//------------------------------//
// Temple 
// Story: Expedition to the Cloudbreak Islands 
// by Starglider 
//------------------------------//

The morning gathering - the circle of ponies and friends on the deck of the Harmony - was starting to become a well-practiced ritual. Set Sail stood alongside Gustus, Grenelda, Azure and the researcher Summer Scribe. Reef Skimmer was... not present this time due to extenuating circumstances. Also attending were curious deckhands, their quartermaster and now interim 'doctor' Winter Hope, Cloud Cutter and her purple companion Silver Frost.

At the rear of the group, looking around nervously, stood the current interim chief of engineering: a cream-furred unicorn mare by the name of Sprocket. Finally there was the big flame-feathered phoenix-dragon; the crew gave their strange visitor a wide berth, but still included him in the circle. The avian Skylander stood quietly and confidently, regarding the group with perhaps idle curiosity, watching to see what the social dynamic of the colourful little equines would be. 

"We're running into a few hurdles, I know," Set Sail, the third-mate-now-captain said, "Reef Skimmer is... doing his best to deal with that magical catastrophe at the water temple - it affected him the worst. But he's alive, we're all alive, and we all still have each other. We can't rest on our laurels and wait for the drow to discover us though, so we're still going to need... explorers, who might have to risk running into more dangerous situations."

"There are two things we might investigate that could help get us into better shape. There are creatures called land sharks; I know, the name doesn't fill me with confidence, but they are known for their skilled machinery, so they might be able to help us. They're also known for... really high costs. We could try visiting them, or we could try to approach the griffons of this land."

"According to the gillmen, the griffons have some sort of a temple dedicated to the Air element, that we could freely visit... though it may only be reachable by those of us who can fly. So... any other things we should consider doing, while we wait for Nutmeg and Gearshift to return with the Skylanders?"

Summer Scribe kept side-eying Sunburn. She couldn't help but think: didn't this open up a ton of possibilities? They could go wherever they wanted with little fear of a nasty combat outcome - or leave him at home and have a surefire (ha) defence against Drow raids. "I think the main point of contention should be whether we take Sunburn with us on our expeditions or leave him at home on defence. The benefits of both are self-evident: which one do we want more?"

"What, are you going to pack him up in a suitcase?" Set Sail asked the unicorn in amused disbelief. Her amusement lessened as Summer just stared back at her cluelessly.

Azure trotted over to stand by Sunburn's side - if they were going to be a unit, going into battle, then they should stand together...  and heck, there was something about him... The winged unicorn shook her head before speaking out: "I don't have any other suggestions, but..." she sighed "...what do I know, I'm just the stupid guard. As for Sunburn... I think it would be better to ask him, don't you? Both where he wants to be placed and where we could go. I'm positive he knows this place far better than any of us." She turned to the dragon, eager to hear his thoughts.

At Azure's words, Set Sail gave a relieved smile, saying, "Yes, Sunburn is welcome to come with us on our expeditions, or to stay her and help defend our base, and he'd be very appreciated either way, but it's his decision what he does. We need to decide what we're going to do." She finally met the creature's gaze; his sharp beak and fierce eyes reminded her of Reef. "Sunburn, given that you know much more than us about this world, I'm curious what you think we should do next."

The phoenix-dragon cocked his head, staring at the ponies for a while before answering "Our code was always protect the good guys, then blow up the bad guys. Always did enjoy that last part more, but can't skip the vegetables and go to straight to the dessert, as Master Eon would've put it." His beak hung half-open to admit a dry chuckle, while his gaze ranged over the ponies and settled on the brown pegasus, who seems to he the leader. "You're seriously asking me?"  

Now it was Set Sail's turn to blink cluelessly, saying, "Um... you don't have to answer if you don't want. But yes, we ponies are very new to this world, and we could really use the advice of an experienced dragon like yourself."

Summer Scribe nodded in agreement. "That's quite true; maybe if we bring you up to speed with our current goals and troubles, you can offer your expertise on them?"

Azure couldn't help but chuckle at the dragon's comparison of vegetables and dessert to defence and offense. "To be fair, Sunburn... you're like the all-star to a squad that's needed one. Or at least, that's how I feel about you being here. But Summer's got a point..."

The feathery dragon seemed surprised, but unconcerned about being the centre of attention. Fixing Summer with a stare, he said: "Huh. So... a drow base is a tough nut to crack, 'specially when they've have time to dig in." Turning to Azure, he shrugged his wings. "Appreciate the vote of confidence, but you'll want as much intel, as many allies as you can get for that assault." He looked away and sighed.

Summer Scribe looked nervous at the prospect. "I don't know if we want to go as far as attacking a drow base, especially if it's as hard as you say it is. We really just need them to not mess with us! An allegiance with someone they fear would do the trick, say."

Sunburn frowned; a showdown between the ponies and the dark elves seemed inevitable. Maybe they weren't ready to hear that? "Either way, it'll be a hard sell. Seems like trolls already hit the place a while back, bailed once the threat to their interests was eliminated. Got bigger things to worry about than cleaning up some fringe pirates."

"Dirt Sharks, they're mercenaries: takes a lot of gold to get their loyalty and it only lasts 'til your money runs out. Griffons, solid fighters," a curt nod to Grenelda, "but they mostly care about keeping their nests safe, staying outta the real conflicts best they can. Even Spyro couldn't convince 'em otherwise." 

