Alas the fancy lounge hidden inside the dirt shark's armoured train had no ale as such. Only slightly disappointed, Nutmeg Inferno instead sampled the shark's extremely bubbly lager, while Summer Scribe risked one of the complicated and improbably named cocktails. The group began to relax and speculate as to what the sharks were mining, who their customers were, exactly what their relationship with the drow was... until Clashing Gale pointed out their escorts listening intently.
After an hour or so the 'Vice President of Internal Security' returned, to lead them through the length of the enormous train until they emerged onto the flatbed at the back. There they were treated to a close look at the sleek, sharp-nosed aircraft they'd seen earlier: the Executive Air Yacht Exocosus, as Firesteel proudly informed them. The ship was a riot of counter-rotating propellors and protruding chromed engine parts, her blue hull adorned in gold trim and flame decals. It might have been a total showboat if not for the menacing pair of cannon slung beneath the nose.
"Well, certainly if we wanted airship parts we know who to come to!" Summer Scribe mused out loud as she trotted up the stairs onto the extravagant shark ship. Its chrome and swishing magnificence definitely stood to impress, though the flame decals and cannons gave it a bit of a patchwork 'throw everything awesome into a pit and mix it up and see what happens' aesthetic.
Soon the visitors were escorted up onto the deck, the radial engines roared into life and the craft was lifting into the sky. They headed north, on a bearing almost directly opposite Blissful Pastures and the EAS Harmony. Following some way behind was one of the shark's more conventional airships. It wasn't the heavily armed one that had made ready to repel the Second Chance, but rather a beaten-up barge of a ship with a heavily patched balloon and a few rusty cannon on deck.
Summer happily imagined how things would be going if they weren't strapped for resources and had access to this! Maybe with slightly more taste, but still. Her lofty expectations were brought back down to earth when she got a good look at the more conventional airship. A reminder that only the important creatures got something as impressive as the Exocosus - and that wasn't them, at least not yet.
Many kilometres to the west, a floating island presented rolling moors covered in bracken and broken by weathered granite cliffs, while to the north east a huge expanse of golden desert shimmered in a heat haze, the glints of a river barely visible near the centre. The dirt shark pilot steered a course between them, continuing north towards their destination.
Peering through the raked glass windshield of the air yacht, the ponies could see a landmass bigger than any they'd seen in the Cloudbreaks so far. It was shaped like a cross, with four arms radiating from a central core. Two were roughly on a level, forming a long river valley that stretched from rocky wasteland at one end through forests and marshes to grassy plains at the other end. The desolate end boasted an enormous crater, as if an entire mountain had been blasted away, while the opposite arm bore a more enticing sight; a cluster of regular stone forms suggesting a large town. Smaller islands floated nearby, the largest also crowned by structures of some kind.
Of the island's other two arms, one rose high into the air and widened out into a flat, sandy plateau. Save for an oasis in one corner, it was barren of vegetation but dotted with hundreds of sizable stone pillars, apparently natural formations - yet Summer's eye was drawn to the centre, where an enormous pyramid of smooth white stone rose from the sands.
The final arm plunged low beneath the rest of the island and was covered in thick jungle; so thick in fact that when the peninsula ended in a scattering of jagged islets, both the vegetation and the river delta feeding it just continued into the sky, floating in space. The tips of several structures poked up through the canopy, suggesting another complex hidden below.
"Yeah, so that's Fellis." Firesteel said with a twinkle in his eye. "Guessing from the look on your faces that this'll be your first visit."
"It's so big..." Nutmeg said in awe, her little yellow hooves pressed up to the glass as she stared outside.
"It sure is big for an island!" the sandy pegasus Static Signal agreed, staring at the excavation, "Did you sharks seriously mine out an entire mountain? I don't think there's any magic that can pull another one of those out of a hat."
"That ain't what we're here for." Firesteel said, frowning as he followed Static's gaze to the crater. "Good scrap down there, but not worth getting your scales singed." he told the pegasus, before turning to Summer Scribe.
The little unicorn was gaping in appreciation at the landmass filling the window: "Wow, it's huge!" she squeed. "Looks really built up, too. Check out the city there, and... wait, is that an honest-to-Somnambula pyramid? Oooo..." And as everypony knew, Pyramid meant Treasure. And culture, to boot! "What's with all those uhh... rock formations? ...scattered around it?" Her mind was brimming with possibilities. The rest of the island got a brief scan, but now her full attention was focused on the local maxima of intrigue.
"Yeah, so you can see those pillars?" he pointed at the upper part of the island. "Veins of pure uberite, exposed and ripe for the taking. The one thing elves and trolls'll both sell their own mothers for. Sometimes a few shards of traptanium too. Now that's worth our time." The CEO's grin was wide and predatory. "So you like pyramids, huh?" The shark leaned down to the pony and whispered. "You might like this one a lot less when you see it close up."
Summer Scribe gawked. "Uberite? Traptanium? ..." She paused, sheepish. "I don't know what their properties are but they sound super cool. But wait a sec, if they're just standing there why haven't you strip mined them all?" The pyramid must have some hidden nasty feature, she thought; likely it wouldn't be long before they saw it in action...
"Some sort of a force field?" Nutmeg Inferno mused, looking longingly at the metallic glints, "Or the pyramid has protectors who also happen to be protecting the uberite? Definitely wouldn't expect to see something like that going unused..."
"At least we don't have to conjure up a mountain," Static Signal grumbled, rearing up beside the kirin to look out the window.
