//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Alecta the Relentless // Story: Little Ponies Lost // by Al-1701 //------------------------------//           Wind Whistler heaved a sigh and slouched.           “Stand up straight, please!” Buttons barked as she held a measuring tape to ground.  “I need these measurements to be precise.”           Wind Whistler straightened her legs, and Buttons pulled the measuring tape taunt up to the top of her shoulders with her magic.  She brought it over to her face, holding it at the point where it reached Wind Whistler’s height and wrote in her note book.           Masquerade was off to the side, sketching in a larger notebook.  She stopped for a second to think before sketching some more.           “May I inquire why I am the first one you are taking the measurements of?” Wind Whistler asked.           “I need a pegasus because I’m planning to have closable wing holes in these outfits,” Masquerade said, looking up from her notebook before going back to sketching.  “We also figured you would be the most cooperative and quiet.”           Wind Whistler should have expected that response.  Though, thinking of the others, she was right.  Of course, she could have also had herself measured if she could put down that sketch pad.           “Extend you wing, please,” Buttons instructed.           Wind Whistler complied, extending her left wing to its full length.  Buttons measured its width where it joined her body, the length to the elbow and then past the elbow, and where the feathers were at their widest.  “Okay, you can close it.”           Wind Whistler closed her wing as Buttons continued to take measurements.  She started at the base of her neck and went down her back to her tail.           Masquerade sketched until she dropped her pencil.  “Now this is a thing of beauty.”           Buttons jotted down another measurement, the circumference of Wind Whistler’s barrel just behind her legs if the position of the measuring tape was any indication.  She dropped the measuring tape and went over to see.  “It’s definitely a fancy one.”           “I figured it would be a good use of the remaining fabric from making Lady Blueflow—I mean Queen Majesty’s cloak,” Masquerade said.           “May I see?” Wind Whistler asked.           “Sure.”  Masquerade turned the notebook around to show a basic sketch of a mare’s silhouette dressed in a more elaborately drawn outfit.  The dress completely covered the barrel before the haunches with a skirt flaring out from the waist much like the tutu of Skydancer’s costume with what looked like a second skirt over it.  A ribbon marked the division between the bodice and the skirt and was tied in a bow on top of the back.  The sleeves were short puffballs on the front legs and the neck was fringed with a broad collar.  Shoes with bows covered the hooves and just the front of a bonnet served as a hat.  Notes stated the main color would be red with white sleeves and the collar, second skirt, and frills of the sleeves would be lace.           “I have some others in mind too,” Masquerade mused aloud.  “However, I’m going to start with this one.”           “It’s rather extravagant,” Wind Whistler commented.           “It’s going to be one of the fancier costumes,” Masquerade replied.  “Though, it’s missing something that would really make it complete.  I just need to think of that last element.”           “Besides, I’ll be the one sewing it.”  Buttons looked at the notebook.  “We could add a little more poof to the sleeves.”           “I don’t see the logic in dedicating resources into making costumes,” Wind Whistler said.  “They serve no practical purpose, so why take the time?”           Masquerade balanced the notebook under her front legs.  “Because it’s fun to get all done up and pretend you’re someone new.  You should see the annual costume balls in the Crystal Empire.”  She frowned.  “Not those garish monstrosities you see on Nightmare Night or at most conventions, but elegant costumes that hearken back to an age where clothing was a true craft.  It’s an escape, a chance to get away from reality and live a short time in a world fantasy.  It might not be practical, but it’s something we need on a different level.”           “Though I have some plans of my own for more practical clothes,” Buttons added.  “Mainly active wear and heavy weather gear.  After seeing that storm when we first got here, I think our coats might not be enough protection from the elements.”           “That sounds all well and good, but while the treasure vault and its riches seem boundless,” Wind Whistler said, “they are still finite.  Proper food is a higher priority than clothing and finery.”           “If we get the thumbs up from Earl Stonebrook, we’ll be selling part of our cherry and apple harvests,” Masquerade replied.  "The expression is thumbs up, right?"           “I’m aware of that,” Wind Whistler said.  “Though, we should be cautious with our resources.”           “I can at least sketch,” Masquerade said.           “One issue I will run into is I’m going to need a pony to actually assemble these costumes on,” Buttons said.  “Unfortunately pony-shaped body molds don’t exist in this world.”           Wind Whistler knew where this was leading.  “As long as you are extremely careful with any pins.”           Masquerade gasped.           “What?” Wind Whistler asked at the same time as Buttons.           “I just realized these outfits need a piece of jewelry to go with them.”  Masquerade pointed to the locket Wind Whistler had hanging around her neck.  “Like this one would have something like your locket.  Only I’m thinking either gold or silver with a ruby inset.”           