Desperate Measures
The room was bathed in a cool blue light that made the stone walls seem exceptionally cold and unforgiving, the room was spacious enough for its purpose nor it was not void of life. A trio of Diamond Dogs stood close together, desperately clinging to one another as though they would be stuck dead if they dared to stray away from the company of their own. She saw a Roan Horse with a goatee addressing a Pegasus, while two Anubis took a moment to look ashamed under the ponies accusing glare, everything about the Horses body language spoke of a cocky confidence. As he stepped away still flaunting his apparent victory, she saw one of the Jackals step towards him and say 'No', while she could not hear the spoken words she could almost feel the resolve in the Anubis's voice.
The Horse turned with a look of confusion on his face, clearly wanting to question the Jackal as to what he meant, he never got the chance as the Jackal stepped forward an pointed something she could not see at the Horse. There was a brilliant arc of crimson lightning that stuck the Horse square in his chest, tiny sparks of ruby red electricity ran across his body replacing the subtle blue-grey of his coat with a flat dull slate grey. The Anubis whom had fired the crimson shot leaned up against the petrified equine saying something, before stepping away as the other Jackal pushed the statue over onto the stone floor smashing it to pieces. The two Anubis exchanged brief words before turning to face the pony, slowly they stalked towards the stallion, who after witnessing their actions began to instinctively step back.
Celestia slowly opened her eyes, she lay there for several seconds staring at the ceiling, with a sigh she sat up slipping the silk comforter of her. "What was that?" She asked the the shadows in her room," I do not understand what I just saw, was it a vision?"
As if to answer her quiet puzzling the doors to her chambers flew open with a resounding boom, Celestia saw the familiar form of her sister Luna standing in the doorway. "Sister! Something has happened!" She paused as she saw Celestia give her a deadpan expression," What!? Should we have knocked?" Luna asked with a mocked tone of offense.
Celestia raised an eyebrow before sighing again," Sister I believe you are spending to much time with Discord again."
"Well that's just rude!" Sounded a familiar voice of a Draconequus as he swung downward from above the door frame with his arms crossed and an annoyed expression," And here I thought we were friends Tia."
Celestia glared at him," Don't call me that, Discord."
"Tsk tsk." Discord mocked," Such hostility. At least Lulu was willing to bury the hatchet." He laughed and threw his lions paw around Luna and pulled her into a hug, while still hanging upside down.
The midnight blue Alicorn swatted him away," Do not call me that!"
Discord crashed to the floor gagging and clutching at his chess," Oh whoa is me!" He wailed as he writhed on the floor," My two oldest friends have renounced me yet again!"
Celestia drug her hoof along her face and sighed," Is there a reason you are here Discord?"
The Draconequus promptly stomped his bawling and stood straight up, with crossed arms he gave her the most serious looking face she could remember him ever having, though it was still with his crooked grin," Well fine then!" He sneered," I thought you would want my help with that sudden spike in Chaos Magic. But if you think you can handle it without me then be my guest Tia." He paused and glance at her dumbfounded expression," That is why you wanted me reformed wasn't it? So I could help you fill up that little vault of yours?"
Celestia gaped at him," You know about the Vault?"
Discord chuckled and in a flash was laying on her bed, his narrow serpentine body coiled around her, she tensed and started to push him away but he began lightly scratching behind her left ear with his eagle talons, she really hated that he still remembered that. "Why Tia." He cooed," I've know about your little collection since I escaped the first time." He chuckled and backed away, her head drifted in the direction of his talons for a half a second until she snapped back to reality," In all honesty, once I had dealt with the Elements of Harmony. I planned on seeing what fun little toys you had locked away in that toy box of yours, kinda like old times in a way." He shrugged," However it's for the best I botched it eh?"
"Eehhm hemm!" They both started a little as Luna cleared her throat, she wore a smug little grin," There is still the matter of a dangerous weapon being brought to light."
Celestia blushed and suddenly found the far wall quite interesting, Discord snapped his fingers as a light bulb appeared over his head," Oh right! That was what we were doing!" In a flash he was standing by the door wearing bronze body armour an over sized bronze shield, with a picture of himself giving a thumbs up, and waving around a rubber sword. He thrust the fake weapon skyward," For Equestria!"(1) He then rushed towards the door that led out of Celestia's chambers, the rubber sword flopped around with each step he took, as he reached the doors he skidded to a stop," Actually." He said turning back towards the two sisters embarrassed ," I don't know what the actual plan is."
This proved to be Luna's breaking point as she lost all her regal composure and started laughing uncontrollably, Celestia just shook her head but aloud herself a small smile," I suppose we should check the Vault. Just to be certain nothing is missing."
- - - - -
The Twins walked towards him, their faces a perfect mask of neutrality, for every step they took toward him he would step away from them. Cumulus kept glancing at the pile of rubble that had just minutes earlier been Jaffar, they had killed him, turned him to stone with the artifact and destroyed the statue so that there was no possible way to undo the damage they had done. He had been crazy sure but to see the look of terror forever frozen on his face, it would haunt his dreams for the rest of his days, assuming this one was not his last. He had never been a stranger to death, in his field of study it was an inevitability, however this farce of an expedition had made him far more familiar with death than he had ever imagined.
He flinched as he backed into something cold and awkwardly shaped, hesitantly he turned his head to see what he had bumped into, it was one of the Changlings that was randomly petrified around the room. He had been in the Everfree when they had attacked Canterlot, so he had never seen one up close, he wasn't sure if this counted but the insect-like equine was not nearly as hideous as they had been described. In any other situation Cumulus would have been examining the statue in greater detail, however when a shadow fell over him he snapped his attention back to the real threat. The air was so oppressive that he probably could not even run any more, there was no way he could fly and if he didn't get out of the area soon there was no telling what this kind of over exposure to magic could do to him.
Ad'e and Denda were standing right in front of him now," So." Cumulus said tersely. "I suppose you're going to kill me now?"
The two Jackals looked at one another," Wat ya talkin' bout Doc!?" Denda asked in a shocked tone.
"We jus wanted ta say dat we sorry fer lyin' ta ya!" Ad'e frowned and raised an eyebrow. "Ya actually tought we was gonna kell ya!?"
Cumulus glance at the ruined form of Jaffar," It had crossed my mind."
Ad'e's eyes followed his and settled on Jaffar," Oh dat." He said with another frown. " Jaffar was crazy. He didn't care who he hurt as long as he got wat he wanted." He looked back to Cumulus," Da only ting he cared 'bout was revenge an' she a coldhearted bitch."
Ad'e causally swung the staff over his should and let it rest there, Cumulus stared at it for a few minutes," So." He cleared his throat. " That's what we're really here for? There's not some other hidden agenda that I should now about?"
Denda shook his head," Nope now ya ya now everyting an' we can get outta dis forsaken land!" He grinned It'll be gud ta walk on dry land and not havta worry 'bout sumting trying ta eat me."
Cumulus chuckled at his joke, it would be nice to get back to Equestria where things were a lot more tame, though he paused when a thought came to him. " What about the Barrier? Jaffar said it was only safe to pass every three..." He trailed off as he started glaring at the rubble," That was a lie too."