Clashing Gale took it all in with a cool gaze: while everypony else seemed excited and then some, the batpony wasn't impressed. Sure, it was a giant floating island, full of strange wonders no doubt - but after everything that had happened since he'd woken up, he felt like he was at his limit for novelty and weirdness, and pouring on even more just felt numb. It all seemed like a distraction from the key question: what did these shark creatures want? Firesteel might have temporarily charmed Summer and Nutmeg, but it wasn't like these creatures were trustworthy.
"So we're here to gather some... Uberite and Traptanium? That's going to be more of a challenge than they're letting us know." the purple batpony remarked, his manner aloof and disengaged.
Firesteel didn't notice; he'd strode over to the helm and was squinting at the terrain. "Set her down in the usual place." he told the pilot.
"Yes sir!" the much smaller shark replied smartly. "Can't see any natives lurking about, sir. Uh... guess we won't be using the guns then?" she said, sounding vaguely disappointed.
"Yeah." the CEO replied. "On the bright side, I won't have to listen to Pitch yammer on about how much the ammo costs."
The next moment he was spreading his arms expansively and winking at the ponies (and griffoness), saying "So you lucky representatives of Skylanders, Next Generation, Inc - not only do you get a free trip on an executive sky yacht, I'm offering you a free tour on my executive monster truck as well! See the sights, check out that big ol' pyramid that's got you wondering. Who's game?"
"You're trucking monsters around?" Static Signal declared, surprise and worry creeping back into her eyes. The pegasus turned to stare at the CEO: "Are they caged up somewhere? Planning on releasing them here or... something?"
Summer Scribe grimaced at the implication of using live ammo to clear out natives, but complaining didn't seem productive just then. Instead she happily accepted the offer: "Oooh, yeah! I wanna see what this pyramid 'biz is about." Inquiring unicorns wanted to know!
Grenelda scrunched up her face, conflicted between her desire to see what the ship's weapons could do and the shark's willingness to shoot up random creatures. She shrugged: "Think I'll pass." Rebelling in her small way.
Firesteel gave a low rumbling laugh below clapping the pegasus on the back, making her stagger and almost lose her balance. "I like you, tiny horse!" he declared, before snorting at the griffon. "Suit yourself."
"I will definitely accept that offer," Nutmeg said confidently, striding up to the leader of the bipedal sharks. "Really curious to take a closer look at that metal ore... and this 'monster truck'?"
Clashing mirrored Grenelda's shrug. "Go ahead, guys. Think I'll stick with the crew back here." he muttered. "Not clear what we're supposed to be doing here."
As usual Firesteel ignored the batpony, instead beaming at the kirin, saying enthusiastically "Oh yeah, Megalodon's got twin blown V8s fore and aft driving separate transaxles, high-lift shocks and-"
"Uh, sir, are you sure you want to do this personally? You know Pitchblende will..." the crewshark's voice trailed off as Firesteel glared at him, biceps rippling and knuckles cracking as if he was about to punch the poor fellow's lights out. "...be totally fine with it, I'm sure!" the flunky squeaked.
"Yeah." the CEO said. "I'm gonna show you... and our guests... how it's done. Right this way." he directed, gesturing for everyone to follow him down a short corridor and flight of stairs to the air yacht's cargo hold.
The sizable space was stuffed full of the most ostentatious wheeled vehicle the Equestrians had ever seen; knobbly rubber wheels twice the size of a pony, curvy metal bodywork covered in yet more flame decals, unnecessary fins and spotlights and chromed exhausts sticking out in all directions. The cabin was so high off the ground that a ladder was needed to access it, presenting no difficulty for the pegasus but some issues for the unicorn.
Nutmeg gazed up silently at the magnificent vehicle, while Static took a more hooves-on approach, trotting up to it and poking at one of the tires. Her nose twitching, she says "This is a rubber tire! It's huge!"
"It's amazing!" Nutmeg agreed, heading over and scooting right up the ladder with her opposable hooves. "Wow, look at all the controls! And polished chrome!"
Summer was keyed up, excitement and anticipation building as she followed along behind Firesteel. She did a double-take at the sheer opulence of their ride - though she should really expect that now from the 'Executive' landsharks - then came face to face with her biggest foe yet... a ladder? A ridiculous one, completely vertical with round polished rungs that offered no purchase for a hoof. She squinted at it, blinking. "How is someone supposed to climb this thing...?" She fumbled at it with her hooves, puzzled to finding no grip forthcoming.
Static Signal looked up to Nutmeg, then looked over to the CEO, feeling like she was missing something important here, asking, "Is that why you have the monsters? You'd need a huge beast to pull this thing!"
"Heh, she's a beauty ain't she." Firesteel soaked up the admiration from the engineers, before frowning at Static Signal. "Yeah now you're just stretching. Get some new material. Oh, and uh..." he looked down at Summer "...someone give that one a lift." With that the executive shark hauled himself up into the cabin and dropped into the driver's seat with a squeak of rough scales on leather. Another crewmember grabbed the unicorn's barrel, hauling her up and dropping her next to the driver before taking position in the rear.
Back in the bridge, Grenelda and Clashing looked on as the pilot brought the flashy aircraft down for a landing. She headed for in a hilly area just beyond the sandy plain bearing the rock columns and looming pyramid, settling into a narrow canyon. The rear ramp dropped down, ready for the truck to drive out; Firesteel pressed a button and the twin engines roared into life, before settling to a loud burble.
