//------------------------------//
// Chapter thirteen: grand plans with good intentions 
// Story: Brothers 'N Antlers 
// by Elkia Deerling 
//------------------------------//

He glanced at the door one last time, and turned his ears in every direction.

No. She was gone. But he knew that, as he had seen her leave. This whole village—and especially this whole new assignment—was slowly making him paranoid. 

Elkia shoved his work aside and opened the drawer of his desk. Once, when Starlight had been gone for a whole day, overseeing the new arrival of goods by zeppelin, he had taken the thing to a pony whose special talent used to be carpentry. It had taken him a whole afternoon and many clumsily broken nails and split wood—as he still had to work without his cutie mark—but in the end he had managed to create a secret compartment in Elkia’s drawer. It wasn’t exactly waterproof or airtight, but it was a challenge to spot with the naked eye. It had to do.

Elkia took the latest edition of the secret newspaper out of the drawer and put it on his desk. He always liked going over some of his old work before he began a new project. That way, he could set his mind in the right mode. Elkia glanced over the logo of the newspaper, a cactus with long, flat, disc-like arms bearing strange-shaped fruit coated in prickly pits. Party Favor had come up with the logo and the name, and Elkia found it good, almost funny. He began to read.

The Proud Prickly Press
 
By Party Favor. Edited by Elkia Deerling.
 
The Proud Prickly Press is our voice, and it will become your voice as well. It is a voice with which we can speak freely and without censure about whatever we like. We called the newspaper “proud” because we are proud that we finally have the means and methods to write what we want to write and convey our message of freedom to listening ears and understanding minds. We are proud to exist, to be a beacon of light in the fog and mist of confusion, fear, false equality, and oppression we—unfortunately—have to live with every single day. And of course, we are proud to have you, dear reader, as one of our many soldiers in this silent war against our oppressor, Starlight Glimmer. 
 
We called ourselves “prickly” because that is what we are. Everyone knows what the prickly pear fruit is, the sweet little treat which has to be handled very carefully, if one wants to prevent injury. That’s what we are. With our secret society the other-thinkers, we have created a merry bunch, talking and joking away in our underground cellar. We have a relationship with each other as sweet as the prickly pear fruit. Right now we might seem innocent and harmless, but don’t forget about our prickly coat. There are plans on the table, which are almost ready to execute. Together, we will show Starlight Glimmer our prickly spikes, sooner or later, and reveal our true intentions. She will have to wear very thick horseshoes if she wants to handle our prickly spines.
 
Needless to say, the “press” part is obvious. Thanks to one very special friend, we are here, in your hooves, spreading words of hope and helping you. We will tell you every truth you need to know, give you tips and tricks on how to live in freedom in this regime, and show you how you can help us and become part of something greater. Together, we help each other, stay secret, and have each other’s back.
 
We are the Proud Prickly Press.
 
‘Risky, risky, risky,’ Elkia whispered. If this newspaper fell into the wrong hooves, the disaster would be complete. Yet, Party favor had really insisted that they begin each edition of the Proud Prickly Press with a little explanation on what the paper exactly is, so that even the newest members of the other-thinkers could be filled in in no time, and know who’s who and what’s what. Party Favor had been so enthusiastic Elkia found himself unable to scrap the article. But he had really insisted on knowing who should get the paper and who shouldn’t, and Party Favor had told him he knew what he was doing.

Join us!
 
By Party Favor. Edited by Elkia Deerling.
 
Now that you have this newspaper between your hooves, and keep it secret as best as you can, you have proven to us that you are other-thinker material. Thanks to you and all the others, our secret society lives and breathes. Together we are strong, and together we raise our hooves in defiance to our oppressor, Starlight Glimmer.
 
Don’t let her appearance fool you. Starlight Glimmer is not the leader we want to have. She claims to create a cutie mark-less society, but, believe it or not, she still has her own cutie mark! This fact has been verified by Elkia Deerling, our chief editor. He is Starlight’s personal writer, and saw how she fakes an equal sign cutie mark every single day. But now that I mention it, we might have been able to draw that conclusion all by ourselves. How else could Starlight Glimmer be able to steal our cutie marks and store them in the cutie mark vault? She uses magic, and how could she even be able to use such powerful magic if she had an equal sign cutie mark like the rest of us? Don’t give me the talk about the magical staff, because I know for sure it is fake. I’ve held the thing once, when I was already a member of the other-thinkers. I am a unicorn, and I should be able to detect magic using my horn. Yet when I held this piece of wood which she calls a “staff,” I felt nothing, nothing at all. Not the slightest buzz of magical power. But when Starlight Glimmer took it, she used it freely to strip the cutie mark off one of our poor friends.
 
And what about equality? If Starlight Glimmer really wanted equality, then why is she not living like us? Why is she constantly holding public speeches and talks to us as if she is our leader? It’s obvious that she wants to be our leader, but don’t forget that in a society with true equality, nopony stands above anypony. Take a moment to think about that. If we really are an equal society, then why is Starlight Glimmer ruling us? 
 
As you can see, Starlight Glimmer has given us nothing but lies, confusion, and tyranny suitable for a drama story. This is why we need you, reader. This is why we should assemble, grow in numbers and grow strong. With your help, we can stand against Starlight’s rule. It doesn’t even matter what you do, because everything you do can help us. You can help spread the Proud Prickly Press, you can gather stories and gossips and submit them to us, you can help create plans to take action against Starlight Glimmer, you can try to spot other ponies with diverging ideas and maybe even recruit them as new members. The more members we have, the stronger we stand against Starlight.
 
Elkia read the last few lines of this article a couple more times and then nodded. Thanks to the Proud Prickly Press the number of other-thinkers had risen dramatically. In the first week alone there had been a dozen new volunteers wanting to join the underground resistance. And every time a new issue of the Proud Prickly Press appeared, new ponies stood on the proverbial doorstep, eager to join the cause. Elkia reckoned that the Proud Prickly Press was a slam success. 
 
Hidden rations of food and more
 
By Sugar Belle. Edited by Elkia Deerling.
 
Thanks to our inside-pony in the unloading crew, some rations of food, drinks, and other things long thought extinct are available to the public. A specialized squad of other-thinkers has made sure to hide the chests as best as they could. Register yourself at our underground headquarters and then we’ll distribute the different items as fairly as we can. Of course, if you’re a baker you will get a priority on baking-related items, and if you’re a carpenter you will get a priority on tools, etcetera. Just make sure to use your new items as inconspicuously as you can. Needless to say, but important enough for us to say it anyway, Starlight Glimmer must not find out that some of her supplies have gone missing.
 
It was with those little things that the other-thinkers created some kind of resistance against Starlight Glimmer. Sometimes it’s the little things that count. These little things enabled the pony population of Starlight’s village to feel they were making a difference. Plus, who would say no to an extra ration of chocolate? Elkia chuckled and read the next article. There were a few small ones left.

Thank you, Elkia!
 
By Night Glider, Sugar Belle, and Party Favor.

‘Oh my, not again,’ Elkia said. Of course he wasn’t angry or sad. He was just being his modest self. He knew exactly what followed in the next paragraphs. He didn’t actually need to read it, but still, every time he read it he felt warm and fuzzy inside. Reaching for his heart and with a smile on his face, he read on.
 
We understand that putting a name on paper in the Proud Prickly Press might be risky, but we think that everything our special friend is doing is a big thing, which means a lot to us and requires a big “thank you.” And besides, our friend knows that he is risking everything by helping us, and he knows that if the Proud Prickly Press is discovered he will be the first to become exposed, next to us three, of course. You see, it doesn’t really matter if we put his name in the Press or not, but it matters to us to let him know just how much his work is appreciated.
 
We’re talking about Elkia Deerling of course. Thanks to him and him alone did the Proud Prickly Press come to existence. He showed us how to use the printing press, how to collect stories, how to make a nice layout, how to create vivid and catchy titles. Even though his appearance in our secret society was a bit of an accident (it’s actually a really funny story, which we might publish later on—with Sugar Belle’s approval), we could never have made a better accident.
 
So without further ado, we would like to say a big “thank you” on behalf of all the other-thinkers and the founders. Elkia, you have more than earned your place amongst the ponies who started it all, your friends Night Glider, Party Favor, and Sugar Belle.
 
Tears came to his eyes as Elkia read the last sentence. He could never have hoped for a better friendship than this one, however secret it was. Actually, Elkia found that he had to say “thank you” to them as well. Never before had he felt this useful to anypony. He was able to do what he liked to do: to write. And now, he was truly making a difference with his work, writing directly for the other-thinkers’ underground resistance movement. But not only that, he had also taught them how to write, how to operate the printing press, and how to create the Proud Prickly Press by themselves. Elkia thought he hadn’t earned that much honor, as the ponies did their bests too. Wiping away two stray tears, he read the rest of this edition of the Proud Prickly Press.
 
More public speeches
 
By Night Glider. Edited by Elkia Deerling.
 
Has anypony noticed that Starlight’s public speeches are increasing? Think about it. Where first Starlight only gave a speech once a week and on special occasions or when there was something important to tell, now she gives one speech almost every day. Our inside antlered agent, Elkia Deerling, can confirm this as well. He said that Starlight Glimmer definitely keeps him busy writing speeches for her, which she then rehearses quickly and recites to us, the public. And not only that, the speeches are growing more the same every day. Starlight always talks about unity, how we should stay together in her “cutie mark-less” and “equal” society, and how important it is to flush out any traitors. But of course, we must ignore her words the same way we avoid rattlesnakes, as we always do. 
 
So why this article? I just want to point out that I think Starlight Glimmer is up to something. She wants to make sure her grip on us is still iron-bound and powerful. I think she is trying to reinforce her authoritative position as a leader, and maybe even wants to make us scared, or the contrary, to give us a false sense of security. Whatever the reason is, I and the rest of the other-thinkers think she’s up to something.

There was one last article remaining. It was a short one, but Elkia found this one the most interesting of all.

The secret surprise!
 
By Night Glider, Sugar Belle, and Party Favor.
 
That’s right, everypony, things are about to get serious. Over the past weeks, we have grown steadily in number, to the point where our little cellar is almost too small to harbor us all. The Proud Prickly Press works like a charm recruiting new members. Now, we think we are enough. We’ve gathered resources and horsepower, and now it is time for action.
 
We can’t tell you much about what we’re going to do, but don’t be afraid. We’ll give you a heads-up, and even if you miss our hints, you’ll know it when it happens. As early as the founding of the other-thinkers we have brooded on big plans, plans that will make a difference, if they are executed well enough. These plans will make sure to crack open Starlight’s illusion and deliver a crushing blow against her regime. More information will follow soon.
 
The words were ominous, predicting something even Elkia didn’t know anything about. Night Glider had told him that something was about to happen, but there hadn’t been enough time to talk about it. Didn’t matter. Elkia promised himself to bring up the topic next time he was at the headquarters in Sugar Belle’s cellar again. 

But then he realized that maybe he didn’t even have to wait that long. Elkia laid the last issue of the Proud Prickly Press aside and started digging in his hidden drawer again. Pulling out different small scraps of paper, he arranged them on his desk. These were the new articles for the next issue of the Proud Prickly Press. His job was to determine which went where and how the layout would be, then he would give them back to the printing team, who then printed the next issue of the underground newspaper. Elkia’s eyes scanned the articles one by one, until he thought he found what he was looking for.

Revolution!
 
By Night Glider.
 
The time for waiting is over. It’s time to make a stand against Starlight’s regime—literally. We are with so many now, and we know that if we unite and fight, Starlight Glimmer will not stand a chance. I bet even her magic cannot help her against the power of our collective society.
 
Over the past few months I, and the rest of the founders, have discussed the topic of revolution. In secret, we talked about a new way of government, a way where everypony gets the right to vote and can participate in ruling over the town. The plans for this new government are all ready, so the only thing that remains is to get rid of the old government. Starlight Glimmer will fall.
 
