"How long has it been?" the captain asked.
Bones looked up at the floor of the Lipizzan. The ship was still upside down and the sounds of bolts pelting it and quarrels exploding on it echoed throughout the ship. Each time every crew member winced thinking that it would be their last moments.
"I guess around an hour maybe, cap'n," the crazy stallion replied. He started giggling. "Isn't this fun? We could die at any second!"
The captain sighed and shook his head while dryly laughing. "Dying is fun?"
"Oh no. Dying is anything but fun... I think. I don't know, haven't done it yet, but the closeness of death and that at any given second it could be over... that's fun. It's the ultimate kind of fun." The stallion began laughing again, a little bit more hysterically than before.
The captain shuddered inwardly. He hated it when Bones got like that. He decided to change the subject. "Think he's dead?"
Bones shook his head. "Not a chance, cap'n."
"What makes you so sure?"
"We're still here, cap'n." Bones waited for a beat before bursting out in laughter once more, wiping a tear from his eye.
Again the captain tried to laugh along with the stallion, but he couldn't. There was no humor to be found here. They were hiding inside an upside down ship with no way to defend themselves properly. The guns on the gun deck were upside down making them impossible to fire. He tried to look for a way out. Anything. The only option he had left was to blow a hole into the side of the Eleonora and have his crew take cover on the inside. Still, the Guard had advised against this saying that he was better off waiting rather than risking it in combat. On the Lipizzan they had the edge; it was their home turf, the knew the lay of the land. They knew where all the nooks and crannies were on the ship and could use blind spots to clear off the attackers.
"Captain! They're trying to smoke us out!" a shout sounded from further up in the ship, which would have been the lower deck.
"What do you mean?"
"They're dropping balls of fire on the hull captain. The hull can't take more!"
"Iris, see what you can do about that! Confound it, you unicorns do something! Cast some water spells!"
The unicorns tried their magic, but most of them fazed out. They were too tired, having used their magic to cast wind spells to help push the Lipizzan right into the Eleonora's face -- so to speak. The knowledge that they had nothing left to give affected the moral of the crew almost instantly. He could see it in their faces, the sheer hopelessness they felt.
"Always thought I'd die with you, cap'n."
"Nopony here's humoring death, Bones. Least of all me."
The blue pony nodded slowly. "Well, I don't mind. I've had a lot of fun with you all. What with all the pirating and pillaging. It was fun while it lasted. Going straight? Nah. That's not for me. I'm not the kinda pony who'd survive in that life. I belong here on a pirate ship, cap'n. My blood and sweat and tears have soaked this vessel to the very core. She's as much of me as I am a part of her now. If you live through this please remember me."
"You're not gonna die, Bones!" the captain shouted. "None of us here are going to die!"
Bones opened his mouth to say something only to be silenced by an ear-splitting roar. It echoed through both the ships that sent chills down every single one of their backs. Only Bones had the gall to laugh. After all, there were only two kinds of ponies that laughed at a dragon's roar. A broken one, or a crazy one.
"None of us are going to die," the captain repeated quietly, the words feeling weightless and empty.
Fog. Or was it smoke?
The room was so think that one could scarcely see more than a few feet ahead of them. Mountains of golden bits, silver and even brass lay scattered about the room. The single light at the top of the ceiling cast long shadows in all directions. There was nothing in that room that wasn't worth a small fortune. This was the private quarters of the master of the ship; the master of the Eleonora. This was where the dragon slumbered.
He opened one eye and scanned the room. Something had changed. He stretched his body. He wasn't large, not like his cousins to the north. No, he never had grown past the size he was. Not in over two hundred years did he grow past this particular length. No matter how much precious stones and metals he garnered, no matter how big his hoard grew, this was the biggest he would ever be.
And because of that, he had his hoards repeatedly stolen from him again and again. Stolen by his bigger, stronger, and far more dangerous cousins. How many battles had he lost? How many fights had he been mortally wounded only to come back hoardless, his pride shattered. Too many. He grew tired of it all, but a dragon's hoard was his life. Without it, there was no point to living. Who would mate a male with nothing to display his prowess? How would he feed his offspring if ever the time came? Who would mate with a dragon as small as he was?
Somewhere, something in the back of his head started to push through. It was as if a forgotten word was on the tip of the tongue. It was so close, but the more he tried to think about it, the further away the thought got until it was gone. The dragon felt annoyed and disgusted. He despised the world, despised himself for not being a normal dragon. Why was the urge to collect these immaterial things so strong that it overtook the senses? Why was his instincts so strong? He understood how pointless it was. Every waking day when he looked upon his treasure and sat atop it alone he wondered why he had to do it. The urge was too strong for him to let it go.
