Daring Do and the Fate of Old Equis

Chapters

Indecent Arrivals 1
Rough Passage 2
In the Garden 3
Looking Glass 5
Baring Teeth 6
Trouble off Gull Island 4

Indecent Arrivals 1

“So let me get this straight, Old Equis?” the middle aged adventurer said in a shaken cadence

“Yes, I know it maybe a lot to take in but I can assure you we've found it, and its just as the stories say by this telegraphs account, cold and miserable.”

Daring Do sat uncomfortably in the chilly oak paneled headmasters room in gloomy Dertrot university. Her eyes reading over the transcribed telegraph the headmaster had recently gave her. Only herself and two others in the whole country had seen it. Steady Pace, the headmaster who was practicing his namesake along the rooms length and Vibrant Ink the EUPG page who had brought it here from a transmission station just outside Baltimare who was currently boarding a train to the capital to inform the princesses as well.

“It just seems too far fetched, a single unlisted transmission to the mainland from the frost gates in the deep south doesn't seem likely, this has to be a trick. There should be more to it.”

“Trick or not the university, let alone the country must explore the possibility, can you imagine if the message is authentic Yearling? The significance would be the biggest find since...well Equestria! And more importantly the funding could keep the college swimming in bits for decades!”

“What about the crew though!? The message says they're trapped!?” Daring interjected perturbed that Pace had glossed over that talking point.

“Of coarse! The sailors too. We will help them, but Yearling understand the magnitude, I say its...”

Pace began to trail off about the school of friendship and the school for gifted unicorns among others that he detested. Daring frowned as the headmaster reminded her of money, it was the one thing about visiting the college that she always loathed, the constant squawking from Steady Pace and the other board members about finances. There was something about being the only earth pony founded and ran university in the country had a way of making them always fuss about being passed over with grants and glory when the other schools had no problem with bits from the unicorn nobles and the sisters with their pet projects, to that extent the class divide that lead to the near extinction of there kin from the face of the planet had waned little from that original council in Ol' Equis.

Old Equis, it still seemed impossible that here in her wing she held an actual sighting of it. All her life from the first time she could recall her dream was to find that fabled subcontinent. To see the foible of the three tribes that all equestrians were descended from, understand why it feel into infighting and see if anyone still called it home. Of course the legends said it was twice as bitter as the frost winds of the crystal empire, and four times as barren as the dunes of Abyssinia. It had been written that by the time Clover the Clever and the other explorers had lead the last of the old kin with them into the north-west, landing in horse-shoe-bay, that Ol' Equis was nothing but a sizable glacier around the planets curve. Yes he lead the settlers towards that historic cave in which a hundred pony generations would descend from, the one that looked out over that grassy plain marble peaked valley, with shimmering falls that would someday become the site of the throne, Canterlot.

It was only after longingly staring into the page for a good few seconds did Daring realize Steady Pace was eyeing her from beside the frosted deans window.

“Sorry headmaster Pace, I was just thinking about the message, what were you saying?”

The Green earth pony sighed and started again,
“Do you want to check it out, you know, the claims for the college? ...and of course help those poor shipwrecked ponies.” he added after as a second thought

Before she could think what she was agreeing to Daring shouted as if she was a school yard foal,
“Yes! Yes I'll do it. What ever needs to be done I'll do it.”

“I guess thats why you go by “Do” now? Ha ha ha!” Pace chuckled as he trotted back to his desk.
“I knew your drive for discovery would be ignited” He then plopped himself down into his wooden desk chair.

Daring felt a little self serving in her out burst, of course the university board wanted her out there, hunting for artifacts and making history. Not to mention the generous amount of capital they always received when ever one of her books sold well, but she still felt as if this undertaking may be the kind of expedition that one pegasus needed support for. She needed more to go off of then 4 lines of telegraphical musings and her pith helmet for this.

“But Pace we both know this isn't the kind of mission for a single pony, I'll need some...”
Daring swallowed her pride,
“help if were to go do this. We need the navy or an ice runner, and food for a dozen weeks, not to mention medical for the injured.”

“All of that can be arranged my dear, we are not too poor to pay for some others to accompany you. Here I have some references I have been perusing for this, now how do I get this open again?”
Pace said while fiddling to unlock his desks stationary drawer.

Daring sighed, eyeing the ridiculousness of an earth pony trying to work a combo-compression lock with his teeth. The desk was polished pink Imperial crystal imported from the empire, not exactly the most appropriate for a stallion of his race. Pace had ordered it because he heard that the style was all the rage with the other headmasters around the country. He did not know how ever that the “crystal” desks the other headmasters used were Canterlot blue quartz not Imperial pink, being that the Canterlot desks were light and opaque made from the crystal caverns of the canterhorn peaks, not to mention finely made, while Paces desk was clear, bulky and of shoddy construction. And of course as always, he over paid for it.

“hmm *Coughs*, Yearling would you mind?”

Daring unsettled herself from her chair and walked about the desk to the headmasters side.
“Whats the combination?”

“I believe it was 2468, I haven't gotten around to change it from the default. I'm having one of the apprentice lock smiths from building D come in this afternoon.”

Again the question of why Pace insisted on a earth pony locksmith when the profession favored the magically endowed wattled into Darings skull. He definitely wasn't a common back wood idiot, she knew him long enough for that to be evident but his constant devotion to the pride of his “tribe” was often a bit much, some would say even bigoted. So far in fact that Daring practically saw miniature windegos flying a circuit around his head when he addressed a specialist that the college needed that couldn't be preformed by a earth or pegasus pony.

(Then again it could've been just because he was cheap.)

Daring messed around with the 4 digit cogs, even though she also had trouble trying to open a unicorn designed lock, her wings definitely made it more bearable then using her teeth like Pace had.

*Click

“No that's not it headmaster.” Miss Do said to Pace.

“Ugh, try 8642, maybe it was one of those new weird reverse mechanisms”

*Click

Nothing.

Daring sighed
“You know what? I can read it through the desk why don't we just wright it down on another paper?”

“Ah yes capital idea. Now wheres my quill?”

The two looked about the desktop and the many cases and shelves of the office in vain for a quill.

“Oh yes that's wright.” Pace knocked on the left of the still locked desk.

Daring was unamused to find the inkwell, parchment and any other writing devices were also inside the desk.

“Damn, one second.”
Daring getting quite impatient leaped over the desk instead of around it and plucked her photo camera from her saddlebag on the coat rack.

After a short click and a mechanical hiss a black polarized photo paper came out of the bottom. A few moments later she had a ajar list of a bunch of different cargo conglomerates about the Baltimare docks.

Shouting “Shipping companies? Why the hay would these be any help?!” Darring was near her limit for Pace for one day.

“Is it not obvious? The transmission came from a unlisted cargo sloop, one of these companies must have authorized a trade lane for them if they originated here right?”

That was the smartest thing Pace had said since she had walked in here. Up until now she didn't heed the finer details of what this trip would entail for her. After all, now Daring realized there was not a single indication on the message of what ship or crew had sent it. Only that there had been a storm of some kind and the captain was injured. Beyond the coordinates of 140east, 84south, and the terribly descriptive message of,

Equis Found, STOP,
Send Help Soon STOP,
Captain Trade Wind Injured STOP,
Magic Storm Marooned STOP.

She would have nothing to go off of except for the shipping papers that the docks would have.

“Yes that does makes sense, I'm sorry for getting short with you headmaster.”

“Well, naturally...” Pace's ears had slumped down as he stepped back towards the shelves, still expecting for Daring to pounce in anger. “You better get a move on then. The train will only be a tiny while off, the docks close in a few hours and you've still have a lot of paperwork to go through if were gonna get to nip this thing.”

Daring walked back over to the coat rack by the door,
“I assure you it will be sir. And say hello to Steady Aim for me.”

Pace realigned himself, smiled and nodded in his usual way before trying the desk again.

With that Daring left the office with her fall weather coat and bags with the list of Baltimare shipping companies, the sent of adventure already fueling her wings towards the train station.

.-=O=-.

“I think I found something capi'tan” a male zebrian accent cut out through the haze of the river creek.

“I'll be right there Zheshan, there's a lot more then just one pile here you know...” a senior zebrian voice bellowed from up river.

Captain was not a title Sebudo favored but it was enduring in a bittersweet way. Deliberately he hoofed from one mossy boulder to another, making his way to his young companion who was shaking by a brazening pot half buried into the rich silt of the bend.

Bowing as he stopped beside his partner,
“Well you can color me surprised sire this indeed is a goodly find!”
Sebudo says in a mocking old equestrian tone,
“What will we do with this then? Mix a hexing curse on the gaiting horde? Perhaps cure the plague! Hahaha!”

Zheshan didn't respond even as Sebudo came within biting distance, he simply mouthed in a silent terror at the pot as he backed up away from the cauldron.

“What in the heavens got your goat? You look as if your stripes are gonna make off without ye?”

Usually Zheshans eyes were as small as they come, something he very much was self critical of, and now they were pulling a double shift as his pupils were the size of a grain of sand. He mouthed 'look' pointing a trembling hoof at the artifact.

Sebudo turned again to the brass pot still upside down but now saw the pink furred foot under it. It must have been only a few inches long and was wet and matted. Not moving...

“Oh no.”

Captain Seb keeled down to the silt, his chin indenting the dark moist ground, sniffing the leg.

“Must have only been a foal, not a year or two big.” the hushed voice came from his muzzle.

“Should we bury it or bring it to the pony folk? Cause I don't think they'd be very welcomin to a couple muck rackers like us Capt'” Zheshan said as he continued to walk back, glancing if anycreature was around to judge them.

The only thing autable was the chirps of a bird nesting nearby and the subtle sloshing of the water on the bend. In a afternoon sun.

Standing up and using his normal voice “Yeah we better jus-”

Then a noise,
from the pot.

The whinny of a foal
and then a recoil of the foot into the brass pot.

“Huh, I guess that answers what we should do with it”

Author's Note

As a forward for anyone reading this, the story below is written as a shifting perspective, not unlike the Game of Thrones or a Stephen King Horror, as such sometimes the contents of these chapters may jump from person to person in a scene to establish personality or from one time period to another, usually for context or to lead to suspense for knowing something a character doesn't, hopefully as the story is read you shall be able to determine when this happens and I do apologize if it isn't always clear to the reader, this is my first work of creative writing. Thank you.

Rough Passage 2

Sleep was an elusive treasure for Daring in her many years at this profession. Always having to be on the move towards her next lead and being stocked by some of the most horrid low lifes Equestria had, it wasn't always easy for her to trust the walls around her. Weather it was in a jungle hamlet or a dune encased oasis bazaar, she had to rest light. Tonight was no exception as a steady creak of the oaken trade cog she rode on sounded as if it had taken the mythical travels from ol' equis too.

Daring, ever the avid traveler preferred the quick speedy ships that the Abyssinians and their folk rode as they dominated the narrow seas in the far east, often they could travel the length a traditional pony trade ship could in a third the time. Those single masted, triangular runners unimpeded by doldrums and generally having hands on board that didn't ask questions when she needed to be dropped off in dangerous waters or past the odd emergent blockade. That kind of elegant vessel was the kind she would make herself known to and became in her days a excellent sailor on. The 'Mired Hobb' was not one of these ships, not by a long stone's toss.

In a usual way she expected that to be the case when she first heard of Paces intentions to pay for the rescue party. A ratted old barge like this likely took quite a small pittance to buy for her mission next to the runner she knew he knew she preferred, but as they didn't know where the weeks would take them across the southern cerulean, a well worn, bulking mass like this would have its uses on the rough waves.

Waking for the third time in as many hours she arose and after finding her sea haunches on the damp floor, her hooves took for the galley at the vessels keel, if she couldn't sleep she might as well eat before the crew was up to ask her questions she couldn't answer. But as she drew closer to the galley the noise of shouting laughter made her lose all expectations of just not interacting with anypony.

( Just walk into the room and grab some bread and water, then walk back out, close the door. Easy.)

Daring budged the door open into the dinning quarters, getting a few looks from the 4 sailors that were occupying the only table in the cramped cabin. After a moment all but one returned their attention to the stack of cards and bits on the table. She walked briskly around them, while being beamed by a lanky pale pegasi stallion who was closest to the draft table her target was on. He had diseased eyes that Daring had seen before in her kind to often. Always looking as if they could judge your thoughts before you had a chance to act on them. The look was pervasive to many pegasi, it appeared on the statues of heroes in Cloudsdale and the masks of the old theater in Baltimare. On the faces of guardsmen from her earliest years in the northern forests where she was raised. In her culture its meaning was unmistakable, the saying being that a pegasi was never able to miss judge character. He didn't trust her in here.

“Don't think you got me Bosen, take a look at these...” a red maned earth stallion that looked as if he was carved from a appleusan desert mesa, laid out a hand of cards that Daring couldn't quite see from where see had crept behind the draft table. By the looks of it though he had won and was actively sweeping a decent sized treasure into his already existing mound of gold and silver bits.

“Dang nabbit, how in tartarus do you always get a fools gambit when ever I sit down? This is buckin' horse apples!” Bosen, a brown-cream mottled unicorn snarled at the smug red coat across from him.

Daring, reaching the draft, took out her canteen flask and began pouring a decidedly non water liquid inside,

(15 seconds tops then just grab a piece of bread and back to bed.)

“Best 12 out of 23 then lads?” Came a third gambler from red coats left, a middle aged gray striped zebra mare with what Daring could only guess were wooden teeth by the way she spoke behind her.

Daring had now had filled her canteen with what ever was in the draft keg when the room grew quiet again.
She turned towards the table as the 3 formerly chatty players were eyeing her 'admirer'.

“Watts! What are you doing staring at our guest like that? I swear you have no social filter!” the zebra had brayed at the pegasus that had up until now had been mentally probing Daring. Watts turned back to the table.

