The vast tall grass plains of Cissanthema’s Mild West rippled in the breeze that whipped across its north western reaches. The sea of prairie provided a strong contrast to the drier desert that dominated the central and southern sections of the vast region. For the buffalo tribes, it was the breadbasket of their migrations, and their home in the summer months. It also contained- due to a few agreements between the buffalo tribes and Equestria- one of the longest stretches of railroad on the continent. Beginning in the southern reaches of Equestria, it wound through Caballeria, before cutting northwest and making a straight shot for the camel nation of Naqah. Naqah, the land of sultans, sand, and wish granting jinn, or so the stories went.

All these thoughts and more fought for space in head of Ponyville’s resident school teacher, the grassland whipping past the train’s window at top speed. Cheerilee, by all rights, should have been excited about her destination.

While she and her friends had visited many nations outside of Equestria in recent months, most of them were either Equestria adjacent or part of the larger Hegemony. Naqah was far away, and quite thoroughly independent. It was also rather exotic, compared to Equestria. Camels weren’t seen much in Luna’s realm and she’d be entering a land where she’d be the minority. And some of the legends that she had heard- mostly told by Lyra on the train- of the jinn sounded amazing.

It had been an exhausting series of trips and adventures, culminating in a grand tournament of champions. The Elements of Harmony had been pitted in a series of challenges against some of the best fighters and champions from across Cissanthema and beyond. The odds had been long, but against all of them, she and her friends had managed to emerge victorious. Not that they hadn’t come out of it a little battered. Trixie was still nursing a leg wound, that could have turned out much, much worse all things considered. But all of this came back to the fact that the element bearers were drained.

But it seemed that duty was calling again. After the victory party was done with, they had been approached by a Naqhan envoy, who had come asking for help.

The mint-green unicorn lazily flopped onto her side, letting two of her legs dangle over the side of the low padded bench. Legends and stories were one of Lyra’s many talents, but all she could offer was a shrug.

“Only bits and pieces, really. It’s mentioned exactly once in the Tales of Sehrazat as part of a larger collection of powerful items that belonged to an ancient Naqhan caliph. I don’t remember any that said what it does. Though with a name like that, I have to imagine Corona will want it.”

Trixie gave a noncommittal snort from her own seat. The Element of Magic was slumped over, forelegs crossed, star studded hat pulled low over her eyes. “Of course she wants it. Why wouldn’t she want it? Anything to help overthrow her dear sister!”

That question had come from the the grey coated pegasus in the seat next to Trixie. Ditzy Doo reached a hoof out to the limb in question, humming to herself as she inspected it.

“Maybe,” Trixie grumbled. “Maybe I’m just a little worn out from constantly wandering the length and breadth of Cissanthema.”

“Once more into the breach. Then we can take a break.” Raindrops said, yawning and arching her back.

“Assuming Corona lets us. I eagerly await the news that she’s finally invaded Canterlot the minute we get back.” Trixie grumbled.

Carrot Top nervously squirmed in her seat. “But isn’t that why we’re going to Naqah in the first place? To keep her from doing that?”

“Well, denying her a toy to do so, at the very least. Assuming this Army thing is as dangerous as it’s supposed to be.” Cheerilee shrugged.

“Would have been nice if we had been given more information before we left,” Trixie grumbled again, her cranky mood deciding to stick around for the long haul. “I hope the Sultan is preparing a massive feast for us for the trouble of solving his problem.”

Cheerilee rolled her eyes, dipping a hoof into her saddlebags. After a moment or two of rummaging, she pulled a pair of maps from its depths, both acquired at the first train station within the official borders of the Mild West.

“Don’t be too grumpy Trixie,” she commented, quickly scanning both. “According to these, there’s only one more stop in the Mild West before we enter Naqha. And the town where our escort is meeting us isn’t too far past the border.”

Ditzy frowned, ceasing her examinations of her friend’s leg. “That’s going to take a little bit of getting used to. We usually don’t travel with an escort...aside from the trip to Tambelon, I suppose.”

Raindrops straightened up at that, a deep frown marring her features. “That makes me nervous. The fact that they feel the need to provide one just screams trouble.”

“But, Corona is involved,” Carrot Top countered, nervously biting her lip. “Can you blame their government for wanting to be careful?”

Trixie abandoned her slumped posture, sitting up straight and tipping her hat back into a more stable position. “Except, I’d point out that if Corona really wanted to get us, I’m not sure an army would be able to stop her. Besides, something was bugging me about that Usta, character. That speech felt rehearsed to me.”

Frowning, Cheerilee was nevertheless forced to admit that there had been a certain...slickness to the camel’s entire demeanor. At the time, she had mentally written it off as a side effect of his job. Usta Bobbin was a royal courtier. Even without the kind of corruption that the Night Court had recently been purged of, a pony- or camel for that matter- with a silver tongue could still do quite well for themselves in such a role.

