"My name was Starshield Stronghorn and I was an Equestrian soldier. I wasn't just a soldier but a leader, a General, and a comrade of the finest ponies to complete the EUP training. That was all before the Sapphire Caves though. The Hippogryphs took all that away from me. That is a story for another time though. Today I'll tell you about the Thunder Lands." I accepted the food and drink from the curious chronicler, as I had done every day for the past week. It was an even trade, my stories for a good meal. Life on the lamb is difficult and food was hard enough to come by. "After what had happened, I couldn't bring myself to face my superiors or report my failures. So I ran, became a deserter. What happened next I was well deserving of, and it took its toll..."
*****
I had been walking for weeks to get out of the mountains, living off of wild grass and unsanitary water. The incredible power granted to me by the Tree of Self, some sort of crystalline harmony tree, was already waning. Though the power and arcane knowledge was draining from me, I could still feel i close to my heart. The Tree of Self had gifted me it's fruit, a small blue gem that now hung around my neck like a pendant. Just touching the fruit brought peace of mind, one could easily feel the power held inside the small gem. By the fourth day of walking it had reached it's weakest point, as though cooling down from my encounter in the Sapphire Caves, and I was now only able to make standard barriers again along with the new ability of being able to manipulate them to a degree that I had not heard of before.
I was at the end of my rope by the time the mountains split open to reveal a small fishing hamlet in the distance and I was glad to know that any intelligent creature would be there. Being alone for too long can take its toll on a pony. The small town was far away from Equestria and I knew the Boats there could take me even farther. Where ever I ended up I knew it would be better than facing the families of the friends I had lost, so I pressed on.
The town consisted primarily of Avian creatures that came in many colors. They seemed to be neutral in the war and in fact didn't even seem to notice that I was a soldier, despite my now dirty and battered armor. Every-'birdy' there was welcoming and free spirited. They fed me and replaced the torn cloth of my armor, offering to take me in their boat as well in exchange for service on deck aboard 'The Seed of Adventure'.
I met 'him' aboard The Feathered Fellow, Captain Rodero Montero Eskator Nicodemus III Esquire. Armen (R-men) for short. He was the deepest black with purple highlighting his feathers and a grin permanently plastered on his face. " Back and fill, Bosun! The wind has died and we sail with fresh cargo!" He called out, swinging from a rope and back on deck.
The Bosun, A short chubby bird with bright red circles on his face answered back in a casual manner. "Not so as the Crow flies then?" He turned to the crew and shouted. "Lay to Port and 2 hours of calm waters! Hit the Gally!" With that the Bosun got a resounding cheering from the crew of about 40 or 50 other birds.
I wasn't fond of the cooking but was too hungry to care and found myself turning towards the entrance to the underside of the boat. I was stopped by Armen, who thought it best to simply pick me up by the collar of my armor and start carrying me towards the cabin. "Ahoy there pony! A few words with the captain before you eat."
My stomach growled in protest. "Well I owe you for the ride, Captain. What is a few words to a day of no food." I said, putting in as much sarcasm as I could towards the end. This didn't seem to bother the Captain, as he simply chuckled and carried me into the Captains quarters like so much luggage before swiftly putting me down in a chair and spinning around to rest in his own.
"You've been a good swabby, Shatterhorn. We're awfully happy for the assistance you've given us." Captain Armen enjoyed calling me by the name his crewman had come up with regarding the condition of my horn. It had been broken in the Sapphire Caves and was now curiously suspended into gently orbiting pieces as though the horn were still there. "That equestrian magic of yours is truly something else. Solid walls out of no where, levitation, lightning bolts! Absolutely incredible! You've already more than earned your fare."
As much as I enjoyed the praise, my short time knowing Armen told me he wasn't planning to just let me rest for the remainder of the voyage. "Thank you Captain. Your praise is telling that you have something else to ask of me?" A shot in the proverbial dark that was rewarded with a chuckle from the ravenesque sailor.
Captain Armen ruffled through some scrolls he kept in a small pile. "Right you are my friend!" He picked out a particularly old scroll of large size and plopped it onto the table between us. The scroll was weathered and trimmed in flaking gilt on two rollers. Pinning the scroll closed was a small metal puzzle dial that held a silvered metal band tightly shut about the scroll. "You see, we've all the bird power one could wish to muster right here aboard this fine vessel. But we lack the kind of magic needed for this particular job." As he spoke, his clawed hands danced over the lock as though he knew the answer to the lock using muscle memory alone. With a click the magical lock absorbed the metal band holding the scroll and briefly glowed a brilliant blue before reassembling it's self into a small box with the emblem of a lightning bolt on it.