Azure shook her head a little at that. "So far, we've have a hard time finding native currency. So an alliance with the sharks seems... unlikely at best, impossible at worst. Griffons... good to hear they can fight, but..."

"When we fought 'em, the drow wouldn't stop going on about how they love capturing griffons," Grenelda interrupted, "I bet the griffon's'd kick their asses given half a chance."

"Agreed." Azure nodded to the griffon hen. "But if the Skylander leader can't convince them, how can we?"

Grenelda just shrugged at that. Set Sail ended up answering for her, saying, "We can at least visit their temple. The gillmen were saying that the griffons who came this way went to a temple, before the drow ensured they wouldn't come this way. If we could reach it, we might be able to learn more. We're not the Skylanders, but... maybe they're not looking for Skylanders? We might have something to contribute, at least."

"These drow are a pirate clan, right?" Sunburn said, cocking his head. "Scavengers. Won't be looking for shock troops, not for themselves. Must be either selling the griffons on, or maybe running an arena? Still good coin in that, even these days. If they've got prisoners, you could sell it as a rescue. Prove they're holding chicks, no griffon would refuse." He snorted, making two tiny plumes of fire shoot out of the holes at the top of his beak. "Sharks... maybe they'd go for plunder. Factor in the money they're losing from raids? ...dunno. Whirlwind could tell you if there was profit in it for them."

Summer Scribe made a face at the thought of the drow trafficking in griffons and forcing creatures to fight in arenas. How barbaric! "I see where you're going with that: it'd be more than just defence at that point, it'd be about revenge!" She thumped a hoof on the floor for emphasis. "That seems like a strong angle to go for... but I suppose we'd need hard proof, and a rapport with the griffons."  She nodded to Set Sail: "Maybe we should visit that temple you mentioned?"

"Alright, the temple then," Set Sail agrees, "Now, I don't know much about it. But we have a location, and the um... brochure says that anypony... any creature may visit it. So it's not limited to flyers or anything, but I assume an Air temple is going to involve a lot of cloud-based architecture. So anyone who comes with, and... yes I plan on going there, to see about opening relations with the griffons. But anypony who plans on coming with me should keep that in mind, if they aren't a flyer."

Azure had quieted down, lacking a strong opinion on where they should head next. In her eyes, she was only there to keep the crew safe: she'd go wherever they went. That said... if this temple was linked to the same 'Air' force that had seeped into her magic, well...  Thoughts of what had happened to Reef Skimmer occupied her mind, and any creature that looked at her closely would sense her unease about the whole situation.

Apparently that did not include Summer Scribe; oblivious to the other unicorn's concerns, she nodded  to Set Sail. "Sounds like our best shot; I'd love to come along, unless..." she scraped a hoof on the deck nervously "...you want me somewhere else." The captain might still be upset about the cola factory incident.

"Hey Captain" Sprocket spoke up. "You planning on flying the copter? Imagine you are, 'cause going by that map, it'd take all day on wing. Second Chance should make it, but..." The unicorn held up her hoof and tipped it back and forth. "...you know the crystals were completely drained after that second trip to the fishy guy's island? Worse case, you might have to set down somewhere, top her up with a little campfire."

"That's fine, thanks Sprocket," Set Sail said unflinchingly, "We can make sure to bring some real fuel along to do it with." Set Sail then turned to face the male griffon among the deckhands, saying "I don't suppose you could come with, Gustus? It might help if the griffons see we have something in common."

Gustus gave an enthusiastic nod. "Exactly what I was thinking. And if you think I'll make a decent representative of Equestria, then I'm honoured to accept!" He flourished his wings and gaves a bow, looking excited at the prospect of new places and new griffs.

"Sounds good, Gustus. Glad to have you on this squad..." Azure stated, discomfort tinging her voice as she shook her head a little. Would the Lieutenant feel like this? No. She would stick to her duty, no matter what. It was time for her to do the same... no matter how dangerous the place might be for her.

"Hey what about me?" Grenelda said irritably, "I'm not just gonna-"

Set Sail looked her way, saying cooly: "This is a diplomatic expedition. You can stay here and defend the home base, and you won't have to say anything that might not come out right, and get griffons angrier than you wanted."

Folding her scaly forelegs, Grenelda said, "Just because... fine. Whatever. But if anything happens to Gustus, it's all on you." 

Set Sail's ears went down at that, but she said, "T-thank you."

Gustus placed a foreclaw on Grenelda's shoulder, saying kindly: "I'm sure the ponies will feel safer with you guarding the base, defending against any drow attacks that come by. I'll see you again soon."

With the griffoness mollified, Set Sail turned to Azure Feather. A moment of silence, then in a neutral tone: "...do you want to pass on going to the Air temple, Azure?"

The unicorn's butterfly wings fluttered involuntarily, but she shook her head. "There's no place for fear, not when we're backed into a corner like this. Hay, if Reef hadn't been there at the Water Temple, how many creatures would have made it back from that mission?" A long pause; the all knew the answer full well. "And now what if the same happens at the Air Temple?" Less of a pause, as she knew that answer too. "I'm going."

"Alright, but take care of yourself," Set Sail said to Azure, with a look of worry that might go beyond just the Air temple. "Don't feel obliged to open any seals or do anything," she advised uncertainly, "Even if it feels like a good idea."

Summer Scribe's expression was anxious and a little frustrated; she muttered "do we really think something bad is going to happen at EVERY temple?" She had to admit though: the Cloudbreak Islands have been pretty consistently dangerous... and she'd feel safer with Azure in the team.