Nervously chewing on her lip, Trixie gave a half-shrug as a response. “Maybe? I think he was hiding something. But there had to be some core of truth there or Luna wouldn’t have let us come.”

Raindrops frowned, deep in thought, the idle twitching of her wings giving force to her mental debate. “Maybe some of the nobles don’t want us around?” she proposed. “Thought they could handle it themselves until the sultan pulled rank or something?”

“Whatever the case, Naqah’s obviously worried about somepony,” Lyra commented, still enjoying her lazy position. “Any chance we could find out what before we get there?”

Cheerilee examined her map again, humming in thought for a brief moment. “The stop before we enter Naqah itself is a buffalo trade town from the looks of it.” Quickly shifting focus, to her other map, she hummed again. “Nez Perce tribe it seems. They might know something about what’s going on beyond the border.”

Ignoring Trixie’s snort at what was most likely badly pronounced Prench, Raindrops gave a simple nod. “Good. I’m all for helping and stopping Corona...just the talk of an escort has me nervous.”

“Though, on the other hoof,” Ditzy hummed. “It’s kind of nice to be taken seriously as knights by another government.”

Carefully folding her maps back up and stowing them again, Cheerilee turned to look out the window again. Whatever was waiting for them in the land of the sultans, she was sure they’d find out sooner, rather than later.

My little pony, My little pony
Ahh ahh ahh ahh….
My little pony-
We’re as close as friends can ever be!
My little pony-
So come on take a trip with me!

A big world tour; new people to meet
New sights to see; and new things to eat
When you’re seeing the world with our friends
The fun you’ll have will never end!
You have my little ponies-
We’ll be seeing all of you real soon!

They roamed the varied landscapes of the vast swathe of territory sometimes seemingly without number. In fact, a common tall tale in Equestrian folklore stated that when Luna met with the tribal chieftains to establish Equestria’s southern border, that the collection of chiefs and their retinues were so large that Luna had to conduct the negotiations under the open sky, for no collection of tents could hope to contain them all. Similar stories said that when buffalo tribes traveled or marched, that the very ground trembled from the might, and that they could shake the mountains to their bones.

That perception also, unfortunately, tended to tar the region with one massive brush. A buffalo was a buffalo and they were pretty much the same. This was far from the truth, naturally. There were a hundred different tribes, divided into many different groups, and a buffalo from the high plateaus near Naqah had very little in common with the flat grassland runners of the central plains. Not every tribe was buffalo, either. There were a few pony and donkey tribes in the mix, who had lived amongst their great shaggy neighbors since a time before Equestria, and who had continued on in their ways, largely unchanged by the passage of time. In reality, the tribes of the Mild West were nations unto themselves, each one having as much in common with its neighbors as Equestria did to Cavallia.

Thusly, it was not a village of cloth teepees that the Element Bearers stepped off the train into, but a collection of long, inverted V shaped lodges- their walls covered with reed mats- that sprawled northwest away from collection of sturdy, wooden framed structures built right next to the train tracks. They were obviously intended for travelers, consisting of a saloon, a sturdy looking inn and an equally sturdy looking trading post.

It was mostly buffalo moving through the streets with their slow and steady strides, but they weren’t the only ones about. There were camels moving through the town as well, though most seemed to be clustering about the inn and saloon, exchanging nervous and shifty glances for some reason. Some ponies were also present. A small group of three were talking with a buffalo cow on the wide wooden sidewalk that lined the trading post. Their white ruffled collars and the vivid collection of multicolored tulips crowding the pots at their hooves identified them as hailing from Paardveld; most likely traders.

“Huh,” Cheerilee blinked as her eyes settled on their pots. “I thought that the tulip craze was done with?”

“Stars above, I remember that!” Trixie groaned, rubbing her forehead. “I swear, every dignitary that visited Luna for three years straight brought tulips as gifts. Fields of the things too. And then the Night Court caught onto the trend and there were even more!” She shuddered at the memory, her friends almost swearing that a slight green tinge had crept into her cheeks. “I think that everypony in the castle was sick to death of the taste by the time the trend was done.”

Indeed, the buffalo cow shook her head and made a curt cutting motion before turning and trundling into the shop. The Paardvish traders looked clearly annoyed and frustrated, but grabbed their pots and hauled them back towards the inn.

“Okay!” Cheerilee said, looking at the large clock set on a pole. Much like the last few frontier train stations, the departure schedule was clearly displayed next to it. “We have an hour before the train pulls out again. Shall we split up and ask around?”

“Raindrops and I will check out the saloon!” Trixie declared, grabbing the aforementioned pegasus and sweeping off with her.