Our plan is simple. Together, we will march towards her house, and surround it on all sides. We have no idea how she will react, so bring everything you can use as a weapon or shield. Pitchforks, rakes, rolling pins, mallets, hammers, wood, tools—whatever you can get your hooves on. After surrounding the house, she will hopefully see that there is nowhere she can go. We will then tie her up and exile her, and I, together with Party Favor, Sugar Belle, and Elkia Deerling, will occupy the house.
 
As you can see, our plan is solid, simple, and practical. Join us and help us, because we need every soldier we can get. We are not exactly sure just how many ponies in this town are still loyal to Starlight Glimmer, so, once again a warning: be armed and be dangerous. 
 
Together we stand strong!
 
Together, we will fight for our freedom!
 
Together, we will transform Starlight Glimmer into a falling star!
 
The article then continued to tell exactly when and where this revolution would take place, but at that point Elkia had already put the article down, revealing his wide-open eyes and his chattering teeth. Were they serious? Were they actually going to do this? Elkia knew there were plans for big boycotts or things like this, but having a plan and bringing a plan into practice were to entirely different things. It was like the vague practice of daydreaming stuff or actually doing stuff in real life. 

‘This can’t happen!’ Elkia said, discovering that he voiced his thoughts immediately. ‘This… this is dangerous! Somepony might get hurt!’ 

Just the thought of somepony getting into a fight because of this article sent shivers through his body. His words and intentions were never to hurt, but to heal. He wanted to heal this village. Was fighting really necessary to change this village for the better? Elkia thought it wasn’t.

As fast as a sneaky snake, Elkia grabbed the last issue of the Proud Prickly Press and the articles and put them in his drawer. He folded up the article about the revolution and took it with him, as he left the house.

Looking twice over his shoulder, Elkia made his way to Sugar Belle’s shop. He said the password, told Sugar Belle he had something to talk about, and together they disappeared into the cellar.

It was truly busy inside. A whole group of ponies were gathered in front of the chalkboard as Night Glider was explaining something. The explanation had to wait, however, for Elkia wanted to talk to her too. In a matter of seconds, Sugar Belle, Night Glider, and Party Favor were gathered together with Elkia in the printing room, the printing press being their only witness.

‘What’s all this about?’ Night Glider said quite irritably. ‘I was just explaining some crucial details of the revolution to our soldiers.’

‘Yes, and that’s exactly what I want to talk about,’ said Elkia. ‘We have to abort it.’

Odd glances came from the three ponies. ‘Cancel it? You’re talking nonsense,’ said Night Glider.

But Sugar Belle interrupted her friend with a wave of her hoof. ‘I think I know what Elkia means, because I feel the same.’ She looked up at Elkia. ‘Elkia, I know you think we shouldn’t do such drastic things, where ponies could even get hurt. Believe it or not, but I thought the same thing when I heard of this plan.’

Sugar Belle guessed Elkia’s thoughts right. He nodded.

‘Yeah, I think violence is bad too,’ said Party Favor. ‘But Night Glider and some of our most trusted members convinced me to go through with the plan.’

‘But why?’ said Elkia. ‘Is violence really necessary to get what you want? Won’t ponies look very strangely upon this new government if it’s built on a hostile takeover?’

‘They’ll accept it,’ said Sugar Belle. ‘As part of our democratic ideas, we put together a vote. Almost everypony voted for the revolution.’

‘But—’

Night Glider swooped down and grabbed Elkia’s head, forcing him to look into her eyes. ‘Listen Elkia, these ponies are prepared to die for our cause. They don’t mind a little violence. These ponies are sick and tired of living their lives in lies and discord, not being able to do anything. Right now they’re glad, because they know we are going to make a difference.’

Night Glider let go of Elkia, who suddenly found himself at a loss for words. Slowly, with a weak voice, he said, ‘Did almost everypony vote for the revolution?’

The three ponies nodded. ‘Really,’ said Party Favor. ‘You can’t argue with the cold, hard truth. This is the situation, and we have to bend it to our will.’

Sugar Belle walked over to Elkia and put a hoof on his shoulder. ‘We know you didn’t want your words to be used in this way—’

‘They weren’t even his words. I wrote the article,’ Night Glider said.

Ignoring Night Glider, Sugar Belle continued. ‘But we have to do something. Elkia, these plans have been on our table longer than you’ve been a member of our secret society. You have no idea how frustrating it is to watch those plans gather dust in your drawer. It is not only all the ponies, but we too, want something to change.’

‘With violence?’ Elkia said.

‘Elkia listen,’ Party Favor said. ‘We’re not some kind of monsters. The fact that we’re prepared to use a little violence doesn’t mean we’ll actually be using it. Maybe it will all go peaceful, the ponies loyal to Starlight Glimmer will see things our way or will discover that they are hopelessly outnumbered and let us through. Maybe Starlight Glimmer will give up or flee. That’s secretly what I’m thinking about all the time. Imagine this whole mob of angry ponies on your doorstep. Scary, isn’t it? Would you flee? I would definitely flee.’

‘If you think Starlight Glimmer will flee,’ Elkia said, ‘then you don’t know her as well as you think.’

‘Oh, Elkia,’ said Sugar Belle, stroking Elkia’s fur. ‘There will most likely not even be violence. Our tools and makeshift weapons will only be for show. I mean, what is a mob without torches and pitchforks, right?’

‘Good joke,’ said Party Favor.

But Elkia wasn’t in the mood to laugh. He silently thought about everything that had been said, biting his tongue and looking at nothing in particular. 

Night Glider saw that, and she didn’t like it. ‘But you will still help us, right? Now’s not the time to be a chicken.’

‘Night Glider!’ said Sugar Belle, throwing her friend an angry stare.

‘No, she’s right, Sugar Belle,’ Elkia said, quitting his musings and looking at his friends one by one. ‘I still don’t support this plan, but…’

‘It’s difficult for you, we know that,’ Party Favor said, ‘we know about your nature.’

Elkia sighed. ‘I made a promise to you, and I will not break it.’

Night Glider jumped up and hung in mid-air. ‘So you will fight with us?’

‘I’m not sure,’ said Elkia, looking at the ground as if the answer lay there, up for grabs. ‘I have to think about this. But in the meantime, I will help you to edit this version of the Proud Prickly Press, even though I’m not looking forwards to the distribution of it. You know how I think about the revolution, and I know how you think about it.’

There was a small silence. It seemed that even the conversations in the main hall were dying out. 

‘But I will not wield a weapon,’ Elkia continued. ‘Only if you can give me a full guarantee that this overthrow will be non-violent, will I stand with you, leading the mob.’

‘You know we can’t give you that,’ said Night Glider.

Elkia nodded solemnly. ‘Then you know where to find me.’

‘And where’s that?’ said Party Favor.

‘At the writing table of course.’

Sugar Belle jumped back from Elkia. ‘But Elkia, I don’t think being inside Starlight Glimmer’s house is the safest place to be when the revolution starts.’

‘It doesn’t matter,’ said Elkia. ‘Nopony will be safe if you use violence.’

Maybe Sugar Belle, Night Glider, and Party Favor wanted to do another attempt at changing Elkia’s mind, but Elkia wouldn’t have it. After that horrible night more than a year ago, he was not in the mood for any more violence, no matter the cause or how important it was. And besides that, he didn’t think he had much time left. 

So he excused himself, left the cellar, and went back to Starlight’s house. His heart raced and fear found a way into his mind, as he hoped Starlight Glimmer wasn’t yet home and hadn’t noticed him going into town by himself. He bit his lip, and stepped inside.

‘Welcome back, my faithful assistant,’ Starlight said.

Elkia’s heart sank.

‘Why, you look a bit pale. I’m sure it’s not that cold outside. We’re in a desert, after all,’ Starlight said, toying with him as a predator would toy with his prey. 

Elkia said nothing. He just froze in the doorway, unable to hide his secrets with his facial expression  any longer.

‘Mindreading time!’

Elkia’s heart sank deeper.

His hooves trembling, Elkia closed the door behind him. He stepped into the living room, where Starlight was already waiting for him, the tip of her horn glowing. ‘Why a mindreading?’ he managed to cram out of his mouth. ‘Why now?’

‘I think you can answer that question better than I,’ Starlight said. ‘But as for my reason… I just feel lucky today.’

Elkia sighed and steeled his mind. He tried to perform the same trick he had done before, where he thought of other things to shield his real memories and thoughts from Starlight’s prying eyes. But, other than the last time, this mindreading went quite smoothly, and Starlight soon withdrew her watchful gaze out of Elkia’s thoughts, once again leaving him to wonder if his defiance had helped or not.

* *    

The herd had to wait. First, there was an elk to be saved.

Alces Roameling left Scribblers’ City behind. Once outside, he made sure to gallop away fast, putting as many miles between him and the city as he could. The last thing he wanted was to be caught again. Then the whole story would start over again. 

When he was satisfied, he grabbed his map and laid it out on the ground. Now that he looked at it again, he was briefly amazed by the amount of detail written on it. Every forest was clearly indicated in green, and the water was unmistakably blue, following the exact lined drawn by a steady hoof (or perhaps a horn) on the map. There were even coordinates on it in a grid pattern. Alces looked up, seeing stars twinkle faintly above the leaf-crowns of the trees, almost extinguished by the grey of dawn. With a little effort he determined where south was, and then went on his way once more.

Every day was a fixed rhythm. He got up in the morning, foraged some food to still the worst of his hunger, galloped all day long, then foraged some more during the evening, and slept a little at night. It was a good thing he still felt fit and strong thanks to the strange potion he had drunk in Scribblers’ City, for it enabled him to go on and on and on. Yet, there was always the biting hunger in his stomach, as he was never that well-fed in the city. But he ignored the hunger, satisfying himself only with a few ferns and other plants, and then moved on. He didn’t sleep that long either, and felt fatigue laying a load upon his shoulders which grew heavier with every day of traveling. But he didn’t care about that either. His whole mind was focused on Elkia. He had done everything he wanted to do—find the herd and settle his debt of honor—and now it was time to save his brother. The opportunity had come, and now he had a plan.

After a few days, the forest began to change. The trees were no longer confined to the simple evergreen pines, but grew more lush and green, and richer in diversity. The very same day Alces encountered something strange. An unusual trail made of two metal bars made a large curve and continued in southern direction, cutting through the forest like a knife. Alces was unable to compare it with anything he knew, and couldn’t even begin to imagine the amazing beasts that used it. He didn’t know it, but he had found the train tracks leading from the Equestrian mainland to Griffonstone Station. But it didn’t matter he didn’t know what it was and what purpose the track served. He could now follow the flat, open terrain along the tracks in southern direction, moving twice as fast as before.

Another day later Alces could practically throw the map away, as he discovered a path. It was ancient and not well-maintained, but it was a path to the south nonetheless—exactly what Alces needed. He crossed the Guto River, as Strawberry Blonde had shown him, and after that, the terrain once again began to change. Trees became less and less common, to the point where only rare, hardened trees managed to keep themselves upright on the rocky soil. The road wound upwards into the mountains, climbing higher and higher. Alces knew he was going the right way. If he were a creature which could fly, he would definitely build his capital city on a mountain. That’s why it wasn’t much of a surprise that Alces finally found what he was looking for, and soon found himself standing at the gate of Griffonstone, capital of the Griffon Kingdom. 

‘Seriously, is this it?’

A massive grey tree grew upon the mountain, with its branches outstretched in every direction. On every branch there were a few houses, but they looked quite miserable. More often than not the straw roofs were sacked in, and the stone walls were crumbling and had holes in them. The only interesting thing about the city were the griffons, creatures Alces had never seen before. They moved about doing their daily business, looking grumpy and inhospitable. They didn’t even greet each other on the streets. No, the city of Griffonstone and its inhabitants were totally different from the warm and caring society Alces used to live in. 

Alces shrugged. Well, whatever. He wasn’t here to go sightseeing. He was here on a mission.