Static skipped the ladder of course, settling down in the back seat, albeit also peering curiously at the complex looking controls for some sort of machine. As the roaring rumble started, she said in utter confusion, "It's a... rock tumbler? What the hay is going on here?"
"Woah! Hey, I nearly figured that out on my own," Summer Scribe half-complained. She was thinking of trying a wallrun. maybe using the steps as leverage before a burly shark just went and wrapped his arms around her barrel! But... maybe this wasn't meant to be a puzzle and she was overthinking things again. The unicorn distracted herself by investigating the truck's cabins, taking in all the mysterious gauges and controls, before getting excited all over again at she felt the quiver of the roaring engine through her hooves. "Ooooh! I think it's self-powered? I don't know the specifics!" Summer admitted sheepishly.
"There's something shaking in it!" Static called out in response, "Like it's tumbling a bunch of rocks around in there!"
"Some kind of engine? Rock tumbler!?" Firesteel snorted. "Show some respect! You're listening to twenty-one litres of supercharged, sixty-four-valve internal combustion! And what a glorious sound it is!" With a loud clunk he yanked the gear shift into reverse and pumped the accelerator, causing the monster truck to surge out of the hold and vault off the end of the ramp, landing heavily in the pebble-strewn canyon below. Oversize shocks absorbed the impact, while the hovering air yacht bobbed upwards as the weight was removed.
Static Signal gave a mighty squeak as the monstrous beast lurched backwards, sending her falling forward off the back seat in a flurry of uncoordinated feathers. Nutmeg made sure to bite her tail when the pegasus of course took off as the truck dropped out from under her, then Static flopped back in the seat as the vehicle just gunned along like a land-bound rocket.
Summer Scribe didn't grok the jargon, but she picked up enough from the tone of voice and context to guess that would be really impressive to an engineer. "Oooh, neat!" she said politely... before letting out a tiny scream as the truck made even more monstrous noises, living up to its name as they suddenly accelerated backwards into a brief moment of freefall. Summer braced her hooves against the dash as the ground rushed towards them - thud!
Firesteel amused himself (and incidentally, his passengers) doing donuts and powerslides in the canyon, while the Exocosus pulled away and the beaten-up cargo airship came down to unload its own vehicles. Two more trucks joined the group, looking much more industrial with their exoskeletal frames of thick steel tubing, rusting bodies of sharp-edged sheet metal, and enormous toothed scoops out front instead of the elaborate chromed grill of the Megalodon. Black smoke spewed from their exhausts as they followed their CEO towards the ravine's exit.
Summer was thoroughly spooked, but as it became clear that Firesteel was having a grand old time and nopony was hurt, her terror turned to giggles of mirth as the pilot just showed off. "Damn, can this thing move!" she yelled over the engine noise, laughing with glee! Seeing the other airship coming in, she peered at the other trucks emerging from its hold.
'Now those ones mean business!' the unicorn thought, 'Mining business, that is!' They looked solid enough to just bowl the pillars over and extract what they wanted from the remains. In the back seat Static's eyes were wide as dinner plates as she hung onto the back seat for dear life. The monster truck roared along at the head of the forming convoy, powering north out of the canyon.
Watching the trucks race along from the relative safety of the air yacht's bridge, Clashing Gale just sighed lightly. "Hope they know what they're doing..." he muttered, looking ahead to the ominous white pyramid. He wanted to say more to Grenelda, but with so many sharks within earshot, it wouldn't do to go blurting out his suspicions.
It seemed like there was a road here, once, from the scattered patches of cobblestones where the wind had scoured away the sand. The three trucks sped north towards the pyramid, their oversize tyres kicking up plumes of dust that mixed with the smoke from their exhausts to completely obscure rearward vision. Now they were heading across the plan and through the rock pillars: each towering above their truck and showing clear striations of sparkling turquoise through their brown rock.
Firesteel made no move towards them, instead heading straight for the pyramid. "Any second now..." he said cryptically. Summer stared out of the windscreen, scoping out the monument. Aside from the smooth limestone of the pyramid itself, there were two large forms standing out the front... statues, hard to make out from two kilometres away but possibly... centaurs? A flicker of light drew her eye, right at the apex of the structure, something glowing purple, brighter and brighter as if-
Suddenly the truck swerved hard to the left, drifting out of the way as a dazzling beam of purple light stabbed out from the pyramid. Energy burned into the sand where the truck would have been, melting it into glass which immediately shattered as a wave of concussive forces blasted out a new ditch.
"Still got it!" Firesteel laughed with glee. "What I wouldn't give to mount that pretty little laser on my yacht..." He sighed as he steered the truck through the pillars, straightening out as he found a clear run. "Good thing the gunners are dumb as rocks: they ain't catching the Megalodon."
Summer's mouth gaped open as dare-devil driving defeated the death ray! Her brief pang of terror dissolved in the adrenalin-rush thrill of a properly executed manoeuvre, even second hand like this. "Woaaah! You didn't tell me the pyramid shot lasers!" She gawked in glee! "This is awesome!"
"This is the most awesome thing ever!!" Static Signal squealed over the noise of the engine in abject excitement, "You hooked a train engine up to a cart! It can pull itself! Why have we never done anything like that?! We're going faster than a gallop, even! Does it feed itself its own coal?? Those rubber tires just go over everything! We're flipping unstoppable!!" She didn't even seem to notice the deadly lasers being fired their way.