“Maybe we can get something to eat too. We’ve been on that train for a while.”

“Which leaves Lyra and I on the trading post,” Cheerilee smiled. “Souveniers!”

The group split for their destinations, Raindrops and Trixie going left, Carrot Top and Ditzy to the right, and Lyra and Cheerilee straight ahead. The trading post was a single story but a quite large, perhaps three of their inverted houses long and two wide. The battered, but well painted sign of a flowing waterfall proudly declared itself as the “Flowing Waters Outpost” in a variety of languages; Equestrian being near the bottom of the hierarchy. A wave of scents washed over the Lyra and Cheerilee as they entered, a mix of dried leaves and other herbs by their guess.

The cow they had seen negotiating before was behind a low, well sanded wooden counter. A collection of beads- seemingly made from shiny stones and porcupine quills- were woven into her the right side of her short, curly, sand colored mane, forming a loose lattice of jewelry.

Most of what was on the shelves seemed to be aimed towards the travelling crowd, both on the rails and on hoof. There was trail mix and camping equipment next to tribal jewelry and other tchotchkes.

Smiling, the shopkeep dipped her shaggy head in a bow, speaking in Paardveldian. “Gegroet dames, hoe kan ik u van dienst zjin?”

“Greetings, ladies,” she tried again, switching to a clipped Equestrian. “How can I be of service?”

“Hello!” Cheerilee smiled back. “I was wondering if we could ask you something?”

The shopkeep frowned slightly at the thought of sales slipping out the window, but nodded all the same.

“Ah.” The cow nodded, now frowning deeply. “Many camels leave. Conflict between tribes. Wendigo packs in mountains.”

“Great. We barely dealt with one of those things, now there are packs of them? That whole country has to be ice now.” Cheerilee said.

“Ah! No, not cold ones,” the bison shopkeep quickly corrected. Face scrunched up she searched her limited Equestrian vocabulary for the right words. “They are...ghoul?”

Cheerilee just looked over at Lyra, having hit a point where her knowledge ended. The bard’s face was scrunched up like the crumpled page of a book, her mind working back through the stories she had picked up over the years. Legends were Lyra’s other primary area of expertise, but even her in depth knowledge had been tested by some of the far flung creatures she had encountered in recent weeks.

“The name does sound kind of familiar. If I’m remembering things right, they’re a kind of wasteland and desert dwelling nomadic monster. Like if you crossed a diamond dog with a vulture.”

Lyra shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen one. Just heard stories. Would a minotaur and a vulture make more sense?”

Shrugging, Cheerilee turned her attention towards the shelves, stuffed with a tourist’s ransom in booty. “Well, we still have some time before the train pulls out again. I’m going to do some shopping!”

Across the way, Trixie was considering the sight before her. The bar was rather crowded for a frontier settlement like this. Aside from the few bison that seemingly ran the bar, there were a few locals dominating the corner of the room, talking in their deep and rumbling tongue. A few camels were huddled by the bar, their eyes examining the wooden grain with an almost unmatched intensity. Their misery was clear, which Trixie was hoping to use to get a few more details on the state of the country out of them. There was one obvious problem with that, however.

Raindrops’s tone was mostly deadpan, but there was an amused undercurrent there that threatened to make Trixie chuckle herself. Instead she shrugged. “Trying to work that out. Think that pantomime could be effective here?”

Setting the idea of speaking to them aside for now, Trixie studied the camels again. Their bearing did seem military or at least martial in origin. Even in their dour moods they held themselves with the same coiled and ready posture that she had seen in the Canterlot Castle guard. Yet they carried no weapons and wore nothing that resembled a uniform. And yet, the more she watched them drink, occasionally clinking their glasses together and raising them skyward, the more she was convinced that her original assessment was correct.

“Come on Trixie. Unless you have a translation spell in your hat, leave them to their drinks.”

With a slight sigh, Trixie shrugged. “I’m going to try something and at least get a drink in the process.”

She strode right for the bar, her hooves clattering across the rough wooden slats of the floor. The bison bartender looked up at her approach, waving a hoof towards a collection of empty bottles on the shelf behind him. It took her a moment to understand that said collection was effectively the menu of what he had in stock. No bourbon it seemed, but there was whiskey. After pointing to the appropriate bottle, she was presented with a glass and the alcohol was quickly poured. The bartender then tapped a hoof against the surface three times and pointed towards a chalkboard. Crude sketches of various national currencies were lined up on the board, the buffalo pointing towards the one of the Equestrian bit.

Trixie dutifully dug a trio of bits from her saddlebags before taking her drink and idly sipping it a few times. Casually glancing over at the camels she raised her glass to them. “Here’s to bad days.”

