster if you don't have to keep pace with me.”

“But-” Daring started, but Zapapple held up a hoof to silence her.

“Go,” Zapapple gave Daring a comforting smile. “"I'll have the fire going when you return."

Chapter 10

Daring cast another glance back toward their camp, but kept pressing forward. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Zapapple was right. They didn't have time for her to fight her on the idea of splitting up – they had a country to save. Daring swallowed nervously at that idea. First real adventure and she had to save the world – she sure knew how to pick them, didn't she?

The camp was already out of sight, gone in the whiteout conditions of the snowstorm. With little to see behind her, Daring turned her attention to the looming shadow of the castle ahead of her. She was glad that the storm had seemed to have died down since the Windigo herd and ran through – the winds had dropped to almost nothing, and only the lightest of dusting's was falling from above. It did leave her wondering just what, exactly, was keeping enough snow airborne to whiteout everything.

Probably magic, Daring figured.

With no idea where those Raptorian guys might be, Daring warily made her way around the edge of the castle until she found herself once again looking up at the main entrance to the castle. “Tempting, but...no.” Yeah, Daring thought as she flew further along, walking in the front door seemed like a good idea... if she wanted to get caught again.

She kept making her way around the edge of the castle, on edge as she jumped at every little sound that her mind decided to interpret as 'griffon about to lunge on you'. It meant that by the time she reached a caved in section of roof she was already tired before she had even really started. “Well,” Daring muttered to herself as she eyed the hole. “here goes nothing.”

She dropped down through the hole, landing on the floor after a short fall. She took a quick look around. No waiting griffons. No monsters readying to pounce. No booby traps. “Huh,” Daring said after a moment. Part of her had been expecting...well, something.

Well, she'd take whatever good luck she could get at the moment. With little idea where she was going, Daring simply turned in the direction she thought was toward the rest of the castle and started walking. These tunnels were, barring the hole she had come in by, better preserved then the others she had seen – little snow had found its way in, and gems along the top of the walls cast the entire space in eerie blue light. The walls were covered in the same murals they had seen before – some were scenes she recognized from her own history lessons, while others were repeats of the earlier murals. A few were new, but she didn't pause long enough to give them more than a cursory look. Most of them seemed to be variations of the same theme – a cottage surrounded by a blizzard. She didn't want to dwell on what that might have meant for Equestria at the moment.

She stepped around the next turn in the tunnel and found herself blinking as she stepped out the the low blue glow of the gems into the harsh reflected white light of outside. It took her a second to recover from the blinding glare to figure out where it was coming from – a familiar set of towering windows, their glass long since gone – were arranged on either side. The room wasn't as tall as the main chamber she had passed through with that Ahuizotl creature, but the windows were definitely the same distinctively carved stone frames and just past them she could recognize a few of the stone crags from before even from a different angle. Somepony had gone through a lot of trouble to build a two-story grand hall – but, then, somepony had gone through a lot of trouble with this entire complex.

Still, if this was right under that booby trapped main floor, then that meant that whatever was at the other end was right under the main vault. Well, that had to be interesting, right?

The only problem was that the entire floor ahead of her was probably rigged to horribly kill her if she wasn't careful.
She shifted her wings a little as she grinned. Yeah, right. No rope, no angry Raptorian mercenaries, no raging torrent of snow. This would take ten seconds, tops.

Daring took wing and started across the intervening space at a slow, careful pace. She might not have to worry about ground-bound traps, but there were plenty of ways to make life difficult for a flier, especially when you know exactly were they will be.
Like in the middle of a big old secret grand hall.

So, she was only slightly surprised when she managed to trigger something as she crossed the room. How, she wasn't sure – maybe it was the overpressure from her wing flaps, or maybe she had blocked the wrong beam of light. All she knew was that she could suddenly hear the distinct sound of stone sliding against stone from somewhere overhead. She looked up to see a block as big as she was sliding free of the ceiling and plunging toward her. “Celestia, I hate being right all the time.” Daring muttered before she rolled out of the way of the stone.
She barely had enough time to catch her breath as the sound of another stone sliding free forced he back into motion. Heavy crashes thundered through the hall and out the paneless windows as the entire ceiling seemed intent on killing Daring. She dodged and weaved through the indoor rockfall, but the stones seemed to keep coming. “How...” She huffed as she quickly reversed direction to avoid becoming a pink smear. “...did they fit so many darn stones up there?”

Daring could feel her wings beginning to strain, and her lungs burned from the excursion. The only thing that kept her moving was the knowledge that stopping would be a really, really bad idea. She ducked low as another stone block came down on her, her feathers brushing across the underside of the stone before she shot clear of it and juked around a second stone. The other side of the chamber was almost in reach – she was three-quarters of the way there – when the room changed tactics.

A sudden change in the air pressure below her was the only warning she got as the floor suddenly shot up at her. She rolled to the side as the column suddenly burst from the floor, coming close enough to brush against her side. Another sudden rush of air sent her bolting nearly straight up as a second column came rushing up, with a matching stone falling down from above to catch her in the middle.

A pump of her wings sent her clear of the trap, save for a few tail hairs, as the stones exploded in a rain of shrapnel. She hissed in pain as a sharp chunk of dark rock grazed her side, blood welling up along the cut, but she didn't slow down. She was almost there.

The room, however, seemed intent on tearing itself apart before she could make it. Thundering hammer falls of columns meeting their falling counterparts made the chamber sound like the center of a lighting storm. She could feel more rock raining down on her, she could feel the traps trying to kill her, forcing her to dodge and weave as she crossed that last bit of distance.

A low rumbling that dwarfed anything she had heard before came a moment before all the columns shot back into the floor before they began to rise again, this time around the very door she was trying to reach.

And this time they weren't going back down.

Daring put everything she had left into one final burst of speed as she shot toward the door. To her left and right, columns shot up to the roof, closing in on her sides. The final hoof full of columns that would close off the center were already rising as she crossed the threshold.
For a brief instant, all Daring saw was the massive form of a stone column shooting up toward her.

And then she was clear, crashing into the far wall, bouncing off it and slamming into the solid mass of stone that was now behind her before she dropped to the floor.

The small landing was dark for a moment before a string of gem lights flickered to life somewhere overhead. Daring was too tired to actually look. She just laid slumped on the floor, trying to catch her breath and get herself back under control after yet another near-death experience in way-to-soon. After a moment, Daring finally managed to get her breathing back under control. “I really...” she muttered between heavy breathes, “...should have let Zap do this.” She wasn't sure how Zapapple would have gotten through that horribleness, but she was sure she would have managed somehow. Maybe just waited until the room smashed itself to bits – that fit with Zap's style. The methodical, think-then-act approach. Daring didn't have the patience for that – she much preferred to dive in and work it out as she went. Then again, if you ran into a brick-wall in your research, it didn't risk you getting squashed like a bug.

It took her another minute or three for her to get back onto her hooves and finally take a look at the door that she had just risked her flank to reach. Like the floor upstairs, the door had little to no sign of a locking mechanism, and no indication of how to open it at first glance. Unlike the one upstairs, this one at least had a seam down the middle from floor to ceiling, so at least she could tell where it would probably open. There were no convenient hoofprint indents this time. Daring started poking around the edge of the door and, when that didn't uncover anything, she started poking around the floor. Zapapple would probably have taken issue with her haphazard search pattern, but in the end the results were the same – no obvious levers or switches. Figures. Things were never like they were in the books. “Well,” Daring thought out loud, “If it isn't obvious it must be un-obvious.” She took another look around the dimly lit space, trying to think where you could hide a switch. The first one had been a pressure pad – a hoof only pressure pad, Daring remembered. Only a pony – or, perhaps a Zebra – could have triggered it. It was why Ahuizotl had kept her and Zap around when he had.

“So,” Daring said as she stepped toward the door, laying both her front hooves on it, “how would I make sure only a pony could open my door?” Not magic – they would have used a fancy scanning spell on the other door if they had one. Maybe a test? Not full-proof, sure, but neither was the hoof test.

She took another look at the door. The edge of it was covered with a collection of symbols. Hoofs, claws, suns, wings, paws, antlers and horns. They tiled the edge of the stone, which seemed odd. Most of the rest of the ruins had been covered in engravings. “I wonder...” She thought as she reached a hoof out to the nearest hoof tile. As soon as she tapped it, it receded into the door, followed by the next two up and down the row, and then the two after that. The tiles rippled around the door until they reached the other side and the chamber echoed with a low click as some sort of mechanism tripped.

“Okay then,” Daring murmured to herself as she looked for the next tile. “Lets go with horns next...” She reached for the nearest horn tile, but then the ground shifted. Maybe it was the ruin settling – she'd heard of that happening to some ponies. Maybe one of the stone traps outside had fallen over. Maybe the whole place was about to fall off the side of the mountain.

All Daring knew was that she had just pressed an antler tile by mistake.

“...oops.” Daring squeaked out before throwing herself backwards. An instant later her paranoia was rewarded as there was a heavy thunk from somewhere deep and the floor she had just been standing on slammed shut like a giant stone maw. These guys really didn't believe in second chances, it seemed.

Daring waited for the floor to return to its original position before tentatively toeing her way to it. She gave it a quick poke, but it seemed unresponsive. Taking a deep breath, Daring stepped back onto the stones and started again.

This time she managed to press the horn tile without incident. The same rippling pattern passed around the doors edge as the matching tiles sunk back. That left just the last tile.

Daring slowly reached out toward the wing tile, tapping it before she braced herself. For a moment, nothing happened. She wondered if something had gone wrong – she was sure she had the right tiles, but did she have the right order? Was there some clue in all of those murals she had passed that would have told her? Was she about to be killed by some horrible death trap?

The spiraling chain of negative thoughts came to an abrupt end when the door let out a thundering rumble. Daring could only watch as, slowly, the door that had nearly killed her twice finally swung open. The stone ground against the floor with a heavy screeching before coming to a lumbering stop.

Daring let go of a breath she didn't realize she was holding, and then almost immediately regretted it as she nearly choked on the stale air pouring out of the chamber in front of her. It smelled and tasted of must and decay, of things forgotten long enough that they probably should have stayed that way. Daring held a foreleg over her muzzle as she coughed at the foul air. The only upside was that, as foul as it was, it didn't smell...rotten. It didn't carry that sickening smell of decayed flesh.

Small mercies, she supposed.

The room beyond the door was almost pitch black, but after a moment more of those familiar looking gems started to light up the chamber in those same icy blue shades as the others. She carefully made her way into the waiting chamber, curious as to what could have been worth locking up underneath the single most dangerous thing she had ever seen.

The center of the room was an altar of some sort, a massive triangular stone piece polished to an almost mirror finish with a single pale sapphire set in the middle. The first thing that drew Daring's eye was the line of engravings around the tables age. “In the name of the three tribes...” Daring read out loud, “...May the cold embrace of darkness never plague us again...” For some reason, the words sent a strange chill down her spine. She quickly moved on.

The floor around the altar was covered in a giant engraving that, Daring thought, looked sort of like a giant snowflake. There seemed to be little else in the room, save for whatever decorated the walls.

At first glance, they looked like more of the same murals. In fact, some of the image was identical to things she had seen elsewhere. It was only when she reached a new part that she realized what she had found.

He quickly trotted around the room until she found what she was sure was the beginning before she started working her way down the wall, translating as she went an eyes slowly growing wider and wider.

It all finally fit.

It was, truth be told, a simple story – a stallion had simply wanted to protect his family. A stone carver by trade, he had walked out into the blizzard and begged it for reprieve. To his surprise, it granted his wish. With his newly gained power, he could keep the blizzard at bay, keep his family safe.

Of course, other ponies had heard of his little bubble of safety. And they came for it. They fought over it. They destroyed everything he had – first his home, then his wife. Then his child.

And in the background, the blizzard cackled.

Burdened by pain and grief, the carver attempted to rid himself of his cursed blessing. But it kept coming back. Again and again, it came back to torment him. He begged the blizzard, begged to know how to be rid of it. So it told him.

Build a temple, so that those who may want the blessing could claim it.

So he did. He built a temple, every bit a grand and as imposing as the blizzard desired. But he did more then that. He filled it with his secrets, his grief, his memories. He turned it into a memorial to what he'd lost.

But more then that, he turned it into a prison.

That carver, he was a clever pony. He knew others would come. And he knew the blizzard would tempt ponies to come. So he made sure they couldn't come. Made sure they couldn't get in – not without knowing just what they were after.

Because he couldn't destroy it, as much as he wanted to. It was too beautiful, to deadly – but above all, to important. It was the only thing that could stop the blizzard, could keep it from coming back.

So he hid it. Hid it deep, and hid it well. But he hid the real trick deeper. Until it was too late. He trapped the blizzard, but all it could do was rage and rage and rage against its own power, given of its own will.

The blizzard had created the key to its own prison.

Daring back petaled from the final mural, the final words of a broken pony before he walked into that white abyss to be with his family.
It all fit. It all finally fit.

There was a way to undo the damage. A way to save Equestria. A way to save her friend.

Daring gave the room one final look around before turning and rushing back out. The spear was more then just the cause of everything – it was the solution. And now she needed to find it.

The first problem she had to deal with was the stone wall surrounding the door. A few quick bucks and all she got were some sore hooves. She quickly started looking around for something else – anything else. “What sort of room leaves the pony who used it trapped?” Then again, she supposed it might be a design feature. Since she got the hall trap wrong, maybe it just assumed she shouldn't be there door-puzzle or not.

No, she couldn't think like that. It would mean she was trapped and everypony was doomed.

She quickly started poking around the edges of the chamber as she tried to remember the stories her father used to tell her. There was always a release hidden somewhere – in case the builder needed to reset the trap or got caught themselves. For a lot of traps, that little fact didn't matter since by the time you realized it was a trap it had already killed you. Here, however, it might have been her only chance.
She found something that seemed promising when she found a loose floor panel next to the ones that had tried to flatten her. It wasn't much, but the slab shifted just a little when she put all of her weight down on one corner. Some prodding around the edges with a wing was eventually rewarded and after some pulling and shoving she had the stone out of the way. That, unfortunately, wasn't nearly as helpful as she had hoped.

She was looking at some sort of cramp crawlspace, a series of long metal rods along one side. There was four separate rods, each one connected at either end to yet more rods. What kept the strange chains in tension, Daring had no idea. With little other recourse, Daring tugged on the top-most one.

There was a heavy snap and an instant later the familiar pair of slabs again slammed together with a thundering crash that left Daring's ears ringing. “Oh, sonofa...” Daring groaned as she reeled from the sound, rubbing at her now aching ears – which joined her aching wings, her aching legs and her aching sides. All she needed to do now was bite her tongue and she was fairly sure literally everything would hurt. Even her eyes hurt from the snow glare and straining to see through that constant whiteout.

Daring took another minute to let the ringing in her ears fade away before returning to her work on the little compartment. She gently nudged the top one out of the way before trying to tug on the second one. Nothing. It didn't so much as budge. “What the hay?” Daring muttered as she gave it another tug. It shifted a hair, but it might as well have been anchored in stone. She knew it moved – she'd watched it shift when she first popped the panel off. As if on cue, the rods shifted again as Daring quickly pulled her hoof back lest something got pulled in by the mechanism. The rod shifted to one side nearly its entire length, before shifting back about two-thirds of the way. Daring now had a much better view of the rods end, a small elbow joint linking it to the next rod in the chain. What sort of system would need to cycle like that? Too small to be a power linkage – maybe a timing mechanism? Something that kept the whole system in sync?

She wondered what would happen if she broke the timing.

With no other idea, she brought a hoof down on the small elbow joint. The aged metal, as well as it had survived centuries of cold and use, stood no chance under the sharp blow of a equine hoof and popped apart with a little snap. It was actually kind of anticlimactic.

Daring looked around the enclosed space for a minute, holding her breath as she waited. For a while, nothing happened and the chamber fell into an unnerving silence. Then, echoing through the stone, came a low grinding sound. It was not a pleasant sound, bringing to mind a train crash in slow motion or a piano being crushed by an anvil. Or a mixture of both.

The gem lights flickered for a moment as the grinding dragged on, and Daring started to worry that she might have made a terrible mistake. Then, finally, the grinding stopped. Daring let out a relieved breath as she glanced back at the stone columns blocking her way. None of them had moved. “Well,” She sighed, “so much for-”

There was another echoing, bone-rattling groan as something deep within the aging mechanism of the castle something gave. Something big.
A low, eerie groan filled the chamber as the ground shook beneath Daring's hooves. Ahead of her, there was the cracking of stone as, slowly, the stones blocking her way finally began to shift. The first began to tilt forward like a felled tree, and Daring let out a cheer of triumph.
Then the second one started falling inward.

Daring's cheer turned into a cry as she quickly bolted up and around the column. With two gone, she had ample room to escape back into the hall. What she found, however, made her jaw drop.

The sound of collapsing columns faded into the background as she stared around the room. She didn't know if it was a side-effect of the room trying to kill her, or a result of something she did with that panel, but the hall was utterly devastated. Once grand stoneworks had been reduced to rubble, and the entire floor was a cratered mess of stone shards and pony-sized chunks of rock that made the room look less like a castle hall and more like a lunar landscape. “Sweet Celestia...” Daring whispered to herself. The pony that built this place had not been messing around. She gave the altar chamber she had come here for one last look before she started picking her way through the destroyed hall.

