Spies and Griffons

Chapters

Chapter 1: Emerald
Chapter 2: Flashpowder
Chapter 3: Spies
Chapter 4: Memories

Chapter 1: Emerald

The Griffon Pirates: A Guide, by Ocean Eyes

"The Griffon pirates have plagued the eastern seas since sea travel was invented. Their endless raids against seaside towns and merchant ships are universally detested, and the Griffon Empire tries hard to distance itself from the barbarians. Yet, in times of war, the Griffon Empire will often show its true colors and entice the pirates with offers of gold and silver. The pirates, due to some unfounded patriotism or national spirit, are easily converted to the Griffon Empire's side."

Ships and Airships, by Sky Sailor

"Ships are common around the coast of Equestria, and merchants from countries to the east and west often send merchant ships to trade in our ports. In a relatively recent development, however, more and more of these ships have made us of steam technology to achieve lighter-than-air flight. Not only do these "airships" make travel and shipping easier, but they also give tactical superiority in any battle that might occur. Thus, ponies in Canterlot have been quick to adopt this new technology, to get a leg up on any opposing force that might seek to invade Equestria."

On the dusky waters of the eastern sea sailed a ship called Nevermore. Its poetic name clashed greatly with the vulgarity and corruption that had overtaken it.

The ship itself was a large, tri-masted affair, with a deep scarlet hull and a green deck. The sails and masts were also green, embroidered with the insignia of a feather crossed with a saber. Where the ship's figurehead would have been was a massive barbed iron spike. The griffon, Captain Ransom, was very fond of his ship.

Captain Ransom ran a tidy business, or at least that's what he would say if he was asked. In reality he was a blatant pirate, and a ruthless one at that. He made no friends in his quest for gold. In fact, he was currently wanted by all the known provinces of Equestria, and he would probably be an outlaw in the Griffon Empire if not for his connections.

In addition to his pirating exploits, Captain Ransom also dealt in slaves. While slavery was illegal in Equestria and frowned upon even in the Griffon Empire, Captain Ransom could often make a large profit when he traveled closer to the equator. The camels of the Southern Lands were some of his biggest customers.

But opportunities for unloading his cargo of slaves were few and far between, and besides, Captain Ransom had something far more important to do. That was his reason for being this close to the coast of Equestria instead of in-transit to the the south to dump his half-cargo of slaves.

Belowdecks, the Nevermore was a hellhole. The back half of the ship was devoted to quartering the crew, and as such, it were in passable condition. The front half, on the other hand, was full of the souls unfortunate enough to have been captured by the griffon captain or sold to him by other captains.

All of the prisoners were either earth ponies, pegasi, or unicorns. They lived in squalor, with salty brine splashing them from the broken portholes and the smells of sweat eternally oppressing them. They were packed like sardines in a can, back to back, with barely enough room to sit. The dark room currently held forty slaves chained together, but the captain had been known to fit more than seventy in the same room when he wanted to. The slave hold had the effect of gradually draining willpower and happiness from its unwilling tenants.

The majority of the prisoners were older, at pony middle age, but there were a few exceptions: notably, a young stallion, the only pegasus aboard, and the small unicorn filly chained beside him. They were both painfully thin, but of all the ponies in the slave hold they looked the most alive .

The young unicorn filly shivered and whimpered as she rubbed the chains around her forelegs. The stallion beside her spread one of his wings and placed it around her, and pulled her closer.

"It'll be all right, Blue Eyes. Everything will work out," he said. The little white-and-blue filly said nothing. She only nodded, sniffed, and closed her eyes.

While the words seemed empty, the pegasus had every intention of fulfilling them. He had never seen the filly before he had been sold to Captain Ransom, but now he was her only friend and the only person keeping her alive.

He thought of how unfair it was that she was in this place when she had never done a thing to deserve it. The only thing that mattered to him now was to get her out of there safely.

He looked briefly around the room. Nothing ever changed in the slave hold. There were only the walls and ceiling, the half-alive mares and stallions, and the perpetual red-dyed water that seeped in from the crimson outer hull. The water eventually dyed every slave from the flank down, giving Captain Ransom's prisoners a distinctive look.

A puddle of blood-like saltwater shimmered before him on the warped planks. When he bent over it his reflection surprised him. He was much thinner now from the lack of nutritious food, and his coat had a grayish tinge. Only his eyes had retained their emerald shine.

Emerald. That was his name. It was also the picture on his flank; a flawless cut emerald. Every part of him was some shade of green, or at least had been before the dye had stained him. His coat had been like a new leaf, his mane had been the dark green of magnolia, and the colors of his feathers had ranged from pine to jade to grass.

He had been the fastest pegasus around before he was captured. It seemed like a lifetime ago, yet it was probably only a few months. Funny, what hard times can do to you.

He was determined to keep the same thing from happening to the filly.

It was many days on the ocean before Emerald got his chance. He was jarred awake by a deep, rasping, grinding sound. He knew that the ship had just struck land. He instantly put his plan into action.

Emerald flipped over his rear hoof and gently grabbed the bent piece of wire hidden there with his mouth. He bent the wire straight and started to work on the padlock on his chains.

It was long, grueling work. It needed just the right amount of rotational force, coupled with the up-and-down motions that a successful lockpicking required. Nevertheless, the lock sprung open with surprising ease in only a few minutes.

"Celestia, give us luck. You know we need it," he muttered to himself through the makeshift pick in his gripped between his teeth.

Next, Emerald got to work on the filly's padlock. She movement woke her up, but she was wise enough to understand that secrecy was key in this situation. This took longer, but after over an hour the lock clicked open.

Emerald poked his head out of the cracked porthole closest to him and looked to the ground. Thankfully, there was nopony on the ground below. He quickly scooped up Blue Eyes and pushed her out the windows with instructions to hold on to the netting.

He then looked back into the room and saw one old zebra stallion looking back. It wasn't a challenging gaze. It was simply an uncomfortable, unbroken stare. Emerald shook his head, turned, and pushed himself through the porthole.

He wound the netting around himself and Blue Eyes, so that they could rest comfortably until it was darker. He knew that it would be unwise to attempt movement when there was any sunlight; griffons were well known for their eyesight.

He knew to wait until the griffons were good and drunk, but he still realized that the first part of the plan had gone off without any problems. He felt a wave of elation, but he quickly crushed it down. "We aren't in the clear yet," he whispered to Blue Eyes. Even so, he flashed her a rare smile.

Chapter 2: Flashpowder

Flashpowder: Usage and Discovery, by Sky Sailor

"Flashpowder is a naturally occuring element, easily mined from soft rock at low depths. In its unactivated state, it appears as a soft, silvery powder with a multicolored, oil-like quality. If heated, this metal will glitter and throw off sparks. Recently after its discovery ponies discovered that heating the metal in the absence of oxygen causes it to become highly brittle and combustible. In this activated state, flashpowder will explode violently in the presence of a spark, whether or not there is oxygen around it. This has led to its widespread use in cannons and other large weaponry on both shipping and pirating vessels."