He did not appreciate being awoken. He was trying to calm himself, the ruckus going on outside his chambers was grating on his ears. Already he had the beginnings of a headache and his temper was fluctuating. This was the most powerful warship on the seas, and he had spent thousands upon thousands of bits to acquire it. It had been a painful expenditure when he bought it, but with all things in this part of the world getting what is yours was simple. After he had purchased the vessel, he had sent his Watu to reacquire the bits he had spent on it. Easiest money he ever made and he got the ship he wanted.
Of course, he had almost killed an entire family to do it. Only a few survived, fleeing back into Equestria. They were too trusting. Tough, and according to Blood, put up a good fight. Lasting a good hour before retreating, their lands burning, their orchards nothing more than lines of broken trees. One thing that he despised was their accent. A certain twang that just grated against his ears. Perhaps that was the reason why he decided it was okay for them to die. Was he that petty? Probably. One did not get to be successful in this part of the world with just hard work and honesty.
Still, they had managed to save their children. Two girls, one an infant just a few days old, and an older boy, if he remembered correctly. It had been years ago. They had been evacuated a few hours before Blood attacked the small town they had created. Most of those that remained behind were earth pony stallions. With the proper training, they might have stood a chance. Perhaps if they had left with their young ones they would all still be alive, but his orders were quite specific. He had told Blood to kill everyone; to leave no survivors.
But why did he suddenly remember that? He had done it so many times before. Used his Watu to get what he wanted. Used Blood as he emissary. It saved so much time. He would have done so himself, but he dared not leave his hoard. Even if he could not fight other dragons directly, there was more than enough firepower on the ship to slay even the greatest of dragons. Perhaps it was that overbearing stench that flooded into his room moments ago. It reminded him so much of that couple. It reminded him so much of those two trusting faces. Such a happy family. Did he really need to go that far? What was that smell? A fruit, he knew. A popular one. Being a dragon he never really acquired a taste for it, but he knew what it was. The scent was very distinct. She reeked of it always. That mare. The wife of that stallion. A farmer; that's right. How had they come into possession of the ship? Or was it that the family rebuilt it together to sell and use the money for their livelihood? Foolish, that. Very foolish indeed.
Apples.
The smell of apples permeated through his room reminding him of a past he did not like recalling. It made him feel weak. Again there was a flicker, somewhere in the back of his head. A green image, or was it purple? Then, like before and a million times before that, it was gone.
"I can smell you, pony." The dragon muttered his head raising itself from the huge mattress of gold he lay on. "You have some nerve to come here without permission. I will ensure that your death is slow and painful."
There was no response from the darkness. The dragon could certainly smell the intruder -- the scent of him or her was everywhere, but even with his keen eyesight failed to spot the creature. The noise of free slaves running amok could be heard and a large group were moving upwards to the main deck. The dragon narrowed his eyes and realized that the majority of this group were recently freed, moving away from his personal chambers. Therefore, he surmised, that this stallion was either a traitorous Watu guard, or a brainless slave trying to steal from his hoard. Either way, it was not going to end well for whoever it was.
"Do you like what you see? Come, step into the light. Take one or two hoofuls of coins. I will not miss that."
He waited. He knew better than to expect the fool to fall for it, but he still gave it a shot. It saved him the trouble of actually having to get up and search.
A sudden clink of coins sounded behind him. The dragon spun around and inhaled a deep breath before pouring out his green fire in a fury over the area. All it served to do was melt a good chunk of his beloved gold coins. The dragon growled at his carelessness and waited a few seconds. He wanted to make sure that the being was dead.
Nothing. No charred remains, no odor of burnt flesh, not even of singed hair.
"Your stench permeates through this hall. Who are you? Why do you smell like them? Why do you insist on bothering me so? I am but a humble dragon trying to eke a living out in this world. Would you deny me my right to possess the means to a rich and fulfilling life? How would you like it if I came to your home and messed up all your furniture? How do you live with yourself? How can you stand yourself? Your odor is even offensive to creatures that cannot think intelligently? Are you a bovine, perchance? Do you know why there are no cows as slaves?" The dragon spun around quick as a snake, his neck snapping backwards as he let out another blast of his volcanic-hot breath. He had heard another clink of coins behind him and instinctively attacked. Again, the coins melted, but the smell remained. That annoying odor. "It's because they're too stupid to follow even the simplest of orders. That is why many of them end up in brothels, or better yet..."
