Expedition to the Cloudbreak Islands

by Starglider

Regrouping

Two days after the crossing, the sickbay of the EAS Harmony was still a sorry sight. Creatures lay in cots with splinted legs and bandaged burns, while the shelves were increasingly bare of bandages and disinfectant. Some lay quietly, with shaved strips of fur and stitches, but their chests still rise and fall. The four whose chests no longer rose or fell had been discharged, and were helping set up base camp in the field outside, while creeping out most of their crewmates.

Though things looked bad, every pony, griffon and donkey was aware that it could be a lot worse, and they all know of a hippogriff stallion working tirelessly to keep it that way. He had spent the last two days splinting, draining and stitching with the confidence of a true healer. Groans of complaints rather than agony pierce the silence, and in general the downed crew members have little to do but talk with each other. Two conscripted nurses moved along the beds; a slim white unicorn stallion named Winter Hope, and a brawny blue pegasus mare known as Bluebell; each checking injuries and doing what they can to help.

Into this scene came Doctor Reef Skimmer, busily herding yet more injured ponies. Azure Feather immediately stumbled to the one empty cot and collapsed: the blue unicorn was utterly exhausted. Her fellow unicorn Summer Scribe was tempted to follow Azure's example, but the only remaining option was the floor and she didn't want to get in the way. Trailing behind was an earth pony mare who looked in much better shape, a historian named Blue Type, and a short stallion named Melonwater in need of just an adhesive bandage for his single scrape.

"Substantial lacerations on the left foreleg and rump... will definitely need stitches... perforated ear, punctured cheek... we'll need to get you into the surgery room." Reef said firmly to Azure. As she began to struggle back to her hooves he placed an avian claw on her shoulder and clarified "There there, no need to get up." He turned to the pegasus nurse, who was by now quite used to the procedure: each lifted one end of the cot with their wings and between them they began to maneuverer it into the side room.

The best thing that could have been said about Azure's condition is that it could have been a lot worse. The worst thing? Listening to the doctor's speech... well. It could have been a lot better, too, as she closed her eyes and grumbled something incomprehensible that may or may not have resembled the word 'careless'. Surgery? Surgery in her first job of guarding any creature in this extended mission?! "Onto the operating table, I'm guessing? I know more or less what to do, this isn't my first time in one of these..."

Opening her eyes again, she saw a giant eagle's face hovering over her; the apparition opened its beak and asked "How do you feel? You may have lost a significant amount of blood... and I see you don't have wings any more? Gone entirely... is that supposed to happen?"

Azure's face showed a moment of frustration as the severity of her injuries... her failure... was confirmed, but it faded as the doctor directly addressed her. "I've felt a lot worse, Doctor... felt a lot better, too, but..." Another frustrated and defeated grunt escaped her to conclude the point. And then the wings... oh, she's explained this one dozens of times. "The wings are a result of a spell, Doctor. I'm hurt and by the looks of things headed for surgery... this isn't the time to fly. Or put on a show." Her voice quieted substantially as she concluded. "...or anything for that matter, looks like..."

Summer Scribe's wasn't the kind to complain and mope over injuries, at least not of the kind she'd just suffered: she'd had worse, she'd recovered before and she was wasn't going to let this slow her down. That said, she did find herself fretting and worrying about Azure. The winged unicorn had taken quite the beating... well, chomping back there, and without anything else to do or even conscious thought, Summer found herself following Azure into the side room. Once she realised she was inside, her ears perked and she looked a bit bashful. "Is it ok if I watch? I promise I'll be quiet; I'm just worried."

Reef Skimmer did not acknowledge this: he had placed his claws under Azure's form and was gently transferring her onto the operating table, while Bluebell held the cot steady. His claw lingered on her flank for a moment, after which he turned to address his assistant: "Thank you Bluebell, if you could clean her wounds please, I'll handle the closure. Breathing ok, alert... but check her core temperature, would you."

"Whatever you say, Doctor Reef" the part-time nurse replied, moving to the shelves to find the necessary supplies.

Shifting his gaze back to Azure, the hippogriff said in what he hoped was a pleasant, reassuring voice. "Well, that's good: a spell eh. Fascinating stuff, unicorn magic, you must tell me all about it some time. Now see here, you're going to be fine, won't take a jiffy to fix you up, Bluebell here just needs to get you cleaned up and then we'll stitch those wounds right up."

Azure had been staring at the metal grid floor with an unhappy expression, waiting for the sting of the disinfectant. The bedside patter did have some effect: at the mention of telling the doctor all about wing magic, she managed a hoarse chuckle. "Sure. Will do when we get some free time... when I'm back on my hooves." 'Got to keep my spirits up', she thought...