"Wake up, Blue Eyes," Emerald whispered gently. He ruffled the filly's mane. They were currently both cocooned in the netting on the side of the Nevermore.

The carousing on the shore had finished, and the rambunctious snores of the watchmen above the pair echoed throughout the ship. Still, Emerald was afraid. He knew that if he and Blue Eyes were caught trying to escape, they would be killed. The first mate was a sadist and Captain Ransom gave him free rein to do whatever he wished with prisoners. Emerald shivered at the thought of what would happen.

Emerald whispered quickly to Blue Eyes, "If we're going to leave at all, it has to be now. If we're lucky, all of them will be drunk with their shoddy wine and seabeer."

He gently disentangled himself from the netting. The pair was close to the stern on the starboard side of the ship, hanging about twenty feet above the shore. Luckily the captain, first mate, and most of the crew were currently passed out in a temporary tent camp on the port side of the ship.

The netting smelled of salt and had seaweed wrapped around inside it. It provided much-needed camouflage; without it, the two ponies would be as obvious as a flashpowder firework. The griffons could see for miles, even on a moonless night, and currently the moon was more than half full.

The little filly asked, "Are we ready?" Emerald glanced back at her. He had been looking off at the moon, nervously thinking.

"I think so," he said. "Do you have all your stuff packed?" They both smiled at this. Currently, the only worldly possessions they had were the fur on their backs and the strong stench of seaweed they had both picked up.

He knew that their poverty would change if he could just get away from the pirates.

"I'm going to drop down first. Then, I'll hold up both my hooves, and you're gonna jump off. You ready?" This was all spoken in a whisper.

"Yes. I'm ready," said Blue Eyes in an equally quiet voice.

Emerald disengaged himself from the net, and gently floated down on his wings. Oh, how long it had been since he had been able to stretch his wings! The embrace of the air, the feeling of the sea breeze...

He felt like he could just float like this forever, but then he hit the ground and shook his head to clear it.

He looked up, and raised his hooves. Blue Eyes took a breath and plunged quietly down into Emerald's arms. Then, he placed her on his back and started running away from the ship, as silently as he could.

They were around a mile away when they heard the first shout from the ship. The night watch was changing, and the previously sleeping griffon pirate had opened his eyes to see the two fugitives escaping. Suddenly, the entire ship was ablaze with action.

Emerald's heart leaped into his throat. He looked frantically around for a place to hide. To his right were sand dunes sparsely populated with scrub and creepers, and to his left were the waves, crashing mightily on the shore. Suddenly, a plan formed in his mind. He knew it was a long shot, but he also knew that it was their only hope for survival.

Emerald stopped galloping abruptly. He spoke quickly to Blue Eyes: "You need to go and hide in the dunes. Dig a hole into the sand, and camouflage yourself. Don't come out until I come and get you. Understand?"

"But what will you do?" The filly was obviously afraid, either of abandonment or capture.

"You just need to listen to me. Go!" Her eyes widened; Emerald had never even spoken loudly to her before, much less yelled. Emerald watched to make sure that she was going the right direction, and then turned to face the oncoming griffons. They were flying aggressively, in a ragged "v" formation. Emerald nervously rubbed his hoof against the sand and shook out his wings.

He waited until the pirates were almost above him, and launched himself into the air with rapid wingbeats. "I just hope that they thought I was the only prisoner that escaped," he muttered.

"Let's see what I can do," he said to himself. He shouted in the direction of the griffons, "Awesomest pony in Equestria, right here! Come and get me!"

Even though his situation wasn't exactly the best for relaxing, something clicked into place in Emerald's head once he got higher into the air. Even when he had been a foal, Emerald had been a gifted flyer. He had learned to fly before he had learned to walk.

He flew directly towards the griffons, and rolled away at the last millisecond, still soaring towards the ship. The griffons, with their larger wingspans and bulkier bodies, had a much more difficult time in turning back around to chase him.

"Whats the plan now?" He looked over his shoulder at the flock of griffons. "Well, I can't go back there, so I guess I'll just wing it." Emerald snorted with laughter at his bad pun, even as he flew at quite unreasonable speeds toward the griffon camp.

Far above the aerial chase, the great floating airship of the newly-formed Equestrian Navy hovered silently. As it was almost two miles above the shore, it was nigh-invisible, and nopony was looking that far up. In fact, even if the griffons had looked, the cloaking spells on the airship were advanced enough to make it look like a few scraps of fog.

Two ponies were standing in the enclosed bridge of the airship.

"What is that thing?" the silvery-grey stallion asked incredulously as he looked through a golden spyglass. The stallion was an earth pony with a cutie mark of a ship's wheel on his flank.

"I dunno, Cap'n Spinner. Looks to be a pegasus or somethin'. Notice, though, that he's being tailed by the griffons." The red pegasus who spoke this shook his head in wonder. "Still, he looks to be goin' fast enough to make a Rainboom."

He turned back to the spyglass and watched the chase for another couple seconds. Then, he looked to his first mate. "Well, wait until he gets past the ship, then fire at the griffon camp. I want a clean explosion. Try to keep pirate survivors to a minimum. I don't want to lose crewponies in the mop-up."

The pegasus nodded and looked back down at the beach. Pegasi with that kind of flying talent were few and far between. The first mate hoped that the unknown pegasus wasn't caught in the explosion.

Emerald was beginning to tire. While he was obviously faster than any of his griffon pursuers, his frame was more suited to quick sprints than to endurance flying. He flew in a wide arc over the ocean in order to stay as far ahead as possible.

As he neared the ship, he started to slow. He had figured out a plan, and it involved getting as many griffons to follow him into the air as possible.

When he reached the ship, he whipped in a circle around it, leaning on his side so that the land, ship, and ocean seemed to be hanging off the side of an endless cliff. Then he pumped his wings so that he was level with the ship's rigging. With the griffons right on his tail, he flew directly at the mainmast and pulled away at the last second, going directly through one of the gaps in the rigging.

The gap he went through was perhaps two feet square. He had to completely fold his wings in order to get through. Even with that caution his right wing brushed against the rope at high speed, ripping out some of his primary and tertiary feathers. The of sharp pain felt like thousands of white-hot needles, but Emerald kept on flying.

The drunken sailors behind him were not nearly as lucky. As Emerald streaked down the shore, in the opposite direction of where Blue Eyes was hiding, he looked over his shoulder and saw a large pile-up of bleary-eyed griffons with their wings caught in the netting.

There were no pirates that had yet gotten up to follow Emerald, so he lowered his speed and banked around and up. A bright light caught his eye, a long way above the Nevermore.

"What in Celestia's name is that?" It was far too bright and close to be a shooting star, and it was falling directly towards the Nevermore. He heard screams from the ship as griffons started flying from the camp in all directions.

