> Carnivore
>  by Recteik Shade
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Nopony Cares
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Baltimare Train Station sat on a high ridge overlooking the valley the city sat in. The reason for this was two fold. First, it was ludicrously difficult to get a train going fast enough to get up the steep incline of hills that surrounded the medium sized ocean city. The second reason was to make a good first impression on the tourists that frequented the cities cruiseliners. It apparently worked, seeing as Baltimare was considered the most beautiful port city in all of Equestria.

As the noonday train pulled into the terminal, there was a flood of activity as the many doors opened. Unicorn and Earth Ponies rushed onto the platform while several Pegasi fluttered about in the air. Even a family of Crystal Ponies clambered off the locomotive, dragging what had to be everything they owned. Their daughter gasped and flung herself against the guardrail as she saw the limestone city sweeping towards the sea. 

Nearby a pegasus had stepped off the train in time to see the filly’s excitement and couldn't resist the urge to chuckle to himself. 'I still remember the first time I saw this city. I was just as slack jawed as she is.' 

It had been almost twelve years since he had first laid eyes on this city. It was still ten times the sight that San Pransisco was. He watched as the rest of the family came up and stared down at the city in wonder. "Here it is, Pearl," the Crystal stallion said, reaching down to wrap a foreleg around his daughter, "Our new home."

The Pegasus felt a smile spread across his face. He had read that, since the Crystal Empire’s return, some Crystal Ponies found they just couldn't stay and left for Equestria. 'Too many bad memories I'd wager,' the Pegasus thought to himself, 'If only half of what I've heard about that Sombra brute is true, I cannot say I blame them for leaving.' He strolled over to the ledge and gave a happy sigh. "I never get tired of that view."

The stallion looked over at him quirking an eyebrow. The Pegasus knew he looked rather odd. He was short and lean, almost to the point of being spindly, forest green Pegasus with dull brown eyes and a mahogany colored mane. His wings pressed tight against battered and abused saddlebags that looked ready to rip open if a small butterfly were to land on it. Even his Cutie Mark was especially strange. It resembled the marks a bear’s claw would leave on a tree. However, in spite of all this, the Crystal Pony spoke to him. "You live here?"

The Pegasus’ smile got a little wider. "I do indeed. Welcome to Baltimare, the most beautiful city in all of Equestria." He extended his hoof to the stallion. "Cumulus Granted."

The Crystal Pony smiled and gave a firm hoofshake. "Adamant Sparks." He motioned to the the mare beside him. "This is my wife Gypsum-" he squeezed the filly in his foreleg a little tighter "-and our daughter Pearl." 

Cumulus put on his most charming smile. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Are you very familiar with the city, Mr. Granted?" asked Gypsum, who began to rummage through her bags until she pulled out a small slip of paper. "Would you know where to find-" she stared at the paper "-4913 Trotter St.?"

Cumulus couldn’t help but laugh as she read the address. "I know Trotter St. very well. It's where some of the dorms for the university are."

The mare seemed to perk up hearing that he was familiar with the local college. "I take it you are a graduate of the university?"

He smiled and nodded. "A graduate and researcher. I was just returning to reveal my latest research." He paused as a notion entered his mind. "Say? Why not share a cab?" They both gave him a suspicious look. "In all honesty, I've never met a Crystal Pony. I'd love to pick your brain about your culture." 

He saw them exchange a worried look. Realizing that they thought he was going to ask about Sombra, he let his smile drop. "Although, I can imagine there are one or two topics you might wish to steer away from." 

He saw them relax and give a collective sigh of relief. "That sounds nice,” Gypsum replied, “It would be good to learn a little more about the city too." 

With that, they all moved towards the entrance to the station. The going was slow, seeing as the couple were toting all their belongings. Cumulus had offered to assist them, but they declined.
The station was louder and more crowded than it should have been. Fortunately, almost everyone seemed to be leaving and, as a large group of ponies passed them to head towards the platform, the noise level dropped to a more pleasant volume. 

Feeling a light tap on his shoulder, Cumulus looked down to see Pearl giving him a curious look. “Yes, little one?” he asked, “Did you need something?” 

The young filly smiled back at him. "What do you teach, mister?"

Cumulus smiled, happy to share his knowledge. "Well, actually, I don't teach. I'm a researcher, which means it's my job to go out and learn about certain things within my own field. I then bring what I have learned back to the University, so it can be taught to students eager to learn what I have observed." When she gave him a confused look, he chuckled lightly. "But, if you are curious about what I study, I would be happy to share." He saw her nod. "Well, basically I study the predators of Equestria."


"	What's a pred-eater?" she asked, clearly baffled.

He chuckled again. "No, pred-at-tors. Predators are animals that eat meat and actively hunt other animals as food."

The filly gasped. " You watch monsters?!"

His smile faltered a little. "That is what most ponies seem to think of them as isn't it? But, in truth little one, predators are no more monsters than dogs or cats are."

"Huh?” she asked, “What does that mean?"

He smiled again. "Well, would you call a puppy a monster?"

She giggled. "No.”

"How about a fluffy cat?” he asked, keeping his tone jovial. “Would you say that is a monster?"

"Of course not!" She squeaked with some fierceness.

He smiled wide. “Well, guess what Pearl. Both of those animals are predators."

Her eyes went wide at this. "No way!" She had an awed tone in her high pitched voice.

He laughed. "Yes way. Dogs are descendants of wolves and house cats are just small wild cats that chose to live with ponies a long time ago because we fed them." 

As they walked out of the station and onto the street she smiled up at him. "Wow mister! You sure know a lot about those pred-eaters!"

He laughed again. "They are my passion. It is all I ever thought about as a colt." He raised a foreleg into the air and waved it about madly. "TAXI!!!" 

Pearl was so surprised when he shouted that she scrambled back and tripped on her own tail. Cumulus hadn't noticed as his hail had been successful. A black wooden coach pulled up in front of the little group pulled by a large Earth Pony stallion.

The coach driver nodded to Cumulus. "Afternoon, sir. Where to?"

He returned the nod and smile. "Afternoon. I will be sharing the stage with these fine ponies and will be heading to the 4900 block of Trotter St., then to the University."

The driver smiled as he unhooked himself to help Adamant stow their luggage. He paused and looked the family over. 
"Crystal Ponies, huh? Welcome to Baltimare. Planning on staying long?" Glancing at their luggage, he gave a smirk that said he already knew the answer.

"Yes, my wife is going to attend the University," Adamant said, beaming at the mare.

The driver smiled at Gypsum. "Nice! Baltimare U is one of the finest schools in Equestria."

As they finished loading the family’s belongings, the cab driver opened the door for them. "Right this way." After helping them into the cab, he reattached himself to the harness and began to pull them along. After finding a good pace, he called back, "Next stop: Trotter Street."






"So your telling me that that tyrant made himself up to look like your first king in an attempt to inspire hope?" Cumulus asked, completely dumbfounded. It had taken nearly an hour to reach Trotter St. and, in that time, he had made small talk with the charming little family. Eventually they started to reveal some details of Sombra's rise to power without his prompting.

"Yes,” Gypsum's melodic voice answered from the cab’s trunk, "and it worked. When he rose to take the throne, the whole kingdom celebrated." She stepped away with the last bag on her back. "What we didn't know was that he used dark magic to do it. It was only two months after his coronation that he went mad an-" She stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes were scrunched shut and she was shaking violently. 

Adamant was by her side in seconds and wrapped in a hug. "The things he did," she muttered as her husband stroked her mane. 

When Cumulus saw her coat start to lose it crystalline luster, he started to worry. "I am so sorry!" he blurted, rushing to them, “"I did not mean to dredge up old demons!" This action even earning a look of sympathy from the cab driver. 

"No, it's nothing you did," Adamant replied, still trying to comfort his wife, "Gypsum had to endure the worst of that maniac!"  

From the way that Adamant stressed the word ‘worse’, it gave Cumulus a feeling as to what she had been subject to. When he mouthed the word 'concubine', Adamant simply nodded in reply. Seeing that admission made Cumulus’ stomach churn at the very notion of it.

After Cumulus paid the fare and asked the stallion to wait, he turned back to the quaking mare. He lightly strolled up to the young family wearing a sad expression. After what felt like an eternity, he finally worked up the nerve to speak. "Miss Gypsum?" 

She turned her gaze to him, still shaking a bit. "I feel terrible about this. Truly, I do. I insist that I treat you and your family to dinner."

She gave him a small smile. "That's very sweet, but you really don't have to do that." 

He shook his head adamantly. "I am sorry, but I just cannot take ‘no’ for an answer. Had I been able to control my blasted curiosity, we would have never broached the subject." Seeing that she was about to argue, he added, "And I do make a delicious chowder."

"I've never had chowder before," squeaked Pearl. 

The mare looked between Cumulus and her daughter a few times before she sighed defeatedly. "Well alright, if you insist."

"Excellent," piped Cumulus happily. "Tomorrow night then?" The two ponies nodded their response. "I'll send a cab around seven. Forgive me, but I fear I have kept Professor Snapper waiting for far too long. Until then." 
Heading back for the cab, he addressed the driver. "Now then my fine stallion, onto the University.







The corridors of the University seemed more crowded than usual as Cumulus moved with the bulk of the student body. Unfortunately for him, no one gave him a second thought as they pushed in uncomfortably around him. The only bright side to being in this situation was that he wasn't in any sort of hurry. 'Leave it to me to show just when everypony is leaving,' he griped to himself.

After squeezing between two unusually loud young stallions, he found the door leading into Professor Snapper’s office. Deciding that kissing it gratefully was undignifying, he opted to simply tap lightly tapped upon it. 

"Enter!" barked a raspy sounding voice.

He pushed the door open and smiled, seeing an old wiry gryphon turn and raise a pair of impossibly thick glasses to this eyes. "Thatius Snapper! Is that you, you old buzzard!?" 

"Well that sounds like," the gryphon known as Snapper squawked as Cumulus closed the door.  His eyes widened in recognition, giving way to a scowl. "Doctor Granted! Haven't you ended up on the wrong side of a hydra gullet yet?"

Cumulus scowled back at the aged hybrid. "I see you haven't ended up roasted with side of potatoes yet." 

The two continued to scowl at each other for a minute, but soon both began to smirk and snicker giving way to raucous laughter. Cumulus approached the gryphon wrapping him in a mutual embrace. "It's good to see you again, Professor!" 

"I could say the same, Cumulus!” Snapper stated as the two parted, “ Bless my beak! What's it been, five years?"

"Six, actually."

The old gryphon clicked his beak. "Has it really? All that time in the Everfree. I am impressed. Where did you center yourself? Ponyville?"

Cumulus made a dismissive gesture with his hoof. "Neighntucket, actually. It is the smallest town bordering the Everfree and, as a result, has the most incursions." He chuckled. "Charming little village. Only a hundred and fifty residents total. That's not even a tenth of Ponyville’s population."

Snapper removed his glasses and wiped them with a cloth. "As I recall, it's fairly far off the beaten path too." He sighed and glanced out the window. From his office Professor Snapper had a marvelous view of the bay. 
"Suppose you had your pick of the mares out there."

The pegasus guffawed. "Heavens no. I was far too preoccupied with my research to go chasing mares. Speaking of which-" he delicately lifted his wings off his saddlebags, "-there was a mare there. Pretty little Unicorn. She had a colt, but her husband had been killed in one of the attacks shortly before he was born. I suppose you could say we fancied each other, but nothing ever came of it. She got married last year, even invited me to the wedding. She was always so kind, but now on to my research." After a minute or so of looking, he pulled a few folders out of the tattered bag.

"Cumulus."

"Timber Wolf procreation remains an elusive enigma," He said, flipping through a few sheets, "but I'm confident I can piece it together."

"Cumulus..."

"However, the Manticores were where I made my biggest strides."

"Cumulus!"

"Their social structure is fascinating! I also believe I have a solid theory as to why they attack Neighntucket so often. It seems they have a den less than a quarter mile from the village. If we could find some way to relocate them, I am certain that would reduce the frequency of attacks by forty-"

"Cumulus!" Snapper shouted, ending the stallion’s lecture.

After Granted recovered from flinching, he gave the old gryphon a curious look. "Is something wrong Professor?"

Snapper just shook his head and gave him a sad smile. "You should have chased that mare, lad. If you had, then this would have been a little less painful."

Cumulus scoffed. "Oh come now, Professor! That's hardly important right now." He started to shuffle through his papers again, having missed what the gryphon had just said. "My research is far-"

"Your research is over lad!" squawked Snapper.

Cumulus blinked in confusion. "I beg your pardon? How can it be over? I have barely scratched the surface!"

Snapper sighed. "While you were gone, there was a change of hooves. Several new ponies have joined the Board of Trustees and many of them believe that your research is nothing more than a waste of the University’s time and money. I tried my best to convince them for you, lad. Truly, I did-" he sighed again "-However, they say that since there is an Alicorn living so close to the Everfree, the monster won't dare come out anymore."

As Cumulus listened to him, he felt the the world shattering around him. 'Over!? How can this be it? This is my life's work, my passion! There has to be something I can do to convince them!' 

"Fortunately, I was able to get you a small concession," the Professor stated in a flat tone, "I was able to convince them to let you keep the remainder of your current grant and reclassify it as a ‘retirement gift’."

"Retirement!?" he shouted, "I'm not even thirty! No! No, no I'll go to the Dean! Show him my findings! Try to-"

"Weren't you listening lad?” Snapper asked in a pained voice, “The Dean himself cast the tie breaker vote. I'm sorry lad, but it's over."

Cumulus was dumbstruck. How could it end like this? He had to do something, but what could he possibly do that Snapper had not already tried? He stood n his old mentor’s office, tears pouring down his cheeks. For the first time in his life, Cumulus Granted did not know what to do.

> Too Good to be True
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Baltimare was a city built around a river some centuries past. The first homes were built out of wood and a soft white stone quarried from nearby. As the years passed and the little port village became a city, the river was dammed, diverted, and eventually detoured underground to become the modern cities sewers. The little wood houses made way for elaborate and beautifully sculpted homes as its citizens prospered in the ports wealth. The white stone, still having massive appeal, was still used as the major cornerstone for any artistic or architectural endeavors.

However as you approach the docks, the city’s ivory shine is stripped away in favor of practicality and cost. Large open warehouses set up to ship and receive tons of goods as inns and taverns littered the streets. Several card parlors and even a brothel or three stood nearby, ready to strip the sailors of their freshly earned coin. 

Within this part of the city, there is a particular tavern that sits the closest to the docks. It's reputation was as obvious as the name painted on the hanging sign: The Up-Chucking Sailor. The sign also featured a stallion dressed as an officer of the Royal Navy looking sickly with his muzzle in a bucket and his cheeks puffed out in a fashion that could only be accomplished by puking. It was the kind of place where everyone was welcome, as long as you didn't try to smash anything. 

There was a group of Minotaurs sitting around a cluster of tables by the door, drinking from massive steins and telling jokes in their own harsh sounding language. A few Gryphons were set up as far from the the Minotaurs as possible, throwing hateful glares whenever the opposing group would laugh at another joke. A group of ponies wearing the uniform of the Royal Navy sat at another table, staring intently at an Anubian privateer smoking opium from a pipe and hoping beyond hope that the Jackal would say something incriminating. Several dock and warehouse workers clustered around tables to tell stories or idly chat about work.  Even a small group of sailors sat huddling around a table to talk in hushed voices or sing sea shanties.

All in all, the tavern was loud and quite crowded. Had it not been for the alcohol, Cumulus was more than certain that he would’ve had a splitting headache. He sat on a stool at the bar, leaning heavily against it. He stared at his empty glass, swaying to a song that nearly everyone was singing to. Slowly, he looked down the bar to see an Earth Pony who was best described as massive.  

"Stout!" The pale green stallion turned to face him. "Another!"

All he got was a worried look. "Look Cumulus, I don't hear anything from you in years and then you just crash through my door and start drinking all my best stuff." He then gave a small smile. "And besides, you never could hold your ale."

Cumulus sighed dejectedly. "I have had far better days, Stout. The university, in all its wisdom, decided to cut my funding. As you can see I am not taking it well. In truth, this is the fifth tavern I have visited today. I drink, get bored, and walk it off right into the next bar."

The burly stallion, recovering from his slacked jaw, replied quietly but passionately, "That's insane! Your research has done so much good already." Seeing Cumulus give an uncaring shrug, he sighed and refilled Cumulus’ glass. “Make it last."

As the pegasus began to sip from his glass, an especially inebriated sailor threw himself against the counter. He was laughing right into Cumulus's ear when he shouted, "Gimme one more, Stout!" Cumulus winced as his ears started to ring.

"Piss off!” Stout replied, half laughing his response, “You've had enough for one night, Crank."
The sailor slammed his hooves together in a pleading gesture. "Aw, have a heart! I still got half my pay and I know if I-"

"If you bring home too much money, your wife will buy a bunch of sweets and get fat." Stout replied with a deadpan expression, "And I wouldn't wanna make your wife fat, right? You’re getting way too predictable. Do you know that?"

Crank just guffawed. “It's true ya know? She's a baker’s daughter. Gotta watch her and them sweets."

Stout sighed in response. "Fine, if you’re so desperate to piss away your bits, I got just the thing to accommodate you." He turned away and gathering mixings. 

Seeing what he was mixing, the sailor started to pale. "Well, don't do me any favours."

As Stout mixed the concoction, Cumulus watched him in fascination while the sailor was facing away to sing with his crew. As he watched, Cumulus noticed Stout pour a touch of blue liquid from a small vial. After stirring the mix vigorously, Stout poured it into a glass and slid it to the stallion. 

"There ya are,” Stout replied chipperly, “The specialty of the house. I call it ‘The Up-Chuck Special!”

"You really need to think up a better name for that!"  Cumulus answered with a chuckle.

"You can say that again," the sailor agreed, eyeing the turquoise liqueur with distaste. “And just how much do I owe you for this... stuff?"

"Twenty-five bits should cover it,"  Stout answered, tapping the counter gently with a hoof.

"Celestia's Beard!" The sailor swore. Any other objections were quieted by Stout's frown. 
"Alright, alright!” the sailor conceded, reaching for his purse and slamming the money on the bar. “Here, ya miser!"  Eyeing the beverage warily, he walked back to his table.

"So what was that you slipped in his drink?” Cumulus asked once the sailor was safely out of earshot. “Nothing perverted, I hope."

Stout just laughed. "Nope, he's too ugly for any of that!"  Looking warily about, he leaned in and whispered, "It's a potion that sobers you up for about twelve hours." Cumulus cocked an eyebrow at this revelation. "It'll take about an hour to kick in and, once it does, he can't get drunk again."

Cumulus found himself chuckling at this. "You're incurable." 

Stout shot him a grin. "The best part is that he'll probably spend another fifty bits trying to get his buzz back!" he whispered, giggling like a foal who thought he had come up with the best plan ever.

"Ever the money grubber,” Cumulus replied, his chuckle still going. “You haven't changed at all, have you?"

"Nope," he answered with a laugh.

"I still can't believe you actually named this place ‘The Up-Chucking Sailor!’"  

"How bad would it be if everyone knew the stallion on the sign was you!?"

"I thought we agreed not to talk about that dreadful evening of my Sophomore Year,"  Cumulus said warningly, "Or should I tell your clientele about the time you got so hammered that you dressed up like a cheerleader? If I remember right you had half the hoofball team wanting to rut you while the other half wanting to watch."

Stout’s eyes went wide. "You remember that!?" he whispered harshly.

"I keep a picture of it in my wallet," Cumulus answered with a sly smile.

"Alright!” Stout said, throwing his hooves up in a submissive gesture, “Shutting up now." He went back to his business of serving drinks and preventing brawls.

- - - - -

As the sun began to set, Stout had just finished defusing another confrontation that had nearly dissolved into an all out brawl. Apparently the gryphons nearly started a fight that would have ended badly for everyone, namely due to the fact they were trying to pick a fight with the group of burly Minotaurs. Even though an unquiet calm had settled over the pub, the bird hybrids were still glaring daggers at the noisy bulls. ‘I'm gonna have to throw them out soon if they keep causing problems,' he thought. For the moment though, Stout happily resumed his business of serving drinks.  

When he glanced at Cumulus, he noticed that the pegasus had gotten quiet again. While Cumulus was nursing his fifth rum, Stout noticed that his face was flush and that he was swirling his drink, watching the little whirlpool he created. 

'He's drunk,’ Stout thought with a sad little smile. Stout couldn’t blame him though; Cumulus had a rough day and he had at least managed to numb the pain a little. It wasn’t a long term solution, but Cumulus would bounce back somehow. He always did.  

Over the typhoon of general chatter of his customers, Stout recognized the faint tinkle of the bell over the door. When he glanced at the door and returned to his task, his mind did a double take. 'Wait was that a horse!' Sure enough, a blue roan was standing in the door and scanning the tavern. When his eyes met Stouts, he smiled and sauntered up to the bar.  His black mane was slicked back and he wore a small pointed goatee.  

Stout could only stare as the horselord stepped up to the bar and gave him a cocked smile. "I take it from your slack jaw stupor that you have never met one of my kind before now." Stout could only shake his head in reply. "My name is Jaffar. I have come to your-" he glanced around the tavern distastefully "-fine establishment because there is a pony we are looking for."

Stout saw two figures materialize as if from nowhere. The two Anubis were staring down at him. Both of them had short dark grey pelts and wore breeches and thin vests. However, what had Stout truly awestruck were their icy blue eyes. Most Jackals had soft brown eyes and it was considered rare for one to be born with green eyes. 

Prying his eyes away from the piercing blue eyes that stared down at him, Stout swallowed and forced a smile to his lips. "So, you said you were looking for somepony?"

Jaffar smiled back. "Indeed I've been look-"

One of the Anubis interrupted, " Cap'in, ya promised."

The roan sighed and gave him an indigent look. "Gods, Denda! Is drinking the only thing you think about!?"

"O'course not, Cap'in!"  the other Jackal replied, "He tinks bout da girlz afta he done drinkin!"
Both Jackals laughed at this. The horse was less than amused and displayed it by rolling his eyes. "Why do I put up with you two?"

The Anubis named Denda was more than happy to explain. "Cuz we da-" 

“That question was meant to be rhetorical!” Jaffar growled, cutting off the answer. 

Both Anubis gave Jaffar a look that Stout could not interpret. The horse sighed in defeat. "Fine! If it will keep you two quiet, then order something so we can move on!"

Both of them smiled and looked down at Stout. "Ya got any o' dat bublee stuff dat tickles ya nose wen ya drink it?"

If looks could kill, the horse shot them a glare that would have convicted him of murder. "You're ordering champagne!?  Are you mad Ad'e!?"

The hulking Jackal shrugged. "Tain't my coin, Cap'in."

"Fine!" Jaffar hissed, turning to face Stout. "Two bottles of champagne, if you would."

Stout snorted in reply. "Does this look like the place you go to buy champagne?"

Jaffar's eye started to twitch a little. "Then just bring me two bottles of whatever is your best! These two overgrown pups seem determined to spend my coin!"

"Sticks n' stone Cap'in," Denda chided, “Sticks n’ stones.”

Stout smirked at their antics and reached under the bar. He placed two bottles of Horseshoe Bay spiced rum on the counter. The two snatched up the bottles, taking a few steps back in the process. "That'll be eighty-four bits," Stout said cheerfully.

The horse’s eye twitch again, but he pulled out his purse and counted out the necessary coins. Stout waited patiently and scooped the coins into his lock-box."Now then-" he looked back at the horse "-you were looking for someone?"

To his credit, Jaffar took a deep breath to steady himself. "Yes," he replied, reaching into his saddlebag to withdraw a book. He turned the book over to reveal a picture of Cumulus on the back cover. "I'm looking for Dr. Granted, the pony who wrote this book. I was informed that he had arrived in Baltimare today-" Jaffar paused for a moment to clear his throat. "-I was also informed that the stallion that owns this establishment knows Dr. Granted personally. It is imperative that I speak to him immediately."

Stout turned the book over to read the title Beasts of the Everfree. The cover featured an impressive photo of a pride of Manticores attacking a hydra. "Yup, that's Cumulus’ work alright. Why are you looking for him?"

Jaffar smiled, "So you do know him? Fantastic! Where is he?"

"Why are you looking for him?" Stout repeated his question.

The horse gave him a sour look. "As I said, it is imperative that I speak to him."

"That’s nice. Why are you looking for him?"

The horses sour expression twisted to one of disgust. "Oh, we're playing that game, are we?"  He promptly tossed a bag of coins towards Stout, who couldn’t help but eye it like a starving vagabond might a sandwich. He immediately gave a sigh. "Are you gonna hurt him?"

To Jaffar’s further credit, he scowled at the question. "Certainly not! What do you take us for!?  Debt collectors!?"

Stout gave the three of them a wary look before sighing. "Alright as long as he doesn't get hurt, I guess I'll tell you how to find him." He gestured Jaffar to lean in closer and he whispered conspiratorially, "Look to your left."

The horse pulled his head away and snapped his head to the left. Immediately, he saw Cumulus sitting at the bar wearing an amused expression on his face from the whole exchange. He immediately turned to the group, propped his fetlock on the counter, and gave a small wave. "Hello."

The horse turned and to reach for the bag of gold, but Stout had taken advantage of the situation and had just finished twisting the key in his lock-box.  "You little cheat!" Jaffar hissed.

Cumulus snorted. "There is a reason nopony plays poker with him anymore."

Jaffar gave the both of them a harsh glare when the Jackals started laughing. "Oy, dey got ya gud, Cap'in."

"Just whose side are you on!?" he asked with a sneer.

"Da rums side, Cap'in," laughed Ad'e. 

"Next time, don jus chuck coin at someone and na espect ta get burned," Denda supplied. 

The Roan gave a heavy sigh and glared at the barkeep one last time. "Fine. Lesson learned."  He turned to look at Cumulus. "Dr. Granted, it is so good to meet you face to face." He glanced around the tavern suspiciously. "Might we speak someplace a little more private?" he asked, gesturing to a small table in the corner. Cumulus nodded and followed the trio to the table.

- - - - -

"So, what's so damned important you thought you had to bribe my friend to find me?" Cumulus asked once they were seated.

The horse coughed into his hoof. "Well yes, I may have been a touch overzealous on that.  First, allow me to say thank you."

"For what?" Cumulus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Dat book o' yurs saved our lives."  Denda replied, suddenly very serious.

Cumulus looked at the Jackal with an astonished expression. "How did it do that?"

Jaffar cleared his throat. "Well, that plays into what is so important. You see, I am an entrepreneur of sorts. I retrieve valuable items lost at sea or stake out new territories for those who seek to expand their properties." Cumulus nodded, signifying that he was following so far. "Well some years ago, my employer unearthed a journal belonging to a certain pirate whose name escapes me at the moment. Something Sparrow, I think it was. Most of the early entries ranted about a mare he called Swan burning his rum. Most of it was nonsense, but later he talked about a distant land in the far south-" he leaned in closer to fix the pegasus with a stern expression "-Someplace beyond the Southern Barrier."

"He found a way to pass the Equatorial Current!?" Cumulus asked shocked.

A clawed hand clamped his mouth shut as his three companions scanned the room to see if anyone had heard his outburst. “Keep ya voice down, Doc!"  Denda hissed through clenched teeth, "Dis is sum real hush-hush type stuff!"

He managed to push Denda's claw away from his face. "Sorry, but to think that anyone could make their way past those storms is amazing."

"Aye," Ad'e chimed in, "Dere was many a ship dat ven'ured too close ta dose demon currents and was dragged down ta da locker fer it."

"For the past thousand years," continued Jaffar, "the Barrier was believed impassable, but some two hundred years ago, this Sparrow character managed to do it. He recorded how he did it in his journal."

Cumulus learned in close to the horse. "How did he manage it?"

Jaffar smiled. "It seems that once every three years, there's a break in the storm’s severity.  The journal says that the warm water alters the currents. For a span of about five days, those massive storms lose most of their momentum and become minor squalls. Easy enough to pass, if you have a skilled helmsman."

Cumulus blinked. "Wait. That still doesn’t tell me how my book saved your lives."

"I was coming to that," Jaffar explained, "That break in the storms is fast approaching again. Furthermore, this isn’t our first time sailing south." Cumulus gaped at them, but didn't interrupt. "On our last voyage to the south, we spent one night ashore. My crew of nearly thirty, consisting of the finest Horses, Anubis and, Minotaurs it’s ever been my honor of sailing with-" his expression shifted to one of sadness "-Now only myself, Denda, and Adewale are left."

"What!?” Cumulus gasped quietly, “How is that possible?"

"Ta put it right, there were eiht of us tha got back ta da ship," Denda said with a heavy sigh.  "Me and da Cap'in, we was da only two who didn't get hurt. Ad'e was da only one ta survive his wounds."

As if anticipating his query, the other Jackal peeled off his vest and turned his back to Cumulus. A long white scar ran from the top of his right shoulder to his left hip in a single slash along his torso. As Cumulus gaped at it, he realized that he had never seen such a wound before. 

"That wasn’t made by any sort of animal I'm familiar with,” Cumulus admitted, “What manner of beast did you encounter?"

"T'weren't no single beastie, Doc,” the ice eyed Anubis replied, buttoning up his vest, “T’wer more of dem den could be counted. We tried ta fight um off, but fer every one we put down, dere was another t'ree of dem. The Cap'in was screamin ta git back to da ship, but dey was jus too fast and too many of dem. Got me dis nasty lil’ souvenir ta remember um by."

"We managed to limp back to the nearest port in Savannah," Jaffar said, his sad tone still present, "Had it not been for your book, I doubt we would have survived the night in that gods-forsaken land. Instead, I had the sense to realize we had no chance of overcoming. They seemed to move as a whole, coordinated like an army."

Cumulus was silent for a long time, his mind reeling from the tale he'd been told. The conviction in their voices and the scar on Adewale's back were enough to convince him that at least some part of their yarn was true. 

"It’s a shame that you couldn’t bring back one of those creatures bodies for study,” he said, his voice awed, “I understand that science was the last thing on your mind, but to get a even a decent look at these creatures would’ve  been groundbreaking."

He saw both Jaffar and Ad'e look towards Denda. The other Anubis glared at them. "No!"

Jaffar gave him a stern look. "Dende, I know you are very possessive of it, but it could be of vital importance now.” When the Anubis made no attempts to budge, Jaffar began to glare at him. “I’ll make it an order then. Show him!"

Slowly, the Jackal reached into a leather pack and withdraw a small, leather bound book. Cumulus watched as Dende opened it to one particular page before passing it to him. As he examined the page he could only gasp at what he saw: a detailed charcoal sketch of… something. A bizarre feathered creature, with a narrow scaled face and massive lethal looking claws. It looked as though it was about jump off the page at him. 

"Never in my life have I seen anything remotely like this creature. And you say they were organized?"

"Aye, Doc," Denda confirmed, reaching out to reclaim his sketch book. Cumulus eyed the finely wrought detail of the image, wishing he had time to take a photograph or attempt to copy the image so he might examine it more closely. Hesitantly, he passed the book back to its owner. "Tank ya, Doc. I can see ya want ta take a closer look at it, but dis is personal."

Jaffar cleared his throat and gave Cumulus a serious look. "Dr. Granted, a small amount of your expertise on how animals like these behave was enough to save a few lives-" he paused ad let his eyes fall to the table "-although not many, it is something." He gave Cumulus an almost pleading look. "I am going back with a new crew and I am scared for the safety of my crew. Is there any way that I can convince you to accompany us south? I know I am essentially asking you to abandon your research here in Equestria, bu-"

"The university cut my funding today," Cumulus admitted. Much to his own surprise, he was able to deliver that awful truth as though it bore no real consequences. Looking down at his empty glass, he gave a mental snort. 'Oh, no wonder saying that didn’t hurt. I’m drunk.' 

Looking back at the dumbstruck horse, he gave a lopsided smile. "Captain Jaffar, the truth of the matter is that you may as well have given me a golden ticket."

After a moment or two of silence from the table, Jaffar asked in a hopeful tone, "Does that mean that you will accompany us south?" 

"Between the scar, the sketch, and the promise of an unheard of species of pack animals,” Cumulus said, his tone and smile an almost perfect imitation of a foal on Hearth’s Warming morning, “I cannot think of a single reason not to go." Seeing the trio beaming at him, he gave a wobbly salute. "When do we leave, Mon Capitaine?"

- - - - -

The night was waning fast when a horse and a pair of blue eyed Anubians meandered towards the docks. Ad'e was the one to break the silence that hung over them. "Gotta say Cap'in, ya nearly had me fooled wit dat lil sob story o' yurs." He gave a harsh laugh. "‘Scared fer me crew!?’ Nevah knew ya was a actor, boss."

Jaffar gave a sly grin. "To be quite honest, I was not entirely certain he would believe me. I could kick myself for not being able to cry on cue."

"An’ wat was dat tripe bout a t'ree year cycle fer gettin tru’ da barrier?" Denda asked, a queer smirk playing about his muzzle. "Ah can't believe he bought dat! D’ya tink we can trus 'im, Cap'in?"

"I would not worry too much, Denda,” Jaffar said knowingly, “Above all else, he is a scientist. I doubt it shall be too difficult to convince him to look the other way for the sake of his research.  All we need do is keep up this charade until we find our prize. Once we accomplish that, his fate is in his own hooves."

> The Southern Barrier 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	To Adamant Sparks, the small and cramped apartment his family currently resided in was a palace. At least, it was when compared to the dank stone cells of the Crystal Empire mines. Even the lumpy couch he was currently lying on was a vast improvement over stone floors. 

He turned his eyes to the living area, most of the space filled with their luggage. He heaved a heavy sigh, letting his head fall back to the arm of the couch. Even though this was a new beginning for his family, he could not bring himself to be happy.

Although he had circled several promising openings, he still found himself unable to find any gainful employment. Though, with the way things were in this city, he had to find some kind of a job sooner rather than later. Fortunately, the apartment was covered by Gypsum’s tuition, but that was all it could cover.

He wearily tossed the newspaper onto the coffee table in front of him. Most of the jobs in there were on the docks or in the warehouses, which wasn’t the problem so much as the hours he would be expected to work. They also required him to be away from Gypsum and Pearl. Both his mare and filly would be starting school soon and, while his wife could take their daughter to kindergarten, her own schooling would prevent her for being there for their filly. Seeing as they couldn’t afford the luxury of a sitter, Adamant had to find some job that would allow him to be there for his child. 

“ Go for a walk and clear your head,” he said with a sigh, getting off the couch. Seeing as how Gypsum was taking Pearl to register for school, he locked the door as he exited. Looking out at his new neighborhood, he couldn’t help but smile at the picturesque scene. It wasn’t as glamorous as the Empire, but he could appreciate the ascetic quality set by the white stone buildings. Cumulus called this city beautiful and Adamant agreed with him. With a newfound skip in his step, he set out to survey his new city.

During his jaunt, he noticed several pleasant facts about his new home: the air was thick with the smell of the sea, the weather was pleasantly warm, and everywhere he went he ran into polite ponies. As he returned the greeting that were given to him, he found a wide grin had taken residence on his face. As he rounded one particular corner, his smile faltered.