Leaving the gate behind, ignoring the strange stares of the griffons who were definitely not used to Elkish visitors, he walked to the center of town. Once there was a proud statue of some king, but that too, was crumbling with age and neglect. Alces looked around, trying to spot something that looked like a zeppelin. He had no idea what a zeppelin looked like, but he had the feeling he’d know when he saw one. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to look over all of the little houses, so he climbed the statue to have a better point of view. Peering in the distance, he searched and searched, but suddenly found that the machine he was looking for was closer than he thought.  

‘Whoa!’

A shadow hovered over him, blocking the light. He had never before seen such a marvelous machine, and lacked the imagination to dream up such a strange vehicle. Briefly he remembered the stories his mother used to tell about sailors braving the waters of the open sea in boats made of wood. He had never been able to conjure a vivid picture of a boat with its crew in his mind, but with the zeppelin above him, he didn’t need to, because the picture was right in front of him. 

A wooden hull was carried by an enormous round balloon, painted in dabbling greys and browns. Alces couldn’t see the crew very well, but his attention was drawn to the machine on the back of the vehicle. It was an enormous metal fan which spun faster than the eye could follow. It could twist and turn, and made sure that the zeppelin stayed on course towards the zeppelin harbor. Alces kept his eyes on the zeppelin until it was completely out of sight, landing somewhere further in town.

A minute later, Alces stood watching the zeppelins at the zeppelin harbor. One enormous branch of the tree that made up Griffonstone was strewn with planks to create a boardwalk, and smaller branches stuck out into the open air, creating docks where the zeppelins could be tied on to. There were a couple of zeppelins moored at the docks, and Alces could now see the crews of the different ships hauling barrels and chests with trade goods towards town, or filling their zeppelins with items ready to trade off at new destinations. Alces had the feeling he could watch them for hours if he wanted.

The only thing he had to do now was find out which one went to Glimglom’s village, if Alces remembered the name correctly. He walked up and down the boardwalk, looking at the zeppelins, their cargo and their crew, but could find no hint at all to where they would go. 

Couldn’t they just write it on their hulls? Alces asked himself. Alas, it wasn’t that simple. There was nothing left to do but just ask it to someone.

‘Greetings, griffon,’ he said to a griffon who didn’t look very busy, and was hopefully in the mood to talk. ‘Do you know which zeppelin goes to Glimglam’s village?’

The griffon spit on the ground, but didn’t make eye contact with Alces. His voice was gruff and unpleasant to listen to. ‘Glimglam? Oh, you mean Starlight Glimmer’s village?’

‘Yes, that.’

‘I could tell you…’ Now the griffon turned to Alces, claw outstretched. ‘…If you have some Bits for me.’

Alces had seen how guards used to gamble away their money in Scribblers’ City, so he knew what the griffon was talking about. ‘I don’t have any Bits.’

‘What a shame,’ the griffon said, although he didn’t sound like he meant it. He turned away from Alces and unfolded his wings, ready to leave this awkward conversation behind.

‘Hey, wait a minute!’ Alces planted his hooves on the griffon’s tail. Just as the griffon was about to soar into the sky, he was jerked back by his own momentum. ‘What the—’

‘I asked you a question,’ Alces said, ‘and I asked politely. Now, following the rules of etiquette, you should answer me.’

The griffon pulled his tail loose and stared down on Alces. ‘The rules of etiquette don’t apply here. Only the rules of money do.’

Slowly, Alces was growing sick of this griffon’s attitude. ‘It’s just a small question. Answer me now!’

Standing on his hind legs, the griffon was easily a head taller than Alces. ‘Are you threatening me?’

But Alces was undaunted. ‘Maybe I am.’

‘Then you’re lucky I’m not in a bloodthirsty mood today, or I’ll—’

Where the griffon had made himself taller, Alces had crouched down into dueling position. He jumped up, grabbed the griffon’s head, and held it in a lock. ‘I love threatening foreigners, because they never expect you to fight.’

‘Arg!’ was the only thing the griffon could say, sounding like a scrawny seagull.

‘Now listen closely, griffon,’ Alces said, talking slowly as if the unlucky griffon between his hooves had trouble hearing. ‘You tell me which ship goes to Glamour’s village or else I’ll smack you so hard your beak will be attached to the back of your head, instead of the front.’

The griffon tried to flap his wings, but Alces only adjusted his stance so he could use his body weight to keep the griffon grounded. ‘Well…?’

‘The Grover’s Talon,’ said the griffon through garbles and other choking sounds. ‘The Grover’s Talon goes to Starlight Glimmer’s village.’

Immediately, Alces let go of his victim. The griffon did his best to stand upright again and preened his ruffled feathers. When he was done, he threw a stink eye to Alces. 

‘Thank you,’ Alces said.

‘Don’t feel too confident,’ said the griffon, after clearing his throat. ‘You’re glad I won’t sue you for what you just did, knowing there are no Bits for me to gain from you. It’s a shame, for I’d love to see you rot in our dungeons. We don’t see elks here often, and you should know that we are not really that kind towards strangers. If anything, we are extra gruff.’

‘I noticed that, alright,’ said Alces. Then, with a mocking smile, ‘I hope that advice is free of charge.’

The griffon let out a growl and took to the air. That was the last Alces saw of him.

He walked up and down the boardwalks once more, and soon found what he was looking for. It turned out the very airship he had seen drifting overhead was the Grover’s Talon. It lay there, moored in the docks, with a few members of its crew busy working. 

So what was next? Even though Alces had mocked that one griffon, he did take his words seriously. He was definitely not going to get locked up once more, so he decided he had to be more careful next time, and maybe even restrain himself a bit—just a little bit. Looking at the Grover’s Talon, he saw one big griffon standing on the deck of the ship. He was clad in black garments and a cloak, with a sword in his belt and a hat with a skull on his head, waving around his arms and giving orders to his men. His voice was growly and mean, as he cursed his crew whenever he could, probably to provide motivation. No, this griffon definitely didn’t look like the talking kind. Walking up to him and asking, “Hey, I’m Alces Roameling. Can I join your crew?” was definitely a no-go. But what else was Alces to do then? He decided to come a bit closer, and inspect the ship mare carefully.

It was then, walking on the docks and spying on the ship, that Alces discovered something. The ship’s anchor lied flat on the boardwalk, and the chain leading from the anchor to the zeppelin went through a hole in its hull. Alces was sure he’d fit through that hole, if he climbed the chain. Growling and letting out a snort, Alces once more decided it was time to play it sneaky, and, as mentioned before, he—

‘Darn. I hate sneaking.’

Throughout the day he kept an eye on the zeppelin, but saw nothing more that was of interest. He had hoped to find some other way of getting aboard. There wasn’t. Alces went through his plan time and again, but it really was the best he could come up with. He knew that if he’d get caught he risked ending up in the dungeons of Griffonstone. Griffons were faster than he himself, so they could swoop down and capture him as easy as a bald eagle snatching up a fish from the water. Sneaking is always a risky business—not to mention breaking and entering. 

Better not get caught then.

As the daylight diminished and the night took over, the captain and his crew retreated in the ship and lit some candles and chandeliers. Fortunately, the back of the ship wasn’t that well-lit, and the anchor chain kept hanging low in the shadows. The only thing Alces needed to do now was hop aboard and find some hiding spot. 

But that wasn’t as simple as it looked.

Between the hull of the zeppelin and the dock was quite a length of chain, and beneath it nothing but empty air and a pretty view of the side of the mountain, a hundred yards below. But now was not the time to chicken out. Alces stood on the boardwalk. He breathed in, breathed out, and then rubbed his hooves together. 

‘Here we go…’

Slowly, he sidled over the anchor chain. Hoof by hoof, he tried to stay upright and keep his balance. Alces made good progress, and soon he reached the halfway point. It was at that moment he felt something strange and slippery at his hooves.

Apparently, the chain was well-oiled.

But he had to go on. Twice as slow as before, Alces moved further up the chain. He ignored the grease, and focused on keeping the chain between his hooves. Slowly, slowly, he—

‘Whoa!’

His hind hooves slipped, leaving Alces dangling on the chain. Despite the scare, his front hooves kept their grip on the oily metal. So he hung for five very long seconds, kicking empty air beneath him. But he didn’t go down yet. Furrowing his brow, Alces began to sway back and forth, until he could wrap his hind hooves around the chain once more. It wasn’t ideal, but it was something. He was now upside down, and continued his way carefully, but also quickly now. He felt fatigue envelop him in a heavy blanket, and his muscles trembled, making the chain rattle a bit.

He had never felt as relieved as when he got enveloped in shadows, going through the hole in the hull. He let himself fall to the wooden boards, and lay on the floor like that for a couple of minutes, catching his breath and wiping the damned grease off his hooves. 

There’s a reason I have antlers, and not wings, he thought to himself. If a griffon would see that he’d laugh.
 
Standing up, Alces tried to see something. It was completely dark in this section of the zeppelin. Yet, in the distance, there was the flickering of oil lamps, illuminating whatever was out there. Alces, as quietly as he could, sneaked towards the light. When he reached it, he saw he was in a bigger section of the ship now. Boxes and barrels and other containers stood everywhere, tightly bound together with rope to prevent them from sliding everywhere. 

‘Perfect.’

The only thing he had to do now was to find a suitable spot to hide in, and wait. The zeppelin would then fly all the way to Starlight Glimmer’s village, land, and then Alces would jump right out again, as quickly and quietly as he could. 

But not across the chain next time.

He grabbed an oil lamp from the wall and inspected the crates. On every crate was written the contents, and they were all sealed with iron nails. That was a problem. 

Alces wanted to hide inside one of the crates. If he hid behind them, he would eventually be discovered when the crew started unloading the ship. He simply had to get inside of something, and then the crew would haul him out of the ship, and he could escape when he wanted once he was on solid ground again. 

He looked around, trying to find a crowbar or a hammer of some sorts, but couldn’t find anything. He briefly considered exploring some more rooms, but then he might run the risk of galloping into someone. No, he had to solve this problem by himself. Alces cursed. It would have been easy prying open one of the crates when he would still have his antlers. But he hadn’t, so he had to find another solution. 

As his search took him to the back of the storage room, he discovered a new chest he hadn’t seen at first glance. It had no letters or words on it, but it was filled with branches and twigs. 

Alces decided that that was as good as it was going to get. He shoved some of the twigs and branches aside and hopped inside. It was a bit small, and the two stumps that had once been his antlers stuck out of the box. But he reckoned it didn’t matter. Those stumps looked like branches as well, so as long as he covered himself with twigs and sticks as best as he could, he would still be invisible. So he did.

And now he played the waiting game. But he soon discovered he was not only battling time, but also a whole new enemy: fatigue. His eyelids became heavy, and the movements of the zeppelin cradled him softly like his mother’s caring hooves when he was just a little calf. The creaking of wood became his lullaby. Once more he checked if he was invisible amongst the twigs and sticks and branches in the chest. Once he was satisfied, he drifted off to a peaceful, well-earned sleep.

* *  

Elkia couldn’t sleep that night. He lay awake in his bed inside the cage, trying to summon slumbers by lying first on one shoulder, and then the next. But the movement only made him restless. He felt his muscles unable to relax, and his eyes kept popping open instead of staying closed. Even his breath was strained. 

He gave up. Elkia swiped away the blankets and got up out of bed. There was a small window he could reach through the bars, so that’s where he went. Opening the window, he let the cool, summery desert air inside. His neck was long enough to peek his head through the window. Immediately, he looked up at the moon. 

He used to look at the moon so many times. The silvery light and the pattern of the craters had always fascinated him. He and his mother had spent hours watching the glowing orb, trying to see when the eye of the Dark Elk would blink behind a pocket of drifting clouds. 

But right now even the moon couldn’t calm Elkia down. Staring at it however he wanted, he couldn’t chase his fears away. Tomorrow would be D-day. Tomorrow was the day of the revolution. He had no idea how it was going to turn out, but at the same time he didn’t dare to guess. Everything would be up to the ponies of Starlight’s village and Starlight Glimmer herself. They were the players on the field, and he hoped to stand at the sideline and pray and support them mentally. He had no place in a rebellion. But then again, neither had he in a murder tragedy, nor in a love drama, nor in an escape mission. Yet he had already played his parts in those theater shows. 

