//------------------------------// // New Friends, and Hidden Treasures // Story: My Little Ponys' The Count of Monte Cristo // by kahnac //------------------------------// He had no idea how long he'd been unconscious for. But when he finally awoke, Shining had felt like his muscles had been nearly strained to the limit. Lightly moaning, he rubbed the side of his groggy head with his hooves digging into the sand for support. And-......wait. Sand? Was Shining going crazy? Or...had he somehow forgotten his perilous escape from The Chateau D'if Le Tambelon? If he did, he swiftly got those memories back as he opened his eyes, and took in his surroundings. He made it to shore. His fur wet from the sea waves washing into him. The feeling of sand sticking into his fur. Both almost felt... ......alien to him. 13 years was such a long time that he'd almost forgotten what things other than stone, and dirt felt like. But as he gazed into the distance across the ocean, he saw the vile prison dozens of miles away. His eyes were wide with disbelief. His breathing grown to excited pants. He just had such a hard time believing it, but it was all true. As the warmth of the sun fell onto him, and the sea breeze cooled him down, he began to accept the reality he had all but forsaken as possible. He was free. He was free from his condemnation in that cesspit of hell. And as a real, genuine smile crossed his face, he knew deep down, he only had one creature to thank for his freedom. "Thank you, Scorpan." he said, with such emotion he was afraid he'd break into tears again. "I couldn't have done this without you. I swear i'll avenge you for your your misfortune. And......I will remember you.....always." He shut his eyes, placed a hoof on his heart, and bowed his head in silence to remember Scorpan. The Gargoyle who had no business treating him with such kindness, and yet cared from him at every tune. The creature.......whom he had grown to consider a brother. Though now it was too late to tell him that, he was hopeful Scorpan knew - wherever he was. He would keep a piece of him within his heart, forever. To ensure his memory lived on. He may have said he wasn't a saint........but he ended up answering Shining's prayers. Once he was finished, Shining had begun to dart down the beach, and indulge in his freedom. Laughing with such cheer that it almost sounded like he was a school colt who had just passed an extremely hard test. In away, Shining HAD passed his greatest test. And now he was free to live his life again. He got so excited that he even started prancing through the sand, jumping up, and down in excitement. His laughter never dying for an instant...............until he finally realized he was NOT alone on that beach. To his surprise, and to their own as well, he saw that there was a whole group of creatures sitting on the beach. A few dragons, black changelings, parrots, and cats. He even saw a few Griffons in the group. And the one who stood out most was a large, white furred simian looking creature, that Shining assumed was a Yeti. While he wore a suit of black armor underneath a large coat, the others were decked out in random garbs bearing only a single symbol on their coats. Even so.......Shining already knew pirates when he saw them. And now he had a feeling he'd just leaped out of the frying pan.........and into the fire. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Soooo." Said the Yeti to Shining. Both of whom were now sitting in the sand, calmly discussing a few things. That didn't stop Shining from keeping his guard up. Pirates were always crafty, and devious. If he wasn't careful, there was no telling what they'd do to him. Of course, the Yeti Captain, as Shining figured he was, only seemed interested in talking. "Normally, i'd ask who you are.....but judging from both your shredded clothes - and the fact that the Chateau D'if Le Tambelon is only 2 miles away....what's the point?" Shining tensed for a moment, fearful of what the Yeti was implying. But the latter appeared to see the fear in his eyes, and raised up a paw. "Relax. Given what i've heard about that place, I really can't blame you for wanting to escape....though I honestly thought it was impossible. Either way, whoever you really are is your own business. As for me? My name is Luigi Vampa, also known as The Storm King. Once a notorious warlord before the civil war ended up costing me my armies, now I am but a humble smuggler, thief, and all-around one of the greatest pirates around." He puffed his chest out a little in pride, much to Shining's private amusement. Vampa cleared his throat, and said, "Now, you see, my men, and I came to this Island to bury alive two of our own who were," he chuckled, "attempting to steal more than their fair share of the loot. Oddly enough.....there are those who are considered their more loyal friends who would wish for me to grant them both mercy - which, of course, I cannot do: for I would quickly lose control of the old crew due to appearing too soft-hearted, and weak." He then pointed to Shining with a grateful smile. "Which is why