Wantall was heavier than the usual human. Just looking at him told Alecta that. She had to grab him with both talons to pick him up and slam against the rock. He covered his face with his doughy hands and she could feel his body convulsing in her grip.
“Please,” he blubbered. “I don’t understand your ire with me. I mean, I was right. There were ponies in that castle.”
“You didn’t tell us one of them was a powerful magician,” Alecta roared.
Wantall parted his hands enough to see her. “I didn’t? I guess it slipped my mind.
Alecta adjusted her left talon so it could better pin him alone and smacked his arm away so she could bring a claw to his throat. “You better hope that’s the only thing that slips.”
Wantall swallowed a lump down his throat. “I figured this would be a perfect alliance. You were looking for the ponies and could do something about them, and I knew where the ponies were. It’s not my fault they bested you.”
Alecta pressed the claw against the ample flesh where his neck would be. “They didn’t ‘best’ us. They tricked us.”
Wantall held up his hands. “My mistake.”
Alecta moved her claw away so it just touched his doughy skin.
“The point is you know where they are,” Wantall said.
Alecta clenched her teeth. “It does us no good if they’ve made it impossible to enter their fjord.”
“I thought I smelled the stench of a banishment curse on you,” Wantall said. He inhaled loudly through his nostrils. “That’s some pitch black magic.”
“He’s supposedly a wizard,” Frona said. “How about he uses his magic to remove whatever she did to us.”
“I would if I could, but her powers far outweigh mine,” Wantall said. “This curse is one of the most powerful I’ve ever come across.”
“So you were using us!” Alecta bellowed. “You’re too weak to face them, so you figured we’d do your dirty work!”
“You make it sound so underhanded.” Wantall grinned sheepishly.
Alecta slammed Wantall against the rock again and presented her talons to his face. He went pale and sweat quickly soaked his face. “I’ve reached the end of my patience, and you’ve reached the end of your usefulness.”
“Wait. Wait! WAIT!” Wantall stammered. “I might still be of use to you.”
Alecta relaxed her arm. “I’m listening.”
“You might be barred from their fjord, but I’m not,” Wantall said. “What if I could find what you’re looking for or otherwise draw them out so they’re no longer protected?”
“He has you there, Glorious Alpha,” Frona said.
Alecta ground her teeth. He did have her. She released her hold on him, and he dropped to the ground.
“The ponies have a red, heart-shaped locket,” Alecta said. “Retrieve it.”
Wantall got to his feet and brushed of his sleeves. “A red locket shaped like a heart: consider it as good as got.” He bowed.
“You have until sundown today,” Alecta said. “Bring it here.”
She turned back to Frona and Bernice. “We’ll return to the stronghold for new arrows and we’ll return here.” She turned back to Wantall. “You better be well on your way to getting that locket.” She presented her talons to him again. “Because if the sun goes down and it’s not in this talon”—she closed it into a fist—“your windpipe will be.”
Wantall rubbed his throat. “I get the picture.”
* * *
Wantall watched as the three harpies spread their broad wings and took to the air. Beautiful examples of predatory biology—until you are their prey. He felt where their leader pressed her talon against his neck to make sure she did not draw blood. Then he straightened out his aching back and rubbed his head from being smacked against the rock.
He trudged back to his overturned cart and summoned magic for a levitation spell. He lifted it up and righted it so it could settle down on all four wheels. He inhaled and slowly exhaled as he let it sink in. Along with dents and scrapes to the paint job from being toppled over, the canvas canopy had large gashes in it from the harpies’ talons. Thinking of those talons going through him sent a shiver through him. “Congratulations, Wantall, you’ve made a deal with the devil and payment is due.
“How am I going to get into their castle and steal a locket?” He opened the trunk on the back of the cart where he kept some supplies.
“Maybe I could wear a disguise.” He pulled out a white robe with a star motif and a wig that would make him look like his astronomy-obsessed twin brother. He had gotten away with many things by impersonating him. He looked at them and then tossed them back in. “That wouldn’t work because that blasted telepath could just read my mind and know it’s me.” He slammed the trunk shut.
He stopped and thought. “I’m going to have to get help on this one.” An idea popped into his head. His mouth bent up in a toothy grin. “And Get is just what I’ll do.”
* * *
A groan interrupted Truly’s reading, and she turned to the bed. Majesty was lying under the covers, wincing and stirring. She slowly opened her eyes partly and stared up.
“Welcome back to the world of the living, Queen Majesty,” Truly said. “How do you feel?”
Majesty winced. “Like someone drove a power drill through the tip of my horn,” she groaned, “and went all the way into my skull.”
“That’s to be expected,” Truly replied. “Any other issues? Before you collapsed, did you feel any chest pain, shortness of breath, or nausea?”
“If you’re asking if I had a heart attack, then no,” Majesty answered. “I was fine one second and woke up here the next.”
