//------------------------------// // 2-7: Lord Whirlwind // Story: The Gems of Creation: Part 2 // by BSting //------------------------------// Before Cornfield could say another word, his partner, Cobalt Coral, flapped her wings off the boat’s deck, hovering higher like a hot-air balloon. Effortlessly, she used her vines in whisking him away with her, flying as fast as a purple hippogriff could to Mt. Aris and stranding Silver Night in the process. The awful sight of her homeland being invaded by a stormy blimp repeatedly broke Coral down into nothing but cowardice and fear. When Cornfield snapped her out of her PTSD, he awakened a caged beast that desperately thirst for revenge by any means. She ignored the abandoned mare yelling angrily from afar, floating above the bouncy waves. “HEY! DON’T LEAVE ME HERE!” Silver’s voice had ultimately been drowned out by the sound of air speeding past. Cornfield on the other hoof found himself in a rather unfortunate position; being dragged along inside thorn threaded vines pressing against him. “Ack! Uh, Coral! You need to calm down! You’re hurting me!” At this point, Coral was seeing red and selfishly disregarded the colt’s anguish. Then he saw, in much dismay, they were flying right into the giant spire, in the dead center of the sea, while the vines tightened even more painfully around him. Far away, large muscular soldiers rappelled down from the ship with their indistinguishable white matted fur and intimidating armor. She throttled up, accelerating to meet them head on! “Dammit! I was hoping we’d have time to plan. But Coral is literally charging in to make the first move! She’s gonna get us killed!” Cornfield thought. The colt struggled against her vines, but that only made it all the more uncomfortable. This was proving to be a real thorny situation indeed. Soon, yet not soon enough for either party involved, they established contact with the beach at the base of the mountain. Dropping the pained photographer on the sands, and landing beside him was an angry bird who immediately bolted for the wooden walkway; zigzagging all the way along the walls of the cliff where the city entrance stood. After a brief moan and recuperation, he realized she left him behind. “W-wait up Coral!” Cornfield sprinted after, using all his effort to keep up. No idea what would happen once they’d get inside the city but he certainly had to watch her back in her frenzied moment. Finally, after what felt like a long flight of stairs, Coral stared at the center of Mount Aris as her companion crawled up past the final hoofstep at her side. For the first time, Cornfield finally witnessed his friend’s true home, as they passed through two hippogriff statues acting in service of the main gate. While they were quickly surrounded by trees that made up various houses and stores, there wasn’t any time to admire the exotic architecture. Rows of Storm Soldiers lined up side by side with the hippogriffs who had already taken notice of the notorious outcast, bringing alongside a new guest into their stronghold. Although Coral appeared menacing, she was in fact surveying the location carefully. Nervously, the colt asked, “C-Coral? Will you listen to me now?”. There was an uneasy standoff in the atmosphere, and even the natives had unfriendly faces to welcome them. They in turn kept marching. Seemingly everypony waited for somepony to break the ice of a cold reception. Coral, however, didn’t need any invitation, as she lashed out her vines on an unsuspecting soldier.  After attacking his neck with a vice-like hold she threw him off the ground. The soldier vainly wrenched the thorny vines cutting his throat, while the rest of the crew primed themselves for battle, unsheathing their weapons. Thrust into an unwilling conflict, the only thing Cornfield could do was stare in awe of her rage. He couldn’t even summon the courage to stand by her anymore, as her abandonment of caution upon arriving could possibly ignite the war prematurely. “If you monkeys have any brains at all, you will bring me Lord Whirlwind!” the purple thief squawked with unbridled fury. “I want a chance at his HEAD!” One soldier wisely strafed out of formation with his sharpened spear and cut the vines keeping his comrade aloft. Coral’s hostage collapsed onto the dirt with a thud, dripping alarming pools of blood from his sliced neck. To the gem bearer’s horror, the floral ropes quickly disintegrated, but once it retracted back to her talons, unharmed, she was relieved. The other hippogriffs gasped with shock and fear, not of their natural enemies, but of her. “Now who