‘ See the World! Join the Royal Navy Today!’ the sign in front of him read. This only served to remind him of his current troubles. He knew that the starting pay for an Ensign would be more than enough to not only stock the pantries, it would also pay for a nanny to watch over Pearl until Gypsum returned home from the University. However, it was dismissed almost as soon as it had been suggested due to it requiring him to be away from his family for too long at a stretch. 

Passing by the recruitment building, he noticed several officers sitting behind desks looking monumentally bored. ' Guess I'm not the only one who thinks the Navy is a bad idea,' he thought whimsically. Hoping to put those thoughts behind him a while longer, he continued along his way.

As he continued to marvel at the towering architecture, he noticed the time at the local courthouse. Mentally retracing his steps, he came upon Gypsum and an excited Pearl rounding the corner to meet him.

“ Adamant!” Gypsum said happily surprised to see him, “ What are you doing here?” 

“ Went out for a walk to get some air and got a little turned around,” he replied sheepishly, an embarrassed blush creeping along his face, “All these buildings have a tendency to look the same, you know.” Gypsum only smiled and shook her head in response to that. With that, the Crystal Pony family set off for their apartment.

“ So is everything set up at the kindergarten?”

Gypsum nodded. “ She’ll start next Monday.”

Adamant turned his gaze to his daughter, who was bouncing along side of them. “ What do you think, sweetie? Will you like your new school?”

“ YES!” the filly squealed happily, beaming at her father, “ There was games and toys and so many other ponies and they were all having so much fun! And you know what Daddy? Miss Flora is so nice!  I just can't wait till-” She stopped her bouncing and looked up towards her mother. “ Mommy? How long till Monday?”

“ Four days, honey,” Gypsum answered, smiling at their daughter’s antics.

“ Four days?!” Pearl whined, her head drooping, “That'll take forever. I wanna go tomorrow!”

Adamant leaned down and nuzzled Pearl’s mane. “Don't worry, Pearl. Monday will be here before you know it.”

“ Dear, there’s someone at our door,” Gypsum said, drawing Adamant’s attention. 

Much to his surprise, he saw a Pegasus mare staring at a clipboard and eyeing the address on the door. She wore a grey shirt and was toting a massive canvas bag. He saw her frown and ring their bell in an insistent manner.

“ Were you expecting any mail, love?” he asked Gypsum, “ I thought we hadn't filed our change of address yet.”

“We haven't,” she said with a puzzled expression, “ She must be looking for the old tenants.”

“ In that case, we might as well set her right then,” Adamant stated, trotting forward to meet the mare at the door. “ Afternoon, ma'am. Can I help you?”

The mare spun around and gave a relieved sigh. “ Oh! Thank the stars! I was worried I'd have to wait all day!"  Her smile grew wider. “ You must be Adamant Sparks.”

Adamant felt his jaw slacken. Glancing over to his wife, who had caught up, he saw her reaction was identical to his. The mare seemed puzzled by this reaction, even voicing a confused, “ What?”

“ T-t-that's impossible!” Gypsum stammered, confusedly, “ We only arrived yesterday! We still haven't filed the paperwork with the Post Office yet!”

The mare gave a knowing look toward her and giggled.  “I see. Well, I'm not a mailmare, miss. I'm a courier from ‘The Swiftwing Messenger Company’. I was hired to deliver a parcel to one ‘Adamant Sparks’ at this address.” She squinted at her clipboard again. “ It even said you would be a Crystal Pony in the ‘Additional Info Bracket’. Seeing as you three have been the only Crystal Ponies I’ve seen all day, I took a guess.”

“Who sent it?” Adamant asked, still somewhat dumbfounded.

Looking down at the clipboard again, she answered, “ Lets see... ‘Dr. Cumulus Granted.’ Wow, that's some ego, huh? Had to write in that he was a doctor.” She tittered until she realized that no one else was laughing. Clearing her throat, she continued, “ Er, that is...  Sign here sir.”

After Adamant scribbled his name down, she passed him a box. Flaring her wings and lifting herself into the sky, she gave a small wave. “ Hav'a nice day.”

" What a rude young lady,” Gypsum snipped, receiving a disapproving look from Adamant as they entered the building. When they entered their apartment, Gypsum continued. “ So, what did he need to send that was so important it couldn't have waited until this evening?”

Opening the box, Adamant answered, " Two letters and a lock-box." 

The first letter sat on top of the box and had the words 'Read First' hastily scratched on it. With his curiosity piqued, Adamant promptly ripped open the envelope and began to read the contents out loud.



‘Dear Adamant and family,

‘I am sure you are wondering why I am writing to you rather than waiting until this evening. I am sorry to say that I will have to cancel. Yesterday, I learned that the funding for my research was cut and that I am no longer employed by the University.  

‘While this terrible news for me, I have already joined an expedition heading south. In truth, by the time you receive this letter, I will already have left the city. However, I promised you the best chowder in the city and I intend to deliver.

‘Inside the lock-box, you will find the recipe for it and some bits for ingredients. It is not the same thing, I know, but it is the best I can offer under the circumstances. Tell Pearl that I promise to bring some souvenirs for her when I get back in a few years.

‘Adamant, while it may not be relevant, an old friend of mine mentioned that he needed some help with his tavern. On the off chance you find yourself in need of work, tell him I sent you and he will help you. I have left directions and a reference that Stout cannot dispute. I hope this helps a little.

‘Gypsum, I would ask a favour of you: Included in this parcel, you will find a second letter.  Would you please take it to Professor Thatius Snapper at the University. It contains some details of my expedition and is meant for him alone. I am very sorry for being so rude as to extend an invitation and vanish, but the ship left early this morning.

‘I look forward to seeing you all again,
‘Cumulus Granted’



As Adamant finished reading, he turned to Gypsum with a strange smile upon his lips. " Well, how bout that? Managed to get a new job on the same day he was fired."

In the meantime, Gypsum extracted a key from the envelope and opened the lock-box with it. When she pulled out a small stack of papers, she gasped. " ADAMANT! LOOK!"

Looking inside the box himself, he felt his jaw drop for the second time today. The inside of the lock-box was filled with bits. It was easily more than a thousand. Along with it were two slips of paper: one being a recipe for chowder and the other had a smiley face with a single word written on it: 'Enjoy.'





Cumulus stood aft of Jaffar’s ship, staring at the horizon with a strange smile on his face. So far, he had spent the journey watching Equestria as it disappeared from sight. Now all that was left of it was a blueish smudge on the edge of his vision. 

He had left Equestria once before with his mother and father to Saddle Arabia to witness the Rite of the Sun Festival. However, he had only been a colt at the time and didn’t remember much aside from the fact that it was much too hot there. So he content himself to watch his home as it shrank in the distance, burning the sight into his memory. He wiped his eyes, unsure if the tears were the result of his homesickness or the salty sea air.

Once he had contented himself, he turned to see the rest of the ship stretching before him. He wasn’t familiar with engineering, but he knew enough to know the ship was of Saddle Arabian origin. He knew that due to the fact it was an amphibious air ship. Its keel was sixty feet in its entirety, the hull made of wood and white aluminum. It had a single collapsible mast, which was void of any kind of sail at the moment. In spite of this, the boat practically skimmed over the magnificent blue sea with a power engine of Saddle Arabian design. 

Cumulus glanced overhead, squinting at the the sun which was just reaching its zenith, at the overhanging compartment. It would be filled with the deflated balloon, or ‘Flight Bladder’ as Ad’e affectionately called it. In the meantime the scaffolding, which was meant to give the Flight Bladder a ‘skeleton’ to help retain its shape, was folded up. Doubtlessly another Saddle Arabian invention.

Now that Cumulus thought of it, it was rather humbling to realize that his homeland had fallen short in the way of industrialization. It wasn’t primitive by any stretch of the imagination, however it did nothing to change the fact that Equestria’s greatest mechanical achievement was its railroad and it was already outdated. Most of its achievements were in the entertainment industry, namely in photography, movies, and (much to his dismay) video games. He never for the life of him understood pony’s interest in video games. His father bought one of the early systems and, unless his parents had done something with it, it was still sitting on a shelf in his closet.

“ Outta the way, Pony!” a gravelly voice snapped, causing Cululus to turn towards the hulking figure of a Diamond Dog. Cumulus eyes scanned up towards his face, passing over a steel drum that read ‘Inflammable.’ When he met the canine’s face, Cumulus noticed the ever present scowl upon it as he was glared at. “ Some actually have work to do on this floating deathtrap.”

Cumulus gave a sheepish smile, fluttering into the air as the dog passed under him growling. Unfortunately, he fell behind the ship due to the ‘Laws of Motion’ taking effect. With a few flaps of his wing, Cumulus caught up and and touched down onto the deck.

The deck was filled with Diamond Dogs, all of them working either securing cargo or stowing provisions and equipment. They came in all shapes and sizes, but most of them were on the smaller side. They seemed to echo the appearance of different breeds of canine: namely snub-nosed pugs and bug eyed chihuahuas, however there were small groups of bulldogs and pitbulls present. 

As Cumulus watched them work, he noticed that every one of them had their tails tucked firmly between their legs. Every so often, one of them would look to where Equestria sunk below the horizon with a whimper or a whining noise. After seeing this for what must’ve been the fifth time, Cumulus got the distinct impression that none of them wanted to be on this ship.

Hearing the thumping of paws behind him, he turned and found Dende strolling towards him. " Afternoon, Denda."  He was easily twice Cumulus’s hieght, towering over the already short pegasus.  As he looked up that the Jackal’s face he realized that if he and his brother had the same hair one would not be able to tell the difference between them.  Denda’s hair was a tangled mess of dreadlocks that hung down almost to his shoulders, it was also decorated with silver beads and brightly coloured feathers that he suspected had once belonged to other pegasia. While his brother Ad’e had shaven much of his hair, and grown the remaned out in a long pony tail, which he claimed was a ‘Wolf’s Tail’ and the mark of a warrior. 

“ Gud aftanun, Doc,” the Jackal replied with a nod, “ How ya been holdin up?” He turned his attention to the Diamond Dogs. " Oy dere, ya filty mutts! 'Andle dose crates wit care! Dey worth more than tha lot o’ ya combined!"

" Yessir!" one of the bug eyed chihuahuas yelped.

" Lousy scabs,"  the blue-eyed Jackal growled," Ah'd trade all da gold in Gymkhana fer a real crew 'o sailors."

Not being one to pass up a line like that, Cumulus shot a smirk to the Jackal. " I was not aware you owned all the gold in Gymkhana, Denda. Whatever are you doing aboard -" he paused for a moment thoughtfully " -What was the name of this ship? The Horus, wasn’t it?" 

For his his part Denda just laughed. " Well, maybe not yet dere, Doc! But who knows? By da time we git back, we could be as rich as kings."

Cumulus looked back towards the dogs, gesturing towards them. " I take it you’re not thrilled with having a canine crew?"

Denda just a harsh laugh. " Ya callin’ dese drooling idgits a crew? T'ain't nutin more den teives dat was all lined up fer da headsman." He shot a scowl towards the Dogs again. " Ya flea bit'n mutts best get back ta work! Ah 'till see plenty dats gotta go inta hold! As far as Ah'm concerned, ya can rest wen ya dead!" He turned back to the pegasus. " Dis lot was attackin trade caravans and got demselves caught. Da Cap'in was lookin ta hire a new crew fer dis here voyage wen he saw dese dogs. Tinkin dey'd be cheaper den hiring a real crew, he hired dem. Suppose he's right in da end d'ough. Dese mutts don't eat real food like ya and Ah do. Dey suck energy from da gems on deir collars like sum kinda nasty leeches."

Cumulus turned a wide eye stared to the dogs. " They what!?"

" Don' rightly know how dey do it meself Doc," Dende replied, staring untrustingly at the Dogs. " T'ain't natural d'ough. But, it saved da Cap'n a fort'in in rations. A few crate 'o cheep amethysts will feed dese mutt round trip. Not mentionin’ da fact dat now we got more space fer da water stores." 

" So they’re a blessing and a curse at the same time," Cumulus replied, seeing the picture.

" Aye Doc, da hole lot of um t'ain't got half a brain ‘twixt dem, but dey cheap ta feed and dere's plenty 'o dem." He then made a motion for Cumulus to follow him, which he did more than happily. 

They ascended a staircase that led to the bridge. It was an enclosed space with windows all around it. To the left of the staircase was a door which led to a cabin that served as the Captain’s Quarters. It had a certain elegance to it, in spite of it’s simplicity.

Entering the bridge, Cumulus saw Ad'e at the helm while Jaffar was looking towards the horizon through a brass spyglass. “Hey Boss,” a feminine voice from the corner said, “why did we have to bring this flighty Pony along?” 

Turning his eyes to the voice, Cumulus was surprised to see a particularly beefy looking Diamond Dog standing in the corner. Finding out that she was a ‘she’, he began looking for differences between her and the rest of the Dogs. One thing he noticed that her coat was a dirty grey like the others, but was longer and more matted. Another notable difference between her and the other Dogs was that while they had smaller amethysts hanging from their collars, she wore a brilliant blue sapphire with amethysts inlaid in the collar. Her face wore a scowl that seemed match her face perfectly. 

Jaffar rounded on her with a glare of his own. “ Sappra, I will only tell you this one last time: You and your Dogs are to refer to me as either ‘Captain’ or ‘Sir.’ As for the other officers on board, you are to refer to them as ‘Sir’ as well-” he motioned to Cumulus “-and Dr. Granted is to be treated with that same level of respect. Remember that or I’ll start holding back on your precious gems. Do not forget the only reason you and your ilk are alive at all is because I pulled the strings to get you on as my crew.”

The bulking Diamond Dog folded her ears back at this, turning to the forest green Pegasus. “ Beg pardon, Doctor. I’m not comfortable at sea. Nodog is!”

Cumulus gave the Diamond Dog an uneasy smile. “ No harm done, Sappra wasn’t it? I’m guessing you lead this clan of dogs.”

“ Yes, I am leader of the Snapjaw Clan, pon-” Sappra cringed as Jaffar turned an ear in her direction ‘-uh, Doctor!"  

" Don' ya got sumplace else ta be dere, Sappra?" Ad'e snapped from the helm," Like, bein off chewin yur ass?"

She glared at the Jackal’s back and growled lightly. " Yessir, I'll go see to my clan." She stomped out of the room, slamming the aluminum door behind her. Cumulus could hear her as she started barking at the other Dogs that had started slacking again.

" I may not be a psychic, but there seems to be some tension between you and those Dogs, Captain," Cumulus said, stepping next to the taller horse.

Jaffar laughed. " What gave it away!? The insults, the growling or, the threats?"

" All of it I guess."

" These Dogs are criminals, Doctor. I would not let yourself be caught alone around them. A lesson I am certain you learned during your time in the Everfree." He looked down at him. " Which reminds me. Denda, fetch the good Doctor one of those whistles." 

Cumulus watched the Jackal unlock a drawer, pull out a slim black tube on a string, and pass it to him. " What's this for?" he asked, examining it from various angles before slipping it over his head so it was in easy reach.

" It called a Sonic Whistle. Blow on it an’ ya won' hear a damn ting, but every Dog on dis tub will hit da deck howlin in pain," Ad'e explained, never taking his eyes off the sea.

Cumulus looked between Denda and Ad'e. " It won't hurt you two, will it? I mean, don't Anubis have extraordinary hearing as well?"

" It creates a frequency just out of their range of hearing, but that those Dogs are vulnerable to,”Jaffar supplied, his tone lacking any kind of inflection, “ Hopefully, we will not need them, but better safe than sorry."  It was clear to Cumulus that the thought of having to fight his own crew didn't bother him in the slightest. " But enough of that. I could not help but notice you lingering back there watching Equestria. You’re not regretting coming along, are you?"

" Absolutely not!” he answered with a laugh, before it fell with a tinge of sorrow, " I just figured that, when I left, I would be heading North, not South."  

" Ho oh," Denda said with a sly grin, " If'n my ears ain't deceiving me, ah'd almos say dat was da voice o' sumone who is a long way from deir luva." He lightly punched Cumulus in the shoulder. " Ya got yurself a lady waitin up in da ice, Doc?"

'Is he actually teasing me!?' He thought wincing a little at the light slug to his shoulder. He coughed into his hoof, hoping it would hide his blush. " Of course not! My research is the only thing that matters. I had just hoped to catch with an old friend from my foalhood. Certainly nothing romantic."

" Ya blush says sumting else dere, Doc!"  Ad'e laughed, looking away from the sea to laugh at him, " Don' be shy! Wats her name? Did ya ever git lucky?"  

Cululus felt his blush spreding, much to the Jackals’ amusement. Cumulus looked over at Jaffar, who was grinning and chuckling himself. " I see why these two annoy you so much now."

" It is all in good fun, Doctor. Besides, these two never take anything seriously anyway." He brought his spyglass to his eye again. " If nothing else, it will make the next week interesting until we reach the southern continent."

" So tell us bout Dis lady o' yurs, Doc,"  Ad'e pressed, " Was she one o' dose sexy runway models?"

Cumulus started laughing. " Valerie on a modeling runway!?" He went wide eyed, cramming his hoof in his mouth.  'Damn!'

" Oh, we got a name name outta 'im, brodda." Denda said tauntingly, " So Doc, tell us bout Miss Valerie. Was she at least a good kisser?"





If Cumulus had to describe the last three days aboard The Horus in one sentence it would probably be along the lines of ‘A pain in the ass.’ The Jackal twins spent every free minute they could find pestering him about Valerie. Even though he remained resolutely tight lipped about her, he found himself thinking about her again. The curious thing was she hadn’t crossed his mind in years, but now he was thinking of her nearly non-stop. Mostly he thought on the days when they used to play in the woods outside San Pransisco. Generally, this was ruined by one of the Jackal brothers sneaking up on him to slug him on the shoulder and laugh like idiots.

However, this morning had reached a whole new level of immaturity. At some point during the previous night, Denda and/or Ad'e had crept into his rather cramped cabin to pin up some exceptionally detailed charcoal drawings of mares pleasuring themselves in erotic poses to his walls.  

He was carrying the pages with him when he casually strolled into the kitchen and sat across from the two Jackals. Dende tried hiding his grin while Ad'e was biting his lip to keep from  laughing. With a smirk, Cumulus laid the stack of pages on the table and pushed it towards them. " Nice try," he said with no small amount of smugness in his voice, " I pulled the same prank in college."

He saw the glee drain from Ad'e's face. " Aw, com'on, Doc? Nut'in? Ya know how hard it was not ta wake yur feddery butt up while ah was hangin dose tings? By da way, ya snore lika chainsaw."

He smirked at the helmsman. " I do not recall asking. If you two really want to get a rise out of me you will have to do much better then that." The Pegasus promptly smashed his forehead against the oak table. " Ow, and that's what I get for being cocky."

The twins laughed. " Ya know ya could 'void all o' dis if ya jus told us a lil story."

" You have a better chance of sprouting wings and flying south." He ignored Ad'e's laughing and gave Denda a serious look, " I will admit you are quite the skilled artist, Denda. How long did it take you to draw these? There’s more than a dozen of them."

Cumulus never had many dealings with the Anubis, As far as he knew none called Equestria home.  So he was genuinely surprised when he saw the blue eyed Jackal blush and start staring at a knot in the table. " Dats kind o' ya ta say, Doc, but dese are rubbish at best. Only had a few hours ta do um."

He smiled. " You are too modest, Denda. Considering the nature of this... art, it is surprisingly well done. I bet if you were truly inspired, you could have have your work in several museums. Where did you learn to draw like that?"

The Jackal gave a mischievous grin. " Swap ya my story fer yurs, Doc."

" Wherever is the Captain?"  Cumulus asked, anxious to change the subject. 

The twins laughed at his expense again before Ad'd answered, " Steerin’ dis tub, o'course! Ya tink we would let one o' dose mutts at da wheel? Dey'd beach us on da first strip o' land dey saw."

Cumulus nodded in agreement. " Fair point."

" Ad'e! Denda! Get up here now! And bring Dr. Granted, he will want to see this! Oh and Sappra you should probably get up here too."  

Although it had not been the first time it had been used, it still caught Cumulus off guard when  someone’s voice randomly sounded throughout the ship.  Ad'e however only grinned wildly. " Guess dat means da Cap'in sighted it."

Cumulus raised an eyebrow at that statement. " Sighted what?"

" Da Barrier, o'course. T'is a awe inspirin’ ting ta see."

Realizing this was an important milestone in their journey south, he was eager to get a good look at the perpetual storm system. Following Ad’e and Dende, the three of them rushed to the deck, finding Sappra already ahead of them staring wide eyed at the horizon.  Following her gaze, Cumulus froze at what he was witnessing. 

The whole edge of the world was filled with angry black clouds. They swirled and dipped low, as though it were part of some great beast. Every few seconds, a vivid arc of lightning would streak across the air or down into the water.  Although they were still a fair distance from the storm itself, Cumulus could still feel the wind whipping around him, tugging at his feathers. The Horus began to pitch as the waves rose and fell, occasionally raining seawater on the deck. During this display of raw power, Cumulus came to a realization: he had no sea legs at all. 

Much as he tried to avoid it, he found himself stumbling with the ship as it rocked to and fro. This continued for several minutes until he finally felt a strong presence grasp onto him. “ Gotcha, Doc!” Dende yelled over the storm, scooping Cumulus up in an arm and hefting over his shoulder, “ Com’on, let’s git ya ta da helm! Dose wings o' yurs is only gonna cause trouble out here!"  Without another word, the Jackal bounded towards the helm at a breathtaking pace.

By the time they had crossed the deck, a light penetrating rain had began to fall. By the time they got to the door, Cumulus was soaked. A’de was already at the wheel, a fierce grin plain upon his face.

When Dende released Cumulus from his iron-like grip, he unceremoniously shook off the droplets of water that accumulated on his coat. Cumulus might’ve been annoyed at getting wet from this, however he was so wet that it only made him drier. Fortunately, Jaffar appeared with a thin towel and offered it to him. After thanking him, he dried himself off as best he could, but it was not long before the towel was practically as wet as he was. However, now that he was dryer, he gave himself a once over.

Tiny droplets of water clung to his feathers and several of them were misaligned. After fanning them a time or two, he began to preen himself. He used his teeth to wring the excess water from them and set them to their proper places.

" Brodda ta starboard!” Dende cried, “ Deres a biggun commin!" Cried Denda. 

" Shit!"  Ad'e hissed as he spun the wheel.

When Cumulus snapped his gaze to the right hand side of The Horus, he gasped at what he saw. A massive swell at least thirty feet high was baring down on them. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he came to the conclusion that it had been cast off from deeper in the storm. " This is what you call safe passage?!" he barked at Jaffar, half amused and half scornfully. 

The roan refused to meet his eyes. " Well, we might be a touch on the late side!" 

Before Cumulus could start screaming at him, gravity, or rather the ship, chose to angle itself in a new direction and they began to slid toward the back wall. The pegasus managed to find enough room to spread his wings and hover, while the horse, Anubis, and Diamond Dog all collided with the back wall. He turned and saw Ad'e still holding tight to the wheel as The Horus crested the thirty foot swell.

" We're gonna die!!!" Sappra screamed, “ We're all gonna d-"

She was silenced as Denda slapped her muzzle. " Git 'hold o' yerself ya mutt! T'ain't fer nut'in dat Ad'e is driv'in! Me brodda could sail ta Tartarus an' back!"

" Convenient," Cumulus replied with a humorless laugh, " cause that is probably where we are heading."

" Have some faith, Dr.Granted," Jaffar said, climbing to his hooves, " Ad'e is the finest Helmsman I have ever sailed with. We will be fine." 

Cumulus had to admit that the Roan’s confidence was inspiring, if nothing else. When Cumulus heard sobbing, he turned to see Sappra curled into a deceptively tiny ball in the corner. He was about to reach for her when Jaffar slapped his hoof. 

" Leave her be,” Jaffar said, not looking at either of them, “ She is of no use to anyone right now." 

Cumulus gave her one last look before he continued to watch their progress into hell. The rain had been getting harder and harder as they advanced into the squall. Now, he could barely see more than a dozen or so feet ahead of them. He turned Ad'e, outraged to see the Jackal had his eyes closed. Cumulus was seconds away from screaming at him to watch where he was going when a claw touched his shoulder. He turned, finding Denda bringing a digit to his lips to shush the stallion. 

" He's feelin da sea now," he whispered, " His eyes is all, but useless in dis squall. So, he trustin’ da compass and da way she pitches herself in da surf. It how we got through dis monsta da las time." 

Cumulus stared silently at the artist unbelievingly for a moment before he spoke. " Denda, I will make you a deal: If your brother can get get us out of this alive, I will tell you all about Valerie."
> Valerie
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

21 Years Ago

The city of San Pransisco glowed in the early morning light. The city’s iconic colonial style houses looked as though they had just been painted as they sat on the sides of the steep valley hills. In spite of the fact that the sun was still low on the horizon, the streets were already bustling with ponies.

However further from the heart of the city, the hills gave way to grasslands and the tightly packed houses spread out to become a more rural landscape. In a small cluster of houses that bordered the eastern side of the Whitetail Woods, there was a small two bedroom house, where a young forest green Pegasus was excitedly rushing out of his room. "Bye Mom, I'll be back later!"

His charge outside was brought to a painful end as his mother pinned his tail to the floor with her hoof. "And just where are you off to in such a hurry, Cumulus?"

Even though her voice was smooth as glass, the young colt flinched. 'Uh oh,’ he thought, ‘She's mad.'

"It's the first day of summer break, Mom,” he said, “I was gonna go play with my friends."

"About that,” she said, giving him a piercing look that told him she didn't buy it, “I talked to Stout's parents and they said that you haven't been over all week. So, you wanna try again?"

'Crap!'

"No, really Mom, I mean it!" he said, earning a narrowed gaze. Technically, he hadn’t been completely dishonest. He did plan to spend the day with a friend, just not the young farmer. He didn’t want to lie, however he knew how she would react if he told her the complete truth.
Suppressing the urge to shudder, he heaved a defeated sigh and braced himself. "I'm gonna go play with my friend Valerie, bu---"

He didn't even get to finish his sentence as his mother squealed like the rich, snobby, fillies in his class when they swooned over some noble or celebrity they thought was dreamy. “Ooooooooh!” she cooed, nuzzling him affectionately, “My little baby is meeting a filly!? When did you start growing up so fast!?"  

Cumulus pushing her away and made a gagging sound. He knew his mother would react this way: cooing and fussing over his finally taking an interest in fillies. Nothing like that was going on, but he knew she wouldn’t see it that way, which was why he had been putting this off for as long as he had.

" Ugh, gross Mom!  Knock it off!" he said, finally untangling himself as he glared up at her, "She just moved to town and everypony was treating her like she had the plague of something-" he started to blush a little as he told another half-truth "So I promised to show her around Whitetail Woods."

His mother started to coo again, which he replied with a crude retching motion. "Well, if you're going to be out all day, at least let me make you two a lunch." There was something about the way she emphasized the word ‘two’ that made him want to barf.

As she gathered the ingredients for a bag lunch, she hummed happily to herself much to Cumulus’ delight. Unfortunately, the colts bliss couldn't last. "So, you two will be in the woods all day? That's a big place, very secluded. A great place to be alone."

He groaned and face hooved. "Mom! Stop! Please!"

"I remember when you're father and I would go there,” she continued, ignoring his pleas, “It was so romantic. All these wildflowers in bloom and Thundercracker was so handsome. That little meadow was where we first kissed."

She had to stop when she heard a knocking at the door. She turned to see her son beating his head against the door. "Make... It... Stop... Please!"  he said, smashing his head into the wood to emphasize each word.

"Cumulus! Stop doing that! You're going to give yourself brain damage," she said, stuffing a paper bag into his saddlebags and placing it on him. "Have fun, but be careful."

"I will, Mom," he said, walking out the door. Once he was outside, he went into a gallop and leaped into the air. With a few quick wing strokes, he was airborne and a grin spread across his face. It lasted all of five seconds when he looked down and found he was maybe five feet off the ground and advancing at a snails pace.
"Aww, come on!!!"  he cried, folding his wings and dropping to the ground. "Lousy wings," he muttered, glaring at the feathery appendages before he galloped off.





"Wait, ya couldn't fly as a colt, Doc!?" Denda asked, a little shocked at the information.

Cumulus facehoofed as The Horus rocked again as another wave crashed over the decks. Somehow, Ad'e's bizarre ‘Sixth Sense’ had worked and they passed through the worst of what The Barrier had to offer. It had been absolutely terrifying, which was why he made that stupid promise to begin with.

"Of course I could fly!” he snapped, indignant at the insinuation, “I just couldn’t get more than a few feet off the ground." He hadn’t meant for his tone to be that harsh, but most Pegasi tended to get defensive about their flight skills. After a moment to calm himself, he mused aloud. "Now then, where was I? ... Oh yes, the woods. Anyway..."





He reached the edge of the woods and began searching for Valerie. "Are you out there!?" he called "Valerie!" When he neither saw nor heard her, he started to search the skies. "I should be able to see her," he complained to himself, squinting at the horizon towards the city, "I mean it’s not like she's hard to spot."

At that moment, he heard a faint growling sound behind him in the bushes. He spun around and stared into the thicket. He then heard and saw the bushes start to rustle, as though something were slinking through them. He felt panic rising in his chest as his instinct started leaning towards Flight rather than Fight. He unconsciously flared his wings and crouched so that he could get as high as he could as fast as his limited skills would allow. As the growling got louder, he noticed it had a distinct feline pitch to it.
"Valerie,” he called, hesitating slightly, “if that's you in there, mission accomplished. I'm completely terrified!"  

There was a thunderous roar and the bushes exploded outward as a snowy white blur rushed at him. Cumulus screamed and launched into the air, but it was too late. He felt the clawed digits wrap around him and drag him back into the earth with weight. He landed with a thump and stared wide eyed up into a pair of fiery orange eyes. He also saw a menacing hooked beak opened and snapped shut making a clicking sound along with a head of pure white feathers that were puffed up to make her look larger and more menacing than she was.
Slowly, he felt the terror drain out of him, being replaced with irritation and no small amount of embarrassment instead. "Dang it, Valerie!  Do you have to do that every time!?"

She laughed as she let him up. "Nope,” she said, her voice high and carryingcarring a rippling trill, like someone strumming all the strings on a harp, “only as long as you keep screaming like a little girl."  

Cumulus felt his face heat up and his heart rate double as he gazed over her form. She carried the appearance of both a snowy owl and a snow leopard. Her back half was  lean while her coat was the purest white dappled softly with black spots that ran into her feathers. The tips of the feathers on her head and her primaries were a vibrant silver colour. All in all, she was an exceptionally beautiful Gryphon, not that he would ever admit it.

"Well, you're getting faster," she said strolling away, "but it still seems like getting altitude is your biggest problem."







"Wut! She was a Gryphon!?" Ad'e shouted back over a crack of lightning, "Dats kinda kinky Doc!"

Cumulus promptly facehooved again and suppressed a growl. "Do you wanna hear this story or not!?"

"Ah mos certainly do!"

"Here here!" Cumulus rounded on Jaffar and saw that he was giving him a searching look.  He groaned aloud before continuing.





"Jeez Cumulus, your dad really screwed up your wings," Valerie said for what must’ve been the eighth time today.

He looked down at her from the few feet he had managed to climb. "I'm still trying to figure out how this is my dads fault."

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Okay, fault might be a bit harsh. He was trying to help, but he did more harm than good. Like I said earlier, this happens with Gryphons all the time. Fathers eager to turn theirs sons into strong warriors, or in your case just a strong flier in general, end up overworking the wing muscles and bulking them up so much that they don't work right. That's exactly what happened to you: All that wing training you did with him for the Wonderbolts caused the muscles to become way too bulky to actually let you fly right."

"Well then, how come Dad's so fast then?"

Valerie sighed. "Cuz he could already fly. The muscles were already strong and flexible enough." Seeing she wasn’t getting anywhere with this, she racked her brain for an analogy that could work. "Think of it like this: If someone works on a farm their whole life doing manual labor they’re strong, but don't have the same amount of muscle as say a bodybuilder. But, if you had that bodybuilder do the same kind of work the farm worker did, it would be really tough for him because his muscles wouldn't be used to that kinda of work. The bodybuilder is strong, but the farmer is flexible. Does that make sense?"

Cumulus smiled. "Yeah, it kinda does actually. There's mass, but not much power."  He glanced at his wings. "So, I have to make them slim again?"

"Exactly!" she said, beaming up at him, “The best way is to just fly, even if its just hovering like that. The important parts will stay strong while the rest will start to slim down."

"Hey, Valerie," he said, feeling his face flush again, "thanks for the help. I've been going nuts with this."

"Don't sweat it," she answered, plopping down in the grass, "Not like I have anywhere better to be."

Cumulus noticed there was a bitter note in her voice as she said the last part. He tucked his wings in and dropped to the ground, landing next to her. "Is something wrong? If you want to go, you know you can right?"

She smiled at him. "No Cumulus, I'm fine. I just miss my friends in Iron Peak is all. We were gonna go to Prance this summer, but then my dad got us shipped out here instead." She curled her beak up in a look of disgust. "He's an idiot! But, at least some good came out of this. I met you, after all. It's always better to have a friend."

Cumulus dug at the ground with his hoof as he felt his cheeks begin to heat up again. "Can I ask what happened?"

She sighed. "My Granddad is dying," she said flatly, "He has been for a while now, but one day my dad and Uncle Vannis started arguing about the inheritance. And then my dad attacked him with a knife." The young Pegasus gasped. "Uncle Vannis was fine, but Granddad was furious and sent him here to serve his penance-" Her tone changed to a growl "-And by extension me and my mom, too."

Cumulus didn't quite know how to feel after what she had told him. Hesitantly, he put a hoof on her shoulder. "I'm sorry you’re stuck here, Valerie."

“At least I have a friend who cares," she said, smiling up at him.

Just then his stomach growled. "Guess it's time for lunch, huh?" he said, inciting a laugh from both of them.

Valerie got up and flared her wings. "I'm gonna go get something to eat. I don't much care for flower sandwiches." With a swift down beat of her wings, she was up and gone.

The rest of the summer progressed much like that, spending the days with Valerie flying. Eventually his wings balanced out and he could fly freely. As a result, the two began to have races. The first few times the Gryphon would win, but he was quickly edging closer to to her all the time until he finally managed to win a race. His mother had continuously gushed over him growing up and wanting to meet Valerie, while he saw less and less of his father as he spent every day training to impress the Wonderbolts. That was how the summer days passed: Fly with her until lunch, when she would leave for a while, then she came back and they would usually play tag or hide and seek or just generally have fun.

One day it was exceptionally hot; too hot to fly, too hot run around, too hot for either of them to be outside. However, they out and about under the trees walking through the shade. Valerie was telling him about how Iron Peak above the Arctic Circle. "Doesn't that mean it's winter there for like ten months out of the year?" Cumulus asked, having trouble understanding how anyone could live in such a frigid place.

"Eight months actually," she corrected blandly.

"How do you not freeze to death?"

She shrugged in response. "Gryphons are just good at handling the cold. The same way Horses and Anubis can be comfortable living in Saddle Arabia."