Smiling at the little unicorn, Set Sail said, "Yes, exactly! If something bad happened at EVERY temple, then those creatures wouldn't be flocking to visit them, or using them for protection. I want to think that... it was those worms that did this to Reef, not the water park. So whatever this Air magic might want with Azure, no reason to think that it'd be anything like what happened to Reef Skimmer." 

Summer still looked a little nervous, but nodded. "Yeah; like, if it's in active use, that cuts down on the odds of it being a death trap substantially, I'd hope?"

"Uh, I can just... watch the engine, right?" Sprocket says nervously. Before Set Sail can object she says "Captain, it's gotta be me, you're pushing her to the limit, what if something breaks loose! If we lose you... a-all of you on the copter, I-I mean" she stammered "...we're done for! I'll just.. stay with the copter." she finished quietly, in the dark about exactly what had happened on the last trip and wondering if that was for the best.

At Sprocket's worry, Set Sail gave her a surprised look saying, "Sure, no problem? For all I know it'll be another amusement park. Might even have a gift shop. If there's anything dangerous, just keep yourself safe, and watch over the engine, and I'm happy."

"You really think it has a gift shop?" Sprocket said cluelessly. "That's be great!" Looking away, she muttered "Two weeks to go and I have no idea what I'm gonna get for Gearshift."

'Huh', Summer thought 'a gift shop actually would be pretty useful, ironically enough, from an archaeological perspective...'

"I'm not taking anything for granted anymore." Azure said. "Thank Celestia we at least found one group of allies. But beyond that..." She shook her head. "We'll see, but I'm not getting my hopes up." Summer, Set Sail and Gustus would be coming with her, and she looked to each in turn... but who else?

Sunburn had been watching Azure since she mentioned her Air affinity; he gave Reef Skimmer a run for his money in intense stares. "You think I can help with the mission? Then I'm there." he stated.

"Then I'll see you there. Thank you!" Set Sail told him gratefully. Looking around at the crowd, she said, "Everyone coming to the Air temple, meet at the copter in an hour. The rest of you, meeting's over I guess. Thanks and take care!" 

Cloud Cutter had been listening silently the whole time. As the crew dispersed, Set Sail hurried over to the purple pegasus, telling her urgently: "Wait! There was something I needed to ask you..."





It didn't take long to load up the repurposed drow copter. Sprocket inserted the thermal crystals, which had been soaking up heat from the Harmony's fire boxes all night, and declared the engine good to go. Food and emergency fuel dropped into the cargo pit, Set Sail took the controls and the four other passengers arranged themselves around the little ship.

Sunburn immediately went to inspect the weapons, before scoffing at the non-magical, completely ordinary harpoon launchers. If it came to an air battle, they'd be fighting on wing, he concluded. With all in readiness, the intermeshing rotors spun up and little ship lifted off, buzzing out of the meadow while the crew left behind waved hooves in farewell. Each was quietly hoping or praying that this trip would turn out better than the last one.

The flight took hours, travelling in a great arc to keep well clear of the shattered islets ringing the drow base. The acting captain guided the Second Chance southwest, west, then northwest, passing near the glittering, serpentine form of the sky river. All seemed well there, and even Sprocket ducked out of the engine room to watch the beautiful, verdant island chain slip past. They continued north, heading straight towards what at first glance appeared to be a cloud formation, holding steady despite the gusting breeze. As they approached grey shadows appeared, buried inside; it was clear this was a field of enormous floating boulders, shrouded in fog.

Set Sail was forced to slow the craft, threading it through the three-dimensional aerial maze, as Gustus with his keen eagle eyes perched on the bow, shouting back directions. The air temperature dropped noticeably as droplets began to condense on the copter's deck and hull, not to mention the fur and feathers of the passengers. Nothing could be seen but grey mist and the masses of rock drifting in and out of sight as the copter proceeded. Set Sail was beginning to seriously worry about getting lost when at last, the mist cleared to reveal the centre of the formation.

The temple was an enormous assemblage of columns, pediments, spindly towers and flying bridges, rising for tier after tier, supported and anchored by numerous masses of raw rock built into and under the structure. Like a web of white marble architecture, forming halls and courtyards through which wind and wisps of cloud could flow. On close inspection it was clear the structure had seen better days; even from this distance, the cracks snaking up the exteriors, moss-covered roofs and occasional toppled column betrayed the lack of anyone to maintain it. Nonetheless, it was an impressive sight, sitting within its ring of clouds like a minature, much less violent version of the storm wall ringing the realm beyond.



"Oh right. Ground floats here..." Set Sail murmured, staring captivated at the approaching temple as she gently guided the craft on a slow approach.

Azure remained silent as they approached the air temple. She was convinced the success or failure of this mission depended entirely on her... and the results of the last mission offered her absolutely no reassurance this one would go better. The saving graces? Sunburn's presence, and her friends were here. At least, most of them... Cloud Cutter and Reef Skimmer still on the injured list. At least they would stick together this time. The temple was clearly disused, making her thing back to Summer's words. Was it just a death trap?

Summer Scribe's reaction couldn't be more different: her overall wonder quickly gave way to fascination with all the architectural details. "Amazing! It looks a little like a cross between Canterlot Castle and Cloudsdale Forum, yet there's a sense of ethereal wonder about it..." She twirled her quill for a moment as she composed her notes, "Though it looks like it's another relic of the past. Interesting!"