The scroll was unrolled to reveal its self as a map of a large island. Written in faintly glowing ink at the top of the map were the words Thunder Lands. "You see Shatterhorn, I wanted to offer you a job. Skip our next stop, stay on board with us and we will sail for riches! Treasures that haven't been seen in thousands of years!" Captain Armen pointed to a large ring, drawn up in the same glowing ink as at the top of the map, that surrounded the whole island. "You see, this island is surrounded by a magical thunderstorm that wrecks any who dare to sail through it's waters. But with you on board we could sail straight through, unhindered!"
The prospect of a treasure hunt was novel at best to me under normal circumstances, however I was in a position where a small fortune would be beneficial. Being a deserter meant I had no claim to the valuables I had left behind. Given my circumstances, Captain Armen's offer seemed appealing. "Well, I'm sure I could do a lot in the way for getting you through the barrier Captain. What about what awaits us on the island it's self? If there is such a powerful defense around these 'Thunder Lands' surely there is something protecting it after that."
"So you'll do it!" Armen practically jumped out of his seat in excitement. "From this day on we are a voyaging vessel! Setting sail to explore new unknown lands!"
I had to cut him off, he was getting way too ahead of himself. "Now hold on there Captain!" I put my hoof over the map and leaned forward. "I haven't agreed yet. I have no reserves about facing danger, but I wouldn't dare go into a suicide mission. I want details before I agree, what else would we face on this island?" I poked the map to make my point before sitting back down. "Some food would also be nice if you want to talk about this seriously."
Captain Armen had to compose himself, keeping up that eternal smile. He continued talking while walking about the cabin, looking through wardrobes and cupboards. "Of course! I simply got excited. Well, I don't recall all of the details off the top of my head." He pulled open a drawer and pulled up two shiny red apples, tossing one my way. "But I do remember that thousands of years ago there lived a race of giants on the island. Supposedly they crafted great works of stone and magic. While the giants are long gone, it's widely believed that some of their magic remains." He took a single bite from the apple in his hands, leaving nothing but the stem and began chewing as he spoke. "So baishicly. Wild animals, trapsh, bashic ruins shtuff."
I swallowed a bite of my own apple before responding. "I used to be a royal soldier, ruins really aren't basic to me." It seemed like he wasn't too concerned with the danger, that or he was hiding something he knew about but was too concerned with treasure to allow it to compromise his chances of getting to it. "If there is anything we can know about for sure, it would allow us to prepare. The more prepared we are, the higher the chance of a successful mission. In short, I need intel."
The Captain's smile dropped to a frown, only for a moment, before popping straight back into a smile. "The place has been sealed off for thousands of years Shatterhorn. Any kind of information we could gather on the place would be woefully out dated. Take a gamble my newfound friend. Take some time to think about it, this time next week when we hit port, give me your answer! How does that sound?" Armen took long strides towards the door to his cabin and offered the exit to me. "Until then take whatever time you need to relax. Like I said earlier, you've more than paid your fare. You deserve to relax." I took his invitation a made my way out. He added one more thing one more thing as I left the room. "You'll make plenty enough on this to start a new life, just keep that in mind." He gave me a particularly bright smile and closed the door, returning to his map and charts.
It was definitely a strong offer, considering my position, but I didn't want to seem eager. I honestly wanted to take the job; there isn't much work out there for a soldier, or so I assumed at the time. The only thing that really kept me from deciding was how the Captain had behaved. Something wasn't quite right. I spent the next week mulling over Captain Armen's offer, weighing possible pros and cons. I had carried the ship through two storms, using a large barrier, twice along our four month long journey already. While the Harmony Stone's power had waned, it still provided me with enough energy to create a barrier around the whole ship during large storms. I didn't know how it worked, just that it did and it would probably hold against the storm wall surrounding the island.
We arrived one week later, just as the Captain had predicted, in a port city called Seagrave Port. It was a gloomy city, all of the buildings appeared to twist and bend over the roads ever so slightly, giving the appearance that they were weeping. High up on a hill overlooking the port its self was a large manor with castled walls. Captain Armen had given the whole crew the day to relax while our cargo was unloaded, so I had a few hours to kill before I had to make my decision. I thought it best to gather some more information about this ancient island known as the Thunder Lands rather than relax, I had done enough relaxing in the past week.