After the thundering crashes of falling stones and the heavy darkness of the chamber, the silence and brightness of the now still hall was almost disorienting. Only the whistling of the wind outside and her hooves occasionally kicking a piece of rubble aside as she passed. “And it was such a nice castle too...” A small part of cried at the wanton destruction before her – it was an almost perfectly preserved example of pre-unification architecture, and she had leveled part of it! Actually, she realized belatedly, she had leveled several parts of the place. She had to fight the urge to just curl up right there, and even then she couldn't help but slump as she made her way across the room. “...I can't believe I ruined this place...” She wasn't sure how it could get worse.

And then, of course, it did.

She was about a half-dozen paces from the door when it slowly creaked open and a rather annoyed griffon snuck its head in, looking around with a glare that quickly settled on Daring.

Daring and the griffon stared at each other for a moment. Daring's ears flattened against her head. “Oh, horseapples.” The griffon shot forward in a blur of black feathers and gray fur, and Daring dodged upward just fast enough to let the Raptorian mook sail just under the her rear hooves. “Hey,” Daring shouted down at him as he pulled himself from a pile of rubble. “You haven't seen a big glowy spear-thing, have you?”

The griffon replied by snapping his wings open and snarling something at her in what sounded like Lyonese. Daring didn't speak it, but whatever he said didn't sound nice.

Daring sighed. “Didn't think so.”

Daring darted for the door as the griffon gave chase, but she had to pull back as the griffon swung around and tried to cut her off. Instead of heading for the door, she found herself shooting out one of the windows and swinging upward in an arc that took her straight into the hall above.

Her hooves clattered across the stone floor as she came to a stuttering halt. A quick look behind her showed the griffon shooting past and arcing over the roof. “Hah!” Daring said with a grin. “Probably thinks I headed for...the cloud layer...”

Around her, Daring found at least six griffons in various colors, sizes and levels of kit standing around, a few working with crates while others were seated at a folding table, cards in-claw. All of them were staring at her in dead silence. Daring gulped nervously as she slowly back-stepped. “So...any of you seen a spear?”

A cacophony of pry bars hitting the ground and chairs toppling over as the flock of griffons all charged Daring. Daring didn't bother hanging around and quickly threw herself back out the window, flaring her wings out as she rolled over into a steep dive.

The bleak gray stone of the cliff on which the ruined castle was perched sped by under her in a blur, mere inches away. Behind her, she could here the flaps of wings and squawks from her pursuers. “Buck me, buck me, buck me...” Daring cursed under her breath as she pumped her wings and drove herself faster. Below her, the ground was fast approaching, but couldn't slow down and risk the raptorians catching up with her. Time to do something Zapapple would call rash then. She took one final glance behind her to see how many were still following her. A quick count put it at... A lot. Well, she could work with that.

She flared her wings again, the combined force of the gee's and air resistance made her wing joints scream as she pulled out of her dive just above the valley floor. Behind her, she heard a flurry of squawks and wingbeats as the griffon's tried the same trick. Most of them failed. Daring let herself chuckle a little as she banked around. “That worked even better then I-”

The wind was knocked out her lungs as a griffon crashed into her from above. She guessed one of them must have made it after all.

Daring cursed as the two plunged toward the ground in a flurry of fur, feathers and claws. “Where the buck did you come from?” Daring growled as the ground quickly approached. All she got in reply was a hiss and some snapping beak. “Fine then!” Daring shouted as she twisted around mid-air.

The pair crashed into the snow-bank griffon-first, a plume of powder flying skyward before raining down on them. The snow showered back down onto the white-coated ground before the world fell calm again, quiet save for the gentle howling of the all-pervasive wind.
Then, popping of the ground like a daisy, a hoof and tan-furred leg burst forth followed closely by the body that owned it. Daring slowly pulled herself free of the snow, powder spilling off her as she finally freed herself and collapsed onto her back. One hoof idly brushed some lingering frost from her hat as she laid bonelessly on the white-coated ground.

She had nearly died. Again. That was at least three times in as many hours. She was sore, tired, and very, very cold.

But she was alive.

It was small, at first – just a little snort of laughter. Then it was followed by another. And then another. Soon she was cackling to herself as she laid on the side of that goddess-forsaken mountain. Her entire life had gone pear-shaped, all of Equestria was on the brink of ruin, and the bad guy had the upper-hoof.

But she was alive.

As her bout of surprised-to-be-alive hysteria finally passed, she rolled herself over and got back on her hooves. “Get ready, Ahuizotl,” Daring said with a grin. “I'm coming for you.”

Chapter 11

“I want to reiterate my opinion that this plan is really bucking stupid!”

“You're opinion has been noted, professor Talon,” Masra whispered. “Not please shut your screaming howler before you get us caught.”

Storm Talon's beak snapped shut with an audible click as the two pressed themselves against the wall. Just around the corner, the dock for the airship was just up ahead, the golden armor of the two Royal Guards watching the gangway gleaming in the lantern light. At this late hour there was nopony else around, save for themselves and the guards. Which was just how Masra preferred it – less variables that way.

With one last moment to compose herself, Masra stepped out around the corner and started down toward the guards. The guards, to their credit, quickly stopped their conversation and snapped to attention as she approached. The university president came to a stop in front of them, staring down her snout at them as she spoke. “Gentlecolts, I assume you are aware who I am?”

“Yes ma'am,” One of them said in a low rumble. “How can we help you, President Masra?”

“You can step aside, to start.” Masra ordered. “You have an experimental airship hovering over my school and I intend to make sure it's safe.”

“Afraid we can't do that, Ma'am.” the other guard replied, “authorized personnel only.”

“Then escort me,” Masra replied, “Or call your commanding officer and get me authorization.”

“If I might ask, Ma'am,” The guard replied. “Why didn't you ask earlier?”

Masra rolled her eyes. “Because implying the airship over the school is dangerous is such a good way to keep a bunch of civilians calm.” She snorted. “And I didn't expect getting onto an Airship parked at my school would be so difficult.”

“I'll go call command then,” the guard turned to his partner. “Bushel, keep her company until I get back.”

Bushel nodded as his partner walked off, “Sure thing Sachel.” he turned back to Masra. “I'm sure you understand, madam president – protocol and all.”

Masra nodded stiffly, still looking very annoyed. “Of course, of course – I intend to find out why I wasn't cleared before.”
“Need to know and all that, I imagine,” Bushel replied with a shrug. “Probably-”

“What the-GAH,” Bushel and Masra's conversation was cut off as Sachel's voice came from just around the corner, followed by a heavy thud.

“...Sachel?” Bushel called out after a moment. “You okay?” No response. He held a hoof out in front of Masra as he took a step forward. “Stay behind me ma'am.”

“Certainly,” Masra replied with a curt nod as the guard took a few careful steps forward, putting himself between whatever lurked around the corner and the university president.

So, naturally, he wasn't ready when Masra's hoof slammed down into the back of his skull.

Masra lowered the now limp guard to the ground before checking to make sure he did, in fact, still have a pulse. With the guards unconscious status confirmed, she stood back up and turned to the corner. “All clear.”

Storm Talon stepped around the corner, letting the other guard slump the the floor as he did. “Well,” he quipped as he stared at the two guards. “looks like we just committed treason.” He turned to Masra. “You still hang people for that around here?”

“That's you griffons,” Masra replied casually as she shot off a small flare spell. “we haven't hung anypony since the Nightmare Wars.”

“So a bucking oubliette then,” Storm snapped back. “Either way, if we get caught are lives are so squawking over I might as well skin my own ass.”

“Oh stop being melodramatic,” Masra replied with a wave of a hoof as she grabbed the comatose guard by the tail. “You are assuming the military would be willing to lose face like that. Now drag your guard over here – we can lock them in the cupboard.”

“Did you steal half this plan from a goddess-damned novel?” Storm asked even as he complied with the order. “Its a gorram warship – its got a brig.”

“And have them in place to breakout and cause trouble?” Masra replied. “Not a chance. We might be able to convince them to help us, but the chance of them simply derailing the operation is to great. Tying them up and leaving them gives us the highest probability of success.” She tossed her guard into the closet before glancing back over the school grounds and at the clock tower. “We have twenty-three minutes until the local sky patrol expects a departure for late night sky trials. Is Miss Rasa in position?”

Storm shrugged. “Damned if I know. The egghead can take care of herself or stay here and rot.” Storm tossed the second guard in after the first and slammed the door shut. One of the guards inside gave out a low groan, but they were otherwise silent as he turned to Masra. “Got the key for this thing?”

“Don't be ridiculous,” Masra replied as she paced around the small docking area. “Broom closets don't bother with locks – aha.” She disappeared around a corner for an instant before re-emerging with a large crate in tow. “They do, however, open outward.”

Talon watched as Masra casually pushed the crate toward the door with a casual ease that, if it wasn't for the rather deep divots it left when she pushed it across a planter, he'd have thought it was empty. After she had shoved it into place against the door, Talon idly lifted the top off and glanced inside. “Spare parts,” he quipped. “Probably for the drive system.” A pony-sized box full of iron.

Bucking earth ponies.

“Given the size of the closet, neither of them should be able to get enough leverage to shift that any time soon,” Masra said with a tone that suggested she'd done this before as she started across the gangway. “Professor, if you would be so kind as to sweep your half of the ship for any other guests?”

Storm grumbled a vague affirmative as he opted to forgo the latter and simply dropped through the open cargo hatch without even bothering to flare his wings. The craft was little more then a sloop, a single deck below the main deck. At least that made it quick to sweep.

Masra was already on the main deck by the time Storm finished his sweep, murmuring to herself as she looked at the rigging overhead. The array of ropes and pulleys spread from the underside of the envelope and out to the sides where the main sails were furled. “Problems?” Storm Talon asked as he approached.

“They're using non-standard rigging,” Masra replied without looking down. “First time I've seen it on a combat-rated vessel.”

Storm raised an eyebrow. “Can she sail the damn thing or not?”

Masra finally looked down and gave the griffon an even stare. “She will be fine. Just report to your station and be ready to follow my commands.” Masra didn't bother waiting for a confirmation as she trotted toward the prow of the ship. Talon muttered some choice curses under his breath as he stomped off in the opposite direction, hopping up the short flight of steps up to the wheel deck.

The wheel waiting for him was more-or-less a standard airship wheel – large and bespoked with a hinge at the steering columns base to push and pull it for altitude. It was a little smaller then usual, but then again so was the ship. He gave it an idle flick before glancing back up across the deck. “So,” he shouted, “What now?”

The response came in the form of a rope ladder getting slung over the edge of the railing. “Now we let Miss Rasa aboard.” After a moment, the ladder shuttered and soon their was the steady sound of rope squeaking against the railing as somepony climbed their way up. What eventually reached the top was a very tired looking librarian. “Miss Rasa,” Masra said as the unicorn flopped onto the deck limply, “Welcome aboard.”

“G-Glad...” Tabula Rasa managed between gasps, “Glad to be aboard. Are we good to go?”

“Indeed,” Masra replied as she started pulling up the ladder. “My contact in Hoofington will provision us for the rest of the trip once we can reach him. Professor Talon, please pull us out of the University and set course for Hoofington.”

“You're girl gonna be able to do this?” Talon asked, unconvinced.

Masra gave Talon an small smirk before turning to the librarian. “Miss Rasa?”

“Right...” Tabula took a deep breath before her horn was wrapped in amber light, followed shortly by a similarly colored sheen coating almost the entire vessel.

At once, the ropes tying the ship to the bollards that had been bolted in place for the ship came undone, slinking off the sides of the building before being pulled skyward and coiling onto the deck. Sails unfurled as invisible hooves ran out the lines, pulleys whining as booms and masts swung around until the canvas billowed out as it caught the evening breeze. “By the Egg...” Storm Talon muttered before the deck shuttered beneath him. Spitting out another curse, he wrapped a claw around the wheel and gave it a sharp turn. Control planes and reaction sails responding in turn as the ship began to shift laterally out of it mooring. “Three meters from dock, Ma'am!” Storm Talon shouted out, old training and habits kicking in as he glanced at toward the now retreating university.

“Increase altitude,” Masra ordered as she paced the main deck. “and mind the buildings – damages will come out of your paycheck. Time check, Mister Talon.”

“Yeah, yeah...” He grumbled as he glanced at the chronometer mounted off to one side of the deck, bobbing slightly in its bearings. “Quarter til midnight, Canterlot time!” He shouted.

“Right on schedule then,” Masra replied, “So long as the papers I filed were properly processed, we should remain unmolested within city airspace. Increase altitude to one hundred and twenty meters and change bearing to three-two-zero.”

“You gonna help or are you going to give orders all night?” Storm Talon snapped as he twisted the wheel around. The ship responded in kind, pulling up even as it banked to the left, skimming over the university roof as one of the school courtyards came into view.

“I am ensuring we maintain course,” Masra replied, to which Talon only grumbled.

They managed to make it all the way out of the University's boundaries before anything went wrong.

They were passing over the last of the University dormitories when down below a series of lights burst to life down below. Tabula Rasa was the first to notice them as she peered over the railing. “Wait – isn't that the Guard barracks?”

Talon glanced over the railing and started cursing violently. Sure enough, the librarian was right – the one barracks that was stirring to life was the one that had been handed over to the contingent of guards that had come with the ship. “Guess they noticed we took their toy.” Talon shouted toward Masra. “Whats the plan now?”

“Emergency climb, Mister Talon!” Masra ordered. “Get us in the clouds now.”

“Not sure what bucking good that will do us,” Talon shouted back as he none-the-less followed the order.

The whole deck lurched beneath Masra as the ship rapidly began to climb, “Leave that to me, Professor – Miss Rasa, be ready to deploy keeping sails on my mark!”

Below them, A half-dozen pegasus guards had already taken wing and were now making a beeline for the ship. It was climbing rapidly, and disappeared into the clouds before they could close. No matter. “Clearing formation!” the lead pegasus bellowed and the other's jumped to obey. Seconds after the order was given, the cloud was surrounded by pegasi who, in trained unison, gave the cloud a hard buck that reduced it to quickly dispersing vapor.

And when it cleared they found open sky.

“What in the-” The lead pegasus murmured before spinning around toward the rest of his forces. “Does anypony have a visual!?” A flurry of negatives came back.

As the pegasus guards cursed and fumed, a little ways up and a great ways to their left, a thin sloop silently rose out of the middle of a cloud. Standing next to the wheel, Talon blinked a few times as he glanced around. “...huh. Next time, start with that one.”

“Can't,” Masra said, sounding winded but somehow still on her hooves as she leaned against the wheel. “conditions need to be just right.”

“Where did you learn a trick like that, president?” Tabula Rasa asked as she stared at her boss.

Masra gave a small smirk as she nodded toward her cutie mark and its silk-wrapped dagger. “My childhood. Many things can be hidden if you are clever - A ship is no different then a dagger – just larger.” Tabula nodded silently as Masra took a quick look around. “Good...given their confusion and reporting times, we should be well out of town before the rest of the watch stations can be alerted.”

“Assuming nothing else goes wrong,” Talon muttered. “So, whats the plan for when the shit does hit the fan?”

“Keep moving forward,” Masra replied matter-of-factly as she stepped away from the wheel. “We are operating on a very restricted time schedule, if miss Rasa's report's are right. We do not have time to stand and fight until we reach our destination.”

“President...” Tabula Rasa started, “Who else might try to, uh, stop us?”

“Royal Guards,” Masra replied with a shrug, “at least until we leave Canterlot airspace. After that, our main worry will be weather, raiders and whoever else might be after whatever Miss Do and Miss Tock might have found, if there is anyone.”

“I see...” Tabula replied as she started digging through her bags, “well, I don't know much about raiders or if anyone might have found the same ruins as Daring, but I can help with the weather.” At that, she pulled a worn-looking book from her bag. “And I can help with navigation, if you need assistance with that.”

“That would be much appreciated, Miss Rasa,” Masra nodded. “Please take up post on the wheel deck – there should be a chronometer and compass in place.”

“Yes ma'am,” Tabula replied with a nod before heading up the brief flight of stairs.

Talon gave her a glance before turning back to Masra. “I can navigate just fine, thank you very much.”

“I am right behind you, professor,” Tabula interjected with a frown, but Storm ignored her.

“I don't need a librarian telling me how to fly.” Talon said flatly. “I thought she was here for the ropes.”

“She is here because she is a highly skilled mage and and scholar,” Masra corrected. “But if you would like to fly in circles over the mountains until our enemies find us and turn you into pillow stuffing, then by all means – be my guest.”

“Fine, fine...” Talon muttered as he glanced back at Tabula. “You sure you want to be here girl?”

Tabula shook her head. “I'd rather be back with my books, but I'm not running now.”

“You scared?” Talon asked.

“I'm terrified.” Tabula replied.

“Good,” Storm Talon said with a chuckle. “If you aren't scared, bad things happen.”

“Speaking of bad things...” Tabula swallowed nervously as her eyes drifted to his artificial leg and tail. “How did you get those?”

“I paid a bloke Trottingham,” Talon replied. “If you mean how I lost the originals, well,” He shrugged. “I wasn't scared.”

Tabula nodded in understanding, her eyes lingering on the fake limbs before turning to her book.

One the main deck, Masra watched the two of them for a moment before turning back to the Canterlot skyline. She was in the process of double-checking their heading when there was a low creak followed by the heavy thud of a wood hatch swinging open. The entire deck went silent as Masra slowly turned around to see a young earth stallion pulling himself out onto the deck. “Hey, Sachel, you got any of them...” He paused as he noticed that one, they were flying and two, there were two unfamilar ponies and a griffon staring at him.

“Storm,” Masra said levelly, “I thought you said you'd searched the ship.”

“I did!” Storm Talon snapped. “Not my fault the lazy ass had squirreled himself away for a nap! What do you expect me to do?”

