Day 21… (possibly)
The Drakik was dressed in purple robes when I was brought before him. They were long, ornate affairs, covered in swirling designs. He was also accompanied by other scholars and palace advisors. He spoke to Swift Speaker first.
“Can the Mare-Mountain speak yet?”
“Indeed she can, as you ordered.”
The Drakik turned his attention to me.
“Where do you hail from, and do you mean to make war against us?”
My answer was simple enough. “Equestria, a land far west of here, and I have not come to make war.”
At the word “land,” there was an uproar, which became louder when I said “west”. An old scholar spoke up. “Impossible!” he said. “All that lies further west of the Island is the Maelstrom, which sinks everything! East lies the Tempest, destroyer of ships, and North and South are the Typhoons! There is no land beyond those storms! Only water and monsters!”
The Drakik glared at the scholar, who promptly closed his mouth. He turned back to me.
“I have a proposal.”
***
I had to sign a document. It wasn’t easy, but I signed the Drakik’s proposal eventually.
It consisted of several rules I had to follow, which Swift Speaker read to me:
“First, The mare–mountain shall not depart from the Drakik’s dominions, without his license under his great seal.
"Second, she shall not presume to come into our metropolis, without the Drakik’s express order; at which time, the inhabitants shall have two hours warning to keep within doors.
"Third, the said mare–mountain shall confine her walks to our principal high roads, and not offer to walk, or lie down, in a meadow or field of corn.
"Fourth, as she walks the said roads, she shall take the utmost care not to trample upon the bodies of any of the Drakik’s loving subjects or carriages, nor take any of his subjects into her hooves or magic without their own consent.
"Fifth, If an express requires extraordinary dispatch, the mare–mountain shall be obliged to carry the messenger a six days journey, once in every moon, and return the said messenger back (if so required) safe to the Drakik’s imperial presence.
"Sixth, she shall be our ally against our enemies in the neighboring southern island of Bluugh, and do her utmost to destroy their fleet, which is now preparing to invade us.
"Seventh, that the said mare–mountain shall, at her times of leisure, be aiding and assisting to our workers, in helping to raise certain great stones, towards covering the wall of the principal park, and other royal buildings.
"Eighth, that the said mare–mountain shall, in two moons' time, deliver in an exact survey of the circumference of our dominions, by a computation of her own paces round the coast.
"Lastly, that, upon her solemn oath to observe all the above articles, the said mare–mountain shall have a daily allowance of food and drink sufficient for the support of 1724 of the Drakik’s subjects, with free access to the Drakik’s royal prescence, and other marks of the Drakik’s favor. Dictated, read, and given at the Drakik’s palace at Belfaborac, the twelfth day of the ninety–first moon of his reign."
To be honest, I had had worse jobs.
***
Day… I don’t know. It felt like a Tuesday…
Note to self: get portable tiny calendar
The ponies of Bluugh attacked. To be honest, it was cute. Their fleet consisted of fairly modern (by which I mean 18th century) sailing vessels that looked similar to Manechurian Junks.
It was easy enough to wade out with a rope, tie them up, and drag them back to their island. I didn’t even have to put a lot of effort into it. Once I reached Bluugh, I simply set the ships down far inland, and then went back to Lillipon.
***
I was received as a hero and given a length of gold thread to tie around my foreleg. A feast was thrown in my honor. It should be noted here that the Meeni are incredible mathematicians, and were able to fully supply my dietary needs.
However, the feast had only just ended when Shift began running around in an obvious panic. Warning klaxons sounded, three note blasts for a wild animal attack. Signal pyres were lit. Looking over a small rise, I saw a creature twice the size of an alicorn rising from the waves and onto the beach.