“That’s a relief,” Truly said. “I’m just nurse, so if your ticker was giving out we would be in serious trouble.”
“I’m only one hundred fifty-three,” Majesty said. “I have a good half century left in me.”
“The good old bicentennial gene,” Truly mused allowed. “Too bad everyone can’t have it.”
“Actually, every pony we’ve found in this world so far has it,” Majesty said. “I had been looking for what we all have in common, and that seems to be one of them.”
Truly furrowed her brow. “Now that’s just the strangest thing.”
A knock came at the door to interrupt her train of thought. “Truly, is Queen Majesty awake?” Magic Star’s voice was muffled by the door.
Truly set down her book and walked over to open the door. Magic Star walked in with Galaxy and Wind Whistler. “She’s awake but still very weak.”
“What happened to her?” Magic Star asked.
“As far as I can tell with what medicine I know and what we have at our disposal,” Truly answered, “she suffered an acute case of magic exhaustion.”
Wind Whistler furrowed her brow. “I’m a little confused. How could exhausting her magic cause such a severe physical reaction?”
“The spell I used was based on Shadow pony magic,” Majesty said weakly. “It’s incredibly powerful, but it puts incredible strain on the body.”
“Is that why the magic looked and felt so…ugly?” Magic Star asked.
Majesty nodded.
“Where did you learn Shadow pony magic?” Galaxy asked.
“Yes, they were your kind’s enemy, Sombra’s old tribe,” Majesty said. “The Crystal Empire kept very good notes on their twisted magic, so I studied it when it returned. That spell was originally meant to entrap, but I learned to invert it to keep the target out of a given location.”
“So, you just sat down and learned them?” Galaxy gasped. “You do realize what the Shadow ponies were, and what they did to the Crystal ponies in the past?”
“Past being the operative word,” Majesty replied. “They’re extinct, a footnote in history.”
“Yet you’re keeping their black magic alive!” Galaxy stated.
Majesty glared at Galaxy. “Everyone wants to assign mortality to things that don’t have it, especially magic. The spell I used might have been created by an evil group, but it has no understanding of our definitions of good and evil or anything else. It’s an application of energy as benign or malicious as lifting a glass of water.”
“While this discussion of magic and morality could be invigorating, I still don’t understand how exhausting magic has such an effect on the body,” Wind Whistler said.
“Unicorn magic is similar to physical stamina,” Truly replied. “Overexertion can lead to fatigue and fainting spells and even more severe and permanent damage in extreme instances. I’ve actually looked after several cases. She just needs to rest and give her magic a chance to recover.”
“That was why I didn’t want to just use my magic when the harpies first appeared,” Majesty said in a weak voice. “My banishment spell took everything I had, so I only wanted to use it as a last resort. You see, I didn’t just teleport them out, but placed a permanent spell on each of them so they will always be immediately removed from the fjord if they ever try to enter again.” She winced. “Though, I might have gotten a little overzealous by making it the entire fjord. A basic protection spell for the castle will do the trick.”
Truly turned to Majesty and gave her the glare she would give any patient trying to rush out of bed. “You’re not doing so much as levitating a pin for the next several days. The only cure for magical exhaustion is rest and plenty of it.”
“Yes, sir.” Majesty worked her leg out from under the covers and gave a salute.
She beckoned. “Magic Star, Galaxy, since I’ll be off my hooves for a while, there is some business I need to attend to. Magic Star, I’m naming you my Chief Minister. You’re my second in command and you’ll be in charge while I recover. Galaxy, you’ll be my Chamberlain and handle the caretaking of the castle.”
“You can count on me, Queen Majesty,” Magic Star said.
“As well as me,” Galaxy added.
“I know I can.” Majesty turned to Wind Whistler.
“I do not desire a title,” Wind Whistler said, “nor do I believe I deserve one. My plan backfired.”
“You kept the harpies from finding the locket,” Majesty said. “We all underestimated just how depraved they were, but that is not your fault. However, I will not bestow a title on you if you do not wish to have one. Be Wind Whistler, and do what Wind Whistler has to do.”
Wind Whistler furrowed her brow. “I don’t understand.”
Majesty formed a weak grin. “You’ll figure it out.” She slowly closed her eyes and laid her head to the side. The covers slowly rose and fell with her breathing.
Truly picked up the stethoscope and listened to Majesty’s heart and breathing. Both were a little slow but steady. “I think she’s done enough talking for now. Let’s leave her to rest.”
She ushered the three out of the room and carefully closed the door behind her to minimize the noise.
“She’s been queen less than a day, and she’s already taken ill,” Magic Star said.
“She’s been queen less than a day, and she’s already repelled an invasion and saved all of our lives,” Galaxy added.
“Are you sure she has to be laid up for several days?” Magic Star asked.
“My formal medical training says yes,” Truly said. “However, my grandma was a hills pony, and knew some herbal remedies including a few that would help an exhausted unicorn recuperate faster.”
“Do you think you can find the right herbs here?” Magic Star asked.
