Morning Meir Mysteries: Case 3: A Mayan Island Mishap

Chapters

Chapter 2: "A Vacation Like No Other."
Chapter 3: "The Genius Of Dr. Cobalt."
Chapter 4: "A Sticky Situation."
Chapter 5: "New Friends and Old Friends."
Chapter 6: "Welcome To Quaramonte City."
Chapter 7: "A Daring Escape."
Chapter 8: "The Voiceless Jungle."
Chapter 9: "The Village."
Chapter 10: "New Leads."
Chapter 11: "Cloak And Dagger."
Chapter 12: "Birds Of A Feather."
Chapter 14: "The Museum Of The New World."
Chapter 15: "A Daring Escape II."
Chapter 16: "Clover Hunt."
Chapter 17: "A Strange Trip."
Chapter 18: "Welcome back, Ms. Cordelia."
Chapter 19: "The Keys To Success."
Chapter 20: "The Cake And The Diamond."
Chapter 21: "Misdirection."
Chapter 22: "Trap."
Chapter 23: "Daring Do And The Lost Temple Of Oceana."
Chapter 24: "Rescue Mission."
Chapter 1: "A Long Day In Paradise."
Chapter 13: "Splitting Up."
Chapter 25: "Mobius."

Chapter 2: "A Vacation Like No Other."

Pararaiha o te matomato.

Maori.

In Equestrian, this translates to "Paradise Of Green." Another name for The Emerald Keyes. Huge, lush jungles, mysterious ancient ruins of a civilization long forgotten, and the best vacation resort in the world, all brought to you by our friends at Cobalt Industries.

At least, that's what it said in the brochures we were given on the boat.

The Emerald Keyes, Tropicana Sea, Cannon Bay Docks, 8:30 am

Me and Dr. Seastone were two caramel and teal colored dots in a huge line of ponies as we walked down to the docks from the boat. I had packed rather light. All I needed were a change of clothes, in case (Celestia forbid) something were to happen to my sundress. Seastone had nearly chastised me for trying to wear my favorite white blouse on a vacation. Even after I had told her it wasn't really a vacation, she still insisted I wear the yellow sundress I saved for when I attend the annual Springtime Picnic at Royal Canterlot University. She, however stuck to her lab coat, stating "I always feel on vacation." (I ignored that, and packed my blouse anyway.)

As long as I still got to wear my Butterfly bowtie, I was fine with wearing the dress. (Though, I thought it would look better as a sort of necklace, which I had no trouble modifying to fit as such.) She had also tried to style my eternally swirly, teal mane into...well, anything but the shape it always took. Sadly, this was all in vain, as the swirliness in my mane is far too much for any genius's understanding to bare. (Especially mine.)

I looked out from the deck of the boat, as in the distance the skyline was graced with the visage of a massive futuristic hotel, that towered even over some mountains we could see close by. Several other smaller but still very high tech looking buildings were seen around it. The Jewel Of The Keyes, Resort. That was where we were staying.

Extremely hard to book. Luckily our rooms had been paid for by the Meir Foundation (After they found out my parents were missing, they wanted to buy me a personal jet to fly out here and get them, but I said we were just planning on taking a ship there and staying at the resort. I honestly think they were challenging me to see who wanted to get my parents back home more. They would have rented out the entire resort had I not strongly declined. The Meir Foundation is a little obsessed with my parents, but they cared. That's all that mattered.)

There were countless other boats and ships that had made port in the busy welcome area that was Cannon Bay. We were still a good ways from the resort, but it wouldn't take long by carriage. Lush, palm trees decorated every corner of the boardwalk, and the roads leading up to the huge manor where Simon...er, Dr. Cobalt lived. Below on the dock, I saw a huge sign baring the signature Cobalt Industries, split atom logo.

"Welcome To The Emerald Keyes! A Vacation Like No Other." I read next to the logo on the sign.

"Here's hoping." Dr. Seastone commented, as she loaded her backpack onto her back. "Lets get to it then!"

The loose fitting, silk cloth of the sundress twirled behind me as we made our way down the docks. The smell of the sea, and the warm breeze of the tropics graced my face as waves crashed against the shores. All around us, ponies were chatting happily about how much fun they were going to have, or how beautiful the island was.

And it was. Very beautiful.

We didn't know much about the case nor any major details, but Simon's Estate seemed like a good place to start. Cannon Bay was the welcome area to the actual island, with the Cobalt Estate a mere few miles up from it, perched on a hill overlooking the ocean.

But before we could do that, Dr. Seastone apparently had other ideas for where we should go first.

"I need a drink." she stated plainly.

I looked at her. "Seriously? We only just got here, and you want to drink, already?"

She smiled as she said "Yep." she said simply. "It's been a long trip, and it's against my better judgement to sample any drink they serve on a cruise ship, with a name like "The Salty Fish."

We both nearly gagged at the thought. "Ugh. Good point."

And so our first destination was a small juice bar that had been set up on the boardwalk just opposite of the docks. A colorful little hut known as "Juicy Joe's Juice." As we went up to, whom I presume was Juicy Joe waiting behind the counter, I took a seat at the bar with my friend. When asked if I wanted anything, I of course chose a small lemon water, much to Dr. Seastone's disappointment. But she smiled anyway as we enjoyed the drinks that were brought to us.

As I sipped my lemon water, I suddenly felt eyes on the back of my head. I turned around, but saw nothing but a few tourists, who were busy looking at the scenery rather then at me. I turned back to see a cheery face staring at me from the side.

I yelled out as I nearly fell of my chair. But the sweet looking mare who the face belonged to, quickly caught me by the hooves to keep me from falling. "Oh, sorry about that! It's just well...."

She gave me a searching look, as I did as well. She was a very cheery and brightly colored earth pony mare. With a tangerine coat, an elegant and well layered ocean blue mane and a palm tree with a gentle wind swirl for a cutie mark. A large tropical pink bloom adorned her mane, beautifully. The smile never left her face, as she suddenly wrapped me in a tight hug. "Oh, Meir, it's just so good to see you again!" she said happily. Her voice was sweet and high pitched, like that of an adorable filly. She was exactly as I remembered her.

I laughed as I hugged her back. "It's good to see you again too, Tropical Breeze."

"It's been too long, Meir! We have to catch up over at the manor, so much has changed since you and your father-"

She stopped short, as her smile wavered a bit. "I'm sorry. When...me and Simon found out what had happened to your parents, Meir, I sent word back to Equestria immediately!" The sweet mare said, taking my hooves in hers.

I had known Tropical Breeze when I was a filly. She always played with me, talked to me about her trips to other exotic places, showed me her vast collection of butterfly paintings, and was more or less like a big sister to me, while I was on the island with my dad. Looking at her now, she didn't seem to have grown up much. She was only a few years older then I was, yet had the personality of hyperactive filly at Hearths Warming. I hated to see her worried, like this.

"Its alright, Breezie. We'll find them don't worry." I assured her.

Breezie suddenly laughed. "Of course we'll find them, silly! You're here! The Smartest Pony In The World!" she exclaimed.

My cheeks reddened as I tried to keep focused on the conversation we were having. But Dr. Seastone smiling and nodding from her seat at the juice bar, didn't help much.

"Anyways..." I said, trying desperately to get the case back into mind. "Would you mind if I ask you about their disappearance? What they were doing when they went missing, and about the project them and Dr. Cobalt were working on?" I asked, as Dr. Seastone came over to join us.

"Oh, Simon can tell you all about that. He's the genius after all!" Breezie exclaimed cheerfully. "C'mon lets head up to the manor, and we can all work to crack this case together!"

I smiled. "Sounds great, thank you Breezie."

Dr. Seastone handed Juicy Joe a few bits for the drinks, and hopped of her seat. "I get to meet another fellow genius? Awesome! I can't wait to argue extensively with him about how my theories trump his own." she joked.

At least...I had thought she was joking.

Tropical Breeze smiled back as she led us out of the crowded boardwalk area to a small, very high tech looking carriage of some kind. Obviously another invention of the brilliant Dr. Cobalt. If there was anything to be said, about the stallion, he was absolutely a genius. A visionary, and my idol as a filly. He inspired a great many brilliant minds with his inventions and many award winning theories. I could see why he and my father were such good friends.

But as we climbed into that sleek, silvery white vehicle. Even as we were carried on the long dirt roads that spread across the island like a bundle of snakes, and even as we made our way past thick jungles and up the long winding road to the massive gleaming gates of the futuristic, clockwork mansion of the genius behind The Emerald Keyes.....

I couldn't hide the fact that I felt like there was something very sinister going on in paradise.

I had no idea, just how sinister things would soon become.

Chapter 3: "The Genius Of Dr. Cobalt."

As soon as we were through the huge, automatic doors of the manor, we were greeted by two things.

One: The lavish and modern artistic style of the manor. It looked more like an art museum then a mansion, from the many paintings and art deco furniture to the massive aquarium that stood as an entire wall separating the entry foyer from the living room. I saw Simon's taste for modern decor hadn't changed.

And two, was the loud discharge of static and lightning we heard coming from upstairs. All three of us jumped at the sound, as the figure of a stallion appeared at the top of the steps, practically on fire. "Sorry! Sorry to scare you all, it's just a minor discharge in the polar relays. Nothing to worry about, I assure you." the stallion said quickly, before his eyes went wide as they fell on me.

"Morning? Dear Celestia, is that you?" he asked, adjusting his glasses. "Hang on, I'll be down in just a moment!"

Tropical Breeze smiled at us, smiling at Cobalt. It had been so long, since I had seen him, but he didn't seem to have changed much.

That was what I thought at least, until he actually came downstairs.

I looked up as I heard a soft, electronic whirring, like the sound of mechanized wheels moving down a smooth surface. Dr. Cobalt entered the room, and smiled at me, from the seat of his wheelchair. "Morning. Heh. I can't believe how much you've grown." he said giving me a searching look.

Even like this, Simon was the same stallion. A calm, focused stallion, older then both me and Dr. Seastone, but still young. A grey coat, short handsome white mane, intelligent glasses, and cold, calculating eyes that are always on his work. His cutie mark is that of a split atom. He wore the same white collared shirt, and blue cardigan sweater as he always had. (His sense of style hadn't changed either.)

I was speechless for a minute. I had little to really think about, as I simply asked what I needed to. "Simon...I...I'm sorry, what-

He put a hoof up to stop me. "Don't, Morning." He said simply. "This' he gestured to himself, "This is all me. I messed up. Went too far for science, and this is the price I paid."

I walked up to him, and he just smiled. I looked at him with apologetic eyes. "What....what happened, Simon?"

But he shook his head. "Now, now, we'll have time to discuss that later on. For now, will you all join me in my laboratory for tea? We have so much to discuss!" Simon said excitedly. "And quite a bit to catch up on, it seems as well..." he added, looking back at me, before driving his chair back up the ramp, to the elevator he had used to get upstairs. We followed him, and as soon as we were all loaded onto the elevator, Simon spoke aloud. "Ivan? Laboratory, please."

"Right away, Dr. Cobalt." A male, mechanized voice answered from above us.

Before I had time to comment, the elevator suddenly moved of its own accord, not up, but back, accompanied by the sound of machinery whirring and turning around us, we then ascended up until a small ding told us we had reached the laboratory.

Dr. Cobalt's Laboratory, 10:21 am

The doors opened and we all followed Simon out, eyes wide in awe at the splendor of what we were seeing. The lab was a massive palace-like atrium rotunda, with every corner crammed with amazing looking machines, gadgets gizmos, and countless chalkboards filled with line upon line of equations and theorems, that at first glance were eons ahead of anything currently known to science. Several areas had been set up, each one devoted to an area of science and invention. A small area was cluttered with mechanical parts and instruments dedicated to the design and building of complex weaponry. Another, was adorned with scale anatomical models and notes on various medical practices. Another, was littered with lenses of many shapes and sizes and devices that produced new forms of light. Another seemed to be an advanced wood crafting station, and another, cluttered with various alchemical instruments, burners and an entire system of interconnecting beakers and chemicals, showed this station was dedicated to chemistry.

To the far corner, was a large lounge with many tables and a cafe, which Dr. Cobalt lead us over to. Two guards adorned in high tech security uniforms, nodded to us from either side of the doorway as we made our way into the cafe.

Dr. Seastone looked around, thoroughly impressed, as we sat down in the cafe. "Well, well, I should think of having a cafe installed in my lab!" she joked. Simon, ordered us all tea from the counter, and we were served almost immediately. It must've been something amazing to be having tea in such a refined setting, and all with in his own lab, no less!

Simon made his way over to our table and smiled at me. Tropical Breeze took a seat next to Dr. Seastone, as we were brought a small plate of cookies as well. Simon thanked the waitress, who smiled before returning to her work.

"I do so enjoy my tea." Simon commented. "But you remember that, don't you Morning?" he laughed.

Indeed I did. He always had a cup of tea near him as he and my father worked in the lab. Though, I don't remember it being nearly this large. It seemed Simon had accomplished quite a bit since I last saw him.

Looking at him now though....I felt something was different about him. And not just the wheelchair, but something in his eyes. I remember them always being bright and silvery, full of inspiration. But now, they were bright but occluded. Clouded by something he had on his mind. He saw that I was thinking and quickly answered what I was wondering.

"Forgive me, Morning. I'm afraid I too have been affected by the disappearance of Adden and Dawn. Your parents were-are like family to me. Me and your father did such amazing things for this island, you know. " said Simon, setting his tea down on the table.

"I was always amazed by what you and my dad did. I knew someday you guys would change the world."

"We will, change the world, Morning. Mark my words on that." Simon said seriously.

I nodded, sure that he was telling the truth. "Simon....would you mind if I ask you a few questions about what happened to them? Specifically the project, you and my father were working on before they vanished?"

"Not at all, Morning." he answered calmly. "Please, ask away."

Questioning (Dr. Simon Cobalt, Genius Scientist and Inventor, Friend of my father, Knows details that may help with the case)

My parents had traveled to the Keyes while I was In Nawlans. In doing so they began working with Simon once more, on a secret project that resulted in them disappearing. Finding out about the project was the first step to finding them.

So that was my first question. "Can you tell me about the project you and my parents were working on?"

Simon nodded, as he straightened himself up in his chair. "Have you ever read any of the stories of Clover The Clever?"

"Yes, of course. She's thought to be one of the most brilliant and inspirational unicorns of all time. Seconded only by her master, Starswirl The Bearded. I've read quite a few stories on her, actually."

Simon smiled. "Ah, but the history books never mentioned when her and Starswirl came to the Keyes, did they?"

I looked at him in surprise. "Clover and Starswirl were in the Emerald Keyes? Why? Were they looking for something?"

"Not looking for something, dear Morning. But hiding something on the island. The project was an archeological dig, in the northern parts of the island in the Voiceless Jungle, in order to find out what it is they hid here."

I had not expected that. Two of the greatest magical and scientific minds the world has ever known, had actually journeyed to the Emerald Keyes and hidden something on the island. Whatever it was, it must've been something either extremely powerful....or extremely dangerous. And definitely worth searching for.

"Do you know what it was? That they hid on the Island, I mean?"

"I'm afraid not. But I look forward to finding out." Simon stated, taking another sip of his tea.

As did I. So, my parents had gone missing looking for whatever it was that Clover and Starswirl had hidden on the island. That, meant the next place for me to go was the actual site where they were digging. The northern parts of the island, in The Voiceless Jungle.

My father had always told me to stay away from that jungle, as a filly. Said there was something....evil, about it. But I had faced plenty of evil since that time. I wasn't afraid of whatever that jungle had in it, and I certainly wasn't going to let fear stop me from finding my parents.

"Would you mind if I saw the plans for the actual dig site?" I asked politely.

"Of course not, Morning! Please follow me, I'll take you to my office. We have everything set up for you to do your investigation."

I still wasn't a detective of course. But at this point, I knew that I was the only one who could find them, Detective or not. "Thank you, Simon."

Dr. Cobalt's Office, 11:23 am

I was actually glad to see that Simon's office was the only thing that hadn't changed. It was a small and extremely cramped area, cluttered with boxes, maps, diagrams, charts of the world, telescopes, and several artifacts along with hundreds of prototypes of his inventions. A single window in the corner allowed a ray of light from the outside to shine into the dusty old room.

"I was expecting your office to have the same high tech flare as the rest of your house." I joked.

Simon laughed. "No matter how advanced my home may get, my office will always stay the same." He assured me. "Come, let me show you around."

Simon took me around his office, showing me all of his many awards, plans for future inventions, hundreds of news articles he had framed, detailing his latest achievement in science, and a large cobalt steel model of the Cobalt Industries Split Atom logo. He also showed me all of his prototypes and explained how they worked (Or he at least tried too, as I kept explaining how they worked to him without really knowing. Science had always fascinated me, and I actually had a very easy time identifying Simon's inventions.) One of them, a new form of metal that was lighter then air, yet tougher then steel. I was able to deduce it was made from a rare, frictionless metallic glass that suspended itself on particles of air, yet was so dense, it was almost impossible to put even a dent in it. Fascinating.

As we explored the office, my eyes fell on a large board, covered with many maps, diagrams and a layout of the Voiceless Jungle Excavation site. "Oh! Here it is. Do you mind, Simon?"

"Not at all! Go ahead."

I carefully analyzed the plans. It was rather straightforward. The main center point was a series of caves that ran down into a massive cavernous clearing beneath the jungle. Whatever they were searching for, it was down there, centered in the middle of the clearing.
A clear away team was in charge of removing any rubble and debris, while a team of 10 diggers actually excavated the target from the ground.

Wait....this....this didn't make any sense.

I looked at it again, to be sure I was reading it right. According to the excavation plans, which clearly listed where everypony was, that had to do with the site, my parents weren't even down in the caves, or the site. They were above ground, in the research station.

In this mansion. 30 miles away from the dig site. But I had thought my parents had gone missing from the actual dig site. How could they go missing from the mansion?

As I was about to ask Simon what this all meant, there was a loud alert sound over the speakers in the room, and Ivan's voice was heard. "Dr. Cobalt, I'm afraid security has caught an intruder trying to sneak onto the grounds." he stated without emotion.

An intruder?

Simon sighed as he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Send em in." he said simply.

Suddenly we both heard shouting and the sound of many objects being smashed, thrown or broken over somepony's head. Before either of us could say anything, the double doors of Simon's office were smashed open as probably 10 guards all tumbled in, all holding down who I assumed to be the intruder, they had caught. (And judging from all the bruises and the black eyes I saw on the guards, I would say that they had quite a hard time even getting near this intruder, let alone capturing them.)

I walked over to get a look at this intruder, and as I did, I suddenly realized I recognized her. A bronze colored Pegasus mare, with a black and grey mane, a green adventurer's shirt and pith helmet which lay on the ground beside her. I saw her cutie mark of a navigational compass, as she kicked one of guards off her. He hit the far wall, after sailing through the air. (She was apparently as strong as I had read, as well.)

Simon approached her with caution. "Apologies for the roughness, Miss?"

"Daring." She said proudly from underneath the weight of the guards. "It's just Daring Do. Please don't call me, miss, it makes my name sound less awesome." she added, throwing another guard off her. "Hang on a minute."

In only five seconds she managed to wrestle her way out from the mountain of guards, and stood up as she straightened her shirt. Picking her helmet off the ground, she dusted it off before putting it back atop her head. She looked proud, confident, and ready to take on anything the world threw at her. Her eyes held a bright spark in them. A spark, that I'm afraid cannot be properly explained. It was unique only to her. It was the spark Daring Do always had.

She looked at us as she looked back at the pile of guards now getting up off the ground. "Heh. Sorry about that. I swear I tried the front door first, but apparently your guards didn't trust me." she laughed.

I laughed back. "Well, you did break into the manor."

Daring nodded. "Very true." she said with a smile.

Simon then took this opportunity to find out what Daring Do, was doing breaking into his mansion. "And to what do we owe the pleasure, miss-

"Just Daring, Dr. Cobalt." she said quickly. "And as to the reason I'm here, it's because of you. Or rather something your looking for." Daring said, locking eyes with Simon. She was studying him. I wondered why.

Simon looked confused. "And what would that be, Miss Daring Do?"

Daring suddenly looked very serious. "The Heart Of Oceana." she answered. "You and my father were looking for it, years ago."

"And I'm trying to find him."

Chapter 4: "A Sticky Situation."

Simon thought for a moment. He seemed to be collecting his thoughts, before he finally answered. "I see." he said. "Very well, miss-

"Daring." Daring reminded him.

"Yes. Daring. If you two would follow me to my library, I think I can answer both of your questions." said Simon sincerely. But I caught a lilt in his voice that masked the actual tone he wished to use. He was hiding something else.

Hopefully we would find out when we went to the library.

Dr. Cobalt's Private Library, 12:05 pm

Simon was a stallion of learning. As such he had to have a library that fit his need and desire for knowledge. As me, Daring and Simon exited the elevator we came upon Simon's massive library, with shelves full of books that towered over us, and many long tables where visitors could read the books they checked out (Yes, you could check books out of the library.)

Though there was no librarian, as Simon explained. The library was watched over and overseen by Ivan, which of course was the mansion's artificial intelligence. He was represented by a large black screen to the far wall, with a red pulsating circle on it.

"That means he's watching." Simon explained, gesturing to the circle.

"Creepy." Daring said backing away from Ivan. And I had to agree. A library was meant to be private. It hardly felt like a library when you always know somepony-or rather something, is watching you.

Simon went over to the red, pulsating circle. "Ivan, please look up everything we have on The Heart of Oceana and The Legend Of Crescia, and deliver them to the table."

"Right away, Dr. Cobalt." Ivan responded.

The sound of machinery exploring the library was heard from behind the walls, as a series of three tomes, appeared from little slots on the table in front of us. "Please, have a seat." Simon said politely, as he wheeled himself over to where he could be seen better across the table.

Me and Daring took seats next to one another without noticing and listened as Simon opened the first book and explained.

"It was years ago, when Daren Do first came to me, going on about a mystical sapphire, he had learned of from a mysterious cube shaped stone he found floating on the ocean just of the coast of Aruba. It told him that this sapphire had been used many thousands of years ago, by the first Seaponies to protect their kingdom, using Oceana's magic that was stored away inside it."

My ear twitched a bit. "Who is Oceana?" I asked. I saw Daring lean back in her chair, a clear look of disinterest on her face. A sign she already knew what Simon was going to say.

Simon nodded. "Ah yes. Oceana was an Alicorn and friend of the Alicorn Queen who originally founded Equine society itself, hundreds of thousands of years ago. All that's known is she fell in love with the ocean and used her magic to turn herself into the first Seapony. She became the ruler and founder of the fabled seapony kingdom of Seaquestria."

Simon paused to clean his glasses. "But I'm afraid there is nothing else we know of her at the moment. There are no texts nor scriptures that explain more about her, nor about this mysterious Alicorn Queen, whose name has since been lost to history. The only tome in existence that would have everything on her is the legendary Book Of Friendship, which has of course been lost for centuries."

Daring rolled her eyes. "Pfft, The Book Of Friendship? That's a pretty dumb name for an ancient artifact." She scoffed.

"Hmm perhaps, now Morning,' Simon said turning his attention to me, "I believe that this sapphire, this Heart Of Oceana, is what Clover and Starswirl hid on this island. The reason though, I can't be sure."

Simon then turned to Daring. "And I'm afraid I myself had very little to do with your father's search for the sapphire. He....well, made it quite clear he didn't trust me. Then left to go find it."

Daring leapt from her chair, eyes wide with alarm. "So your saying that my father could still be on this island!? Still looking for this sapphire?" she asked, nearly yelling.

"I'm not sure. This was years ago, mind you. I've only recently discovered that the sapphire and whatever Clover and Starswirl hid, were one in the same."

Daring nearly deflated as she sat back down in her chair, eyes suddenly listless.

My heart went out to her. I could clearly see how badly she wanted to see her father again. "Apologies Simon, But I wouldn't skip to conclusions just yet." I said politely, getting Daring to look up a bit at me. "If anyone could survive for so many years in the jungle, it would be Daren Do. We can't say he isn't still here, or at least that he hadn't found what he was looking for."

Simon nodded. "Indeed so."

Daring sat back up in her chair and smiled warmly at me. I couldn't imagine what she had gone through. To lose a parent like that, and at such a young age. I suppose I was in the same boat as her now. But I knew we would both see our parents again. And we wouldn't let anything stop us. "Then it looks like the excavation site is where we need to go next. Maybe there will be some clues as to what actually happened there." I said, thinking out loud.

"Quite right, Morning. Naturally, I had the site shut down as soon as Adden and Dawn went missing. You should have no trouble with your investigation." Simon assured me.

Simon closed the book, and gestured back to the elevator. "Anyways, you two should be getting back to Dr. Seastone and Breeze. I'm sure they've been wondering where in Equestria I had taken you from!" he laughed.

As we entered the elevator, I looked over at Simon. "Aren't you coming?"

"Hm? Oh, I'll be down in a minute. I just want to organize a few things is all. I'll meet you back in the cafe."

Daring tilted her head. "This place has a cafe?"

The doors closed before either me or Simon could answer.

Laboratory Entrance Lobby, 12:25 pm

Me and Daring exited the elevator and began our trek back to the laboratory where Tropical Breeze and Dr. Seastone where hopefully still waiting for me. On the way, I noticed Daring looking at me with suspicion.

"Is....something wrong?" I asked, looking over at her as we walked.

"You're her, aren't you?" Daring said with a smile.

"I'm sorry?"

"You know, HER! The pony who saved the world from eldritch gods and some crazy voodoo conspiracy! You're Morning Meir! I've been hearing tons about you recently!" Daring exclaimed, excitedly. "Are you really as smart as everypony says?"

My cheeks reddened as they always did when somepony talked about my infamous title. I struggled to answer without sounding conceited. "Well, I'm....I mean, I guess I am smarter then most, but there are surely others smarter than I."

Daring laughed. "None that I know. And I know plenty of ponies."

I changed the subject, not wanting to get too far off topic. "So, how did you get to this island anyway, Daring? I never saw you on the boat, I came on."

Daring smiled. "I flew. Well not, flew flew, I mean I flew in a plane. Or rather I was flown here by a plane. Dropped off I mean."

"I see. So you had somepony drop you off then?"

"Yep. My friend, Swift Wing. She's awesome, you definitely have to meet her!"

"I look forward to it." I said smiling back.

At this point we were halfway to the laboratory, when I noticed something....odd. There were usually guards, patrolling this wing of the mansion. But as I looked, I saw nopony else in the hall. And looking up ahead, I also saw that the actual doors to the lab were now closed.

I didn't like this. Something wasn't right. I hurried up to the door and tried it but it wouldn't budge. Daring came up too and looked at it with shock. "Hey! What the heck? This door wasn't shut when I came through!" she exclaimed.

We both tried it with all our might, but it was no use. The door had been pneumatically sealed from the other side. We were not about to open it normally.

I thought about using my magic. I hadn't used my magic again, since I defeated the Voodoo Cartel in Nawlans, but it might have been worth a try.

But before I could even cast a spell, the hallway suddenly went pitch black. All light from the room was gone in an instant, as I sensed a presence drop down from the ceiling, and unfurl itself from the shadows. We were surrounded in an instant.

Daring spun around, ready for a fight. "Ninjas? I haven't fought ninjas in like, for-

But she stopped suddenly. As I saw her stumble around, I saw the dart in her neck. But, how had they made such a well timed and accurate shot in pitch darkness?

The only thing I managed to catch of them before I felt the dart on my neck, was that they wore deep red robes that had been outfitted with ancient looking armor, and their faces were hidden beneath hoods and muzzles hidden under a mask. Before I could register anymore, me and Daring both hit the floor, and lost consciousness.

Mysterious Room, Unknown Time

Ohh...my head.

Wait. Where am I?

I opened my eyes, only for the burn of smoke to make me close them again. Opening them once more, I found myself tied to a chair, ropes binding my arms back as I looked down to see a massive poisonous spider skittering across the floor towards me. Flames consumed the room, as they licked at the ceiling.

"Morning? Are you alright?" I heard Daring ask, sleepily. She was tied to another chair that we had both been bound together.

"Yes, I'm fine. Although, this is certainly a situation I had never thought I'd find myself in."

I heard Daring laugh. "Really? Happens to me almost every week."

We both laughed before the roar of the flames and approaching deadly spider reminded us of what a predicament we were in.

"Um, Daring?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't suppose you know how we can get out of here, do you?"

"First off, we need to make it so you don't end up as that spider's lunch. Or dinner, or whatever time of day it is." she called over the crackling of the flames. "When I say go, I want you to push off the ground as hard as you can. I'll pull my legs up, and we can get some distance between you and that thing. Okay?"

"Okay."

I waited for her command. As I watched that spider crawl its way even closer, I heard Daring say "Go!"

I pushed hard from the ground and slid the chair to the far wall, next to a bookcase. But the spider pursued us. There were only three things I didn't like about spiders. The way they looked, the way they moved and the fact that they lived on the same planet as me.

This one was big, mean and hairy. And most definitely not a native of Equestria.

Daring laughed. "Okay, so far so good. Next is my turn. Let me see if I can figure out a way to get us out of these ropes."

I nodded, as I watched the disgusting arachnid edge that much closer to me. I turned to the bookcase and glanced over the books, vaguely hoping to find a copy of "How To Escape From Poisonous Spiders While Tied To A Chair." No such luck, but I noticed one small corner of the bookcase was supported by a loose block of wood, which had been used to replace the original foot of the bookcase.

Thinking quickly, I kicked the block of wood from the bookcase, sending it falling right on top of the spider. I heard a sickening splat that made my stomach lurch. Daring turned in her chair and looked back at me. "Whoa! Did you do that?"

"Yes. I don't like spiders."

"Jeez, Morning. You really are a smart cookie!"

I blushed, yet my face was already red from the smell of flames in the air, so it would be hard to be able to tell.

"Okay. So that's one problem solved...but I'm still tied to a chair, in a burning house with no means of escape." I thought.

Daring looked around for some means of cutting the ropes that bound our arms to the chair. It was then that she noticed that the bookcase had been anchored to the wall, by a protruding metal bracket. It had sheared off as the bookcase had fallen, leaving a jagged edge.

"I got an idea! Slide with me over to the wall again!" she shouted to me.

We slid over and used it to slice the ropes that held us to the chair. I stood up and rubbed my hooves tenderly, as Daring did the same, along with stretching out her wings which had also been tied down. But the flames quickly reminded us of something. Oh yeah. This house is on fire.

We had to find a way out of here. We both looked around but saw that every exit had either been blocked by flames or falling debris. The first thing we had to do was take care of that fire.

As Daring searched the right side of the room, I spotted a writing bureau to the left side, with its door shut. Perhaps it had something we could use to get out of here? It was worth a shot.

I went over and pulled the door open. Inside I found a bottle of extra strong Klugetown Tequila- If I ever drank, this would've been just what I needed given the circumstances. But maybe I could use it for something else.

Daring looked over my shoulder. "Um, I get that this is a pretty stressful situation, but..."

I ignored her as I took the bottle in hoof. I had an idea. But I needed something else for it work. I searched the drawer of the bureau and found what looked like a house key. Where ever we were, it was most definitely not Simon's mansion, or any house I recognized. An old Victorian chateau, that would've been rather beautiful if it wasn't currently burning to the ground with us inside it!

I pocketed the key, and continued to look around. I spotted a dart on the ground. the very same dart that had been used to tranquilize me and Daring. I picked it up and looked at it closely. It was a needle sharp dart with a flight of green and yellow feathers. I bit the tip, and tasted bitter poison on my tongue. Whatever they had used on us, was quite potent indeed. A rare toxin, that could only be found to the farthest Easts of the world. Whoever the red ninjas were, they must've gotten this poison from somewhere over there.

The point was sharper then the business end of a mosquito, but it didn't stop me from safely pocketing it anyway. When I had the chance, I should further analyze it to find out more about it.

"Hey, Morning! Over here!" Daring called.

I went over to the right side of the room, where Daring was knelt down and looking at a strange wooden box, with an eastern flare to it. It had been the box the spider had come from, judging by the web trail left behind.

Daring picked it up and looked it over with a spark in her eye. "Tibetan made. Probably around mid third century wood crafting. Used by various tribes to catch dangerous and otherwise poisonous creatures, and use their venom for rituals." Daring explained. She tucked it under her wing. "I think I'll hang onto it. Might give us a clue as to who our ninja friends were."

I was fine with that. Not like I was going to touch that box, after that spider had been inside it.

We continued to look around, but we were running out of time. The flames were growing more and more out of control. The last safe place was by the front door of the house, which was blocked by a small wall of flames. That door was our way out, but we needed to get past the fire. I racked my brain to think of a way to improvise a fire extinguisher.

Then I spotted a soda fountain on the nearby table. But as I picked it up, I noticed it had no pressure to it. Out of gas, I realized.

I tried the cabinet beneath, but it was bolted shut. Daring tapped me on the shoulder. "Stand back." she said.

I did, and watched as she smashed the door open with one kick. Inside, was a small metal cylinder, which appeared to be a new gas tank for the soda fountain, but the temperature in the room had made it impossible to pick up with my bare hooves.

Daring handed me the box, and I worked to push the gas tank into it, lightly tapping it with my hoof. After it was in there, I handed it back to Daring.

The flames roared around us as we replaced the soda fountain with the new tank, and used it to spray a strong stream of water onto the fire that blocked our escape.

The fire fizzled and sputtered as it died at our feet, and we had finally reached the door. But the fire had rendered the door knob red hot, and I wasn't about to burn myself opening it. I then took the liberty of kicking the door down, to Daring's impressed smile.

I peeked out. The doorway led to the stairs in the entrance hall. Quickly and quietly, me and Daring hurried out of the room, into the hall.

Mysterious Manor, 2:35 pm

As we descended down the stairs, we quickly noticed that the rest of the mansion hadn't been hit by the growing flames. At least not yet. The front door was directly in front of us, but I noticed something on the table to the right. It was a folded clipping, taken from a newspaper.

I picked it up and examined it. It referred to a forthcoming eclipse of the moon. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be visible from the Tropicana Seas. The best place to view the eclipse would be Klugeico, to the farthest south of Equestria. I pocketed it, and was about to leave, when all of a sudden the phone on the table rang.

I hesitated to answer it for obvious reasons, but I had a strong feeling that it was a friend that awaited me on the other line. Perhaps it was Dr. Seastone!

With caution, I picked up the receiver. "Hello?" I said carefully.

An almost ear piercing squeal from the other end, nearly made me chuck the phone across the room. "Morning!? Oh, thank Celestia you're alright!" a familiar, high pitched voice said, sounding very relieved.

I raised an eyebrow in thought. I knew that voice. "Who is this?" I asked.

"There's no time for that right now, silly! You need to get out of there! Meet us in the Island Brew Coffeehouse, in Emerald Town. You're not far from it! We can talk then, okay?"

"Hey! Wait, I-" But the dial tone on the other end was clearly heard, even as flames appeared from the hall we had come out of.

"Time to go!" Daring yelled, grabbing me by the hoof, and leading me out the front door. We both slammed it shut behind us, as flames blew out the windows to the side.

Conclusion

My latest case to find my missing parents had been interrupted when me and famous adventurer, Daring Do were suddenly captured by, well, the only thing they can be called: Ninjas. We very nearly escaped death in a burning house, and now find ourselves in Emerald Town, about to meet a mysterious individual who somehow knew where we were. I didn't like it.

And I had a feeling this was only the beginning of the danger this case will no doubt test me with.

Chapter 5: "New Friends and Old Friends."

Emerald Town was thought by many to be the jewel of the Keyes. The first place you saw when you docked, the last place you saw when you left. It was a busy seaside town with many friendly shops, restaurants and countless tourists enjoying their vacation to the Keyes.

I wished I could be one of them, but there was no time to sight see right now. Me and Daring didn't have to go far till we arrived at the Island Brew Coffeehouse. It was a small friendly place, with comfy looking tables and a busy line within the actual store. We decided to order a coffee and wait for the mysterious caller to show themselves.

I looked inside and saw a long line with a single, handsome looking barista stallion working the counter. He looked strangely calm as he kept his head down, preventing me from getting a good look at him, that and all the customers he had weren't exactly orderly.

A pretty young waitress came to serve us. We ordered two coffees, and she smiled as she went inside to prepare them. While we waited, me and Daring decided to discuss more on what had happened and what we needed to do.

"Well....that was interesting. I wasn't expecting to get kidnapped. At least not today." Daring joked.

"What I want to know is, who were those red ninjas? Where did they come from?"

"Beats me. Ninjas don't just do something for nothing though. And they certainly don't show up without reason. So, why us?" Daring asked.

"My guess, is that whoever sent them, doesn't want us to investigate the dig site."

"Heh. And will that stop you?"

"Not a chance."

"That's the spirit." Daring affirmed with a smile.

The waitress returned with our coffees and looked at me. Suddenly, I remembered. That look in her eye. There was no mistaking it. A wild, cheerful glint of a mare who didn't know the definition of a bad day, yet at the drop of a hat could easily look absolutely terrifying.

She began to walk away, when I stopped her. "Wait!"

She turned around, a wide smile on her face. "Yeessss?" she sang.

I looked at her for a moment. Then smiled.

"Hello again, Ralah."

At once Ralah's eyes lit up like a fireworks as she ran over and nearly tackled me out of my chair with a hug, that squeezed our faces together. The mare laughed happily as she let go of me and took my hooves in hers. "I knew it! I knew you would recognize me, Morning! I just knew it! Oh!" she hugged me again. "It's sooooo good to see you again, I missed you so much!"

I hugged her back and laughed. "I missed you too Ralah." She let go of me again and smiled warmly at me, as she took off her disguise. The waitress's thick blonde mane was replaced with Ralah's elegant black, pretty side wave that hung gracefully from the left side of her head. Her white coat darkened until it was a dark shade of silver, and her waitress uniform was abandoned for a beautiful sundress that was decorated in artsy designs of oranges. She completed the look with a wide rimmed orange sun hat, that hid her hoof shaped scar under her right eye.

Now out of her disguise, Ralah wasted no time in sitting down with us. She perched her head atop her hooves as she looked at us with wide sparkling eyes. I smiled at my old friend. Still a master of disguise, like her brother. (Speaking of which..)

"Where's your brother, Ralah? Is he here with you?" I asked.

Ralah giggled to herself. "Of course he is, silly! He's right behind you!"

We turned to see that the stallion from the counter was now standing behind us. He raised his head so I could get a good look at his face. Salah still wore the same aggressive and steely eyed expression he always did. His jet black mane was slicked back, and the hoof shaped scar under his left eye was clear to see. He gave the very slightest of smiles at me. "Well, well, this is a surprise, Morning..."

He took a seat next to his twin sister, who gave him a quick hug. Salah's smile grew a bit as he patted his sisters hoof, to which she let go. Salah then gave us a serious look. "I'm happy to you see you guys made it out okay."

He reached down and took off his own disguise. Gone was the barista outfit, only to be replaced with a freshly pressed white panama suit, complete with a white fedora. He tipped the brim forward as he looked at us. "We need to talk."

Island Brew Coffeehouse, 3:00 pm

We all sat at the table, eager to hear what Salah had to say. I sat up in my chair. "Do you know who those guys were that kidnapped us?" I asked, being sure not to raise my voice.

Salah nodded. "They've been threatening the people of the Keyes for weeks now. They're some strange cult, from what we know. Call themselves, The Setting Sun."

"The Setting Sun? What do they want with us?"

"No idea. But you must've stumbled into something they didn't want you to. Something they wanted to keep a secret. Now, they'll be coming after you, and I think we've already established that they are not too friendly."

Ralah spoke up at this. "But don't worry, Morning! You have us to help you now!"

I smiled at her. "Thanks, Ralah."

Salah's eyes fell on Daring. "Huh. The legendary Daring Do. Never thought I would meet you in person." He tipped his hat slightly. "It's a pleasure."

Daring smiled back. "Uh...thanks, I guess. But what's this about a cult of ninjas being after us?"

Ralah thought for a moment. "From what our sources tell us, they are looking for The Heart Of Oceana, too. They want to use it in some ritual that will awaken the island."

I raised an eyebrow. "And what does that mean?"

Salah shrugged. "No idea. But if The Setting Sun want it to happen, you can bet it's not good." He reached into his pocket and withdrew a small slab like black stone, with intricate Mayan carvings etched like art into it's surface. He placed it on the table and slid it over to me.

"One of our informants managed to snag this from one of them. Unfortunately, he was caught before he could get away. We knew it must be important, and that you could probably work out what it was. That might give us a clue as to who were dealing with."

I picked up the stone and looked at it carefully. It was very detailed and clearly centuries old. The lettering itself was also ancient, as the Mayan dialect I could see on the stone was far more aligned then that of the modern Moche language. But what did the red ninjas want with it?

"Did you at least find out where it came from? Did the ninjas just happen to have it?"

"Nope. We were told it was smuggled into the island. But, we might know someone who can tell you more about it. He owns a gallery over in Cannon Bay, just down by the docks. An old friend of ours. Just mention our name and he'll help you."

I nodded. "Thanks, Salah." I pocketed the stone. "So, what are you guys doing in The Emerald Keyes, anyways? And how did you know where we were?"

Ralah and Salah smiled at me. "Well, like you, we aren't on vacation. Were here for business, naturally. We've had our eye on a very particular object of value for a while now. After Mareiposa, we went to work to find out what our next big score would be."

"And that would be?"

Salah leaned back in his chair. "Whatever it is Clover The Clever and Starswirl hid on this island. Something like that? Heh. Gotta be worth a fortune, even if its just a bag of dirty laundry."

Ralah scrunched her face in disgust. "But, we really hope it isn't that!"

Daring looked confused. "So, you guys are looking for the Heart Of Oceana, too?"

Salah shook his head. "Nope. Whatever they hid here, we know it ain't just some ancient sapphire. It's way more valuable then that."

I looked over at him. "Wait. So, the sapphire isn't what's hidden on the island? Then what is it?"

Salah smiled. "I look forward to finding out." He looked back over at Daring. "So what brings you here, Daring Do? To what does the Keyes owe the honor of receiving a visit from the world's greatest treasure hunter?"

Daring smiled at that. "Very true. But I'm here to find this sapphire. It's my next lead to finding my dad....I hope."

Salah nodded. "Well aren't you in luck then. That mare next to you is the best detective alive. If your father is out there, She'll find him."

Daring looked over at me hopefully. I could only smiled as I silently wished Salah hadn't put me on the spot like that. But it didn't change the fact that I wanted to help Daring in any way I could to find her father. I just hoped she didn't mind helping me with my case first. (Something told me she was enjoying herself immensely, actually.)

Before we left, there was one more thing I had to know. Something that had me worried since we were kidnapped. "Salah? Do you know if anything happened to Dr. Seastone? Is she still back at the mansion?"

Salah looked at me solemnly. "I'm afraid she was kidnapped shortly before you were. We haven't been able to find her. We only managed to find you because we had someone track your kidnappers. But she's a ghost. No trace of her anywhere."

My breath caught in my throat. I tried to stay calm, but the thought of Dr. Seastone in danger worried me immensely. Still I had to think rationally. If these red ninjas wanted her dead, they wouldn't have kidnapped her. They needed her for something. I only hoped we could find her before it was too late.

We decided to go meet Ralah and Salah's friend in the gallery across town. If he could place what this strange Mayan stone was, we might be able to find out what The Setting Sun wanted with us.

