//------------------------------//
// Ch. 2 
// Story: Island Of the Lost 
// by Mystic Sunrise 
//------------------------------//

Celestial Rose's mood improved the moment Steel Wing all but skipped into the Guild's main office. "She finally said yes?"

Steel nodded. "You bet. And it's about Luna damned time as well. I couldn't take waiting any longer if Princess Celestia had said no."

Celestial rolled her eyes. "Steel. You know she is only worried about us. And with Discord's defeat still being recent, can you blame her? We're going off of the map here. Nopony's ever been down past the Badlands before."

Steel rolled his eyes as he sat down at his own desk and picked up a stack of files. "I know. But does she have to be such a stick in the mud about it? If the stories Princess Luna has told are true, she used to be much more fun."

Celestial sighed. This had been a recurring argument between them for some time now as she looked at her own files. "So do you know who will be going? We can't afford to send too many. Most are still in the hospital after that Dread Saurian attack."

Steel winced at the reminder as he looked through who was still fit enough for fieldwork and who could be spared for something like this. It was a depressingly low number of ponies. 

Celestial knew this as well, and it made her heart sink. She had lost far too many friends since she had joined the guild. She didn't want to lose anymore. "You're not leaving me behind this time, Steel. I've been cooped up in here for too long as it is!"

Steel chuckled as he pulled Celestial's file out and set it aside with his own. "Wouldn't dream of it, dear. This island is not large enough that a small group could not explore it all in an afternoon if the reports are true."

"Then make this something for all three tribes," Celestial added. "Equestria needs a sign of unity more than ever right now. There are reports that something is happening to the east. Something draining the magic from every living being it comes across."

Steel frowned, his wings twitching at the thought. He had heard the same reports but had hoped he had only been drunk at the time. Apparently not if the one unicorn he trusted more than anypony else said the same things. "We can only afford to send six on the trip."

Celestial tapped her chin. "Like the Elements of Harmony. Maybe it's not a coincidence then."

Steel rolled his eyes as he pulled out a certain file. "Well then. I know one unicorn you'll be happy to be with." He smirked as Celestial blushed brightly. "Don't deny it. I've seen how you and Diamond look at each other."

Celestial blustered for a moment, before glaring back at the Pegasus. "Yeah? What about you and Amber? I've seen you two sneak off more than once. What's all that about?"

Steel only smirked as he sat back with a contented sigh. "What can I say? I love that mare. That makes four then. Unicorn and Pegasi."

Celestial nodded, and looked through what she had on her own desk. There wasn't much to work with, sadly. Two were a possibility though as she looked at their files. "What about Crystal and Pumpkin? Crystal won't stop bugging me to let her go with one of these expeditions."

Steel's brows rose. "Didn't her and her family come from the Crystal Empire? I know she had everything an explorer needs. But she is a bit young. And Pumpkin is. Well..."

Celestial frowned. "You know she had nothing to do with her family's conspiracy. Celestia and Luna could be dead for all we know if she hadn't exposed what they were doing. Ponies need to grow up about it. And young ponies are what we need most. Too many old fools stuck in their ways."

Steel threw up his hooves in defeat. "Okay, okay! I give in. I'm just saying what a lot of ponies are thinking. I know she's fine." He sighed. "Maybe it is time we give her something. It could help her, and get her out of Everfree for long enough for those rumors to die down."

Celestial giggled as she stood and headed for the door, ready to tell the mares in question the good news.





As the Everfree Forest disappeared into the haze, Crystal Dawn sighed, leaning on the rail of the airship. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't excited about what this meant. Her first expedition! Even growing up in the Crystal Empire, she had grown up on the tales of the Explorers Guild. She'd been dreaming of this her whole life.

But she was also nervous. This was her first trip outside of Equestria or the empire. The first for most of them if she heard right.

"Never been outside of Equestria?" Pumpkin asked with a smile, joining her at the side. Her mane and coat reminded Crystal of the mare's namesake pumpkin pie, and it made her kinda hungry.

Crystal chuckled. "Yeah. My parents moved from the Crystal Empire when I was still a filly. They still won't say why they did. Princess Amore wasn't that bad, and I had friends." She shrugged. "But I'd miss Equestria if I moved back there now."

