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// 41 - 'Tis A Gathering 
// Story: Raison D'être 
// by mechafone 
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Rarity swallowed hard as she reached over and nudged Spark Storm, then a little harder when he didn't look up. "Spark, dear, it looks like we have company." Spark's ears perked up. Company? After a glance at his unicorn friend, he turned his gaze skyward to see two different creatures in the air, circling slowly downwards. One was a creature he recognized from his trips to Cloudsdale: a griffon, if he remembered correctly. He'd seen one now and then, and Rainbow Dash had spoken one of one as a friend.

The other creature was unfamiliar to Spark and Rarity. It looked like a large bird, but it's body was tall and long, like a creature that walked on two legs. It's arms were long and feathered, with brilliant pink and yellow feathers. It's legs were thin, smooth, and ended in vicious looking claws, armed with five inch talons. The strangest part of this creature was its torso. It resembled a creature that Spark had never seen, a bit like a smooth, hairless ape. It was naked, save for a coarse fur on it's chest that covered a pair of lumps that Spark was almost certain he shouldn't be staring at. It's face, while certainly not ugly, was a sight to behold. Spark was almost certain it belonged to a female of...whatever this strange creature was supposed to resemble.

"My my. Look at this, Arrin. Little ponies and their little lost nymph!" the second creature called to it's griffon comrade. It's voice was most definitely female, cruel and derisive. The griffon, a male, merely disregarded the creature's comment and landed a ways behind Spark and Rarity. Orea remained on the ground, too broken to pay much attention. Spark and Rarity turned to these new creatures. Both glanced at each other. It was clear on both their faces that they both felt it would be necessary to defend themselves, at least with the strange bird creature.

"Relax, little ponies. We are both hunters of your kind, but we do not come seeking food. We have business with you, and your friend." the griffin said. He was tall, nearly half as tall as Celestia. His feathers were brown and black, his eyes accented in burnt orange feathers. "I am Arrin, and this..."lovely" creature is called Sohl. We mean you no harm, though you may need to watch your backs with Sohl. She is not the most trustworthy harpy."

Sohl, as she was apparently called, dropped down from the sky, claws outstretched. Arrin barely dodged out of her grasp as she came down, slashing deep gouges in the earth with her deadly talons. "Keep your beak closed, you featherbrain!" she screeched. "What I do with my food is my business!"

Spark and Rarity both looked about ready to bolt. Dealing with a griffin was going to be tense enough, but this harpy creature was bloodthirsty. Spark's back lit up, intent on making himself and his abilities known. "That's enough fooling around, if you don't mind." The harpy snarled as she landed on the ground. Her eyes were on Spark Storm now, a predatory look that sent chills down Spark's spine. If he didn't know what it felt like to be hunted, he did now. "If you can't control yourself, miss, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

Sohl stared at Spark. The audacity, food talking to her like that! She took a few menacing steps towards the pair of ponies, her wings spread wide. "You're not in a position to -" she suddenly let out a shriek as her clawed feet sank into the earth. The ground had suddenly become like mud, sucking the harpy down to her waist. She flapped her wings wildly, letting out a horrible shriek that made Spark and Rarity wince. "What is the meaning of this? Show yourself!"

Spark grinned to himself, earning a look of suspicion from Rarity, a look that seemed to say 'You know what's happening, don't you?', to which Spark just shrugged. Of course he knew. There was only one pony he knew of that could command the earth like that. "Pardon me ladies and gentlecolts. I'm afraid I'm going to have to intervene at this point." Turbid Serocity said as she approached from the woods behind the mismatched party, her horn emitting a dark green glow. The harpy glared at the teal unicorn. She had gone stock still; she knew when she was beaten. If this unicorn wanted her drowned at the bottom of this mud pit, she'd be dead already.

"Turbid, thank Celestia." Spark said. The glare he got from her, though, told him to be quiet. Rarity, having missed out on meeting Turbid in town, eased a little closer to Spark Storm. Something about the glare in the older unicorn's eyes was more jarring than being faced with the deadly harpy creature.

"Spark Storm, I'm disappointed. You should've waited for us before running off without us." Spark blinked. 'Us'? He looked around, expecting to see Lovely Lightning and Sweet Midnight. Turbid shook her head slowly as she walked carefully past the half-buried harpy. "I sent those two home. We've come to the edge, Spark." She gestured to the dark woods beyond, home to the dryads. "Celestia never meant for us to come this way."

"Celestia?" the harpy spat. "Is that old bat still ruling the little pony kingdom? So you've come in her name? I thought she promised never to involve herself with our affairs!"

"My apologies." Arrin, who had been silent but watchful, said as he approached Turbid carefully. She made no move to stop him, though Spark could see the tell-tale signs of tension in her muscles. "We did not come here to harm your friends, or the nymph. We were sent on a diplomatic mission from our respective clans. The elder White Tail has gone mad in his old age, and has refused help on all sides to find the one creature that might save his future. If the meaning of this is unclear to you," he said, gesturing to the three ponies with a claw, "without the dryads and the nymphs, the trees of the forests of the world will one day shrivel and die. It is destined to be one day, but it should not come to be for thousands of years. We have been sent here to see that this does not happen before its time."