As I got up, Salah stopped me. "Oh. Here Meir. You should take a look at this." He withdrew a piece of folded paper from his coat, and handed it to me. I unfolded it and saw it was a bank statement.

From Simon's account?

"I don't understand. Why do you have this?" I asked Salah, trying my best to stay calm.

"Read what it says."

I did with slight hesitation. Simon had made five large cash withdrawls in the space of three days. And all from an automatic teller in The western Keye islands. Suspicious, to say the least.

But this was Simon we were talking about! I had known him since I was a filly. He and my father were colleagues, friends! Surely, he had nothing to hide.

Still, I couldn't just ignore this. I thanked Salah and left with Daring to the gallery, with the promise we would meet up again at the cafe. It was too dangerous to travel around in a big group. We didn't know who was working with the cult just yet. And it was better to play it safe for now.

Still though....Simon. Did he actually have something to do with this? I suddenly had a strange feeling that he had been hiding something this whole time.

I hoped I was wrong.

Glee's Gallery 3:45 pm

The Glee's Gallery had style and class (but very few customers), which became apparent as me and Daring walked through its doors. The halls were decorated with several displays of ancient pots, stone works and many paintings depicting Mayan civilization.

I went over to a what looked like a normal clay pot, and was amazed to see it priced at five thousand bits! (I was fairly sure I could have bought the same exact thing at my local gift shop for only ten bits. Though I had no interest in doing either.)

We looked around, but saw no sign of anypony who looked like they actually owned the gallery. To the corner, I saw an overly dressed unicorn gentleman in a fancy suit and tie. If we couldn't find the owner, maybe his customers could tell us where he was. Daring apparently had the same thought as she went up to him.

"Hey there." He turned to her. "By any chance, are you Glee, the owner of this...uh, establishment?" she asked.

"Dear Celestia, No!" he had a borish, know it all tone.

Daring looked slightly disgruntled at the stallions tone. "Okay, then I guess he's probably somewhere else?"

The stallion laughed snobbishly. "Oh, your powers of deductive reasoning astound me." he mocked.

I caught Daring's arm just as she was about to sock this guy in the muzzle. (Though he no doubt deserved it.) "I'll handle it from here, okay?" I pleaded with her. Daring put her arm down and moved aside for me to step in.

"Excuse me, sir? We were wondering if you could point us to where exactly Glee is in the gallery."

"Hmmf!" the stallion grumbled.

"The sooner you do, the sooner we'll leave you alone."

"He's just over there. Next to the Mayan calendar."

"Thank you."

We left the pompous fool to grumble incoherently about prestige or some such and went to go see Glee. A respectable looking English colt with an intelligent face and impeccable dress style of a pressed suit and tie, with silver cuff links.

"Excuse me, sir, are you Glee, the owner?"

Glee smiled and gave a small bow. "I certainly am, miss. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions? My name is Morning Meir and-

Glee put a hoof up to stop me. "You need not say anymore, Miss Meir. Our mutual friends already told me you'd be stopping by. Please, if there is anything you need, I'd be happy to oblige."

Questioning (Glee Gleestau, Owner Of Glee's Gallery, Friend of Ralah and Salah, May be able to identify where the stone came from)

I decided to ask about the gallery itself, first. The manor back home had quite a few art displays as well, and I was curious to see why these were so overpriced. Well...overpriced in my opinion.

Question 1: "Can you tell me where you obtained these art works? Mayan artifacts are not easily come across, after all."

"Naturally. I bought them in Klugeico, of course. I think you'll find the price extremely reasonable."

I didn't, but that was beside the point. I reached into my pocket and withdrew the Mayan stone, Salah had given me. "What I really wanted to ask you about was this black stone."

Glee looked confused. "A....black stone?"

I handed it to him and he began to examine it in his hooves. "Fascinating! The craftsmanship is simply perfect. Pray tell, where did you get such a work of art?"

"That's what we'd like you to tell us, actually. Where could something like this originate from?"

"Hmm. Well, I would say that an authentic piece such as this could only have come from an actual Mayan temple. There are many of them scattered across the Keyes you see. Whoever got it, must have been skulking around in one of them. Not very smart."

"Are you saying...it's cursed?"

"I'm saying that the Mayan ponies hold a grudge. Especially to those who intrude on their sacred grounds."

He handed it back to me. "Take caution with that, Miss Meir. If the owners don't come for it, then something else will."

Great. Another supernatural threat, pursuing me. This case got more and more fun by the second.

I decided to quell a suspicion I had. "Do you know Dr. Cobalt, Mr. Gleestau?"

"Certainly. His name is synonymous with Mayan art. A number of these artifacts were actually donated by Mr. Cobalt himself."

My eyes widened. "Really? I had no idea he was so big into Mayan culture. I didn't see anything like that in his mansion."

"I'm sure Mr. Cobalt would rather keep his artistic tastes and his business life separate." Glee stated nonchalantly.

Why hadn't Simon told me about his fascination with Mayan Art? Could that be what he was hiding? I tried not to think about it...for now.

I asked Glee my next question. "Could you tell me what docks, Mr. Cobalt had these artifacts shipped here to? Assuming they are from outside the Keyes, I mean."

"For a friend of Salah A'Dinn? Of course. They came from a shipping warehouse owned by Cobalt Industries. Its to the very east of the island. Dock 41. Can't miss it."

"Thank you, Mr. Glee. You've been a big help."

"My pleasure Miss Meir. I would wish you luck, but from what I've been told of your escapades, you have no need for it." he said with a smile, before returning to his work.

I watched him return to the hall as I went over things in my head. Dock 41. A shipping warehouse that was owned by Cobalt Industries (Who basically owned everything in the Keyes.) It wouldn't hurt to investigate, but I hoped we wouldn't find anything connecting Simon to the case. I couldn't stop myself from thinking he was hiding something there.

And whatever it was, I had to find out.

Cobalt Industries Shipping Yard, Front Gate, 5:34 pm

The skies had turned from a warm pink to a dark purple as night was beginning to settle across the island. The trip from Emerald Town had taken about an hour by taxi, but Daring had arrived in only thirty minutes to get a good look around the place. When I arrived, she was waiting for me by the front gate.

"Hey, Morning. How was the ride?"

"As much as I appreciated your offer to give me a ride, I was actually comfortable taking a taxi." I joked.

"If you say so. So how does this investigating thing work, anyways?"

"We look around for clues, and try not to get caught."

"Simple enough."

We began to look for a way inside. A chain link fence barred the entrance to the docks. Daring looked up at it with confidence. "Pfft. Piece of cake."

But as she took off of the ground, I spotted a mean looking guard dog, and quickly grabbed her ankle, to pull her back down. As she looked at me in protest I pointed to the snarling beast on the other side of the fence. He growled at both of us.

A portly dock worker came to see what his companion was growling at. He eyed us suspiciously. "Hey! What's the big idea? This is private property!"

Daring put her hooves up in defense. "Whoa, easy there ahab. Were friends of Simon Cobalt. Were just here to look around for something we lost."

The dock worker wasn't buying it. "If you done lost sometin, it would be in lost and found in the offices, not the docks. Beat it!" he exclaimed in a thick Manehatten accent.

I could see the gates were fastened with a heavy duty padlock. And that dog was looking at me like he'd found dinner. We were not getting through here this way. But I had another idea.

"Sorry, sir. We'll be going now." I said politely, pulling Daring aside.

"Yeah, alright then." the worker said, before returning to his post. As soon as he was out of sight I began to look around for another way in. Daring apparently knew what I was doing as she looked around too. She looked at me. "Well? Any brilliant infiltration strategies popping up, yet?" she asked.

I spotted a window on the side of the small hut, the dock worker was residing in. "Stay here, and make sure that dog doesn't see me." I instructed.

Daring nodded and went to guard the fence, getting the attention of the dog who snarled angrily at her. To which she snarled back.

As Daring and the dog had a snarl-off, I went to the window and peeked inside.

Inside, I saw the dock worker had set up a home away from home in the hut. A large dusty armchair sat next to a rusty furnace, and the worker himself was busy cooking a pot of macaroni on the stove. I could smell the boiling water in the air. Now that I was this close, I managed to get a good look at the worker.

He was a big and bulgy stallion, like a sack of potatoes. His flushed and bloated face wore a sleepy, amiable expression. His dock worker uniform was plain and dirty, covered in thick splotches of mud and grease. His beady eyes paid no mind to me as I looked around the hut. As a doctor, I could see his diet probably consisted of macaroni and pork-rinds. Not the healthiest, stallion I'd seen, but as long as he at least balanced out the sugar and fat with actual food, he should be fine. But this was no time for a medical exam. I had an investigation to get to.

I spotted a desk spike on the table beneath me. It held a stack of papers which appeared to be shipping documents. Although, none of them referred to Cobalt Industries, a few of them referred to a company back in Equestria called CWF. That could only have been the Cloudsdale Weather Factory! It was no secret they were the largest corporation in Equestria, and had a great deal of money the throw around, but what could they have been shipping to the Keyes? They didn't sell anything other then those tacky souvenirs and t-shirts they gave away in the gift shops after factory tours.

The worker turned to see me, but I managed to swipe one of the shipping documents from the spike and pocket it before he could see me do so. (A little slight of hoof, I picked up from Ralah. Though I had no intention of keeping it, obviously. I was a doctor not a thief.)

"Hey! I thought I told you two to beat it!" he yelled, waving his spoon angrily at me. "The docks close at 5. No entry granted to the public, past that."

"I won't be any trouble, sir. My name is Morning Meir and I'm trying to solve a missing pony case."

The worker beady eyes opened more. "Missin Pony case?"

"Yes. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? It would really help to find this pony before it's too late. Please?"

The worker's angry expression softened. "A'right, a'right. If it'll help find a missin pony, fine. Ask away."

Questioning (Clotter Crabapples, Dock Worker, Night Watchman for Dock 41, May be able to tell me what CWF is shipping to the island)

Clotter was a big and gruff sort. But hopefully I could get him to at least tell me something about what the CWF were shipping to the Keyes. And why it happened to be to a warehouse owned by Cobalt Industries. I decided to start with basic questions, then move in to more specifics as we talked.

"What time does the docks open?" I asked.

"Seven." said Clotter. "If you want inside, you'll have to wait till tomorrow mornin."

There was no way I was going to wait that long. Dr. Seastone was still nowhere to be found, and we had no time to spare in finding her. (Plus, I would get awfully bored just waiting around a dock for 12 hours.)

I asked him my next question. "Is that your dog, out there?"

"Nah- he comes with the job. I just feed him every now and then."

"What's his name?"

"Twenty."

"That's an...interesting name, for a dog." I said, trying to sound polite.

Clotter shook his head. "It's his registration number. Security dog number twenty."

"Ah."

I hoped that Daring and Twenty were getting along, while I asked Clotter my next question. "Is he always this mean?"

"Nah-it's just his job. He's a trained attack dog, and doesn't like trespassers." He eyeballed me. "Remember dat." he warned.

"Right. No worries there. Does Simon er, Dr. Cobalt come down here by any chance?"

"Nope. Mr. Cobalt is the island's brainchild and most respected philanthropist (I was amazed at his sudden increase in vocabulary) He doesn't have time to check in on all his business affairs." Clotter quoted, as if he was reading it right out of the employee handbook.

Interesting. Simon owned the place yet he was never seen here. How did he know things were running smoothly? It didn't make sense. He at least had to have someone keeping an eye on things for him.

"If Mr. Cobalt never comes down here, then who's in charge? Does he have someone keeping an eye on things?"

"A'yep. My boss, Miss Quill-Feather. She keeps an eye on things from her office up in the warehouse. She reports anything that happens back to Mr. Cobalt."

"Is she here now?"

"Nah. She gets off at around 3. Probably at home right now."

"Is there any chance I can meet her?"

"Heh. I wouldn't if I was you."

"Why not?"

"She's the toughest Pegasus I ever seen. Don't take nothing from nopony. I saw her catch a bolt that flew off one of the machines with one hoof. She weren't even looking at it!"

My eyes widened. If that didn't sound like a ninja, I don't know what did. I put it aside for now and asked my next question. "Do you know what the CWF are shipping to this warehouse?"

"I'm paid to keep an eye on things at night. Their business is none of mine."

I could tell from the blank look in his eyes that he knew nothing anyways. Certainly nothing that would help me find Dr. Seastone. I decided to move my investigation elsewhere. "That's all I have for now. Sorry to bother you." I said politely.

"No trouble. Come back if you need anything else, just steer clear of the gate." Clotter said, as I moved away from the window. Before I left, I saw a brightly colored box of dog biscuits in the corner. These must've been what he used to keep Twenty docile. I would need to get them if we wanted to get past him. But I couldn't do that with Clotter in the hut. I had to get him to leave somehow.

I looked back to Daring who had decided to try and out stare the dog, to get past him. (By the strain I could see in her eyes, though, she was clearly losing.) I went behind the hut to a set of stairs that led down to the lower docks. I saw the water pushing up against the sides as I made my way down.

As I did, I saw a short stick of wood, floating near the edge of the landing stage. If I had to, it might make a decent distraction for that dog. As I pulled it out of the water though I saw it was actually a boat hook. I figured it may still be useful, so I set it aside for later, and continued to explore the under docks.

Bobbing up and down in the oily water, was a discarded hard cider bottle. I figured it had been drunk by Clotter then thrown into the sea. (Some ponies have no respect for the environment.) I could hear Twenty up above, still growling and snarling at Daring through the gate. I had confidence in her, but I couldn't spend too long down here.

I spotted what appeared to be a trap door underneath the hut, by which Clotter had disposed of his bottle. Hmm. That could come in handy, maybe.

I returned to the top deck and saw Daring was seemingly having fun taunting Twenty. The dog paid no mind to me as I looked to the side of the hut, and saw a metal chimney, from which the furnace inside let out steam and smoke. It gave me an idea. I moved closer to examine it.

The chimney was a metal pipe, with a conical hat to keep the rain from getting in. The top was steaming with heat, making it clear that I couldn't touch it with my bare hooves. Then I remembered the bottle in the ocean.

I went back down and fetched the hook and used it to retrieve the bottle from the sea. It was half filled with seawater. (Even if this didn't work, at least I had cleaned up the ocean a bit.)

I returned to the chimney up top and poured the seawater from the bottle on top of the chimney. A small cloud of steam rushed off it's surface as it cooled down, allowing me to pull the top of it.

It was a long shot, but I had to get Clotter to leave his hut, so I could get a hold of those dog biscuits. With the top off, I used the bottle to plug up the chimney. In no time at all, I saw steam billowing around the window inside. I waved to Daring to join me beside the hut. She flew over to me, just as the door opened and a coughing Clotter came out, trying to escape the smoke.

"Awesome! Did you do that?" she asked, sounding impressed.

"No time now. We have a way into the hut, down here."

"Why do we need into the hut?"

"You'll see."

We went back down and used the trap door beneath the hut to enter. Daring gave me a lift up into the trap door, allowing me to pull myself up and look around. The room was full of so much steam, it was impossible to see me in here. At least for now.

I looked around and spotted the large box of dog biscuits in the corner. They would come in handy for dealing with Twenty. I snatched them and handed them down to Daring, who set them aside on the docks. I then dropped back down through the trap door, closing it before leaving.

Back down below, me and Daring looked up to see Twenty staring down at us with hunger in his eyes. (I hoped it was the dog biscuits he was looking at.) Then I spotted it. Twenty was standing on top of a fall away door, with a metal hinged bracket. It was probably part of a structure which no longer was part of the docks. But we could use it to get rid of Twenty (Safely and humanely, of course!)

Me and Daring exchanged looks, and a smile spread across our face. Reading my mind, Daring took out a biscuit and whistled for Twenty. "C'mere Twenty! Here boy!" she threw the biscuit up onto the dock where the hungry dog quickly gobbled it up.

While he was distracted, Daring flew over and pulled the hinge out from underneath the fall away door, and Twenty fell through into the sea. He looked at us from the ocean, growling and looking like he wanted to kill us. I didn't blame him.

"Sorry boy. We'll make it up to you later." I said sincerely. Twenty snarled at me in reply. With Twenty taken care of, we had no problem getting over the gate and into the actual shipyard.

Cobalt Industries Shipyard, Dock 41 Warehouse, 6:08 pm

The warehouse looked quiet as we approached. The Cobalt Industries split atom could be seen displayed proudly on the side of the warehouse and the front door which was barred shut with a thick wooden bar. It seemed to be the only way into the warehouse.

Daring went up to the door and gave a sturdy knock. But there was no answer. (I was somewhat relieved, as we weren't exactly supposed to be here.)

I moved closer to get a look at the sturdy wooden door and saw a little grill set into it. From its position, I saw that it opened from the inside and was used to see whose at the door by those inside the warehouse. It was useless to us for getting into the warehouse, though.

Moving to the side I saw a ladder that led to a window above the door, on a little walkway. I climbed it to reach the window, while Daring flew up to it. We scrunched together as we peeked in.

Inside was a large room, filled with crates baring the Cobalt Industries logo. As we looked in, we saw the reason Daring's knocking wasn't heard: An industrial fan was running full blast next to the window. We could barely hear anything over its loud roar. Which also meant that the two scary looking colts we saw inside, couldn't hear us either.

I couldn't see them clearly, but I could tell they didn't work at the docks. They were too athletically built and slender for heavy labor, and were dressed in full black suits. I saw one, partially hidden behind a stack of crates. The other worked at a desk taking notes down in a notebook. From what we could see, neither one of them were paying nay mind to their surroundings. Including the window we were currently looking in through.

We back away from the window. "Those guys work for Simon?" Daring asked me.

"Not that I know of. We need to get in there."

"Front door's a no go. We could go in through the window, but it would spoil our element of surprise."

I had a better idea. "We need to take out the fan."

Daring's eyes lit up. "Nice! A distraction to get them away from their post. But...how?"

"Hmm. Let me try something."

I opened the window and looked in. The fan was right beside me, roaring loudly as it ran. I peeked back out and spotted a broken piece of pipe on the walkway. I grabbed it, and with great timing, managed to wedge it into the blades of the fan. The fan clunked and shorted out as it's blades were mashed by the pipe, stopping it entirely.

The noise resounded throughout the warehouse, alerting the colt at the desk. However rather then looking up, he looked over at the other colt, annoyed. "Hey! Did you do something?" he asked.

"What? No! I've been over here the whole time!"

The other colt was not buying it. "You try anything, Initiate and I'll kill you where you stand. The Setting Sun can't afford any mishaps. Especially, when we are so close to our awakening."

My ears twinged at the word. The Setting Sun!? What were ninjas doing hiding out in a Cobalt Industries warehouse? This didn't look good for Simon. Nothing did, at the moment.

I backed out from the window and looked at Daring. She was just as shocked as I was, but we didn't have time to talk about it now. We had to get in there. But we had to get rid of these guys first.

It was then that I saw the strange smile cross Daring's face. "Hang on. I got an idea."

Before I could protest, Daring flew down and knocked on the front door again. The little grill opened up, and the colt's angry face appeared. "What do you want?" he growled.

Daring smiled at him. "Evening gents. I'm Daring Do, world famous treasure hunter and adventurer extraordinaire!" she boasted. "I believe you guys are looking for this?" She withdrew the black Mayan stone from her shirt pocket.

I did a double take. That sneak! How in the world did she manage to pickpocket that off me without me even realizing it? She really was as good as they say...

The colt's eyes swelled as he saw the stone in Daring's hooves. "Where did you get that? Give it to me, now!" he yelled.

Daring tossed it around in her hoof. "Make me." she said with a menacing grin.

The colt returned the gesture. "Fine. Then you will die."

With that he opened the door and lunged at Daring with near imperceptible speed. But Daring was faster, as she jumped back and tossed the stone up to me, where I caught it in my hooves, and put it back in my pocket.

I scrambled down the ladder to help Daring, but by the time I got down there, I saw she was already fighting the ridiculously fast colt.

He matched Daring blow for blow, and even managed to deliver a few solid hits. But Daring had apparently planned on this, as she ducked under the colt's side kick, only for him to hit the button on the crane. The crane whirred to life, and swung a wide arc from it's position, smashing the barrel it held in its claws right into the side of the colt's head. However, this only managed to stun him, as he stumbled around, his vision clearly blurred. What was this guy made of!?

With no other moves, we simply tackled the colt together, sending him off the docks into the water below. We then rushed into the warehouse, only for me to nearly lose my head as the other colt swung a very sharp curved sword at me. I backed up and watched as the colt spun the hilt across his hoof, only to catch it in his other hoof. He took a low stance as he narrowed his eyes at me.

"Hal 'ant mustaeidun lilamawt?" (Are you prepared to die?)

Arabic. Interesting for a ninja. But I had also studied Arabic while I was in Saddle Arabia, for my International Medical Conference.

I narrowed my eyes at him as both me and Daring replied. "Ahdarha." (Bring it.)

Daring managed to get us both a sword from the nearby rack as the colt attacked, his blow striking hard as we barely managed to block it. I had never fought with swords, but the fact that I wasn't dead yet was a good sign.

The colt backed off as we stared him down, swords at the ready. "You alright?" Daring asked, without taking her eyes off the colt.

"Still alive so...yeah!"

"I can take this guy. You go and see what you can find in this place!"

"I'm not leaving you alone!"

Daring looked over at me. "Heh. Trust me. I'll be fine. It's him that should be worried."

But I didn't move. "Then with both of us, he should be terrified." I said menacingly.

Daring smiled as we both charged at the colt. Between me and Daring, we managed to counter every blow the colt swung, and deliver a few clean strikes, that should have taken him down. But he kept swinging. This guy was trained unlike any I'd ever seen. It was like pain merely made him angrier, rather than slow him down. It took me sweeping his leg and delivering an injury to his thigh, plus Daring flying up and landing a powerful elbow drop to finally fell the colt. He fell to the floor, out cold, dropping his sword as he hit the ground.

When it was over, me and Daring both had sweat beading on our faces as we stood there panting from what it really took to bring down this single guy!

Daring dropped the sword in a huff. "Jeez! That guy was straight out of a kung fu movie! I've fought ninjas before, but he was something else."

I dropped my sword as well. "And remember: these guys were only initiates. We need to steer clear of these Setting Sun guys. We won't stand a chance, unprepared."

"Good plan" Daring agreed.

With the ninjas taken care of, we had full access to the warehouse, and we began our investigation.

Investigation (Cobalt Industries Warehouse, 6:23 pm)

While Daring moved the unconscious colts to the lower docks, I began looking around the warehouse. There was a noticeboard beside the desk, with an assortment of paperwork on it. I went to take a closer look.

Among the paperwork, which adorned the noticeboard, was something that caught my eye. It was a delivery note from Cobalt Industries, and the address was Quaramonte City. I had never heard of the place, but stored the information in my mind for later.

Examining the rest of the area, I saw a small drawer on the desk the bigger colt had been sitting at. I opened it, and found a small brass key. Looking to the filing cabinet next to the desk, I quickly found the key fit the small lock easily.

Inside was a letter, written in very beautiful cursive that was addressed to Quill-Feather, the manager of the shipyards. It had been sent to her personally from an individual calling themselves Al-sy'd.

More Arabic. It translated to "The Master." How typical.

I read the letter quickly, hoping it would give some clue as to what was going on in this place. But it was just a notice about another shipment coming from the CWF on Wednesday. But a shipment of what? I still hadn't found out.

Daring returned and we decided to take the elevator to the higher levels of the warehouse. But upon stepping out of the elevator, I spotted the motion sensor on the wall and stopped Daring before she set it off.

We froze like that for a second. Before we both looked down and saw that she had stepped through the second motion sensor beneath it.

We expected alarms. Armed guards. The police. The works.

But instead, a small light next to the elevator came on. I was confused. What kind of security was this? There were no modems nor outside wiring, that would be apart of a silent alarm system, such as a wireless transmitter. So, what was this?

Then it hit me. I took a step forward. Daring was hesitant at first, but after seeing how I was still alive, and that there were no alarms going off, she took a step forward out of the elevator. And yiped as it closed behind her suddenly. She stepped back in front of the sensor, and the elevator opened back up. I was right.

The sensors were a photoelectric lock that prevented the elevator doors from closing when they were obstructed. This prevented anypony from using the elevator to reach the top floor of the warehouse, that they didn't want up there. And trapped anyone up here who didn't belong.

Daring holding her hoof in front of the sensor, would stop the doors from closing. But she couldn't stay there forever. "Hang on. I'll figure out a way to keep those doors open." I told her as I looked around.

"No rush." she joked.

I spotted a crate baring the Cobalt Industries logo. Perfect. Daring moved aside, just as I moved the crate in front of the sensors.

We waited, and when the doors didn't close, we took a minute to catch our breath, before exploring the rest of the top floor.

Daring looked behind a large stack of crates, and spotted an unmarked switch. "Tempting" I heard her say slyly.

After pressing it, a light came on in the back of the top floor, illuminating a new area. We went to inspect it only to see that it appeared to simply be a wooden wall. "Well....that was a let down. What now?" Daring asked, turning to me.

I put a hoof to my chin in thought. There was more to this, then what we saw. I could tell something was certainly special about this wall. I moved closer and felt around the wall. Looking down, I noticed faint scratch marks on the floor.

As if a door had been opened on the wall. I felt around on the wall, and my hooves and found a small round stud which was set flush to the surrounding wooden paneling. A pulled on it and just like I'd thought, a secret door opened in the wall, letting us into the hidden room.

Hidden Room, 6:45 pm

The room was small, cramped and held only one occupant. My eyes widened as I smiled at the mare staring back at me from the chair she was bound to. "Dr. Seastone!" I cried, running over to untie her. She was trussed up like a chicken, but otherwise unharmed. I untied her quickly, letting the ropes fall to the floor.

Dr. Seastone stood up, then immediately turned around and hugged me. "Whew. Thanks, Meir. I owe you one. A BIG one." she laughed.

Daring ran up to us, equally relieved to see Dr. Seastone safe. "Glad to see you're alright, Doc." she said with a smile.

"Are you alright? What the hell happened to you?" I asked, concerned.

"I have no clue! I was just sitting there waiting for you and Simon to get back, when all of a sudden, Tropical Breeze passed out! I got up to help her, and then I passed out. They did something to the tea, is my guess."

"The Setting Sun Cult?"

"Is that whose after us, this time? Great. Another insane cult, hell-bent on destroying the world or whatever. And here I was thinking this vacation would be boring. Ha!" Dr. Seastone joked.

It was great to see she was safe. And even more that she was unharmed. But what had they kidnapped her for? And why bring her here, of all places? I needed some answers. Luckily, Dr. Seastone was more then ready to provide.

"Do you mind if I ask you a few questions, Seastone?"

She laughed. "Screw questions, Meir! How bout I just tell you what I know."

"Oh. Yeah, okay then."

Dr. Seastone took a minute to relax as we returned to Clotter, and let him know what happened. As angry as he was for us trespassing and dunking Twenty in the ocean, he was more relieved to see that Dr. Seastone had been found and was alright, and unharmed, especially on his watch. He let us take a seat in his hut, while he phoned the police to let them know about The Setting Sun Cult and their presence in the warehouse.

Clotter waited outside the hut for the police to arrive, as we all sat by the fire of the furnace. Once Dr. Seastone had taken a minute to relax, she explained everything she had found out while in captivity of the cult.

"These Setting Sun freaks are not messing around. I overheard those two guys talking downstairs. Apparently, their master was real pissed that they had lost The Sacred Stone. Something about it being needed to get the tribes to cooperate with them."

I had heard about the tribes of indigenous ponies that lived far up in the The Voiceless Jungle. They were never seen or heard from, but the stories about them and their mystical magic go back untold centuries. What did the Setting Sun want with them, though?

Dr. Seastone continued to explain. "The only other thing I picked up, was a prayer they kept saying over and over to this thing." Dr. Seastone withdrew something from her lab coat and handed it to me.

I examined it closely. It was a flint carving of a grotesque figure, with large evil eyes. "What was this prayer?"

"The Sapphire will bring him. The Island will awaken. The Traveler will walk and the world will be reborn." Dr. Seastone repeated. "Bunch of crazy jumbo, if you ask me."

The Traveler? Interesting. I would have to look more into this later on.

As the police arrived and began to search the place, we all got a lift back to the hotel in the squad carriage. Much to all of our relief, our room was still ready for us, luggage and all. It was now past 9:00 when we finally reached our rooms.

Daring said good night before returning to her own room, which was just down the hall from us.

As for us, Me and Dr. Seastone, were more then ready to leave this day at the foot of our beds. I fell asleep the second my head hit the pillow. But as I slept, I dreamed a strange dream of a terrible curse befalling the world. Ponies running away from a horrible monster that blocked out the skies in height, and a stallion watching all the carnage from a safe place.

A Nero who watched, as the world burned.

Chapter 6: "Welcome To Quaramonte City."

Chapter 6: "Quaramonte City."

I awoke in my bed in our hotel room, the terrifying imagery from my dream, still fresh in my mind. I got up, stretched and prepared myself to take on the day.

My body still ached from our fight with those ninja initiates. But it didn't stop me from managing to get dressed in my favorite white blouse and butterfly bow tie (Oh, how I missed you!)

Once I was ready, I met up with Daring at the local ferry. We had planned to travel to Quaramonte City, a local rural town that could be found on the western island of the Keyes, where all the ancient Mayan ruins were supposed to be. It was also where Cobalt Industries was having CWF ship whatever it was they were shipping.

Whatever it was, and what it was used for, we hoped to find out when we arrived. Dr. Seastone agreed to stay at the hotel, and see what she could decipher from the many files Clotter had lent us. (The police had closed down the ship yard for obvious reasons, but he wanted to help however he could. He also promised to keep a better eye on the place, once the ship yard was reopened again.)

With yesterday behind us, me and Daring boarded the morning Ferry to Quaramonte City.

Quaramonte Docks, Early Morning

As we disembarked from the ferry, we saw that Quaramonte City, was more of a small, tropical village. There were few buildings, and the ones that we saw were made of heavily beaten stone and wood. There were many locals selling fruits and vegetables from blankets they had set up on the ground as makeshift shops. Tourists and vacationers alike were clustered around stands and around vendors, eager to get souvenirs or a taste of the Keyes famous cuisine. The marketplace was deafening with chatter and conversation, many of which were spoken in other languages.

Daring was dressed in her usual green adventurers shirt and pith helmet. (Though the helmet was the same, she swore it was a different shirt.) She looked around the place and breathed in the smell of the ocean. "I'd always wanted to come to this place. Plenty of ruins, which means plenty of opportunities for them to have ancient and powerful treasures guarded by a whole army of booby traps!" she exclaimed excitedly.

I smiled at her as we made our way through the market. Daring spotted an elderly local pony selling cabbages from his cart. He was a tired looking stallion with a tacky Hawaiian shirt and a squat boat hat. He didn't appear to have much enthusiasm, selling his wares.

"Hey!" she called to him.

"Yes? You wanna buy something?" he asked quickly.

"Uh, no. Not really."

"I have cabbage! Buy a cabbage, senorita."

"Look, I don't want cabbage, I want info. Do you know anything about Cobalt Industries having stuff shipped to this island?"

"No. Buy a cabbage. I'll give you a discount on bulk purchases."

"Who the heck buys a bulk purchase of cabbage?!"

"Ponies who like cabbage, senorita. You buy cabbage now?"

Daring sighed, clearly getting annoyed. "Okay, we'll do this another way." she pulled out the strange flint statue Dr. Seastone had snatched when she was taken. "This look familiar to you?" she asked, holding it so the stallion could see it clearly. "Our friend managed to snatch it off one of those Setting Sun nutjobs. Do you know anything about it?"

Suddenly, his tired old eyes widened as he looked at the small statue with horror. "No! Tezcatlipoca! Put it away, senorita!" he yelled, drawing the attention of the rest of the village.

Daring put the statue away quickly. "Okay, Okay! Relax. What's Tezcatlipoca?"

"Tezcatlipoca is a being of pure evil. He sleeps beneath the Keyes, imprisoned for eternity by our tribal ponies. To even speak his name is to risk his return!" the poor stallion explained, clearly scared to even be speaking of it.

So scared in fact, that he left without trying to sell Daring cabbage.

Daring returned to me and handed the statue back. "Wow. I had no idea we were carrying an ancient Mayan deity of pure evil in our pocket." she said, looking surprised.

"We should see what we can find out about this Tezcatlipoca. If those ninjas had it, this might be the deity the cult worships. The more we know the better."

Daring nodded. "Right."

I spotted a local fisherman, selling an array of colorful fish at his market stall. I approached his stall and waved. "Good morning, sir. Do you mind if we ask you something?"

"Is it about fish?"

"No. We were wondering if you knew anything about this statue." I held the statue up for him to see.

Just like the cabbage vendor, the fisherman looked at the the small ugly thing with horror. "Si, senorita!- It is very, very bad luck! That is Tezcatlipoca, The Traveler that brings death, wherever he walks!"

"Would it matter if I don't believe in luck? Good or bad?"

The fisherman shook his head sadly. "You may not now, but you will." With that, he closed his stall and went inside his hut, leaving us standing there, bewildered. Another guy we managed to scare out of his wits. We were getting nowhere fast.

We needed to get some solid information on this Tezcatlipoca, without scaring half the village into hiding.

It was then that we spotted two musicians, playing a jovial tune that practically breathed the sounds of the tropics. Perhaps if we steered clear of the whole "Evil statue in our pocket" thing, we might actually find out what Cobalt Industries is doing in Quaramonte.

I approached the two musicians. "Sorry to bother you guys, but we were wondering if you could help us with something." I said politely.

The shortest of the two, a squat stallion with severe chin stubble and a wacky looking hat, smiled. "Of course, Senorita. What can we do for you?"

"My name is Morning Meir, and this is Daring Do-

"THE Daring Do." Daring added proudly.

"Right. We were wondering if you would answer a few questions for a case I'm looking into."

The two musicians nodded. "Of course. We will help however we can." the squat one replied.

Questioning (Lanky and Squats Lopez, Local Musicians, May have information on Cobalt/CWF)

If Nawlans taught me anything, it was that musicians knew way more then they seemed. I hoped that these two could testify to that. We needed information on Cobalt and what deal they had going with the CWF. More importantly, what they wanted with them and what they were shipping to the Keyes. Daring stood by while I questioned our new musician friends.

My first question was obvious. "Have you two seen anything concerning Cobalt Industries as of late?"

Lanky, the tallest one, nodded. "Oh! Si, Senorita! We saw a ship, flying a flag with their logo on it!"

"Where did you see this ship?"

"At the docks. About....three months ago, I think."

Three months ago?? Just how long had this been going on? Had Simon been involved in this for that long? Part of me still hoped he was innocent in all this. I still hadn't seen anything that made him out to be the mastermind behind all of this.

Putting that aside, I asked my next question. "Would you guys happen to know anything about the Lunar Eclipse?"

"Oh! Is it Princess Luna's birthday already?" asked Squat.

"Uh...not that I know of. It's a natural Lunar eclipse."

"What's that?"

"It's when the moon passes directly behind the earth into its umbra, without princess Luna moving the moon herself."

Lanky looked skeptical. "That's crazy."

"No! My cousin, Alfredo, swears he saw it happen once!" Squats exclaimed. "Of course it was after he stupidly downed a cocktail of peyote and antibiotics..."

Right. Next question. "Did you guys happen to see what was on the ship with the Cobalt logo?"

"No, senorita. We weren't allowed near the docks."

"Huh? Why not? I thought the docks were open to the public."

"That's right. Usually, we meet the ships when they tie up." Squats explained. "We play to the tourists."

I was beginning to see the picture now. "So what happened?" I asked.

"Well, when the Cobalt ship came in, we were told to go away!" Lanky exclaimed.

"Really? I'm sorry to hear that." I said sincerely. "Did they ever tell you why?"

"No, Senorita. We went to ask the local Policia, but the chief just told us not to worry about it. Perhaps she can tell you more about the ships. She seemed to know more then what she lead on."

So, the local police might know something about Cobalt having stuff shipped here from the CWF. I guess that would be our next lead then. I only hoped she would be as helpful as Karosta had been on my last case.

Or at least less short tempered.

Quaramonte Estación de Policía, 9:37 am

After thanking Lanky and Squats for their help, we had no trouble finding the police station (Considering it was the only building in town with the word POLICIA on it.) We took a minute to notice the welcoming sign above the entrance before entering.

The police station itself was small, with an oak desk, several filing cabinets and a pull down map. Of which, there were two ponies, who appeared to be engaged in a hushed conversation while looking at the map.

One, a beautiful snow colored mare with a blonde mane, in what looked like a pink police uniform (And wearing quite a bit of makeup) was speaking to an elderly stallion with a massive white mustache.

"I have done just as I've been instructed, professor." said the mare in the police uniform, in a rather proud eccentric tone. "With the jungle closed off, there'll be no-one around to interfere with the excavation."

The professor in question, simply nodded in response.

As the door shut behind us, the mare turned to greet us. "Oh! I have visitors..." she said this in a manner as if to dismiss the professor.

And he apparently got the hint. "Just remember what I told you, Mara Villa." he said gruffly. "There's no need to make a martyr out of a savior..." with that he left without another word.

As we watched the clearly ticked professor leave, Mara cleared her throat to get our attention. I turned to see her smiling at me, her face more like that of a supermodel then a police mare.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, miss Meir." she said in an overly polite fashion that didn't match the biting ego I heard in her voice. "My name is Mara Villa, chief of police in our little slice of paradise. Welcome To Quaramonte!" she announced.

Mara Villa did not seem like any police chief I knew of. She was more of an actress, trying out for the role of one in a movie. Also the fact she had the word POLICE bedazzled in rhinestones on the front of her police hat, didn't give me much confidence. (Nor the suspicious conversation she was just having, that she was clearly trying to distract us from asking about.)

I decided to put it aside for now, as I smiled back. "Thank you. I didn't know anyone even knew I was here, to be honest."

"Don't be silly! How could I not know that the smartest pony in the world was visiting the Keyes!" she exclaimed.

I ignored the redness in my cheeks (as usual) and got straight to it. "Um...thank you, Chief Villa, but-

"Please. Mara is fine."

"Um, okay. Do you mind if we ask you a few questions, Mara?

Mara smiled as she took a seat behind her desk. "You've come to the right place then! There's nothing that happens in Quaramonte, that I don't know about. I'll answer whatever you need me to."

She was hiding something. Her face was beautiful and friendly, but as I said before. She felt more like an actress then an actual police chief. Still though, if she was willing to help, I was all for it. We needed to find out what was really happening in the Keyes. With so many questions that needed answers, I was glad to be getting some from any source.

Questioning (Chief Mara Villa, Police Chief of Quaramonte City, Should be able to tell us about the CWF shipments.)

Mara reminded me of a fashion designer I knew back in Ponyville. But she seemed, much less....generous. She wasn't afraid to keep secrets, especially if they benefited herself. Or perhaps she was simply hiding from a much bigger threat. In any case, this mare was certainly good at acting like nothing was wrong. If luck had it, maybe I could help her.

I only hoped she could help me first.

I stuck with normal questioning first, to see if I could get her to lower her guard a little. Her "Just-Smile-And-Wave" routine was like a barrier to keep ponies like us from snooping too far into things. We had to bring it down. "Are there any ruins around the city?" I asked, trying my best to sound like another tourist.

"Of course, miss Meir! Quaramonte has everything!" Mara answered, enthusiastically.

Daring decided to step in, knowing this mare was obviously hiding something as well. "Awesome. Any chance we could get a tour of one? I was hoping to find my latest groundbreaking archeological discovery in Quaramonte." Daring said, very much trying to get at Mara.

"I would only be too happy to have somepony give you a tour, miss Do!"

"Uh, it's just Dar-

"Unfortunately, our tourism board is all booked up. What with so many coming to see the eclipse in two weeks. Perhaps some other time?"

Okay. Now I knew this mare was hiding something. Nevertheless, I kept playing my part. "I thought the eclipse could only be seen from Klugeico?"

Mara shrugged innocently. "All I know is, they had it in last weeks paper that it would also be visible on the equator. Which means we'll be able to see it perfectly! I won't lie, I'm excited. I've never seen a natural lunar eclipse before."

Hmm. That was interesting. Although I suppose it made sense, considering Klugeico was at the southern most part of Equestria, very near the equator. I wonder why they only just now informed everypony of where it would be visible from? Though the newspaper clipping I found, could've just been an old one.

Anyways, it was time to stop messing around. It was time to get to the real questions. "Who was that old pony you were talking to before we arrived?"

Mara's smile wavered for a tenth of a second before it returned. "Professor Solitaire- a visitor, miss Meir, like yourself."

"Solitaire?" Daring asked.

"That's right. Professor Solitaire. A french archaeologist. I'm sure you've heard of him."

Daring nodded, but her expression was quite serious. "Yeah, I've heard of him. Comes from a line of explorers back in France. He would spend money hiring workers to do all the digging for him, then reap the rewards for himself. He was always coming to blows with REAL archaeologists."

Didn't sound like Daring had a good opinion of the guy. He definitely looked old money, and very gruff from our first impression, at least. From the nervous smile I saw on Mara's face, she also knew the guy. But more from a business perspective. As in "None-Of-Mine" nor anypony else's.

But it was my business to find out whatever I could about what was happening in The Keyes. And I had a feeling this Solitaire guy was right in the middle of it. "What is Solitaire doing on the island?"

Mara's calm expression didn't waver but her eyes gave away she was putting on even more of an act. "Researching our rich and glorious past, miss Meir!" she said simply. "The professor is planning an excavation in the caves within the Voiceless Jungle. He came to see me to get an excavation permit."

She wasn't lying. In fact she hadn't this whole time. But she was able to act like it was basic information, in order to get us to ignore it's real significance. Clever, actually.

But then I asked my next question. "We were hoping you could tell us about the ship that was seen flying the Cobalt Industries flag a few months ago. The one that was seen at the docks. Do you know anything about that?"

Mara's friendly manner vanished. "No. I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, miss Meir."

Daring raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then why did those musicians tell us they saw a ship flying that flag, and they were told to leave the docks? And that you told them not to worry about it?" she inquired sternly.

Mara laughed. "Oh c'mon. They're always making up stories like that to try and get tourists to listen to them play their music. Honestly, what do they know, right?" she joked.

"Wrong." I said, dropping my dumb tourist act at once. "We know that Cobalt is up to something on this island. And since you're the chief of police, you know as well as I do that they recently raided a warehouse owned by Cobalt, for smuggling property of the CWF and housing the Setting Sun cult. If you know anything about what Cobalt is doing in Quaramonte, you'll tell me. Lives are at risk! Maybe the whole of the Emerald Keyes! Doesn't that bother you?!"

Mara stood up from her chair and looked at me with her pretty yet now very sinister looking eyes. "The only thing that bothers me, is ponies who don't know to mind their own business." she said sternly.

But I returned the look. "This case IS my business."

"How? You're not a detective. Your not even police. What can you do, that me and my police can't?"

Daring immediately came to my defense. She rushed forward and slammed her hooves down on the Mara's desk, making the mare fall back in her chair. "Alright, look here blondie!" she exclaimed loudly. "Cobalt is obviously working with the Setting Sun, the same guys who kidnapped us, thanks for coming to rescue us by the way, kidnapped Dr. Seastone, and nearly killed both of us without any of you stepping in to help! They may also be behind the disappearance of Morning's parents and are possibly plotting to destroy the island, if not the world!" Mara glared at Daring, but was clearly scared of her as well.