He paused for dramatic effect.
"On my dinner plate."
No reaction. Most ponies usually recoiled with the sound of that. It had to have been a Watu. There was not a pony that would not have reacted unless they were immune to the gruesome truth, or perhaps he was losing his touch. The younger generations did tend to have a lot more tolerance to threats than the older ones.
Another clink on the coins.
Again, without a pause he spun around and exhaled another blast of green fire across his hoard, the heat melting the gold until it was like a liquid bath of gold, silver and other precious metal ore, the hoard of stones and rubies sinking to the bottom. There he stood in a literal bath of liquid. He lifted his claw up and watched as his years of hard work was now nothing more than a watery blanket.
"Where are you?" he roared.
Another clink made the dragon blow another inferno in another direction, but in his frustration and anger he no longer cared about his hoard. He wanted to be rid of this nuisance. It was clear that he was being made a fool of. He blew his fire at every inch of space. He kept on going until every last bit of metal was part of the stew around him. It was like wallowing in a giant bathtub of golden syrup.
And, much to his chagrin, the scent lingered.
"Where are you?" the dragon demanded.
"Up here."
The voice was barely audible to a normal creature's ears, but to the dragon it sounded as if the pony was right next to him. He looked up towards the only light in the room. He narrowed his eyes and saw something above it. It looked like a stallion hanging on the chain. The dragon licked his lips.
"There you are."
"Here I am," he replied in that quiet whisper.
He understood why me had smelled the way he did. He must have waded through the vats of apples they had bought to feed the ursas for the journey. That was how he had managed to get around undetected. The vats were large in the holds there was no lighting over the barrels themselves making it impossible for any to find him. If there were any in the room all he would have needed to do was hold still or duck beneath the surface just as a crocodile would, the red plume would have camouflaged nicely.
"Enough of this! This ends now!" the dragon roared and aimed straight up and fired. The ceiling beams turned to liquid as the iron ore used to keep the large chamber intact melted into the mixture beneath him. The melted metal not fazing the dragon as his thick armor and scales protected him from the would-be scalding heat. He kept on breathing until the wood itself started to smoke and catch fire.
"You missed."
The voice sounded like it came from the far end of his chambers, the opposite area where the entrance was. How had the pony gone from above to there without him noticing? He looked and saw the pony place his shield on his back and in the same movement produced a crossbow. The dragon grinned. There was no way that a bolt would be able to penetrate his scales. He licked his lips and pointed his snout towards the pony.
The next thing he knew was his eye burning as something flew into it... and exploded.
Not many things could shake the Eleonora. Even a sloth of ursa minors fighting in the ship's hold could not make the great ship move, but a furious dragon was another thing, even one his size. There was not a creature on that ship that did not stop whatever it was they were doing. The master of the vessel to swung himself against the ship, but it still made no sense. His body and size were nowhere near that of his larger counterparts. That was the reason why he was stuck selling slaves with an army of Watu. He was unable to compete for ownership of a hoard against larger dragons and hid his riches on a mobile ship armed to the teeth.
That was the entire reason the whole slave trade started. That was the reason why they had to get a bigger boat. Of course Blood had only been serving for the past five years, but he loved his job. He loved being in charge and getting what he wanted. No senseless orders, no moronic rituals, no useless drills, no one to answer to -- for the most part. He was given free reign over all and he excelled at what he did.
The power he felt was addicting. He wondered if in some way the Princess herself felt like this. This intoxication of power. Was that why she was so powerful? Then again, if she was so powerful why does she need an army to protect her?
The ship lunged to one side again and the Eleonora groaned. It was not used to moving this way. He could hear the sounds of diamond dogs yelping coming from down one of the long corridors. They fled with their tails between their legs, yelping in fear. Probably a wise choice.
"Sir! Sir!" a panicked call came from behind him.
"What is it?"
"Sir, it's the lord, sir, he's making the ship shake like this, sir. The cannons are not designed for this kind of movement, sir. If he keeps it up it's going to flip over, sir..."
Blood backhoofed the Watu. "Calm yourself. You are Watu, not some scared Equestrian foal. Death is your calling. Whether you live or die now does not matter. You already died when you chose to become a Watu."
Those words seemed to wake the warrior and he picked himself up and saluted. "Sorry, sir. Just lost myself for a second, sir."