"I went there once, to Saddle Arabia that is." Valerie gave him a skeptical look. "No, really! I was just a baby, so all I remember is that it was way too hot out. Like today-” he gestured with his hoof “-only the whole country and all the time!" Hearing Valerie chuckle at him, he felt his face flush and his heart speed up. He glanced up through the trees, noticing it was nearly lunch time and commented as such. Knowing that meant she was going to leave, he decided to add, "You know I brought more than enough for us both, right?"

“Thanks,” she commented, flaring her wings, “but my mom likes me to be home for lunch. It’s one of those things, ya know?” Cumulus nodded, knowing it was always the same thing. “Be back in a bit,” she said with a flap, rising hastily into the air.

As he waved after her, he began to wonder about what she said. Thinking back on it, there was something about the way she gave her explanation that made him doubt its validity. After a minute or so, he launched himself into the air after her.

Cumulus followed her until she began flying lower and faster into the woods rather than into the city. He smirked realizing he was right, however it quickly became a look of confused concentration. “If you aren’t heading home, where are you really going?” he asked no one in particular, matching her descent and going into the trees.

He flew at a steady pace, close enough to follow her and far enough away to be able to hide quickly if she turned around. They flew for several minutes before she finally stopped, perching herself on a thick branch and stared intently in front of her. Wondering what she was looking at, he landed on the ground, crawling slowly forward to to see what had captured her attention.

In a small clearing, he saw a small lake surrounded by grass. The light of the sun made the water shimmer and shine in a rippling motion, sending beams of light everywhere. Cumulus stared in awe at the unrivaled scenery. Seeing this, he couldn’t blame Valerie for coming out here, but more questions popped into his mind; most predominant among them being what Valerie was doing out here.

Bringing him out of his reverie, an owl-like shriek pierced the silent air followed immediately by a snowy white missile diving towards the surface of the water. At the last second, the missile revealed itself to be Valerie and pulled up, only raking her talons across the water. With a series of wingbeats, she rose in the air slightly with a large fish wriggling in her talon.

Although it only lasted a few seconds, the entire scene had been etched into his memory. He saw it all play back in his mind: the speed she demonstrated in her dive, the grace with which she pulled out, and the regal-like manner she glided across the surface of the water. He felt a fresh blush spreading across his face and he knew it had nothing whatsoever to do with the heat.

When Valerie landed on the other side of the lake, he crawled along the bushes to get a better look at her. Reaching her, Cumulus saw her tear and rip into the fish with far less grace and dignity than she displayed previously. Bits of scales, flesh, and blood stained her bead and feathers as she gorged herself with a sense of urgency. 'She could definitely improve on her table manners,' he thought amusedly.

After shuffling his weight a bit, he managed to shift onto a twig filling the air with a loud SNAP. Valerie’s body shifted, her eyes turning toward where he laid. From the sharpened look in her eyes, it seemed as though she were gazing past the bushes and right at him. Just as her eyes locked onto him, a low growl emanated from her throat.

He felt a twinge of fear for all of two seconds. Afterward, he mentally berated himself for feeling that way, reminding himself that Valerie was his friend. Besides that, it was a perfect chance for some payback.

After a few tense minutes of silence, she returned to her meal. After a minute or so, she finished her lunch and walked to lake to cleanse herself of her mess. Sensing the perfect opportunity, Cumulus launched himself from the bushes roaring loudly. A loud shriek emerged from her as he barreled into her, rolling about the forest floor in a tussle of fur and feathers. Landing on top of her, Cumulus smirked down at her. “Now, who screams like a girl?” he asked with smug satisfaction.

"I am a girl, you idiot!” she shrieked, her wounded pride bleeding into her voice, “Now, get off me!" Deciding to comply, he fluttered into the air and landed a few feet from her. "What are you doing here?” she asked, glaring at him, “Why did you follow me!?"

“I didn’t believe you when you said you were heading into town,” he answered, turning to face the lake with a serious expression, “Gotta say I am disappointed.” When Cumulus saw her open her mouth looking for something to say, he flashed a winning smile to her. “I mean, here we are, both about to drop dead of heat stroke, and you knew about this great little lake!"

Sensing another great idea, he flapped into the air a few times to gain altitude. Feeling satisfied, he folded his wings into his side and curled himself into ball, splashing into the water. Breaking the surface, he turned to face Valerie, whose head was drenched in water. She stared unmovingly for a moment before a smirk of her own appeared on her face. “Not bad, but let me show you how it’s done.” She leapt into the water, somehow angling herself to make her splash three time bigger than he did.

They spent the entire day splashing and milling about in the lake. Eventually, they settled on a cloud above the lake, watching the stars twinkle as the Mare in the Moon glaring down at them from above. They leaned against each other, for warmth and for company. “We are gonna be in so much trouble for being out this late."

"Worth it," Cumulus answered with a grin.

"Hey, Cumulus... Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For not hating me."

He stared at her disbelievingly. "Why would I hate you?"

She gave a half hearted shrug. "Most ponies do. When they find out what I eat, they start calling me a monster and treating me like dirt." Her feathers ruffled a bit. "That's why I never told you about this place. I was worried that you would be like them."

"You are my friend, Valerie,” he stated simply, “I know better than to think like that." He flashed a smile over at her. "And don't worry, I'll make them see that you’re not a monster."

He planned on continuing, but was interrupted by a faint shimmer behind him. They both stared back, Valerie confused and Cumulus shocked. Printed on Cumulus’ flank was a piece of bark in the vague shape of a shield with distinct talon marks gouged into it.

"Cumulus,” Valerie asked, her voice betraying her surprise, “is that?"

"My cutie mark!" he answered for her, getting excited. In his euphoric state, he glomped onto the Gryphon next to him. "It's really mine!" he stated with something between a laugh and a yell. He was brought out of it when he felt a beak lightly peck him on the cheek. Feeling his face burn, he turned and saw Valerie, who had a small blush of her own.

"Valer-"  he was silenced silenced by her beak pressing against his lips as every thought process he had flew into the air and came to a grinding halt.





"Daww, dats really sweet, Doc!" Denda chimed. Had it not been for the sincerity in his voice, Cumulus would have assumed he was mocking him. "So, wat happened den?"

He sighed. "The dream ended and reality set in, inter-species relationships are legal in Equestria but for most they are only acceptable on paper.  The only ones who supported us at all were my mother and Stout. The rest of my ‘friends’ avoided me as though I had the pony pox and my father was absolutely disgusted.” His ears folded back against his head. “Valerie had it worse. Her parents didn't even try to understand us. We-” his voice dropped “-didn't see much of each other after that.

“Shortly after that, my father was rejected by the Wonderbolts for what must have been the umpeenth time. He tried to ‘reconnect’ with me by trying to buy my love with some idiotic video game system,” he said with a humorless laugh, “It didn't work. Shortly after, my little sister was born and my father ignored me completely. He wound up dumping his failed dreams onto her. She actually made it into the academy, but Lightning Dust couldn't work with a team; another gift she got from my father.

“As for Valerie, she and her family went back to Iron Peak. We wrote each other until the day I received a threatening letter from her father. I continued writing her, but I never heard anything back-” he shrugged “-I assumed that her father had been keeping them from her. After a while, I stopped writing and thinking about her altogether.” He turned to glare at the two Jackals. “That was until two certain canines, who shall remain nameless, started pestering me about her.”

After a moment of relative silence, Cumulus felt strangely serene. It was as though a weight had been lifted that he never knew had been there until it was gone. ‘Must’ve bothered me more than I cared to admit,’ he thought.

“Sorry, Doc,” Denda stated, rubbing the back of his neck, “Ah was a ass to drag up sumting like dat.”

“It’s alright, Dende,” he said, “I think it was better that I got that off my chest.” He stretched his muscles, noticing that his audience had increased to the number of about twenty Diamond Dogs. Somehow, even that fact didn’t bother him as much as it normally would have.

Looking out of the windows, he noticed that the storm was fading into nonexistence. Ahead of the ship, clear blue skies stretched before them. “How much longer until we reach our destination?”

“Two days, more or less,” Jaffar answered, sidling up next to him, “We should see it sometime around noon.”
> It Was Fun For Them
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The next two days showed a remarkable change in the crew of The Horus. The officers had started to stare at the horizon with a sense of solemnity. The one affected the most by this was Ad’e. He had started to rub his scarred shoulder and growl at the approaching landmass. 

The Diamond Dogs on the other hoof were almost ecstatic about the prospect of dry land. Most of them  had taken to loitering on deck and staring at the far off smear of purple and brown almost affectionately. Sappra seemed especially chipper, her ears were constantly perked up and her tail wouldn’t stop wagging.

Thoughts along these lines were ceased when Cumulus spied several winged creatures gliding through the air. They were mostly black with long boney beaks and a small knobby crest protruding from the back of their heads. However, what had him truly fascinated were their wings. They consisted of a long finger-like extension from a tiny paw with a stretched membrane-like sheet of skin from the tip of the finger to the knee joint of spindly hindlegs. Cumulus could only guess, but the wingspan of these creatures were nearly the whole length of The Horus.

Acting on an impulse, he took to the air to examine these fellow fliers in greater detail. He soared through the air, flapping his wings every so often to gain speed. He was a little hesitant to get too close to the massive fliers, not wanting to spook them. However, when they saw him, they decided to investigate him. 

Their bodies were thin and spindly with narrow chests and long thin necks. However, what had him is a state of shock was the sheer size of the beasts. They were massive! Comparatively speaking, he was like a hummingbird flying next to an eagle. Strangely enough, they didn't look like dragons or even their distant cousins the wyverns. It seemed more to him as though a lizard that had taken to the air.  

One of them broke off from the group and dove to the water below. After piercing it’s bill into the water, it flapped it’s wings with a large fish skewered in thin needle-like teeth he hadn’t noticed before now. Seeing this, the other screeched and started to dive bomb their fellow flier. They harassed him until he dropped his prize, ignoring him to chase after it before it fell into the sea. 

“Well,” Cumulus commented to no one in particular, “they seem to be opportunistic hunters.” He unconsciously reached for his notebook in his saddlebags, but realized they were still on the ship. “Of all the times to forget my notes,” he grumbled. Looking at the flying lizards, he noticed they drifted further and further away. “Damn!” he swore, making a sharp turn to head for the boat.

He landed on the ship, galloping as fast as he was able below decks. He passed by Jaffar, not daring to slow down. He heard Jaffar try to say something, but he just shouted over his shoulder, “No time! Gotta grab my notes!”

He rushed into his cabin, throwing his saddlebags on his bunk. Jaffar burst into the room, gasping for breath. “In the name of all the sands Doctor, what is going on?!”

“Did you see those flying black creatures?!” Cumulus asked excitedly, going over the contents making certain he had what he needed. 

“You mean the birds?” Jaffar asked, his tone obviously confused.

“No,” Cumulus stated, throwing the saddlebags on his back, “Not birds! Flying reptiles! Can you imagine?! Flying reptiles!” 

“So you saw some Dragons,” Jaffar replied unimpressively, “What is so spectacular about that?”

“No, Dragons are a genus all on their own,” Cumulus explained, tightening the straps onto his side, “These are flying lizards! Can you imagine it?” he approached the stallion in the doorway, grinning maniacally, “It’s unprecedented!” With that, he galloped out of the room. 

When he reached the deck, he scanned the skies looking for the flying lizards. He spotted them as black dots on the horizons. "Damn!"  he cried, banging his head against the rail in frustration, "I missed them!"

"Don' sweat it Doc," Denda said, throwing an arm around Cumulus’ shoulders, "Ah'm sure ya will have had yur fill o' new beasties by da time we leave."

"I certainly hope so," Cumulus answered with a sigh, casting a longing look in the direction the fliers had gone, "They were a fascinating find though. So how long will it be until I can walk on dry land again?"

The Jackal chuckled, "Ah'd say 'bout twenty minutes. We need ta top off our water stores."

As the time passed, the thought of those flying creatures had plagued Cumulus’ mind. They made this whole ordeal real in a way that Dende’s drawing never could. He was floating on a sense of elation that made his heart race and his wings itch. Standing still was not really a trait commonly found in Pegasi and, while he could remain still for hours while observing an animal, he tended to get fidgety when there was nothing for him to do.

This was made worse by the fact that he was forced to perch on the collapsed mast due to the deck being crowded with dozens of Diamond Dogs all pressed together eager to off the ship. Cumulus stared at them curiously from his perch, wondering where they all came from. To his knowledge, he had never seen more than a dozen at a time. 

“Drop anchor!” Jaffar’s voice sounded over the incom system. The Dogs quickly bounded to follow his orders, not wanting anything to delay their landing. The next several minutes were a form of controlled chaos as the Dogs rushed about on deck following Jaffar’s and Sappra’s instructions that resulted in several longboats being lowered into the boats crammed with supplies, Diamond Dogs, two Anubis, a Saddle Arabian Horse, and himself. 

Shortly after, the boats landed on the beach and several Diamond Dogs leapt out of the boat and began digging into with a vigor that Cumulus had never seen before. Soon there was a pile of clams and a large barrel that was filling with sand crabs. Several Dogs were put to work tearing jungle foliage from nearby and using it and the sand to build fortifications under the direction of Ad’e and Jaffar. Cumulus saw the logic in that, supposing that they did not want a repeat of what had happened the last time. 

What really had had his curiosity were the other actions of the Diamond Dogs. "Sappra, may I ask what you’re gathering up all these clams and crabs for?" Cumulus asked, gesturing to the nearly overflowing barrel of crustaceans.

"To eat, po-uh Doctor,” she answered, not turning around, “My dogs are very hungry and a week of empty bellies has us ravenous.”

"I thought Diamond Dogs absorbed the energy from gemstones,” he said confusedly, “Isn't that why you dig for them?"

She rounded on him, barely suppressing a growl. “They do, but they do nothing to fill our stomachs! Gems keep us alive, but they cannot give us a means to eat!"

Her choice of words clicked in his mind. “I understand, it is like walking through a desert with only a few sips of water. It will keep you from dying of thirst, but do nothing to quench it."

For the first time in the trip, the Dog known as Sappra smiled at him. "Exactly."

"Speakin o' water," Denda said, strolling up to them while carrying a trunk on his back, "We need ta top off on wat water we got. Sappra, send out ya fastest dogs." He opened the large trunk he had been carrying, revealing several machetes in wrapped in cloth sheaths. "Dey each git one o' dese fer protection."

Sappra's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Protect from what?"

"Deres some nasty beasties out dere,” the Jackal explained “and dey meaner den shit." 

Sappra shouted the names of six Dogs that Cumulus didn’t catch. Seconds after, six long-legged lanky dogs responded by approaching in a group. "You six are going to go out and find fresh water! When you find it, mark the spot and get back here fast." She motioned to the opened trunk "Take one of these. Apparently, there are dangerous animals out there." 

The dogs responded affirmatively, each grabbing a machete and strapping them on.

“I’d like to go,” Cumulus stated, “I might see something of note and I am beginning to feel rather useless around here." 

“We don't need some weak, flighty, little pony to slow us down!" The largest of the Dogs snorted.

"He goes, Ruddick," Sappra growled, "He understands these monsters better than you do. If you find an animal and Dr. Granted says ‘Run,’ you do it. That's an order!"

"You're gettin’ soft, Boss,” Ruddrick growled back, “Takin orders from a po-"  

He was cut off as Sappra's fist connected with his face. She promptly lunged forward, knocking him to the ground. She then clamped her jaws over his throat and shaking her head violently having him flail about like a rag doll.

After a few seconds of this, she released his throat and glared down at him. "Never forget why I lead us," she whispered dangerously, snout to snout with the other dog. She looked up, her outburst grabbing the attention of every Dog in camp, making them stop their tasks long enough to make submissive gestures to her. 

"I don't want to deal with any dogs dying!” she said, growling loud enough to be heard. She then pointed a clawed finger at Cumulus. “If he says run, you run! Got it?!”

Every Dog present nodded their consent, some whimpering slightly. Ruddick stayed quiet, prompting Sappra to growl again. "Yes, Boss," he muttered hesitantly. With nothing further keeping them, Cumulus and the Dogs ventured into the brush.

The Dogs walked quickly, occasionally sniffing the air and the ground in their search for water. Cumulus followed as best he could, his eyes and ears swiveling to take in their surroundings. Cumulus had no idea how long they had been at this until one of the Dogs stopped abruptly, effectively halting the party.

“I think I smell something,” she said, drawing everyone's attention. 

“Is it water?’ Cumulus asked hopefully. Thus far, his search had proven fruitless and he would’ve hated for his tiring trek through the hot, humid, oppressive jungle.

The Dog took a few sniffs before answering. “I think so,” she answered uncertainly, “There’s too many smells to sort through them, so it's hard to tell. It’s worth checking out."

Cumulus felt himself smile for the first time since the flying lizards. “In that case, lead on.”

The group pushed through denser foliage when they finally spotted  a small stream in a clearing. The Dogs rushed forward, getting onto their bellies and began lapping up the water. Cumulus smiled, not blaming them for acting that way, and started to stride forward. He froze before his first step hit the ground, twisting his ears around making certain he was hearing correctly. He quickly found he was correct: the entire area was completely silent, save for the hushed noises the Dogs were making. Before he could comment on it, a barely audible hissing noise filled the air, causing everyone present to turn towards the new noise. 

Everyone froze when they saw two feathered creatures with scaled muzzles. Upon each of their legs was a single scythe-like claw. Their coloring was dark brown with white underbellies and their body language was one of aggression. 

Cumulus saw this and more. Behind them, he noticed about a dozen or so smaller versions of the creatures in front of his group. Further behind that, he noticed several mounds of earth. They were covered in leaves, branches, and feathers. His eyes widened when he realized he had seen something like that before, at a Cragadile nest.

Before he could react, the creatures made a loud barking sound. A shiver was sent down his spine when a similar call answered from deeper in the jungle. “Oh, no!” he whispered, “Dear sweet Celestia and Luna, no!” 

The Dog he knew as Ruddrick broke from the rest of the group, rushing towards the nest. “Ruddrick, no!” Cumulus cried, but it was too late. Ruddrick grabbed one of the smaller fluffier creatures in his paw. 

The two larger creatures reacted instantly, leaping towards the unaware Diamond Dog. One of them leapt onto his back, biting deeply into the neck, but not severing his spine. The other clamped onto his forearm, sending a sickening snapping of bone piercing through the air. The chick Ruddrick had been holding dropped harmlessly to the grass, scurrying away with a squeak.

With the infant freed, the two adults began to take their revenge upon the Diamond Dog. The larger one (the male if Cumulus had to guess) that had him pinned by his neck had begun to slice gashes into his back, cutting deep enough to touch the bones. He sliced enough off to reveal his spinal column from the shoulders to the hips, hitting various points at the exposed bone. In spite of this, the creature never used enough pressure to kill him or give him the welcome relief of paralysis.  

While this was going on, the female had taken her claws and unzipped his stomach, starting her incision below the diaphragm to avoid any of the vital organs in Ruddrick’s chest cavity. After that, she placed several kicks into the Dog’s open abdomen causing his intestine to spill out as well as several other shredded organs. Given the surprising lack of blood, both creatures had managed to accomplish this without hitting any of the major blood vessels. 

The entire process had taken only seconds as the once imposing Diamond Dog had been reduced to a quivering wailing mass of filleted meat and ropy intestines. However, what was truly horrifying was the look in his eyes. They begged for this experience to end and weren’t particularly choosy as to how it came about, as long as it came mercifully quickly.

Cumulus felt nauseous as he saw the event unfold in front of his eyes. While he had seen predators kill prey with little regards, this was something else entirely. This was a new level of horror as the creature continued to rend into the fleshy mass that had been a Diamond Dog as he continued to scream, his voice becoming hoarse from the effort. 

His eyes widened for a second time as he realized a certain fact. These creatures moved with a precision born of experience and instinct. They could kill him at any moment of their choosing, but continued to eviscerate their victim, carving more and more into his body. ‘ They’re enjoying this!’ he thought, flaring his wing to get airborne. 

Cumulus looked back at the remaining Diamond Dogs, seeing them cower in place with their tails between their legs and whimpering. Knowing they were probably dead already, he at least wanted them to have a fighting chance. “Run!” he screamed to the Dogs. They made no attempt to move, remaining frozen in place and keeping their eyes on the dying member of their pack. 

“DOGS,” he bellowed louder, “RUN OR DIE!!”

That had the effect he desired, making the Diamond Dogs tear their eyes from the gruesome spectacle and bolt for the trees. Much to Cumulus’ dismay, only two of them had the sense to head for the ocean. The others ran to the far side of the clearing, thusly heading deeper into the jungle.

As the three unlucky ones reached the treeline, three more of the feathered creatures rushed from the brush. Using the Dos surprise to their advantage, the creatures slammed their bodies into their prey, slashing and biting as they collided. The Dogs were mercifully dead before they hit the ground, suffering only a fraction of the agony their mate Ruddrick had.

The clearing was eerily quiet as Cumulus came to the realization that he was the only one from the ship still there. Fortunately, he was kept aloft by slow, quiet wing beats. However, he was too invested in the grisly scene to really care.

Cumulus looked upon the three freshly dead forms of the Dogs, seeing no signs of life from them. One had been facing skyward, the muscular tissue of his throat being exposed to the air as the gaping wound in his beck sent fingers of blood to the dark earth below. Cumulus refused to look at the Dog that had been Ruddrick, not wanting to know if his wreaked form had died of blood loss or slipped into a blissful state of unconsciousness. He couldn’t block out the sound of chicks peeling pieces of flesh from Ruddrick’s body. His attention had been pulled away as a high trill pierced the air.

A large creature, nearly twice the size of the others, stepped out of the trees. It’s feathers were a snowy white as he glared at the world through crimson colored eyes. ‘An albino!’ Cumulus thought with a mixed reaction of excitedness and fear.

The reaction he brought was immediate as the others chirped and flashed the downy feathers of their throats at him. The albino walked with obvious power and confidence, a predator in its prime. He seemed to ignore Cumulus, instead regarding the Dogs upon the ground. He stepped over Ruddrick’s disfigured corpse, paying no more attention to it than a bug, and approached the three freshly dead cadavers of the Diamond Dogs. 

As the albino approached, the creatures of his pack backed away, giving him all the room of his status. He kicked the first Dog with his foot, cracking some of the ribs with the force of his blow. Receiving no kind of response, he snarled savagely, turning his attention to the next one. Yielding the same results, he leaned his snout down to the last Dog and nudged it.

Much to Cumulus’ surprise, the Dog wasn’t dead. The albino seeing this was the case, rolled the Dog over to his back and placed one of his legs upon the Dog’s arm, hissing as he did so. The Dog, seeing what was happening, tried flailing to escape, screaming in terror. However, his kicking legs did little more than annoy the albino and his unpinned arm was broken, leaving him helpless before the creature. 

The albino brought his other foot to the Dog’s legs, slitting them at the pelvis region. As the claws sliced muscles and tendons, the Dog’s movements became unnaturally still. The albino’s ruby eyes flashed as his lips pulled back, giving him an expression that could be best described as a sneer. He then fully extended his claw, reveal a full four inches of bone and slowly pierced the soft sensitive flesh of the Dog’s stomach. 

He began the incision the Dog with almost surgeon-like delicacy as the Dog screamed and attempted to thrash to get away. As the cut got bigger and wider, exposing the underlying muscles and tissues surrounding the intestines, the Dog’s face contorted at this excruciating agony. The albino, who seemed to be enjoying this scene, continued to slice from hip to hip taking his time.

As the albino finished the incision, he brought his clawed forelegs to the opening and plunged into the spongy material. The albino brought his claws out, grasping several inches of intestines in his grip. He continued scooping out the entrails as the Dog’s screaming had quieted, opting instead to whimper for a quick death that he wouldn’t get as he sobbed quietly and uncontrollably. Cumulus, morbidly reminded of how cats would often play with their prey before finishing it, wondered if the mouse was subjected to terror like this. 

Once finished unravelling most of the Dog’s guts, the albino plunged his snout and jaws into the mostly hollowed abdomen. As the creature opened and shut his jaws, the Dog howled in new found agony. The albino gave a small twist of its neck and brought out a large, dark brown almost to the point of purplish organ in it’s teeth. Cumulus recognized the organ as the liver.

The creature held the organ in the dogs gaze, causing blood and bile to haphazardly splatter across the Dog’s coat.  As the Dog moved its head to avoid looking at it, the albino moved in kind bringing the Dog’s own liver back into his view. Every so often, a purr would escape the albino’s throat, signifying its pleasure. After countless seconds, the Dog eventually lied still. 

The albino brought up it’s free hind leg to the Dog’s chest, giving a small slice along the ribcage. It served him no purpose however as the Dog was thankfully dead. Seeing this, the albino gave what could only be described as a disappointed sigh and swallowed his prize of the liver. Licking its muzzle, he meandered to the stream and dipped his snout into the water, giving the water pinkish smears across the surface. 

Cumulus released a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, realizing absentmindedly that he neglected to take notes. However, looking at had occurred in front of him, he found he didn’t really care anymore. If anything he would’ve given anything to scrub the memory of what had happened out of his mind. 

The albino looked in his direction for the first time, almost grinning as a growl left his throat. Instinct taking over, Cumulus flew for the coastline. Out of all the thoughts flying about in his mind, he grabbed one single one to latch onto: "What have I gotten myself into?!"  

> Further In
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Cumulus landed, the brush and foliage too thick to do any productive flying. He breathed heavily, his lungs attempting to catch up to his racing heart rate. However, the humid air was thick and heavy and the burning sensations in his muscles didn’t help. Hearing the slight rustling of foliage from behind him, he ignored every ounce of discomfort he felt and ran into the thicker brush, galloping for his life.

‘They’re too close!’ he thought, ‘I have to get away!’

He heard the excited chirping around him, speeding up his pace as he did. Objectively, he knew that getting away was unlikely. The feathered creatures were too fast and knew the terrain better than he did. However, fear and instinct were his main motivators for any action he took, removing any necessary thought processes. 

One of the creatures leaped in his path, spreading his claws and snarling. More on instinct than anything else, he turned left into a patch of ferns, dodging trees and fallen limbs with every hooffall. As much as he wished to spread his wings to take to the air again, he couldn’t. The brush was pressing in about him sparking the natural terror in every Pegasi: claustrophobia. His new terror fueling his desperation, he found speed he was unaware he had, pressing further ahead.

Unfortunately, the beasts were still slightly faster. As they approached, they nipped the air close enough to graze his coat. He knew he could only run and dodge for so long and it was only a matter of time before they caught him. However, he saw a spark of hope ahead of him. 

As though it were a gift from Celestia and Luna themselves, an opening to the open air presented itself. Beautiful sunshine filtered into the opening, more welcoming than a lover’s embrace. He pushed himself faster, despite his burning legs’ protests, bursting through the brush. As soon as he was through, he flared his wings and leapt into the air with new vigor.

His elation was brought to a grinding halt as he felt himself hit the dirt. More bewildered than anything else at the moment, he turned to his wings wondering why they had failed him. Looking on them, he noticed the feathers had been broken or pulled out, leaving bits of bloodied flesh behind. He felt fear well up in his throat as he wondered if it was the jog or the creatures that had caused this. In any case, his nearly naked wings left him grounded for the immediate future. A future which was beginning to look bleaker as the seconds ticked by.

Several of the beasts burst through the foliage, much as he had done and blocked his escape Cumulus backed away from the hissing creatures, scanning for any possible way out of this predicament. When he felt his flank hit something solid, panic took a firm hold of him. He turned his gaze slightly so he could see what he had hit. 

As though mocking his plight, a huge rock cliff jutted straight from the bowels of the earth. It stretched as far as the eye could see in either direction, disappearing into the jungle and blocking any hopes of escape. 

Before he had the chance to bemoan his fate, he realized that this had not been chance him running here. These creatures had led him here, taking any possibility of escape along with his wings. In spite of himself, he smiled a little at the fact that he had been trapped. “Clever bastards,” he swore under his breath.

The creatures took a stance that he had seen in Timberwolves and Manticores when they had their prey cornered. Seeing the creature in front of him lower himself to the ground, Cumulus braced himself for the inevitable, painful conclusion. With an ear shattering shriek, the creature dove forward with jaws opened and claws extended. 





Cumulus jumped to one side, hitting cooled sand as he landed. He gasped shakily for air, fanning his wings to check for the damage done to them. Seeing nothing, he quickly came to the conclusion that what he had witnessed had been a nightmare, one that even with Princess Luna’s help would plague him for several years if not the rest of his life.

Calming enough to think coherently, he looked about to figure out where he was and how he had gotten there. Looking about, he noticed that the darkened air of the tent and remembered flying into camp like his tail was on fire. After collapsing in the middle of camp, he remembered losing consciousness. 

As those memories surfaced, he also remembered the gruesome state dead Dogs. He remembered every detail, from the involuntary twitches in Ruddrick’s muscles to the tears streaking down the other’s Dog’s face as they were both gutted and filleted alive. Remembering these caused Cumulus to rush outside, ignoring the searing pain in his retinas from the sudden shift in light. 

After retching any remnants of food or liquid in his stomach, he buried it in the sand and looked about the state of the camp. He noticed that a giant wall of sand had been erected, encircling the perimeter of the camp. He noticed some of the Diamond Dogs had taken to leaning against the structure. Even though he wasn’t looking at it, he was aware of the ocean off to his right. 

“Doc, glad ta see yer alright!” Cumulus turned to see the Jackal twins approaching him. Upon seeing him, Denda chuckled. “Well, glad ta see ya up an’ about anyway.”

“Tha Cap’in wants ta know wut happened out dere,” Ad’e contined, “Gotta say Ah'm mighty curious myself."

“We met some of your feathery friends, Ad’e,” Cumulus explained, seeing the Jackal scowl at the response.

“Figured that when one o’ da bastards tried to get in da walls,” Denda said casually.

“Did he get away?!” Cumulus asked in wide-eyed terror.

“Ah weren't 'bout ta miss my chance at a lil' payback,” Ad’e stated smugly with a grin, “Da lil' monstas don' last too long afta ya take deir heads."

“Good,” Cumulus stated in relief, “That was a scout. Had it escaped, it doubtlessly would have lead its entire pack here."  He paused thoughtfully for a moment. "What did you do with the body?"

Denda grinned. “In da freezer on da ship. Cap'in figured ya would wanna take a closer look at it."

"He was right,” Cumulus stated rising, “However, for now I believe it would be best if I spoke with Jaffar." He glanced about at the clustered gathering of tents. “Which way is his tent?”

“Dis way, Doc.”

The Jackals and Pegasus turned towards the water, walking between the narrow gaps of the tents. Cumulus found himself observing the base camp, noticing that the layout of the shelters could be best described as haphazard. He wondered briefly if the Diamond Dogs had done this without supervision of any kind. 

As they pressed on, Cumulus noticed the glares of several Diamond Dogs leveled at him as they passed by. When he passed a group of about eight of them speaking in hushed whispers, they silenced all at once giving muted growls at him. Deciding that lingering would be a bad move, he got closer to the twins and unconsciously touched the Sonic Whistle around his neck. He only hoped he wouldn’t be put in a position where he had to use it.

As they approached the sea and the longboats, he noticed a pair of tents set up larger than  the ones he had been passing. They were close to the water’s edge, but not close enough to be affected by the tide. Upon closer inspection, one was slightly larger than the other and the sound of raised voices was coming from it.

"I don't care if they're on their deathbeds!” Jaffar roared, “I want to know what in Ra's name happened out there!"

"And I keep telling you they won't talk about it!” Sappra barked back, “They won’t talk about anything!! They won't even leave the ship! If you want answers so bad, why don't you wake up the pony and make him talk?!"

Knowing he wouldn’t get a better cue than that, he pushed the flap of the tent open and entered the tent. He saw that Jaffar and Sappra were muzzle to muzzle until he entered and turned their glares towards him. Before Cumulus realized what had happened, Cumulus found himself pinned to the ground, the cold bite of stone beneath him cutting through his coat on his back. 

Sappra pressed down onto his windpipe, her stubby digits wrapped around his throat and her sharp claws cutting shallow furrows into his neck. She leaned closer, her breath washing over his features. “What! Happened! To my Dogs?!” she growled.

Ad’e and Denda swooped in quickly, one of them grabbing her unoccupied arm and the back part of her neck while the other went for the arm pinning Cumulus, prying her arm off of his throat. Cumulus greedily sucked in air while he coughed to get his lungs working properly. 

“Sappra, that enough!” Jaffar said, Sappra showing little interest in anything he had the say.

“Answer me, you!” she barked, struggling in the twin Jackal’s grasp, “What happened to my Dogs?!”

As the memories of the jungle came flooding back, his ears drooped. He didn’t want to tell her or anyone else how he had froze when those creatures started their butchering, how the Dogs were left alive as their skin and organs were removed and sliced into, but they had a right to know, especially Sappra. He sighed before looking into Sappra’s rage-filled eyes. “They’re dead, Sappra,” he said as simply as he could.

This seemed to take some of the fight out of her. She seemed a little smaller than before and a little of the color drained from her. She then clenched her fist as a growl began to build in her throat. 

“Did the two that head this way make it back?” Cumulus asked before Sappra could launch into another tirade.

“Yes,” Jaffar answered, “As soon as they entered camp, they swam to The Horus and locked themselves onboard. They won’t say anything except that they won’t set paw in this place.” Jaffar gave Cumulus a serious look. “Exactly what happened out there, Dr. Granted?” 

Cumulus tried to swallow in an attempt to moisten his throat, but his parched mouth did him little good. Denda passed him a water-skin and he drained half of it before Cumulus was satisfied. “You might want to sit down for this,” he warned.





“...and blood loss was finally enough to take the Dog at that point. I swear that creature was disappointed that his plaything was dead. I can’t blame them for freezing like they did. By the time I was able to get them to run, they were in a panic. I’m not sure how long we were out there for, but the attack itself took only a few minutes, maybe five at most.”

Cumulus looked at the others in the tent, seeing their varied expressions. Sappra’s coat seemed to shift to a pale green one and she had a look like she was going to be sick. At some point during the story, Ad’e and Denda had released their grip on the Diamond Dog and wore looks that bordered somewhere between uncomfortable and horrified as they snarled slightly at the ground. Jaffar’s expression however was completely neutral. Cumulus moved to take another swig from the water-skin, but it had been drained earlier.

“It’s unprecedented that these monsters could be so sadistic,” Jaffar stated, his cool eyes meeting Cumulus’, “yet it changes nothing. We still need drinking water.”

“If you send another party in there on foot, none of them will be coming back,” Cumulus stated, “I know that doesn’t help with the current dilemma, but it’s the truth.”

Jaffar nodded. "In that case, what do you recommend we do then, Dr. Granted?"

Cumulus frowned at the question. What, in fact, was the best course of action? The logical answer would be to fly over it, but he was the only one with wings. However that sparked an idea 

"The Horus!" he shouted, drawing all eyes save for Sappra’s to him. "The Horus is an amphibious airship. Why don't we use it to fly over the jungle and touch down in a lake or river inland?"

He saw the twin glance at each other as Jaffar sighed and shook his head. "That will not work, Dr. Granted."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"Well, you see,” the Horse stated, getting slightly flustered, “The Horus uses hydrogen to fill its flight bladder, but the pumps we would need to refill the hydrogen canisters aren't on board the ship."  

Cumulus felt his is eyebrow lift even higher. "And where exactly are they?"

