The sun was beginning to rise, but nopony felt like sleeping anymore. They (except for Nose Nip, who was obligated to continue flying them to Saddle Arabia) were all in the lounge area, all talking about what they saw. Most of them seemed to be glaring at Felix.
"So, Felix..." said Frosty. "Why didn'tcha tell us dat Saddle Arabia had birds da size of a friggin' high-rise building?!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't expect to see one of them!" said Felix Summerset.
"Didn't expect one of what?" demanded Sunflower Seed.
The ponies were arguing even louder and louder, until a flash of light from Sunset Shimmer's horn made them all stop.
"Look, let's give Felix the benefit of a doubt, okay?!" she said to her friends and family. "I bet he didn't expect that bird or the shadow-ponies to show up. But I think the more urgent thing to talk about is the shadow-ponies, since they're the ones that nearly killed all of us."
"Do you think they were sent to kill us by King Nelphyn?" asked Felix.
"I doubt it." said Sunset. "If that were the case, I think King Nelphyn would want to waste no time with us and just send something to blow up the airship. I actually think the shadow-ponies were either a random patrol, a coincidence, or a trap meant for somepony else."
"For who else?" asked Radiant Dawn. "The bird?"
"I doubt they were meant for the bird, since they all fled before the bird even came close to the Summerstar." said Sunset. "I'm thinking that Nelphyn expected Princess Celestia to send help to Saddle Arabia, whether or not the Neo-Templars were dealt with. and had a few things laying in wait for any royal guards headed overseas."
"Dat makes sense." said Frosty. "But still, there's one thing I don't get: there were only four of those shadow-pony things that got on board the Summerstar, yet just a few minutes later, dere's a whole army of 'em!"
"They seem to be able multiply where ever they leave their shadows." said Pressure Point. "I don't understand it either, but--"
"Ha! Dat's da dumbest thing I evuh heardd!" laughed Sunflower.
"Well, Miss Seed", if you have a more logical explanation for why more and more of them seem to show up, let's hear it!" said Pressure Point. "I know it doesn't make sense either, but then again: I'm an expert on medical care, not obscure magical creatures!"
But Sunflower had nothing else to say.
"Which brings us back to the other question:" said Scarlet Blaze. "Felix, are there any legends of folktalkes about the bird that we all saw? Because I know it was too big to be a phoenix."
"Actually, I do think there was a legend about that creature." said Felix. "It is known as the..."
"Roc." said Maud Pie.
"We geddit, Maud!" said Frosty. "Ya like rocks! Now will ya shut up about 'em for just one--"
"No." Maud said, holding up a book. "I'm saying the bird we saw is called the Roc. R-O-C. It says so in this book."
Sunset Shimmer recognized the book as 1,001 Saddle Arabian Nightmares, the book she was reading back in Canterlot.
"Maud, thank you!" said Sunset as she levitated the book back to her. "But what were you doing reading that book, anyway? I didn't think Saddle Arabian legends would suit someone like you."
"I thought that maybe I'd find a few things about the rocks in Saddle Arabia from reading the stories inside." said Maud. "And I thought the entry on 'Roc' meant an actual rock. You can read it if you want, but you won't find too much about rocks in it."
Maud trotted around, looking for Boulder.
"I'll keep that in mind." Sunset said, before proceeding to read the entry Maud described:
The Roc, long believed to be the last of an ancient race of giant birds-of-prey, is rumored to fly over the deserts of Saddle Arabia, looking for prey. The last known sighting of this creature was over five hundred years ago, making it unlikely that the creature still exists today, although recent discoveries on mountain-tops and cliffsides of abandoned nests that span twenty yards in diameter suggest otherwise. Also, reports of long, deep lines made in the sands of the desert, believed to be made by the talons of large birds have consistently been received for decades. Regardless, though, no sighting of the bird itself have ever been made.
"No sightings in five centuries?" Frosty scoffed. "Who do they think they're foolin'? We all saw that thing!"
"Maybe it's the Roc, but maybe not." said Sunset. "I remember reading in Daring Do and the Storm Tower that Daring encountered giant Thunderbirds while exploring the Badlands."
"I know what a Thunderbird is..." said Crimson Blade. "I've seen many pictures and read many documents about them. But what we saw looked very little like a Thunderbird, but I can't say it was this so-called 'Roc', either. It could've just been an elaborate illusion for all we know."
"Well, whatever the hoof it is, I think we better get that Gatling Gun set-up in case the bird returns." said Frosty.
"And get ourselves ready for Saddle Arabia." said Radiant Dawn. "I bet that little rocket-boost we had cut our flight-time short."
"Well, don't worry about that." said Frosty. "Come with me, everypony!"
Frosty led the others to the armoury door, and opened it up, revealing a room that, to the complete surprise of everypony else, was fully-stocked. There was body armor of both metal and kevlar, lined up along the walls, barrels of gunpowder in the back, and spears, batons, halberds, blowguns, pipe-bombs, and slings piled on the shelves.
"What--where did all this stuff come from?" asked Sunset, wide-eyed.
"Yeah, I didn't see any of this when we took off!" said Lightning Dust.