Buttons furrowed her brow.  “Here’s hoping we have a bumper crop for years to come.  Either that, or you’re better at haggling with diamond dogs than Sparkler is.”           “The vault might also have pieces of jewelry we can use,” Masquerade suggested.  “We’ll have to ask Sparkler once she’s done with the inventory.”           Wind Whistler tuned out their conversation as she looked down at the locket.  It was not her locket.  She was just looking after it.  She had planned to leave it in a drawer of her dresser.  There was no logical reason to wear it constantly, its immediate purpose of unlocking the Bifröst having already been fulfilled and returning it to the Williams’ after saving their daughter and sister not even started on.  However, waking up this morning, she felt like its place was around her neck until she could return it to its rightful owner.           That took her to the real priority in front of them.  The girl was still a captive of the harpies, and they did not even have a clue as to where she was being held or where they were based out of.  They had to be somewhere relatively close to the William’s ranch, though perhaps farther out because they could fly over the obstacles and roads something on land would have to contend with.           “Hey, Wind Whistler,” Masquerade said, pulling Wind Whistler out of her thoughts.           “Yes?” Wind Whistler asked.           “What do you think of a pair of matching bloomers for this outfit?” Masquerade asked.           “Uh, sure,” Wind Whistler answered, still not completely in the conversation.  “If you would excuse me, I believe I have somewhere else to be.”           She turned to the door and descended back into her thoughts.  Though, the image of her in that outfit suddenly popped into the forefront of her mind.  Particularly, the view from the back.           She turned back to the two.  “A pair of bloomers is actually a very good idea.  That design of skirt tends to focus attention on the posterior when viewed from behind, so something for modesty would be preferable.”           “Thanks,” Masquerade called back.  She turned back to Buttons.  “How about the same material as the main body of the dress with lace frills?  They’re supposed to blend in with the dress.”           Wind Whistler turned away and almost ran into Bow-Tie.  She had a box balanced on her back with colorful ribbons hanging over the edge.  “I’m sorry,” Wind Whistler said.  “I didn’t see you there.”           “It’s fine,” Bow-Tie said.  “I wasn’t looking where I was going either.”           Wind Whistler stepped aside so she could walk in.           “Here are all the ribbons I bought,” Bow-Tie as Buttons levitated the box off her back and onto the floor.           Buttons levitated a long, red ribbon out of the box.  “How does this one look?”           “That’ll be perfect,” Masquerade replied.           With that dealt with, Wind Whistler went back to more pressing matters.  Where could the harpies be based?           She went straight to the library.  She needed to find books of maps or even just maps.  Granted, she would need Paradise’s dictionary and cheat to read the names of things on any older maps, but maybe something would jump out at her as the perfect home for the local, unfriendly bird monster.           Paradise was sitting at a desk with an open book and a pencil in her mouth.  Wind Whistler came up behind and looked over her shoulder.  About half of the words in the message had Common translations under them.  It was still broken and scattered, partly because of missing words and partly because of a difference in syntax.           Paradise looked up and jumped in her chair.  “I didn’t see you come up.”           “Sorry,” Wind Whistler said.  She did not mean to sneak up on Paradise, but it was not the first time she had inadvertently approached a pony completely unnoticed.  She had soft hooves according to her mother whenever it happened to her.  “How is the translation coming?”           “I’ll be done translating the words later today,” Paradise answered.  “Then I just need to correct it for modern grammar and syntax.  However, I’m starting to get the sense of it.”           She held it up.  “I think it’s a confession as the language seems rather conciliatory.  It also appears to confirm what the Wonderful Wizard told Queen Majesty, that the first Valkyrie Queen found the machine down there and pretended it was given to her by the Borean gods to convince the people to follow her.”           “A dynasty built on a con,” Wind Whistler exhaled.  It brought her back to her apprehension of trusting anyone in this world.  Even what was given to them as the supposed truth could be a fabrication.  There was that uncomfortable feeling of not knowing, and there seemed to be nothing to sooth it.           “Even if it was built on a con, it was an impressive culture,” Paradise said.  “I’ve been looking at other books, and the Borean Empire had made several technological and cultural advances.  The empire did away with the more barbaric practices like slavery and the death penalty while encouraging the Boreans’ all ready advanced maritime engineering and exploration.  They had practical electricity, complex machinery.  Though, they did all this without ever developing gunpowder.”  She shrugged.  “It figures.  The one technology that would have helped them the most against the harpies.”           “They probably found technology or schematics with the machine and used them,” Wind Whistler said.           “That’s probably true, and this letter seems to indicate that as well,” Paradise said.  “Though, look at what we’re doing.  We’re using their old castle as the base of what we have here.  