"Holy cow, I think you're right!" Nutmeg said to Static in comparable excitement, "There are probably pistons inside that we never even saw. There's more out there to burn than just coal! But who the heck is shooting lasers at us??"
"What lasers??" Static asked cluelessly, "Maybe it burns oil? Oh oh no maybe it burns alcohol! That would burn super hot if you could afford it!"
"Apology accepted!" shouted Firesteel, taking aim at a rock pillar and guiding the truck like a missile straight towards it. "Now see, our standard trucks run on coal slurry, plenty of that going to waste, but of course only premium gasoline is good enough for an executive monster truck..." The big shark's eyes weren't even on the impending crash; he was staring into the distance, watching the tell-tale glow reappear at the top of the pyramid.
Watching from high above, Grenelda had a different take on things: on seeing the laser shoot out and get a near miss on the lead truck, her feathers puffed out in shock and alarm. "Shit! Those sharks are sending us into a death trap. Are they stupid or do they just have no fear?" She looks increasingly frustrated at her lack of control over affairs.
"How about a little of Option A, and a little of Option B? Damn it, these guys are crazy..." Clashing Gale looked none too happy about the whole escapade: half of his squad almost got annihilated, to sightsee on a high-risk mining mission? "They better come back safe."
"Heh look, uh, miss griffon, mister bat... goat? Our boys know what they're doing." the air yacht's pilot informed the pair of spectators. "We only lose, like, a truck every other trip. And even when they get unlucky, the crew usually make it out ok..." She stared down at the drama below, carefully keeping the ship well away from the island's edge as it flew in a wide circle around the plateau.
Bat... goat? Clashing muttered something unintelligible, then fell silent again. He hadn't been on the previous outings, so wasn't used to the local's complete unfamiliarity with ponies.
Grenelda just rolled her eyes. "Ugh! The only reason why I'm not fully flippin' out is I figure Firesteel's bright enough to not go on a suicide mission, and the ponies are with him at least."
The pyramid finished charging up and fired again. This time the last-minute swerve served to avoid both the ravening energy beam and the pillar of rock; in lieu of a spectacular crash, the former bored into the latter, shattering it into a pile of collapsing rubble. "Nice one boss!" the shark in the back seat grovelled.
"Cheaper than blasting charges!" Firesteel crowed. "Best thing you can do to an enemy is to make them work for you for free!" His rumbling laugh was back as he watched the two scoop-equipped trucks heading for the rubble. "Now all we gotta do is draw fire while my boys clean up!"
Summer Scribe squeed in delight as she saw the pillar of the impossibly strong (presumably?) Uberite blasted apart by the laser. "Woah! Haha, that's great! You're using the pyramid against itself! I gotta figure out what it's shooting and how it's aiming when I get a chance..." She was standing up in her seat, bouncing a bit on her hooves as she took in all the action.
"I don't even know what gasoline is, and I don't care!" Static cheered, "Anything that could make an engine run like this is amazing!" Laughing with glee, she leaped off the truck. Her wings instantly caught the battering wind howling over them, sending her shooting up at a sharp angle into the sky.
"Hey!" the shark CEO shouted after his departing passenger. He glared at Summer, even as he continued to work the wheel back and forth. "Didn't she see the laser? Yeah we're the big juicy target, but if she gets close-" Before he could finish the thought, there was a jangle, a series of cracks and finally a loud thump from below, as something unseen entangled one of the front tires and ripped it apart. The truck lurched to the right, fishtailing wildly out of control and losing speed... but not fast enough to prevent it from running headlong into the base of a rock pillar, coming to an abrupt stop with a squeal of protesting metal.
Summer Scribe also concerned to see Static Signal leap out of the truck. "Hey, careful! You don't know what that laser's going to do-" Her shout was cut off by the bang of the tire being torn apart. It didn't seem like a hit by that laser or Firesteel running into something - more like a mechanical malfunction.
She managed a panicked "Yeeep!" as their ride came to an abrupt, slamming halt against the pillar. The momentum threw her forward, giving her a hefty smack against the dashboard. She shook herself out and forced herself to stand. "Mmmnf... Firesteel, did we crash? Is the Megalodon stuck?" The unicorn frantically assessed the situation: they were out of laser's line of sight, which is good, but the other two trucks were sitting ducks without them to draw fire.
Firesteel's head had hit the steering wheel and blood was leaking from a gash in his temple. He managed to clamber clumsily out of the cockpit, staring furiously at the crumpled, steaming hood of his vehicle. "My truck!" he lamented. "Those gutting kitties playing dirty tricks, I bet!" A variety of colourful swear words followed. "The gall of it! Sneaking all the way out here just to sabotage us! I'll level their sodding village for this!" he shouted angrily.
Nutmeg leapt over the side of the Megalodon, landing hard as she assessed the damage. "The axle looks intact, but the front suspension is knocked loose. I'll bet anything that it's jumped a rod. Tire's completely shredded, by some kind of spiked chain... must have gotten tangled up in the driveshaft."
Firesteel dropped to the sand next to the kirin. "Yeah. Looks kinda busted to me." he said morosely. "Smart trick, laying that chain out, just under the sand where a shark won't see it in time." Frustrated, he pounded a heavy fist on the truck, further denting the bodywork.
Fortunately, the rock pillar was between the monster truck and the pyramid, hiding it from the ravening energy of the crystal at its peak. Unfortunately, that left the two mining trucks wide open. One had already managed to fill its scoop and was heading back to the canyon, but the other was on a straight run towards the precious rubble. The purple energy lanced out again, scoring a hit on the front of the vehicle that burst both rear tyres and made it flip end over end. The smoking wreckage skidded to a halt, the dirt shark crew lying battered and unconscious in their seats.