“What? I thought she looked like somepony.”
Watts deflected scraping his stubbly beard with a wing.

“Well of coarse she looks like somepony, she is somepony.” Bosen heckled out. Apparently very amused with himself.

"Somepony famous, treadmark."

The red one shook his head at Bosen as the zebra turned her attention on Daring. “Dear do not you mind Watts, hes always thinkin' somethings out to get him.”

Watts huffed, his gaze shifting now on his cards instead of Daring.
“We gonna finish then stripey girl? I'm tired of playing this blasted game week after week only for Caspian to win every time! If he didn't use our pay money on those damned mini's we might even be able to afford getting a new game to play!”

“No one makes you play kid.” the red one Daring assumed was Caspian said in a low slow way earth pony farmers often did when sassing a high horse.

Watts breathed out slowly, through almost gritted teeth “No one likes a smart ass.” turning to again veiw the adventurer head on, he started in on her with a voice that sounded as pleasant as sandpaper on metal “I apologize deary, I just thought you were lookin' like someone I've always wanted to meet. Why don't you pull up a chair so we can be getting to know ye better?”

“Ugh, I don't think that's necessary, I accept your apology. Watts was it?”
(no she didn't)
“I'm very tired and were gonna need our strength for the mission. So I would really just like too go-”

Caspian looked up at Daring trying to weasel out. “Hey what exactly are we sus'post to be doin this far south anyway? The captain hasn't told us much.”

“Yeah, thats true, ain't like capt' to keep us in the dark.” Bosen pondered aloud. Him to now also staring at Daring.

(Shit, I better draw away attention...)

“Well... I guess I could play a round of... ugh, what are we playing?” Daring went to get a upside down stool from the corner of the room, deflecting was one of the things she did best, sometimes her mother would say that was her special talent not treasure hunting.

“Oh just ol' black pott, Los Pegasus style.” Bosen said in a fo bison accent.

“No one calls it that but you.” Caspian gave Bosen a shit eating grin.

“Oh shove off codger” Bosen started shuffling the cards with his surprisingly adept telepathy. “I'm the dealer so I can calls it what I calls it, besides I don't see you guys being able to do this.” Bosens emerald green magic shuffled the cards so thoroughly that Daring couldn't keep track of the movements as he started doing it. Seeing her concentration he closed his eyes and leaned back, making it into an exhibition.

“Come on boy this ain't your magic show an' tell, just lay the dang cards.” the zebra remarked as if she had seen this act before. “Just cause you show her a few magic tricks doesn't mean she'll take a stall with yus.”

Daring blushed at the thought, letting out a chuckle, he was half her age and not exactly a knight in shinning armor. How was it that such a young thing could be a Bosen on a ship like this anyway? Maybe captain Cutter was his uncle or something. Either way if Daring was red, the Bosen was twice so.

“Bu-, ugh... fine.” Bosen passed the cards out, two to each player taking especially long on the zebras hand. Then flipped out three cards in the middle face down.

Daring kept the cards close to chest, a 7 of unicorns on purple, and a prophet of unicorns also in purple. Knowing what little she had seen of the sailors playing, it didn't seem to be an impressive first draw.

“You familiar with black pott dear?” the zebra said back to Daring.

“I do not believe so, I've played a lot of games though, I'm what some might call a fast learner.”

“Well we will just have to give you a run down then. Its only proper being yours first hand.” the zebra pointed towards the three cards in the middle. “Those are called the pasture, they are communal cards that everyone can use but at the beginning they're always face down see?”

“I see.” Darring said pretending to seem coy.

“Now at the beginning of the round everypony throws in a bit for the pott see?” as she was talking the zebra nosed a coin into the center of the table. Followed by Caspian, Watts and Bosen who did same.

“I don't have any bits on me.” Daring said,

(also a lie)

“Oh then you can just use some of Caspians winnings, isn't that right dear?” the zebra took her right hoof and dragged 30 some bits from Caspians last win making the once mountain esque pile more of a molehill now.

“Hey, Savana that ain't-”

“Hush, I saw you take that 10 out your boot when she came in.”

the other players turned to Caspian.

“Dude. Bucking really?” Bosen said deadpanned as Watts laughed at his expense.

“Hey you said Los Pegasus style! What happens in Los Pegasus-”

the whole table “-stays in Los Pegasus.”

“Celestia on high...” Watts said before resuming his look at Daring and Savana.

Savana pooled the bits in front of Daring and motioned for her to throw some in.

*clink*

“Good, now what we do is everypony around the circle can either bet on their hand right out or toss in a bit to the pot if they want to peak at the pasture. We keep at it until no pony is lookin', we all done, all cards get flipped and the highest set wins. Got all that?”

Daring looked at her cards and then at the others gathered around, Watts was peeking at the pasture, Caspian and Bosen were not.

“Ok so like this...” Daring used a wing tip to through in 2 bits. Sliding the two closest pasture cards to her and lifting their tabs, a modest looking earth pony prophet bordered in black and a radiant alicorn sentinel draped in golden yellow.

“You seem to get it then girl. You boys done?” the stallions at the table eatch gave a nod in their own way to Savana. Daring pushed the cards back in place.

(they must all think they have the best hand. Atleast no pony is asking about the mission anymore...)

“I think i'll fold, better I see how its played before I get serious.”

“Ha! Serious with our money.” Bosen snorted out in a immature way. “I'm gonna double.” Bosen levitated out 2 more coins from his pile into the center.

“Wow, 2 whole coins. I'm impressed Bosen,” Caspian said in a sardonic tone. “Ill match that.” his red right fore hoof slid 2 more coins into the pile.
“Pass.” was the only thing Watts said as his black ringed eyes swam about the room. Daring only hoped they wouldn't be drawn back to hers anytime soon.

“I guess ill pass too.” Savana yawned.

(Must have been a rough day...)

Daring had been in her room for the majority of the week and had previously kept her distance from them, but maybe, Watts was just blasted or tired like the others. The only lively one among them was Bosen, either he had an addiction to cards or his youthful vigor wouldn't let him slow down, maybe both.

Savana leaned over to Darings shoulder, “Just you wait, give them another few rounds and the pissing contest will be in full steam again.” she chuckled and reclined back to her sitting position.

Caspian and Bosen were still raising each other.

“Hey, when I came in the Bosen said something about a fools gambit?” Daring replied.

“Oh he's no bosen girl, his parents named him that so he would get a bosen's mark,” the zebra pointed at Darings compass cutie mark “Much better for them than his real talent...”

Daring looked at Bosen leaning over the table, his mark was a broom with mud or, something else covering it with a single silver coin sticking out.

“So what is his talent then if he is not a Bosen?” Daring whispered covering her face with a wing as not to let the others see.

“Well you see-” the zebra was cut off.

“Hey! Is everypony cheating tonight?!” Watts spat at them. “No damned collusion laddies, this ain't a gossip circle!” He stomped twice on the wood table.

(I'm was really starting to get peeved at this Watts fellow.)

“I just wanted to know what a 'fools gambit' is.” Daring replied.

(Jack ass)

Bosen leans towards Daring
“Ooo I can tell you, its when the draconequis card is combined with a card from each suit. The fools gambit is better than another hand except a High Princess or a Queen. Most card games don't use it, but it adds a little chaos into the the game that-”

“She gets it, can we finish the hand already?” Watts cut him off.

Bosen looked back at Caspian flipping his cards like a parlor magician. “Alright, duke of dower, I got 3 prophets, beat that Red.”
The dreary face of a blue pegasus prophet and a the gold alicorn prophet joined in the pasture with the black one already there.

(3/5ths of a Prince, definitely not a bad hand.)

Caspian grunted and simply said “You win then.”

“Yeas!” Bosen took the dozen coins in the center into his corner of the table.

“Lose the battle...” Caspian started, “Win the war.” grinning at Bosen.

“What ever man. Lets play again”

And it went on like that for two hours, with Savana eventually leaving for her cot but the rest kept at it, Daring learned that Caspian Flight was a soldier for the Trottingham militia in his past life and reluctantly that Water Under the Bridge was the ships actual Bosen, as well as its first mate and doctor, a factor that Daring hoped didn't mix with his unusual views about her, for the sake of the ponys stranded at the ice walls. Right onto the break of day they played, when the brass bell of a change of shift rang out her gambling companions said their adieus then marched out the hatches onto the topside. Daring typically liked being alone, but aside from Watts, these sailors seemed pretty alright as anypony could be, she thought back to her experience with the princess of friendship, this time may be different for her.

(Never again.)

.-=O=-.

The slow scuttle of Flavians paws carried him through the cathedral sloped halls of Mirefort. The entire stone walkway exuded the feeling of a small fish being swallowed by a tremendous sea serpent, it always made him feel uneasy when heeding his masters call. The shadows of the battlements obscured most of the walk and the small high windows allowed no respite to the eternal storm's gloom outside. They only allowed the scantest light through into the bailey as he made his way towards the keep's massive doors, flanked by gray marble reliefs of the once great satyr lords, their eyes filled with malice.

At the wrought iron breach into the greathall stood two sentries in dented but still capable onyx plate armor. The smell of long dismembered flesh wafted from under their black masks, blood dripping down staining the once gaudy sky blue fur on there cuirass into a sickening adobe smear, accented by fresher pings of deep red.

“Hault!” Came from the right side guard, in a voice more like a beasts then a civilized being. Although Flavian knew he had no right to judge.

“Whut bussy nies do you havve with th' masser?!” As the creature talked more of what the page could only guess was the entrails of some cretin who spoke ill of the master dribbled out of the guards hidden mouth. Flavian looked at the other creature on the doorways left to see if he would react, but he only kept the same vigil as they both had held earlier.

“Flavian, Fastwrit. Squire and page to the Great and eternal storm king, here on request of the Viceroy.” Flavian spoke calmly and directly at the right guards eye slits in the mask. Making sure to enunciate so the bestial soldier could hear him clearly.

After a few moments of non movement in which Flavian assumed the guard was eyeing him down, the beast lifted his billarm from the pathway.

“Gow wieth speed Flaavein Fasen Wright!”

Without word Flavian pushed open the doors into the great hall. The size and weight of which was intended for a creature three times his size. They never again to be touched by their true master, only by cheap pretenders to his legacy.

The great hall of Mirefort used to have a wicked driftwood table that zig-zaged down the room. It could seat 200 hedge warriors shoulder to shoulder from its croft to its narrow and still have room for dancing with a band of minstrels and for chefs and performers to spaciously preform their crafts about the patrons meal. Now the hall was barren of that table and all of its fine silverware and its banners of the blue and black eyes and the trophy's of the king in his most famous encounters. They were no longer wanted by the new master, and only served to aggravate the hedgelings at court. The only thing that still occupied the room now was the throne of the stormking and a additional collection of medical instruments and magical technology. As Flavian made his long approach he spied a dozen or so guards like the ones outside, all in mismatched or missing armor and two tall equine figures dancing to and fro the machines and the viceroy, limp on the throne.

“You called for me master?” Flavian bowed at the dark cloaked grey-blue furry mass of a pony that lay on the throne of his dead king.

With great effort the Viceroys eyes fluttered open revealing a ghost eye and a simple brown one that ensnared the figure of Flavian. First in confusion, then in recollection.

“Flavian...*Breathes*, So you return to me after all... I was under the assumption you disavaled your commitment to the stormfront when your letter met me.”

Flavians canines ached madly, how badly he wanted to gore the pretender to the throne, how could such a weak and foreign leader lead the stormfront? Especially a ponykin being who only perverted the natural cycles of life and death, his kind who had killed the king in his moment of triumph. Many said the ponys were the kindest and loyalest of all creatures upon this earth, but in fact they where only like that to their own kin, to others they were only monsters.

“I heed the call of the stormfronts needs, not the captain at her helm viceroy.” after standing back to his feet's full height he added in monotone, “What has't it need me for?”

“Yesss... I think your talents could afford me a large deal of needed skill,” the viceroy took off his seat slowly, needing to adjust himself twice before being able to stand and walk to Flavian down the steps of his three sizes too large throne.

(I hope you get bedsores on your throne, horse.)

“Walk with me to the examination table...” The viceroys withered hoof pointed to a alcove in the room where the two tall pony folk were examining charts and preparing a blanket on a examination table accordingly.

The Viceroy by means of a step stool climbed up and lays down apon the blanket coughing as he goes.

“Ali, Baba, prep the treatment please...” As soon as the words had left his mouth, the two curved horned ponykin swiftly acquired a vial of purplish fluid and a set of silver and glass needles from the lockers and desks they had situated in the alcove and began counting back from 100.

“100, 99, 98”

“This is profane what you do here viceroy, your 'ponies' desecrate this building and the islands ancestors.” Flavian said with only the slightest edge of his hate.

“Hahaha, and why *wheeze*, is that son?” the Viceroy chuckled as he adjusted the examination table so he would be able to lie down and still speak at eye level to his guest.

Flavian cocked an eye in astonishment to the viceroys nonchalentness, had he forgotten?
“These beings kind killed our king, we may still have ruled the continent if in they didn't betray us...”

“Child you forget yourself in your furry, and it is very misplaced I might add,*wheeze* my bed nurses are not mages from the lands of equestria, they are simply to my needs healers... They are saddle arabians, not even of the same tribe as my countrymen...” Pausing before continuing, “Do you still carry so much hate for my kind because of the actions of tempest shadow?”

“85, 84, 83”

“Do not speak her name, tempest was a good general, it is the being who birthed her to be blamed, she was too weak to resist the pull of your herd mentality viceroy, and yes to be honest I don't believe I could ever stand your kind again...”

“That is a shame, I was hoping you would help my newest commander in a operation involving, an appropriation of the equstrians heritage.” the viceroy said closing his eyes

Flavians mongrel ears shot up at this...
“What do you mean?” Flavian breathed out.

“Have you ever heard of the Charm of Coal Heart Flavian?”