"You go topside and see to it that the cannons are lowered and batted down in case. I will go to the lord's chambers and calm him. He is probably very angry that all this noise is going on during his nap." Blood turned to look at the three behind him. They were skinny, but they would have to do. The master could eat them, which would calm him down enough for Blood to work out another plan. "I will converse with the dragon. You three, come with me."
The three saluted and followed. They exchanged glances behind Blood's back as he led the way.
"It is a great honor to meet our leader," Blood began. "After all, he is the first dragon to raise an army. You should be glad that I'm allowing you to meet him."
"Thank you, sir," they all muttered quietly.
Blood kept on walking, his magic ready to be used should one of them get wise. They were expendable, he wasn't.
Another roar made the ship heave to the opposite side. That is twice the dragon had roared like that and it did not take a genius to know that something was very, very wrong. More than just range or annoyance, the roar sounded like it was in pain. But how does a dragon get hurt? It would have needed to be quite the explosions, yet nothing had happened.
"Let's go! Move!" Blood shouted and led the way.
The four of them galloped as hard as they could and soon came up to the large doors that led into the dragon's personal chambers. The sound from inside was horrifying. Whatever was going on in there sounded especially gruesome. Blood smiled and opened the door expecting to see the dragon munching on a deceased corpse or two.
He stood there dumbfounded.
The dragon, embossed in liquid gold, writhing in agony as two scorched marks were located beneath his eyes like badly added mascara. It was clear that they were pierced by two explosive quarrels. He took a step inside and drew back again as the heat from the melted metals was too much for him.
The sound of sniffing echoed in the room, and the dragon turned to face his direction. "Blood? Blood! Find him! Find him now! He's in here!"
"Yes, my lord!" Blood shouted in response and drew his weapon. The three behind him followed extra cautiously.
The dragon tried to rub his eyes, but every time he brought the metal-liquid coated claws near his eyes he would roar in agony. There was no possible way he could relieve his blindness. Then the sound of a bolt singing through the air broke the silence and hit the dragon's already destroyed left eye. He roared and slipped coming crashing down in the melting pot of mixed precious ores. He tried to stand, slipped and fell once again as the metal began to cool. Layer upon layer stuck to him as he tried to get away from the pain in his eyes digging his claws deep into them. He was a dragon, and dragons rarely felt the pain inflicted upon them by others. He had not felt anything like it in so long that he had forgotten how absolutely awful it was. He had absolutely no tolerance.
"Kill him! Kill him now and feed me his corpse!"
"As you will, my lord!" Blood shouted before turning to the three ponies trembling by the door. "Follow me!"
He turned and flinched to one side as a bolt grazed by Blood's face slicing the skin on his cheek. He had dodged it out of reflex, years of experienced fighting had given him that ability. He watched as the bolt sailed through the air striking a port window dead center. He turned his head back towards where the bolt had come from and drew his blade -- his magic glowing along it looked like fire. As he took a cautious step forward, he removed the shield carefully from his back with his left hoof and held it in front of him. Then with his right hoof he pulled the spear from its sleeve over his shoulder.
"I know you're there. Come out!" Blood shouted.
Out of the shadow of one of the pillars a figure stepped into the light. He walked sideways so that they could not miss the long red plume and armor of the Border Guard. The very uniform and armor that he had so much disdain for. The humiliation he endured at the hands of those so-called superiors, and how he had shown them all just what it really meant to be a warrior. He hated that armor and what it represented. This was the first time in a long time he had seen a Border Guard, the last time was when he and his Watu attacked and killed a patrol years before in that village outside the Equestrian border. He had orders to wipe out the entire family, to which he complied gleefully.
After all, a town that was being protected by the Border Guard was reason enough for him to raze it to the ground. He killed every single one of them, but they had been tricked. Many of the townsfolk had already left by the time he and his Watu arrived. Still they did slay quite a number of them. With that in mind, Blood should have been excited to see a Border Guard so deep within his realm, but this one was different. Very different. The way he wore his armor and the way the Watu mask sat on his head made him actually hesitate.
It was those eyes. Those cold, hard eyes.
"Who are you? Why are you here?"
The Guard did not respond, apart from reloading his crossbow.
"You come all this way on an airship, board one of the heaviest armed ships on the open seas, battle an elite force of warriors and even manage to wound a dragon. For what?"
Again, silence.
"Answer me!" Blood barked.
The guard merely aimed and fired another bolt. Blood flinched and moved the shield to defend himself but the bolt never came. He looked around and saw that it had struck another port window. He turned back towards the Guard, but he had vanished. Staring hard into the shadows, he watched carefully thinking that he was going to fire a bolt right at him.