With that done the griff stallion rounded on the smaller unicorn, his wings half-spread and blocking Summer's view of the examination table. "You... Miss Sarsaparilla isn't it? Or should I say Senior Researcher Sarsaparilla?" Reef caught himself and closed his eyes, before asking in a slightly less annoyed tone "What happened out there? Those look like bite marks... sizeable ones, at that. If so your friend is lucky teeth that size didn't do more damage... individually that is, alas they've made up for that in quantity."

On hearing the new nickname, Summer Scribe flattened her ears; but chose not to object, feeling that her facial expression said it all. She didn't want to get into an argument right now, and besides, everyone knows HER name! Instead she said "We ran into some trouble while exploring into the forest, sir. We got cornered at the bottom of a ditch by these indigenous lifeforms..."

Rearing onto her hind legs for a moment, she made a 'chomp chomp' gesture with her hooves. "Green, eyeballs on stalks, smaller than a pony, but more teeth than anything else... I guess you could call them 'chompers'... because it seems like they've only got one tactic: lunging, and chomping... but they ambushed and outnumbered us, so we had to retreat and tend to our wounds." She was still upset about her earlier fumble: that was the easiest dodge in the world, and her legs just seized up! She shouldn't be making mistakes like this on good spirits! Again, the look on her face told it all, or so she felt.

Reef cocked his head, considering Summer's words. "Ambush predators? Eyeballs on stalks? Hmm, did they look like insects, or reptilian or mammalian? Carapace, scales or fur, I mean to say. Venom definitely a possibility in the former two cases..."

At this point an excited stallion pushed his way into the conversation, saying "They somehow dug this huge pit, right in the middle of the road! Or... something did at any rate. Something big! They dug out all the topsoil, they must've, but it was still dirt down there, not rock! Are these islands dirt all the way down?" He blinked, then blushed, before adding "Eh-heh... and they caught us in there. Well, not me. I managed to throw in a vine, but... if I hadn't been up there, we might've..." He stopped talking and stared off into space, as if he just realised what a close call it had been.

"Uh, yeah, thanks again Melonwater. So... the critters, well they're..." Summer Scribe paused; what were they? "Well, they have, umm..." She made an uncertain gesture with one hoof, trying to visualise one, her memory coming up with chaotic flashes of alien eyes, flailing stumpy legs and impossibly wide mouths, filled with too many needle-like teeth to count. "...They're green? Two legs, spikey little arms? They honestly don't seem to have much in the way of endo or exoskeleton. ... Just teeth." She shivered. "...but they weren't exactly gelatinous either, so... They might be plant based, if I were to hazard a guess?"

"Plants with eyes and teeth?" Reef said, snorting as if offended by the concept. "Unprecedented, although... there are certain hybrids in southern Equestria, which while not technically plants, do possess... erm, never mind that now." He refocused his eagle eyes on the unicorn in front of him. "So... you fell into a pit? In the middle of the road?" Reef sounded sceptical, as if thinking 'why would anypony just walk into a pit'. "But you were able to walk back? No broken bones, torn muscles or sprained ankles?"

Summer Scribe scrunched her nose, looking a bit worried by that possibility as well. But what else could it be? She just nodded along with the doctor's musings, before the conversation continued. "Yeah, l guess... visibility was poor, and we blundered right into it: tumbled down the side, but it was too steep to easily escape from." She indicated the slope and depth with a hoof as she spoke. "So... yeah! Me and Blue Type took the fall surprisingly well, so we can be thankful for that part. No plans to walk into any more pits from now on!"

"We're not that clueless, honest." Melonwater grumbled.

Reef looked away. "Well then, good... it seems things could have gone much worse, as your young friend said. As full as we are in here, hardly want to deal with more life-threatening injuries." He turned back to Summer, continuing in a more apologetic "Look... Summer Scribe, why don't you take this cot here..." he gestured with a wing at the now-empty bed Azure had been occupying, "Nurse Bluebell can take a look at your bites while I attend to..." Reef blushed and coughed in embarrassment as he realised in all the commotion he still hadn't gotten the other unicorn's name. He continued in a quieter tone: "...the magic-winged mare..."

At the cough, Summer Scribe quietly elides in '...Azure Feather...', with a wry smile on her face.

The hippogriff looked grateful, and perhaps a slightly surprised "...Indeed, and you can tell me what else you found out there?"

Summer nod nodded in agreement! "I'm thankful we all made it back in one piece!" She clambered onto the cot and it wasn't until she was lying down that she realised how much her legs hurt, not to mention her muzzle. Those teeth had sunk deep! She didn't mind being deprioritised though, Azure's need was greater. As she waited for her turn with the nurse, she started going down her mental checklist.