Was he going to play a part in this revolution too?

Once again he looked at the moon, thinking about those whom he had lost. From all those dearest to him, Alces Roameling was the name that was on his mind. His brother. Watching the skies, Elkia imagined him fly like a pegasus through the chilly night air, obscuring the moon for a second and then swooping through the chimney, ramming open the cage door with his mighty antlers, and then rescuing him. 

Elkia had no idea how accurate his thoughts were.

* *  

‘Huh?! This is no firewood?’

Never before had Alces been as rudely pulled out of his sleep as right now. Or maybe that one time, when Elkia had jumped up and down on his bed, waking him for his own birthday.

But the griffon who held him fast by the stumps of his antlers was not going to celebrate his birthday. Both Alces and the griffon bore the same stupid expression of bafflement on their faces, as their eyes were level.

In one second, Alces’s action-ready mind bucked away the fog of sleep. In two seconds, he jabbed his hoof at the throat of the griffon, who let go of him. In three seconds, he jumped out of the crate onto the floor, and noticed the other griffon, standing next to his coughing comrade with a naked sword. In four seconds, Alces saw an opening and sprinted away.

Once he reached the exit of the room, he looked back. Now both griffons had drawn their swords and headed towards him. Perhaps he could have taken them on if he still had his antlers, but right now it wasn’t rocket science. They had two weapons; Alces had two stumps on his head. He ran.

Leaving the cargo hold behind him, he galloped through a long hallway full of doors. The flames of the oil lamps were gone, and instead bright morning light shone through the portholes in the hull of the ship. Alces cursed. He was not going to be able to hide in some dark corner now. Alces picked his way through the hallway, making a turn. He had to get off this ship and then out of Griffonstone. Maybe the mean, armed griffons would leave him be once he abandoned ship. In any case, his plan was blown, and Alces kept cursing himself as he ran. I hate, hate, HATE sneaking!
 
The hallway was a dead end. But behind him, he heard the footsteps of the griffons. He made a split-second decision. Backtracking, Alces flung open the first door he could find and entered the room. As swiftly and silently as he could, he closed the door behind him, hoping the griffons hadn’t spotted him. When he stood with his back against the door, he looked into the room he was in.

Oh-la-la!
 
Spears, halberds, axes, swords, bows, arrows, shields, and even a pair of cannons were in the room with him. He must have hit the armory. For a brief moment, Alces forgot about his stupidity and let his eyes feast on the many different weapons, most of which he didn’t even know the name of. He didn’t see a new pair of antlers, but reckoned that one of the other weapons would do for now.

The footsteps of the griffons neared. Alces bit his lip. His muscles tensed. Then he let go of his breath and relaxed a bit, as the footsteps died away. Good. That left him time to arm himself.

He looked for something useful and not too heavy. A spear? No, too long. An axe? No, too heavy. A shield? He needed some offense—no defense. At last, when his eyes almost glittered, tired with all the steel in the room, he saw something that piqued his interest. On the far wall hung two crossed swords. Even from a distance Alces could see the gleaming metal of the blades and the shiny stones embedded in the hilts. One of those was going to be his weapon.

Unfortunately, they hung very high. No matter. Alces spotted a few nearby chests and began climbing. He hopped from chest to chest, ever higher towards his goal. The chests were fastened to each other with ropes, and they were closed, so he had an easy time climbing like a mountain goat.

Until he realized not all of them were tightly closed after all.

Perhaps one of the crewmembers had gotten lazy, or perhaps he had left the chest open, intending to close it later. Whatever the case, when Alces jumped off it, the lid flew open and banged to the floor. Fortunately, Alces was already on the chest above that one. Unfortunately, the chest he had thrown down was filled with swords. The metal rattled and clinked as the chest went down. It bounced down from the pile, sending swords flying everywhere, until it slammed into the floor. 

And, like a true action story cliché, the griffons heard it loud and clear.

But Alces had only one more chest to go. He jumped, reached up, and grabbed one of the ornamental swords in his mouth just as the door opened. 

‘So he’s a stowaway and a thief now?’ one of the griffons said, throwing a glance at the elk.

‘More reasons to make him pay for ruining my singing voice,’ the other griffon said.

Alces jumped down from the crates. He shifted the sword in his mouth, until he had a tight grip. Head low, he advanced on the two griffons. ‘I don’t think so.’

The griffons crouched low and readied their swords, standing right next to each other. One of them advanced on Alces, swinging his sword at him. It was at that moment that Alces realized that despite him being a duelist, he knew nothing of swordplay. 

Ducking low, he avoided the slash of the one griffon, only to be attacked by the second. He stabbed through an opening at Alces, but Alces was faster. He swung his sword and deflected the blow. Now he had a nice little hole. Stepping aside, he slashed with his sword at the first griffon, trying to hit at least something. A loud squawk indicated he had succeeded at that.

‘My tail! How dare you!’ And indeed, a few tufts of hair fell off Alces’s blade and fluttered to the ground. It wasn’t exactly a deadly strike, but it was a good start.

While the tailless griffon kept staring at his clipped behind, the other went for a second attack. He performed a wide slash again, aiming at Alces’s neck to slice it through. Alces ducked at the last moment, and fell upon his back. The griffon stepped forwards, stabbing at Alces time and again, while Alces shuffled further back. Finally, when the griffon raised his arms for a swing, Alces rolled back and kicked his hind hooves in front of him, sending the griffon flying into the crates.

‘Now I’ll make you pay!’ The tailless griffon said. He charged forwards, sword in hand, ready to skewer Alces to the wall. But thanks to Alces’s swift moves, the only thing the griffon skewered to the wall was his own sword. The force of his attack drove the blade deep into the wood. The griffon jerked, trying to loosen it, but found himself stuck.

Alces didn’t hesitate. He swung his own blade in the air, and slammed it into the sword of the griffon, breaking the blade just above the handguard. With a loud clinking sound, the griffon found himself without a sword.

But unfortunately, there was a whole pile of swords lying on the ground. The griffon stepped back and dodged Alces’s thrusts and stabs, crouched down, and found himself a new blade. In the meantime the other griffon had recovered from his tumbling, and now the three duelists stood opposite each other once more. 

The griffon with tail (and without singing voice) slashed at Alces. Once again, Alces cocked his head and blocked the blow. Swift as lightning, he grabbed the griffon’s sword hand and held it fast. Alces’s sword traveled all the way towards the griffon’s face. The griffon let out a squawk and opened his wings in a reflex. Startled by the sudden movement, Alces let go of the griffon’s hand, and instead ended his attack with a wide slash to the side, straight through the griffon’s wing.

Feathers and bits of feathers rained down on the ground. No blood. Yet. The griffon’s sword fell to the ground as he looked at his damaged wing. ‘My primary feathers! Those will take months to grow back. Months to grow and months of awkward flying!’ The griffon narrowed his eyes as he shot a glance full of red-hot sword tips towards the elk. ‘Enough with the dueling. Now you’re going down!’

Picking up his sword, the clipped griffon pumped his wings and charged right at Alces. In a reflex movement, Alces managed to keep the sword away from his face, but couldn’t do anything against the force of the charge. The two animals flew backwards, interlocked in an awkward embrace, trying to wriggle their swords free and strike somehow. Alces expected himself to slam back-first into the wall, but instead he slammed back-first into the door. The door gave way, and they continued their fight in the hallway. 

Steel swung this way and that, as the clipped griffon kept applying pressure to the elk. Alces dodged, rolled, and even blocked a few strikes, but soon found that he was losing ground. Trading blows, the two animals walked further and further into the hallway, the griffon stepping forwards, and Alces stepping backwards. Alces had no way of knowing how much hallway he had left. He knew that if he let his attention slip for just a second, the enraged half-bird-half-lion would run him through. Apparently, griffons were quite attached to their feathers.

They passed another door, Alces noticed. Distracted. A loose nail made him trip backwards. A second later, he slammed onto the floor, the sword slipping away from his teeth. The griffon paused, looking at his helpless victim, now disarmed on the ground.

‘I’ve never beaten an elk before in a duel, but you know what they say: there’s a first time for everything…’ The griffon stepped closer, grabbed his sword with two hands, and raised it high above his head. Alces flinched. The sword went down.

BLAM! 

Alces thought it was the sound of the sword slicing through his bones. But if that were true, then how could he be thinking that? Opening his eyes, he looked straight at a new griffon, draped in black.

‘Well, well, well, what’s all the fuss about?’ he said. He stood in the doorway, looking around himself. When he closed the door behind him, Alces noticed how the clipped griffon went along with it, flattened against the wood, his sword still raised.

The other griffon caught up with his comrade, and faced the griffon in black. ‘We found this elk in the cargo hold and he attacked us, Captain. We wanted to chase him off the ship but then he started fighting back and then Garrod wanted to cut him down.’

The griffon in black looked from Alces on the ground to his clipped crewmember, trying to dislodge his beak from the door, and to his other crewmember, tailless griffon, pointing at Alces. ‘Well, if you were going to cut him down, then why isn’t he cut down?’

Finally, with a comedic sloshy sound, the clipped griffon managed to free himself from the door, leaving a griffon-shaped dent behind. His eyes rolled for a few seconds, but after a shake of the head he cleared his mind again. Turning to his captain, he said, ‘Don’t worry, Captain Gaffer. We will dispose of him as quickly as we can, now that he’s disarmed.’

But the captain had other ideas. He raised his arms. ‘Whoa, whoa wait a minute. This story sounds interesting.’ He walked over to Alces and grabbed the sword from the ground. Eyeing his crew, he twirled the thing around in his claws as if it were a toy. ‘So you’re saying he fought back?’

‘Yes sir,’ said tailless griffon.

‘But he’s an elk,’ said the captain. ‘Hay, he can’t even hold a sword in his hooves. How did he fight back then? By holding the sword in his mouth?’

‘Eh… yes sir,’ said tailless griffon again.

‘So you’re telling me that some random stowaway elk grabbed a sword and started dueling with my crew’—he looked at Alces, who still lay on the ground—'and actually presented a challenge?’

‘Eh…’ This time tailless griffon forgot to say either “yes” or “sir,” but the captain knew enough.

Now they all stood still. They all eyed each other. Alces wondered how fast he could escape this awkward moment and rush out of the ship. Yet, both griffons held their swords in their hands, and Alces still had no idea which way was out. He could only wait.

The captain let out a loud snort, followed by a rain of chuckles. He reached for his stomach and bent through his knees, as laughter overcame him. ‘HAHAHAHA! You can’t be serious, he’s, he’s, and you… BWAHAHAHA!’

‘With all due respect, Captain, but you shouldn’t laugh,’ said the clipped griffon. ‘He ruined my singing voice with his pounding hooves and he sliced away almost all of my primary feathers. Do you have any idea how humiliating it will be once I try to fly again?’

Naturally, the captain couldn’t stop laughing. ‘HAHAHA! He ruined your… your… singing voice?’

‘Yes, and he sliced my tail,’ said tailless griffon, waving his tuft-less tail for the captain to see. 

Still the captain wasn’t able yet to fully form sentences, as chuckles and bursts of laughter kept interrupting him. Only minutes later, awkward minutes during which no one made a move, the captain blinked the tears out of his eye and stood up straight again. He looked not at his wounded crew, but at the elk on the ground. His gaze was still half-soft with hidden laughter, and he didn’t even look that angry. ‘This elk must be a very special one if he manages to wield a sword against my trained crewmembers. What’s your name, calf?’

Alces wasn’t sure if answering was the wisest thing to do, yet, the strangeness of the situation perhaps overcame him too. ‘I’m Alces Roameling,’ he said. 

‘And how did you get your amazing sword skills, Alces Roameling?’ said the captain. He bent forwards to cast his one good eye upon the creature on the floor.