Truly shrugged. “I’ll have to go out and look, but right now rest is the only medicine I can offer.”
* * *
Wind Whistler followed Magic Star and Galaxy into the ballroom. The other ponies sat or stood there, staring up at them. Magic Star stood at the top of the stairs and cleared her throat.
“Queen Majesty is resting and will make a full recovery,” Magic Star said. “She suffered from magic exhaustion.”
Te crowd relaxed and heaved sighs of relief.
“However, she will be off her hooves for the next several days,” Magic Star continued. “She named me Chief Minister and Galaxy Chamberlain. Galaxy will be running castle affairs and I’ll be in charge of everything else until she recovers.”
“What’s your first order, Minister?” Applejack asked.
“The solei quartz is still sitting outside,” Galaxy said. “We need ponies to tend to it.”
Half a dozen ponies left the crowd and ascended the stairs for the door.
“What I say we do is return the harpies’ visit in kind.” Gusty stamped her hoof. She got a couple nods.
“Did you not see them almost kill you?” Cupcake asked rhetorically.
“That’s because we just stood here and let them have the run of the castle,” Gusty shot back. “I say we assemble our best fighters and go after them without having to worry about any other weaker ponies dragging them down.”
“What fighters?” Cupcake asked. “Look at us? None of us are soldiers. We’re bakers and dressmakers while those harpies are professionally trained killers. We couldn’t ever hope to stand up to them.”
“Unfortunately, we may not have a choice,” Wind Whistler said. “We’ve pledged to save Megan from them, and we cannot go back on our word.”
“We don’t even know where they would be holding her,” Magic Star said.
“That’s what North Star and I were looking into earlier,” Wind Whistler replied. “We have a general area of where they could have come from, but it’s still a substantial area to search. We need to narrow down possible candidates.”
“You and North Star can continue your research,” Magic Star said, “but whether we engage them or not will be up to me. Understand?”
Wind Whistler bowed. “Of course, Minister Magic Star.”
“The rest of you are on cleanup duty,” Galaxy said to the crowd. A wave of groans came from the group. “Start with the kitchen and the library since that’s where the harpies did the most damage.”
* * *
Fizzy left the ballroom with the crowd. It was good to hear Majesty would be all right. She was not even that displeased with having to clean up. In fact, it would let her get back to her training as a chamber maid like she was in the Crystal Palace. Now that the scare with the harpies was over and everyone was mostly fine, she was feeling pretty good.
“Since we will probably not able to act on anything immediately,” Wind Whistler said to Paradise, “North Star and I can assist with cleaning the library, at least put the maps back in order.”
“I would appreciate that,” Paradise replied. “It’ll probably take days to get all of those books back where they belong.”
They joined the group of ponies headed towards the intersection. Shady walked up to Fizzy, but was pulled away by Truly. “I heard those glasses have some weird powers. Detecting magic wouldn’t be one of them, would it?”
“Well, yes—” Shady started to say.
“Good, because Posey and I need to hunt down magic herbs.” She pulled Shady to where Posey was standing. “We’ll bring you and your glasses along too.”
“Uh…okay,” Shady replied.
“Fizzy, right?” a voice asked.
Fizzy looked back and saw Bubbles was standing behind her. “You’re a maid if I’m not mistaken.”
“Uh, yeah,” Fizzy replied.
“I could tell that divide between your forelock and the rest of your mane was from a maid’s headband,” Bubbles said.
“Well, I’m just a trainee,” Fizzy said.
“Whatever the case, I want you helping with the kitchen,” Bubbles said. “That’s going to require sweeping, mopping, scrubbing and some actual skill for cleaning.”
“Right,” Fizzy said.
They stepped into the kitchen and one of the worst messes Fizzy had seen. Flour, sugar, salt, and food with bite marks in it covered the floor and counters. Cupcake picked up jars and looked into them, her frown increasing with each one before putting a lid on it and returning it to its place. Skyflier and Cherries Jubilee set out dust pans and passed out brooms.
“I’m starting to see Gusty’s point of view.” Cupcake shoved a jar into a cupboard. “If I ever see those harpies again, I want to give them a nice big piece of my mind for what they did to my kitchen.”
“Look at it this way,” Seashell said to Cupcake, “at least they didn’t break any of the dishes.”
“Probably so they wouldn’t step on the pieces,” Cupcake grumbled. “I finally have some real ingredients, and more than half of it is on the floor.”
“Do you know how to start with this?” Bubbles asked.
“Sweep out the corners with a normal broom,” Fizzy answered.
“Good,” Bubbles said. “Get to work.” She tossed a broom towards her.
Fizzy caught it with her magic and started sweeping the coating of white on the floor out of the corner next to the door.