else of you beasts want some?!” Coral taunted, her body raring to give everything she had. Yet her mind raced in a desperate plea for the blinding anger clouding her judgement to end. The troops did nothing except address their fallen’s wounds and stayed in a defensive format. “ANSWER ME!” Another screech echoed. Her impatience was getting the better of her. “STOP! Leave them alone! They aren’t here to hurt any creature!” A voice called from behind the two visitors as they turned to witness another hippogriff, with light-blue fur, green eyes, and light-green spiky feathers in a mohawk hairstyle. Sheepishly, he approached Cornfield, as he seemed to be the less threatening mediator. The colt glanced upwards to see him clearly, noting he was a little taller than Coral, but not by much. “What the-? But aren’t they attacking the city?” he asked as he moved closer to the new voice of reason. “Did you see them with their weapons raised?” retorted the unfamiliar native of Mt. Aris. “They’re simply here to ensure that Lord Whirlwind is protected on his visit with the queen!” “But Lord Whirlwind... Is a dictator!” Cornfield reiterated, remembering that Dr. Caballeron was a murdered victim and stoked the flames of his conviction further. “He’s right!” chimed Coral, hastily getting up in the male hippogriff’s face. “Who are YOU to defend both him AND these brutal creatures responsible for the deaths of their first invasion?!” “My name is Calm Breeze,” the light-blue avian answered with diplomatic intentions. “I’m Lord Whirlwind’s assistant.” “Assistant?” chimed Cornfield once more. “Why? Do you even realize you’ve aligned yourself with a power-hungry murderer!?” The colt then looked at Coral, expecting she’d back him up, but only froze with shock instead. The moment Calm introduced himself, gears started turning in her head. “Calm Breeze?” She uttered after a moment of contemplative silence. “...Is your father Crashing Waves and your mother Pearl Gleam?” The colt stepped aside and allowed his purple partner to take over. He didn’t understand these matters as it was left between them for discussion. The male hippogriff, however, narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously, wondering who this mysterious female was before it became terribly obvious. His eyes suddenly widened in astonishment as his beak hung open. At a loss for words, he could only respond with a name he lost so very long ago. “... Cobalt Coral?” His sister’s heart swelled, overwhelming joy washing over her as a lost piece of her past revealed to be intact all along. Nothing in Equestria could stop her as she forcefully wrapped her forelegs around his neck, hugging him tight and shouting his name, never wanting to let go of him a second time. The sudden wave of emotion enveloped Calm and returned the favor as he embraced her back. Cornfield could not bring himself to interrupt this tender moment between family, especially one she believed had been dead all this time, despite these circumstances that surround them. “I can’t believe it!” Coral cried tears of bliss as she rubbed her cheek on his neck. “I thought you were dead!” “I honestly thought the same...” her brother responded, thanking the stars that he found his family on this fateful day. Then, he noticed Cornfield, wondering how he’s involved in all of this. “Who is this with you?” Coral hesitantly broke away off the hug and gave Cornfield his due introduction. “Calm, this is my friend, Cornfield.” “Uh, nice... to meet you?” The colt hung his hoof in the air, queuing a shake, uncertain what her immediate family thought of him. “Likewise,” Calm politely said as he grasped his hoof and gave a firm shake. Coral was in awe of her brother, thinking how wonderful it would be to catch up after years of separation. Yet regrettably she let it go, as reality slowly crept back to wrest her happiness away and set priorities straight: why would he be here, now after so long, eagerly defending the Storm Creatures. An angry stomp befell from her, with a somber expression. “Why, Calm?!” “W-Why, what?” The concerned sibling felt himself targeted by the sudden shift in tone, wondering why he’s questioned so suddenly. “Why are you working for Whirlwind?” Cornfield wasted no time, avoiding minced words for Coral’s sake. Calm looked at his sister’s friend. Like it or not, this reunion initiated with a trial, and he was court appointed to be his own lawyer. “Well, when I was a young colt myself, I was kidnapped by the Storm King’s soldiers to be a slave. But, Lord Whirlwind, in his kindness, saved me from a life of abuse! I’m indebted to