The nearest camel reacted, turning towards and blinking at her, before shakily returning the gesture. There was a look of resignation in his eyes, mixed with a heavy sense of weariness. but then he turned away and back to his own world.

Well, I tried at least, Trixie thought, slugging back her drink in one smooth motion. Joining raindrops back at the door, she shrugged. “Looks like the language barrier beats us today.”

“Let’s wait for the others then. We can ask our escort all the questions we want once we meet him.”

With Carrot Top and Ditzy’s trip to the inn coming up just as empty, the little that Cheerilee and Lyra had discovered bounced around Raindrop’s mind for the next few hours as the train began its final approach towards the border.

The tales of ghouls and conflict made Raindrops glad that they had brought the enchanted armor sets Luna had gifted them at the contest. Corona’s minions would be enough trouble, and if they found themselves in another Tambelon situation, stuck between them and some third faction...well, they’d need that extra protection.

The landscape continued to rise as they moved past the border proper now, beginning to wind through the foothills of the mountains that ringed the outer edge of the nation like a great picket fence. Here and there, the entrances to mine shafts rose from the ground, the small mining camps built up around them reinforced with sandbags and other such defensive constructions. Hints of the nation’s trouble, it seemed.

But it was as they approached the town of Derin that the Element Bearers saw the first true results of the whispered conflict sweeping through Naqah. According to the guide book that Cheerilee had bought at the last stop (along with an elaborate set of jade hair beads), Derin was the the center of coal mining operations for the eastern half of the country. As such, it existed much like the center of a wheel, the smaller mines and villages that supplied it radiating away like the spokes. The buildings were common for an industrial town, squat and mostly devoid of ornate decoration and set upon a smallish hill among its larger brothers.

But arranged in a loose crescent in the valley before the town was a collection of tents arranged in ordered rows, and before that large wooden stakes had been driven into the ground, facing outwards like the quills of a giant porcupine. It was easily the largest fortification the Element Bearers had seen yet, ready to repel a true army. The train chugged onwards, turning and now following the line of the valley before passing through the lone gap in the defensive line. Camels- and a few ponies- armed with glittering spears either wandered through the tent city, or stood at attention, watching the valley with hawkish scrutiny.

Ditzy Doo’s good eye observed the soldiers engaging in their duties. “They’re camping an army here.”

“I only count two sets of regimental colors,” Cheerilee commented, nodding towards the bright pendants that stood tall above the tents. Fluttering in the mountain air, their bold colors naturally caught the eye. The first showed two lightning bolts crossed over an angry cloud, upon a dark blue background, while the second was the point of a spear aimed skyward before a snow capped peak. “It’s not a big one….at least not compared to what Pferdreich pulled together. ”

“Still a little concerned that they need one at all.” Carrot Top said, nervously biting her lip.

The train passed fully into the town now, the screech of steel and the roiling billow of steam signaling the beginning of its slow grinding stop. The Element Bearers crowded around the window, watching the buildings slowly pass by and searching for any other armies, hidden or otherwise.

“Looks like somepony’s waiting for us.” Trixie observed, pointing towards the lone figure standing on train platform.

“Pretty sure. There’s like five other creatures. Besides, he’s military.”

True to Trixie’s words, the camel waited with military like discipline. A neatly pressed jacket of dark blue was wrapped around his barrel, adjusted in place with meticulous precision, offsetting the bright red of the fez set at a slight angle on his head. He sported a short beard and mustache, both that appeared to have been trimmed and maintained within an inch of their lives. And just to complete the look, a curved saber was strapped to his side.

Carrot Top blinked. “Well...I guess it would make sense that they’d send someone from the government for us.”

Leaving their bags for now, the collection of friends trotted off the train. The waiting camel dipped his head in a quick bow.

“Peace upon you, worthy friends. Welcome to the Sultanate of Naqah, you and Equestria honor us with your presence.”

“Parlak Kilic,” he nodded back, “or Brilliant Sword in Equestrian if you’d prefer.”

“Your Equestrian is quite good,” Cheerilee observed, tilting her head slightly. “Ever been?”

Parlak chuckled for a moment before responding. “Why yes, I have. I learned quite a bit, while I was the military attache to our diplomat in Canterlot. I will be your guide, escort and translator for the duration of our business.”

“I was wondering about that. Uhh...I don’t suppose you could tell us more? Usta was...vague.” Carrot Top frowned.

A thin frown crossed Parlak’s muzzle. “Really now? What exactly did he tell you?”

“He asked for help. Said that Corona was searching for something called The Army of Smoke and Fire.” Raindrops answered.

“And then we heard something about conflict and wendigo,” Lyra chimed in. “And here we are.”

Cursing under his breath in his native tongue, Parlak scratched his head. “My apologies. It appears that Usta left out a great deal in his explanation. The situation is a little more...complicated than that.”