* * *
Shady scanned the wooded hill from behind her sunglasses. Her mother had given her these glasses for her symbol party, saying they were very special glasses. They certainly were since they let Shady see things no other pony could. They could act like a telescope and let her see things far away, like the harpies earlier, or a microscope to let her see things that were really small. She could even see things that were invisible to most ponies even when not concentrating. She just realized she could have looked for Majesty through them, but she might have made the harpies suspicious.
Right now, she was looking for magic coming from any of the plants. Equestria would become so vibrant and lively when looking at the magic pulsing through the plants. Normal plants would have narrow vanes starting at the roots and coming up and spreading through the leaves. Plants that had more magical properties would be absolutely aglow. She could sit there for hours and watch the magic going up a tall palm tree and spreading through its broad fronds.
However, these plants were just plants. The trees and tangled underbrush beneath them were dark and dull through the tint of her lenses. She had seen two lines, one running almost due north and south and another roughly northeast to southwest that crossed under the castle which were apparently magic. She had never heard of just isolated lines of magic.
“See anything?” Truly asked.
Shady shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see anything magical.”
Posey bit into a strawberry. “Well, we found strawberry and blueberry plants. They’re good for a pony on the mend, and Cupcake will be happy to have more to work with.”
“What I need is poison joke,” Truly murmured.
“Poison joke?!” Shady pushed her glasses up. “We’re supposed to make Queen Majesty better!”
“Relax.” Truly said. “Only the flowers are dangerous, and I snip them off. What I’m after are the roots where they store their magic. I can make a broth from them, and it will help Queen Majesty regain her magic. My grandma did it for countless unicorns and made sure I knew the recipe by heart.”
“Well, I haven’t seen poison joke or any other magic-dependent plants,” Posey said. “They might not exist in this World.”
“I’m starting to think that’s the case,” Truly replied. “At least when it comes to this valley.”
“What would you need magical plants for?” a voice asked.
A boy with skin the same color as a pea and wearing a green shirt, pants, and hat climbed the hill towards them. The only thing not green him was the mane of blond hair coming out from under his cap.
“Who are you?” Truly asked. “And what brings you here?”
“I’m called Get-It,” the boy replied. “I live on the mountains just north of here, and I come down every once and a while to pick clover. I saw you looking around and wondered if you could use some help.”
“Well, bless your heart,” Truly said.
“You’re not shocked to see talking ponies?” Posey asked. “Because that would be a first.”
“I heard talking horses were living in this fjord now,” Get-It said. “And not a lot of humanoids have green skin like me, so weird things don’t bug me at all.”
“Well, it a pleasure making your acquaintance, Get-It,” Truly said.
“So, what’s this about needing magic plants?” Get-It asked.
“One of us sick, her magic having been exhausted, and we need plants with magical properties to help her get better,” Truly said. “Unfortunately, it seems like this fjord doesn’t have any. Ever heard of poison joke?”
“No,” Get-It answered.
“What about the flower of truth?” Posey asked.
Get-It shook his head.
Shady heaved a sigh. She knew this was fool’s errand. “I guess we should go back. Queen Majesty will recover on her own.” She stopped when she realized she probably should not have mentioned it was Majesty who had taken ill.
“We might not have those plants, but there’s something here you could use,” Get-It said. “It’s called witchweed.”
“I’m not familiar with it,” Truly said.
“Neither am I,” Posey added.
Get-It turned towards the mouth of the fjord and waved for them to follow. “Come with me.”
“I don’t know if we should,” Shady said.
“Oh, please,” Truly scolded. “He’s offering to help. We shouldn’t be rude.”
They followed Get-It as he walked towards where the shore turned from their fjord into the main one. “Witchweed is the go to plant for magic,” Get-It explained. “Non-magic users use it to gain magical powers temporarily, but it has some rather nasty side effects. Beware of a concentrated potion made from it. It’s instantly addictive.”
“For such a young boy, you certainly seem to know a lot about it,” Posey said.
Get-It shrugged. “The fact that it’s dangerous is drilled into us as soon as we can understand.”
“What if you already have magic?” Truly asked.
“That’s its real use,” Get-It answered. “Magic users use it as a powerful medicine. It should do the trick for your queen.”
“It’s mighty kind of you to help us,” Truly said. “It’s good to know there are polite and proper people in this world, especially children.”
“Don’t mention it,” Get-It said.
“Where does this witchweed grow?” Posey asked.
“It grows on east facing slopes,” Get-It answered. “There’s some just outside this fjord.”
Shady stopped. “Just outside?”
Get-It turned back. “Yeah. It’s actually in season right, so you’re really lucky.”
Shady felt her muscles tensing. “Can we talk alone, you two?”
Truly heaved a sigh and glowered. “All right, Shady. This better be good.”
Shady led them to where she hoped they would be out of earshot. “I don’t like this. Something to help Queen Majesty is just outside of the fjord. It just feels like too much of a coincidence that we have to leave its protection.”
“Oh Shady, don’t be such a wet blanket,” Truly said. “I don’t know how you treat others in that tourist trap you call home, but in Mustangia proper we try to be neighborly. That fine young boy is helping us with our plight, and we shouldn’t treat him with such suspicions.”