I mean it would just sit there and collect dust if no one used it.  Machines are meant to be useful, aren’t they?”           Wind Whistler stopped to think about that.  Technology’s purpose was to be of use, and there was no shame in reviving lost technology.  If anything, it was a very logical endeavor.  “You’re right.”           “Anyway”—Paradise set down the paper—“what brings you to my domain?”           “Maps,” Wind Whistler answered.  “If we’re going to find the Williams girl, we need to find where the harpies would make their base.”           Paradise pointed up to the second story balcony to the side where North Star was standing.  “North Star is way ahead of you.  She’s looking up maps as we speak.”           Paradise leaned back.  “However, just so you know, if you want to go rattle their cage, I’m staying home.”           “The day we got here, you were talking about a daring escape from an alien mothership,” Wind Whistler said.  “Lost your taste for adventure?”           Paradise frowned.  “I’ll help anyway I can from here.  However, I’m not cut out for fighting those things, and I’ll be the first to admit it.  In the stories, the hero gets some kind of ability or item to make them powerful enough to fight the villain.  However, I’m still as weak a flier as ever.  If anything, I probably slowed you and North Star down.”           “I suppose knowing your limits is a part of the fight,” Wind Whistler said.  “Though, they say we should only know our limits enough to break through them.”           “Perhaps we can do that with something that doesn’t put us in constant mortal danger,” Paradise said.  “Anyway, good luck, Wind Whistler.”           Wind Whistler spread her wings and flew up to the balcony.  North Star looked up from the map in front of her.  “Oh.  Hello, Wind Whistler.”           “Hello, North Star,” Wind Whistler replied.  “It seems we came upon the same idea.”           “Finding the harpies’ base?” North Star asked rhetorically.  “It would seem so.  Do you want to see?”           North Star stepped aside and Wind Whistler looked at the map.  It was the map of all of Boreas they had set out when they first went scouting.  A massive peninsula separated from the mainland by a mountain range and having several fjords digging into the southern coast.  Smaller mountains separated the fjords and another range of mountains ran across its length with vast and mostly featureless plains to the north.  Most of the cities were on the southern coast and in the fjords with only a half dozen north of the mountains.  There was also artwork of icebergs in the sea north of it.  “Which do you think it bigger?  Boreas or Equestria?”           “I don’t know,” North Star replied.  “Boreas is a lot bigger than I thought it would be.”           Indeed.  According to the scale, it was as much as 1,500 kilometers wide and almost 3,000 kilometers long.  The map was quite detailed in the shape of the landmasses, but the mountains and settlements were more illustrations than actual representations of topographical and demographical data.           “You said the Williams’ ranch about fifty kilometers from here,” Wind Whistler said.           “Forty-seven to be exact.  That would put it about here.”  North Star pointed a side valley to an inlet represented by snaking lines rather than open like the other fjords.  “I still can’t believe Paradise was so tired after a couple dozen kilometers.”           “I heard that!” Paradise snapped from the main floor.           “Admittedly, it was probably the dramatic rise in altitude that was contributing more to her fatigue,” Wind Whistler said.           She returned to her mind to the task at hand.  Paradise had already said she would not be fighting the harpies again.  The harpies came from the south southeast.  Wind Whistler drew a line with her hoof and it ran off the land into a large bay.  That was assuming they flew in a straight line and not taking a curving course to hide where they came from.  “We know they’re within striking distance of the William’s ranch.   Would you say five hundred kilometers is a reasonable range?”           “I would say so,” North Star replied.           “However, that would still leave almost half a million square kilometers of ground to cover.”  Wind Whistler sighed.  “We need to narrow things down.”  She rubbed her chin with the back of hoof.  “If I was a harpy, where would I make my base?” * * *           Shady was glad to have her favorite pair of sunglasses with her in this world.  If she had to choose one possession to take with her, it would be them.  They were kind of her icon, what made her Shady to those who saw her.  The rims were light blue, her favorite color, and they had a certain magic only she knew about.  However, right now their most mundane property of limiting light reaching her eyes was getting the most use.           Between the solei quartz and the reflective sheet they were laying them out on, the sunlight reflecting off everything was glaring.  Other ponies had to squint or completely close their eyes and feel around for the crystals as they picked them up from their cases and set them out on the sheets.  However, Shady could just see them with barely any glare reaching her eyes.           The cases had short, velvet-covered boxes stacked on top of each other with mirrored spaces where the crystals went between them.  It made sense, when she thought about it.  The crystals constantly gave off light, so keeping them in a mirrored container meant the light would be recycled.  Probably why all the fixtures had mirrors to close around them too.           Shady helped Cherries Jubilee take out one of the longer crystals for a large chandelier.  