Trixie tugged on the brim of her hat, a familiar tired sensation settling in the pit of her stomach but she launched smoothly into her diplomat mode. “Is there going to be a problem? We came because we believed that Corona was a threat to both our nations. If we’ve been lured here-”

“I assure you,” Parlak frowned, holding up a hoof, “our concerns about the Tyrant Sun are true. However…” He looked around the area for a moment, gaze lingering on each camel that was passing by. Not seeing whatever it was he was searching for, Parlak continued, one hoof now idly tapping at his blade. “I would prefer to discuss the details in a more secure location.”

The Element Bearers now joined Parlak in observing their surroundings, half expecting Corona to be hiding behind the ticket counter or a pack of her salamanders in the bathroom. After a few moments of no Corona or her minions, Trixie looked back at Parlak with a raised eyebrow.

Dipping a hoof into his coat, Parlak produced a plain brass watch.“I ask for your patience just a little longer,” he said, clicking it open. “The train to Al-Asitana should be arriving soon and I’d feel better speaking there.”

“What’s wrong with that train?” Cheerilee asked, waving to the line of cars.

Raindrops opened her mouth, intending to ask just how secure he wanted things when another train whistle split the air. Derin’s train station was large, with one long platform for passengers and two other sections of track for loading cargo. Backing down the former came some manner of a train. At least, it seemed that was what the construct had started life as.

But what came rumbling the Element Bearer’s way now more resembled some kind of lumbering, metal caterpillar. It was only as it grew closer that they could make out the three individual train cars and locomotive that made up the larger whole. Iron plates had been bolted to the sides of normal train cars, turning them into armored boxes, save for the windows. Sandbags- constrained and held in place by barbed wire- were piled on the roofs to form low walls around a pair of ballista, manned by a pair of grim faced camels. Even the pilot on the locomotive seemed to be reinforced and turned into a giant battering ram. It backed up into the station with the same familiar grind as any other train, except somehow louder, almost a mechanical roar.

“...Is that a train or a fortress?” Trixie exclaimed, dropping all diplomatic pretense.

“A little bit of both, perhaps.” Parlak answered before allowing himself a slight smirk. “This is one of our military transports.”

A few camel porters emerged from the original train, hurriedly dragging the Element Bearer’s bags and cases along with them. Parlak said a few words to them, motioning to the armored behemoth, to which they nodded and quickly began to transfer the luggage.

Carrot Top gave voice to her, and she suspected her friend’s, concerns. “Is all of this really needed? It seems...over the top.”

“Perhaps,” Parlak shrugged, “But I wished to have extra security when moving through the mountains. The ghouls have become quite insistent as of late. Though, if you would all follow me, I will be more than willing to give you all the answers you want.”

With that, he paced for the armored train. Raindrops followed right behind, more than eager to find out what Corona’s plans for this nation were. Trixie hesitated for a moment before following suit, her curiosity equally piqued. The rest of her friends followed, all with their own mixed feelings about the situation, Ditzy bringing up the rear with a few hesitant steps. Unease kept both her eyes flicking towards the baliste. The spears loaded into the warmachines looked almost twice as long as a pony. The thought of what they could need such weapons for sent chills down her spine. Still, she pushed those thoughts aside for now and followed her friends into the train.

Parlak slid the door to the center car open, ushering the Element Bearers inside. The interior was much more normal compared to the bulky monstrosity that was the exterior, though set up a little differently. A large table dominated the center of the room, with a selection of comfortable looking couches arranged around it and a collection of maps and other documents neatly piled on top of it.

“Please, have a seat.” Parlak nodded, giving an idle hoof wave to the couches. Without waiting to see if they did, he reached for one of the maps, unrolling it across the table.

Crowding around the table Trixie and her friends looked over a map of the sultanate, broken down to the province level. A large collection of the provinces and parts of a few more, had been colored red, mostly stretching from the southwestern corner of the nation towards the northeast and the capital. Most of the remaining provinces were colored blue, save for occasional circles of yellow scattered across the eastern mountains.

“Allow me to begin by providing some context. Six months ago,” he tapped the yellow circles, “we began to suffer raids from the ghul tribes of the mountains. Frustrating, but nothing that we haven’t experienced before. So, the armies were deployed.”

Cheerilee raised an eyebrow. “Wait...that sounds like it was before everypony freaked out about the dragon migration.”

The smile that Parlak returned was surprisingly cheeky. “It really was a trifle to mobilize our armies. There just wasn’t a need to explain the why.” The camel’s hoof traced across the map to the mass of red. “And yet, as they were deployed, we suffered a betrayal. An emir- roughly equivalent to one of your Equestrian dukes- by the name of Ofkeli Grev rose in rebellion over proposed reforms of Sultan Pirinc.”