"Used to be a lot of this in Skylands." Sunburn reminisced. "In times of peace, you can afford philosophy. Like wrapping climate or combustion or whatever in a pretty box of koans and metaphors. These days... not many creatures got the time for it, or see the use in it." His manner was dismissive, but there was an undertone of regret and loss.

"Are the griffons not coming here anymore?" Set Sail asked, worried, while looking for a safe place to perch the copter somewhere on the building. Perhaps one of those balconies would be big enough? "This place looks deserted!"

Summer frowned. "It's a shame to hear about what's happened to this place! I only wish that your lands can see as much peace and prosperity as ours in the future," she consoled Sunburn.

"Funny how much battle and war change outlooks, isn't it? Damned drow..." Azure muttered, shaking her head.

"Heh." Sunburn seemed amused by Azure's view of the world. "If only it was just drow, or even trolls or cyclopses... like it was in the beginning. Those guys were pushovers compared to..." The dracogriff clicked his beak, apparently not wanting to scare the ponies with tales of whatever he was genuinely afraid of.

"Oh wow, uh... that looks like marble, but it can't be, the tension on that bridge there alone... huh." Sprocket said, her voice trailing off as she fell to staring at one grand and improbable piece of architecture after another. "So, where do you think the gift shop- hey, is that... another ship?" The unicorn pointed a hoof at the lower reaches of the structure. Sure enough, a red, cigar-shaped balloon could be spotted drifting along some way from one of the plazas, with a gondola slung beneath.

"Oh, is that another ship... it is!" Summer called out; it looked like they might have company after all. "If it's not too much trouble... can we check it out?" she asked.

"Exercise caution, whatever happens. We don't know any creature here, and as always, we have no idea if they'll be hostile to us, even if we do have Sunburn here." Azure cautioned. Sure, it was certainly getting old to hear her repeat what was nearly the same thing every time, but it was worth repeating: you only had to let your guard down once for disaster to strike.

"Their hull was troll crafted. No markings... could be civilians, could be raiders, could be spies." Sunburn said, to nopony in particular.

"There are spies here??" Set Sail whispered anxiously. "Hah, nice one. ...you're serious?" Another inscrutable stare; it was a times like this the brown pegasus wished she could read griffon expressions better. 

"Let's land this first," she said, thinking of the unicorn engineer, "I don't want to have to carry Sprocket back, and we don't want anyone mixing us up for the drow. Though I doubt the drow would paint their vessel with pink hearts and yellow flowers. We can investigate that other ship on wing."

The copter coasted around the temple, her pilot looking with trepidation at a dark yawning portal at the base of the largest dome... must be the main entrance. At last, Set Sail's eyes settled on a nice out-of-the-way balcony off to one side, that looked sturdy enough. Slowly easing the throttle, she brought the drow copter to a quiet rest on the pale, weathered flagstones. Once down, Sprocket ducked into the engine bay, busying herself with closing valves and preserving the energy in the crystals.

Azure's eyes were on the dark portal at the entrance to the temple... oh, if there was anything more unsettling about this entire mission, she just found it. Only thing worse was the prospect of spies... Sunburn hadn't said who or what they were spying for, but it couldn't be anything good. The ex-guard began bracing herself for combat...

Meanwhile Summer Scribe was amusing herself with the thought of shameless drow springing ambushes out of pink and yellow heart-decorated airships. I mean, if it works, it works, right? Hopefully their pride would rule it out though. "W-wait... Spies?" Summer Scribe looks nervous as well at the thought. Why can't things be easy?

Set Sail tried to figure out how to convince Sunburn that yes she's serious, saying, "I just don't see what there is to spy on. No offense."

"Every faction is looking for any advantage they can get. Intel, artefacts, supplies, conscripts." Sunburn explained, as if to foals. "The open fighting comes in bursts, sure, but the conflict never stops, not really. It's just... less obvious."

That did seem to satisfy the pegasus, as she smiled, saying "That does make more sense, thank you. We don't know much about this land. I suppose we'll learn more about what factions there are, and then maybe spying will make sense."

Gustus clicked his beak, looking mildly unsettled. "So, there are definitely griffons here, right? I'm going to feel a bit sheepish if I came out here just to admire the architecture, but it's fine; if you didn't know, I mean..."

Gustus's words caught on the captain's ear; she turned to him saying "Yes, at this point anything goes. Just keep your eyes and ears out with the rest of us. We'll know better what we're going to do once we get inside this place. I think... approaching the strange ship might not be a good idea. Abernathy is nice and all, but to hear him go on about his brothers... well, I don't want to take chances at this point. First sign of danger, we're back on the copter and into the fog."

From Azure, a weary sigh. "Listen, everyone. We have our choice of danger here. I don't know about you, but 'Approaching unknown ship' sounds just a bit safer than 'entering black portal leading to old, unused, ruined temple'. Even if it is my element. And if they are enemies... better to know that sooner than later. So... pick one." she stated.

Summer Scribe started to sweat. Did she really have to make both options sound so terrible? But... she guessed it was 'better safe than sorry' from now on. "It's going to be quick, right? Get close, try and figure out if it's friend or foe, and then commit or retreat?"

"I just don't want to make trouble where we don't have to," Set Sail said furtively, "If we don't bother them, they can get about their business, and we'll both be on our way."

Sunburn watches the ponies debate impassively. When they seemed to come to an impasse, he nodded to Azure. "Unwise to leave enemies in your line of retreat. Particularly if you're attached to this copter."