Emerald quickly turned around and pumped his wings to get as far away from the ship as possible. If the sailors were running, he knew something was very wrong. He looked back just in time to see the glowing fireball collide with the ship in a colossal explosion and flash of light. The great booming sound hit him half-a-second after the heat and the light, and he could see steam billowing up from the ocean.

Emerald looked up slowly with with wide eyes. His ears were pressed back against his skull. He awkwardly kicked at the sand with his green hoof, and said to the sky, "Ummm...If that was you, Celestia? Thanks."

He shook his head to clear the ringing from his ears, and started galloping back towards the ship. It took longer on foot, but his wings ached from the exertion of extended sprinting. His missing primary feathers would have made it painful to fly anyway.

Emerald slowed as he reached the smoking remains of the ship. The Nevermore was completely blown apart. The only things that remained standing were the iron spike and keel and the very lowest planks. The actual area of impact was a depression in the sand, around forty feet across. At the very deepest part, the sand was glowing red hot, and around the edges the hot sand had already fused into crumbling glass. Emerald decided to take a wide berth around that particular feature.

He rolled his tired wings and started running back to where Blue Eyes had hidden. The ocean to his left was beautiful, with the moon on its downward course across the ocean and the stars glittering like faraway candles. There was a slight glowing mist coming into the shore that stopped at the dunes, and as he left the blast site, the waves seemed quieter. The pegasus made a silent prayer to Luna, the moon alicorn. She really knew her stuff.

As he neared the spot where he thought the filly was hidden, he started to slow. "Blue Eyes!" he shouted. He heard nothing, except the soft, repetitive sound of the waves. He shouted again, louder: "Blue Eyes! Where are you?"

He heard a voice from the other side of the dunes and scrubby bushes. A white-and-blue streak shot out of the dunes and collided with Emerald's legs so hard that he had to kneel down. He was surprised to see tears on the unicorn filly's face.

He nuzzled her and asked, "What's wrong?" She sniffed pitifully, and looked down to the ground.

"You left me all alone and I was scared and then the moon fell down and then the ship exploded and I was scared because I thought you had blowed up!" She said all of this in one breath, and then broke down into fresh bouts of tears.

Emerald bent further down and looked into her huge, round, and very blue eyes."Do you really think I would ever leave you? It would take a lot more than a little explosion to keep me from coming back to you, Blue Eyes." He wiped her tears with his hoof, but her sobs still shook her body. "I'm back now, and we're away from the pirates. They're gone, forever."

This obviously surprised the filly. She had been a prisoner to the pirates for almost longer than she could remember. She had been a foal, not even old enough to talk, when her mother had been captured with her. "Gone?" The confusion and disbelief were evident in her voice, and she stared at Emerald with huge, unblinking eyes.

"Gone," he said, and he booped her on the nose. She started giggling uncontrollably, and quickly forgot her tears. Emerald quickly scooped her up and deposited her on his back, between his wings. Her white coat glittered with the bits of sand stuck in it, and her blue mane, as dirty as it was, caught the moonlight.

"What's that?" Emerald turned around. Blue Eyes was pointing into the sky, directly above them. He looked and almost screamed as he saw the long, slender airship looming not one-hundred feet above them.

A muffled cry came from the ship, "Hullo down there!" A shape jumped clumsily off the side, quickly righted itself, and started soaring in circles slowly downward. As the silhouette descended, a light from the ship came on and illuminated an area of sand.

The pegasus landed. He had a dark red coat and a lime green mane, and his cutie mark looked like a cloud being blown by the wind. "Well, you two don' look like much of a threat," he said in a broad accent.

Blue Eyes scowled meanly and said, "We're plenty threatening!" Emerald looked back at her with raised eyebrows. The filly smiled sheepishly and looked down.

The red pegasus laughed. "Well, that's not what I meant at all. I'm sure you could fight real well, miss. I just meant that you two don' appear to be pirates, like the ship down yonder we blowed up." He cocked his head and looked closer at them. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know 'bout that, would ya? I thought I saw a green pegasus bein' chased, and you're about as green as they come."

Emerald narrowed his eyes. "Why do you want to know?" Blue Eyes nodded sharply, and fixed the red sailor with a vicious stare. Emerald turned around and looked at her again, and she stopped scowling.

The red pegasus smiled slightly. "Well, don't get to thinkin' that I mean you folks any harm. This here airship's part of the Equestrian Navy." He closed his eyes in thought for a second, and opened them suddenly. "That's what I've forgotten. I forgot to introduce myself. Mama always said I had terrible manners." He shook his head, and gestured grandly with his hooves. "This here blimp's the Glowing Prospect, of the Equestrian Navy, and I'm its first mate, Wind Storm. You can call me Red, though. 'Cause I'm red."

Blue Eyes poked Emerald in the back of the head with her hoof, and leaned down and whispered in his ear. He turned to Red and asked, "Why'd you blow up the pirate's ship?"

Red said simply, "It was our orders. Why'd you ask? You weren't on the ship, were you?" His eyes widened. "That ain't the right place for a filly and a young stallion to be."

"We were imprisoned on the ship. Both of us. The griffon captain deals in slaves." Red seemed aghast at this information.

"A pony treatin' another pony like property... don' seem right. Not at all," the red pegasus muttered. Suddenly, he perked up. "Well, that means you can come with us!" Without waiting for their reaction, Red let out a piercing whistle. A rope ladder tumbled down from the belly of the ship.

Emerald still wasn't sure if he could trust the pegasus, but the airship had destroyed the pirate's camp. The phrase "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" went through his mind. He looked at the filly sitting on his back. She raised her hooves in an exaggerated shrug.

Emerald didn't think that Red meant any harm, and if the other ponies on the ship weren't so nice, he and Blue Eyes could escape. Plus, there might be food. Neither he nor the filly had eaten a square meal for as long as they could remember.

"Okay. Take us aboard, Red."

Chapter 3: Spies

Pegasi Tribes, by Cloudmane

It is a well-established fact that there are three "tribes" of ponies; the evidence is easily seen with just a walk in the street. What is not well-known, however, is that there were in times past subtribes of pegasi within the main tribe. These pegasi tribes were unified by a single leader who has since gone down in legend, Charlemane.

The many subtribes of pegasi are distinguished by talents, wing size and shape, coloration, and magical ability as it pertains to weather and flight. Amazingly, all pegasi in modern times fall into one of the seventy-nine different tribal groups; the relations are passed down by blood. Because the tribal system has fallen out of use, most pegasi do not know their tribe of origin.

It had been two days since Emerald and Blue Eyes had boarded the airship. The Glowing Prospect had taken a northwest path from the shore. Currently, the airship was somewhere above the deserted Hayseed Swamps.

Blue Eyes was busy causing misery for the pegasi crewponies. She was the youngest by far on the airship, and something about her reminded the crew of younger sisters or daughters. Because of this, she could get away with anything without any fear of discipline or retribution.