“I expect you to do your job!” Masra snapped before whirling to face the new stallion. “And you! You take to long to take a nap!” The Stallion was about to say something, but never got the chance. There was a blur of motion from Masra and suddenly coils of rope shot forward before binding and gagging the hapless stallion, the Silver mare pinning him to the deck. In moments, he was hog-tied, gagged and on his back as he looked around wildly. “Rasa,” Masra said sharply as she rose back to her hooves, “Search him please. And do be careful.”

“Y-yes ma'am,” Tabula gave a nervous nod before slowly making her way down the stairs and approaching the stallion. “Uh...I'm really sorry about this. Do try not to move to much, since I don't want to effect any bits of, uh, you.” The stallion's eyes went wide, but none of his struggles meant anything as the librarian's horn glowed to life and a moment later wrapped him in the same glow. The stallion twisted and squirmed until a small flurry of items flew out from around and between the ropes, neatly piling themselves near his hooves. “Inventory complete – three wrappers, one utility knife, one pack of matches, a pack of tobacco, one pipe, and a...hrm...” Tabula trailed off as she approached the strange little item set off by itself to the left. It looked like a small white pebble, and when she nudged it with her hoof it glowed faintly. “...Oh. Oh my.”

“That doesn't sound good, girl,” Talon growled.

“Its a tracking stone,” Tabula replied, “Among other things. Ship crews sometimes carry them in case of pirate attacks.”

“Well,” Masra replied as she trotted up to the stone. “We can't have that.” She idly kicked the stone to the side, sending it skittering across the deck until it passed under the railing and plunged into the inky dark below. “Now, with that taken care off...” She turned to the stallion and gave him a grin. It was enough to make the previously struggling stallion freeze instantly. “Now, my good sir, it seems we find ourselves in a bit of a spot – we have stolen this vessel, and you seem to be a liability to our current venture. So, the question is, why don't I throw you out long with your rock?”

That seemed to get the stallions attention as he quickly redoubled his efforts to escape. “You know,” Talon said idly from his spot at the wheel, “It's kind of hard for him to beg for his life when he's gagged like that.”

“True,” Masra replied before hooking a hoof through the loop and unraveling the rope around his mouth. “There – now talk fast.”

“Who by Celestia's bum are you people!?” The stallion sputtered as he stared between the three of them.

“Well,” Masra replied. “I'm former Royal Guard, my feathered friend her used to be a pirate hunter, and the young miss there is a librarian.”

The stallion blinked in surprise as he stared at Tabula. “A libra-”

“and she can kill you with her brain.” Masra added. The stallion shut up. “So, now you know who we are – why you tell us about yourself.”

The stallion gulped nervously. “I'm just on the clean-up crew! Its part of my parole, along with that rock you went and tossed. Darn it – they're going to think I tried to skip out again. Do you have any idea how annoying that's going to be?”

Masra raised an eyebrow. “as annoying as a fall from altitude?”

The stallion gulped. “Well, when you put it like that...”

“Well, good sir, I sympathize with your plight but I can't have you following us to Veneighce and spooking our client.” Masra said as she hoisted up the stallion and dragged him across the ship until he was dangling over the edge. “Goodbye.”

Tabula rushed over the the stallion fell with a scream. “President! How could you-” she paused as she looked over the railing. “...when did we get over a lake?”

“I love flying at night,” Masra said with a small smile before turning to Storm. “Professor Talon – please put us back on course.”

“Aye,” He replied as he spun the wheel around. “I liked the bit about Veneighce, by the way.”

“Given the opportunity, I thought a bit of misinformation would prove useful.” Masra replied with a shrug before turning around, noticing Tabula with a frown. “Is something wrong, miss Rasa?”

“You...” Tabula started as she continued glancing over the edge. “You planned all that? Without saying anything to each other? How?”

“Let it just be said that professor Storm Talon and myself have both done this sort of thing before and leave it at that.” Masra replied. “Now, Miss Rasa, it has been a long night and we have quite a ways ahead of us – why don't you head below deck and get some rest? The ropes can take care of themselve for a little.”

“That...” Tabula started before sighing and giving a nod. “Thats probably good idea, president. Wake me if anything happens?”

“Of course, Miss Rasa.” Masra replied. She watched Tabula until she vanished below deck before turning to Storm Talon, “I told you she would be useful.”

“One of us would have found that damned stone,” Talon replied testily, “and the dumb-ass would have told us what it was after a while.”

“Perhaps,” Masra conceded, “but this way was much more efficient. How long until we reach Hoofington?”

Talon glanced skyward for a moment before replying. “A few hours, why?”

“The longer our flight the more chances for complications,” Masra replied.

“I think we've hit our quota for complications, President.” Talon said as he continued to fine tune their course.

Masra glanced out toward the horizon. “Somehow, I very much doubt that.”

Hoofington came into sight just as Celestia's sun began to peek out over the horizon, and Talon was taking great joy in pointing out that nothing further had gone wrong. “So, disappointed?” He asked as hi beak clicked softly.

“Somewhat,” Masra replied. “I find myself nervous whenever things are going as planned. Our contact is meeting us near the forest to the north – best to get us down before something does happen.”

“Think Celestia's going to show up to take her boat back?” Talon asked as he spun the wheel to head around the city.

“Highly unlikely,” Masra replied, “and I doubt our luck is that bad. Now take us in low.”

The clearing that they landed in was not unoccupied. A series of carts were already on site, sitting near the treeline along with their pullers. The only pony standing alone was a dark blue earth pony, waving enthusiastically at the landing ship as he approached it. “Right on time as always, Masra!”

“We're three and a half minutes late, Smith,” Masra replied as the vessel came to a hover and she lowered down a gang-way. She gave the stallion a small smile as her hooves touched earth. “How's business?”

“Slower then I like,” Smith replied with a melodramatic sigh, “younger blood's been taking all the good smuggling routes, and the guards patrolling all the rest. Less runners means less ponies lookin' for supplies! Plus I can't meet demand. Some of my best clients have run off to Baltimare and their bits with them.”

“What sort of wares?” Storm turned from Masra to Tabula as the young librarian spoke up as she stepped off the gang-way.

“Oh, you know,” Smith replied, “The usual – old baubles, pretty paintings, various curiosities of an illegal nature, along with the various assortment of booze and the like.” He turned back to Masra. “I have to admit though, as much as I appreciate the business I'm a little surprised – you never wanted anything for inside Equestria before. I thought you'd left the guard anyway.”

“Different priorities now,” Masra said with a shrug, “I have an asset that requires support, and you were the best option.”

“I figured out that last bit,” Smith replied, leaning around Masra to stare at their ship, “Though I am wonderin' where borrowing a royal guard ship comes into it. You aren't bringin any heat on me, are you?”

“No more then usual,” Masra assured him.

“Thats what worries me,” Smith said with a sigh before turning to his men. “Alright, you lazy gits! Off your flanks and to work – I want this ship loaded and gone before the end of the hour, or I''l find a way to leave you in the clink for a fortnight. Now hop to it!” His men, it seemed, responded well to threats as they all quickly jumped into action, pulling the carts closer before they started conveying crate after crate of supplies up onto the deck. “Everything you asked for, Masra,” Smith informed the president as they watched. “A fortnight of supplies for five, cold weather and climbing gear, medical supplies and plenty of weaponry.” He gave Masra a sideways glance. “Where you headin' anyway?”

“Remember what you said about heat?” Masra replied. “That sort of question will bring you more.”

“Point taken,” Smith replied, holding up a hoof. “Still, you're lucky I still had that line open – you haven't used it since the war ended.”

“I haven't needed to,” Masra replied. “My current line of work doesn't call for such things with any regularity.”

“So, what changed?” Smith asked.

“Exceptional circumstances,” Masra replied as she watched the last of the crates get carried up onto the ship. “Thank you for the help, Smith – your payment will be via the usual channels, of course.”

“A pleasure doing business with you, as always, Masra,” Smith replied as he gave her a bow. “Try not to get dead, ya hear?”

“I have no intention of dying, I assure you.” Masra said before trotting up the gangway, Tabula following close behind. “Talon – I want us off the ground immediately.” She shouted as she hoisted up the gang-way in a field of telekinesis as soon as Tabula's hooves touched the deck.

“Whats the rush?” Talon asked as he finished a set of stretches he had been going through. “Still worried about getting caught?”

“As long as we remain in this airspace?” Masra replied. “Yes. And being on the ground just leaves us even more vulnerable. Unless you enjoy being dive-bombed with thunderheads.”

“Been there,” Storm Talon replied as he finished his last stretch, his mechanical hind leg clicking audibly as he returned to the wheel and yanked it back. “Done that. Rather not repeat it.”

The airship tilted back briefly as it steeply rose, the loading teams on the ground bracing themselves as the the downdraft from the massive propellers as the vessel soared back into the wild blue yonder. Masra watched as the ground retreated, waiting until they were once again shrouded in clouds before turning to her acting helmsgriffon. “Everything in order, Professor Talon?”

“Oh, would you stop worrying,” Talon grumbled as he put them onto the proper heading with a idle twist of the wheel. “It's a straight shot north now. Gettin' tired of your fecking nosiness.”

Masra's eyes narrowed. “Mind yourself, Professor.”

Talon shrugged, unruffled by the president's death-glare. “What do I care? I've got tenure. Not like you can fire me for conduct on a black-op anyway.”

“I suppose I could just throw you overboard,” Masra replied idly, “but I need you to fly the ship.”

“Then I suppose its good you don't know how to fly this tub, eh?” Talon replied cheekily.

“I suppose it is.” Masra said as she headed toward one of the ladder wells. “I am going below deck to check on miss Rasa. Try not to crash into a mountain while I'm gone, if you don't mind?”

“Sure, sure,” Talon replied as the president walked away before adding. “You know, I still don't get what you're doing. I'm sure you could have managed this all at least a bit more legitimately, given your clout.”

“You overestimate me, professor,” Masra replied as she paused half-way across the deck. “I'm just a University President.”
Storm Talon gave a snort. “Sure you are.”

“Just fly the ship, Talon.” Masra replied as she slipped below deck.

Chapter 12

Daring was thankful, for the moment, that her current goal wasn't that moon-banished castle. Which was a strange sentiment to be feeling, given how badly she had wanted to reach the castle when they had departed from Canterlot.

Now, just being in the shadow of the thing was annoying her given how many times the place had in some way tried to kill her. She cast another glance skyward as the sound of wing-beats passed overhead, a brief glimpse of brown in the white haze overhead the only other indication of the griffon's pursuing her. “Celestia, I hate walking...” she muttered to herself as she snuck along the ground through the tree's. So far the Raptorian's hadn't tried to run any ground sweeps, and seemed to think that she had beelined for the pass out of the valley. They hadn't thought of her doubling back.

“Okay,” Daring muttered to herself as the wing-beats overhead died away, “If I was a villain, where would I set up my main camp?” Inside the castle? Nah – you'd want to get camp ready before you you cleared the ruins. A nearby clearing then? Well, the remains of the last expedition were occupying the best option for that. Which left option two. Option two was, if Daring recalled that map correctly, should have been on the far side of the castle, just past... “Bingo.”

Daring pressed herself low against the ground as she crawled her way up the little hill overlooking the site, one eye constantly glancing skyward as she took in the enemy camp.

It was nowhere as big as the ruined one, only four or so tents centered around a large fire pit that at the moment looked more like bonfire then something for a camp. A veritable flock of griffons was huddled around it as a few more rushed in and out of the tents. She was about to sneak down there and start nosing around for the spear when it decided to reveal itself.

Unfortunately, a now familiar creature was holding it.

“What do you mean you 'lost her'?” Ahuizotl growled at a griffon next to him as he walked out of the tent, tapping the spear against one shoulder as he leered at the hybrid.

“The pony broad got lucky with a fancy move, Sir,” the griffon replied as he pulled himself up to his full height. “It won't work again. We won't make the same mistake twice.”

“For your sake,” Ahuizotl replied as he brought the spear's blunt down into the ground with a heavy thud, “I hope you don't make new ones. Dismissed.” The griffon snapped off a quick salute before taking wing and flying off back toward the castle. Ahuizotl watched him for a moment before turning to the group of griffon's huddled around the fire. “Oh, taking a break from the cold are we?” A small grin was the only warning Ahuizotle gave before hefting the spear high and slamming it into the ground between the legs of the nearest griffon. The other's bolted away, preservation instincts kicking in as their compatriot found himself pinned by a rapidly growing coating of ice that had encased his claws and was already half-way up his legs. “I did not hire you lot to sit around a fire – I hired you to do a job, and part of that job was making sure nopony found us! Now, get of your feathered rumps and go kill that stupid pegasus!” Ahuizotl pulled the spear free before whirling it around and smashing the ice around the griffon's legs in one blow. The griffon scambled backward, quickly checking to make sure he did in fact still have both legs before turning tail and shooting off into the forest to presumably search for the stupid pegasus. His friends followed suit.

Daring took solace in the fact that they had all gone in the same wrong direction. Fury apparently spent, Ahuizotl turned and started across the camp before disappearing into another of the tents. With the coast now mostly clear, courtesy of Ahuizotl's outburst, Daring started to slowly sneak her way down the side of the hill. She stayed as low as she could, and kept to as many barren shrugs and tree's as she could, but she was fairly certain that if anyone looked in her direction it would be fairly easy to spot tan fur and feathers against white snow. All she could do was hold her breath, move as carefully as she could and pray to Celestia.

At least one of them worked, since Daring managed to reach the bottom of the hill without a horde of angry griffon mercenaries descending on her like the fist of an angry goddess. Which would have put a real damper on her whole 'Save Equestria' plan.

She kept hunkered down as she made her way to the nearest cover, her heartbeat pounding in her ears as she slipped behind a stack of crates and carefully watched the camp. She really wanted to jump out there and just do something, but the more rational part of her knew that was a really, really bad idea. Not that her impulsed cared. Survival won out for the moment as Daring took stock of the camp.

From her new angle, she had a partial view across the camp and into the tent Ahuizotl had vanished into. The insides seemed to be some sort of planning room, from what she could see. Through the partially opened front flap, she could make out a few griffons all standing around a table, on which what looked like a surprisingly accurate model of the castle ruins sat. At the head of the table, Ahuizotl was glaring down at the model, one paw fiddling idly with the spear as a griffon waved a hand over the model at which point it promptly dissolved and was replaced with a sliced-open view of the altar chamber she had found under the spear room. “Cloud magic?” Daring whispered to herself as she watched. “Since when did Griffons do cloud magic?” She filed the thought away for the moment as the briefing continued.

“We've mapped and documented a third of the chamber so far,” the Griffon droned on, “but progress is slow-going – whatever that pegasus triggered not only destroyed the antechamber but it did...something to the main room.”

“Define 'something',” Ahuizotl growled, “And I suggest you do it quickly.”

“The room is obviously some form of ritual magic,” the griffon quickly explained, “but routing power into it trigger's no response. Nothing it the chamber is obviously broken – its as if something has been removed.”

“Even more reason to find that blasted pony,” Ahuizotl replied. “Any word back from your teams?”

“None, sir,” The griffon replied. “The blizzard obscures trails on the ground and reduces visual range,” he glanced toward the spear, “if that weapon is as capable as you say it is, perhaps it could help us-”

“This is a weapon meant to topple civilizations,” Ahuizotl replied with a grin, “Using it to hunt down a single little pony would be...excessive. So, assuming you would like to leave this mountain alive, leave the spear to me.”

“My forces would feel better, sir,” the griffon replied tersely, “if they had some assurance that this weapon was...genuine.”

“Have you not noticed it yet?” Ahuizotl replied, his grin growing wider, “The spear is already working for us! Step out of this tent and take a look around – we now stand in the eye of the storm, thanks to this spear.”

“An fair claim to make,” the griffon replied with a slow nod, “but the forces are common griffons – more overt examples better sway them.”
“Overt, is it?” Ahuizotl replied, his grin slipping off his face to be replaced with a frown as he hefted the spear, “Very well then – gather your troops, and I'll show them what this can do.”

The griffon led the way out of the tent, his posture more mechanical and precise compared to Ahuizotl's more fluid gait. A few quick shouts was enough to gather a small flock of griffon's from around the camp. “Good afternoon, my fine feathered friends,” Ahuioztl announced amicably as he gently spun the spear. “It has come to my attention that some of your number...doubt the veracity of this artifact,” A few griffon's that Daring was sure she had seen around the campfire earlier started backing up slowly, their eyes staying trained on the staff as the slowly maid their way to the edge of the group. “Though I'm sure some of you need no further convincing,” Ahuizotl's eyes locked on one particularly nervous-looking griffon and he grinned. That was apparently the last straw, since the griffon turned and bolted. Ahuizotl watched him go for a minute before turning to the rest of the gathered mercenaries. “For many of you, I'm sure this seems like little more then an old spear,” Ahuizotl started pacing as he examined the staff. “That would be a foolish mistake to make – you all know the sort of power that can be found in Equestria, from its ruler to its populous. So why not its artifacts?” Ahuizotl stopped pacing, turning to face the gathered griffons, “But these are all words. Words are easy – what you want are actions. Very well,” He hefted the spear high. “pay close attention!”