"Attached to this...?" Set Sail replied, looking up at the creature, then off into space thoughtfully. Then realisation dawned in her eyes, and she facehooved, saying "They might steal the copter."

Azure Feather turned to Sunburn; when you don't know what to do, and the actually experienced fighters speak up? You listen to them. "Ship first, then. Sunburn knows this place and its people more than anyone, and really? I believe it if he says we might lose the copter if we don't take care of this loose end first. But... who knows. They may be allies." she concluded, flapping up into the air and heading over to the edge of the balcony, looking down to try and catch a glimpse of the other ship.

"Huh... yeah, I think Sunburn's the authority, here: if that's his concern then I totally believe him," Summer said. She remembered when her job was nice and simple - just her and some nice relics! Now it seemed like military tactics all the time.

The phoenix dragon cocked his head at the ponies (and griffon), as if to say 'why did this require so much talking?', then took wing, hovering in open air some way past Azure and waiting to see who would join him.

"Oh, you want to go check it out?" Set Sail asked, as Sunburn seemed to do just that. "Sure, if you wouldn't mind. But don't think you need to be a hero for us. If they're dangerous, then we'll all just leave, and come back at another time. I suppose you and Azure could do some... reconnaissance, while the rest of us see what's inside this place?"

Gustus waves a claw. "I suppose if we're checking it out, I should come too? Just in case it is a griffon airship and we need to defuse hostilities. Seems smart to me!"





Dropping away from the balcony, the three flying scouts swooped down through the outer parts of the air temple. They wove through crumbling columns and glided over reflecting pools now choked with weeds, spiralling around to approach the area where the airship had appeared. Sunburn took the lead, confidently streaking through the elegant ruins, with Gustus following behind with somewhat more effort and Azure fluttering at the rear. After a couple of minutes of cautious descent, eyes peeled for any sign of landed enemies, the unknown vessel came into view.

It was a modest sized, classically designed airship, with a steel-framed wooden gondola perhaps twice the size of the Second Chance hanging from netting below a long red balloon. A few tiny shapes flapped erratically around the ship; birds perhaps, while on the deck green humanoids could be seen moving about. 'Drow' - the thought immediately popped into Azure's head, but these creatures were a head taller... wait, their heads... could they even be called that? Each possessed a single giant eyeball held within a gaping, distended mouth, twitching and staring.

As the ship slowly cruised along, some way off from the ruins, a purple spear of light lanced out from the vessel's side, crackling with energy as it raked a section of the temple's rocky foundations. Azure's eye was immediately drawn to the impact site, where she caught a glimpse of a green-feathered shape ducking back behind a column. It seemed the shot missed... but there were a lot more of the tiny flapping shapes down there, swarming and swooping out of sight into the ruins, as if making attack runs on something concealed within. In the shadow of the massive structure above, their bodies seemed to glow with tiny, purple lights.

"Unidentified creatures... two types. Large green ones and smaller purple flyers." Azure stated grimly, after having her first look at these... creatures. If they can even be called as such. "And more on the ship... one-eyed bipeds. There's... something wrong. Very wrong." She concluded... tensing up. Oh, she damn well knew this mission relied on her. Things... were already looking bad and they weren't even inside...

Gustus cowered at the sight and sound of the flashing brilliant beam. "Oh! Oh no! Uhh, it's not too late for me to scramble back, is it?" he panted.

"Kaosians!" Sunburn hissed. "Reformers at that. Trust me, you do not want to get hit by that purple beam." Ignoring Gustus, he gestured with a claw to Azure. "I'll take the ship, you check out their target. Probably trying to convert civilians; can you handle the bats?"

"Bats?" Azure replied. "Can try! Gustus, you with me?" she asked the griffon, hoping to have at least some backup while keeping these blasted bats at bay. It must be twenty against one, or more... this wasn't looking good and she could use an ally. What were these 'chaos' things anyway? Creations of Discord? Who knew...

Gustus looked nervous, but nodded, ready to follow the unicorn's instructions. "Alright, I've got your back... uh, lead the way?"

"Good." Sunburn said. "Don't get into their firing arc until they're busy with me! Understood?" At Azure's nod the dracogriff flew off, arcing around towards the far side of the airship, opposite the abandoned temple. At least one lookout was still posted because as soon as he got into clear skies a cry went up, the eyeball-faced crew swarming around, readying crossbows and other less-identifiable devices. 

"That didn't take long..." Azure muttered, keeping an eye on the stabbing beam as fluttered toward the 'bats', the butterfly-winged unicorn looking less and less sure as she prepared to engage. "Don't try to be a hero, Gustus, if there are too many, we always have the option to retreat!" True, she had her new Air magic... but would it be enough?

Gustus's nerves only got worse as he glided down behind Azure, reassured only by the presence of two much more experienced fighters. "Of course! Don't need to tell me twice, heheh..."

The creatures were each the size of a fox, and there must have been two dozen of them whirling about, screeching and diving at unseen targets. Up close it was clear that their dark bodies were covered in glowing purple crystals, and each screech consisted of not just sound but a wave of purple magic. Intent on their prey, they pay little attention to Azure... Gustus was another story. A bat pulling up from an attack saw him dead ahead and streaked straight toward him, screeching its furry little head off.

Gustus gulped as he locked eyes with the furious crystal-infested bat, adjusting his trajectory to cower behind Azure! "A little assistance, please?"