“No offense,” Trixie interrupted, holding up a hoof, “but so far, this feels like an internal matter.”

Parlak nodded in agreement. “And so it was. At least, at first. The armies were called back and turned against the rebels.” Another map was quickly flipped into place, showing that the swathe of red had shrunk by half, driven back towards the southwest.

“While our gains were effective at first, they changed their tactics, denying battle, escaping and striking behind our lines. So we stepped up our espionage efforts and that’s where we discovered Corona’s influence. A red pegasus, with hair that crackled like fire and spoke of his ‘true queen’.”

“Hold on. You’re saying that Corona is involved in the rebellion? Since when did she care about taking control of other nations?” Cheerilee said with a frown.

Frowning, Parlak began to ruffle through the stacks of papers. “Our spy was able to shed some light on that, before we lost contact with him. Now where’s that document….”

“Grev has been moving around since the rebellion started, moving from supporter to supporter’s lands.” Parlak said with an idle wave of his free hoof. “He was infiltrating one of said supporters, when Grev happened to arrive, along with Kindle. Ah!”

Pulling one of the many pieces of paper loose, Parlak cleared his throat and began to read.

“Grev:,” he began in an official manner, obviously reading from a transcript, “No more wavering. Is your queen ready to commit? I am both willing and prepared to have Naqah’s armies and my personal cadre of bound jinn support Celestia’s attempt on Canterlot.”

“Kindle: I have yet to hear why Celestia needs your support Grev. The true queen’s power is quite beyond any one jinn.”

“Grev: No insult was intended my good stallion. My point is that even the true Queen of Equestria could use some support. An army to lure Equestria’s away from the capital? Jinn to lock down Luna’s spell casters? The legendary Army of Smoke and Fire to keep the Night Guard...occupied?”

“Grev: If Celestia can help me claim the Army of Smoke and Fire, cast down Sultan Pirinc and his madness? I give you my word, on the name of The Prophet, I will give her all of that and perhaps more.”

“Kindle: My queen might be willing to give you the sultanate. But, she will not overthrow your government on just a promise.”

“Grev: A gesture of faith then? We work on finding the Army of Smoke and Fire together. It will show that our two factions can work together and I will actually have the Army to assist your Queen. Would this be acceptable?”

With that Parlak put the transcript down. “Unfortunately he was found not long after. But that’s the long and short of it. If Grev and Kindle find the Army of Smoke and Fire, it will be a disaster for both our nations.”

A round of nervous glances passed between the Element Bearers. Corona’s list of allies was spotty, at best. Aside from those she had managed to bully into following her, she had a zebra who did it because of a prophecy and a dragon whose motives were focused on revenge. A Corona with allies on an international level was much more frightening to consider.

“We wish for your aid in finding it before them. You have opposed Corona in the past. Aside from Princess Luna, you are the closest thing to experts anypony or camel has.”

“Really? That’s the only reason? This began six months ago,” Trixie pointed out, sweeping a hoof across the map. “You only approached us after we won the Contest of Champions.”

“There may have been some debate amongst the remaining loyalist nobles on whether dealing with Corona was somehow your and Equestria’s responsibility alone.” Parlak admitted, giving a slight shrug. “Truly, an absurd debate, considering that Corona has already stuck her hoof in our affairs.”

“We should arrive at Al-Asitana by tonight. The sultan wishes that you join him for dinner. Then the next morning, we shall begin the search.”

True to their guide’s word, the sun was beginning to set as the armored train ground its way into the capital of the Sultanate of Naqah. Al-Asitana- translated into Equestrian as “The Center”- was in many ways Canterlot’s opposite. The former was at the top of a soaring mountain peak, close to the night sky that was the domain of its ruler. By contrast, Al-Asitana had been built at the mouth of one of the many wide passes that broke up Naqah’s mountain rangers. Canterlot was a city of soaring spires and white marble accented by delicate silver. Al-Asitana was great round domes, a riot of greens and other earth tones, dyed a slight reddish tone by the dying light.

One thing that the Element Bearers could still easily see, even in the growing darkness, was the tendency for the most important looking buildings to be clustered near the city center. Though it was difficult to tell which one of impressive domed buildings was the sultan’s palace from this distance.

“That one,” Parlak said, seemingly reading their minds and answering the unasked questions, “on the far right. With the four minarets? That is the Aya Sofya, the grand temple of The Prophet and the unofficial heart of the city.”

“Oh! I know this one,” Lyra perked up. “He was the founder of that philosophical path. The Five Pillars of the Dragon! Truth, benevolence, charity, mirth and integrity. Considered by many to be the main guiding cultural force in Naqah.”

“Those sound really similar to the Elements.” Carrot Top said, her face pressed up against the glass.