Summer was still staring at the sky: her first priority was to find Static Signal. She spotted the pegasus heading their way, only to be almost blinded by the brilliant flash of the laser: she stared in horror as it smashed one of the other trucks! It looked like the crew could still be rescued, but she didn't like her odds of dragging one of the bulky bipeds through open desert right now. She turned to Firesteel, asking "What's the plan now?" Summer could only hope that he'd dealt with this before.
Seconds later Static Signal dove down from the sky, back-winging to a halt in the air by the disabled truck. "Oh no, what happened?!" she called out. "You have to run, that laser is going to hit you now!"
Firesteel didn't seem to share Static's concern: "Yeah, so... we've had plenty of experience dodging that laser. Hide behind a rock, burrow under the sand, you're safe, but the second you stick your head out..." He was staring into the distance now, watching the smoke billow from the wrecked mining truck. "Come on guys, get out, get out now..." the big shark said under his breath.
"So the Megalodon is safe?" Nutmeg asked, from where she was fishing around in the wheel house trying to get at where that chain was tangled. "Give me a few minutes, I think I can fix this!"
"I-I'll be right back," Static said nervously, then flapped up a pony length so she could swoop forward. She shot straight towards the fallen sharks from the damaged truck. They might only have seconds left to live!
On the bridge of the air yacht, Grenelda gawked at the disaster unfolding below. "Shit - really?! These landsharks don't know what the fuck they're doing." She winced as the flashy truck blew a tire and crashed into a pillar - didn't look like it would be going anywhere after that. "Alright, if you sharks can't do this properly on your own, I'm gonna figure something out myself!"
With that the griffon ran outside, spread her wings and leapt off of the side of the airship. As she nosed over into a power dive she saw a second laser blast score a solid hit on one of the mining trucks - now she'd be keeping an eagle eye on the pyramid, just in case it decided to track her next...
All of Clashing Gale's fears were being realised. "You're not keeping me away from this." he growled before following Grenelda's lead. That damned pyramid - one wrong move and the whole crew could end up vaporised. What possessed those sharks, thinking this was a good idea?
Summer Scribe's expression drooped a bit as Firesteel and Nutmeg assess the damage - sabotage?! Here? Why?? She watched Static fly across the desert with concern... but perked up as she saw their team mates diving to the rescue. "Grenelda! Clashing!" She glanced at Firesteel. "I hate to say it, but... they could probably draw the fire, if necessary?"
Grenelda's fixation on the pyramid was well chosen, as sure enough, the cap began to glow a mesmerising purple as it charged up. "Shit - look alive, Clashing!" she barks out as she pulled her wings in. The griffon threw herself into a steep bank, barrelling to the side just as the pyramid prepared to fire, juking and jinking away as the beam blasted right past her! The energy rushing past her body ruffled her feathers and made all her fur stand on end. It felt dangerously hot, but the beam lasted only a few seconds, then she was in the clear. The hen crowed in relief and triumph, imagining the awe on the faces of the onlookers below.
"That's your griffon up there?!" Firesteel said. "Hell, looks like she's already on it. Oh yeah, doing a bang-up job!"
Following close behind the hen, Clashing Gale also dodged and sideslipped away from the beam, although it seemed to be focused on the larger target, making it easier for him to stay clear. He should've been terrified of imminent death, exultant at surviving... something, but he just felt numb. Grimly, the batpony pushed on towards their stranded crewmates.
Summer Scribe grinned! "That's our Grenelda! We'd be sitting ducks against the drow without her," she humble-bragged. Turning to Nutmeg, she asked. "Any chance you can get us mobile again? Don't know what we're gonna do about this tyre.."
The other shark had managed to clamber out of the executive monster truck, limping and wincing in pain from his cracked kneecap. "There's a spare on the back..." he said, looking dubiously at the suspension "...but that won't do us any good if the steering is out."
"Yeah, if only I had a torque wrench and a prybar, and a hammer, oh wait," Nutmeg replied. She nosed into the tool harness still on her side and pulled out said tools, as well as some bolt cutters, which she took in mouth leaving the others sitting there by the twisted wheel. Squeezing back under the truck, she gripped the other handle in a hoof and squeezed until the rusted chain gave way, shattering one of the links with a crack. The mare pulling the loose ends out with her and hoofing it to the shark, saying "See if you can get the tire off. You brought a lug wrench, I hope."
"Uh, yeah, alright, lemme..." The worker shark fished a breaker bar out of the rear of the truck and began forcing the dozen wheel nuts off, one by one.
Looking over at Summer, Nutmeg blushed and added, "Uh, yes this is a simple fix. Any shark could do it too I'm sure, but I can't..." she nodded in the direction of the wrecked tuck "...carry those guys over there, so I don't know what else to do."
Static Signal had nearly reached the wrecked mining vehicle: the two sharks in the open-frame cab were sprawled motionless over the controls, either out cold... or dead. The pegasus fluttered fussily around the pilots of the fallen vehicle for a few moments, then with an anxious look at the pyramid, she leaned against one, pressing a big fluffy ear right up to his chest. A heartbeat! She heaved the bulky biped up from sprawling on the console, then stood on the dash itself and wrapped her forelegs under his arms.