Ad'e scratched at the back of his neck," Yah, Sorry Doc dat was sumting he just made up on da spot, don' know where da one came from. It actually safe ta pass every full moon, sumting 'bout da way it pulls on da tides."
"So we can actually leave when ever we want?" He was a little surprised that the Barrier weakened so frequently. 'How has no one ever noticed before?' The twins had started walking towards the exit back the way they had come, Cumulus winced as the burning in his wings flared up again,'I'm going to be an absolute wreck by the time I get out of here.' He trotted in the same direction to catch up.
He saw Ad'e still had the Eye resting over one shoulder, he stared at it for a short time as they walked," Are you really going to just hand that to a would be Warlord?"
O' course not." He said with a causal shrug. "First we gonna make 'im pay up den he gits dis ting." His voice was laced with avarice and for the briefest of seconds, Cumulus could have sworn he saw the Jackals pale blue eyes flash red.
Cumulus stared at him ,"Did Vannis say what he wanted to use it for?" Though he was fairly sure he already knew exactly what the aspiring king would do with it, he asked anyway hoping his fears were unfounded.
Ad'e shrugged as he turned the corner," Don' rightly know but ah'd wager dat he use it on dose he plan on making war on."
Cumulus felt his stomach start doing flips, that was exactly what he had expected to hear," So he will use it against Equestria then." He said flatly, it was not all that surprising, after Nightmare Moon's banishment the former Griffon Empire had attempted to take advantage of the disorder the nation was in and invade. Princess Celestia was forced to muster an army only a few months after losing her sister, to defend her country, it had been a desperate struggle even with her vast power but Equestria had triumphed. The Princess had the Empire broken apart into holds, held by the griffon nobility and forced them to sign a non aggression agreement. The result had been a lot of bad blood between Griffons and ponies, in addition to the last thousand years of uneasy peace, while the separate holds squabble with each other trying to rebuild their ancient Empire.
"Wat makes ya say dat Doc?" Denda asked.
He sighed," It's no secret that Equestria and the Griffon Holds have never been particularly friendly. They tried to invade Equestria a thousand years ago. Princess Celestia stopped them and dismantled their Empire." He glared directly at the Eye of Medusa," And Vannis probably wants to use the Eye to eliminate the Princesses, as there really the only thing that has kept them in check."
Denda did not say anything else but he could see the troubled look on the Jackal's face, some part of him may suddenly have been unsure if they were doing the right thing. " So?" Cumulus asked in a calmer voice than he had thought himself capable of. " Just how much is he paying you to help him start, gods know how many wars?"
Denda went to answer but Ad'e beat him to it. " A cool million Scale!" He grinned devilishly as his icy eyes flashed crimson again.
Cumulus stopped dead, his expression of shock quickly twisting to one of hate and rage. " WHAT!?" He screamed at the Twins making them both flinch, more in surprise than fear, though the Diamond Dogs were cowering against each other certain the three of them were about to come to blows. "IS THAT ALL FIFTY MILLION LIVES ARE WORTH TO YOU TWO!?(2) A CART FULL OF WORTHLESS MONEY!?"
Ad'e's eyes flashed crimson again," Wut ya mean wortless money?" He gripped the Eye in his paws in an obvious way that displayed he was ready to use it.
Having burnt up most of his out rage in that short outburst Cumulus just shook his head and gave a humourless laugh," Just what I said." He laughed again," I guess you didn't know that cool million is virtually worthless, even in the Griffon Holds." (3)
Ad'e snarled and leveled the Eye of Medusa straight at Cumulus's face," Start makin' sense!" He hissed through clenched teeth.
Cumulus did not even flinch as he stared down the weapon and the Jackal he had considered a friend, he was however surprised when Denda stepped between the two of them ans glared at his brother. " Dats enough Ad'ewal'e! Jus' look at yurself brudda!" Cumulus saw Ad'e's eyes return to their normal Icy colour and he lowered the Eye, Denda nodded and turned to face the pegasus. "Now pleese Doc how is a million Scale wortless?"
Cumulus glared at Ad'e one last time before wincing, that out burst had been the tipping point for a migraine that had building since Jaffar's monologue, and it probably had something to do with the excess magic as well. " There is a reason that the Griffons have not been able to rebuild their Empire, their economy is a joke."
He saw a look of confusion on both Jackals faces, he would have to elaborate, and he really hated economics. " Griffons have a warrior centered culture, they judge each other based on how many duels they have won or lost. As a result those who have keen minds are looked down on, because they prefer books to blood. Since scholars rarely stay in their homeland, those that oversee the treasuries barely know basic addition and subtraction, and have no understanding of concepts like Import and Export." He snorted," from what I've heard their solution was to mint more Scale which just devalued the currency even more. And now it takes ten Scales to equal one Equestrian bit."
He wasn't sure if they had understood everything he said, Tartarus he barely understood it, but when he told then the exchange rate he saw recognition on both their faces. Ad'e's quickly morphed to one of rage and his eyes flashed crimson," So wat yur saying is dat Vannis is paying us in peanuts!?"
"That is exactly what I am saying Ad'e!" Cumulus replied still feeling angry and not quite sure who to be direct it at anymore. It had become fairly obvious that the Twins had been deceived to the same degree he had been, which begged the question; just who was truly responsible for all this pain and suffering? It was a worthy thing to ponder, though it was nearly impossible with the steady throbbing in his head, it felt as though the whole left hemisphere of his brain was hammering on his skull. It was starting to make him nauseous too, the magic was starting to really effect him, if he did not get far away from here very soon there would be major, long term, damage to his body and quite possibly his mind.
He barely registered it when Ad'e began cursing and pounding the stone wall with his fists," Dat slimy! Lying! Fish eatin'! Mutant bird! Son o' a whore!" He punctuated each insult with a dull thud as he punched the wall. "Wen ah git my paws on 'im ah'll break his feadry neck! Tinks he can cheat us like dat! See how cocky he is wen ah turn his ass ta stone an' break it ovah his cunt wife's head!"
Denda just stared as his brother worked through his anger, he was pretty pissed himself but of the two of them he had always had more restraint than Ad'e. "A'right brudda!" He reached out and grabbed Ad'e's arm before he could strike the wall again. "Ah pissed too, but breakin' ya own bones tain't gonna solve nuting."
Denda turned and glared at his brother, his eyes shifted from their strange crimson back to the icy blue he had always had. Denda released him in shock. "Wut da?" He did not have time to ponder the bizarre change in his brother's eyes, to his left Cumulus began retching, the Twins barely had time to step away before the Pegasus emptied his stomach onto the floor where they had been standing only moments ago,
Cumulus muttered one word as he toppled over for the second time in the same day. "Damn."
Denda stared at the unconscious pegasus for a moment, he had barely avoided falling face first into his own mess. "Aw shit." He sighed.
- - - - -
For the longest time Cumulus was aware for nothing, save his own awareness, an oddly sobering thing, he could feel neither his body nor his surroundings, seaming to drift on a tide of ethereal darkness. Time was unreadable in this odd place, he was not certain if he hung in the emptiness for hours, or days or, even weeks, there was simply nothing none of the throbbing that had been in his head or, the burning in his wings, it was so peaceful.