They set it down on the reflective sheet and left it to soak up the sun.           Cherries Jubilee took in a deep breath through her nostrils.  “Do you smell that?”           Shady sniffed the air with seemed perfectly normal.  “Smell what?”           “Those Ulster cherries are ripening,” Cherries Jubilee sighed contently.  “I love this time of year, even more than when the cherry blossoms come out in the spring.  Harvest season is always a big to do back home.  We have a big festival with parades and games and all kinds of food made from cherries.”           She slouched as she exhaled a sigh.  “And I’ll miss it all.”           “I’m pretty homesick too,” Shady replied.  “With summer coming, I would put on my favorite bathing suit and sunhat and lay on the beach.  I would watch the waves come in for hours.  But it’s also the start of hurricane season which I’m actually really glad I’m going to miss.”           Cherries Jubilee glowered at Shady.  “Thanks a lot.”           “What?” Shady asked as Cherries Jubilee stormed away.           Shady went to another case and pulled out one of the medium length crystals for one of the smaller chandeliers in the hallway.  She knew what upset Cherries Jubilee.  She was missing what she had in Equestria, and Shady pointed out something bad about it.  She could not help it though, everything had a downside and it might as well be acknowledged.  Granted, there were no hurricanes in this fjord—at least she hoped not—but Equestria didn’t have harpies.           She tried to figure which was worse.  Hurricanes were more devastating for sure, but actually being hit by one was up to blind chance.  The harpies could actually seek them out.           “What’s that?” Sundance asked.           She was pointing to the south.  Shady looked up and saw a cluster of specks just above the ridge.  She squinted and concentrated, and her sunglasses reacted by working their magic.  They magnified what she was looking at like a telescope until the specks were large enough to see they were creatures with large wings and faces kind of like humans.  In fact, they looked a lot like how Wind Whistler and the others had described harpies, and they were headed straight for them.           Shady’s blood ran ice cold and she thought her heart would stop.  “HARPIES!”           “Very funny, Shady,” Cherries Jubilee replied casually.           “I mean it.”  She took off her sunglasses and placed them in front of Cherries Jubilee’s eyes.  “Look at them and concentrate.”           Cherries Jubilee squinted and her eyes suddenly went wide as her jaw dropped.  “I don’t know how your glasses did that, but you’re right.”  She shouted to the others, “Harpies are coming!”           Shady put her glasses back in her mane.  She remembered what Wind Whistler had said.  Two and half meters tall, arrows longer than a pony was tall, sharp talons on both the hands and the feet.  That was all coming straight for them.           “What do we do? What do we do?! WHAT DO WE DO?!” Shady panicked, her hooves seeming to go in every direction at once as she tried to make sense of everything.  Her first instinct was to run, but there was nowhere to run.           “Everyone back in the castle!” Cherries Jubilee shouted.           “What about the quartz?” Sundance asked.           “Forget the quartz!” Cherries Jubilee barked.  “Everyone in the castle!”           She galloped for the open drawbridge and Shady followed with the others.  They ran across the wooden bridge, and Cherries Jubilee waited at the winch until they were all across.  She pushed the lever up and the winch pulled the chains in to bring up the drawbridge.           “That’ll be a lot of help,” Bubbles commented.           “Just shut up and go in!” Cherries Jubilee pointed at the front doors.           They rushed in and Cherries Jubilee hit the button on a panel that was part of the intercom system.  “Attention all residents of Dream Castle.”  Her voice came from the speakers as well.  “We have several harpies entering Dream Valley as we speak.”  She stopped.           Shady realized there was nothing they could do.  They were trapped.           “Just, they’re coming.  Everyone meet up.”  Cherries Jubilee hit the button again. * * *           Alecta glided on the airstream created by the mountains.  She hit as many developing thermals as possible to remain aloft without having to flap her wings.  As Bernice and Chrystal’s informant had said, there was a castle in this supposedly empty valley.  It was the next system of valleys over, but still close enough to the horse farmer’s home.           Her sharp vision had allowed her to see several colorful specks run into the castle and the drawbridge go up.  They had to be the ponies she had heard so much about.           “At last I will meet your little ponies, Desdemona,” Alecta said.  “Let’s see if they’re as crafty as you claim.”           Desdemona swallowed, obviously knowing there will be nothing to hide anymore.           Alecta got another thermal to fill her wings with air and rise several meters. * * *           Wind Whistler joined the crowd of ponies in the intersection of halls on the ground floor.  An intelligible din of conversations trying to all happen at once assaulted her ears.  Finally, Majesty gave a piercing whistle that silenced all of them.           “We’re ponies,” she declared, “not a bunch of chickens that just had their heads cut off.  Let’s think this through.”           “But we’ve only managed to drive one off with a flying trick and used the Bifröst to escape from three of them,” Shady said.  “I counted at least fourteen headed for our castle.  