“No I haven't.” Flavian responded whilst he commandeered a stool from the equipment pile and sat down next to the Viceroys bed.

“68, 67, 66”

“It's an equestrian legend, very old and time worn. It exists in every corner of the pony lands in some form or another, although rarely in its entirety.” the viceroys dead eye twitched as he talked, as if to try and tell Flavian not to listen.

“Over a thousand years ago, in an age of myth beyond myth, the three original tribes of my people existed on a island nation to the far south. This place now referred to as the frost gates by our kingdom was the genesis of the ponies. But in that time it was temperate and lush, *coughs* filled with creatures and plants like... nowhere else. It is there that the first pegasi invented brazorium, that the first unicorn occultists discovered the dark arts of sorcery and the first earth treeders made the soul of the planet bend to their will.”

Flavian felt his interest waining,
“Save me the imperialist dogma viceroy, I too was once a citizen of the continent, I know the mission sermon on the so called harmonic superiority of the pony folk.”

“Ah excuse my windedness then child. If you know that already then surely you have heard the songs of hearths warming?”

“Yes, I know as much as any other race in the north. The festival of comrodery and friendship.” Flavian spoke putting emphasis on the salty foreign words in his mouth.

“Well the many wars and rebellions between the tribes lead to a great deal of thought being put into devices to stall the natural orders. Before the exodus." *breathes heavily*

“41, 40, 39”

Flavians right claw tapped on the wooden exam table to get the viceroys attention “What do you mean by that exactly? Wind and Fire and Water? That kind of natural order?”

“Heh, no these were the orders of entropy. The one thing that magic can not bend. Things like primal emotion, creation, death, chaos... things that had fortunes beyond the scope of one being. They in old equises terms, the orders of the draconequis or dragon born ponies.”

Flavians usual neutral face gave way to a broad frown as he thought of all the crap he had been taught as a pup in the mesa outposts. He never believed that the ponies who to him always looked down on his peoples god, that some time ago they had divines of their own.

“I've never heard of this before, was that some nature of religion to the first tribes?”

“Again im afraid it wasnt. Many old depictions of these natural orders showed them as princes and princesses, the old gods of the equestrians if you'd call them that, *cough-cough*, we believe were in fact, living creatures. Often with temperamental minds. Its little known even that before the emergence of the alicorns the draconequis were the symbols of the tribes confederacy against other creatures. The most important was-”pausing, the viceroy shook his head and restarted. “Forgive me this is getting off topic, all you need to know is that the ponies desired a way to control the forces of entropy, and often were at odds aginst the malice fueled spirits that controlled them.”

(as is their nature, to control or neutralize anything they don't like)

“One of these creations was meant to effect the changes of time, as a sort of perverted shield charm. My nurses and I have devised a way to prolong my life and maybe, in theory anyway, return our king to us if we could find this item.” The viceroy out from his black satin cape, pulled a yellowed page that looked to be from a manuscript depicting a ash wood pendant with runes that looked to steal ones desires if they gazed to long.

“27, 26, 25”

If Flavian was interested before now it looked as if he had peeked, eyes wide and tail for the first time since he entered the castle was fully erect.

(My ears must be deceiving me.)

“What was that you speek? You lier, always with your false promises, how dare you claim such a thing?! To give long dead hope a spark is the worst crime of all horse!”

The viceroy saw the obvious emotion in the diamond dogs face, as if given the chance he would rip the poor old stallions mortal soul from his aged body.

“I'm not pulling your tail Flavian, I assure you this is not a cruel joke, the king with help from this artifact could be reconstituted.”

Flavian let out a shallow growl letting out his own beastly side. As he did so the previously statue esque Hedge knights turned towards him. Raising their poles and hammers in case of a incident.

“13, 12, 11”

The viceroy still kept his calm on the table and held out the paper for Flavian to read it. “Believe me or not Flavian, this is the best chance to fix what my peoples weakness have afflicted the stormfront. Captain! *cough Make yourself acquainted, this dog will be your finest first mate, I can garentee it.”

With that the guards resumed their statues vigil.

Out of the darkness of the thrones rear a orange and yellow unicorn paced towards the table startling Flavian when he eyed him coming out. It wasn't like Flavian to miss a person when he entered the room, one of the few perks being half bloodhound could provide. The admittedly small pony approached them looking at Flavian while answering the viceroys call.

(He has no scent? How?)

“Aye, I can tell sir, these dogmen have a reputation where I'm from.”
The orange coat shimmered like that of a freshly washed carpet but his eyes were the strangest of all to Flavian, they were inversed, black with white pupils. The unnaturalness of his appearance made Flavians gut sink, his eyes were like a demons in the middle of an unholy deal.

“3, 2, 1”

The arabians in synchronization reached 0. They injected the viceroy with the purple liquid and his body wretched before becoming still, one last time he looked at his two lieutenants beside his table, the drug making him slur. “Be good...” The body was now still once again on the table.

Silence filled the chamber. Broken by the terrible orange thing.

“Don't worry Dogman, the viceroy ain't dead, yet, he just needs some resting before he can take on the world.” The stallion chortled as he walked back towards the throne, motioning for Flavian to follow.

“This all seems wicked, who exactly are you pony?”

Flopping himself onto the thrones basin the pony kicked up his rear legs and smiled at the diamond dog before him. “My name isn't important dog, what is is that I know how to get the object these good folks need and the stormlands have well enough gold to keep me on retainer savvy?”

Being a page for the stormlands meant constantly hopping from ship to ship, port to port so Flavian and his tribe were used to pirates, fighting with or otherwise but again to Flavians heart the pony who was before him was distinct and not in a flattering way.

“What can I call you then? Pirate?”

“Call me the stallion of the galleon...”

Author's Note

In this second chapter i wanted to establish a paralel of Flavian and Daring in the A story, both are in a situation where team work is nessisary to complete their quests even if it means allying with questionable people they don't trust. Flavian in particular i like to write as a rouge element, its true he lives under the stormlands flag but his interests are more towards the cult of personality that the stormking once had in the islands and not the government itself. He like Daring is a proponent of the status quo, not to unearth anything that could hurt their worlds, the difference is Flavian has already lost much of what he cherished and Daring is being proactive as her character demands, hopefully we will get to see more of his and Darings personality and how they work to fix the world in future additions.

I plan on uploading a new chapter every week or so, so stay tuned if the story so far has interested you. Thanks.

In the Garden 3

Zheshan pulled the cart in a irregular manner as they made the journey back to the scavengers encampment. To his masters chagrin the kart looked much more conspicuous then it had earlier in their travels. Atleast by his intuition.

No one would pay much attention to a couple of ugly scavengers walking the mud trails just as they didn't notice them before in the morn. Of course now that they had something to hide it would be impossible for somepony not to notice the normally enterprising zebras walking on a death march. Just his luck Sebudo supposed.

The sky had faded into a burnt orange and the sweet mists of the creek were long behind them. Now there was only rolling hills of weeds and the mud the morning had left in its wake, slowly cracking over.

“Hey, umm master?” Zheshan tried to call to Sebudo in the back of the kart, under the covered wagon but it seemed elder didn't hear him. Just before he could try calling again Sebs face peeked from behind the faded green tarp and answered the boy.

“What? Hasin anypony cam' near boyo?” Seb talked fast and low, darting his head like a merecat on the look out for lions.

“No sir I just was thinkin... if your in the back, there mightin be some issues arise when we do meet another...” Zheshan, then pivioted, he spoke well but in a drowsy manner. They had left the river ruins 2 days early then they had planned and even though he was usually hearty enough to pull the kart the whole trip, a sudden departure only a few hour after arriving to the creek had left him more tuckered then he typically was at this leg of the journey. His small sockets had sense been decorated by deep purple bags.

Seeing the exhaustion setting into his partners body, Seb said “Son, you member those boulders we had breakfast at earlier?”

Zheshan did but only vaguely, the thought of the days breakfast lead to thoughts of his sleeping bag he had arrision from to cook it. Sleep clawed at his pulsing head as he responded
“Yeah... I do.”

“It should only be a few more miles till we are there, we can set up the kart and camp just like we did yesterday yeah? Before you keel over on me huh?” Sebudo patted the younger zebras back.

“Yeah... Sounds good... yawn” Zhesh paused before continuing almost tripping on a lose stone in the path, “What are you doing that,...” Zhesh reorganized his thoughts, “Back, there boss?”

Seb went back into the rear of the kart, after a few moments the load Zheshan pulled was relieved of atleast some of its heft and a few more moments later his master was keeping pace next to him on the path. After one more quick survey of the country side he let out a breath and answered.

“Oi, I just needed to make sure we were keepin the 'package' safe, cant have it rolling around with the picks and chissels eh?”

“Yeah... I got that... I would'nt've put my kid in a scrap kart either...”
The young zebra had been a little more than a tad diapointed when his master resined they had to take the child back to the encampment. The whole reason they had come this far east was to make quick money at the temporal rifts at the base of the canterhorn. Times had been tough on the herd and the scrap they could've gotten there might have been enough to sedate the imperials for a few more weeks, now though the only things they were hauling back was a couple of old curtainrods and brass shingles, oh and a another mouth to feed. Zhesh looked back at the tarp over his shoulder “You think its got something wrong wit it? Seemed to be quiet for a youngin huh?”

“Could be... trauma can cause a lot of things to, ugh... clam up... no telling how long it was under that pot... then again Misty May used to say the ponies babes barely ever cried when she was a wet nurse. For all we know it could just be a good sleeper.” Zheshan would've taken a slight amusement from that if he wasnt worring so much about the trouble they could be in if they were caught by a guardsman, or a angry mother looking for the foal.

“I see then cap'...” the younger zebra yawned again and the pair walked in silence up a incline that by Zheshes memory ment they were almost to the boulders. Resuming the conversation, he breathed a deep breath and fortified himself for the final uphill climb. “Hey, you think that kid has the gait?”

“Boyyy I hope to the stars not... thats just what we would need now... it doesnt have the marks for sure. I wouldve seen em' when I got it to sleep. We can have the Mangolin look at it when we get back... Its not something we can worry about right now can we?”

“Sure. Hey why do you insist on calling her an it?”

Seb exhaled through his nostrils.

Zheshan could take the hint.

.-=O=-.

It was an unseasonably cold day in the capital. Not something that happened very often for a modern equestrian city.

There were on occasions strong gusts from the northern cliffs, and a few years back the city had been hit by a outbreak of mud fever that had left the unicorns unable to adjust the cities condition for a month longer then usual. But typically, regularly, the springtime should've meant singing birds and bright smelling flowers. Vibrant hues from blossoming topiaries and cries of young ones brought into the world, of course this is why she and her husband were here afterall, to enjoy the warm sun of auntie and the healer alchemists in the school for the magically gifted. In the mind of Princess Cadenza however, the sudden cold snap brought down a avalanche of worries, her people in the north were awaiting her return, and she hated being away even for this, the most important of reasons.

The princesses enjoyment of the morning plaza was something she never quite out grew from when she had lived under Celestias wing. If she closed her eyes the feel of the wet grass under hoof could ferry her back to her days as a simple pegasus tutor for the court. Memories of laughing aristocrat children under her watch, giggling in play. That eked a hauntingly majestic smile from her face. Eyes closed, the warmth on her forehead and the winds of chill across her cheek. A too rare smidgen of euphoria caught her.

A gold lined side door behind her opened and out came a footman from the throne room.
“Your majesty,” The unicorn guard bowed, “I have a messenger in the greeting hall who carries a message for the Crown Princess, Do you know where she is? I've looked all about the throne room but she is not there.”

“This time of morning? Celestia should be bothering her sister in the brunch room,” wait a second, “May I ask what the message is about guard?”

“Oh, well I dont know if thats a good idea miss, the page said it was for royal eyes only.” the guard spoke in that condescending way most canterlot natives did, not that the princess minded.

“Hmm, so I'm not regal enough then to take the message?” Cadence made a seudo serious stare at the guard. Trying to make her lose composure.

“Uuhmm, y-yes you are mam, I just thought... T-the page seems very adament on speaking with somepony with... power? coughs”

Cadence would've been insulted. Well, at least a little if she did in fact have any power here. She didn't though, in her time following her coronation in the empire she hadn't given much thought to it, she technically wasn't a princess of canterlot anymore was she?

“I understand. You better not leave them waiting.” that haunt of a smile returned to her face.

The guard unaccustomed to dealing with this specific royals houmor, visibly looked about as sick as cadence felt. With an awkward grin she said, “Yes, thank you.” with that the guard did a 180 and began towards the kitchens.

Cadence often had helped others kick their bad habits, being one of her areas of specialty as a embodiment of family bonds and love. But when it came to shinning armors hazing of the lower guardsponies... that particular habit didn't truly get fixed, in fact she caught herself doing it when not paying attention, it grew on her as one of the many ways she unraveled her stress. Something she had been having increasing trouble with as of late.

It was amusing on some base level to watch them panic. All in good fun. To herself she muttered when the guard had left back through the doors.
“He will ruin me if I keep this up.”
Thinking of shinnings more aggressive traits.

With that she returned to looking out at the astounding myriad of flora the castle had. Thinking that walking amoungst the beauty might distract her from the guilt of the throne is what had compelled her down here so early, Shinning is probably just getting Flurry brushed by now. Breakfast would be here soon and she would dine with her favorite daughter and her closest love, but for now the gardens provided enough calm for her malady.

The gardens really did have everything imaginable that grew in Equestria, and even a few things that didn't. Bopple berry trees from the far east, styled elder birches in poses of chivalrous heroes, creeping vines from the mirkwoods on the galloper swamps, sky olives from new pegasopolis. They all had given a piece of themselves to form the harmony of the gardens as a whole.