“But—” Shady started to say.
“Come along, you two,” Truly said as she rejoined Get-It. “We shouldn’t dawdle and waste time with baseless suspicions.”
They followed the path to where to came around the bend to the base of a grass ridge. Giant boulders stuck out of the ground, many of them larger than a pony. Shady stopped just before the bend of the ridge. She was not sure what signified the end of the fjord, but the top of the bend in the path seemed like a safe bet.
“I’ll just stay back here,” Shady called out to Truly and Posey.
“Suit yourself,” Truly replied dully.
Shady tapped her hoof as Truly and Posey followed the path around the bend after Get-It. This was wrong. Every fiber of her being was telling her that.
“How much further?” Posey asked.
“Not far,” Get-It answered.
Shady dropped her sunglasses over her eyes again. Maybe she could see the witchweed’s magic through them. There was still no sign of any magic plants amongst the grass. She concentrated on a large rock, perhaps hiding some of the witchweed.
She thought she saw something just past its rim. There was magic there. She walked towards the edge of the water, trying to make it out. She eventually got around it to see Wantall and two harpies crouched.
“Get out of there!” she screamed. “It’s a trap!”
Posey and Truly turned back. “What?” Posey asked.
The harpies jumped out, one holding a large sack. Posey and Truly ran back towards the ridge. Truly was slower because of her uniform, and the harpy with the sack grabbed her by the back of the neck.
Posey practically slid around the bend and almost lost her balance before she finished changing her direction. Shady jumped aside as the other harpy flew around the bend with her talons outstretched. Those purple and green bubbles and black lighting surrounded her and threw her back. She spread her wings and kept aloft, clenching her talons into a fist.
“Relax.” The harpy with the sack, who Shady remembered was the one called Beta, held up Truly thrashing futilely in her grasp. “We have one of them.”
“Unhand me, you feathered thug,” Truly insisted, “or whatever you call these filthy things. Honestly, have you never heard of hygiene?”
She wriggled to look to Shady and Posey. “Don’t just stand there, you two, do something!”
The other harpy wedged the end of her longbow between her talons and stung it. She placed and arrow on the stingray and trained it Shady and Posey. “Don’t try anything heroic.”
Shady took a step back.
Wantall stepped out cautiously from his hiding place.
“Boss, boss,” Get-It said. “We got one.”
“That we did, my boy,” Wantall replied. “I told you politeness is an effective weapon.”
“Then why didn’t you use it get the castle?” Get-It asked.
“Just go get the cart ready,” Wantall said through clenched teeth.
Get-It ran towards the rock, but stopped after a couple steps and turned back to Wantall. “And apparently their queen is sick too,” he added. “Something about her magic being exhausted.”
“Probably from the curse she put on us,” the Beta said. “It’s good to know we won’t have to deal with her.”
She put Truly in the sack. “She might not be the locket, but she’s something we can use.” She turned to Wantall. “Congratulations, Wantall, you get to live for the next few hours.”
Wantall grinned sheepishly and forced a weak laugh. “Just what I always wanted.”
The Beta turned back to Shady and Posey and held up the sack Truly struggled in. “If you want to see her alive and well again, you will bring the locket to the horse farmer’s ranch before sundown today. Tell your fellow ponies this, and don’t plan any tricks.”
The other harpy placed her arrow back in her quiver and unstrung her bow. The two spread their wings and flew off down the main fjord. The Beta held the sack in her talons as they dwindled to specks in the distance.
Get-It drove the damaged cart out from behind the rock to just behind Wantall.
“For all our sake, I suggest you do what they say this time.” Wantall jumped into the cart, and they motored away.
Shady swallowed a lump she felt forming in her throat. It was a trap, but all she could do was stand there while Truly was kidnapped. She felt helpless and powerless as the harpies disappeared from view.
* * *
Wind Whistler stood back as North Star spread the map across the table. Several ponies that had been picking up books stopped to look over the map and listen in on their planning session. Even Paradise had pulled herself from her books to watch.
“Those harpies might have done us a favor,” North Star said. “I found a translated version of the map we had earlier while picking them up.”
Fizzy ran in. “What’s going on here?”
Wind Whistler looked up. “We were about to pick likely locations of the harpies’ base of operations.” She furrowed her brow. “I thought you were cleaning the kitchen.”
“I was,” Fizzy replied. “We just finished mopping the floor, and we’re waiting for it to dry. I asked to come help in the library, so I could help you.”
“Your assistance is appreciated, but we’re planning at the moment,” Wind Whistler said.
“Oh. Okay.”
North Star rubbed her chin as she scanned the map. “So, you’re a harpy. Where would you build your base?”