That purple magic... Azure hoped it wasn't on a par with what Cloud Cutter wielded, but it certainly looked dangerous. "Damn it, twenty to one was close enough..." Quickly she gathered magic to her horn and took a shot at the creature. The air blade nailed the unsuspecting bat in the face, causing it to spin wildly out of control and flutter to the ground. Several pieces of purple crystal cracked off, but plenty more remained, and the thing was definitely still alive. Its mewling cries draw several more bats, swirling out of the tunnels and crevices to converge on Azure.

Azure nodded as that bat went down... still, they looked pretty durable. She looked to Gustus: "You're gonna have to cover me. If we have to fight these one by one, they'll swarm us... and it feels like they're a lot more dangerous than the propeller birds were... can you do that?"

Gustus gulped. "Very well, I'll fight with you to the best of my capacity!" Claws stretched out and wings flared, he prepared for the worst. In the distance he caught a glimpse of Sunburn, a red and yellow shape heading straight for the enemy ship before disappearing in a flash of flame, just before green bolts of magic had a chance to drill into him.

The lime-green-feathered, yellow-beaked head poked out from behind the support column again, quickly spotting the newcomers and letting out a squawk of alarm. It looked more like a hippogriff than a griffon, what with the size, the bright colouration and the ear tufts, though it lacked the characteristic crest.

"I don't need long!" Azure cried, charging up her magic for a more powerful spell. As she saw the bats aiming for her, she hovered back, keeping as much distance as she could. Thank goodness she's had practice in magical aerial combat before! Continuing to channel energy into her horn, she hoped to keep the creatures at wing's length, preferring to trust her Air magic over a chaotic melee - if she could get it ready before they reached her!





After watching the three mismatched flyers take off, Summer Scribe waved a hoof to the two remaining ponies. "Okay, while that's going on, shall we start investigating the temple? I'd like to know if there's anyone inside or not!"

"Let's do it quickly," Set Sail said uneasily, "I have so many bad feelings about this. Sprocket, would you like to stay with the copter? Abandon it and head inside if anypony starts coming after it of course. But it looks like it's safe at the moment."

"A-Abandon it?" Sprocket looked hurt, as if being asked to abandon her foal. "S-Shouldn't I try to take off? Come back for you later? Nutmeg let me have a turn when she was testing her..." Under her breath she added "...a very short turn..."

"If you think you can steer it, then yes! It's probably safer out there than inside this place," Set Sail said anxiously, "But I'm not leaving Summer alone in there. Just remember that you're more important than the copter. It would be terrible if somepony stole it, but if they do, just find the rest of us, and we can get you out okay."

"'Course Captain, I hear you. I guess, worst comes to it, we can find another one." The unicorn sighed. "Would probably take too long to get the pressure up anyway. Don't worry 'bout me, just... uh, good luck!"

Summer waved to the engineer-pony "Thanks Sprocket, and stay safe yourself! Ok, shall we, Set Sail?"

The two ponies trotted across the plaza and into the vast opening, big enough for an adult dragon. Enormous bronze-clad doors stood to each side, split and splintered, as if this entrance had once been forced open by a battering ram. Inside though, there were no signs of violence, nor was the long atrium oppressively dark; it had just seemed that way from the contrast between the bright noon sunlight outside and the dim blue glow inside, the soft light cast by bands of the swirling runes running along the walls.

Between the pillars sat marble statues of assorted creatures; many griffons, but also dragons, humanoid birds and stranger beasts. Aside from numerous smaller, dusty side doors, all firmly shut, the hallway ended in a grand flight of stairs leading up to a familiar structure; two huge, curved metal pillars, inset with glowing blue crystals and carvings. The great disc of blue-enamelled metal blocking the portal bore a giant version of a symbol they'd seen repeated countless times in the temple's ornamentation; a simple white clockwise spiral. 

Summer looked around, in awe of the majesty of the ancient place. Her eye was drawn to the symbol on the gate: "That looks like the Cloudbreak Islands elemental symbol for Wind," she noted. "It represents the kind of magic Azure seems to be favouring nowadays." Her notebook floated in her magic and she stopped pereodically to scribble down notes. "So, what's this room for? Is it ritualistic or does it serve some magical purpose? I wonder..."

Taking flight in the ample volume of the atrium, Set Sail was awestruck by the glimmering beauty of the place, but not too awestruck. She looked over her shoulder then made a beeline for the portal at the far end, calling out "We should take a look at this first-" The pegasus abruptly bit her tongue, as from her elevated vantage point, she'd spotted something else; two green, bipedal shapes, slumped against the far wall on each side of the gateway.

As with their fellows on the airship, they stood a head taller than drow, and that head was composed of an eyeball held in a distended mouth. One of them held a spear in a loose grip, while the other's axe lay on the floor nearby. The creatures were concealed from the floor below by the sweep of the staircase, putting them in an ideal position to ambush visitors; if they'd been able to stay awake. From the snoring and grunting it seemed as if both creatures had been asleep, but at the sound of the ponies' voices they were starting to regain consciousness.

In a sudden flurry of flapping feathers, Set Sail changed course and flew back to Summer Scribe, barely landing before holding a hoof to the unicorn's face saying, "Ssh!"

Summer was startled, but nodded in understanding as the other mare covered her face. You had to think on your hooves in her line of work, after all! Carefully, the two crept forward until they could see... a pair of guards? Not exactly wind-temple themed, so presumably occupiers. She crouched low, keeping an eye on them while pondering her plan of attack: hmm, perhaps there was some loose debris she could use...