him for that.” The only witness to Caballeron’s murderer stood there, mouth agape as his brain processed the the testimony and compared it to the facts before him. With nothing to counter, Cornfield reiterated the sole truth he knew in his heart, “But, Whirlwind is evil”. “The way you revere him,” Coral reinforced her partner’s defense, “you sound like he’s this protector of justice or something!” “That’s just it!” Her brother begged desperately to assure them. “He wants to repair the relationships between the Storm Creatures and the Hippogriffs. That’s why he’s here! This isn’t an invasion, this is a peace treaty!” “Ponyfeathers!” Cornfield shouted “He’s a murderer! Why would he do that?!” “You’re dismissed, Calm Breeze,” said a young voice in an authoritative tone. “I’ll answer that question myself.” With a gasp, Coral found Queen Novo behind them, in all her beautiful and graceful plumage, walking alongside a rather unique Storm Creature that stood out from the rest of the hulking brutes. He was incredibly youthful, yet as tall as Celestia herself. His primate face resembled the Storm King’s, but less brutish and more refined. Another curious feature was the fur on top of his head curled sideways like freshly served ice cream, sticking out from the top of the Storm King’s old crown. Finally, his attire spoke a thousand words of his intellect, sporting a pair of short lens glasses and a lab coat with light storm armor layered around the torso. The adventuring duo sized the lord up as he approached. Cornfield couldn’t help but identify his body like the silhouette from the same communication potion that ended an aforementioned pony’s life. “Could this be him?” he thought to himself. “A-are you... Lord Whirlwind?” Coral stammered, taken aback from his thin frame. She honestly had overestimated his stature. Either way, rage still bubbled up inside of her, having finally met the heinous figure, with his nose turned upward, looking down on the creatures as if he was above them. However, the queen’s presence kept the gem thief from taking any action less she be incarcerated, or worse. “Indeed.” As the clever, noble creature spoke before them, his voice sounded very familiar with Cornfield. This was unmistakably the voice he heard speaking to Caballeron. “I see that you are already causing chaos with my units, however.” Eager to save his long-lost kin, Calm got between his sister and his boss. “Please, sir!” he pleaded for his merciful understanding. “She acted out of fear! Not malice! It was reacting with undue conscious” “Even so, Calm,” Cornfield refuted his partner’s respect. “Coral can speak for herself.” With a step forward and loudly clearing her throat, the leader of the Hippogriffs demanded the visitors demonstrate their etiquette to her. Calm and Coral instinctively bowed first, adhering to the royal standards of conduct. Novo bowed to the brother, but not his sister. “One can’t simply say that for sure,” her majesty addressed to Calm. For you see, she already has a history of acting on impulse and disobeying the crown.” A frustrated click escaped the thief’s beak, rolling her eyes when her ruler unearthed those past transgressions. “Oh, damn it, here we go....” the purple bird thought with a sneer. Cornfield bowed his head to Novo. “I’m sorry,” he spoke up to the queen. “But it’s not what you think.” He hastily forwarded the conversation at Coral. “You should probably clear the air for us. I can see it’s you they’re more worried about than anything.” “Right.” Nodding at the gesture, she took her case up with Novo. “If you can just try to understand why I-” The Queen screeched a piercing eagle’s cry relentlessly at the both of them, nearly deafening them both in her outburst. “Who gave both of you the RIGHT to speak to me?!” Novo cawed furiously. Under the colt’s breath was a subtle plea of noble recognition. “See? I did the bow thing. Am I a good boy or what?” However, it would be sheepishly discarded due to his clumsy knowledge. “She didn’t bow back. You hadn’t any permission to speak to her...” said Coral. Momentum had shifted as the outcast started explaining the situation, while Lord Whirlwind adjusted his glasses, as the gem on the hippogriff’s chest reflected in his lens. “Your majesty, correct me if I’m wrong,” the Storm Creature chuckled; the only one amused in these times on the notion of ever being wrong. “But isn’t that one of the Gems of Creation on her chest?” Cornfield detected Whirlwind’s focus on Coral’s beating chest, nervously breaking out bullets of sweat. Meanwhile, Coral glared angrily at the pompous lord, cursing the