My search for information lead first to a few bars, the hall of records, and finally an old historian's manor. When I say manor, it's nothing like an equestrian manor in canterlot. This manor was nothing more than a glorified city home. It probably had three feet of garden, blocked off by a cast iron gate, and was about twice as wide as a regular city home in Seagrave Port. I wish I had something to compare the homes there to something in Equestria, but nothing back home could have done the comparison proper justice. The best I could think of would be the buildings in the start up town of Baltimare: tall and thin with and edge of the ornate added in. Of course even those buildings wouldn't do this place justice in it's shear gloom.
I rapped on the door with my hoof, hoping for a pleasant reception. What I got was what sounded to be the angered retort of an old mare. "Now you hooligans get out of here or I'll... I'll cast my witch magic on ya!" I heard shambling and the sound of hooves on wood flooring.
"You mistake my intentions Ma'am I'm sure." I answered back, letting my voice boom as a royal guard should. "I've coming seeking historical information."
The shambling about ceased abruptly, as though it were only for show to begin with. "Do what?" She sounded surprised, flipping open an optical piece on the door to see who I was. Due to the bulbous nature of the glass, it appeared as though her whole eye had popped out to the door to look at me. I admit to being taken aback, it appeared grotesque. "Hmmm? Equestrian!? heh heh heh. We don't get much of your kind around here. Regardless, you don't look too much like trouble... nice armor. Come in, come in." The optical piece closed with a metallic clack and about nine manual locks were undone in rapid succession before the door was cracked open ever so slightly. "Do come in I'll prepare some tea." Hooves clopped away in a mild hurry as I opened the door, presumably to get the tea. She shouted instructions to lock the door behind me and sit in the room to my right.
While the outside of the building spoke of gloom, the inside of the home was surprisingly warm and inviting, bright salmon seeming to be the favorite color of the homeowner, couple with warm sand and yellow colors. It was as though someone had taken the colors of the Sunset and painted with them. The room I had been directed to was a cozy tea room lined with bookshelves, a fireplace, and several paintings of foreign lands. I noticed a few decorations and statuettes of creatures I had never seen before used as book stands and mantle decoration. The room itself seemed perfectly fit for an equestrian, well designed for a quadruped-creature. It was a pleasant change from the furniture on the boat, which was mostly made to be used by the bird-folk. I chose a soft looking couch to sit in and wait.
Luckily I didn't have to wait long, I heard the clop of hooves on wood and the clink of tea cups only a few minutes later. "So tell me sir knight, what is it you're looking to learn?" Her voice came from down the hall as she carefully made her way into the room.
I settled back into the couch, thinking of the best way to word my inquiry. Rarely had I been in the home of someone so well learned and I wasn't too sure on how to speak with them. "I do apologize for the confusion madam, I am no knight. I wasn't anything quite so noble. I've come seeking information about a-" My throat caught in surprise as I watch the mare enter into the room. I wasn't quite sure what she was, but I can say she was definitely not what I had been picturing. What was before me was some strange six limbed creature with two small horns on the side of her head. She had the body of a pony but the head of a goat and a torso and arms like the bird-folk. It seemed like whoever had created her simply couldn't decide what she was.
My hesitation seemed to be a part of humor for the old mare as she giggled like a young filly at me trying to find words again. "It's okay, I get that anytime I meet an equestrian." She walked over and set a tray of tea and sugar cubes onto an ornate marble table in front of me. Brushing some dust from her pinkish-red fur coat, she took a seat adjacent to me. "I'm what is referred to as a centaur. My people live far from hear, about the same distance away from home that you are." She giggled again, adjusting the bifocals resting atop her snout. "You can call me Marrelda."
After being properly introduced, I seemed to catch my words again. "Ahem, yes thank you for the tea Marrelda. My name is Starshield, though lately I've been given the name Shatterhorn. I came seeking information about a place called The Thunder Lands."
Marrelda though for a moment, her glassed eyes looking me over. "Hmm, Shatterhorn you say? Seems fitting." I could feel her eyes on the gently rotating remains of my horn. "May I ask how that magic works? As I understand it, unicorns need a whole horn to cast magic." After seeing the confusion on my face Marrelda found the need to continue. "Normally my information is paid in the local currency, seeing as you probably have none, I'm requesting a trade. I do have information on the ancient city of giants known as the Thunder Lands. I would be willing to trade for information on how this works." She let one of her long boney fingers tap the tip of my horn. I felt a small amount of magic flare up as a small barrier instinctively deflected her touch. Marrelda reeled back in surprise, but seemed even more interested than before.