Eventually after more time than he thought a mortal being could live, or perhaps no time at all, he began to experience the familiar tug of gravity and, then cold hard stone beneath him. Wearily he picked up his head, struggling to lift his heavy eyelids he took in his surroundings, he lay on a slab of stone that might have belonged to a rampart at one point. The air was hazy and dark, too dark to be day time but, also far too bright to be night either, looking skyward he could only stare in confusion at what he saw, hanging in the sky was a sun he had never imagined, a burning disk that enveloped most of the sky, bloated and red.
"Why is the sun red?" He asked out loud, his voice barely a whisper to his ears. He turned back to the ruins he found himself in, great clouds of dust drifted through the air and, coupled with the dull light light from the tainted star, he could barely identify the crumbling ramparts of a once mighty fortification. Cumulus groaned as he pulled himself to his hooves, like so many things, the pain had returned, the pounding in his head, though the burning in his wings had dulled to a muted itchiness. He wobbled as the pounding between his ears had a negative effect on his equilibrium, it took a few moments to steady himself, the air was shifting again and he looked up to see more of the once mighty structure beyond the fallen walls. There was the outline of a series of collapsed marble and granite towers decorated with gold and bronze filigree, it struck him as familiar, a place he had seen once before in another place and time.
His sense of balance once again righted he stepped down off of the dismantled rampart, CRACK, right onto something brittle that easily crunched under his weight. Cumulus flinched as the frail sound pierced the absolute silence he had been, until now, unaware of, the sound sped outward, unimpeded by wind or the sounds of life, echoing off buildings he could not see through the haze. Shuddering at the stillness, he looked down to see what was under his hoof, in any other circumstance he most likely would have screamed and vomited again but, he did not, there was a strange sense of serenity that surrounded him as he slowly pulled his hoof away from the bones beneath it.
It was hard to say if the skeletons before him had been bleached by the light of the sun, it seemed unlikely in the muddy crimson light, but they were clean all of them, the hundreds of pony skeletons that littered the ground. To his eyes he saw many pegasi and unicorns, however they did not lay in death alone, there were dozens of bones that belonged to other races, Dragons, Minotaurs, he even saw Griffons as well. Played out before him was the aftermath of a battle the likes of which he could not imagine, a great conflict that had claimed the lives of all foolish enough to march with the drums of war. Cumulus took in the scene with a surprisingly calm demeanor, it was possible he was in a state of shock, it was not everyday that one woke up in the center of an ancient genocide.
Thinking it best he turned away from the scene of ancient death, only to gawk at what he found he had his back to, rather than a sprawling field of bones, they had been organized in some fashion to create a mound of skeletal remains who's size was comparable to that of a small hill. The bones had been crushed and warped by forces he dared not even consider, into what could only be called a throne, and sitting atop that throne, laying in the shadow of the skull of the biggest dragon ever, was something made of gold.
However this golden thing, resting on it's seat off bones in the shadow of a dragon's skull, was by no means just a statue, it moved. Two massive feathered wings that while folded were nearly sixty feet across, twitched and shuffled every now and again, while he could see a hand, it's fingers gold and talons galvanized in a bluish steel, tapped on the cracked skull of a Minotaur, with something that was also gold in a steady rhythm. TAP, TAP, TAP, TAP... TAP, TAP, TAP, TAP... TAP, TAP, TAP, TAP... TAP, TAP, TAP, TAP...(4) He could see lithe powerful legs casually crossed over each other ending in feline paws, the claws the same queer blued steel and the limbs solid gold. The shadow cast by the dragon skull, coupled with the weak rays of the dying star over head, made perceiving the creatures face impossible but, burning in the impenetrable dark were two pale violet orbs of glowing light. Cumulus did not move or even breathe if he could help it, for fear of attracting its attention, it had yet to notice him, it said not a word nor did it really even shift in it's throne of nightmare, it just, kept, tapping. It's burning eyes never once turned towards him, instead just staring ahead and flickering like the flames of a candle, and always the tapping.
Chancing it, he looked away to what stood before the tower of bones and, felt his heart shatter at what he saw, standing in a lopsided circle were the statues of six mares. Two earth ponies, two pegasi, one unicorn and, a single alicorn who's statue was quite small, an imbecile could tell who the petrified ponies were, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony! However this was not the worst of what he saw, standing next to the Element Bearers, stood another Alicorn and an imposing looking stallion, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and her husband Shining Armor, both petrified like the mares before them. Next he saw Princess Luna, a look of indignant rage etched onto her face and, resting at her hooves was an ornate but deadly looking sword crafted of the same blued steel as the titans talons and claws. The last two petrified immortals he saw were by far the hardest to take in, Princess Celestia and the mischievous spirit of chaos, Discord. The two stood close to one another, the Draconequus coiling his serpentine body in front of the Celestia as though trying to shield her, the look of sorrow on Celestia's face was heart retching.
'How could this have happened?' He pondered silently.
TAP, TAP, TAP, TAP... TAP. TAP, TAP, TAP... TAP, TAP, TAP, TAP... TAP, TAP, TAP, TAP...
The sound of rhythmic tapping made him look back towards the shadowed figure, there still tapping away at the Minotaur skull, slowly chipping it away piece by piece, was the Eye of Medusa, barely comparable to a pencil in the claws of this golden colossus.
Cumulus's eyes went wide as he saw the staff being wrapped against the skull again and again, 'No! It's not possible!'
- - - - -
Cumulus's ear twitched as her heard the song of a nearby bird, its song sweet in his ears and easy on his lightly throbbing head, the smell of wet grass filled his nostrils, making him give a contented sigh. Slowly he opened his eyes and blinked into the twilight, the eastern sky was just starting to turn golden, the songs of birds sounded all around him as they greeted the approach of the sun. He tried to shift his position only to wince as fresh pain stabbed at his wings, it reseeded just as quickly leaving only a dull itch, slowly he turned so that his hooves were under him.
" Ya finally up, Doc! Dats gud, 'fraid we might o' lost ya." Cumulus flinched as he heard Denda only a short distance from him.
"Where are we?" He croaked, his throat was raw and burned with each syllable.
"Out side o' da temple." Denda stated. " We stopped at da wall ta rest and keep a keen eye out fer dat monsta dat got Sappra." It was too dark to see the Jackal's face, however he sounded worried, this puzzled Cumulus.
" Any sign of her?" He wondered, the words on his raw throat sent him into a coughing fit, through there was nothing he could do to stop it, Cumulus still had enough will to clamp his mouth shut and muffle the sound. He felt a paw start gently rubbing his back, just between his wings, while he was passed a water canteen, he waited a few moments for the the coughing to subside before he took a long draught of water.
Denda took the canteen as it was passed back to him," No, nutin'. we t'ain't seen or heard her at all in the last few hours. Suppose she coold be sleepin' but dere t'ain't no way ta tell really."