YOU.....are such a fortunate find." "Why's that?" Shining asked, raising an eyebrow. "You provide me a way to show a little mercy to Garble Jacapo-" Vampa glared over at a pair who was tied up together in the sand. "That sleazy maggot you see tied up over there with his other maggot of a partner, Pharynx." One was a red-scaled dragon who looked as though he were in his 20's, having an orange fin on his head that resembled a mohawk. The other was a black changeling (rarities among the changelings these days), who interestingly enough, had a red frill on the back of his neck, and purple insect eyes. Both were face down in the sand while a parrot was standing over them next to a long boat. "While at the same time, making me not appear as weak. In the process, you provide my men with a little sport." Shining shook his head a little bit. "How do i..accomplish all of this?" Vampa smirked. "I'm glad you asked: we watch you, and Garble fight to the death. If he wins, we welcome him back with open arms. If YOU win, Pharynx is put under your command, and in the end i will have at least given Garble a small chance to live. Even if he did not fully take advantage of it. And you take his place in our crew." ",,,,,,,,,,what if I kill him, but don't want to be a smuggler?" Shining asked hesitantly. "Heh. Then we cut your throat, and we're a little short-handed. Simple." Shining now knew his options were limited. Either risk getting killed by a dragon - or be killed by a group of smuggling pirates. Seeing how he didn't have much of a choice, either way, he made the only one that made sense. "Well.....Iiiiii find smuggling, and piracy to be the life for me, and would be happy to kill your friend, the maggot." Vampa nodded. "Very good. Oh! And before I forget: Garble....is the best combatant i've ever seen." "Maybe you should get out more." Instead of getting angry, Vampa actually found himself amused by Shining's remark, and bellowed with laughter as he stood up. "You are very amusing, stranger! Let's hope you live long enough for us to get used to that. Oi! Untie Garble, and give our unicorn friend here a knife. Then we let the games begin!" The yeti's hands clasped together in delight. Everyone else began to clear out of the way for the makeshift arena. While one of the pirates threw a blade into the sand in front of Shining, he saw Garble, and Pharynx both be untied by the pirates. The dragon releasing a little glare towards his opponent. When one of them tried giving him a knife, he just pushed them aside. Why would he ever need a knife when he was a Dragon? No, he'd finish this up with his bare claws, and be back with the crew as if nothing ever happened. Plus, he'd get some exercise in the process. However, as Shining picked up the dagger in his aura, his opponent soon found that it would not be so simple. For Shining soon, indeed, found all of Scorpan's combat lessons indeed served him well. In fact, they were even better than he imagined. Garble swiped numerous times, tried to punch out the white unicorn, swipe with his tail, and even bombard him from above. Shining's reflexes proved much better than the brutish dragon. The claws were blocked by Shining's dagger, the punches blocked when Shining fought on his hind-legs, leaped over the swinging tail while delivering a swift kick to the side of the head. And Garble's attempt at frying him were easily blocked by Shining's shield - even after being restricted for 13 years, he found that projecting his signature forcefield shield was still as easy humming. He finally ended it with a series of punches, and kick to the chest which sent Garble sprawling on his back. Shining held him down on the sand, with the clamoring of excited pirates sounded all the while. The young dragon's eyes widened as Shining drew the blade to his face. Pharynx also seemed worried for his partner's safety. Of course, Shining had no intentions of hurting the dragon, much less kill him. And once more, used his head for something useful. "If you want to hold onto your life," he whispered, "then keep quiet....and don't. move." Confused, but compliant, Garble nodded his head, and did as ordered. Shining drove his knife into the sand, and said to the captain, "Vampa, The Storm King......I ask you to spare Jacapo's life. For he has suffered enough at the prospect of being buried alive. Those who wanted to have a sport have been satisfied. And those who wanted him to have mercy will get it. And you, good captain, shall receive not just two - but three able bodied sailors, and fighters for your crew, including Pharynx. What do you say?" "I say.......we have a deal!" Vampa laughed his bellowing laugh. It seems he didn't need much convincing, and saw the logic in Shining's case. Why waste a good hand? Shining had pushed all of the right buttons, and had saved both himself, and another. "Welcome to the crew, my friend!" "What name should we ought to call him by?" asked one of the griffons. "Name?" Vampa parroted, mulling it over for just a moment. "I think I know: we shall call him.....Zatarra." Shining smiled a bit. "Sounds pretty