“You’re not the first to say that. Personally, I prefer to leave that question to the scholars.” Parlak shrugged, before pointing to another domed structure to the left of the temple. “That is the High Chamber, where the nobles meet to carry out the sultan’s desires, and the one on the end,” he moved his hoof slightly to indicate building, “is the palace itself, which is where we will be going.”

The train station was quite empty when the train pulled up, save for a few gruff looking guards and a pair of waiting carriages to carry them the rest of the way. The girls piled in, followed by Parlak, before they were whisked off through the streets.

The palace itself remained (and perhaps grew all the more) impressive as they drew near. A sprawling garden had been planted around the sandstone colored building, lush and full, with a dizzying array of plants and herbs that Carrot Top rushed to try and identify in her head. The carriages rolled to a rattling stop, allowing the Element Bearers to climb off and trot down the stone path and up the marble staircase to the towering front doors.

Said doors were currently open, and flanked by more guards, the reason for which was readily apparent. It was the beard of the older camel that caught their attention first. Long and white, it almost touched the ground, casting him in a rather dignified looking light. Like Parlak, he wore a fez, but one that was much grander looking. A pristine white feather- held in place by an ornate silver starburst- swept up and back towards his tail, almost reflecting the beard. His deep- almost to the point of being black- navy blue jacket was marked with golden embroidery around the collar and cuffs. There was little doubt in the Element Bearers’ mind that this was Sultan Pirinc.

“Selamlar benim onur misafir!” He began. The sultan’s tone was jovial and his voice deep, giving the impression of a kindly grandfather ready to hoof out presents on Hearth’s Warming Eve. “Sen varlığı ile bu eski aptal kalp sıcak. Gel! Eğer yolculuk yorgun olması gerekir. Gıda, içki ve geri kalanı bekliyor.”

“The sultan is happy to see you. Dinner, drink and rest await.” Parlak said, taking up the translator role.

Sweeping her hat off, Trixie dropped to her knees in a bow. “Thank you for your hospitality, Sultan. I hope that we’ll be able to solve our nation’s mutual issue in short order.”

Once Parlak relayed Trixie’s words, Pirinc gave a deep, but still amused chortle. Motioning for the group to follow, he said a few words in response.

“Ah,” Parlak blinked in surprise. “It seems that a lead was discovered while I was away. He wishes to give the details while we eat.”

With a twirl of Pirinc’s hoof, six simply dressed servants stepped from just inside the palace.

“They will show you to you rooms, and bring your bags. Take some time to refresh yourselves and then join us in the great hall for dinner, if you please.”

Lyra flopped backwards, letting the soft mattress of the massive four post bed almost swallow her body. Dreams of cuddling under the downy sheets with Bon Bon, supported by what might as well have been a cloud, twirled through her mind.

She would have laid there for hours, if not for the rumble of her stomach. Yawning, she rolled back off the mattress, pausing again only to shake the last remains of her bath from her coat. She was halfway to the door when she heard the knock, the door swinging open the next moment as Cheerilee peeked her head in.

Stepping into the hall, Lyra and Cheerilee joined the rest of their friends. One of the many palace servants was waiting as well, and with a friendly smile, began to lead them through the halls. Winding through the palace, Trixie and her friends took in the decor as they passed. Mosaic tiles arranged in intricate patterns seemed to be the order of the day, as they reached a grand dining hall. The walls were lined by candles, that cast their flickering light across the room.

Other servants bustled about, having already filled one of the dark wood tables with dishes of food and icey flagons of drink. Silky pillows arranged around the table made for many comfortable places to sit. Parlak and Pirinc trotted to the head of the table, lowering themselves into a pair particularly plush looking pillows.

Cheerilee trotted slightly ahead of her friends, throwing herself into the air and flopping down a red pillow with a satisfied smile. Lyra- and Sultan Pirinc- chuckled as she sat down on Cheerilee’s right side.

Carrot Top observed the spread on the table. Fruit and vegetables were in abundance. Fresh plums, apricots, pomegranates, were mixed with roasted spinach, cabbage, eggplant and red peppers stuffed with cheese. And mixed in with those were stacks of fresh baked bread, and flaky looking pastries.

The ponies didn’t need much convincing as they tore into the feast, enjoying the opportunity to rest and fill their bellies. Sultan Pirinc ate at a more measured pace, speaking animatedly, if not slowly due to the need to translate through Parlak. Most of his questions were of Ponyville and their lives there. He asked about each of their jobs, how they came to meet each other and about their friends and family. Each answered question elicited another nod from the sultan.

It was after a few rounds of questions that a nagging feeling began to gnaw at the back of Trixie’s mind. She and her friends still had a rather incomplete picture about the political situation in Naqah. This Grev camel was supposedly rebelling over political reforms, but after her experiences in Zaldia Trixie wasn’t feeling inclined to just let that statement go without further question.