"For what?" Blood shouted in frustration and anger.
"Equestria," a voice whispered.
Blood looked up to see the Guard climbing along a chain upwards towards the ceiling. He reached for his crossbow and was about to choose a bolt when he noticed the colored notches of the quarrels in his quiver. He snapped his head towards the bolts in the windows, then back at the quiver. It took a second to understand.
"Get out of my way!" he shouted shoving one of the three Watus aside and bolted for the door.
The three ponies with him did not hesitate and followed suit and dove through the entrance. Blood turned and pushed the large doors shut. As he did the two bolts exploded. The explosive quarrels that the Guard had fired and embedded into the windows ripped the side of the hull open as the pressure of the ocean caused the structure to implode. The sea water forced its way into the dragon's personal chambers.
Blood rushed to the window and looked through it to see the dragon fighting for his life as the sea water cooled the metal around his body encasing him. He had tried to melt the gold as it hardened, but he had stuck his neck straight up into the air to avoid drowning and with his snout pointed towards the sky there was no way for him to melt his self-made tomb.
Then the dragon grew still. He did not fight his encasement and seemed to be speaking. For what seemed like an eternity he talked before he whipped his tale to the side causing the ship the sway sharply. The last thing Blood saw of the dragon was the golden statue slide towards the edge of the gaping hole at the side of the ship. It stayed there for a few seconds before tipping over and disappeared out of sight and into the dark depths far below.
The pain.
It hurt so much. He had never felt anything like this before. Never in his entire... life...
That was not true. He had felt this way before. A long time ago. How had he forgotten the past? How had he forgotten her. She was his life, the soul purpose of why he kept on living. He kept on living because of her. Something about the past, a promise he had to keep. A forbidden love that ended tragically by his own claws. The memory so painful that it was far worse than the wounds inflicted by the Guard.
He did not want to remember.
Thrashing about, he tried to get the thoughts out of his head. He felt the metal around him cease being malleable as the water from the sea outside rapidly cooled it. He struggled to break free, but could not. It was no longer just gold, silver, or brass mixed together, but steel as well. Steel used to support the ship herself and now it had infused with the precious ore making the mixture impossible to escape its clutches.
"You have killed me, Guard," the dragon spoke but his voice was different. He could not see the Guard, but he could still smell him. "I've done a great many terrible things in my life and had lost my way. You've reminded me the real reason why I continue to live this... infernal dream. Why I took this ship. Why I had done the things I had done. It was all for her."
The dragon felt something in his heart that made his nose itch. Was he crying? He might have if his tear ducts were not fused shut from the explosive quarrels.
"I once loved someone very much. A forbidden love that seemed to go against the very fabric of nature, but we could not help ourselves. I was her pillar and she made up my whole world... until that fateful day. The day where I killed her. It was my lust for more that ended her life. My instincts to keep acquiring was too strong that it surpassed my sense of what was right or wrong. By the time I realized what I had done, I..." The dragon's voice wavered. "She wrote me a letter. She knew. She knew. I will never forget her lovely lavender fur, like an amethyst, nor her emerald green mane. She was so perfect. The most precious gem in my life. But... I couldn't help myself. I just wanted more! I just wanted... things! Anything..."
"You killed her when she tried to stop you." It wasn't a question.
The dragon was silent for a time. "Yes. I did. I never forgave myself for that and I shut myself away my heart. It took a Guard like you to remind me of the pain I felt so long ago. Thank you. I will but ask you for one favor. Of course you don't need to even humor me, but would you allow an innocent to suffer the crimes of my past? The love of my life gave me something that I have kept a secret for years locked away in this very room. Please take it with you, take it away from this nightmare so that it may have a something I could not give. A life."
"So be it."
The dragon knew where. Even blind he could point to the spot in question. With his tail he whipped at the wall and like a spear pierced the hard layer tearing off the thick solid door of a hidden safe. He tossed it across the room sending it splashing on the far end. The entire ship shifted as the massive weight tilted the boat to the side and the dragon felt himself slide towards the edge. He could not see the abyss, but he felt the emptiness looming beneath him.
"I'm coming, my darling. I'm so sorry I forgot you. Please forgive me."
He felt something soft touch his cheek and for a moment the raw stench of apples faded away and he thought he could smell a sweet familiar scent waft through his nostrils before he fell into the dark embrace of the ocean.
"Head for the lifeboats! Get out of here while you can!" Galdar shouted. The griffin looked over his shoulder at his fellow slaves and understood that there wasn't enough boats for all of them. Not unless the pirates allowed them onto their vessel, but the Watu were still focused on overrunning them. Griffins, pegasi and other winged creatures like him had it easy, all they needed to do was fly away.