The spear slammed into the ground not with a thud, but with a crystalline crack as the ground around the spear seemed to turn to ice. The front row of griffon's backpedaled as the field of ice expanded rapidly, spiderweb-like cracks spreading out across it a moment later. “Behold the power of the Widnigos!” Ahuizotl bellowed. “Witness the forces I now bound to my will!” He wrenched the spear from the ice before lofting it skyward. There was a low thrum the echoed out from the spear as, an instant later, the air around the camp cleared entirely of snow as the blizzard beyond seemingly intensified. Overhead, the clouds parted as the surrounding storm seemed to gather itself until between the blizzard and the clouds it was as if the camp was sitting at the bottom of a great hole, and beyond the edge of the camp was solid white. “This is the true power of the Spear!” Ahuizotl announced loudly. “Let none doubt it!” Ahuizotl dropped the spear and the storm's fury seemed to abate, dropping back to its original state. “Now – back to work!”

The griffon's shouted back a cacophony of affirmatives before taking off and heading back to their various jobs, leaving Daring alone on her little hill to process what she just saw. Ahuizotl seemed to gotten in a lot of practice with that spear real fast, it seems, and now she was certain she didn't want to get in a fight with him. Not unless she wanted to become a Pony-sicle.

Ahuizotl watched them all fly off before giving a curt nod and turning to head back for his tent. Daring waited a moment before slowly inching her way further down and started sneaking her way around to the back of the camp. Approaching the tent from the rear, Daring felt far more certain about her chances of not running into any magic-spear shaped problems prematurely.

Overhead, the sky was beginning to rapidly darken as the sun started to set somewhere behind the endless blanket of white. A lantern burst to life inside the tent, a single large shadow casting across the back-lit canvas as Daring froze. She watched the impromptu shadow-play as Ahuizotl stood and stretched before dropping into some sort of chair. In the dancing light Daring could just make out the silhouette of the spear leaning against some sort of dresser or wardrobe.

Ahuizotl stretched again before his silhouette leaned down. “It's alright now, darling – all the stupid griffons are gone now... that's right, come on – there we go.” Ahuizotl reached down for a moment before leaning back, one paw reaching out to a side table as the the other remained in his lap, slowly moving, “Thats right – whose a good kitty?”

Daring resisted the urge to groan out loud as she dropped her face into the dirt. He was playing with his moon-banished cat. She had the feeling he might be a while, so she decided that if she was going to be stuck waiting, she might as well poke around the rest of the camp. Discreetly. See? She had restraint – Zap would have greatly approved.

Actually, she would have stayed on the hill until the camp went to sleep, but that was beside the point.

She left Ahuizotl to his inane cat-talk as she continued around the edge of the camp, ears on swivels as she snuck along. They had mentioned patrols, and Daring didn't feel like getting found by one now that she actually had something vaguely resembling a plan.

Her slow crawl around the camp eventually brought her to the tent Ahuizotl's meeting had been in, and from the light inside she could make out the silhouette of two griffon's still inside, leaning over the cloud table as they talked.

“Ahuizotl is growing reckless,” one of the griffon's growled.

“He is a feather away from meeting his goal,” the other griffon replied. Daring recognized him as the one that had been talking to Ahuizotl in the tent earlier. “can you blame him?”

“He's reckless,” The first griffon replied tersely.

“And pays well,” the second griffon waved a claw at something across the tent, “That gem alone will fetch a ample price once fenced. Then there is the windfall assuming Ahuizotl's plan goes as he hopes...”

“You really think he can meet his objectives?” the first griffon asked.

The second griffon shrugged. “At the least, it will provide raiding opportunities – inland Equestria is a hard egg to crack in the best of scenarios. Ahuizotl and his stick provide us the best opportunity.”

“It still risks bringing the wrath of the sun down on us,” the first griffon growled irritably.

“Ahuizotl will provide more then an adequate distraction,” the first griffon replied as he stepped back from the table, patting his fellow hybrid on the back amicably, “The ponies won't have the time to worry about us even is this all goes pear-shaped.”

“I'm not worried about pear-shaped,” the first griffon replied, “I'm worried about the pear turning into a snake and biting us in the arse.”

“Then we make sure it chokes on us on our way down,” the griffon replied with a dry chuckle before continuing. “Any luck with the search?”

“None so far,” the first griffon answered, “we think we might have identified their camp, but if we did it looks unoccupied.” Daring gave a sigh of relief at that. They hadn't found Zap yet. That was good – given what happened when they'd been captured last time, Daring didn't want to know what they might try for round two.

“Keep looking,” the second one growled, “those ponies are the only two that know about our operation here. If they escape, Equestria will have prior warning. Our top priority is to stop that leak.”

“Yes sir,” the first griffon gave a sharp salute before turning and walking out of the tent. Daring found herself hunkering lower at the back of the tent as the griffon left through the front, taking wing and heading out over the camp before disappearing into the white of the now constant snow storm.

Daring continued to watch the other griffon as he paced around inside the tent, working at something at the table. Occasionally, he would wave a claw over it and the cloud formation would change, though given the nature of her view all Daring could make out were the vaguest of shapes as whatever was on the table changed height. It wasn't that interesting, but it was better then watching Ahuizotl play with his cat.
Besides, she'd never even heard of a cloud table before! She had to get a look at that – so she watched and waited as the griffon worked at...whatever griffon mercenaries did between fights. Inventory audits or something. Unfortunately, the only thing that seemed to rival a guy playing with his cat for being boring was a griffon doing paperwork. Fortunately for everybody involved, another griffon stepped in before Daring did something stupid out of boredom. “Sir, Ahuizotl has retired for the evening.”

“You mean he passed out in his tent again,” the other griffon said with a sigh, “Put a guard at the front and leave him – we're here to secure and clear the site, not egg-sit our employer. Dismissed.”

The griffon gave his commander a quick salute before turning and heading off, likely to choose the poor schmuck who was going to be stuck on guard duty. The other griffon – the commander – stayed in the tent a while longer, studying the table before dismissing its display with a wave of a claw. He turned and started across the tent, stopping and leaning over to fiddle with something before heading out the front flap.
Daring gave him another minute to clear out before sneaking her way around to the front, and slipping in through the flap. The interior was still dimly lit by a couple of lamps hanging from hooks overhead. The light was just enough to make out a couple of small tables and a safe in one corner, which she guessed was what the griffon checked on his way out. All that she really cared about though was what occupied the center of the tent.

It was a piece of slate-gray stone the size of a conference table, its surface engraved with runes and geometric shapes. Some of it looked like a sundial, with curving arc with hash marks along it at regular intervals. Large sections though were completely smooth, polished to an almost mirror-like finish compared to the matte finish of the rest of the piece. Despite the obvious care it had been treated with, it was obviously old – the engravings had lost some of their sharpness, and the stone was pitted, probably from weathering.

How hard must it have been to hall this all the way up here? It was the wrong sort of rock to be local, and the glyphs on the surface were the completely wrong style to be from the same origin – Daring would have guessed from further south. Way further south – there were volcanic ranges in the region and this stone looked volcanic. Whatever sort of rock it was, it wasn't from around here. Probably.

Sure, it wasn't what she was here for, but it was a a new artifact! Something to study and learn about! She really wanted to see how the cloud-modeling worked. Maybe they'd encoded the magic into gem-stones somewhere inside it and tuned it to-

A sound outside the tent drew her out of her awe-inspired gawking and reminded her that she was, in fact, still in the middle of a camp occupied by beings who probably wouldn't hesitate to end her before she could so much as utter a 'parlay'. She quickly ducked back down and started poking around the rest of the tent. She took a moment to take a look at the safe. It looked like...well, a safe. Size of an end table, dark black and made of what Daring had to wager was a few hundred kilo's of iron. The front had a single small key hole dead-center with a turn-handle to its right opposite the hinges. “Yeah,” Daring muttered to herself as she turned away from the safe, “Never getting into that...” Still, had to be something in there. Maybe if she found a key she'd come back.

The tent didn't have anything else worth-while, so Daring slipped back out, circling back around and heading back toward Ahuizotl's tent. Sure enough, the strange cat-like creature was snoring away on the other side of the canvas walls, a small lump visible on his shadow where his cat had curled up along with him.

Daring took a deep breath, steeling herself before she started tip-toeing around the front of the tent and slipping in through the front flap.
She froze as she found herself nose-to-claw with the tip of a over-sized feline paw. Her heart moved into a now worryingly familiar spot in her throat as her breathing stopped. The paw twitched a hair's breath from her nose, and it took a great deal of effort for Daring to pull her eyes off it and toward the face of its owner. Ahuizotl's eyes twitched behind closed lids, a few snorts escaping the nostrils at the end of his oblong head. Daring pulled herself sideways carefully, sidestepping the legs as she put distance between herself and Ahuizotl before she took a deep breath as quietly as she could. “Okay,” she said to herself in a barely audible whisper, “that was way too close.” She was really tired of pushing her luck now, and not even the prospect of more time to look at that table could make her hang around much longer.

Daring took another calming breath before taking a quick look around the tent. No spear.

Well, so much for being easy.

“What the buck?” Daring hissed under her breath as she carefully poked around the tent, “where the hay do you hide a mystical object the size of a shower curtain rod in a tent?” She continued to grumble as she carefully lifted a low table sitting in one corner, checking underneath it on the off chance that the spear had rolled under. Nothing.

“I mean, what else could he have done? Sit on-” Daring cut herself off as she glanced at the back of the oversized seat Ahuizotl was asleep on before slowly sliding toward the narrow space under it. In the dim light she could just make out a faint bluish-silver glimmer.

“Oh horseapples.”

Daring lowered herself to the ground, getting as low as she could until she could get an view under the couch Ahuizotl had passed out on. Sure enough, there was the spear – pointy end pointed toward her and snuggly sitting just out of hoof-reach from any side Daring was even remotely willing to try from. Still, fate of the world and all that.

So, Daring slowly started scooting her way under the couch, one eye trained upward as she inched along. She was trying to decide what would be worse – accidentally bumping the couch too hard, or Ahuizotl shifting and pinning her through the blasted couch. At least if she woke him up she could fight him – or it would at least be over fast.

What she hadn't expected though, was the soft patter of little paws hitting the ground somewhere behind her, followed by a small 'mew?'.
Daring glanced back to see a somewhat familiar white kitten staring at her with the look of confusion only small animals could properly manage. The cat gave another small mew as it cautiously poked one of Daring's legs. The little thing actually looked half-terrified, if Daring was being honest. “Bad kitty!” Daring hissed as she shook a rear hoof in the cat's direction, “shoo!”

The kitten did retreat, at least partially, as it curled its tail around itself and stared at Daring with watery eyes. Daring resisted the urge to groan – seeing the fur-ball like that made her feel like... well, like she'd kicked a kitten. Still, not her problem so Daring quickly turned back to trying to reach the spear.

The kitten, however, was going to be having none of that. A moment after she turned around, the kitten started mewling pitifully as he tried to regain her attention. And the mewling was worryingly loud.

Daring quickly turned around as she tried to shush the annoying feline, but the kitten wouldn't quiet despite Daring's silent pleas. The cat continued its cries for attention and, overhead, she could feel and hear Ahuizotl shifting in his sleep. Daring quickly started pushing herself out from under the couch, spinning around as soon as she was clear of the couch and pinning the kitten with one hoof as she shoved another into its mouth. The kitten was quickly silenced as Daring quickly looked around for a more permanent solution. A quick scan revealed only one option that might actually work, and Daring briefly felt bad for even considering it but, hey – it was her or the cat, and she was more of a dog person anyway.

The kitten gave a surprised mewl as Daring pulled her hoof back from its mouth before she scooped it up in one hoof and, with little ceremony, pulled open a end table drawer open and dropped the white furball in before sliding the drawer shot and turning the latch. Daring waited for a moment, listening, but what cries did manage to make it out of the drawer were lost to the winds outside. “Sorry,” Daring whispered at the drawer, “but you're better off in there right now.”

Cat problem solved, Daring returned to her attempt to reach the spear. Back under the seat, she slowly inched her way forward until she was finally within hoof's reach of the spear. Unfortunately, the bit within reach was the sharp pointy part. Daring kept one eye aimed overhead as she tried to nudge and pull the spear around so she could get a decent bite on it. The spear, however, wasn't cooperating as it slid and skidded over the compacted dirt floor, sometimes shuffling just out off reach, other times spinning wildly around. One hard nudge was enough to finally spin the spear around, but that wasn't all it did. The blade of the spear bit into one of the couch legs with a crack that, to Daring, sounded like a cannon shot.

Daring froze under that couch, waiting for the sign that her own demise was imminent.

Instead she got the sound of Ahuizotl snorting, followed by him rolling over.

Daring let out a sigh of relief before she stretched forward and grabbed the spear in her teeth.

The feeling was almost instantaneous. Biting, bitter cold that made anything she'd run into in the blizzard seem like a warm breeze. It felt like ever nerve in her body was being stabbed with pins, her muscles clenching and forcing her to bite so hard on the spear it felt like something in her jaw would break. Her vision hazed over, the world taking on a blue tinge as the thousand sensations of winter poured into her. The soft feeling of fresh powder under hoof, the chill of the clear air on her coat, the bite of a howling maelstrom, the scent of a evergreen's mingled with the smell of the air after a snowfall. And the cold – the biting, cutting, bone-snapping cold that was so far beyond anything she had ever felt before.

And then it was gone. The spear fell out of her jaw as she softly gasped, and Daring was thankful her muscles weren't listening to her properly or she might have bolted upright, couch be damned. Daring took ragged, deep breathes as she stared at the spear. Ahuizotl had grabbed that without flinching? How the hay had he handled that?

She didn't want to touch it again. She really, really didn't want to touch it again. But she wanted to leave it here even less so, and she was fairly sure it was her only chance to save the world.

So, gingerly, she reached out again and took hold of the spear again in her teeth, bracing herself for the rush of sensation.

And then nothing happened.

Daring blinked a few times, but she couldn't remain stupefied for long – she was on a time table. Spear obtained, Daring started to back out and was grateful when she was able to actually stand properly again – being crouched under their had been massively uncomfortable. Through the flap of the tent, the light from the other tents poured out into the dark and Daring suddenly realized that she was probably very very visible at the moment.

Daring quickly dropped to the ground again before she started slowly sneaking her way back toward the front. Why hadn't she just brought a knife or something? She could have cut her way through the back and been gone, but no she had to sneak out the front bucking door... Then again, it wasn't like she had set out expecting to break into an enemy camp like this.

Daring kept close to the various bits of furniture decorating the room, counting on them to keep her hidden as she moved forward, constantly glancing back at the sleeping form of Ahuizotl. He had rolled onto his side, that bizarre tail-paw of his scratching at his side as he pulled a pillow closer to himself, snoring loudly the whole time.

Daring was almost out of the tent, which of course meant everything had to go pear-shaped.

The first sign of things going south was a heavy crash behind her that drew her attention even as it sent Ahuizotl rolling over and onto the floor. Past the couch, she could see that the end table had fallen over, the drawer that had kept the kitten contained now sitting wide open and slightly askew.

Ahuizotl dragged himself to his feet groggily, one paw rubbing at his face as he looked around with bleary eyes. The first thing he saw was his kitten wobbling on its feet dizzily, before he slowly turned around until freezing as his eyes landed on Daring. “Y-you!”

“Me,” Daring managed around a mouthful of spear as she gave him a taunting smile.

Ahuizotl lunged at her with a snarl, claws outstretched, but Daring vanished out of the tent with a flap of her wings. Ahuizotl face planted into the dirt, pulling himself up with a growl as he looked up and watched the tan pegasus disappear into the blizzard. A burning rage built inside him, rumbling about at the center of his very being before bursting forth up his throat and out his mouth in a roar that shook snow from the tree's and echoed through the remote mountain pass. The widespread griffon's of the Raptorians paused as the sound of their boss's futile roar of rage rang through the air.

“Curse you DARING DO!!!”

Chapter 13

Daring couldn't maintain her altitude for long, and the storm soon forced her back down into the tree's as she raced through the night. The blizzard was still howling around her, but the forest buffered it enough that below the canopy the weather was nearly bearable. The near constant cloud cover, however, meant that the already dim light of the stars above was all but completely blocked, leaving the world lit from an expected source.

Daring was sure why the spear was giving off a faint bluish light, but it was and while it left the forest around her bathed in a eerie glow, it was enough to navigate by so she didn't crash into any trees. The silhouette of the mountain and its ruined castle had vanished into the dark, and Daring was counting on the slope below her and the storm around her to keep her pointed in the right direction. As long as she could find that ridge on the other side of the woods, she could find their camp.

She needed to get back to Zap, get them back to the castle. She needed to end this.

She also hoped that the storm was doing a good job of blocking the light from her spear. The last thing she needed right now was to get dive-bombed by a griffin that spotted her because she was carrying the glow-stick of doom.

The storm, however, seemed to be keeping her well concealed for the moment as she finally managed to reach the semi-familiar ridge and quickly started down along it as she kept her eyes out for their camp's fire. As she flew along though, just above the snow covered ground, she saw no fire. “She must have put it out to hide.” Daring thought out loud as she pressed forward. Given the number of patrols that had been around earlier, she wouldn't have been surprised.

She ignored the small voice in the back of her head that was saying something was wrong.

As the ridge began to dip down and the ground leveled out though, that voice got louder. The terrain slowly became more and more familiar as Daring neared where they had set up camp. She followed the ridge as it veered closer to the tree's until she finally saw the familiar hump of their tent. “Zap!” Daring shouted as she bolted forward, “Zap, I'm back!” Daring shouted around the spear as she moved closer. The fire pit was cold, but their were ashes in it – the storm must have put the fire out, “Zap, where are you?” Daring moved around the fire pit until her hoof kicked into something solid.

It didn't feel like a rock.