Jaffar seemed to spot something interesting on the canvas wall to his right. "Oh, well... Os Pubus Bay."

Cumulus began to glare at the Horse. "Back in Saddle Arabia!?” he all but shouted, “What on earth are they doing there!?"

Ad'e stepped forward to explain. "Well, ya see Doc, dose pumps t'ain't easy ta build an’ dey cost a fortune ta repair. If we ‘ad dem, we woulda nevah ben able ta buy da Horus odawise."

Cumulus started rubbing his temples. "So we get one trip, fan-flanking-tastic!" 

'Okay, options!’ he thought ‘Going in on hoof would be suicide, so searching from the air is our only hope-' he grimaced '-and I'm the only one with wings.'

"Everting alright Doc?" asked Denda, "Ya look sick."

Cumulus sighed. "No, I'm fine. There is only only one option I can see-" he looked from Jaffar to the twins "-I will have to scout ahead for water."

"Absolutely not!" Jaffar snapped, "That jungle is too dangerous to send you into it alone! If one of those monst-"

"CAPTAIN!!!" Cumulus shouted, holding his hoof up, causing the roan to stop. "I am quite familiar with hazardous environments. Need I remind you that I spent weeks on end living in the Everfree Forest? I know how to keep myself safe-" He gave the Horse a serious look "And besides, this is the best plan to keep someone from getting killed."

Jaffar opened his mouth, but promptly closed it again. Cumulus knew he saw the logic in it, but was reluctant to admit it. “Assuming the worst happens and you perish, how would we know?”

This gave Cumulus reason to pause. If that were to happen, there really wouldn’t be a way of knowing. He ran a hoof through his mane, running through every possibility in his head. He remained that way for several minutes before Jaffar cleared his throat.

“Well, Doctor?”

After a moment more of thought, he gave a shrug. “Give me three days worth of provisions. If I’m not by sunset on the third day, assume the worst. Hopefully I can find something and be back before then-” He glanced at Sappra, who was still sitting slumped on the sandy floor being very quiet- “That way no other Dogs have to put themselves in harm’s way, either.”

“I cannot believe I am listening to this!” Jaffar stated, rubbing his forehead.

“He’s right, Cap’in,” Ad’e replied, stepping forward, “Ya know he is. Da Doc is da only one who can come an' go freely.”

Jaffar stomped his hoof upon the ground, the sound of hoof on stone causing a slight echo, before glaring at the Jackal. “I very strongly dislike it when you are correct, Ad’e,” he said, shifting his gaze to Cumulus, “It would seem that your suggestion is the only choice we have. When did you plan to leave.” 

“Tomorrow morning would be best,” Cumulus stated, “seeing as how today almost done anyway. And besides, I want to examine the creature Ad’e killed.”

Jaffar was still glaring, but nodded. “Very well. Ad’e, assist Dr. Granted, if you would.”

“O'course Cap'i,” the blue eyed Jackal stated, motioning to the tent flap with a paw, “Dis way, Doc.” With that, the pair walked out of the tent into the fading twilight.





"Sappra," Jaffar said, turning to the Dog as soon as Dr. Granted and Ad’e left the tent, "I want you to see to your clan."

Sappra nodded absently and left the tent, not saying a word.

The Horse turned to a small lockbox, opening it in the process. He pulled a withered bit of parchment from it, placing weights upon the corners. “It’s a shame that Sparrow didn’t mark freshwater sources on the route. It would’ve been most helpful.”

“"Pirates can be stingy wen it coms ta dere waterin’ holes,” Denda replied, “Prolly didn't want nobody else ta figure out how to survive down here." 

“Indeed,” Jaffar agreed smirking, “It was very altruistic of the good doctor to volunteer as he did. I doubt he would’ve been as eager had I suggested it myself. I do believe I am getting the hang of this acting business. While he plays with his monsters, we can focus on the true prize-” Jaffar’s smirk fell “-Now that I think on it, what was the reason you gave him for our being here?”

“That we was scoutin’ out resources fer Saddle Arabia,” Denda replied, a grin playing on his lips as his eyes flashed.

“Brilliant!” Jaffar exclaimed with a chuckle, “He’d never think to question it!” He examined the map critically. “The way I see it, if we sail east for twenty nautical miles, it should be a straight shot to ‘Deep Bay’ where our prize lays.”

Denda glanced at the map, gesturing to it with his digits. “Wut he called a ‘bay’ is a sea in its own right, but dis here points ta sumeting in dese mountains here. Dat ust be where it is!”

Jaffar squinted at a particular section of the map before gesturing to it. “What would you make of this symbol?”

The Jackal strained to see what the Horse was pointing to. “Don’t know. Nevah seen nothin’ like it before.”


> Something Bigger
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Cumulus gripped the scalpel in his primaries, carefully slicing the greyed, scaly skin of the once living beast. In spite of the gruesomeness of the task, Cumulus was grinning ear to ear like a foal at Hearth’s Warming. With every piece of peeled flesh, he discovered something wondrous about these apex predators. 

He worked in the kitchen of The Horus, finding it was the only area with an area wide enough to perform this kind of activity without being exposed to the elements. It would’ve been better without the slight rocking of the ship, but fortunately it was a calm sea. He carefully cut the epidermis of the hind legs and avoided slicing the muscle tissue.  “Ad’e, look at this muscle structure! I have never seen anything like it!”

Ad’e wore a look upon his face that was bordering between disgust and confusion, but was namely leaning towards shock. Out of all the oddities the world had to offer, he had never expected to see a Pegasus slicing open an animal carcass to see what was inside of it. Fortunately, Cumulus seemed too engrossed in his task to notice. “Is dat a gud ting or a bad ting, Doc?” 

“Well, it depends upon your perspective,” he answered, continuing his delicate cutting, “If you happen to be one of these creatures, it’s a very good thing.” Cumulus stopped cutting to gesture to the muscles and tendons, “Judging from the way the fibers are shaped and the number of ligaments, this creature probably has the most powerful kick of any animal, relative to body size anyway. Still a bad thing for anything upon the receiving end of that kick.” 

“So we should stay clear o’ dose, den?” Ad’e asked, eying the exposed muscles. 

“Exactly,” Cumulus stated, shooting a grin at the Jackal while placing the scalpel aside, “Also means that these creatures are extraordinary jumpers as well.” He jotted down a few notes in his journal before resuming his task, whistling at the impressiveness of the tendon attached to the toe claw. After spreading the flesh further, he noticed the tendon split into silvered fingers that latched themselves to the extendable toe claw. “That’s odd,” he said more to himself than anyone else.

“Wut is Doc?”

“Have a look at this tendon,” Cumulus explained, moving aside to give Ad’e a better look. “It’s so massive, it should be a mistake. As a rule, nature never indulges in the concept of overkill, but it seems that this is exactly what that is. It’s too much power for a single weapon and a creature would unlikely need this kind of physiology for a simple cutting tool.”

“Doc, yer losin’ me. Could you slow it down.”

Cumulus rubbed his forehead. “Okay, from what I’ve seen, this claw seems to made primarily for hacking and slashing, but this tendon gives an unusual amount of control for those purposes. It almost as though…it was...” 

“Doc? Y’alright, Doc?”

Cumulus’ gaze shifted to the scythe-like claw, as noticed several features about it, his grin widening as he took note of them. “What incredible creatures!” he said reverently. 

“Doc?”

“Ad’e, have a closer look at the claw there,” Cumulus stated, almost too excited to speak.

The Jackal did as he was asked, but eventually remarked, “Wut am I suppoze ta see?”

“That these claws,” Cumulus explained, his grin growing wider as his mind reeled at the only possible explanation for evolving this kind of weaponry,, “have multiple purposes. Look at the inner curve of the claw. Only the last two-thirds or so is sharp while the rest of it is blunted. The massive tendon is to be able to control how deep the claw stabs and, if necessary, to pierce flesh and grip with it as well!”

Ad’e tilted his head for a moment in thought. “If dat be da case, don’t dat mean dese tings can climb?”

Cumulus’ face dropped as the possibility entered his mind. As he added things together, he came to a startling conclusion: “That was how it climbed over in the first place. Ad’e, the sand wall isn’t a barrier, it’s an obstacle!”

Ad’e’s eyes widened as the words left Cumulus’ mouth. “We need ta tell da Cap'in,” Ad’e stated, panic hitting him like a bucket of water, “'fore dese tings swarm all o'er like da last time!”

The thought of seeing anyone else being butchered like they were the last time he had run into these was enough to motivate Cumulus into action. He vaguely remembered passing through the various hallways and climbing the steps to the decks. Once into the open air, he flapped his wings and his hooves lifted from the ground. He heard Ad’e cal something after him, but he couldn’t make it out. The only thoughts in his mind were those of the evacuation procedure he had perfected in Neighntucket and how to implement it. 

As he flew towards the shore, he noticed how it seemed to darken in the evening sky. He tried to ignore it as he searched the perimeter of the wall leading to the jungle. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw nothing there save for darkness. However, it caught in his throat when he saw the reds of several pairs of eyes light along the wall. 

‘No!’ he thought, ‘I’m to late!’ Heedless of the strain he was putting on his wings, he attempted to fly even faster.





“My compliments, Denda,” Jaffar stated, “This forged map has to be your best work yet.”

“Tank ya, Cap’in,” the Jackal replied, offering a lopsided grin, “It wan’t all dat hard.”

“Be that as it may,” Jaffar continued, rolling up the genuine map, “it would be best to lock this up so as to not get them confused and give the good doctor the wrong map.”

Denda replaced the map in the small iron lockbox and secured the lock when a cry pierced the air.

“EVERYONE TO THE BOATS! THEY’RE BACK AND THEY’RE CLIMBING THE WALLS!”

Denda and Jaffar stared at each other dumbfoundedly, recognizing the timbre of Cumulus’ voice. 

“Shit!” Denda swore, hefting the small chest upon his shoulder.

“My sentiments exactly,” Jaffar stated hastily, gathering Sparrow’s journal from the desk just as the tent was buffeted by a strong gale of wind. Just as they had stepped out of the tent, the sounds of a mass hysteria met their ears. 





Cumulus flew hastily around the campsite, continuously yelling his alarm as several creatures poured over the walls like water over a cup’s brim. Along with the blood curdling screams of the Diamond Dogs, the sounds of trilling, chirps, and beastly shrieks met his ears. 

“HEAD FOR THE LONGBOATS!” Jaffar’s voice sounded over the din, “WE MUST RETURN TO THE SHIP!”

The Dogs wasted no time in complying, making for the shoreline as fast as their legs could take them. Cumulus watched as the dog ran along the darkened sand, the forms of the creatures stalking after them. He flew just above them, encouraging them to run faster above their cacophony.

“CAST OFF!” Cumulus heard, finding the boats move into the deepening water. Cumulus was a little surprised at the fact that about eighteen of the Dogs were being left on shore, but given the fact that the creatures were less than twenty yards away and approaching he didn’t give voice for it.

“RUN!” he yelled, flying past them, “SWIM FOR YOUR LIVES!”

The Dogs were hesitant until some of them began disappearing under the feathery masses of the creatures. They were promptly motivated to run screaming into the water, paddling for their lives. Cumulus flew to the longboat containing Jaffar and Dende and landed in a panting, sweaty heap. 

“I am SO sorry, Captain!” he stated between breaths, “I was too late. By the time I figured out how our specimen got over the wall, they were already there!”

“Calm yourself, Doctor,” Jaffar stated in a calming voice, “I’m certain you best you could-” Jaffar repressed a shudder “-It might have ended in a massacre like our last expedition.”

“It’s still my fault though,” he stated, his ears folding on his head, “It shouldn’t have happened at all.”

“Dende, perform a head count and see….”

"Huhroooaruh!"

He was interrupted when a small burst of thunder pierced the air. Cumulus thought this was curious seeing as how the sky was clear for miles. The notion that it was thunder was quickly dismissed when he heard another follow a few seconds later.

“Wut was dat?” Dende asked, before a mighty roar pierce the air, drowning out every other sound.

“Whatever it is, it’s big,” Cumulus stated, flaring his wings “I’m going to get a better look.” He took to the air before anyone could stop him. Once high enough to see the treetops, he hovered there looking for the source of the noise.

Cumulus spotted a stand of trees swaying as a flight of birds took wing. He watched the spot, unconsciously gulping. ‘If something is big enough to move the trees like that, it must be massive!’ he thought with a combination of fear and excitement. 

As the thumping approached, the creatures along the beach had frozen and began looking in the direction of the jungle. Cumulus made a mental note of this and began panicking slightly. If these apex predators were wary of whatever was making that noise, it was best to exercise caution. Soon enough, the brobdingnagian creature revealed itself.

It was dark grey, almost dark enough to blend in with the night. As it broke through the treeline, it’s footstep was enough to send tremors through the ground, causing the sand on the wall to shift slightly. It’s jaws were surprisingly narrow for a creature of it’s size, yet still massive enough to fit at least three ponies inside and have room enough to spare. Along the length of its spine and neck, it had a ridge rising from its back. Cumulus dipped slightly in the air as his mind tried to wrap around the concept of such a creature.

The smaller creatures seemed to take a more disdainful approach, taking to snapping their jaws at it and hissing vehemently. The larger one, taking no note of this, content itself to examining the wall hindering its progress. It jabbed at it critically with its snout, managing to shift a bit of sand from the top. It tilted its head in a puzzled expression, kicking at the wall slightly with a taloned foot, managing to produce a cracking noise along with a lot more shifting sand. Cumulus had to admit he was impressed at the Diamond Dog’s ability to make such a sturdy structure with only branches and sand gathered from the beach.

The massive brute seemed less than entranced, filling the air with a roar that had the impact of a crack of thunder. It then lunged forward with all the speed and force it could produce and rammed the barrier with its mountainous form. The wall didn’t stand a chance as it practically crumbled under the mass of muscle and scaled flesh, crushing several tents in the combined wake. 

The smaller creatures, deciding that self preservation was more important than pride, opted for the logical choice and scattered. One ventured too close and paid the consequences, getting snapped up in the larger creature’s jaws. The smaller creature shrieked and flailed its legs looking for a purchase to fight back, but the brute merely shook it’s head causing the smaller predator to be flailed about like a chew toy in a dog’s grasp and the creature was silenced.

Cumulus watched with morbid fascination as the brute’s jaws closed around the now dead prey, causing several unmistakable bone snapping sounds. It then proceeded to swallow the creature whole, a low growl emanating from its throat. It then purused through the remains that were the camp, lazily sniffing the air. It passed over the Dog’s remains, curiously sniffing the partially eaten remains. Cumulus dared not focus on them too long, silently hoping they did not suffer too long. As the brute crunched on one after the other, its attention was drawn, as was Cumulus’ to the wall as a white blur streaked about.

The blur stopped moving, showing the Albino Cumulus had seen earlier standing upon what remained of the wall. It’s claws were sunk into the wall and it's tail held stiff for balance as it glared at the brute. Its feathers were ruffled and it hissed at it disdainfully. The two predators continued to glare at each other for several seconds before the Albino hissed for a last time and leapt from the wall to head deeper into the jungle. Cumulus couldn't be certain, but for half a second there, as the Albino was turning away, he felt that the Albino had shot a glare towards him. Before he could examine it any further, a sudden noise drew the attention of both the brute and Cumulus.

From one of the tents, a single Diamond Dog emerged brandishing a burning length of firewood as a polearm. His teeth were bared as he swung the makeshift torch back and forth. It would've been almost comical had he not been yelling expletives the whole time.  " Ya! Back! I said BACK!!  Bad Dragon!"

After a moment or to of flinching at the flaming object, it glared down at the dog and gave an annoyed growl," Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr."  With a surprisingly swift flick of its long snout, the Brute effectively disarmed the dog who stared into the large animals eyes.  Cumulus had no idea how long he hovered there, but he guessed it might have been seconds. Before he had a chance to shout a warning to him, the brute moved first. With a grace that was deceptive for a creature his size and lunged for the Diamond Dog.

In that moment, things slowed down for Cumulus. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he deduced it was the adrenaline coursing through his system at an accelerated rate, but that was only of second importance. What was important was he was witnessing before his eyes. The brute was lunging forward, jaws wide and closing the distance between him and the Dog. The Dog’s eyes opened wide as though he were just realizing how bad an idea he had.

In that moment, Cumulus knew he had to do something and do it quickly. Taking the barest of seconds to decide, he flapped his wings and climbed in altitude. With a twist of his wings, he arced down gaining speed with every flap. He hurdled himself toward the brute, the scenery around him going blurry both as a result of his speed and the tears accumulating in his eyes. It eventually got to the point where he couldn’t even tell where he was aiming, but he had to trust in his instincts. He was instantly rewarded when he felt himself impact something softish. 

As he was studying the creature on the boat, he had discovered their scaly skin was incredibly durable. Taking the mass of this beast into consideration, Cumulus guessed that it had the consistency of the hides of rhinos in the Zebrican nations. Knowing he had hot something that had give in it, he knew he had aimed well. His right foreleg went numb from his fetlock to his shoulder, but it was well worth it.

When his eyes regained sight, Cumulus noticed the beast flailing about wildly, rubbing one side of his head in the sand. As he expected, Cumulus hit the brute in the eye. Unfortunately eye or not, the beast was still built like a brick outhouse. He turned his sight to the Dog, who stared at the scene in a state of shock and had long since dropped his weapon. “If I were you,” Cumulus said sternly to the dumbfounded Dog, clutching his hurt foreleg, “I’d start running for the ship.”

The Dog, apparently not needing to be told twice, was dashing towards the water at speed that would make a locomotive look snailish. Cumulus turned back to the brute who was now staring intently at him intently, a threatening growl rumbling from his throat. Cumulus smiled sheepishly at him. “Here’s looking at you, kid?” he said placatingly.

The beast responded by snapping his jaws at him, missing his hooves by inches as Cumulus flapped backwards. As the beast stepped forward, he crushed a crate causing amethyst to scatter across the sand. Cumulus knew he had to get the beast out of camp to scavenge whatever was left of the supplies, but how was the question. Hitting upon an idea, he flapped out of convenient biting range.

“Come on, scaly!” he said tauntingly, “Care for some tasty, Pony?! Well, come and get me!” 

The beast turned to follow him. As he snapped at air where Cumulus was, Cumulus began smirking. It seemed that for all his size, the beast wasn't all that smart. As Cumulus made a note of this, he decided to use it to his advantage.

He dove at the brute again, turning to buck at his snout, thus further irritating it. “Here lizard, lizard, lizard! Catch the birdie!” he taunted, flying towards the jungle. The beast followed him, his steps thundering.





Cumulus landed upon the deck of The Horus with a thump. He greedily gulped for air as he laid, every muscle in his body sore from the flight. He hadn't flown that much since his time in flight camp. 

Dealing with those feathered creatures twice in one day was bad enough, but that brute was something else. With his body size alone, he could cause enough havoc to give Discord a run for his money. As of that moment, he just wanted to go to bed for about a week.

That was until he was tackled to the deck. His first thought that he was being attacked and he was just too tired to properly fight back. However, it was quickly dispelled when he realized that he wasn’t in any more pain than he was in.

“Thank you, Pony!” A scratchy voice shrieked, squeezing Cumulus, “Thank you! Thank you!”

Once Cumulus was able to disentangle himself from the hugging mass, he recognized the Diamond Dog that had been brandishing a burning pole. “It was nothing,” he said once he was able to properly take a breath, “I’m certain you would have done the same for me.”

“Nope! I would run!” the Dog replied cheerfully, as though he were a child improperly using an insult as a compliment. Perhaps it was the cheerful demeanor of the alive Dog or perhaps due to the fact he was exhausted, he just began chuckling, causing the Dog to tilt his head quizzically at him. 

“Dr. Granted,” Jaffar stated, approaching the Pegasus, giving an appraising look, “A pleasure to see you alive and whole.”

In spite of his tiredness, Cumulus gave a smirk. “You think a slow witted, heavy footed bruiser like that could catch me? Not likely! I outflew a Cygnus Minor once, so he was no problem.”

“What is a Cygnus Minor?” the Horse asked, before raising a hoof, “Never mind! It doesn't matter. Is whatever that thing gone?”

Cumulus didn’t blame the Horse for sounding apprehensive. “Yeah, he is. I led him deeper into the jungle. I guess he went off to look for something easier to hunt.” 

“How d’ja lose da big beastie, Doc?” Dende asked, now joined with Ad’e.

“An old game called cat and mouse, but this mouse has wings and a bigger intellect,” Cumulus stated with no small amount of smugness, “Anyways, you can head back to shore to grab anything you might have missed.” He gave the Horse a skeptical look. “Just a guess: you never saw anything like that on your last visit?”

“Absolutely not!” Jaffar stated, shaking his head vigorously, “It was bad enough that we knew about those smaller…”

“Slashers,” Cumulus interrupted, gaining confused looks from everyone there.

“Pardon?” Jaffar asked.

“The smaller predators,” he explained, “Everything needs a name, so I’m calling them ‘Slashers.’”

“Be that as it may, those things were bad enough without that hulking monstrosity!” Jaffar quirked an eyebrow at the Pegasus. “You haven’t named it yet, have you?”

“Not yet, but I’m working on it,” he replied, looking at the ruined camp from the ship, his ears drooping slightly. “So...how many this time?”

“Five more, but it could have been worse,” Jaffar said consolingly, “Your warning came just in time.”

“Not nearly,” he muttered, looking at his hooves. 

“Come, come, Doctor,” Jaffar stated, putting a hoof on his shoulder, “You shouldn't put too much stock in this. You have had a busy day and we still need to discuss your foray in the morning. In the meantime, you should get some rest.”

> A Whole New World
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Cumulus spotted a low hanging cloud and angled towards it desperate for a rest.  When he reached the soft island of water vapor, he dropped onto his stomach, and sighed.  He had been flying nonstop since early this morning searching for any sign of water through the dense jungle canopy.  So far he had had no luck spotting anything but Slashers and birds.  His first idea had been to find the Slasher nest again and follow the little stream until it met a larger river but it flowed into  the mouth a of a cave and had been no help.  

It was now nearly noon if the position of the sun was anything to go by and Cumulus was hot, tired and, thirsty.  He hesitantly reached into his saddlebags and fished out his canteen, taking small sips from it to wet his throat without using up all the liquid.  He would have to be sparing with his water, the last thing he wanted was to run out before he found another potable source.  

He returned the canteen to his bag and pulled out the map that Denda had given him to mark any river or lake he might find.  He scrutinized it with a frown, the scale on the map was something that he had questioned as it depicted two separate mountain ranges.  What was bothering him was the fact that neither range was in sight and no matter how high he flew he could not make out any thing on the horizon that even resembled a mountain.  In fact the only thing that was different was that smudge of blue-green to the north that marked the ocean, in every other direction was a endless sea of trees a hundred times the size of the Everfree. 

He glared at the map again and read the message scribbled by a little 'X'  'Meet us Here'.  After the attack, Jaffar had chosen to salvage what ever he could from the razed camp and set sail to the inland sea, opting to use wind power rather than the Horus's engines so they could save fuel.  This had expanded his time table to nearly a week but just now he felt like he would be flying over this jungle for the rest of time and he was not an endurance flier.  

During his time in the Everfree he had never had to fly longer than an hour or two looking for the native carnivores, then hunkering down on a tree branch or a wild cloud and start observing.  This marathon pace was killing him but he did have some semblance of a plan.  Once he found a sufficient body of water he would chart its course to the sea and lead the the Horus to it.  On top of everything else he was more than a little bored, he was flying Southeast, the same direction the larger creature had stomped off in.  He had hoped to catch a glimpse of it and maybe take a few notes but the canopy was all he could see and he was fairly sure he had passed it by some time ago.

He had been resting for nearly half an hour just laying on the cloud feeling bored before sighing," I guess I should get moving again."  He talked mostly just to hear a voice, a habit he had gotten it to in the Everfree.  He stood and spread his wings testing the still sore muscles to see if they were stiff.  Once he was satisfied that he was limber enough , he stepped off the cloud and slowly drifted South.  He cast a forlorn glance back at the cloud and cursed himself for never learning how to make clouds," Looks like I am sleeping in a tree tonight.  Fun."  

After nearly an hour of flying Cumulus spotted a break in the canopy,  a gap that ran north to south.  Hoping it was a river, he set his wings and glided towards it.  As quickly as he got his hops up they were dashed away even faster, there was no water here the ground was bare compacted dirt and all the trees on either side of the path had been stripped of leaves and there were trees all along the path that had huge portions of bark missing. 

He landed on the hard packed earth and looked around, to the north a barren path that stretched to the sea.  He could just barely see the ocean in the distance.  His attention was pulled south when he heard a series of mourning brays off in the distance.  He squinted trying to see what sort of animals were making the sounds but all he saw was a dust cloud on the horizon. 

Curiosity won out over caution and Cumulus leaped into the air and winged his way towards the noisy cloud.  Much to his surprise the animals were still miles away and as he flew closer the sound of the braying became almost deafening as he flew over head.  He saw several large lizards at the head the cloud, their heavy footfalls kicking up fine light brown dust.  They were very large each looked to weigh several thousand pounds.  He could see more of the same animals outlines,  many seemed to be very large though the smallest seemed to be hemmed in on all sides by their elders.  As he looked further down the path all he saw was the same dusty haze and the blurred outlines of more of these animals.  " There must be more than a hundred."  He was in awe of the scale of this herd," Where could they have come from?"

He looked farther south and saw the dust just kept rising as more were lumbering in his direction.  He glanced north again," For that matter where are they going?"  He hoovered for several more minutes just watching the convoy of animals trying to piece together the scene below and fighting the urge to take some notes. 

Finally after a fair bit of internal struggling he turned south again and slowly started to fly along the path.  The animals continued to call to  one another, as he continued to fly against the current as it were he was forced revise he earlier assessment of the creatures numbers.  There were in fact, thousands of them all moving in the same direction, all calling signaling their positions.  "This has to be some kind of migration.  There is no way any one environment could support this many animals at once."  

He was coming up on the end of the massive herd in the settling dust he saw nearly two dozen more all lagging behind most were limping and on one he saw an open weeping gash on its hind leg that spewed blood and puss with each step.   In the distance he could see eight of the Ridgebacked predators eyeing up these prime targets. Normally a concentration of predators that large would be impossible but it was actually quite common for large predators to cluster together for the sake of an easy food source.  Cumulus looked at the stragglers again," Rough luck guys."  He was sympathetic but this was how nature was supposed to work.  How life was nearly everywhere save for Equestria where pony magic had long since taken much of the savagery out of nature.   The Everfree was one of the only exceptions to that and it was not uncommon for the wild to creep out of the forest to any nearby residence or villages.

He was just passing the Ridgebacks now and in the light of day they did not appear all  that different then last night.  Their rough scaly skin was dark grey their jaws were narrow  but he did notice dark red dapples along the ridges.  He swooped low to get a better look, not so low that he was in biting range but close enough that they saw him.  They all glanced at him but only one actually stopped and it glared up at him and gave an annoyed growl.  He crossed his forelegs and glared back fairly confident this was in fact the same Ridgeback from last night," What still sore?"  He asked in a smug tone.  It shook its head and snorted and sprinted to catch up to the others.

Cumulus watched the predators follow the massive herd into the distance and turned to face the south.  He could not see where it ended but it seemed a likelier option than flying around the jungle with no real direction.  He glanced back at the fleeting dust cloud and Ridgebacks before starting in that direction.  it was a direct path deeper inland and his best chance to find fresh water,'And' He thought with a smirk,' See some more of the local fauna along the way.'


- - - - -



As the pegasus flew farther south along the trial a dozen pairs of eyes watched from the cover of the dense undergrowth.  While above them crouched on a partially fallen tree another pair of burning red eyes watched.  He stood nearly twice as tall as the others with feathers as white as snow, though he had never seen snow in his life.  His toe claws were dug deep into the wood to give him a solid anchor and his stiff tail held out for balance.  

One of his pack below him trilled and chirped quizzically.  He replied with a snort and throaty purr, the whole of the hunting party purred and bobbed their heads approvingly which earned them an angry ,but quiet, snarl.  They were being too loud and this was enemy territory. Most of this part of the forest belonged to the Ridgebacks and while he was confident that they could fight them off he would just as soon avoid any kind of conflict with the larger predators.

He would not take unnecessary risk but he would not let himself loose sight of his prey.  He had tasted many beast and had even sunk his claws into the strangers from the bad water but this flying mammal was like nothing he had expected.  There was such  a smell around it, a sent that lingered in the air it flew through for so long.  When they had tracked it down to its sand wall nest the smell was fading.  Up close the smell was so strong it made his feathers itch and his blood burn,  it was a challenge to keep from running out of the trees and trying at it it like some chick at his first hunt.   He had managed to steel himself and it took little more than a threatening glare to keep the rest in place.  However he was already scheming, the scent was easier to follow than a steady blood trail they would hang back keep their distance and watch from the trees shadows.  Sooner or later it would have to walk on the ground and that would be their opening. 

He turned to the rest of his hunters and gave a quick and quiet puffing bark.  They reacted immediately and quickly stalked off into the jungle to  watch and wait.



- - - - -



"Wut ya make o' dat Brodda?"  Ad'e nodded toward the massive herd of animals stomping down the beach braying at regular intervals.

The Anubis shrugged," Can't say.  Do Doc would be da one ta ask 'bout somting like dat."  He looked back at the convoy of animals," He prolly saw um dependin' on which way he flew.  T'ain't exactly tryin' ta be sneaky is dey?."

"Dats da truth!" He laughed.  "Dose tings prolly had him flyin' in circles."  He watched the passing herd with interest since the sailing was peaceful.  

The Horus was running at about three nauts , which was slow very slow compared to  the eighteen the engines could push it up to.  The steady breeze was relatively weak but it would have to do.  The Horus was about a hundred feet from the shore and it was likely they would be at this for days before they made it to the rondevous point with Dr. Granted and the general mood of the ship was gloomy.  The Diamond Dogs had been mopping about and getting distracted easily.  Sappra was worst of all though she just clung to  a few dogs and cried.  The rest of the dogs still followed orders so Jaffar had decided to let her cry it out and hope she would come around.  As long as the mutts did what they were told Ad'e did not care if Sappra never showed her face again.  

"Brodda look at dat!"  Denda pointed towards the shore and he glanced at the distant sand then doubletaked.  There were five of those big beasties from last night slinking around behind a bunch of straggling lizards.  They seemed to be getting themselves riled up and were sprinting towards the big lizards.

"Hhuuraaaaooorreehh."  

One of the beasts bellowed and the lizards did their best to start running.  With in seconds the stragglers had left one of their own behind, one who's leg spurted blood and yellow puss with every step.  Four of the beasts surrounded it each one biting onto a linb and shaking their heads tearing out large hunks of flesh.  The lizards screamed but that did little against the Ridgebacks.  A fifth snapped its jaws around the victims head.  

While five of the Ridgebacks were working on bringing down their next meal another three were gaining on another of the weakened lizards.  It swung its stiff tail at the encroaching hunters but they sidestepped the would be club.  The nearest Ridgeback lunged out grabbed its leg and gave a quick twist and back step.  An impressive strip of leathery skin and bleeding meat hung in its jaws.  Ad'e watched as the other two peeled back and turned to the now dead lizard that the first group of Ridgebacks had brought down.  

"Ah feel like we shooda taken som pictures o' dat."  Denda said with a grin," Ah can already see da look on da Docs face wen we tell 'im bout dis."

Ad'e laughed," He prolly be sad he missed da show."

The sun was getting low and most of the Dogs were milling around in little groups of twos and threes, whispering to each other. While the glass kept him from hearing their words Ad'e was acutely aware of the hateful glares that were being thrown in the direction of the helm.  'Tings could get bad if dey decide to cause trouble.'  

Jaffar had just stepped out of his cabin," How are we progressing?"

Denda snorted," Slowly!  Ah seen slugs dat move fasta den we are."

The horse just rolled his eyes," It is necessary to conserve our fuel."

"Still a pain in da ass." Denda muttered.

"It's gettin dark."  Ad'e turned to Jaffar," I tink we shood stop here fer da night Cap'in."  

He nodded," As good a place as any I suppose."  He keyed up the intercom," Drop anchor and clew up!  We will rest here tonight."  The Dogs glared at the helm again but slowly stood up to obey.  "They could be trouble soon."

"Ah noticed dat dey seem a might moody."  Ad'e said coolly.

"Dey did jus' lose nine o' deir friends."  Denda said squinting into his spyglass," Ya can't expect um ta jus' write dat off.  Still atleast da Doc won't get caught up in dis if dey try an' mutiny."  He paused," Hope ya found sumting soft ta bed down on Doc."




- - - - -
   



Cumulus was entirely uncomfortable, much to his annoyance he had not been able to find a suitable cloud to sleep on.  So now he was nestled in the forking branches of a rather large fig tree.  He was positioned in such  a way that he could stare up at the stars.  There was no way he could sleep despite how tired he was, his wings were sore too but he just could not make his brain stop, he kept replaying the events of the last two days.  To find himself trying to sleep in such a dangerous place was too much, so he just lay there staring at the stars drawing constellations and still his mind.

He did not know when he fell asleep but when he woke, the sun was blazing over the tops of the trees.  If  he had to guess it was somewhere around ten o'clock, late in all rights but he felt rested if not a might bit stiff.  He groaned and climbed to his hooves his joints popping.  He fanned his wings and gave them a few slow flaps to work the knots out.  The high branches of the tree swayed in a strong breeze.  There were a lot of scattered clouds now dark, ominous and loaded with rain drifting in from the north and carried the faint smell of salt with them. 

By now the sea was to far away to be seen and to the south was still an seemingly endless expanse of jungle.  He looked down to the path cut through the dense trees.  "It has to lead somewhere."  The trees were all tightly packed together their branches tangling into a web of twigs with lichens hanging low.  Ivy's clung to the bark of trees like some sickly parasites.  Apart from the soft wing the forest was deathly quiet.  It was unsettling, the only time he had ever known a forest to be this quiet was when a predator was around.  He searched the trees with more scrutiny looking for any thing that might hint at what was lurking in the underbrush.   As if to confirm his suspicions a pair of brown Slashers darted across the path and crashed into the foliage.  It looked like they were chasing something and Cumulus let himself relax a little.  "They were hunting something else."  He had been nervous about sleeping in a tree because he already knew that Slashers could climb.  He had purposely positioned himself in the highest branches because he knew the predators could not reach him without causing a racket.  He waited there in the branches for a few more minutes, the forest remained utterly silent.

With a sigh he spread his wings and jumped out of the Fig tree, he would have just flown south following the path but his stomach began to protest.  He fluttered back to the trees branches and plucked some of its ripe fruit.  Unlike most fruit bearing trees, figs produced all year round and had fruit in various stages of development.  It was not a favourite of his but Cumulus was not about to waste a natural food source because he wanted a peach. After munching on a seventh and slightly less than ripe fig he jumped into the air and started down the path again.  It was likely a long way till he could make it out of the jungle.



- - - - -



He watched as his prey flew down the path it had been following but that was the least on his mind right now.  He glared down at two of his subordinates, they had broken their cover to chase some little stripped rodent which was laying dead at ones feet.  "Hhhhiiiiiiissssssssssssssshh!"  He was furious, their prey was smart and they had very nearly ruined two days of stalking.  For a mouthful of fur and bones!? 