Static grunted and strained, barely able to get him upright. She opened her wings and immediately things got more manageable, as the same magic that let pegasi pull air carriages worked to make this creature light enough to carry. Still he might as well have been a sack of rocks as she flapped into the air, bobbing there for a moment as she looked nervously at the distant pyramid. With relief she recognised the griffon hen flying cover for her, and began the arduous flight back to the others, the much larger shark man hanging comically in her forelegs.
A beaky scowl formed on Grenelda's face as watched Static's rescue and realised she'd typecast herself into the bait role. "Shit, the moment I stop getting that thing's attention it'll just fire at someone less competent. Guess it's up to me," the hen grumbled to herself - well, at least it'll be good flying practice!
Seeing Static Signal brave the pyramid's wrath to rescue one of the sharks, Clashing Gale shook his head. He guessed it was up to him to rescue the other. Why were they risking their necks for these sharks again? At least Summer and Nutmeg were safe. Continuing to keep an eye on the glowing crystal responsible for the energy beams, he began a series of evasive manoeuvres, heading for the wreck but cautious in case whoever was aiming that laser decided to switch targets.
He had a harder time with his rescue than Static, finding his bat wings somewhat less effective at negating the unconscious shark's bulk. Clashing made up for it with brute strength and a complete lack of pain, despite carrying enough weight that his legs should be aching. One of the 'perks' of being 'undead', he thought, as he flew slowly after Static.
Next to the Megalodon, Firesteel seemed to stop and consider for a moment whether to lower himself to manual labour. Finally with a grunt and a few preparatory flexes, he grabbed the enormous tyre off the tailgate and set it down on the sand next to the shredded one. Looking around to see who was impressed, he spotted the incoming pegasus, doing a double-take at her oversized cargo. "Woah, you little horses are stronger than you look!"
Summer Scribe had been ready to levitate the spare tyre; she wasn't sure if she could manage it, but... damn! Firesteel was a hunk alright. She was grateful for the help, but she looked around sheepishly: a kirin and a shark who knew how the hell this thing worked, Static and Clashing pulling off a rescue, Grenelda running interference - she wanted to help, but they seemed to have it covered. Though perhaps... she rushed over as Static Signal came in for a landing, ready to check out the dirt shark she'd rescued.
The pegasus gently lowered her passenger to the sand. She immediately looked back to the upturned vehicle, terrified that the next beam would turn the other shark and his autocart into glass... but breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the dragon-winged Clashing Gale not far behind, bringing the other casualty. She hovered over to Firesteel, informing him "Yeah, we pegasi can lift... pretty much anything." Static's ears went down as she added. "I-I'm sorry though, your mining cart is just too heavy for me to lift by myself! We're just gonna have to let it get destroyed."
"Yeah, well like Pitch said, it's an expensive business." Firesteel said dismissively. "Huh, that's Ferrite. Is he alive?"
Summer's hoof had gone to the injured shark's neck, checking for a pulse again. It was hard to feel anything through the shark's extremely thick skin, but 'Ferrite' was still breathing, though his breaths were ragged. Bruises were beginning to swell up all over his body and one arm was bending in a way it definitely wasn't supposed to bend, the bones clearly fractured.
In the sky above Grenelda brought herself around in another tight bank, letting the pyramid get a good look at her. Once it charged up, she dove sharply and rolled into a steep bank, turning ninety degrees in less than a second. The laser lanced out again, sizzling as it ionised the surrounding air. The beam passed even closer this time; the hen winced as her tail felt a little singed, but she was still in the air. Though... looking down, it seemed like everygriff had made it to safety. Time to stop playing the mouse... the griffon glided down for a quick landing in the shadow of the pillar, full of pride at her fancy flying saving the day.
"That's what I meant by ponies being magic," Nutmeg remarked to Firesteel, "Even the pegasi can do some crazy stuff."
"I-i-it's not that... um..." Static said, blushing and turning away at Nutmeg's praise.
Clashing brought the second shark in, his toes dragging in the sand as the batpony struggled to stay aloft. The creature crumpled to the ground as Clashing released him, eyelids flickered open. He groaned and tried to say something, but only managed to cough up some blood. The red fluid clashed with his purple coat pony rather brutally, Clashing thought. "Oof... Think someone's going to need more advanced help here!"
With no moving targets in view, the murderous energy beam switched to cleaning up the secondary threat. The torrent of purple energy lanced out once more, striking the wrecked mining truck again. This time the shot pierced the fuel tank, hiding the machine under a billowing black cloud for a second before the pulverised coal ignited in an impressive fuel-air explosion. The conflagration scattered parts in a wide radius and left only a burning hulk.
"Third time in the last month." Firesteel said sullenly, watching his equipment go up in flames. "Still, even one load of this ore's worth more than an old mining truck - to the right buyer. Yeah, if we can drive Megalodon back out... we should still bank a profit on the trip." he added, the confidence and cheer returning to his voice. Now that it was clear they were still alive, the fate of his workers didn't seem to be a major concern.
Summer Scribe winced at the explosion and made a mental note: the pyramid didn't just hate people, it hates vehicles just as much. "Geez, this stuff is that good?" She jumped to the obvious conclusion: "Imagine if we could make the pyramid a non threat... how much Uberite we'd be able to make away with!" The little mare seemed positively giddy at the thought, already plotting her next adventure. "Can't be too hard, right? I juuuust need to get a look at it... Hmm, well, might be a little hard. But I'm sure it's nothing I can't figure out!" she said as she finished putting the splint on Ferrite's leg, winding the bandage around and around.