'So i was unconscious for a while then.' Cumulus thought to himself. 'That is probably why I'm still so sore. We're still too close to the temple and it's magic.' He took a moment to take in all his little aches and pains, dulled by time and distance from the cause, there was a light pounding in his head, his muscles seemed knotted and sore. at least the horrible burning in his wings had dulled to an annoying... itch... His mind rushed back to the disturbing things in his dream, the soul crushing sight of Canterlot raised to the ground, the most powerful immortals in the world turned into lawn ornaments and, worst of all, everything in the world dying. He fought with his overwhelming desire to be sick again, his stomach turned violently but he managed to will himself through it with some effort.
"Ya alright Doc!?" Denda asked in a panicked voice.
He waved the Jackal away, " I'm fine. Just a bit woozy. There is still quite a bit of magic around here." It was not a total lie, there was still dense magic around them, though it was many times less concentrated than inside the temple, it was barely noticeable by comparison.
"Well don' fret none Doc." Came Ad'e's unusually cold voice. "Rest yaself up a might longer, den we head back to git da wagon, den we git outta dis forsaken land o' death." Even in the predawn twilight there was no mistaking the crimson hue that burned in his eyes, it reminded him of the bloated dying sun in his lucid dream.
Cumulus had to ask but feared the answer," Do you have a plan then?"
The greedy crimson shine in his eyes only seemed to glow brighter," Oh aye." He sneered. "Gonna git da wagon, turn dat beastie to gravel if she give us trouble, git ta da Horus and git north." His sneer turned to a hateful scowl," Den ah gonna give Vannis a piece o' me mind. Den let him make a fair offer, if ah haven't killed 'im."
Cumulus gulped," And if you don't like his new offer?"
The Jackal's burning eyes took on their normal hue again," Don' know." He said thoughtfully. "Prolly sell it ta whoevah pay da most."
"Equestria! Forget Vannis and take it to Equestria!" Cumulus's mind returned to his vivid dream and the gold colossus in it's throne of bones, it's features had been that of a griffon, one whom had the Eye of Medusa, he shuddered as he remembered those glowing violet eyes. "Take it to the Princesses and I am certain they will reward you." 'There is no way I will let him get his claws on the Eye!' He added silently.
Denda looked thoughtful," Dat may be a gud idea brudda. We already know dat Vannis be cheatin' us." He frowned," Why not jus' stab 'im in da back like he did us?"
Cumulus saw Ad'e's eyes flash again," No!" He hissed with venom in his voice. "First we go to iceberg Bay an' give dat lyin' bastard a piece o' our minds! Den we sell da Eye ta who evah pay da most." He turned to look at his brother and the Pegasus, " Now since we all up an' about, lets go git da wagon back from dat bone faced bitch." He stood up and brushed dirt and dead leaves from his breeches, with out a backwards glance he set off at a brisk pace leaving his brother, the Dogs, and a still exhausted Cumulus, to try to catch up.
They had been walking for nearly twenty minutes, Ad'e was at the head of the tiny group gripping the Eye of Medusa, ready for any threat to be foolish enough to show itself, the trio of Diamond dogs shadowed him, fearing to stray to far from his protection, or possibly fearing his wrath. Cumulus was still feeling the after effects of his prolonged exposure to the temples overwhelming magic, as such he limped some twenty feet behind the diamond dogs, Denda walked next to him so the grounded pegasus had someone to lean on.
"Denda." Cumulus had finally spoken up after spending their hike in contemplative silence. "Is Ad'e acting strange?"
He felt the Jackal flinch at his question, it was most likely on his mind as well," Ah wan' ta hope it jus' nerves. But it seem like evah since jaffar gave 'im da Eye he been real angry." Denda sighed," Don' know wat come ovah 'im."
" Is... is it possible that it could be effecting your brother's mind?" He had been pondering that one for a while now, Cumulus was an expert when it came to behavioral patterns, granted that was with animals but the principle was the same. Ever since coming into contact with the artifact, Ad'e had be acting extremely aggressive and confrontational, plus the thing was laced with extremely potent magic he was unfamiliar with, not that he was an expert. "I felt a mana surge when he used it on Jaffar, That things got some really bad JuJu."
Despite the seriousness of the topic denda could not suppress a chuckle," Is dat yer scientific assessment Doc?" Before Cumulus could respond to his quip, the smile on his face dropped," But ya right. Dat ting is messin' wit me brudda's head an' we gotta git it away from 'im."
Cumulus nodded weakly," The question is how? I doubt he will just give it to us because we ask him."
"Ah tink we shoold let 'im keep ahold o' it till we git ta da Horus, den we git it way from 'im." Denda tugged on his long whiskers in a manner that reminded him of Jaffar.
"Something wrong, Denda?"
"Ah worried 'bout me brudda Doc, dats all." Denda sounded just as worried as he looked, and almost as soon as the words left his lips, they saw Ad'e stop dead in his tracks and raise one paw, signaling them to stop. While the dogs stopped immediately, the two stragglers slowly moved forward, Cumulus still leaning on Denda for support, and Denda moving purposely towards his brother. "Why we stopped Brudda?"
Ad'e glared at Denda, his eyes still crimson, and shushed him before pointing downwards, the pair looked in the direction he indicated, trying to make out what it was they were supposed to be seeing. Cumulus was the first to see it, he gasped and scrambled backwards as fast as his tired limbs could carry him, his wings fluttering in panic, it took Denda another minute before he too saw what had scared Dr. granted, he too took a step backwards. There in front of them, laying in a deep trench that had been purposely dug into the earth, was the Skull faced creature sleeping peacefully, its massive sides rose and fell every few seconds and they could hear it snoring.
After his initial shock passed, Cumulus found himself hanging over the edge of the trench doing his best to taking in every detail of the beast, while he could get this close to it. While his last encounter had been nothing short of terrifying, he could not help but ttry to understand the creatures unique evolution, after only a few seconds he already had a theory. Odds were this creature's ancestors had nested closer to the temple for a few generations, he could see the tell tale signs of Magic Mutation(5) in her physiology. It was the same sort of tell he had learned to see in some of the more ancient animals of the Everfree, it was most obvious in the Timberwolves, though he suspected that the Cockatrice was another example(6).
He flinched back as the Eye of Medusa entered his peripheral vision, he spun around to see a hateful look on Ad'e's face and, his eyes glowing crimson. "Git back Doc." He hissed. " I gonna take care o' dis bitch." His face twisted into a look of primal joy," One less monsta in da world."
A forest green hoof rested on the staff," There's no point Ad'e." Cumulus said his voice soft an calming. "She's not hurting anyone right now, lets just get the cart and get the buck out of here." He could see the look of rebellion in the jackals crimson eye," If she wakes up and attacks that's one thing, last time she was just angry because Sappra smashed one of her eggs. How would you feel if someone kidnapped Denda?" He relaxed when he saw the Jackal's eyes return to their normal shade, and he stepped away.
"Let's git outta here." Ad'e said quietly , almost sounding exhausted himself.