Daring spat the spear out as she quickly started clearing the snow away, revealing a pale blue coat. “Zap!” Daring quickly cleared the rest of the snow from her friend, pulling her upright from where she had slumped over, “Come on, Zap – you can't sleep out here...” Daring gave her friend a soft shake, but the earth pony didn't stir, “Come on – jeez, you're freezing, why'd you go and let the fire go out...” Daring gave her friend another soft shake, but Zapapple gave no reply, “you..you idiot, you said...” Daring tried to ignore the tears that were starting form as she brushed a lose strand of mane from her friend's face, “you said you were going to have the fire going...” Daring gave her friend another shake as her voice began to crack, “come on – wake up. Please, wake up... we've got to go... we've...” Daring slumped to the ground as Zapapple slipped back to the ground, “...please, don't go...” Daring couldn't hold it back any longer, her tears freezing as they hit the ground as they flowed freely.

Her friend was gone.

“Such a shame.”

Daring's head shot up at the voice, a familiar purple figure stalking out of the tree's and into the dim light of the spear. “You know, this didn't have to happen,” Ahuizotl said as he stepped closer, “if you haven't left her alone-”

“Shut up!” Daring shouted as she lashed out with the only weapon in reach – the spear. A bolt of ice shot forward, but it didn't seem to phase Ahuizotl, as he simply side-stepped before lashing out with his tail. Daring and the spear parted ways as the tail struck her across the face, sending her crashing back and the spear fell into the snow with a soft thud. Daring tried to get her legs back under her, but they failed to obey her as she just flopped down onto her stomach, “damn...you...”

“Me?” Ahuizotl replied as he picked the spear up, “I am not the one who led my friend to the top of a frozen mountain. I am not the one who left my friend to die cold and alone,” he shrugged, “No matter – you will be joining her soon enough. goodbye, Miss Do – I don't expect to be seeing you again.”

And with that, he turned and left. No finishing blow, no coup de grace – and why would he bother? She was as good as dead anyway.
She'd failed. She'd lost everything, and she'd still failed.

Daring just wanted to curl up and die, right there. Let the mountain take her. Let Ahuizotl win.

'this is the stuff my dreams are made of.'

Daring grit her teeth as she got one hoof back under her. Then another.

She couldn't die here.

Slowly, she dragged herself onto her hooves before limping toward her friend. She tried to move her at first, but it seems her legs weren't up to the challenge at the moment. She was forced to settle with settling Zapapple into a more respectful state then sprawled out on the cold, frozen ground.

Daring leaned forward, hesitating briefly before placing a light kiss on her forehead. “Sorry I wasn't back sooner,” he apologized softly, tears once again starting to fall, “but I have to go again – I'll be back for you. I promise.” She paused for a moment before moving over to their tent – now collapsed, due to Ahuizotl or the storm she didn't know – digging around in it until she found one of their blankets. She dragged it back over to Zapapple, crapping it over her before tucking it in around her.

Like that, wrapped in a blanket next to the fire pit, she almost looked like she was sleeping.

Daring whispered a few last words to Celestia for her friends sake before turning and starting her way back toward the castle again. She winced with every step, but she didn't stop. “Get ready, Ahuizotl,” Daring muttered under her breath as she trudged through the snow, “I'm coming for you.”

Despite her boasting, Daring finally succumbed to her exhaustion in the middle of the woods, collapsing next to a tree, laying herself in amongst its massive roots. This deep in the woods, the storm the had enveloped the mountain was little more then a low whistle, the pounding snowfall slowed by the canopy overhead into a slow far.

It was surprisingly tranquil, given the chaos that raged around it.

“Come on Daring,” she muttered to herself, “no time to take a break...” she tried to get her hooves back under her, but barely made it off the ground before they gave out, “...okay, short break. Then kicking Ahuizotl's flank.” Celestia, she was tired. Hungry too. How long had they been on that mountain, anyway? Maybe a day? With little other idea, she started digging through the snow until she managed to reveal a burst of green amongst the sea of white. She leaned down toward the patch until she was close enough to nibble at the sparse greenery she managed to find.

It wasn't much, but it was something. At least she didn't have to eat the pine-cones she'd found while digging. She was thirsty, but she resisted the urge to eat some of the snow around her – she was pretty sure she remembered hearing that was bad. But if she could melt some, that would be alright, right?

Too bad she didn't have any canteen's on her. Or a fire.

With a sigh, she took another bite of the grass, thankful that it at least seemed moist. She cleared a little more snow from the ground as she continued grazing. She focused on eating, on plotting out her next move, on what she needed to do once she got the spear back.
She tried not to think about what she had just walked away from.

After a while though, she ran out of grass within easy reach and her legs no long felt quite as leaden. She pulled herself back on to her hooves and, once she was sure she was actually stable, started off again. “Okay,” She muttered to herself, “Now I'm coming to get you.”

It didn't take her too long to reach Ahuizotl's camp site, but apparently 'not too long' was still too long – the site had been cleared, leaving nothing but a cold fire pit and a collection of trash. Well, that wasn't a problem – she already knew where they were moving to.

Daring pressed on, past the empty camp and onward toward toward the ruins of the castle. Ahuizotl's goons must have had some prep time, since in the lulls of the storm she could see the orange glow of fires dotting its front, flickering occasionally in a distant breeze.

The trip back up to the castle was a slow one. The blizzard had deposited great dunes of snow across the mountain side, leaving the already perilous route almost impassable. Down drafts rolled down the side of the mountain, likely to leave her like the griffon's from before if she tried to fly against them. She wasn't sure how she'd missed them during her flight from the castle before, but then again maybe they just hadn't been there before.

Either way, they meant that Daring was effectively grounded for assent up the mountain this time - bar a few short hops over spots where small avalanches had covered the narrow path up, she was limited to hovering just above the surface of the snow as she made her way ever higher. She managed to make it half-way up to the castle before the first possible snag revealed its feathered head.

In the light of a flickering torch a lone griffon was standing at the edge of one of the switchbacks, a spear leaning against one shoulder as he rubbed his claws together in a vain attempt to warm himself up against the steady gust blowing down the mountain. Daring started to slowly ease her way past the griffon, pausing every time his shifted or moved before continuing on once she was sure he wasn't about to turn and lunge at her. She was half-way past him when something caught her eye and gave her pause.

Hanging from the griffon's hip, gleaming dully in the torchlight, was a brass compass that Daring recognized. It had been one of many items she and Zap had on them when they first climbed to the castle, and one of many items that had been taken when they'd been tied up and tossed in that trap room.

And now this griffon was walking around with it.

Daring found herself stalking toward the griffon's back before she could even consider it. She might not have any sort of training in how to fight, but years of flight training and the element of surprise cover a great multitude of short-comings.

For centuries, griffons had been the natural enemies of the pegasus. The griffon chased, and the pegasus ran. One ever on the offensive, the other the defensive.

This likely had to do with the level of surprise the griffon felt when a pair of hooves bucked him in the back hard enough knock the wind from him. He tried to twist around, but found a wing swinging around to hit him square in the face like a feather-coated sledgehammer.
The griffon reeled back with a squawk, claws coming up to cradle his face, as a second wing swung around from behind and socked him in the back of the head. Daring twisted out of of the way as she followed through on the swing, the griffon collapsing into the snow by her hooves. He twitched once before going still with a groan.

Daring stood there for a moment, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath as she looked down at the now comatose griffon. She rolled him over, brushing some of the snow from his face, before she leaned down and unhooked the compass from his side and tucked it into a shirt pocket. “That,” she said, as she stood back up, “isn't yours.”

She gave the griffon one final glance before continuing up the mountain. One griffon down, a few dozen to go. Yeah – this was going to be great.

The rest of the way up the mountain didn't require any further griffon take-downs, and soon she almost had the main entry of the castle in view. Daring pressed herself against the cliff side before slowly inching her way closer until she could peer around at the castle.
Their were four griffons standing around the front archway, and only one of them was standing at any sort of attention. The other three were huddled around a small bonfire, passing around a flask of something steaming as they shot glances toward the lone griffon standing across from them and chuckling.

As distracted as most of the griffon's were, Daring didn't think sneaking through the front door was particularly likely. So – on to plan B.
Once she came up with it.

Her first thought was to just do her prior departure in reverse and fly to a window, but with the winds the way they were it was just as likely that the rocks would take care of her for the griffons assuming she didn't get blown off the side of the mountain outright. Flying? Fun. Falling? Not so much.

Still, there was a window not far up one of the walls. Daring studied the ruin for a moment as she considered an idea. Yeah, that might work.
Daring gave the griffon's on watch one more look before backing down the path a little ways until she was around the first corner. The wind tugged at her mane as she glanced upward. This side of the fortress's main approach was abutted by a rocky outcroppings of stone, providing some cover from the winds that blustered around the mountain. Daring looked up at the snow-covered outcropping before taking wing as quietly as possible, staying low as she hovered over the snow until she reached the top of the rock structure, coming down to a gentle landing at the snow-cover summit. Down below, she could still make out the gathered griffons, the main group was still gathered around the fire to one side of the door, the loner on the other side still stalwartly maintaining a proper lookout on his own.

With the griffons still in place, Daring turned her attention to her actual goal. Centuries of weathering had ground away at the structure, forces that would have reduced lesser structures to dust. As impressive as the castle was though, time has still taken its toll – stone had been pitted away, some stones having fallen away and leaving behind big gaps in the rough gray surface as it stretched outward and upward. And, far above, was Daring's goal.

Daring spared the griffons below one final glance before leaping toward the wall, frantically scrambling at the side of the wall until she managed to get a hoof hold. Daring let out a sigh of relief as she arrested her fall before looking around to find the next hoof hold and leaping to it. The wind howled around her, whistling in her ears as Daring zigzagged her way up the castle wall, small sideways leaps taking her upward with painful slowness. Every step of the way, the wind threatened to tear her off the wall and smash her into the rocks.
Given how often it was cropping up as a potential hazard on her first real field outing, you'd think that 'death by horrible fall' would have come up in her archeology courses. That seemed like a serious short-fall, all things considered.

Grumbling about school curriculum aside, Daring was relieved to see her goal in sight. The narrow window sat just above her off to her right. She gave the rocks far, far below a quick glance before locking her eye on the window and with a nervous gulp threw herself toward the ledge.
For a brief moment, she thought it had gone flawlessly. Then reality hit.

Reality, in this case, was the stone ledge at the bottom of the window clipping her in the chin.

Daring couldn't suppress the cry of pain as she felt herself rebound off the ledge, one hoof reaching out in a vain attempt to grab hold. Instincts kicked in as she felt herself falling, her wings flaring out on reflex, only for the howling wind to grab hold and try and yank her down. Daring gritted her teeth as she forced one wing close against the force of the wind before reaching upward with the other and wrapping it over the ledge.

Her wing joint screamed as she jolted to a sudden stop, her grip threatening to give as fiery barbs of pain shot through her. She managed to bite back another cry and, slowly, the fire in her wing faded away until it was just a dull, manageable throbbing. With painful slowness, she managed to pull herself up until she could get a hoof over the ledge and, finally, hauled herself through the window.

Daring collapsed onto the stone floor below the window with a dull thud, but she was too tired to care. She simply laid there on the floor, her own heartbeat thundering in her ears now that she was out of the wind. Compared to out on the wall, the inside of the castle was as silent as a tomb, any ambient sounds lost to the sounds of her own breathing and heartbeat.

After a few minutes to catch her breath, Daring finally took a look around at where she had reached. As was standard with most pre-unifcation castles, the structure had combined the functions of fortress and temple into a single structure. A second-floor ambulatory circled around above the hall below, providing a expansive view down into the current griffon operation. Daring slowly edged closer to the balustrade, peering through the space between the worn stone columns and the scene below.

The camp that had been set up at the base of the mountain had now been moved indoors, sans tents. Rows of cots had been set up across one side of the chamber, while one corner near the front had become some sort of command center, complete with that absolutely fascinating magic table at center stage. Daring could also make out what looked to be a kitchen and tables in another corner and some sort of armory occupying the space near one wall. She could pick out the griffon commander from before, once again showing quite a bit of interest in that safe before stalking toward where a few other griffon were sparring and critiquing the stance of one of them.

Daring had to resist the urge to groan in frustration. This was even worse then at the camp – she couldn't even see Ahuizotl from up here.
Daring was out of ideas. Frankly, she was lucky to have gotten this far. But she as much of a chance of making it past the camp down there as somepony did of just walking in through the front door.

Which was, a moment later, exactly what somepony did.

Daring's eye's nearly bugged out of her head when she saw a very familiar looking unicorn mare walk in through the front door like she was stepping into the university library. “Good evening,” Tabula Rasa gave a polite curtsey to the griffons that had stopped to stare at her, “I am currently looking for two ponies – a tan pegasus and a blue earth pony. Have you seen them?”

The entire camp quickly went dead silent as several dozen armed and very dangerous griffons stared at the little librarian like she had just sprouted wings to go with her horn. “What in the moon-blasted-” A familiar accented voice carried out of one of the halls as Ahuizotl stepped into view, glancing around the chamber until they settled on the librarian. They went wide for a moment before narrowing, “Who are you?”

“Miss Tabula Rasa,” Tabula introduced herself with another curtsey, “I was wondering if you happened to have an information pertaining to the whereabouts of one Daring Do and one Zapapple Tock.”

Ahuizotl's face split into a predatory grin, “Sorry purple, they're dead.”

Tabula calmly adjusted her glasses as she met the creature's gaze. “For your sake, I hope you are mistaken.”

“Whatcha going to do, girl?” Ahuizotl replied, amused, “lecture me to death?”

“It's not me you should be worried about,” Tabula replied, “but my associates.” The last sentence was punctuated as a familiar looking griffon – Daring was certain it was the same poor bloke who had been the only one taking his job outside seriously – crashed into the ground with a heavy crash, a gray and purple blur riding him down. Whatever Tabula had been expecting, that hadn't been it as she reeled backwards as a cloud of dust kicked up from the landing.

The entire hall went dead silent as the dust billowed out before the soft clatter of hooves on stone echoed out. A familiar silhouette calmly strolled out of dust, the gray mare's purple mane still it its severe bun, seemingly unaffected by the decent. A long coat draped across her frame, the dark blue fabric flaring out around her hindlegs as she walked. Masra took a calm look around before locking eyes with Ahuizotl, “Good evening,” she gave shallow curtsy, eyes not leaving Ahuizotl's, “please return my ponies and I will not be forced to damage any more of your forces.”

“Kill them!” Ahuizotl shouted, and a split second later every griffon in the room sprung into motion.

“You have chosen...” Masra said as she lowered herself into some sort of combat stance, “...poorly,” The first three griffon's leapt at her and for a brief instant Daring was certain that her new boss had just died. A heartbeat later, the same three griffon's were flying back as a thin arc of crimson fanned out in front of them.

Daring blinked. What the buck just happened?

The answer was that the president had opened her coat. Clutched in her teeth now was double-edged straight sword, held with an ease that spoke of years of practice. The next griffon to approach at least had the forethought to bring a weapon of his own, though it did him little good in the end.

The griffon was easily twice Masra's size, a scar-covered ball of black and gray fur and feathers wielding a machete the size of Daring leg. He brought it down in a heavy over-head arc that looked like it could cleave a pony clean in two.

Masra gave a twist, and there was a shower of sparks as the machete slid down the president's blade toward the ground. Another flick and twist as Masra spun around, blade whirling through the air before an arc of crimson fanned from the griffon's wrist. There was a squawk of pain as blade clattered to the ground as Masra continued to turn before planting her forelegs and kicking out with a buck.

Hooves met beak with a sickening crack before the oversized griffon crashed back. The other griffon's froze, staring down at their comrade before looking up at Masra as she spun around the face them again, smiling at them around the sword held in her teeth.
Ahuizotl let out a groan, “Well, what are you waiting for?” he growled, “Get her!”

The griffon's charged again, with one cloak-wrapped griffon pulling out ahead before wheeling around. The second nearest griffon barely had enough time to ask him what he was thinking before a clenched claw smashed into his face. The second one barely had time to register what was going one before a steel tail lashed out from under the cloak, the griffon yowling in pain as the silver-gray appendage drew blood. A claw came up to through the cloak's hood back to revealing Storm Talon, beak clicking as he bellowed a challenge, “Alright, you sorry sacks of shit – you want a fight? Come and get some!”

The gathered griffon's were more then happy to take up the challenge, but it quickly became apparent that it would probably have been better for their health if they were decidedly less enthusiastic. Between the griffon and the president, the casualties quickly began to pile up and all decidedly on one side.

She was so busy watching her boss and her teacher mop the floor with the griffon's that she almost didn't notice that the one the president had just bucked skyward was arcing toward her until it was about to crash into her. “Gah!” Daring managed to duck down just in time, the flying mass of fur and feather's passing close enough to knock her hat off before crashing into the stone wall behind her. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she glanced at the griffon, but he didn't seem to be moving. Taking one last final breath, she started poking around for her hat until she found it pinned under the griffon. She hooked a hood under it and pulled, but it didn't get very far before a claw snapped out and pinned it.

Guess he wasn't as passed out as she thought. Darn.

Daring slowly back-stepped, dragging her hat with her as the griffon pulled itself back up, fixing a glare on Daring. Daring gulped nervously as the griffon stared her down. This was very much not good. This guy looked like he could break her in half.

But she couldn't run now. Not anymore.

Daring steeled herself, giving her hoof a flick and re-donning her hat. “Come on, big guy – I can take you.”

The griffon answered with a roar and a charge and Daring tensed. One way or another, this was going to be over in about ten seconds.

