//------------------------------// // Just Desserts // Story: On the Isle of Man-Eating Ponies // by Destiny Chaser //------------------------------// Flash stifled a yawn as he stood on the white-sanded beach, watching his team prepare their boat for departure. It had been a long night, and an even longer morning. Sanguina had been on the warpath, insisting that nopony would rest until all guilty parties who had betrayed her trust and threatened her guest were found and punished. Once more, he found himself being thrown another diplomatic curveball when the queen had asked him to choose the punishment for the ponies who had literally plotted to kill and devour him, even going so far as to suggest that she ought to give him their hides in retribution, which served to put the fear of God into them. In the end, Flash had pleaded for leniency, asking that Sanguina give them the equivalent of community service, which seemed to impress her in addition to earning him the awe and gratitude of the ashamed prisoners; he argued that his very presence represented an unprecedented temptation, a reality that he would be more mindful of in the future if he ever came to visit again. A short distance away stood Sanguina with a small contingent of her ponies behind her, including Hunter. The regal mare was presently talking to her daughter in a gentle tone, speaking in their native tongue. Flash couldn't help but smile at the tender scene; even though he did not understand what she was saying, the tone clearly communicated a special love. It made him pause and think of his own mother, Bright Skies. She was too far away to communicate with telepathically, but he could still feel the warmth of her life-force within his own heart; he was grateful that was something he could always feel regardless of distance. Flash watched as Ferra pranced once in place, stomping her front hooves into the sand, smiling up at her mother. The happy pony said something briefly in response in their language before nuzzling into the larger mare's neck; Sanguina responded with an affectionate nuzzle of her own. Opening her eyes, Sanguina looked over at Flash and smiled, motioning with her head for him to now approach. "Ready to go, Ferra?" Flash asked as he stepped up next to them. "You bet!" She exclaimed, prancing gleefully in a circle around the human before giving him a small shove with her head. Flash staggered, but managed to keep his footing this time, becoming more accustomed to Ferra's rather kinetic methods of showing affection. He chuckled, giving her soft mane a quick ruffle, "Great, why don't you go give the others a hoof? Especially Lumen, he'd love it if you would help him. I'll be there in a minute." As she sprinted off to the boat, Sanguina stepped forward, smiling warmly at him. "You know, she's taken rather quickly to you. I think that is a good sign for the future." "Don't worry your highness, I'll make sure she's safe with me in Equestria." Sanguina nodded, "I thank you for that, but also, keep safe yourself, little one. Don't think I didn't notice yesterday how marked your young body already is by battle; I would hate to see one with such a good heart lose himself before his time. Do not allow your selflessness to outweigh your own sense of worth, child." Flash couldn't help but chuckle at that, causing Sanguina to raise an eyebrow, "What is it?" Flash shook his head, "Nothing, it's just that, well, it's funny how so many mares in my life end up trying to mother me, that's all." Sanguina smiled sweetly at him, "Well, perhaps you need it more than others." She glanced behind herself and motioned with her head. Flash watched as Hunter stepped forward, holding a plain wooden box about the size of a loaf of bread. Sanguina opened it, and pulled out a curved dagger about eight inches long sheathed in a brown leather scabbard. "Here, a small token of my appreciation to you, dear child," She said while handing him the weapon. Flash eyes widened as he accepted the dagger, which felt surprisingly light in his hands. The hilt was tightly bound in a dark brown leather, and the pommel appeared to be fashioned from a highly polished, smooth black diamond. Drawing it from it's sheath, Flash was surprised to see the sharp blade was not any kind of metal, but what appeared to be bone, a deep white in color. It was smooth but incredibly sharp; he noticed that the inner edge was slightly serrated with fine teeth. "It was carved from a dragon's fang," Sanguina said in answer to his unspoken question, "Taken a very long time ago from a very cranky dragon by a younger and much more foalish mare who thought she was