Price
Flying full force towards the town known as Wethoof, I noticed that there was a massive wall build around it. The wall had scrapes and cuts and gashes all over it. The most striking was the gate. It had been freshly repaired, a hole going all the way through. The area was black as though it had been burned.
"What the hell did that?"
"Beats me!" Gilda replied.
An air raid siren went off, followed by spellfire heading wide. They were firing warning shots. Motioning to Gilda to go down, we descended and slowly walked up to the gate.
"Wethoof is closed in preparation of impending hyrda attack! No visitors!" A guard called from over the gate.
"We got a unicorn here with jungle fever! Let us in!" The guard seemed to ponder for a moment.
"No visitors!"
"If you don't let us in we'll just fly over, and then I'll kick your ass! Now open the damn gate! I don't have time for this!" The guard seemed to recoil for a moment before opening the massive wooden wall they called a door. We began to enter, only to find swords at our throats. A pure white stallion who looked frazzled stepped forwards with a scowl.
"A pair of griffins? Oh this just get's better and better. Although, I am confused as to why you have two mutts in your company."
"Oh, those two? Don't mind them. They're just my punching bags." I motioned back to Etch and Growl. They snarled, but visibly shrank under my gaze. I turned back to the stallion to see him smiling a very evil smile.
"Very well, welcome to Wethoof." We began to enter, but the dogs were pushed back.
"You three, not them. Diamond dogs are barred from the city." I just gave an annoyed sigh.
"Etch, Growl, set up camp in the treeline. I want it done by nightfall." They nodded then headed off across the flatland into the jungle. It is now apparent that this wall was made by cutting down the surrounding trees, which left the land barren and muddy. A pair of ponies came forward and took Trixie off my back for medical treatment.
"Now then, we need to talk."
"I am Frost Snap, the mayor of this town. What is a pair of griffins and a unicorn doing this far south?" He asked sternly.
"We're having fun." I said with a maniac look in my eyes.
"Fun? Explain." His eyes matched mine in ferocity.
"Well, first I killed a dragon, which was okay, then I killed some diamond dog raiding parties, which was fun. Then two weeks before we got here I killed about 25 of the mutts and saved prince charming while I was at it. That was a blast." As soon as I mentioned slaughtering diamond dogs, his eyes went wide and he looked like the happiest pony on earth. It was unnerving.
"I notice you haven't asked for my name yet." I said calmly.
"That's because I already know who you are. Griffin, Gilda, and Trixie." He replied.
"Yeah, I kinda figured by the way your guards were pissing themselves when they saw me."
"Strange, a mayor welcoming pirates into his town with open arms." Gilda scoffed, trying to gain control of the conversation from me so I'd stop being so rude, also clearly sensing that he had ulterior motives. "Especially since we threatened your guards."
"I know all too well how much griffins despise... dogs." He practically spat the last word. "Although I had no idea that there were groups actually doing something about them."
"Group, actually, we're the only one. Only one we know of anyways." Gilda deadpanned.
"So, how many are in your little group? Taking down a nest of dogs would take some fair numbers." He asked.
"Five, if you include the punching bags. I killed those 25 dogs on my own, well, with a little bit of interference from Trix."
"If you want to lie you should at least make it believable. Killing the dogs maybe, but a full grown dragon? Come on! You really expect me to fall for that!" He barked. I cracked my neck and showed him my sword by slicing his desk in half and embedding it in the floor. That way he could get a REALLY close look at it.
"Black dragon scale blade, handle made from the arm bone. Dragon blood is sour, and the meat tastes like fish marinated in lemon juice. You have to eat it raw because it can't be cooked." I say with a crazy smile, my eyes ferocious and predatory, looking at him like he's my next prey.
"Celestia's mane..... you're not lying......." He said backing away from the razor edge. "I too hate diamond dogs. Now, let us discuss the price of saving your crew member's life."
"Price? Yeah, I guess it would be too much to ask for charity. What are we talking about here. If you mean bits, we've got a few, but mostly gems that we..... acquired from some dogs who will no longer be needing them."
"No, I have no use for your money. I'm talking service." Frost Snap smiled wickedly. The fact that my primary source of income was killing the things he despised made him all too glad I was here.
"Oh? I see. You need something done. Something you can't do yourself...... or something that isn't legal?" He began to frown.
"As you may or may not know, this town has been plagued by hydra attacks for a while now. The reason we built the wall. We're planning on wiping them out with a gunpowder trap. That's taken care of. What I need you for is different. There is a...... diamond dog, here in town. He calls himself Echo."
"Diamond dogs are banned from Wethoof are they not?" Gilda asked.
"Indeed. You saw the gate did you not? The hole burned through it? This 'Echo' did that. He brought an injured Daring Do to us, and bored a hole through the gate when we refused him entry." Frost Snap explained.
"And? I don't see where you're going with this. The gate's fixed, you've got the hydra problem taken care of, what do you need me for?"
"I want you to kill Echo."
"I see, so, there's a diamond dog in Wethoof, despite them being disallowed. He's a danger to the town, proven by the fact that he ripped a hole in your gate. Although he did save Daring Do..... Okay Frosty, I need to talk with my associate." I see him smile as I turn away, despite my giving him a new nickname.
"So, we kill Echo and in doing so, save Trixie's life, or do we pass because he saved Daring, steal the meds and be wanted in this town too?"