day he was ever born. Then, when she saw the jewel Whirlwind was talking about, Queen Novo furiously shot daggers at the gem bearer’s eyes. “So... Even after all these years, you still haven’t given up on your life of thievery?” The feathered monarch nearly spit in disgust from the disgraced sight before her. “It wasn’t enough to try and steal away the Pearl of Transformation. You’re here for The Mind of Water also?!” “B-But, your majesty!” Coral struggled to assert. “I need it so I can keep it out of that monkey’s paws!” She cast her talons of wrath at Whirlwind, who pushed his glasses up with a pretentious smirk on his face. “Do you even know what powers you are playing with, you fool! The implications that taking the Mind of Water will bring? The waters will grow stale and rotten in a matter of months if you dare to steal it. What are the costs of the fact that you have The Heart of Nature with you now? Do you even care?” Bursting with rage, Coral lunged herself beak-to-beak with Novo. “I DO care! I care more about my country and my fellow hippogriffs more than you do! When the Storm King reigned and Celestia sure as shit wasn’t going to help for years, Mt. Aris had to be SAVED!” The rebel backed off, mocking her leader further. “I wanted to band together and escape the waters to rebel against him, while you sat on your ASS protecting your preeecious peeeearl.” The collective hippogriffs in the streets gasped at the insolent rogue and chattered with each other like a mile high waterfall of stones while the Queen stood flabbergasted with her jaw hanging. Coral settled her side of the argument with a smile on her beak. “Truth is, your majesty, someone has to reverse the damages done by his kind, and make sure nothing like that happens again. I’m electing myself to be the creature to do it, whether you like it or not.” Overwhelmed by these new developments, Cornfield urged Coral to reevaluate. “Uh, I think we’ve overstayed our welcome at this point.” Calm faced her sister, equally stunned by her obscene behavior. “Y-you…” he hesitantly stuttered, making dead sure his grave accusation was not without its certainty. “You’re a thief?” Coral addressed her brother as the speechless Queen backed away, hoping to save face after what the potential usurper had proclaimed and regain her majestic composure. “Yeah,” his sister said plainly. “I am. What of it?” “Well, not only is that... wrong, but I can’t believe that my own sister would go out of her way to do something this dangerous. Lord Whirlwind is trying to make reparations with the hippogriffs without resorting to magical gems. He’s doing the right thing!” His attempt to set her straight only received the furrowing of her brow. “And I can’t believe that my thought-to-be dead, long lost brother is peddling bullshit for a living. He killed a pony in cold blood when he was dealing with bandits to do his dirty work! Cornfield has proof!” There was a tug in her tail feathers. “It’s... ah, it’s back at the boat, Coral,” her partner quickly reminded her. “But surely your brother would take your word for it anyway, right?” Inquiringly, Calm inquired about said proof. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to see the evidence myself.” “Er... I hope Silver parked the boat someplace where we can get it.” “Silver?” Coral’s crests shot up as her eyes widened. “Oh, CRAP, Silver! She’s still back at the boat! I doubt she could put it ashore!” “W-wait! Coral! Don’t leave without...me.” It was too late to ask for a ride as Coral blasted back from whence they came. Cornfield slowly faced the vast crowd of towering hippogriffs watching him, abandoned in an unbecoming moment way out of his element. “...So... How about them sea urchins… I mean what is up with that... Ha ha...?” Then, a shadow doused Cornfield in utter darkness as a tall figure stood high over him. As he checked what loomed above, Lord Whirlwind had completely stolen any breathing room between them, being within range of his deathly grasp. The colt leered back as the wicked Storm Creature flashed a grin. “So, you’ll have to forgive if I ask this, but why are you here?” “Umm, well, doesn’t Coral have the right to see her family?” “No no. I’m not concerned about her other than the well-being of every living creature on this earth. The question is: Why are you here? What have you to gain from all this?” “I’m just with Coral. I swear!” “I see.” Then, the piercing determined gaze that was in Whirlwind’s eyes revealed itself upon removing his glasses as he bent down to his level. “Well, are you aware of what your friend is doing?” “Well... What