- - - - -
Cumulus almost laughed in pure joy when he saw the ocean shimmering through the trees, it was a relief to think that he may be able to be alone with his thoughts for even a short while. With everything that had happened, it was not hard to believe that he had forgotten that it had taken nearly two days to reach the temple, in that time he had had his fill of Ad'ewal'e. It was now clear that the Eye of Medusa was tampering with the Jackals mind, he had become extremely short tempered. lashing out at the Diamond Dogs, his brother and, even Cumulus himself. His favourite form of retaliation with the Dogs was to beat them with the staff, in the last thirty hours he had bludgeoned the dogs over things as insignificant as panting while they pulled the wagon. While he had not yet vented his aggression on Denda or Cumulus, he would often threaten them if they attempted to 'Spoil his fun' as he had taken to calling the near death beatings he would inflict.
Though it was not entirely Ad'e's fault, Cumulus could not help the bitterness he had developed for the Jackal he had once thought of as a friend. He slowly began to walk along the black sands heedless of potential threats. he was much to tired to care at this point, though that might get him killed as he still found himself unable to fly. That thought more than anything weighed on his heart, he was grounded, and there was no telling for how long, his wings could remain in their state for a few days or, the rest of his life. What would he do with himself if his wings had been permanently clipped?
So he wandered, following the black sand north with his hooves splashing in the gently waves, his mind pondered the the hazards the future could hold. First he stressed himself towards an early grave over his fate and future as a flightless pegasus, he had never been one to dream of making a living as a flier, but to lose something that had been a vital part of his life for the last twenty years scared him. He felt his stomach twist at the thought of having to spend the rest of his life walking to reach his destination, never seeing the beauty of a city from above.
What would this mean for his work how could he find a way to show ponies that just eating meat did not make a monster, the promise he had mad to Valerie nearly two decades prior. "Valerie!' Thinking of her brought his mind to the next dilemma gnawing at his sanity, a Griffon Lord wanted a deadly weapon, no, Valerie's uncle wanted it, a would-be Griffon Warlord had his sharp eyes set on what was doubtlessly the most dangerous thing in all the world. Most Griffons had a low opinion of ponies, tending to view them as prey that has forgotten its place, Vannis was bound to be of this mindset as well. 'What about Valerie?' Surely she was not of such an opinion, or perhaps not, twenty years was a long time to spend surrounded by those who actively despised ponies and, Cumulus was no stranger to how potent peer pressure could be.
He was not sure how long he walked along the beach, lost in his own thoughts of the last few days and what manner of horror the unseen future held. In this introverted place, Cumulus was barely aware of the cool waves lapping against his hooves, as such he was completely oblivious to the fact that he was not walking the black sands alone. He had been moving at such a slow pace that he never even noticed the Twins and Diamond Dogs had caught up with him, right up until Denda reached out to grab his shoulder. "Hey Doc-" that was as far as he got.
"AAAAAHHHHH!!!" Cumulus screamed like a filly and jumped nearly his own height strait up, flailing about with his wings in a desperate and ultimately futile attempt at flight. "TIREK'S CHARIOT!!! Don't do that Denda!" Cumulus shrieked as he landed on his hooves. "I'm too young to have a bucking heart attack!"
His foalish reaction was enough to give the Twins a hardy laugh and made the terrorized Dogs snicker among themselves, until Ad'e shot them a harsh glare, effectively draining what little mirth there had been out of the air. "Jus' wanted ta stop ya 'fore ya wandered pass da longboats." The Jackal motioned to the two overturned boats that had been their transport ashore, some hundred feet or so from the black sand beach sat the Horus, still anchored. Denda sighed," Didn't want ya ta wonder off an' git yurself hurt."
Cumulus could only gape, 'Was I that distracted?' It had felt like years since he had last seen the ship, instead of just a few days short of a week, he thought back to how much had happened in just one day and, the days that followed. " Oh, right." He muttered as he folded his sore wings.
"Alright ya mutts!" Ad'e snapped. " Lets git dese boat loaded an' set ta go!" He paused before turning to Denda, "Give um a hand brudda." Denda hesitated but, slowly nodded, before walking over to help the two large dogs flips the overturned boat, between the three of them their transport back to the Horus was loaded and ready to go. Due to a lack of able bodies, the boat that had the wagon and its supplies loaded onto it, had to be tied to the first boat and towed behind them, an arduous task for the burly dogs that had been tasked with rowing.
With so few rowing it took the wayward group nearly twenty minutes to reach the Horus, the Dogs that had been left behind were gathered along railing, their tails wagging with excitement. Cumulus flinched, that was not going to last much longer, nearly all the Dogs had died on this foray including Sappra, they would not be happy to learn their leader was dead. He could already hear them wondering out loud where the rest of the clan was, they made no attempt to muffle their voices, perhaps worst was the terrified look on Tammra's face. The few dogs worked the pulleys and lifted the longboats out of the sea, Ad'e jumped from the boat on to the deck,"Alright ya mutts! Stow dat gear quick, ah wanna git outta dis rathole!"
Then Tammra stepped forward," Where everyone else?" He voice was quivering, she clearly feared the answer.
Ad'e did not even hesitate," She got ate up by sum monsta." His answer was void of any emotion, his eyes shifted from the crimson that had become typical, back to their original shade of blue. "Come ta tink o' it, wat ya gonna call dat beastie Doc?"
Cumulus ignored him, slowly walking to Tammra and putting a hoof on her shoulder, which at least got her to look at him," I'm sorry. She didn't suffer." Sure that was a bold faced lie but, she did not need to know that, he then turned to Ad'e to answer his question." To be honest I haven't given that any thought." He tapped his chin as one of the smaller Dogs led Tammra away, 'it would have to sound as impressive as it was.' A word popped into his head one that seemed to capture the idea of the creatures size," How about Gigarontees? It has a certain ring to it no?"
"Dat it does Doc!" Laughed Denda as he jumped out of the longboat as well, before stepping purposefully towards his brother with a forced smile on his face. "Brudda. Ah tink we shood lock up dat Eye like was da plan. Best ta keep it safe heh?" He reached out to take the staff but never got close enough, Ad'e's eyes flashed back to the crimson shade and with a savage snarl, whipped the object out and struck Denda across the face. Blood flew through the air and splattered on the varnished wood of the deck, Denda raised his paws to his mangled face in a vain attempt to stem the flow of blood. "Wat ya do dat fer!?" He wailed.
"Ya keep ya grubby paws off dis ting! Ya hear me!?" Ad'e roared in fury. "Ah t'ain't gonna let no one touch dis evah, no one gonna tryin' steal from me again!"
The blood was still pouring from the deep cut across his face," Wat ya talkin' 'bout brudda? No one tryin' ta steal da Eye, ah was jus sayin' dat we shoold lock it up fer safe keepin'." He tried to reach towards the staff again but, just like before, was struck with the golden artifact, which sliced into the flesh of his right paw.
"DATS IT!!!" Ad'e thundered as he leveled to the Eye at his brother, the Jackals eyes glowed a vibrant red as the Eye of Medusa flashed and launched a single bolt of Crimson energy straight at Denda's chest.