invincible." She said with a wink. "Wow, it's incredible," Flash murmured in amazement. Dragon bones of any kind were exceedingly rare, and held magical properties, many of which were not even fully understood, that many a mage and researcher would give just about anything to get their hooves on. It was quite the gift. Flash pulled back his cloak and immediately fixed the dagger to his belt with pride, "Thank you your highness, I am honored to receive such an item from one such as yourself." Sanguina nodded in approval, "May it serve to keep you safe in your travels my dear, and perhaps, serve as a reminder to not carelessly rush into the jaws of danger so swiftly?" Flash laughed, "Well, so long as they're not your jaws, your highness." That earned him a laugh from her, one that reached her eyes. Sanguina shook her head, "Don't tempt me little one, you're still a treat to us." She then embraced him with a forelimb, giving his forehead a small, tender nuzzle. "Farewell, Flash Skies. Thank you for your efforts to bring peace between us and your ponies. I look forward to when we may meet again." Separating, Flash graciously thanked her in return for her kindness to him before turning and walking back towards the boat, the bright sun and blue skies above made the calm sea sparkle in beauty. As he approached, he noticed another pony, a stunning white mare with a silver mane and tail, Natarra he recalled, gingerly approach the boat and tap Slipstream on the shoulder. The pegasus turned and started as she smiled at him; she leaned forward and whispered something into his ear before giving his cheek a small nuzzle. She smiled at him again before turning and walking slowly back from where she came. Slipstream stood stock still like a stature, his mouth hanging open and his wings hanging limply to the sand. "Hummina-hummina-hummina..." He mumbled as Flash walked past him, "C'mon lover colt, we have to get moving if we want to beat the tide." He said with a smirk. "But...but...she...I..." Flash sighed and rolled his eyes before hefting the love-struck stallion over one shoulder, carrying him towards the boat. "It's alright buddy, she'll be here when we come back." Slipstream feebly reached out with his forehooves, "But she's here now..." Sanguina stood on the beach, watching the small black craft sail away until it was nearly out of sight. She sighed, a sense of relief joining the slight sadness in her heart, but one that was also tempered with hope for the future. Hunter approached his Queen, standing loyally at her side. "A 'life-debt'?" He remarked, finally breaking the silence. "I don't think I've ever heard of that one outside of the history scrolls." Sanguina smiled, not taking her eyes off of the horizon, "Oh hush, Ferra needed to get off the island at some point. And this way, we'll finally be able to find out what dear old Celestia has been up to after all of these years; and through the eyes and ears of one of our own no less." Hunter glanced down in thought for a moment before looking back up at her, "Do you think it's safe?" "Of course Ferra will be safe, she is more than capable of taking care of herself." "I wasn't talking about her." Sanguina's lips twitched slightly in an amused smirk, one rear hoof nervously tapping the sand, "Probably." "Farewell and adieu to you fair island ladies...Farewell and adieu to you ladies with fangs...For we've received orders set a sail back to mainland, and never-a-more shall we see you again..." Slipstream mewled sadly to himself while looking forlornly at the shrinking island, his forelimbs dangling over the side of their boat; the blush had yet to fade from his face. "Aww, cheer up Slips!" Rose Dust said, placing a comforting wing across his withers. "I'd say mission accomplished! You wanted to meet a nice mare, and you did!" Slipstream uttered a mournful whimper in reply. At the front of the boat, Flash noticed Ferra had Lumen trapped in the bow, jabbering incessantly to him about all the ways she thought they could work together. The unicorn's eye twitched as he cast a glance at the human that screamed 'help'; Flash smiled and waved. Turning to the rear of the craft, he joined Sugar Rush and Sharps, the latter of whom was manning the tiller. "We make for home, Captain?" Sugar inquired. Flash smiled and shook his head, "Not yet Sarge, we got one more little courtesy call to make first." Post Haste confidently climbed the luxurious wooden staircase that led to his office. It had been a long day, but there was still time before the sunset to take care of a few end of the day details. He was in a good mood, word had reached him a few days