The two offenders were already bearing their throats but a simple submissive gesture would not be enough to cool his temper this time.  With a throaty roar, he lunged at the one with fresh blood on her muzzle.  He shrieked in terror and flailed at him with her hand claws.  It was a futile effort though he was larger a far stronger than she was.  He latched onto her throat and clawed at her with his hands.

The two of them tumbled through the underbrush breaking fallen branches and filling the trees with at sound of screams.  He twisted her head with a quick jerk.  He heard the crack as he broke her neck, her body went limp in his grasp.  He dropped her mangled form onto the leaf litter.  "Ssshhhhhrrrrrruuuuuurrrrrrrrrggggghh!!!"  He roared a challenge to the rest of his pack shifting his burning red eyes from one to another.  Each ducked low and bared their throats to him.  

He snorted and glanced at the corpse under his feet.  Only it was not a corpse!  Her green eyes were wide with fear and darted back and forth.  He had only crippled her, how annoying.  He snorted again and kicked at her belly, spilling her guts out into the dirt and leaves.  She did not cry out and he realized that she could no longer feel his abuse which only annoyed him more. He gave another frustrated kick into her guts and skulked away in the direction his prey had flown, leaving the rest of his pack behind to catch up when they dared.  Mostly likely they would take advantage of the fresh meal he had just presented to them.




- - - - -



"Boy do I hate being right all the time." Cumulus grumbled to no one.  This was his fourth night in the jungle and he still had yet to see any sign that the sea of trees was going to end.  This Jungle was more than a hundred times the size of the Everfree.  He had been so determined to reach the edge that he had flown for hours into the night.  Finally he had to rest but he was startling to feel that the situation was hopeless.  "At least i have a cloud to sleep on tonight."  It was a small plush island that he was happy to have as an alternative to unyielding tree branches.

He lay on his back staring up at the stars.  The moon was new tonight and without its light he could see a beautiful infinite expanse of tens of billions of tiny flickering points of light.  He just laid there for the longest time mesmerized by the splendor of the cosmos spread out before him.  "Why does this make me feel so small?"  He could not explain it but at the same time it was not a bad feeling and he smiled.  He wanted to see these stars every night, they were so much prettier than the ones you saw in Equestria.  He watched the night dance by before finally drifting off to sleep.

The dreaming mind rarely obeys any rules and for what ever reason he dreamed of Valerie that night.  Though it was more akin to his fondest memories of her.  In his dreams he was his own age and she was grown too.  A white and silver huntress that was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.  There was little notion of attraction to the dream just flying with her.  Being close to her and feeling his chest burn with joy.  It was the happiest dream he had had in years.

When the sun rising over the treetops woke him he wore a broad grin and he just felt so giddy.  There was no way to explain it but all the dreary feelings had gone and he felt confident eager to see an end to this expedition.   He stood and went through a series stretches to warm up his muscles.  He looked north and saw an expanse of trees that was spread well beyond the horizon, The sea was a very long ways away now, the smell of salt long gone from the air.  He had no way to be certain but he was fairly confident he had already covered close to a hundred leagues, nearly a quarter the width of Equestria.  

He smiled to himself, covering such a distance in three days was by no means any kind of record but it was a feat he would have never thought himself capable of.  He turned to face the south, the jungle could not go on forever and this path had to lead to water somewhere.  The path ahead ran on ahead of him, the sky had many stray wisps of cloud and in the distands he could see a thunderstorm pouring out its fury on...  "Wait!  Is that!?"  He squinted it was still dozens of miles of and the storm cast a very dark shadow, but it looked like...  "Grass!"  He whispered to himself almost not wanting to believe it.  He cast his eyes over the surrounding trees with greater interest and yes!  It was just like the Everfree! The trees were spread a little father apart, becoming widely scattered  closest to the grasslands beyond.  

For the longest time Cumulus just sat on his cloud watching the Wildstorm run its course.  He was not the sort of Pegasus to try Cloud Wrangling and even if he was there was nothing one lone pony could hope to do against a storm that size.  So he waited and watched every few minutes he could see  a vivid streak of lightning and he would count," One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand, four one-thousand, five one-thousand..."  He usually heard the low rumble of thunder somewhere around a a minute and three seconds.  Meaning that the storm was still roughly sixty miles away and so were the grasslands. Eventually the lightning stopped striking and he saw the clouds become a lighter color.  The Wildstorm had rained itself out and would likely start to fall apart of its own accord.  He grinned wide and his stomach growled a little, while wild grass was far from delectable he had acquired a taste for grass after a fresh rain.  Wet and crunchy, it reminded him of iceberg lettuce, he had every intention of having a few bites and he jumped off his cloud and winged his way towards the dissipating storm.

He paid close attention to  the thinning trees and he already saw new animals, the very first to catch his eye is a pair of extremely tall lizards pecking leaves from the trees.  At first he pays them no mind but doubletaked when he saw their oversized hand claws.  Curious he stops for a brief second to take in these creatures bizarre appearance,  a wide potbelly and broad sturdy shoulders with shorter stubby hindlegs.  However what confused him more than its unnecessarily large claws was the things neck  and head, which were thin and tiny compared to  the large body.  He heard a grunt and turned to  see that several, smaller than the Potbellies but still large,  animals meandering around the larger herbivores.  Their bodies were a blue gray but on some their bulbous domed skulls were brightly colored.  There were smaller animals as well and they seemed to cling to  the dome-skulled animals who nuzzled them in turn.  

'They must be the offspring.' He concluded.  However that was disturbing in its own right as these young looked completely different then their parents.  In fact they bore a closer resemblance to dragons with long backward curving horns and being covered in sharp looking spines lining their armoured skulls, they looked fearsome in their own right.  He watched the Domeskulls and their Dragonlings for a few minutes just to confirm that these to types of animals were in fact the same species.  "Evolution never fails to amaze me."  He shook his head as he flew away. 

The trees were getting farther apart as he reached the grasslands and he had not seen any other animals along the way.  He kept turning over the vast difference between the Domeskulled adults and the distinctly dragonic chicks they cared for.  "This place will be crawling with researchers when I get back."  He hovered at the edge of the forest and perched himself on a branch.  There were still a few stray tufts of cloud hanging in the sky but sun shone bright and the many droplets of water glistened as the cling to  the grass.  It was beautiful, the wide open spaced stretched out across rolling hills and dipping valleys clear to the horizon.  He could smell a heavy earthy scent carried on the wind and he took a deep breathe through his nose.  He loved this smell, it reminded him of Stout's wheat farm after a gully washer.  

"Woooo Hoooo!"  He whooped as he threw himself out of the trees upper branches toward the break-bone ground only to catch himself as his hooves brushed the wet grass.  From there he let himself tumble onto the soggy earth and rolled like a little colt playing in the mud.  He could not believe how much he missed the feel of it on his fur, the way the crushed grass stained his coat, not that it ever showed.  This was one of those simple pleasures he had forgotten about and he just lay there for a while watching the clouds drift by and letting his mind wonder.  It eventually settled on Valerie and he smiled to himself as he imagined her laying next to him with grass stains on her white coat he rather liked the idea. 

Cumulus lay there for several more minutes just happy to be on the ground again when the air started to rumble.   It was some thing that was felt rather than heard , like a shockwave rolling over the landscape and his ears picked up the faintest deep bass sound, just barely audible, like when the music teacher back in grade school would use the tuning pipes and sometimes hit the really low notes.  He rolls onto his hooves and twists his ears in the direction on the sounds, "What could that be?'  As he spreads his wings his sensitive feathers feel another shockwave coming from the east, towards the sea.  Turning to look in that direction he feels yet another pulse from the opposite direction with just the faintest whisper of sound.  Confused he looks both ways and took to the skies,  he heads west.  in just a few seconds he spots a small group of large animals.

There is only about six of them, they are large lizards like the migration he had seen a few days before but their anatomy was different.  They were smaller and had a large crest that ran backwards out of their skulls.  As he drops lower to them he sees the largest lift its head and call.  He can see the grass around them deform under the pressure of the nearly inaudible sound.  It calls again twice more before trumpeting to its companions who trumpet in turn.

"Aaaaaaahhhhoooww!!!"  His ears shudder the blast of their excited trumpeting and he peels off with his hooves clamped over his ears.  He flutters to a nearby cloud and drops onto it, whimpering and clutching his stinging ears.  Never in his life had he thought anything could be that loud.  After a few minutes the pain subsides and he pulls his hooves away," Good at least my ears are not bleeding".  He can barely hear the sound of his own voice over the ringing in his head. " Great I'm deaf!"  He sighs,' Hopefully there is not any long term damage.'  He looks down towards the crested animals with a scowl, before he something grabs his attention.  A shimmer in the distance like the sun... reflecting off... "WATER!!!"   Cumulus cast one last sour gaze at the animals, they were heading in that direction but he did not care he could easily out pace the dangerously loud creatures.  So with a broad grin he rolled off the cloud and winged his way towards the shimmering blue-green splotch in the distance.





	 
  
> Leviathan
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A strong wind was blowing in from the north and the Horus rode it in stride.  The sun was still climbing up in the sky and a storm was building in the northeast over the the southern continents vast inland sea.  The mood of the ships crew was as dark as the clouds in the distance for a number of different reasons, The Diamond Dogs had started to get cabin fever again and were usually eyeing up the distant cliffs like starving animals.   While the ships Captain and two officers were down because a certain forest green Pegasus never made his way back to the ship. They had waited at the location they had specified on his map, for the next seven days they had set there with nothing to do but bark orders squabble with Sappra and watch some Dr.Granted's flying lizards.  

When the last day had come and gone, that had started some debate about what course of action to take for the first time since the voyage had begun Jaffar and Sappra agreed with each other, They had to head south and find water on their own.  While The Jackal twins had adamantly insisted that they should give Cumulus more time, they had argued about for another two days before Jaffar pointed out that, 'Even if Dr.Granted were alive he has had nine days to get back to us!'  Despite everything the truth was that there was nothing to gain by waiting anymore.  

"Dis still don' feel right."  Denda growled to his brother.  Jaffar was locked in his cabin again and Sappra was below deck with most of her dogs.  As he had taken to doing any time the twins found themselves away from ken ears Denda was voicing his displeasure at abandoning Cumulus.  

Ad'e just sighed and rolled his pale eyes," Don' matta how it feels, orders is orders."  He glanced at his brother," But ah tink dis was a mistake.  But ah wanna believe dat we will find da Doc somewhere along the way."  

"Wonda wat he's up to right now?" Denda peeked through his spyglass towards the cliff face hoping to see a familiar dark green shape.  

"Ah a lil' more worried bout wat dey up to!"  Ad'e pointed towards the deck where the Dogs were piling into the stairwell.  "Ah don' tink dey dey all ever been below at one time!"  He glared as the last dog vanished into the depths of the ship.

" Dey gonna mutiny soon,"  Denda sneered.  "Don' even know enough ta keep a low profile." He reached out and gripped the Sonic Whistle around his neck.  

Ad'e glanced at his own with disdain, he had no faith that the tool would prove effective against the mutinous dogs.  He would rather trust the tested steel of his two Kukri, which were locked in the trunk under his bed. "Brodda!  Ya know where da key is.  Go get me knives would ya?"

Denda gave him a searching look before nodding," Kay."




- - - - -




The cargo-hold was the last place Sappra wanted to be.  The air was stale and made her nose itch as she brushed passed a precariously stacked pyramid of fuel drums, even when she reached the open area where they were gathering she felt cramped.  Stacks of crates and more towers of gasoline hemmed in on her from all sides.  Her breathe caught in her throat as she was reminded of the dungeons in Gymkhana, not somewhere she was eager to be recall.   None the less, here she was glaring back at nearly half her remaining clan," For the last time Garnet, No!  We stay here and Jaffar will honor his word!"  She growled, and looked into each face with  conviction," Once the Horse has his prize he will release us!  And then we will find a new home in Equestria!  A land filled with gems!  It still the truth!"

Garnet scoffed," What good are gems to a dead Dog!"  He was as tall as she was but had a large blocky shaped head and slightly yellowish ears, he glared at Sappra through his one good eye," Tammra said those monsters killed Ruddick slow!  Tore him to pieces but kept him alive.   How many more die?  Who's next to be ripped to pieces?"  There was a murmur throughout the clan which served to bolster Sappra's opponent," We stay with the Horse, we all die!"

Sappra just shook her head," So your plan is to live here?  In the very land that already killed nine of us?"  She grinned as her words took hold and many of her dogs realized the flaw in abandoning the ship.  "Honestly Garnet, how many will die if we stayed here forever?"

Garnet glared at her," None!"  Another murmur went around as he elaborated,"  We all smell it!  There's gems in those cliffs more than we ever had!  We live there, dig the gems, and eat the birds on the cliffs!"  He leaned back on a steel drum with a smug grim," We just stay away from Feather Monsters."  The dogs around him grinned and nodded approvingly, and the rest of the clan fidgeted uncomfortably.  Sappra could see most of the clan wasn't certain about this survival strategy.  Despite their reputation as tunnelers, Diamond Dogs enjoyed the open air as much as any other race.  The thought of staying underground for the rest of their lives didn't seem like a good plan.

Sappra sighed," And you're fine with living in the dark forever?"  She recalled the clans time in the dungeon and the effect it had on many of the the Dogs minds, her own included.  She was not able to suppress a shudder as memories of being chained to a wall with iron cuffs bolted onto her paws played through her mind.  Several of her clan had gone mad and hung themselves in their cells, with the very chains meant to restrain them.  She had been very close to doing the same when Jaffar had made a deal to press her clan into his service with a promise of their freedom in Equestria.  

Sappra looked Garnet right in the eye "How close were you to madness in the end Garnet?"  Back in Saddle Arabia?"  He opened his mouth but closed it again and started working his jaw and glaring at her.  She looked at the faces gathered around her some looked angry while others had a glazed look in their eyes," I know I nearly ended it in that damned cell!  How close were you when Jaffar had us released?"  

Garnet glared at her but said nothing, like most of the clan he had nearly gone mad in those cells, but acknowledging that would only strengthen Sappra's position.  He glanced in the direction of his supporters, Dogs who like him agreed that that staying on the Horus was suicide.  He growled when he saw their conviction start to falter, then an idea came to him," You right Boss."  He instantly had the undivided attention of every dog present and, that is exactly what he wanted.  "I nearly hung myself with my own chains.  But, now there no chains, no cells, no cruel guards that beat us when we beg for food."  He smirked when he saw everyone including Sappra finch at the memories he brought back.  " There are monsters in that forest...  But there monsters in the desert too.  How many do you remember get eaten by Scorpio Major?"   When No one answered he continued," Any dogs every get grabbed by Aquila Minor?  Or how bout a Roc?"  

Sappra was silent but clearly furious and he grinned to himself," We learn to tell when monsters were around in desert, we learn for forest too!  Monsters can't be everywhere."  Several of the fence sitters perked up at this epiphany, which bolstered Garnet to argue further," We live careful and we be cautious, we can learn where it safer to live."

Another murmur ran through the crowd, and from what she was hearing now most of her clan seemed to prefer cutting their loses and running for the cliffs.  Sappra felt so betrayed at that moment, a clan would follow their leaders example but if the majority was with another, an Alpha could easily find herself ousted by popular demand.  The thought of leaving Garnet to lead her clan, no her family, into the jaws of death?  It was more than she could bare.  She clenched her paws into shaking fists and lunged forward.  Garnet never saw it coming and his cronies couldn't bark out a warning fast enough.  A solid right hook caught Garnet square in the jaw.  The force of the impact was enough to send him tumbling head over heels and making him smash his muzzle into a fuel tank. Sappra rounded on the rest of the dogs present," WE STAY AND THAT'S THE END OF IT!!!"  Most of the dogs yelped and cowered under the fury in her voice.  She growled at Garnet one more time before storming out with over a dozen dogs hot on her heels, to terrified to risk angering her by staying.

Most of the Dogs however remained to shocked, scared, or angry to go after Sappra.   Several of the Dogs that stood with Garnet helped the half blind dog to his feet.  He groaned and started rubbing is jaw, she had hit his blind side an underhanded tactic to be sure.  

"What we do now Boss?"  Tammra asked from her sitting position on a large crate marked with bold red letters none on them could read. 

Garnet tensed, expecting some of the dogs to protest any but Sappra being addressed as Boss, but no objection came.  He looked at the faces around him most seemed nervous but gave him the same look they gave to Sappra, the rest had stern determined expressions.  A smile crept across his rectangular muzzle, Sappra had just put the last nail in her own coffin,  the majority had ruled and most wanted to follow him.  Still grinning he looked Tammra in the eye," What we do now?  Now, we plan."




- - - - -



The storm had rolled up on the Horus and had made reading nigh on impossible for a number of different reasons, foremost among them was the way the ship pitched and swayed as it rolled over wave after wave.  Though most everything in the room was pinned down, for just this reason, it made focusing on the text a chore.  With a disgusted grunt Jaffar slammed the book closed and shoved it away.  "What could it mean?"  He hissed and tugged on his goatee. He had spent much of the time waiting for Dr. Granted, locked in his cabin trying to decipher the meaning of the odd symbol on Captain Sparrow's map.  

The work had been slow and absolutely infuriating but he had made some progress, he was confident that it was a Zuban Pictogram meant to act as a marker but, the Zuban Language had been extinct for the last thousand years.  The island of  Zubanchilmalli, and its surrounding archipelago had become part of Zebrica shortly after Nightmare Moon's banishment a thousand years ago.  As a result of the nations Chieftain backing The Nightmare's plans, the Zebrican king had seen fit to destroy every bit of the Islands historical documents and treasures.  The result was that when any Zuban artifacts appeared that predated that event, it often took years to decipher it.  As far as Jaffar knew there were only three beings that lived who could read the dead language, Equestria's two ancient Princess' and the recently pardoned God of Chaos, Discord.  None of which were able to help him, and most likely would be unwilling to when they discovered what the map lead to.

Jaffar glared down at the ancient parchment," How did a Pirate even learn how to use Zuban glyph?"  He snorted and got up from the table and made for the door.  Another wave slammed into the Horus and the ship tilted, he instinctively reached out and gabbed something sturdy, his wardrobe, as the world went sideways. This wasn't something to unusual for anyone who had spent their lives at sea, but Jaffar winched when he heard the distinct sound of something heavy smashing through glass.  Knowing full well what just happened he turned his head to see the large tome he had left on the table laying in his display case.  The glass doors were destroyed and he could see small pieces of porcelain mixed in with the shards of glass. 

The ship then reoriented itself as it rode out the last of the large wave, and the massive tome tumbled to the floor to reveal the shattered remains of an expensive Faberge Egg.  He glared down at the book and then at his ruined display, then back to the book.  He did this for almost a full minute before he snorted and walked out the door onto the bridge.

If he had been hoping to improve his mood, one look at the tense situation on the bridge was enough to tell him it was going to be one of those days were nothing goes right.  Sappra was leaning in a corner growling and muttering to herself, while glaring so hard he was surprised that she had not burned a hole in the floorboards yet.  Meanwhile the twins stood close together at the helm stealing glances at the fuming dog, he also noticed that they were both armed.  Denda had a machete strapped to his back and Ad'e's Kukri  had been tied to his hips, this was most definitely a bad sign.

Putting on his best fake smile Jaffar strolled up to Sappra," Rough morning?"  She fixed her hate filled gaze on him for a few seconds before growling at him.  Then without saying a thing she stood at her full height, and stomped to the door leading to the deck and left for the squall.  He turned to the twins, who were both eyeing the door as though some ferocious beast wear on the other side of it.  "Alright!"  He said like a parent scolding a child.  "What did you two do?"

The two Jackals gave him an offended look.  "We din't do nutin dis time!" Denda replied.  "She came bustin in here jus as da storm rolled up an' just started gruntin an' groanin."  His expression became very serious," Dere was two o' her mutts hot on her heels till she barked um off.  Dey looked scared d'ough."

"Prolly has sumtin ta do wit da mutiny dats comin." Ad'e deadpanned.

Jaffar started at this," Is that why you two decided to arm yourselves, you believe they actually intend to mutiny?"

Ad'e sneered," Oh ah know dey is.  Bout ten minutes 'fore she busted in here, every dog on da ship went below at da same time.  Dey ain't nevah all been below at once, except when we sailed da Barrier.  And ah don' really trus dis lil whistle here ta git da job done."

"Fair enough."  Jaffar sighed," Well I had hoped to keep the dogs around to use as a distraction for whatever beasts may be in the vicinity of our prize.  But I guess this will save me the trouble of having to kill them after we get back."  He lightly tapped his chin," Though I was looking forward to seeing the look on Sappra's face when she finally realized that she had been deceived."  

The twins laughed, as they got a mental image of the look of hatred and anger she would have worn just before they pushed her into the waves with a weight tied to her ankles.  "Gotta say dat woulda been as sweet a reward as all da gold we gonna git fer dis artifact."  Denda guffawed.

"Indeed."  The horse agreed, with a knowing smile.  




- - - - -



The day had seemed to drag on, and just as the storm finally broke the sun was brushing up against the horizon.  With the sea settling and the twilight stretching around the world Jaffar's voice crackled through the intercoms,"  Drop anchor! We'll rest here for the night." 

Garnet grinned wildly to himself," Just about time now."  He glanced over at the Dogs that had chosen to join him," You all know what to do?"  They all nodded just as they heard Sappra start barking out orders to the few dogs on deck.  " Remember, act like Sappra still Boss till I give signal.  Then do you what we talked about."   He received a chorus of 'Yes Boss' and the dogs scrambled to look busy.  Several went on deck to help haul in the sails and make it appear as though they were still loyal to their soon to disposed leader.  He grinned again," Now we wait."  

A familiar lanky dog slid up next to Garnet," Wish Sappra would be smart and come with us.  But I guess there always be bad feelings."  

"She would never follow my lead.  Tammra your sister picked her path, let her walk it now."  Garnet placed a paw on the leggy dogs shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze.  "We get to cliffs and live like Diamond Dogs should."Tammra nodded and walked off, still brooding but willing to follow his lead.  Garnet turned to a nearby porthole and stared fondly at the cliffs some four or five hundred yards off," Soon. . .  Very soon, we be truly free."

Up on the deck the shadows were lengthening as the sun dipped lower and lower, Sappra looked out over the agitated waves and sighed.  Most every dog had been acting cold towards her since she had punched Garnet, it was fairly obvious that she was not going to lead the clan much longer.  She already knew she had given Garnet all the ammunition he need to usurp her authority, if he had not already, but the thought of sending her clan out there again terrified her.  To make matters worst she had nearly lost Tammra, her sister, once when she sent her to find water with Dr. Granted. She had barely escaped then.  What would happen if she went along with Garnet's plan?  What would she do if Tammra died?  

Sappra had been considering making Jaffar aware of the clans intention to abandon the ship, but had dismissed the idea. She would just be seen as a traitor then and  would only worsen her standing with the clan.  Her only hope was to make them believe in what Jaffar had promised.   But how?  No matter what she came up with seemed doomed to failure.   She gave defeated sigh,'Maybe I should just go with them.  So what if I won't be boss anymore?'  

"Hey boss." 

Her thoughts were brought to an end and she turn to the dog that had called to her.  It was one of the Dogs that was backing Garnet," What!?" She tried to keep the edge out of her voice but it still came out harsh and snappish.

The other dog glared at her but his tone was much calmer," We have watch now."  He motioned to to other standing some distance away glaring at her hatefully.  

Sappra sighed," Yes, of course." She stepped passed him and made for the stairs below but stopped and looked at each of the three dogs," Please be careful."  She stepped out of sight without waiting to see their reactions.

The three dogs exchanged skeptical looks as Garnet strutted out from behind one of the longboats," Don't worry about us. We be much safer than you."  He turned to his three subordinates," Go to your posts like normal.  Horse and Jackals must think nothing wrong."

The dogs all nodded," Yes Boss." busying themselves with making their rounds.

Garnet turned to scrutinize the helm, the lights were still on and he could see all three of them talking.  The twins were the biggest obstacle now,  as they would resort to violence if they discovered the plan, a thought reinforced in his mind by the weapons they had just recently started to carry.  The horse would be only a minor complication as the worst her could do was deal a few solid punches. While not something he was eager to have happen to him again, it would be a small price if his scheme worked, though ideally they would not know until it was too late to stop them. " Now we wait."  He turned and stepped below deck to see to it that his dogs were all ready.



- - - - -




Hours had passed and the ship was eerily quiet, even the sea itself had stilled, it's surface smooth as glass reflected the crescent moon flawlessly.  It was there by the pale silvery light that dozens of Diamond Dogs piled onto the deck of the Horus, their footfalls muffled by rags tied to their paws.  The dogs milled around on deck muttering and whispering to each other, until an older dog with a blocky head and one missing eye climbed up on one of the longboats tied to the ship.  The clan of dogs fell silent when he stood tall and raised a paw.

Garnet looked from one face to the next some looked afraid, but most looked confident and determined.  He smiled to himself that attitude was what he needed if this was going to work.  "Dogs..."  His voice was soft but held just enough volume that they all could hear him.  "Tonight we leave this death trap boat."  The assembled dogs all whispered to each other until Garnet again raised his paw requesting silence.  he pointed to the distant cliffs," There's our new home.  But we need to all be ready.  Before we learn to ovoid the monsters we'll end up finding them.  And some of us may die..."  He paused giving that a moment to sink in before he continued," We do everything we can to ovoid that but it may happen anyway... Any dog that want to stay go back to bed now,  you not get another chance."

He wanted patiently watching the dogs that had looked scared before, he was pleased to see their fear had been replaced with confidence.  When after a full minute noone had moved an inch he continued," Then our job is simple.  We take boats." He motioned to the longboats surrounding him.  "Then we paddle to the cliffs and sink the boats, leave Horse and rude Jackals here to die trying for their treasure."  He grinned down at his new clan," Let's get outta here."

The dogs split into three groups and set themselves to their respective tasks.  The smallest dogs untied the lock knots and pulled away the canvas covers while the larger stronger dogs hefted the them up and mounted them to the pulleys.  Garnet had chosen to take only three boats as that was all the Horus could drop at one time.  He motioned that dogs take their positions, he and several clambered in to the boats while the lankier dogs helped the small dogs into the boats.  In under five minutes only the six burliest dogs remained standing on deck as the rest of the fleeing clan were crammed into the tiny longboats.  

With practiced skill the longboats swung out over the water," Everyone hold on tight!" Garnet shouted abandoning all pretense of subtlety.  He nodded to the dogs holding them aloft, in one motion they released the ropes and let the boats drop.  There was a trio of mighty splashes that doubtlessly woke everyone else on board.  

As if a confirmation of Garnets notion the door to the helm swung open the few Dogs still on deck saw Ad'e with his Kukri in hand and his icy blue eyes glinting in fury.  Rather than risk chancing the Jackal and his blades the the remaining dogs jumped ship with another series of loud splashes and began to paddle towards the hijacked longboats.  The enraged Jackal sprinted towards the the starboard side of the ship,"GIT BACK HERE YA FILTY MUTTS OR SO HELP ME AH'LL SKIN YA ALIVE!!!"  

The lights to the helm clicked on and Denda joined his brother,"We gotta do sumting brodda!"  He looked down at the Sonic whistle hanging around his neck.  With a single motion he snapped the leather cord, brought the metal cylinder to his lips and blew.   The response was instantaneous, across the water dozens of dogs howled in agony, the burly dogs still swimming the the boats thrashed wildly dropping below the waters surface only to come up coughing and shrieking. Behind him Denda heard the the sound of multiple bodies tumbling down the stairs that led below deck followed by another chorus of pained howls.  

He blew on the whistle until the air in his lungs ran dry and pulled the device away while sucking in another breathe," NOW GIT YUR FLEA BITTEN ASSES BACK HERE 'FORE AH USE DIS TING AGAIN!!!"  With out waiting for a response he brought the whistle to his lips again ready to send out another crippling ultra sonic blast. However just as it touched his lips one of the burly dogs screamed, not in pain but terror and was pulled under the waters surface.  The other dogs were still regaining their senses fro the first blast and had not noticed the lose of their comrade, but the danger was not lost on either of the Jackals.  Denda turned wide eyed to his brother, who's own expression was one of shock, and turned back to the sputtering dogs," GIT OUTTA DA WATTA!!!  GIT OUTTA DA WATTA NOW!!! T'AIN'T SAFE!!! DERE'S SUMTING IN DA WATTA!!!"

The dogs glared up at him and turned away paddling towards the longboats.  Their defiance lasted until the dog at the lead of the waterlogged pack was sucked under.  The rest reeled back and began thrashing about howling in fear, which drew the attention of the dogs in the longboats who watched as three of the the four remaining dogs shrieked and vanished in a turbulent flurry of bubbles.   Now Diamond Dog eye's are fairly good at seeing in lowlight environments, due in part to their tunneling lifestyle, and with the light of the crescent moon they could just make out three massive black silhouettes drifting lazily through the water.  

Two of the shapes lingered around the last dog in the water, as if considering their next morsel, while the third, and upon closer inspection the largest, slid towards the closest boat sending the canines it held into a panic.  As it approached it gave the boat a testing bump which, considering the size of the creature, was enough force to make it rock violently and nearly sent several dogs into the water.  The thing drifted away slowly staying surprisingly still before pumping its tail and diving the darkness of the deeper water enough to make the dogs that tracked it lose their line of sight.  

The dogs in the boat tensed, many of them holding their breathe, several yards away the dog still in the water screamed and slipped under in another flurry of bubbles.  It was enough to draw their attention back to the two other silhouettes as they began to meander to the boats causing the dogs to all mass at the farthest end nearly capsizing the it then and there.  They all flinched when the boat to their left launched skyward and shattered like it was made of twigs. A massive sea serpent raised up out of the water part of the life boat crushed in its slender jaws.  Its body was muscular and streamlined wit black dapples marking is dark blue skin.  It crashed down onto several dogs sending a huge jet of water out in its wake and as its body slid below the waves it raised it flattened paddle-like tail high into the air and smashed it down onto the boat it had nudged.  

The boat was smashed to splinters and the dogs were sent flying into the air, Garnet watched in absolute horror as two thirds of his clan thrashed wildly in the water.  

"What we do Boss!?" Tammra shrieked in his ear.

He frantically snapped his head between his two best options, the cliffs were still a long way off but the sea monsters would likely focus on the dogs already in the water, giving them the time they would need to reach it.  However he could not just abandon his dogs, if he they went back for them it was likely the the monsters would just destroy their boat too.  A voice caught his ears," Com back t'ain't safe out dere!"  He looked to the Horus and saw one of the Jackals waving fore them to come back to the larger ship while all around him the dogs still loyal to Sappra, as well as the dethroned leader herself, threw life-rings attached to ropes to pull dogs back to safety.

"Boss!?" 

Now all eyes fell on him, they were waiting for him to tell them what to do.  The lives of dozens of dogs now rested in his paws, the next chose he made would doubtlessly cost lives no matter what.  'Was it like this for Sappra!?'  He shook his head and made a choice," Turn us around!" He barked.  "We go back and save our clan!"  They jumped into action following his orders without question.  As they rounded and powered towards the ship Garnet turned to the rest of the dogs without oars," Be ready! Grab any dogs you can reach!"

There was a yelp of ,"Yes Boss!", and dogs hung out of the little longboat ready to grab their comrades.  When they reached the outer edge of the water bound dogs Garnet watched as another three went under, already there were soaked dogs being dragged into the tiny boat and they powered through.  Garnet watched as two more dogs screamed and were pulled to their deaths, then another two, Garnet noticed the waters suddenly  growing still.  There was no sign of the shadowy Sea Monsters and the dogs still in the water were swimming toward him and the Horus uninhibited.  'Where did they go?'

The boat was becoming uncomfortably crowded as more of the survivors were pulled to safety but, Garnet continued to search for the slightly darker color of th creatures silhouettes  .  'This feels wrong!'  He just could not shake the feeling that something was off about how calm the situation had become.  Three huge hunters had just disappeared and left a feast behind, Garnet was no stranger to working for his food and the thought that they could have just gotten bored and abandoned an easy meal, it did not seem possible.  Unfortunately he was absolutely right, a set of massive craggy jaw exploded out of the water on either side of the little boat and crunched closed, snapping the wooded boards like so many twigs.  The creatures momentum threw the splintered remains of the boat off at an angle, while Garnet and another dog were carried skyward screaming in pain.  His left leg had been impaled on the brutes many recurved teeth and judging from the immense pain that shot up his spine to the base of his skull, it was a safe bet that his leg was broken.  Through the gaps in its jaw he could she the other dog was in  far worse shape,  his head and the whole right side of his torso was in its mouth and his chest was being crushed under the power of its bite.  Garnet became aware of a sensation of falling only to realize that the creature was about to belly flop back into the water, as the he collided with the water the force of the impacted knocked the wind out of him.  His eyes rolled back in his head and the world faded into a still darkness.



- - - - -




"GARNET!!!!" Tammra screamed and tried to swim wake the Sea Monster had created.  The beast had already gone under and a sense of finality came over her,  Garnet was gone, the boats were shredded, and now the Jackals knew they had planned to dessert, it was all for nothing they had never even gotten close to their goal.  How many dogs died because they had turned their backs on Sappra?  ' Sister I'm sorry.'   She was probably never going to see Sappra again she would never get the chance to apologize.   She felt something slide under her arms and wrap around her chest, she flinched but didn't struggle what would be the point there was no way she could match these monsters strength.  The grip on her chest tightened as she was hoisted... upward!?

"Tirek's Chariot! What have you been eating!? Rocks!?"  A familiar voice grunted from above her. She snapped her eyes open and looked up to see a familiar green coat of fur and a tangled mahogany mane of Cumulus.  He beat his wings furiously and lifted her out of the water and angled towards the Horus.  He dropped her on the deck rather suddenly before swooping out and plucking another flailing dog out of the water.  

"TAMMRA!!!" Another voice shrieked behind her.  She didn't even have a chance to turn before a pair of slim but muscular arms wrapped around her and locked her into a lung crushing hug.  "Thank Isis your alright!" 

She pried herself free of her sisters hug and turned to face her," Sappra... I'm Soooorrrrrreeey!"  She wailed and pulled her sister into another hug.   




- - - - -




Jaffar rolled his eyes when he saw Sappra break down and start crying and turned away with a disgusted grunt when she started cooing gentle words of forgiveness to the slimmer waterlogged dog.  He watched as Dr. Granted dropped another of the rebellious dogs onto the deck and fly back out to recover another canine.  " Well Denda it seems you were right about Dr. Granted after all."

The Jackal ginned wide as he pulled another sputtering dog over the rail and throwing out the life ring to fish another out," Gotta say ah'm glad ta see 'im.  Got here jus in da nick o' time too."  His grin faltered," WOULD YA IDGITS QUIT FLAILING ROUND AND GIT OVER HERE!?"  He yelled at the panicked dogs still in the water.  "Damn fool don' even realize dey making demselves a target trashin round like dat.  Jaffar turned to see another get sucked under and Dr. Granted hovering above him with a look of fury on his face as he dove to grab at another.  