As she walked Cadence picked out every species and genus. Remembering when Twilight at the age of 6 had been given a botany dictionary from her mother. The two of them would crawl on the ground getting dirty from the imported soil, trying to see how many plants they could name. Cadence had fond memories in every inch of the castle but the courtyard was the most so, maybe she could have the crystal engineering core in the empire build a garden like this in the parade district. Now that the Colosseum had been finished that whole section of the city was in need of updating. The Crystal empire had many great buildings but most were magically sterile of all non important elements like trees and bushes. Something she wanted to rectify for her children.

She lead herself into the darker seldom used corners of the courtyard, she called out to its inhabitants aswell, the garden hosted strange red wooded giant pines, cyan barked willows, kirn foals breath lilies and...

(What was that?)

A new plant was here in the shade that she didn't recognize. Away from the well worn but still immaculate cobbles of the walk. The plant was black as ash and was covered in what appeared to be blue rose thorns shooting to its flanks. The mangled visage was chaotic, growing differently in each of its branches. Some were as straight as a cats tail but others were like a dry desert shrub, growing out and around and over and under. Some were thick, but at the same time limp and frail. The plant truly off put Cadence.

“Why would such a ugly thing grow here?”

The more Cadence gazed at it the more contradictory it became, it had fruit in the cold of early spring and when the other plants were only now coming into bloom, this one looked as if it had been petrified and cut down only to come back like a tormentous lich. The queerest thing of all was that while the willow and cyprus besides it swayed, the lich plant remained still inspite of its fragile appearance. No sign labeled its existence. No life dared grow before it.

Something about it was unnatural. She felt the mourning sickness kicking in and hastily turned back to the sunny area she had sat at earlier. The princess after laying down felt the gagging knot in her throat settle back into her stomach.

(Ill have to ask auntie what that bush is. Or better yet, twilight.)

Cadence had just settled herself to lie back down on the grass as she heard a familiar voice call out onto the grassy veranda behind her.

“Flurry? Are you out here?”

Shinnings voice was booming but clear, a far cry from what it had been when the two had first met in school.

Cadence turned her head towards him as she had with the guard before. Cocking it before saying,
“Your Canterlot voice is improving honey, i'm sure the whole east wing knows your up now.”

The 'dashing' prince responded directly, not even chuckling at his wife's attempt at humor,

“Have you seen Flurry around here? pant I just got her ready and she zipped out on me while I was putting on pant my coat, I can't find her anywhere.” Shinning spoke like he had during Flurries Crystaling, flabbergasted and out of breath.

Flurry at the age of two going on three wasn't as bothersome as she was as a new born to her parents, but the added attention she wanted with her mothers condition had her acting out more and more often.

“Oh She'll turn up dear, relax a little bit. This is a vacation after all. What would Sunburst think if you came home looking worse then when we left?”

“Well,... he'd think he had something to do with it, that's for sure. How did you convince me to put that nerrodic in charge again?”

Shinning began to smile with her.

“Come now, even you know the bylaws. I know you heard them while I was tutoring you.” She started talking in a bad impression of a court magister, “Decree 783b, At anytime a royal prince or princess is sent on a prolonged excursion, without prior permissions and a executive official from the populace is not found to hold court in their absence, then the court wizard shall be called on to govern until the situation can be rectified.” with a playful look she stated most 'eloquently'.

“Well you and I both know it wasn't studying I was interested in. Why does that law even exist?” Shinning said cocked, adjusting his officers uniform.

“Your sister told me once, I think it has to do with Starswirl.”

Growling, “It would be.” Shinning Armor had a deep love for his sister for sure but one of her habits that drove him mad as a teenager was her fixation on that dusty old tart of a stallion. “I don't see what she sees in him. Just another high and mighty prick if you ask me."

Cadence using her magic plucked a daisy from the croft and began counting off the petals, “Well hes a powerful mage for one, a revered hero which would get anypony to admire him not just her. He was the teacher of her teacher, and if you count recently... he did allow in a abstract way for her to become a princess.”

Shinning pausing in thought,
“Still, I don't care for him.”

Sighs “You know he will be at the opera opening in a few weeks... I'm sure he would sit with us, might be an opportunity for you to get to know him. From what twilight says hes mellowed out from the way he used to be.”

Shinning was perturbed “Oh no, I got us tickets to that show four months in advance so we wouldn't get spoiled, i'm not going to sit with some crotchety geezer who complains about everything. No. Thank. You.”

“Whats there to be spoiled by? Its a classical play!” Cadence giggled

“Well, you know... There's artistic liberties...”

“You're telling me the Ballad of Nightmare Moon is going to change? What is Luna going to be a goat? Hahaha”

“I guess you are right, its not worth getting upset over huh?”
Shinning said as he nussled her back.

“Exactly, now, don't you have a princess to find?”

“Oh damn it.” Shinnings eyes got small again and his sweatyness returned. “Go to the dinning hall, i'll get there after I find that little pink streaker.”

“Will do, and honey. Dont hurt yourself this time. The doctor said to relax remember?”

With a 'yeah-yeah' motion from his hoof he entered the servants quarters across from the greeting hall.

Again, Princess Amore was alone.

Author's Note

Originally this Chapter included a scene from Darings next section, but since it was growing longer then I anticipated I rolled it back to make the next one more coherent.

The story mostly shifts between 4 povs, some sections having one offs just to provide clarity but for the most part, The Royals, Daring, Flavian and a fourth one I wont spoil are the focus. That being said if random character 37 dies off screen and is never heard of again, that's just how the story flows. Statistically speaking most people go by the 3 chapters rule to decide weather they want to read a whole novel, I wont promise every chapter will be exciting blood fueled swear fests, but now that the major characters are established I promise chapter 4 will be the most engaging yet.

Looking Glass 5

The night was early in Drumadare, and its inhabitants where still purosing the main thoroughfare under lanterns of green flame and tapestries of fallen princesses. Ill intent and tired bones had made many of the ponyfolk afraid of that wandering circus. Only the black of heart and the truly unsavory lived in that filthy place, the village of thieves and gypsies and witches and murders, and if it wasn't that it was ran by the grand high mangolin of the western zebras, making it the heart beat of any wandering scavenger born of the stripes in Equestria.

It was home.

At its only gate, one of branches and tied tweed that was in a day packed and stowed for summer pastures, a pair of wanders made their approach into the bastion of the zebras.

“Home at last.” Zheshan bleated, dry of mouth turning to look at his master besides him.

Sebudo stopped the boy a ways from the gate and motioned him behind a half buried well by the towns limits. “Ov'r here first, hmm?” Seb walked down to the wells side and laid down.

Zhesh followed suit pulling the kart onto the side of the road.
Seb patted down his wild mane and turned to his pupil. “Why don't you get us a spota water huh?” the elder said patting the well they now sat behind.

“Why? My ma got a fine cask in her place, I thought we were gonna eat there, you where practically bragin' about it when we left town-”

Cutting his young apprentice off, “I know alright, but that was before... its cause wine ain't the kind o' thing you give a babe ok? Knowin' your mother she'd have us reported if we even gaver a sniffing of that kid, you know how she can be with youngins. Especially pony youngins.” Seb sighed and felt like he had disappointed his charge.

Zhesh just stood besides him for a moment, his eyes lost in thought, “I get it then...” he said fishing the pail and dropper from the well.

After both had drunk some of the remarkably sweet well water they sat alone together, neither reaching out to talk.

A long while latter Seb finally broke the silence.
“You think you could let me go the rest of the stretch by myself Z?”

“Don't you need me to pull the kart?”

“I did that 31 years, you thinking I cant pull it a measly half mile?”

“More then that, I know you'll need help storrin everything and uh, the shop ain't the kind of place to sleep at hoss. You sure you won't come on down to Mirtabba's house of fancy?” Zhesh said with a tired smile.

“No. It'll be fine, certain of it. We'll need to check with the Magnolin if you were to come further with me, besides, your place is wit your mutter'... Give me a day or so to get oar' ducks in order. I'll come callin' when we can get back on track, huh son?” Sebudo gave the kid a slug with his hoof before finishing off his water flask.

With a near noiseless “hmm” Zhesh got up and made his way into the tarp town leaving Seb alone with the kart. The throat of the master tightened seeing him go.

Seb pulled out back onto the main path a time after Zheshan had, the sun was down but the waves of orange and purple that harolded the night were still slowly draining from the world. The only keeper at the gate was beginning to close it for the night when he spied Seb coming down.

“Hey there Sebo! I saw your lack'ee come through here a bit ago, he do something I should kno' bout?” A rather large blue steel zebra said untying a knot in the gate so Seb could pass.

“Nothing Hubesi, he's jus' a bit annoyed we did'nt get much from the dig.” looking towards the heart of the town he added, “Still, your mother around some? I got a few things she would want to see.”

“Yeh, don't think so bud. While you where gone a couple of guardsmen and a shady fellow came to her about a attack or somein' similar up north. Real 'proper' equestrians... She ain't in the best mood right now for trade. I'd wait till morn.” Hubesi said stroking his chin, just finishing pushing the gate free.

“That so? Hope nuttin' bad happened.”

“Oh no, nothing like that sir, just made a few threats like they do an went on east to the next shite hole i'd guess.” After a moment hesitation he added, “The guards did atleast, had'nt seen the utter one...” Hubesi pointed with one of his legs.

“East? I just came from the east, the boy and I didn't see anypony on the roads, it was really quiet now that I think about it.”

The steel zebra sighed and looked out onto the dry desert and prairie that covered the land stretching east,

“That doesn't bode well... kay' you really need to talk to ma, just tell my brothers that I sen' you. Just tell her when you see er' what you did er did'nt see. Damn, hope it aint the gait's, that would be the third time in two months.”

“I hope not too...” Seb said navigating through the simple tweed gate and began towards the purple tent of the grand magnolin. “Thank you Hubesi!”

“Ain't nothin!” the guard said putting the gate back and waving to Seb, already off to the councils tent.

As he walked the smells of pumpkin soup and charred orcra eminating from the many tents and shacks that littered the towns slithering drag made his stomach turn in hunger. The old scavenger planed to have been having supper with Mirtabba and her kids when the dig concluded. The only reliable homemade cooking he liked was hers and he wasn't awkward about it or his love for her company and that of her children.

As Sebudo continued down the dirt worn grassy walk to the tent of the magnolin he saw many things that a younger colt like Zheshian did not yet appreciate. The squealing of children in bath, the gentle breathing of the curbed soothsayers, the faint sent of seccle salt being wafted from a kart to his nose. Simple perfections indeed to give meaning to his life. The kart made a noise behind, a subtle coo only one close as him could make out... the thoughts from the river bed met him anew.

(Will this child be a new hue on my lifes canvas? Or the final flaw to its disgrace?)

The tent of the magnolin sat proudly in the middle of the path, all walks made acceptations to where it lay, the entire traveling town around its nucleus. Seb unlatched the kart from himself and releaved his body of its weight. He was getting on in years, it wasn't impossible that he wouldn't be able to pull it in a decade or so but for now it was manageable. He checked on the punctured suitcase the child lay in and after finding her safely asleep he hefted her onto his side, discretely concealed from others gazes.

Seb stepped into the antechamber of the purple yurt. Before was another blue steel zebra, this one with a zigzaged coat and a knotted mane. Behind him was the flap that lead into the chamber of the magnolin. It was common for her to close it off for the time of day it was, but the faint arguing from the other side suggested the days affairs were not yet over.

“I am here to speak with the magnolin.” Seb said bowing his head to the doors keeper.

The keeper looking uninterested in the whole matter measled out a declaration to him,
“The magnolin is not seein' anycreature else this day mister Sebudo, I suggest you make your way home, I can let my mother know of your approach first thing at dawn.”

“Normally I wouldn't mind son, but I have information that must be shared post haste, its involvin' the imperials and a problem I faced in coming back to camp that she has to know tonight. Hubesi even told me so to come here instead of heading home.”

The doorguards eyes peaked, “He did, did he? Hmm, imperials... well I guess I could let you speak with her tonight, but it'll be a while off sir. A trial is goin' on right now and until there's a declaration I cant let anycreature in o' out.. Just take a sit an' ill let you know when you can speak to her.”

And with that Seb nodded curtly to him and sat down on the carpeted front room of the tent and quietly bided his time by picking at his hooves and listening to the sounds of the night. There were indeed indications that a procedure was in progress. The impact of heated words and murmurers made the old scavengers head swim with possibility.

(Is this related to the guardsmen? Or something else?...)

Periodically he veined the appearance of a business pony in double checking his suitcase in front of the door guard. In truth he needed to check on the child, ensuring its quiet to keep both of their noses clean. He did this 4 or so times in waiting, about an hour with change had passed and the cold night had completely taken the outside of the town.

A while longer still and now no green light nor sweet smells where found meeting Sebudos senses, only dusty winds on grass. Seb checked the candles around now and the red time keeper was down a notch and a sixth before a half dozen zebras his own age had walked out of the building and to their own warm beds talking in a manner reserved for disgrace and disownment. Whom ever was being judged had faltered.

Then a screaming howl. If he had not known better Seb could've imagined a demon chained in silver wailing that minor. Weather that victim of the councils verdict was innocent or not, he was receiving justice at the end of a sorceresses staff.

At last when the candle waned to the second notch, through the haze of a day dream Seb was awoken by a bloodied white on black zebra being dragged by two more of his kind in blue steel stripes. The accused he surmised, baring a swirl of shame no less. This poor fellow had just been banished... In the wake of the prisoner's drag walked another. A pony walked behind them wrapped in the clothes of another scavenger. Her face and body where obscured behind thick wool robes but Seb could tell their emotion by posture. What ever had happened earlier that day with the guard and the banished stallion was tied to her. Like a shadow she effected nothing as she vacated the same as the others, but away from the town into the savanna night.

“Ok Sebudo, you can go on in. Mind the blood though, we don't need anymore issues tonight.” the guard said yawning reclining on a stumpy stool.