“Red! Red! Can you fly me again? I wanna go to the top again!” She had jumped the hapless first mate just as he emerged from the enclosed bridge.

“Well, I don’ know if I can...” His voice gradually dwindled. He looked down at the eyes gazing adoringly up at him. “Well... I guess I can.” Blue Eyes squealed in delight. “Jes’ this once, though.” He picked her up and set her on his back, then turned to Emerald. He had been watching the situation with growing mirth. “Cap’n Spinner wants to speak with you on the bridge, Mister Emerald. He said it couldn’t wait.”

Emerald tilted his head. The fact that the captain wanted to speak with him alone wasn’t alarming in itself, it was just somewhat confusing. He had assumed that anything Captain Spinner might say to him could be said in the open. “Do you have any idea what it might be about?”

Red shook his head deliberately. “No, he didn’t say nothin’. But if you were in trouble, he would have said it.” Blue Eyes poked the pegasus on the back of the head from her position on his back. She cleared her throat in an exaggerated manner. Red smiled to himself. “Sorry, Mister Emerald, but I’ve got an obligation to an impatient and rather ill-natured young filly. If you find yourself in need of anything, just give me a holler.”

Blue Eyes looked confused for a moment. She frowned and said, “Hey. That other filly can wait. I’m ready now.” Red shook his head good-naturedly. His wing muscles coiled and he launched off the deck and into the sky, towards the crow’s nest.

Emerald watched the Red and Blue Eyes go. After the filly’s captivity had ended, she had become more boisterous, oblivious, hardheaded, and hyperactive. When the pair was trapped on the Nevermore, the unicorn filly had never been allowed to do anything. Even talking was kept to a minimum in fear of the captain and first mate.

As he walked through the door to the enclosed bridge of the ship, Emerald wondered to himself about the contrast between the captains of the Nevermore and the Glowing Prospect. The griffon had been completely egoistic, sadistic, and of questionable sanity, while Captain Spinner was dependable, intelligent, and organized. Spinner’s only fault was that he was a little withdrawn. He wasn't exactly cold, but he was definitely aloof.

The door on the deck led to a short stairway with another door at the end. Emerald raised a hoof to knock but before his hoof made contact, a steely voice from inside said, “Come in."

Emerald nervously pushed the door open. He had already been to the bridge once before, but the sight still stunned him. There was a large, ornate steering wheel, at the stern, and around that was a full semicircle of glass. Pipes, gears, and valves of silver wound their ways around the room.

Captain Spinner was standing above a large circle of glass set into the floor, looking down onto the wilderness of the Hayseed Swamps. The very tops of the trees were verdant green, the same color as Emerald’s coat, and the numerous bogs and springs shone like precious gems. The captain glanced up.

“You said you needed me?” Though his voice was very calm, Emerald still couldn't shake the vague nervousness he felt. He always subconsciously tried to mask his feelings. It was an old habit, even when it wasn't necessary.

“Yes. I had a few more questions, regarding the your escape from the Nevermore.” The captain walked over to the drawers behind the airship’s wheel and pulled out a scroll with a red ribbon and a golden seal.

“What kinds of questions? I thought I told you everything earlier.” Emerald had been in to see the captain the night of his escape, two days earlier, and he had recounted all he remembered from his imprisonment.

The captain opened the scroll and held it in front of him, looking at it with interest. “This letter has come from someone higher up on the proverbial ladder than me.”

Emerald felt a sense of relief when he saw Captain Spinner take a breath to start reading. He was afraid that the captain would ask him to read the letter. He wasn't exactly confident in his grasp of the Equestrian written language; to put it bluntly, he was completely and totally illiterate.

The captain started reading:

“Captain Meadow Spinner.

I am aware that you have destroyed a griffon pirate ship, called the Nevermore, and aided two prisoners in their escapes from the captain. I read your official report in which you supported the prisoner’s claims; mainly, that they were innocent civilians. I respect your insight in this matter; however, given present circumstances and newly acquired knowledge, I have decided to give you more information about the true nature of your mission.

You were sent to the sea-borders under the pretense of watching for pirate invaders with the orders to destroy any ship that flew pirate flags. In reality, the actual possibility of a normal pirate incursion on our shores is next to zero. The real reason you were sent to patrol the shore is simple: my student, Twilight Sparkle, has informed me that the Griffon Empire is looking to invade Equestria with the help of the pirates.

Intelligence officers believe that the Nevermore was actually performing a scouting and espionage mission, under the guise of a pirate raid. They also believe that the prisoners you picked up are spies sent to determine if Equestria is aware of the coming attack.

While I infinitely regret causing innocent young ponies grief, especially those who were possibly actual prisoners on the Nevermore, I feel action must be taken to see if the prisoners are actually spies. Instead of causing a stir by bringing a military airship into a town, I would ask you instead to take the prisoners to an encampment in the Everfree Forest. Until then, please make sure that the prisoners are accounted for, and give the crewponies no reason to be suspicious of them.

I have listed the nautical coordinates of the camp here: 366.6008° N, 100.5542° E. Please keep this quiet.

Princess Celestia.”

Emerald sat back on his haunches from the letter and narrowed his eyes. “I have a question. Wait, two questions. If you really think I’m a spy, then why would you tell me this? And is your name really Meadow?”

The captain rolled his eyes and bundled the letter back into a tight coil. “My parents were very kind and intelligent ponies, but they had absolutely no knowledge of normal naming methods." He huffed and looked back to Emerald. "To answer the more important question, I don’t believe that you’re a spy, and personally, I doubt the Princess does either. But she feels that her nation’s security is at stake.”

Emerald flapped his wings in frustration. “If I was a spy, then why would I be running from the griffons?”

The captain shook his head. “It could have been an act. Any excuse you make can be refuted.”

“I was on that ship. Blue Eyes was on the ship. Does your “intelligence” really think that a five-year-old filly is a spy?” Emerald was barely controlling the volume of his voice by this point. His temper was boiling. The extreme injustice of the situation was getting to him.

"The intelligence believes that there might be a possibility of your being a spy. Princess Celestia and her aides decided that the possibility was high enough to warrant an examination.”

The captain’s calm, rational attitude gradually calmed Emerald. His thoughts were still jumbled from their sudden disturbance, but his temper was cooling off. Now he just felt a vague sense of betrayal even though he knew it was unwarranted. He looked down to the ground and said in a somewhat forlorn voice, “So I guess you want to chain me up or something? Until we get to the camp?”

“No," he said, with a small amount of softness in his voice that Emerald missed. "I'm going to have you locked in your room, with the porthole bolted, of course. We will arrive to the camp early tomorrow morning. I suggest you get some sleep.” The captain whistled, and Red came in, with an extremely penitent look on his face. Blue Eyes was still sitting on his back, looking somewhat annoyed because her flight had been cut short. "Show these two to there rooms, Red. And come back and meet with me when you're done."

Red and Emerald walked up to the deck and were struck full-force by the light of the setting sun. Red whispered, “I’m real sorry. I had to. The cap’n wasn’t too hard on you, was he?”