We don’t stand a chance.”           “And they must have seen us,” Sundance added.  “At least see the drawbridge was down and we brought it back up.”           “Then it’s over,” Bow-Tie said despairingly.           Wind Whistler rushed through their options which were slim.  The harpies knew ponies were here, so just hiding and waiting for them to leave was not an option.  She then thought of something more specific.  She had been inside as well as Paradise translating the Old Borean text, North Star examining maps, Buttons working with Masquerade, Bow-Tie bringing them accessories, Sparkler was taking inventory in the vault, Cupcake was cooking, Truly and Posy were also all inside.  Meaning none of the ponies who had seen and been seen by the harpies was outside to be seen this time.           “It might not be over just yet,” Wind Whistler said.  “They know there are ponies here, but they don’t know who exactly is here.”           “How does that help us?” Magic Star asked.           “Those of us who went to the Williams’ residence yesterday will hide in the underground chamber,” Wind Whistler explained.  “The rest of you feign ignorance of us.  They might buy it and leave to look for us somewhere else.”           “That’s a pretty big ‘might’, Wind Whistler,” Magic Star stated.           “We don’t really have many options,” Wind Whistler responded.           “She’s right,” Majesty interjected.  “However, I’m going to add a little wrinkle to that.”  She looked to Magic Star.  “I want you to pretend to be the leader of the castle.”           “You’re ducking out too?!” Magic Star asked.           Majesty lowered her brow.  “Hardly.  However, my magic is our trump card, and it would be best if I had the element of surprise.”  She held up her right front hoof covered by its shoe.  “I’ll turn invisible and watch while they’re here.  If they try anything, I have a few spells at my disposal to deal with them.”           “Why don’t you just use them now?” Applejack asked.           “Uh, if we’re going to hide, we should do it now,” Paradise interjected.  “I need to grab my translation work.”           Wind Whistler and the seven other ponies clambered for the spur holding the hidden elevator.  Wind Whistler caught a glimpse of Majesty disappearing before going around the corner.  They opened the panel and climbed into the elevator which was very crowded, but took their weight.           Paradise was last with the sheet of paper she was translating and cheat sheet in her mouth and her dictionary held against her chest.  Wind Whistler instinctively clutched the locket in her pastern.  It was a good thing she had worn it since that meant she did not have to waste precious time getting it or worry about its hiding place being discovered.           Magic Star stood in front of the door.           “Good luck,” Cupcake said.           “We’ll need it.”  Magic Star pushed the sconce up and the panel slid back.  The doors to the elevator closed and the elevator began to descend. * * *           Alecta glided towards the castle.  She had always been amused by the design of castles with the fortified wall around them.  It showed how two-dimensional grounders thought.  So much time and material went into defenses that were immediately defeated by a pair of wings.           “What are those?”  Melinda pointed down at sheets spread out across the grass with something glowing on them.           “Not the locket,” Alecta snarled.  “Stay on task!”           She landed in the front courtyard on the walkway of flagstone.  The courtyard was over grown, and there were metal sculptures amongst the weeds.  She pushed them out of her mind and walked up the stoop.  She pounded on the heavy, wooden doors, the sound hollow and echoing off the stone wall behind them.           “Do you think they’ll just come and open the door?” Frona asked.           Alecta shot her a glance.  However, creaking brought her attention forward.  One of the doors opened and a pony with a pinkish-purple coat and a pale pink mane poked her head out.  “I thought we had that ‘No Soliciting’ sign up already.  Whatever you’re selling, we’re not interested.”           Alecta pointed at the pony.  “Detain her.”           Bernice grabbed the pony by the neck and picked her up.           “Hey!” the pony yelped and struggled.           “Stop struggling or I’ll make you.”  Bernice presented her talons to the pony who gasped at the sight of them and stopped.           Alecta pulled open the doors and walked into the foyer.  A pony with a yellow coat and green mane stepped in from a set of double doors on the opposite wall.  “I am Magic Star, lady of this castle.  May I ask why you’re here, and assaulting one of my ponies?”           This pony was putting on a brave face, but there were subtle signs of fear she was trying desperately to hide.  “Round up every pony you can find and throw them in some room where we can keep track of them,” Alecta ordered.           Chrystal and Melinda herded the pony into the hallway.           More ponies were in the hallway, many shrank back and trembled as they approached.  These are the ponies that gave Frona and the others so much trouble, she thought.  Pathetic.           “Don’t resist, just do what they say,” the yellow pony said.           “That’s right,” Alecta said.  “Do what we say.” * * *           The elevator finally stopped and everyone filed out.  Wind Whistler went straight to Twilight Mist.           Twilight Mist swiveled her chair around.  “What’s going on?” she asked.           “The harpies somehow discovered our location,” Wind Whistler answered.  “They’re in the castle right now.”           “What are you doing down here then?” Twilight Mist asked, looking past her at the others.           “We’re hoping they will leave if they don’t see any ponies they recognize,” Wind Whistler said.  “Can you monitor what’s happening in the castle?”           Twilight Mist swiveled back to face the panel.  “There is a security mode.”           She tapped a few buttons, and the top pane showed colored images of the castle above.  The harpies were marching through the halls, looming over ponies as they were directed away.  Twilight Mist toggled through to the ballroom where six ponies were standing at the foot of the stairs, and three more joined them.           “This is simply horrible,” Cupcake whimpered.           Wind Whistler noticed a harpy giving orders to another.  “Do we have audio?”           Twilight Mist scanned the control panel.  “Doesn’t look like it.  All these cameras are also fixed, probably so they can be hidden in the architecture.  Literally what you see is what you get.”           The other harpy bowed to this one and disappeared from view.  Her vibrant purple hair was cut to jaw length with the back tied in a small bun.           “Can you freeze the image and magnify?” Wind Whistler asked.           “That I can do.”  Twilight Mist hit a button and the image froze.  The view closed in on the harpy with purple hair and sharpened.  She wore a choker around her neck with a gold pendant shaped like short, fat fish attached to it.           “I think we just found their leader,” Wind Whistler said.           “Fat lot of good that does us,” Truly commented.           Twilight Mist hit a button and it returned to normal.  It appeared that almost all of the others had been taken into the ballroom.           “What are they doing?” Buttons asked.           “It looks like they want them all in one place,” Paradise said. * * *           Shady tried to keep her breathing and trembling under control.  She hoped the harpies did not start interrogating them.  She could crack under the pressure and give their entire ruse away.  Then they would fly into a murderous rage.  Everything she had feared was now looming over them.           “I don’t see why we just have to stand here and take this,” Gusty grumbled.  “I say we fight.”           “We’re trying to get out of this without a fight,” Magic Star whispered under her breath.           “Even with that bunch down there, we outnumber them almost two to one,” Gusty insisted.  “We can take them.”           “Even if we did beat them, I doubt we would avoid casualties,” Magic Star replied.  “The point is to get out of this with everyone alive.”           “Fine,” Gusty huffed.           Seashell was the last one ushered down the staircase into the crowd.  Shady could only imagine where Majesty was.  Hopefully she was close by and watching.           “Is that the last of them?” the harpy with the purple hair asked.           “Yes, Glorious Alpha,” one with green hair answered.           The ‘Glorious Alpha’ turned to another harpy with short, flame red hair.  “So, Beta, do you recognize any of them?”           The ‘Beta’ glared down at them, her eyes falling on each one of them.  Shady thought her heart was going to blast out of her chest like a mortar from a canon when she came under that stare.  The Beta turned back to the Glorious Alpha.  “No.”           Magic Star stepped forward.  “May I ask why you are doing this?  We haven’t shown you any hostility.”           The Glorious Alpha glared down at her.  “Because little ponies like you have been meddling in my affairs lately.”  She showed her really long and really, really sharp talons.  “I take particular offense to meddling.”           Shady watched a lump go down Magic Star’s throat.  “Well, there are several groups of us out there.  Perhaps it was one of them you encountered.”           The Glorious Alpha turned to the harpy with green hair and loomed over her.  “Are you absolutely, positively, no two ways about it sure these are all of them?”           “Yes, Glorious Alpha,” the harpy whimpered.           “I swear to you everyone living in this castle is in this ballroom,” Magic Star insisted.  “Please, we mean you no harm and just want to live in peace.”           The Glorious Alpha sneered.           “Glorious Alpha.”  A harpy with long, blond hair and a gray hoof guard symbol on the chest of her dress ran in.  “I found this.”           She held up a light blue feather unmistakably from Wind Whistler.  Shady squashed her urge to gasp.           The Glorious Alpha took the feather and ran her fingers across it.           “It’s from the ring leader of ponies who had the locket,” the orange-haired harpy said.           The Glorious Alpha released the feather only to snatch it in her talons and crush it.  Shady could not help but imagine a tiny Wind Whistler in its place having the life crushed out of her.           The Glorious Alpha threw the now mangled feather on the ground.  “You were saying?”           Magic Star took a step back.  “A small group passed through here the other day,” she stammered.  “One of them was a light blue pegasus.  It must be from her.”           “Passing through?” the Glorious Alpha asked.  “Where did they go?”           “Um…uh…” Magic Star stammered.           “They went north,” Galaxy interjected.  “When they left they said they were heading north.”           The Glorious Alpha flexed her talons, talons that could slit a pony’s throat wide open with a single swipe.  They were playing with fire here, and Shady knew they were going to be burned.           The Glorious Alpha turned to the other harpies.  “Search this castle again, tear it down brick by brick if you have to.  I want that pony and her friends found.  I want that locket found.”  