Seb raised himself once more and gathered himself before heading in. He felt how his apprentice had the day before, hardly able to stay focused on the mission before him. In his hopes to soldier through to an audience with the grand magnolin he took one last step into her chambers.

The Magnolin was a tremendously old mare. Seb was only a spry kid of 10 when she took over as the leader of the herd and it showed in her coat. Where once was the ticker-tack pattern of a silvery blue furred sorcerer was now a barely distinguished gray on white. To the less informed she may have been taken as past her prime or to be a commoner. That was one trick she had acquired for dealing with usurpers among many. She, master of flesh and mind sat alone with a brussling assortment of black and blue thorned bewitching talismans in a sleeve. She cleaned them for storage until the next urchin defiled the clans laws. Sitting at the head of a fire pit in the center of the room, mermering prayers inaudible to her self in concentration to clean the air of ill spirits. Suddenly, without ever parting her lips a whisper squeezed Sebudos skull booming.

(So you come to I for guidance child? My premonitions said a omen of change would come this day... has it already passed me by... or do you yet carry it for me..?)

Seb always loathed the elders his whole life... for they knew no morals of privacy of the mind. He knelled before her, placing the case by his right.

“Magnolin Friscall, pardon my rude hour of calling...”
Sebudo spoke as his forehead touched the soil.

(Their is no need son of my stripe... We know when a member worries... as well as when they are at ease... I knew a mist of indecision has made you a vagrant in the realms of our clan... Share your peace with us...)

Twice the throb of this mental probe struck Sebudo.

“Magnolin, if I may be emboldened to speak, may we shed these uncomfortable spells, it worries my spirit deeply, as I could betray myself and misinterpret your manners...” Seb spoke firmly at her but not meeting her face.

After a faint moment had passed, in a soft voice of the senior zebra, “We may if that is what you wish...”

Making another courteous bow nod as he answered,
“Thank you madam.”

Seb looked back at the tents flap to the door guards post,
“This issue I surmise only we few should be aware of madam.”

With a only half hearten gesture of her face the steel zebra at the door vanished out of sight and the flap was zipped up.

Seb for the first time looked into the orange eyes of the matriarch and pulled out the child...

.-=O=-.

“Now if I said, 'Hansuei, waltopowee kultupe.' what whould I be saying?”

It was a strong warm dry day on the coast of Whinnyapolis, a perfect day for page Yearling to practice translations with her teacher away from their sweaty dig site and the other students. They sat under a yellow aged veranda with dead black thorny vines clinging on its top, it sat looking out to the west seas surrounded by a collection of damaged statues of chimeras she had never seen, all headless save one.

“Under... glow, stones... fate is?” Yearling said to her teacher in a poor attempt at translating Deerling speak.

Her mentor was amused by this slightly and used her teeth to better emphasis the text on the scroll as she spoke.

“Well you have the general idea atleast, that's an improvement already from the classroom, but you need to not rush, its not a test... Break it down for me, which words do stand out?...”

(Yesss, pay attention girl. What stands out?)

“Well, Waltos means raidence... and a powee pole is a stone marker like in the stories we heard from the chief...”

As Yearling recited her answer the one mostly intact statue looked as if it had turned towards her to watch what she would do next. She didn't say anything.

“Yes, a good deduction, glowing stones works as a translation, and what does Kultupe mean Yearling?”

“I'm not one hundred on this but 'Kulk' is a derogative of the ponish 'cult' so I think it would have something to do with gods or destinies.”

Doctor Rusker sat up from her pillow and acted out the words meaning, throwing her words verbally as she poured more tea from the pitcher. She seemed to pour that pitcher for minutes on end as the statue more directly looked at yearling,

(Im serious lady, if you don't pay attention this will pass you by, believe me, you don't want to live like this.)

“I'll say it again, lessen to the tense with the inflection, 'Hansuei, waltopowee kultupe.' You hear the 'tupe', rise at the end?” Rusker spoke out loud to her student, but in a odd sense Yearling also thought she was talking to the statue.

“Yes professor.”

(Yeesss professssooorrr, you try and help but no one ever notices... see if I care...)

The statue slowly broke apart behind the doctor, until it was nothing but its two miss shaped horns. Rusker bent down to the filly and spoke slowly. Her face distorting to its side but still uncertain of the girls response.

“You are aware of what a 'tupe' means?”

Yearling with a wanting dip in her face, frowning and closing her eyes searching her mind for the answer... in defeat she said “No. I don't know that one.”

The professor gathered her day coat from her chair and put it around her head and back as she extrapolated to Yearling.

“Hmm, its a suffix for a item or pony being 'acursed'. More specifically in this context it means 'reversed'... You want to try another time at translating the guides clue? We still have a few minutes before anypony misses us.”

(A curse, Reversed.)

“Okay.” Daring stretched and bent her tongue scouring the right words in her mouth until she said. “Besides elder glowing way-stones, a fate altering item lay?”

In her teachers face the student saw happiness for her translation but something in her face was off, for a moment miss Ruskers eyes where pitched in onyx with glints of white as if someone had inverted them without her knowing.

“Yes! Fantastico my girl! I couldn't have-”

Then nothing.

Darring was back in that dripping wooden cell she had become accustomed to waking in. She tried to open her eyes further then a wink but a blaze in her cranium made her freeze in pain. Until it began to normalize itself atleast a little.

(Why am I in bed?... Why does my skull feel like its been busted?...)

The hatch on her porthole was locked but the orange beam gleaming through told her she either had been out a few hours or a whole day but from her headache and wistfulness it could've been either.
The adventurer shifted her limbs around. Choking back a quivering breath she found her left lore leg and her left wing were bandaged with care in blue sheeting just as her head was.

“Hello?!” Daring shouted at nopony impeticuliar, her voice just reverberated in the floating coffin that was called the mired hobb. “Any, one- ohh that fucking hurts.” Daring said attempting to sit up right on the bed. She decided it was best to verbally recall and trace her steps, quietly.

“What happened? We were attacked by pirates... The captain is...” daring purposefully breathes in and then out, sweating through her sailing shirt “They were, hedgehogs. From a flying ship. I-, killed two but there was a third one... a dog? With a crossbow...”

At this her anxiousness was revived and through her straining agony she attempted to get up. She buckled but didn't fall in on herself.

(Either way i'm a captive or a survivor, if its the former id better not take anymore chances. This wouldn't be a good end for a book.)

“Chapter 2, She died of a concussion.”

Daring felt around the crate that acted as a night stand to prop herself on her new tripod stance and over to the pallet she had been using as a table. With her working wing she started collecting her papers and tools into her satchel taking inventory.

“Sextant, Journal, Whiskey, Rope, Telegram?...”

As she worked there was definitely evidence that somepony had just come short of ransacking her things. It could've been just the rocking from the impact,s earlier when they were attacked but that wouldn't have rearranged the telegram and her written orders from the college and princess Luna to the top of the pile...

“Oh, no.”

It would've been one thing if the pirates had done this, they perhaps would've went looking for salvage or treasure in Equis, but if she was still in the crews company then who ever had bandaged her would also know who she was and why she had been lying, creating a scarlet letter on her flank for all to see. Damned if she did, and what not. So far this was leading into one of Darings least favorite things, communicating.

A long moment later a knock-knocking came from the rooms door.

Facing her uncertainties head on she answered as non committal as possible, “Yes? What is it?”

(What is it? Come on, are you brain damaged?! Well, I guess that could be it.)

“Umm, explorer lady, you ok in there?” The creaking voice of Bosen came through the door. “It sounded like you were waking up and I was told to help you if you did.”

“Uhh yes, I would like that. Mister Bosen please... come in...” Daring answered in a drawn out way, only after making sure any of sensitive the papers where in her bag and away from where nosy visitors may see.

Bosen opened the weighted door with a strained push from his head. He looked worse for wear compared to the smart-ass unicorn teen she meet days before, now he looked more like a child thrown into a grown stallions body as he was in all physical means good but something about his manners in her doorway made him seem like not all the lights where on upstairs.

“Well. I thought my cabin got hit bad...” He said purposefully pointing from the overturned pallets and broken barrels that filled the cabin.

“No, I'm pretty sure it was like this before.” Daring said with a smile to the unicorn.

(Blatant Lie.)

“So is it true?” Bosen cocking his head at her.

“Whats that?”

“That you killed 5 pirates by yourself! Its amazing from what Wattz said, with all the blood and broken bones! I thought I heard a gun from below deck when it happened but I wanted to wait to ask you since you fought them hoof to hoof.” Bosen said shifting his shoulders in a old one-two move.

“Well... hmm, what day is it?”

“Oh I should've known you would need me to talk first, well ok. Its the sixth of epita if the calendar is right. You've been out for three days I think.”

“Three-, three days?” Daring choked out

“Hmm its probably more like three and a half, it is almost night.” Bosen said looking at the porthole.

(It doesn't look like its snowing out. How off course are we?)

“Where are we? Is the ship stable? Is anyone dead?” Daring was reentering a certain heightened awareness that she had been in before the fight, or for the less deserning of you, shell shock. As her panic came out her head throbbed again, for a moment she couldn't see clearly and almost fell against the wall but Bosen caught her before she broke something else.

“Woah! Don't have a conniption miss, you dont want to go under again, who knows if you'd come out.” With a dry chuckle Daring didn't care for, Bosen rested her side to the cot she was in. Only now looking down at it did she see the sweat and blood from where she had lay.

Choking back a ball of rising bile from her nerves she said to him again, “Where... are we?”

Bosen stood as he searched for the explanation, “We are in Gulls Rest, just got here a few, maybe two hours ago. Captain Wattz went into town with Caspian, its just you, me and the floor boards. Oh and Savanna, shes here too. Somewhere...”

This is exactly why Daring preferred the company of paid contractors or better yet, no one at all. These ponies were too unpredictable and harmed her mission rather then help it. For all she knew everypony shipwrecked on the old continent was dead now because of their fuck up against the pirates. Atleast they kept her alive and above water, that was a start.

“I'm gonna need a bucket.”

Author's Note

Sorry for a lack of updates, my family recently lost two loved ones and that combined with the "Rona" going around its been easier just to keep my head down. if you've made it this far I applaud your commitment, ill try and have another part out soon but in these hard times I cant make many promises.

Baring Teeth 6

“These'in be the survivors we were able to capture my leige...” A gangling mast bound Nagasi serpent said leading Flavian along the deck of the 'Mourning Wail'. “It was as the stallion said it would be... Six pony folk on a cargo barge right as he predicted...”

Flavian knew the Naga would never say it aloud to his face, her cultural dignity was too important to waste on her own feelings but even the cold blooded administrator by her body motion was unnearved by the 'abilities' of their new commander even as a passing thought.

“And the other parties? Have they also hit their marks?” Flavian said readying his claws one by one.

“Aye, all have either reported a clean raid or have confirmed they are in pursuit. Nothing unexpected has occurred so far...”

“Don't say 'so far' we can't aford to jinx this.”

The ungodly séance was still clear in Flavians mind. When the stallion of galleon scryed the position of their target. The blackened eyes darted and knew. The thing they needed was in the south-eastern sea, on a pony merchant ship. They knew how many hands it had, and he even knew the clue they needed for the viceroy was in the possession of a middle aged female. Some details were vague how ever, it wasnt known if the ship was alone or in a group, if it had weapons or if it was heading north or west along the coastline. That choice on who to attack was under flavians control.

He played it safe, every ship was reported to him and he gave the go ahead or not. He couldnt risk a full scale war with the ponies even though his pride ached for it. It would be wiser to choose targets persisely until he knew exactly how this situation with the stalion of galleon would play out. Who knows, maybe the warlock was reading his mind as he preformed his duty to these fresh captures, just waiting on a traitorous thought to capitalize on.

5 sky skippers, 2 air destroyers, 8 cattamerans and 1 galleon where all together 16 vessels to scour hundereds of miles worth of wide open ocean. Nothing to scoff at as a warlord keeping the unloyal and unhinged in check, but compared to the forces Flavian had under the stormkings rule or even the amount comanded by tempest, it was barely a drop in the sytars piss pot. With anyluck the other skippers had found simmuilar ships he identified to be easy pickings and the lead they needed would soon be theres.

“Alright, I will settle this new catch in. I want you to contact our lead ship so the stallion of galleon will randevous with us at Fiseteen.”

“How long will you be general?” The Naga said.

“Not long, these ponies are not the kind of creature cut out for this. If they dont know anything it becomes trivial.”

With that the Naga gave a court half bow before heading to the mapping room and Flavian took to overlooking his crew and the ponies. As he made his way down the stair case from the stern castle, slowly to the main deck he could smell the fear on the equines. Before him bound in rope they where, some where barely breathing, others where dazed and even one looked as if he had already expired, slumped to his side, bloody with a horn half shattered off his head.

Flavian sniffed the air and streched to his full height before his captive audience.

“Pony kin! I am commander Flavian, of the stormfront fleet. I'll be quick in explaining my mission to you, know that I will not repeat myself, it will be your responses that will judge to weather you have a continued existence, or if you'll be joining my hedgelings for dinner!”

Frightened the sailors looked around only to find grinning monsterous races about, hedgelings smacking their lips under grotesque masks, kackling diamond dogs, ornery minotaurs and other ponies malformed as grizzled pirates, all having a good laugh at their expense.

The young faced pegasus captain who was first in the row squaked out a response to Flavian, which ceased all noise on the deck form the pirates. “Uh... the trans mer-merkeid commpany will, pay any ransom you wish... We have no-nothing of val-”

*Clunk!

“Shut up stupide horse! The general ain't finnisht yet!” A tall but malnurished minotaur hand shouted hitting the pegasus with the stock of his crossbow to the back of the ponies head.

Raising the captains vacant face in his grip Flavian continued,
“As one of my crew just demonstrated, this is a lecture first, anymore of you talk out of line and you'll get hit with one through the mane. Got it?”