"It does make me wonder where he has been though." Jaffar said mostly to himself. He turned to Sappra and the other dog still crying on each other and sighed," You there!"  He barked at a group of dogs," Start casting out life rings already!"  He motioned to the flotation devices.  They jumped up suddenly eager to follow orders.  With every rescued dogs joining in the effort and Dr. Granted's air support the remaining dogs were pulled from the water in a matter on minutes, it helped that the creatures seemed not to be in any kind of hurry.

With water cleared, a mass of dripping wet canines leaned against anything inanimate coughing and wheezing,  The rage over their attempted desertion overshadowed by exhaustion and the return of Cumulus, who sat on one of the remaining longboats panting.  He had pulled nearly a dozen dogs out of the water and he was very tired.  

"Doc."

He turned to see Ad'e and Denda giving him sly grins," I... I know... I'm late."  He said between deep breathes.

The two Jackals exchanged glances," Ah don' givva shit bout dat Doc!"  Replied Ad'e casually, as he stepped up and lightly punched his shoulder," We jus glad ya alive.  kinda tought ya bit da dust out dere."

"So I feel I have to ask." Came Jaffar said as he stepped up," Sense these two do not seem to care.  I shall ask then."  He paused," Where in Tartarus have you been!?"
> Dead Mares Tell Some Tales
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The sun was shining bright as Cumulus lounged on a cloud, and a strong wind blew in his face, the kind of wind that was strong enough to be pleasant but not overpowering.  The salt in the air stung at his eyes a little but even that was a pleasant distraction from the deep ache in his wings.  Since finding a large and beautifully clear fresh water lake he had followed it's largest river down stream knowing that it would eventually lead to the sea, which had eventually lead him into a mangrove swamp  The problem was that particular estuary twisted and turned so much  that he had spent most of his time just tracing it's course, the result was he was running on empty again and needed to rest.   Odds were he would be staying put for the rest of the day, which suited him just fine, he took a bit of one of the figs he had picked along the way and chewed slowly taking his time.  

When he swallowed he gingerly leaned to his left and glanced at the ground below him," Nope still there." He said to himself.  almost directly below him were a pair of predators standing hip deep in water. They were smaller than the Ridgebacks, with a dark green coloration and pale yellow dapples.  Their skulls were distinctly similar to a cragidiles but much narrower with a curious hooked shape towards the end of the snout that caused their teeth to stick out at odd angles.  They also had a single overly large claw on the inner most digit of their hands that brought the Slashers to mind.  One of them plunged its jaws into the water only to reemerge a few seconds later with an impressively sized fish caught in its teeth. 

He went back to his resting position," I wish they'd leave."  He had been sitting on his cloud for close to an hour now and he was starting to get impatient.  He looked back at the real reason he was procrastinating, the beached remains of a shipwreck it was laying on its side in several feet of water.  He could not be sure how long it had been here but it was in really bad shape, one of its mast's had be broken and it was filled with holes one of its ballista was even tangled in the branches of a mangrove several yards away. 

He remembered Jaffar saying something about a Pirates journal maybe there was a connection, this was why he wanted to two Fishers to go away, so he could poke around the wreck without fear of becoming something next meal.  "What am I doin with my life?" He laughed.  Just a week ago he would have been flying in circles at the possibility of spending an afternoon watching those two fish and interact with each other.  Now he was more interested in the thought of pirate treasure than his his life's work.  He sighed and glanced down at the two creatures that still stood below him still as stone, the first few inches of their snouts in the water.  Odds were they would not pay him any mind so long as he kept his distance, he looked back to the wreck, then to the Fishers again, there was nearly a hundred yards between the two.

Cumulus heaved a great sigh and stood, his joints crackled as he rolled his shoulders and he spread his wings until they gave a pleasant pop.  Glancing back at the creatures one last time, he stepped of his cloud and glided towards the the wreck's stern.  Cumulus would be the first to admit he hardly knew anything about old sailing ships but he did know that an old rig like this one once had its name carved into a plate that was at the back end.  It was a long shot but maybe the plaque would still be legible, even a name might give him some insight as to where it came from.  

He groaned when he had to start flapping his wings, an hours rest had helped but his wing muscles were still sore, it would make escaping a predator very difficult.  He glanced at the Fishers again just to be sure they were not heading his way.  They were both watching him but after a few seconds they seemed to be content with his presence and returned to dipping their snouts in the water.  Cumulus let out a breathe he did not realize he had been holding and focused of trying to find any clue as to the origin of the beached ship.  Most of the stern was covered in ivy and hanging moss and he set himself to the task of clearing it, almost immediately his hoof clacked against something metallic.

Cumulus began ripping down the moss that had grown over a layer of dead vines, what he uncovered was just what he had hoped to find, a metal plaque blackened by time and caked with filth that had accumulated from many decades of exposure.  Tilting his head to the side he tried to read the name,"The..  Celestial...  Arrow?"  He had never heard of this ship but that really wasn't any surprise, though that didn't sound like the name of a pirate ship. 

"Sounds like something the Royal Navy might call one of theirs though." He muttered to himself.  He had only ever seen one of the Navy's ships and as he recalled it was call something similar, the Navy tended to give their larger ships names that were meant to pay homage to Princess Celestia, it was kind of sad actually.  A new thought came to him, 'What's a Navy ship doing on this side of the barrier? Jaffar said it was a pirate that figured out how to cross it.'  

He began circling the hulking structure, there was absolutely no hope of repairing it the keel was broken in several places and parts of the hull looked shredded, like some huge jungle cat had been using it as a scratching post.  With his curiosity in overdrive, he delicately landed near one of the gaping openings, his wings still spread in case the wood did not hold his weight or that some hungry beast wanted to make a meal of him.  "H-hello!" He called knowing full well there would be no response.  After a few tense moments he poked his head into the wrecks interior," Yoo hoo! Be thar any ghooosts about?" He snickered at his own bad pirate impression.(1)  However it seemed to yield unexpected results!  Hundreds of tiny points of light filled the dark interior of the ship and rushed towards him!

Cumulus screamed like a filly, as he back-winged away as hundreds of tiny frilled lizards scrambled into the open air and running for the nearest tree branches.  It took several minutes for the little creatures to scramble away and as the last few scampered away he saw fresh scratches in the wood.  Cautiously he dropped onto the wood again and crept towards the opening and poked his head inside again,"Anything else want to jump out at me!?"  He heard a snort off to his right and turned to see the two Fishers staring at him, one of them had a look that if he did not know better would have been amusement, he chose it ignore that and climbed into the ships dark interior. 

He dropped onto the tilted floor and slid a little on something that squished under his hooves, he was fairly confident what it was and resolved to give his hooves a thorough washing once he got out of here.  He reached into his saddlebags with the only hoof that was still clean and pulled out his flashlight, he had not had to use it yet so it had a full charge.  He cast its light around the room and fought down the urge to be sick, the room was covered in accumulated filth and nothing else.  There was no noticeable odor but it was still disgusting, he quickly found a door and tried to pull it open.  The hinges the door hung from crumbled to dust and the the heavy wooden door fell with a loud thump and noisily slid across the floor carried by the angle the wreck sat at. 

He looked around the larger space moving the flashlight to wherever he chose to look, it was fairly empty as most anything loose had fallen to the far side of the room as the door had just done.  He surveyed that part of the room, there were bits of smashed furniture, crates and, barrels as well as many corroded chunks of iron and rust.  It was not until his light reached the farthest corner that he saw anything interesting, and by interesting he meant terrifying!  The mummified remains of a pony, it was impossible to tell if it had been a stallion or a mare, but without a doubt it was a pony.  Its skin was pale and leathery looking and its eyes sunken in and its lips pulled back showing cracked yellow teeth, this was not the first dead pony he had seen but to see it desiccated like this stabbed at his heart.  It was wrong to think this poor pony had been left to whatever ends nature had in store for it.

He stared at the corpse for a long time unsure what he should do in this situation, it felt wrong to just ignore it but it seemed just as wrong to tamper with it.  Cumulus grappled with this conflict in morality until he noticed an rusted metal box under on of the mummies hooves," What could be so important that you would want that with you when you went?"  His curiosity getting the better of him, he slowly stepped towards the little box sitting under the ponies cracked dry hoof.  He tenderly reached out and pulled it towards him, the thin weakened metal warped under the little pressure he exerted and easily broke when he tried to open it.  There was no gold inside the box, no precious jewels or historical treasures, there was only a weathered looking leather bound book.  Gingerly he picked it up and read the first page.






	 7, April

This is my first assignment as Commodore of Her Majesty's Royal Navy.  As such I have chosen to begin a new diary for this new chapter in my life.   I still find myself struggling with it at times, I have been made Commodore!!!  Lord Hood says I am the youngest mare to ever achieve the rank, I truly wish I had the time to celebrate this.  However as soon as I had received my promotion I found myself standing before Princess Celestia herself, it is not the first time I had met her but this was the first time I had seen her so distressed.  Now I find myself sitting in my cabin aboard The Celestial Arrow!  With her under my command!  I had always dreamed the Arrow would be mine. I always thought it just a fantasy yet here I am.  

Though I cannot bring myself to be happy.  My mission would normally be quite simple, to hunt down a pirate ship.  Perhaps even below the need for the Arrow's might.  However who we hunt fills me with dread, Princess Celestia has sent another accomplished Captain and myself after Jack Sparrow and The Black Pearl.  He apparently attacked the Princess's estate in Manehatten and stolen something, what he took I do not know.  Though the Princess does not seem to want it back, only for us to eliminate both Sparrow and The Pearl. 

The thought of confronting a Pirate Lord... The Last Pirate Lord, is both exhilarating and terrifying.  I have full confidence that the Arrow will succeed but I am already concerned about the mare that commands The Lunar Wind.  Captain Seafoam is one of those ponies that thinks the Princess a goddess.  I heard her praying with her crew for fair winds and straight shot, it was... unnerving.  I doubt that her fanaticism will hamper our cause but I fear that it may push her to take unnecessary risks. 


10, April
It has taken us three days but we finally found him.  Sparrow seems to be heading South, maybe he is heading towards the Zuban Archipelago but he should be more Westerly oriented for that destination, I would think the one thing even pirates can do right is sail.


15, April
Sparrow is not heading for the Zuban Isles!  I have absolutely no idea where he is going, he would have to turn around completely to be heading there at this point.  Seafoam seems to believe that he is just fleeing before the Princess's 'Divine Wrath' her actual words.  However I am not of a like mind, Sparrow did not become a Pirate Lord by being a coward.  Perhaps it has something to do with what he stole from the Princess?  Or perhaps Seafoam is right and he is just running for his miserable life.   Only time will tell now.


19, April
I cannot believe it!  I had heard tales, read the stories, but to see the Barrier with my own eyes... It is like nothing I had ever imagined.  The whole sky is just one angry storm.  How does something like this even exist?  I suppose it does not matter or at least it would not if The Black Pearl were not sailing straight for it.  Could Sparrow really mean to sail through it?  He must know that it would be suicide to even try, or maybe he plans to try to get us to cut short our chase?  I must admit that I am considering letting Sparrow take back his lead so as to keep my distance from that evil storm.  

Seafoam has taken the Lunar Wind ahead of us and she seems determined to catch the Pearl but what difference does it make how Sparrow ends up dead as long as he dies?  I fear that this is the very type of foolish risk her faith would drive her to take.  I cannot let her do something stupid that will needlessly cost lives.  The question is how do I keep her from getting herself killed?


19, Aprill
It has been only a few short hours since my last entry but I feel I must put my thoughts to paper.  The Barrier does not strike me as impassable squall I have heard sailors speak of.  The winds are strong but I have sailed harder typhoons in my time, the waves barely break twenty feet and, the rain is anything but torrential.  I am reminded more or a summer thunderstorm than the storm to end all storms that legend speaks of.  What could this mean could this be something Sparrow has done?  The thing he took from Celestia!  Could it be calming the Storm!?  Could we be riding on the coattails of his grace zone?

Seafoam has her own theory of course, that Princess Celestia has blessed our mission and even the Demon Squall bows before her radiance.  I almost pity her at this point,  to think that she can view every single lucky break as divine intervention, is heartbreakingly pathetic.  How did somepony like her ever become a Captain?  I suppose it does not matter right now.


21, April
We made it!  I still cannot wrap my mind around how it could be possible!  We sailed through the Southern Barrier and lived!  It is simply unbelievable, perhaps Seafoam was right about the Princess.  No.  I still cannot bring myself to worship her, if she had the power to protect us from that storm then why has nopony tried this before?  No, it was either luck or whatever Sparrow took that got us through that squall in one piece.

Speaking of Sparrow, he was gain quite the depressing lead on us.  He clearly is pushing his crew hard and it is bound to ware them out sooner or later.  They are just a rabble of parasite ridden outlaws after all.  The Pearl is just viable on the horizon and every time I use my spyglass I can catch the glint of light off another glass, Sparrow knows we are still stalking him.  


21, April
I have just returned from the Lunar Wind and a very vocal argument with Seafoam.  I have been going over our trek through the Barrier in my mind again and again.  I keep coming to the same conclusion, I do not know how we did it!  So logically my next question is a simple one.  How in Tartarus are we going to get home again!?  We have no way of knowing what let us get through or how to do it again!  So as I have come to a decision, We are going to take Sparrow alive and interrogate him until I am confident that we can survive our second attempt.

Seafoam disagrees of course.  She kept screaming about our orders.  She actually said that it did not matter if we never got home, so long as we did as 'Her Radiance' decreed!  To think that I was beginning to actually believe her dogma!?  Princess Celestia would never want us to carelessly throw our lives away!  I ordered her to follow my plans but I already question her intentions.  What ever ends up happening, I just want to see my home again.


22, April
Idiot! I am such a blithering idiot!  I do not know when or how but Seafoam sabotaged us!  Some time in the night, while most of us slept The Lunars crew boarded us and cut down our sails !  The canvas is untouched but it will take days to get us underway again.  I plan to see Seafoam Court Marshaled for this!  Assuming I can get us back to Equestria in one piece . 

The Pearl and The Lunar Wind are both gone beyond our sight,  Seafoam actually kill the crew on watch when she pulled this stunt.  I must stop writing now, as it is time to give my sailors a proper burial.  I always hated this part of command...


26, April
Four days...  Four grueling days getting the sails repaired but we are finally done.  Making all haste to find Seafoam and The Lunar Wing.  I still plan on capturing Sparrow but now I want to see Seafoam in chains for the deaths she ordered.  My crew would accept nothing less and neither will I.  First Seafoam, then Sparrow.


30, April
I have not made an entry in a while, so I will now though nothing of note has happened yet.  I was forced to order out the oars, those coupled with the strong tailwind has helped us to cover some of the the distance between us and our prey.  In the spirit of fairness, and to give me something to do while the time rolls by, I have been taking stints at the oars with the crew.  I believe it is helping with morale a bit, though in all honesty I have been imagining that we are dragging Seafoam bound and gagged behind us.  It feels good to indulge that little evil thought.


3, May
I never expected this.  We just fished Seafoam and seven of the Lunars crew off of a piece of the Lunar herself!  They are all dehydrated and sun-crazed, Sea foam was ranting about some death dragon tearing the Lunar Wind to shreds.  The damage done to the fragment of her hull we recovered says something happened.  Could there really be dragons down here?  Or is Sparrow more dangerous than I thought?  Never the less Seafoam is in chains as is her few remaining crewmares, I intend to start interrogating them to see if I can discern what really happened to the Lunar.  I refuse to believe anything Seafoam says anymore.


7, May  
I do not know what happened out there, but it must have been truly terrible to have done this to these ponies.  The only thing I can get out of them is some mumbled prayer, a pony that joins in this idiotic worship, who is under my command I may add, says it is a hymn meant to ward off evil.  I honestly do not know what to make of this, they are all terrified.  Seafoam seems to be the only one willing to talk and every word she shrieks is just more of her Dogma.  I had her gagged again, but she is still making an awful racket.


7, May
As if I do not have enough to deal with!  Now there is a hurricane on the way!  It will be on us before noon tomorrow, and there is no way we can ovoid it.  Our only option is to weather it out and hope the Arrow is strong enough to take it.  I have everypony keeping an eye out for for a sheltered cove but so far nothing seems adequate.  This whole thing has just been one disaster after another, but I refuse to give up.


8, May
One month, I had not even realized it until somepony said something.  We have been out here for a month, how could so much have gone wrong in so short a time?  It does not matter, all that matters right now is making it though this cyclone alive.  We found shelter, it is awful shelter, but it is the best we could find.  This mangrove swamp is the last place I wanted to ride this out but we were out of time.

The wind is howling outside, I can hear the rain picking up in intensity.  It is actually kind of ironic, this gale is far worse that what we faced in the Barrier.  I still wonder about it, how we survived.  It does not matter right now getting passed this is all that matters, then I can worry about catching Sparrow and making him explain how he passed through the Barrier.  Yes I just have to take things one step at a time right now.   





Cumulus turned the page but it was blank.  There was no other entries and it was not difficult to imagine why, 'They didn't make it.  He thought solemnly.  He closed the diary and sighed," Well Commodore, if that is in fact you, I'm sorry.  I will make sure this gets back to Equestria."  He flipped through the pages one more time," And I will be sure to find out what your name was."   He looked around and saw other places in the ship to explore, but he already knew what he would find, and it did not feel right to to tread on these ponies tomb anymore than he had.



> The White Face Of Death
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Jaffar groaned as he stretched and rolled his shoulders, he had not slept as well as he usually did.  The Zuban symbol on the map kept coming to him just he began to doze off, when sleep finally found him, he was plagued with dreams of cryptic symbols and a crushing sense of failure.  So feeling anything but rested, he shuffled towards his door, dragging his hooves as he went.  He cast a harsh glare at the map on the table, the cause of quite a few sleepless nights already.  

He pushed the door open and stepped onto the bridge, hoping to see that they were making any noticeable progress.  He heard one of the Jackals give an impressed whistle," Ya look like shit Cap'in."

He groaned and waked towards the bay windows," I feel like shit Denda."

"Nudda long night den Cap'in?" Ad'e asked, looking him over while keeping his paws firmly on the wheel.

Jaffar sighed," I could not get my mind to stop working.  I must have laid there for hours trying to puzzle out that stupid map."   He looked out the windows towards the shore, they were about two hundred yards from a black sand beach, which gave way to grass and eventually to a line of coniferous looking trees Jaffar had never seen before.  He smiled to himself when he saw the Mountains off in the distance," We are getting close now."

"Dat we are Cap'in." Denda said as he passed him the spyglass," Don' see it yet, but ah know its out dere."  He looked over at Jaffar," Wuts da plan once we run outta ocean?"

The Horse brought the glass to his eye," We hoof it."  He replied casually.

"Wut 'bout da Horus?" Ad'e asked.

Jaffar shrugged," We just leave a few of the smaller, weaker dogs behind."

The twins exchanged shocked looks," Ah don' tink dats such a gud idea Cap'in!  Wut if dey try'n steal her?"

Jaffar just smiled," I have already thought of that."  His smile turned mischievous," We make certain that Sappra comes with us.  She has proven that she will follow my orders without question, and those mutts of hers would not even lick themselves without her permission after, those monsters ate all the rebellious ones."  In the time since they had attempted to jump ship, the dogs had been extremely cooperative and he had been so impressed with the change in attitude that he agreed to to forego any punishments.

Ad'e and Denda looked at each other again," Ya tink we can trus' her?

"She has made it abundantly clear that she actually believes I will keep my word." He replied smugly," It would be wasteful not to take advantage of it."



- - - - -



The salty wind was stronger today, and it mussed  up Cumulus's feathers, he was going to have to preen them later but that was hardly important right now.  What was important was the three dark silhouettes that drifted through the water in the Horus's wake.  It had been a week since he had found the the ship in the midst of a massive rescue effort, granted it had been the dogs own fault but, he likely never would have never found them if he hadn't heard  all the screaming and huge splashes.  Which is why he was now sitting perched on the masts cross beam watching the whale sized predator.  He had noticed a pattern over the previous days, at least one of them tailed the Horus at all times but the animals that left varied.  While every thirty minutes they would surface to breathe, sending plumes of water vapor skyward.  During those brief moments Cumulus caught a glimpse of their heads and bodies as they rolled back under the surface, he was actually rather happy he could not see them in detail, they looked hideous. 

He sighed and looked towards the distant beach, the black sand and the gentle waves were so picturesque and beautiful he could almost forget how deadly this land was.   If he tried, he could picture the sand as white and picture a lighthouse in the distance, massive cargo ships resting at a dock across the bay, the sound of foals laughing and splashing in the shallow water.  The smell of charcoal and grilling hay, pretty mares sunbathing.  He sighed as that happy memory from his youth played in his mind for a short while,  a younger Stout hitting on those pretty mares only to get his plot kicked by their jealous coltfriends.  A memory of his college days in Baltimare, Stout had literally dragged him screaming and kicking out of the library.  He was soon grinning as the calming scene let him easily play through that memory.

Then just as quickly he was pulled back to reality, his eyes locked onto the distant trees.  'It couldn't be!'  For just the tiniest fraction of a second Cumulus saw white feathers darting between the trees.  'It's impossible!'  His eyes jumped from one thicket of trees to another but he saw nothing.  'Could I have imagined it?"  He shook his head and scanned the the distant forest once more," It must have been my imagination."  He told himself," After all, I have barely seen anything in this land.  I doubt that one Slasher was the only thing out there that was white, right?"   Despite his logic he could not bring himself to relax and spent the remainder of the morning and much of the afternoon watching both the shore and the sea creatures that continued to shadow them.

The sun had was just starting to arch towards the horizon, just beginning to colour the opposite side of the sky in dark blues and purples, when Cumulus heard Denda call up to him.  "Hey Doc!  Ya autta look ovah dere!"  He gestured towards the mountains that had risen up to occupy a vast portion of the sky.

Curious he looked to the distant peak and took in what details he could from this distance, the upper portions were jagged and covered in snow.  He could see clear signs of erosion even from this distance, but nothing seemed that interesting abo-.  "What!?"  He heard Denda laughing below him but ignored him, setting against the side of the mountain was a tall pillar, not the sort that was shaped by wind and weather but the sort was purposely crafted and made to be seen from a great distance.   Cumulus found his wings moving before he realized it and was hoovering in the sky trying to see more, with addition of his altitude he could just spy another pillar hiding behind a curve in the mountains side.  He hoovered there squinting at the pillars but, they sat mostly in the shadow of the mountain, and the lengthening twilight was only making the attempt all the more impossible, so he quickly flapped back to the Horus.

As he landed on the deck he found Jaffar and the Twins waiting for him, the Horse stepped forward," Quite the sight is it not?  I believe that it is worth looking into."

" Absolutely!" Cumulus said while nodding.  " What do you think it is?  Something pirates built maybe?"  He thought back to the what he had read in the Commodores journal, which he had not told Jaffar about, the thought that it could be an old pirate fortress.

Jaffar shrugged," That is a distinct possibility.  It is a pirate map we are following." He turned and looked towards the pillar,  the dense trees and the mountains bulk obscured most of it, but it was still visible even from this distance.  " I am quite curious as to what we will find."



- - - - -




He crouched low, the broad leaves of the bush and the growing twilight doing their job and covering the white of his feathers.  Off to his left he heard the faint trill that signaled his pack mates had gotten into position, he snorted and cooed softly, telling them to wait for his signal.   He waited patiently, every now and then his keen eyes saw the shrubs move, the rest of his pack were still moving into position.

This was the fourth time he had been forced to hunt since he had begun pursuing his flying target, it was annoying having to abandon the chase, but its sent lingered in the air with the stink of the sea.  They had spent weeks chasing it through unknown territories, but now once again he was close, it seemed to spend its days on that thing that thing in the water.  It was slow moving and easy to keep track of, but his prey was always just out of reach.  He spared a moment to think back to his old territory, a part of him missed it, the familiar smell of the trees and combing the beaches for something tasty.  It was for the best that they were here, the pack had been getting to big and a split was inevitable, he just never thought that he would be the one to leave.

A soft trill brought him back to the hunt and he cooed in return, with the pack in positions he had to wait for just the right moment to strike.  This was unfamiliar prey that they had found, he had to be cautious, all three animals looked dangerous.  The first walked on all fours but had menacing spines protruding from its shoulders and running down two thirds of its back.  The other two were large potbellied things with tiny heads and spindly necks, in contrast were their huge hand claws. He felt conflicted, these seemed far too risky to attack but his grumbling stomach was was hard to argue with.  His pack trilled to him again, signaling that they were impatient to begin.

He snorted and cooed to them again, he was going to have to pick something but they all seemed healthy and in the prime of their lives.  The four legged spiney thing was closest and there was a fair amount of distance between it and the fat ones, it was probably their best shot.  He hooted softly, telling the pack that the one closest to him was their target.  With his single quiet call the pack moved into action,  the four on the far side of the clearing came screaming out of their cover towards the the spikey thing.  As he expected it turned and swinging its spiked tail and watching them intently, ready to defend itself.  

The two Potbellied animals honked and warbled and began swiping in the direction of his pack mates, but they were already backing away ready to leave their companion to what ever fate. He took this opportunity to strike, their prey was surrounded and alone.  He tore out of the underbrush with a high pitched screech, the thing faltered in its defense as it turned to stare dumbly at him.  The rest of the pack darted towards it and in the blink of an eye half a dozen Slashers hung from its sides biting at it and cutting deep gashes with their hand claws.  The scent of blood filled the air and the the creature groaned and whined in pain and terror,  The Slashers were getting excited and bite and cut with greater ferocity.  

As it began to topple over the Slashers retreated a short distance, there was the clear sound of bone crunching as it hit the ground, its shoulder spike and shattered under its weight, it groaned in agony. They backed away letting the multiple wounds they inflicted do their job, the Albino glanced to his left and saw the two Potbellies loitering at the edge of the clearing, no longer acting threatening they seemed to gawk at the scene that was playing out before them.  "Hhhhhssssssshhhh!"  He hissed at them but they did not flee, turning his attention back to their kill, he was pleased to see it barely breathing and unable to lift its head.

He sauntered towards it and hopped onto its bloody side, with a few well placed kicks he opened its gut and began to gorge himself, gulping down as much flesh as fast as he could.  The other Slashers piled in and started swallowing anything they could get in their mouths, there was a sense of urgency to there feeding.  It was very unlikely this area had no resident predators, the pack wanted to ovoid any kind of confrontation with a larger hunter or, a pack with greater numbers.  

thump...

The pack continued to tear into the their kill with reckless abandon, only occasionally pausing to squabble over a choicer piece of meat.

Thump...

One of the Slashers paused in its sloppy eating and stood tall, looking around the clearing.  It saw only the two Potbellies, still gawking at the edge of the trees. It quickly shoved its face back into the bloody mess.

THUMP!

The albino and several of his pack jolted upright, hearing the sound of an impact, their heads turning in every direction, keen to danger.  After a few seconds of silence, they leaned back into their meal.

THUMP!!	

Every head shot up and looked towards the mountain and the source of the sound.

THUMP!!!  Crack... Snap.. CRRRREEEAAK!!!

There was the sound of wood breaking and in the darkness the Albino saw a tree topple over, other trees were moving now too!

THUMP!!! Crack! Crack! Snap!

One of the trees lifted off the ground and slammed back down, making the world seem to shudder.  Fear flashed through the Albino as he understood what he was seeing were not moving trees, but a pair of legs.  The other Slashers were begining to back away.

THUMP!!! 

Again it stepped towards them, making the world jump violently forcing them to take several steps back.  The Albino saw the two Potbellies had turned tail and run, he also noticed the air was becoming heavy, it was getting hard to breathe.

THUMP!!! Crack!  CREEEAAK!!!

With another step the air just seemed to get thicker, it pressed down on him making him struggle just to stand.  Another tree had fallen in the wake of this thing, and it was so close now, covering a vast distance in just a few thunderous steps.  The huge limb started up but before it could come down again, the Albino's nerve finally abandoned him and he ran as fast as his wobbly legs would carry him.  The other members of his pack were only a few steps behind him.  He turned to look back and saw a pair of huge squarish jaws, as white as sun bleached bone, clamp around their kill and lift it out of view.  He turned and just kept running.




- - - - -



Cumulus waved his hoof in the air like a foal in elementary school," Okay, I have a question." Four pairs of eyes turned to observe him, Sappra and Jaffar looked annoyed while the Twins looked like they were barely able to keep from laughing.  " How do you plan to get to shore with the Leviathans still tailing us?"  The humor drained from the Jackals in less than a second, he saw Sappra cringe at his casual mention of the creatures that had killed over a dozen of her clan, Jaffar's enthusiasm for their little foray vanished as he turned over this detail in his mind.  Cumulus sighed at the Horses thoughtful expression ," You forgot they were still back there, didn't you?"

Jaffar put on a look of offense but before he could say a word Denda started to laugh," Aw, he got ya dere Cap'in!"

Jaffar sighed," Yes that particular detail had slipped my mind." He began pacing and muttering to himself, those present watched him shuffle from one end of the room to the other, stopping periodically to tug on his goatee.  He did this for nearly ten minutes, back and forth, pausing with a bright look on his face and then scowling and muttering',"No that would never work." and returning to pacing.

That was when Sappra chose to speak up," Why don't we just move to waters to shallow for them to follow us?"

The Twins looked ready to make some scathing remark until they saw the expression of Jaffar's face, his eyes were wide and his mouth hung open. "That might actually work." He said quietly," They are very large animals, if we got the Horus set up in the shallows then maybe they might finally give up chasing us."

Ad'e cast a nervous look towards the Horse," How shallow we talkin' here? Dis tub t'ain't meant fer rivers and swaps."

Cumulus stepped forward," From what I've seen of them, they are very long but have narrow, slender bodies. They would probably only start having difficulty moving in under eight feet of water, and would not be able to go shallower than half that."

Ad'e shook his head," Den dat t'ain't gonna work none.  Dis tub woold beach herself long 'fore dose beasties."

Jaffar and Sappra sighed," Well scratch tha idea, nice try though Sappra." The Horse turned and resumed his pacing until he noticed the mischievous grin on Denda's face," What are you grinning about?"

His smile seemed slightly disturbing," Well, wut if we used sumo' dat dynamite we got in da hold?"

Cumulus's jaw dropped," You brought dynamite  down here!?" He turned to give Jaffar a searching look.

The Horse shrugged off his gaze," We brought it in case we needed to do any blasting.  In case anything was blocking our path."   He tapped his chin thoughtfully," I would certainly say this counts."  He turned back to Denda ," I take it you have a delivery system in mind?  Just throwing a stick int he water will not accomplish anything."

"Oh aye! Ah got a plan ta blow beasties out da wadda."  He laughed as he stepped passed Jaffar," Mind if ah borrow one o' dose map cases Cap'in?"

Jaffar grinned,' That is brilliant, those tubes are air tight.  I shall fetch the case you two go get a few sticks."  He paused," And for Tartarus sake be gentle! You know how touchy that stuff can be!"   The Twins nodded and sprinted off,"Sappra come with me I shall need a pair of hands.  And Dr.Granted, I want you to keep an eye on our unwanted shadows.  We must know exactly where to aim."

Cumulus nodded and stepped out the door, he was not overly thrilled to discover that there had been a volatile explosive on the Horus.  His mind flashed back to their wild ride through the Barrier, 'if even one of the crates and shifted the wrong way we would have been blown to the moon!'   He shook his head and settled onto the masts cross bar," Well they're still here."  Just as he had looked in their direction one had surfaced to breathe, exhaling a tall cloud of misty, stale air.   It only took him a moment to count the silhouettes, he was pleased to find that all three were here," At least we'll only have to do this once."

It only took a few minutes for them to have everything set up and Cumulus was not happy about it at all, he was circling the creatures not daring to fly any lower, he was acutely aware of their ability to launch themselves out of the water.  The plan was simple and very stupid, to keep from wasting explosives they were going to aim for him rather than have him point out where to throw.   If all went well the he would just end up wet, if anything went wrong though, he could very well end up dead, something he was very eager to ovoid.

Back on the ship Ad'e and Denda huddled together focusing on the task at hand," Watcha tink brudda?  Tirty second fuse be enough? Gotta give da Doc time ta get out da way."

Ad'e shook his head," Naw dat might be to much.  Ah'm gonna say twenty is all we need, kinda hope we only need ta do dis once ya know?"

"Here's hoping." Denda replied, while twisting the fuse until it broke.  "Alrighty,  Dis half's ready!"  Sappra stepped up and passed him one of Jaffars map cases, a long thing metal cylinder with a threaded lid.  He delicately slide a single stick of the explosive into the tube, stopping it before it hit the bottom and the fuse slipped passed him.  Ad'e leaned in and lit the fuse with a lighter.

Denda slammed the cap over the opened end of the case and spun it quick until he could cinch it down, he stood tall and drew his arm back," Heads up, Doc!!!"  He took another second to gauge the distance and then threw the enclosed bomb with all his might, the case spun rapidly and plopped into the water less than three feet to Cumulus's left. 

Cumulus beat his wings furiously and climbed high his eyes glued to the water and the large shadows.  It had been a good throw settling right between two of the aquatic predators,' I wonder how long they set the charge fo-'

BOOM!!!

"Well that answers that question." He said flatly, setting himself into a glide and searching the agitated water.  He had expected a much larger explosion but the water forced upward had not even risen up ten feet, He began scanning the water looking for any sign of it having worked, it would have been easier but the water had become very dark.  There was a loud puffing sound behind him and he saw that one of the creatures was retreating, it had risen only long enough to exhale, he could see another silhouette lagging behind it but, still it was swimming away.  

He looked back below him, the water had become dark red and he could see why, the third creature hovered close to the surface, it's grotesque face held above the water so it could breathe.  A third of its body on the right side was covered in gashes and holes and its paddle-like flipper on that side was a bloody stump.  Already it was moving away from the Horus being pulled by the current rather than moving under its own power.  Cumulus could not help but pity the creature, it would not last long in that condition,  they had not intended to kill them just drive them away.  He turned and flew back to the Horus, fluttering his wings as he landed," So." He glanced at Jaffar," What's next?"



- - - - -



It had only taken two longboats to get everyone and the supplies ashore and there had been no deadly encounter with some other sea monster.  Which had been a relief to everyone, now they were waiting for the dogs to finish loading their supplies into a large wagon that had been assembled on the beach.  The longboats had been flipped over and rested above the beaches tidal zone to prevent them from being swept out to sea.  

So Cumulus sat on the sand staring into the trees and brush his senses keen to danger, his mind returning to the previous evening when he thought he had seen a white feathered animal.  He hoped he had been wrong and he had yet to see anything to suggest that the Slashers were in the area but, his logical mind told him there was no such thing as a predator free environment.  He glanced back at the Horus now sitting about fifty yards from shore, Jaffar had left only eight dogs on board but had ordered Sappra to accompany them, she had agreed without complaint but it had taken more work to convince the dogs they were leaving behind.

A Dog wandered in front of him, his nose inches from the ground," Have you found anything?" He asked the dog. It paused and shook its head and went back to the task he had given it.  After they had gotten the wagon built he had set four of the dogs to the task of sniffing out any signs of danger, he had been surprised when noone objected to him giving orders but chose to focus on detecting danger.