She pointed to the door.  “GO!”           “Yes, Glorious Alpha,” they all chanted in unison.           Most of them left except the Glorious Alpha and two others she grabbed the collars of.  “Not you two.  String your bows and have arrows at the ready,” the Glorious Alpha instructed.  She looked to the ponies out of the corner of her eye.  “If they try anything, kill them.”           That was it for Shady.  The edges of her vision closed in and she felt her hold on the ground failing.  The last image of consciousness she had was the Glorious Alpha staring straight at her from the corner of her eye. * * *           “And there goes Shady,” Twilight Mist commented as Shady fell over on the floor.           Wind Whistler shot her a nasty glare.  However, she felt a pit in her stomach seeing all of them like that and the harpies looming at the top of the stairs with their longbows in one talon and an arrow in the other.  A wayward feather from her own wing could have doomed them all.           “If they really start searching, they’ll find the secret elevator,” Cupcake panicked.           “Fortunately, whoever built this castle seemed to have just this situation in mind,” Twilight Mist said.           She pressed a button and red runes appeared along with a countdown.           “What did you just do?” Truly asked.           “I locked the sconce that opens the panel,” Twilight Mist answered.  “There’s a dead man’s switch to automatically unlock it after one hour in case something happens to us, but our fowl feathered fiends will hopefully give up and go home before then.”           She glanced to Wind Whistler.  “Still think we shouldn’t have just bricked it off and forgotten about it?”           Wind Whistler paid her comment little attention.  “I still believe the potential good outweighs the potential ill.”           “Keep believing that,” Twilight Mist commented.           “I would still like this better if we had something to defend ourselves with.”  Sparkler disappeared in a shower of purple sparkles and reappeared in front of the doors under the panel.  “There has to be something.”           Wind Whistler glided down as the door slid open and Sparkler stepped in.  There was the usual communication equipment.  She could only guess it was used when the Bifröst was fully operational and its original owners set up relays.  However, nothing looked like a weapon.           Sparkler rummaged through the equipment.  “No weapons?  Really?”           “If there had been weapons in here, they have probably long since been removed,” Wind Whistler said.  She also remembered what Paradise had said.  The Boreans never developed gunpowder, so there might not be ranged weapons beyond bows and arrows anyway.           Sparkler picked up a pipe in her magic.  “I suppose we can club them.”           “If you two are done, you should get up here!” Twilight Mist shouted.           Sparkler threw the pipe aside.  “The enemy is not just at the gate but in the castle, and we don’t have any weapons.  It’s like I said yesterday.  We’re all going to die.”           “Don’t forget Queen Majesty is up there and waiting,” Wind Whistler pointed out.  “If it comes to that point, she must have something planned.”           “I actually wonder if that old bat can really anything but make wheels square,” Sparkler grumbled.           They climbed the steps up to the platform.  “What’s happening?” Wind Whistler asked.           “The harpies are splitting into pairs and going through the castle,” Twilight Mist said.           “If something happens, can we use the Bifröst to get out of here and up there to do something?” Truly asked.           “I can put us a kilometer out,” Twilight Mist said.  “I don’t trust setting the distance to zero.”           “But what can we do?” Sparkler asked.  “Again, we don’t have any weapons and those things are built to rip us to shreds even without their bows.  And where would we go?  It’s not like we can call for the Royal Guard to come help.  We are on our own, ponies.”           “I know.”  Wind Whistler sighed.  Even if they went to the capital or the Wonderful Wizard, they would have to wait the eternity of a half hour for the Bifröst to recharge.  “I know.”           “Maybe we can cause enough mayhem to trap them in a pincer maneuver,” North Star suggested.           “Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”  Buttons turned back to the screen which showed the harpies turning over the tables in the dining hall.  “We need to trust that Queen Majesty knows what she’s doing up there.” * * *           The harpies searched room by room, and all the ponies in the chamber could do was watch.  Wind Whistler hated the feeling of being unable to do anything.  This was her idea as well, and everyone who stayed topside was in mortal danger because of her.  Yet, there was nothing she could do, so she just waited.           The harpies tossed books to the floor in the library, getting a whimper out of Paradise.  Truly took offense to them going through her makeshift infirmary.  They rummaged through the kitchen, even tasting some of the food but were apparently disgusted by it if the spitting it out and throwing it on the ground were any indication.  There were no cameras in any of the private quarters or bathrooms, but the harpies went in and out of each one.  They did not find the treasure vault or armory, their passageways being well hidden, and they never even tried pulling any of the sconces.           One of them started knocking on panels, something that made everyone gasp.  However, another pulled her away and pointed her down the hall.  Still, the feeling that imaginary pins were pressing against Wind Whistler’s flesh remained.           