Quiet. All the prisoners shocked gaze on at Flavian in his trench and polished armor.

The pegasus, cross eyed gushed with blood. Knelling and concussed he just vacantly stared at Flavian. Unable to articulate, though his mouth was still moving and his eyelids fluttered.

With a sigh Flavian started again, “Pity, kill him. One of the others will know, hes too damaged now to survive the night anyway.” Droping his paw from the captains chin, letting the limp head fall to be catched by its damaged owners neck.

Nearly instantly the hedgeling behind the pegasus captain opened its gaping mouth and in a single motion clamped down and twisted the ponies head free from its place and flung it into a nearby bucket. The other pony captives that where still lucid screamed in terror staring at their captain spraying blood and twitching on the deck like a malfunctioning fountain. They wailed out petty prayers to be saved by the princesses before silencing when seeing Flavian change his glance to them for sounding without his permission. The act sickened most of the pirates as well who looked off just before the action was carried out, as they knew what was coming, only the other hedgelings eager for fresh carrion continued to laugh until Flavian raised his paw to silence them too.

“As I was saying before I was interupted, we are looking for anycreature that can lead us to this!” Flavian held out the worn piece of parchment that depicted the amulet.

“We know somepony, somewhere out on these very waters can lead us to it.” Rolling up the drawing and stowing it in his breastplate he continued, “Now, I can be a fair host to you, my little ponies. I can give you a chance to help me find this item for my master and join my crew as these fair folk have done, I promise it will be a more exciting life then you have ever known, I can promise you yes.” Flavian motions to some of the smaller members of his force.

“Now, can anypony help me out or not?” Flavian fingered with his arm for a response.

The deck was silent.

“So?”

Silence.

Squating down to their eye level, “Oh right, you can speak now. Guess I should've said that.”

Out of the line up a lime coated earth pony spoke out. “I dont know what that item is but ill do anything to help just ask!”

“Yes I will too! I'll do anything you need! Just dont kill us!” another, this one brown said. Before long all of the survivors were pleading to join him, promising loyalty and friendship if only he gave them their freedom.

“Good, good I'm glad to hear it, I really am. Just one issue though, if none of you actually knows where it is, you can't really help me can you? Steward, I think we have gotten everything we can from this catch, prepare the meat for the crew will you?”

At that, just as happened to their captain before them, the crews heads where snapped off an their corpses were thrown through the main hatch into the darkness below.

“Beside bein good eattin capt' what will this'in solve if you dont mind me askin'?” a snarking bullfaced dogman said looking down at the new meat in the hold.

“Simple my fellows, these ponies have a great strength that is also their greatest weakness.” Flavian said tapping his right temple for emphasis, “Their herd mentality. If one doesn't know the answer, its most likely no one else will. A pity for them but a advantage for us. Signal the next batch from the skippers that have came in. We will find out what we need to know. Even if it takes all day!”

At that his men cheered for him and Flavian, closing his eyes, savored this small gratification from them. He turned back to the circular stair case and begins his decent into the mourning wails underbelly. Yes the attention from his crew was in a quaint way satisfying to his ego and feelings of waywardness, but he knew with the return of his one true master he would once again have purpose.

Through a cramped walking space and behind a privacy screen the dog man scampered on all fours through his ship from hall to hall and around tight corners. With grace he narrowly avoids passengers and cargo shifting about as the ship sways from the waves beyond the hull. First across a gangling rope bridge above the galley where he tipped his tricorn to the chef and onto a minuscule side room next to his own quarters. Opening the old brass knocker he slid in to find his Naga aide and the looking glass waiting, being charged from some unseen aether.

“Has anything came through yet?” Flavian said grabbing a stool from the table that held the magic mirror.

“No, I havent heard from anybeing sence I started its filling spell... There was a message from before, a old hand from the messas sent it in a few hours ago for you.”

Flavian was used to old hands sending him corispondence from time to time sence the disalvement of his real fleet, and he thought nothing of the letter initialy but decided it best to read it now until the staleon of galleon made his apperance.

The letter was scrawled the way a creature with hooves would, large lettering and poor dilingual patterning although his prose was quite good. Flavian would've thrown it away but the creature said he was on a pony trade ship heading south off map on a apparent secret mission. The hand wrote that he thought such a unknown mission must have something valuable, and as any creature who once was a pirate could tell you, they never really get over the urge to dash off with a easy score. After seeing this detail Flavians eyes where pinned to the page. Slowly he reread each word over again carefully. It was a trade cog heading almost directly south from Baltimare, into a part of the map uncharted and deadly, the frost gates.

(Why would any sane creature wish to go there? A secret mission...)

Just as he finished the letter the mirror began to hum and rattle. Flavian pushed back his chair and knelled to the morphing mirror. His naga companion followed suit. Slowly its silvery frame warped into redhot metal wraping around a invisible skull to reveal the face of the staleon of galleon chromed and smirking at him.

“Oh come on bucko, no need for dirtyin' yer pants. Im no princess ha ha ha!” The staleons face glowed and reflected his face and the area around him. He was apperantly in a drinking hall.

Red faced ashamed to have to bow to a 'superior' like this pony bastard, Flavian quickly resettled himself into his chair and lowered his hat to hide his malevolent face. “I have yet to find the lead we need my commander.”

“Oi, I thought the old vicer said you were the best at ise sorta thing eh? You know what you need to know so whats the hold up?” The staleon said in a dark inflection while rubbing his jaws and scaggly beard with a hoof.

“I am as you've heard, but know that even to a master tracker, a skilled orator and a well trained sword, this would be a tremendous under taking. Your just lucky im all three. No other would be commanding this armada in search as well in as little time i've had.”

“Oh yes I agree kemosavi... you are the great flavian fastwrite after all, and I? Just some fucker in a canteena, drinking and whoring while you chase my golden goose huh?”

“Well maybe not the part on your laziness...”

“Oh you dont need to sugar coat the world dog, I see what anyother sees. You dont trust me and youre most likely trying to decive me here, I know a bull puck move over a genuine one. My eyes have that going for them atleast, in additon to being a superb fasion statement ha ha!” Even in the white silver face of the magic mirror the stallions eyes where still unnaturally black.

Flavian just waits in angery penence until the stallion is finished “I will relay what we have learned when I make port in Fiseteen, I dont believe we have enough information as of now.”

Huffing, ignoring Flavians word the mirror keeps talking, “But in all seriousness, I trust you will find my bounty soon, then its just the mater of summoning that coddled goatlegs out of oblivion. You'll get your abuser back and ill have enough bullion to start my own county so just hop to it dog, be good and I might have a bone for ya!”

Abruptly the mirror spurts out and returns to its original appearance steaming hot.

“This whole thing is bein' too strange, I dont much care for it...” the naga woman said wraping the warm metal mirror in a damp rag.

Flavian stands back up and adjusts to his favored posture.

(Neither one of these two can be left with the amulet. The Viseroy cant be counted on to use it right, and the stalleion...)

Once again the thoughts of the galleions deep lifeless voided eyes stared at flavians mind blocking out his thoughts. He decided here in the map room that even if it cost him his life he mustnt let the stalleion or the ponies find this amulet. He had a gut feeling the letter he had just read held the information he seeked. Now it just came to finding them without the stalleion turning the fleet on him...

.-=O=-.

“Your majesty is something wrong?” a concerned elderly yellow unicorn lady said at the overturned body of princess cadenza as she vomited into a sink.

“No, thank you- I think, I think... I'll be fine.” The princess said choking back her dinner as the muffled sounds of the orchestra sounded outside the powder room.

The unicorn after offering the slightest omission to see if the princess was still alive kept talking anyway. “Well you should know my cousin is a herbalist by trade, he was always telling my sister that the best thing for a sickness of the gut is root broth. Although I could never remember which one it was? Miragold? Mistorone? Mythbone?”

“I said I'm fine.” Cadence shouted through gritted teeth at the elder before turning back to the sink, checking her appearance in the mirror. She looked as she could've housed that monster chrysalis inside her by how bad she looked. The greening rings around her eyelids, just barely hanging the facade of the royal monarch over a diseased mannequin. After regaining her formal composure she turned again to the unicorn.
“Besides it's not a gut sickness.”

“Oh. Pardon me then.” the older pony had the face of a ashamed servant caught mismanaging their job. Cadence couldnt see them but she felt the elders tears where coming. The unicorn made her way out of the rest room and back to the theater as fast as her tested legs could convey, Cadence thought she might have seen a gasping as she left.

(Why do they always come to me at my worst? I don't deserve this life...)

But that was her depression talking, as it had been for weeks.

Even though this wasn't the crystal empire nor the castle at the summit of the city, all citizens of equestria who recognized cadence acted like that canary unicorn, trying to tend to her as if she was a fragile glass. Most times it was bearable, but at other times she felt that the hearts of the common ponies where the ones actually half made of glass, ready to shatter before her if she didn't act exactly as they expected. They would vain the sympathetic but if she called upon their help, they would crumble. It didn't help that her emphatic powers made her see ponies true feelings. This kindly old mare was one of the good ones, simply wanted to help her, but she now looked in her emotions as a little filly brushed from her unloving mother. Idiot girl. Treat others better.

In silence cadence stood yet again before the mirror, feeling the emotions of herself this time, the old unicorn and her passenger. The bile finally ceased and settled down her throat and she only felt herself and the child. It wasn't like flurry was... This one was a prince by the way it kicked.

Cadence putting on her evening shall and circlet returned out into the red halls of the theater and climbed the slope towards the royal observation booth.

The audience she could hear through the walls wailed and laughed on as she made the hard climb to the inclines apex. She had complained to Shining about the choice of position they had gotten at the show. She had wanted, and expected when they had left the palace to be lead to the rear seats. Where all the other sickly or feeble where. Not because she wanted to deprive her husband of the shows best in the royal booth but as her conditioned was reminding her, she had trouble walking uphill this far along in her situation.

But on the bright side the view of the stage was indeed gorgeous, and the royals only shared their dining and restroom with the other aristocrats boxes which thankfully we not completely filled this night. Just her luck then that the herbalist's cousin was in the powder room the same time she was. Or maybe it wasn't.

As she reached the final stretch to the brass inlay doors that obscured the royal booth she was helped up by two members of the EUP. They tactfully ushered her back to her plush viewing chase. In the box only sat two others, her husband and the greatest sorcerer in the world.

“Ah the princess returns to us then?” Star Swirl said standing up to pull out Cadences chair with his magic.

“Yes I have.” She said in a overly aloof way as she sat.

“He he, don't talk in that mater your highness, you'll end up sounding as Luna did when she started kindergarden.” Starswirl said returning to his own chair.

Shinning said nothing as he just concentrated on the performance below.

Leaning next to him she asked, “What did I miss?”

“Cadence quiet please.” Shinning said back in a passionate whisper.

On the stage below a group of actors played out what seemed to be a plead to princess celestia being played by the ever popular lady Fleur-de-lis. The other actors where dressed as different professions and speaking over each other trying to ask for favors from the monarch. There was a miner asking for longer days so he could see his children while they where awake. A farmer who asked if her days could be longer so she may work harder for the country. And last a noble, the comedy relief for the production. He asked for a longer day because he wanted to sun dry from his pool.

The audience chuckled at his expense.

“I've always hated this part of the show.” Star Swirl said watching through heavy eyelids.

“Hmm?” Cadence responded looking to him on her left.

“I was there when this happened. And I also was there the first time this play was preformed. Its changed a lot but there's things about it that still should be fixed.”

“Like what then?” Cadence said now intrigued with the living artifact in the booth with her.

“Well. For one there wasnt a simple court appearance for this. There where riots in the capital about this issue. Ponies beating each other because they thought that there was no downside to a eternal day. Idiocy knows no bounds with pony folk im afraid. It was so awful for so many... my students who studied the fates and stars where almost lynched for defending the natural orders... Ironically after Luna was cast out it was for a long time a dark age.”

“I have never heard of it that way. Didn't Luna start the uprising?”

“No. The ponies did that. It was more of a dive to protect Celestias authority that lead her to side with the mobs. They would follow her if she defeated a implied enemy. Don't get me wrong, the Nightmare Moon was seduced by vanity and contempt, but it wasn't for her sisters sun as much as it was for the populace who where obsessed with it. The shades just took advantage of her. Like they did the king of the north.” Star Swirls face became limp as he talked, as if he was trying to find who he was speaking to, Cadence or himself.

“And the first version of the play... how was it different?”

“Just blatant propaganda. The nobles just ignored the ponies involvement in hurting the kingdom and within a generation no one even knew what happened besides that retrovist legend written by those fucking sun cultists.”

“Can you two stop talking for a minute? The intermissions coming up.” Shinning armor said irked that Star Swirl was ruining the performance for him.

In the quiet they looked on to the stage again. Now a pegasus dressed in a black cloak shadowed behind princess Celestia, interjecting insults to her subjects as she addressed the ponies at court. After a few corny lines on that both parts of the day are important and to be respected, the court ponies where miffed and shuffled off stage. Then the actress of Luna walked out from behind the throne on the almost empty stage besides for her sister which didn't respond to her presence. She cried to the audience that her feeling compelled her to surpass her sister and take her place so the ponies would love her night instead. Egged on by the black shadow pegasas of Celestias side who told her she was worthless, that she would never be needed.

At that the orchestra played off a dramatic cord of lowering dread as the curtains closed for the intermission. The audience rose below them and the sound of hooves shuffling to the lobby made the opera house shake.

Shining gradually leaned back into his chair and turned to his wife. “Ok. The two of you can continue, just really wanted to hear the actors, you know, cause were at a play.” He had a sour sting in his words but ultimately was now relaxed enough to listen to them.