prior from his well-placed sources that Celestia had dispatched a team of specialists from the Royal Guard to deal with the problem he had reported to the Princess. He liked that, the fact that the government had acted so quickly on his complaint and that the problems he had encountered with these savage island outliers over the last several months would soon be handled, and at the taxpayers' expense no less. He had briefly looked into the possibility of hiring mercenaries for the job in case nothing was done, so he was glad to hear that a solution that didn't pull at his purse strings would soon be had. It was too convenient; soon this mess would be somepony else's problem and he could finally seize hold of the new zoning permits around the contested sea lanes which would see a further expansion of his company's holdings within the merchant guild. The brown earth pony smiled to himself at the thought of all the favors he would collect from the other members of the guild who would be lining up for a chance to extort profits from new areas that until now had been officially off limits. True, he had to omit that little detail that his ships had been in an area that they weren't authorized to be in when the attack had occurred, but what Celestia didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Most ponies wouldn't dare to try to pull a fast one on the Princess, she had been at this game for far too long to be easily fooled. But Post Haste was not most ponies. No, he had taken risks that others were too scared to even consider, he had worked hard, pushed the limits, bent and even broken rules when necessary. He had gotten quite good at gaming the system to his advantage, and there was no doubt that all of his efforts had paid off handsomely. He was head of the merchant guild. Nobles at court begged for his influence and favor. The empire he had built was secure, and if he had anything to say about it, would remain so for years to come. Post Haste reached into the inner pocket of his green vest to retrieve the key to his office, the door of which was constructed of choice mahogany that he had paid an exorbitant price to have inlaid with a various number of wards and the very best of security spells, ensuring that nopony could sneak in to have a peek at the inner workings of his business models, the records of which he kept so meticulously. Such efforts had allowed him to forecast business models and plans that left most of his competitors in the dust. So one might imagine the shock he felt when the door to his office swung freely inwards the instant he pushed the key into the lock. Swinging the door open in alarm, Post Haste felt his heart skip a beat at what he saw. There, sitting in one of the guest chairs in front of his desk, sat Celestia's human, casually flipping through one of his logs with an air of indifference, acting as if he hadn't even noticed the pony walk into the room. A stack of logs sat on the small table next to him. "What?! You, but...how, HOW did you get in here?!" Post Haste demanded. "Through the door." The human calmly responded, not even bothering to look up. With one hand he turned another page in the log, while his other remained occupied gently scratching the ears of the stunning orange mare resting at his feet. Poste Haste hadn't noticed her in the dim lighting as the office was only illuminated by a few rays of the late afternoon sun peaking through the half drawn curtains. Now that his eyes adjusted to the low light, he could clearly see how beautiful she was. Her black mane and hooves were like polished ebony, and her features smooth but powerful in appearance; her eyes were closed in the appearance of sleep, and there seemed to be an odd purring coming from her for some reason. Snapping away from the pleasant distraction, Post Haste glared at the human, "That's a lie! The door-" "Is warded?" Flash interrupted, again without looking at the pony, "Yes, with some of the best spells I've encountered so far, must have cost a pretty bit; but they were still no match for my battle mage, he is quite gifted." Post Haste's eyes widened as a white unicorn in the same style of black armor being worn by the human stepped out of the shadows in the far corner of the room, a dismissive, haughty look in his golden eyes. That's Noble Dawn's brat! Post Haste realized in alarm. Noble Dawn was his archrival at court, whose family had been the main armorer for the Equestrian Guard for generations. "And as far as the lock?" Flash continued, snapping the pony back to attention, "Let's just say that I know a clever bat." Post Haste jumped at the sound of the office