Daring kicked off, launching herself straight up before giving her wings a flick to drive her back down onto the griffon's back an instant before both of them careened over the edge. He tried to flare his wings out, but found them held in place by four equine limbs. Daring had no such limitation as she gave her wings another flick, twisting the two of them around before propelling them downward even faster.

The griffon crashed into the ground shoulder first, the force of the two bodies cratering the stone floor with an audible crack as the slates spiderwebbed. Daring pulled herself up as she gave her limbs a quick inventory. Two, three, four, five... yep, all six limbs miraculously intact. It was shaping up to be one of those days.

She was double-checking to make sure her tail was still attached – hard to fly without a tail – when she noticed another griffon charging her.
Yep. Definitely one of those days.

Then another griffon punch the griffon in the face and he fell like a sack of potatos. Storm gave the now comatose griffon a nudge before turning the Daring, “What are you doin' up her girl?”

“Trying to save Equestria!” Daring shouted over the din of fighting, “You?”

“Savin' you and Zap!” Storm shouted back, “Where is she!?”

“She-” Daring's voice dropped until it was almost lost in the chaos around them, “She didn't make it,” she couldn't meet Professor Talon's eyes as she spoke.

Daring was pretty sure he hadn't actually heard her, but her face must have told him enough as she felt herself pulled into a tight hug, “Come here, you...” Daring didn't bother pointing out this was probably ill-timed as she collapsed against the older griffon, “We'll get through this, don't worry.”

“I'm-” Daring was cut off as Storm Talon shoved her down before upper-cutting a griffon that had been charging at her back.

“Oi, asshole! Havin' a moment here,” Storm Talon shouted as he helped Daring back up. Around them, a few more griffons had joined their friends on the ground courtesy Masra. Talon's beak clicked softly in irritation as he surveyed those still standing, Daring to his back, “I know you prefer your lab work, sweetheart, so-”

“I can fight,” Daring replied firmly. Storm glanced over a shoulder to see her crouched low, a steely glare from the pegasus dancing between the still standing griffon's as her wings flexed and re-furled, “I'm not running any more,”

Storm Talon studied her for a moment before nodding and turning back to his own galley of would-be assailants, “Alright then – just don't do anything stupid.”

“Got it,” Daring gave a nod and then the pair charged off in opposite directions.

Between the three of them, the remaining griffon's fell in short order. In fact, Daring was fairly sure it was too fast... “They ran.” Daring announced as she did a quick count of the griffons laying around them.

“Well, good,” Storm Talon replied as he helped Tabula out of a corner she'd hidden herself in, “Now lets get the buck out of here.”

“Not yet,” Daring shouted as she started across the hall, “Come on!”

“Daring, where the buck are you going!?” Storm shouted after her.

“To save Equestria!” Daring shouted back as she vanished around a corner.

Masra and Storm Talon stared at where Daring had vanished before turning to each other, “Well, what are you waiting for?” Masra said calmly as she sheathed her sword and started across the hall, “Follow the pegasus.”

Chapter 14

The sound of four sets of hooves and one set of slightly more pointy appendages pounded against the stone slabs as the group tore down the hall, Daring still at the front. Ahuizotl had already vanished from sight, but given the amount of snow and dust that still covered the floor that didn't slow them down very much. “So,” Masra said as they rushed along, “This spear is the cause of the blizzard?”

“Yup,” Daring replied with a nod, “and its the key to stopping it.”

“In conjunction with this ceremonial chamber you mentioned,” Masra added with a nod, “It appears I should have never have doubted you, Miss Do.”

“We should have never come here,” Daring replied, steel in her voice, “He'd have never have gotten in if we hadn't-”

“I will have none of that!” Masra quickly snapped, “This Ahuizotl fellow would have found a way, and without you and Zapapple, where would we be?” Masra paused a moment to let the word sink in before continuing, “Now, let's finish what you started.”

“Are you – hah – sure he went this way?” Tabula managed between gasping breathes from the back of the group as she pushed to keep up.

“Oh, he went this way, alright,” Storm growled from ahead of her, “Doesn't look like there was really anywhere else he could go.”

Daring did say anything, but she agreed with her professor – Ahuizotl had no chances to lose them down this way, and that had her worried.

Ahuizotl should have known that.

So what was he planning?

The first part of the answer came when the hall suddenly took a sharp left and spilled them out into what Daring could only assume had once been some sort of banquet hall. Why a fortress that had been built as a prison needed a banquet hall Daring had no idea, but Ahuizotl had taken full advantage of the open space. “Good evening, Miss Do and company! I hope you have enjoyed yourselves, but now I must bid you good evening.” To punctuate the statement, he brings the spear around in a relaxed, one-pawed hold.

“So,” Storm Talon asked in a whisper as he leaned toward Daring, “How powerful is this spear thing?”

A reply came in the form of Ahuizotl thrusting the spear forward and launching a crystalline beam that smoked with frost as it shot in their direction. Storm had just enough time to shout an explicative before tackling Tabula out of the way, Masra and Daring dodging the other direction as the beam struck the wall behind where they had just been. The wall exploded for a split-second before the flying pieces froze mid-air, encased in frost and ice.

“Pretty powerful,” Daring replies as she stares at the frozen debris, “and now he knows where we are...”

“Move!” Masra shouts before the three of them rush down the gallery, Tabula unceremoniously tossed onto Storm Talon's back as shards of ice hit the stone around them and overhead. Apparently, Ahuizotl felt the ice beam was too slow and decided the lightning-speed ice flechettes would do better. Luckily, Daring thought, they didn't seem to fly very straight. Stone work began to erode away as the storm of ice bore down like a sand blaster on steroids. Daring brought one wing around as she ran, trying to shield herself from the wost of the impromptu sand storm as she followed after Masra through an archway as the ice storm kicked up a massive cloud of dust that soon enveloped the entire gallery in a obscuring cloak of stone and ice.

The four of them ducked to either side of the arch, hiding inside the small enclave as the barrage continued on the other side for another few moments before finally, slowly, dying out. “I don't see them,” Ahuizotl's voice echoed up from somewhere below, “Kasteel, go kill them.”

“Yes sir,” the voice of the griffon commander replied before there was the sound of rushing wind before a set of claws clattered against stone nearby. He was on the gallery, “You should have ran when you had the chance, pony,” Kasteel taunted, the steady 'click-clack' of claws on stones slowly growing closer, “now you'll die on this mountain like your friend,” Daring tensed, even as she felt one of the president's hooves slide in front of her, “we found her, you know – how miserable must it have been for her, to slowly freeze to death like that? What must she have been thinking at the end? About how you left her, perhaps, maybe-”

His next word was cut off as Storm Talon swung out from around the corner with an upper-cut that sent the commander reeling. “Nobody gets to talk shit about my student,” Storm growled, “Especially not a fucker like you.”

Kasteel gave a snort as he rolled his neck, cracking audible across the gallery, “I know you, don't I?”

Storm Talon gave a snort, his metal tail clicking as it swung back and forth, “Trust me, boy – If we'd met before, you'd be dead.”

Kasteel eyed Storm Talon's tail before eying him carefully, “No – I know you. You're that pirate hunter, aren't you?”

“Just a professor,” Storm replied as he settled into some sort of combat stance – what sort, Daring didn't know, but whatever it was he looked comfortable in it. Relaxed, even, “Now – are we gonna squawk, or can I kick your ass now?”

“You're funeral, then!” Kasteel lunged forward, claw swinging out like a scythe. Storm rolled to the side, Kasteel shooting past him before Storm kicked out with a hind leg. The wind rushed out of the griffon commander as the professor's claw buried itself into his side before he flew sideways, crashing into the stone with a heavy thud.

“You were saying?” Storm Talon asked calmly, tone almost bored as the griffon commander pulled himself back up, “go now and I won't have to kill you.”

“Shove it up your arse,” the commander growled as he reached into his cloak, “I don't need your pity!” There was a flash of steel as his claw emerged from his cloak, dagger in-claw as he lunged forward.

“Mother-” Storm Talon dodged out of the way, letting the commander throw himself further down the gallery before chasing after him.
“Come on,” Daring nearly jumped when Masra tapped her on the shoulder, pointing down at the floor below before speaking again, “While we have the chance.”

Daring glanced down at the floor, and saw what she meant. Ahuizotl stood there, smug grin on his face and his full attention on the two dueling griffon's. The rest of them were being completely ignored. “I somehow doubt he's going to not notice when we try and take the spear back,” Daring whispered. Especially since he was still holding it.

“Leave that,” Masra said with a smirk, “to me.” The president didn't wait for Daring to reply before slipping out of the alcove and into the gallery, staying low and close to the wall as she moved. Daring looked back at Tabula, giving the terrified-looking librarian a silent nod to follow her before following after the president. Behind them, the sound of fighting echoed out across the hall as they effectively crawled their way along until they reached a narrow staircase built into one of the walls.

“What are we doing?” Tabula hissed in a slightly panicked whisper as she followed after Daring and Masra, “Shouldn't we be trying to escape?”

“Have to save the world first, Tabby,” Daring said back quietly, “and we need the spear for that.”

“How?” Tabula hissed again.

“Like this,” Masra replied as she gestured for them to stop near the base of the stairs, “Now watch closely girls – Daring, you'll know when to move.”

“What are you-” Daring started before the president darted forward, sword in teeth in flash as she crossed the distance from from the stairs to Ahuizotl in a gentle arc. Masra shot toward Ahuizotl in near silence, the sounds of the blizzard outside and the fight above drowning out the soft sound of her hoof falls. A flash of steel out of the corner of his eye was the only warning Ahuizotl got as the blade swung up at him in a deadly arc.

The spear lashed out to block, a shower of sparks lighting up the room as Masra rolled with the motion, letting her blade slide down the spear's underside before reversing her motion and hooking her sword under the spear. An arrant blast of magic boomed from its tip, crashing into the stone above in a deafening detonation before Ahuizotl lashed out with his other hand at the pesky mare. Masra rolled around the strike, pulling her blade back as she wrapped a hoof around his limb and pulled.

Ahuizotl lunged forward with the spear, stabbing it forward as much to stabilize himself as to try and impale the university president. His spear met solid stone as he looked up, fury in his eyes.

Which was quickly replaced with surprise as a pair of tan pegasus hooves crashed into his face.

Ahuizotl flew backward as the spear tumbled to the ground, his body crashing into the stone several paces back with a heavy thud. Daring quickly scooped up the spear with one wing, “Got it!”

“Talon! We're pulling back!” Masra shouted before turning to Daring, “can you get us to the chamber?”

Daring took a quick look around before nodding, “I think so.”

“Then lead on,” Masra replied before turning back to the gallery, “Talon, move it!”

“You heard the lady,” Talon said to Kasteel with a smirk, “fun's over,” Talon lunged at Kasteel, claws out. Kasteel was forced to block as Storm Talon launched off him and down into the hall below, “Have to kill you next time!”

“I've got you're name!” Kasteel shouted as he started after them.

“Well, I don't have yours!” Storm shouted back as the group ran down a side hall, “So long!”

A high-pitched shriek chased after them as the foursome dashed through the darkness, “Okay,” Storm Talon said as they tore around a corner, half of them having taken wing, “so we pissed off Freaky-face and his feathered army of ass-hats. Now what?”

“We turn off the blizzard,” Daring replied, the words muffled by the spear held between her teeth, “we need to get back to the under-chamber for that.”

“Okay, going downstairs,” Storm replied with a nod, “How the flying fuck are we going to do that?”

“Out a window,” Daring replied, “Unless you want to turn around?”

“Fuck that,” Storm replied succinctly.

Daring didn't bother voicing her agreement as they took a turn and found themselves in another long hall, this one with rows of arches along the left that opened into the storm outside. “Okay – Professor, can you grab the president?”

“Can you carry Tabula?” Storm asked back, “I've seen you try and fly with Zap...”

“I'll manage,” Daring replied, the tensing at the name passing in an instant, “unicorns are a lot lighter then earth ponies.”

“Then lets get fucking moving,” Storm replied before turning to the president, “Hope you don't mind me getting my claws all over you.”

“I'll try and contain my excitement,” Masra replied with a smirk before another piercing shriek echoed behind them.

“Okay – leaving now!” Daring announced as she grabbed onto the librarian, “Hold on tight, Tabby.”

“Only my friend's get to call me that,” Tabula replied nervously as she quickly wrapped her hooves around Daring's neck.

“Oh,” Daring replied with an akward grin, “uh...sorry?”

“No, no,” Tabula glanced down as they took off, “After all of this, I think you might qualify.”

Both pairs took off and out into the blizzard, and were almost immediately nearly smashed into the castle. The storm had grown massively since she'd last been out in it, Daring noted. Perhaps the Windigo's could feel what was coming.

Luckily their flight was a short one as they more-or-less crash-landed into the lower hall, still cratered from the earlier traps but otherwise abandoned. “Come on!” Daring shouted as she quickly lowered Tabula to the floor before bolting ahead, shooting through the semi-ruined entry way and into the main chamber.

The entire room seemed to react as she entered, strange piping engraved into the walls starting to glow as if light itself flowed through them, the flows of glowing blue illumination converging on the platform at the center. Daring didn't waste any time in looking around as she went straight for the center and the indented slot at its core. Daring stared down at the slot as she hefted the spear, poising it above the slot, “It's over.” and then she plunged the spear down.

There was a sudden high-pitched whir as the glow of the room quickly grew, a whirlwind growing around her along with the light until...
Everything suddenly ceased around Daring as the light died and the wind returned to nothing more then a gentle draft in the utter silence of the chamber room. Daring looked around in confusion briefly before lifting the spear and slamming it back down, but nothing happened, “Oh, for the love of Celestia...” Daring tried it a few more times before she noticed something.

There seemed to be a piece missing from the base.

Around the central slot, near the top, the indentation widened suddenly. As if another piece was supposed to fit there.

Like a big freaking jewel a certain griffon might have had.

Daring bit out a curse as she quickly spun and started back across the chamber, but after a few steps she stopped and ran back over to the altar. She grabbed the spear in her teeth, yanking it out of its slot before taking wing. She took a moment to shift the spear into her hooves before shooting forward.

“Daring, what the buck-” Storm started to shout before Daring sped overhead in a burst of wind.

“Need to grab something from that griffon bastard real fast!” Daring shouted back.

“Need his key for it?” Storm shouted back.

That brought her to a halt real fast. “Wait, what?”

Storm replied by tossing something small and semi-shiny toward her. Daring managed to catch it with her unoccupied hoof, the lanyard catching around her foreleg to leave the key dangling in front of her. “Pulled that off him when we were fightin' – figured it might be good for something.”

“You're a life-saver, professor,” Daring said with a grin before she shot off again, ducking out through one of the window arches and arcing upward before shooting through the gallery window and dropping into the middle of the entry hall. Around her, a couple dozen griffons were standing around in various states of armament, some of them pulling on pieces of plate. Daring brought the spear around, “Okay, gents – hand over the safe and nobody gets hurt.”

The griffon's replied with a collective charge at the tan pegasus, a few shouting or screeching deafening cries that had Daring's lower brain functions screaming at her to run. Daring channeled that fear into a more productive outlet as she brought she spear around and slammed it downward.

A wave of ice rushed out around her, slamming into the first wave of griffons and knocking them back to a chorus of shouts and curses. The few that managed to dodge found themselves being charged by irate tan pegasus. Daring had no technique, no proper form as she attacked. She simply attacked in a flurry of wings and hooves and rage as she finally had the chance to vent days of frustration and pain. The first griffon went down as Daring charged in at a full-speed hoof-first straight into his gut. The next went down with a side-swipe from a wing, the feathered appendage ringing the griffon's head like a bell as he was swept off his feet and crashing into two others.

They quickly wised up though and Daring was quickly finding herself swamped as they charged en mass. Thats what the spear was for – a single sweep, and a wall of ice arced out and gave her some breathing room. Still – too many for her to fight. Not enough time.
She needed to focus.

Daring pushed back the urge, the little voice in the back of her head screaming at her to just whale on every griffon in the room until she felt better or stopped feeling, but she pushed it down and started looking for that safe. She lowered the spear and charged, wind and ice billowing out ahead of her like a plow as she headed for where she half-remembered where the safe had been.

She quickly found herself heading for the one band of griffons that hadn't charged her after her ultimatum, a half-dozen of them gathered around something behind them. Daring was willing to bet that something was safe-shaped, “Out of the way, feather-brains!” Daring shouted as she dove forward.

The griffons responded in kind, charging against the small pegasus that was either brave or dumb enough to challenge them. They were understandably surprised when the pegasus suddenly vaulted over them. She was already moving by the time they got turned back around, a wall of ice sealing off a side hall as Daring vanished around a corner.

“buckmebuckmebuckme...” Daring muttered as she ran, rolling wave of ice carrying the safe along behind her. The sounds of smashing ice was already starting to echo down the hall. She took another turn and skidded to a halt as she found herself at a dead end, “...buck me!” Daring cursed again as the spear's magic deposited the safe to her side. She watched it settle for a moment before glancing at the spear. After that initial shock when she'd first grabbed it, using the spear had been... disturbingly easy. Between that and its sheer power, she was starting to wonder just what she could do with it...

Another resounding crash echoing down the hall cut off Daring's train of thought. She quickly fished the key out of a pocket and turned to the safe, fumbling with it as she tried to maneuver it into the keyhole with one wing – stupid griffon safe designed for griffon claws. She managed it after a few misses, giving the key a quick turn that set off a flurry of sound from inside the squat metal box. A cacophony of clicks, whirs and heavy clunks came from the safe before giving one final collection of thunks and then, with the faintest of clicks, cracking open.
Holding her breath, Daring slowly pulled swung the safe open with one hoof.