“Glad we have permission your majesty.” Starswirl said as he continued. “Yes when the old tribes first decided to depart to this land there was a unimaginable backlash. Our kind are creatures of tradition. It wasnt our way to stray from the valleys and forrests of our past home.”

Cadence continued as her husband assumed the position of reclining and closing his eyes content to listen to the conversation. “So what exactly was this homeland that you came from?”

“Girl, you grew up in the most knowledgeable city, in the most literate kingdom on the earth, within the royal halls of learning even. Do you really not know the name of our homeland?”

“Watch it geezer. That girl is my wife and a princess.” Shinning said only opening one eye to glare at him.

“Well do you know much more 'prince'?”

“Infact I do. The royal guard commanders have to know more then just how to tackle somepony or to march and wave a pike around.”

“Intriguing. Inform us then. I would love to see how the princesses lowered the standards in my absence.” Starswirl said apperating a smoking pipe from thin air.

Shining racked his mind on where to begin with the tale of equis. “I think the most important thing about the homeland was that it was haunted by windegos.”

Starswirl chuckled for a moment fiddling with his prarrie grass box not lifting his eyes to the royals. “Oh yes it was. But, tell me something I would'nt know by attending a school foals winter pageant.”

Shining knew he had been given special insight during his training but at this moment it alluded him like a half remembered dream. “Its to the south... Most of it was ruled by princesses and duchesses with a few tribal herds and... and they all had intense greed and parrionia, capable of great things but isolated and petty. They where not as advanced as us using crude iron for their tools and weapons and they venerated creatures like... dragons?”

Shining looked back at starswirl who was know reclining like the crystal prince was doing moments before. “I did not tell you to stop. I am still listening.” the wizard coughed out in between pulls.

Cadence said, “I am too. It is something I haven't heard much about.”

With that shining continued, “Well there's not much else really. I know starswirl was there and that there had been a decade of early winters and poor harvests... Thats what lead to the explorers leaving. And eventually everyone else.”

“Once again your modern serialized view is found to be lacking. Not everypony left, and they certainly were not paranoid, you can only be paranoid for something that has little chance to harm you, the old tribes had much to be wary of.”

The audience below began returning to their chairs below.

“Like what?” Shining chuffed, “I was lead to believe the homeland was a rich land that was only ruined by mortal folly?”

“Hardly.” Starswirl admited. “Pray tell princess do you know what a draconequis is?”

Before she could respond her husband butted in, “Yeah! Its just a fancy way of saying discord! That loud mouth alw-”

Starswirl coughs on his own breath in hearing the name, “Why in tartariouses 9 hells would you utter that name?!”

Shining and Cadence just look dumbly at each other and back to Starswirl. “What did I say wrong this time?!” Shinings face had risen from a slight reddening of the forehead to almost a blaze as sometimes appeared to pissed off powerful unicorns. “I came here to spend time with my wife and family not argue semantic ancient legends with some pony who has no right being alive in this era at all! I am a prince of the second most powerful holding in all of equestria! You will give us respect!”

From below the scant early audienciers stared up to the yelling above, one speaks out “Hey is there a problem up there?”

Starswirl is visibly taken back by shinings brash attack on him, with his best effort he tries to elevate the stress of the observation booth. “My prince please lower your voice, I did not intend to cause a coniption, what I mean is you shouldn't say that things name. Its a errorus omen...” Starswirl said lowering his voice and starring down the prince.

“Stop speaking in tounges then! Why shouldnt I-” Shining just saw the looks on his wifes muzzle and the calls from below them. With great passion he stands up and leans to obsure his face from the wizard and the princess. He says he has to get back to the crystal palace, and that he will pick up flurry from twilights castle in the valley. Quickly he storms out the doors and around a carpeted bend into the bowels of the operahouse.

“Shinning dear wait!” The princess says struggling to get up and after him.

“Your majesty, as a mare in your condition you musnt move too fast. Think of the baby.” Starswirl said keeping her in her seat. “I will go and look for him, just stay here, i'll only be a short while.”

With that again cadence was left alone, the ornate door softly shut and she was by herself in the box. Below the curtains parted and the audience stomped aplause.

Trouble off Gull Island 4

The Mirred Hobbs deck was uneven and offcolor from years of repair and modification to a point where Daring wasn't sure where the original planks stopped and the replacements began. All around the deck there were reminders of the ships long service to the kingdom. After a chat with Captain Cutter, she had formed atleast a professional respect for the old girl, not every ship can stay afloat, let alone in service for 180 years.

The warm south winds were picking up now, they had just passed a doldrum that was infamous for corsairs from the storm islands just a few dozen miles north-west of their current position. From here there was only a few lone sea stacks and one more inhabited island before they truly began sailing blind.

Daring leaned on the railing of the forecastle. The gleaming azure waters lapped against the side of the forward bow, sending up a refreshing mist of cool vapors into her snout. In her youth as a assistant archaeologist to Dr. Rusker and the then head of accounting Steady Pace at the university, she gained an early appreciation for the profession of sailors and seaponies.

Rusker, the old mule was said to be the toughest ass in the entire field of study on the ancient deer tribes of the western reaches, under her Daring acquired a gruff persona and no nonsense opinion on exploration, along with a tempered cooling of her infamous hothead. Along with the then younger Paces more 'optimistic' view on school funds, they had explored almost the entirety of the western seaboard finding site after site. They engaged with locals and colonists to which she never should've dreamed of as a filly growing in the great woods. Some of the old college members in the current board wouldn't have cared as much as she did with the wooden spear shafts and crazed pottery of that simple time of her formation as a scientist, but to her the days were priceless, a concept she was afraid the school, let alone the country had forgotten.

(What good are my books if my readers just get inspired to grave rob, seeing easy fortunes instead of the history I write them? What would Ruskie say now?)

Often Daring had faced this dilemma. It recurred over and over in her dreams as if a skipping record that never silenced, and with every report she read about the youth in Equestria destroying artifacts of the Bison and Dogmen and causing harm to other beings, she wondered if it was even a good thing she wrote and explored at all.

Then a sound cut through the sky... strange and high went out of the west only for a second, like a boiler reaching heat and instantly depressurizing a snap, low and quick, like a bulls whip.

(What was that? A song whale perhaps? )

The sea gave no indication of what made the sound, only the green-grey coloms and the shadows of creatures soaring far above. The creaking of the deck behind her alerted her of an approach.

“Hey missy, finally out of the rat hold ehh?”

Daring Turned to see that sun bleached reaper that seemed to have had shadowed her the whole voyage. And no kind elderly zebra was here to save her now.

“Something you need Doctor Watts?” Daring said in response, still looking out to the west.

“Doctor? Hehe, not in civilized waters, my few charges better suit me as a saw bones misssssy.” Watts drew out his voice to a hiss as he hoisted himself against the rails with her. Daring caught a glimpse of his face a foot away from hers.

Watts yellow grin and his oily knotted mane suited his form, they fit perfectly with his perpetual bagged eyes along with his ratted purple sircoat. Daring surmised he could scare a cockatrice to stone.

“Anyway, the capt' says he be needen you now in the main cabin. Don't take too long, he's got a temper...hehe...” He said turning his face sideways to her, grabbing a snuff box and pipe from his coat.

Daring stood up fully and stretched. The change of positioning made it clearer to her now, he smelled like fermented cider and parry grass. With one last attempt at finding the noise she relented. No more whistling on the water, what ever it could've been most likely passed, maybe it was just her lack of good sleep. She turned back to Watts, mid way through stuffing his pipe.

“Did he say what for?” Daring snapped back.

“Sommin' about the charts. Usually that's mine job mind you, but sense we crew can't be trusted around the maps on this voyage, it seems the job falls to you, got it tramp? Now get a fuckin' gettin' on, you're ruining in my smoking spot.” Watts brow grew dark and to her the first springs of what seemed to be gray beard hairs were forming under his jaw in the mid days light under the approaching overcast.

Daring simply sighed and began her walk to the captains room, tightening her coat and leaving the stallion with little more then a wing waft. Better to brush off the asshole and keep a status quo for now. If he is the only doctor on ship he will be needed if they were to save the stranded ponies. Plus she really didn't want to pick a fight with basically strangers in the middle of nowhere.

knock-knock
Daring beat into the doors paneling.

From somewhere beyond, muffled by the timbers,
“It's open.”

Daring slid the door to the side and turned around to close it. While doing so she saw Watts on the opposite side of the empty poop deck, smoking now, but still giving her that 1000 yard stare with his evil eyes where he sat.

She locked the door.

“Captain Cutter, the bozen said you needed my help with something?”

“Sit please, we have somethings to discuss.” Cutter said from the other side of a impressively scaled, if not outdated cartography table.

Cutter, from what Daring had learned at the Palace and Freight shipping company, was a warmhearted and honest trader, but not much for straying from his assumed lot in life. The companies magistrate said that his ship and crew were the most reliable but not as bold as she would imagine a far flung ancient whaling vessel would be. According to what she had heard, Cutters family where among the finest sailors from Equestria, but that fame was at least a century old and Cutter for all his kind words, was not the same kind of pony as his fore bearers that built that legend.

Daring sat down in the warmly lit room as the gentle tilt of the ship swung. Lanterns waved to her and the glint of old mounted harpoons from the ships monster hunting days made a sort of bow to the captains chair. Cutter tacked down the sea chart and drew on it with a carpenters pencil, highlighting their heading.

“Were' aboot a half days out from Gulls Rest. We will stop there to top off, and rest for a spell. May give some needed chances to stretch our legs on terra firmata... After, we'll continue under your bequestment miss Do.”

The Captain had drawn a circle on the map around what seemed to be only a speck on the chart, a arrant black dot amoungst faded blue wash. No filigree or title, just a jagged pebble in a otherwise vast paper nothingness.

Daring didn't doubt the heading, but something just looked off to her, “Seems a bit odd, a port would be on such a small island, are you sure this 'Gulls Rest' is really there? I don't have any mention from the college, or the company for that mater that this place exists.”

“Oh its not gonna be on any map, the Gull is an ancient place. And before yee start in, no its not a myth, it's just not interested in politics of the mainland miss. No census or chart in the last 80 on years I think would be havin' it. Well except thisin” Cutter said smoothing out its creases with a hoof.

“Ah, that's the reason for the... mature, chart then?” Daring tried to be respectful to the captain.

Cutter continued drawing without lifting his gaze. “Aye, my grand mother and her father and his great uncle before him, all used to sail these waves, had talents fo' mappin. That was back before the satyrs and the hippies started carvin' up the islands. I've never been this far south myself, but I know Ma Cutter would'nt've told no mares tails.”

Daring studied the map as she would any artifact, the line work was exquisite and besides the gull island there were about half a dozen other small islands she had never seen depicted before.
“Well I have used a fair amount in my day and I must say your families attention to detail is staggering, not even my Canterlot astrologers map is so well made. And its basically a photo of the world from the sky.”

For a moment Cutter looked up at her appriciating the maps form, “Why thank you, I'mn just glad I got to use it once before retirin'. The sea-lanes aren't easy, don't get me wrong miss, but after 40 years on um going back an' forth, nothing surprises me.”

“Sometimes I think the same.” Daring said to humor the stallion.

(Except the complete opposite.)

“Well now that we are on the same page involving the map... perhaps its time to bring the crew up to speed?” Nearly every time Cutter and her had talked in the last couple of weeks he had asked a similar question at minimum once.

“Not yet captain. You and I are the only ones allowed until we arrive, I am sure you would know lose lips sink ships. Theres still monsters and robbers that would abuse even our limited info. We owe as much to the country.” Daring winced a little at that, she was no nationalist but it had to be said about the situation.

“Yes I understand,” Cutter took off his spectacles and looked her in the eyes. “You're going to have to tell them eventually. They all know the legends and if you let them work it out on their own it may turn ugly. I'm 'sure' as well a educated mare like yourself knows sailors are a superstitious lot.”

Daring must have hit a nerve, relegating the conversation back to the most pressing points,
“Anything else you know about Gulls Rest that might help?” Daring said.

“Well in the southern tales, in the voice of the Satyr lords would say that the invasion of our kind started here.” he pointed again at the tiny isle.

Daring had never met a Satyr herself but had heard of them in a few texts relating to the southern coasts around the lush temperate woods that once grew in that part of Equestria, where the Hipogriffs settled. Those stories, hundreds of years old said the Satyr were xenophobic sorcerers that enthralled animals to do their bidding but were mostly harmless if respected by outsiders. After centuries of development in the farthest southern shores no one had seen them for years, thought to have left this mortal world, wiped out by changing times.

The most recent anyone had written involving them began around 2 decades prior. Tabloids wrote tall tales of a mad self proclaimed Satyr king who had amassed a great host army from the southern archipelago to reclaim the ancient woods on the continent for his own. According to unreliable witnesses, it was made up of a horde of giant hedgelings amoung a handful of other ghastly races that all hated Equestria. A race of normally small savages, Hedgelings were creatures that walked like apes and could talk a broken old ponish tongue that where native to the largest of the storm islands. For centuries none but them lived there due to a ghastly record of the natives ripping apart explorers and eating them alive with their bare paws in early attempts to settle. No pony thought much of the phantom king on account of it being so far away. So desolate. No one could tame them and no pony ever would. Just more fake news they said,

But still scattered sightings in news clippings of warlike Hedgelings in black armor raiding grove hamlets and the odd ship going missing were the only bits of evidence anypony had on it.

Even Daring herself didn't pay heed, she and her teacher only ever cared about the glory of the hunt, her and everypony else would pay dearly for it. A little over a 100 moons back that boogeyman king became too real. Near genocide on the Hipogriffs and a attack on the capital made it so. In the passing of one week hundreds of ponies were gone, the nobles and the monarchy who were petrified and taken as trophies, they where the lucky ones. Many disappeared into slaving ships, others where... used as sustenance for the army of that king. His stormfront destroyed the land and its people.