Wind Whistler looked at the map. With labels in Common, she could tell what they were. There was the Grand Trunk Fjord digging deep inland and branching out at many places. Just west of it was the Choked Fjord with its stunted inlet and river valleys. Between them and to the north was the broad plain of the ‘Jewel Desert’ with those crystal plants and where they found the Crystal ponies.
This map was of the old Empire for modern interpreters. The capital city was prominent in the center of the country with towns and cities noted both in the fjords and inland. A network of roads connected the fjord heads to communities inland.
Wind Whistler heaved a sigh. “I wish I could think more like them.”
“Maybe you do.” Fizzy took Wind Whistler’s wing and opened it. “You both fly, right?”
Suddenly, it was like a blockage in Wind Whistler’s mind had come undone and ideas could flow. She had been looking at the harpies as aliens and predators, completely different from her. However, they were fliers like her first and foremost. It all fell into place before her.
“You’re right, Fizzy,” Wind Whistler said, trying to keep her elation in check. “They do fly just like pegasi. Which means they probably look for the same things in a place of shelter as we do.”
“How does that help us?” Moondancer asked. “Pegasi live in clouds in Equestria. Obviously they can’t do that here.”
“Pegasi live in clouds because in the early days we wanted to make our strongholds difficult if not impossible to reach without flight,” Wind Whistler said. “A race as warlike as these harpies probably wants that natural defense even more. However, instead of clouds, they would use the natural terrain.”
She turned back to the map. “We need some place that’s tall and steep where the only practical way to reach it is flight.” She circled the southern part of the map with her hoof. “Somewhere generally south of the Williams’ ranch.”
“How about these mountains?” Glory pointed to a line of mountains with open tops and smoke coming from them along the coast south of the Barrier Mountains. They were labeled ‘Obsidian Mountains’.
“I don’t think so,” North Star said. “I think the smoke coming out of them means they’re active volcanoes.”
“So?” Glory asked.
“An active volcanic regions would be highly inhospitable anything that flies,” Wind Whistler said. “Eruptions would create deadly ash clouds and thermal currents. Also, the interiors of those volcanoes would be uninhabitable due to the magma.”
Wind Whistler thought further. “They would probably want something more isolated, too. That way they would have a clear view of anything coming.”
“Then what about these islands?” North Star pointed to a cluster of islands in the middle of the bay south of Boreas. Many of them had mountains drawn on them.
“They’re promising,” Wind Whistler mused aloud, “but there are so many of them.”
“Wait!” Paradise flew to a shelf of replaced books and took one out. She set it down on the map and opened it up to a map of one of the larger island. “This book is about these islands.”
Paradise turned the page. “They’re all dead volcanoes, and the tallest is called Spire Island.”
“What kind of terrain does it have?” Wind Whistler asked.
“It says the mountain has several tall, vertical cliffs,” Paradise said. “The island is also noted for a mature yew forest.”
“Did you say yew?” North Star asked. “That’s the kind of wood the harpies build their longbows from.”
“It’s also believed the original harpy invasion used Spire Island as their headquarters,” Paradise said.
“What do you think, Wind Whistler?” North Star asked.
“Appropriate terrain, raw materials for constructing their weapons, and possibly a preexisting stronghold,” Wind Whistler mused. “It sounds like the most logical location.”
Paradise took the book off the map as North Star rolled it up. “Then let’s take this to Minister Magic Star and ask her about it,” North Star said.
A pair of doors burst open and Shady and Posey ran in. They wheezed for air and sweat matted their coats. “The harpies!” Shady gasped. “They took Truly!”
* * *
Wind Whistler winced as Shady cowered in Gusty’s shadow. She knew as soon Shady gave them the news Gusty would have the loudest reaction. However, her targeting her like this was still unpleasant to watch.
“You’re such a wimp!” Gusty shouted in Shady’s face. “Truly was right there, and you didn’t even lift a hoof to right to save her.”
“They held Posey and me at bay with an arrow,” Shady whimpered. “We couldn’t have reached her.”
“You didn’t even try!” Gusty snapped.
“That’s enough, Gusty!” Magic Star stated. “Go sit down!”
“I’m sick of these harpies,” Gusty grumbled loudly as she took a seat in the front row. “I’m sick of us just sitting here. Now they’ve kidnapped Truly. We better do something about them now!”
Magic Star inhaled and slowly exhaled. “I guess we have no choice.”
“So where are they?” Gusty called up to Wind Whistler and North Star at the top and back.
“We believe they’re holed up on an island south of here,” North Star said.
Wind Whistler had been lending one ear to the conversation after Gusty got herself back under control. She was thinking about what the next move the harpies might make with a hostage.
“We might also have a rare opportunity to act upon,” Wind Whistler thought out loud.
“What opportunity is that?” North Star asked.
“These harpies seem to be compulsively deceitful,” Wind Whistler said. “They gave an ultimatum with a timeline and location for the exchange. They will likely have a trap set there for us like they did for Mr. Williams.”
“How’s that an opportunity for us?” Magic Star asked.