Emerald still hung his head, as they walked along to their cabin. “No, Red. Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault.”

Red started to say something to reassure Emerald, but Blue Eyes yawned loudly and settled her head down on her forelegs, interrupting him. The trio reached the cabin, and Emerald lifted the sleepy filly off Red’s back and into the higher bunk bed. Red stared awkwardly for a second, then took a deep breath, and closed the door. Then he drew a large wooden plank over it and locked into place.

Emerald tucked Blue Eyes into bed, and slowly climbed into his own. He let the gentle motion of the wind against the airship lull him to sleep.

He heard heart-wrenching screams and sobs. The landscape rocked around him, and grey clouds pressed down heavy around his eyes. He couldn’t move. Something was holding him to his place. He turned and looked over his shoulder and saw a ship’s mast.

The screaming stopped, cut short.

A shaft of bright summer light shot through the porthole, blinding Emerald. He tried to roll over in his cot and keep sleeping, but his ear kept twitching of its own accord. He half-opened his eyes, and saw a tiny white spider tickling his ear.

He corkscrewed off his cot, and proceeded to roll around the floor frantically and flap his wings. The scared little filly part of him screamed OH MY SWEET PONYFEATHERS A SPIDER. He quickly jumped to his hooves and saw the spider on his bedsheet, sitting there innocently.

Emerald shook his mane, “You’ve got nerve, you know that.” He ruffled his feathers to straighten them and regain some small semblance of dignity. The spider just sat there.

Blue Eyes rolled suddenly off her own bed and smirked at Emerald. The sunlight only accentuated the tangles of her two-toned blue mane and the dirt staining her white coat. The rationing of food and water on the airship prevented bathing, even for extremely dirty recent slaves. Emerald's legs were still dyed red from the ship's water, giving him a "modern art" look.

Emerald mock-glared at the filly. “What are you looking at, foal?” He continued his stare as long as he could, but it gradually deteriorated into a smile.

She snickered and loftily replied in a high voice, “Oh, nothing.” She giggled at his expression of injured pride. The unicorn filly knelt down on her forelegs and cooed at the spider sitting on Emerald’s mattress.

She didn’t talk much, but she loved animals. She wasn’t really shy, but the unknown time she had spent on the ship before Emerald had found her had taken their toll.

Emerald had been sold to Captain Ransom by old crewmates of his, and when he was bundled into the slave hold he had been placed directly beside the little filly. Neither of them said a word to each other at first, but somehow, the filly discerned that Emerald could be trusted.

Blue Eyes was unusually wise when it came to judging character. She innately knew a good pony when she saw one. She had immediately taken to Red, and he was as good as they came. He was trustworthy, even though he had helped the captain imprison them both. Even though he still felt betrayed, Emerald knew that both Captain Spinner and Red wanted what was best for them.

He glanced back at the filly. Blue Eyes was slowly standing up with great concentration, fixing her eyes on her left foreleg extended in front of her. Emerald could see the tiny spider on her fur. “You had better not come near me with that,” he said warningly.

“Or what?” Blue Eyes started advancing towards Emerald with her arms outstretched.

“Or I will freak out and scream like a little filly,” he said with a smile. The unicorn pretended to ponder for a moment then magnanimously shrugged. She tipped the spider off her hand and allowed it to scuttle underneath the door.

“Many thanks to you, dear friend,” Emerald said with sarcasm evident as the filly gave an elaborate, flourishing bow. A clattering noise from the door drew their eyes. The door swung open and Red stepped in, with a somewhat flustered look on his face.

“Well, good mornin’,” he said. “We’ve gotten to the Everfree Camp and-” He was cut off by a tall, white unicorn in the gleaming golden armor of the Royal Guard.

The unicorn said in a gruff voice, “You’re coming with us, spy. And the filly, too.” He pointed to her and a second guard walked in and picked her up in his telekinesis. The first guard levitated a length of chain from his belt and attached it to a collar. Then he roughly clipped the collar around Emerald’s neck and started dragging him from the room.

Red glared at the guards with sadness bordering on anger evident in his eyes when he saw how Emerald was being treated. “You don’ know he’s a spy,” he said with a steel voice as he glared daggers at the unicorn guard. The guard only straightened his helmet and motioned for the other guard to follow him.

The pair was led up to the main deck, where Emerald was surprised to see a white-and-gold hot-air balloon moored to the side of the ship. “Get in,” the guard said roughly as he pushed Emerald into the basket. Blue Eyes was also dropped unceremoniously onto the wicker flooring. The guard secured the chain to the side of the basket and whistled.

The basket of the balloon started descending. Blue Eyes popped her head over the side of the basket and blew a raspberry at the guard. Then she saw just how far up the basket really was and pulled her head slowly back in. It was funny how scared she could be of heights when her favorite pastime was flying around with pegasi.

The journey down took less than a minute. When the pair touched down two more guards, this time a pegasus and a unicorn, escorted the pair onward. They walked through a clearing filled with green grass and flowers, with the early morning heat of summer bearing down on them.

The tree line loomed before them, but the guards did not usher the pair into the woods. Instead, the golden-armored pegasus trotted briskly forward and flew to a large oak tree. He alighted on the largest branch and started looking for something on the tree. He had been looking clumsily for about a minute before the other guard cleared his throat meaningfully. The pegasus started blushing. He reached into his belt and pulled out a pair of beaten glasses, balanced them on his nose and started examining the trunk again.

“Having trouble?” Emerald said this with a smirk. The unicorn guard pulled sharply at the leash connected to his collar.

The pegasus guard exclaimed triumphantly and prodded the trunk of the tree, about three feet above the tree’s branch. Suddenly, the air around the tree rippled, and the rest of the trees around the largest withered away. An extension to the clearing was revealed, filled with tents and bustling ponies.

The unicorn guard jerked the leash again and started trotting toward the encampment. Blue Eyes looked around in wonder at the sudden appearance of a camp, but Emerald was more interested in the ponies in front of him. There was a large unicorn stallion with a white coat and a mane similar to that of Blue Eyes. He had a ceremonial sword attached to his flank, obscuring his mark. Next to him stood a unicorn mare, much younger than the unicorn, with a lavender coat and dark purple hair. Her cutie mark wasn’t covered, but it was still impossible to decipher. It looked like a purple star surrounded by smaller sparkles.

The unicorn jerked the leash again as he snapped to attention. Emerald guessed that the stallion unicorn was some sort of commanding officer here.

“I have brought the spy, sir!” The unicorn holding his leash positively beamed with pride, as if the walk from the balloon to the camp had been a long journey. He obviously expected praise, and so he was surprised by the commander’s angered reply.

“Why is he wearing a prisoner’s leash?” The commander glared at the unicorn. The unicorn made an “erp” sound in his throat and backed up a step.