"So like, I'll start with the biggest ones: there's a derelict village here, but it's DEFINITELY not for the Sheep, and there's no extant inhabitants that I can see. The occupants might have even been bipeds? More investigation required... particularly of that shrine or whatever it was, definitely important to their culture, and traces of magic as well!" Summer smiled, visualising the details already looking forward to the follow-up visit.

"Hmm, indeed, interesting, interesting..." Reef said, half-listening to Summer's chatter. He checked over the blue unicorn, now lying on her side on the surgical table, before nodding approvingly at the nurse. "Thank you Bluebell, now if you could take a look at Miss Scribe over there, I'll take it from here."

"Oh, and another weird thing: Melonwater pointed out that the bridge leading to the forest is made of granite, but this island doesn't HAVE a layer of igneous rock..." she continued, starting to ramble, "...so it must have come from a different island. There's even a quarry here, and you'll never guess what's mined here; it's marble, by the way; so why not build it out of local resources? Also, there were these weird 2 by 2 metre blocks of solid stone in the quarry, easy to push along particular grooves but solid as a rock otherwise - might be prototypes of a puzzle mechanism? And did you ever think about the fact there's apparently a full water cycle just on this tiny island..."

"Mmm, quite fascinating to be sure..." Reef said, not exactly paying attention but not wanting to discourage Summer. Looking at his patient, the hippogriff asked "Azure, you're holding up well, thank you. Now, I have to ask, would accept a pain-numbing casting rather than a local anaesthetic? I must warn you, it isn't quite as effective, but, erm, we need to conserve supplies... for the most serious cases."

Summer Scribe grinned, pleased that someone listened to her rambling! She wasn't sure if the doctor was genuinely interested or just humouring her, but chose to assume the former. The unicorn showed Bluebell her wounds and accepted the stings of the disinfectant sponge, satisfied for the time being.

"So a pain-killer instead of an anaesthetic?" Azure replied. "It's probably going to sting less than those biters, and if it doesn't, it has to hurt before it can heal. I can take it, Doctor, I get your point. Go for it." Azure had barely listened to the conversation, more focused on her situation and performance in the pit, trying to analyse what had happened and work out how to avoid a repeat of this situation, but it appears she's not fully absorbed in her thoughts.

"Quite so... very good." Reef said, appreciating a patient made of sterner stuff than most of the ponies he'd treated. The griff ducked out of the room to fetch Winter Hope, who'd fortunately... or unfortunately... been getting a lot of practice with his pain-numbing casting recently.

The unicorn did his best, but the stiching was still a stinging pain, almost worse than the bites of the chompers since Azure didn't have to anticipate those. Winter Hope's pain-numbing spell mostly keeps her from twitching, even if the horn of a skilled unicorn would be much more effective at dulling the pain. Winter was better at hauling rope though, so the surgery was a pretty harrowing experience. Now with annoyingly chilly bald patches in her fur, Azure was too exhausted to do much other than gripe about a blanket, before drifting off. Summer Scribe, Blue Type and Melonwater would have a much easier sleep, though Summer did have to assure the doctor that fresh bandages were sufficient, and she didn't need stitches.

---

It was a more select group than before that met in the mess that evening; perhaps half the remaining crew, with Azure Feather noticeably absent and Reef Skimmer still missing a great deal of sleep. "Now I know a lot of you are wondering," Set Sail began, "why the expedition team came back limping and bloody. We might be up against... some stuff that's nastier than sheep. I'll uh... I'll let Dr. Scribe relay what she discovered on the expedition, and how it uh... ended."

Summer proceeded to give a full account of her team's adventure; the story of their initial explorations was greeted with enthusiasm, but expressions shifted to shock and then horror as she described the pit and the creatures that attacked them.

"...Anypony?" Set Sail asked desperately, looking around, "Does anypony have any idea what we are going to do about this? A pit full of little green monsters, not an hour's trot away from here! I know we were here to find ruins, but if all we can find are ruins and monsters...!" She stomped the deck with a frustrated snort.

"Sorry... I just don't know what to do if our expedition teams aren't gonna be able to deal with those green things, or any more of the nasty critters in this place. We had a creature expert, and they fell right outta the ship. I can't even tell the difference between a chipmunk and a squirrel, and I don't think there's anypony who does. But they almost didn't... make it... back. I don't want to send out another team, if they're not gonna make it back."