business is it of yours anyhow?” Lord Whirlwind let out a knowing chuckle. “Well, part of our treaty is keeping our neighbors safe. If Coral is attempting to procure the Mind of Water… I must profess that would be nothing less than abominable for both parties that have their own island countries here in the ocean. For that, I might have to take action...” “...Do as you wish!” The ape-like animal chuckled even harder, to the point he was bursting out in laughter. After calming himself and retaining his suave temperament, he answered back enthusiastically. “Exemplary idea! But it’s not mine to command.” Turning to Novo, in the midst of recomposing herself, he proclaimed, “Now, your majesty, in her infinite wisdom, would know that protecting the Mind of Water is something that she must do at all costs. After all, she knew better than to rush out, but rather go on the defensive to make sure the Storm King couldn’t have the Pearl in the wrong paws.” Cornfield buckled down in his thoughts. “Come on Coral! The situation is out of hoof once again!” Novo’s feathers perked up. Taking the baton of inspiration from Whirlwind, a wry smile formed as she scratched the underside of her beak. “Yes…” she quickly agreed with his honeyed vocabulary. “I think we should discuss our plans to further strengthen the protection of the Mind of Water in private.” The queen proceeded down the path into her towering palace, leaving her subjects to mingle with the other creatures. “Come along, Lord Whirlwind. We have much to talk about.” Meanwhile, as the two royals retreated back inside their sacred residence, the colt jumped over where Calm stood, anxiously. “Look, Calm. I get Coral did some things in the past she regrets. But surely you can believe your own sister when she says Whirlwind is no good!” The light-blue avian sighed, unable to properly wrap his head around the situation he’s in. “I understand that you care for her, even helped her out in my long absence... But, it’s still all so hard to take in...” “You must have noticed something in your current position. I imagine having Coral has helped sharpen your senses to wrongdoing.” Grasping his head, Calm groaned like he was in pain. “My life with Lord Whirlwind had been... such a blur. One day, I find myself in shackles. The next, I’m his trusted aide. Ever since, all I heard him talk about was plans to bring about unity and justice.” “How come you’ve never even tried to reach out to your sister?” He said in wish-fulfillment of his kin’s redemption. “I didn’t even know she was still alive! The last thing I saw of my family was when I was being dragged away and my mom and dad getting killed in front of me! I thought she would be gone as well!” He reaffirmed his stance back at Cornfield. “You have to understand! It’s not that I didn’t care for her. I still do, even now! It’s just that after so many years of separation... Well, some hippogriffs would move on with their days...” Then the green equine alien to their world conceded. “...I guess we’ll just have to wait for her to come back then.” “No need. I have some words for her of my own and I’m off-duty. I’ll take you to her.” Crouching down, he presented his back for a rider to mount and spread his wings. “Hop on.” The colt hesitated only for a moment but did comply; situating himself comfortably on Calm. The extra weight of a full-grown pony caused Calm to stumble a bit. “Whoa! Are you ok?” the passenger questioned for both of their well-beings. To which Calm replied, “Ah, sorry. We griffs aren’t used to serving as flying mounts for a very long time. But I’ll get used to it!” “Well… that’s reassuring!” Cornfield thought. “Hang on!” The hippogriff stood firm before he shot out of the entrance gate like a rocket. Cornfield hugged tightly with his lips flailing and tears spawning from his eyes. Barely squinting, Cornfield tried to make the most of his position, observing what he could make out in the distant Earth. Calm was whizzing about in the air, zooming downwards in fancy feats of aerial versatility. With the sole knowledge that they sailed their way, the search had narrowed down to what only plausible terrain might have the vessel hoisted. Scaling down the mountain, a rocky cliff jutted out across the ocean over a sandy beach. A silhouette befitting a sailboat crept into the rocky shoulder, and the feathered carrier slowed as they carefully descended upon their suspected point of interest. On the cockpit of the boat, Coral and Silver Night seemed as if they were in the middle of a heated debate. “-that I had to go in such a hurry! I thought I had a national