Ultimately he was shattered into nothingness by a sole surviving princess barely overlooked, and her friends who had redeemed a commander to turn on him. Some of them which Yearling knew well, again the thought of that princesses guidance echoed to her, “This time maybe different for you. The world will be brighter tomorrow if you only take a chance.”

Daring gulped and looked at Cutter. He was still drawing, appearing unaware of her silence.

“I guess to them it would have been an invasion huh?”

“Indeed. The songs of a few sailors from the islands said it be where the ponies first landed on our quest for a new home, apparently the earth pony tribe had claimed it and it was fought over by refugees.”

Again, a faint hiss reached her ears like it had out side.

Daring never had a problem with being proven wrong. This time the knowledge the captain claimed made her head throb. She had read as many as 100 treatises, papers and legends about the exodus to Equestria from Equis. This one was new, what else would she not know? Before she could respond, a pig iron lance smashed through the bay windows rocking the ship to its side and smashing amwares and shelves down to the floor, sea air meet Darings face again, but she couldn't see. A giant break in the wall left splintered wood embedded across the room. There was blood on Darings face, she furiously touched her body all over to find where it came from. She looked everywhere, nothing. Then when she finnaly rubbed her vision free, looked up to where the captain had been. Cutters head was gone, it was like an freshly pressed red orchid lying on the table.

.-=O=-.

“Swing it round yee blusterous beast, we'll lose them at this rate!” Salted Cloak shouted at the hedgeling pivoting the air skippers harpoon as he took the helm and shouted down the phonographic pipe at the ships wheel.

“All hands to the forward battery! We got us alive one yet!”

The two had just been called out against a ship sighted nearby by a an informant. Normally they wouldn't have been this far east, but it had been a hard last season with the storm kings demise, less work was about to raid shipping lanes and pillaging had become an impossibility with the increase in the Pony guard ships to the north. The Griffin sentries message must have been a sweet call for them to feast as the sharks did on seal, the signal was clear, that it was a trade cog that must have lost its way, easy money for Salts men.

“Hungght,” the hedgehog grunted, slowly turning the rusted in gun towards the vessel. The Salten Wound had indeed hit dead on the bridge of the ship, but it had not yet broken its rutter. The Cog bobbed from the blow but kept on its heading.

As Salt turned the skipper back facing their quarry for approach. 3 more hands took the deck from a couple of hatches to the sides of the cannon. 2 more hedgelings, slightly smaller then the one on the gun and a diamond dog, all dressed in swords and axes and spears with a hungry blood lust in their souls.

“Ahhy we sees em', we sees em! Shoot now hoggy!” the dogman wheezed hopping next to the gun.“Take the shoot ems, capt!”

“You heard him Brootta! Fire again!” Salt yelled. To the monstrous hedgeling.

With a noisy pressurized hiss, and a flash of a black harpoon, the gun fired sending another missile down towards the target.

.-=O=-.

(What? No... this isnt possible...)

Darings sight beheld the mangled corpse that until a few moments ago was Captain Gale Cutter. Without thinking she shrinked away from the spattered table aginst the corner of the room.

(No no, no no no no... What did I-)

Somewhere behind her towards the center of the ship she heard shouting,

“What happened!?” Daring heard the young shaky voice of Bosen, he sounded like he was on the verge of a panic attack.

“We just got shafted that's what! All yous take cover, expect another-”

“Wheres cap't?!”

“How in Celestias name-, How'd they find us?”

More yelling, further away. The growing hashing of the waves through the cabins hole muffled them out, the room was becoming water logged and a shelf along with the tables chairs, or what was left of them slid out the breach as the ship once again shifted its weight. One hoof down Daring attempted to get a footing to walk her way to the door. Her leg was numb.

(He's...Did I get hit somewhere I cant see? Maybe it's just shell shock)

A second time a high pitched hiss boomed from outside as Daring found her sea legs again. She lunged to the door holding on with her forelimbs and with her right wing she tried to shield herself from another impact.

Clank! Crrrek...

Now the roof of the room was sagging towards the hole, splintering downward like a over exzerted popsicle stick, another rough iron spear just sticking out of the bend. Daring couldn't get the door open. She pounded against it with all her weight.

Thunk! It didn't move

(Come on open, why does this always happen... why?!)

Daring breathing rapidly called for help.
“Somepony! I'm stuck, help me please! The captains...”

She looked back to where the table had been, it was slowly giving into the force of gravity and near toppling into the breach with Cutters lifeless form mangled on it.

She received no response, the shouting had died down outside.

“Help! I'm gonna die!” Again she bucked at the door, her hooves noticeably harder to stand on against the ever shifting angle of the room. The cracking of boards growing frequent, no one was out there. Quieter now, she whispered into the door, “I don't want to die...”

As she hung on, steeled to the next blow. Expecting another harpoon to end her, or be pinned by a falling beam and drown under the waves, she heard a set of steps come towards the door.

“Captain! You alive? I got the hands below.” It was Watts.

“Watts the captains dead, I'm traped in here!” Daring exclaimed as her blood pressure rose, seeing the corpse of Cutter finally make its dive into the water. After a moment Watts responded “Can you still fly?”

Daring flexed her wing instinctively, “Yes, but if I make for the breach the next harpoon could kill me!”

“Ok, does the till' still look right?”

Daring looked back at the cabin, the till mast was still there, a little scruffled from the first impact but mostly intact.
“Yes, yes I think so!”

“I'll fly up to the helm and adjust thee ships headin', that shood be enough for you to fly out ehh?

Daring didn't like such a reckless maneuver, at least not when her life was in another hooves. The impact of another harpoon in the water just besides the ship helped make her decide.

“Yes, I can!” Daring said through the door.

Preparing herself in the room to make her get away a thought crossed her mind.

(Wheres the map?)

Daring again stared at the table, the map, covered in blood was still tacked down, but it wouldn't be the case for long. Without it she wouldn't be able to find Gulls Rest, even if they survived they'd be lost at sea. As soon as she felt the ship lurch starboard she raised her wings and beat down towards the table about to drop into the sea.

Getting on all fours on top of the desk she used her teeth to pull the pins free. She worked diligently prying the tacks up, the table loosened again as if to free fall and she used her free wings to grasp the wall to hold the table from lurching, red fluid covering her teeth and hooves as she did so.

Another hiss came to her ears, this one louder than the others.

(Shit.)

For a second her eye, curious and dreadful wandered toward the sound, she could see a winged vessel heading right towards them, and another flash of black metal spitting from its tip for her.

She tugged the chart free in her teeth, it crippled and ripped from its rest. Smelling of iron.

With a graceless roll she bobbed out of the missiles way into the outside air, spreading her wings to fly. Barely missing her the spear blasted through what was left of the bridges starboard side, obliterating it. The ship was now seriously taking water.

Daring flew out beside the ship a healthy distance away to orient herself with the Hobb. The glaring light from the tarnished brass hulled skyship nearly blinded her as it did a splash down landing besides the Hobb, flying up she landed next to Watts trying in vain to shift the wheel.

“The last shot must have shattered the till! What do we have to fight off these goons?!” Daring said slipping the crumpled map into her coat.

Watts swore under his breath and kicked in the wheel lock, “There's some axes in the emergency supply cash on thee third deck, the others should be getting them now!”

The spayed winged attackers vessel splashed down besides the Hobb with in the distance of a buckball pitch. The metal ship was smaller then theirs but that was no issue for experienced boarders...

Daring surveyed the damage to the deck, a few plate sized holes littered the main deck but it was still walk able. It had no compound fractures visible, the same could not be said for the sail, it was ripped down in half a dozen places, they wouldn't be getting anywhere fast if they survived this. Daring had dealt with pirates before, these attacks where text book. Disabling the rutter and main sail made any vessel but the heartiest metal ships vulnerable to boarding.

4 grappling hooks snared themselves on the starboard rail, tugging snugly into the wood.

“Where would be the best place to fight on ship?” Daring asked as she backed up to the helm, crouching to avoid the pirates attention.

Watts was unlatching a hatchet he had tucked under in his vest, swiveling his face from the uninvited hooks back to Daring,“We can try the game hatch, its jus' after the ramp down to the first deck, we can barricade that, it's got a wooden grate you can use to lock the boarders out ill' we get a propa plan, aight?”

“It would be beter to split up, they'll be expecting us to hide in the hull.” Daring said looking towards the sound of feet scaling the ships side.

“No too risky, you need to come with the rest of the crew, you'll die up here if you go it alone you idget.”

“Do you know who your talking to?” Daring said in a snarky voice to the ghoulish pegasus.

“No! You havent told us anything about who you are! The cap-, my crew won't die today because of your asinine death wish.”

Shaking her head, “Do you have a weapon I can use? I could take them from behind if I hide up here.”

The pirates were just about up to the railing, the two could see Grey and brown claws around the sides, fighting to get a grip on the battlements.

“Ughh, yeh, theres a box by the winch that we keep the mooring pins in. Might have to get a little physical witt em' missy.”

“Fine by me, you know the ship better then me, get below before they see you.”

Watts spat on the deck and turned towards the gangway. He glided down the stairs and silently crept into the main hatch, he stared at her a moment more, there was still agression in it but also something else, he shut the door slowly behind him. Daring hid next to the winch crates and made herself invisible.

Thuds rang from the ships side. The sound of feet on the deck was nerve racking, Daring used her wing to ease open the top of the box feeling for a weapon to use. She touched nothing inside the crate but a few cobwebs and the boxes own paneling.

(Mother fucker. I'm dead.)

“Kay' you simpletons, I'll tell yall o'knee once what we to do... Rex you an' Boxer stay on the ship. Kelter, Quake you's and I can take the sublevels, see if anyuns still here hehe. Broota, make sure the helm is goodin smashed eh?” with that the sound of feet diverted, and Daring could feel the weight of a very large being coming up the steps towards her.

Daring peeked around the crates edge at the invader. The thing that climbed up the stairs was big, very big. Daring guessed she was as tall as three fully grown draft horses and as wide as a queen sized bed, although it was hard to tell from her apelike posture. The beast was covered in mangled auburn fur, damp with sweat and what appeared to be machine oil splotched across its body as if a makeshift war paint. It wore a decrepit old trench coat that had long before lost any color leaving it stained with dirty smears and the most striking of all was its head. Encased in a ivory white mask, impressively tusked, lined by a mane of burgandy, the beast embodied a horror etched in Darings deepest animal subconcience.

(Ok, only one of them, I can take it, just need to think...)

Daring wasted no time surveying the platform for anything of use. A few old bottles in a carting case? She could burn the monster, she knew many of the simpler races were terrified of it... Daring looked back to see the hedgeling, grasping the wheel of the ship and with a one, two motion of her arms, breaking it off the till.

(Unless its 100 proof that wont help, where would I get a spark from? No, what else?)

A coil of industrial cable laid across near the ships esbard. Impossible to get to with the creature mashing the captains lurch.

(Im not strong enough to garrote the creature, maybe the boom hook?)

The boom was still there right next to her, with a slow push she tested if it would swing. Indeed it could, the iron pulley and lead counter weights sluggishliy drifted from the force with a heafty inpact aginst her wing.

(Bingo, morning star it is...)

“Hey ugly! I want to break something too!” Daring yelled flying up and swinging the pulley into the creatures temple, the beast mid turn.

CLLURRRACK!

Broota recoiled into the shards that where left of the helm, covering her heads left side in a massive paw, and howling in a skreiching sarrow that alerted two others down on deck to come to her aid.

Daring hovering a few feet away nearily avoided the monsters other hand as it swiped for her. Crying and with blood seeping from her skull she looked deadon at Daring, her broken mask reveling a sloped hooked jaw, filled with mishapen teeth that were stained by her perfurse blood loss.

The creature did a galloping head first jump at the adventurer, the yellow sockets of her mask boiling in hate.

“DIUGHH STOOPID PO NEE! DIUGH! DIUGH!”

Like a wrecking ball the hedgehog rolled into Daring knocking her aginst the battlement, Daring felt her left forelimb and wing snapping under the monsters weight.

“Aiagh!” Daring cried beating the animal with her free limbs, against the attackers thick hide. The soreness of the first impact in the captains room evolving into full on disphoria, Daring felt as if she would pass out if the confrontation kept up, she thought the one blow should've passified with the creature, but now it seemed even stronger then before.

“Broota, wutts orong?! Oh gett teh pony, squishen her!” a tinny chihuahuain dogman armed with a crossbow screamed as he and another, comparatively smaller brown hedgeling scrambled up the steps carrying a spear to gouge Daring with.

(Oh this just keeps getting better and better...)

Daring socked Brootas snout as she attempted to bite the mares leg off. The shock of it was just enough for Daring to whessel her way out of Brootas grasp.

Adrenaline was kicking in, Daring saw the spear point coming at her and ducked, the point instead pericing Brootas good hand.

“AWWGH AWOOO!” Wailed from the creature. Now completely soaked with blood she cried, slumping down grasping her hand.

In surprise the other hedgeling tried pulling the barbed weapon out of her but it only tore the hand more. Coughing that horrible wail like a choking cat, Broota slumped onto the rails, barely consient, her mangled hand made a final swipe at Daring and the other hedgeling.

“Oh me knows now yors gonna be dead!” the dog creature cranked back his crossbow and aimed at Darings center. “Bye-bye badden pony!” the lock dissengaged and a wooden bolt further broke Darings left wing, “Aghh!”

Pushing through the pain, with a well positioned buck of her back legs Daring knocked the smaller hegeling off deck and into the ocean, the spear still tearing Brootas hand, first dislocating her shoulder, then in a moment pulling her off as well with the weight of the lesser hedgehog, still screaming as she went. Sucked under by sheer weight and the pirates inability to swim the two simply submerged like stones in the blue. Daring turned towards the last pirate, she couldnt stand. Broken bones and the loss of blood only allowed her one last look at the diamond dog before collapsing on deck...