“They will probably not risk taking Truly out of their stronghold until their trap is set,” Wind Whistler explained. “However, several of them will be sent to the ranch to set the trap first. That means if we attack now, we could take them by surprise, saving Truly and Megan while a substantial number of them are away.”
“Now that’s more like it.” Gusty stamped her hoof on her bench. “Let’s hit them with everything we’ve got!”
“It still seems risky, but go for it,” Magic Star said.
* * *
Megan awoke with a start to shouting echoing through the hallway outside. She rolled off the wooden bench that had served as a bed in this dark and dingy cell and walked up to the tall, heavy doorway. She had to stand on her tiptoes and hold on to the bars to see out.
Two harpies struggled with what looked like a small horse in a blue dress. In fact, her proportions were more in line with those of a pony. Only her muzzle was even shorter and her larger eyes were a little closer together on a taller head. Her hooves were same color white as her coat, and her dark pink mane was tied up in a bun on the back of her head.
“Let go of me!” the pony shouted with a pronounced accent.
Megan almost fell back in shock at hearing her talk, but kept her hold on the bars.
The pony struggled, but the harpies had too tight a grip on her. The lead harpy followed them with her second in command beside her.
“I wanted the locket, Beta,” the leader snarled.
“He couldn’t get that close, Glorious Alpha,” her second replied. “We decided to go with a hostage instead.”
“And you let him live?!” the leader shouted.
“For now,” her second answered casually. “Besides, the ponies might have been willing to trick us when it was a human hostage. Let’s see how brazen they are when it’s the safety of one of their own at stake.”
The leader rubbed her chin. “You have a point. Besides, I think it’s about time we reached into our own bag of tricks with them.” She pointed back the way they came. “Assemble the others, Beta.”
“By your command, Glorious Alpha.” Her second turned and left.
The leader turned to the two holding the pony. “Throw her in with tonight’s dinner.”
“Dinner!” the pony shrieked as they carried her past Megan’s door. She got a good look at one of her hooves a harpy held to keep it from hitting her. They were actually covered in a white coating since it had some chips in it to reveal the light gray hoof underneath.
“I might look like your dim-witted beasts of burden, but I’m sentient!” the pony insisted. “I have rights! You can’t just throw me in with your livestock!”
The two harpies chuckled as one grabbed the keys off the opposite wall and unlocked the next door. She opened it and they threw the pony in and shut the door behind her. The one with the keys locked the door and returned them to their place.
As they walked away, one looked in at Megan with glare and punched the door. The shock made her loose her grip and she felt back into the cold, grimy stone. She winced at the pain and stood up. She wiped off the seat of her overalls, though it was futile since her clothes were filthy all over.
“I can barely see a thing in here,” the pony complained from the next cell, the stone wall conducting her voice into Megan’s. “What kind of filthy beasts did they throw me in with?”
Megan put her eye to the stone wall. She also wanted to know since they had been feeding her scraps from their meals. She saw them take a sack into that cell earlier, but had no idea what was in it. She had figured geese given the size, except she had not heard as much as a honk from the cell.
She knew lunch smelled so strange she did not even touch it, and she was hungry.
There was a pause and then a gasp. “Wait! They’re dinner?!” the pony exclaimed. “You disgusting barbarians!”
Megan suddenly felt sick to her stomach, more than being in this filthy cell for four days had done. If there had been anything left in her stomach, she would have vomited it up. She did not even want to think what was on the other side with the pony or what lunch had been.
* * *
Twilight Mist levitated a device on a band in a loop to Wind Whistler. “I’m going to attach this to your leg.”
“What is it?” Wind Whistler asked.
“It’s a watch that tracks the countdown until this thing recharges,” Twilight Mist answered. “That way you’ll know how much time you have left without having to call back in.”
“All right.” Wind Whistler held out her leg and Twilight Mist stretched the band so it went over her hoof and secured it around her pastern. Wind Whistler looked at the blank screen. “Afraid we’ll be too quick saving them?” Wind Whistler asked, giving a grin to indicate it was a joke.
Twilight Mist glowered at her. “More likely this will go sideways, and you’ll need to be bailed out again.”
She returned her attention to North Star. “What’s the destination point, and just give me the angle and distance this time.”
“Right.” North Star unfurled the map with a sheet of thin tracing paper over it with lines drawn on it. “Bearing one eight six mark eight, distance one hundred three kilometers.”
Twilight Mist typed in the numbers and the dot appeared right on one of the islands on the map. “Destination point set. You better get down there.”
Wind Whistler descended the stairs to the main floor while North Star glided to the crowd of ponies. Gusty stood at their head, eying all of them.
“All right, pegasi” Gusty asked, “who’s up for a little bird hunt?”
“I’ve already said I’m out,” Paradise answered. “I’ve barely escaped them twice. I don’t want to see if the third time’s the charm.”
Gusty glowered at her. “Anyone else want to chicken out?”