Reef took a step forward, claws spread out on the deck. He stared into space for a moment, gathering his thoughts, before saying "Certainly a better understanding of the local fauna would be of use. I... might be able to assist in that area. That said..." he fixed Summer with a steady gaze "...that does not strike me as the most pressing problem here. No, I do believe this is a question of protocol. You see, back in the Queen's Navy, the regulations covering shore parties and unknown terrain were quite specific, and quite extensive..."

Not seeing many, or indeed any nodes of approval, the griff changed tack slightly "Not that one has to stand on regulation all the time, but surely a basic protocol would apply? Overflight to assess the lay of the land before embarking, two griffs armed with wing swords, in the air at all times keeping eyes on the ground party, signal flares in case aid is needed from the ship, and all that? Not that it was my area of expertise, but surely... you ponies have something similar... ?" his voice trailed off.

Blinking, Set Sail asked, "Overflight over the jungle? What for?" Looking left and right, she called out, "Anypony here have wing blades?" A couple of heads shook; the only possible candidate was the pegasus security officer, but she'd been crushed by a boulder in the crossing, and was currently in the sick bay, newly turned purple and inexplicably still animate. "How about signal flares?" the Captain hollered instead.

"One box in the captain's quarters," the male griffon called back.

"Right, there would be there," Set Sail winced. Ears going down, she said with a sigh to Reef, "Signal flares are a good idea... honestly I thought either Doctor Scribe or the security officer would be able to send out a flare with their y'know... horn thingy. Sorry, the captain knew all about all that procedure. I uh... yeah. Wait did you say you understand the local fauna?"

---

Morning dawned on the expedition's third day in the Cloudbreaks, and once more a circle of crewmates of various sorts could be found gathered on the upper deck of the moored airship. Those sailing the ship, setting up a base camp, working on the engine, and walking off their injuries have come to learn what the expedition's next step will be. The third mate, now captain; a brown pegasus mare with a blue mane and a green bandanna; stepped forward to speak.

A very grumpy looking Reef Skimmer tried not to grind his beak, as Set Sail explained eagerly, "And Reef Skimmer here is not only a doctor, he's an expert on all sorts of creatures and plants! He volunteered, well basically volunteered, to accompany the expedition so we don't get waylaid by strange... thingies like that anymore. Winter Hope and Bluebell said they can take care of everypony still injured back here at the ship, so there's no reason not to send him. And get this, he has a pair of honest to gosh wing blades, so he can even defend himself!"

The grey hippogriff frowned at that, but didn't interrupt, as the mare continued: "So he'll be in the group of our toughest ponies, going to try and deal with that chomping menace out there," the green capped mare continues, "Another team led by uh, Summer Scribe will be doing their... thing in that ruined village. You wanna tell us uh, what exactly you're doing there, Summer?"

Summer Scribe beamed proudly. Messing around with bitey green critters in a dark forest has turned out to not be as exciting as advertised; finally, she'll get a chance to do some real scientific work! "Of course! This is our first treasure trove of indigenous species history: an entire village to ourselves! We'll be doing digs, cataloguing items of historical note, figuring out the local architecture, seeing if we can piece together the language. We'll learn everything we can about who lived on this island!" She picked her head up, beaming: this felt joyous! "And everypony who's ready and able to put in the work will be chipping in! While Reef Skimmer and company will be working on our... Chomper problem." She nodded back at Set Sail, a look of relief on her face!

Reef Skimmer looked troubled, possibly even embarrassed. "Well, one will do what one can, of course... though there may be no remedy other than to avoid the general habitat of the beasts..." Realising that he might be talking himself out of an excuse to get off the ship, he blinked and finished in a more jovial tone "...but eager to take a look of course, terribly exciting, new form of life, happy to help, when do we set off?" The hippogriff fluffed and fidgeted his wings, staring over Summer Scribe and Set Sail's heads.

“Right, okay,” Set Sail said to Summer Scribe in vague comprehension, “Anyway, the ponies going to that monster pit are Reef Ski—” Set Sail blushed, and glanced at the proudly fluffing hippogriff, “The creatures going to that monster pit are Reef Skimmer, Grenelda, and Cloud Cutter, who uh...” she looked with unease at the glassy eyed purple pegasus, “...says she’s fine, and she’s a red belt in wing-fu.”

Cloud Cutter smiled at that... spookily.

Azure Feather had been listening carefully, having made her way up from the lower deck at a slower and more painful pace than usual, still sporting the bevy of the bandages she'd received in the sick bay. "Time for the next mission already? I'm not 100%, but I can walk and stand guard at the very least." Still not sporting the wings that she's usually been seen with, she looked over her shoulder at the spot where the wings should be, before looking to the rest of the ponies. "Need a guard with some creature?" she asked, not sounding entirely sure of herself, but enough to risk going out again.