‘I’ve never wielded a sword in my life,’ Alces said, ‘but I’m a duelist by nature.’

Letting out a snort, the captain barely managed to contain his laughter this time. ‘I see…’

‘Why don’t you let us teach him a lesson?’ said clipped griffon.

The captain jerked his head back, until he ended his movement in a headbutt right into the belly of clipped griffon. As he doubled over, the captain grabbed his arm, and threw the much larger griffon to the ground in an impressive shoulder throw.

‘Wow,’ Alces couldn’t help but say.

While the clipped griffon lay squirming on the ground, the captain continued his tale. ‘We are mercenaries, Mister Elk, born fighters. We are always looking for two things. Number one is treasure and gold, and number two is new and able fighters to expand our crew.’ He jabbed a finger at the clipped griffon. ‘That’s why I want to talk with you instead of throwing you overboard like these milk mouths say I should do.’ He turned his attention to Alces again. ‘If it is true what you say, then you are either a skilled duelist, or my crew is composed of milky-faced wimps.’

As the captain glanced at tailless griffon behind him, tailless griffon did a step back and sheathed his sword. A wise decision, considering the fate of his friend.

Alces hated the vagueness of this strange situation. ‘So are you going to throw me overboard or not?’

‘Actually, I’d love to see you fight with my own eyes, with that sword in your mouth.’ The captain reached out, opened Alces’s mouth with his claws, and rammed the hilt of the sword into it. ‘I’ve always wondered how you hoofed animals fight without claws or hands to hold your weapon upright. But honestly, I’m not in the mood for any more violence or humiliation.’

Alces spit out the sword and let it clatter to the ground. ‘So that means…’

‘Ah, right to the point, I see. No loose ends, no vagueness or hesitation. I like that attitude,’ said the captain. 

Why was he constantly giving compliments to him? The hairs on the back of Alces’s head stood on end. He knew this was do or die time. If the mercenaries turned him in, he was going to the dungeons. That meant even more stealthy escape tactics—if he could get out at all. But what was the alternative?

The captain pretended to hear something. He listened to the nothingness, nodded, and then said, ‘Do you hear that sound, Alces Roameling?’

‘No.’

‘That’s the sound of opportunity, the sound of a new life, and the sound of adventure. Do you embrace the call of duty, or do you let it slip through your hooves?’

‘Do you really want me to join your crew?’

The captain frowned. ‘That’s a simpler and more bland way to say it, but if that’s your style then who am I to judge. But yes, that’s what I’m saying. You have proven today that you are a skilled warrior already. And if you have a wife or children, then consider this a welcome vacation. Children can be so annoying sometimes.’ The captain shook his head. ‘Anyway, do you accept my offer?’

Alces couldn’t believe it. All this sneaking and fighting, and he could have just asked in the first place! He raised his hoof to slap himself in the face, but as it traveled, the captain snagged it and pulled Alces back to his hooves. ‘I see you accept. That’s great. Together, we will forge you into a formidable weapon. I’m sure you’ll be best friends with the rest of the crew in no time.’

‘Whoa, whoa, just a second,’ said Alces. ‘I didn’t say anything yet.’

‘We could also turn you in and throw you into the dungeons,’ said the captain as blandly and gruffly as Alces voiced his words.

‘First I need to ask you three questions,’ said Alces.

Opening his arms, the captain said, ‘Shoot, but don’t stab please.’

Alces ignored the joke. ‘First, are you going to Starbright Glamour’s village?’

‘No, we’re flying to Starlight Glimmer’s village,’ the captain said with a smile. ‘But you’re right, the name is a bit confusing on the tongue.’

‘Second, will your crew stop killing me if I join you?’

The captain glanced at both griffons, irritation etched on his face. ‘I’ll make sure they do. Third question?’

‘Can I keep the sword?’

Once again, the captain snorted and let out a few chuckles. When he managed to calm himself down a bit, he reached out a claw. ‘My name is Captain Gaffer, and I welcome you aboard, Alces Roameling.’

* *  

This was perhaps the fifth time in a minute that Elkia looked out of the window. Through the glass, he could spot Sugar Belle’s bakery shop, basking in the glaring midday sun. Yet, there was nopony to be seen. 

Elkia sat behind his writing table, pretending to work on some new assignment Starlight Glimmer had given him. He pretended, because he couldn’t possibly work under these circumstances. His stomach kept feeling queasy, and his heart thumped and bumped in his chest. Any moment now he expected a gigantic mob of angry ponies to surround the house. He knew it shouldn’t be long now.

Over the course of the last hour he had seen them, the revolutionaries. They went towards Sugar Belle’s bakery in twos and threes, with a few minutes in between each group, to keep themselves as inconspicuous as they could. Yet, Elkia hadn’t seen one single pony leave. He reckoned the cellar must be very crowded now, if all the ponies were inside, planning, arming up and readying themselves for the revolution of a lifetime. 

Suddenly, his attention got ripped away from the window and towards his master. Starlight Glimmer walked past his desk and snatched up the piece of paper he had been trying to work on. Before Elkia could cover it up or grab it back, Starlight started reading everything that was written on it.

‘The ponies of this town.’

Elkia felt himself blush. His head flopped down upon the desk. If Starlight hadn’t already suspected something, she surely did now. Elkia Deerling, her personal writer, was never at a loss for words. 

Starlight Glimmer grabbed Elkia’s head by the small, velveted antlers and pulled it back until he was upright again. She laid the piece of paper on the desk, and looked Elkia in the eyes. ‘Yes, I know how you feel. Today is going to be a big day, isn’t it?’

Elkia’s back stiffened. ‘W-w-what do you m-m-mean? It’s just a n-n-normal Saturday. You know, a normal Saturday where I write and you govern your village.’

Scanning, scanning, Starlight’s eyes shifted, taking in every single detail of Elkia’s face, as if she saw straight through him. ‘Not exactly, Elkia. You and me know that both.’

Making one last desperate attempt to conceal everything he thought, Elkia said, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’

Then, Starlight Glimmer couldn’t contain herself any longer. She let out a sharp, heartless, evil-villain laugh. It echoed through the living room, upstairs, through the whole house, and Elkia reckoned that if somepony had been outside, he or she could have heard it too. Starlight Glimmer clutched her belly, laughing and chuckling as if she wanted to laugh away the tension in the air. Of course, that terrible laugh only put Elkia more on edge.

That was the moment Elkia knew she knew. Neither he nor Starlight Glimmer needed to say anything. There were no more secrets in this house. Elkia didn’t dare to speak again, not until Starlight Glimmer’s evil laugh changed into chuckles, and then into a broad, cold smile on her face. When finally there was silence again, Elkia said, ‘You know what’s going to happen, don’t you?’

Starlight’s smile only grew broader. ‘I not only know what’s going to happen, my dear Elkia. I also know exactly what has already happened, and how it’s going to end. Spoiler alert! Not very well.’

Those words made Elkia’s winter-hardened heart freeze over. He had done well to just shut up, but something inside himself demanded to know more. No more secrets. No more lies. It was time to put everything on the table. Right… now! ‘How did you know?’

Starlight had to let out a few chuckles before she was able to answer Elkia’s question. ‘Your mind is an open book, Elkia. And no matter how vague the mouth-writing is, or how much you try to mess up the pages with splotches of ink, I can always read it. Although I must say that one time you actually made it a bit more difficult for me to read, thinking about your loved one and your brother. But there is nothing that stays hidden from me for long. Not in my town.’

‘S-s-so you saw everything? You saw everything through my mind?’ Elkia’s voice was almost a whisper, so very weak it was. He felt like a traitor. Thanks to his mind…

‘I saw everything,’ Starlight said, with more than a little pride in her voice. ‘I saw everything you did, and everypony you talked to. You have been a very naughty elk, Elkia, stumbling into the “resistance” and agreeing to make that sloppy little newspaper for them. What was it called again? 
The “Powerless Pathetic Ponies?” Anyway, I suppose I must thank you too. Your mind was an excellent spyglass through which I was able to watch the “other-thinkers.”’

Elkia’s ears drooped down, and he stared at the floor. ‘I’m sorry everypony,’ he said, even though Starlight was the only pony in the room with him. 

‘HAHAHAHA!’ Starlight laughed again. ‘It was actually quite interesting and more than a little adorable to see the resistance form. I had the feeling that something was going on in my town for a long time, but seeing just how many ponies are involved, it actually’—she flung away imaginary tears—‘breaks my heart.’

Elkia gritted his teeth. Even in this delicate and dangerous situation, he had to be strong. He had to be strong if he still wanted his answers. He raised his head and looked at the dictator pony in front of him. ‘But… if you knew about the other-thinkers from the start, why didn’t you just gather some followers and barge into our hidden cellar?’

‘Two reasons,’ Starlight said. ‘Number one, I found it interesting to see how these “other-thinkers” unified themselves and created these ingenious plans, these brilliant tactics, and these superb ideas. I’ve read books about revolutions, and if there’s one thing I learned from them, it is that in every dictatorship, no matter how hard you try, there will always be a few rotten apples in the basket. Different ideas will spread the rot around, until all the apples are spoiled. Then, the spoiled apples will unite and fight, trying to poison the very heart of the pony who created her utopian dictatorship all by herself. That is what we call a revolution.’

‘And the second reason?’

Starlight seemed to look a bit cross. ‘Actually—and it pains me to say this, but it’s true—I think there are now more ponies against me than for me in this town—my town. I simply didn’t have enough horsepower to break into the cellar and embrace the insurgents in my loving hooves, making them ready for some thorough brainwashing.’

‘So that means…’

‘Don’t get any funny ideas, Elkia. That doesn’t mean that my regime has failed. Remember that after every revolution there will be a new era. Only this new era will have the same ruler: me.’

Throwing a glance outside, seeing two new ponies head towards Sugar Belle’s bakery shop, Elkia said, ‘But then what are you going to do once they attack your place?’

Starlight rubbed her hooves together. ‘That will be a pretty little surprise…’

Her words were ominous, and bore such power that Elkia shivered despite the heat. ‘So you will simply wipe them out?’

‘Not necessarily,’ said Starlight. ‘I think you and I share the same revulsion for violence and bloodshed. No, if opportunity allows me, I’d rather not have any of my flock killed, no matter how rotten they are.’

‘So what are you going to do with them?’

‘Catch them alive and re-educate them,’ said Starlight.

Elkia didn’t like the way Starlight said the word “re-educate.” That ominous word only sent more shivers through his body. 

‘And besides, I think I only need to capture the four main leaders,’ Starlight said. ‘I only need Sugar Belle, Party Favor, and Night Glider and give them a proper re-education. You know, using them to set an example. I’m pretty sure that if I manage to convert those ponies, the rest will lose all interest in strange revolutionary ideas, and their motivation will be crushed.’

‘Eh…’ Elkia raised his hoof as if he were a little calf in class. ‘You said four main leaders, but you mentioned only three.’

‘Oh yes, how could I forget,’ Starlight said, twirling her hoof around. ‘The fourth leader is sitting right opposite of me. I mean you, Elkia.’

‘EEK!’ Elkia got startled and nearly fell off his chair.

A cruel smile played on Starlight’s lips. ‘Oh yes, you will be very useful brainwashing material, Elkia. You are soft like clay, ready to be molded into the form of my choosing. I don’t even think it will take that long to shape your mind. It’s a shame I’ll lose my personal writer, though. You really had some talent with your independent mind. Oh, well, I guess I’ll have to schedule another trip to Scribblers’ City then.’

Elkia’s hooves trembled and fidgeted with the pencil on his table. He didn’t dare to look into Starlight Glimmer’s brutal eyes.

But he didn’t even have to. Starlight drew her own conclusion all by herself. ‘As you can see, Elkia, there is nothing hidden from me. I am in complete control of the situation, from beginning till end. This revolution will go down in the history books as the pathetic attempt at battling a god. The only glorious victory will be mine and mine alone. Thanks to this feeble insurgence, my rule will last a lifetime, and longer if necessary. You have no power here. Nopony has any power here but me!’