fierce." Vampa smirked. "It means driftwood." Laughing along with his other crewmates as they began to make their way back to their ship. Shining got ready to move with them, when Garble pulled him in close by the shirt, and whispered to him. "You could've just killed me back then.......but you didn't. I owe you a life-debt, Zatarra. I swear on all of my relatives - even the ones who aren't exactly feeling too good - I am your dragon......forever." Shining nodded. "I know." He patted Garble's arm, and then helped the drake to his feet. Pharynx flew over, checking up on his partner to see if he was alright. "I'm fine. But you should know: Zatarra here? I pledged to serve, and protect him for life. He's our new boss, now." Pharynx raised an eyebrow. "Really? This isn't part of that "dragon code" thing you mentioned once, is it?" "What does it matter? I'm alive, and I owe Zatarra. That means you do, too." Pharynx rolled his buggy eyes. "Fine. Doubt it'll make much difference who tells us what to do, anyway. Beats being buried alive..............though i could've probably dug my way out as anything, anyway." While Garble chuckled a bit, Shining gave the pair a backwards glance. The faintest signs of a smile forming. Even though he hadn't anticipated this happening to him......he was beginning to think maybe it was good. While these two could never replace his friend, Scorpan, it was good to have the company of another again. He just hoped he could learn to trust them as he did his old friend. The 3 of them went after the rest of the crew, to prepare for a series of adventures that only a smuggler/pirates' life could bring. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3 Month Later.................. Shining "Zatarra" Dantes had spent much time with his new allies, who he now knew as "The Storm Brigade". It didn't seem Vampa had many original ideas in naming his crew. But what Shining DID come to appreciate about the oversized Yeti was how fierce, yet loyal to his crew he was. And how loyal the crew itself was to each other. Even with the fact they were each different species, they all looked out for each other - with the brief exception being the dumb-namic duo, Gable Jacapo and Pharynx, due to the fact they were almost as new to the crew as he. But after several months at sea, all had been forgiven, and the crew worked together as one. On his travels, he had encountered extraordinary sights, and viewed many magnificent wonders along the way. His knowledge growing along the way, along with his skills. His magic was back to its full strength. And the hideous mark on his neck had long since been treated, and was now little more than a brown scar on his neck. A permanent reminder of all he had lost - and all he would regain, soon. A bag of bits was tossed at him from behind, which he caught instantly. "Eyes in the back of your head." Vampa chuckled, leaning against the rail as Shining did. After a few moments, he took note of the distant expression Shining seemed to hold. This gave him the initial feeling something was wrong. "What's the matter? Haven't you ever seen Mareseille's before?" Shining didn't say anything at fist. Mainly because the memories swelling inside of him continued to cart around his mind. Finally, in a melancholy tone, he said, "It was my home." "And yet you don't join the others ashore?" Again, Shining was silent. His eyes filled with so many feelings - so many memories, for good an ill, haunting him. So many thoughts, and wishes that kept him enthralled. Vampa could clearly see the conflict within him. And he'd come to respect Shining too much to let him be tortured so. "Listen to me, Zatarra: i always respected your privacy, and never asked about your history, even once. But whatever happened to you, you cannot make it right by staying here on this boat. Go. It's up to you now." A smile crept to the edge of his mouth as he sighed. "In this life, we are all either kings, or pawns, somepony once said to me." "Aye. Who told you that?" "..............Empress Moon." Vampa instantaneously burst into amused laughter. "Nightmare moon? Oh, Zatarra, the stories you tell." Shining smiled completely in appreciation. "Take care, Luiga Vampa, The Storm King. One day I might come to find you. A person can always find a good friend." Vampa himself smiled appreciatively, saying "indeed", before shaking Shining by the arm, and then bringing him in for a brief, friendly embrace. And no sooner after, he walked away so that Shining may go on his way. Part of the unicorn would miss being on this ship - every last member of this crew had become creatures he considered friend, most ironically considering he himself was a pony. But it was because of the fact they didn't care he was a scarred pony: The Storm Brigade looked out for one another through thick and thin. In his eyes, they were far more trustworthy than any pony could ever be - with the exception of a few. Once the ship set into port, Shining, and his 2 companions followed behind. He was abjectly horrified at what he had seen before him: it was the old shipping firm he once worked