"I don't think those creatures are supposed to be here, do you?" Set Sail whispered tightly to Summer, as the two crouched there behind one of the giant statues lining the hall. "They said this was a griffon temple!"

Summer levitated a chunk of rock that had fallen from a decorative stone block. "Uh-huh... I say we make 'em scram!" she hissed. "You down?"

"...that axe is the biggest danger for me," Set Sail replied to Summer quietly, spreading her wings, "I'll see if I can grab it, and then you lay into them."

Summer Scribe gave a nod of understanding, waiting tensely and watching the pegasus go to work.

Set Sail saw Summer's floating stones ready to go and wasted no time in her approach. She landed hard, skidding to a stop before biting down on the axe handle. The one-eyed creatures were startled to full awareness by the screech of the axe's blade on the stone floor, as she lifted it up then took off vertically in a rush of wind. The bewildered cyclopses flailed around wildly, blinking and shouting in alarm. Intent on their search for the disappearing axe thief, they didn't even notice the rocks floating in front of the nearest statue.

Summer Scribe gave a playful wink before hurtling the assorted rubble towards the unfriendly creatures, aiming for, well, the whites of the eyes. The sharp slivers of rock connected, sending the cyclopean guards screaming and scrabbling, demanding to know who was attacking them.

Meanwhile Set Sail flapped around over their heads - fortunately like most non-flyers, they never thought to look up. As soon as the creatures turned tail and ran, she flew down to Summer, bouncing for joy on her hooves with the axe still held in her mouth. "I gof it! I gof it!" she crowed.

Summer Scribe grinned: "I got them good, too!" It seems under the credible assault of pelting rocks and debris with no way to counterattack, they took the smart option and fled! "Good work, Set Sail. Good spot, more importantly!"

Turning fully around, Set Sail asked "Where've they go??" Her eyes scanned the dark recesses of the atrium, looking for the cyclops guards, her ears standing hard at attention.

Summer Scribe grinned. "Don't sweat it! We spooked 'em good; look, over there!"

Sure enough, one of the atrium's side doors was thrown open, then slammed shut again as the howling cyclopses dashed off to inform their ship about the surprise attack from the invisible rock-shooting axe thieves. The pair's echoing footsteps slowly died away as they headed for the other end of the complex.

"They didn't want more rock in their eyes, so they bailed out!" Summer said wickedly. She still had a pile of assorted debris standing by; there was more where that had come from! "So... shall we continue looking around? Now that the place is cyclops-free."

Set Sail stiffened, looking at Summer in horror, squealing, "What?!" The axe clanged onto the floor. "You were supposed to knock them unconscious!" Summer said in a fretful fluster, "We can't go down there now! They're going to come back with a dozen more!"

Summer Scribe makes an anxious face. "Oh, shoot, you're right. I screwed up then." Maybe she needed better aim? Heavier rocks? Well, whatever, it's too late now. "I'm sorry. What do we do then? Do we need to regroup with Azure somehow?"

Set Sail looked over to the stairs, the gateway and its seal with trepidation. In the silence after the combat, a whole lot of nothing stomping their way could be heard. "Let's go down anyway," Set Sail says, "If we wait for Azure, she might break that seal like Reef did. You should take a look at it while you have a chance. I can carry you off in a pinch, and..."

Craning her head down, Set Sail picked up the battleaxe again, holding the handle in her mouth and saying warily, "I'll cowwer you."  She stood watching the door where the guards had escaped for any movement or activity.

Summer Scribe nodded her head, "OK, sounds like a plan. We need to be quick then!" She trotted up to the seal, taking a closer look at it. The symbol was familiar, of course, but best check it over for any magical properties or other features...

Careful probing from her horn confirmed that the whole structure was strongly magical, and that the central disc had a strange, slightly unreal quality to it. Racking her brain, Summer recalled this was associated with magically summoned or heavily transmuted objects. Anything further was going to take a serious analysis with specialist tools and spells, preferably by appropriately trained ponies working in a Canterlot lab.





In the undercroft, Azure Feather was facing down a swarm of bats, conveniently lining themselves up in front of her as she backwinged to keep her distance. Perfect... she smiled. "Alright, Gustus, clear out!" the unicorn cried out, finally ready to put all that magic to good use: a tornado, aiming to collect her pursuers and the entire group in one fell swoop. Sure, it'd take a lot out of her, she might not be able to repeat the performance, but maybe... just maybe that would be enough to down the lot...

Gustus proved to be a good listener and dove right out of the way, feathers ruffled by the air already swirling around Azure. Landing hard, he gawked at the unfolding spell: surely something this strong would just annihilate anything in its path!

The spinning vortex of air sprang into being from the tip of Azure's horn, almost instantly expanding forwards into a raging, horizontal tornado. While not quite on the level of her initial, uncontrolled bursts of elemental magic, it proved more than sufficient to fill the undercroft with gale force wind and fling every flapping furry body into the nearest hard surface. Shards of glowing purple crystal sprayed everywhere in the wake of the impacts.

Many of the bats fond themselves free of the malign substance and undergo an immediate recovery as the winds die away, their fur changing from purple back to cream and brown. The confused creatures struggled back into the air, making 'meep-meep' calls as they try to discern where they were, and how they got there. Unfortunately roughly half of the swarm was still infected, a few shards still clinging to each and filling them with a desire to rejoin the fight.

"That... that was a lot... maybe too much..." Azure mutters, hissing a bit as stars flitted across her vision. She managed to stay airborne... though her horn felt hot, on the verge of pain.