"As much as Daring is one of the only ponies who aren't lame, I hate diamond dogs, and Trix's life is riding on this. Let's do it. But I don't like the way he's looking at us, or the way he's saying things. We need more info."
"Agreed."
"Okay, so, how do you suppose we do it? I assume you want it taken care of incognito because otherwise you'd just have your guards kill him."
"Does that mean you accept?" His eyes wavering. He clearly is afraid of the demon bird, although doing a very good job of hiding it, I'm just good at reading people. The prospect of killing this 'Echo' character is too great for him to pass up, so he overcame it.
"It means I'm thinking about it. Despite being a pirate, I don't do ANYTHING without thinking it through first. I need details. I need information. I need to figure out EXACTLY what I'm dealing with before I rush into it. I may be an idiot, but I'm not stupid. I also need your motivation. I need to know why. Wanting him dead just for breaking in is a little extreme. I need to know your story if I'm gonna do this right."
"You hate diamond dogs as much as I do, why do you need to know why? You should be happy with killing him off."
"Let's just say I'm not your average griffin. If I was, I wouldn't be able to do the things I do." He looked annoyed at my excuse, but then he gave a sigh in defeat.
"Years ago, the Greenclaw diamond dogs and Wethoof worked together. We both experienced prosperity. Then, one day, they kidnapped my wife to make her a slave. I don't know why they did it. Everything was going so smoothly." Gilda tensed up at the word slave, and I scowled.
"So I went down into their tunnels to try and convince Mosspaw to return her. He refused. Then he killed her, right in front of me and my daughter. Then I killed him. I hate diamond dogs with every fiber of my being. I want them all to die. The only reason I let you in this town is because I've seen the newspaper. I know what you've done." He slumped down in his chair.
"That's not the whole story is it? There's more." His eyes met mine. Instead of anger, he displayed sorrow. Instead of my piercing gaze, he met a compassionate one.
"A few days ago, Echo and my daughter, Ginger Snap, went out to lure the hydra matriarch away from Wethoof. She came back with a broken leg. I'll be damned if I let my daughter die because of that blasted MUTT!"
"Good, so now I know why. The next question is how, and why can't you do it. You killed Mosspaw didn't you?"
"I don't care how. You could kill him in the street, although then you'd have to go on the run from town as well, or you could stage an 'accident', or you could conveniently swing your sword a little too far while fighting hydras. I don't care, as long as he dies and my daughter is safe. As for why I can't, the Wethoof Guard Captain Tythus is protecting him. If you go so far as to kill him in the open, you'll be run out of town. Several of the ponies in town have started warming up to him as well. I could probably do it, and then I'd lose my post and be unable to help any of the others, let alone protect Ginger from the world. " He said looking down. What was fierce and hate filled moments ago was now clearly the broken husk of a pony who had lost everything and was living on hate alone.
"I see, then what about Trixie's treatment? She needs it immediately. I might not be able to fulfill the my end of the bargain till a later date."
"She'll receive her treatment regardless. Just know that if you refuse it'll be your heads on a platter instead of his. After all, you're wanted. I can easily say that you were killed in the hydra's attack." He regained his evil grin. He knew he had us, well, me, by the jewels.
"I'll think about it. No guarantees I'll even be able to pull it off. If he burned a hole in your gate that size, he's gonna be tough. The dragon was the combination of a lucky shot with a heaping helping of insanity. No telling what'll happen. Oh, by the way. The other thing my punching bags do. They're my diamond dog experts. If I'm fighting hounds, I need to have my own so I know what I'm dealing with. I'll need them to inspect this 'Echo' so I know what I'm getting myself into. I know you don't like it, but that's the only way this will work." I smiled back. Now I had HIM. If he wanted me to get rid of his diamond dog problem, he'd have to let two more of them in. He struggled with himself for several minutes before letting out a frustrated yell, then finally regaining his composure.
"You truly are a demon you know that? Making me let another pair of those damned mutts in my town to get rid of the first one, and even then you might decline or be unable to pull it off. Keep them on a VERY short leash, or you'll be dealing with me. I slew an alpha. Just remember that." Frost Snap scowled.
"What else did you expect? I AM a pirate after all. If any harm comes to my crew, you will be dealing with me, and I will be VERY cross. When I get mad, I kill things. Like dragons. Just remember that." I replied in the same manner at which he had spoken to me, throwing him a small number of bits. "This is for the desk."
The two of us left the room, our hearing picking up several thuds as Frost Snap banged his head on half of his desk repeatedly. I turned to Gilda and smiled.
"So, my little lovebird, what say you to some spying? He was holding something back, and I wanna know what."
Dear Princess Celestia,
You are a terrible liar. If you don't know, then just say so. I'm not here to judge. Also, it's no fun if I just TELL you what I'm doing, you have to figure it out on your own. Let me guess, you had Twilight do it. Also, when you sent me the letter, I burped it out like Spike. What's up with that? Also also,
If a unicorn sits in a chair, then uses magic to lift said chair, will they be able to fly?
Sincerely, Griffin.
"Well, time to see if the universe is crazy."
'Go to Celestia, go to Celestia, go to Celestia.' I took a deep breath, blew on the letter..... and nothing happened.
"Damn. That's no fun. Why does it work the other way around?"