with in Iron Hoof's regiment. This made memories of his old life come back to him in a haunting strike. One, in particular, was the last time he made port in his hometown - with the very creatures who eventually betrayed him. " This insubordinate idiot sent us on a fools errand against MY orders. He dragged us all to the island of Eldiban, and almost got us all killed!" Tirek's anger filled voice still echoed in his mind as he remembered that day. His eyes shut tightly as he felt guilt over his own naivete' blinding him to the obviousness of the centaur's animosity towards him. Maybe if he'd caught on earlier............but it was no time to consider such things. That was in the past, and now was the future. And it seemed that Fancy Morrel's shipping firm found itself a dismal future awaiting it: replacing the old sign of the firm was now the sign "Tirek's Shipping co.". "So much has changed." Shining said in a low whisper. When he finally noticed Garble, and Pharynx, he spoke."Find us a small vessel for 3, and wait for me there." He ordered, as he prepared to walk away. "I will meet you within 3 hours. There's......some business I have to take care of, first." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Of all the things for him to feel at this moment, Shining never considered he could actually get nervous over what he was about to do. But either way, he was. And who could blame him? Before him stood the home of his old friend, and co-boss, Fancy Morrel. 13 years proved a long enough time for many things to change. What if his old friend wasn't even around anymore? If his shipping firm had been bought out by Tirek, then it was possible he wasn't even around anymore. That's what kept hanging in the back if his mind while continuously struggling to go through with this. Inevitably, he gave in - he knew he had to do this. He at least needed SOME information of what happened in his absence, and Morrel was his only hope. Yet as he walked past a nearby window, he couldn't help but gasp at his own reflection. He almost didn't recognize himself as he was now. Scars aside, his entire coat, as well as his hair's colors, had faded to a duller, grey color. And when he truly looked back at where his cutie mark was, he was saddened to see that it was barely visible. Marred by the neglect of the Chateau D'if.......and perhaps his own despair, and misery taking hold of him back then. Emotions have always been said to have a profound effect on Equestrians, but he had no idea it was so literal. Had his heart been effected so by his imprisonment? Perhaps. But he knew now that it was going to be hard to get anypony to recognize him who knew him. He also had to consider the possibility that those he knew might have somehow forgotten him. But he refused to allow that to be true. There was no way his family could forget him: not his mother, not his father, not spike or Twily. And certainly not-.......certainly not mercedes. She would never break their promise to each other. He had to believe in her, now more than ever. He didn't finally escape a fate as terrible as Tartarus to lose her now. With his resolve renewed, he made his way over to the house. The lights were on, so he at least could tell somepony was up inside. Good. That meant Morrel, or whoever else may have lived here, could speak to him. At least, he hoped they would be willing to, despite his coming at this late hour. Walking up to the door, he raised up his hoof, readying to knock. He hesitated, still feeling a tad nervous over what he was about to do. But he swallowed his nervousness, and knocked loudly, but not too hard. After a few minutes, it seemed as though he would find nopony inside. But as good fortune would have it, he heard the doorknob beginning to twist. And peering out through the door was a beautiful young mare, who seemed a bit taken aback by Shining's appearance. Not that he could blame her. "Um...." Shining cleared his throat, "Is...this the home of Fancy Morrel?" "I-..i'm sorry, sir," she said a bit nervously, "my father isn't well. And even if he were, he wouldn't receive visitors at 11:00 in the evening." "Please," Shining said gently, but with urgency, "I need to speak with Mr. Morrel as soon as possible. Tell him-" He hesitated for a moment, unsure of if he should say his next words. But he said them anyway. "Tell him there's a friend of Shining Dantes who is looking for the stallion in question." The mare herself gives him a surprised look. As if she were expecting some news about Dantes. A few moments later, and she opened the door to the color-faded stallion. He took a deep breath. It was now, or never. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I'm sorry for coming at such a late hour, sir." Shining said politely to the stallion sitting opposite him of the fireplace in Morrel's lounge room. The stallion himself looked the same as Shining himself remembered. But there was something....different about him. A weariness hidden beneath his tired eyes, and rugged expression. This made him feel a strong sense of pity for the older stallion. But Fancy merely smiled curtly, and said, "Oh, it's no bother, dear boy. Old colts never sleep, anyway. Please, sit. Sit." He then asked his daughter, Creme de la creme, for some sherry. "So, Mr. Zatarra, you were a friend of Shining Dantes?" Shining, however, wasn't so quick to answer right away. Instead, he wanted to see if his old friend would be able to recognize him, even as he was. "Mr. Morrel?" he said, making the other stallion ask "yes" in curiosity. A hopeful smile stretched across Shining's face as he brushed his hair to the side, allowing the gentlecolt to get a better look at him. But, to his disheartening disappointment, Morrel only kept staring at him with a questioning glance. Not once did he seem to recognize Shining for who he was. And his smile faded when he made the awful realization: as he was now, nopony who knew Shining Dantes would ever recognize him as he was now. Not as this grey ghost, covered in scars he had concealed beneath this cloak he wore. And if Morrel, who knew him well, couldn't recognize him......then who could. "You knew Shining Dantes, also?" Shining asked, playing back into the unknowing stranger. "Indeed." Morrel nodded sadly. "He was like a son I once even attempted to testify for him after he was accused, and arrested for treason, and murder." "Then...maybe you could also direct me to his family?" Another solemn look crossed the gentlecolt. "I am sorry, good sir. But....i'm afraid his father, Night Light, died of a mysterious illness 4 years ago after hearing of his son, Shining's death. He was trying to find evidence of his son's innocence, as was his daughter, Princess Twilight. Sadly, it appears fate was a cruel mistress to the good stallion back then. His death came as a great shock.....and cut truly deep in the hearts of his family. A part of me is only glad Shining isn't around - so he doesn't have to learn of such a horrible thing happening to the father who loved him more than life itself." Fancy sighed heavily. "I suppose grief is the greatest killer of them all." Unfortunately, Shining DID learn of it just now. And it hurt him alot more than any of the whippings of Grogar, and the tortures of that back collar. "That's-" he barely chocked, trying as hard as he could to hold back his tears. He felt his heart breaking in half, but he had to keep it secret. "That's truly terrible." He said, while barely holding his composure. Once he took a few deep breaths, he asked, "And...what of Shining's mother, Twilight Velvet?" "Last I recall, she returned to her original home in Canterlot. She just couldn't bear the anguish of losing both her son, and her father. Mareseilles just held no place for her any longer." Morrel sighed. "Poor mare. Truly can't say I blame her." That, at least, gave Shining a sense of relief, knowing his mother was at least still alive. Though he was still hurt by what he figured she may have gone through. And all it did was make him wonder about Cadence, and how this effected her. But he knew he'd learn that once he found her. For now, he had something else of more importance he had to know. "So......this treason, and murder: who accused him?" "Tch. Who knows? I imagine it was Lord Tirek who made the murder accusation, given it was supposedly General Iron Hoof who had been murdered - so say the rumors. Chief Prosecutor, Neighsay Villefort, the stallion who had Shining arrested 14 years ago, left for Paris to become Crown Prosecutor. Of course, the unexpected murder of his father, Spell nexus, may have spurred his departure. Then again, given it was the final war against Empress Moon, herself, those were bound to be strange, and chaotic times." "You seem to be on desperate times yourself, sir." Fancy nodded. "Indeed. After learning of Shining's death, I...reluctantly took on a partner. The current General, and Lord of Paris, Prance, himself, before he took the throne for himself. Then one day, he forced me out, and took the firm for himself. Given his vast wealth, and newfound resources, I couldn't possibly see why Tirek would want a shipping firm under his control." This made Shining tilt his head to the side. "I don't understand. I've heard of Tirek's promotion to general, but....how did he become the king of all Prance?" "......Let's just say it was after he asserted himself as Lord Tirek, and made known his then-secret rule of the kingdom known as the Netherlands. A few weeks afterwards, Empress Moon escaped her island prison with her loyal followers at her side. Those who were hiding in Equestria rallied to her side, and prepared for a final offensive against our nation. Paris ended up being the center of this climactic war. The king was unable to defend the city against such overwhelming forces, and lost it to Empress Moon in mere days. Lord Tirek was the one who lead the charge against her forces in Paris. Thanks to him, her main forces were broken, and beaten. He was the one who paved the way for The Princesses, and The Warriors of Harmony, to face the Empress in a final battle to decide Equestria's fate. Thanks to the Elements of Harmony, Empress Moon was transformed back into