“Ummm... well, commander, I mean, sir. He looked... threatening?” He trailed off at the sheer force of the stare of the commander. Behind his back Emerald saw Blue Eyes pump her hoof at the last remark.

“Take the collar off, then report to the latrine for cleaning duty, officer,” the stallion said.

Emerald smiled sarcastically at the unicorn guard as he unlatched the leash. "See ya later!" The guard glared at him and walked haughtily off.

The commander unicorn in front of them stepped forward and shook his head, massaging one temple with a hoof. “Come with me,” he said. “I don’t want to make this a scene, so for your sakes, don’t do anything stupid. My name is Shining Armor.” He held out a hoof, and Emerald shook it.

“My name’s Emerald. The filly is Blue Eyes.” Emerald kept his sentences short. He wanted to make it as obvious as possible how he felt about the situation.

“This is my sister, Twilight Sparkle,” he said again as the mare in question stepped forward and raised a hoof. “She’s the Princesses’ personal student. She’s in charge of intelligence here.”

“Oh, really? So you’re the one who got us into this mess. Charmed,” said Emerald, as he completely ignored the mare’s outstretched hoof. She slowly set it back down, a hurt look on her face. Emerald felt a blush of shame rise under his fur. He hadn't meant to be mean. He just wanted her to know what she had done to cause trouble for him and Blue Eyes.

Twilight cleared her throat awkwardly and said, “Follow me.” She then turned and walked toward a smaller tent to their right. The tent was white with a purple stripe running horizontally around its top. She pushed open the flap and walked inside.

She sat down at the wooden desk in the middle and sighed. “Let’s get this over with,” she half-muttered. Shining pushed Emerald into the seat opposite her and walked out the door. Blue Eyes had slipped away somewhere. She was probably bothering the guards the same way she had bothered the crewponies on the ship. Emerald wasn’t worried, because he knew that she was perfectly capable of fending for herself.

“I’m sorry.” The mare’s sudden words surprised Emerald. “We just had to be sure you weren't spies."

Emerald turned this over in his mind. He sighed and then said, “I understand. It just seems ridiculous to me because of everything the griffons did. If you knew what I’ve gone through, you would know that I would never spy for the griffons. In fact, I would be happy if I never saw another griffon again.”

Twilight responded, “Still, I apologize. I’m only doing what’s best for my friends and my country.” She said “country” like it was an afterthought, Emerald noticed with surprise. It didn’t seem like her main focus was patriotism, unlike Shining Armor.

“So...” said Emerald awkwardly. He leaned forward and put his hooves on the table. “How’s this gonna work?”

“I am going to perform a simple spell that will allow me to see your memories. They won’t be perfect pictures, but I will be able to tell what your surface thoughts were at the time,” she said, with a voice like a college professor. "It functions like a basic empathy spell, with the additional benefit of sensory information."

“Wait, so no torture?” Emerald said this with a half smile, but then the full realization of what was about to happen hit him. “Wait. You’re going to read my memories? Is that even possible?”

Twilight laughed a bit. “Of course it’s possible. It’s a very simple spell, really. Star-Swirl the Bearded came up with it.”

“Star-Swirl the whosit?”

Twilight brought her hoof to her face and shook her head. She didn’t even respond to his ignorance. “Are you ready? This may feel unpleasant. Many ponies have memories that they don’t want to relive.”

Emerald definitely had memories that he didn’t want to relive, but he kept his emotional shields up. “Oh, me? I’m always ready.”

“Okay, then. Here goes,” she said, and her horn began to glow. She concentrated, and a spark leapt to its top. Then, she bowed her head across the table and touched Emerald’s forehead with her horn.

Chapter 4: Memories

Compendum Magica Arcanum, by Star Swirl the Bearded; Translated by Twilight Sparkle

Chapter 9: Memory and Mind Spells: The methodology of memory spells is fairly simple, compared to spells dealing with reality manipulation. They require less raw power to sustain, but unlike physical spells they require a certain presence of mind; memory spells dealing with personal leyline interaction can cause confusion and schizophrenic tendencies to arise. The only remedies to the damages that can stem from these spells are willpower and intelligence.”

Whiteness. Everything was made of white light. Emerald was briefly disoriented. For a few seconds he couldn't remember where he was or how he had got there.

“I can’t ever get over how cliche this spell is,” a voice from behind him said. Emerald whipped his head around and looked at Twilight. She was sitting on a floor that blended exactly with the whiteness of the air, and her horn was glowing with purple light.

“Uhhh... what are you doing there?” Emerald said nervously, gesturing toward her horn. He had been trying his best all day to keep his uneasiness hidden, but all the weird stuff was getting to him. First the invisible camp, then the spark on Twilight’s horn, and then this.

“Just maintaining the memory spell,” Twilight said, launching into lecture mode. “The spell slowly drains power proportional to the emotions, senses, and events revealed and-” Emerald effectively stopped her by jumping a foot into the air and hovering there, waving his hooves around.

“This is the memory spell? I thought you were just going to check if I was lying!”

The mare responded annoyedly, “I am just checking. This is how I’m going to do it.”

Emerald shook his head. “I mean I thought you were going to, I dunno, point your horn at me and just magically know I was telling the truth.”

“I did say it would feel like reliving your memories. Weren't you even listening?”

Emerald was definitely not prepared for this, but he didn’t want to act oddly in front of Twilight. If she was right about the "reliving" part (and she probably was), she would see the reason for his hidden apprehension before long.

“Uhhh... Hello?” Twilight waved her hoof in front of his face. “Are you okay?”

“Totally! Completely! I guess I just misunderstood you, about the spell thingy,” he said, a little too enthusiastically. “When do we start?”

“As soon as you stop derailing my train of thought completely,” she replied. “You know, you remind me of someone.”

“Who? Is he awesome?”

“She’s a mare, and yes, she would probably describe herself as awesome,” Twilight said. “Okay, quiet now. The show’s about to start.”

Emerald looked around again, but he could still only see blankness. He glanced at Twilight, but she was obviously busy. Her horn was wrapped with three layers of magical overglow.

Suddenly, the whiteness faded, and all of Emerald’s senses dulled. Then, with a barrage of sensory information the world exploded to life around him. The air smelled of salt, the wind was cool, and the sun was shining brightly. He was standing on dark wooden planks, and the everything rocked around him.

While most of the sights around him were perfect quality, Emerald could sense a vague sort of floatiness around them. He could only focus on certain things. For instance, the boards beneath his feet were wispy and ethereal, but the snapping ropes and the mast above him were sharp and defined.

Oddly, Twilight was standing next to him.

Emerald almost asked about the problems with the memory, but Twilight beat him to it. “The memories are as perfect as they can be, but your brain can’t remember everything, so the memories are boiled down to just the important parts.”

“So is the mast ‘important?’” Emerald asked this as a joke, but Twilight took it seriously.

“Well, it must be. This is your memory,” she said.

“Ohhhh... yeah. I forgot,” Emerald pawed the vague planks below him. He couldn’t even feel the texture of the wood, even though he knew it was rough. “This is the griffon ship Bloodhold Marauder.”