door slamming shut behind him. He spun around to see a bright grey thestral with vibrant pink eyes and a deep indigo mane leaning against the door, a small, unfriendly smile on her pretty face, the dim light gleaming off her sharp fangs; she too was equipped in the same style of black armor. The earth pony backed off a few steps, fuming with outrage. He turned around only to see a second, smaller unicorn and a pegasus had joined Lumen; as well as a huge, hulking earth pony, all of them clad in the same dark armor. Hot anger burned in Post Haste's heart. How dare they, how dare any of them intrude on his privacy! Absolutely nopony was allowed in here but him, who did they think they were?! "Oh, do any of you braindead morons have the slightest comprehension of the mess you've just gotten yourself into?" Post Haste snarled; nopony answered him, pretending as if his presence didn't matter. Post Haste grit his teeth, glaring hatefully at them all, but especially at the arrogant alien sitting in his chair. "Not as big of a mess as you're in, apparently." Flash finally said, "I think Princess Celestia would be quite keen to hear about your little side hustles in reserved territories. Trespassing, trafficking in stolen goods, unauthorized intrusions on sovereign states, criminal negligence, ponyslaughter? Oh, and lets throw in obstruction of justice for good measure. You've been a very bad little pony, Mr. Post Haste." The way the human talked to him, like a parent scolding a child, even though the miserable whelp was not even half his own age, only infuriated Post Haste all the more. It was same way Celestia had always talked down to him and other ponies; he truly was her pet. "This is a outrage!" Post Haste angrily exclaimed, "You come onto my property, with no warrant-" A knock at the door cut him off midsentence, Flash smiled. "Oh, speak of the devil, whoever could that be?" Post Haste jaw dropped as he watched the thestral open the door to let in a slim, pale coated unicorn with a neatly combed brown mane holding a rolled up scroll in his dull grey magic. The pony wore large framed glasses and a tacky looking tweed jacket. "I'm here to serve a warrant for the search of premises of a Mr. Post Haste?" He announced in a nasally, official sounding voice. Post Haste's heart twisted as he caught a glimpse of a pair of city guards in their signature silver-steel armor waiting further outside. Flash motioned for the unicorn to approach, "Wow Quick Note, you work fast! I wasn't expecting to see anypony for at least another hour." "Hmph, your praise is hardly necessary in this case Captain Skies, I would be embarrassed if I couldn't perform such a standard assignment efficiently, especially in matters of the crown." He said while adjusting his spectacles. "Warrant?!" Post Haste blustered, "What are you talking about you foal, let me see that!" He snatched the scroll angrily and unfurled it, eyes racing over the words only to feel his stomach sink when he saw the Royal Crest of the High Court at the bottom of the parchment. At the same time, his heart soared with a glimmer of hope when he saw no signature affixed at the bottom to grant authorization for the warrant. "Ha! This edict is worthless, it's not even authorized!" Post Haste crowed triumphantly, only to flinch when the document was snatched from his hooves so quickly that it seemed to have vanished. He looked and back and forth only to see the human signing the document with a quill hoofed to him by Quick Note. "It is now," Flash replied before rolling up the warrant and handing it back to the court clerk. "What?! But, but you can't just-" "Actually, I can," Flash interrupted, "I have point authority to approve on-the-spot search warrants in regards to cases involving violations of international law, and especially when it's related to Equestrian National Security. The only caveat is that the court gets to send their own investigators to monitor my search." "Will that be all, Captain Skies?" Quick Note asked in his nasally tone, sounding impatient, "I would like to begin the process of cataloging now if you don't mind." Flash smiled, "Just a moment Quick Note, I need a few minutes yet with our gracious host before you and the other fine officers of the court dismantle the place," he replied. "Hmph, see that you keep it brief, I'll be waiting outside." Quick Note said before turning hoof and exiting the room with his nose held high, Rose Dust closing the door behind him. For the first few moments, nopony spoke; the only sounds in the room being the low purring coming from the mare resting at the human's feet and the soft noise of