But she wasn't done yet. "If you idiots did your jobs, you wouldn't need us to do it for you! So, are you actually going to do your job to protect this island, or are we going to do it ourselves?" Daring said matching Mara's glare with her own.

For a minute, neither of them said anything. Then two police colts stepped into the room, batons at the ready.

Mara smirked. "Oh. Look at that." she sneered at Daring. "It's time for you to leave."

"Oh, you're just asking for it now!"

I grabbed Daring and told her it wasn't worth it. And it wasn't. Despite Mara being as far from a respectable police mare as I could think of...she was still the police chief. We didn't need to start a fight here. Not now, anyway.

As we left, those two colts staring us down, I turned back to Mara. "If you know me. If you know the things I have accomplished in my pursuit to see my case solved." I said calmly, "Then you know there is nothing, in this or any other world, that can be thrown at me to stop me from doing it. Remember that, the next time we meet."

Mara only smiled. "I suppose we'll see." she said simply. "Have a nice day!" she said in a mockingly cheery tone.

Back outside, we waited till we were back by the docks to start relaying to each other our opinions on Mara Villa.

"Well. She seems nice." I said bitterly. Our one lead on what Cobalt is up to, and she ends being more of a nuisance then any help.

Daring laughed. "I've met nicer." she joked. "Did you see that map though?"

"You mean the one she definitely didn't want us to see? Yep. Couldn't make out the details though."

"That mare is hiding something. Something she's not too keen on letting other ponies in on."

"True." I agreed. "We need to keep an eye on her."

Daring nodded. "Her and Solitaire. Trust me, Morning. If he's here, it means bad news for everyone."

"Have you ever met him?"

"I've heard stories. About how far he's willing to go to get what he wants. The lives he's willing to ruin." Daring warned. "And he has enough money to make sure it happens."

"Well, if he's heading to the Voiceless Jungle, there's only one thing he could be after."

"Great." Daring sighed. "More competition. Do you think Mara is working with him too?"

"Wouldn't surprise me. Though they don't seem to be friends."

Before we could continue our conversation, a high pitched voice suddenly squealed out in delight from a merchants stall.

We went to investigate and found an extremely excitable mint green earth pony, with a fluffy mane, orange satchel, and a cupcake for a cutie mark. She was hopping up and down with joy as she appeared to be purchasing a small statue of a peanut dressed as a British solider.

"Now I can complete my collection!" she cheered. "Thank you so much!"

The merchant at the stall looked appreciative, yet nervous at the same time. As if he didn't know if he was talking to a pony or a time bomb dressed as one. He took the ten bits from the mare and then ducked down behind his counter. (Either to hide or protect himself from the blast. Whichever applied, I suppose.)

I recognized the mare, instantly as Coco Pie, an extremely excitable and happy earth pony who had helped me save Nawlans from the mass voodoo conspiracy that controlled it, during my last case.

And from Daring's expression, so did she. "I take it you know her, too?" I asked smiling.

Daring gave me a surprised look. "Wait. You know Coco, too? Makes sense actually. She's always selling something to somepony."

"She actually helped me save the world from a voodoo cult ruled by a power hungry sociopath." I explained.

"Oh. Well, that's a new one. Heh"

Then I had an idea. I pulled out the statue of Tezcatlipoca and showed it to Daring. "Do you think she'll know anything about this? Everyone else here is terrified to even look at the thing, but her...."

Daring smiled broadly. "That's brilliant! Coco lives and breathes weird and crazy stuff. There's no doubt she'll know something about our Mayan friend here."

With that we approached Coco Pie, who upon seeing us, looked surprisingly calm about it. "Oh! Hey Daring! I thought I'd run into you guys, here!" she said happily.

Daring smiled back. "Hey Coco. You heard we were here in the papers I bet. Especially after that whole warehouse thing."

Coco looked off to the side and smiled curtly. "Uh, suuurre. That's how I knew you were here."

Not more then five seconds into a conversation and she was already confusing us. Classic Coco Pie.

"Um. Okay. We were hoping you could look at something for us."

Coco leaned in and smiled slyly. "Is it weird and possibly supernatural in origin?" she asked cutely.

Daring nodded. "Very."

"Yay! Let me see!"

Daring handed Coco the idol and she had barely even looked at it before she gave her analysis. "Dios Mio! Tezcatlipoca!" she exclaimed, pretending to be scared.

Daring rolled her eyes. "So can you tell us anything or-

"Oh, I can tell you everything about this guy, Daring." Coco said proudly.

Coco held the idol up for us to see. "Tezcatlipoca. The Lord Of Darkness." she began. "A supreme deity of ancient Mayan culture. His name means "smoking mirror" but here he is known by his true name: The Traveler."

"The Traveler?"

Coco pointed out a small round object that the idol was holding in it's left claw. "You see this?" Coco asked, pointing with her hoof. "It's a mirror. The Mayans believed he could look into the mirror and see into your heart. Your soul. Your very being. And there was no way of hiding from him"

Coco's eyes suddenly became very dark and ominous. "He was the wind which came howling in the night in search of victims. And victims they gave him, by the thousands! Ponies, animals- anything that bled. The steps to his temple ran red with the blood of sacrifices."

A huge chill went down my spine as I listened, becoming more and more terrified as Coco explained. "The Mayans have a legend that says he'll return one day. Hopefully, none of us will be around to see it..."

Then just like that, Coco snapped back to her smiling and cheery self. "Does that help?" she asked with a bright smile, handing Daring back the idol.

Daring and I were both horrified now. I was practically shaking in my own hooves as I tried to calm myself down. No wonder everyone on this island was terrified of this thing. That had a very, very good reason to be. And now....so did we. If the Setting Sun's plan was to summon this...thing into our world, we suddenly had a lot more to worry about. And an even greater reason to stop them.

Daring nodded as she took the idol back, and put back in her satchel. "T-thanks, Coco. That....That helped us at least know what were dealing with..." Daring said, clearly still shaken from Coco's disturbing change from happy earth pony to terrifying story teller.

"You're welcome!" Coco said cheerfully. "Is there anything else?"

Then I thought of something else: The eclipse. It had been coming up multiple times in this case, and I had a feeling it meant more then what it seemed. And if my first case taught me anything, it was that a natural eclipse, ironically, was about as unnatural as it got.

"Actually, Coco, there is something else. Do you know about the eclipse?" I asked politely.

"Of course! I can't wait to see it too! I brought my special glasses and everything!"

"Um. I don't think you'll need special glasses to watch a lunar eclipse but....does it mean anything?"

"Hmm?"

"The lunar eclipse, does it mean anything?"

Coco cocked her head to one side and thought to herself for a minute. "Wellll, for me it'll be something cool to look at in the sky. But, to the ancient Mayans it marked the end of the fifth age."

Daring smiled. "Cool. Is the island throwing a party?" she asked. "Maybe a big festival or something for the new age?"

But Coco shook her head. "Well...no. Actually, the end of the fifth age heralds destruction on a global scale." Coco explained rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

"There is no new age after that. The fifth is the final age- ending in the total destruction of the earth!" Coco exclaimed dramatically.

For a moment, we just stood there in stunned silence. Coco certainly knew how to make the end of the world, somehow sound even scarier then it already was. You had to admire that.

Putting aside Coco's ability to be terrifying at a moment's notice, I smiled as I thanked her for her help. "Thanks, Coco. You've been a big help."

The lovable earth pony smiled back. "Aw, it was nothin! I can also tell you about the CWF's offices here in Quaramonte, if you want!"

My eyes widened. "Um..." I said unsure of how she could possibly know that. But decided to just log it under It's Coco Pie. "That would be great, actually." I replied. That would definitely help, tremendously. Why try and pointlessly squeeze info from Mara Villa, when we could just go directly to the CWF, themselves! They would at least be more helpful then she was.

Coco turned and pointed to the roads that led past the police station, to a large white building that looked terribly out of place fro a rural, tropical village. It was shaped like an igloo and appeared to be made of some form of solid cloud vapor and steel. Several weather instruments were seen buzzing, humming and sparking all around it's roof. The words CWF Home Offices was displayed in large blue letters above the entrance, which appeared to be an automatic glass door.

Daring and I both looked at it dumbfounded. "Huh. Well, that was easy." said Daring, turning to talk to Coco without taking her eyes off the building. As if she looked away, it would suddenly vanish. "How did you know that was here?"

Coco simply shrugged. "I'm hip. I hear things." she joked.

"Well, thanks Coco. We'll see you around, okay?"

Coco smiled and waved as we made our way to the CWF offices. "Sure thing! Good luck saving the world!....Again!" she called back to us.

Coco was certainly an excitable one. But this would be the second time she had helped me solve a case. She certainly knew how to come through for her friends.

Seriously though: How did she know all this?? I wouldn't stop wondering that till we were through the doors of the CWF Home Offices.

CWF Home Offices, 10:37 am

Stepping through the doors of the CWF Home Offices was like taking a step into an office building from Manehatten. Polished obsidian floors, many expensive looking mahogany desks where several Pegasai were busy working at their terminals and moving papers and files to filing cabinets. Large pillars resembling that of a roman temple, bordered the room, and a mural of several cloud formations could be seen adorning the roof. a few skylights, allowed sunlight to brighten up the room.

As we walked to the help desk, looking around at the splendor of the place, we were greeted by who we assumed to be the manager of the place. A purple Pegasus in a suit and tie and fluffy pink mane, smiled at us as we approached. "Hello! Welcome to the Cloudsdale Weather Factory Home Offices! My name is Rainbowshine, manager and proprietor of this office. How can I help you, miss Meir? Miss Do?"

I just assumed, everypony on the island knew about us by now. Plus, there was no time to worry about that.

"Nice to meet you, miss shine." I greeted her with a smile. "We were actually hoping to ask you about the CWF and Cobalt Industries. Does the CWF have an arrangement with them to ship equipment or some such to the Keyes?"

Rainbowshine's blue eyes went wide as she looked taken back a bit. "Oh, um...well. I actually can't reveal company information to the public. Not without the owner's permission anyway."

Daring raised an eyebrow. "The owner? I thought you were in charge here." she asked.

"Oh! I'm the manager, yes. But The owner is the owner of the entire Cloudsdale Weather Factory and it's subsidaries. My boss's boss. I can't reveal company information without his say so." Rainbowshine said politely.

"Is there any chance you could give him a call? Trust me it's important. I'm actually here-

"Investigating the disappearance of your parents?" Rainbowshine finished for me.

I was taken back by that. How did she know? It wasn't in the news. The media had been told by the science institute to keep the public unaware so as not to provoke a panic. (My parents are very important, yes. But more so because the Keyes is supposed to be a safe vacation resort. What would ponies think if the most important geniuses in the country had gone missing or worse, were kidnapped while staying in the Keyes, which is supposed to be protected by Simon's security blockades? My hunch is, they wouldn't respond well.

I hesitated before I responded to Rainbowshine. "Um, yes. But.....How-

Rainbowshine laughed. "Miss Meir. The CWF works with the The Equestrian Institute of Science on many of our projects. We were some of the first to know when your parents went missing. Your trying to find them? The CWF is right there with you!" she said happily. "Give me one minute."

She pressed a button on the desk, and a red phone popped out of the top of the table from a hidden door. Rainbowshine picked up the receiver and pushed a series of buttons, and waited.

"Hello, sir. Sorry to bother you, but.....huh? Oh yes. Really? Um.....okay. Thank you. You have a nice day too, sir."

She hung up the phone and smiled at us. "Okay! What do you guys need to know?"

Daring looked confused. "Um....what just happened?"

Rainbowshine winked. "The owner said it's fine. Soooo....what do you want to know?"

Questioning (Rainbowshine, Manager of CWF Home Offices, Can tell us about the connection between the CWF and Cobalt)

Whoever the owner of the CWF was, they were clearly on our side. And the connection between the CWF and Cobalt was clear, and was definitely a part of whatever the Setting Sun were planning for the Keyes. Whatever that may be. But we knew it wasn't good.

And that we had to stop them.

My first question was rather simple. "What is the connection between the CWF and Cobalt Industries?"

"The Cloudsdale Weather Factory was contracted to deliver a few shipments of weather equipment to Cobalt Industries warehouses in the Keyes. Primarily, equipment meant to deal with extremely hot weather. As well as a few crates of seismic sensors. Cobalt never told us what it was for."

"Are you still working with them?" I asked.

"Nope. After our last shipment, the owner cut all ties with Cobalt. We stopped taking any contracts from them and that was it. Our last shipment was about...3 weeks ago, I believe."

"Why did the owner cut ties with Cobalt Industries?" asked Daring.

"I'm....not sure. Said they couldn't be trusted. Had us sever all connections, and cancel every contract we had with them. Whatever it was, he had a good reason."

"What makes you say that?" I asked, now even more curious about this mysterious owner of CWF. How did he know so much about what was going on? How did he know we were even here? I didn't think I'd be getting any answers to these questions.

But Rainbowshine only smiled. "He always has a good reason." she confirmed. I suppose that was my answer. "Is there anything else you needed?" she asked politely.

Actually there was. "What can you tell me about Chief Mara Villa?"

Rainbowshine stifled a laugh before she answered. "Oh, dear Celestia. You got on her bad side, I bet."

"She has a good side?" Daring scoffed.

Regardless of that (Though Daring obviously had a point) I knew what I was going to ask. "She has a map by her desk in the police station. She was showing it to an archaeologist earlier and was acting like she really didn't want anyone else to look at it. Any idea what that's about?"

Rainbowshine put a hoof to her chin in thought. "Hmm. Mara has always had her secrets. Did she say who the archaeologist was?"

"His name is Solitaire."

"Hmm. The name sounds familiar. If he was working with Mara, it's possible that they are working to find that big discovery Dr. Cobalt and his team are excavating in the Voiceless Jungle."

"What would a police chief want with something like that?"

"Well, she wasn't always a police chief. She's from Applewood. Used to be a famous actress. But one scandal later, she took up her mother's career in the police force. A few years later, she gets transferred to the Emerald Keyes, and somehow becomes chief in only a year. Mighty suspicious, if you ask me." Rainbowshine explained. "She's also very aggressive and cautious. She plays the part of a friendly, tourist friendly policemare. At least, till somepony gets too close to something she doesn't want them to."

Mara sounded like someone we had to both keep an eye on. And avoid, if we could. Whatever she was hiding, we would find out. Sooner or later.

"Thanks for all your help, miss Shine." I thanked her, grateful for all the new information we had to work with.

As we left the CWF Home Offices, it occurred to me what we had to do. We had to get a look at that map. Whatever Mara and Solitaire were hiding, it had to do with the same excavation Simon and my parents were working on. Which meant it was a lead for me finding my parents and finding out just what exactly the Setting Sun were up to. But in order to get to the map, we had to distract Mara away from her office.

Luckily, I knew just how to do it.

Chapter 7: "A Daring Escape."

Author's Note

For this chapter, I decided to implement a Character Change system. Morning Meir isn't the only bad-ass pony in our story now. Daring has done some amazing stuff herself, and has proven she can tackle situations like this with ease. That's why I decided to do this, where sometimes in the story we will switch from Morning's perspective to our third person storytelling of the Daring Do adventure series, when we switch over to Daring. I thought it would be neat to see how both our ladies are handling the story in their own way. Plus, I just thought it would be fun to see how Daring does things in a Morning Meir story. Please comment any questions or complaints you may have. Thanks! :pinkiesmile:

Chapter 7: "A Daring Escape."

Ralah waited patiently outside the Quaramonte Police Station, for our signal.

Except, she was no longer Ralah, but a bright eyed, blonde earth pony mare from Applewood, who was vacationing in Quaramonte, and simply had to get a tour of the ruins outside the city! If didn't know it was Ralah under her disguise, I would've sworn she really was just another tourist.

Daring and I sat behind the counter of an empty stall and waved to Ralah, signaling her to go into the police station. The plans was simple. Ralah use's her mastery of disguise to trick Mara into taking her to the tourism office (which was located across town) and have her set up a tour of the local ruins. While she was away filing all the necessary paperwork, I would go into her office and get a look at that map. Plus, investigate anything else the mare might be hiding. I didn't like to invade other's privacy, especially a police chief. But she knew something about all this. She knew about the excavation, and that was our biggest lead to finding my parents. I was willing to risk it, just this once.

Plus, she had been a real jerk. And I doubt I was the only one who wanted to find out what this mare was being so secretive about.

We went over to the widow of the police station and listened into the conversation between Ralah and Mara. In less then a few seconds, Ralah had already hit it off with Mara. They were giggling and laughing happily about something I'm sure only a real "Valley Mare" could comprehend.

"But no, it's still a good job. I help when I can, but some days I really do miss the hills of Coltifornia." I heard Mara say dreamily.

"I hear that. But, being out here by the beaches has to be fun right?" Ralah said in a bubbly, valley mare voice, that I did not even remotely recognize.

Mara laughed. "Oh, I'm by the beaches all right. In this office, day in and day out, trying to keep the peace while everypony else mocks me for being from Applewood. Though, I'll admit I do have a bit of a temper sometimes, I still do my damn job!"

"I'm sorry to hear that. I was actually going to take a tour of those neat ruins outside the city in a little bit. Hey! I have an awesome idea. Why don't you come with me? It'll get you out of this place for a bit!" Ralah exclaimed happily.

Mara blushed as she smiled nervously. "Oh, I-I couldn't do that. I have to keep an eye one things here."

"Come on, don't you think you deserve a break after working so hard to protect the island?"

Me and Daring both had to stifle a laugh.

Mara thought to herself for a moment. "You know what? You're right!" with that she got up out of her desk and grabbed her satchel from the nearby coat hanger. "I do deserve a break from all this! Ponies have no idea what I'm going through to protect them! I need a break, so I can clear my head for once."

Ralah smiled happily. "Yay! To the tourism offices, then?"

Mara took off her hat and laid it on her desk. "After you!" she said with a smile.

As Mara and Ralah set out for the tourism offices and the ruined pyramids outside of Quaramonte, Daring kept watch outside while I prepared to investigate the police station.

Investigation (Quaramonte Estación de Policía, 10:54 am)

I wasted in no time in going over and pulling down the map near Mara's desk. It looked like a geological survey map, showing the land to the south-east of Quaramonte City. Mara's admittedly very neat hoof-writing, marked several key points as a trail through the Voiceless Jungle. I traced the path with my hoof and found it lead to an area about 6 miles inland and upstream known as 'Teoculan.'

Teoculan? That must be it, then! That was where the excavation was. That's where Clover and Starswirl hid their treasure (I know it's cliche, but I had to call it something.)

I memorized the coordinates of the map, then continued to investigate the office. Mara kept the place clean and well organized. Though her desk, which was littered with papers was far from tidy. One paper in particular, what appeared to be a letter, written in bold, heavy quill strokes, could be seen jutting from the edges of a stack of folders.

I still felt self conscious about all this. But I decided to give the letter a peek. If it wasn't connected to the case, I would stop and put it back where I found it. I wasn't a snoop, after all.

But as I scanned the letter, I quickly found that it was very much connected to the case. It had been written to Mara from an individual known as Karnoc. He sounded angry with her.

I read the letter to myself.

Mara,

This is your last warning. The Awakening will begin soon and you are expected to start pulling your weight for it's arrival. Your job as police chief will not matter in the New Age. The lives of these ponies do not matter, and you have no need to bother with them and their pointless lives. So enough with this protecting them from our raids and interfering with our needs for supplies. Their resources are ours now, just as much as their lives are. There will be no room for mercy when the Traveler awakens.

Either you start proving yourself as a Setting Sun, or I will report you to Al-Sa-nim and Al-Syd, myself!

High Priest Karnoc

I let the letter fall from my hooves as I stood there, my mind racing as I struggled to stay calm. So that was it.

Mara was one of them. A Setting Sun.

To think I was wondering this whole time, why she was so unhelpful, so reluctant to give us any information we could use. When, she had probably been the one who orchestrated the whole thing. Us being kidnapped, the secret operation at the warehouse. Everything.

But still, she was only a grunt. If this letter was right, she actually had little to do with their plan at all. In fact, it sounded like she was trying to protect the ponies of this island from the Setting Sun! And she was being berated for doing so by the cult's high priest, Karnoc.

(I wouldn't be forgetting that name any time soon) and who was this Al-Sa-Nim? I remembered seeing the other name, Al-Syd, on a letter back at the warehouse, addressed to the manager of the warehouse, Quill-Feather.

This case had gotten even deeper now. The police force was in the Setting Sun's pocket, so the fact that they raided the warehouse, meant nothing now. If anything, they probably just destroyed any incriminating evidence against them and covered the whole thing up. I tried to understand how this cult could have ascertained so much power over the island. But I had no time to think of it now. I had gotten what I needed, now it was time to head out.

To the Voiceless jungle.

I put everything back the way it was before I started my investigation and turned to leave the police station. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain, prick the side of my neck. I removed the dart but it was too late.

The toxin was far stronger this time. My eyes were already losing focus.

I tried to call for Daring, but found that I could no longer speak.

My last thought before I lost consciousness, was that I hoped Daring was alright.

Character Change: Daring Do

Daring waited outside the Quaramonte Police Station for her friend Morning Meir to come back. But when she didn't, Daring decided to go in and investigate.

"Morning?" she whispered, peeking into the police station. There was no sign of anypony, much less her friend. She walked cautiously to the desk where the map was still furled up on the wall. It looked like Morning hadn't even been here at all.

As she turned to leave, her hoof suddenly hit something on the floor. Something small, metal and sharp. Daring looked down and picked it up to examine it.

"Oh no." It was a dart. The same kind of dart that had been used by the Setting Sun to knock out and kidnap her and Morning back at Cobalt's mansion.

Daring looked through the office for any sign of her friend, but found nothing. "Alright, alright. Stay calm here, Daring." she told herself. "Morning's fine. She can handle herself."

Daring went to the map and pulled it down. It was a geological survey map that clearly led to a small clearing in the Voiceless Jungle, labeled 'Teoculan'. "That must've been the excavation everypony and their grandma's so excited about." Daring confirmed.

She rummaged through Mara's desk and found a piece of paper where she quickly drew a sketch of the map for her to follow, making sure to outline the exact path the map showed, and being sure to take the directional coordinates down as well. She had what she needed. Now it was time to start searching for her friend.

But before she could leave, she heard a voice from the back of the building. "Hello?" it called. It was the voice of a scared sounding, mare. "Is somepony out there? I'm back here! In the cell!"

Daring followed the voice to the back of the building, where a row of cells made up the police station's jail. In one of these cells, was a young white mare with a pink mane and wearing a set of bright, yellow robes. She peeked out from her hood, to see Daring approach her cell.

"And you are....?" Daring asked, suspiciously. She had learned not to trust robed ponies, as of late.

The mare smiled at her, as she put her hooves up to the bars. "My name is Oracle. I don't have a lot of time, but please! You have to get me out of here. The world is in grave danger!" she exclaimed.

"Yep. We know."

"You...know?"

"The Setting Sun are planning to summon some ancient Mayan death god, right?"

The mare shook her head. "No, no! That's only the first part of their plan!"

Daring's eyes widened as she looked at the mare with intrigue. "Wait. What? That's only the first part??" she asked.

Oracle nodded. "Once they summon Tezcatlipoca, they need a means of controlling him. The only thing in existence able to quell and subdue the Traveler is the very artifact that was used by my people to trap him beneath the island."

Oracle pulled down her hood and looked at Daring with serious eyes. "The Heart Of Oceana."

Daring's heart caught in her throat. "What! You mean it actually is here? On the island?" she asked, frantically.

"Yes. It has been, since Oceana first entrusted it's protection to my people."

"And who are your people?"

"I'll tell you everything, once you let me out of here. I swear it." Oracle said, pleadingly.

Daring thought for a moment before she smiled at the mare. "Alright. I'll see what I can do. Just sit tight."

"Thank you."

As Daring left the police station, she tucked away her map into her shirt pocket. She would need it later. "Okay." she thought to herself. "Now all I need is to figure out a way to break a pony I just met, out of jail."

"That's a first. Even for me."

Daring circled around to the back of the station, where Oracle could be seen through a barred window. Daring tested the strenght of the bars and found they were quite solid. She would need a great amount of force to get them off. But upon inspecting the wall, she found it was cracked and chipped in several areas.

And if scaling the walls of massive temples or tiptoeing across barely stable wooden bridges in the mountains had taught her anything, it was that it only took the smallest things to cause them to tumble.

Daring looked around, and spotted a group of dock workers using a wench with a hook to unload a shipment of fish from a small boat. Daring smiled mischievously as she set out to put her insane plan into motion.

She crouched down as she made her way to the docks, knowing that flying wouldn't be very stealthy. Very carefully, she procured the hook from the crate and unraveled a length of cable from the wench, and took it back to the cell window, where Oracle watched with curiosity.

"You might wanna stand back." Daring joked.

Oracle did as was told, and Daring secured the cable around the bars in the window. With everything set up, she went back to the docks and loaded the cable around the wench, fastening it tightly. "There. Now all that's left is to-

"Stop. Right. There."

Daring put her hooves up and turned around to see two unicorn police colts holding her at gunpoint with their horns. "Step away from the wench. Slowly."

Daring tilted her head to the side. "Annnnd, what'll you do if I don't?" she asked curtly.

The policecolt's horns began to glow menacingly. "We'll shoot you." one replied coldly.

Daring nodded. "I see. And if I do what you say?"

"You'll be arrested for tampering with public property, and attempting a jailbreak." the other replied.

Daring thought for a moment. "Huh. A'right then."

With lightning quick reflexes, Daring spun around and kicked the lever of the wench, sending it into an insanely fast spin. The cable smoked and sparked as Daring flew past the police colts, and back to the cell window, as the whole wall of the cell began to crumble as the wench began ripping it's architecture apart. Finally, the loud explosion of broken cement and rubble was heard all throughout the village as Oracle climbed through the hole that used to be her cell.

"We should go." Daring said nonchalantly, as police began surrounding the station, and several police Pegasai dove in from the clouds.

Daring and Oracle galloped as fast as they could from the station, all manner of police on their tail. The chaos had caused the entire village to go into a panic, as ponies ran through the streets, frantically trying to escape the madness.

Daring ducked as a blast of magic barely missed her head, smashing a nearby wall apart on impact. As they hid behind cover, Oracle pulled out what looked like a strange blue chunk of ice, from her pocket. "And what's that?" Daring asked curiously. "Something that'll get us out of here hopefully."

Oracle took Daring's hoof. "Do you trust me?" she asked.

"I mean, I broke you out of jail but-

"Do you trust me!?"

"Yes, yeah! I trust you!"

"Then hold on."

Oracle grabbed Daring's shoulder as she leaned in and whispered something under her breath, holding the blue rock close. Suddenly it began to glow brightly, causing Daring to shield her eyes.

There was a blinding flash of light, and a strange discharge of magic. Then all was quiet.

Chapter 8: "The Voiceless Jungle."

Oh. My head.

Ugh....not again.

Stay calm. Just open your eyes.

I did as my brain instructed, only to find the world was inverted, and I couldn't move, my limbs bound by tight ropes, as I hung over the deck of a small river boat. I had been captured and trussed up like the catch of the day. Swell.

"Hey. Look whose waking up." A female voice said. It was rough, like sandpaper. Indicating she wasn't very lady like if at all.

I looked around and gasped as a smiling mare with a half scarred face, suddenly appeared in front of me, having dropped down from the support beams above. Then I saw the crimson robes she was dressed in. The Setting Sun. And these weren't initiates either. These were the real deal this time. I had to find a way out of this, but I was no match for them in a fight. I had to think my way out.

"Where am I?" I asked, looking around. But given my current position, I couldn't tell where exactly I was. Only that I was on a river boat. On a river.

The scarred mare laughed. "Of course. Your on our boat, about 6 miles in land." She explained. "And you' She grabbed me by the chin and looked me dead in the eyes. "Are going to die."

But I wasn't afraid. I had literally looked death itself in the face and survived. This mare had nothing on that. "Wouldn't be the first time." I joked.

"Ooh, she's got jokes!" a male voice said. A stallion in crimson robes and his mane drawn back in a top knot came up from below deck and laughed. "That's good. It's nice to have a sense of humor, even when you're about to die."

I wasn't playing any games here. "Who the hell are you? What do you idiots want with me!" I demanded angrily.

The scarred mare smirked. "You already know who we are. As for what we want, well that's easy. We were instructed to catch you, then get rid of you so you'd stop interfering in Al-Syd's plans."

"Right. Al-Syd. Arabic for 'The Master', isn't that right?" I said smugly. "How typical."

With speed too fast for me to see, the scarred mare drew a sword, cut me down and pinned me, upright against the side of the boat, all with enough strength to rock it back in the water. She glared menacingly at me. "Never' she hissed "Say The Master's name again. You are not worthy to speak it!" she yelled.

The mare drew back her sword and aimed it's point for my throat. "Any last words, little pony?" she asked mockingly.

I glared back at her, as my brain took in every detail around me, and like a flash, I had my escape route. I wasted no time putting it into action. I smirked at the mare. "Just one."

"Momentum."

"Huh?"

I kicked the sword out of her hooves, sending it spinning up into the air. As she watched the sword fly up, I slammed hard into the side of the boat, making it rock once more, as it swung hard to the left, causing the mare to tumble forward. As she hit the side, I did her the favor of kicking her hard over the side, not stopping to watch her fall into the water.

I ducked under the sword of the stallion, and rolled over to a stack of barrels. I leapt to my feet and kicked one at the stallion. He easily dodged it, but I wasn't aiming for him. As I'd calculated, the barrel smashed against the mast, causing the sail to come undone and wrap itself around the stallion's head. As he fought to free his face from it's prison, all it took was another hard kick and a shoulder knock to send him over the deck with his companion.

With the deck cleared, I stopped right where I was and waited. A split second later, my ropes were sliced by the blade of the sword as it buried itself, hilt deep, into the wooden deck of the boat. I rubbed my hooves as I took a minute to catch my breath.

That would be the second time I had been tied up on this case. If there was a third, I would NOT be a happy pony. (Not that I was too happy right now, but still.)

With the boat now mine, I steered towards a clearing that led deep into the jungle, and docked it.

I stepped off the boat and gathered my courage. "Nowhere left to go, but forward." I told myself, as I began to make my way through the thick vines and bush, to enter The Voiceless Jungle.

The Voiceless Jungle, Late Afternoon

The morning sun was still in the sky, but the afternoon was creeping up behind it. The air was hot and muggy, as hundreds of tiny white insects- some kind of gnat - hovered over the tall grass, darting one way then the other.

I heard a shrill buzzing. And somewhere in the distance, the high cry of a bird, followed by a low reply from another. Sweat beaded on my forehead, as my hooves began to feel heavy. I felt like I had been walking for days.

As I walked through the jungle, I suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of an organ being played. A jaunty, upbeat droning, like that at a ball game, could be heard just through the brush up ahead.

I followed the sound and discovered a tree house in a nearby clearing. It was a massive structure, seemingly all built by hoof, with several strange and wondrous machines all pumping and spewing around it. Some connected directly to the tree house such as the large water wheel, which siphoned water from the nearby river via a complex series of aqueducts. I could see it connected to a large machine which generated electricity to the tree house. It had been built by hoof, to provide a natural source of power.

Another was a washing machine which consisted of a crude wooden wheel with wooden slats. However it looked in need of some repairs. I prayed to Celestia that whoever lived here found another way of washing their clothes. For my sake and theirs.

Taking a look at the water wheel, I saw it had a rim of roughly beaten iron. Probably put in place to stabilize the structure of the wheel.

Moving past it, I looked up to the tree house, where I could hear the organ music coming from. I had always wanted a tree house like that when I was a filly. Then again, I suppose many would like a tree house of this magnitude. I cupped my hooves around my muzzle. "Hello?" I called up. "Anypony home?"

But there was no answer. Even if there had been, I doubt I would've heard it over the organ's drawling tones.

Clearly there was someone up there, and I needed help. I was in the middle of The Voiceless Jungle with no idea how to get back to Quaramonte, or if Daring was out looking for me, or even if she knew I was gone! I needed a way of either communicating with her or at least a map back to the city.

But how could I get the attention of the owner of this tree house, if they couldn't hear me? I'd have to get their attention another way.

I spotted a pile of leaves near the water wheel, and hatched an idea. I took the small, hideous statue of Tezcatlipoca and held it up so I could look it in the beady eyes. "I finally found a use for you. And honestly, I won't miss you any time soon." I told it.

Tezcatlipoca, unsurprisingly, did not respond.

I held the horrid little thing to the rim of the water wheel. As I held the flint statue up to the iron rim of the wheel, a shower of sparks cascaded onto the leaves, igniting a small controlled fire, which smoked more then it burned, just as I had hoped.

The smoke went up to the window of the tree house, and wafted in. A few seconds later, the organ music stopped, and a figure opened the door to come out and see what was going on. "What in the wide world of Equestria? Whose out here!" the figure called in an old, cracking voice.

"Um. Hello!" I called, giving a small wave.

He looked over the railing down at me. He was a wild looking, elderly grey stallion, in a torn up lab coat, the messiest white mane i'd ever seen, which seemed to just jutt out from his head in all directions, and a huge white mustache that was big enough to hide his muzzle. His eyes couldn't be seen behind the strange orange soda bottle goggles he was wearing, of which the left lens was cracked. "And who the heck er you?" he asked.

"Sorry. My name is Morning Meir and-

"I don't give a hoots about dat! Put out that dern fire, before you kill us all!" he yelled, suddenly.

"Oh! Sorry!" I ran over and quickly stomped out the fire with my hooves.

When it was extinguished I heard him yell out at me again. "What'ya want? I'm busy up here!" he snapped.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir! I just wanted to see if you could tell me where I was. Or at least give me directions back to-

"WAIT!" he screamed suddenly, making me jump halfway up a tree.

'What!? What is it!"

"You said yer name is Mornin, Meir?"

"Y-yes...?"

"Hang on! I'm sendin da latter down! Come on up, when yer ready."

The nutty stallion then moved a latter from behind the railing and sent it down, allowing me to climb up into the tree house. I hesitated as I grabbed the rung, thinking this guy was clearly a little out there. But if he could help me, that was fine by me.

Strange Stallion's Tree House, 3:34 pm

The inside of the tree house was crammed with books. Books on shelves that rose to the high ceiling, books in stacks on the floor, books holding up a potted violet in desperate need of water. On two arm chairs arranged around an oak coffee table rested still more books- which me and the stallion removed so we could sit-and on the table itself, piled in precarious, leaning towers, were even more. I took my seat and looked around the place. Except for the books, the furniture, and the violet, it appeared to be empty.

"Exactly, how long have you been out here?" I asked without really thinking.

The stallion looked up as he pressed a button on the coffee table. "Oh, about twenty years, I'd say. Maybe more. Hard to tell with dis old mind, you'see." he said calmly. A second later, a strange light and whirring noise emanated from the coffee table, and two full mugs of coffee, suddenly appeared on top of it, like magic, without magic.

I was stunned. "H-how did you do that?"

He seemed amused. "Heheh. Itsa lil somethin I made, a few years back. Uses arcane runes I discovered in one of the temples around here. Instantly transmutes matter from one place and reconstitutes it somewhere else, in a different form. The machine here, picks up that matter and re-configures it. Specifically into a decaf, hazelnut and vanilla cream latte."

He took a sip and set it down on the table. "Sorry if ya don like hazelnut."

Was he serious!? Did he hear what he had just said? He found a way to reconfigure the basic building blocks of the universe, into coffee! With a coffee table! How was he so nonchalant about that?

"Who are you?" I asked, simply needing to know at this point.

He shook his head. "I knew ya wouldn't recognize me, Mornin. It's been so long since I last saw ya. Probably about when you were barely a filly, was when your dad last came to see us, I'd say."

"You knew my father?"

"Of course!" He said happily. But then his smile wavered. "But that was back when It was just me and Simon. Back before...." He trailed off there, as tears formed at the corner of the old stallion's eyes.

"I'm sorry, you know Simon?....are you-

The old stallion looked up at me and removed his orange goggles. His eyes were surprisingly vibrant and silver as a moon. They sparkled with tremendous insight. "My name is Benjamin Corvo Cobalt." he said sadly.

"I am Simon's father."

Questioning (Benjamin "Benny" Cobalt, Simon's Father, Missing for twenty years, Knows something about what happened to Simon)

My mind erupted with questions. I had to scramble to find one that was actually appropriate to ask in this situation. I didn't understand. Why hadn't Simon mentioned his father was here? That he had been living in the jungle all this time! And what was he talking about, him knowing my father? He had never told me about.....What was going on here!?

I calmed myself. I wouldn't get anywhere just blurting out questions. I was time to get to the bottom of this. "I'm sorry." I said politely. "I'm....still trying to come to grips with this. You said....you're Simon's father?"

"Dats-oh sorry. I mean, that's right. We worked together on this island. Started out with just a lab, a handful of workers and a dream. We wanted to help the world, inspire it. Make our mark, and leave something behind for other ponies to dream of."

He took another sip of coffee. "And your parents, they helped us. Your father believed in that dream too. The three of us, and your mother. We accomplished things that would have changed the world. And we would've done so much more."

He set his cup down. "But then Simon....changed."

I looked up from my mug. "Changed? How?"

"He found something. One day, while we were in the tombs just outside the jungle, he....started seeing things. Said he heard a voice talking to him from behind one of the walls. He ordered our diggers to take it down."

I sat up in my seat, eager to hear more. "What happened?"

Benny gave short laugh. "All hell broke loose." he said simply. "The second those walls came down, all the lights we had set up in the place began to flicker and crackle. All of us started hearing things, voices, screams, shouting. And all at once. But seemingly from nowhere."

His eyes went wide suddenly, the fear in them was apparent, as he remembered something. Something that terrified him. "Then....I saw her. S-Simon saw her..."

"Who?"

Benny struggled to say the words. "My wife." he said softly. "She appeared in the entrance to the room we had unearthed. She spoke only to Simon...I don't know what she said to him, but...."

The poor stallion trailed off. "My wife has been dead for years. An accident back at the Institute, took her from us." he said, tears beginning to stream down his face. "Whatever that thing was, that talked to my son....it was NOT my, Lucienne."

I got up from my chair and put a hoof on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what that must have been like." I said solemnly.

He shook his head. "No. It's alright, Morning. There's so much Iv'e seen since I've come to this island. Since I've come to the Keyes, that make me second guess if science really has any meaning against the unexplainable." he took out a handkerchief and dabbed his eyes. "Anyways, whatever that thing told him, it was enough to change him. He started questioning what we were doing. If we were really helping ponies. If we were really making a difference in the world. Then he became bitter, angry and even violent towards many of the ponies who worked with us. He started making irrational decisions, ordering workers to stop digging, and threatening to kill them if they didn't listen."

"I...tried to talk to him. Tried to reason with him. But he laughed, said I knew nothing of what was destined to happen. That he had seen it, and he would fulfill his vision of the world. Even if it was a world where I wasn't needed." Benny put away his hankerchief. "Then he threw me out. Said he would start killing ponies at random if I didn't leave. I haven't seen him since."

All I could do was stand there and stare in disbelief. That didn't sound like the Simon I knew when I was a filly. It sounded like a lunatic. A monster.

Then I had another question. "I know it may be impolite to ask Mr. Cobalt, but...what happened to Simon that put him in that wheelchair?" I asked as politely as I could.

Benny looked at me, confused. "I'm....I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"Huh? The wheelchair. Whatever put Simon-

"Morning." Benny eyed me seriously.

"Simon doesn't use a wheelchair."

My breath caught in my throat. "Ex...excuse me?"

"Nothing ever happened to Simon. I have been secretly keeping an eye on the compound since I left, and not once did I ever see him using a wheelchair. In fact, he looked healthier and stronger then I had ever seen him."

I sat back down in the chair, trying my best to remain calm. "I....I don't understand....why, why would he lie to us? Lie about being disabled!" I exclaimed, clearly not trying to remain calm anymore. I had known something was different. Something was hiding behind Simon's eyes, since the moment I saw him. I had known. But I refused to believe it.

Benny shook his head. "I have no idea. To look innocent I suppose? But I do know one thing: My son has something horrible planned for this island. For the whole world." Benny said gravely. "And he's not alone..."

"The Setting Sun."

Benny nodded. "His doing. Promised them all a place by his side when the new world began. I've been doing everything I could to keep any eye on them. See if I could put a dent in their plans."

"Does Breezie know?" I asked, looking down at the floor.

"I don't think so. Hopefully, he's left that poor mare out of it. She was always a kindhearted soul. She would never want anything to do with this, even if it was Simon."

I nodded. Breezie loved Simon dearly. Always had since the day she married him, and even before that. But she would never go along with something as insane as this.

Benny got up from his seat and led me over to a large map he had drawn up on the wall. "I've been keeping an eye on everything my son and his cult have been up to for years." he explained. He pointed to a large 'X' on the map. It was close to where we were now. "And I even set up my little home away from home, close to what he's after. So I could keep an eye on it."

"The treasure? The one Clover the Clever and Starswirl left on the island?"

"Precisely. I know where it is! And what my son plans to do with it." He explained. "Or rather.....her."

My eyes widened. "Her??"

Simon took a picture from his desk and pinned it onto the map, right where the 'X' was. It was a very old medieval portrait of a stunning mint green unicorn with a flowing golden cloak, forest green mane and a branch of parsley styled into it. Clover The Clever, as all those stories told of her.

Then it hit me. My eyes expanded twice their size as my pupils shrunk. "No....you...you can't be serious."

Benny smiled broadly. "Very serious." he said. "The treasure that was hidden here on this island all those centuries ago, was not a treasure at all."

"It was Clover herself!"

Chapter 9: "The Village."

Daring Do arrived at her destination in a bright flash of light, that left her dazed for a second. As her vision cleared she saw she was now standing in a small, jungle village, that appeared to be have been built on a mountain top, high above the island. Oracle was standing beside her, looking at Daring with concern.

"Are you alright? The first trip using the Roads Of Dhartan is....uneasy, I know." she said, tucking the strange blue stone back into her cloak.

Daring nodded. "Believe it or not, that wasn't my first trip through magical means." Daring said simply. "Where are we?"

Oracle bowed as she led Daring into the village. All around them, were ponies dressed in yellow robes and shawls, just like Oracle. They were all surprisingly young, about Daring's age. They whispered to one another as Oracle stopped before a large bonfire, with strange glowing blue flames. "Welcome to Oloya." she said with grandeur. "My village. And home to me and my people."

The ponies smiled warmly at Daring. some bowed, others waved. A few were making up theories as to what that thing on her head was. But all them greeted her, all the same. Including one, who was clearly the shaman of the village. He was the only old pony of the group. A wise looking brown earth pony, with red tribal tattoos on his face and hooves. The large crown he wore was made of leaves and carved tree bark, adorned with many colored stones. He wore a shawl that hid the lower half of his body, as he bowed to Daring.

"Hello, Daring Do." he said in an intelligent voice. "Welcome."

"Uh...thanks. But, why am I here? I thought I was going to learn about the Heart Of Oceana?"

At the mention of this, many ponies began whispering excitedly. Others prayed. The rest merely looked surprised or skeptical, like Daring apparently didn't know what she was talking about.

The shaman put a hoof up to calm the crowd, and in a second they all fell silent. "It is answers you seek, yes?" he asked Daring calmly.