Inside was the single biggest gem Daring Do had ever seen.

She had some idea of what to expect – there was a slot in the floor it probably had to fit into, after all – but nothing prepared a pony for seeing a gem that big. It was two hooves long, and a hoof wide. It tapered from a good fifteen centimeters thick to almost nothing at either end, creating a sort of oblong diamond shape. Even with the spear-shaped whole in the middle, the stone looked like it was have weighed at least a thousand carats.

Daring slowly reached out with her hooves when she suddenly felt something very cold and very, very sharp press against her back, “back away from the gem, girlie,” Daring slowly pulled her hooves back, “Good, now back up,” Daring felt the blade – knife or sword, she didn't know – pull away from her back, and her body started to move before her brain had time to note that this was probably a really bad idea.
One wing snapped out as she spun around, sweeping the weapon from the griffon's hand and making him curse as the curved one-clawed sword hit the ground with a ringing clatter, “you little-”

He didn't get to finish his curse as a pair of hooves slammed into his chest, shooting him backwards into the wall with enough force to dent the wall. That was... actually, highly improbable, Daring realized. She gave the dead-end hall around her a second look as she realized the aged structure was apparently moments away from completely caving in.

Daring had little time to contemplate their current environment before the griffon was charging at her. In the confined space of the hall, it was only moments before the fighting devolved into a tangled mess of limbs as both tried to maneuver in the tight space. Daring's brief upper-hoof vanished as the larger griffon managed to grab her as she over-extended, swinging her around by her foreleg until she slammed into the same stretch of wall she had slammed him into moments earlier. The wall caved even further, a couple of bricks from further up falling out as their mortar failed, letting the howling wind outside whistle. The confined space filled with a low shriek as the griffon leered down at Daring as she fell to the floor, apparently happy to watch her struggle, “You're out of your depth, girl,” he said, smirking as Daring tried to get her hooves back under her, “I've been fighting longer then you've been alive. I've killed dragons, you little nag – No way in Tartarus I'm going to let you rob me of my payday,” Daring didn't have time to react as a claw grabbed her by the throat, lifting her clear off the ground as she tied to escape. She could feel him slowly squeezing as he stared her in the eyes, beak slowly clicking in smug satisfaction, “Now get ready to join your stupid friend.”

Daring stopped struggling as she glared back at the griffon, “Her name-” Daring wrapped a her forelegs around his arm before she flared her wings out, “-was Zapapple Tock!” Daring put every ounce of strength she had into her wings, forcing herself backwards and pulling the griffon with her into the wall. The weakened brickwork finally gave, howling wind rushing past Daring ears as her wings caught on the edges of the break and she started to cartwheel.

The griffon had no such bracing as the momentum tore his grip from Daring's throat, claws raking across the pegasus's skin. The instant he cleared the wall, the winds of the storm grabbed him, the howling maelstrom prying his wings from his sides before dragging him down into the whirling sea of white below.

Daring pulled herself back from the edge, dropping the the floor as she panted for breath. She stared out through the hole, watching the twisting winds for a moment before giving herself a quick shake and pulling herself back onto her hooves. She made her way back over to the still open safe, scooping up the gem with one wing as she patted herself down until she found an open pocket.

Stone secured, she found herself staring back out into the storm. Enemies at her back and a blizzard to her front, “How am I supposed to fly in...” Daring started when she felt a tingle of energy from the spear, still laying where it had fallen nearby. Carefully, Daring stepped closer until she could scoop it up with one wing. Almost immediately, the wind pouring in from outside died down. She glanced out into the storm and then back at the spear, “...okay then...” Daring tucked it under one leg, awkwardly hobbling on three legs until she was close enough to the hole to take wing.

Outside, it was as if she was flying in her own personal weather bubble. Around her, the storm continued to rage, but a few hooves away from her it simply flowed around, as if she was surrounded by a shield.

She found herself thinking back to the mural of the builder. Had the Windigo's not seen that coming either?

That line of thought was shelved as she alighted back outside the chamber, the hall still destroyed from the traps. Daring wasted no time, rushing back into the chamber where he found miss Rasa and the president waiting, “Where's professor Talon?”

“Scouting,” the president replied as she raised an eyebrow at Daring. Daring looked down at herself and noticed the oversized gem buldging out of one pocket, “is that it?”

“That's it,” Daring replied with a nod, “this should be the last piece to stop the storm.”

“Then do it fast!” the three of them spun around to see Storm Talon dashing in their direction, “We've got a whole division of angry griffon's coming this way!”

“I somehow doubt that they have an entire division of forces on this mountain, mister Talon.” Masra said as Storm Talon ducked behind some of the rubble they were using for cover.

“Well its still way bucking more then we can fight off for long!” Talon snapped back, “Kid – shut off the storm and lets get out of here.”
Daring was way ahead of him on that front, already sliding to a stop at the center of the room as she fumbled to pull the gem out of her pocket. She spared half a moment to make sure she had it oriented properly before slotting it into the floor. The chamber around her immediately reacted, the engraved lines criss-crossing the room began glowing a brilliant blue, bright enough to bath the entire room in light. Daring didn't waste any time admiring the change in her surroundings though as she quickly grabbed the spear in her teeth, lining it up over the slot.

Daring paused for a heartbeat before slamming the spear home.

There was a brief moment of utter silence before an ear-piercing shriek cut through the air as the air around the spear pulsed once, then twice before the center platform slowly rose. It came to a stop a hoofs-length above where it started, leaving a narrow gap around its edge.
Then, the ancient fortress seemed to inhale.

Wind howled around Daring as it rushed past her, sections of wall and ceiling falling free as the storm outside found more ways to rush inward toward the alter, whirls of snow and ice speeding into the inky blackness below the altar. Daring arduously started to back step, every ounce of strength not pushing her back step by step trying to keep her wings furled so that she wouldn't join the Windigo's in the abyss.
The Windigo's had little choice in the matter – it wasn't long before she saw the first one fly past, an ethereal equine form struggling against the wind in futility before disappearing below the altar.

Daring's heart was pounding in her ears, her breath coming in ragged breathes as she slowly backpedaled, hooves slipped across the stone every few steps as the winds threatened to whisk her away.

It wasn't until she felt the shift in the wind around her and the change in the floor underhoof that Daring finally started to relax. She quickly threw herself to the side, planting her back against the wall next to the door as she finally let out a sigh of relief and could catch her breath.
“A little bucking warning next time!” A shout over the wind drew her attention to the other side of the doorway, where Storm Talon was yelling at her as best he could despite the indoor wind storm, “We were nearly bucking sucked in with the the thrice-damned windigos!”

“Didn't know it was going to happen!” Daring shouted back.

“What are we supposed to-” Tabula started shouting from behind Storm when, suddenly, the wind died. The entire chamber was suddenly plunged into utter silence, “-do... oh, um – what happened?”

“The storm stopped,” Storm Talon replied slowly as he looked around wearily. Beyond the soft sound of their own breathing, there was no sound. No wind. No animals. Not even the sound of the castle settling around them.

“It seems everything has stopped,” Masra added, “most likely a poor sign – Talon, how long do we have to secure the entrance before the griffon's arrive?”

“President, we should be leaving!” Tabula shouted, panicking.

“Miss Rasa, if we leave now then those griffon's will simply take that spear again,” Masra replied with a sad smile, “for the moment, we are not going anywhere.”

Tabula's eyes went wide before she nodded numbly, “A couple of minutes, at most,” Storm Talon said as he answered her earlier question, “so if you have any ideas, I'd do them now.”

“We buy miss Rasa as much time as we can so that she can collapse the chamber,” Masra replied as she pulled her blade out, “It's all we can do.”

“R-Right,” Tabula stammered as she moved over to the doorway, her horn lighting up as she began to tug at the pieces of the archway. The stonework, however, stubbornly refused to move under her telekinetic grasp.

Daring watched her for a moment before turning turning to Masra, “So, miss president – now what?”

“We protect Equestria,” Masra replied resolutely as readied her sword. Next to her, Storm Talon slowly cracked his claws, the metal joints in his hind leg clicking audibly as he stretched out. Daring watched the two of them before turning her gaze across the chamber, toward the far end where she could already see the shadows of the approaching griffons.

So, she thought – this was it. This was how she ends. On a mountain at the end of the world, trying to save Equestria.

Daring steeled herself, locking her gaze onto the far end of the chamber.

So be it. She wouldn't let them win.

Daring whispered one final apology to Zap as the first griffon's came into view on the other side of the hall.

Which was, naturally, when the Alicorn burst through the roof.

Chapter 15

She was a brilliant white, her coat seeming to shine even in the dim light of the hall. Her mane and tail were an equally brilliant golden yellow as they danced in their own intangible breeze. She gave Daring and her group a quick wink before turning to face the approaching Raptorians, giving Daring a clear view of her cutie mark – a rainbow arcing over a unicorn silhouette, “Griffons of the Raptorian forces!” she bellowed, “I am Banizacherla. These ponies – and griffon – are under my protection!”

There was a moment of stunned silence from the griffon's before one summarized the general feeling one often felt when the focus of an alicorn's ire, “Oh, horseapples.”

A brief glow from the alicorn's horn was the only warning any of them received before a wall of kinetic force plowed through the gathered griffon forces, before turning and shouting at the group behind her, “Go! This is no longer your fight!”

“Wha-” Daring started to say before Storm Talon grabbed her and started dashing across the now clear path out of the hall.

“Don't look a gift Alicorn in the mouth!” he shouted as they all started to move. Behind them, the griffon's were slowly getting back up. They gave the running ponies and griffon a quick glance before turning to the Alicorn.

The Alicorn was blocking their way to the spear.

The spear was what was gong to get them paid.

So all they needed to do was take out an Alicorn. Right.

A couple of the bravest – or, perhaps, dumbest – griffon's charged the Alicorn with piercing shrieks, their comrades joining in moments later. If the Alicorn was worried about the approaching mass of fur and feathers, she didn't show it. She just gave them all a little smirk before flaring her wings and alighting her horn before letting loose a blinding flash of light.

The mass of griffon's converged where the Alicorn had been, crashing into each other as they found the space empty. They bounced off each other with a collection of 'oofs' and squawks, falling back onto their rumps as they started to blink the stars from their eyes.

"That Alicorn left us some sort of clock,” one one of the mooks said as he rubbed at his eyes, pointing at something sitting on the floor a few steps from the griffon pile.

Another mook managed to clear his vision enough to see what his cohort was point at, and it did indeed seem to be some sort of chronometer. A round clock face set into a heavy brown bundle, one of the two arms slowly moving around the dial. The second mooks' beak fell open as he realized what it was, "That's not a clock, dumbplot, that's a b--"

Daring and company just cleared the first turn as the detonation rocked the entire building. A quick glance back and Daring's eyes went wide a she saw a burning fire roll around the corner after them, “Run faster!”

Up ahead, she could see the faint light from where the passage opened up into a larger hall. Apparently, the president saw it too, “Move, move, move!” Masra shouted, as if the burning wall of fiery death behind them wasn't motivation enough.

To her other side, Rasa was struggling to keep up and stay ahead of the fire. Without skipping a step, Daring flared out one wing, slipping it out under the librarian. Tabula Rasa gave a small squeak of surprise as she found herself tossed skyward before landing on Daring's back, “Hold on, Rasa!” Daring warned her before flaring her wings. She couldn't fly in spaces this tight, but she could sure a hell give herself a boost.

A few seconds behind her she could here the sound of professor Talon's wings pulling a similar stunt, a roaring woosh that was intermingled with a shark crack of smashed stone from what she could only assume was the president.

The four of them didn't so much as dash through the archway so much as launch, all of them tumbling across the ground as they moved to get out of the way of the coming inferno. Daring felt Tabula slip off her back, reaching out with a hoof as she rolled and pulling her back close before the burst of flames finally caught up with them with a bellowing roar as it rolled into the hall. Daring squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the wave of heat roll over her, the acrid scent of burned fur wafting to her nose as her coat singed.

After a few moments, the heat and sound subsided, leaving them once again in an eerie silence, save for a slow cracking of stone as the blocks of the archway cooled in the winter air. Slowly, Daring cracked an eye open.

Storm Talon and Masra were pulling themselves back up on the other side of the archway, a few of the griffon's feathers smoking slightly, “Well,” Storm said after a moment, “That fekking sucked.”

“Stop whining, you old feather-duster,” Masra muttered back as she got back on her hooves.

“Shut up, its proof that I'm still alive,” Talon shot back as he dusted himself off.

“Lets see how long that lasts.”

All four of them jumped, spinning around at Ahuizotl's voice. He was grinning at them maliciously, his earlier self-assured gait marred by a slight limp as he held one shoulder, a thin line of blood trickling own the side of his head from a cut above an eye, “Congradulations – you've saved Equestria. None you are leaving here alive.”

“You sounds pretty sure of yourself for somebody who just lost, Ahuizotl!” Daring shot back, wings flaring as she planted herself, hooves spread wide while she glared at the purple villain.

“But thats the beauty of things, Daring,” Ahuizotl gave her a disturbingly friendly smile, “I have nothing to lose!”

Ahuizotl moved faster then anything his size had any right to, especially with a banged up limb. Daring threw herself to the side as she ducked under a slash that looked like it could of ripped her head clean off. Ahuizotl pivoted around on the balls of his hind feet as he moves to follow Daring, but a charging sword-armed mare proved to be highly distracting from that goal. Unarmed, Ahuizotl was forced to dodge lest he was gutted by the steel blade and the pony wielding it, “So much anger – upset about what happened to the blue one?”

“Being upset would be unprofessional,” Masra replied calmly around the hilt in her mouth, “killing you is just business.”
“Oh?” Ahuizotl replied, still grinning, “and what business is that?”

“Killing monsters!” Masra charged again, but this time Ahuizotl was ready. One limb came around in a flash, his paw hitting the flat side of her blade with a dull ring before his tail snuck around and upper-cut her, sending her stumbling back as Storm Talon closed from behind.

“So the old griffon wants in as well?” Ahuizotl shouted as he spun around, side-stepping Storm and grabbing him by his hind leg, “I'm happy to oblidge!”

Ahuizotl heaved Storm Talon around, sending him flying toward Masra. The president had just enough time to register what was coming toward her before the griffon crashed into her and both went reeling back, “...ow,” Talon muttered after a moment, “that bucking sucked. So – tag team?”

“Tag team,” Masra agreed as they pulled themselves back up. The president gave Daring a quick look as she retrieved her blade, “Daring – protect Miss Rasa. Professor Talon and I will handle the brute.”

“But-” Daring didn't get the chance to finish her reply as Storm Talon and Masra dashed toward Ahuizotl again.

The entire castle was slowly crumbling around them as the professor and the president charged in again. Every fiber in Daring was screaming at her to follow them, but she had her orders – and, as the more rational part of her brain pointed out, pretty much zero combat training. That she had gotten by so far simply by whaling on her opponents so far spoke more to pegasus reflexes and her own luck then anything.
A hoof on her shoulder brought Daring out of her thoughts as she turned to Tabula, “We need to move, Daring...” th unicorn pointed toward the ceiling, and Daring followed her hoof, turning her gaze up. Dust was pouring down nearly constantly now, smaller stones falling loose and clattering to the floor below, “This whole place is coming down.”

“What about the professor and the president?” Daring asked, “We can't just leave them here!”

“T-thats the idea, Daring,” Tabula replied slowly, eyes downcast, “They're buying us time.”

Daring stared at Tabula for a second before glancing toward her professor and the president. One she had known for her entire life, the other for less then a day. And now they were risking everything for her? “Buck that,” She wasn't going to leave anypony behind, not now, “We've got to...” Daring paused as she glanced to the ceiling again, “...Tabula, how much do you know about how this place was built?”

Tabula looked at Daring, confused, “not much...”

Daring spun around to face Tabula, “enough to pull the place down?”

Tabula blinked, “uh... that doesn't take much...”

“I'll take that as a 'yes',” Daring said before turning and charging for Ahuizotl, “Do what you need to get ready!”

“When am I supposed to do it?” Tabula shouted back.

“Don't worry, you'll know!” Daring yelled back before focusing her attention on the purple figure before her. Her professor's had abandoned the head-on approach and opted instead for the hit-and-run approach. Masra's sword kicked up a shower of sparks as it glanced off the piece of metal Ahuizotl was swinging around – had that fallen from the roof? There were similar twisted pieces scattered among some of the rubble – before she leapt back. His back was still turned as Storm Talon charged in, forgoing any form of artificial weaponry as he drove a metal hind leg into Ahuizotl's back.

The sound Ahuizotl made has all the air was forced from his lungs was somewhere between a cry and a gasp, but he managed to maintain enough self-control to dodge Masra's next charge as he back-pedaled from the pair before greedily sucking in air, “You-”

The only warning Ahuizotl got was the sound of rapid hoof falls on stone as Daring slammed into him head-on like tan cannonball. The force was enough to send him falling backward, Daring following after him as she brought her hooves down in a dizzying barrage of punches, “No more traps! No more chases! No more dead ponies!” Daring pulled back as she took aim square at the center of his face, “No more games!” She brought her hooves down...

...And her eyes went wide as Ahuitotl's tail caught them, the feline-like creature glaring up at her, “Agreed,” Daring felt herself lurch forward before suddenly flying backward, crashing into the stone a half-dozen meters away near the others as Ahuizotl rose to his full height, “It's time to end this.”