No one moved, no one even breathed, time seemed to have ground to a halt around the the Horus, everyone just stared at the scene before them. The Dogs that were familiar with he Eye were clearly terrified, those that were not just looked confused and dumbfounded by what they had just seen. Cumulus just gaped, never would he have imagined that Ad'e would use the Eye on Denda, yet that is exactly what had happened and, now he found himself staring at the petrified Jackal. Denda's arms were raised defensively in front of his face, a look of shock on his mangled face, the fresh wounds that his brother had given him were preserved in perfect detail.
Ad'e was as shocked by his actions as everyone else, his eyes had returned to their natural pale blue yet again and he looked heartbroken. His eyes were watery and it looked like they would spill over at any second, his grip on the Eye had all but gone, it was held loosely in his fingers as he swayed wildly. "Brudda..."
"Ad'e?" Cumulus asked in shock.
Though just his name, that seemed to be all the Jackal needed to push him over the edge, unfortunately for Cumulus it was in the wrong direction. Ad'e spun to face him with a ferocious snarl, he leveled the Eye of Medusa as his eyes flashed to an angry crimson. "Ya want sum o' dis too Doc!?" He snarled through clenched teeth.
Cumulus instinctively took several steps backwards too terrified to form a coherent response, all he could manage was to shake his head dumbly.
"Gud." Ad'e slowly lowered the staff and turned to address the Diamond Dogs," Wat ya mutts standin' 'round fer!? Git dat shit below 'fore ah do da same ta da lot o' ya!" He turned to face his petrified brother with a sneer," Once ya done stowin' da cargo!" He motioned towards the statue with his free hand," Toss dis rock in da sea." He strolled towards the helm without another word.
- - - - -
A couple thousand miles away in Canterlot, Discord was in the middle of putting together the final details on what he hoped would be the finest prank in the history of pranks.(7) He stepped back to admire the plan as it was laid out in front of him on a chalkboard, where crude drawings of himself and the intended targets acted out. There stood Princess Celestia walking towards her throne, with a sign drawn on the end of her horn that read 'Sun Butt', then she sat down on a Whoopi Cushion. Only instead of the classic farting sound, it would play 'La Cucaracha' until somepony spoke the keyword, or till Tia yelled at him enough to make it stop.
However the true beauty of this particular prank was, if somepony tried to pick it up with magic, Poison Joke would bloom from their horn, if they tried to pick it up with their hooves, they would temporarily turn into monkey hands. The illustrations on his chalkboard animated this scene, Celestia sat on her plot with a flower growing from her horn and hands instead of hooves, glaring angrily at a chalk Discord, who was rolling around laughing hysterically. Just then a crudely drawn mint green pony ran up and grabbed the Whoopi Cushion and her hooves changed shape, she danced with joy and ran around in circles poking anything and everything with her new digits.
Discord frowned," Your not supposed to be there." He reached for the eraser. The pony saw him do this and bolted for the edge of the board, vanishing in a puff of chalk dust, he cocked an eyebrow," That as random." He grinned wide," I love it when Chaos does that!"
His good mood however was short lived as he seemed to get a case of the Willies, his body shivered and shook as though his bones had suddenly been turned to rubber. An all to familiar feeling of Chaos passed through him, the kind he was supposed to be on the lookout for, the same kind he had felt just two days prior. "Well shoot." He pouted, snapping his talons and banishing the chalkboard to wherever it was the things he made went when he was done with them. "Looks like duty calls." He chuckled to himself," I said dootie."
He snapped his talons together and, in a flash was standing to the left of Celestia, she was not happy but, for once it wasn't his fault." For the last time Lord Heliotrope! I will not force Princess Twilight to return to Canterlot, just because the House of Nobles feels her place is here! I believe it is best that her induction to the nations politics is done slowly!" Discord started grinning like an idiot and waving with his lion's paw. The Princess sighed," What Discord? I am very busy!"
He kept waving," Remember that new toy we were talking about a couple of days ago?"
Celestia's expression changed immediately," I see." Her exceptionally boring, stoic mask returned," Lord Heliotrope if you would excuse us?" She motioned for him to leave.
The stallion slammed his hoof on the table," Now see here, your Highness! The entire House unanimously agreed on this! You must at least hear it out!" He glared at Discord," You cannot just turn me away because this monster is seeking some ne-"
Celestia stared when the Nobles rant was cut short, the place he had been seated was vacant and there was no sign of him anywhere. " Discord?" She asked, already knowing the cause. " Where did you send him?"
The Draconequus glared at the now empty seat," Home."
Celestia nodded," That works. Now what can you tell me?"
He slumped forward and sighed," Not much. It came and went so fast I couldn't get an exact fix on it. All I can say is that it's not in Equestria. It's someplace really far off." He jerked his lion thumb over his shoulder indicating South," In that direction."
- - - - -
Weeks had passed on the Horus and the situation was deteriorating, Ad'e had annexed the helm and barred any from entering with their lives as the penalty, already two more Diamond Dogs had been petrified by the Eyes power. The Dogs had since learned not to even come near the helm unless the Jackal called for food, which rarely happened, and with the engines running at full tilt there was little work for them to do. Since relighting the diesel engines he had passed down only one real command, which had been to set into place the metal scaffolding that was meant to act as a skeleton for the ship's Flight Bladder. It was not a difficult task, much of the interlocking portions were, as Denda had described it before his end, idiot proof, with a great deal of snap and lock metal poles.
Seeing the Flight Bladder expand was a treat though, watching as the ship slowly lifted into the air and leave the ocean's surface. It had been short lived as the whole ship began to tilt to the left, which had set about a mad scramble to shift the cargo around in the hold until an acceptable balance had been acquired. It had been a curious discovery to find that the same prop that pushed the Horus through the sea could now be used to apply thrust while airborne as well. He had also been surprised to learn that the ship was shaped roughly like the blade of a spear, part its fuselage, which was usually below the waters surface, flared and tapered in such a way as to mimic a wing.
In that time Cumulus had found his wings again, though it was tainted by the fact that he could barely stay in the air, the overwhelming magic of the Temple had severely damaged his wing muscles. In a way he had gone back to those days as a young colt in San Prancisco, he desperately clung to the hope that he would be able to fly like he was once able but, that would require a great deal of magical and physical therapy.
Ad'e had taken the Horus airborne nearly three days ago, and now the ship cruised at a steady altitude of about a thousand feet. At this height, there was a constant wind that blew in from the north, Cumulus stood on deck staring that the strong winds source, the perpetual storm that formed on the planets equator. "The Barrier, so that's what it's supposed to look like when its safe to pass? I've seen worse Wildstorms in the Everfree." Though he was talking at a normal volume, one would have to strain their ears to make out his words due to the prevailing winds whistling around the airship. Taking in the endless Storm in this state, he was very curious why the worlds Navies had never figured out there was a grace period. The waves he remembered easily climbing pass seventy feet had been reduced to swells less than twenty, the storm that had once created hundreds of thousands of lightning strikes a minute(8), now only flashed every few minutes. "How did no one every notice this before? (9)
Cumulus wasn't the only one gawking on deck at the storms diminished strength, all the Diamond Dogs hung on the rails casually chatting among themselves. The wind drown out most of their words, but he would pick up some small portion of their conversation, their topic seemed to be their plans for once they were freed in Equestria. Cumulus had little faith in their hopes, as corrupted as Ad'e was by the Eye of Medusa, it was extremely unlikely that he would release any of them without some form of payment. "Gawk lattah!" Ad'e's voice blasted out over the intercom, "Ya lotta mutts go inta da hold and make sure everyting is tied down tight! Even if da storm t'ain't at full power, ah don' wanna run da risk o' sumting shiftin' an' us goin' crookid agian!"