"Yes."

"Then sit. And I shall tell you the story of our Island. And how it was saved."

Daring took a seat beside the fire, as she was instructed, and the shaman took a hooful of powder from his cloak and threw it onto the fire. It sprang to life as smoke weaved through the air, drawing a story for all to see.

As Daring sat and watched in awe, the shaman began the story.

"Many years ago, the great god, Quetzalcoatl was defeated by trickery and deceit. His enemy, Tezcatlipoca took his place as leader of the Mayan ponies and demanded terrible sacrifices in his name. The Mayan empire became a haven for bloodshed and fear, and hope, as it seemed, was lost.

But then a group of loyal priests from our village, went to the Mayan ponies to help them defeat the mad god king. Together, with a powerful stone as blue as the ocean and vibrant and alive as the sky, they used its power to imprison Tezcatlipoca beneath the Keyes, trapping him for eternity beneath the earth's crust. But his powers were so great, they knew he would not remain trapped forever. His time in incarceration would end with the Lunar Eclipse, that marked the close of the fifth age. To prevent this, our predecessors sought the aid of a mighty sorcerer and his apprentice, who helped us discover that the blue stone had the power not only to imprison him but to destroy Tezcatlipoca, when he would make his inevitable return. And so the stone remained here. It, and its bearer, protected by us for generations. It keeps us and the island safe. And when Tezcatlipoca returns....we will be ready."

The smoke faded into nothing as the fire dimmed back to normal. Then all was quiet. The shaman turned to Daring. "Any questions?"

Daring had a few. "How'd they manage to trap him though? I'm pretty sure an ancient Mayan death god wouldn't surrender so easily."

"They built a pyramid which they told Tezcatlipoca was dedicated to him." The shaman explained. "Luring him into the pyramid with praise and flattery, they used the stone to magically seal away the entire pyramid miles beneath the island."

Daring scratched her head as she asked her next question. "And what about this Lunar Eclipse? I thought all the big, world ending stuff was supposed to be centered around a Solar Eclipse. Like the one that happened in Mareiposa!"

The shaman nodded. "True. Except Tezcatlipoca is a terrible, vile monster, and Celestia's sunlight burns him. It is why he only acted at night and stayed within the walls of his temple when it was day. If he was to return, he would only do so willingly at night. Thus, a Lunar Eclipse will be his message to the world that he has returned. And that our age of happiness and magic is over."

Daring had gone up against quite a bit in her long and storied career. But never an actual living god. She began to think of ways that she and Morning could stop this thing.

But then another question hit her. Possibly the most important one of all. "Wait. You said you were keeping the stone and it's bearer protected. What do you mean by that? Is there somepony else here?"

The shaman did not answer but instead asked Daring a question back. "What is your interest in the Heart Of Oceana?" he asked sternly.

"My father was looking for it. He said in his journal it was one of the keys to something much bigger. And that he would find it soon." Daring stood up and took her helmet off in respect. "I have no interest in the stone itself. I just want to see if there is anything about it that can help me find my father." Daring said calmly. "And to make sure it's safe."

The shaman looked at her with wise, searching eyes. Then he spoke. "You wish to see the stone?"

"Yes. If you don't mind sir."

The shaman got up from his seat. "The stone is sealed away. And it will only be unsealed by Tezcatlipoca's return to our world, as was foretold in the prophecy." he stated clearly. "But, if it's for no other purpose then finding your lost father....I shall allow you to see it. Just this once."

With that the shaman got up from his seat and motioned for Daring to follow him to the back of the village, where a large stone temple was built into the mountainside. Taking a torch for light, the shaman led Daring into it's depths.

Temple Of Tezcatlipoca

There was no light save for the dim light of the shaman's torch, as he and Daring journeyed deep into the crumbling caverns that once made up a grand temple. They came upon a large rotunda with no visible way of moving forward. Odd runic symbols that Daring didn't recognize outlined the circular floor, and a strange glow emanated from the cracks in the stone that made it up.

The shaman doused the torch and led Daring over to stand in the center of the room with him. "I'm afraid traditional magic is useless in getting to the very end of the caves. We will have to use this to get there." He held out his hoof. "Take my hoof, Daring. And do not let go. I have no idea what would happen if you would, and it's best we don't find out." he joked.

Daring took the old pony's hoof and gripped it tightly. At once there was a horrible sensation, like she was being squeezed through a thick rubber tube; she could not draw breath, nor even speak. This was not unicorn magic they were using. No. Older, much more powerful, but far less....forgiving. Every part of her was being squeezed, and just as she thought she would begin to suffocate, the invisible bands seemed to burst open, and she was standing in cool darkness, breathing in lungfuls of fresh, salty air.

The Chamber Of Oceana

Daring could smell salt and hear rushing waves; a light chilly breeze ruffled her mane, as she looked out at a moonlit sea and a star-lit sky. Or at least a very good impression of it. The vast sea caves she found herself in were lit up by a massive blue crystal that stood in the center glowing brightly, bathing everything in blue light, and making the already blue sea, that rushed through the caves, even bluer. Small blue lights glowed on the black cave ceiling making up their own version of a night sky.

Daring was taken in by the splendor and unspoken serenity of the place, but it did not stop her from noticing that there didn't seem to be any visible path to the small outcrop of rocks that the crystal resided on. The sea was the floor of the cave, with no footholds seen anywhere along the cave walls.

"Um....how do we get there? Teleport magic?" Daring asked, glancing around.

"Are you a unicorn?"

Daring looked at him surprised. "Uh.....not the last time I checked."

"Neither am I." And with the sudden agility of a younger stallion, the shaman leaped from the rock, landed into the sea, and began to swim, with a perfect breaststroke, towards the outcropping where the crystal awaited.

Daring, after shaking away her disbelief, quickly followed, diving into the sea, and swimming after the shaman, who had already made it to the crystal by the time she made it herself. Pulling herself up onto the rock, her wet shirt felt heavy as she stood up and looked at the massive crystal that strangely seemed to have dimmed, despite her now being this close to it.

It was a large pillar of blue, ice-like crystal with strange ripples of energy circulating through invisible veins along it's surface. Within it, was the figure of a mare, unseen save for her silhouette, and holding a large odd looking sapphire. It was as if somepony had taken three diamond shaped sapphires and fused them together at the bottom, resulting in a shape like a three pronged, jagged blue diamond. Both it and the mysterious mare was frozen in the crystal, untouched by the outside world. As she looked at it more closely, Daring noticed a faint blue glow, pulsing slowly from within. Like a heartbeat.

Daring put her face to the crystal to get a better look at the mare within, but it was like looking through a fogged up glass. She could only make up the silhouette of the mysterious pony inside. "Who is she?" Daring asked without looking away.

"The apprentice of the wizard who showed us the power of the stone. She stayed here and froze herself and the stone in this strange blue crystal to protect it from falling into the wrong hooves."

"Can we get her out?" Daring asked, looking back to the shaman.

"She will awaken, when Tezcatlipoca makes his inevitable return. Then we will use the stone to destroy him."

Daring gave him a look. "Um. Wouldn't it be a better idea to get her out now, and have the sapphire to use when he returns, rather then wait for him to pop up?" she asked skeptically.

"You have your traditions. We have ours."

Daring's eyes went wide as she quickly dropped her polite tone. "If I were you I would forget about traditions for a minute. Cause Tezcatlipoca is already on his way back!"

"What do you mean?"

"There's this cult called the Setting Sun, and we think they are planning on bringing Tezcatlipoca back somehow! You have to get the sapphire out now, so we can beat him."

The shaman suddenly narrowed his eyes. "Who is we? I thought you were here alone."

"Me and my friend are investigating what these guys are up to, and why they wanted to find these caves so bad. And now I think I found out! They want to get to this thing so they can destroy the sapphire. Then there will be nothing to stop Tezcatlipoca." Daring said gravely.

The shaman continued to glare at her. "The stone is safe where it is. If what you say is true, then it will remain here until it is needed."

"You don't understand, we-

"Enough!" The shaman's voice boomed in the echo of the cave. "You have seen the sapphire. And you know it is safe. Now go."

Daring narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not going anywhere." she said seriously. "This whole island, the entire world is at stake, and you have the way to save it, right here. Yet, you'll just sit back and do nothing for the sake of tradition? How can you be so narrow minded?!"

The shaman rounded on Daring. "I have told you all you need to. You have seen our greatest secret and now you know it is safe. Now you know your father was never here. And you have been told to leave our village." He warned. "And yet here you stand."

Daring locked eyes with him. "And here, I will continue to stand." she said with a hint of malice. "I'm not letting the world end because of you."

"Then you leave me no choice."

With lightning fast speed, the shaman withdrew a small dart and stabbed Daring in the neck with it, catching her off guard. She pulled the dart from her neck, but the toxins were already at work, as her vision grew hazy. The scenery around her became a menagerie of churning, spinning colors.

"Dang it.....

"Not again....

"Stupid.....darts...."

She fell to the floor, unconscious.

Chapter 10: "New Leads."

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

Chapter 11: "Cloak And Dagger."

The shipping towns of the Keyes had always been busy ports: ships streaming in and weighing anchor at all hours, countless stevedores and sailors as busy as ants, and the docks piled high with cargo. But as we neared the outer gates of Sapphire Sands, I saw that there was surprisingly little boats docked in their harbor. Instead there were large, silver vehicles that weren't quite boats, hovering in their own spots in the harbor, not one of them actually touching the surface of the water. I suppose just normal boats was too simple for the rich execs of Cobalt to travel around the island in.

Beautiful beaches lined the coast, as the night sky descended unto the Keyes. Near the islands southern slope, however, lay a channel of treacherous shoals, studded here and there with great boulders that still bore scars of ancient shipwrecks, and as a consequence this southern part of the harbor was always quite still. It was here, in this serene slice of the island surrounded by a large camera lined gate, that the resort of Sapphire Stands stood, a technological marvel, built to suit the needs and desires of even the snootiest of rich ponies.

The outside was heavily guarded, with the only clear way in being through a massive gate made entirely of horizontal laser beams. As we moved swiftly down a seldom used road, I felt all those security cameras suddenly turn to look at us as we approached the gate. Spotlights had turned on and moved their beams back and forth over the area, only heightening my nerves even more.

Benny leaned in to quickly whisper something in my ear. "I'll hack into their surveillance feed and keep an eye on things for you," he said. "I'll be in your ear the whole time, don't worry."

I smiled at him. I knew where I was heading, but it wasn't the first time I had boldly (or rather foolishly is more appropriate) gone into an obviously dangerous and risky situation, and in those experiences I had managed to keep a cool head.

I only hoped I could keep it up this time around.

Stopping at the gate, two ponies clad in shiny white guard armor bearing the Cobalt logo, stepped out from their guard house and approached the hovercraft. The guards were a young mare and and colt, wearing sunglasses and smiles. "May I help you?" asked the mare, peering in. The mare was polite and cheery, the picture of friendliness. The other guard also smiled, but I could tell he was studying us with great attention.

Benny reached into his pocket and withdrew a small piece of paper, stamped with the cobalt logo on the back, and something written on the front. The mare took it and gave it a quick look. "Wait here please." The mare stepped back into the guardhouse. The other guard stayed put. He cocked his head to the side to hear what the mare was telling him through his earpiece, but he kept his eyes on the hovercraft.

I hadn't any idea what it was he had given the guard, but I stayed calm, knowing my reputation on the island probably had these two quite concerned, it would only be worse if they knew how anxious I really was about all this. This entire place was Cobalt territory. There would be cameras on me at all times, and one wrong move would mean Simon would know I had found out about him.

My greatest strength right now, was that Simon didn't know that I had discovered who he was. This way I could find out more about his operation, and mainly, find out who was helping him and his cult. I had to make sure they thought I was just another tourist.

I looked over to Benny, and he gave the most subtle of nods, assuring me everything would work out. After several minutes, the mare came back, her smile hadn't faded in the slightest. I just had time to wonder whether this meant she did or did not have good news for us, when she came up to Benny and said "Welcome, sir! You and Ms. Meir are all clear to head on into the resort. I'll radio for them to lower the force field."

As Benny thanked her and we drove in under the large archway, we both released deep breaths. "What was that you gave her?" I asked, as soon as we were out of earshot.

Benny chuckled. "A vacation waver, good for two guests to stay at Sapphire Sands as VIPs." He explained, "I might not be in charge of Cobalt anymore, but my signature still means quite a bit to these guys."

With those words fresh in my mind, we saw a massive structure loom in the near distance. There it was: Sapphire Sands.

The place looked less like a resort and more like an arrangement of futuristic, stark white art pieces, with small dots lining each surface. These dots, as I could see, were windows. A broad plaza stretched out in front of the place welcoming the many ponies clad in business suits and fancy dresses up to its large sets of double doors. A massive silver sculpture of an atom was the centerpiece of the plaza. From the sides of the plaza, water poured down in calming waterfalls, adding a touch of serenity to the overall futuristic theme of the resort. A flagpole jutted from the lush gardens that dotted areas around the plaza, supporting a long blue flag that rippled in the breeze. Printed upon the flag, in letters large enough to read from the ground, was the words Sapphire Sands, written in large cursive blue lettering.

Benny parked the hovercraft out front and I got out, taking in the splendor of the place. Beautiful as the place was, I didn't forget that this place was nothing but a resort for the rich execs of Cobalt. This place, all this technology, should've been open to the public. Instead it was here, laundering away the vacation days of the high ranking employees of a company that was being used to destroy the world.

But there was no time to think about that now. I had to find Quill Feather. I only hoped she would actually be here, considering her infamous reputation among her employees. It was possible she didn't even take vacations, allowing her to work as much as she needed for Simon's plans.

That didn't stop me from trying though.

Sapphire Sands Resort, 5:22 pm

After Benny had said farewell, I made my way up through the plaza and up to the double doors, into the welcome center. I reached for the handle of the door, except there was no handle to reach for. Also surprisingly, there was no need to even open the door, as it gently slid back by itself, letting me walk through.

The main hall was an extravagant white corridor, with a moving floor that carried guests to the reception desk. All around me, ponies chatted happily, as strange looking gadgets and lights beeped and hummed to themselves on the walls, along with the calm, serene sounding music that played throughout the place. (Even the walls were extremely advanced, apparently.)

As the floor moved of its own accord, I looked up to see several inconspicuous black circles (Cameras, I thought) peering down, watching every move every guest made on their way to reception. Before I would even get into the place, I was being watched. Lovely.

Before I could get a closer look, I was nearly scared out of my wits by a small robot monitor, that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere in front of me. A video played on its screen, showing a pretty young mare with a plum colored mane, wearing some sort of pure white, skin tight jumpsuit with the cobalt logo clearly seen on the front. She smiled at the perspective guest, watching as a backdrop of a sky could be seen behind her. In this case, the guest was me.

"Hello." she said, soothingly. "Welcome To Sapphire Sands, the world's most advanced and most relaxing resort. While you are here, we ask that you leave all your troubles and struggles of daily life at the door. Here, we have taken everyone's needs into consideration to ensure that you will have the most delightful and soothing vacation experience."

She seemed nice enough, but I could read her eyes: Cold and calculating, like a robot. She clearly was only doing a job, having to say and record this once, and then these robots would give the message out for her. I suppose if it was easier.

I tuned out the rest of the video that addressed company policies, employee discounts and the like. I had no time for any of that, I was here for Quill Feather. Hopefully the receptionist could point me in the right direction.

Reception Area, 5:25 pm

White and futuristic was clearly the theme of this place. The reception area was a large circular room with several large sets of stairs leading up to the other levels of the resort. There were several comfortable looking chairs and couches, with foot rests and lamps to use for reading at night. The receptionist sat behind a large desk that enclosed her, with only a small door in the back being her way out (Either that or climbing over the desk.)

She was a pretty silver colored unicorn with a pearly white mane that looked well taken care of and elegant. She wore the same stylish, white jumpsuit as the mare in the video. She smiled to herself as she tapped her hooves busily on a terminal in front of her. Hopefully she would be able to help me find Quill Feather.

I began to cross the room over to her, when I looked down to see the entire floor was clear glass. Beneath it, rushing water churned serenely in large, foamy swirls, making it seem I was standing just above a deep ocean. I managed to stop staring at the floor long enough to actually talk to the receptionist, who instantly turned away from her terminal to greet me.

"Hello!,' she said with a perky smile. "Welcome to Sapphire Sands! My name is Radiant Light, and I'm here to answer any questions you may have about the resort or anything else really. Now, what can I do to make your stay even more enjoyable, today?"

Questions. Good. Cause I had a few of them.

Questioning (Radiant Light, Receptionist at Sapphire Sands, May have information regarding Quill Feather)

I was curious about this place, naturally. Why build a place with tech this advanced? Was there really a need for it all? But there would be time for that later. For now, I only needed the answer to one question: "Is Miss Quill Feather here? I was hoping to talk to her about something." I asked politely.

Radiant nodded and smiled. "She is indeed, but she's been asked not to be disturbed. Something about having very important work to go through. I hope you understand."

"Of course. Did she say when she would be finished?"

"I'm afraid not. I could phone her room and let her know you wish to speak to her, if you'd like." Radiant suggested.

In all likelihood, she knew I was here already. With all these cameras, plus the guards at the gate, it was clear to them that I was here for something. I had hoped she would simply come down to see me herself, but it looked like she wanted me to find her myself. Fine.

"Yes, that would be fine." I said simply. I thanked Radiant, and waited for her to begin dialing in Quill's extension. Then we waited.

And waited.

Then after a minute I heard the subtle sound of the receiver on the other end being picked up. Radiant turned away as she talked into the receiver in a hushed tone, ensuring I wouldn't hear the conversation between the two.

She was being cautious. I didn't blame her. It wasn't everyday somepony like Quill was asked to be seen specifically. Especially by me.

After a minute, she hung up the phone and smiled at me. "Thank you for your patience. Miss Quill Feather will see you now. The elevator will take you the top floor, where you can find her private room at the end of the large hallway. It will be unlocked for you." she explained.

"What led her to agreeing to see me so quickly?" I asked politely.

Radiant shrugged. "I'm not sure,' she said, But she mentioned something about you two needing to talk. Immediately."

I thanked Radiant for her help and made my way to the elevator. As I watched the floors go by one by one, I had time to think out what I would do when I confronted Quill.

If she really was Simon's partner in all this, if she was helping the cult and providing resources with her warehouse, then she wouldn't be easy to bring down. She would've taken precautions, set up her office so I wouldn't see anything incriminating against her.

Of course, I already knew her warehouse was used as a safe house by the Setting Sun. All I needed now was evidence that this was the case. But then again even if I did find evidence, the police wouldn't be any help, as I knew now. The best thing to do was simply talk with her, although if I wasn't going to talk about her being Simon's partner, it had to be something worth taking her time. I had to have a good reason to have asked to see one of the highest ranked executives of Cobalt.

Of course, I knew quite a bit. And I came from a family of scientists. I'm sure I could think of a few things I could discuss that would convince her. If not, I suppose the only thing I had left was to try and convince her to stop doing what she was doing.

After all, no sensible pony would be doing something like this....unless they either thought they had to, or they were being forced to.

My thoughts left me as the door dinged to alert my arrival to the top floor of the resort. The doors opened to a long white hallway, where a large mechanical door awaited at the very end.

I made my way through the hall and to the door, where I raised my hoof to knock. But the voice on the other side stopped me. "There's no need for that. The doors unlocked. Let's talk." The voice was calm and beautiful, like that of a singer. Yet, it was also firm and filled with a great, almost tangible sense of superiority.

The doors opened. Inside was a lavish office with several paintings of mountains and calming seas. On the wall was a large mantra written in Japanese. It said "Greatness from small beginnings" in a series of kanji. There were also many swords on display in large glass cases.

Over by the desk, a slender figure in a rich black suit and tie, stood as she poured cider into two glasses. Her wings were tucked gracefully at her sides, as she turned to look at me. Quill Feather's eyes were the first thing I noticed: Narrowed and beautiful with unique pupils that looked like razor sharp sapphires, sharpened to an even finer point then any sword. They scanned me in the breadth of a second and, having apparently found nothing they need concern with, softened. But the Pegasus's scowl was still clearly seen.

She did not smile, as she turned back around. "I must say', she said putting the top back on the large crystal decanter that held the cider, "I was expecting more. At least give me the courtesy of stalking me, or perhaps breaking into my office after you confirm that I wouldn't be here. But simply asking to talk to me? I wasn't expecting something so.....civilian, from the smartest pony in the world."

I stood there, unmoving. She knew. She knew why I was here, and what I wanted from her. Fine. Made this easier for the both of us, anyways.

Quill took the glasses in her hooves and looked at me.

Some semblance of a smile formed on her face, as she held out one glass to me. "Well, you obviously came her for something." she said nonchalantly.

"Let's chat, shall we?"

Chapter 12: "Birds Of A Feather."

I sat there in that, admittedly comfortable chair, not daring to touch the drink I had been given by the sky blue Pegasus who sat across from me, staring me down with those razor sharp eyes of hers. They felt like they were actually stabbing their way through me and out the back of the chair with the intensity they presented.

She smiled at me, or at least a shallow imitation of one. She knew I had been caught, and she was going to let it sink in. "Whats wrong?" she asked snarkily. "Not much for chatting?"

Enough. I wasn't playing her game. "I want to know what Simon is planning. And you're going to tell me." I demanded.

Quill Feather's smile didn't waver. "What happened to questioning me? Isn't that your whole shtick?"

"No questions need to be asked." I said simply. "You and Simon are partners, and you and your cult want to end the world." I sat back in the chair and stared her down. "I suppose if there is any question at all, it would be why. So.....why?"

Quill looked at me for a minute, before she set her glass down and got up out of her chair. She walked over to a wall lined with many pictures, and stood up on her hind legs to examine them better, folding her hooves behind her as she scanned each picture.

I didn't say anything, but I knew she was stalling. Finally when I decided to demand she answer me, she spoke first. "Do you know why Simon built this place, Meir? Why he chose the Keyes to be the seat of his technological empire?"

"What does that have to do with my question?"

She chuckled, and then looked back at the pictures on the wall. "It was their dream. These are from the early days. Simon, his wife, Tropical Breeze and his father Benny. They came here with a vision: to build the world of tomorrow, today. You see, Benny and Simon didn't come from Equestria. They grew up, supposedly.....in The Science Kingdom."

I laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. The Science Kingdom hasn't existed for thousands of years. They're just a myth, a relic of an old Equestria from the past."

Quill turned and gave me a serious look. "But what if they aren't?" she asked simply. "What if they're still out there, watching all of us, as we toil about with magic and simple technology, while they utilize advancements beyond any of our understanding. Can you imagine what they could have accomplished after so many years, left alone? All that time to themselves, free of intervention and the boundaries of morals or the ways of the world. All that time spent creating more and more advanced technology, and making it better each time."

Quill turned back around. "That's what Benny wanted. To use his genius to make the world better. A simple goal. A noble one."

The Pegasus turned to look at the next picture. This one showed a younger Benny and a much younger Simon, standing outside a temple of some sort, set in the backdrop of a jungle among some ruins. "But of course, fate had other ideas..."

Quill turned to look at me, and after taking a minute to push back her thoughts, glared at me. The way she stood, and the look in her eyes, made her seem like a military general, about to scold one of their officers for misconduct. I didn't like the way her eyes stabbed into me.

"I'm not Simon's partner. I am but another cog in this machine of ours." She said simply, in an almost scolding tone. "Albeit, a very important one."

"That right, I scoffed. "And what pray tell is your part, that's so important, then?"

"Simple. Getting rid of ponies who find out too much."

A loud metallic click behind me made me turn around to see that the mechanical door back to the hall had shut and locked itself suddenly.

I turned back around just in time to just barely dodge the blade aimed for my throat, rolling under it as it slashed, slicing a nearby training dummy completely in two. I looked up from the ground as a single strand of my mane had been cut and fell like a feather to the floor.

Stunned, and my heart racing I looked to see my attacker had been Quill, who had somehow managed to move from behind her desk to directly in front of me in the second it took me to turn around towards the door. The Pegasus stood directly behind me with her back turned, in a stance mimicking that of a crouching panther, ready to pounce, except she stood on two legs, brandishing a long metallic pole with blades at the ends.

She turned her head just so she had one, glaring eye on me. "Quick on your feet." she remarked. "But I'm quicker."

She moved like a living lightning bolt. Bright blue sparks flew and crackled as she appeared in front me. I managed to block the blow, but I felt the impact vibrate the bones in my arm, causing me to stumble back in pain. Quill then took this opportunity to land a heavy spin kick into my ribs sending me over the desk and onto the floor.

I struggled to breathe as my lungs screamed out in pain. I would've probably screamed as well, if I had the capacity to do so at that point. My vision blurred as I stood back up, but the pain sent me back down to the floor. I didn't need to take a breath before I felt my ribs crack. Not broken, but one more kick like that, and that would be it.

"Whats wrong, little pony? I thought you could fight!" the mocking voice of Quill buzzed in my ears, as I tried to focus.

I had to get her out of my head. Think this through. If I messed up here, I was dead. Quill wasn't like those cultists me and Daring had fought in the warehouse. No. Her training was far more advanced, refined....lethal. She could kill me very easily, and that was clearly her intention.

If I wanted to find out what her part in all this was, I had no choice. I had to defeat her.

I let the pain fade away as my brain worked to its capacity. Everything in the room became mapped out in front of me, one series of plans that I could execute at any moment. Slowly, but surely, it all became clear to me.

Combat Analysis

My opponent: Quill Feather, A high ranking executive of Cobalt who clearly had far superior training to the cultists I've encountered.. Strengths: Lighting fast movement speeds, extremely powerful and possibly lethal physical attacks, Ruthlessness. Utilizes a metal bo staff with bladed ends as her weapon.

I scanned her for any weaknesses. But, physically, she didn't seem to have any whatsoever. Perfectly toned and psychically fit, clearly trained to her peak if not beyond, and leaving no room for openings or giving away any signs of psychical weakness or fatigue. She hadn't even broken a sweat.

But then my eyes saw something else. A small blue light blinked slowly along her arms, just barely visible through the sleeves of her suit. Looking closely, I saw they were embedded into her arms, surgically implanted to boost and power her nervous system and reaction speeds. I saw another set of these small lights at her legs. They sparked with electrical energy.

So that was it...

Weaknesses: Ruthlessness, overconfidence, Lighting like movements are attributed to advanced speed augmenting technology surgically embedded in her body. At the speeds she moved, she was next to impossible to take down. Removing the power granted by the implants was the first step. Scanning the room, I spotted a fuse box along the far wall. My plan came to me in seconds, and I made my move.

Standing up, I rolled under the next sword slash, but was caught from behind by Quill, wrapping her arm around my neck. She laughed in my ear. "Oh! I had heard about this little trick of yours, Meir! Impressive....against an amateur." she mocked. "But your not the only one with tri-GUURK!" I elbowed her hard in the side, and caught the staff as it dropped from her hooves. But she grabbed onto the other end. We sparred with each other from both ends of the staff, knocking furniture away and smashing everything in our way as we fought.

I gained the upper hand, as I used the wall as a surface to propel a hard kick towards Quill, which hit her square in the face. Yet the Pegasus didn't even flinch. She smiled at me as she shook off the blow. "That it?"

I smiled back. "Nope." My cutie mark let out a massive flash of purple light as it glowed and burned at my side. I watched as Quill leaped back in surprise, only for the staff to be wrenched from her grasp and pin her to the wall, my magic enveloping it in a purple aura.

The Pegasus looked dumbfounded as she struggled to free herself from the staff holding her. I looked at her, my cutie mark's magic weaving around me like a mist, healing my injuries and mending my wounds. "Ready to talk now?" I asked. Even though I already knew the answer.

Quill glared hatefully at me as her arms and legs began to crackle and spark as large arcs of electrical energy surged forth, shattering the paneling of the walls and smashing out the windows in the room. As I had planned, Quill was pushing her power past its limits in order to free herself.

As the room was ripped apart by wild bolts of lightning, the Pegasus yelled out as she wrenched herself free from the wall, grabbed the staff and surged towards me, lighting snapping at her ankles, the blade of the staff aimed right for my chest.

I stepped out of the way at the last second, and the blade stabbed directly into the open circuits of the fuse box on the wall, sending at least five thousands volts through the pole and to Quill who spasmed wildly as electricity blew out each implant on her body, one by one, popping and sparking off her like firecrackers.

The Pegasus's wings shot out and flapped in a futile attempt to fly away. Finally she seized up, as the last blue light popped, and fell back, knocked out cold from the shock, the pole clattering onto the hard wooden floor. She hit the ground with a thud, sprawled on her back, with her arms and legs still twitching as electricity tried to find its way out of her nervous system. Final Analysis: Internal nervous system shot, arms and legs seizing due to massive electrical voltage, rendered unconscious from extreme electrical trauma. Recovery period: Several weeks at best, with possible extension due to any minor damage to nervous system from exploding implants. Capacity to continue fighting: Neutralized.

End Of Analysis

I restrained the unconscious Pegasus to a chair, and checked her out. Her nerves were shot, but they would recover in a few hours. Her heartbeat was naturally slow, as she was unconscious and her breathing was steady. She surprisingly showed no signs of physical trauma or fatigue. It was possible she may even have woken up in a few short minutes.

Sure enough, when I had tied the last bit of rope around her, binding her to the chair tight enough that she wouldn't escape, Quill awakened, in a daze.

"Ugh...my head..."

"Your head? Are you sure you don't mean your arms and legs that just exploded?"

"Heh. Nothing compared to training back home." Quill joked.

She looked around, her eyes quickly getting that razor sharp look in an instant. She then looked down to see her arms and legs bound to the chair, her wings gently tied down as well. "Huh." she remarked. "I....lost?"

"Yes. You lost."

Quill looked down at her feet. "Serves me right for trusting technology over instincts. I relied too much on Simon's fancy toys, of course I lost! Its a disgrace!" She scolded herself angrily.

She let out a sigh as she looked back up at me, a defeated look on her face. "So....what happens now?"

"Now,' I said, taking a seat in the chair in front of her, "I have questions. You're going to answer them." I said sternly.

Quill chuckled to herself, letting her head go back as she closed her eyes. "Course." she remarked. "Fine. Lets have it then."

Questioning (Quill Feather, High ranking executive of Cobalt, Connected with the cult, Knows much more then she is letting on)

My cutie mark had stopped glowing as the magic swirling around me set the last of my bones back into place (Being a doctor was certainly going to be a more interesting job now) I thought of the list of questions I had for Quill. And I had quite a few of them.

Question one: "Why did you try to kill me?" I asked, trying not to sound demanding.

"Because I'm an assassin." she answered. "Next!"

"Wait, so you were hired by Cobalt to kill me?"

Quill chuckled to herself. "No, I was trained to be one. Raised in fact." She looked up to me. I was surprised by how her eyes had softened. Her expression looked....sad. Pained. She clearly had something to say. Something that brought back....painful memories. "You see....I lived in Ponyville for a long time. I was a librarian, actually." she began, talking in a tone that I had never heard her speak. Soft. Almost melancholy. She was no longer a killer Pegasus with a stabbing glare. She was a pony, just like me.

"You're from Ponyville?" I asked politely.

"I was." she answered softly. "One day....I was kidnapped from my home. Taken somewhere, stuck in a cage like an animal. A wild animal. I never found out who they were. They....came and talked to me a few times, said they had to run these experiments on me. For the greater good, they said."

My eyes widened in shock. "E-experiments?" I struggled to say the word, as if speaking it would make me sick. "They....they couldn't have been doctors...."

Quill looked down at her feet. "They were monsters." she said, her voice beginning to break. "They tortured me for weeks. Starved me. Asked me all these meaningless questions, and not once did they ever show sign they were going to let me go. I knew they wouldn't. I was their tool. If I ended up dying because of it, they would just throw me out and grab somepony else."

Tears welled up in her eyes, as she choked them back, desperately trying to contain her emotions. "Finally, after three weeks, of tests and poking at me with instruments, they cast a spell on me. It broke me. My mind was a hollow shell. I wasn't even dead, but I felt all the pain of it. They tossed me out, where I lay in the mud, staring up at the sky with dead, listless eyes like a fish."

Quills eyes finally let go, as tears poured down her face, which was twisted in an angry scowl. I let her finish, before I said anymore. "I laid there for....hours? Weeks? Months? I had no concept of time anymore. My brain was jello at that point. The tests had taken away my ability to walk or fly. I....wanted to just lay there, forever. I wanted to die."

"Then,' she said choking back more of her tears. "He came."

"He?" I asked. "Simon?"

"No." Quill said quickly. "Not Simon. Not a Pony." She said this in an almost hypnotic tone. Like she was lost in her thoughts of that day. "I don't know how he knew where I was. I didn't care. He took me away from that horrible place, back to a sanctuary in the East, hidden away from the rest of the world. They healed me, fixed my mind, gave me food. They all took me in like a lost sister. They taught me to be strong. Stronger, faster and smarter then I had ever dreamed possible. I became a weapon, forged from my pain and grief. And no one was ever going to hurt me like that again..."

As Quill finished her tale, I had no words. For a while we just sat there, letting the horror of Quill's past sink in. Silence.

She broke the silence. "But then...I came to the Keyes. I met Simon and he shared with me his theory."

"His theory? Let me guess..."

Quill's sadness and pained expression faded as she said "That the world was broken. Needed to be fixed." She explained. "Ever since he and his father made that little trip into those tombs....he's been, well-

"Different?" I suggested.

"Insane." Quill corrected. "The stallion is completely out of his mind. He truly thinks that once this little plan of his works, that he'll become a god of a new world."

"So if you know it's insane, I said, then why are you helping him?"

"Because of what this world did to me." Quill said softly. "It does need to be fixed. And if this lunatic has a way of doing that, then by all means I'll help however I can, and in return, I gain access to technologies that improve my already enhanced skills."

So that was her reason. Quill was on board with this because she blamed the world for what happened to her. There was no excuse for what those scientists did to her, it was appalling and inequine to say the least. She deserved to have some closure on that. But the world, didn't deserve what Simon had planned for it. The world didn't kidnap her, or starve her or torture her. Quill had to see reason. Maybe I could convince her if I reached out to her. I was a doctor after all, perhaps I could get her to come to grips with how she felt, and convince her to change her views of the world.

It was worth a shot anyways.

"Ms. Quill Feather, I-

"Don't bother with the miss or ma'am, Meir. If you have something to say just spit it out." The Pegasus quickly said, sounding annoyed.

"Fine. I'm deeply sorry about what happened to you-

"Gee, thanks." she spat back. She wasn't being rude. She was hurting inside, and naturally she would lash out when it confronted her. But I wouldn't give up so easily.

I gave her a stern look. "But you're no better."

Quill looked up at me. "Excuse me?"

"You think that what happened to you, gives you the right to condemn the world? Just because one horrible thing happened to you, you would rather let it all burn, then even try to see one more day, where things can be better?" I demanded. "You were taken in by a group that taught you how to be strong. They fed you, took care of you. Made you family. And you turned your back on them, relying on this so called advanced technology to give yourself an edge. I ask you, Quill Feather, what warrior fights with such dishonor? What warrior relies on machines and wires rather then the strength of their own body and mind?" I looked down at her as she looked away in disgust. "Are you still going to feel sorry for yourself?"

Quill glared up at me. "I am not some helpless pony anymore! I trained alongside champions to become one of the greatest warriors in the world! Nopony can beat me now!" she yelled, her eyes flaring like blue fire.

I shook my head. "I did." I said simply. "And it was because of your arrogance, your reliance on this technology, that you lost."

At this, the Pegasus fell silent. She looked down at the floor, pondering my words. "You...you don't know me." She growled.

"But you do." I replied. "Tell me. Is this who you wanted to be?"

She didn't answer. She sat there, unmoving, not saying a word for several minutes. When she didn't talk again for around thirty minutes or so, I was worried.

"Quill? Are you alrigh-

"What do you want to know."

"Huh?"

"I'm done, Meir. You got me, literally tied to a chair. Ask me whatever you want and I'll tell you. I don't care about anything anymore."

"Hey, it'll be alright. I know its tough to comprehend right now but-

"Just. Ask me what you need to know."

I had gotten to her. I only hoped I didn't push her too hard. Studying her eyes I saw she had quite a a lot on her mind. But if she was willing to help me out now, then I had to find out what I could.

"What is Simon's plan? All of it." I asked.

"Simon plans to release Tezcatlipoca from his eternal prison beneath the Keyes. To do that he needs the Heart Of Oceana, to undo the spell that binds him and to perform the ritual that can restore his power. Once Tezcatlipoca is freed, he and his cult will unleash his power onto the world, burning everything in unquenchable unholy fire." Quill explained. "When all is said and done, Simon plans to rebuild the world using his resources and the vast think tank of scientists he's kidnapped."

At those last words, my heart caught in my throat. No... It couldn't be. "What are you talking about, what kidnapped scientists?" I asked, my voice rising in panic.

Quill looked confused "I thought you knew. Simon's been kidnapping the brightest minds from all over the world to help him rebuild once Armageddon hits. He tried to get your friend, Dr. Seastone as well. I had her taken from the hotel you are staying at on his orders. Said she make an excellent addition to his collection."

At the look on my face, Quill coughed nervously. "Oh. Right. Uh. Sorry for that, I guess."

"You guess!?"

"Okay, Sorry! I was just doing what I was told. And....from experience, I knew how she was feeling. I made sure she wasn't hurt, and taken care of as best as possible. I swear that."

I didn't have a reason not to believe her, but I had that final burning question in my brain, which now felt like it seared the inside of my skull.

"Quill" I said trying to stay calm. "if Simon has been kidnapping all the brightest minds in the world for his doomsday plan.....then....d-do you mean that-

She looked up at me, and narrowed her eyes. "That Simon is the one who kidnapped your parents?"

She gave me a sullen, almost apologetic look. "I'm afraid I do." she said simply. "They were the biggest part of his plan actually."

My heart sank deep down into my chest, I felt anger and betrayal ignite inside me, boiling like fire beneath my skin. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It had been him. Simon had kidnapped my parents for his little project. But why? Why lure me to this island? Why have Breezie let Celestia and Luna know about it? Why get me involved if he already had them?

So many new questions, mashing together with the ones I already planned to ask. A giant smashed together puzzle inside my head.

And this time, I had no idea how to solve it.

"I'm sorry."

I looked up, not realizing I had let my eyes wander to the ground, as my mind struggled to piece together what I had just found out. "You....are?" I asked.

Quill nodded. "You're right." she said in a defeated sigh. "They would be ashamed of me. I let my grief and hatred for what happened that day, come back to twist me around again. I told myself I was better then that, stronger then that. But no. I'm still weak. I let myself be pulled into the plot of a madman, just to give myself the excuse that I was getting revenge for what happened to me, all those years ago. I...have dishonored myself. And The Hashashin."

The word triggered a synapse in my brain. "Wait....you're Hashashin? That's the group that raised you!?" I said surprised.

"You sound surprised."

"I am!"

Quill chuckled. "I told you I was an assassin. I guess I figured that once you saw me in action, you would figure it out yourself." she said. "Plus, I was planning to kill you, so it wouldn't have mattered anyways."

I narrowed my eyes at her. She looked up at me. "Oh. Sorry about that too. Especially that, actually."

I sighed to myself. I had encountered Hashashin before, in my first case. He had proven difficult to take down as well, but with him I got lucky. Quill Feather, was on a whole different level then he had been. Just how many others were there? Who was this Master that led them and taught them these things? And were there others, even more skilled and dangerous then Quill?

With my luck? Almost definitely.

In fact...

I couldn't help but think it was assured.

Chapter 14: "The Museum Of The New World."

"Simon Cobalt and Cobalt Industries presents, The Museum Of The New World: See the future of the world, before it's end."

These were the words I read aloud, as I gazed up at the marble archway leading into the museum. The sign glowed bright blue, catching the eye of everypony who looked it's way. The Cobalt logo was seen proudly emblazoned on either side of the sign.

Before it's end. Simon knew what he was doing, what he was going to do. And he was so proud of himself, he built a damn museum dedicated to the future he was making for him and his "flock". I felt tight knots in my stomach, as the thought that I ever once called that stallion a friend, seemed to physically sicken me.

Ignoring that horrible feeling, I stepped through the archway into the museum. According to the directory in front of me, Each part of the place was dedicated to a certain theme, that all incorporated what Simon was doing. More specifically, the world we live in now and how "corrupt" it was, the way it will end (By Simon's own hooves) and the "bright" future Cobalt had planned for all ponykind.

I followed the path that lead to the "The World We Live In" exhibit. Stepping through I saw a collection of exhibits detailing the day to day of ponies, but in a much more sinister light, that was supposed to make ponies ashamed of the world they lived in. Scenes of ponies fighting with one another, scenes of famous disasters, Discord running amok, the threat of Lord Tirek, the apparent "tyranny" of the royal sisters, the constant danger Equestria is in from all manner of creatures bigger and stronger than us.

Then at the end, a statue of Simon, himself, with a button for visitors to press to hear a recording. Curious, I pressed it, and Simon's voice could be heard through the speakers above. The way he spoke, was not that of a brilliant scientist speaking to young ponies and families, but that of a cult leader, spouting his vision to his future followers.

"I realize that, what you have seen here today, may seem far fetched. We think we don't want to see our world like this, and you're right, we don't. But something is coming....you can feel it can't you? The world you know, ruled by princesses, governed by magic, always one step away from destruction due to some new threat." The recording said in a serious, monotone voice. "Where were you when Discord escaped from his prison and reeked havoc on our world? You were at home cowering in fear."

Some ponies came up behind me to listen as the recording went on. "Where were you when Tirek, was draining the magic from your loved ones, and you were deathly afraid to ever leave home again? You were trapped, unable to do anything to save yourself."

More ponies came up behind me, eager to hear what the "brilliant" Simon Cobalt had to say. Every word, just made that knot in my stomach bigger. He was just trying to scare them, make them afraid of the world. And it was working.

I couldn't stand it any longer, and quickly hurried to the next exhibit, titled "The End."

I was expecting exhibits of apocalyptic scenarios, depicting the world burning in fire and Tezcatlipoca rampaging across the lands. But instead, the exhibit was apparently still being built. Floor plans were laid out, and several contractor ponies were putting the exhibits together, and moving displays. One pony though, was clearly not a contractor or a Cobalt employee.

To the far corner, a busy looking stallion with a long blonde mane that obscured his eyes and dressed in a white collar shirt was busy adjusting the tripod of a camera, which he was fussing over quite a bit, while periodically strolling over to a table to look at a large cluster of papers and charts he had laid out. If I had to guess, he was probably a surveyor, taking pictures and measurements of the museum to see what exhibit goes where. He would be able to tell me more about the museum, and if he was hired by Cobalt, he may be able to tell me things about what Simon was planning, that a Cobalt employee wouldn't tell anyone else.

I went up to him and introduced myself. "Hello, my name is-

"Shh!" The stallion didn't look up from his charts as he shushed me.

Taken back by his rudeness, I skipped right to the point. "Um, okay. Well I wanted to ask you-

"Young lady!" the stallion exclaimed. "Do you not know what Shh! means? I'm trying to concentrate!"

Having no time for this, I skipped even more to the point, bluntness in all. "No, I don't know what that means when somepony hisses at me through their teeth instead of giving me the courtesy of just asking me to wait a moment!" I exclaimed, narrowing my eyes at him.