the ethereal darkness of Princess Luna she had been spawned from, and was rejoined with her forever. The Lunar Republic fell that day, and Equestria triumphed. Lord Tirek was recognized for his leadership that day, and awarded the highest honors with further promotion to Prime General of the Equestrian Defense Forces, including the military. And after learning of the King's death, Tirek himself proposed a solution to fill in the gap of power: that he be allowed to absorb the nation of Prance, and assimilate it as part of his own. This way, the Equestrian defense could be doubled, and fortified. The princesses allowed it........and now Tirek rules not only his own dominion of the Netherlands: but as ruler of Prance, along with the Equestrian Military." Shining's eyes narrowed. "So......he benefited further than I thought." "And I fear this nation suffers all the more for it." "What do you mean?" "Although Tirek has always been a tactical genius, and a brilliant strategist and leader.......we soon learned just how cruel, and uncaring he truly was. While he keeps the rest of the other nations believing he rules this land with wisdom, and benevolence, he is in fact a tyrant. Even though he pays Mareseilles little mind, it is Paris who suffers from his parasitic ways: bleeding the lower class dry of their moneys, turning the desperate into a personal labor force. And his Gargoyle troops constantly make life more difficult for the simple ponies who live there. Only the high society stays safe from his abuse, due to his high-strung mannerisms. He wears a mask of sophistication to hide the fact he is an evil brute who has no qualms of hurting those weaker than him. But he cares little for how the peasantry views him: all he cares for is how the aristocracies, royalties, and nobility's respect, and admire him." The poor old stallion sighed heavily. "I always knew there was a reason Iron Hoof kept him on such a short leash: I guess even he knew Tirek held ambition for power, even when the General was alive. Now, it seems he has all the power he could ever want short of complete control of Equestria." This made Shining remember the dying words of his general which he now knew he should have heeded ages ago. "Tirek.....may be a good leader, to an extent. And his prowess.....has always been....impressive, he's also arrogant, temperamental, and self-centered. And my status......... gives me absolute.....control of the Equestrian military.....under the Princesses. I've always sensed his ambition....and i'm afraid of him.....abusing the power this......would give him." This was the exact thing Iron Hoof was afraid of happening. And now his greatest fear had become a terrible reality - all because of Shining, and his naivete'. After shaking his head to clear his mind, he said, "I am.....sorry to hear about all of this. And to hear of your own misfortunes possibly brought on by Tirek." "Ah, yes. It is a bit disheartening to think about, and living these days has proven difficult. But........I honestly think that my misfortunes are nothing compared to those poor ponies, and other creatures, who possibly suffer under his rule. In the end, these are the days when misfortune prevails over the good, and caring folk." Shining then formed a rather knowing smile which got the gentlecolt confused for a moment. "Well, maybe your fortune's about to change." "Pardon?" "I think you'll learn soon enough." Shining said enthusiastically, getting up from his seat. "Now, please forgive my abruptness: i must now seek out Shining's fiance'." "Uh, forgive me, sir, but.........i'm afraid you won't find her here." Shining halted in his tracks, and turned to face the older colt. "Come again?" "With Nightlight having passed, and Velvet unable to stay in Mareseilles, Cadence Mercedes could no longer afford to remain, either. And even though the princesses offered to give her a place to stay within Canterlot, she declined. She was determined try, and make it on her own - and...she chose Paris as her destination." Shining's eyes widened in fear. "Colonel Sombra went with her to support her as best he could. Both were present during Empress Moon's invasion. The last I heard, Sombra was honored as a war hero, and given the rank of General. After Tirek claimed lordship, he awarded Sombra the title of Count Sombra Mondego. I'm.........not sure what happened to Cadence, as i've been preoccupied attempting to support my family with what I can. But I have a feeling she's alright. That mare was quite strong, even when the news of her beloved's death hit her hard." Shining's expression fell, just a little. Only because he didn't want his own feelings of anguish to come through. Mostly because of how his heart wrenched at the thought of what kind of hardships she must have endured. She just had to be so stubborn that she wanted to survive on her own. But.......she didn't really, did she? Assuming Sombra actually DID give a damn about her after what he did to Shining. The grey-furred unicorn swore that if that back-stabbing wretch let anything happen to her........he'd make him suffer worse