"Hmph. Personally, I couldn't care less if the trees died. There would be less places for food to hide, heh heh."

Arrin sighed and brought a claw over his face. "Do you see what I have to work with here? So uncivilized."

Sohl was about to reply when she felt herself pushed to the surface. Keeping a suspecting eye on Turbid, she crawled out of the mud pit.

"Look, this is all fine and dandy," Spark said, granting him everypony's attention. "-but what exactly are we going to do about this?" he said, resting a hoof on Orea's side. Upon being touched, Orea shot to her feet and looked around herself until she found Spark. The panicked look in her eyes told him that she'd so out of it, she hadn't realized the three others that had made themselves known in the last five minutes.

Spark put a reassuring hoof on Orea's side before he walked to stand before her, putting himself inbetween her and the two predatory creatures. "Turbid, I'm sorry, but I'm going with Orea into the forest to talk to White Tail. There has to be a middle ground, some kind of agreement."

Orea frowned and shrank into herself a little bit. She didn't know why White Tail had refused her company. It was beyond confusing. Why wouldn't he want the nymphs and dryads to continue their existence?

Turbid glanced sideways at Spark to address him; she didn't want to put her back to the two predators, especially the harpy. "Spark, I'm not so sure about this. Celestia gave me strict instructions not to get involved with these people. They're not from Equestria."

"Orea is from Equestria." Spark retorted. Turbid was beginning to think this might turn into an argument that they didn't have time for. She was about to pull rank when Orea approached Spark from behind and laid a gentle hoof on his back.

"Spark, the nymphs are not from Equestria." Spark turned to look up at his friend in shock. She frowned sadly and nodded in confirmation as she sat down on her haunches to explain. "Mother always told me there would come a day when we would return to these woods." She turned her head to White Tail's forest, a distant and longing look in her eyes. "Of course, I have never seen this place before today. I was born in the Everfree Forest, so...I suppose I am, in fact, from Equestria, if you wish to think of it like that."

Sohl rolled her eyes heavenward as she sat down. She pulled her wings over her torso, revealing short, claw-like hands at the ends of her pinions. "Well this is all well and nice. Gods know I love a good history lesson," she sneered, "but how is any of this going to get Leafy here to bone with one of those dryads?"

All but Sohl's griffon companion wore shocked and/or disgusted looks on their faces. Rarity had had enough. "Oh! You vile creature! If you weren't here in the interest of helping our friend complete her mission," she snarled, daring to approach the harpy, "I'd send you packing myself! Now either you show Orea the respect she deserves, or you be on your way, please!"

Sohl stared at Rarity with intense interest. Suddenly, she lashed out at the white unicorn, barely missing her face as Spark pulled her away by her tail. Neither the harpy nor fashionista was expecting Spark to launch himself at the attacker. He connected with her chest and pushed her back, then twisted around as she tried to hit him with her wings. He met the wing with his own, using the momentum to twist back around and buck her in the chest. She let out a frustrated shriek that pierced the air, a vicious sound that actually drove Spark into hitting the ground harder than he meant to. As he fell, his wings lit up with lit, and as Sohl came down for the kill, her talons outstretched, her body was met with twin bolts of lightning that sent her careening to the ground.

Spark remained where he was, his wings outstretched, and lit with threatening energy. Sohl, however, pulled herself into a sitting position, a disarming smile on her face. She let out a laugh that was both friendly and disturbing, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Well! You're a bit of a surprising pony, aren't you? You and 'Muddy' over there have my respect. Little miss prissy pants, though...not so much." Rarity, who had been watching in shock, huffed and turned her nose up at the harpy. Turbid flushed and looked down at the ground. It hadn't been intentional, but hearing her real name, Muddy, was embarrassing.

Spark glared at Sohl's name for Rarity, but he supposed she could be a little too prissy in some situations. He shrugged his shoulders and eventually folded his wings back down. "So...You're going to help us get in good with White Tail...that's what you and Arrin are here for, right?"

"Of course. Uh...I know I said I didn't really care if the trees died, but then I wouldn't have a place to sit and look for prey. I guess a few trees left standing would be better. So yes..." Sohl crept forwards to Spark, reaching a clawed hand down to his hoof. "What do you say? Allies?" She grinned down at him, displaying vicious looking fangs.

Spark hesitated. He looked into Sohl's eyes. They were wild and deadly, but they were honest. At least he'd never have to wonder about her intentions. Arrin, however, despite being polite, bothered him for some reason he couldn't pin down. He reached forward, resting his hoof in Sohl's hand. She shook it once, then released it.

Sohl flapped her wings, taking her into the air until she landed beside Arrin once more. As Orea lightly dug at the ground with a hoof, Spark returned to her and rested a hoof on her side before returning his gaze to Turbid. She returned the look, then sighed heavily and shook her head. "You still plan on going in there, don't you?"

"Of course I do, Turbid. It was Orea's mother's last wish that this happen. She put me in charge of taking care of her daughter, and that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to help Orea through this, no matter what Celestia said."

"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go in there and get your friend la-" a glare from all three ponies made Sohl pause. "...uh..." she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Let's just get her in there. Geez."