The stallion looked surprised, but I saw that I still got to him. He sighed as he moved away from the table. "Yes, alright. What is it that you need, just make it quick please." He said in a more polite tone.

Questioning (Bronson Bucket, Surveyor, May be able to explain more about the unfinished exhibit)

"You're a surveyor, correct?"

"Indeed. Hence why I have my trusty theodolite with me. Why?"

"What is it you are surveying exactly?"

"I was hired by Cobalt Industries to survey this room for a particular exhibit they are going to have brought here. Mr. Cobalt himself paid me top bit to make sure every angle was to his liking."

A particular exhibit? "What exhibit would that be?" I asked.

"I have no idea. All I know is that its rather large, considering how much space I was asked to lay down, and that Mr. Cobalt has it as a top priority. Apparently, they are bringing it in from the Voiceless Jungle."

My eyes widened in an instant. "Wait, the jungle? Is it coming from a village?!" I asked, my voice started to rise.

"I think so? Many details were excluded. They just gave me what they wanted to give me. What is this all about exactly?"

I ignored him, I had to find out if it was true or not. The details of the exhibit would've been in the report Cobalt gave him to use for reference. "This exhibit wouldn't happen to be made of crystal would it?" I asked quickly.

The stallion looked at me. "Y-yes it is, how did you know that? Are you a surveyor as well?"

I didn't hear him, as my brain was already trying to make sense of the situation that I just uncovered. What was going on? Was Simon actually going to bring Clover here and set her up like some kind of...exhibit?!

No, more importantly....did this mean that....Simon knew where the village was? And not only that but, did he already have her!? Why else would he hire a surveyor to make room for her as an exhibit!? My heart pounded against my ribs as the truth of what was going on, finally sunk in.

I had to find that village. Now. By any means, necessary! "Is there anything you can tell me, about where that village could possibly be? It's urgent!" I practically begged Mr. Bronson.

The poor surveyor had no idea just how important it was that I find that village, as he began to look worried and a little scared about the whole thing. "I-I.....I'm not sure, they-' then his eyes lit up for a brief second. "Wait!, I remember there was this one filly in here, who was talking about it, pretty loudly. Said we were making a huge mistake trying to find it."

A filly? What could a child know about the village? "Did she say anything else?" I asked.

"We asked her to leave because she was being a nuisance. She warned us one more time, and left, probably went to the Kiddie Kingdom; that's where all the employee's kids are put while the adults do their work."

"What did she look like?"

Bronson chuckled. "A cute, pink little thing, with a propeller hat and big twinkling orange eyes. She also had a whole bunch of coloring books and crayons with her. Probably given to her by her parents to keep her out of trouble. "

"Where can I find the Kiddie Kingdom?"

Bronson pointed with his hoof to the exit of the museum. "Go through that door, and take the elevator at the end of the hall to the first floor. After that just follow the music and big clown signs. You'll be there in no time."

"Thank you!" I said as I galloped out of the room, through the exit, leaving Bronson to stand there and scratch his head as to what just transpired.

Following Bronson's directions, I boarded the elevator, and pressed the button to take me to the first floor. As I stood there, waiting for the elevator to stop on the first floor, the calming elevator music was cut short by an announcement over the intercom system. "Attention, guests and employees of Sapphire Sands. We have just been informed that The Great Collapse has begun it's final preparations, ahead of schedule. We will begin evacuating to the bunkers in approximately three hours. Thank you!"

All at once, my heart started beating wildly, as sweat formed at my temples, and I could barely think clearly with the realization of what I just heard. This meant that everypony in this resort, knew about Simon's plans to destroy the world....and they didn't even care.

I suddenly felt terribly sick. My stomach turned inside out as I found I could no longer stand up. I just sat there in that elevator, trying to stay calm, and keep myself from throwing up out of disgust. I had never imagined that such ponies existed. Such evil, in our own species. Had ponies really fallen so far?

I had to get a grip! I couldn't let this stop me, no matter how disgusted I was with this whole place now. I just had to keep my mind on what I needed to do: Find that filly, and pray to Celestia she knew where the village was.

Kiddie Kingdom Fun Center and Playroom, 6:52 pm

It was much harder to get to the Kiddie Kingdom, then necessary, as the mere act of having to walk seemed like a slog thanks to the pit in my stomach. But somehow I managed to find the entrance to the Kiddie Kingdom; a massive doorway made from various toys and rainbows, and collapsed into one of the many massive beanbag chairs they had set up.

Taking a minute to calm down, I got up to take a look around. The room was like the inside of a massive toybox. Massive sculptures of toys and teddy bears, rounded the corners, while a huge carousel and gigantic jungle gym took up most of the rest of the room. But the centerpiece was the ocean sized ball pit that took up the entire center of the room. It was clear why kids liked this place so much.

And speaking of kids, there were quite a few here, playing on the jungle gym, sitting at the tables in their beanbag chairs, or diving into the ball pit from the diving board that reached to the ceiling. If I was a filly again, I'd never want to leave. Plus, seeing all these kids having fun, did help to remove the hole in my stomach.

But now I had to focus. That filly was supposedly in here somewhere. But where should I start looking? As it turned out, I didn't need to look too far. While all the other fillies and colts where busy playing, there was one filly who I could see sitting by herself in the corner.

Her pink coat was so vibrant, I could've seen her from halfway across the room. She wore a colorful propeller hat and had a marshmallow white mane and tail. As I approached, she turned to look at me with bright orange eyes, that shined and sparkled. She was clutching a red crayon in her mouth, but spit it out to talk to me. "Aren't you a little old to be in a kid's playroom?" she asked in a cute voice.

I smiled. "I'm not here to play, I was actually looking for you."

"Huh. You aren't with Simon are you?" she asked me, raising an eyebrow.

"What? You know Simon?"

"He has his goons out looking for me. He says he needs my, special talent."

"Special talent?"

The filly held up the drawing she had made, and smiled slyly. My eyes went wide as I saw it depicted me, swirly teal mane and butterfly bow tie and all, entering the playroom to talk to this pink filly. She had nailed every single detail of the exact scene we were currently in. From the two colts playing tag, to the little grey filly with glasses playing marbles with her friends over by the jungle gym.

"H-how did you?-"

The filly laughed. "I told you silly, it's my special talent! I can make predictions with my drawings. Sometimes I get these feelings about where I am, and where others are, and pretty much everything. When that feeling is really strong, I can draw what I sense will happen." she set her drawing down and smiled. "And I have yet to be wrong." she added cheerfully.

"You can see into the future!?" I asked, hardly believing what I was seeing. Then I remembered that this was frankly normal by my standards.

The filly shook her head. "No, I can't actually see anything. I just get a....feeling. A vibe or whatever. When those vibes get really strong, I can see things in the world that tell me what will happen. Little things, but there's usually enough to paint a full picture. Literally."

Amazing. This filly could definitely help me! Not only to find the village, but maybe she could tell me how Simon's plan was going to go, so I could stop it before he even puts it into action!

"What's your name?" I asked politely.

"Soothsayer. But my friends call me Soothy." The filly said proudly.

"Do you mind if I ask you some questions, Soothy?"

Soothy chuckled at that. "I knew you were going to say that."

Questioning (Soothsayer, Young filly able to make 100% accurate predictions about the future, Can help me stop Simon)

I've never had the opportunity to have a conversation with a pony who could predict the future before. I naturally had questions about Simon's plans, but I was also curious about Soothy, herself.

"How long have you had this ability?" I asked politely.

"Forever, basically. The very first prediction I made was that it would storm one night I was in my crib." she explained. "It did." she added with a smile.

"What do your parents think about your talent?"

Soothy looked suddenly nervous. "They worry a lot about me. They keep telling me that I'm too confident in my predictions. To think what'll happen if one day I get it wrong."

That was a good point. Despite her predictions seemingly never being wrong, it was dangerous to simply assume they could never be wrong. It would be wisest to take precautions in case, so one could be prepared even if they don't know what the future truly held.

That was of course, my own opinion anyway.

Moving on from that topic, I asked my next question, taking care to remain as polite and calming as possible.

"Do you know why exactly Simon is looking for you? Is it because of a prediction you made?"

Soothy nodded. "A few weeks ago, my parents and I were asked to come to his office. But when we arrived, he dismissed my parents. Said he only wanted to talk to me. I knew why, from the get go...

"He wanted to ask me about the end of the world."

I was surprised, but I let her continue, not daring to miss any important information. Soothy scratched the back of her head as she recalled her meeting with Simon. "He told me that he had to know how it would happen. That every detail was important. Naturally, I didn't tell him a thing, and told him I wanted to leave. He said fine, but he would ask me again in a few days. His goons have been looking for me ever since." Soothy smiled as she held up another one of her drawings. "But, I always see them coming, so they never catch me."

Looking at the drawing it clearly showed a clever Soothy hiding behind a plant as two goons march right past here, completely unaware. She was very smart. I doubt there was any real concern for her being caught. Still, it would be best if her and her parents left this island. With what Simon had planned, it wouldn't stay a paradise for long.

"Soothy" I began, "Do you.....do you think it's true? That the end of the world is coming?" I asked.

The filly looked at me a moment, as if me asking the question puzzled her. Then she went to her pile of drawings and brought one up from they very bottom of the pile and showed it to me. Soothy practically whispered "Yes."

My eyes went wide as the drawing seemed to come to life in front of my eyes. The world engulfed in flames, massive explosions tearing the very earth apart. Ponies running. Running in fear from a colossal figure that blocked out the sun. I could practically see the violent churning flames in front of me. Practically hear the millions of screams. A wave of chills ran down my spine, as I found that all I could do is stare at the drawing clutched in Soothy's hooves.

I didn't even notice the young filly get another drawing and place it next to the other in her hooves. "Unless' she said, "you and your friends stop it."

Looking at the drawing I saw that it showed the other half of the scene. It showed me, Daring, Dr. Seastone, Ralah and Salah and then...
My eyes went wide as I almost instantly recognized the figure standing with us, as we all faced Tezcatlipoca together. A mare with a burlap cloak and green mane with single branch of parsley tucked behind her ear. "Clover The Clever." I said out loud, my excitement nearly getting the better of me. At once all the fear left, as it was replaced by pure determination.

I suddenly felt like I had nothing to worry about. Whether it was just Soothy showing me what I needed to see, or if she was actually predicting the future, it didn't matter. I had confidence that....no. I knew we would succeed.

"Soothy, I have one last question for you."

I hadn't even needed to ask as the filly handed me a drawing of a map. A map that lead to the village, hidden in the mountains, from the very spot we were standing. The village where Clover was waiting for us. Where she had been waiting for centuries.

I thanked Soothy and gave her a hug, who eagerly gave me one back. "You and your parents should leave Soothy. This place isn't safe." I told her calmly.

But the filly only smiled. "Oh, my parents aren't here. They're already waiting for me in the boat outside."

"What! Then, why are you in here? You should be out there with them!"

Soothy rolled her eyes. "Because I needed to be here to meet you. And to give you the map, silly." the young filly scolded me. She then gathered up her books and crayons, dumped them into her saddle bag, then turned to me. "One last thing you should know, well....two last things."

"What is it?"

"One, bring an umbrella. The weather is about to get real bad soon."

"Okay. And the other?"

Soothy looked at me, a sparkle in her bright orange eyes. "After this is all over, you will be invited. A place of magic and Joy awaits you in a far away land. But something is overtaking this place. Something dark, darker then that you have encountered before. You will need to solve the murder of a murderer. You will wonder if it's all real. There is no true answer."

....that was it. Bye!"

With that cryptic prediction burned into my brain, Soothy left with her things, leaving me the map in my hooves, and even more questions than before. Questions that, I wasn't even sure I could ask.

I made my way to the lobby, my head buzzing with all that had happened while I was here, and purchased an umbrella from the gift shop, despite the clerk's insistence that it was a clear night.

I went outside, happy to be leaving this horrible place behind, and unfurled my umbrella.

There was a loud crack of thunder as lightning tore across the sky.

And then, it began to rain.

Chapter 15: "A Daring Escape II."

Daring awoke in a cell, high above the village, and saw that it was now late into the night and pouring down rain. She struggled to get to her feet as the toxin hadn't fully left her system yet. Once she was on four hooves again, she felt a tightness around her back and saw that her wings had been bound by ropes.

She cursed her luck, as even if she could get the ropes off, her wings were still useless and limp from the toxin. She couldn't fly out of this one. But that wouldn't stop her from getting out of here.

Daring had done it. She knew where Clover was being kept. And more importantly, she knew who was smart enough to get her out her crystalline prison. All she had to do now, was get out of here, find Meir, and come back and break Clover out of that thing. Seemed simple enough. Or at least as simple as Daring was used to.

Taking a look around, Daring saw that the cage wasn't very sturdy. Metal, but rusted due to possible decades of use. She could snap off one of the bars and use it to break the hinge that kept the cage attached to the large metal ballast it was hanging by.Then she wanted these ropes off her wings.

Spotting an already half bent bar in the cage, she got an idea how she could kill two birds with one stone. Going over and kicking the bar out of place even further, it broke from it's foundation, shearing the top of it and leaving it a jagged, sharp edge. She then got to work on the ropes, and a moment later her wings were free. She tried to flap one but it was no good. They fell numb at her side, unable to even flap a single time.

But she didn't have time to worry about that. Daring grabbed the bar and broke it from the cage completely. She then climbed to the top of the cage and jammed it into the hinge of the cage, where it broke almost without effort, sending the cage falling down into the village. Daring gripped the bars of the cage as tightly as possible as the impact smashed the cage apart, and she tumbled out into the wet grass. She lay there for a minute as the rain pelted her head, taking a minute to enjoy her new found freedom.

"It came from over there! Let's move!" A gruff voice shouted from the village. They had heard the cage fall, and were coming to investigate.

Daring sprang to her hooves and took off through the grass, rain and weeds belting her face as she leaped over the large wooden fence around the village and landed in the border to the Voiceless Jungle. They hadn't even seen her.

Now that she was free, she had to make her way back to the city, where Morning probably had the Equestrian Guard looking for her. But then she got a thought. "What am I saying? Morning is the smartest pony out there! She probably tracked me the whole way here and is waiting for me in the jungle somewhere."

Daring brushed the mud from her helmet, before putting it back on her head and smiling to herself with confidence. "Best not keep her waiting then." she said to herself, and trekked forward into the dark and foreboding jungle.

The Voiceless Jungle, 7:45 pm

Daring made her way through the tangled vines and thick trees as the storm had grown more fierce as she walked. Loud crashes of thunder and lightning were accompanied by what was now a torrential downpour of rain, that soaked Daring to the bone. But she had been through far worse, and didn't waver even an inch. She kept a map in her head that told her she was now a good 5 miles for the village. If she continued down the path she was on, she would arrive back in the city by morning.

It wouldn't be easy. But Daring never liked doing things the easy way. Where was the fun in that?

An hour later, Daring felt the path become soft, as she felt the wet sand bunch around her hooves with every step. Vines and big, flat leaves reached over the path and slapped against her legs as she trotted along. The rain had let up slightly, but the thunder had only gotten louder. As she rounded a group of palm trees, she felt a twinge in her wings. She looked back and tested them out. They flapped gracefully at her back before she tucked them to her side. Her wings were back!

With renewed vigor, Daring unfurled her wings and prepared to launch herself off the ground, when a strange sound caught her ear. A hollow, shrill, almost scream like thing that made both her ears twitch. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, like it was inside her own head. A light suddenly swept over the tall weeds, strange ferns, tendrils of vines, all seemed to move in the darkness. The black-trunked trees appeared to lean toward her, reaching for her with their smooth limbs.

Daring ignored the trees, knowing that her eyes were just playing tricks on her and pressed her self low to the ground and listened. The shrill sound was....moving. It seemed to be following her, and was getting closer.

She kept low to the ground as she continued on her way, one ear up and listening for any sign that the sound was starting to follow her again.

Creeping through the mud and reeds, Daring peered through the thick vines and spotted a faint set of lights in the distance. A house? In the middle of the jungle? "Who would decide to live in the middle of the jungle?" Daring wondered.

The sound was louder now, and Daring could tell it was now following her at a much faster pace. It was almost giving chase. Wasting no more time, Daring unfurled her wings and took off from the ground, blazing past trees and under thick vines, speeding as fast as she could fly towards the lights.

As she flew, the sound began to grow faint, as Daring put more and more distance between her, and the form of a tree house loomed into view.

Mysterious Tree House, Late Night

Daring finally landed at the base of the dark tree house, and relaxed her wings, which she could feel were now sore from flapping so hard when they weren't fully recovered yet. Daring tucked them to her side and looked up. The lights in the windows clearly meant somepony had to be home. Daring was hoping she could convince whoever lived here if she could stay for the night. It was still quite a distance from Quaramonte City, and the storm was beginning to pick up again. Plus, her wings had retired for the night. She wasn't flying again anytime soon.

Daring cupped her hooves around her mouth and called up to the tree house. "Hello? Is anypony there? Sorry, for bothering you, but..." It was no use. The near hurricane level winds and thunder made it impossible for anypony to hear her in the storm. She had to find another way to get their attention.

Daring unfurled her wings, that screamed that they wanted the stay put. But Daring had no choice, as she flew up to the door and knocked as hard and loud as she could, nearly breaking it from it's hinges in her desperation.

A few seconds later the door swung open and a strange grey stallion with wild hair and a torn lab coat stuck his head out. "Whazzit?" he muttered, before looking up at Daring's muddy and scratched up face. " Oh, hey there! Your that whatsherface! Uh....Darming!"

Daring blinked. "Uh, it's Daring. Look, Sorry to bother you-

"What're ya doin outside ya ninny!? Get in here before you catch yer death!" The stallion grabbed Daring and pulled her into the tree house where a familiar face greeted her, sitting cozily by the fireplace. Morning Meir, sitting with a book and cup of tea, looked up from her studies to see her friend, covered in mud and looking just as happy and surprised to see her as she did.

The two mares ran from their spots and met in a tight hug, before each unloading an onslaught of conversation that filled the small room with chatter.

"Where were you!?" Morning asked happily.

"Where was I? Where were you? You just vanished from the police station, I couldn't find you anywhere!" Daring retorted.

"I was kidnapped! I got shot with another one of those darts and they dragged me to the jungle!"

"Kidnapped!? So was I! Well, I mean I was after I found Clover-

Morning grabbed Daring by the shoulders and pulled her close. "You found Clover!?" she exclaimed loudly, not even trying to contain herself.

"Yep! And you'll never guess where she's been all this-

The conversation was cut short by the old stallion shouting "Alright! Alright now. Clearly you two have A LOT of catching up to do, but....it's almost ten'o clock, ladies. We can all yell at one another tomorrow, after we get some sleep. How bout it?" He asked with a slight yawn.

The mares looked at one another and smiled. "He's probably right. I'm exhausted from having to fly all the way out here." Daring said, rubbing her wings tenderly.

Morning Meir nodded. "We can talk in the morning, then." She returned to her chair and wrapped herself back in her blanket. "Good night, Daring. Glad to have you back."

Daring nodded with a smile. "Glad to be back, trust me." she said to herself, before going over and collapsing on the couch, being far too tired to move anymore.

In a few moments, the tree house grew quiet, as Morning and the old stallion all fell asleep to the sound of the calm rain.

But as Daring closed her eyes, she could still hear it....

That sound, shrill and disturbingly pony-like. Like a scream in her head. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried her hardest to block out that horrible wail.

It was only after the sound was drowned out by the thunder that she finally heard it no longer. And fell fast asleep.

Chapter 16: "Clover Hunt."

I awoke to the sound of macaws crying out in the distance, as sunlight poured in from outside, letting me know the storm had passed. I sat up in the chair, letting the blanket I was wrapped up in fall to the floor as I stretched my arms. A new day. Time to make use of it.

Getting up out the chair, my body ached. Comfortable as it had been, I was pretty sure Benny had some rather large textbooks hidden under the cushions. For what reason, I'm sure I'd never know. Moving to the kitchen, I saw that Daring and Benny were already up, a bounty of delicious looking breakfast prepared in front of them. As I took a seat, Daring looked up at me, her mouth bulging with pancakes, and muttered something I couldn't understand through all that cake and syrup. She took a minute and swallowed before she repeated herself.

"Morning, Morning!" she said cheerfully. I could tell she was very happy to be eating breakfast. I doubt she had much food while she was locked up.

I smiled back at her. "Heh. Morning, Daring. I see we have quite a spread here." I commented looking at just how much food was laid out on the table. it was enough for at least five more of us, and perhaps five more after that. There were pancakes stacked in towers that seemed to sway with every step I took. Plates of eggs, hard boiled, fried, scrambled, sunny side up, Celestia style, you name it. Everything you could ever want for breakfast...it was on this table.

Looking over at Benny, I saw where all this food originated from. From a little pad on top of the counter, Benny was plucking all manner of breakfast food from thin air. Another one of his inventions hard at work. My stomach rumbling told me it was my turn to sit and help myself to the food.

I took a seat next to Daring as Benny brought over a plate of my favorite breakfast (Chocolate Chip Pancakes with mango iced tea and a grapefruit) and set it down in front of me. I helped myself, and found that the pancakes were very good.

But nothing compared to the way Heartland made them.

After we all had our fill, it was time to get down to business. Daring explained how Clover was being kept in a sea cave beneath the village. And she was able to pinpoint the location of the village on that map Soothy had drawn up. It wasn't too far from the tree house, but it was high up in the mountains, and was almost certainly guarded (Even more now that Daring had escaped).

We needed to come up with a plan to sneak in undetected. But we would need a layout of the whole village to do that.

Daring scratched her head. "Well, I mean it was pretty dark last night, and with that storm I couldn't really see anything around me. All I know is they have a huge temple behind the village, and a set of cages above it, where they probably keep tourists or something." she explained.

Wait....a set of cages above the temple? Was Daring saying that she was locked in the very same cages used to offer sacrifices to Tezcatlipoca? No. That was impossible, they would be hundreds of centuries old, and I highly doubt they would be able to hold up well after so long. They probably just built up there in the same place as the previous ones.

But....that only raised another question. Why did they even need cages? If they were a peaceful village of tribal ponies living in the mountains, why on earth did they have sets of cages big enough to keep ponies in them??

I was beginning to think there was more to this village then we knew. Luckily, I would be getting the chance to finally investigate this place myself, and hopefully we would find a way to free Clover as well.

As we packed up our satchels for the trip, Daring explained what she had learned before she was locked up. She explained how the shaman had taken her into the temple of Tezcatlipoca, and they had used some strange magic to transport themselves into the sea caves where Clover was being kept. And that she had the Heart Of Oceana with her, which according to Daring, the villagers believed they could use to destroy Tezcatlipoca.

But reaching her wouldn't be easy. We both had ideas for how we could get to the caves.

"If its a sea cave, would we be able to swim there?" I asked.

"Nope." Daring said "The whole thing is sealed off. You can only get there with that weird magic the shaman used in the temple." she added, stuffing a bundle of maps into her satchel.

I thought for a moment. And then my eyes drifted to my cutie mark, which was still forever changed by my last adventure. Bright purple stars glowed dimly around it on my flank. Would I be able to use my magic to get us to the caves? I had yet to really see anything it couldn't do, and I suppose anything was worth a try at this point.

Daring followed my eyes and raised an eyebrow. "You getting an idea in that smart head of yours?" she asked slyly.

I looked at her with a sly grin. "I think I am."

After we were all packed, Benny gave us both a once over to see if we had everything we needed. "It'll do" he finally concluded after checking the contents of my canteen for a third time. Before he let us out the door, he gave us both a warning. "Be careful when you go into that temple, y'hear? That Celestia forsaken place destroyed my son's mind. It.....showed him such horrible things, please..."

He trailed off, but I put a hoof on his shoulder and smiled. "It's okay, Benny. We'll be fine."

"Yeah!" Daring assured him. "I go diving headlong into dangerous temples all the time. This'll be no different."

Benny seemed reassured by that. As we went out the door, Benny had once last thing to say to me. He took me aside and looked me in the eyes, a powerful feeling of determination behind them. "Stop him, Morning. Stop Simon, no matter what you have to do."

I looked at him. "But what if I can't save him?" I asked softly. "What if....you lose him for good this time?" Tears began to strain in my eyes, as I remembered that once upon a time, Simon really had been a good guy. Was there even any hope of saving him anymore?

A tear rolled down the old stallion's face. But he smiled. "It's alright. I lost my son the day we decided to go into that temple. Stop this madness. End it, any way you can. Promise me."

I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes and nodded. "I promise."

After one last hug, Benny let me join Daring outside, as he shut the door behind us.

The Voiceless Jungle, 8:14 am

The trip through the jungle wasn't as bad as I had originally thought. We had been walking for an hour, and had plenty of water, and even with the humidity there was a cool breeze from time to time. Following the map, we arrived at a large clearing surrounded by thick trees and tangled vines. We would need to head straight on then go up a slight incline to reach the mountainside. After that, well Daring could fly up, and I could find my own way up there. There had to be some way into the village after all.

"Hey Morning?" Daring asked as we made our way along the path, thick flat leaves blotted out patches of sun above us.

"Yes?"

"I've been meaning to ask you.....what kind of cutie mark is that?"

The question made me stop and turn to look at my flank. A cross of hearts, but with a cluster of glowing purple stars around it. They glowed dimly in the sun. Even now I had no real idea of what my cutie mark meant. Only that it symbolized I was meant for something more then just medicine, apparently. My mind flashed back to that night in Nawlans, when Nair appeared at my door and showed me her cutie mark. A cross of hearts, just like mine. But hers was more extravagant and regal looking.

What had it meant? How could somepony else have the same cutie mark as me? I never did find out. I would have to ask Nair directly, when I saw her again. And I knew that I would.

But the pink and purple stars around it? They were special. The Goddess had given them to me, which allowed me to perform magic. Not like that of unicorns though. It was stronger, seemed to do whatever I needed it to, when I needed it. All I had to do was think of the spell and it would happen. The Goddess had said many would see it as cheating.

I could clearly see why.

"Morning! Hey, you still in there?" Daring exclaimed bringing me back to earth. She was looking at me, wondering why I had spaced out on her.

"Oh! Sorry, I....was lost in thought for a moment." I apologized.

"When are you not?" Daring joked. "So? Tell me, already! What does that cutie mark mean?"

I didn't have time to explain the full story to her, so I simply told her the basic fact of it. "It lets me use magic. Much stronger magic then that of unicorns."

Daring's eyes went wide. "What!? You can do magic, and you're only now telling me this?"

"You only now just asked!" I explained.

"Good point. But still, how does a cutie mark let you use magic?"

"Long story."

"Okay, then how did you get it?"

"Longer story."

"....Is there anything you can tell me, that isn't a long story?" Daring asked, frustrated.

"If what you said about the temple is true, I might be able to use my magic to get us to those sea caves."

"Great! So nothing to worry about then?"

"Not for now at least." I said, thinking it wouldn't be nearly that simple. (Because it never is.)

The sun shined down through the tree tops, as we continued down the path. The sand beneath our hooves became rocky and more soil like as the mountain side loomed in front of us. We stopped and looked up, the top of the mountain was too high to see, but I could clearly make out the fume of smoke coming from a cliff below it. That was the village. And that was where we needed to go.

"Alright." Daring said, taking a look up at the cliff. "How are we gonna do this?"

"Well, you have wings so this should be easy for you. As for me, I don't have time to go marching around this whole mountain looking for a rope bridge or some other way into the village. But, I have an idea." I pulled out a grappling hook and showed it to Daring. "All you have to do, is fly up and hook this around a sturdy rock formation, or a subtle indentation in the cliff side. Once it's secured, then I can just climb up." I explained.

Daring took the grappling hook and examined it, then looked at me, then the cliff side then back at me. I waited for her response, but she just laughed and shook her head. "Yeeah, we could do it that way. Or..."

Then, at much faster speeds then I had thought, Daring stuffed the hook into her satchel, flew over, picked me up by the hooves and we soared at breakneck speeds up the mountainside till we landed on the cliff above, just outside the large wooden log fence to the village. As we touched down, I took a minute to catch my breath, and wait for my legs to stop shaking.

When they finally did, Daring came over and slapped me on the back. "You're smart Morning. But there is such a thing as thinking things through too much" She joked.

I wasn't mad at her. But I doubt I would ever have my guard down around her again. Of course, she did have a point as well. I do have a tendency to overthink things sometimes. But I suppose with Daring Do, she just loves the thrill of the unexpected. (Still, a warning next time wouldv'e been great. Just saying.)

The Oloya Village, 9:25 am

Together we made our way to the entrance of the village. There was one pony standing guard, but he had apparently gotten up rather early today, as he was clearly very tired. This made it easy to sneak past him as he let out a big yawn.

Now inside, I could see the village for myself. It was a quaint, peaceful place, with several huts and tribal looking totems set up that added to the overall tranquil, rural culture of the place. But the serenity of the scene was knocked aside by the huge, foreboding temple that could be seen carved into the mountainside behind the village. It was out of place in such a peaceful village, almost like it appeared of it's own accord. I couldn't imagine why these villagers would build such an ugly, evil looking eye-sore behind their village.

Hopefully that was one more thing I would find out soon. Because if what Daring said was true, then that temple was our only way to get to Clover's sea cave. And luckily, we wouldn't need to go to far into the place itself.

We quickly ducked behind some tall weeds, as a passing patrol of ponies clad in yellow robes marched passed us, spears drawn. At first I wondered if they knew there were intruders, but it seemed more likely they were still on high alert after Daring's escape last night.

When the patrol had passed we made our way quickly through the reeds and followed a rocky path behind a nearby hut. The temple entrance wasn't too far now. We peeked around the corner and saw two fillies playing some game with two sticks and a strange stone ball. They laughed as one kicked it hard across the village, where the two fillies then gave chase, and allowed us to make our move for the temple stairs.

"Daring?" a voice behind us made us freeze in our tracks. Turning around I saw it was a young mare with a white coat and pink mane, draped in bright yellow robes. From the look on her face, she seemed happy to see Daring. "You're alright!" she exclaimed, moving for a hug, but Daring took a step back.

"Whoa there! I don't know how stupid you think I am, but after that little stunt you're chief pulled, I'm never letting another one of you guys within neck-stabbing distance of me again!" she said angrily narrowing her eyes at the mare.

The mare looked crestfallen. "I'm sorry about what happened, Daring. Truly I am. Our chief was just trying to protect the village!"

"Protect the village!? He stabbed me in the neck with a poison dart! Plus, I'm pretty sure he also told me he would rather see the world burn then let Clover go free!" Daring spat back.

"You don't understand. Clover's magic is the lifeblood of this village!" The mare held up a chunk of blue, ice like crystal dangling from her neck on a necklace. It glowed brightly in the sun. "It's her magic that allows us to stay young for decades at a time. Her magic that lets us, transport ourselves in and out of the village at will. And it is her magic that protects our home from those who would do us harm. You have to see why our chief couldn't let you just take her." the mare explained sincerely.

Daring wasn't convinced, as she just narrowed her eyes further. I had no idea what had transpired between these two, but there was no time to be arguing like this. If Daring knew this mare, then maybe she could help us. We didn't have anything to lose at this point.

I stepped forward and gave the mare a polite smile. "Sorry to interrupt, but we could actually use your help." I said politely. "My name is Morning Meir, and despite what your village may think it needs, I have faith that you guys will be just fine without Clover." The mare looked down at her hooves, unsure of what to say. "Besides, the world needs her a lot more then any of us right now. If we don't get her out of that crystal, then it won't matter if your village is protected. The world would be doomed anyways." I explained seriously. From the mares eyes, I could tell she knew I was right.

I offered my hoof to her. "So? Will you help us, miss...?"

The mare thought for a moment. Then looked up at Daring, who just nodded, then back at me. Finally she smiled as she grasped my hoof. "Oracle." she said calmly. "My name is Oracle. It's an honor to meet you Miss Meir, I've heard so many stories about you!"

I chuckled to myself "We can go over the validity of those stories later. For now, we need to get to that temple." I explained pointing to the temple entrance.

Oracle nodded and asked us to follow her, and stay as close as we could to avoid suspicion. With Oracle as our guide, we managed to reach the temple and slip inside without anyone seeing us.

The Temple Of Tezcatlipoca, 9:45 am

We entered and I immediately felt a chill up my spine, as seemingly all warmth from the outside was pulled back in an instant. The only room we saw was a tall rotunda with a gigantic stone door that lead deeper into the the temple. On both sides of the door, two massive torches burned in their sconces on the wall. It seemed that the temple itself was sealed off with strong magic, and couldn't be opened by force due to the many chains that bound the stone door to the floor. Nopony was getting in there anytime soon.

At the center of the room, was a large stone circle in the floor and many odd runes were carved into the floors and walls. Light pulsed out from all of them, illuminating the dimly lit rotunda with a faint blue glow. Oracle led us to the large stone circle then turned to me. "This is the only way of reaching the sea caves. It uses very old, but very strong ancient magic that nopony is capable of doing on their own." She held up her necklace. "These crystals are the only way one can use this magic." she explained. Then she suddenly looked downtrodden. "Unfortunately, mine is nowhere near strong enough to activate the circle. Only our chief has the means of activating it." she said sadly.

"Pfft. So what? Morning can just use her magic to activate it!" Daring said confidently.

I, on the other hand, wasn't so confident. "Um, I'm not so sure my magic can actually do that, Daring. I mean this is ancient magic that's probably been lost for thousands of years. We have no idea how it works, or what we would even need to do to use it!"

"I do! I was there remember?" Daring scoffed. "All we have to do is stand on the circle, you use your cutie mark, and we're there. Easy!"

I knew it wouldn't be anywhere near easy. But I suppose we had come this far. I'd feel awfully stupid if we had to turn around now, just cause I didn't try. "All right. I'll see what I can do." I took a minute to calm myself then entered the circle, and closed my eyes, hearing Daring and Oracle's hoofsteps enter the circle with me.

I emptied my mind of all distractions. I focused on the circle we were standing it. Felt the magic pulsing within it, the heartbeat of Clover that gave life to this village. I pictured that magic meeting with mine, swirling and churning around us, sparking the electricity in the air. I felt my cutie mark suddenly go hot, as I could hear the circle activating beneath our hooves.

I opened my eyes at the last second, just as we vanished from the spot.

The circle was still inactive. Not even a spark. And yet we were still being transported.

Because of me. Because my magic made it happen. Not the circle. "Not bad for a first try." I thought, as the very next instant we were gone. The temple walls all washed away and the next thing we knew we were standing in the most brilliant sea caves I'd ever seen.

The Chamber Of Oceana

I could smell salt and hear rushing waves; a light chilly breeze ruffled my mane, as I looked out at a moonlit sea and a star-lit sky. Or at least a very good impression of it. The vast sea caves we found ourselves in were lit up by a massive blue crystal that stood in the center glowing brightly, bathing everything in blue light, and making the already blue sea, that rushed through the caves, even bluer. Small blue lights glowed on the black cave ceiling making up their own version of a night sky.

We were all taken in by the splendor and unspoken serenity of the place, but it did not stop us from noticing that there didn't seem to be any visible path to the small outcrop of rocks that the Clover resided on. The sea was the floor of the cave, with no footholds seen anywhere along the cave walls.

Daring let out a sigh. "I really don't want to have to this again. "She complained. "That water is so cold!"

I blinked. "Then...why don't you just fly?"

Daring look like she had suddenly been struck on the head. "I....wow. The first time I was here, I was just following that crazy shaman's path to the crystal. I hadn't even bothered to try to fly, cause I thought he knew the best way." Daring explained.

She unfurled her wings. "Now that I know he's a total nutjob-" she looked back at Oracle. "No offense, Oracle."

"None taken?" Oracle said, unsure if she should feel offended or not.

"This'll be a lot easier." With that Daring soared from the spot and landed next the huge blue crystal that was Clover. She waved to us from the cluster of rocks she stood upon. I waved back, though now I had to find a way over there myself.

Looking around the area, I searched for any sign of a hidden path to reach Clover. But after looking around the whole area, I saw that there was nothing save for a large pointed rock on the ground. And yet, something about it intrigued me. The placement of it was too precise. Too normal. Too....convenient.

On a whim, I decided to go over to the rock and examine it further. Upon closer inspection I saw that this rock was not a rock.

But a button.

I smiled to myself as I pressed it. At once, the cave began to shake as water began to churn and bubble. Something was rising up from the depths to the surface. A few moments later, a large stone bridge had broken through the surface and cleared the large gap between Clover and us.

Daring facehooofed. "Ah, What? There was a bridge here the whole time!?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

Me and Oracle crossed the bridge and joined Daring who seemed quite miffed about the bridge. But, she knew about it now at least. So that was something.

And now that we were here, I wasted no time in examining the huge blue crystal our friend Clover currently resided. It was a large pillar of blue, ice-like crystal with strange ripples of energy circulating through invisible veins along it's surface. From several books I had read on the subject, I recognized the crystal as Arcanichalcum; a very powerful magical element.

Within it, was the figure of Clover, unseen save for her silhouette, and holding a large odd looking sapphire. It was as if somepony had taken three diamond shaped sapphires and fused them together at the bottom, resulting in a shape like a three pronged, jagged blue diamond. Both it and Clover were frozen in the crystal, untouched by the outside world. As I looked at it more closely, I noticed a faint blue glow, pulsing slowly from within. Like a heartbeat. No....not like a heartbeat.

It was too distant between repetitions. It was more like.....Morse code. Was Clover trying to tell us something? I walked around the crystal and took a closer look. Each time the glow pulsed, it illuminated a specific part of the ground in front of the crystal. But upon looking at the ground, I didn't see anything there. So why was the light pointing to this particular spot?

Daring came over and looked at me looking at the spot and smiled. "Oh, I can see those wheels in your head turning!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Do you know what a phototennagram is?" I asked her, smiling back.

"Uhhh, I mean yeah! Totally! Absolutely." I waited for her to finish. "But why don't you tell us anyway so Oracle can understand." She said with a nervous chuckle.

I looked back at the crystal and began my explanation. "Simply put, it is a light based puzzle that involves a room that contains a light source and a number of mirrors, and requires the player to position the mirrors in a way so that the light will bounce off them in succession and hit a target." I said gesturing to the light on the ground, and to the smooth reflective surface of the water.

"Right, course!" Daring exclaimed. But then she looked around the room for a brief second. "But, Iv'e solved hundreds of puzzles like that before." Daring looked back at the crystal then to me. "How can you tell it's a puzzle? There aren't any mirrors." She asked, scratching her head.

Then it hit her. And she smiled. "Ohhh. I get it now."

"Umm....I don't?" Oracle said, just looking confused.

I went over to her and politely asked to borrow her necklace. She obliged, and I held it up to the light coming off the crystal. At once the whole thing lit up in my hoof and shined a narrow beam of light onto the water around us, causing the whole thing to glow so brightly we had to cover our eyes from it's intensity.

When we looked again, I saw that the light had bounced back from the water and now headed straight up to the set of crystalline stalactites that protruded from the ceiling. Bouncing around wildly for a moment, the light finally split off into several different beams that shined down onto the floor in front of us. With each pulse from the crystal, letters began to appear in the light. But they were scrambled up.

"Who I tert lal ebgnae? What the heck does that mean? That can't be right." Daring elaborated. "Try turning the crystal around, maybe."

I turned the crystal in my hoof, and suddenly the letters changed positions. The message was now clear for all to see:

To Where It All Began.

"To where it all began....." I repeated to myself, trying ascertain the meaning of Clover's secret message. What did she mean by where it all began? Was she talking about this whole case? No. Not even Clover The Clever was that clever....I think. No, this was referring to this insanity with Tezcatlipoca. If that was the case, she had to be talking about....

My eyes widened as it hit me. "The temple." I said out loud.

"The temple? Why there?" Daring asked.

"Because that's where this all started." I said softly. "Thousands of years ago, when Tezcatlipoca was first unleashed and now here, when Simon went in there with his father. Heard Tezcatlipoca speak to him. Drove him to all of this."

Oracle nodded. "It's true, that Tezcatlipoca did indeed have his origins in that temple. It's been sealed off for so many generations, ever since he was defeated by our ancestors. But, I don't understand. Why would Clover be asking you to go into that horrible place?" she asked, clearly concerned.

But I understood it perfectly. "Because,' I said simply. "That temple is where she hid the secret to releasing her."

The Temple Of Tezcatlipoca, Outer Chamber, 10:24 am

We stood there for a moment, gazing up at that massive stone door that been sealed up for thousands of years by chains, that surprisingly looked completely untarnished. Looking closer, I saw ancient runes carved into the sterling metal chains. Magic. Very strong binding magic, as well.

"So,' Daring said not looking away from the door, "Whose going in?"

I narrowed my eyes at the door. Even from here, I knew what awaited inside. "I am." I said simply.

"Whoa, Morning. I was just joking, obviously we're all going in together." Daring said looking over at me.

"No. It has to be me." I said, turning to her. "You guys have to stay back at the caves and guard Clover. Make sure nopony else gets to her. Understand?"

"I'm not letting you go headfirst into an evil temple without help! I'm coming with you." Daring demanded.

"It's fine, Daring." I assured her. "I've been in places like this before, and come out unscathed. I doubt Tezcatlipoca has anything on The Dark Ones." I said with a smile. "I can do this."

Daring looked at me for a moment, unsure of what to think. Finally she sighed and smiled confidently at me. "Ah, what I am worried about. You're the smartest pony in the world! If anypony can get through this place, no problem, it's you."

I nodded, ignoring the redness in my cheeks. "I'll be fine. Promise."

"Pfft. Course you will!" Daring gave me a hug and breaking the embrace said "If you get into trouble in there though, you do as much damage as you have to to get out. Knock down some walls or something."

"Will do." I assured her.

After another hug from Oracle, both her and Daring stepped aside as I closed my eyes and focused my magic on the door, picturing the ancient chains bound into the floor. Pictured it snaking up each chain, going to work on the runes. I felt my cutie mark grow hot as I focused harder.

I felt the ground beneath me rumble, heard Daring and Oracle take a step back in caution, along with the subtle sound of bending of metal. Then a loud snap, as the runes on the chains grew to be hot as fire, melting clean through the metal and causing them to snap apart. Then another, and another, till finally the entire room shook as the great stone door lifted up, letting out a rush of cold air as the torches were blown out and the room plunged into darkness, save for the sunlight coming in from the outside.

Peeking in, I saw a huge set of steps leading down into total darkness.

I looked back at Daring and Oracle and smiled. They smiled back and waved.

Taking another moment to calm myself, I took a breath and let it out as I walked forward through the huge stone doorway.

I looked back once more, but the great stone door slammed down behind me, leaving me alone in the darkness.

Chapter 17: "A Strange Trip."

I stood there in the darkness, not daring to move a muscle. Then, the darkness blew away as rows of torches ignited along the steps, leading all the way down to a large doorway that led deeper into the temple. But before I could take even a single step, the stairs folded back into the wall, leaving only a 30 story drop into darkness.

Not even a minute in, and this place was already trying to kill me. Great.

But I wasn't so eager to jump into danger yet. I decided to examine my surroundings and try to find a way to bring the stairs back.

On the large stone door, was a pattern picked out in blue. I recognized it from a book I read about Mayan Magic subculture. It was a large binding seal used to keep anyone from entering a particular place. Or in this case, from leaving.