So far there had been nothing and he was starting to take note of the forest itself, unlike the dense jungle they had found the Slashers in these trees were much more familiar to him, Oaks, Sugar Maples, Black Walnuts and the occasional Pine tree.  Rather than dense ferns and thick vines the underbrush was thorny berry bushes and Dogwoods, if he did not know better he could have been back in the Everfree.  It was strange how that thought put him at ease in this dangerous place.

One of the dogs walked up to him," We find nothing."  He said simply. 

Cumulus sighed," Thank you.  I think we can relax a little while we're here."  The dog nodded and went to help load the cart and was shocked to see Jaffar harnessing himself to it, he would have assumed that the dogs would be doing the manual labor.  As he looked over Jaffar's rigging he saw that there was a quick release so that the horse could easily free himself should danger appear.  The dogs were just strapping down the last of their gear, when they finished Jaffar started into the trees Ad'e and Denda walking beside him.  Cumulus spread his wings and flew ahead of the group as it began its march through the trees, he kept a constant watch for any sign of danger, his ears twisting in whichever direction his eyes were not.

He could see he was not the only one on high alert, the Twins stood on either side of Jaffar, their keen eyes constantly looking over the surrounding trees, while Jarrar's own ears kept swiveling in different directions.  The dogs stuck together in groups of fours with their noses held up in the air or pressed to the ground, hoping to sniff out trouble before it came crashing through the underbrush. 

He could also see that everyone on the ground was armed, even Jaffar who had a long oddly shaped spear slung across his back, the was squarish and edged on three sides, it was very different from the ones the Royal Guards used it reminded him more of an ice spade than a means of self-defense but he was far from an expert on such things. Likewise Ad'e walked with a Kukri in one paw and other in it's sheathe on his hip, ready for what every was about to attack.  Denda had a machete strapped to his back and another pair of the blades each hung from his hips.  Each dog was equipped with only a single machete, Cumulus realized he was the only one without any kind of weapon, he suddenly felt exposed and a lot less safe even in the air out of reach of any kind of threat. 

They pressed on like that for several hours like that, their senses stretched to the extreme, eyes and ears snapping to every unfamiliar sight and sound, and in this alien environment there were a lot of them.  The birdsong and insect calls were unfamiliar to him but he was beginning to notice the similarities, in the Everfree when a dangerous animal was around the forest was deathly silent, but here the trees rang out with the sounds of a thriving ecosystem.  Cumulus was more than confident that as long as the forest kept singing like this, he let himself relax a little and began to take in the forest with greater interest.

He could see flocks of small Swallow-like birds similar yet not the same species that was native to Equestria, a distant cousin perhaps.  It made sense as Zebrican Swallows were much larger and did not migrate like their Equestrian cousins, if he had the time to collect samples the little birds alone would have made his career.  He started to chuckle as an old joke from a movie came back to him, with a smirk he dropped down next to Jaffar and the Twins," What's the airspeed velocity of an unladen Swallow?" He asked trying hard to keep a straight face and hoping one of them would get the joke.

Denda rose to the challenge and grinned over at him and started laughing," Zebrican or Equestrian?" (1)

They both broke into a fit of laughter and Jaffar just rolled his eyes," I do not even want to know. I believe you should be watching for danger Dr. Granted?"

Cumulus whipped a tear from his eye," We're fine for now Captain, listen for a moment, do you hear that?"

Jaffar strained his ears but all he heard was birds and bugs.," All I hear is a bunch of birds." He said sourly.

"Exactly," He said dropping to the ground and walking beside the horse.  "As long as the wildlife is singing the odds of us being attacked are minimal."

Jaffar blinked and looked around in disbelief," Are you certain?"

Cumulus waved his hoof dismissively," Of course I am.  I learned this trick in the Everfree, think about it, if you know there's a dangerous animal around would you make a lot of noise to let it know where you are?"

The Horse tapped his chin thoughtfully," I suppose not."

He smiled," If there was something sneaking up on us they would know long before we would.  Right now we have nothing to worry about." His expression became somber," But if it goes totally quiet then that's when we know we have a problem."

Jaffar nodded," Well you are the expert in this sort of thing, it would be best to take your advice to heart."



- - - - -



So far Cumulus had been right after an entire day trudging through the forest they had yet to encounter, well anything, they had not seen a single animal, that may have been impart to Denda hacking through the more overgrown parts to clear a path, or his riotous laughter.  After a while he had become bored and started to tell dirty jokes that he and his brother found more amusing that anyone else.  However now the sun was sinking below the treeline and the dark was creeping up on them with astonishing speed, they had stopped and setting up camp while the dogs and Jackals set up the tents Cumulus had been tasked with keeping a keen out for trouble.

" Don't know what he expects me to do."  He grumbled," Not like I can see in the dark."  The deepening shadows had already made aerial surveillance impossible but Jaffar had said to keep watching until they had finished with the tents.  He sighed and started circling again, 'A pack of Slashers could be standing in the open and I wouldn't see them.'  He turned his gaze to the bulk of the mountain and the two pillars that they were planing to investigate, from the coast one had appeared taller than the other but now that he was closer he could see that they were in fact the same height.  He was still to far away to tell, and the advancing night did little to help either, but he was certain he could just make out the outline of oddly squarish stones, like those of an ancient structure.

The idea of lost temples, valuable treasures, and hidden booby traps came to mind and he felt a rush of excitement at the thought of what secrets the ancients may have left there.  He shook his head and sighed," Cumulus you've been reading too much Daring Doo again."  He let reality come back to him, odds were it was actually nothing that amazing and if it was a lost piece of history, the best he could hope for were old bones and broken pottery.  That was what Archaeology usually ended up being after all, it was never the thrill ride the book series made it out to be. 

Cumulus glanced back at the clearing where the campsite was supposed to be,'Odd there should be a fire going by now.'  He let the air spill out from his wings and dropped toward the camp, he could just make out the triangular tents in the dark, 'Where is everyone?'   He caught himself in the air again about a dozen feet from the ground, there were bulky shadows moving between the tents.  Had there been an attack?  No he would have at least heard that, so with some trepidation he dropped one more time and landed on the ground with a soft thud.

"Ahh, dere ya are Doc!" Chimed a familiar chipper voice.  "We signaled ya ta come down like half a hour ago."

He turned to what could only be Denda," Yes, well I can't see a thing right now.  Why hasn't someone lit a fire yet?"

His eyes were starting to adjust to the lack of ambient light and he saw the vague outline of the jackal shrug," Cap'in said no fires.  Might tell da munsta's where we are."

He snorted," That's ridiculous,  Wild animal's are always leery of fire, it's instinct!"

"Normally I would agree with you on such things." Sounded Jaffar's voice off to his right.  " However think back to the attack on the beach.  We had many fires, but neither the Slashers nor the Ridgeback showed any kind of fear in it's presence, in fact the Ridgeback was not dissuaded even when a burning branch was brandished at it.  It is a safe bet that the animals here have little to no fear of fire."

Cumulus tapped his chin with a hoof," Fair point.  I guess its better than announcing our presence to every creature with a taste for flesh."  He gave Denda a sly grin," Save that for the Twins dirty jokes."

"Hey!" Denda said sounding offended but clearly not, judging by the shit eating grin he wore.

"Save the jokes for tomorrow." Jaffar sighed," For now rest I want to make it to the base of the mountain before nightfall tomorrow."  He turned and strolled toward his tent," I would rather not camp out in the open more than we have to."

"Suppose da Cap'in's right Doc, we should get ta bed too." Denda started towards the tent he was sharing with his brother.

Cumulus looked skyward, his eyes had adjusted to the dark well enough that he could tell there wasn't a cloud in the night sky.  "Fantastic."  He sighed," Another night in a freaking tree."  He spread his wing and fluttered to a nearby oak that looked a little less uncomfortable that the surrounding pines.



- - - - -



Cumulus started awake and lunged forward already assuming the worst, he could hear the dogs barking obnoxiously loud, but it did not sound pained or panicked.  There was a half moon tonight and by its silvery light he could see two vaguely familiar creatures standing back to back and swiping at the air with their overly large hand claws.  There was a moment of terror that ran through him as he almost mistook the two for some new predator, but one look at their bloated bellies told him that these animals were more or less harmless, though a solid strike from one of those claws looked liable to take off someones head.  Nearly a dozen dogs circled the Potbellies, and he saw they were getting reckless in how they dealt with these animals, lunging forward and scampering back when the herbivores attempted to defend themselves.

With an exacerbated sigh, cumulus picked himself up from the branch he was calling a bed and lazily glided towards the scene.  He landed just as Jaffar and the Twins came sprinting up, looking panicked," What in Tartarus is going on here!?" The Horse yelled.

Cumulus tried to explain the situation more or less as he understood it, but the dogs were so damn loud, it was too much and he brought his Sonic Whistle to his lips and gave it the gentlest of puffs.   It had the intended effect as every dog visually cringed and staggered backwards.  Satisfied with the moderate quiet, the dogs were whimpering a lot and rubbing at their ears, He turned to answer Jaffar's question," If I were to hazard a guess, these two were wondering towards the camp and the dogs on watch spotted them."  He turned back to the dogs, who were all giving him a sour look," There is little to worry about everyone.  These creatures are plant eaters and aren't dangerous unless provoked."  He rolled his eyes," Kind of like you were just doing." 

The dogs took a few moments to look ashamed and started back towards the camp, most giving the panicked Potbellies a wide berth.  Most but not all, on of the smaller dogs had clearly misjudged the distance the creatures arms could reach, as the Potbelly saw an opportunity and took it.  There was hardly a noise until the little dog yelp and started whining in pain, the creature spread its arms out and made a bellowing, honking like sound that sounded like a mix between a woppi cushion and a goose.  The little dog was sent flying by the force of the blow and landed on one of the dogs tents, collapsing the frail shelter, everyone rushed to the dogs side and the Potbellies chose to make their exit.

He was in a bad way to say the least, there was a deep gouge in his right foreleg that bleed profusely and he was already looking pale.  Ad'e and Denda had already started to pack the wound with cloth in the hopes of stopping the bleeding, Sappra knelled by him softly stroking his head trying to keep herself from panicking.  By the time they had the leg bandaged, the horizon was turning gold and the moon was beginning to sink below the trees.

Ad'e was the first to say what most were thinking," He ain't gonna makit if we bring 'im wit us Cap'in.  He be safer on da Horus."

"We would lose all the ground we have made if we turn back now Ad'e.  We are so close now." Jaffar said quietly.  " We cannot turn around now."

A pair of dogs stepped up to him," We take him back. You go on ahead Boss."  

Jaffar blinked in surprise and looked ready to say no but with Sappra's pleading gaze he sighed in defeat," Fine, be careful and don't dawdle.  He is liable to attracted a dangerous animal, smelling like blood now."  The two dogs nodded and set about collecting a few supplies and their fellow dog and looped off into the trees.  He saw the nervous look on Sappra's face and smiled," Relax, We just came from that direction and we are fine after all."  She sighed and nodded but still looked worried, Jaffar turned and looked at the rising sun and smiled," Well I had not planed to be up and about this early, but since everyone is up, lets eat and break camp."

There was a collective groan but it was loudest from the Twins who where slumping down and doing their best to look exhausted, it did not work and soon everyone was busying themselves with getting their food down.  Once that was done they quickly broke down the camp and stowed it all away, all the while Cumulus circled overhead watching for any signs of danger.  The birds were still singing so it was unlikely that they would be attacked, at least nature gave no clear sign of it, but the dogs had made quite a racket, something unpleasant was bound to have heard it.  

He turned his attention towards the looming mountain, its size had made judging the distance difficult but since they were leaving so early they should definitely be there before dark.  He could also see a small portion of the structure they were heading towards, it had to have been crafted, the stones were to purposely shaped for it to be a natural formation.  It did however appear to be ancient, nature was clearly encroaching on the structure, he could see vines and tree roots covered much of it's exterior. 

All of this coupled with the distance that still separated them from it, made even attempting to identify the architecture impossible.  Still he was giddy at the thought of what they might find, while doing his best not to set his expectations too high, this was real life after all, not a Daring Doo novel.



- - - - -



The light breeze that blew through the trees and ruffled his feathers was soothing and helped him drift of into a shallow sleep, this what he needed right now just a little nap to help him forget his troubles for a short while. "Mmmmmmeeeeeeerrrrr..."  The pitiful noise was just the right frequency to snap him out of his blissful state and back to sour reality.  He snapped his crimson eyes open and turned to glare hatefully and the one who disturbed him, but simply could not.  The offending pack member lay about six feet away on her back, all four limbs pointed in a different direction, he should have been angry at her for being so whiny about a poor meal, but she just looked so damned ridiculous that he could not hold in an amused snort.

The small noise caught her attention and she looked over at him," Mmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrllllll!"  She whined louder and gave him a pitiful, pouty look with large watery eyes.  He turned his gaze forward and tried to ignore he, she retaliated by whining again and flailing around on her back and rapidly kicking her hindlegs in the air.   He should be scolding her for making such a fuss but dammit if that was not the cutest thing he had ever seen. (2)  

It was inevitable that they were going to hunt again but he had wanted to rest after their last kill had been stolen, at this rate though he would have to kill something just to make her stop.  So with a great sigh he picked himself up and stretched, his back was a little sore but that was nothing to worry about right now.  He started in surprise and a trill sounded a short ways away, one of his pack had spotted something, pleased that he now had another chance to eat he cooed back signaling he was coming.   

At his return call, the silly female rolled onto her feet and squeaked happily accompanied by a series of excited hops.  Now that she was standing he could see the real reason for her behavior, she was still very young, at the stage where she was no longer a chick but not quite an adolescent.   He did not think he had brought any of the young with him but no matter, he turned and headed towards where the call had come from, if he was lucky it would be something he was familiar with and could easily kill.

The youngster hopped along beside him squeaking excitedly, she was so annoying but he could not bring himself to be short with her, she was young and she would learn soon enough.  When he arrived the rest off the pack was already there and as he approached they flashed their throats submissively, he ignored them as he had caught the sent of blood.  This was good wounded prey was easier to bring down, but he frozen when his nose picked up a tiny but enticing aroma, one that was familiar to him.    

He stood tall and spotted his next meal, a pair of Diamond Dogs were swiftly but carefully moving through the trees, on the largest ones back lay another smaller dog that smelled of blood.  Around them all lingered the faintest scent of his Pegasi quarry, he could not believe his luck an easy meal and a trail to the prey he had been stalking for weeks, it was just too good to be true.

He was excited now and with a few trills and squawks most of the pack slunk off to get ahead of the dogs,  only two other members of his pack remained with him, the fidgety youngster and an old female.   He hooted once and then loosed a throaty roar," Hhhrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooorrrrr!" Loud enough to be heard by the dogs, he sprinted through the shrubs with reckless abandon, the other two following his lead and making a racket.   The dogs both heard and saw him coming, which was exactly what he wanted, and the yelped in terror and took off down the trail, the small injured dog screamed in pain as it clung for dear life to its ride.  

He felt no need to push himself, the rest of the pack was bound to be in position by now, and sure enough as the dogs ran pass a large maple tree two of his pack leaped  out of their cover and tackled the prey. The smaller dog tumbled to the dirt and desperately scrambled to get away on its three undamaged legs, much to his surprise the fidgety youngster pounced onto it, clamping her jaws onto the base of its skull and shaking it violently while snarling.  

In less than a minute the Dogs were all dead and the pack was tearing into them, swallowing hunks of flesh whole desperate to ovoid having this meal stolen like their last one.   In less than ten minutes all three dogs had been stripped to the bone, which several Slashers now gnawed on trying to get at the marrow,  The albino snorted and trilled at them, drawing all their attention, he trilled again and began walking away in the direction the Dogs had come from.  This meal had given them more then they had burned catching it but they were skinny and not that filling,  there was a bigger meal waiting for them.



- - - - -
  



Cumulus hovered in the sky, there was a strong head wind so it was a bit of a challenge but he paid it no mind.  At the moment all he cared about was the overgrown stone temple in front of him.  It was still several miles away but once again the illusion of size had caused some confusion as to the distance remaining, much like the mountain itself the structure was enormous, were its architecture not so foreign to him he would have mistaken it for a palace.  It consisted multiple cylindrical shapes each stacked on top of each other and gradually getting smaller as they went up, much like a tiered wedding cake except that there were twenty of them.  The two pillars stood on each side of the structure and were in no way grounded to it for stability, it was a wonder that they had yet to topple over in an exceptionally strong wind.  It looked like there was a wall built around it but it had collapsed in several places and nature had used these gaps to encroach into the the area.  The first three tiers had been overgrown with vines and other types of crawling plants, and the first tier had actual trees growing on it, creating the impression that it rose up out a hill.

There was still a lot of ground between them an the outer wall, but the group was having no trouble maneuvering through the  forest, the trees were getting larger as they marched on and as such the space between the them made their hike easy.  In fact from his altitude he could see that the trees near the outer wall of the temple were larger still, he would have to get closer to know for sure but he was confident they were the largest trees he had ever seen.  He looked down and saw the group trudging along, they had been walking since early this morning and everyone except Cumulus was getting tired and sore.  As slow as they were he could probably fly over the temple and be back before they had gone another mile, he sighed and made to land next to the group.

When his hooves touched the ground he walked over to Denda, who was slumped forward and panting like all the dogs were.  "Ah still do' git why ya ain't a whipped as da rest o' us." He groaned while glaring and Cumulus.

The pegasus just laughed," Oh please, it's not my fault you lot are so slow.  I could've flown to the mountain and back by now."

"Ah feel like ah shood be insulted," He chuckled.

"That is it!" Gasped Jaffar.  "I am exhausted, there is a clearing up ahead lets rest and eat something."

Cumulus glanced skyward, judging by where the sun was it looked pretty close to three or four P.M., they should have eaten hour ago but Jaffar had insisted they wait until later,'Guess it's finally later then.'    He walked forward into the large open space, the grass seemed longer here, but that just made for something comfy to lay on, and on the far end was a little hill with some large stones on it.  

It seemed like as fine a place as any to rest and he leaned down and started munching on the grass, this earned him a disgusted look from Jaffar, to which he responded by casually shrugging.  He saw no need to waste their food stores when he had plenty of edibles right under hoof, grass was far from tasty in fact it was a rather bitter but it was everywhere so why not.  Jaffar pulled a small bale of hay from the wagon, that was meant to feed both Equines, and happily helped himself to the sweeter food.  While The twins pulled out large tough looking strips of jerked meat, which the dogs eyes enviously.  He did his best not to shudder, while he was no stranger to meat eaters, the thought that this particular meat had been cured and seasoned, sparked his natural instinct to shy away as most ponies tended to any time there was meat involved.  The dogs were left with nothing but dried out bread to eat.

Now that there was something on their stomachs the group were laying about taking full advantage of this time to rest, most of the dogs had curled up in the sun and were dozing peacefully.  Denda lay on his back dozing in the grass under the shade of a tree, and Jaffar laid on his side by the wagon half in its shade and his face in the warm sun, not sleeping but resting his tired legs.  Ad'e sat cross legged in the shade keeping keen eye out for trouble despite the pleasant songs the birds sang, of everyone he was the one who would not relax.  Cumulus was laying on the branch of a huge sugar maple, he was not asleep either but enjoying the chance to relax none the less.  

He could see some of the temples upper tiers from his perch, it was likely Jaffar was staring at the temple as well, it was now visible even from the ground.  They had been resting for close to an hour, and the sun was falling towards the horizon now, the actual evening was still a few hours away and they would arrive at the outer walls long before sunset.  Cumulus stood up and stretched, trees were starting to knot his muscles, he looked down and saw Jaffar was also stretching, ad'e and Denda were both up and moving to wake the dogs.  "Looks like nap time's over." He sighed and glided down to the ground.  

It only took a few minutes for Jaffar to hook himself back up to the wagon and they started on their way passing through the clearing and the small hill.  Cumulus noticed the stones on the little elevation were very smooth and all similarly oval shaped, he stopped to stare at them, something felt wrong with this.  He could not put his hoof on it but something was off, he glared at them," All the same shape?" He muttered to himself.  Everyone else was starting back under the trees, he was falling behind though he could easily catch up from the air.  

Deciding to shrug it off he started trotting towards the trees," Hhhrrrrrrrrroooooooarrrrrr!" The forests quiet was shattered as a Slasher jumped out of the bushes and landed on Jaffar's back, it was hard to tell who reacted faster; the Twins of the Diamond Dogs.  The two Jackals sprung into action and punched the frail boned feathered predator off of the horses back, while the dogs turned tail and ran back toward Cumulus.  The Slasher flew through the air and landed in the dirt, as quickly as it had been removed from him, Jaffar was even quicker to extricate himself from the wagon's grasp, already gripping his spear and hastily stepping backward.

The Slasher recovered easily enough and stalked towards the Horse, it was quickly joined by another three of its pack, which stalked forward slowly taking the time to gauge what this preys reactions would be. Sappra had rallied here dogs and now all of them stood in a group with their machetes drawn, they stood on the slope of the small hill, Sappra stood right next to one of the odd stones.  Jaffar and the twins were making for this rally point too, Cumulus started when he realized that he had frozen up and slowly inched himself in that direction.

Just as Jaffar and the twins joined the growing defense, an ominously familiar white Slasher sprinted out of the trees towards them, a pair of smaller Slashers right behind him.   Cumulus gaped as he saw the Albino hunter, it was the same one he was sure of it,' It followed us all this way!?'  He flinched as its burning crimson eyes fell on him and it hissed almost triumphantly, for every step it took towards him, Cumulus would take a step back paralyzed by the burning orbs that he stared into.  

Just then the smallest Slasher leaped forward onto Sappra, the two of them tumbled over onto one of the oval shaped stones.  Under their combined weight it first cracked and then smashed, a thick, sickly smelling goo spattered onto both dog and Slasher.  The little assailant skittered away whining about the mess and Sappra lunged forward wailing and thrashing about, stuck to her back was a little blob with and overly large head and big beady black eyes.  Every living thing in the clearing froze, save Sappra who continued to express her disgust at the viscus fluid she was covered in, and blissfully ignorant of the crushed embryo stuck to her back.

Cumulus felt his panic start to go into overdrive,'It was an egg!  Oh Sweet Celestia, it was an egg!  Their all eggs!  We're trying to defend ourselves on top of the biggest ne-'  His thought process was cut short as the air started to vibrate and become oddly, and yet familiarly, heavy, something was moving in the trees not far away a massive stone grey figure shifted and rose up.  Had it not stirred anyone could have mistaken it for a very large stone, but now it was picking itself up, rising higher and higher until its head neck and shoulders towered over the trees.  It was easily as large as any dragon he had ever seen or heard tell of, his eyes went wide as he recalled what he had read in the Commodore's Journal, how the rouge captain claimed her ship had been destroyed by a dragon,' It can't be the same animal could it!?  That was more than two centuries ago!'  

It was facing away from them and as it twisted its head to look down on them cumulus gasped, while the skin of its body was a flat lusterless grey, its face was white as ivory.  The whole upper jaw and face was covered in an almost chitin like casing, like an insects hardened exoskeleton, that ended where its neck connected to the base of its skull.  Along it top jaw ran a series of downward curved spikes that hung out of its jaw like a second row of teeth, it had high bony crests over its eyes that ended in a claw-like protrusion along the bridge of its muzzle.  Perhaps it most striking feature, apart from its immense size and oddly armoured face, was its blue eyes not the icy pale colour that the Twins eyes were, but rather a deep midnight blue.

Time seemed to slow as it looked out over the scene before it, it looked from one to another as though searching for some explanation.  Then the embryo stuck to Sappra's back came free and landed on the ground with a wet thump, it's eyes locked onto the pale lump of soft flesh and then shifted to the petrified dog.(3)   "Ggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrllllll!!!" The dragon sized creature began to growl with a barely suppressed rage, the air shuddered violently driving the air out of Cumulus's lungs and nearly forcing him to his knees under an overwhelming crushing force. 

Gasping for breathe he realized he knew this sensation, he had experienced twice before in his life both times in the presence of Alicorns.  The first time had been as a freshmen in college, Baltimare was playing host to the Summer Sun Celebration and he had had a front row seat to see Princess Celestia raise the sun, he had felt a pressure as she hurled the burning orb in the sky.  The Second time had also been during the Summer Sun Celebration, but this one in Ponyville, he had witnessed Nightmare Moon's return, and felt the air become very weighty as she struck out against the Royal Guards that attempted to subdue her.  The feeling had been stronger than when he had experienced with Celestia, but now it was like holding a candle to a lighthouse, so vast was the difference in the force this creature exerted.   

The immense pressure was effecting everyone present, even the Slashers who had started to back away, but none more so than Cumulus who was barely able to breathe as he stared up that the creature.  His nerve was being stretched to its limit, every instinct was screaming at him to run as fast as he could, yet he remained rooted to the spot so terrified he had forgotten he could fly.  He felt something strange and just a little relaxing, he managed to pull him eyes away from the huge creature and look at himself.  A steady stream of urine splattered on the ground under him running down the small incline of the nest mound. he was pissing himself, and it scared him all the more.  He had out flown Signus Minors and avoided being lunch for a Hydra, and this thing had him pissing himself.

THUMP!!!

Cumulus's attention snapped back to the beast before him, it had stepped out from the trees and his ears picked up the sound of air being sucked in, much like how a dragon took a breathe before unleashing a gout of...  "Fire." He whispered, could this thing really breathe fire!?  His fear kept him in place though his mind was frantic to escape, the animal leaned forward, opened its great jaws, revealing countless pointed peg-like teeth, and loosed a savage roar.

"HUUURRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRUHHHHH!!!"

The scream was primal and filled with rage and sorrow and hate, the kind of brutal cry one would expect from a vengeful mother.  Under the the beasts deafening roar the Albino's nerve finally broke and him and his pack ran like like death itself was only a few steps behind, and how she was lunging forward snapping her jaws at anything that moved or did not move.  As the feathered predators scattered, her large rectangular jaws smashed closed on Sappra and four other dogs.  They could be heard screaming inside her cavernous mouth as she tilted her head back, with a quick small snap of her jaws(4) they were pulled completely inside her mouth.  Her throat visibly flexed as she swallowed all five dogs with out any hesitation, the sound of their screams died out somewhere in her chest just behind her forearms.  She turned to stare at the rest of the creatures assembled before her, Cumulus was confident they were barely a snack to her immense bulk.  The crushing pressure increased suddenly and it was more than he could endure, with a final gasp his eyes rolled back in his head and everything went black.




- - - - -



Denda saw Cumulus topple over, he was finding it a challenge to pull the air into his lungs as well but he was obviously doing better then the forest green pegasus.  In fact Jaffar and his brother seemed to be the only ones managing to power through, whatever kind of magic this was, which is why he wasn't to surprised to see the pony faint.  Ponies were magical by nature, it made sense they would be the ones most vulnerable to this kind of attack.  He began inching his way over to his fallen friend as one of the dogs bolted towards the trees, the other dogs all seemed to have the same idea and ran after their kin. 

He sprinted to Cumulus's side and paused, he was still gripping his machete why?  The thing was worse than useless against this monster, he made his choice and tossed it away, using the same hand he scooped up the unconscious pegasus and tucked him under his arm.   With his cargo safely in his grip he dropped onto three legs and lopped off, quickly catching up with his brother and Jaffar who were ahead of the dogs by several dozen yards already.

"Dr. Granted...  Said we were... A few miles...   From the... Sanctuary!" Jaffar gasped as he ran headlong through the wide space between the trees.  "We might... Be safe... If we can...  Get to it!"

"Aye Cap'in!"  Ad'e yelled as he charged onward on all four legs.

"Hhuurrrooooaaarrrruuhh!!!"   

THUMP!!!

THUMP!!!

Denda chanced a glance behind him as the ground shuddered violently almost making him stumble, the white faced killer was chasing after them in her rage.  One of the dogs had tripped when the ground shook under its thunderous footsteps, it did not seem to even notice the dog and the whole upper portion of its torso was crushed beneath a taloned foot.   It continued to chase them although at a slower pace than one would have imagined, while the trees were spaced apart for enough for it to follow them it was so large it was having great difficulty building up its speed.  Just as it would get close they would swerve to put a tree between themselves and it, forcing it to slow or try to crash through the overly large tree.  

"HHUUURROOOOOOAAARRUUHHH!!!"

It bellowed in frustration as they gained more distance, clearly these excessively large trees were too big for it to easily uproot or knock down, a fact they played to their advantage.  It stormed passed the tree as quickly as it could and in a few ground shaking steps had caught up with the group again, this time in a kind of natural straight away. As they started to turn back into the trees to make it more difficult for the dragon sized beast, it was not quick enough.  She had caught up with the back portion of the fleeing group, which consisted of a group of Dogs all clustered together, she jabbed her snout towards the ground and gouged a deep furrow into the dirt.  She then thrust her snout up towards the dogs and hurled a weighty chunk of earth at them, The Dogs yelped and screamed as the displaced earth crushed them under its weight.

They ducked and dodged between tress and barely maintained a lead from the enraged mother, she never relented roaring every time she would be forced to slow her pursuit.  Everyone was winded and sore when the crumbled wall came into view, the sight of it was enough to give the winded survivors a glimmer of hope.  They pressed on, moving serpentine through the trees to keep the beast at bay and it worked,  they sprinted through a gaping hole in the defensive structure and under tightly packed trees.  

"Hhuurrroooaaarrruuhh!!!"  The white faced beast screamed in fury but her steps came to a halt at the flimsy stone wall, she growled ferociously but did not try to step passed the little wall.  She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and looked over the area beyond the barricade, her demeanor had become a polar opposite of her blind rage only moments ago.  "Gggrrrrrrrrrrrrlll!" She let out a frustrated growl and slowly stepped away.

	
> Revelations 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	

The weary group of survivors fell on the hard stone floor, wheezing and hacking as they had ran themselves ragged fleeing the wrath of a vengeful mother.  Denda fell backwards into a sitting position slipping Cumulus, who was still unconscious, out from under his arm and breathed deep the stagnant air inside the dark building.  His brother lay on his back a few feet away panting heavily but with a wild, triumphant grin on his face," Cap'in, Brudda!"  He looked first to Jaffar, who was laying on his side,looking dead except for the rapid rise and fall of his barrel, then to his twin brother.  " We finally here!  Can ya beleve it?   Afta all dese munts we actually here!"  He grinned wider. his enthusiasm climbing high, fueled by the adrenaline still coursing through his veins.  

Jaffar lifted his head smiling too," Yes, after a lot of hard work and planning we are about to reach the half way milestone in our little endeavor."

Jaffar's words had a slightly sobering effect on Ad'e, who's grin dropped," Ya right Cap'in. Once we find it den we gotta git it ta Iceberg Bay."  He looked thoughtfully towards the open arch they had scrambled into only minutes ago," But ah wanna beleve dat the worse is ovah."  

"Ya and me both brudda!" Chuckled Denda, he glaced towards the slumbering Pegasus to his right.  "Ah say we-"

"Hhhuuurrroooooooooaaaarrrrruuhhh!!!!"

He was cut off by the White Faced Dragon's hateful roar, everyone immediately shuffled away from the chambers entrance.  The dogs yelped in pure terror and sprinted towards the far wall, their tails between their legs.  Denda reaching out and dragged Cumulus back with him, not caring that he was dragging his face on the stone, then rolling him against the far wall with him.  They all huddled there for almost a minute, none of them even daring to breathe for fear the murderous beast would hear them and come tearing through the stone walls.

"Hhhuuurrroooooooooooooaaaaarrrruuhh!!!!"

The beast shrieked again, the intensity somewhat lessened by the distance between her and them.  None the less they cowered for several more minutes, listening to her vocalized her frustration at having lost track of her prey.  The dogs continued to shake and cry into each other, Jaffar gave them a look of absolute disgust," Shut up!" He hissed through clenched teeth.  They cringed away from him but did as he instructed, silencing themselves but clinging to each other shaking under the intensity of their fear.

"Wat we do now Cap'in?" Ad'e asked in a hushed voice still nervous that it would lure the monster in.  "Shood we look fer da artifact?"

The horse glanced at him and then looked out at the large chamber they were in, the wide high reaching archway allowed some light in, however, beyond that was not but but deep inky shadows.  "That will be difficult now as the torches were in the wagon."

"Hhhuuurrroooooooooaaaaaaaarrrrr!" 

Everyone flinched as the beast roared again," And I do not fancy our odds of retrieving them." He stated dryly.

"Dere's gotta be sumting we can do."  Ad'e replied while glaring at the archway,as though it was somehow responsible for this latest setback.  "Ah ain't dat keen on spending da rest o' me life hiding in da dark."

Jaffar was about to make a scathing remark, when  the beast outside roared again. It  appeared Cumulus was awake to hear it too.  To say that he stirred would be a gross understatement, the stallion scrambled to his hooves and spread his wings out wide not lifting them past his shoulders.  " Everyone run! It's our only ho- !"  He halted in his exclamation as he took in his surroundings,"  Wha- what!? How did we end up here?   Is everyone okay?"

Denda grinned up at him from were he sat," Relax Doc, we fine fer now."  He motioned towards the open archway," Dat ting don' seem ta wanna git too close ta dis place.  Watevah it did was too much for ya and ya passed out."  

Cumulus turned to look in the direction he was gesturing. He had a fair idea why.  The structure they were taking shelter in was so steeped with magic it made his wings feel like they were covered in fire ants.  The air was so thick with it that he could barely lift his wings past his shoulders, flying here was going to be impossible.  It was not an oppressive, lung crushing pressure like what the beast outside had used, but, it was many times more concentrated, though it lacked direction or force.  " There is very strong magic here."  He said solemnly," It is probably why she is keeping her distance."

Jaffar gave him a look of disbelief," Not to be rude Doctor, but, how can you tell?  You are not a unicorn, they are the ponies who use magic."

Cumulus gave the Horse a sour look," All ponies can use magic." He stated bluntly," Unicorn magic is just the most obvious and versatile type.  Pegasus Magic is subtler and mostly works with our wings."  He slowly folded his wings up and winced as the burn flared up momentarily before subsiding to a dull but continuous pain.  " This place is making my feathers burn.  Lets not spend anymore time here then we have to."  He winched as his wings shifted ever so slightly with his first step," Any pony other than an Alicorn shouldn't be in here without at least a dozen protection spells."

Cumulus took another step forward, which brought his hoof down on a line that ran out from the middle of the chamber, he felt the burning in his feathers lessen just a little as the ambient magic seemed to find a purpose.  A soft blue light sparked up under his hoof and ran out in either direction, one rushing out into the center of the chamber were it spread out into a disk of the same soft blue light set into the floor and then spread along more lines rushing for the far wall.  While the other ran up the wall to his left and illuminated the corners of the room, to either side of him the light outlined two doorways before continuing into corridors, that were set near the outer walls of the structure, then curving out of sight.  

The whole process of the lights 'turning on' had taken only seconds, Cumulus stared at his hoof with his mouth hanging open and delicately lifted it off the glowing line, fearful he had just activated some horrific booby trap. For a few minutes no one breathed, waiting for something terrible to happen, but the floor did not drop out from under them, the ceiling did not come crashing down on their heads, there was nothing just light.

" Well I suppose that solves our torch problem." Jaffar said with a sly grin.  "Well done Doctor."

Cumulus looked down at his hoof and then at the glowing lines that crisscrossed the floor," I have absolutely no idea what just happened."  The confusion was evident in his voice.