The Dogs shuffled below grumbling under their breathe, after a moments hesitation Cumulus followed them to help, he had nothing better to do. With a the collapse of the ships hierarchy the Dogs had been freed to do as they pleased, as a result most of their time was spent below deck, lounging. Cumulus had likewise spent most of his time in his cabin, complying what few notes he had had the time to take and, putting the discoveries he had made in the field to paper. The cargo hold was one of those places that no one ever seemed to go, in fact he had only been in this part of the ship once before. during the frantic attempt to shift the cargo around.
This was the first time he really had a chance to examine it in any real detail, the room would be comfortable if it weren't for all th e crates and steel drums piled everywhere. The room smelled of stagnant water,though there was no clear sign of any leak, most of the cargo seemed to be the diesel fuel needed to power the ships engines. The Dogs had already busied themselves with tightening the ropes that held the pyramids of fuel drum and crates staked to the rooms ceiling. Most of the crates were filled with dried foods, meat, and fruit, a few others had helpings of cheap gemstones for the Diamond Dogs to siphon energy from.
By the time Cumulus had walked halfway through the stacks of cargo the Dogs had already finished with their task and quickly filed out, clearly not wanting to spend any time in the cramped area. With the hold all to himself. Cumulus decided to take this opportunity to look around, after all even he could only endure so much paperwork before it became to boring. He wondered around, the dim light forcing him to squint just to read the contents of the containers. Most were huge fifty-five gallon drums of diesel fuel stacked twelve high, and as he pressed deeper in he could make out a strange sound, curious he swiveled his ears searching for its source.
It did not take much effort to tract it down, Cumulus slowly peeked around the corner of a stack of crates labeled "Explosive! Handle With Care!" and saw the crumpled from of a familiar lanky Diamond Dog. 'So that's why the other dogs ran off so fast.' He softly stepped forward and put a hoof of the weeping Dogs slim should," If it means anything, I am so sorry Tammra."
She flinched under his touch," Why?" He voice cracked as she spoke," Why you sorry Pony?" Her voice was thick with sorrow and bitterness, and her look was filled with hate and repressed anger," Your family not eaten by monsters! not turned to stone by evil Jackal magic. Why you sorry!?"
Cumulus just sighed," Your right Tammra my loses on this farce of an expedition have been minimal but, I do know what it's like to lose family. Not to dark magic, but disease." Tammra sniffled and looked up at him with big watery eyes, which compelled his to keep talking," A few years ago, just as I left for college my mother became very, very sick. Some of the brightest doctors in Equestria tried to diagnose her but they couldn't, they had never seen anything like her illness. It was like the life was literally being drained out of her body, in less than two months she was g-" His voice cracked as he neared the end of the sentence and, there were tears soaking into the fur on his cheeks. " I never got to say goodbye. So I can understand what your feeling Tammra, nothing hurts worse than losing family and, you have lost so many more than I have. So I am sorry Tammra."
She placed a paw on his shoulder," I sorry too. What hurt worst is that I know Jackal not let us go. So many lies, can't tell clan. They think we still go free, I not strong enough to tell truth."
Cumulus nodded," Better to let them live in hope." Tammra nodded and stood up, easily towering over him and walked away leaving him alone with his thoughts again. He turned over everything that had happened in the past few weeks, finding his funding cut, Jaffar's proposition, the Slashers, the nameless commodore who's journal was still in his saddlebags, stumbling into the Gigarontees nest and the subsequent attack. He shuddered at the memory of the pressure it was able to exude, the temple and the Eye, Jaffar's candid and abrupt truthfulness, Ad'e and Denda's betrayal, his disturbing vision of a dying world...
His train of thought came o an end as the details came back to him, Equestria's greatest defenses rendered useless, its immortals petrified, and the whole of the world purged of life, even the sun was dying. All because they had brought back something that should have stayed lost, if the Eye of Medusa reached the north odds were the entire planet would suffer, there had to be some way to prevent that. His eyes ran over the room around him," The whole world..." His gaze stopped on the tower of crates lashed tightly together and to the far wall, the crates plastered with warnings. A solemn scowl formed on his face as the shape of plan formed in his mind," Dynamite..."
- - - - -
"This is insane. We're all going to die. There is absolutely no way this is going to work." Cumulus said flatly into the empty kitchen. He was staring at one of the two ovens the cramped kitchen had, they were really nice ovens he could think of more than a few of his quintessences in Neighntucket that would have sold their souls for a range this advanced. What had started out as a resolute plan to ensure that the Eye wasn't misused, had quick unraveled as his logical mind began to pick at its loose threads. Chief among those threads was the fact that this whole plan factored on controlling the detonation of an explosive element, or rather controlling how to time its detonation if things went wrong. Second was that he was not entirely sure he could prevent the explosion, should this 'half baked'(10) plan actually separate the Eye from Ad'e
The plan was, more or less, idiotically simple, he was going to tell Ad'e that he had rigged up timed explosives allover the Horus and would let them detonate if he did not give the Eye to Cumulus for safe keeping. That was what he would tell the Jackal, it was a bold faced lie but Ad'e did not need to know that, if it worked he would have the weapon and could see to it that it ended up with someone who wold not use it, namely Princess Celestia. If this mad scheme failed he would still be able to see to it that the Eye never made it North, a dozen sticks of the volatile explosive in an oven set to 500 degrees should see to that. Everyone on the ship would die if the fail safe had to be used but, his instincts told him everyone on Equis would die if he did not intervene in some way.
Of course there was one other problem, in the event this actually worked he would have to then stop the bomb he had set from going off. The ovens were made with quality, odds were it would not take more than ten minutes for the oven to reach the set temperature, detonating the dynamite and killing them all. This created the very real possibility that just as Ad'e surrendered the Eye, the bomb would blow and send them screaming towards the agitated ocean below. Even then he chose to count that as a victory, it would still put the Eye of Medusa at the bottom of a squalling sea and well out of Vannis's reach.
Cumulus took a deep breathe and let the worries drain from his mind, if he was going to confront Ad'e he needed to be cool and collected, he had to give the impression of having already won. Letting his anxieties fade away, he adopted a steely expression as he fished the Dynamite out of his saddlebags and delicately placed it on the ovens cooking rack. He twisted the nob until the number he desired lined up, he could now hear a hiss as the ranges gas flicked on, still wearing his stern mask he beat a hasty retreat.