CRISIS on my claws!” As Calm graciously hovered down over the deck, his rider eagerly jumped off and not just because he desperately wanted a break from Calm’s dazzling acrobatics. “Whoa! Hey, what’s going on, you two?” The delightful sound of her friend caught Coral’s attention. She’s less than thrilled to see her brother, but still pleased to find Cornfield made it back all right. “Oh, Silver is just bitching because we left her behind. She steered her way over here trying to figure out how to pitch the boat ashore, when I came by and saved her rump.” However, once she saw Cornfield’s watery eyes and slightly loopy expression, she had to ask. “You ok there?” He rapidly shook his head in clearing his mind. “Well, I can tell you’ve had many more ponies ride you than your brother… I MEAN!” He clamped his mouth shut from the embarrassment. “Hehe… not like that…” Coral stifled a laugh as Cornfield struggled to correct his verbal humiliation. Quickly, he changed topics while his partner was in a good mood. “Wait, you saved her?” The colt also scanned around for his saddlebags, seeing them conveniently nestled by as Coral went on. “You shoulda heard her. Poor mare was panicking something fierce underneath that cold exterior.” She gives Silver a sly smile. “I was NOT!” The unicorn slightly blushes as she glances away. “It’s just a stupid boat anyway.” “A stupid boat you can’t steer.” Cornfield sighed. “At least we can finally prove Whirlwind is a bad guy.” Although a bitter Sliver tried snidely remarking. “You’re a boat I can’t steer.” Coral pointed back at Silver. “You’re just a steer. Period!” Calm himself began to interject. “Sister, please!” “Jeez, now you two are fighting?” The stallion whined. “I’m just kidding.” Coral said plainly. “I need to laugh after the horrendous things I’ve witnessed.” She then glared at her brother, who begged to differ, saying, “Coral, there’s nothing bad even happening! Lord Whirlwind has everyone’s best interests.” “Oh yeah?” Called out the young green stallion as he zipped over to his bags. “Well, wait until you see this!” Opening his luggage, he dug in and retrieved the camera. Then, he popped the latch but history repeated itself as all the photos stored flew out and fluttered in the soft tingling wind. “OH! BUCK!” Many of them fell to a watery grave save for a few, including one peculiar photograph that Calm swiped up midair. Silver saw them plain as day, snickering in the background while Cornfield snagged as many as he could back into his camera. “Oh, Cornfield...” Coral shook her head, seemingly disappointed at his behavior, but she couldn’t help but guffaw at the sheer silliness of his misfortune. Calm further examined the picture of interest in his claws. No doubt, it’s Whirlwind’s silhouette in the potion’s mist, and he took Cornfield’s word that the rough looking stallion was a dastardly pony. “And you are saying he killed this... Caballeron?” he asked with disbelief in his tone. “Yeah!” confirmed the colt. “Right in front of me! He made that thing explode and it killed him!” “Do you have a picture of that as well?” The question deflated Cornfield slightly, mentally kicking himself for never taking the shot in the first place. “Well... no. But this sure is telling, don’t ya think?” “It only tells me that he deals with unsavory characters sometimes. Not that he’s a murderer.” Despite the lack of explicit proof, a light bulb went off in his head as he switched tactics. “I wonder what Whirlwind would say if we were to present this to Novo?” A glowing smirk flashed on the colt’s face. “If he deals with unsavory characters, the act might just cost him.” Calm raised his chin, “What did he want from him, anyway?” “He was after The Heart of Nature. Cornfield said that Whirlwind specifically asked for it in order to get to The Mind of Water,” Coral informed. The green stallion’s confidence bolstered from his friend’s backing. “Heh… Yeah, he was real ticked when he found out Coral got it before Caballeron.” “The punk even mentioned me by name and my species to him!” Coral exclaimed. Calm reacted strongly with worrying fear. “He knew about you?!” The group looked at the male hippogriff with confusion, who was unable to handle that sudden intake of information. A momentary pause filled the gap as Cornfield stepped forward to warn him further. “...We’d better be careful,” said the young shutterbug. “Who knows what he plans to do?” “No…” Calm fell back on hind legs as he clutched his head in his claws. “No, no, no. It doesn’t make sense... Why would he withhold that information about you from me, unless he didn’t know