Firesteel stared down at the unicorn mare. "If you consultants can get rid of that beam, you'll be compensated handsomely, of course. I'm sure Pitchblende would be happy to negotiate terms." His predatory grin was back.
"Why are these pillars here in the first place?" Nutmeg asked, walking up and touching a two-toed hoof to the giant edifice that shadowed them from the pyramid's gaze, "Do they grow this way? It's a really inconvenient place to put a pyramid armed with a giant matter accelerator of death."
The shark CEO threw up his arms. "Who knows? My guess, the cats built that thing centuries back to defend their mining rights, then after the cataclysm - hah - they all went savage and had no use for the stuff any more."
Clashing didn't look too impressed with Firesteel showing complete indifference to the plight of his employees. "So you're going to leave two employees that clearly have internal injuries out in the desert...? Just like that?" he blurted out. Probably would have been better to keep his mouth shut, but he was already dead. Didn't mean someone else had to be.
Firesteel looked at Nutmeg, gesturing at the truck. "So... can you fix her? 'Cause if not I'll burrow outta here and come back with some mechanics." Finally acknowledging Clashing's presence with a glare, he added "Yeah and a medic, that goes without saying, sure."
Grenelda had concerns of her own: "And you think maybe you should have told us that this wasn't going to be safe? Summer, Nutmeg and Static could easily have been vaporised, if I hadn't been around to draw that thing's fire!" she grumbled at Firesteel.
"You get this straight, griffon; this was sabotage!" the shark said angrily, the gold chains around his neck glinting in the sun as he pointing a stubby finger at Grenelda and stared her down. "Everything was under control 'til that cast iron kitty litter screwed up the operation. Who knew those primitive screwheads were crazy enough to risk getting vaporised just to mess us up."
"Nopony's leaving anybody, Clashing," Static Signal chided him, "We saved them, so we can take them with us. Mister Shark here can't just dodge the beams in the air, so there wasn't anything he could do then. I don't know what we're going to do about a medic though... we need to hurry."
Nutmeg called out, "I think I've got the suspension bolted back together!" from where she was entirely inside the wheel house of the giant tire. "I just want to make sure it won't fall apart until we can get some real repairs done!" The other shark from the monster truck rolled the new tire into position, ready to bolt it onto the hub.
Clashing Gale just sighed. "Good enough for me. Let's hurry up and get these guys out of here. This one's not looking too good, no telling how long he'll stay with us." As for Grenelda's outburst... while it wasn't the most tactful behaviour, she really did have a point.
Summer Scribe was still pondering the deadly pyramid. Ancient cat defense system, you say? She wondered if the locals had any oral stories or maybe even books or cultural artifacts that could give clues as to how it worked... something to follow up on later. For now she just nodded to Firesteel: "I'll see what I can figure out!" Uh-oh, Grenelda's was really fuming over there: the griffon had turned away, looking like she really wanted to lash out but couldn't.
Summer trotted over and tried to console the hen. "I really appreciate that you dove down and kept the beam off of us! You helped save those two sharks over there. They're gonna remember that!" she gestured at the injured creatures with a hoof.
Grenelda spat. "If they've got that little self-preservation and care for each other's well-being, I don't know that taking a mission from them is a good idea. You really think messing with this pyramid is going to lead to anything but fried pony, huh? Remember we came here for propellers, and now we're signing up for death-defying missions! I mean I love a good fight as much as the next griffon, but we're talking vaporisation."
With the suspension fixed the new wheel was soon fitted and the nine assorted creatures squeezed into the enormous, ostentatious truck. The damaged front engine had lost most of its oil and coolant, coughing and spluttering as it tried to rev, but fortunately the rear one was still running smoothly. There were a few close calls on the way out: Nutmeg winced every time they swerved to avoid the beam, wondering if the tie rod would give way and doom them all to a fiery death... but her repairs held up and the Megalodon made it back to the canyon, where the Exocosus was already waiting to pick them up.
Summer Scribe was grateful for this thing having two engines - and a bit on edge whenever they swerved to dodge a laser, given their battered condition. Firesteel seemed to know what he was doing though, so it was a safe ride back to the Exocosus. As soon as they were on board the unicorn hurried up to the deck, eager to get a good look at the pyramid from above. "Hmm. I wonder if you can just break it with a strong attack. Or if there's some way to get inside the pyramid on hoof and mess with it..." she mumbled, notebook out and pencil levitating, sketching what she saw and thought.
From there it was a quiet flight back to Triskelion Mine, with Grenelda glowering in the corner while Nutmeg Inferno and Static Signal stayed down in the hold, keen to inspect the monster truck's drivetrain. Clashing Gale seemed as thoughtful as Summer, replaying the day's events in his mind. Should he have spoken up earlier? Or did Grenelda already antagonise the sharks unnecessarily? They was no way to deny it, they'd risked the lives of his crew, without warning or compensation. He would carefully weigh his next move, but at least for now, the crew was safe. No creature had perished, and that was the most important thing.
The sleek, sharp, fin-and-propeller-bedecked dirt shark airship slowed as it approached Triskelion Mine, a cluster of rocky, arid floating islands that spiralled through and around each other. The enormous armoured train had only moved a kilometre or so since their earlier visit, pulling into the centre of the largest cluster of buildings. The pilot guided the ship down to its resting place - a flatbed car at the back of the train - and the ponies disembarked into the 'VIP lounge' they'd occupied earlier.