Elkia turned his ears away from the cackling laughter that shredded the air once more. He looked outside. Behind the windows of Sugar Belle’s bakery, he could see shadows moving.

* *  

Alces Roameling stood at the prow of the Grover’s Talon. The wind waved through his coat. It was fresh and a little chilly at this altitude, exactly how elks like it. But he wasn’t there to feel the wind. No, it was far more interesting to gaze down, to marvel at the incredible height and speed with which the zeppelin rode the winds. For a moment, Alces felt as if he were the Light Elk himself, gazing down upon the world with his one unblinking eye. 

‘It must be quite something to see the world like that,’ said Captain Gaffer. He walked over to Alces and stopped right next to him, sharing this awesome moment.

‘I feel like a god,’ said Alces, ‘and I wish I was.’

‘Yes,’ said Gaffer. ‘If we were gods we could do what we want, bend reality to our will, to favor those we want to favor and to smite our enemies with holy fire.’

Shaking his head, Alces took his gaze away from the swirling waters below and looked at Captain Gaffer, only to discover that the black-clad, one-eyed griffon was watching him.

‘We haven’t talked much, you and I, and the journey is almost over,’ said the captain. ‘We’ll fly over the Celestial Sea towards some mountains, and behind those lies Starlight Glimmer’s village.’

‘Good,’ Alces said. He narrowed his eyes so tightly Captain Gaffer thought he might get skewered by Alces’s gaze. 

‘Gee, you look like a maniac,’ said Gaffer, raising his hands as if he wanted to protect himself. ‘Are all elks that bloodthirsty?’

‘Only if you mess with the elk’s family.’

‘Sooooooooo…’ Gaffer stretched the “o” as far as he could, wanting to get some of the tension out of the thin air. ‘I guess you have family in Starlight’s village?’

‘Yes.’ In the brief pause that followed, Gaffer wanted to slice a new—and hopefully easier—subject, but Alces continued on his own. ‘He’s there, imprisoned by this pony, this “Starlight Glimmer,” if I finally get that damn name right. She took him from a vile town called Scribblers’ City. Apparently she wanted to have him for his skill at writing, if I should believe a single word of the treacherous pony who gave me that knowledge.’

‘If what you say is true,’ said Gaffer, ‘then you probably will have to face Starlight yourself.’ He sighed. ‘I’ve known Starlight for some years now. She’s a really powerful unicorn, both physically as well as mentally as well as magically. I hope you’re up for the fight of your life, because Starlight Glimmer hates it when things don’t go according to plan—her plan, I mean.’

Alces nodded silently, as his thoughts traveled to Elkia. ‘I can only imagine how scared he must be. He’s nothing like me, my brother. We’re like snow and fire. But even though we have our differences, and sometimes even get angry and argue, we love each other a lot. He tried to save me from that horrible town—twice. First by himself with a ridiculous plan he messed up, and then through his friends with a ridiculous plan I messed up. He was there for me, and now it’s time for me to be there for him.’

‘Wow, I can only imagine what you mean by that,’ said Gaffer. But when he received another angry stare from Alces he added, ‘No worries, I won’t ask.’

‘Good.’

Another silence descended upon them. In the distance, Alces spotted the vague shapes of the mountains Gaffer had talked about, rising from the clouds like celestial islands. Yet he couldn’t completely take his thoughts to where he wanted them to be. ‘Gaffer, now I want to ask you something.’

‘Sure, go ahead. It’s not as if I have important captain-duties to attend to.’ His voice betrayed the joke. ‘No seriously, I don’t. Being a captain can be a lazy job sometimes.’

Alces stroked his goatee. ‘It’s not as if I would normally care about that, but why did you burst into laughter when we first met? If I were a captain I’d kill any rats hiding on my ship immediately and without mercy. There must be more to our strange alliance.’

Gaffer listened closely to Alces. He sighed with a smile on his face, as a memory floated by like a cloud. ‘It felt like the least I could do to return a favor I got a long time ago.’

‘What do you mean?’

Captain Gaffer cleared his throat. ‘Believe it or not, but my mother brought me to that magical lake you elks, deer, and reindeer guard, when I was but a little griffon baby, just hatched from the egg. She offered me to the seer, who did some kind of magical incantation, and then spoke about my future and told them my name.’

‘Really?’ Alces said, suddenly very interested in what the captain had to tell him. ‘What did the seer say?’

‘Hahaha! According to my mother, she said trouble would always find me, and that a fight would never be far away from me. She couldn’t have been more right, because here I am, leading a band of mercenaries and pirates to their glory!’

‘Ah, I see,’ Alces said.

The captain’s face grew serious again. ‘So having mercy on an elk seemed like the right thing to do. However, I wasn’t lying when I talked about a future of adventure and treasure for you as a member of my crew, if you want to have it. But I have the feeling you have other plans, don’t you?’

‘I just want my brother back,’ Alces said through clenched teeth. ‘And I’m gonna get him back.’

Captain Gaffer clapped Alces on the shoulder. ‘Good! You do that boy. Follow your head, heart, and your guts, as I always say.’

Alces saw how the mountains drifted closer and closer, their peaks topped with snow. 

‘I’d better go and see my helmsman at the wheel,’ said Captain Gaffer. ‘We must make one tiny adjustment to our course to catch the most favorable winds.’

Alces nodded, but then motioned for Gaffer to wait. ‘Just one moment. It might not be very important, but I was just wondering, why are you and your crew heading towards Starlight Glimmer’s village yourselves?’

‘Oh, it’s nothing big,’ said Gaffer. ‘Just a little peace-keeping operation.’

‘Oh, okay.’ Alces turned his head to watch the nearing mountains and the remnants of the sea again, while Captain Gaffer disappeared behind him, ready to give the final orders. 

* *  

Starlight’s village was just the one street, so Elkia could clearly see them coming. The door to Sugar Belle’s bakery opened, and ponies streamed out. There were so many of them! Just when Elkia thought that all ponies were outside, more and more trickled through the doorway. From this distance, Elkia could see that many carried something, but he couldn’t exactly see what.

He swallowed, and then looked behind him at Starlight Glimmer, who was walking in circles. ‘They’re coming.’

‘What?!’ Starlight stiffened. Elkia could see how her eyes wavered about and how she bit her lip. Was she… scared?

‘I thought you had complete control of the situation,’ Elkia said. He could have teased Starlight a bit, but didn’t think that was a wise thing to do.

Starlight Glimmer stopped pacing around and instead pressed her head to the window. ‘Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no.’

Elkia stood up and walked to the next window. The mob outside had gathered themselves together, and the ponies were now marching towards the house. There were at least a hundred of them, or maybe even more.

Recoiling from the window, Starlight looked at the grandfather clock, and kept staring at it. ‘No, no, no. Too soon. Too soon!’

‘What are you talking about, Starlight,’ said Elkia.

Starlight took a second to flash a murderous glance at Elkia, before she resumed studying the arms of the clock, her eyes narrowed.

The sound of a large group—voices, shouts, hoofsteps, crunching sand—could be heard. When Elkia once more looked out of the window, he saw a whole row of ponies. Walking towards another window, one opposite of where he sat, he did the same and saw the same. ‘Eh… Starlight,’ he said hesitantly, ‘I think they’ve surrounded the house.’

‘ARGH!’ Starlight growled like a wild beast, a wild beast cornered and scared but also ready to fight till the death. She once more paced around the living room, glancing through every window as if Elkia had told her a lie. ‘What to do, what to do?’

Then, just when Elkia thought Starlight was going to explode with tension and stress, one voice made itself clearly heard over the hubbub outside. It was Night Glider’s voice. ‘Starlight Glimmer! We have surrounded your house. There’s nowhere for you to go, and there’s nothing you can do. We are the ponies of the revolution, and we’re here to dethrone you. We outnumber you a hundred to one. Just calmly open the door and walk outside. And Elkia? If you’re there, go follow behind Starlight Glimmer and make sure she doesn’t do any magic. Starlight, if you perform any magical spells, we will attack you immediately.’

In the silence that followed, Starlight paced twice as fast. Sweat pearled off her forehead, and her eyes darted all about the room. 

Elkia walked towards the door. ‘Shall I open it?’

‘NO!’ In a flash of magic, Elkia got shoved aside. With another flash, every lock on the door (there were no less than seven of them) clicked shut. 

The ponies outside must have heard the door clicking shut as well, as a mumbling wave of comments traveled through the mob. A few seconds later, Night Glider’s voice could be heard again. ‘Starlight Glimmer, if you don’t come out of your house we will force the door open and drag you out. It’s your choice if you want to leave by yourself or if we will make you leave.’

Starlight narrowed her eyes and grunted. She opened her mouth to speak, but at that exact moment something heavy banged against the door, something heavy enough to silence the dictator. Then it banged against the door again, and again, and again.

‘As you hear, we have a battering ram,’ said Night Glider, ‘and we have no shortage of ponies to operate it. Come out now. Our threats are very real!’

‘No, no, no,’ Starlight said, but too soft for Night Glider to hear it. ‘I need more time, more time, more time…’

BANG! The battering ram slammed into the door. BANG! Another hit. BANG! And another one.

Elkia couldn’t believe his ears and eyes. The revolution was working! His eyes went from the tortured door to Starlight Glimmer, desperate and utterly worried. One of the locks flew off the door and clattered to the ground. It shouldn’t take long to break open the door. ‘Starlight,’ Elkia said, looking at the troubled dictator, ‘I think you… you have lost.’

‘No I haven’t,’ said Starlight, fire shooting through her eyes. ‘Just wait and see.’

‘But there is no more time to wait. This door will fly open and they’ll come for you. Why don’t you end your reign in a dignified way? As soon as the door gives way it will be far more humiliating to be dragged outside, don’t you think?’

‘Shut up, you!’ Starlight spat. ‘Don’t be so annoying, and—’ Starlight’s eyes went wide, and she didn’t finish the sentence. Then her eyes narrowed again, looking at Elkia as if she saw him for the first time. ‘Of course…’

Elkia didn’t like that look one bit. ‘Eh… what do you mean?’

‘You’re once again going to prove very useful to me,’ Starlight said. Before Elkia could ask for more explanation, he felt himself being lifted off the ground, captured in a cloud of purple magical energy. ‘You’re coming with me,’ Starlight said, as she climbed the stairs to the second floor. She went to a bedroom and opened the window, then levitated Elkia outside. Elkia flew higher and higher into the air, until he hovered even higher than the roof of Starlight’s house.

‘Wh-whoa, wait, what are you doing?!’ Elkia whimpered as he looked down at the drop below.

‘I’m not doing anything,’ Starlight said. ‘You, on the other hoof, are now buying me more time.’

Down below, the ponies stood in a ring around Starlight’s house. Elkia could see that they were all armed. They wielded rolling pins, broomsticks, planks of wood, torches, pitchforks, hammers, and many more makeshift weapons in their hooves. Many of them also seemed to be holding shields, made of anything wooden they could find like crates, barrels and planks. They not only looked like an angry mob—they also looked like an army, ready to attack and complete the mission. 

The sound of the door being struck by the battering ram ceased. Everypony looked up at Starlight on the second floor and Elkia much higher. 

‘If you so much as lean against my door once again, it will be the end of your beloved Elkia,’ she called. ‘And if any pegasus so much as tries to swoop up to Elkia, I will unleash all the magic I have—both on the pegasus as well as on Elkia…’

As Night Glider spoke, Elkia spotted her together with Party Favor and Sugar Belle at the front of the crowd. ‘You’re insane, Starlight! Lower him down on the ground, slowly.’

‘And lose what leverage I have?’ Starlight said. ‘I don’t think so.’