Amber rolled her eyes as she joined them as well. Her tan coat was a nice contrast to the surrounding wood. "Sounds pretty nice actually. Maretonia was a dump. Still is if the rumors are true. I mean. They're coming from Princess Celestia herself, so who am I to argue with her?"

The group chuckled as the main cabin door opened, and Steel Wing, Celestial, and Diamond joined them on deck. It seemed like all three tribes were represented. Celestial and Diamond for the unicorns, Amber and Steel Wing for the Pegasi, and Pumpkin and Crystal for the earth ponies.

Steel cleared his throat as everypony gathered around him. "I'm glad you all agreed to join this expedition. Equestria needs us now more than ever. So let us give them something to celebrate. It's a three-day journey south."

"Where are we going anyway?" Amber asked. "You still haven't told us."

Diamond smiled as she produced a map and laid it out on the deck so all could see it. "An uncharted island. We just found it recently from a scouting party. Why they were so far south, we don't know. But this is too good of a chance to pass up."

Pumpkin frowned as she studied their route. "There's nothing down but endless ocean. How could there be an island?"

Celestial shrugged. "We don't know. As far as we know, it's uninhabited, so First Contact Protocols will not be in effect. This could change, however, so remember them! We don't need to mess this up by doing something to infuriate any natives."

Crystal rubbed her chin. "So what can we expect? There's nothing but Merwyrms, Krakens, and Leviathans, down there. I really don't want to fight any of those if it's all the same to everypony."

The others chuckled. "Hopefully we will not have to," Diamond replied, before tapping her horn with a smirk. "But that's why Celestial and I are here. We've been keeping up with our combat magic in the time since this was authorized."

Amber rolled her eyes. "And I am the best Lightning Mage in the guild. So we'll be fine," she grinned. Her confidence was a boost to the others as well.

Steel nodded as he looked them all in the eyes. "We have three days. No more, no less. I expect all of you to be at your best when we arrive." He gave Crystal and Pumpkin a hard look. "Especially the two of you. You are still new to the Explorers Guild. Do not mess this up."

The two gulped but nodded. Celestia damn them both if they would screw this up. This they promised as they shared a determined look.





Diamond whistled as the airship landed gently in the water, her eyes trained on the jungle before them. "Well. It is beautiful. Has to count for something, right?"

Steel rolled his eyes as he too surveyed the island. Jungle covered most of the island, with clean sand beaches covering much of the rest. Off to the left, a tall peak soared into the air. He squinted at the peak. Were those ruins at the top? A matter of later, as the anchor was dropped as the others joined him at the rail.

Crystal looked down as the gangplank was extended, so now nopony would have to get wet. "So? Who gets first dibs?"

The girls all shared heated looks, before Pumpkin jumped on the plank and made a run for the shore. "Nice try, slowpokes! Guess I get first dibs."

The others rolled their eyes as, one by one, they joined her as well, this time at a slower pace. Pumpkin stuck her tongue out as she stepped onto the beach, before prancing off to the tree line. Only to disappear from sight with a startled squawk.

Amber flew off to see what happened. "Pumpkin! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," came the grumbled response as the others joined her at the edge of where she had disappeared. "What the hell just happened? Did I just step in something?"

Steel joined Amber in the air. His eyes widened at what he saw, and a look at Amber confirmed he was not seeing things. "You stepped in something alright. A big something."

Amber nodded. "It's a pawprint. A big one too."

Pumpkin shot them a glare as Celestial helped her out of the depression. "So what the hell made it? This place is too small for anything too big."

Crystal rubbed her chin as she walked around the depression. Now that Pumpkin had fallen in, she could see the outline in the sand. "It's a fox's pawprint. But that's impossible. No fox is this big. Let alone lives this far south."

Diamond shook her head as she stepped out of another depression next to the paw. "It's not the only one. Look. Here's another. This one definitely belongs to a dragon. Female if I had to make a guess."

Amber shook her head as she flew up and down the beach. "That's not all. They're walking together. Almost like they're mates. But that's absurd. Dragons don't mate with other species."

"What does it all mean?" Pumpkin asked, not liking any of this. She really didn't want to meet a dragon of any kind. Let alone an enormous fox.

Steel shook his head as he and Amber landed. "I'm not sure. These look old though. So I don't think we need to worry about meeting whatever made these. But I want everypony to be on guard. We don't know anything about this place, and I do not want to go home with sad news.

It was a feeling they all shared as the girls shared worried looks.