“What happened here?” Twilight looked around brightly.

“Watch.” Emerald’s grim tone surprised her. She was about to ask him what was the matter, when a loud bang from the other side of the ship startled her.

She whipped around, her ears twitching to catch the sound. Emerald pointed with a hoof to a door on the lower deck towards the end of the ship. The heavy wooden door flew open, and three griffon pirates stumbled out, pulling a larger griffon through on a rug. Twilight gradually approached the four sailors. None of them acknowledged her existence in any way. Emerald remained standing where he was.

Another griffon pushed his way through the door. He was holding a bloodied cloth to his eye and he had a look of pure hatred on his face. Twilight scooted back towards Emerald from the sheer intensity of the glare.

“Is he dead?” The new griffon said this with a rough voice as he tied a bandage around his bleeding eye. The other griffons nodded viciously. “Good. Dump him overboard.” The three griffons rolled the largest griffon up in the rug and threw him over the ornate railing on the side of the ship. Twilight gasped a little at this and looked to Emerald.

“What’s happening?” Emerald guessed that Twilight had never seen a dead body treated with such disrespect before. Actually, with her sheltered lifestyle, she probably hadn't ever seen a dead body at all.

“Shhh. Just watch,” Emerald said darkly. The door opened again, and two more griffons came out, bearing a chained form between them. With a gasp, Twilight realised that it was Emerald. She looked between the two. The Emerald from the memory looked healthier and his green coat was shinier.

“Well, well, well,” said the griffon who was ordering the others around. “If it isn’t our little ‘limeback,’ scared without his captain.” The pent-up rage and fury in his voice was evident. “Not so confident now, are you?”

The memory of Emerald looked into the griffon’s eyes and spat in his face. The griffon roared and savagely backhanded the pegasus so hard that he was knocked unconscious. “Take him to the hold!” The griffons marched off to the front of ship, and as they moved out of sight behind the mast, Twilight turned to the real Emerald.

“What happened there?” She demanded this with an odd mixture of emotions in her voice. Emerald couldn’t decide if Twilight was suspicious, nauseous, or sympathetic. He decided to just go for neutrality.

“It was a mutiny. The dead griffon was my captain, before the others killed him.” His voice was sounded oddly flat, even to him. Twilight looked at him with concern.

The surroundings started to spin around them, until they coalesced to a point just behind Emerald’s vision. He turned his head to look at them, but the remained unseen. The two ponies were back in the blank white area between memories.

He sat down. “These memories are out of order. Is that normal?”

Twilight didn't answer. She knelt down in front of him and asked softly, “Are you okay?”

Emerald stood up immediately. “I’m fine.” He shook his head and looked back to Twilight. “Why are the memories out of order? Dramatic effect?” It was a weak attempt at humor, but Twilight burst out in laughter disproportionate to the funniness of the joke.

“Ummm...” she said, suddenly aware of how awkward the situation was. “Ummm... the same way your brain decides what to focus on when the spell brings back the memories, it also decides what to show first. The spell is really just a question that your unconscious mind answers, and it answers in the best way it can.”

The world spun again and exploded into light and sound. “It’s happening again,” he said. “I’m gonna get a headache if this keeps up.”

When the surroundings pulled themselves into their proper places, the two were back on a boat. It was smaller than the Bloodhold Marauder, of the Japaneighs variety. It had one large folded sail, and a round, smooth hull. Moored along beside it was a much larger ship, swarming with griffon pirates.

“It’s this way,” said Emerald as he started walking to where the two ships met with Twilight following uneasily. He heard whinnies and yells, mostly from ponies, and varied griffon war cries. As they neared the planks connecting the two ships, a barred door just astern of the main mast on the smaller ship burst open. Out came two griffons and a pony, all holding one bucking stallion between them with much effort.

The stallion could have easily been mistaken for Emerald, if not for his bright blue wings, mane, and tail. Other than that, he was the same bright green shade. He was screaming a name, over and over, “Mara! Mara!” Suddenly a griffon shot out of the sky and landed in front of him. His feathers were completely black, and he had a rapier strapped to his waist.

“Hello,” he said in a smooth accent. “I do not believe I have made your acquaintance. I am Captain Ransom.” He gave a flourishing bow.

The blue-and-green pegasus raised an eyebrow. “Charmed.” It was the same kind of response the younger Emerald had given in the previous memory: short, prideful, and conceding nothing.

The griffon captain chuckled and brought his face close to the pegasus. “I believe you know why I am here. I only need the cargo. When you give it to me, I will leave you in peace.”

“You’ll never get it. It’s not for the likes of you.”

“Oh, really? Guards, bring it up.” Two griffons came up from the hold, struggling with a huge, ornate, wrought-iron chest. The black griffon knelt down on his knees and opened the chest. It had obviously held something before because there was a depression in the red velvet interior, but now it was empty. Captain Ransom smiled and laughed. “I expected as much. You know where it is, I presume? Hidden somewhere on the ship, under lock and key?” The pegasus said nothing. “Oh, you want to play the game like this? So be it then.”

He made a gesture with his claw, and the same griffons who had brought the chests up went belowdecks again. They emerged a minute later, holding two captives; a pink and purple unicorn mare and a bright green pegasus colt, barely old enough to walk. It was obviously Emerald, and he wasn’t even bound or gagged. In fact, the griffon just set him down on the wooden planks without a second thought with his back to the mast.

The real Emerald was staring ahead grimly, eyes set.

“I thought you might need a bit of... assistance, with your choice,” said Captain Ransom with his silky smooth voice. “Let’s start with the mare.”

Twilight flinched as the first mate came up with a brazier of hot coals. Emerald watched as she huddled down and closed her eyes. She probably hadn't expected the energetic Emerald to have such a terrible past. His emotional shields prevented anypony from even suspecting that he might have dark secrets.

The screaming carried on for far too long, but when it cut off, suddenly, the stallion in his chains was quaking with rage. Emerald averted his eyes from the smoking body on the deck, but stole a glance at the younger Emerald, who was hiding in the shadow of a barrel.

“Are you ready to tell us now, my friend? We still have your son here, if you need any more help making your decision.” The griffon looked expectantly at the shivering blue-and-green pegasus.

“I-I’ll never tell you,” he said.

“Awww, such loyalty. You put your duty to Equestria even before your own family. Let’s call your bluff, shall we?” The first mate started moving menacingly towards the young colt, gradually getting closer and closer with the hot coals. The pegasus looked away, straining against his chains.

It was hard to believe. He was betraying his son. He was betraying Emerald. The real Emerald was breathing shallowly, but his eyes were riveted by the scene.

Twilight wanted to cut the spell off, but a morbid fascination held her. The first mate pulled a coal out of the brazier with a pair of tongs, and the green colt whimpered pitifully.