It only took him two minutes to reach the deck of the ship, he had spent longer than he thought in the kitchen as the Horus was now actually flying through the Barrier. The wind whipped passed him, tugging at his mane and feathers as he trotted straight for the door to the helm, in the time since Denda's death no one who lived had seen Ad'e. With a counter ticking away in the back of his mind, he pounded on the thin metal door with all his might denting the aluminum under the force of his blows.
He scrambled backwards as the door was flung open almost catching the side of his face, a very pissed looking Jackal stalked toward him clutching a golden staff that had been the source of too much suffering. "Ad'e I-" the words died in his throat as he took a good look at the crazed Jackal, he was a shadow of his former self, his once well toned and intimidating muscles had somehow severally atrophied in the short time since their last face to face. Ad'e's eyes were sunken in and had a glazed look to them, though the vibrant crimson that marked the staffs influence was still visible, he also looked dangerously thin. Cumulus was no expert on Anubis but, there was no possible way that he should be in this bad a shape after so short a time, was this another effect of the Eyes corruptive influence?
There was no time to ponder this question as Ad'e swung the Eye straight at Cumulus's head, in his weakened state it was easy to ovoid the strike, though it spoke volumes as to how weak Ad'e had become. With a few quick steps Cumulus had moved away from the helm with Ad'e only a few sluggish steps behind him," Wat ya tinkin' Doc?"
Taking another deep breathe Cumulus steeled himself, all the while counting the seconds in the back of his mind," Listen carefully Ad'e, because there is no time to waste words." He was pleased to see that he had the Jackals attention." Your going to give me the Eye of Medusa or else."
He let the threat hang in the air, it was less than encouraging when Ad'e started to laugh," Or else wut?"
"Or else, I will destroy the Horus and the Eye with it." His voice was as smooth as glass and cold as stone and actually creeped him out a little, though it had the intended effect, Ad'e smug grin dropped as something akin to fear flashed across his face. there are timed explosives placed all over the ship, all set to go off in about..." He paused for a moment to crunch a few numbers," Four minutes. There is no way you could hope to find them all in time without me to tell you exactly where they are."
Ad'e's face twisted into a fearsome snarl," Bullshit! Ya ting is monstas Doc. Don' tink ah gonna buy dat ya know how ta rig up bombs."
Despite having his bluff called Cumulus was able to keep his steely mask as his eyes drifted up the the ships Flight Bladder," Then I guess we all die."
He saw Ad'e follow where his eyes rested and his snarl shifted to one of horror," Da hydrogen?"
Cumulus was able to keep his face straight but the clock was rapidly running out and he was starting to panic," What better place to put an explosive than close to an extremely flammable gas, or a couple dozen barrels of diesel fuel, or half a dozen other places that would knock us out of the sky?"
Ad'e spun around to snarl at him," Ya'd kill us all!"
Cumulus nodded solemnly," If it keeps that damned thing out of the wrong hands? Yes I would." He held out a hoof," There's still time to stop it Ad'e, just give me the Eye of Medusa and head for Baltimare."
Ad'e's snarl just got all the more menacing as he started to stalk towards the Pegasus and his crimson eyes flashed brightly," Ah t' ain't gonna let ya steal from me! T'ain't no one gonna steal from me evah again!" He swung at Cumulus with the staff, once again the strike was sluggish and easily avoided, which only sent Ad'e into an even greater rage as he began to lash out in a furious attempt to hit the agile pegasus. "Hold still ya feadery coward!" He roared over the strengthening winds, the ship tilted as another strong gust pushed it," Dammit all!" Ad'e snarled as gravity did its job and pulled the two of them toward the far rail.
"Shit!" Cumulus cursed, he had not thought about the fact that no one would be steering during this little scheme of his, to make matters worse time was running out on the bomb. " THERE'S STILL TIME AD'E! I CAN STILL STOP THE BOMBS! YOU JUST HAVE TO GIVE UP THAT DAMNED STAFF!" Cumulus screamed over the intensifying winds.
Ad'e snarled again and aimed the Eye at him," NOT ON YA LIFE!"
Seeing the ruby flash Cumulus panicked and flared his wings, this proved to be his salvation as the strong winds caught the feathered limbs like a kite. Tearing him away from the crooked ship a fraction of a second before a crimson bolt of magic would have struck him, Cumulus groaned in agony as he was sent airborn on wings that should not be supporting him. The pain was so intense that he nearly blacked out but, some small voice in the back of his mind was still counting, 'Five-seventy-six one thousand... Five-seventy-seven ne thousand... Five-seventy-eight one thousand... The bomb!' His mind registered the imminent threat, on some instinctual level Fight or Flight kicked in leaning towards the latter. With the sudden surge of adrenaline in his veins to numb the pain, Cumulus pumps his wings desperate to escape the impending blast. It was hard to tell in the torrential winds but, he thought he could make out the sound of Ad'e's angered howls.
Lightning flashed around him as he flew blindly hardly making any real distance from the doomed ship,' Five- ninety-seven one thousand... Five-ninety-eight one thousand...' With only seconds left, he turned to see the Horus just starting to right its orientation, despite the effort he had put into his attempt to flee he was only twenty yards from the Airship. "Two, one... ... ... Oh no! Was that not en-"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!
The words were cut off as a part of the ships aft section was shredded and a concussive shockwave collided with him, driving the air from his lungs and knocking him out of the sky. He plummeted for several seconds before he was able to spread his strained wings and pull out of the suicidal free fall. His mind was clouded by pain as he looked at his left hind leg, a jagged piece of aluminum was embedded deep in his leg a thin stream on blood already running to his hoof. With what little strength he had left he moved in a southerly direction, in a desperate and ultimately futile attempt to reach some kind of landmass. The southern continent was at least two hundred miles away, a sense of dread crept over him," I'm not gonna make it."
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Is this Jurassic Park with Ponies?
4599021
Not really but there are lots of different types of dinosaurs from both the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. And death lots of death
4599028 Still sounds cool I'll give it a look
O-Okay.
4599287 What?
4599324
Awww you didn't get the joke that I have a dinosaur avatar
After reading this, I feel like I should vote for Saxon in the next election.
I don't remember if you had mentioned plans for a sequel or we are left with this ending where, presumably, everyone dies.
Either way, thanks for the story. 
4605141
Is that quip about Saxon an insult? 
4605156 No, just something I felt like sharing. Not sure why though.
4605210 congrats my friend you won 50 internets
Those will be good for something someday
4605226 How many internets will it cost to find out what happens to Cumulus?
4605237
a thousand... Keep playing when I make offers and you might just get to find out before everyone else... This is actually a real thing I want to start doing, 300 gets you a one shot request 
4784261 well rather way I look forward to your next work.
Till the sun sets on a world without Predators...Stay Gold
Well this was a good tale. An interesting and exciting adventure. Lots of monsters and good job linking things in the past like the old Naval and pirate things.
It's also nice how you turn the sorta anticlimactic end of Jaffar into the opportunity for another climax with the mental effect of the eye.
I do wish that... at the end here it wasn't quite so open ended. It's implied Cloudy dies, but we don't know for sure, and that the threat of the eye is neutralized but we don't know.
But still, kudos on the story. It's been on my read list for a while and I'm glad I finally caught up with it.