Gustus decided that the time had come to be brave, and cover Azure while her horn can cool off! "I see, it's the crystals! I'll keep them off of you, Azure!" He flapped forward with a screech, a claw raised as he went for the nearest still-infected bat before it regained it senses, slashing and swiping at those crystals!

Azure nodded; the griffon had figured it out. "Take down the crystals and you'll save them instead of destroying them!" Unfortunately, with little magic left and still the temple to explore... Azure's soon following Gustus' lead, but she's not so effective with hooves...

Then the lurking creature finally emerged from behind cover, confirming that it was indeed a griffon, albeit a strange-looking one. While most of its body was green, its wings faded to bright yellow at their tips while splashes of red were present on its ear tufts and hindquarters. Aside from being as tall as a hippogriff (yet with the more solid build of a griffon), all four of its feet seemed to be a kind of half-bird, half-lion mix, rather than the distinct fore claws and rear paws that Gustus sported.

The native griffon takes one look at Gustus and then set to work, pouncing on another bat and pulling the crystals off it. Meanwhile in the distance, green beams of energy and great gouts of flame could be seen shooting out of the cyclopean airship, along with the sound of explosions and increasingly desperate screams.

Azure, already pleasantly surprised at the success of her spell, found her morale further boosted by this new ally joining the fight... and only more so as she sees the enemy ship faring increasingly poorly under Sunburn's assault. One Skylander versus a whole cyclops ship... she hoped they'd be able to stay on their good side...

Gustus smiled at the sight of the new griffon coming to help. "Oh, good show!" he chirped out with a beaky gape, while dodging swooping bats and continuing to smash whatever purple crystals he could get his claws on.

"That was amazing!" the green griffon said. "You're already aligned, huh?" Looking over her shoulder, she called out "Indigo! You can come out... and give me a claw with these!"

"All thanks to Azure over there! She was a part of the royal guard for a reason, you know!" Gustus chuckled, pausing in his pest control to give the new griffon a polite little bow of greeting.

Azure looked around... almost all the bats were clear of crystal now. She landed, folding butterfly wings before chuckling weakly at the praise. "Oh, come on, Gustus, I dealt the initial blow, it was all you two from there! Seriously, well fought, those weren't great odds." She seemed almost embarrassed at the praise, before looking to their new ally. "Nice meeting you, though I wish it didn't have to be in battle! Name's Azure Feather, this is Gustus." she stated, bowing her head.

The green griffon was staring at Azure. "I don't believe it... a talking, flying lama! Aligned with Air? How... what..." she squawked.

Behind her another giant griffon padded out from a hiding spot inside the foundations, this one deep purple. "Emerald! Over there!" He gestured with a claw at a still-evilised bat about to leap at the green griffon's face.

Azure was about ready to facehoof as she realized what this griffon just called her... before responding to Indigo's cry and quickly spotting the threat, aiming one last air blade at the swopping bat. It went down for the count, purple crystals flaking off as it fell.

With time to catching her breath at least, Azure objected "I'm a bloody unicorn...!" Stress and frustration were showing through: you can only take so many creatures mistaking your species before showing your annoyance! She guessed... it was a good thing she wasn't the designated diplomat.

Gustus checked the bat has depowered, then held up his claws in worry! "No, no, it's OK! They don't know yet. No need to take it out on them, Azure! Err, anyways, yes. Azure's a unicorn, I'm a griffon - and it's a pleasure to find friends in this terrifying place!" His paws felt sweaty; they really needed to not screw this up. "Although we seem to not be the same kind of griffon, so much? That's curious."

The other two griffons blinked in shock. "Of course you're a uni-corn. Emerald was just... joking, weren't you." Indigo said, looking at the female. She glared at him, then dipped her head, giving Azure a brief apologetic nod before turning to Gustus.

"Well obviously you're a griffon." the female told him. "First northerner we've seen in, oh, a decade at least? I'm Emerald Downpour, my mate's Indigo Burst, and it seems like we both owe you our freedom."

"Yes indeed, if you're responsible for that as well." Indigo clarified, gesturing with a claw at the cyclops ship which was now totally engulfed in flames. As they watched the balloon went up in a massive ball of flame, leaving the burning remnants of the hull unsupported. They seemed to hang almost comically in the air for a second, before gravity overcame inertia and the wreckage plummeted out of sight. Of Sunburn there was no sign.

Azure chuckled weakly, shaking her head. "It's alright, I can understand, not... every creature's seen a unicorn before. I forgot that we're a rare sight in this place, and I must apologise." She then quietly turned to Gustus before shrugging. "Come on, Gustus, you know I wouldn't have taken it out on them, I'd rather take out my frustrations on the enemy! I'm not the Lieutenant..." She then turned back to Emerald. "So yes, as I was saying... we're not from around here. We actually don't come from these islands at all."

Gustus nodded his head. "As for that ship that was shooting at you; you can thank Sunburn, who's joined our team! Uh... temporarily. Quite the show he's made for us, isn't it?" he chortled, beak clicking.

Azure bowed to the strange griffons again before staring out, taking in the beautiful sight of the enemy ship falling out of the sky. "...And he was alone in taking down an entire ship and their crew. Damn impressive." she chuckled, before turning back to the brightly coloured cat-birds.

"We travelled here to take a look at... your temple?" she stated, gesturing upwards. "We saw that ship acting suspicious and then when we saw the bats attacking Emerald here... it was time to fight back."

"You're welcome!" chirped Gustus.