The green-and-blue pegasus reached a decision in his mind. Suddenly, he spun and bucked his captors with enough force to shatter bone. He leapt at the first mate and the brazier was knocked into the air, spitting fire everywhere. Emerald winced as an ember rolled along the planks to Twilight's legs, but it passed straight through them without her even noticing.

The green-and-blue pegasus screamed, “Fly, Emerald! Fly!” As he yelled, he held down the first mate as he was ripped at by savage claws. The colt edged into the open, and just as Captain Ransom dove for him he jumped into the air and rocketed away at fantastic speeds.

He was incredibly fast, even for his young age. As his father bravely distracted the griffon pirates, he spun away over the ocean. The world started to fade again, breaking at its seams.

Blank. Everything was blank. Emerald lay on a patch of whiteness suspended from nothing. He rested his head on his forelegs and closed his eyes. Twilight watched him, the visions of what she had seen still burning in her mind.

She finally gained the courage to speak. “Wh-What exactly happened there?”

Emerald paused before replying with a breaking voice. “Those ponies... they were my mother and father. They’re dead now. After I had been sold to him as a slave about four months ago, Captain Ransom made that painfully clear to me.”

“What did the griffon—Captain Ransom-want?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that it was worth killing for.”

Twilight approached Emerald and nuzzled his neck gently. He tensed up at the touch, but he didn't push her away.

“It’s happening again.”

The world swirled in place.

Again, they found themselves on a ship. It was the same ship from the first memory, the Bloodhold Marauder. The sky was dark, and the wind was bitingly cold. Griffon sailors were spinning around, trying to secure whizzing ropes and flying pieces of cargo.

A large griffon stepped out from the same door he had been dragged out of in the first memory. He was perfectly alive. He wore a pegleg and a tricorn hat, and he appeared to be enjoying the storm immensely.

“Batten down the hatches, Whisky! We need to be prepared before the real storm hits.”

“Aye-aye, Cap’n!” This was shouted by a small, windblown griffon that had happened to be in the captain’s vicinity at the time.

“Cap’n, cap’n! I’ve sighted something, out starboard!” This was shouted down by a griffon in the crow’s nest.

“Yeh what? How could you spot something in this weather?” The captain squinted upward.

“I’ve got sharp eyes, cap’n! You might want to take a look at it, sir!”

The griffon captain pulled out a spyglass and scanned the horizon. Emerald shivered and looked around. The ship was cleaner than it had been before. Probably all the saltwater and the rain had scoured the sides.

“It’s a pony! A baby pony!” The captain grabbed another griffon out of the air and shoved the telescope at his face. “Look at it! It’s a baby pony, all alone!”

Emerald knew the look on Twilight's face: it was the same reaction that many ponies had to the Captain.

“I’m goin’ to go fetch it,” the captain told the griffon he was holding to the deck. “Keep an eye on my ship, will yeh?” The griffon nodded helplessly, his wings pinned to his sides by the over-enthusiastic captain.

The captain launched himself off the ship with his powerful wings and started flapping towards the ‘baby’ pony. Twilight looked to Emerald for explanation. He looked like he had recovered somewhat. “That’s me up there,” he said with a ghost of a smile on his face. “That captain is the same one who was... killed earlier. His name’s Crazy Beak.”

Twilight smiled a bit before replying, “Well, he certainly seems... eccentric.”

Crazy Beak was on his return from the brief trip, and he was carrying the pegasus Emerald in his arms. He held the now-unconscious ‘baby’ Emerald up. “Look what I found!” Crazy Beak yelled to the sailor, “Take ‘im to the galley and get him dried off!”

The griffon responded quickly, happy to be out of the rain.

The world started spinning again, returning to the whiteness from before.

“I had been flying for a day and a half, when Crazy Beak took me in. I was probably four at the time, easily old enough to speak, but young enough that the memories are still fuzzy. I stayed with the crew for about fourteen years, learning from them. They became a sort of second family. But when Crazy Beak was murdered by the mutineers, they decided to cash in on the money that Captain Ransom had on my head. I guess he still had a bone to pick with me.”

“So they sold you as a slave to Captain Ransom, and you were on the Nevermore since then?” That put him at about nineteen years old, around the same age as Twilight and her friends.

“Yes.”

The whiteness started to break apart, but in a different way than before. It was spinning somehow, bending and shifting in ways that the mind should not have been able to perceive. Emerald looked to Twilight with a puzzled look in his eye. “Is it over? It hasn’t really proven that I’m not a spy.”

“Yes, it has. The spell answered my question.” She went over and stood next to Emerald. “And even if it hadn’t, I trust you now.” She nuzzled him comfortingly, and this time he didn’t tense up.

The world broke apart completely, until it was completely dark again.

Emerald felt a gentle nudge on his shoulder. “Wake up.”

“I’m awake, I’m awake.” He cracked open his eyes and saw the wood of the desk. He lifted his head up and shook his mane. Twilight looked drained from the sustained spell. It had to have been a couple of hours at least. Emerald looked outside through a crack in the tent flaps. The sun was setting. “Wow. That took longer than I expected.” He paused in thought for a moment. “What happens now?”

“Well, your name is cleared with me, so you’re free to go.” Twilight stood up from her chair and stretched, her vertebra making popping noises as they cracked. She wanted Emerald to elaborate on what exactly had happened in the memories and fill in the gaps, but she thought it would be better to wait until he was in a better place emotionally. “Seeing as you’re currently homeless, you’re welcome to stay here in Ponyville, and we would value any knowledge of griffon pirates and culture you may be willing to give us.”

“Wow. Recruiting already? It’s a pony-eat-pony world out here,” he said with a grin. “I wouldn’t mind a job.” He got serious, and a grim look returned to his eyes. “Don’t tell anyone about what you saw. I don’t need everpony feeling sympathetic for me.”

“Don’t worry,” she replied. “I would never do that without your permission.” She looked him in the eye and said, “Still, you may want to tell somepony at some point. Keeping your feelings to yourself is never a good thing to do. You need to find some friends to confide in.”

His grin returned. “Really? I thought I just did.”

“You consider me a friend?” Twilight seemed surprised by this, but she looked pleased at the same time.

Emerald leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, “This is a secret, so do you promise not to tell anyone?” She nodded uneasily. He shifted his eyes left and right before responding in a hushed tone, “I really don’t have that many friends, so I have low standards.”

Twilight laughed at this. “Shut up,” she said, obviously joking. “I’ll help you meet some real friends. I know some really nice ponies who live in Ponyville. We can head over there.”

Emerald turned serious again. “If anyone asks, I’m was just visiting Ponyville from somewhere far East. If we don’t elaborate then nopony will ask.”

“Don’t worry. You can trust me.”

"Thanks," he said. He smiled. It felt like his first genuine smile in weeks.

A sudden thought popped into his head. "I have no idea of where Blue Eyes is."

Suddenly, there was a shout from outside. "Fire! Fire on the north stands!"

Both ponies looked to each other and rushed out into the dwindling sunlight.