another page turning as Flash continued to help himself to the merchant's private logs. Post Haste was practically shaking with rage now, glaring with murderous hate at the human. "Oh, you think you're going to cause problems for me, human?! Or any of you for that matter!" Post Haste shouted, turning about at them all. "Your careers, your reputations, your very lives as you knew them are OVER!" He laughed, feeling his courage grow at the thought of the reprisals he would visit on them. "Do you really think you could just waltz in here like this, violate my privacy, and simply walk away without any consequences?! Don't you realize who I am?! Whatever it is you think you know about me, whatever it is you think you've learned, none of it will stick! And in the meantime, I think I'll make it my personal hobby to ruin each of your lives one by one, starting with that wretched whore of yours, human!" A chill seemed to go through the room, and Post Haste could almost swear that he just felt the temperature suddenly drop. Though he was trying his best to get some kind of a reaction out of the enigmatic creature before him, the human didn't seem to be paying attention to his venom laced rant, so he furiously pressed on, "Oh, did I touch a nerve? The big bad human angry? Ha! By the time I'm done with you, Cloudsdale, no, all of Equestria will be screaming for the expulsion of both of you alien abominations back to whatever disgusting hole you crawled out of! You'll be lucky to-" A deep growl rippled through the room cutting Post Haste off, his eyes immediately shot to the orange mare now stirring from her rest. He gaped in growing horror as the mare stretched and yawned wide and slow, revealing a terrifying display of gleaming white fangs. She affectionately leaned her head into Flash's hand, savoring the touch for a moment before her yellow cat eyes snapped open, locking on to the pony now trembling before her; the shimmering, merciless orbs reflecting a slight glow within the dim light of the room. Post Haste felt his mouth go dry, his throat practically cinching close in terror. The beautiful mare he had been eyeing not moments earlier was in fact, a monster. "You-you brought one of those savages...here?" He whispered, all of his previous bluster and bravado quickly melting away. Flash placed his hand gently on Ferra's neck, "Peace Ferra, it's alright." The mare relaxed, slowly lowering her head back to her forelimbs, though her unblinking eyes remained focused on Post Haste, her gaze vicious. "Sugar?" "Da Captain?" The massive earth pony responded, stepping up next to Flash who motioned for him to come close, "Pozhaluysta, ubedites', chto nas ne bespokoyat," Flash said in a low voice. Sugar smiled slightly and nodded, casting a knowing smirk at Post Haste, "Ponyal, Kapitan." Sugar Rush motioned with his head and as one, everypony in the room began to head towards the exit, save Flash and Ferra. "Hey, hey! Where do you think you're all going?! Get back here! I'm, I'm not through with you yet!" Post Haste shouted, trying to sound in command, but for the life of him, he couldn't get the nervous tremor out of his voice, nor slow his heart now hammering away in his chest. "Rose?" Flash called out as she held the door open for the others while they filed out; she snapped her gaze to him. "Would you be a dear and stay for a bit longer? I'll need another witness." She smiled and nodded before closing the door behind the last of her team and standing guard. Post Haste stared in disbelief at her as all semblance of control that he thought he had still possessed left him. He turned round on Flash, "Now, now see here, you have no right-" "SIT. DOWN." The human ordered, his voice soft as a secret but as hard as iron. Post Haste took one look at the human's blue and violet starburst eyes and instantly regretted it, there was no mercy to be found in them. Instead, he saw a cold, provoked fury, the likes of which instantly filled him with a slowly growing dread over his earlier, poor choice of words; he immediately fell to his plot before his trembling legs could give out beneath him. Flash quietly closed the logbook in his lap and placed it neatly on the stack with the others. With his other hand, he continued to idly scratch behind one of Ferra's ears who remained glaring at the pony across from her, a vengeful look in her eyes. "Now then, Mr. Post Haste. You and I are going to have a nice little chat about the importance of honesty, and about how Princess Celestia simply cannot wait to hear you tell her the whole truth about exactly what happened that day..." Ferra growled, Post Haste whimpered.