"...and in the spirit of establishing a mutually profitable relationship, all refreshments will be fully comped!" Firesteel said magnanimously, as if this was a huge deal. "So don't forget to swing by the buffet car on the way out!"
Summer Scribe was... well, relieved that things went about as well as they could have after that shocking act of sabotage. Look for the silver lining, right? Surely their relationships with the land sharks would improve, now they'd stepped up and helped in their time of need. Though she got the impression that Firesteel would've have treated losing his executive monster truck as a bigger loss than those pilots. Hmm!
Regardless, this was going to open doors for them, so she showed her gratitude with a curtsey and a cheerful smile. "Our pleasure: helping's what we do! Thank you." 'And thank you for showing us that intriguing pyramid too,' she thought silently to herself! 'Imagine the reward for successfully disarming that thing... oooh!'
First bullied into working for these fools, then their lives hanging in the balance. Having to risk their hides to save these creatures, and now 'Hey, free drinks!' Really? That was their best offer? Ugh. Clashing Gale was less than impressed, but let only a fraction of that show on his face, as he nodded in agreement. Good thing Summer Scribe was taking care of the diplomacy - he'd have made his true feelings known by now, probably wrecked any chance of an alliance.
"Just glad we all managed to get out intact," Nutmeg added shyly, looking Firesteel's way, "It would have been awful if we couldn't save the Megalodon."
Nodding enthusiastically, the dusty pegasus Static Signal said, "It's a beautiful machine! I've never seen anything like it. A rubber wheeled trackless train car!"
That drew a guffaw from the burly shark CEO that jangled his numerous gold chains. "Back on form, little horse!" he commended, before nodding to Nutmeg "Not like we were gonna abandon her out there. Would've sent a crew out there ASAP. You filled in for them great though, considering your digit-challenged status and all."
"Digit challenged?" Nutmeg replied in puzzlement, lifting a hoof to look at it, "But I have two!"
Firesteel's hearty chuckle at that only left her more puzzled. "Guess that makes you lot suited to be a Skylanders franchise," he said, "The brand was always 'crazy-looking rag-tag-band, that somehow get the job done'. Seems like minority representation was a bigger deal back then." For some reason the shark leader shuddered, before waving dismissively and heading for the exit.
Nutmeg continued to stare at her hoof as he left, murmuring, "Well, I guess I am the only kirin, that's kind of crazy looking."
Static looked curious at his final words, but closed her mouth at his wave, and respectfully let the shark depart, leaving them free to explore the wonders of dirt shark cuisine. She didn't doubt Nutmeg would find something edible, at least.
A cheeky grin slipped onto Summer's face as she listened to Nutmeg and Static's free and open gushing. It's wasn't her area of expertise, but she knew a good nerd-out when she saw one, and she was definitely on board. She pranced after Firesteel, saying with a wink, "So, just to be on the same page... let's say we do figure out how to disarm your laser problem. You can become Uberite rich beyond your wildest dreams!"
"In return, we only ask for a small favour: some airship parts, and a reconsideration of how badly you really want the drow to stick around when could squash them together...?" The unicorn tried to look simultaneously diplomatic and hopeful, ending up mostly the latter.
The burly bipedal shark gave the little pony a canny look for a moment, before flashing his very toothy grin. "Glad to hear you put a high value on goodwill! Don't think Pitch would agree, heh." His voice dropped lower, "Look, dodging a laser is one thing, but... convince me you can do some real damage, then we'll talk about things that might need wrecked. Got it?"
Well, that was a simple and clear request! Summer Scribe grinned and nodded, replying simply "Can do!" How hard could it be?
"Great! Looking forward to it." With a final wink the CEO was gone, heading off into the train.
Summer turned back to her companions, a smile still on her face, though her expression became serious as she registered Clashing Gale's clear frustration. She waved a hoof and tried to address his concerns: "Hey, don't look so down! We just made a big impression on Firesteel. He's really opening up to us! You think just anyone can rock up and get free drinks? You have to look at it in context! Plus, I'm really curious to try more land-shark cocktails..." she giggled.
Clashing Gale could only glower quietly at Summer's irrationally cheerful attitude. Free drinks, something to look at in context? The supposed big payoff was just talk: all he saw was some creature trying to get by with the smallest possible benefit to get out with minimal losses. Maybe she was buying it, but he sure as heck wasn't. The batpony sighed; at least they were all together, and free to leave. Hopefully there would be no more surprises on the way back to the Harmony.
"So the boss said, whatever you want from the buffet, then I'm supposed to escort you back to your copter," one of the guard sharks said to the room in general. He was giving Clashing Gale an odd look, and made a strange gesture with his hands before adding "The boys moved it to one of the cliff caves for, uh, safekeeping."
"Cool, cool!" Summer Scribe nods. "Well, let me try out a beverage then I'll be on my way..."
After a thorough sampling of the buffet, and in Grenelda's case an excited and lengthy game of 'guess the mystery meat', the equestrians were reunited with the Second Chance. As promised the commandeered drow copter was sitting undamaged and out of sight in a cavern near the air docks. The flight back was uneventful, if somewhat noisy: Summer had insisted on sampling as many cocktails as she could, claiming that an open bar tab was a terrible thing to waste.
By late afternoon the little ship was settling back at the meadow, where Cloud Cutter and Azure Feather could be seen engaged in another training exercise. Happily reunited with their crewmates, they were faced with their final and toughest challenge: explaining the day's events to the Captain.