Turning away from the door, I examined the walls, which had an intricate pattern in blue and gold. It appeared to be a scene of Tezcatlipoca and the Mayan god, Quetzalcoatl, fighting in the clouds over a Mayan city. Thunder and lighting was displayed in jagged gold patterns along the skyline.

Next to this was a large image of a Mayan pony on the wall in ceremonial garb and crown. More usefully, there were also a couple of levers. They appeared to be made of stone (Big surprise, Meir.)

I tried to pull one down, but nearly dislocated my shoulder doing so. They were fake. Of course they would put fake levers in a temple built for a Mayan death god. This whole place was probably built to mess with me, to turn me around and make me confused. Scared. But I wasn't giving up that easily.

Ignoring the fake levers I looked around for anything else that may have been of use. It was then that I stepped on a loose stone in the floor which sank under my weight. The wall next to me then opened up, revealing an enormous device that now dominated the room. Decorated with the usual Mayan motifs, it held two great stone disks, each covered in glyphs.

"Huh. Alright, progress." I said to myself. Giving the device a look, it seemed to be an ancient Mayan pictogram of some kind. The rim of each wheel was outfitted in tiles that had strange Mayan symbols on them. I knew from study, that each symbol had a different name, and a different meaning when paired with another symbol.

"Hmmm....each one of these symbols stands for a particular aspect. But..." Looking at them, I saw that they all stood for a religious belief that the Mayans practiced. For example the symbol Chan meant Sky, which the Mayan's believed was the domain of the Gods.

"Okay, so all I have to do is turn the wheel till each symbol matches?" I didn't think that was it, but decided to give it a try anyway. I grabbed the side of the wheel and gritted my teeth as I pulled down hard. The massive disk moved easily with me, till the symbol lined up with the other one to form the word for Sky.

A terrible screech made me duck down and cover my ears, as I saw the first part of the floor fall away into the darkness. As soon as that piece had fallen into nothingness, the screech subsided and all was quiet.

I stood up cautiously and looked back at the wheel. "Okay. So, that wasn't it." I said, catching my breath. I heard this temple loud and clear. Make too many mistakes? Down you go, little pony...

Alright. That was the game, then I had to play it. I turned back to the wheel and examined every symbol carefully. Each symbol pertained to a different religion in Mayan culture. But wait....this temple was built for Tezcatlipoca. Which symbol pertained to him?

My eyes widened as it hit me. I turned the big wheel once more till I stopped it on the symbol for Moku which meant Death. Tezcatlipoca was a death god. So that had to mean...

The temple gave me its answer when the first group of stairs leading down, reappeared from the wall, stopping only halfway. "Of course!" I exclaimed. "This is the temple of Tezcatlipoca, so obviously those that entered had to be knowledgeable of him to even enter! This was probably set up to allow priests of his in, while killing off anyone else that dared enter. Smart!" (For a cult of psychotic death worshiping maniacs, anyway.)

I still needed at least three more right answers to be able to get the next part of the temple. But I knew what I needed to do now.

I looked over the wheel for any more symbols that referred to aspects of Tezcatlipoca. I spotted Fel which meant Collapse and Ku
which meant Eclipse.

I grabbed the wheel and moved it to the symbol for Collapse, but then I thought to myself, before I stopped it. These symbols had to be placed in a certain order, otherwise you just needed to know about Tezcatlipoca to pass through.

From what we saw though, everypony in the Emerald Keyes knew about Tezcatlipoca. So there had to be more to it than that.

What if each symbol had to be placed in the order of the prophecy. If that was the case then the next symbol wouldn't be Collapse but...I looked at the other symbols and saw the one that meant Chul'lak or Prophet, which would refer to Simon and his position as leader of Tezcatlipoca's cult. But, thinking of how far gone Simon really was, I instead moved it to a symbol more appropriate for Simon: Winik or Fool.

The next set of stairs appeared from the wall. Two down one to go.

The last one had to be Collapse, as was the prophecized end of the world that Tezcatlipoca would bring about. Or wait...was it Eclipse, instead? After all, he was supposed to make his return during a lunar eclipse. Which one was the right one? The Eclipse was before The Collapse, but there was only one answer left. I had to choose one or the other.

Or did I?

It was a long shot, but I think I figured it out. I moved the wheel till it landed on the symbol for Collapse.

The next set of stairs appeared, and I only needed one more right answer. But this time I didn't touch the wheel. I just stood there and waited.

And waited.

After several minutes, the last set of stairs appeared and the way to the next part of the temple was complete.

"Because after The Collapse" I said softly, "There is nothing afterwards." But I wasn't going to let that happen. I was going to stop Simon. And with my friends I wouldn't need to do it alone. I was going to get through this place, and I was going to get Clover out of that crystal prison. I didn't care what stood in my way.

I took a minute to ready myself for the worst before I descended down the stairs and walked through the doorway to the next part of the temple. I wasn't sure what I was expecting. A torture chamber? A long narrow hall filled with swinging blades? A straight up drop into a pit full of snakes and spikes?

But what I wasn't expecting was my hooves to suddenly sink into soft green grass. Or for a light warm breeze to rustle my mane. Or to walk through a stone doorway and suddenly be standing in a wide open plain, filled with flowers and beautiful trees, with ripe fruit dangling from every branch. I didn't expect to see butterflies fluttering around me, every where I looked.

But most of all, I didn't expect to see Simon, standing there beneath a tree, looking straight at me with calm eyes and a smile.

He wasn't in his wheelchair.

A Strange Place, Unknown Time

I wasn't surprised. I wasn't scared. Why? Because I knew this was just the temple trying to get to me. Trying to give me visions just like it had for Simon. To get me to snap. But I wasn't going to let it.

I didn't even look at "Simon" as I walked past him to the other door that stood by itself on the hill. But as I approached, the door suddenly moved back away from me, the hill I was on stretching back to prevent me from reaching it. I tested it by taking a single step and the door now seemed to be a mile away.

"I think you're smart enough to know it won't be that easy." said Simon who was now right behind me. "We need to talk about some things."

So that's how it was then. Fine. I turned around, giving him a look of disinterest. I had no desire to even look at this thing wearing Simon's face. But I clearly didn't have any other choice. Let Tezcatlipoca play his little game, I thought. It wouldn't stop me from getting what I came for.

"Fine." I said simply. "Let's chat then."

Questioning (Not Simon Cobalt, No other information given)

I watched as a butterfly landed on Simon's hoof. He smiled as he gazed longingly at it, before letting it fly away. He then turned to me and chuckled, seeing as I was keeping a considerable distance from him.

"Are you scared?" He asked.

I looked at him. "Should I be? You aren't real. None of this is."

"I'm as real as you need me to be, Morning."

"If that were true, you wouldn't be here at all."

He laughed, the sound of it echoing off the trees. When he was finished, she just smiled and shook his head. "Why are you here, Morning?" he asked seriously.

"To get the spell to free Clover."

"And then what? Do you really think you can stop what's coming? Iv'e already seen it."

I shook my head. "You've been used as a tool. A puppet. You're the fool in the prophecy, not the prophet. And I'm going to stop you."

"So you say." Simon said dismissively, looking off to the distant trees. For a moment he said nothing, and I was beginning to grow frustrated with having to talk to this apparition. Then when I was about to voice my displeasure, he looked at me, eyes like two daggers. "Have you ever stopped to consider I'm doing the right thing here, Morning?"

I laughed before coming down on him. "You're trying to destroy the world, Simon! Please explain to me how that could ever be the right thing!" I snapped.

"I'm not destroying the world, I am saving it!!" He snapped back, eyes flaring behind his glasses. At his words, the grass around us turned brown and the leaves of the trees all died and fell like black snow.

Simon, now visibly angered, began pacing around as he spoke. "You say I'm a monster. A terrorist. A mad man, a psychopath. But you live in the same world I do, and it is dying. How many more Tireks or Changeling invasions or Discords does there have to be before you realize that our world will always be in danger? There is no saving the day, there is no stopping the bad guy. Why save the day, when the next day is already lost?"

With every word, the once lush garden around us, became more and more twisted and dark. "That is why we have to wipe the slate clean. Get a fresh start again." he looked over at me, eyes suddenly calm and almost melancholy. "The sun must set, for a new day to come." he said softly. "That's how it has to be."

But I shook my head. "No. It isn't." I replied, moving closer to Simon and looking into his eyes, as I narrowed mine. "I once had almost the exact same conversation with a mare who had been lost to her greed and lust for power. I couldn't save her, and she paid the price for it." My eyes softened as I smiled at him. "But there may still be hope for you, Simon. You and my dad used to be the best of friends." I said happily. "And you were my friend too, once."

Simon just looked at me as his eyes softened as well. I reached out my hoof. "You can still be that pony again. You still have a chance to stop all of this. I know there is still a good stallion in there somewhere, Simon! You just have to find him." I pleaded, hoping I had managed to reach him.

Simon took my hoof, and for a moment it looked like he would take it. But then he let go, as he pushed it away he simply said "I've come too far now, Morning. This is all I know now." He turned away and spoke to me without looking back. "The Collapse will come. Lord Tezcatlipoca will be released from his bonds. And if you get in my way....I'll have to stop you." he said sternly.

Tears formed at the corners of my eyes before I quickly wiped them away. "Then I'll have to stop you too."

He didn't turn back around. "You can go now." The doorway appeared behind me, as the garden around us was now dark and devoid of life save for me and Simon. "In the next room, you'll face one more trial. Clover hid her spell in the mouth of the great jaguar statue at the far end of the room. But you will not survive long enough to make it there."

I shook away my tears yet again as I said simply "We'll see." Before exiting through the doorway. My hooves hit stone as I saw I was back in the temple. There was no longer a doorway back to the garden behind me, but a solid wall. Simon, or whoever it really was, was now gone.

The Temple Of Tezcatlipoca, Inner Chamber, 11:20 am

I now found myself in a large hall that lead to a massive doorway, that seemed to be the final room in the temple. It was a vast arena type place, empty save for the massive jaguar statue that glared menacingly at me from the other side of the room. I knew that it wouldn't be as easy as strolling across the room, grabbing the spell and leaving this place.

And as I looked down at the floor, I saw my assumption to be correct. It was a grid of panels, and each was marked with a symbol from the Mayan pantheon. Kukulcan, Topilitzin, Acatl, Xolotl, Kuniche and- I flinched as I instantly recognized the cruel, scowling, ugly mug of Tezcatlipoca, inscribed on only a few tiles (I still hated the look of that...thing.)

Looking out at the scope of the room, I saw that the entire floor was made up of these tiles, each one a different Mayan god, with good ol' Tez only appearing on a few of them, that I could see made up a path up to the base of the Jaguar statue.

"Huh. Alright then. I get it" And I did. Step only on the Tez tiles or, well death, probably. Actually, given the environment, death was almost certainly guaranteed.

Scanning the room I saw that there was only a total of 15 Tez tiles, some lined up next to each other, a few were separated by groups of other tiles, but they all made up a makeshift path up to the Jaguar statue. In order to make it across, I had to only step on the Tez tiles.

But just as a test, I picked up a rock from the ground and tossed it onto the floor, hearing it clatter as it landed on a tile depicting Xolotl, the Mayan god of wind currents.

I jumped back as a massive flume of fire erupted from that spot and scorched the ceiling, only to vanish another moment later. Looking back at the spot, I saw that the tile was gone and a smoking hole now stood in it's place.

Honestly, I had been expecting much worse. Of course there could also be a different trap fro each tile. But I had no time to think about that now. Clover's spell was in reach and I only had to land on the Tezcatlipoca tiles to make it there.

I calmed my nerves and saw that luckily the first tile wasn't too far from me. If I timed my jump I could land on it easily as long as I made sure to jump with all hooves off the ground. One misstep would mean at least one of my hooves would land off center on another tile. I took a step back, ran forward and jumped landing perfectly center on the first Tez tile.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I made sure I had all hooves on the tile. One down. Fourteen left, I thought happily.

But as soon as I was about to make another jump for the next tile, I gasped as the tile I was standing on sank into the floor and the entire room began to shake. I looked on as I saw a number of Tez tiles fall away, revealing the floor sat over a seemingly bottomless pit into darkness. Now there were only ten of them left on the floor.

"What?!" I exclaimed "How is that fair? You get one right and the temple decides to take away four of the only tiles safe to walk on? Who built this place!?" I demanded out loud. A moment later it occurred to me exactly who had built this place. "Doom prophesying psychopaths...right." I then decided on two things.

One: I hated this place, the lunatics who built it and I just wanted to get Clover's spell and leave.

And two: Screw this.

Abandoning all planning and throwing caution out the window, I began galloping as fast as my hooves could go across the booby trapped floor, ignoring the tiles and just deciding I was done playing games with this horrible place. The entire floor behind me erupted in flames as the whole temple began to crumble around me. I ran for the statue, but the floor ahead of me suddenly collapsed revealing a pool of lava. The room was suddenly sweltering with blazing heat as the red glow of the lava filled the room, turning the room a light crimson.

“Of course there's lava! Anything else you want to throw at me!?” I yelled, annoyed and shocked at just how dangerous this place really was. I retreated to the other side, as lava slowly filled the room. Great pillars from either side toppled over and crashed down into the rising lake of lava. There was no way out.

Bu then I spotted it. Up in the Jaguar's mouth was a large scroll of parchment sealed with a green ribbon. It sat there in the great maw of the stone beast, and in the back I saw the mouth was a tunnel leading down. Where did it go? I didn't care. I only knew that I would end up as barbecued pony if I stayed here any longer.

My heart was beating out of my chest as the floor beneath me began to buckle and crack apart. Thinking quickly I jumped onto one of the overturned pillars, then onto another. The heat in the room was unbelievable.I could practically feel the stone beneath me melt away from the lava. The pillar swayed in the sea of fire ans as it leaned towards the Jaguar's mouth, I leapt towards the opening, catching the edge of the beast's maw with outstretched hooves, and barely pulled myself through the opening. Hot air from the lava suddenly blasted me down the tunnel, but not before I snatched the spell at the last second. I clutched the scroll tightly as I sped down through the darkness, as I felt the entire temple rumble and shake violently around me. I closed my eyes as a blinding light met me at the end of the tunnel and exiting the tunnel I fell several stories before landing in a deep pool of water.

I scrambled up onto the familiar marble rock of the sea caves, where Daring and Oracle came over to see me as I laid there on my stomach, desperately taking in lungfuls of the salty air to replace the salt water in my lungs. Daring looked down at me with wide excited eyes. "That was amazing, Morning! We felt that explosion clear from down here! I couldn't have done it better myself!....okay, I probably could've, still, great job!" she congratulated me with a smile.

I opened my eyes to see Oracle was beside her, looking at me with concern. "I'm alright, Oracle. Trust me, I would know if I wasn't."
I checked to make sure I was uninjured. I was battered, but still alive. I still had the scroll clutched in my hoof as I said, quite seriously, "But I'm not doing it again."

After taking a moment to catch my breath and rest a bit, I unfurled the scroll, with Daring and Oracle both at my side, curious to finally see what it contained. On the parchment was an extremely complicated looking spell, made up of a vastly interconnected mandala of many nodes and sequences that were named after parts of the equine brain, and seemed to be associated with the concept of using magic to enter another pony's mind.

It sounded impossible, but I had learned a while back that impossible has no merit when it comes to the unknown. I knew what I had to do. "I have to go into Clover's mind and wake her up from there." I said simply.

"Whoa. That's new, even for me." Daring said, amazed.

"That sound's incredibly dangerous." Oracle said, visibly worried by the prospect. Indeed it was. But I had no other option, and I hadn't jumped over a boiling lake of lava just to worry about what could happen.

"You're right Oracle. But we don't have any other options left." I explained. "We need Clover. The world needs her, and the rest of us. I have to do this."

Oracle still looked scared but nevertheless nodded in agreement. With that, I walked over to the large blue crystal that Clover resided in, and unfurled the scroll. The instructions were simple: Use the mandala as a conduit and channel my own magic into one node which will then connect to Clover's own, via the link spell she inscribed herself in the mandala. Simple. Or at least as simple as ancient unbelievably powerful magic like this could be.

I sat down on the marble rock, laid the scroll out in front of me and closed my eyes. I pictured Clover in the crystal and our magic linking together via the mandala. I felt the warmth at my side as my cutie mark began to glow. Concentrating hard, the magic began to circulate through my body, and surged forth into the mandala.

It was then that I felt another stream of magic, emanating deep from within the crystal in front of me. Felt it's power surging all around us, electricity coursing through the air and through our veins. My mind cleared as it all happened at once.

The link was made, I felt myself fall away, felt the world turn to water around me, and I fell through down into a spiraling pool of light.

When I opened my eyes again, everything was different.

The world was gone and I couldn't begin to imagine how I got here.

And yet...I knew exactly where I was.

Chapter 18: "Welcome back, Ms. Cordelia."

I was in a classroom. More specifically a lecture hall.

I looked down and saw that I was no longer wearing my white blouse and blue bow tie, but a rather bland looking plaid student uniform that probably belonged to the academy I was now in.

I looked up to the podium as a unicorn in a blue suit walked up to it and stood facing the crowd. He gulped. The auditorium was packed to capacity, a thousand young unicorns eagerly waiting to hear what this lecture entailed. Why was he so nervous?, I thought.

"Good day, everypony," The unicorn nervously spoke into the magical microphone, "and welcome to this year's guest lecture by the renowned Professor Starswirl the Bearded. The Professor requires no introduction, and I am honored to be the one to welcome him back to Cambridle.

My brain did back flips in my head as that name struck me like a rock over the head. "Starswirl The bearded??" I wondered out loud.

I was then shushed by a student sitting a few seats from me. "Oh. Sorry!" I apologized before leaning in to hear more.

The subject of today's lecture will be the Amniomorphic Spell." The unicorn then glanced at Star Swirl himself, who waited by the faculty entrance in the bottom right corner of the room, and I saw as he pleaded with his eyes, please don't deviate from the plan we approved earlier. Star Swirl gave the briefest, slightest nod.

I had no idea what was going on here, but I knew where I was. This was the legendary infamous lecture that Clover The Clever herself attended back in her school days, and the first time her genius was truly witnessed before a crowd, when she deciphered Starswirl's madness inducing lecture.

And just in front of me, two rows down, I saw her. She sat there in her seat, writing ferociously, the sound of her quill on parchment being the only other sound in the room besides the low, gut churning babble that Starswirl The Bearded was now speaking in at the front of the class.

There where always stories of the insanity of this lecture, but being here now, and actually hearing a Class ninety six Speech Inversion Spell with my own ears seemed too good to be true. To my ears it sounded like a jumbled language of sounds and consonants that I was sure didn't exist on this plane of reality. But it was nothing compared to the voice of the dark ones screeching inside your skull, so it did nothing to my senses or functionality. The same couldn't be said for these poor students unfortunately.

Everypony else was so busy either crying, rocking back in forth in their seats, or muttering to themselves face down on their desks, that I was able to get out of my seat and walk down to the second row. I then sat next to Clover who in contrast was so focused she didn't even notice me till I said hello.

"Hello." I greeted her warmly.

She stopped for a breadth of a second, eyes moved to acknowledge me. "Hi." she said, before continuing to write furiously in her notes. She had gone through three pages worth of parchment already, and was getting close to needing a fourth.

I tried again, this time focusing on the lecture. "Interesting to hear a Class ninety-six Speech inversion spell at work isn't it?"

"Class ninety-nine." Clover said without a thought.

"Huh?"

"It's Class ninety-nine. You can tell by the usage of the Arthurian Jammer between each vowel."

I thought for a moment. "Well...no, actually' I pointed up to the chalkboard which Starswirl was now scrambling over with chalk, writing down all manner of ridiculously complex equations, "If you take at look at the fifth parable, you'll see he's using the Molluskain Babble Principle, which was not actually introduced to Magical Harmonics till the ninety-sixth variation of the Speech inversion catalyst."

I looked over to her. "Sooo...it would be the ninety-sixth. Right?"

She didn't answer, but suddenly looked completely shocked. The quill fell from her hooves as she fell back in her chair and let out a frustrated groan. "Ugh! Of course it was the Molluskain Babble Principle! How did I miss that?!"

She turned to look at me, her eyes wide with curiosity. "More importantly, how did you not miss that?" she asked.

"Oh, well after I learned magic, I started studying everything I could. The Babble Principle was one of the first things I learned in depth."

"Huh. Who are you anyways?"

"My name is Morning Meir. It's an honor to meet you!" I said cheerfully, extending my hoof out to her.

Clover smiled and shook it. "Clover Cordelia, and it's an honor to meet you....I guess?" she said awkwardly.

I was too oblivious by the fact I just shook Clover The Clever's hoof, to acknowledge the uncomfortable tone in her voice. "Forgive me, Miss Cordelia, but-

"Whoa. Clover is just fine, kay? I'm not a teacher or anything."

"That's fine, but we need to go. Now."

"Go? What for?"

"Because none of this is real. You're actually-

"Trapped inside a construct of my own mind? Yeah, I know." She said nonchalantly.

It was my turn to be puzzled. "Wait. You know?"

Clover leaned back in her chair. "Of course I know! I put myself in here after all." As she spoke the scene froze around us, time seemingly stopped at her whim. "I've been reliving every single lecture I ever had for the past thousand years. Figured with all this free time, I should make use of it to study."

My eyes widened with amazement. "You've been reliving every single lecture you've ever had? That sounds....exhausting."

"Nah. I never run out of paper to write in, and I don't need to eat or sleep either. Though I can of course." She then turned to look at me again, as she fiddled with the branch of parsley in her mane. "So, what is it that's so important that I have to go? I haven't needed to for thousands of years, so why now?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Its.....a long story."

"I literally have nothing but time. Go on, let's hear it." She said resting her head on her hooves and turning completely in her seat to focus on me, ready to hear the whole story.

So I told her. Everything.

"...and then I used the spell to come in here, and here was now, and then I don't know what happened because it hasn't happened yet."

Clover looked at me with huge eyes, her pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks. "Wow. That really was a long story, and that's saying something in here." she commented rubbing her eyes.

Then she sighed. "So ol' Tezzy's really coming back? Fantastic. I thought we were rid of him the first time." She said, sounding both annoyed and angry. "I see why you risked your life to come in here then."

"Yes. If we don't do something, the whole world is going to be destroyed!"

"Pfft. Save for this Simon and his doomsday cult." she scoffed and shook her head. "That is so cliche."

"So? Will you come back with me?"

Clover thought for a moment, thoughtfully fiddling with the branch of parsley in her mane as she thought. Finally, she smiled. "Yeah, sure. I'm pretty sure I've done enough studying for one or several hundred lifetimes anyways." she joked.

She got out of her seat and gestured for me to follow her, as we went up the stairs to the door marked exit. "C'mon then, Morning. We have a world to save!"

As soon as the door opened, we were gone. And when I opened my eyes, the world was back, and Daring and Oracle were by my side.

But they weren't looking at me.

The Chamber Of Oceana

The entire cave shook, as huge chunks of marble fell from the ceiling, plunging down into the churning sea. The blue light from the crystal had gone from a pulse, to a now rapid strobe light, that circulated all throughout the area.

Then there was a crack that formed in the crystal, a narrow beam of light shined out from it.

Then another. And another. There were now hundreds of beams of light all bursting forth from the now crumbling crystal.

There was a blinding light, a massive explosion that threw us all back, and the sound of the whole cave coming down on us.

"What happened? Are we dead? Am I dead?" I wondered as I laid there, a terrible pain in my side from where I hit the wall.

I moved around on the floor. "No, not dead. Good."

I then decided to try opening my eyes. I was surprised to see the afternoon sky, looking back at me from above. "Huh. That's interesting." I said mindlessly.

I sat up and saw that the entire cave had collapsed around us, revealing the wide open sky and wide ever expanding ocean. And over where the crystal once stood, Clover The Clever, with her mint green mane, burlap cloak and parsley branch behind her ear, now stood, rubbing her head. "Ohhh..." she moaned. In her hoof she clutched a large blue sapphire.

"Ugh. Are we dead?" I heard Daring call out.

"No." I called back.

"That's good." She called back.

I looked around for Oracle, only to see she too was alright, as she got up off the ground. "What happened?"

Clover then decided to chime in. "I happened. Sorry about that. I never really calculated just how big of a boom a thousand years worth of stored up magical potential energy would cause." She apologized. She then looked down at her hooves and seemed surprised to see the large sapphire glowing in her grasp. "Huh. I had forgotten about you..."

It was then that we heard the shouting and the fierce beating of drums, along with the sound of several hundred hooves thundering across the grassy plains of the village.

Daring flew up and looked over to the fields. "Um, guys. We have company! A lot of it!"

Oracle suddenly looked panicked. "The blast must have alerted the entire village! Quickly, you must leave before they catch you!"

"We're not going to leave you here!" I protested.

"I'll be alright. I can stall them long enough for you to get away." She sounded like she knew she wasn't going to see us again.

But then Clover stepped forward and smiled. "How bout we just stick around then? See how this goes."

"Are you insane?" Daring argued. "We'll be captured for sure!"

"Just trust me alright? We'll be fine. Promise." Clover said softly. "I'm the reason these guys are after you right? If they are anything like their ancestors, then they'll listen to me."

Although Daring still seemed to be against it, we didn't have time to argue about it as we were now surrounded on all sides, spears aimed inwards by very angry looking tribal ponies. The angriest of them was the village chief who then stepped forward.

His eyes instantly moved to Daring, who then tried to avoid his gaze. "I told you to leave well enough alone. To let us defeat Tezcatlipoca on our own terms, and leave our village in peace." he said, his voice getting angrier as he spoke. "Twice, now you have proved you are not willing to go in peace. So now we must-

"Do what?" Daring interrupted, rounding on the chief as she narrowed her eyes. "Huh? What, you're going to kill us because we're trying to save the world and you'd rather sit back and wait for it to burn a little first? Go ahead and try, and still won't stop us from doing what's right!"

The villagers became restless as shouting broke out amongst them. Many of them were confused and demanded to know what was going on. Others were angry that Daring was accusing their chief of something so terrible.

But they all went silent when Clover stepped forward. For a minute nopony spoke, but the chief broke that silence soon after. "When we heard the blast, I felt the surge of power that was let out by your reawakening." he said seriously. "I am not surprised to find you standing here, Great Clover."

"Then I suppose we won't have any problems with letting us leave. Right?" Clover asked, her voice becoming very toned, as if she was more demanding then asking. She knew how to hide the true motive behind her words, like I did. Impressive!

The chief didn't pick up on it, but I could tell from the sudden worry in his eyes that he knew what she was really saying. "You were...supposed to awaken when the traveler returned. Then you could-

"Protect your village, while the rest of the world burned?" Clover accused, suddenly narrowing her eyes. "You failed to mention that one to your people didn't you?"

The villagers around all gasped in shock, a few turning their heads to a now very worried looking chief. But worry quickly turned to composure as he explained himself. "Our village has been protected by your magic, since my ancestors first aided you in stopping-

"Aided us?!"Clover exclaimed, suddenly outraged. "Me and Starswirl did everything to protect this whole island from being incinerated by hellfire with Tezzy stomping around, while your ancestors ran back to your village and prayed that Quetzalcoatl would save you. Aided us? You guys did NOTHING to help us, so don't even try to tell me that you did."

This only caused more unrest amongst the villagers. The chief primarily looked the most outraged, narrowing his eyes at Clover, I could practically see the sparks fuming from their eyes as they stared each other down. "You dare speak to me that way? After all the Olyoya have done to protect you for the last thousand years!?" He yelled.

This was ridiculous. That announcement at Sapphire Sands said they would begin evacuating to bunkers in three hours. Which meant we were running out of time.

Reaffirming my resolve, I gently pushed past Clover and locked eyes with the chief. "Look, I understand that there is some tension here between you two,' I explained, "But we don't have time for this! That lunar eclipse is nearly here, and Simon is still planning to release Tezcatlipoca. To do that, he will come to this village, and he won't care who he has to kill to get what he wants. Clover and the Heart are safer with us. Or do you want your village terrorized by a madman and his cult, of which are far better armed and trained then any of you?" I asked, looking around at all the faces that now wore concern and worry. "Is that what you all want?"

The villagers grew silent, as many now looked scared and worried, my words apparently getting them to see what was really at stake. The chief said nothing though, as he only looked angrier. He got up in my face, and just when he was about to say something, somepony else said something first.

It was Oracle. "None of this is what we want." She said, making everyone turn to look at her, as she walked up to me. "Our village has been cut off from the rest of the world, because our ancestors only believed in protecting themselves. We hid in the mountains for centuries, Clover's magic giving life to the land. We never had to worry about food, water or our survival." she stated. But then she shook her head as she looked down at her hooves. "But what good is all that if we are too afraid to help the ponies who share the island with us? If we are willing to let the world burn, so we can keep living in paradise? It's time for things to change." She put her hoof on my shoulder and smiled warmly. "And they start with you taking Clover and the Heart. Together, you can use it to stop Simon."

"But how?" Daring asked suddenly. "We've known that we've needed this thing to stop Simon, and that he needs it to release Tezcatlipoca. But how do we use it? It's not like there's an instruction manual." she joked.

Oracle chuckled at Daring's quip. "There is no instruction manual, no.

But there are a set of keys."

Chapter 19: "The Keys To Success."

I kept thinking about Oracle's hint the entire way back to the hotel in Cannon Bay, and even as I awoke from my much-needed nap on the couch. I got up and headed for the hotel lobby, my brain racked with thoughts on the current matter.

I was curious as to what Oracle had meant. But, there are a set of keys.

A set of keys...wait.

Of course! The Sacred Stone! That must be the key Oracle was referring to. That explained why those initiates we fought at the ship yard were so persistent to get it back, and why Simon wanted it in the first place. If they were the only thing that could stop his plan, then obviously he would want to get his hooves on it.

But wait, she had said keys. Did this mean there was more then one of these stones? And if so where could we find them? I decided to head down to see Dr. Seastone. She had been researching non-stop since we had rescued her from that warehouse, and I was eager to see what she found out from the files Clotter had lent us as well.

In the hotel lounge, she sat in a well-crafted lounge chair, pondering over a folder of papers and scratching her head thoughtfully.
We had all been immensely relieved to finally get back to the city, and out of the sweltering hot jungle, back to the magical land of air conditioning, purified water and above all a place to sit and think. Oracle's words had led to the Oloya letting us leave, apparently finally understanding what was at stake, and that they needed to let us go, to save not just them but the whole world. The chief still seemed tense as we departed the village, but I payed no mind to it at the time.

Dr. Seastone looked up and smiled at me. "Feeling better, after your nap?" she asked.

"Immensely." I replied. "I came to see if you found anything out about the stone. I think it may have greater significance then we thought."

Dr. Seastone got up from chair and stretched. "Then you're in luck! Follow me."

She led me to the hotel dining room, where Daring, Clover as well as two familiar faces also greeted me.

"Ralah!" I exclaimed. Ralah's response was to tackle me near to the ground in a hug, while Salah sat at their table and chuckled to himself.

"Good to see you again, Morning." he commented while Ralah let me out of her arms.

"Good to see you two again, as well." I turned to Ralah. "What happened to you after you left with Mara? Did she find out who you really were?" I asked her.

"Pfft! What kind of masters of disguise would we be, if either of us ever got caught?" she laughed. "No, we actually hit it off pretty well. She invited me to her birthday party next week, and we made plans to go shopping on Thursday, so yeah. We're basically besties now." she explained.

"Huh. Alright then."

"Oh! Don't worry Morning, you're still my best bestie though!" she exclaimed wrapping me in her arms yet again. This time her brother broke up the moment.

"We can get all touchy-feely later Ralah." He said sternly. "We have to get down to business, we're running out of time to stop this lunatic."

He had a point, naturally. Though this didn't stop Ralah from slinking back to the table and pouting with her head chin down on the table. Salah shook his head, before turning his attention back to me. "Ever since we last saw you in Emerald Town, I've been digging non-stop into any source of info we had, seeing if there was some connection between Simon and the Setting Sun. And now, we have an answer-

"That he's not only connected. He's the leader. He calls himself, Al-syd, The Master." I finished for him.

Salah looked surprised for the briefest of moments, before leaning back in his chair to take a sip of his cider cocktail. "Makes sense." he said simply. "I'm sorry." he added, knowing how I must feel about the whole thing.

"It's alright. All that matters is we stop him." I said, trying not to think about it.

Dr. Seastone then chimed in brandishing a printout of a newspaper article. "And luckily, we have found out how to do just that!" she handed me the article, and asked that I read it aloud.

"Emerald Keyes History Museum to host this year's Island History Presentation, featuring the Sacred Stones Of Oloya, on display for all comers to see." I read. "All Historical Buffs and eager tourists welcome. Refreshments provided by Feather Moon Catering." I added, reading the final paragraph of the article. So there were two more stones. Of course, a set of keys. In order to stop Simon, we had to get our hooves on these last two stones. Somehow.

Finished reading, I looked over to Daring and Dr. Seastone, who had both broken out into huge grins.

"There you have it." Dr. Seastone said proudly. "The last keys we need to stop Simon, are right there on display in the museum, ripe for the picking!"

"Plus, you heard what the article said: History buffs welcome." Daring explained. "And I'm practically the definition of a history buff." She added confidently.

But I had to say something here. "Even if they are there in the museum, we can't just ask them if we can borrow their two most prized exhibits to stop the so-called benefactor of the entire atoll from destroying the world." I explained. "They'll either throw us out onto the streets or into an asylum." I added, looking over the article again.

Daring sighed. "Meir's right, as usual. Even if we tell them what's really going on, they all think Simon is just your run-of-the-mill eccentric and benevolent philanthropist. Nopony will believe us!"

I nodded. "We need to find some other way of getting those stones without alerting Simon to what were doing, or turning the entire island against us."

Then I heard Salah chuckle from his and Ralah's table. Looking over to them, he looked up at me with a sly, almost wicked grin. "Come now, Meir." He said with a clear bite of excitement already building in his words. "It's simple...

"We steal them!" Ralah exclaimed happily.

Chapter 20: "The Cake And The Diamond."

My ears twinged at the notion. "Are you serious?!" I exclaimed. "Wait, of course your serious, why are you serious about this?" I added frustratingly, as the two siblings sat with sly grins on their faces.

Salah voiced his reason rather elegantly. "Simon has eyes everywhere. I would be willing to bet my suit and tie (He then paused to tune out his sisters audible gasp of shock) that he has his agents watching that place like hawks."

"With binoculars!" Ralah added seriously.

"The only way you are getting your hooves on those stones, is by stealing them, and you know it." Salah said looking me in the eye, as if studying my mind for what he already knew was right.

And of course, he was completely right. There was no room for legal or civil practice here. Simon and his cult were going to destroy the world unless we stopped him. And we needed all the keys to do it. There really was no other option. Though, I didn't like it, I agreed with Salah. "You're right." I said simply. "Let's do it."

The whole room, seemed surprisingly excited by the fact we were now planning a heist at the museum. Especially Clover. "Cool! I've never been apart of a heist before! This is way more exciting then studying for thousands of years!" she exclaimed like a filly who just found out she was going to Joyopolis Amusement Park.

So, now going along with Salah and Ralah's insane plan, we got to work planning our heist. Or at least everyone else did, while I sat on the sidelines wracking my brain for literally any other way we could get those stones. To my dismay, the only plan I could think of was simply going in and asking nicely for them. (I know, not my brightest idea, but hey, at least it was a legal one!)

Salah laid out the blueprints of the museum on the table for all to see, and began marking key points of interest with white marker. "The museum will no doubt be guarded, by at least fifteen guards, working shifts of three hours per guard cycle." He explained to the group, clearly in his element. He pointed to several entrances on the blueprints ans marked them with an 'x' symbolizing them as being guarded. "However, the back entrance will have a mandatory shift change at around two-thirty, giving me and Ralah, ample time to sneak into the back wing of the museum and assume our disguises as the two guards that called in sick today."

Ralah then took this time to showcase how she had somehow managed to grab the entire schedule for the museum guard of not just that day, but the rest of the week, including all shift changes, read outs, call ins and even the birthdays of some of the guards.

There was no doubt. Ralah and Salah really were the best there were. "Meir! How bout you look over what we have and give us the best way to get the stones?" Salah called over to me, with a sly grin. "You're the genius here after all."

"M...me?"

"You."

"I don't see how I could possibly help." I said simply. "I'm a doctor not a thief!....Ahem, no offense."

"None taken!" Salah said happily. "We take pride in the title after all. But, my brother's right, Meir. We're good at what we do, but you're the smartest pony in the world! If we have your input on this plan, there's no way it can fail!"

Regardless of her faith in me, I was still a little reluctant to assist in any sort of robbery, even if it was for the good of the entire world. It just felt wrong to me, and my good pony upbringing.

But then Ralah looked at me with her huge painfully adorable eyes. "Plllleeeease?" she sang in a cute voice. Darn it. She had me now.

"Fine." I relented with a sigh.

I went over and began to look over the plans they had laid out. It was pretty straightforward. Me, Daring and Dr. Seastone would arrive and gain entry as guests of Simon Cobalt. While inside, Ralah and Salah would assume the identities of the two guards that took the day off and meet up with us in the museum lobby. From there, one of us would create a distraction allowing the two "guards" to sneak by, steal the stones and get out before anyone is the wiser.

Having concluded reading through the plans, Ralah looked at me, eager to hear my opinion. "Well', I started "it's a solid plan...up until you and Salah have to steal the stones."

Salah raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"Museums aren't like they are in those crime thriller movies. They have at least seven layers of security, hotcodes, anti-bypass measures, and sensors all over the place that can detect when so much as a dust particle lands on top of the case it's securing." I explained. "Plus, the guard schedules are always changing. If those guards decide to come in, you two are caught, then and there."

I asked to borrow Salah's marker. "Here's what I'm thinking, instead...."

Chapter 21: "Misdirection."

It had taken several hours, and far more planning then any of us had realized, but here we were. Myself, Daring and Dr. Seastone, all standing amongst the crowds of eager history professors and invited guests of nobility, waiting to be allowed into the museum. The morning sun creeped over the horizon in the distance as I heard Dr. Seastone yawn tiredly. She hated getting up early for anything, but she still managed to put on the navy blue dress we had picked out for her to wear.

Daring, who was wearing a rather stunning olive green dress and topaz necklace, whispered in my ear. "Do we really have to wear these stupid frilly dresses?"

"All part of the plan." I whispered back. And it was. Although I was sure, I was the only one who truly understood how the dresses fit into it. But there was nothing to worry about. This time, I had accounted for everything.

At approximately 8 am, the doors opened and the security guards let us along with the huge crowd, flock into the museum and enter the lobby. The plan was now in motion. No turning back now.

Emerald Town History Museum, Early Morning

The museum was a large, lavish, marble room with silken red carpeting and a beautiful roman architecture. Dozens of ancient artifacts and priceless exhibits were displayed for all to see, along with many framed maps and documents detailing The Emerald Keye's history. If we were not on a critical mission to prevent the apocalypse, I know doubt would have stayed to look at everything the place had to offer. But, unfortunately, we didn't have that luxury. Still, we would need to come back once this was all over.

We played our part as tourists, because for all these ponies knew, that's exactly what we were. Daring and Dr. Seastone went off to examine the exhibits while I began to scan the place for any indication of where the stones where being displayed. I spotted an elderly gentleman stallion in a suit and slicked back white mane, smiling and greeting the guests from behind the attendant's desk. He didn't show it, but I could tell by his eyes that he was watching my every move.

I kept moving, ignoring the stallion's gaze, and continued to scan the room. I spotted a phone on the wall, probably meant for staff only. At the first sign of trouble, the attendant could have any number of security down here in minutes. Or better yet, Simon. We needed to be careful.

Taking the phone to memory, I continued to look around the museum. Near the phone I spotter the first exhibit the museum had to offer: a glass cabinet, containing a stone dagger, decorated with Mayan designs. The little blinking red lights within, signified they were the sensors that made sure to keep any unwary thieves at bay. If that wasn't enough, it was clearly locked, both inside and outside the cabinet door. The only way in would be to disable the sensors in the back, then unlock it from the bottom, and remove it that way.

Dear Celestia. I was even starting to think like a thief now! Pushing aside the terrifying notion of my ever-growing criminal career, I moved away from the case to the next exhibit.

A large statue bust of a bald tribal pony decorated with ancient carvings, leaned against the wall, and stood at least two feet over me. It looked Buddhist by subject, but Meso-Equestrian in execution. I felt a chill go down my spine suddenly, and decided quite quickly I wanted nothing to do with this statue. It felt....evil, somehow. I hoped it was just my imagination, but unfortunately my imagination usually has no part to play in the many terrifying supernatural things I see all the time anymore.

Moving away from the statue, I spotted Daring looking at a large carving on the wall, of some sort of ancient Mayan chief, it was doubt very esteemed in his time, due to the gold that was also inlaid with the carving. Daring looked over and nodded to me.

I returned the gesture. By her body language, I could tell she had yet to find anything that could tell us where the stones were being displayed, but I had the feeling they were close. We just had to keep an eye out. Honestly, you would think that with the stones being one of the museum's starring exhibits for today, they would be easier to find. And yet, I saw no sign of any advertisements, flyers, brochures, not even a sign to point which wing they were in! None of it made sense, and I had the distinct feeling we weren't meant to know, as the staff seemed to not be all that helpful either.

Moving on, I passed a group of mares who were clearly visiting from Manehatten, and were excitedly snapping pictures of everything in sight. After being nearly blinded, I almost ran right into the large statue of an ancient Mayan warrior. It was very well carved, but the only fascinating thing I could see about it was his hat, and where I could get one. Très chic!

Making a mental note of locating a place to purchase such a magnificent piece of head-ware, I continued to explore the museum. I walked right past a particularly uninteresting exhibit, but stopped in my tracks. "Wait a minute." I said aloud.

Going back to the exhibit I saw it displayed a small, flat square of polished obsidian, with a distinct Mayan design carved into it. The carvings where almost exactly like the ones of the other Sacred Stone we already had. I turned to wave to Daring to let her know I had found one of the stones, but she had disappeared.

I looked around the room, but I didn't see her or Dr. Seastone. Where had they gone off to?

"Can I help you, miss?"

I turned around to greet the smug face of the museum attendant, who no doubt had been watching me search for the stones, to his amusement. Charming. But maybe he could help me find the other stone, or at the very least I could get him to reveal a hint as to where it would be, as this museum seemed quite reluctant to simply tell the guests where it was.

"Yes, actually." I said politely. "My name is Morning Meir-

"Ah! The detective!"

"What? Oh, no, I'm a doctor actually. Although I am investigating a particular case, I was hoping you could help me with?"

"A case, you say? Whatever could I do?"

"Would you mind answering a few questions?"

"But of course, that is why I am here after all!" he said proudly.

"Could've fooled me." I thought snarkily.

Questioning, Bellamy Stricks, Museum Attendant, Possible Lead on The Sacred Stones being hidden away

Stricks was an old, conceited fellow. He was used to answering questions asked by otherwise dumb, or lackwitted tourists. At least in his own opinion. His steely eyes glare searched me up and down, but when he saw no sign of me being said tourist, his smile wavered. He knew I was not here as another tourist for him to 'educate,' I was here for something else. And he didn't like that.

"Before we begin, Miss Meir." He asked suddenly, with fake mannerism, "what exactly are you questioning me about?"