“Excuse me your highness, but I have some questions about these reforms that have caused this rebellion. What about them was Grev so opposed to?”

After a round of translation through Parlak the sultan broke into an animated and rather involved burst of speaking, motioning animatedly with his hooves and actually angrily slamming the table towards the end.

“The long and the short of it,” Parlak said, apparently paraphrasing his ruler’s long winded speech, “is that it’s a question of both the role of Naqah in the world and how we conduct ourselves internally. Though it was one reform in particular that pushed him over the edge.”

Chilled strawberry juice was sent spraying across the table as Cheerilee half sputtered, half choked. Sultan Pirinc actually jumped to his hooves, brow furrowed in concern. Cheerilee was oblivious to that as she slammed her goblet down on the table.

“How could anypony object to teaching? Does he want to keep his citizens ignorant or something?”

Parlak sighed and said a few words to Pirinc, who sat back down, giving Cheerilee an almost apologetic nod.

“There have been two problematic threads in the tapestry that is Naqahn society,” Parlak began, idly swirling his half full goblet. “The first is the idea that camels are somehow more deserving of rights than the other creatures that live in our lands. Up until the beginning of Pirinc’s rule ponies and buffalo were not allowed to own property, or serve in the armed forces.

“Oh, yes. The janissary corps strongly resisted anything they viewed as a threat to their position. Which is why Pirinc disbanded them and replaced them with a more modern, Equestrian modeled army. Which Grev immediately argued we should use to expand our borders, especially into the non aligned countries to our north and east.”

Trixie frowned. She knew about the small collection of minor pony kingdoms from her studies with Princess Luna. Effectively sandwiched between Naqah’s Crescent Sea on one side and Paardveld and Heststed on the other, their names seemed to change on a semi-regular basis. Always things like The Dutchy of Maretonia, The Southern Wind League and The Principality of Vallachia. Equestria and its allies gave the kingdoms their freedom, but she could see how they might be a tempting target for a nation seeking to build an empire.

“While Sultan Pirinc would not say no if any one of these nations wished to join us, that is their decision to make and it will not be forced at the point of a sword.” Parlak said, quite firmly. “The second threat, however, is what I would almost define as a pathological fear of change. Let us take the schools as an example.”

“Up until now, education has always been handled through the temples and philosophical schools they’ve built. And while those are good for teaching The Five Pillars, they lack in other areas. Math, technology, architecture, medicine. We’ve started to seriously lag behind our neighbors in that regard. Even our railroad system is a blatant copy of your nation’s. But to Grev and his hardliners, we are just spitting in the face of tradition. You’d swear we were closing down the temples.”

Draining the rest of his goblet, Parlak shrugged. “Education might have been the end trigger, but Grev and his faction was being pushed that way for a while.

“And then after you started pushing him back, he went running to Corona for help.” Trixie nodded curtly.

“Not at first, but now that regrettably seems to be what it’s come to.” Parlak nodded. “Speaking of that, perhaps we should get down to business?”

He asked the same question of his sultan and Pirinc nodded, clapping his hooves together. The camels who had been serving them bowed at the signal, filing out of the room to leave their ruler and his guests be. As had become the standard, Parlak translated the sultan’s words.

“It seems that it has been brought to the sultan’s attention that a dealer of rare antiques exists in the markets of Kuleler Sehri. While that is hardly rare, this one has been known to trade in pieces from the old caliphate. That was when the Army of Smoke and Fire was created.”

“Umm, excuse me. But we’ve heard that name thrown around a lot, but we don’t know what it is.” Carrot Top said.

“Ah, yes. My apologies. I keep forgetting that Usta was vague,” Parlak sighed. “You have heard of the jinn, I imagine?”

Lyra nodded. “I have. They’re the elemental spirits native to Naqah, right?”

“Correct. The Army of Smoke and Fire is a bottled army of jinn. Created during the reign of the last caliph, it was intended to be something that a spy could smuggle into a city,” Parlak explained, miming a creature popping the cork from a bottle. “Then you’d pop the top and be able to outflank a defending force with ease. Which, we think, is why both Corona and Grev want it.”

A slight shudder rolled its way through the Element Bearers. Corona had proven that she could sneak minions into Canterlot in the past. Even without an alliance with Naqah, an item like that was quite dangerous in her hooves.

“You think she might know something?” Lyra asked, a hoof half way towards another pastry.

“There is a chance,” Parlak shrugged. “Records from that era are usually rather thorough. But the Army was quite lost in the chaos of the jinn rebellions.”

“Well then,” Cheerilee nodded, “we’ll just have to go and have a talk with this dealer. Who are we looking for?”

Chasing Smoke

by GreyGuardPony

The Naqahn Express