Set Sail looked thoughtfully at Azure standing there, mostly hale and whole it seemed, give or take a few cuts and bandages. After a quick assessment she asked, “Are you sure Azure? You totally... I mean, we don’t have many unicorns, and you’re the only one trained in those horn... lasery things. But I don’t want you to hurt yourself just for us to go look at the monster pit maybe.”

Reef frowned again, his gaze passing over Azure's wounds, checking no sutures have come out. Hearing Set Sail's words, he nods approvingly to her. "Quite right..." there is a pause as he tries and fails to remember the third mate's name.

Azure turned to Set Sail, reluctant to admit that she might not be able to do her job. "Look. I got injured before, yes, but I can walk, and I'm..." There was a slight hesitation there. "I'm rested. I'll be fine, I can't#"

The doctor cut her off. "Now see here... Azure, that's very noble of you and... I know your magic is our surest defence against many a threat. You really can't hazard another wildlife attack though, a few more bites and those stiches might be liable to tear right out."

Judging by her wince mid-way through Reef Skimmer's first sentence, there was no way Azure was at 100%, and by the end, she was noticeably slumping. "On the other hoof, Doctor, if you get injured, we're going to be in a heck of a worse situation than we are right now. This place isn't safe, and the last thing we need is our doctor to be injured, or worse." Another pause as she tested her right forehoof before continuing with a bit of a sigh. "But if you truly think we're better off with me staying here and recovering, then I won't argue."

Reef Skimmer stared at Azure, cocking his head, before saying in a conciliatory tone "My dear pony I can't count the number of sailors who ignored my advice to stay in their cots, because they put their duty first. I'm not your commanding officer, I can't order you around. My... advice is just... try not to be on the front line this time? Magical support from the rear and all that, isn't it how unicorn tactics go anyway?"

Summer Scribe was listening attentively to the conversation between Reef and Azure, and took this chance to offer her two cents: "It probably won't be as dangerous the second time around, if you keep your wits about you - the fact that we fell into the pitfall meant we had no way to retreat, and their tactics seem to be limited to 'approach and lunge'. They're not even good at flanking! So just keep your distance and a cool head and you'll be safe."

"Sounds good... general unicorn blasting platform tactics." Azure nodded slowly as her unicorn horn suddenly flared to life, channelling magical blue energy towards her own form for a few seconds: within moments those familiar butterfly-like wings had blossomed and melded into her back, but it wasn't without a significant wince as the spell ended. "Okay...! Maybe I shouldn't be casting spells like crazy today, either. Strain, physical or magical, doesn't do healing injuries any favours." She nodded again, "Guess I'll be in the back lines after all... so which group am I accompanying today?" she asked.

Reef stared at Azure's new wings, making a mental note to ask her about the zombie pegasi when he gets a chance (not to mention get a sketch of her wing patterning). Despite Nutmeg's best efforts he still had no idea what kind of magic could be letting the purple ponies move, talk and even eat without breathing, pulse or any of the other conventional signs of life. His gaze shifts to... Cloud Splutter was it? He could hardly tell the pegasus to sit on the ship when he had no idea if she would or even could return to previous state, much less how to accomplish it.

Meanwhile, Summer Scribe was giving Azure a welcoming wave. "Well, how about you act as the guard for the dig?" she suggested cheerfully. "We don't KNOW for a fact that nothing will come by and attack, and I'm sure everypony will be relieved to have someone standing watch. Seems like a win win!"

"Good, good..." Reef mumbled, then more loudly "One had best get a pack together then! Just a few essentials, I'll be back in a jiffy." He unfolded his right wing, eyeing the pinions critically. "Must say I'll be glad to get in the air again." Folding it back up, he said "Right-o, see you on deck in ten.", turned about smartly and disappeared down the ramp into the ship.

Azure watched the griff depart: "You be safe out there, we need to see you again!" She called out, before turning to Summer again. "Sounds like a plan... varying amount of risk, no hostiles on the last visit but no guarantee that will hold, as opposed to... significant hostiles facing the other group." She thought it over for a few more moments, before giving a final, resolute nod. "Alright. Any creature need supplies in this group, or are we ready to set off?" She asked, clearly glad that she won't be spending another day in the ship's quarters, doing nothing while she's classified as injured.

Summer clopped her hooves eagerly. "Glad to have you on board, Azure! I'll be running around rallying up the help and gathering tools and supplies, then we're ready to set off whenever."

Author's Note:

This chapter covers sessions eight and nine, narrated / GMed by Ferret: due to various issues the players were dealing with, they were short sessions. The map is a player handout from the RP, made by me.