They were at an impasse. Night Glider, Sugar Belle, and Party Favor put their heads together, trying to find a solution and get out of this sticky situation. ‘Starlight, if you lower Elkia to the ground, we will—’

‘Quit the revolution, go home, walk into my hooves and brainwash yourselves?’ Starlight let out a nervous laugh. ‘Only if you can promise me that will I let Elkia go, otherwise…’

‘Otherwise what?’ said Night Glider. 

‘Otherwise we’ll wait a bit longer, so you’ll have the time to think if you really want to have freedom at the cost of this creature’s life.’

Calls and shouts erupted from the crowd below. ‘You’re a coward, Starlight Glimmer!’ said Sugar Belle through the megaphone. 

‘What did you say?’ said Starlight, her face growing dark.

‘You’re a coward!’

‘Whoops.’ The levitation field dissolved, and Elkia fell down. He closed his eyes and yelled as he went, felt and heard the gasps from the revolutionaries below. Yet once he reached the second floor window, Starlight cast her spell again, and he traveled upwards. ‘I can play with my yoyo for hours, if I want. Both you and I have the power of life and death, only I know how to use it.’

‘H-h-how long are y-y-you keeping me l-l-like this?’ Elkia said, stuttering with true terror.

‘As long as I need,’ Starlight said. ‘As long as—’

A shadow hovered over the village. Everypony, Starlight Glimmer, and Elkia looked up at the strange shape that came closer and closer, like a shark stalking in the waters. It looked like a ship, albeit borne by a giant balloon, patched together with grey and brown fabrics. Everyone knew what it looked like. It looked like a supply zeppelin. But even though everyone recognized the shape for what it was, they also had the gut-wrenching feeling that this zeppelin didn’t come to trade supplies.

The tension and stress flowed away from Starlight’s face like a gentle stream, and a careful smile danced on her lips. ‘Finally here,’ she said.

* *  

‘Finally here,’ Captain Gaffer said. He stood on deck, facing his crew. He had already given them careful instructions on how to handle things. ‘And don’t forget, they’ll be more afraid of us then we are of them. Even though they’re with more, wait until my command, and only then attack!’

‘Aye, aye,’ the crew shouted. 

‘Now go you miserable doofuses!’ Gaffer shouted, drawing his sword and turning around. ‘Go and let them see what happens when Starlight Glimmer calls for reinforcements.’

Under a chorus of squawks, battle cries, screeches, and everything in between, the griffons jumped off the ship and dived towards the crowd below. As they soared through the sky, the ponies below looked at them with open mouths, not knowing what to think of this but definitely knowing that they were facing a new enemy now. They jumped aside and scattered when the griffons landed. In no time, as the rest of Captain Gaffer’s crew made landfall, the situation was totally different. The griffons positioned themselves between the house and the ponies, so that they stood with their backs to the house and faced the revolutionaries. The ponies, seeing the swords, axes, halberds and other steel-forged weapons in their claws, made sure to keep their distance, so that there was a little bit of “no man’s land” between them.

‘And now it’s our turn,’ said Gaffer. Alces jumped on his back and the captain flew down. Gaffer made sure not to fly too fast, but Alces wasn’t afraid. He took a good look at the battlefield from this high up, switching his mind into battle mode. ‘I know it looks ugly down there,’ Gaffer said, ‘but don’t you worry. We got this.’

‘This is not my fight,’ Alces said back. ‘I don’t care about who wins and who loses. I just want to get my brother back.’

‘Aye,’ said Gaffer. They had almost reached the ground, and Gaffer slowed down. ‘If your brother is really captured by Starlight Glimmer, he’ll probably be in the house… But that’s also where Starlight Glimmer is.’

They landed amidst the rest of the mercenaries. ‘I’m not afraid,’ said Alces, as he stepped off the captain’s back.

‘A little fear keeps you alive, boy,’ Gaffer said back. He went for a handshake. ‘Maybe I’ll see you again and maybe not, but whatever the case may be, I wish you good luck.’

‘Thanks,’ Alces said. ‘Good luck with the fight.’

‘If there will be one,’ Gaffer said back. They shook hands and hooves, and then they both turned around. Captain Gaffer to his army of mercenaries, and Alces to Starlight Glimmer’s house.

* *  

The moment Starlight had spotted the shadow overhead, she had reeled in Elkia, so that Gaffer didn’t have to see the nasty hostage situation. She still had a reputation to uphold, a reputation of being a strict but just dictator. Now both Elkia and Starlight looked out of the window, watching the griffon army of Captain Gaffer take its positions. Elkia almost forgot to breathe, as he gazed upon the griffons. All of them were armed to the teeth with swords and pikes and nasty spears. Some were even wearing chain link armor, as if they were really ready for war, and waved their weapons in the air in a million silent threats. The griffons narrowed their eyes and looked at the ponies before them, sizing them up. The gleam of battle was in their eyes. 

‘This is your surprise?’ Elkia said.

‘Yes. You didn’t expect that, now did you? It’s a plot twist worthy of a novel, I’d say,’ said Starlight.

‘B-b-but you can’t do this. Those griffons have weapons! They might just attack your own villagers. Perhaps they’re ready to kill!’
 
Starlight nodded. ‘They are probably ready to kill, if their captain gives the command.’

‘But you said you weren’t in for bloodshed and violence!’

‘If I can’t make a fist, then how am I going to threaten everypony?’ said Starlight. She pointed outside. ‘Look at them. Even though the revolutionaries have the numbers, the griffons made quite the impression on them. Look! They are getting scared, I just know it. That’s what I want. I want them to shiver in their horseshoes and tremble and maybe even cry.’

As the gasps and confusion died down a bit, and the ponies had stepped back from the mean-looking griffons, Night Glider took the word again. Her voice didn’t waver or hesitate as she spoke. ‘If you think you’ve scared us, Starlight, then think again! We’re not afraid. We outnumber these griffons two to one, and we haven’t armed ourselves without a reason.’

‘So what do you want to say?’ said Starlight Glimmer.

‘Our offer still stands,’ Night Glider said. ‘If you dismiss your griffon army and walk out the door, we’ll not harm either you or the griffons.’

A wave of laughter went through the griffon mercenaries. Some of them did a step forward and raised their weapons. 

‘This is n-n-not good,’ Elkia said. ‘They will fight!’
 
‘Let them,’ said Starlight.

‘No!’ Elkia stepped back from the window and headed towards the staircase. ‘I’m not going to let them kill each other. Not if I have anything to say about it.’

‘Oh no you don’t.’ Starlight concentrated, quickly cast a magical spell, and fired at Elkia. A moment later, Elkia’s world was purple. A ball of purple magic enveloped him. He looked dazed at Starlight.

‘Now you’re too big to descend the staircase,’ Starlight hissed. ‘A simple spell, but it works. Oh, and don’t worry, there are airholes in it.’

But Elkia was not going to let some pesky spell stop him. The bedroom had another window. Struggling, he walked like a hamster in a ball towards the second window, positioned the airholes so that they faced outside, and spoke. 

‘Everyone! Stop!’ Elkia shouted, hoping his voice was as steady and loud as he wanted it to be.

Everypony and every griffon heard him loud and clear. ‘Elkia! Are you okay?’ Sugar Belle called.

‘I am, but you won’t be if I do nothing,’ he said. ‘Just look at you all! This whole town looks like it’s on the brink of war.’

‘It is,’ Sugar Belle called. Then Night Glider grabbed the megaphone. ‘We’ll do whatever it takes to get our freedom and our cutie marks back!’

‘But not like this,’ said Elkia. ‘Not with the loss of so many lives. Look, I have seen that you are determined and maybe even a bit ruthless, but you do really want to fight? Do you really think your freedom and cutie marks are worth dying for and killing for? Look at your enemies. They look like trained professionals, and what about their weapons? A rolling pin is not going to stop a blow from one of those crazy axes.’

The crowd of ponies mumbled and shuffled on their hooves. The griffons took this opportunity to take a collective step forwards. ‘So what are you saying, Elkia?’ said Night Glider.

‘I… I am saying…’ Even this far away, Elkia didn’t dare to tell them what was on his mind. But he had to. He had to play a role in this insane theater play if he wanted to avoid bloodshed. So he said it. ‘I… I am saying that you should give up.’

A collective gasp went through the crowd. ‘How can you say such a thing?’ said Party Favor, who held the megaphone now. ‘I thought we were friends. Have you… turned on us?’

‘We are friends,’ said Elkia, ‘and I haven’t turned on anyone. I just think this has gone far enough. I don’t want anypony to die or get wounded.’ He pointed to the right. ‘And believe it or not, but even Starlight Glimmer doesn’t want any bloodshed. She told me that personally.’

Suddenly, Starlight took the word from the other window. ‘He’s right. Even if you think I’ve stolen your individuality and your freedom, I only know what’s best for you all. Right now, war is definitely not good for anyone. In fact, war is never good for anyone. Why don’t you listen to your friend and give up. He’s wiser than you, I’d say.’

There was a moment of silence between the parties gathered on the battlefield. Night Glider, Sugar Belle, and Party Favor put their heads together and congregated silently. The griffons all looked at one another, and then all their gazes were aimed at one big griffon, draped in black. They were waiting for the kill command. 

Suddenly, Night Glider shouted something through the megaphone. ‘Present shields!’

Immediately, the ponies wearing all kinds of makeshift wooden shields stepped forwards and put their shields down. 

Oh no, Elkia thought. ‘No! What are you doing?!’

The three founders of the other-thinkers passed the megaphone to one another, as though hesitant to speak to Elkia. At last, it was bold Night Glider who took the word. ‘I’m sorry to hear all this from you, Elkia. We all do, in fact. We’re sorry to see that Starlight Glimmer has brainwashed you, and made you give that speech to discourage us from fighting. But we know we can win. We have the numbers, and we’re not afraid. We’re not afraid to fight for freedom, and give our lives for it if we have to.’

Those words made a shock go through Elkia’s body. He actually made a small jump, so startled he was. ‘No,’ he whispered. ‘No,’ he said. ‘NO!’ he shouted.

‘Present arms!’ Night Glider shouted

The ponies with makeshift weapons and tools stepped behind the shield-bearers, ready to attack once the first blow would fall.

Elkia’s thoughts went into overdrive. He was searching for words, for anything that could prevent this horrible fight from happening. His creative mind worked and worked, but even that well had apparently run dry. He knew that whatever he’d say, it wouldn’t make a difference. His friends thought he was brainwashed. They wouldn’t believe anything he said. Was there anything he could do?

Night Glider raised a hoof in the air. ‘Pegasi! Take flight.’ And to her words, the pegasi revolutionaries took to the air. Elkia saw how they were all carrying stones in their hooves, and the strong ones had whole baskets full of rocks strapped to their barrels.

Still thinking what to say, Elkia got startled as a gruff voice cut the air like a blade. ‘Griffons! Ready yourselves. On my command, attack!’

‘No! STOP!’ Elkia was sweating all over his body. His voice shrunk to something little louder than a whisper. Panic reigned supreme in his mind. ‘NO! Stop! Don’t fight!’

Too late. Night Glider took a deep breath, raised the megaphone to her lips, and shouted, ‘ATTACK!’

So did the captain of the griffons. He had just enough time to yell ‘ATTACK! Before the rumble of hooves and the battle cries of the griffons overthrew every sound.

Elkia watched in horror as the armies clashed. The shield-bearing ponies held their ground, trying to block the blows of the sharp griffon weapons. Already Elkia heard cries of pain and agony, as the steel cut through the wood. The ponies behind the shield-bearers tried to find an opening to strike their foes with whatever they had in their hooves. In the air, stones rained down on griffons and an aerial dogfight was being fought between the griffons and the pegasi.

Yet somehow, through all the noise and the cries and the sound of steel upon steel, Alces managed to call his brother’s name. ‘ELKIA!’

* *  

Alces hugged the wall of Starlight’s house, giving the griffons enough space to fight their battle. Once he reached the door, he saw how damaged it was. Reckoning a good buck would do the trick, he turned around, readied his hooves, and gave a mighty buck to the weakened door. It worked! The door banged open and fell down, as it completely ripped through its hinges. 