“I’m sorry, darlings,” Heart Throb said, “but I’m a lover, not a fighter.”
The rest were silent. “I’ll take silence as meaning you’re coming along,” Gusty said.
She turned to the few unicorns who had joined them. “I’m going! Unicorns might not be able to fly, but we can wink and use our magic as a weapon.” She summoned a breeze with her horn. “My wind magic will blow those harpies around like dust bunnies in a vacuum cleaner. Any other unicorns have magic good against something that flies?”
Powder stepped forward. “I have freezing magic obviously. I could ice up their wings so they can’t fly.”
Skyflier also stepped forward. “My magic can reduce or increase the pull of gravity on an object. I can’t completely get rid of it reverse it and I have limits on how much I can increase it, but I think I can make them too heavy to fly.”
“Twelve seems like a nice, round number,” Wind Whistler commented.
“I suppose it will have to do,” Gusty grumbled.
Wind Whistler looked up to the control panel where Magic Star stood next to Twilight Mist. “Any last words of encouragement?”
“All I can think of is an old Saddle Arabian prayer,” Magic Star said. “May you find light in even the darkest places you must go. Bring Truly and Megan home, and try to come back alive.”
She nodded to Twilight Mist.
The tunnel filled with a vortex.
“All right, ponies!” Gusty declared. “Let’s go rattle their cage.”
Wind Whistler broke into a gallop with the others, up the ramp and into the tube of color and light. They burst from it onto solid ground facing a formidable mountain rising above them. Massive trees with tangled trunks and branches grew to either side of them. The air was warm and humid with a very slight smell of sea salt to it. A faint sound of unseen waves also reached Wind Whistler’s ear from some shore past the trees.
“This looks like the place,” North Star said. “These are yew trees.” She walked up to one and felt its bark. “Kind of reminds me of the forests back home.”
Gusty looked up at the mountain, her eyes wide. Wind Whistler walked up to her. “Something wrong.”
Gusty lowered her brow. “Nothing’s wrong, it’s just I’m surprised how big the mountain is.”
It was a formidable peak, dark in color from the basalt that formed it. It was so tall, fair weather cumulus clouds that dwarfed anything put out by Clousdale looked like little balls of cotton with it as a backdrop.
* * *
Gergo watched the ponies from the perspective of his astro body, completely unnoticed by them. He heard every word they said. He could even tell which ones possessed magical power.
“I wonder how long before they would know we’re here?” the yellow pony with the wings and hair in six colors asked.
“I don’t know, but we should hit them as fast as possible,” the purple pony with the horn and white and red hair replied.
He closed his third eye and opened his two normal eyes to return to the stronghold and made the slow transition to his physical body. Alecta was instructing Frona and Desdemona.
“Melinda and the others are headed for the horse ranch and will take up sniping positions,” Alecta said. “You two and I will take the pony so we arrive one hour before local sunset. We’ll make this look like a classic exchange until we have the locket, then—”
“Ponies are on the island,” Gergo announced once he had again become accustomed to being in his physical body. “Nine have wings, three have magical power.”
Alecta swung around to him. “What?”
“And with a third of our flock gone!” Desdemona panicked.
“Shut up!” Alecta snapped at Desdemona before turning back to Gergo. “How could they get on the island before you knew it?”
“They appeared instantly,” Gergo reported. “I was not able to perceive how.”
“How could they just appear instantly?” Alecta stopped inslantly and clenched her entire body as rage seethed within her in response to it. “The Bifröst. Those ponies have it.”
“Shall we kill that hostage?” Frona asked.
Alecta paused for a second. “No. She would be easier to hold for interrogation than these newcomers.”
She swung back to the remaining females. “Arm yourselves and prepare for battle. Show these ponies no quarter or mercy. I’ve suffered them enough.”
She showed her teeth clenched tightly. “They’ve robbed me of my prize, cast us from their stronghold, and now stand at my gates. Well, they’re not running or tricking their way out of this one. No. You’ve stepped into my parlor, little ponies, and you’re going to sit in it.”
* * *
Wind Whistler stared up at the sheer cliff rising scores if not hundreds of meters above them. There were some ledges a unicorn could wink to and from, but flight was definitely the best way up.
“I guess there is literally nowhere to go but up,” Lofty said.
Glints came from above them. Wind Whistler instantly realized they were arrows coming straight down at them. “Incoming!”
Gusty summoned a vortex of wind and deflected the arrows so they fell harmlessly to the ground around them.
Lofty looked up and squinted. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “So much for the element of surprise.”
* * *
Alecta clenched her teeth as the barrage of arrows was deflected off their mark. These ponies just refused to die. She glared down at the dozen spots of color on the volcanic rock below.
If arrows were not going to suffice, then they would do this the old fashioned way. She pointed down. “Eviscerate them!”
The others screeched as they leapt from the cliff. They spread their wings and pulled them in tight to gain speed in their dive straight at the ponies.