"You'll find out when I ask you the questions, Mr. Stricks." I answered simply. He clearly wanted to know beforehand, so he could purposefully avoid telling me what I wanted to know. What was this old codger hiding?

I asked my first question: "I was told the museum was hosting a large event involving Emerald Town's history, correct?"

"Ah! Indeed Miss Meir, in fact, if you'll just follow me-

"Then why are you guys trying so hard to hide the Sacred Stones of Oloya from the public?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mr. Stricks looked flustered for but a moment, but quickly found his resolve. "I-Im afraid I don't know what you mean, Miss Meir." He lied.

So we were playing that game? Fine. "Really? Then please let me explain." I said narrowing my eyes. "There are no advertisements, posters, flyers or any other form of media to let guests know about the stones, save for the one single news article in yesterday's paper." I pointed to the Museum directory. "The signs that would ordinarily point to the Mayan Culture Wing have also been removed, and rather carefully, given by the worn metal residue on the wall left behind by the sign's bronze and steel plating. You did so with a Stoley's 2-3/8th precision screwdriver, a tool, by which this museum has no other uses as all the woodwork and screws used in the exhibits and electrical systems are 33mm Titanium screws. Meaning you had someone specifically go out and purchase this tool, so you could remove the screws to that sign, and that sign alone."

"How...how could you possibly-

"If that wasn't enough, I have found one of the stones, you tried so hard to hide, in the wrong type of case, as that one over there,' I pointed to the case holding the stone, "Is meant for jewelry, given the dimensions of the cabinet and the branding of the Marmoset Jewelers Company stamped near the bottom." The stallion was furiously pulling at the collar of his suit, but I wasn't done yet. "Oh. And we are currently standing in the Mesopotamian Culture Wing, meaning you also moved them to a different wing, which you are not authorized to do without written permission from the curator, and will no doubt be fired after he discovers what you've done without him knowing."

Mr. Stricks was now as pale as a ghost, and sweat dripped off his old face. I looked him in the eye and couldn't hold back a small smirk. "Do you know what I mean now, Mr. Stricks?" I asked.

"Y-Yes....Yes, I do, Miss Meir." He said in a nervous, defeated voice. "I'll...I'll tell you everything."

"Now we're getting somewhere."

Stricks took a moment to dab his forehead with his handkerchief, before lowering his voice almost to a whisper. "I received a call yesterday, before I closed up for the night. They told me I had to make sure the stones were not viewed by the public, as someone else wanted a private view of them. They paid quite a bit of money, to make sure we, uh, I cooperated."

"Why would you listen to some random call telling you to break the rules of your museum?"

"I assure you, I just figured it was a wealthy client who wished to see the stones in a more private setting! I had no reason to suspect anything devious."

"Who was this client of yours?"

"I...I really shouldn't say."

"Even if you don't tell me, I'll just end up finding out anyways. Surely you know that by now."

Stricks gave a nervous chuckle. "Heh, yes, you have a point. Very well, it was one Mr. Karnoc, a notable representative of Mr. Simon Cobalt, as you no doubt know."

Karnoc. The name brought me back to the warehouse on the docks. I remembered reading the name in a rather aggressive letter to Mara Villa. He had signed himself as High Priest Karnoc. It was clear what kind of "work" he did for Simon then.

"Where is the other stone being kept?" I asked quickly, before Stricks tried to leave.

"It's still in the Mayan culture wing. We didn't have a chance to move it before we had to open the museum's doors this morning. It should still be in it's cabinet behind glass, next to the large statue of Netzahualcoyotl."

"Great. We need it. Both of them." I said simply. Very rude and brash, but there was a reason I did so. So far, the plan was going perfectly.

"I beg your pardon?! Surely, your not actually asking me to simply give you two of the museum's most priceless archaeological artifacts!"

So far so good. "Yes. Yes I am."

"That's absurd!" Stricks exclaimed, clearly outraged. Ponies were staring to look at us. Just as I had planned they would.

Even what was to happen next.

A hoof tapped my shoulder and I turned to see a familiar face, looking quite interested in our conversation. Professor Solitaire, dressed in a rich black tuxedo and bowtie, smiled at me, in a fittingly smug manner. "My, my this must be quite the conversation you are having, Miss Meir." he said, as Mr. Stricks took this opportunity to return to his usual museum attendant manner.

But I had planned this as well. "A pleasure to finally meet you, professor. I have heard a great deal about you." I said as politely as I could manage.

Luckily, the professor bought it wholeheartedly. "Ah! Quite a pleasure to meet you, my dear!" he greeted back. "So, what brings you to this fine institute of history, hm?"

At that moment, the phone on the wall rang. And Mr. Stricks excused himself to go answer it, leaving me and the professor to converse. "To answer your question, professor' I began, "I am a rather astute amateur of history myself. I thought I would come to immerse myself is all." My words were clear, precise and knew just which buttons to land on with Solitaire.

"Ah ha! A fellow academic! I should've expected as much from the smartest pony in the world!" he exclaimed.

As I quietly ordered my cheeks to go back to their normal color, I decided to press him a bit about why he was here. Luckily, I had taken the opportunity to research a bit about our professor. He wouldn't simply answer questions directly, no. He would only respond to ways that made him look good. So...

"Appreciate the compliment sir, but surely you have more to say on the subject than I possibly could. Like the history of Marseilles? I believe you have a house there, as well?"

He took the bait, as his eyes twinkled. "I do indeed have a house there, but I have not been back in many months." he said simply. "Not many ponies know of that, Miss Meir. You've certainly done your homework."

He had no idea. Time to press further. " I also heard you were staying in Quaramonte City on an expedition. True?"

The professor's proud smile wavered only slightly. "Alas- business comes first. An important consignment of artifacts on loan to the Emerald Town Museum. But I intend to return to Quaramonte in plenty of time."

Plenty of time for what, exactly? Unfortunately our conversation ended abruptly as the museum attendant hung up the phone, and came back over to us. "Professor Solitaire? You're taxi carriage is here."

Solitaire nodded to me. "If you'll excuse me, I have some urgent business to attend to at the docks." With that, he tipped his hat, and left through the nearest exit. He walked with a brisk pace, and did not stop to turn back once. Curious to say the least.

I decided to question the museum attendant about the stone we knew of. At the very least I could examine it further, before moving on to the other one in the Mayan Culture Wing. "Do you mind if I at least see the stone?" I asked.

He looked at me, as if I were a bothersome child begging for a new toy and he the exhausted parent. But he sighed as he relented. "Yes, very well. Follow me."

We returned to the case that held the stone, except when he looked inside...

"It's gone! Someone's half-inched it!" he yelled, alerting everypony in the room.

"Um, half-inched?" I asked.

"Stolen it! Someone has stolen it!"

"What!?" Indeed as I looked in the case, I saw only a blank space where the stone had once been. "W-we have to so something!" I panicked.

"Never mind that, The silent alarm will have been tripped." He explained. "I'm afraid no one can leave until our crack security team gets here."

"How long will that take?"

"Could be a while. I think it's there tea break."

"Are you serious!? The thief could be miles away by then!"

The attendant brushed off my retort and looked at me with a serious glare. "Don't you worry about that. Just don't try to leave." He then left to alert the guests to the situation. I stood there for a minute collecting my thoughts. It was too much of a coincidence that Solitaire showed up and the stone promptly disappeared.

And I didn't have time for that 'crack security team' to finish their tea. I had to get after him! "Mr. Stricks, I was with you the whole time. Plus, I wouldn't ever steal anything, let alone two museum artifacts!" I explained. I wasn't lying, as technically I wasn't the one who was supposed to steal the stones. Had Ralah and Salah gone outside the plan and stolen the first stone without letting anyone know?

Stricks wasn't convinced. "So you say, Miss Meir, but I'm afraid until security arrives, everyone here is a suspect."

Then it hit me. "What about everyone who isn't here?" I inquired.

"What in Equestria are you talking about, now?"

"Professor Solitaire. He's the one that stole it."

Stricks was getting quite annoyed now. "Are you mad? What makes you think he stole it?" The whole museum and all it's guests were now looking at us. Many recognized me, and began whispering to one another. I also spotted Daring and Dr. Seastone who had shown back up out of nowhere. They joined the crowd that had all eyes on me. But unlike the crowd, they were all grins, and waited to see me in action.

So I obliged. I walked over to the cabinet, and gestured towards the spot the professor had walked up to us. "The professor walked up to us, mid conversation and put a hoof on my shoulder. If we calculate the direction he was facing and the fact he had used his right hoof to place on my shoulder, we can see that he walked in a slight straight path from here," I traced the path Solitaire had taken, right to the case the stone had been in, "to here." His path lined up perfectly to reach the spot me and Stricks had been talking. The crowd began to whisper more, and many ponies moved to get a better view. "The path Solitaire took lines up perfectly to reach us at the spot we were talking. Not only this, but he used the fact that our argument was distracting the guests, to make the theft, then most crucially, had to make sure I didn't suspect him, so he walked over and engaged me in conversation."

I walked back over to the cabinet. "But, he made one mistake," I examined the small lock on the cabinet and found a small key, still in the lock. I removed it and presented it to Stricks. "He left the key to the jewelry case in the lock."

The blood drained from Stricks face as he took the key in hoof. "Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear." he said softly.

"That makes this an inside job, right!" someone from the crowd called out. I turned my attention back to Stricks who was now as pale as a sheet. What had gotten into him? It was only a key, or at least that's what it looked like anyways.

"Mr. Stricks? Are you alright?" I asked concerned. "I'm a doctor, if you need-

"The only thing I need is to call the police, this moment!" he snapped, then practically leapt towards the phone on the wall. The crowd was beginning to worry, as they talked to one another, filling the room with voices. Daring and Dr. Seastone came up to me, each with their own sets of questions.

But I asked mine first. "Where did you two go? I looked around and suddenly you were gone!"

"We're sorry Morning, but well..." Dr. Seastone turned to Daring who looked rather serious. More serious then I had seen her thus far. she looked up at me. "We need to show you something. It can't wait, either." she said simply.

So they had found something of their own. I had no reason not to follow them up on it. "Alright then. Lead the way."

Ancient Historical Wing, 9:15 am

I followed them to the Ancient History Wing, where all manner of ancient weapons, armors, and rural stonework fragments were on display. But Daring stopped at one exhibit in particular.

A large golden trident was displayed upright behind a thick glass case. It sparkled in the light, and was clearly well cared for, given the shine of the gold and lack of any dust. But why did Daring want to show me this exhibit specifically?

Daring gestured towards the nameplate on the case. But upon taking a look at it, I saw it was simply several rows of odd runic symbols, which I recognized to be the language of the late 6th Era Kirin Dynasty, rather then the typical Equestrian lettering. To a mere guest, it was unreadable, and even many scholars had no idea how to decipher such an old encoded language.

I looked over at Daring who simply gazed longingly down at the symbols on the plate. "This isn't part of the exhibit." she turned to me, nearly with tears in her eyes.

"It's a message from my dad."

My eyes went wide, as I gave the trident another look. "Incredible." I said aloud. "The trident is from the Oceanic Period, several eras before the Kirin Dynasty ever came to Equestria. So it wouldn't make any sense for them to put a nameplate with Kirin era symbols on it. This was put here, deliberately, so that someone who understood the language could decipher it!"

"Whoa. Who would go to all that trouble just to leave a message?" Dr. Seastone asked.

"My dad!" Daring exclaimed happily. "He really was here! He left this message for me to find, because he knew only I would recognize the language!"

"That's amazing!" Dr. Seastone cheered. "What's it say?"

Daring suddenly froze. "Oh. Um....."

"You have no idea, do you?" I inquired, getting a closer look at the nameplate.

Daring bowed her head sadly. "I mean we studied the language when I was really little, but, I....never paid much attention."

Examining the message, I saw that each symbol combined with another, formed a word. The Kirin were cloven-hoofed, draconic, creatures, that relied on each symbol having meaning, only when paired up with another symbol of the same dialect. This message could be decoded, and if what Daring was saying was true, perhaps her father could provide some insight into Simon we had yet to learn about.

After all, Simon had mentioned that he and Daren had worked together briefly, after me and my father had left. He must've discovered something, and left this message to warn Daring. But there was only one way to find out.

"Alright. Then, let's decode it." I said, going over to the nearby copy machine and grabbing a hoof-full of paper and pencils.

Daring and Dr. Seastone both looked at me like I was crazy. "You're going to decipher a message, encoded in a dead language that hasn't existed since the 6th Era?" Daring asked. "You don't even have any way to decipher it, there aren't any codexes left in the world to decode it!"

"Unless, do you already have one?" Dr. Seastone asked, still puzzled.

"Don't need one." I said with a wink. That was apparently enough for them. "Can you guys keep an eye out, while I decode this?" I asked. My two friends looked puzzled, but agreed to stand watch while I worked my magic, so to speak.

With them guarding the doors, I set down the paper and got to work.

Analysis

The message used symbols of the Kirin Dynasty, more specifically, the late 6th Era, when the language was vastly more complex and in the process of being replaced with the Old Ponish speech of the next Era. Each symbol only meant something when paired with another symbol.

The message was comprised of only singular symbols, which meant to decode it, I would need to pair each one with the correct symbol of the Kirin alphabet, in order to form an actual word. Once all the symbols were paired up, then the message would be readable.

The encoded message read as such:

चोन्तिनुएद स्तुदिएस ओन मगिचाल् कपबिलितिएस्

अण्ड लिमिततिओन्स ओफ़् थे रोयल पोन्य सिस्तेर्स:

वोलुमे १०५ ओफ़् स्तुद्य ६१२७१८

In it's current state, the best decoder in the world, would be left scratching their head in frustration. That's because it wasn't just encoded in a dead language: It was encoded backwards.

In order to decipher the message, I would first have to switch the lettering around starting from the end at the bottom, to the beginning of the top row. I quickly scribbled down the symbols in the correct order on the paper.

Next step, was to pair up each symbol with the correct coupled symbol, which would create a word. For that, the required symbol had to be stacked on top of each symbol of each row, like a puzzle.

For example, this symbol: चोन्तिनुएद when it has this symbol वोलुमे stacked on top of it, reads as the letter 'O', in modern Equestrian.

I retrieved each corresponding symbol from my memory, and in no time at all I had decoded the message.

It now read as one simple phrase:

"Open Me."

Open me?.....!

I got up from the floor and went up to the nameplate. After reflecting on the fact I was now about to deface public property, I pulled the plate off the case, and sure enough, a scroll fell out into my hoof. Daring and Dr. Seastone hurried over to me, Daring looking particularly excited. "You figured it out already?" I handed her the scroll, and she gingerly took it in her hooves.

"The message said open me." I explained. "If it's from your father, you should be the one to read it."

Daring nodded, took a breath, then unfurled the scroll. After skimming it over, a smile appeared on her face. "it's him." she said tearfully.

She then read the message aloud.

Daring,

I know you're reading this. And because you are, I know I have to tell you, no warn you, about the so called benefactor of this island. Simon Cobalt is a snake. He's up to something, something terrible, and he wanted me to help him with his plans. He's desperate to find The Heart Of Oceana, and whatever happens you cannot let him get it. A few weeks ago, he asked me to come to the Emerald Keyes, sent a fancy letter, wax seal, the works. At first, I thought nothing of it. Just another treasure hunt, I said.

But when I met the man...I knew right there he couldn't be trusted. I let him lie to my face about why he wanted that jewel, then as soon as I was out of that mansion, away from the gaze of that robot house of his, I set out to find it myself.

I found it. As I'm sure you have as well, by now. The Oloya told me all about it, and why I couldn't have it. Fine, I told them, I didn't want it. But I knew now why that madman wanted me to find it for him. There is an evil, sleeping beneath the very earth you walk on, Daring. Right now, under your feet, is some kind of ancient Mayan death god, that was defeated and imprisoned in the earth millennia ago using that sapphire.

I did some digging, and now I know exactly what Simon and his little group are up to. You see, that sapphire used alone is a powerful magical conduit that uses the benevolent power of the sea and the life of the island to imprison this god, Tezcatlipoca, putting him to sleep beneath the earth. Simon, plans to corrupt the Sapphire by taking it to the Chapel Of The Traveler found inside the base of Mount Tekah, on this very island. He will then sacrifice a number of his followers, whose blood will wash with the molten lava and corrupt the once precious sapphire with evil. Once that happens, he can use it to reverse the binding curse on Tezcatlipoca, that keeps him asleep, and he will unleash thousands of years of rage and fury onto the earth.

But there is a way to stop him, and this whole cult for good. When The Heart Of Oceana is combined with three sacred stones carved from the obsidian walls of the Temple Of Oceana, it becomes imbued with the spirit of Oceana herself, and can be used to completely destroy Tezcatlipoca once and for all. You have to find these stones and take them to the ruins of this temple, along with the Heart, place it in the statue's chest. When Tezcatlipoca, arises, Oceana's Spirit will awaken and help you destroy him once and for all.

I already know two of those stones, are here in this museum. Get them however you can, but PLEASE don't put yourself in unnecessary danger. I couldn't bare the thought of losing you, let alone to the likes of that psychopath. The last stone, I'm afraid I was unable to find, but I know you will have no trouble finding it.

You're my daughter, after all.

Find the stones. Stop Simon. Save the world. All in a days work for a Do, eh?

I wish I could tell you everything that's happened, but its just too complicated at the moment. But just know that I'm safe, and I hope you're safe as well. I swear we will see each other again, and when that day comes I'll tell you everything. I promise.

I love you.

Dad

Daring finished reading the letter and bowed her head. I could sense she wanted to cry, to shed tears of joy after reading this heartfelt message from her father. But instead she held back the tears and looked up at me, serious as ever. "I guess we know what to do now."

I was stunned by her resolve as I smiled at her. "I suppose we do." I acknowledged. "Then that means we better get the other stone, while were here, before it gets stolen too." I said walking over to the entrance of the wing.

Daring and Dr. Seastone both looked at one another, then at me. "Wait....stolen?" they asked in unison.

Back to the Mesopotamian Wing, 10:15 am

We returned to the scene of the theft to see several police colts going over the place with a fine toothed comb and searching for any trace of Solitare, including questioning the guests. Meanwhile Stricks was being chatted up by our favorite awful policemare, Mara Villa. Before we had a chance to duck behind the wall, Mara spotted me and instantly dismissed Stricks, who went back to talking with the other museum staff. "Morning! We meet again. How quaint." The pink uniformed pony said in a fake jubilant tone, as she stepped up to me, her eyes immediately locking with mine.

I didn't have time for her and I made that clear. "What do you want, Mara? I'm busy." I said, very clearly annoyed, and in the strongest possible go away if you know what's good for you tone, I could muster. Sadly she didn't notice it.

"What do I want? I want to catch the thief of course!" She said as if it were obvious. "And look who I happen to run into, right after the theft." she mocked, with a cheeky grin.

I didn't even acknowledge her, and immediately pushed her aside, so I could investigate the scene. "Hey! W-what do you think you're doing!? You can't just push me aside like that! Can't you read the hat? I'm the chief of police!" Mara yelled angrily stamping her hoof.

"Just because you put lipstick on a pig, doesn't mean it's not still a pig." I said under my breath, as I looked around the room. A stifled laugh from Daring and Dr. Seastone let me know they had heard my retort at Mara's expense. As I searched around I saw more clues begin to come together.

First there was the matter of which Solitaire left. After Solitaire had left the room, he had gone out into the hall leading back to the lobby. Going out into the hall, I saw a curtain covering something on the wall, that was slightly askew.

Ignoring Mara's angry shouts from the previous room for me to come back, I pushed the curtain aside and found that there was a door behind it. A door that had been locked but now was opened by just a crack. A breeze could be felt from the other side.

"Where do you think that goes?" Daring asked, eyeing the door.

"Only one way to find out!" Dr. Seastone said eagerly. With that I pushed open the door and we all went inside, being sure to close it tightly as Mara entered the room.

But we were already gone.

Chapter 22: "Trap."

We stumbled down dark stairwells for what seemed like an eternity, until suddenly we found ourselves standing in an abandoned underground subway station.

"Wow." I heard Daring say, as she looked around at the surprisingly well kept area. It seemed like it hadn't been touched for at least 20 years, yet I could still tell there were fresh coats of paint on the walls, and the benches looked far too sleek to be anymore then a few weeks old. Someone was working, building down here. And recently.

But who? And what exactly where they doing? "This place must've been closed down decades ago. So why...." I trailed off as I looked up and saw huge glowing blue glass pipes, pulsing and humming on the ceiling. They could be seen leading deep down into the tunnels of the station, breaking off in different directions, but all heading one way.

Something was going on here. Something big. And we had to find out what it was. Luckily, my friends also got the same idea, as we began to explore the station, searching for any clues as to what was happening down here.

At the end of the station, a pile of newly made steel railway sleepers blocked the platform. They were stacked perfectly, and recently, as not a single speck of dust could be seen on them. I could've climbed over them, but I probably would've just ended up breaking my neck, or worse....ripping my blouse. (It's my favorite blouse, don't judge me!)

Turning away from the pile, I saw an old ticket machine on the wall. A sign read 'Tickets'- 3d. Upon closer inspection, it looked like the machine had sold it's last ticket a long time ago.

Next to the machine was an old chocolate vending machine. I'm a sucker for chocolate in pretty much any form (especially cake), but even I knew better than to eat a bar of chocolate that was over a decade old...even if it did have nougat.

I turned away from the chocolate filled tomb of the vending machine and inspected the nearby wall. A metal panel took up a small space on the wall, and it looked like it could be opened like a door.

Deciding to give it a try, I opened the metal door of the panel, and found a single, large red button. It glowed brightly, as if begging any who saw it to push it. The connections to the box couldn't have still been operational. Still though, pushing a random button on a wall is almost always a bad idea, especially without taking time to think what the button's purpose is.

But at this point, we had little time for thinking. Throwing caution to the wind, I pressed the button and prepared for the worst. The whole station began to rumble as the 'worst' turned out to be a underground Cobalt Industries monorail pulling up into the station. It was brand new and it's sleek metallic finish was a clear sign it had been built recently. The doors opened with a hiss, inviting us to climb aboard.

We all looked at one another, unsure of how to proceed. "Well,' Daring said taking a look inside, "I guess we know how Solitaire got away then." She looked back at me from the train door. "What do you think we should do Meir?" she asked me with a smile, already knowing what my answer was.

Everything up till now had gone according to the elaborate plan I had laid out. Everything from Solitaire engaging me in conversation, to the phone call for him (Made specially by Ralah impersonating a Cobalt Industries secretary) to him stealing the first stone, and hightailing it back to his client, who no doubt worked for Simon. We had planned to follow him from the start, but had no idea we would find an underground monorail that lead to Celestia knows where. From here on in, my plan was off the table.

So, naturally there was only one way to go from here. "All aboard." I said simply, as we all boarded the monorail which quickly shut its doors and bolted out of the station as quick as it arrived. Except this time it had us as passengers, bound for somewhere that no doubt was crawling with danger.

Emerald Town Docks, Shipping District, 9:02 am

The train pulled into it's final stop, and we disembarked, taking a moment to read the sign that clearly said we were back at the Emerald Town Docks, but rather then the warehouse district, we were at the dock's central shipping port. Peeking up out of the station, we saw many large ships docked and anchored around us at each pier. But one in particular caught my eye, as it was the only one flying a flag with the Cobalt Industries logo on it.

We made our way to the pier and quickly ducked behind some crates as several burly looking stallions appeared from the ship, each carrying a large crate bearing the same Cobalt logo as the flag.

I knew we were at the right ship, when I saw Solitaire at the guard rail. Patrolling the deck, was a Cobalt uniform clad guardsmen, surely armed with some sort of Cobalt Industries standard laser weapon. We had to get the stone back from Solitaire, but we couldn't risk being seen. We needed a plan, a new one.

And then, I had one. I turned to Daring and Dr. Seastone, who were right behind me, crouched behind their own crates. "You guys need to head back to the museum." I told them.

"What?!" Daring gave an alarmed whisper. "You're crazy if you think I'll let you go alone and end up getting caught by these muscle heads."

"I won't get caught. Besides, we need someone to keep Mara busy, and let the others back at the hotel know what happened." I told her seriously. Daring looked at me, and knew I was right. But she didn't like it.

"What exactly is your plan?" she asked.

"Get the stone back from Solitaire, get out any way I can, then head back to the hotel so we can work on stopping Simon once and for all before the eclipse tomorrow night. Simple."

"Heh. Sounds simple, when you say it that way." Daring chuckled. She didn't want to leave me to my admittedly crazy plan, but I had no other options at this point. It was too risky with them here, and I could move in and get the stone faster without needing to worry about them.

Finally, Dr. Seastone voiced her opinion. "Morning's right. She stands a way better chance of staying hidden without us following her everywhere. Plus, she's the smartest pony in the world! She'll be just fine without us screwing things up for her." She joked.

Daring finally relented with a sigh. "Fine. I guess we better head back then. Keep Villa off your back for a bit."

"Thank you." I said , handing her the stone. It was better in her hooves anyways. Even if I did get caught, this way at least the other stone would be safe.

"You can thank me, after you get back to the hotel with the stones." Daring replied with a smile, pocketing the stone. "Of course, if you wouldn't mind beating a lesson or two into Solitaire, I'd very much appreciate it." She added, resting a hoof on my shoulder.

After hugging both my friends, I watched them return to the tunnel leading down into the station. I waited for the rumble beneath my feet to subside, as the monorail headed back to the museum. When the ground was still once more, save for the brief shudder from heavy cargo being unloaded onto the docks, I made my way closer to the ship.

It was risky but I thought I could get to the next set of crates unseen. I moved quickly and steadily, timing my movements to sync with when the guard onboard was pacing the other direction, where I was no longer in his field of vision. I was now so close to the ship I could read the name of the boat etched in red on the side: C.S.S Xiabola. Named after the Mayan spirit of sea travel. Of course.

As close as I was, I wasn't going to try getting on board without knowing who else was on board. Plus, I couldn't get near it with that guard patrolling the deck. Peeking back up from my crate, I saw Solitaire was still leaning against the guardrail, looking at the sea. He looked like he had something on his mind. Something that made him nervous, with how much he kept wiping the sweat from his brow. Just what was he up to that made him feel so uneasy? And why do it, if he felt this way? I would only find out if I made it on board that ship.

But, first I had to get rid of that guard. I checked my surroundings for anything I could use as a distraction. It was then that I spotted a lone shipping crane, sitting unmanned near a large cargo ship, which had been anchored recently, given the position of it's anchor chain around the ship's ballast. It wouldn't be anchored for long.

The crane was unguarded, making it quite easy to move to it's cabin, open its doors and turn the key that for some reason (Laziness, most likely) was still in the ignition. As the engine roared to life, I jammed the control lever to the left , causing the boom to begin swinging very quickly to the left, and right in the direction of the Cobalt ship. I jumped out and made my way back to the crates, as I heard the crane slam hard into the side of the ship, causing the sound of broken, screeching metal to resound throughout the docks. Showers of gold sparks rained down, as the crane kept pushing further into the battered hull of the ship. (In hindsight, not my most well thought out plan, but a distraction is a distraction.Plus, I'm sure that's what Daring would have wanted me to do anyways.)

Like clockwork, all the workers on board the ship, dropped what they were doing and ran to stop the 'malfunctioning' crane from destroying more of their ship, while the guard, now clearly very spooked, went to the rail to yell out various profanities to get the crane unstuck from the ship.

While everyone was busy, I made my move. As soon as the last worker had disembarked from the ship and was over by the crane, trying to figure out how to get the lever unstuck that I jammed through the control box, I weaved past the other crates, hopped up on deck and climbed the nearby ladder to the upper deck and got down on my stomach to avoid being spotted. I held my breath as the guard, now quite visibly angry by all the bulging veins on his temples, continued his patrol. Solitaire was no nowhere to be seen, having probably gone back into the ship to avoid anymore surprises.

Now it was just me and this guard. I hadn't been able to get rid of him, but I had an idea. I peeked over the side of the deck, down to the main deck and saw what I assumed to be the janitor's closet, with a normal mop resting beside the door. The janitor had fled to help with the crane along with the rest of the crew.

I waited for the guard to turn the corner, then leapt down from the ladder and went over to the closet, and tried the door. It opened rather easily, but I could tell by the heavy steel lock on the door, that it could be locked from the outside, and only a key would be able to open it. With the door opened, I heard the heavy hooves of the guard turn the corner, but I was already back up the ladder, by the time he came around.

"The hell?" he said aloud, taking one confused look at the door, he swore he had not opened. He looked around for anyone else that could have opened the door, before he went inside, and began looking around.

"Charlie? That you? C'mon man, I don't have time for these-" He was cut off as I jumped down and slammed the heavy door behind him, locking it securely after. For good measure, I jammed the handle with the mop.

"Sorry! I just need to get my stone back. I'll find the key and slip it under the door before I leave!" I apologized, profusely. A string of angry, spitting profanity was the only response the guard had for my apology. Ignoring the verbal assault, I moved away from the door, and looked back at the crane, which was still dug into the side of the ship. They wouldn't be getting it unstuck anytime soon, leaving me ample time to search the ship for Solitaire and the stone.

Luckily I didn't have to look far, as a few feet down from the janitor's closet, I saw a cabin door with a porthole on the side for a window. Getting closer I heard two voices from the other side of the door, that seemed to be arguing about something. Peeking in through the porthole, I saw Solitaire sitting at a diner table with a mysterious and very mean looking black stallion in a steel colored cobalt guard uniform. He scowled as if by instinct alone, as he listened to Solitaire complain to him. I put my ear to the door, and listened closely to the conversation.

"....But Morning Meir was there! She probably already knows it was me!" Solitaire explained, sweat dripping from his forehead. The old stallion was clearly stressed and afraid of begin caught as a thief.

The black stallion simply shook his head, annoyed by the elder stallion's worrying. "But you have the stone? The right stone? You're sure?" he demanded gruffly. He had a voice like sandpaper across your face. Rough and unforgiving. He reminded me of a military general, but his eyes were cold and filled with no concern whatsoever. Whoever he was, he wasn't a guy to take lightly, not even a little. Clearly Dangerous. I had to be careful.

Solitaire looked taken back by his concern being pushed aside so easily, but nodded. "Yes, of course. It is one of The Sacred Stones, no possible mistake. Here it is..." He withdrew the stolen black stone, but held it in his hoof, close to his chest, as if unsure if he should just hand it over. He looked at the black stallion pleadingly, fear around lined his eyes. "Karnoc. Please. The police will be looking for me soon. Mara won't be able to keep them away from me forever. You're going to get me out of the Keyes aren't you?" He asked desperately.

Karnoc!? This guy was Karnoc? The same High Priest Karnoc from the letters, and the one who called the museum asking them to move the stones? He looked more like a soldier then an employee. Or a High Priest. So, it had been him that got Solitaire to steal the stone for him. They had this planned out from the start. But why come here? Why not be close to Simon, if he was so high up in the cult? It didn't make sense.

Karnoc slammed a hoof on the table, making both me and the professor jump nearly out of our skins. "Stop your whining, Solitaire!" He yelled. "Do you have any idea what this stone symbolizes?"

"I-I thought you just wanted it to frighten the natives."

Karnoc snorted "Fool! I intend to cast this stone into the sea."

Solitaire's eyes widened in alarm. "But why....it's a priceless piece of history. There are no other stones but it's sisters!"

"Exactly. With it gone, the other stones are useless, and The Oloya's plan to destroy Tezcatlipoca cannot succeed. The Al-Syd's prophecy will be fulfilled, and the sun will set on this world, so it may rise for ours." Karnoc said, as if repeating a gospel from memory.

Solitaire shook his head. "What nonsense is this? I can assure you, Tezcatlipoca is just a mythical figure. He's not actually real!" The old pony cried in disbelief.

But Karnoc just smiled wickedly. "Such a small mind you live in." He said insultingly. "Tezcatlipoca is indeed real, as real as the Celestial Princesses that govern the sun and moon." Karnoc looked away from the confused professor towards the window, causing me to duck down quickly to avoid being seen. "I have seen him in my dreams. Heard his words from The Al-Syd's mouth. We have spoken of his plans for this world."

I looked back up to see Karnoc staring at Solitaire with a disturbing smile. "We have spoken of your part in these plans."

"My part?"

"The Al-syd told me of you, as Tezcatlipoca told him. That you would be useful. He told me of your insatiable greed, how you could be coerced by the allure of more treasure to stick your name on like a child likes to scratch their name on toys that don't belong to them, desperate for the other big kids to notice them."

"I-I am a respected professor of Archaeology! My career is everything to me-"

"And now" Karnoc interrupted. "You are no longer useful."

Before I could even blink, Karnoc had pierced Solitaire's throat with a well thrown shuriken from his belt. I covered my mouth and fell to my knees to stop myself from screaming, but my heart was now pounding against my rib cage. I wanted to scream. I wanted to shout till I couldn't breathe.

I had just seen somepony be murdered...right in front of me. I felt like I was going to be sick.

I heard Solitaire try to gurgle out some last words, but they were too muffled through the door for me to hear. I only heard Karnoc's hooves get up from his seat and move towards the door. The very one I was now slumped against now.

Move! Have to move! I ignored the hole in my stomach and demanded my legs start walking. Somehow, I managed to crawl to the corner and duck out of sight just as Karnoc emerged from the cabin. I looked around the corner, and saw not one speck of emotion or remorse in his eyes. Solitaire was just another price to pay for the cause. For Simon. He had played his part and now, he was nothing to them. He hadn't deserved that. Nopony deserved to die like that.

After I watched Karnoc walk down the steps to the docks, probably to inspect the damage the crane had done to the ship, I kept low as I walked back and entered the cabin, making sure to close the door behind me.

Solitaire's Cabin, Onboard The C.S.S Xiabola, 9:34 am

The office was small, and had little in it other then a desk, a filing cabinet, a single bed and a booth to sit in. Professor Solitaire lay sprawled across the table, dark blood having stained his suit and the booth itself. He laid with his eyes still open with horror from his death. I closed his eyes out of respect. There were no signs of life, but I checked to be sure Solitaire really was beyond help.

I checked his wrist for a single pulse, but his heart was now silent. I checked the wound. A single shuriken to the jugular. Began bleeding profusely almost instantly. His increased heart-rate due to stress only made him bleed out faster. He was beyond saving now. I had let someone die right in front of me, me a doctor! I could've saved him!

No you couldn't. There was nothing you could have done for him. Karnoc would have killed you as soon as you opened that door to stop him. You'd be dead too, and then who would stop Simon?

It was true. There really wasn't anything I could have done to save him. All I could do now was put an end to this madness, once and for all. Make sure there were no more victims. Ever.

I cleared my head and took a minute to catch my breath. I felt a little better, but still horribly uneasy as I checked to make sure Karnoc hadn't taken the stone. I looked and to my relief saw that Solitaire still had the stone in his grasp. It was clearly the same stone he had stolen from the museum. It was identical in size and shape to the other two stones, right down to the stylized Mayan markings etched onto one side.

As I reached for the stone, I looked down at Solitaire once more. We were going to need the stone to stop Simon. I knew the professor would have approved. I picked up the stone and was about to put it in my pocket.

But then....I felt eyes on the back of my head. I dodged the blow to my head, as Karnoc hurled a meaty hoof in my direction. He may have been strong, but he was slow compared to me. I grabbed him by the arm , and used his momentum to fling him over the nearby desk, causing the cabinet to fall on top of him.

But this only angered him. Karnoc knocked the cabinet aside as he stood back up, his eyes burning not with fury but excitement. "Well now, that's a change. Didn't know earth ponies could move that fast." he said with a smile. "Then again, I was told you had a few tricks up your sleeve."

He withdrew a knife and pointed at me. "Let's see what else you can do, little girl." He charged at me with a furious slash, but I ducked under it and caught his hoof, trying to wrestle the knife away from him. The knife fell from his grasp, but he caught it in his other and delivered a heavy kick to my ribs as payback, sending me tumbling out the door onto the deck. Pain exploded inside me, but I managed to get back to my feet. He wasn't quick, but he really knew how to pack his strength into his blows. I had to be careful, counter when I could, and I couldn't risk attacking him back. One mistake and he'd use it to end me for good.

He charged at me again, but caught my arm as I tried to dodge him. He went to stab me but I grabbed his arm and took a step back before charging at him, sending him tumbling over the railing, and the knife falling onto the deck. I let go as he fell onto a pile of crates on the docks, but he wouldn't be down there long.

I had dropped the stone, when Karnoc tried to jump me. I couldn't leave without it. I had to grab it, then get off this ship!

I ran back to the cabin and searched for the stone. It had to be on the floor somewhere! I looked frantically, but then I remembered: I had dropped it as soon as Karnoc attacked me from behind. If I dropped it from where I was standing, then the trajectory of its bounce when it hit the ground means it must've landed....!

"Beneath the table!" I yelled as I crouched down, and sure enough the stone laid there on its side. It didn't have a scratch on it either, which was reassuring. I grabbed it, put it in my pocket then ran back out the door.

Unfortunately, I was not alone on the deck this time.

Surrounded. Every beady eye staring me down, every guard armed with shock batons that sparked and crackled in their grips, every burly worker clenching their hooves in preparation for a fight. And there was Karnoc, bruised but still very much capable of fighting. And very, very angry.

I backed up to the door, and prepared myself for a long and tough fight. Me versus all these guys plus Karnoc. It wouldn't be easy, but if I kept moving and took one down at a time, I might stand a chance.

"I don't suppose we can just talk this out?" I asked.

Karnoc's laugh was all the answer I needed. Two of them first, guards. Armed with their batons, both took a heavy swing at me. I dodged them, and delivered a heavier scissor kick to their legs, sending them toppling over, and dropping their weapons, which I snagged, before standing back up, now armed myself. One strike each with the baton, and the guards were down for the count.

Three this time. Burly worker stallions, armed only with their hooves. One took a swing at me, but I ducked under his meaty arm and hit him in the stomach with the baton. He went down instantly, as the electric shock knocked him out easily. The other two, tried to jump me at the same time. I delivered a kick to one's leg, making him lose balance and accidentally strike his friend in the back of the head, who went tumbling onto the deck. As the other came down, I knocked him out with as quick strike to the face.

Two guards again, plus four more workers. To win this, I had to separate them. Keep them from all jumping me at once. But for some reason, my eyes wandered to Karnoc. He was just standing there. Not moving a muscle. Just...watching. Why hadn't he tried to attack me yet? I was barely fending off all these guys at once, if he had wanted he could have stuck that knife in my back by now. Fight over.

That's when I noticed it. It was subtle at first; I would have missed it, had I not been watching my surroundings, paying attention to every detail. No one moved now, they all stood, shoulder to shoulder, eyes like dolls. The workers, the guards, all of them, began to shudder, then move, slightly towards the floor. But it wasn't normal movement. No, they moved like melted butter, sliding in shifting in form, new shapes appearing in their places. Slowly these shapes rose to take the form of new figures.

Three red robed-clad figures slipped into being before my eyes. Then three more. Then three more. It wasn't possible, and yet, it happened, (I was used to the impossible by now, but still) Cultists were literally appearing out of thin air, folding themselves from space.

One of the cultists looked impossibly strong, very much the 'muscle' of the group. Another one, a mare with a blonde mane, looked at me with a cruel sneer on her lips. Her gaze then met that of Karnoc, who now brandished the same crimson robes, but his were much more extravagant, baring intricate symbols and runes of a golden sun on the sleeves and hood.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Karnoc spoke. "How long have you been at this, Miss...?"

"Morning Meir." I answered, not daring to take my eyes off the cultists for a second.

"The detective." Karnoc remarked.

"Doctor" I corrected instinctively.

"Yes. But also a detective as well, apparently. And a very, very good one at that."

"I try."

Karnoc chuckled along with the rest of them. "Yes, try. You tried to stop destiny, tried to stop the Great Prophecy from being fulfilled, tried to get in the way of our plans for this world." He waved a hoof, and they all drew swords and daggers from their robes. All aimed at me. "But as much as you've tried....I'm afraid this, is where it ends." With lightning quick glances, he then silently ordered his comrades to attack. He smirked as they all lunged forward.

It was all a blur to me. They moved across the deck like encroaching darkness enveloped in crimson. Before I could react, two of them launched themselves at me, blades tore through the air, and I just barely managed to avoid losing a limb to them. It was all happening so fast that I barely had enough time to notice my robed assailants were not running along the deck but the walls.

Up the walls.

This, I said to myself, is not going to be easy. I had to focus this time. Really focus. I slowed my breathing as I let everything flow into my mind, each cultist was now singled out from all the others. I drew my batons in both hooves, and made my move. I lunged forward and ducked under the mare's sword swing, cracking the baton hard into her exposed legs. She went down hard, dropping her weapon in the process.

I got back to my feet and used the momentum to strike another in the chest with a hard side kick. The cultist was staggered by the blow, but nothing more. I wasn't getting anywhere like this. If I was going to survive, I had to play every card I had.

There was too much going on now for me to try using Analysis. But I still had one other card to play. I only hoped it worked the way I needed it to right now. I focused on my cutie mark, felt the energy burn on it's surface, the magic began to build up around me. I commanded the magic to take the form of something that could help me, a weapon, anything.

Suddenly I felt my hooves grow as hot as my cutie mark. Looking at them, I saw purple flame like magic appear, then fold itself into what looked like two swords, which I then grasped in my hooves as they became solid. "That works." I remarked as I deflected the sword attack of a cultist who tired to sneak a hit in while I was distracted. The lilac energy cut through his blade like butter, sending one half to the floor, along with the now stunned cultist. It was messy, but effective. Lucky, I thought. I got lucky.

A quick scan of the situation showed the two cultists were recovering from my assault, and Karnoc now began to make his way towards me.

Then, before I even knew what had happened, I felt the energy leave my body, as the swords vanished from my grasp, and Karnoc's hoof clamped itself tightly around my throat. I tried to fight back, tried to struggle, but I was suddenly exhausted.

I may have made those swords appear, but I still had no idea how to control it. They disappeared like nothing. Like they never existed. I snapped my arms, trying desperately to get the energy to come back. Pleaded with the magic to respond, but their was nothing. Energy flickered at my hooves then faded.

It was no use.

Rookie mistake. I should've practiced beforehand.

"Yes, you should have." Karnoc cackled, as if reading my mind. He then drew his blade in his hoof, while holding me by the throat in the other. The blade gleamed as he aimed it right for me.

What now? I wondered.

Oh. I guess I die.

No. Have....to....stop...

My eyes shut. I waited for the blade to meet me. But it never did.

I heard a sound. Like a knife cleaving through a piece of meat. Then I was dropped onto the deck.

I opened my eyes and saw that every eye was not on me, but on Karnoc. No...not Karnoc.

But the blade that had appeared through his chest. He had been stabbed directly from behind by a long, perfectly sharp blade. Blood pooled around the spot, turning crimson to black. Then it vanished. Drawn back in through the wound by the attacker.

Karnoc looked strangely calm, but at the same time, terror filled his eyes. He smiled as he fell onto the floor, face first, dead.

The figure behind him was shorter then he had been. They gripped their weapon, a long silver pole with two blades at the ends, in one hoof, while the other was motioning. Beckoning.

Towards....me?

I felt groggy, sick, as I tried to stand up. By the time I was back on my feet, the other cultists had decided to attack their High Priest's killer. What a mistake this had been.

The figure became a blur, weaving through the crowd with terrifying grace and agility. It was only when they stopped in front of me to help me to my feet, that I finally saw who it was.