“O-okay!” There was a surge of magic, and the stones over Ahuizotl briefly glowed with an amber light before seemingly exploding, the roof cascading down onto Ahuizotl.

Daring, Masra, and Storm Talon all stared at the pile of rubble as it went still before all turning the Tabula. The unicorn fidgeted under the attention, “What? You said I'd know...”

“Where the buck-” Talon started before the castle shook around them, “...you know what? Never mind – Leaving now!”

The castle gave another thundering shake a if to punctuate his statement, the quartet taking a wary glance around before turning to each other and, as if on cue, shot toward the door, “Miss Rasa!” Masra shouted as the belted around a corner, floor shaking under their hooves, “What in Celestia's name were you thinking?”

“It worked, didn't it?” Tabula quickly replied.

“It also destabilized the entire castle!” Masra said back.

“It was my idea!” Daring cut in, “So if you want to yell at somepony, yell at me.”

“That was incredibly reckless,” Masra said as they finally emerged back into the main entry hall, now empty of griffons. Weapons stands were overturned and the formerly orderly rows of equipment were now in dissaray from the Raptorians rapid departure.

“So was coming here for me,” Daring replied, “you can reprimand me when we all get out of here.”

“Indeed,” Masra replied, taking a deep breath as she composed her self, “Miss Do, I -”

The castle decided to cut in with another low groan at that point, a long, drawn-out rumbling sound of untold amounts of stone shifting drew their attention the the back wall. Stone began to fall loose from it as it rumbled, the gaps in the stone work showing glimpses of the castle outside. The sole remaining spire of the fortress rocked back and forth slowly before lurching with a heavy crash before slowly toppling toward the entry hall. Storm Talon gave a sigh as he shoulders dropped, “buck me.”

The hall began to cave in as they ran for the door. The president was completely silent, while professor Strom Talon was a near-endless stream of curses as he urged Tabula to go faster. Roofs and walls started to collapse behind them even as the columns ahead of them began to collapse, “We aren't going to make it!” Tabula shouted.

“Buck that!” Daring shouted back before flaring her wings, surging into the air before scooping up the librarian. Storm Talon followed suite, snatching up the president before giving his wings a massive beat. The president seemed to take it in stride, tucking her legs in as the griffon took wing.

“Fucking dammit girl!” Storm shouted over the thundering crashes of falling stone around them, “I'm too old for this shit!”

“Better then dead!” Daring shouted back as she pressed forward through the air as fast as she could. Just the other end of the hall – fifteen, twenty seconds tops and then they were-

Daring nearly screamed as a stone column came crashing down toward her. Her wing twisted and she rolled out of the way, dodging up and over the column just as a massive chunk of the roof came tumbling down. Daring found herself dodging and weaving as everything literally came crashing down around her, clouds of dust choking the air as the castle crumbled, “This was a really bad idea!” Tabula shouted from under Daring as she dodged through the rain of debris.

“Tell me about it!” Daring shouted as she twisted, ducking low before swinging over a collapsed wall, gray-scale mane wiping around her as she glanced behind her. Storm Talon was a tails-length behind her, his beak clicking almost constantly as he twisted through the falling stonework. Held in his claws, the president gave each dodged piece of rock only the briefest glances as they passed, her face otherwise completely passive. Only the way her legs tensed with every roll and dodge betrayed her otherwise flawless facade. Daring could only spare the two behind her a moment of her attention before another crash drew her eyes forward again.

The collapse had managed to surge ahead of them while they were in the air – the far end of the hall was already starting to collapse even as they drew closer, the stone archway of the door already starting to buckle. Daring poured on even more speed.

They weren't going to die here!

Outside, the sound of the crumbling castle echoed off the valley walls. With the blizzard gone, the sounds of crumbling stonework carried through the mountain air with crystal clarity, the chorus of cracks and snaps and rumbles sounding more akin to fracturing ice then a falling castle. Birds and timberwolves looked up as the valley's skyline changed more drastically then it had in centuries, the ruined towers of the castle teetering over like felled trees, massive clouds of dust billowing out as the ancient structure fell.

After a few minutes, silence descended on the valley as the castle vanished into a cloud of dust. For a moment, the air was completely still.
Then their was a thundering crash and the sound of splintering wood before two blurred shapes shot out of the dust cloud near where the main doorway had once stood, the shapes flying a few dozen paces beyond the threshold before crashing to the snow. Two blurs became four as the figures tumbled to a stop in the freshly fallen snow.

Daring simply laid their for a moment in the snow, before bolting upright, “I... that... woo...” Daring fell backward with small puff of powder,
“Okay – who's not dead?”

“Think my leg needs re-alignment,” Storm Talon groaned from somewhere nearby, “thats gonna hurt like a bitch...”

“Do try to mind the cursing, professor,” Masra said as she pulled herself out of a snow-bank, “I find in unprofessional.”

“Kiss my feathered ass, President,” Storm Talon growled back.

“Can we not do that again?” Tabula chimed in from somewhere to Daring's left, “because I would really, really love to never do that again,” The librarian sat up with a groan, one hoof rubbing at her head as she looked around, “...what happened?”

“We won,” Daring replied as she took in the now ruined remains of the once imposing fortress. And they had one, hadn't they? The world was saved, the evil artifact returned to the dark pit from whence it came, and the evil mastermind was soundly defeated.

All it had cost her was one best friend.

A single pony for the whole of Equestria? Most would call that a fair price.

Daring found that to be little solace, “...yeah, we won.”

Daring felt a hoof settle across her back, and she looked up to see Tabula staring back at her, a tired smile on her face, “Thanks for the save, Daring.”

“Had to save somepony today,” Daring replied with a half-hearted shrug and a weak smile, “at least we didn't... didn't...” Daring's smile faltered as her shoulders hitched, “...dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit!”

Daring didn't lean so much as collapse against the unicorn as everything finally came crashing down the way things only can once you finally safe again, “...I left her! I bucking left her out there and she bucking froze to death because of me!”

“It's alright,” Tabula replied softly as the pegasus started to sob, “It's all going to be alright...”

“...Not likely,” Daring said in barely a whisper, “Dammit... it should have been me and-”

“I will have absolutely none of that,” the two younger mares looked up as Masra approached, the president's gaze locked on Daring, “You are here now because of what Zapapple Tock did – I will not have you throw that away by second-guessing it.”

Daring pulled away from Tabula as she shook her head, “We both could have gone down to the castle – Zapapple knew more about this field stuff then me! She-”

“She knew exactly what she was doing,” Masra cut in, “As you said – she had far more experience in the field then you; if anypony would have been able to survive in this, it would have been her. So she did what was best for both of you – sent you to the castle, out of the storm, where you would actually stand a chance.”

Daring stared down at her hooves, “...she wanted to see the world...”

“Not as much as she wanted to make sure you were alright,” Masra replied as she knelt down in front of Daring, “I know this is hard, but I need you to stop feeling sorry for yourself so we can all get off of this Celestia-forsaken mountain.”

Daring's head snapped up , as she glared at the president, “What do you know about-”

“Plenty!” Masra shot back, “I've lost more friends then anypony ever should – several because of my own mistakes,” Masra rose back to her hooves, “be thankful that you don't have to carry that sort of burden. As guilty as you feel about surviving, you can at least take solace in the fact that Zapapple wanted you to live. Some of us don't have that luxury.”

Daring didn't move for a moment before simply slumping back down into the snow, “...I don't care – the world's safe, just leave me here.”

“Unacceptable,” Masra replied, “I've lost enough ponies today.”

“You didn't even know her,” Daring muttered, “You'd barely met her...”

“She was still one of mine,” Masra replied, “and I know she wouldn't want you to die here along with her so, Get. Up!”

Daring slowly pulled herself up onto her hooves, head still downcast as Masra slipped a hoof under her chin, lifting it until they were staring at each other, “If anypony is to blame, its me. I never should have let the two of you come up here.”

Daring shook her head, “No – it was my idea.”

“And you are my responsibility,” Masra shot back, “This is how a chain of command works,” Masra sighed as she gave Daring a sad smile, “Nopony your age should have a look like that – I am sorry I couldn't protect you like I should have.”

“This isn't your fault!” Daring was nearly shouting now as she stomped forward a few steps toward the president, “You didn't-”

Daring was cut off as Masra held a hoof against her lips, “If I cannot blame myself, then you cannot blame yourself,” her hoof dropped back to the ground as she continued, “We can run around in circles until the summer thaw trying to decide blame – me, for letting you come up her or you for having the idea in the first place? Perhaps we should find whoever left the doors to the tunnels open and hold them accountable? Every effect has a dozen causes that could have changed the outcome. The only absolute is that Zapapple Tock died in that blizzard, and you and I both know who was responsible for that.”

Daring felt herself tensing as she nodded.

“So, do you still want us to leave you up here?” Masra asked, “Do you still want to throw everything away – to throw away what Zapapple did?”

That, more then anything, struck a nerve with Daring, “No!” Daring all but shouted back.

Masra considered her for another moment before giving a nod, “...Good. Hold onto that feeling,” with that, Masra turned to Storm Talon, “keep an eye on her for a while – she should be alright, given time.”

“What the buck was all of that?” Storm Talon muttered back in a hushed tone.

“Hopefully?” Masra replied, “Making sure she wasn't going to blame herself for this. And, maybe, reminding her of what she has to live for now,” the president considered Daring as Tabula started to dust excess snow off the pegasus, “She's doing better then I expected, to be honest.”

“Then you...” Storm Talon replied in surprise before hissing, “She isn't some grunt in the guard! She was never prepared for something like this!”

“Nopony is ever prepared for something like this, Storm,” Masra replied, “You can warn them and train them all you want, but nopony is ever prepared for something like this. All we can do is help her through it.”

Storm gave his head a little tilt that was the avian equivalent of a raised eyebrow, “Speaking from experience?”

“Yes,” Masra said with a tired sigh, “Far, far too much experience,” she glanced at the griffon, “You?”

“I've seen this usually go two ways,” Storm Talon replied, “Either they get stupidly risky or stupidly drunk.”

“Well, only time will tell how she'll fair,” Masra said before turning to the two younger mares and saying more loudly, “Good to see you moving, Tabula – nothing broken?”

“No ma'am,” Tabula replied with a shake of her head before turning to the pegasus, “but Daring...”

“I'm fine,” Daring said, “I'm... fine,” she flared her wings out, preening a few feathers that had c0me out of place before giving them a few experimental flexes. Apparently satisfied, she gave a small nod before refurling them and turning to the president, “If it's alright with you, I'd like to get off this mountain now.”

Masra considered her for a moment before nodding, “You're mobile, which is what counts right now,” she turned to the unicorn, “Miss Rasa, do you remember the way?”

Tabula nodded, “Yes ma'am,”

“Then lead the way,” Masra ordered, “Daring, stay on the ground for now; we don't know if any of the minions of that Ahuizotl character are still about. Professor Talon and I will bring up the rear.”

Daring gave a sharp nod before following after the librarian. Storm Talon watched her walk off before turning to Masra, “So, now what?”

“Now?” Masra replied, “Now we get the buck off this mountain.”

“About fucking time.” Storm Talon said with a nod as the pair followed after Daring.

Without the blizzard raging around them, Daring found the mountain now eerily silent. The only sound to carry through the woods was the crunching of snow under their hooves and their own breathing. Even the sound of the wind had vanished, leaving them to walk through an motionless white and gray forest as Tabula led them to... Actually, she wasn't sure where they were going.

“Our means of transportation,” Masra replied simply, “Unfortunately, we had to squirrel it away in one of the caves to keep it safe from the storm.”

“Could still be buried by an avalanche,” Storm Talon groused, “Then we're all out of bucking luck.”

“Always the optimist, eh Professor?” Daring commented as she glanced back at the old griffon. His artificial leg was moving stiffly, and his annoyance at the dusting of snow that was currently melting into his feathers meant he had a look in his eyes that suggested he was half a heart-beat from biting somebody's head off, possibly literally.

Then again, Daring realized, professor Storm Talon tended to look like that horrible death-mountain or no. It was comforting that some things never changed.

Back in the present, Daring gave the president another glance, “You haven't actually said how you got here,” Though given it was in a cave, Daring assumed it was some sort of airship. That, or they'd payed a bunch of giant eagles for a lift. Daring doubted that though.

“You're a smart mare, Miss Do,” the president replied, “I'm sure you can figure it out.”

“Oh, stop beating around the gorram bush, Masra,” Storm snapped before turning to Daring, “President Crazy here stole Sunbutt's new toy.”
It took Daring a moment to parse that out, and she ground to a halt when she did, leaving the president to unceremoniously run into her rump, “Miss Do, I would appreciate some warning before-”

“You stole an airship!?” Daring nearly shouted as she spun around the face Masra, “A Royal Guard airship!?”

Masra glanced away, her expression carefully schooled as she pointedly did not make eye-contact with Daring. It took the pegasus a moment to place the expression, “I was pressed for time and forced to requisition resources. I had little choice in the matter.” The president justifying herself settled it for Daring.

“You're embarrassed that you stole a ship for me,” Daring said with a groan as she brought a hoof up to her face.

“Embarrassed that I perhaps acted more rashly then I should have, perhaps,” Masra replied, before gently pulling Daring's hoof down and looking her in the eye, “But embarrassed that I did it for you and Miss Tock? Never. As I've said, you are one of my ponies.”

Daring chuckled at that, “We've talked, what? Once before this Ma'am?”

“You're still one of mine,” The president replied as she let Daring's hoof fall to the ground, “Now – we need to get moving. We have one more pony to pick up.”

Daring nodded, and the whole group began to move again until something occurred to Daring, “wait,” She said as she turned back to Masra, “who else is up here?”

Masra just raised an eyebrow as she gave the pegasus an nonchalant look, “Really, Miss Do – I'd have thought you'd understand at this point. You're friend is still somewhere on this mountain.”

Daring froze at the president's words, “You mean...”

“As I said, Miss Do,” Masra said simply as she continued past Daring, leaving Storm Talon to prod the pegasus back into movement, “I do not leave my ponies behind.”

Epilogue

The weather in Canterlot was pleasantly warm, the clear sky overhead allowing more then enough sun through to keep the bite of the cold air at bay even in the sparse shade of the tree she wa under. Off in the distance behind her, the University's clock chimed softly as it mid-day arrived. Daring barely noticed the time though as her attention remain fixed on the object at her hooves.

“Daring?”

Daring turned around in surprise to see Masra making her way toward her, “Miss President,” Daring gave her a polite nod, “I'm sorry. I didn't notice you.”

“No,” Masra replied, her gave dancing briefly toward the spot that had been holding Daring's attention before returning to the pegasus, “You're looking better.”

Daring glanced down at her self, one hoof running over her tan coat. She was finally free of any bandages for the first time in days, only a few off-color patches in her coat, and even those were quickly fading. She'd looked like a bad mummy when she'd first gotten back, even for the-
Daring turned back around, her gaze locking back onto the same spot on the ground as before as her hoof rose up to her head only to find her hat missing. She wished she hadn't left it in her room – she found herself feeling naked without it, “I've been worse,” Daring finally replied, quietly.

Masra let out a sigh as she walked up to Daring's side, standing next to her as she studied what held Daring's attention, “She wouldn't want you to be like this, you know.”

“I know,” Daring replied hollowly, “I just keep thinking how it could have gone different...”

“Daring,” Masra started saying, “What happened-”

“Not that,” Daring said, cutting her off, “I mean – if this hadn't happened. What we could have done. What she might have found – she wanted to be an explorer, you know.”

“I do,” Masra replied, turning to Daring, “And you? What do you want to be?”

“I just wanted to learn,” Daring replied with a tired shrug, “I grew up on stories of what my dad did – the places he went, the things I found. All those strange places and ponies he discovered – all I wanted was to learn about stuff like that. But Zap...” Daring's gaze slid downward again, “She heard all the same stories – but she wasn't happy with just reading or hearing about things. She wanted to go and find them. She wanted to see the world.”

“And what do you think now?” Masra asked.

“Now?” Daring echoed, “Now, I know – really know – what sort of things are out there. Horrible, terrible things nopony should ever dig up. And there are... people who seek those things out. Zapapple was right – you can't just spend all your time in the laboratory.”

“Is that what you will do now?” Masra asked, “Protect the world from its buried evils?”

Daring shook her head softly, “I can't protect the world – I'm just one pony,” One hoof rose up, reaching under her wing and pulling out a small, worn book, “These stories – my dad's stories – are just the tip of the iceberg. Sticking my head in the sand her at the University won't change that. I know whats out there now. I have to do something.”

“No,” Masra replied, “You don't have to do anything – nopony does. You could stay here and teach and put all of this behind you. But you won't, will you?”

Daring shook her head again, “No.”

Masra nodded, “I'll take my leave then – do remember that you have a department to help run now though.”

Daring gave the president a nod of reply as the older mare walked away, Daring watching her go before turning her attention back to the journal in her hoof. “This old journal caused a lot of trouble, didn't it Zap?” Daring let out a sigh as she tucked it back under her wing, “and I have the feeling its going to be causing me a lot more in the future. This one, though,” Daring pulled another, older journal out from under her wing, “This one is all yours – I don't think that old crypt in the basement will be wanting it back anyway.”

Daring gently set the ancient journal at her hooves, setting it atop the smooth piece of polished granite there, “Hope you appreciate the reading material. I'll... see you around, Zap.”

Daring slowly turned and started back toward the University, stopping only once to glance back toward the tree and the stone set into the ground under it.

The sun was setting, and tomorrow was a new day.

And countless miles away, in the windswept ruins of an ancient fortress, stones shifted and rumbled until a blue hand burst free.