we were siblings...” His crests perked from the logical conclusion he said aloud, and summoned the strength to stand tall again. “That’s it. He didn’t know. Anyway, I-I’m sure it’s nothing. You’re just mistaken.” The esteemed photographer rolled his eyes with a scoff and sheathed his journalistic equipment back in his trusty pack. Then, aggressively, he got right into Calm’s face, causing the addle-brained bird to flinch back slightly. “Your sister is in serious danger! If he IS after the Mind of Water, then that makes Coral a target!” Outside of the heated argument, Silver quietly hopped off the boat and searched for new thieving adventures, exploring the land of its overlooked valuables. Anything than stick around some family feud. It was all drama as Coral pressed full steam until she was nothing short of eye to eye with her brother. “You aren’t planning on ratting me out just because you became addicted to kissing monkey butt, are you?” she interrogated coldly. “No!” Calm sheepishly denied. “No, there has to be a more peaceful solution to ALL of this.” Then he regained his hoofing and warmly smiled at his only family. “Look, Coral, it’s been so long since we saw each other. Why don’t we just go somewhere and talk about what happened between you and Novo...?” “If you guys do that, I suppose I’ll go find someplace we can ‘hang out’,” Cornfield volunteered. He proceeded to disembark, but not without checking with Coral. “That is, unless you had a remedy for our needs?” A hum reverberated in the treasure hunter’s beak as she scanned along the shoreline. A sneaky grin stretched at the sight of familiar terrain. “Wouldn’t you know it, Silver steered over to the perfect place in mind.” Suddenly she realized that their third party member went unaccounted for. “Hey, where did she even go?” On cue, the colt gave the boat a run-around, yet catching no blackened hide or whitest hair. When Coral asked if he found any indication on his very search, he shrugged and replied. “Nah, but oh well. She seems to show up when it’s most convenient for her, anyway.” “Fair enough. Come on, follow me.” She glided off the boat with her two stallions following behind, and traversed the shadowy rocky beach that was Mt. Aris’s western coast. Meanwhile, not too far away Silver Night was on the prowl, happy to have the sound of the waves replace the squabbling over politics. She was more engaged on a lucrative adventure. As luck would have it, along the edge of the receding ocean, was a lone young hippogriff wearing beautiful ornate jewelry. The pitiful creature with creamy-yellow fur and long light blue feathers sat head down on the beach, eyes barely open in solemn contemplation. She didn’t even realize let alone care, that a treasure-seeking mare was stalking her, sizing her up as easy prey to rob blind. Making her approach from behind the unassuming hippogriff, the unicorn took one hoof at a time. She wondered how to relieve the poor hybrid of the heavy metal and valuable rocks weighing her down, clearly stressing her out physically if not mentally.  From its beak huffed out a sad sigh, watching the seas rhythmically move up and down the sands, sometimes splashing her claws. Then, as the thief was slowly magnetized by the loot she might reap, the hippogriff does the unthinkable. Her claws unceremoniously released the latch of the weighted golden necklace off of her neck and tossed it over her shoulder before sobbing into her claws. Silver froze, totally surprised as the jewelry arced in the air before hitting the sand. At first, she glanced between it and the hippogriff, figuring out what had just happened, but regardless knew not to look a gift horse in the mouth since all she had to do was snatch the object and go for a clean getaway. Her horn sparkled with clear aura as the necklace encased with magic levitated towards her. With the bauble in her possession, she crept away on the tips of her hooves, hoping the crying creature wouldn’t miss such pretty accessories. Suddenly, a whooshing sound whistled closer behind the bandit. She jerked her head to locate the source, but a cracking pop echoed the shoreline, swiftly followed by the lashing pain of a thorny sting landing on the mare’s backside. “AAAAAAAOOOOOWWWW!!!” bellowed Silver as the impact resulted in dropping the necklace with her rear recoiling into the air! “You dirty snake!” Coral shouted from afar as the vine retracted, trudging after her with Cornfield and Calm. “I didn’t think I had to tell you not to steal from my kind, but your greed just couldn’t stay put! Haven’t they suffered enough?!” Silver screamed in fright of another lashing. After she cowered behind a large rock that jutted from the coast, the younger cream-colored hippogriff was startled upon hearing a commotion and saw the thief hiding in plain sight. Then, she became aware of two other hippogriffs and somepony approaching her. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I take full responsibility for-” Coral abruptly cut her apology short when she gasped at the adorable avian sitting alone. The distinct freckles on her face along with her favorite hibiscus flower on her head were dead giveaways that they were in the presence of royalty. “P-Princess Skystar?!” “Princess... who?” asked Cornfield, looking at the creature from top to bottom. Skystar lifted herself up and shook the sand out of her fur as she glanced at her fallen necklace. She grasped it and peered around the rock where the frightened mare had taken cover. Knocking upon its mossy surface, she softly called out “Hello? Ms. Thief Pony?” There was no answer, only subtle cursing and pained moans. “Maybe I’m mistaken but, if you are behind there, you can go ahead and take the necklace.” Kindly, she tossed the jewelry down, then further removed her rings and bracelets to charitably throw into a pile for said thief. “These, too. I don’t need them!” Silver peeked a little over to see the glittery bounty. It was tempting, but she was concerned what Coral would do. “Princess!” The purple gem-hunter exclaimed. “Are you sure?! I mean, I don’t want you to get in trouble with- I MEAN!” Flustered and sweating nervously, she bowed instantly without saying another word. Gleaming with a smile that would ease tensions, the princess assured “Oh, that stupid bowing thing. It’s ok! We’re all friends here!” Coral raised her head back up, feeling more relaxed and rather cheerful to be with such a joyful child; a far cry when they were handling her mother. “Oh, princess. You were just a chick the last time I saw you. You’ve grown!” “Hey!” Cornfield addressed his friend by tapping on her wing. “Do you think she could help us out?” Skystar tilted her head, puzzled. “Help you out with what?” “With Lord Whirlwind.” He answered while Silver crept cautiously aside, watching out for any whip-happy birds, especially Coral who was now keeping a sharp stern eye on her. Skystar lost her smile as soon as the unwelcome tyrant became their topic and stomped her claws on the sand. “Whirlwind?! Ugh... Honestly, I wish someone would help me with him!” Calm rubbed his neck, realizing he would be a prime target of contention if she knew his involvement. “What?!” angrily shouted Coral as she stepped harshly forward. “What did that monkey do to you?! If he so much as put a single-!” Motioning her claws to settle down, the royal daughter jittered her head with dismissal. “No, he didn’t do anything to me. He’s just... He’s just a... creep!” “A... creep?” whispered Calm to himself. “Like Silver?” Cornfield claimed, laughing aloud. “Hey! I’m not as creepy as YOU!” the thief shouted, insulted by his remark. “All right, you chuckleheads. Knock it off,” commanded the leader of the group as she gave her attention back to Skystar. “Your highness, you may not remember me, but I’m Cobalt Coral. Hiding behind the rock like a chicken is Silver Night, the hippogriff with me is my brother, Calm Breeze, and the pony right beside me is my partner, Cornfield.” “I wasn’t chicken!” protested the sore mare as she rejoined the group, treasure in magic’s grip. “You attacked me with your weird freaky mutation, bitch!” Skystar paid her no mind, however, as her eyes lit up at the word “partner”. She silently stared Cornfield up and down. “Partner?! He’s such a cutie! You really bagged a good catch, Coral!” Coral blushed profusely, averted her gaze, and stuttered “Ah! N-Not what I meant by ‘p-partner’!” Cornfield interjected. “WHAT?!” “You need glasses,” snarked Silver, severely questioning princess birdbrain’s taste. “Hey, let’s kindly change the subject now.” pleaded the flustered gem-bearer. “My hideout is right around here, if you want to come with me, princess.” Skystar chirped enthusiastically. “Sure! It’s better then back at the castle with my mother and those storm things...” “Phew!” The colt audibly expressed his relief. “At least we have some hippogriff on our side in this matter.” “Wait, so they’re not attacking?!” Silver queried. “No, they aren’t!” exasperatingly declared Calm. “I’ve been trying to tell all of you this!” “But they’re enemies? Or are they not enemies?” “They aren’t our enemies!” “That’s not what the other hippogriffs think...” Skystar declared grimly.