than he already intended. Now he knew he had to make finding her a priority. But first, he still had something he needed to do if he was going to complete his objectives. He was prepared to leave, to Fancy Morrel's notice, before the latter said, "Well, I-.......I am sorry I wasn't any real help to you." "No, no." Shining reassured him. "You've been a great deal of help. And I promise you, that one day your troubles will be over." He then sighed. "But you are right about one thing: Shining Dantes.....is dead." He then left the household without turning back. He had all he needed. Now it was time to obtain his weapon. He made to the docks in ten minutes after galloping his way there. When he arrived, he saw both Pharynx and Garble waiting for him. "Oh, boss!" Garble exclaimed as Shining trotted past him. "You're gonna be SO happy with us: we got us a nice little skiff big enough for three We couldn't afford a scoop, but we got a good deal out of it at the best price. Or, at least the best price you could get out of a griffon. But either way, we're all set for-" But he noticed Shining wasn't paying attention to him. "Z-...zatarra?" Shining was more focused on preparing the boat for departure. Both changeling, and dragon saw the fierce, determined look in his eyes, and were a bit concerned. "What do you think happened with him? His emotions feel a little.......sour. Like something's got him feeling bitter." Pharynx said. "Who knows, Phar?" Garble said, giving his master a concerned expression. "But honestly......I hope he'll be alright." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Several weeks passed by for the trio of sailors. Despite the fact Garble, and Pharyx didn't know where they were heading, they trusted Shining to know. At least they were right, as Shining still had the map given to him by Scorpan. This was the map which would lead him to they key of his retribution. And he was following the night, and daytime skies to the best of his knowledge of sea-faring navigation to their destination, based on what he learned from both Scorpan and Vampa seperately. He just knew patience would be a factor in this journey. As long as they stayed their course, he knew they would find what he was looking for. Finally, after six more days of sailing, they arrived to their destination: The Isle of Monte Cristo. As Scorpan had said, it was off the Italian cost - though Shinig had no idea it would be THIS far out. However, he remembered the objective was to HIDE Gold Sword's treasure - not make it easy to find. Once they made it to shore, it was up to Shining to follow the instructions provided by Scorpan, himself. All of them were intricate, and complex. Kind of like an elaborate puzzle on a piece of cloth. Anyone else would have never been able to figure it out on their own. Even Shining's companions were a bit befuddled by all of their movements that seemed to go nowhere. But Shining himself was another story: he remembered everything Scorpan had taught him, involving navigation, and applying science to real life situations. This map, to him, was one such equation. In his mind, Shining couldn't help but laugh at the prospect of his long passed friend training him for this exact moment. Almost as if he never expected to make it out of the Chateau D'if alive........or even continue on after they escaped. It was almost confounding, but Shining didn't dwell on it for too long. He had a map to decipher. They had arrived at midday, and by the time they reached the climax of their hunt, it had become evening. By then, the clue following had taken them to a secluded cave by the sea. A dark, empty, vacant cave with no signs of life. Good thing the company was consisting of a Unicorn, and Dragon, who used their magic and flame respectively to illuminate the cavern. They walked for several minutes, careful to mind their steps. And eventually, they came upon a large cavern, with a secret pool which was connected to the ocean outside. But other than that, there was actually nothing else in here. This lead to a bit of confusion, as they figured that this was the last stop on their journey. But where was the treasure? A pang of doubt struck the side of Shining's head, making him wonder if, perhaps, someone else had claimed the treasure for themselves. That thought was quickly dashed. Shining knew it couldn't be that simple. All of the hidden signs, and markers lead to this cave, specifically. It had to be the right place. And it had to be for a good reason. Before he could wonder what it was, he observed the gentle, calm water sitting before them. And that's when it clicked. The perfect place to hide something is in completely plain sight, where none would expect to look. Now, he had to make sure he was right. After removing his cloak, Shining leaped into the water, and began swimming his way to the floor of the pool. The darkness made it hard for him to see anything. So he decided to light up his horn again in the dark deep. What he saw made his eyes widen in surprise. Chests. Dozens of treasure chests scattered all over the pools bed. But was anything