The diamond dogs were out of control. They refused to obey anyone except for the strongest, but these same creatures had enough sense to find themselves space on a lifeboat and were soon floating away to relative safety, which made the diamond dogs go out of control again. The ones that did manage to get away were safe, so long as the crew on the Eleonora did not decide to take potshots at them with the still-working cannons.
He hovered in the air and spotted a rare sight. A group of ponies, rhino, giraffe and a zebra all trotting together towards what looked to be the bridge. Galdar followed them out of curiosity wondering why they were not using the lifeboats to safe their behinds.
"Shouldn't we be heading for a lifeboat?" He heard the giraffe ask.
"You go ahead. It is impossible for me," Iron stated as he thundered along. He had a point, he was too big and would take an entire vessel for himself.
"Then I will beg off here," Lang replied. "It has been an honor, friends. Farewell. Perhaps we shall meet each other again soon, be it in this life or the next."
Providence nodded and shook the giraffe's hoof. Lucky did the same, a nervous bag of bones. Iron gave a half-hug, but zecora had no qualms. If anything, this would be the last they would see of him. No matter what the past was, they had lived through this ordeal together. She hugged him like an old friend, which he gladly returned.
"Be safe." And with that he galloped off.
They all turned to go only to see that Galdar had landed in front of them.
Providence walked up. "Who are you?" She demanded.
He shrugged. "Who I am is of no importance. I was just curious. It's rare to see a rhino, a zebra and a giraffe together."
"Stay away from us, griffin," the pegasus growled. "I've had enough of your kind to last me a lifetime."
"Now that's just unfair! We're not all bad. Why do you think I'm on this ship? I wanted to get away from my kingdom's archaic ways. Me and my friends aren't like the others. We despise slavery or anything to do with that. We're all cool when it comes to freedom and we respect the right of individuals to be declared free."
"Yeah, well... I still don't trust you."
"Fair enough. I didn't expect you to. Why are you running? You're a pegasus. You can float on the clouds and fly back whenever you like. Why stay here with them?"
The pegasus looked back at the group behind her, then back at him. "Because friends stick together. I won't leave them. That's not the kind of pony I am."
"Friends? On this ship?" Galdar laughed out loud and nodded slowly. "That's why I like you Equestrians. You care about others even if you have no reason to. It must be simply painful that most of the Watu Wakali are ponies, right? I was also surprised when I first got captured. Of course, for me I can regain my freedom because I'm a griffin after all. But ponies are prized assets in the Griffin Empire, and they would never let a single one of you go if they had a choice. If they could they'd enslave your entire kingdom."
"Not gonna happen!" Providence growled. "Not while we have the Guard..."
"Oh, don't get me wrong. I support Equestria and her ideals and I if need be, I'd actually help prevent anything like that. Why do you think our kingdom and yours are on such bad terms? I mean, how many wars have been fought between us? Even when the princess wanted peace. She is a magnificent being who deserves to be praised, not insulted and spat on." Galdar shrugged. "That's what our kind does to your pony princess. I hate to admit it, but in the beginning I bought into their rhetoric. I came to this land with the intention of causing trouble. Didn't quite work that way. I was treated with more respect and decency than I got from my own kind from back home! So I told others about it, and soon a large group of us came over wanting to seek asylum."
The others exchanged glances. "Why are you telling me all this?"
"Because I don't want to go back to my country. I want to return and try to get into Equestria. Outside of Equestria's borders things are hard. All I want is a little piece of paradise." Galdar scratched the back of his head. "I guess you could say that I want to use you as a ticket into Equestria."
The ponies looked at each other. "Um... but can't you make it on your own?"
"I could, but I have a family living in a border town. A wife and daughter. I haven't seen them for a month, and I'm sure that they'll think I've gone on to brighter skies... or greener pastures, I think is how you ponies say it. When I go back and meet them I'd like to be able to say that we have a chance of living in Equestria, even if it's a long shot. I take it that with you lot that chance might increase just a little."
Providence nodded. She could relate a little to what the griffin wanted. "I know how you feel. I have a young daughter too, so I know where you're coming from. Okay. If you tag along then you'll have to promise to do whatever it takes to help us all get back safely."
Galdar held out his claw. "Wouldn't have it any other way."
Providence shook with her hoof.
"So... now what?"
"The bridge is where we go, for now that is all we know." Zecora said as she walked past them and took the lead.