Twilight Mist would regularly go back to the ballroom where the ponies were still standing there under the gaze of the two armed harpies and their apparent leader.  The leader paced and seemed to be growing more impatient as time went on.  She was what Wind Whistler feared most about them.  If she was the boss, her growing frustration meant more danger for the ponies topside.           A harpy, having finished going through all the servants’ quarters of the southeast building, returned to the ballroom.           “I think this is it,” Twilight Mist said.  “They’re running out of castle to search.”           “Let’s hope they just leave now,” Cupcake said. * * *           Alecta rubbed her talon on the skin under the feathers of her upper arm where an itch had developed, just enough to feel it.  That slight pain felt therapeutic as her frustration rose.  These ponies were hiding something, her gut told her that.  She could have brought Gergo along to read their minds, but no Alpha worth her salt would dare expose her male.  Besides, he was the only one left to guard the stronghold and the girl.  Still, she would have liked to have his mental powers with her at the moment.           One by one, the others returned, all with nothing.  She looked back at the crowd of twenty-six ponies clustered on the main floor of the ballroom.  The bright pink one who fainted was back on her hooves but looked like she would faint again every time her eyes fell on her.  Some murmured something unintelligible to one another, and a few looked like they might be ready to try something.  However, they just stood there, probably hoping she would give up and fly away.           As usual, Desdemona was the last to join them.  “I didn’t find anything,” she said.           “Are you satisfied?” the yellow pony asked.           “Yes,” Alecta replied.  Now to have some fun.  “Kill them.”           The ponies huddled together as the others lined up.  It might be a good instinct when dealing with a predator at close range, but made them all the easier to take down with arrows.  Those that did not have the bows strung took them out and strung them, and they all formed a line along the balcony just like they had drilled.           “Knock,” Alecta commanded.           The others took arrows out of their quivers and set them on their strings.           “Draw!”           They held up their bows pulled back their arrows, taking aim at the cluster of ponies.           Alecta just opened her mouth to command ‘loose’ when another, ethereal voice interrupted.  “Oh arrows meant to strike my ponies dead, become beautiful red roses instead.”           The arrows on the others’ bows suddenly turned into long stem roses with red blooms on the end.  They took the roses from their bows and stared at them with bewildered expressions.  Frona reached into her quiver and pulled out another arrow that had also turned into a rose.           “What?” Alecta snarled.           She turned back to the ponies standing there.  She then saw something appearing on the throne.  It was another pony with a horn coming from her forehead lounging on it.  A red cloak covered much of her white coat and a gold tiara sat on her blue mane.  It appeared like she had just twisted one of the shoes covering her hoof.           “I knew this was all a trick.”  Alecta threw herself off the balcony and glided straight for the pony.           The pony twirled her horn, energy building around it.  It was a bubbling storm of sickening greens and purples and black lightning.  Her blue irises turned blood red surrounded by green and purple energy wafted from them.  “Vile harpies all before me, inside this fjord you shall never again be.”           Alecta stretched out her talons as she was about to plunge them into the pony’s chest.  Something grabbed her and threw her back.  The world dissolved in a flash, and Alecta fell into something wet and cold with a distinct smell and taste of salt to it.  She looked back and saw the others all floating there bewildered.           Alecta climbed onto a nearby rock and flapped her wings to rid them of the salt water.  Once they were dry, she took to the air to get her bearings.  They were at the mouth of the fjord where it emptied into the main one.  She saw the pink castle several kilometers away near a hanging valley.           She let out a snarl and flew towards it.  She was again grabbed and thrown back.  She kept herself airborne this time and saw she was back where she had started.           She spiraled down to the rocks at the mouth and landed on one exposed to the air.  The others were standing on rocks, tending their wings.  “Beta, enter the fjord.”           “Yes, Glorious Alpha.”  She leapt towards the fjord.  A few meters in, black lightning surrounded her.  It seemed to tie around her just before she disappeared and reappeared several meters back, tumbling as if she had been thrown.           It took a few seconds for the pony’s words and what was happening to make sense.  “She cursed us.  That pony cursed us!”  She let out a piercing screech to voice her frustration. * * *           Magic Star joined the others around Majesty’s throne.  They cheered and congratulated her.           Majesty’s eyes returned to normal from whatever changed them and the energy around her horn evaporated away.  She bowed her head and smiled.  “Now, for my next trick—”           She stopped suddenly.  Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head, and she fell from her throne—coming to lie limply across the steps.  Gasps came from the crowd, and they surrounded her.           “Queen Majesty!” echoed throughout the ballroom.