still inside of them? He got alot closer to one of them to be certain. None of them had any locks on them - or rather, none that were clamping the chests shut. He reached out his hooves, pulled up the lid, and........... Gold. Absolutely nothing but gold was inside. From coins, to jewelry, to silverware, it was a horde of absolute gold, shared with several jewels, and gems inside. His hooves pushing through to bring them up, and get a closer look. His expression remaining as amazed, and shocked as ever. This was it: the treasure of Count Gold Sword. Now, after so many years, had been found once again. And yet, as Shining swam back up to the surface for air, only one thought could be heard stretching throughout his mind in astonishment. "The priest was right." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After setting up camp, Pharynx had been assigned to bring out as many chest as possible - which he did by turning into a giant squid. Garble loaded every chest he could onto their skiff. The young dragon almost going insane over how much gold there really was here. Were it not for his loyalty to Shining, he probably would've tried to horde the whole treasure for himself. Then again, given how many of these chests Pharynx said were down there, even his greedy nature was feeling satisfied now. The pair had just finished loading the 15th chest onto the skiff, which Garble gave a happy peck to, before they headed back to the campsite outside the cave. The pair of them laughing with joy, and throwing some of the loot into the air as they ran past two chests to their boss. This was an amazing, and incredible discovery that noone - not even dragons - make every day. "Boss Zatarra!" Garble exclaimed. "That's it for now! The boat: she can't take anymore!" "And there are still EIGHT MORE boatloads down there!" Pharynx exclaimed. "I know, cause I counted them all. Took only less time to do that than it was to bring all of THESE up." Shining, however, appeared to be lost in thought. Expressionless as he only stared away at the fire. Whatever was on his mind proved far more important to him than the discovery. Something which Garble couldn't help but show confusion towards. "Boss.....do you not understand? This is THE ultimate treasure! No dragon alive has ever collected this much loot int heir lifetimes. You are wealthier than any creature I have ever heard of. Whatever your problems used to be-" he swiped both hands through the air. "they are long gone. With this, we could do anything - BUY anything. So: what do you want to buy, Zatarra?" After a few seconds of silence, he answered the question with the only answer he's ever thought of since he broke free. "Revenge." "Huh." Pharynx said, looking to Garble and he to him, in mild surprise before they got with the program. "Okay, revenge. Sounds cool. But, eh.....against who?" "Sombra Mondego, Neighsay Villefort.........and Tirek Danglars." he said with venom in his words. "Alright, no biggie." Garble said nonchalantly. "We kill these guys, then we keep and spend the treasure. Sound good." "No." Shining said. "We have to study them first. Learn all of their weaknesses, before we destroy them." "Huh?" Pharynx exclaimed in confusion. "But....I don't get it. Why not just kill them, and get it over with. Look, I'LL do it. I'll go up to Paris, take on a disguise, take them out bam bam bam, and we're free to do whatever we want with the gold. How's this a bad plan?" "Easy: death is far too good for them. It's a release, not a punishment. We must learn what they cherish most, and discover their guilty secrets. They need to suffer as I suffered. All of their worlds will torn apart, and ripped away from them." He said bitterly, and angrily. "Just they ripped mine away from me." Pharynx just sighed, and Garble rubbed the back of his head. It was obvious Shining had his mind set, and a plan in motion already. Nothing the two of them could say would ever convince him of anything else. All they could do was relent, and go along with it. Though Garble, of course, brought up an important fact which couldn't be overlooked. "Well......you're sure as heck gonna need a new name to make this work. "Cause I don't think Zatarra's gonna cut it - and the guy you were before is dead." Shining, however, had considered that already. Looking upon the map, he had already thought ahead of such a matter. And he was ready for his renewal. "Then once we make our first purchase.......I shall become a Count." And with a swift motion, he threw the map into the fire, and let it burn. His memory was as strong as his mind had become, so he already knew how to get back here, and recover the rest of his new inheritance. The flames consuming the small parchment, leaving only the island name before turning it to ashes. A testament to the final step in the rebirth of the stallion once named Shining Dantes. As this place was where his quest for justice/revenge had truly begun, it was only now fitting that he should take a name after it. And it is this name that all in Equestria shall know him as forevermore. The Count of Monte Cristo.