"Well, Nips and I did some last-minute scrounging 'round that old fort while the rest of you guys was chattin' up a storm with Princess Luna." said Frosty. "The armoury was almost empty when we came to save ya, Sunset, so we didn't want to need somethin' and not have it and decided it'd be better to have it and not need it. Of course, wantin' it's a different story! But yeah, this is all the stuff we were able ta get right before we took off."
"You and Nose Nip were able to get all that stuff in that short a timespan onto the Summerstar and stored in the armoury all without any of us seeing?" asked Radiant.
"That's right." said Frosty. "It wasn't all the stuff we were able to find. There were still tons of other things those templars had that we could've brought aboard if we had just a couple more minutes to do so."
"Why didn'tcha say anything when those shadow-ponies attacked us?" asked Sunflower.
"Um...I kinda forgot about it." Frosty scratched his head.
Radiant went into the armoury and inspected the inventory. He sighed.
"Frosty, you're lucky you're my friend and that we have a situation of our own, or I'd have to arrest you for this." he said.
"Oh, quit kiddin' around, man." chuckled Frosty.
"I'm serious about this." said Radiant. "You and Nose Nip both smuggled an enormous amount of illegal weapons and armor onto a civilian transport."
"Civilian transport?" asked Frosty. "This blimp already had a cannon mounted on it! And if ya don't remember, it was used to shoot shells down at us!"
"Nevertheless, you pretty much put contraband on this airship without the permission of a guard. I think I ought to arrest you for this right now."
"Wha--what?!" Frosty said, panicking as Radiant glared at him.
But Radiant started to chuckle,
"Gotcha, Frosty." he smiled. "Don't worry, I was just messing around. As if I'd try arresting someone right now, let alone one of my best friends in all of Equestria."
Frosty sighed in relief. Suddenly, there was a loud buzzing and Nose Nip's voice came over the loudspeakers.
"Hey, this is your pilot speaking! We're approaching dry land. And it looks like we're coming close to a settlement, so get yourselves ready to go."
At noon, the Summerstar touched down near a small port-town on the western shores of Saddle Arabia. Sunset Shimmer and the others were getting clothing that was suitable for the hot, arid environment of the Saddle Arabian desert. Before Sunset herself went down the ramp, she was approached by Felix, who was wearing his paladin garb with his wings tucked underneath.
"Miss Sunset, I wanted to give you something." he said to her.
He dropped a bundle in front of Sunset, which she promptly opened and levitated its contents. It was a black cloak just her size.
"Captain Armor gave it to me just before we all left for Saddle Arabia." Felix explained. "Along with this note."
He gave her a piece of paper, which she read:
Ms. Sunset Shimmer,
This is the cloak you wore when you first met my sister in the Crystal Empire. I heard that you planned on going to Saddle Arabia, so I asked my wife Princess Cadence to enchant it. It will allow its wearer to adapt to any environment and it will protect you from various magical enchantments, which should be useful if for some reason you aren't able to wear armor or you find armor uncomfortable. There are also a few other changes made to it by the other princesses that you might find useful, especially for your mission overseas. I don't have time to list them all, but I'm sure a smart unicorn like you will be able to find out when the time they're needed arrives.
Sincerely,
Prince Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard
"Wow." said Sunset Shimmer, softly. "Thanks a lot, Shining Armor. Well, I guess I ought to put this on...again."
She levitated her old cloak onto her body, and even put the hood up. She and Felix went off the ramp to meet the others.
"Nice cloak, Sunset." said Lightning Dust, who was wearing a gold-and-silver outfit. "Very mysterious."
"I have a cloak just like that one!" said Trixie.
She levitated it out of her saddle-bag, and put it on her, putting the hood up. It was virtually identical to Sunset Shimmer's, except it had a slight bluish tint. She went next to Sunset and leaned against her.
"Now we look like we could be sisters!" Trixie said, amused.
"You know, I kind of agree." said Scarlet, chuckling as she wore her own hooded green outfit with matching shoes.
Sunset gently nudged Trixie away, and put her hood back down. She looked around at the nearby port. Its buildings were made of stone, but with wooden doors. Their architecture was similar to that seen in various cities and towns in Equestria, yet in other ways was largely distinct and Arabesque. As Sunset and her friends all embarked from the Summerstar to head into town, a group of armored ponies, both normal sized and of Saddle Arabian height, approached them. Their silver armor was similar in style to that worn by the Canterlot Royal Guard, except fuller along the neck, legs, and hooves, and their faces were obscured by steel-plated masks to protect from the local weather. They also sported cloaks similar to those worn by Felix Summerset, and had javelins with iron tips slung on their backs.
"Greetings, travelers!" said one of the armored stallions. "Welcome to Saddle Arabia. You've arrived in the colony of New Mustangia. Our most noble Minister extends his invitations and seeks an audience with you all, so we would appreciate it if you'd follow us. If there is any equipment or luggage on your airship that needs unloading, we will gladly send somepony to handle them for you."
"Wow, now that's what I call service!" said Frosty, who was wearing a short grayish-green cape.