I shook my head in response. "I am awfully sorry, I am afraid I am not sure how it works. It's just, doing it on it's own. It's been like that since I encountered a strange tree growing inside of a dragon's cavern home. I am afraid I wouldn't have much to offer aside from the most recent news from Equestria" I sipped from the tea, it was lovely and tasted of rose petals. It was a commonly used flavor amongst the older ponies in Canterlot but hadn't been popular in many years. I suppose this spoke of how long it had been since she had even seen a pony.
The elderly centaur reached over and gently patted my hoof. "Oh that's quite alright dear. How about you just let me figure it out? Stick around and let me study your horn. Perhaps I can help you understand whatever you encountered in the caverns?" She asked hopefully, sipping her own cup of tea.
"Sadly, I'll need to take leave before the day's end. You see, I plan to head the way of the Thunder Lands and wish to know more about it to make the journey as safe as can be." The idea of being studied felt odd and left me uneasy, it seemed best to deflect her request. I was sure she would feed and house me during that time, but I would rather have earned my stay than be someone's guinea pig.
Of course, mention of actually visiting the fabled island peaked her interest more than my horn. "You're actually going there!? Well then you must have a way past the storm barrier or you wouldn't even be considering it." I nodded in response, assuring her that I could brave a storm without too much trouble. "Hmm. Well I'll provide you information, but you must promise me the chance to visit along with you. Besides, I'm sure you will need someone who speaks the giant's ancient tongue."
I was completely shocked by this too-convenient development. "You know the language!?" I almost spit out my tea.
Marrelda laughed, entertained by my surprise. "I wouldn't be much of a local historian if I didn't now would I? The Thunder Lands has been the source of many stories and tall tales in port towns throughout the world for ages." She said, reaching to grab a book from a nearby bookshelf. The book it's self was bound in a stone grey leather and seemed far older than the old mare before me. The book opened up to reveal sketches of old tablets and fossilized boats inscribed with a mysterious runed language. "They used a series of runes to represent common phonetic sounds. It was surprisingly simple to figure out, though it was slow to learn. the pieces one needs to learn the language are spread wide and far."
This new information and proof that she had the records we required made her extremely valuable. I would have to convince Captain Armen to bring her along as a guide if I wanted the information i needed to make a decision. Of course with someone clearly so knowledgeable, my decision was made for me. My entire concern was for a lack of information and now we had a cultural guide available to us. "Fine then Ms. Marrelda. You've got a deal. Gather your things and meet us at the docks in the morning. I'll talk to Captain Rodero Montero Eskator Nicodemus III Esquire about making provisions for you as my personal guest. You're knowledge of the Thunder Lands may very well be the difference between life and death."
I finished up my meeting with the old historian. We shook hooves and parted ways after a few pleasantries. On my way out I spotted a group of young creatures, of various species, huddled behind a bush. They looked frightened and curious. These must have been the "hooligans" that she was nervous about when I had originally arrived. I smirked, I was always a sucker for messing with trouble makers. You had a lot of chances to scare foals straight as a guards pony. "What a truly powerful witch." I said, just loud enough for the young hooligans to hear. "I am excited to earn my SOUL back tomorrow. Of course I wouldn't be in this trouble if only I hadn't trespassed on her property." I feigned sorrow, placing a hoof over my forehead and marched out through the gates dramatically. My horrid performance was rewarded with a few high pitched screams and the pattering of tiny feet and claws. Children were so easy to fool, perhaps they would grow to be respectful of others with this lesson in mind... or at least stop pestering the historian.
I made my way back to 'The Seed of Adventure' to inform Captain Armen of my decision and the fact that we had another passenger joining us on this treasure hunt.
*****
"I'm tired now, I'll tell you more tomorrow." I stood from the table and nodded to the chronicler who seemed to have more questions. "I'm old now and my adventures will still be there for me to tell you tomorrow evening. Besides, I'm sure you've got enough to comb over for now as it is."
The chronicler stood up as well, nodding in understanding. "Thank you for finally giving me your name. Your story needs to be told. I will see you tomorrow." She said, pulling her hood back over her face. She collected her quill, ink, and scrolls and made for the steps of the inn we were at, likely to retire to her room.
For me, back to the streets.