He didn’t waste a second. Turning left, he went for the staircase, and took the steps three at a time. Once he reached the top, he looked straight into Starlight Glimmer’s eyes.

‘Hello there,’ she said, and then unleashed the magical attack she had prepared. 

Alces flew through the air, electricity running through his body and sending needles of pain everywhere. He smacked against the bubble Elkia was in and fell to the ground.

‘Alces, no!’

Starlight Glimmer took the time to watch her foe, as she readied another blast. ‘So this is the brother you waited for? Hmm? This is your knight in shining armor, ready to save you from the clutches of the evil queen?’

Through tear-struck eyes laden with bafflement and awe, Elkia watched as his brother slowly tried to scramble to his hooves. ‘He’s my brother. Please don’t hurt him!’ 

‘If he stays on the ground, I’ll keep him alive, agreed?’

Sniffing, Elkia said, ‘Haven’t you caused enough bloodshed with your griffon army?’

Starlight raised a hoof. Step by step, she closed in on Alces, who still lay on the ground. ‘Watch your tongue, Elkia. It was they who rebelled against me first. This whole battle going on outside is their own fault. Thanks to their stubbornness they must fight for their lives now. I actually liked your little speech a lot, although it’s a pity they weren’t that moved by it. Well, what do writers say in that case? “Back to the drawing board,” right?’

‘No,’ Elkia said, his face almost as dark as Starlight’s. ‘We say, “there’s always the second draft.”’

Right at the moment Starlight was upon Alces, Elkia charged forwards, taking the magical ball he was in with him. As he collided with Starlight Glimmer, she fell down and let go of her spell. The electric shock bounced from the wall to the ceiling and back, before striking Elkia.

But not quite.

The ball of magical energy disintegrated with a crackle of lightning, and Elkia bounced back, until he made a roll and landed on his hooves right next to his brother. ‘Alces, are you okay?’

‘With a little help, yes.’ Alces said. Together with Elkia, he managed to stand on his hooves again. A little shake of the head and he was back in dueling mode. 

‘Aww… isn’t that a nice moment of brotherly love?’ said Starlight. Her horn glowed and pulsed as she readied another attack. She knew the elk brothers could do nothing about it. Their new antlers were too small. They were unarmed. ‘Now that you mention it, you two do look like you’re family. Or maybe all elks just look alike, hahaha!’

Both Elkia and Alces didn’t laugh along. Alces eyed something standing in the room, and whispered quiet words to Elkia.

‘You know what?  Starlight said. ‘When I’ve sedated you, I’ll put you both into my re-education program and brainwash you together. That will be a merry time, won’t it? I hope you’re as good a writer as your brother, Alces… wasn’t it? In the end, you will be together! Isn’t that fun? This story might end happily for you after all.’

‘If you think I still want anything to do with you,’ said Elkia, ‘then you’re sadly mistaken.’

‘You have no choice,’ said Starlight.

‘NOW!’ shouted Alces. The two elks jumped towards the table. As one, they put their backs to it and managed to flip the heavy oak table around.

Starlight, shaking off her bafflement at the swiftness of their moves, released her spell.

‘We gotta move forward, Elkia,’ said Alces. ‘Towards the stairs.’

Elkia winced as he felt the magical beam impact the wood, but nodded. ‘Let’s stay together now.’

Both elks placed their heads against the table and moved it closer and closer. Starlight kept casting her spell. Already the energy was eating away at the wood. It smoked, and cinders flowed into the air. The blackened furniture was close to bursting into flames.

‘Alces, the table! It’s burning.’

‘Keep pushing Elkia! We have no other plan!’

Starlight focused, and put even more magic into her beam. ‘You will not get away like this. Elkia is my personal writer. He’s mine, you hear. Mine! He’s my property and I can do what I want with him!’

The wood crumbled to ash around the elks’ ears. Still they pushed on. As long as they didn’t feel the beam of heat searing their furs, the plan went okay. 

They were almost at the staircase. Alces felt a flame dance around his ear. ‘No! He’s no one’s property,’ he shouted. ‘He’s my brother, and I’m taking him with me!’

‘He’s mine!’ Starlight shouted.

‘He’s mine!’ Alces returned. 

‘Help!’ Elkia wailed, seeing the flames close in and breaking the wood.

Starlight and the elk brothers got very close. The magical beam was maybe just a yard long. They almost bumped into one another. There wasn’t much left of the table anymore. Alces spotted the staircase to his left, and started counting down. 

‘Three!’

‘Two!’

‘One!’

And then both elks thrust their shoulders against the wood, giving it one final push in Starlight’s direction. The wood slammed into her face. The magical beam got dispelled, and Starlight Glimmer went down. Only when they heard her fall to the floor did they throw away their makeshift shield, now nothing more than blackened firewood.

‘Oh no! Did we kill her?’ Elkia said.

‘No, look!’ As Alces pointed, Starlight was already getting up, rubbing her horn.

‘W-w-what do we do now?’ Elkia asked.

‘Now, we run.’ Alces said.

‘Wait, what?!’ Elkia said. Did he hear that right? Alces wanted to run from a fight?

‘I’ve learned to pick my battles. Come on. Let’s go!’

The elks galloped down the staircase. The door was still open, and they could look outside at the haze of bodies trading blows. Elkia hesitated, but Alces took his hoof, and charged outside.

The battle was still going strong. Griffons and pegasi flew through the air, chasing one another. On the ground, the griffons and the rest of the unicorns and earth ponies were fighting for their lives. Both Elkia and Alces had no idea who was winning. The two elks looked around themselves, trying to find an opening in the hubbub to flee through. They spotted something lying in the sand. Two shields.

‘I’ll cover the front, you cover the back,’ Alces said, tossing one of the shields to Elkia and keeping the other firmly in his mouth. ‘We go back to back.’

So they did. Using the shields to block the occasional stray blow, the two elks almost dug their way through the mass of fighting animals. Elkia had a lot of trouble seeing wounded ponies and griffons lying on the ground, some unmoving. There was blood here and there, and the cries of pain and suffering were too awful for him to hear. A number of times Alces had to wait until his tear-struck brother caught up. Alces himself kept his emotions in check, focusing only on their escape. 

And in the end, they did escape. After one last rank of fighting ponies and griffons, they found themselves out of the crowd, standing on the main street of Starlight’s village.

‘This way!’ Alces said. Together they ran towards a house. Alces wanted to get away from Starlight’s house as fast as he could, and hide if possible. Who knew what that powerful unicorn was still capable of? Once they had rounded the corner, and were sure Starlight couldn’t spot them from her house, they both took a moment to catch their breaths. 

‘Alces…’

‘Yes, Elkia.’

‘You came for me.’

‘Of course. I promised you.’

Elkia stepped towards his brother, and caught him in a warm embrace. 

A shiver went through Alces’s body and he felt like recoiling, but even though he was not much of a hugger, he wrapped his own hooves around Elkia too. ‘I’m glad to see you too, brother.’

When Elkia let go of his brother and blinked his tears away, he took a moment to look him over. ‘Oh Alces, I thought I’d never see you again. I thought they would kill you in that forced labor camp.’

Alces scoffed. ‘They tried, believe me, but they didn’t quite succeed.’

‘Oh, I’m so glad you got out. Did Strawberry Blonde and Syntax create a good plan?’

‘Better than your plan anyway,’ Alces said with a smile.

Despite the pain both physical as well as mental, Elkia managed a smile too. ‘I tried to escape from here myself. I tried to make plans, but every time I thought of something, Starlight Glimmer was one step ahead. There was just nothing I could do. But I didn’t forget you. I thought about you all the time, and… and…’ And then Elkia spotted Alces’s “souvenir.” ‘Oh my, Alces! What happened to your cutie mark?!’

Alces clapped Elkia on the back, sending a cloud of soot raining from his fur. ‘Don’t worry about me. Now is not the time to dig up memories or compare battle scars. Now is the time to go.’

‘Go? What do you mean?’

Alces tilted his head. ‘Well, I mean getting out of this stupid village and finding a way through the desert towards a place that isn’t full of crazies. And preferably without ponies.’

‘No… no we can’t.’

Despite the beautiful reunion, the fire returned in Alces’s eyes as he gave Elkia a stare. ‘What?!’

Elkia glanced around the corner. From here, he could still see the two armies battling each other, and he could still hear the sounds of war. ‘Alces, we have to stop this onslaught. This battle is terrible.’

But Alces shook his head. ‘Oh no. There’s nothing we can do about this, Elkia. The fire of war has ignited inside their hearts, ponies and griffons alike. I’m not much for metaphors, but I know how the rush of battle feels. You can’t simply raise your voice and expect them to listen.’

‘But… but…’ Elkia threatened to burst into tears once more. ‘But now you are here, and… and I thought we could bundle our strengths and… and…’

Alces stepped towards his brother and grabbed his shoulders. ‘Elkia, I’m a duelist, not a war lord. I can fight and defeat one enemy if I want, two if they are stupid griffons, but I don’t have either the charisma or the knowledge to force two armies to stop fighting each other. I’m no god.’

Elkia nodded shallowly. ‘But we can’t just leave like that! We can’t let them fight out this battle.’

Alces’s voice was growling now, as his impatience grew. ‘This is not our battle, Elkia.’

‘Maybe not yours, but it’s definitely mine. I know the revolutionary ponies. They can be such gentle hearts. I… I’d never thought they would be able to do something like this.’

Snorting, Alces had trouble finding good arguments now. ‘Just listen to me!’ he called, shaking his brother a bit. ‘You have given your heartbreaking speech—I heard it with my own ears. You have done everything you could do. You have played your part. But now your part is over.’

‘I still don’t want to leave…’ Elkia said, shoulders shocking. ‘There must be something—’

‘We… can’t… stay… here,’ Alces said, placing emphasis on every word. ‘We don’t even know who will win this battle, and it’s not safe to wait it out. If the griffons win and Starlight can move freely again, she will search for us. And I don’t know if you noticed, but this tiny village doesn’t have a lot of hiding spots. We will get caught. Is that what you want?’

‘No…’

‘And if the ponies win, then we’ll lose our ride out of here. I came here onboard the zeppelin of the griffon captain, but if all the griffons are defeated, the remaining griffons onboard will turn around as fast as they can and retreat to Griffonstone.’

Elkia nodded shallowly.

Alces let go of his brother and looked behind him at the never-ending desert. ‘On the map your friend Strawberry Blonde gave me, there’s supposed to be something called a “train station” somewhere west of here. Maybe that means there will be a village too! I don’t exactly know how far it is, but it’s the only option we have. If we move immediately and the battle lasts for a while still, there’s a good chance we’ll make it.’

Elkia looked at the ground. Thoughts swirled around in his head, options and decisions alongside them. Going through the desert did sound like the best idea.

But what about the battle?

Elkia knew that if he turned around and fled now, he would never forget the screams and the sounds of that horrible fight. He wished he could just freeze time, walk through the mass of fighting creatures and talk to them. Then, when he’d unfreeze time, they would be calm and rational, and their bloodlust would diminish. They could all be friends again. But Elkia was no seer. He even doubted if his mother would have been powerful enough to do what he thought about. 

No, this has to stop! No matter how powerless he might be, Elkia decided he would have to do whatever it took to stop the battle. He turned around and did a few steps towards the fight. ‘I’m sorry Alces, but if I don’t try to at least do something, I’ll never sleep soundly again.’

Alces said nothing. He let out a growl and stamped his hooves, but Elkia couldn’t see his brother’s temper tantrum. Now Alces was the one who was becoming desperate. And whenever he was desperate, he resorted to his strength, the only thing he could really trust. Slowly, making as little sound as he could, he unsheathed his sword, and held it in his hoof. Then he walked towards Elkia and tapped him on the shoulder. ‘Elkia?’

‘Yes?’ Elkia said, turning his head around. The last thing he saw was the brass of the handguard flash into view. He didn’t even feel the pain as his own brother knocked him out cold.