Her eyes were the first thing. Her sky blue mane, illuminated like soft clouds in the daylight sun, was the next thing. Quill Feather shaking me out of my stupor was the last thing. "Morning! Snap out of it, already! We have to go!"

I snapped out of my trance, and looked at her. Then at the blade aimed for my head. But before I could react, the blade and it's wielder had been cleaved in half by Quill.

I felt a queasy sensation. Sickened by what I was seeing but also relieved that I was still alive. I guaranteed I would feel the full weight of it later on, but now wasn't the time. "Quill? H-how did-"

Quill took two down in a split second showering the deck in red. "Not the time, nor the place, Meir! Just grab a weapon and start fighting!" she shouted over the carnage.

She was right, no time for talking now! I picked up two swords that had been dropped by the dispatched cultists, and joined the fight, alongside Quill. The big one, All muscle, decided to take me on this time. All around me I heard swords clashing, blood spilling and Quill moving through the crowd like a ghost. She was truly a sight to behold. But I had no time to watch her at work. I had my own fight ahead of me.

The cultist brought down a massive pipe, he had ripped from the nearby wall. It smashed the floor, sending splinters and chunks of deck planks up into the air. Drawing a deep breath, I faced my foe, my swords cleaved through the air to meet the pipe, sending sparks over the deck. I moved subtly, almost imperceptibly, in specific patterns, making my way around, imparting injuries to the legs, and forearms. He made another attempt at me to snuff me out. The pipe smashed into the wall, leaving a crater in the now deformed metal. I took the opportunity to cleave a deep gash into the arm, separating the nerves.

The cultist howled in pain, as he dropped the pipe, which clattered onto the floor. Another quick slash to his forearm and he went down, dropping like a ton of bricks onto the now broken and battered deck.

Battered, bruised and bloodied. But I was still alive. I looked back to see that Quill and I were the only ones left now. The rest now lay slain on the deck. Some still moved around in agony. The others didn't move at all. There was less blood then I had thought, but that just showed how skilled Quill really was as an assassin.

We both locked eyes as we approached one another, breathing heavily. "You alright?" She asked, looking at my injuries.

I looked at myself. I had been through worse, and with a little care, rest and medical work, I could fix myself up just fine. "I'll manage." I said with a smile.

A smile, that was now returned to me by the ever imposing Quill Feather. "Good." she said simply. She turned to leave, but then I remembered something. "Wait!"

"What?"

"I need to do something real quick!" I ran back to Karnoc's body and found the key to the janitor's closet. After slipping it under the door for the guard, I rejoined Quill, who rolled her eyes at me.

"Done? Now....let's get out of here." she turned away and sheathed her bo-staff. "I need a drink." she added sounding annoyed.

I nodded as I followed her off the ship and back down to the docks, unaware that we had not been the only survivors of the fight.

A single cultist, had hidden behind one of the crates, and as soon as the coast was clear, he made a break for the tunnels, to tell everyone what had happened.

Including Simon.

Chapter 23: "Daring Do And The Lost Temple Of Oceana."

Author's Note

While Morning and Quill make their way back to the city with the Scared Stones finally in hand (hoof), Daring Do and Clover The Clever embark on an epic quest to find the legendary lost Temple Of Oceana: The first and only of it's kind outside of the great civilization of Atlantis, and the final key to stopping Simon and saving the world from Tezcatlipoca's unquenchable rage. How will they find this sacred temple, that has been lost to time for untold millennia? Let's find out! :pinkiesmile:

Chapter 23: "Daring Do And The Lost Temple Of Oceana."

"So....how are we going to do this?"

"No clue."

At Clover's remark, Daring let out a sigh, as she leaned back in her chair, eyes focused on the ceiling of the posh hotel room, her brain reeling in every way it could to find some answer to their conundrum.

"If only Morning were here", she thought. "She'd know how to find this place."

She took off her helmet and smoothed the top of it with her hoof. It seemed to speak to her in her mind. What are you talking about!? You're Daring Do! The Daring Do! The helmet scolded. If anypony can find this temple, it's you!

"But how? This temple has been lost for centuries, and up until now I thought the only existing temple was in Atlantis. There aren't any books, maps, or any relevant information anywhere about the thing! How can I find it, if I have nowhere to start?" she asked the helmet in her head.

Think about it. Dad had to have left clues on that note of some kind, right? Look at it closer. There has to be something there!

"That's right! The note Dad left!" Daring exclaimed, leaping from the seat and going over to her satchel bag, and began searching frantically through it, scattering maps and papers all over the table.

"Um...what's right?" Clover asked, confused.

"Hang on....almost...found it!" Daring held up the message her father had left for her, and brought it over to Clover for them to both look over. Daring pointed to one part of the message in particular: But there is a way to stop him, and this whole cult for good. When The Heart Of Oceana is combined with three sacred stones carved from the obsidian walls of the Temple Of Oceana

Obsidian walls. Clover eyed the word and in a flash she got it. "Obsidian. So we know at least..."

"That Oceana's Temple on this island is made from obsidian!" Daring finished for her. "All we have to do is look over the island's list of temples and find the one that's made from obsidian!"

Clover nodded. "But still, what if there's more then one temple made from obsidian on the island? How do we know which is the right one?"

"Easy." Daring said with a smile. "Oceana is the ruler of Atlantis, and the goddess of the ocean. Ergo,' she brought out a map, and pointed to the coast,"We focus on the temple closest to the ocean!"

The two mares ordered a tourist map from the hotel lobby. On it, all the temples and ruins on the island were marked with a large cartoony drawing of a temple, with a little summary of each temple next to each drawing. Focusing on the coast they found 15 temples and sets of ruins but the one closest to the ocean, rested on a cliff-side overlooking the sea.

Daring read the summary aloud: "A beautifully crafted shrine carved from pure obsidian, overlooking the ocean. Supposedly built to honor a goddess of the sea." Daring grinned from ear to ear. "I can't think of a better place that could be a temple to Oceana."

Clover agreed. "True. Though it could still just be a lie to bring in the tourists."

Daring nodded, as she packed her satchel. "Also true. Still worth a look though, plus I have been dying to get out there and explore some of these temples! All this gloom and doom about Simon and the cult has really been ruining my adventurous vibe, y'know?"

"Naturally." Clover joked. "Well, I wish you luck on your exciting escapade-"

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, you're coming with me."

"What?? W-why do you need me to come along on this?"

Daring folded up the tourist map and put it in her satchel. "Well since you've been holding onto the Heart Of Oceana for the last few thousand years or so, and was actually around when the temple was still active, I think you can see why I think you'd make a great partner on this search. Wouldn't you agree?" Daring asked slyly, already knowing Clover's answer.

"Ah, I see." She then grabbed her satchel and slung it over her shoulder. "Welp...let's be off then!"

With that, Daring and Clover let Dr. Seastone know where they were going, before boarding a taxi carriage for the jungle, of which there was a single stop in front of where it began. As soon as they were dropped off, they would need to make the rest of their journey on foot.

Which is just how Daring liked it.

Swaps Outside Quaramonte, 2 Miles east of the Voiceless Jungle

A lock of Daring's mane stuck to her forehead as they trudged through the stagnant swamps, heading deep into the Voiceless Jungle. According to the map, the temple was at the far side of the jungle, on a cliff overseeing the ocean. It would take a while, but as long as they kept heading towards the ocean, they would see the temple....eventually.

As they made their way through the thick jungles and tangling vines, Daring thought about her friend Meir, and where she ended up. Part of her knew she'd be okay, but the other still worried about her. Daring hoped it was just her oh-so concerned and caring friend instincts.....or maybe it was because she really, really wanted to fight all those sailor guys alongside her.

They arrived at a path that went off towards the center of the island. If they followed it, they would reach the pass that lead towards the shore on the other side, and the cliff side was just north of that. They still had a ways to go.

After a while, they arrived at the center of a dry marsh with dried up looking trees dotting the area. According to the map, they were in what was left of a large swamp that dried up many years ago. They could walk through it, as the mud had dried up, but they had to be careful of-

"Whoa!" Daring cried out as she felt her hooves sink into the sand beneath her. She heard another yelp as Clover had followed suit.

"W-what is this?" Clover exclaimed. "I-I can't move!"

"Don't struggle." Daring said calmly. "It's quicksand. You'll sink faster if you struggle."

"Quicksand!?"

"Hey! I said don't struggle!" Daring ordered.

Sand rolled up their legs, slowly pulling them in to their waist.

Clover began to panic now. She tried in vain to use her magic to pull them out, but it was no good. The suction was too strong. "What do we do!?" She yelled.

"Relax! Just relax, okay?" Daring instructed. "I'm no stranger to quicksand. Just do exactly as I say, and we'll be fine. Alright?"

Clover took a breath and exhaled calmly. "Okay. What do we do?"

"First: calm down. Forget what you’ve seen in movies - you’re not going to be sucked into a bottomless pit. Even in the deepest quicksand, you won’t sink far past your midsection. Your body is just too buoyant. So take deep breaths. The more air you have in your lungs, the better you’ll float."

Clover did as she was told, taking several deep breaths. She did feel like the sand was loosening a bit, but she was still being pulled down.

"Next,' Daring called, removing and tossing her helmet, " Toss your gear!"

"What?!"

"All that extra weight will make you sink faster. Ditch your backpack and anything else with a lot of weight. They will make escaping more difficult."

Clover removed her saddlebag, back pack and everything else and laid it to the side along with Daring's helmet. "Now what?" Clover asked.

"Don't move. And resist the urge to wiggle your legs. Quicksand is what’s known as a non-Newtonian fluid, so it liquefies whenever there’s movement. As you sink, your weight pushes water from the sand. With the water gone, the sand thickens, creating a vacuum that tugs you down."

"So how do we escape it!?"

"Move!"

"What!?" Clover exclaimed in confusion. "B-But you just said, don't move!"

Daring sighed. "You’re sinking because the sand around your legs has lost water. But if that water can return, the sand’s grip should loosen. That’s our route to escape—and the only way to do that is to move....so move!"

Clover and Daring began to walk slowly forward, as the sand swelled around their legs. "Slowly, start to sit down, but keep moving. You're body will act as a counterweight." Daring explained.

They moved through the deadly muck, slowly but surely. With Daring's instruction, eventually they made it back onto dry land, pulling themselves up onto the dry ground, and free from the sandy tomb.

As Daring casually retrieved her hat and brushed herself off, Clover laid on her back, panic in her eyes, as she tried to catch her breath. "I...I almost died." She rasped.

"No, you didn't. It wasn't actually even that deep. It would've stopped before it reached our necks."

"Oh. Great."

Daring laughed and pulled Clover to her feet. "Never done anything like this before?" she asked.

"Well, no. I've spent the better half of my life studying, battling ancient forces of magic and darkness, putting up with Starswirl's nonsense and the rest being frozen in a giant crystal ice cube.....so no, this is all new to me."

"Heh. You learn to love it."

"I'd rather just learn to tolerate it."

After laughing it off, the two friends marched bravely forward. Eventually they came to a clearing with a large needle of rock in the middle of it. To the north, was yet another path that lead deeper into the forest, eventually reaching the heart of the jungle.

Heart Of The Voiceless Jungle, Early noon

The afternoon sun hung in the sky, before it suddenly went dark, as Daring and Clover entered a large, maze-like path of tall forest, and winding pathways. The sun had vanished from behind the tall treetops, leaving the area relatively dark, as a sudden feeling of foreboding crept up Daring's back.

She looked around, every path lead of somewhere different. Or.....no, did they lead back? Forward?

Daring could no longer tell which path lead where, as the sense of foreboding became stronger. The jungle was trying to confuse them, get them lost.

She looked behind her to see that Clover was still following her, although she too, felt a sense of dread from the environment around them. "Um...Daring? Are we lost?"

Daring took a minute to check. "No, we're not lost." she said "But the jungle wants us to be."

A chill went down Clover's back. "What do we do?"

Daring turned around and smiled at her. "Plan B."

Clover blinked. "Uh...what's plan B?"

Daring took off her backpack and rifled through it till she found what she was looking for. She withdrew the large three pronged sapphire from her pack and held if aloft, it's soft blue glow illuminating the area.

"Wha-!" Clover gasped. "You brought the Heart of Oceana?"

"Of course! We ARE returning it after all. Of course, we still need the sacred stones, but Morning has that covered."

"So...what do we need the Heart for?" Clover asked.

"If adventuring has taught me anything, and believe me when I say it has taught me a lot of things, then we can use this-"

Suddenly, a beam of light shot out from the sapphire, cutting through the jungle, down a path curved towards a group of twisted looking trees. Daring smiled "To find our way to the temple."

Clover was amazed. "H-How did you know that would happen?" She asked.

"The way I figure it, the Heart wants to be returned. If it knows that's what we're doing, it'll lead us there."

With that, Daring and Clover followed the path made by the Heart's light, through the winding forest, till they finally reached a clearing of sand, and the smell and sound of the ocean was clear to Daring's senses. They were here.

Quaramonte Cliffs, Eastern Shores, Late afternoon

The ocean was the first thing to greet them, as Daring Do and Clover emerged from the jungle, a little worse for wear, but still perfectly fine. The beam lead to the entrance of a single large structure on the cliff side, overlooking the ocean.

A tall black temple, shined brightly in the afternoon sunlight, encroached by an array of thick vines and trees. A few exotic birds of brilliant color had made nests on top of the arches. They flew away, as Daring and Clover approached the temple and went inside.

It was smaller on the inside then she had expected, and there was no back wall to the place, the ocean was clearly the center point of view for the temple. Daring had expected the light to fade or turn off when they had found the temple, but strangely the Heart continued to point forward, right to the cliff side.

Clover eyed it suspiciously. "Um...whats it doing? We found the temple, shouldn't it be telling us where to put it now?"

Daring looked around the temple. Oddly, she found no markings or symbols of Oceana. Just black walls with nothing on them, but vines and groups of small red spiders. Nowhere to put the Heart, or the stones for that matter.

What did this mean? They had found the temple, but.....wait.

Daring's eyes lit up as she got an idea. She began to walk forward, past the hole in the wall, through the grass and right to the edge of the cliff, the Heart in hoof, as the beam kept pointing forward.

"Daring!" Clover yelled, running after her "What are you doing? We found the temple."

As Daring looked down over the cliff, she now saw what the Heart was trying to tell her. Clover leaned over her shoulder but she saw nothing but blue ocean.

"Um....I don't see anything."

"Yep. That's because,' She put the Heart back in her backpack. "The Temple isn't on the cliff at all."

Daring looked out at the ever expanding sea, the breeze rustling her mane. "It's in the ocean." she said softly.

Chapter 24: "Rescue Mission."

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

Chapter 1: "A Long Day In Paradise."

It's funny how things seem to work either in your favor or against it.

Of course some days, there's a middle to it. Fate decides that today will just be a day. Some good, some bad. But not really too much of either.

The day I came back from Nawlans, having solved yet another case of equal unnatural occurrence and circumstance, I was almost immediately thrust into another case. And it was a case I had no choice but to take.

I had wanted to relax, spend time with Heartland and get back to my research. But fate had other plans.

Fate had decided today, was going to be the day that changed everything.

Morning Meir Manor, 1:05 pm

I stood frozen in the doorway as I blinked, not sure if I had heard the princesses words correctly. "I...I'm sorry. What did you say?"

The princesses exchanged looks of sorrow as they looked back to me. "We are sorry, miss Meir. Your parents have gone missing. We were informed an hour ago, by a guard over at The Science Institute." Celestia explained.

"As soon as we heard, we rushed over here to tell you!" Luna exclaimed.

I was surprisingly calm given the circumstance. Oh, yes of course I was worried, and I knew I had to find them, but my parents were the smartest scientists there were, and they knew how to take care of themselves. I wasn't going to start panicking, but I knew I had to find them. And I knew to do that, I would need to ask the princesses what they knew so far.

Amazing. Just gotten back from one case, and I'm already questioning somepony. And it's the celestial princesses, of all ponies.

Today's going to be a long day.

Questioning (Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Can explain more about my parent's disappearance)

Well this was certainly something. Never thought I would get to do one of my infamous questioning sessions on the rulers of Equestria. I'm just glad that the only things our fair princesses were guilty of was their midnight snacking habits. (Which, come to think of it, I don't think they had any idea that I knew about that. Huh.)

We gathered in the living room. Heartland brought in some tea while we all discussed the situation.

The first question was obvious: "Did the guard say what my parents were doing before they vanished?" I asked, taking a seat in my chair.

Celestia nodded. "He said he had been told by a mare, who runs a hotel resort alongside her husband in The Emerald Keyes. I believe her name was Tropical Breeze."

"The Emerald Keyes? Really?" I asked, surprised. My father had taken me to visit an old colleague of his in The Emerald Keyes, when I was a filly. A scientist, who he worked with on some big discovery I was too young to understand. We hadn't gone back in years, but I never found out why.

So....why go there now? And why take mom? I had a bad feeling about all of it.

"Miss Meir?"

I looked up, coming back from my thoughts to see Luna with her hoof on my shoulder. "Are you alright?"

I smiled at her as I shook the thoughts from my head. "Yes, um...sorry about that, I'm fine, just.....reminiscing."

"Oh? You've been to the Keyes before?"

"You could say that." I explained as I got out of my chair.

I stopped to look out at Ponyville. It was a beautiful sunny day, yet the chill of winter was lingering in the air. "And now, it seems I'll be going back." I said out loud.

"Mind If I tag along?" another, very familiar voice rang out from the lobby outside the living room.

We went out to go check and I saw a familiar mare standing in my front doorway, with a wide, cheerful smile on her face. My eyes widened as I saw who it was. A cream colored unicorn mare with a caramel colored mane and half moon spectacles, smiled happily at me as she shut the door behind her. The lab coat she had draped over her shoulders, was loose and untidy, as it swept behind her.

"Dr. Seastone?" I gasped.

She rolled her eyes. "Like I said before, just Seastone works fine, Meir." she laughed.

I ran forward and wrapped my arms around her as she did the same. She let go of me, only to pull me in for a second hug, squeezing my face against hers as she kept smiling. "Long time, no see, Meir!" she laughed joyfully, squeezing our faces together even tighter. I laughed as I hugged her back. "Indeed, it is....Seastone." I said happily.

We all settled back in to the living room, as Heartland (who had not expected three huge names in Equestrian society to visit today) was busy preparing snacks and refreshments in the kitchen.

Dr. Seastone took a seat next to me, as Heartland brought in a fresh pot of tea, then went to go prepare the snacks. She took a sip, before we started our conversation. We had quite a bit to catch up on.

1 Hour later

The princesses had to return to their duties, but they wished me luck in finding my parents, before they left. Me and Dr. Seastone settled back into the living room as I told her about my last case in Nawlans.

"Whoa. Voodoo? Really?" Dr. Seastone asked, amazed.

"Yep. Curses, Rituals, the works."

"Damn it. I wish I had been there. But, no, I was needed at the annual science conference in Appleoosa. Lame." Seastone complained, grumbling to herself in disappointment. "What I would've given to have helped you out with that case. Taking on an evil voodoo cartel? Man, that woulda been awesome!"

I was flattered naturally, but I was secretly glad Dr. Seastone hadn't been there.That case had been dangerous, and I couldn't bare to have put another one of my friends at risk. Still, I had to admit it was great to see Dr. Seastone again. After Mareiposa, she had been swamped with some huge project the Institute had going on. Apparently, she had been rather bored with it.

I suppose attending and working on a secret project for the Science Institute is different then saving the world. But, I don't know.

I would've liked to have seen the project myself. But, a secret is a secret I suppose.

We sat and talked for quite a bit, mostly about what we had both been up to since Mareiposa. But eventually we got to the elephant in the room: The Keyes and my missing parents.

Seastone's happy smile wavered a bit. "Sorry, to hear about your parents, Meir. The Institute is in a riot over it, as soon as I heard I did some digging on my end. And I think I found something."

I sat up in my chair, fully alert. "Really? About why they were in the Keyes?" I asked, anxiously.

Seastone nodded as she took out a folder from her lab coat, and handed it to me. I opened it and saw several files that described a secret project that had been run by Dr. Simon Cobalt.

"Wait. THE Dr. Cobalt?" I asked.

"Yep." Dr. Seastone confirmed, leaning back in her chair and putting her hooves behind her head. "Genius, Billionaire, Philanthropist and CEO of Cobalt Industries. He and his wife run the whole Keyes, now. Turned it into a huge resort. Best vacation spot, bits can buy, if you believe the brochures."

"Last time I was there, my father and Simon had been friends, working on a project. Maybe they're related?"

"Maybe. Do you think its connected to their disappearance?"

I put a hoof to my chin in thought. "I don't know."

I smiled as I took a sip of my tea, placing the cup back on it's saucer. "But, I guess we're heading back to find out."

"Whoo! Vacation, baby!" Seastone exclaimed excitedly.

With that, I was thrown into my newest case. My parents, arguably the most important figures known to Equestrian science and the mare and stallion that raised me, supported me through med school, and basically made it so I never needed to worry about anything as a filly or even as an adult. They were geniuses. They knew how to take care of themselves.

But this whole business with this secret project in the Keyes. A project that was so important, that both my parents had flown out to work with Simon Cobalt, a scientist that my father hadn't spoken to in years, to work on it. I had a bad feeling about all of it.

In a way, I suppose, Dr. Seastone was right. Though it wasn't a vacation, for sure.

But, Celestia knows I was in desperate need of one.

Chapter 13: "Splitting Up."

Chapter 13: "Secrets Of The Sands."

I had several more questions for Quill Feather. And she looked more then willing to listen (Although given the fact she was tied to a chair, I'm not sure she felt she had much choice. I needed to be sure to apologize about this, after I was done questioning her.)

"You asked me earlier why I thought Simon built this place. To be honest, it's impressive. But it obviously serves as more then a resort, doesn't it?"

Quill nodded. "Much more." she said cryptically. "This is how he'll do it. This whole place is one big mega bunker, inexhaustible in every resource imaginable. The technology in this place is designed to sustain a nation for centuries. But if Simon gets what he wants from that village...then his empire will last an eternity."

Clover. I studied her face and she wasn't exaggerating. or at least she didn't think she was. Clover was what Simon was after. Somehow, she was all part of this insane doomsday plan of his. But it was more then that, like she was crucial to it in someway.

Fantastic another maniac, hellbent on ruling the world. Except Simon, wanted to destroy it first.

Wait a minute...village?

"What village are you talking about?" I asked.

"There's a village somewhere on the island, supposedly where our friend Clover has been hiding for all these centuries."

"It is?!" I exclaimed. "Do you know where it is?"

"I was supposed to find that out, but somethings...shielding the place. Making it impossible to find with even our level of surveillance."

I took a minute to think it over. So, Clover really was alive and on the island. Never mind how huge a discovery this was (And believe me, it was astronomical) we had to focus on the big picture: Simon was after her. So we had to find her first. And we would.

Putting that aside I asked another question, this one meant the world to me. "Do you know where my parents are? Did you take them?" I asked, trying not to sound angry.....even though I was.

"I know where the other scientists are, but no. I wasn't the one who kidnapped your parents Meir. I did my job, and brought all the scientists to the island and they were taken here, to the Sands." Quill looked up at me. "I don't know where your parents are, Meir, but I know where we can start looking. This place is Simon's Ark. It's filled with all kinds of secrets he'd have me kill people over if they ever got out. I.....I can help you."

I looked at her skeptically. "Why should I trust you?"

Quill rolled her eyes. "Your the one that can tell if I'm lying at a glance remember? You don't have to like me, I wouldn't even blame you if you hated me, but right now, you're in the belly of the beast, and I'm the only one that can help you get the answers you're looking for."

She was right. I was in the middle of a hornets nest, and I couldn't risk stirring it any more then I already had. With Quill by my side, at least nopony would be suspicious of me while I looked around. And I needed to find out all I could while I was here.

Plus, I was generally interested in seeing more of this place.

"Alright." I agreed. "But, we go where I need to, and we stick together at all times. And if you think of trying anything-

"What can I try? You can practically read minds and I'm in no shape to fight you even if I wanted to. Plus....I already said I was done with this insanity. If helping you is my first step to restoring my honor, then so be it."

She had a point. "Okay, here let me untie you."

"No need." Quill stood up from the chair, letting the ropes fall to the floor. "Tada." she joked.

I blinked. "You've been untied this whole time, haven't you?"

"I got out around the time you started asking questions." she admitted with a curt smile. "Just proves that I really am on your side here, doesn't it?"

I gave a curt smile back. "I suppose it does."

Quill Feather has (reluctantly) joined the investigation!

Making my way around the resort would be easier with Quill in tow. But still, I had to keep an eye on her, while I was looking around. I couldn't risk her letting anyone know what I was up to, though she definitely sounded like she would rather help me find out more about Simon's plans then aiding him in anymore kidnappings.

And of course, I understood why. Still, I don't think she was too happy about helping me either.

We left Quill's office and came to a massive map of the place, hovering just outside the floor lobby. Quill went up to it and eyed the large star that pointed to our current location. "First place we should look into is the museum." she said putting a hoof to her chin in thought.

"Museum?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow. "Simon built a museum to himself, now?"

"Not exactly." Quill scoffed. "It's a museum to the achievements of Cobalt, namely all the stuff he built into the place to ensure it would be the last thing standing after doomsday. It's open to everyone, so we shouldn't have any trouble getting in and having a look around."

A museum where we can see everything Simon is planning for doomsday on display? Sounded good to me. According to the map, the museum could be found by taking the elevator at the end of the hall on this floor down to the second floor, then just following the staircase around the garden to the museum entrance.

Easy enough.

Or at least it would have been, if I didn't spot a certain somepony trotting around the gardens with a few Setting Sun cultists by her side.

Mara Villa, still adorned in her pink police uniform, yawned loudly as she stood in the gardens that acted as the centerpiece of the hall we were currently in. She sat on a bench, checking her makeup in a small compact while two, cultists stood on either side of her, eyes scanning the room, from beneath their hoods.

I stopped dead in my tracks, causing Quill to question as to why. "What's the matter?" she asked, sounding quite annoyed.

"That mare over there, shes the police chief I tried to question back in the city! The last time I saw her, she was supposed to be taking a tour of the ruins." I whispered, before turning to Quill. "What is she doing here?" I asked.

Quill rolled her eyes. "I honestly thought you'd have figured that out by now. Mara has been in our pocket for quite some time. She's a phenomenal actress in her own right, useful for keeping the public blissfully unaware of what Cobalt is up to."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "So she's just a puppet too, then?"

Quill looked unphased. "Easy, Meir. She's done the job we've given her, and managed to run the police department just fine in the process." She set her eyes on Mara, who was adjusting her police hat so it sat perfectly on her head. "Although as to why she's here....I can only guess she's here to talk with me." Quill explained with a sly grin.

"What for?"

"She probably wants to report on a discovery she's made about the village's location. She may have even gotten that old fool to show her exactly where it is."

Old Fool? Wait...

My mind flashed back to the police station, where Mara had been talking to that old archaeologist Daring had warned me about: Solitaire. So he was just a puppet too. It made sense that Cobalt would have a pretty starlet like Mara, charm Solitaire into showing her where the village was. After all, he was here for that exact same reason.

So what happened? Did she find the village? and if so....what had she done with Solitaire, now that he was no longer needed?

Then, I had an idea. I turned to Quill, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. "You want me to go over and talk to her. Find out if she knows where the village is, right?" Quill scoffed.

"Yep." I said simply. "I'll wait here, out of sight, till-

"No you won't. You're in the heart of the welcome lobby, where everypony makes their way to the other areas of the resort. You'll be spotted in an instant, if you just wait here." Quill scolded.

I felt my face get hot. "Okay then, so where exactly can I go then?" Quill was not the easiest pony to get along with. Did she really need to act so superior all the time?

But then she smiled. "You need to learn what I know. How to hide in plain sight, become an inaudible whisper in the room, just another pony in a crowd." Her eyes suddenly burned into mine. "Be like Hashashin." she whispered.

Sapphire Sands Indoor Gardens, 6:30 pm

Doing everything Quill had told me to, I sat on a bench, to the far side of where Mara sat. For all intents and purposes, I felt like she should have spotted me by now. But she didn't pay any mind. And the cultists were too busy bowing in respect to Quill as she talked with Mara, who only seemed to complain.

"Honestly, I don't see why I have to come all the way here to report this stuff to you." she whined. "It's nearly seven already, and I need my beauty sleep!"

Quill rolled her eyes. "I'm sure." she scoffed. "Better get your report over with then."

Mara pouted, but nevertheless gave her report. "I came back to the police station and did what you asked. The revised map gave us a clear location, but that archaeologist is stubborn. He insists that the area is too dangerous for us. Wants to excavate the place with his own team."

Quill shook her head. "Out of the question. We can't afford to rile the tribals up with big machinery and burly diggers tearing up their village. We do this by the plan we've set. If he doesn't like it, send him to me and I'll convince him to see reason."

Mara looked like she couldn't have cared less. "Fine" she sighed. "As for the village itself, we have a location, but getting to the place might be....tricky."

"Tricky how?"

"The jungle...it's....alive or something. While I was out there, it felt like there were eyes on my back the whole time, but I sowre it was just us out there. I got what info I could, and got the heck out of there!"

Quill sighed. "I see. So what happened to the team you were with?"

Mara shrugged. "Don't know." she turned to the two cultists at her side. "These are the only two that made it back with me."

Quill put a hoof to her chin. "What did Solitaire say about the target? Is she there or not?" She demanded.

Mara thought for a moment. "He said something about how she apparently....preserved herself? Frozen in some sort of crystal stuff."

Listening to Mara, I could tell she was telling the truth. So...there was something in the jungle, that protected the village? Was it Clover, casting some sort of spell to keep her new home hidden from the likes of Cobalt? No. Clover wouldn't need to cast a spell like that, she would have no trouble keeping the village hidden with the most minimal amount of magic. She probably wouldn't even need to use magic. And then there was that last part....

Preserved herself. Frozen in some sort of crystal.

It made sense. Clover easily could have preserved herself for all these years by encasing herself in a form of magically enriched crystal. But for this long? After so many years, crystal wouldn't be able to sustain her magic, let alone keep her alive. So if it wasn't crystal she froze herself in....what was it?

Mara wasn't a genius. But she clearly knew that the Voiceless Jungle was too dangerous for her. I could tell she was trying to get Quill to feel like she had done enough, so she wouldn't have to go back there. But the look in Quill's eyes spoke for itself.

She didn't care. She had no interest in any part of Simon's plans anymore. The finding of the village meant nothing to her. She really did have a change of heart then.

But I still kept an eye on her as she and Mara parted ways. The stuck-up policemare payed me no mind whatsoever as she trotted past me, yawning and muttering about wanting to turn in for the night.

Quill came up to me and gave another almost-smile. "So, looks like we learned something."

Indeed we had. Clover really was hiding out in a village. A village protected by the Voiceless Jungle. Not only that but we now knew how But there was more to it then that, I knew it.

It was then that I realized that I had to investigate this on my own. I couldn't move about as freely as I wanted to with Quill by me. Too many people recognized her, and that just meant sooner or later they would recognize me. Then we'd both be in trouble.

I had to go off on my own for now. Maybe I'd be able to find out more if questioned some of the visitors in the museum.

It was worth a shot. "Hey, Quill? I think I'm going to head off on my own for awhile." I said politely.

Quill raised an eyebrow. "Really? Here I thought you'd want to keep an eye one me." she scoffed. She was being snarky as always, but I could tell she was generally interested to know why.

"Turns out, It'll be easier for me to investigate without ponies recognizing you with me." I explained. "For a ninja master, you're not very good at staying out of the light." I added with a smile.

She looked taken back a bit, but nonetheless smiled curtly. "Fine. I guess I'll head back to my office to pack up my stuff." she said simply.

"So, you're really leaving Cobalt?" I asked, as she walked past me.

She didn't turn around, as she was lost in her own thoughts. "I meant what I said. It's time I started doing what's right, for a change." Then she left without another word.

Quill was a tough pony to read, but she clearly felt bad about what she had let herself fall into. She was determined to restore her honor, and that meant she was willing to help stop Simon. Having her as an ally would definitely turn the tables for sure.

But I had to put all that aside for now.

It was time to see what else this place was hiding.

Starting with that museum.

Chapter 25: "Mobius."

As everyone in the cell began to get themselves ready for the big escape, I saw that Dr. Mobius, was not so eager. Instead he sat at his desk, grumbling to himself as he looked at the diagrams he had posted in the walls around his desk.

Concerned, I went over to engage the old stallion in conversation. "Dr. Mobius?" I asked.

He didn't look at me, but after a moment he spoke. "Fancy seeing you here, Ms. Meir."

"I'm sorry?"

"You came all this way for your parents, right? I hadn't imagined your plan would've involved getting captured and thrown into these cells with us." He said gruffly. "Still, it seems your plan is working...so far." He turned and looked at everyone packing their things, shutting off their monitors and generally just chatting happily about finally getting to leave. "And it looks like you have everyone else celebrating as well."

"You can't blame them," I said gently. "They probably haven't had anything to celebrate in quite a while."

"I know that." said Dr. Mobius irritably. "But that's no reason to let our guard down. For supposed geniuses, they must find it very easy to throw caution to the wind." He threw a sharp sideways glance at my father here, as though hoping he would say something, but my father was busy helping my mother clear her station, so he went on. "A fine thing it would be if, one day, we wouldn't have to deal with all this supernatural world-ending nonsense. Wouldn't you agree, Ms. Meir?" He asked turning to me.

"Very much so." I agreed with a smile. "But, if you don't mind me saying so, you sound like you speak from experience, Dr. Mobius." I added, curiously.

"I suppose I do." Dr. Mobius said with a wink. "Let's just say that my profession isn't just centered around scientific pursuits."

My curiosity skyrocketed, as I asked, "Well, we have time before Quill gets here. I'd love to hear about them!" If I sounded eager, it's because I was. I was very interested to hear the exploits of another pony who dabbled in other pursuits, like I did.

Dr. Mobius gave me a searching look, but smiled anyways. "Very well." He said calmly. "Let's start at the beginning."

Dr. Mobius's Story

"It was many, many years ago; back when I was a young stallion. I was a daring man, full of recklessness and a lust for adventure. I traveled all over the world, pursuing undiscovered dangers and fantastic fortune, along with the ever-looming thirst for scientific knowledge."

My eyes went wide. "You were a treasure hunter?" I faltered.

"Treasure hunter, Inventor, a little bit of both." Mobius stated. "But, yes, I was always chasing some legend or another and every day was a new adventure for me. And of course, I published every one of mys discoveries for the scientific community to learn from." He said proudly. "It was truly the most exciting time of my life." Mobius added dreamily.

"What sort of discoveries did you make?" I asked, more than eager to hear more.

"Numerous treasures, a lost civilization in the south Pacific, and all forms of mythical artifacts, such as The Belest Stone, The Deathless Ark of Kyrat, The Red Grail and most notably the Crystal Skull Of Shamballa." Mobius said proudly. "I've held the title of Inventor, Archaeologist, Professor/Head Scientist, Soldier, Intelligence Agent, Heretic, Sentinel and Waiter."

At that I jumped up from my seat. "Wait! What did you just say?" I asked quickly.

"Waiter? Well, in my youth, I worked at a Diner called Crabby's-"

"No, not that!" I said, grinning from ear to ear. "Y-you...you were a Sentinel!? With The Circle?" I asked, practically yelling now.

Nevertheless, Dr. Mobius only smiled as he said. "Once." He said proudly. But then his smile faded. "But...not anymore."

I couldn't believe it: I was finally meeting one of The Sentinels! I was so excited I had to tell myself to calm down enough to hear that last part. "Not anymore? What happened?" I asked politely.

He motioned for me to take a seat at his desk while he borrowed a chair from one of the other desks. It seemed that Dr. Mobius had finally reached the point he was most anxious to discuss. But part of him seemed crestfallen as he began.

The year was X011, about 7 years ago, and I was exploring the jungles of the Yucatan. I had been tracking the trail of a lost treasure known as the Dagger Of A'dacic: A legendary dagger said to be mightier than any sword, despite being broken at the blade.

I tracked the dagger to a temple hidden deep in the lowest marshes of the jungle. The path within was lain with countless traps, pit-falls, and dart walls that fired faster than I could see in the dim lit corridors.

After making it through all that with only minor scrapes and bruises, I entered the treasure chamber, where I had learned the Ponish explorers had hidden the dagger when they stole it from the Yuca Tribe.

But what awaited me within was not the dagger I came for, but a tall cream colored unicorn mare who had no mane nor a tail. She was dressed in a very well-tailored beige suit, and in her hoof, she held the Dagger Of A'dacic out for me, as if tempting me over with it. I approached and demanded to know who she was. She told me nothing, other than that she and her friends had been watching me, and had known of my exploits in my younger days. "We could use somepony like you", she said in the calmest yet most serious voice I had ever heard.

I had to admit, I was interested. A day later, I was one of The Sentinels of The Circle.

My mind overflowed with questions, and before I knew it I had already blurted out half of them. "Who are the other Sentinels?" I asked quickly.

"Them? Well, besides me and Nair, there was Zeneda, Absolute Justice, Hampton Indigo, Archimedes-

"What are they like? Do you still stay in contact with them?!"

"No, I-"

"What was it like being a Sentinel? What can you tell me about Nair, Who is-

"Morning!" Mobius exclaimed, making me cease my onslaught of questioning. "Take a breath, now. You'll pass out if you keep talking that fast!"

I stopped to catch my breath. "Heh. Sorry, about that." He was right. I was starting to feel light headed from suddenly forgetting how to talk and breathe at the same time. But I couldn't help it. I hadn't found out anything about the Sentinels since my case in Nawlans, where I got to see The Golden Circle Tailor Shop with Nair. But she had never told me anything else about The Circle or the Sentinels! Only that I would meet them someday.

And It looked like today was the day!

I took another moment to calm down and apologized once more for my behavior. "It's fine." He said calmly. "I don't blame you for being excited to finally learn about us, er...them. I'm not surprised in the least that stubborn mare didn't say anything to you about us, er, them. She was always so secretive, I was never really sure if I could trust her."

"And that's why you left." I stated for him.

"Indeed." Dr. Mobius confirmed. "I began to question her about things. Things like who she was, where she came from, how she herself joined the Sentinels. But she never told me a thing, instead saying "I prefer to keep my past to myself." And I respected that." Mobius said calmly.

But then I saw him narrow his eyes behind his goggles. "But what sort of pony won't even talk to a friend, to a member of her team about herself? It was weeks before she even told me her name! We were all so close to one another, we talked about our hopes, our dreams, our past adventures. Hell, even Absolute Justice was chattier to me than that mare! But she was always in her office when I was around, always planning things, always working that "mysterious pony" angle. I began to wonder what she even saw me as. Were we a team or was I just a tool to tag along whenever it suited her?" Mobius said angrily.

I didn't blame him for being upset. Nair was the most mysterious pony I had ever met. But I didn't think she was like that with the other Sentinels. Why was she like that with Mobius? "What happened then?" I asked.

Mobius sighed as he leaned forward in his chair. "We had a falling out. Questioning became demands, demands became arguments, and finally I just couldn't stand the secrecy anymore. I didn't feel like part of a team, I felt like a last minute addition, meant to tag-along and only do what was asked of me. I told her I had to leave, to follow my own path."

"What did she say?"

Mobius looked down at the floor as he said "I understand. I'm sorry it had to be like this. Please, be safe." At that Mobius gritted his teeth. "The nerve of that mare! Telling me it had to be this way! She might as well have just told me she never needed me anyways!" Mobius shouted, drawing the attention of some of the scientists. But they quickly turned away to prevent being caught up in whatever argument they thought it was.

I myself sat in my chair, with questions buzzing around in my head. Why was Nair like that with Mobius? Did she really single him out from the other Sentinels? If so, for what reason? Nair was mysterious yes, but she wasn't the king of person to simply ignore a member of her team without explanation. Mysterious as she may be, she held no reason to keep secrets from her own team. So...why all the secrecy with Mobius? It didn't make sense.

"After that,' Mobius continued, "I came to the Emerald Keyes, and found Simon, and Benny working on the most amazing projects I had ever seen. Technology, hundreds of years ahead of the rest of the world; Flying carriages, Hover boards, Laser sabers, Advances towards the discovery of extraterrestrial life, portal technology, even methods of a pegasai being able to travel at light speeds without trouble! All being made right before my eyes. Every day was a new discovery, and a new step towards a bright future. How could I not sign up?" Mobius said with a grin.

But then his eyes dimmed. "And then....we found that temple." Dr. Mobius had a mixed expression, one of both tremendous anger, sadness, but most of all....regret.

So, Dr. Mobius really had been working with Simon on his plan. But why? He certainly wasn't a psychopath like Simon was, and I didn't peg him as a devoted worshiper like the rest of Simon's cult. In fact, Dr. Mobius was very clearly downright brilliant! So why work with Simon at all? I had a feeling I was about to find out.

"We had made an expedition into the jungle. Simon had been raving about this 'world-changing discovery' he had located; The Temple Of Tezcatlipoca. I had heard of the terrible curse surrounding that place, and I advised everyone to abandon the expedition. But Simon insisted that we were only going there for scientific discovery. We had no reason to doubt him, after all we had spent over a year on the Cobalt Team." Mobius narrowed his eyes, as he looked over at the pictures on his desk. "If I had known what that bastard was really up to, I never would have helped him, let alone helped build him the technology to unearth that damn place."

"You couldn't have known." I said heavily. "None of us did..."

"No. I was right there. I should have had some suspicion at least!" Mobius exclaimed angrily. "After...it happened, after Simon forced his father into leaving, I was outraged. Years of hard work, building up a team again, dashed because of Simon and his negligence. I went to Simon and demanded he stand down, knowing full well that Tezcatlipoca was just using him to get what he wanted and remake the world as his. I knew he would destroy Simon the same as everyone else."

"But the bastard just laughed at the notion, completely buying into all his 'righteous-destiny' bullshit." Mobius swore, gritting his teeth. But then he looked at me. "Sorry. It's just..."

"No. Please continue."

Mobius nodded before continuing. "I had to stay, make sure he wouldn't put anypony in danger with his plans. Then, I heard him talking about a village of tribals that held the secret to resurrecting Tezcatlipoca. And he was going to destroy it and everyone in it if they resisted. I was furious at myself for helping that madman, tried to leave the island to contact Nair and The Circle to warn them of Simon's plans. But Simon had me shadowed and after he found out what I was going to do, had me imprisoned here. When other scientists began showing up down here, I knew Simon had started with his insane plan, and I had to formulate a way to escape. Months went by, and I began to worry about what was happening up above. Simon would also come by, to gloat, or make a speech about how this was for the best, or some other nonsense."

He looked over at my father, who seemed to be having a rather pleasant conversation with my mom. "Then, a few weeks ago, your parents showed up down here." He continued. "But trying to tell them about Simon and what he was really up to? Your father just said I was crazy. So did everyone else I tried to warn. Heh. Maybe I am." Mobius said solemnly.

"Well, after we get out, maybe you can try talking to them again? See what they really think?" I asked, trying to put the conversation on a lighter tone.

"Heh. I suppose so." Mobius said finally, his frown turning to a slight smile.

I smiled back, but then I felt eyes on the back of my head. Turning around, I expected to see Quill, ready to bust us all out.

But it wasn't.

It was Simon.