" If ah was ta make a guess.  Ah'd say ya found da light switch Doc." Denda laughed.  "Dis autta make lookin'  'round a lot easier, eh Cap'in?"

"Hhhuuurrrrrooooooooooaaaaaarrrruuuhhh!!"

"Indeed." Jaffar said standing up. " We may as well investigate this place.  It will give her a chance to calm down as well."

Cumulus flinched when he heard the beast roar again, 'I doubt she's gonna give up any time soon.'   He stepped toward the corridor to his left because it was the closest to him, like its counter part on the opposite side of the room, this hallway was illuminated by the same soft blue light and stretched out in front of him for several hundred  yards before turning to the left.   "Which way do we go then?" 

"We have only two option." Jaffar said with shrug," The left seems as good a choice as right at this point." He boldly strode forward and started down the the softly lit path before him.



- - - - -



The Albino lay on his side gasping for breath, his head rested on the shoulder of a pack mate, who's he did not really care right now.   None of them had died at the jaws of the skull faced monster, since it had chosen to pursue their prey instead of them.  A small miracle, however, they had ran like the the deadly monster had been nipping at their tails the whole way, they had made several miles in their panicked flight but the beast's enrage howls could still be heard even from the distance that separated them.

The smart thing would be to keep moving once they had gotten their second wind; get as far away from the mountain as possible, and look for safer hunting grounds else where.  It was a safe bet that the pegasus he had been hunting was dead, smaller prey was plentiful in these woods, animals more than large enough to feed his pack but far too small to hope to sustain the Skull faced monster.  Perhaps if they kept their distance from the mountain they could still hunt this wood.  It was a risky proposition but if they could stay out of their larger neighbor's way, they could have an easy life.

He turned to the youngster who had been an accomplice in angering the titan, most of her feathers had egg dried to them and she was using this respite to attempt to preen her dirty feathers.  He could not bring himself to be angry with her, despite how wrong everything had gone, no one had been injured and she had impressed him when she took the initiative in striking at her prey.  

"Huurrrooooaaarruuhh..."

The Monster's roar sounded again, causing them all to jump, while they were safe from it's wrath for now, it could not hurt to put some more distance between them.  Slowly they picked themselves up, nightfall was still a few hours away it was usually safest to hunt at night when they had the element of surprise on their side.  They spent several hours moving silently through the trees in a northwesterly direction, a fair amount of distance was between them and the angry titan, they could no longer hear her savage bellows.

The fact that he was not hearing her roar every few minutes did a great deal to put the Albino at ease and he moved through the trees with less caution than before.  The sun was getting much lower in the sky now casting the world into deepening shadows, the ground abruptly dropped down into a steep slope that ran  nearly a hundred yards to a wide flat river valley. 

A wide, shallow river chugged by at a snails pace, it was clearly at its lowest point right now as on either shore was nearly twenty feet of sand and large smoothed stones.  Beyond the river's flood zone was a grove of densely packed pine trees, the sound of the gently flowing water coupled with the pleasant smell of the distant conifers was enough to push away the last of his anxieties about the skull faced titan they had encountered.

The dark pines looked promising and the presence of a river added to the deep valley's appeal,  he paused when he heard a low groan from up river in the direction of the mountains.  The whole pack gawked as a convoy of titans lumbered along, following the river, each animal was immense like a moving fortress of flesh.  As large as he was for his kind, he would only be able to stare at the living mountains' knees, They were a light grey with a wide swatch of dark and pale green running along their incredibly long necks and bloated sides.  

There was over a dozen of them in total, near the middle of the herd was three that were only about a third the size of their guardians, though still much too large for them to hope to bring down.   The albino watched from the top of the slope as the convoy passed by until one of his pack mates squawked in alarm and skittered into the trees behind him, It only took him a moment to see why. Following some distance behind the herd were two on the skull faced titans, they were only a third the size of the one they encountered earlier in the day but, the sight of them was enough to send him sprinting for cover,  Nowhere near those mountains was safe, he would have to keep looking for a place to nest.



- - - - -



"Ah don' wanna sound like am'm complainin'." Denda said breaking the relative silence that had fallen over the group," But am ah da only one who tought explorin' a long lost temple woold be a bit more interesting?"  He had his arms crossed behind his head and was casually walking backwards.

Cumulus sighed," Ya, Denda. I was expecting a bit more myself."  He looked back at the corridor they had been walking along with some concern.  "I mean I know archaeology isn't all heroic sword fights, deadly booby traps and, ancient magical super weapons but at this point I'd settle for a new color scheme just to change things up."  The group had been walking along the same corridor for ... well there really was no way to tell in here, without the sun or any sort of time piece, but it felt like hours to him.  Which was definitely a problem, his feathers still felt like they were on fire but now,  his hooves also ached and his ears were buzzing, the magic over exposure was causing him a fair deal of discomfort.  There was no telling what kind of condition he would be in if he had to sleep in here.

Denda changed his course so that he was along side Cumulus, though he was still walking backwards," So dat magic still giving ya trouble Doc?"

He sighed," Yes, quite a bit actually."  He saw the Jackal give him a concerned look," Is there something else Denda?"

The Jackal looked thoughtful for a moment," Ah was kinda wondrin' how ya kno so much 'bout magic.  Kinda tought monstas was ya specialty."

"Oh, is that all?" Cumulus laughed, " Well, after the Summer Sun Celebration in Baltimare, I went to a Magic Symposium in Canterlot.  The princess's personal student was lecturing on pony magic and how it varies from tribe to tribe.  When she found out that I could feel magic she got all excited and started asking me a bunch of questions about my magic research, she was so disappointed when I told her I was a Zoology student."  Cumulus tapped his chin," As I recall she told me if I felt like changing fields I could become a one of Equestria's leading experts on Pegasi Magic."  

Denda raised an eyebrow," Why didn' ya take her up on her offer?"

He shrugged and motioned towards his Cutie Mark," Predators will always be my passion."  He started walking again," I have never wanted to do anything else."   

They fell into silence again, Denda had resumed walking backwards staring back the way they had come from, Cumulus doing his best to ignore the discomfort in his wings, while Jaffar and Ad'e kept marching on like soldiers on a mission.  The Dogs shuffled along at the back of the group, still struggling under the pain of their dead friends and looking extremely glum, which seemed to amuse Denda a little.  

After another few minutes Cumulus saw a break in the inner wall," Another corridor!"  He hastily trotted towards it happy for a change, so far, exploring this temple had been boring and painful, but, perhaps now things would get a little more interesting.  He stopped at the entry to the new path, it extended into the structure about twenty yards and was illuminated just as the hall he stood in.  The light was fairly dim and made it difficult to tell for sure but, the passage seemed to dead end and it looked as though there was something on that far wall.  He pointed towards it," What do you suppose that is?"

Jaffar, who stood beside him, squinted at the end of the far wall," I cannot tell,the light is not bright enough.  However, it is something different than what we have been seeing."

"Then what are we waiting for?" He asked with new found enthusiasm while stepping forward. 

He yelped as Ad'e grabbed his tail and jerked him backwards," Are ya outta yer mind Doc!?" He asked critically.  "Fer all we know dis coold be sum booby trap!"  

Cumulus glared up at him," I doubt it.  Whoever built this place made that to be seen."  He motioned towards the far wall.

Jaffar turned and jabbed a hoof at one of the Diamond dogs," YOU!"  The dog flinched as his shout echoed off the stone walls," You are going first!  Get moving!"

"NO!" Everyone turned and stared at Cumulus," To many Dogs have died already.  I'll go."

"It might be dangerous Doc." Denda said, the worry clear in his voice.

" I won't send another to their death just so I can keep myself safe.  It's barbaric." He glared at the horse not pleased with how easily he would throw the dogs life away.

Jaffar glared right back, not liking having his authority undermined.  The two scowled at each other for several minutes before Jaffar sighed," Fine Dr. Granted go.  But if something goes wrong do not say I did nothing to attempt to prevent it."

The dog gave him a thankful nod as he stepped down the corridor, He took it slow pausing after each step to be sure that if he did trigger some death trap that he could at least attempt an escape.  With each step he felt his stomach twist and his nerves fray, it had been easy to be confident when he had been standing safe and sound at the halls precipice but now he realized that he was tempting fate.  Each step took him farther in and closer to the far wall, though he was too focused on the floor beneath him to notice, and inch by inch the distance between him and the others increased.  

He was so focused on his hooves did not notice the wall until he stepped forwards and lightly bumped his nose on it, not hard enough to be painful, but enough to make him yelp and scramble backwards in a panic.  He swung his head from side to side, his tightly strung nerves keen to the danger that was not there, it took only a few seconds for his panic to subside.  With a triumphant grin he turned and waved back to the group waiting at the end of the corridor," It's all clear!" 

He turned back to examine the wall and gasped at what he saw, it was a mural carved into the the stone. which depicted in great detail the scene of a battle.  Two ponies stood flank to flank with a look of fierce determination on their faces as they were surrounded on all sides by a tangled mass of what could only be described as horrors from the pits of Tartarus itself.  However his eyes remained stuck on one of the two ponies, he was an Alicorn garbed in strange looking blocky armour, his features clearly marked him as a stallion, his shoulders were broad and and a short beard ran along his jawline.  His mane and tail were both cut short, though it looked wild and shaggy, but that could have been how it flew around his head.  Floating by him were two extremely large, single edged swords, the length of his outstretched wings, he had never before seen 

The pony who stood with this Alicorn was an oddity itself, he was having trouble telling, but it seemed to be a Unicorn mare.  Her stature was not that far separated from the stallion she stood with, though as he examined her more closely, he could see that her features were smoother and more aesthetically pleasing.  Though she was by far the largest Unicorn he had ever seen, there was a dainty grace to her build, her face held exquisite beauty despite the fearsome snarl she wore.  Her armour had the same strange squarish look to it that made it appear patchy and cumbersome, at her hooves grew half a dozen thorny, cruel looking vines one of which coiled around her defensively while the others lashed out at the monsters that surrounded her.   However the mare's most striking feature was doubtlessly her eyes, they were wild and filled with rage that was all but apparent even in this representation of her, her pupils were distinctly angular, tall thin diamonds that made her beauty all the fiercer.

"Look at dat!' Came Denda's voice to his right, which started Cumulus out of his reverie.  "Ponies fighting Gorgons, wonder wen dat happened?"

Cumulus blinked and looked back and forth between the image and the Jackal," What's a Gorgon?"

"According to legend they were violent creatures with the tail of a snake and upper bodies similar to a Jackals."  Jaffar explained as her stepped up to the mural," The old tale also say that their Queen had the power to turn any who looked her in the eye to stone." (1)

"Sounds like a monster that belongs in Tartarus with Tirek." Cumulus mused.

"Legend says Medusa was one of the first beings to be cast into the pits.  If you believe those sort of things she is still supposed to be there."  The Horse said while shaking his head," Fairy tales like Tirek and Medusa are just that, fairy tales that we tell our children."

Cumulus raised an eyebrow at Jaffar," Really?" He asked with a knowing grin,"What about Nightmare Moon?  Or Discord for that matter?  If you dig deep enough into any myth, you will eventually find some truth."

Jaffar hummed thoughtfully and tugged on his goatee," Well I cannot argue with that, I want to believe that Medusa was just something our ancestors conceived of to explain away the actions of the Gorgons."  He shrugged," Supposedly they attack the other races to avenge their queen.  Or some nonsense along those lines, I think they are just stupid, violent, monsters."

At this Cumulus started," Gorgons are real?"  

The horse shrugged," They show up from time to time and attack trade caravans or small towns.  However they are exceptionally rare, no one has seen one in Saddle Arabia in nearly sixty years."

"Sity-five." Ad'e said flatly.

"What?" Jaffar asked.

"Da last Gorgon ta attack a village was sity-five years ago.  Our granddad was dere wen it happened." Ad'e glanced at his brother," Ya remember how he used ta forget an' tell us da story over again brudda?"

Denda grinned and nodded," Ah miss da old coot."

Jaffar gaped at the Twins," I never knew that."

Ad'e shrugged,"Nevah really came up before."

Jaffar turned back and examined the mural for another few moments before stepping away," Well, I believe it would be best to see what else we can find."  Cumulus turned to ask him what he meant but stopped when he saw another corridor to his left, he had been so focused on the mural he had entirely failed to notice.  He blinked in surprise but nodded and followed the Horse, pausing to cast a longing look back towards the carving, it alone would have historians squabbling for decades.

They walked down this new hallway, it's turn was far sharper than the last meaning they would likely reach the center of the structure eventually. but they had barely traveled more that fifty feet before Jaffar gasped," Another carving!"  Cumulus rushed forward his curiosity in overdrive, the first they had encountered had depicted an Alicorn stallion, there was no telling what this next mural would show them.

It did not disappoint, the carving showed only a single pony, a unicorn, standing facing a horde of nightmarish creatures with his back to an angry sea.  The monsters varied in nearly every shape and size, some were gorgons others looked like mutant birds, while others bore a resemblance to cats, rabbits, bears and, some even looked to be sinister animated trees reaching towards the pony with branch-like hands.  The stallion looked out on these mutilated nightmares with absolute disgust, and behind him the sea rose up in a huge tsunami that had parted itself so as to not strike him.  Like the mare before him, this Unicorn was also shown to have tall angular diamond-like eyes, which displayed a seething hatred for the freaks of nature that swarmed before him.

The group stared at it for several minutes before Cumulus broke their silence," I wonder if they're related?"  This drew puzzled looks from everyone and he shrugged at them," Their eyes are depicted the same way."  He squinted at the stallion," They even kinda look alike. I think that mare may have been related to this guy, like they're siblings."

Denda tilted his head to one side as he stared at the pony," Ah don' see da resemblance, but den again if ya all weren't so colerful ah'd nevah be able ta tell one pony from anuddah."

Cumulus glared at the Jackal," I feel like I should be insulted."

Denda shook his head," Ah didn' mean it as one, ah hav da same problem wit Griffons." 

"Shall we press on?' Jaffar asked tersely.   "I am quite curious what is at the end of this corridor and, I would rather we not be at each others throats by the time we get there."  He walked off without waiting for a response, the rest of the group exchanged glances and made to follow him, while Denda and Cumulus nodded to each other, silently agreeing to let the matter drop.



- - - - -




"Celestia's beard!  There's another one!"  Cumulus said enthusiastically, as he stepped towards this latest mural.  So far they had found seven other murals in their exploration, each had shown some kind of battle against monsters that had been becoming more grotesque with each depiction.  Every one of them had also shown ponies battling those misshapen creatures, sometimes there were Alicorns in the image, or even Pegasi and Earth Ponies, but the one constant had been the over sized Unicorns with the diamond shaped eyes.  

In each mural a different pony was shown, one had shown a stallion standing atop a mound of fallen horrors while rearing up with a bolt of lightning striking his horn.  Another had displayed a mare standing in the midst of a massive horde or mutated creatures, a hole was bored into the stone just above her horn and the monsters appeared to be being pulled into it.  Yet another had shown them another stallion that stood in a frozen forest, icicles hung from tree branches, which proved to be the animated trees, while tiny intricately detailed snowflakes hung in the air.  The ponies shown in these murals were all doing things he had never imagined was possible, and this one was the most shocking yet.

It showed another mare with the angular diamond eyes, she stood on the edge of a cliff, an army of ponies of every tribe stood behind her a look of fear on their faces, looking down to see some twisted abomination below her.  It was covered in tentacles, multiple bony arms that ended in a variety of dangerous looking claws and scythes, though it's head had thirteen eyes it had the look of a bird of prey.  The earth beneath the creature had split open and it was falling into the pit beneath its tentacles outstretched trying to prevent its fall.

"if it jus' me?  Or are dese tings gittin' uglier?"  Denda asked as he looked over this latest discovery, his face curled into a look of disgust when he took in this latest monsters details.

"No they're getting uglier Denda."  Cumulus deadpanned as he too had notice the things the over sized unicorns were battling kept getting both larger and far, far more grotesque with each new mural.  "I really wish I understood what I'm seeing here.  I have never heard of any kind of conflict like this, but then again I've never heard any any of the Alicorns we've seen described in legend either, it's always been the Royal Sisters.  it makes sense that there would be more than just those two but..."  He trailed off turning what he had seen over in his head, it brought into question a lot of established history about Equestria and the world as a whole.  

Denda took note of his internal conflict," Wats on ya mind Doc?  Ya got da look on ya face like steam is 'bout ta come shootin' outta yer ears."

Cumulus frowned at the mural," I was just thinking about the social impact this information is going to have back home."  He gestured behind himself in the direction they had come from," We saw Alicorns in some of those."

"Ya, so wat?" The Jackal asked not quite understanding were he was going with this.

"There are ponies back in Equestria that think the princess's are Goddess's, that Celestia created the entire world!"  He said with concern.  "I was never one of those ponies but it's made me realize we know next to nothing about our history before Discord's reign.  The Hearth's Warming tale says that Equestria was founded before the time of Celestia and Luna, but nopony has ever stopped to wonder if they hadn't been born yet.  It's made me realize that we ponies don't really know anything about our own princess's, it's kinda pathetic."

"Ya know wat ah tink?" Denda asked before punching his shoulder.  "Ah tink ya way ovah tinking this."

"I agree with Denda." Jaffar stepped forward.  "It really does not matter, either you shall have to rewrite the history books, or you shall simply expand them.  Those who dislike what the truth turns out to be are powerless to change it."  He smiled and started down the corridor again," Now come along everyone, I get the feeling we are close to the heart of this place."

Jaffar was right of course, the truth was the truth no matter how much some one disliked it, it was best not to dwell on this subject.  Once he got back to Equestria and presented his findings, this place was going to be crawling with Zoologists like himself, Archaeologist, Geologists, Historian, and Environmentalists.   With so many parties going over this continent with a fine toothed comb, whatever the truth was was bound to come out eventually, he sighed and started after the group.

They had only been walking for a few minutes when the hallway made an abrupt right heading deeper into the center of the structures first level.  It ran straight as an arrow for nearly a hundred yards, so long was the corridor, that in the dim light it was impossible to see where it ended, but that didn't phase them as they slowly meandered down the path.  Cumulus was at the head of the group but strangely the Twins and Jaffar lingered at the back of the group, whispering to each other in a sense of anticipation.  "It will not be long now, I am certain of it!"

"Ah almost can' believe we here!" Ad'e whispered excitedly. 

The two of them went back and forth talking about how this was a long time coming and how glad they would be to get away from this forsaken, savage land.   Denda walked beside them in silence, content to let them continue to build up their excitement, he was suddenly dreading what was about to come.  He stared at the Pegasus that walked at the head of the, now small, group, he found himself worrying about how upset Cumulus was going to be when he discovered their lies, " Ya don' tink da Doc'll be too cross wit us do ya?"  He asked cutting into their conversation.

"Who cares!" Jaffar replied much to casually.  "All that matters now is the prize!"

Denda said nothing and picked up his pace a little to distance himself from the Horse, mostly because he did not want Jaffar to see him getting upset over how easily he could cast the Pegasus aside.  "I think i can see the end of the corridor!" he heard Cumulus call excitedly.  "It looks like it opens up ahead!"

Denda flinched, '  Kay here we go.'  He walked up beside Cumulus as they both approached the threshold to the larger chamber, the dull blue light seemed to be brighter here and clearly illuminate every wall. 

The room was about fifteen yards long, two decoratively carved stone pillars stood about ten feet from the back wall, with a brighter white light cast down on a raised dais that had been erected between them.   Standing atop the small elevated dais was a sinister looking golden staff, it was intricately textured with small diamond shaped scales along it's back and sides, wide flat belly scales covered the the front of it.  The texturing gave it the appearance that it had once been a large snake that had somehow been transmuted into solid gold, to add to the effect was the spread, cobra like hood and rectangular head, it's golden jaws opened to reveal its long needle fang, and set between them was a small oddly faceted ruby.

As strange as this newest find was, the scene grew stranger still, all around the room were statues of many of the races of the world, he saw Anubis, Minotaurs, Griffons, Zebras,  there was an adolescent dragon and, even several Changlings.  All of them were recoiling in abject terror, the expressions of some were difficult to make out, he was having particular trouble with the Changlings faces, but body language did not lie, they were all afraid.  

Cumulus took in the details of the scene in front of him, trying to process and puzzle out what it meant, after a few minutes he voiced his curiosity in the most eloquent way possible," The buck is this!?"

"Allow me to explain Doctor." Jaffar ginned as he walked up to the Pegasus.  "But first." He turned to the Dogs and pointed at the staff.  "Fetch!"  The dogs hesitated momentarily but did as he instructed, he smiled and turned back to Cumulus," You see Dr. Granted.  Finding this place was no accident, this temple was always our destination."  The Dogs had already returned with the golden staff and passed it to Jaffar, " And this is the real reason we are here!"  He held it in his fetlocks as a dark smile spread across his face.

Cumulus turned to Denda," You said you were scouting out natural resources for Saddle Arabia!  Why did you lie?"

At his hurt tone, the Jackal hung his head," Sorry Doc.  Ya nevah woolda helped us if ya knew wat we was really afta."  He laid his pointed ears back," But ah really am sorry, we was onlee evah here fer da Eye."

"Save it!" He snapped, but after a moment to consider his words one thing stuck in his mind," What eye?"

"Oh yes of course!" Exclaimed Jaffar, who still grinned like lunatic," How could I have forgotten!?  Come over here Doctor, I hope you are ready for story time!"  He turned and walked towards the pillars, casually swing the staff around, as he passed Ad'e he paused. " Hold this for a moment would you?"  The Jackal nodded and took the staff, " Now then Doctor."  He said happily and motioned to the wall behind the pillars.  "Have a look at that, would you."

Cumulus glared at the horse before turning to see another mural, this one also showed an Alicorn, a mare this time, driving a jagged dagger into the eye of a Gorgon, while another over sized unicorn stallion stood behind her breathing fire like a dragon.  The oddity in this was neither of the ponies, though he was more than shocked to see a unicorn breathing fire, no it was the Gorgon, it was armoured where none of the other Gorgon's he had seen were.  Then there was it's hair, instead of a matted mess of dirty locks, it was a writhing tangled mass of flailing snakes that seemed to vary in species, though he could tell they were all venomous.  

He shook his head," What am I looking at?"

"Well you see Doctor, I was not being entirely honest when I said I did not believe in Medusa."  He pointed his hoof towards the mural, " The legend of the Eye of Medusa has been told in Saddle Arabia for longer than recorded history."  He then cast a sympathetic look at a nearby statue," It would seem our financier was not the first to divine its location, though i am pleased that we succeeded in recovering it without suffering the same fate."

Cumulus snapped his gaze to the statues," Wait, are you sa-"

Ad'e interrupted him,"Every one o' dese is a treasure huntah wat got here 'fore us."  He walked up to the Pegasus," We was sent here by a griffon keen ta make hisself a king. In fact." Ad'e chuckled," He be ya girlfriends uncle."

Cumulus gaped up at him,"What!?  Valerie's uncle?  How can you kno their related?" 

The Jackal just laughed again," Ya told us his name when ya told da lil tale o' yers.  Ah 'bout crapped me pants wen ya said Vannis's name!"  He laughed even harder," Ah tought ya had figured out wat we was actually afta, guess it was just a queer coincidence eh?"  He waggled his eyebrows and nudged him with his elbow," We supose ta meet 'im in Iceberg Bay.  Ya autta com wit us an' see yur sexy griffon again."  He teased him like, a friend like nothing about the situation was wrong, like they had not been lying to him for weeks .

Cumulus was about to open his mouth to say something scathing, when Jaffar spoke up," Actually Ad'e.  There is going to be a slight change of plan." He looked at the Staff with avarice gleaming in his eyes," The Eye of Medusa is too potent a weapon to sell to a simpleton like Vannis!   No, I intend to use it myself!"

"What!" Cumulus gaped. " Why would you want to use this thing!?"

" To right some very old wrongs."  The Horse said casually.  " My family was once powerful and influentially but the Royal Family of Gymkhana robbed us of that and humiliated my ancestors.  I am going to destroy them and take my rightful place on the throne."  He looked to the Twins," And once Gymkhana is mine!   You two will be rewarded with more gold than you could ever imagine!"

Cumulus could only stare at Jaffar,'He's insane!  I can't let him do this!'

Ad'e smirked," Ah don' tink so Cap'in."  He said calmly before stepping forward and pointing the staff at him, the small ruby flashed and a bolt of crimson energy raced out and struck the Horse square in the chest.

Jaffar reeled back from the force of the impact," WHAT ARE Y-"  Just that fast, it was over, Cumulus had blinked and missed it, Jaffar's entire body was stone, each hair of his coat a tiny needle of granite.  He was reared back on his hindlegs, a look of shock forever frozen on his face, his mane flying around his head from his sudden movement.

Ad'e stepped forward, with the weapon he had just used to petrify the Horse casually swung over one shoulder, he leaned on the statue and tapped the side of Jaffar's head with a finger," Ah don' know if ya can actually hear me or not."  He shrugged," Ah supose it don' matta if ah'm talking to a rock or not.  Ya see Cap'in we was wise to yer lil vendetta from da start, ya prolly forgot ya told us about how much ya hated da Royals.  But ta be honest, me brudda an' ah ain't got da patcence fer politics, all we evah cared 'bout was da payday.  So we gonna take dis puppy here and sell it ta Vannis like was da plan."  He paused and grinned at the statue," And you, well lets jus' say da dream ends wit ya.  Brudda o' mine!"  He turned to Denda,'" Woold ya care ta do da 'onors?"

Denda just grinned wide," Gladly brudda."  He stepped forward as Ad'e stepped away, he placed both hands on Jaffar's barrel and pushed it off balance, gravity did the rest and the granite Horse toppled to the floor, breaking into several large pieces.   Denda dusted off his hands," Well da takes care o' dat."

Ad'e nodded and turned to Cumulus," Well now dat dat's out da way."  His expression became disturbingly serious," Doc dere's sumting ah gotta say."
	
> 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."






> Prologue 17 Months Later
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Epilogue 17 Months Later 

Baltimare was a breathtaking sight as as always for the pair of pegasi the flew high overhead, passing the the bustling train station without even drawing a curious glance skyward. Which was what the had wanted, to enter quietly with getting mobbed by fans or paparazzi, they were after all here on serious business.  They couldn’t afford to get distracted by their egos today.

The pegasus that led the way was a mare, slender but powerfully built. Her coat was a warm yellow orange and like most ponies who flew professionally her fiery mane was permanently windswept.  She wasn’t wearing her usual blue and gold flight suit, which would have cut down on their travel time but ultimately would have made anonymity impossible. 

Behind her flying in her slipstream was another equally talented and famous flier. His light blue coat contrasting sharply with the much darker navy blue of his mane and tail.  Normally Spitfire would have made Soarin fly his own path instead of mooching off her effort. Today however was one of those rare instances where she would allow him an easy flight, he was carrying everything they would need for this mission after all.  While the grey saddlebag was not heavy it as oddly shaped and not aerodynamic by any stretch of the imagination.  

“You ever think about retirement Spit?” Soarin asked ending what had been the longest stretch of silence this flight had yet to yield, a whopping ten minutes.

“What!?” she snapped not believing that he would even suggest the topic.

“I think about it.” Soarin continued completely oblivious to the fact that he had pushed one of his captain's button’s.  “ I like to think about where i could go. Where i should settle down.”

A great deal of Spitfires disdain vanished as she realized he meant himself and not her,”Oh… No I’m never going to retire.” She said matter of factly. “ I'll be flying a decade after i bite the bit.”(1)

Soaring laughed hard at her comment,”Tell me something we don’t already know Spit!  But i wouldn't mind spending my time on the coast with a pretty mare.”

It was Spitfire’s turn to laugh,”As if anypony could put up with your goofy flank.”

Soarin gaped at her making o show of mock shock and hurt,”Are you saying you think i’m unprofessional Spit?”

“Does Discord have a Dodo bird?” she laughed back as she tucked in her left wing to pull into a steady downward spiral.  In the brief time they had had their conversation they had flown over the city's docks and warehouses.  The place and pony they were looking for was supposed to be here and if the obnoxious sign was any indicator they were in the right place.  

“I didn’t want to believe that anypony would actually name their tavern the Upchucking Sailor!” Soarin sighed shaking his head in disbelief even as he reached into the beg and removed a plain manila envelope.   

“Yeah, according to his file this guy is a real piece of work.” Spitfire said rolling her eyes alongside her second in command. With that she pushed open the door and stepped inside choosing to ignore the ‘Sorry we’re Closed’ sign.

Inside they found a dingy establishment that was dim, despite the sunlight streaming in through the dusty windows.  There were only two ponies inside, a light red Crystal Pony who was busy pulling chairs off of tables.  On the far end of the room was the bar lined with stools made of a dark wood, behind it stood a mountain of a light green Earth stallion. The sort of pony a rowdy drunk would think twice about picking a fight with.

A bell jingled over the door as they stepped in drawing both stallions attention, the one behind the bar had been cleaning out massive steins paused in his work and gave them a charming smile.  “Sorry folks we’re closed right now, Don’t open till four, comeback then.” 

“If we wanted to get plastered we could’ve done that back in Cloudsdale.” Spitfire snorted in annoyance

The large stallion raised an eyebrow before giving the pair of pegasi a more appraising look,”Hey don’t I know you?”

“We had a show in Baltimare a few months back.” Soarin answered. “You probably saw us there.”

“Show?” Stout questioned aloud as he narrowed his eyes to scrutinize the pair again.  After a moment his eyes nearly popped ot of his head,”hey! You two are Wonderbolts!”

“And the bit drops.” Spitfire laughed sarcastically.

“What the hay are you doing here?” Stout asked,”Last I heard you guys were touring up by Trottingham.”

“Still are.”Soarin answered,”But something came up that we’re looking into.”  He then flipped through the papers inside the envelope and removed a photograph before stepping over to Stout and giving him a serious look,”Just to clarify your Stout Buckwheat?”  The burly stallion nodded and Soarin laid the photo on the bar,”We need you to tell us when the last time you saw this pony was.”

Stout raised a skeptical eyebrow when he looked at the photo to see it was of a friend,”You’re looking for Cumulus?” he asked confused. “You know he’s not a flier right? Guy’s gotta be the biggest egghead I know.”
“This ain’t a recruiting mission Mr. Buckwheat!” Spitfire snipped.  “Just tell us when was the last time you saw or heard from him.”

Stout shrugged,”About a year and a half ago.  He was on a bender because the university cut his funding.”  He shook his head and sighed,”Bastards didn’t even bother to tell him until after he’d wasted six years of his life in the Everfree.”

“So he was drinking?” Soarin asked,”The last time you saw him he was here getting hammered?”

Stout nodded,”Yeah i was thinking about cutting him off when the Horse showed up looking for him.”

Soarin and Spitfire exchanged wide eyed looks before Spitfire pressed on,”Horse? There was a Horse looking for Dr. Granted?”

“Yeah!” Stout chuckled. “Damnedest thing too.  I’ve been running this place for almost eight years and never seen one.  I always heard they didn’t like coming to Equestria, something about pony magic rubbing them the wrong way.”

“You're not wrong(2).” Spitfire replied. “What did the horse want with Dr. Granted?”

“Well I don't know the details.” Stout explained.  “ I guess he wanted Cumulus to go with him on some expedition south. Must have been pretty damned important too.”

“What makes you say that?” Soarin asked.

Stout snorted and laughed,”Cuz he didn’t hesitate to bribe me to find him.  Paid me nearly five thousand bits! Nevermind that Cumulus was sitting five feet away watching the whole thing!”

“And you’re friend didn’t find you taking that bribe odd?” Soarin asked as he reached into the envelope and removed another photo.

“Cumulus knows not to get between me and a bit.” he said matter of factly and leaned forward to see the next photo as Soarin laid it on the bar.  It depicted a blue roan and a pair of Jackals hunched over a table, the first thing Stout noticed was that this was not taken in his tavern.(3) The colour scheme was off, his place was made of much darker wood for one. And the tables were longer and set higher.  Sitting across from the familiar trio was a Griffon,who the Griffon was he couldn’t say, the angle of the shot and the beaked hood it wore made that impossible though at the gape where the cloak clasped around its shoulders he could clearly see a tuft of silver-grey feathers.  “Yup!” Stout confirmed.  “Those Anubis were with him too.”  He looked back at the pair of pegasi,”What’s this about? Is Cumulus in some kind of trouble?”

‘What makes you think that he might be in trouble?”Spitfire asked raising an eyebrow.

“Cuz, about five Months ago a pair of Griffons came around asking about this guy.” Stout said tapping the photo with a hoof.  “Not the sort of Griffons i like to know either.”



“How so?” Spitfire pressed.

“They came from one of the Holds that cling to the old Griffon ways.”  He scoffed and shook his head,”Just called me and everypony else ‘meat’. I’ve served Griffons like that before but these two were different.”

“Different how?” Soarin asked.

“Because they thought I was on the menu.” Answered the Crystal pony who had until now been silently listening while he made the tavern ready for it usual patronage.  Before the pair oof pegasi could inquire as to what he meant he motioned to a long pinkish line that ran from his withers to the dock of his tail.  One of them, took the term meat too seriously!  They had been drinking most of the night the  the next thing I know im pinned and getting carved up!”

“ You just stood by and let this happen!?” Spitfire demanded glaring at Stout.

“Buck no I didn’t!” He snapped back with equal venom in his voice,”I jumped over this bar and bucked that pigeon(4) in the face! The other one dragged her out and the Guard had stopped looking for them by morning.” He saw Spitfire give Soarin a deadpan expression that spoke of the times the local Guard had proved useless if not counterproductive to their efforts. “If it weren’t for Cazembe there’s a good chance Adamant would have bled out.”

“Who?” Soarin asked turning back to stout.

“An Anubis Doctor who frequents my place when he’s in port.” Stout explained,”Just lucky he was in house when that pigeon went savage.”

“Don’t suppose you know where we could find him to get his view on that night do you?” Spitfire asked.

“Yeah,” Stout nodded. “He lives in a port village on Zuba Ril-ho(5), don’t know which he never said.”

“Needle in a Haystack!” Soarin groaned.

“And it’s been some time since I’ve seen him.” Stout added.

“And when was that exactly?” Spitfire asked hoping for something useful.

The stallion paused clearly thinking it over, trying to give the Wonderbolts something helpful to go on. Finally, after several minutes a pained expression came over his muzzle,”Not since the night he patched up Adamant.” Spitfire didn’t even try to stop herself, she groaned and face hoofed. “Sorry.” Stout offered feebly.

“It’s not your fault.” She sighed.  “And that’s too big a coincidence to not be suspicious.”

“A lead’s a lead.” Soarin stated and gathered up the photos he had laid out for Stout.  “Thank you for your cooperation Mr. Buckwheat.”

“Wait a second. What about Cumulus? Is he in trouble for working with this horse?” Adamant asked looking from Spitfire to Soarin.

The pair of Pegasi traded looks and with a silence that came from years of working together came to a mutual agreement. “We don’t think Dr. Granted is or was aware of who Jaffar Di-saad is. Nor his reputation with international Law Enforcement.”

“Hold on!” Stout interrupted,”Are you saying I had some Most wanted crook in my tavern!?”

“Short answer is yes.” SOarin replied and continued even as stout muttered to himself about bounties.”And a more accurate term is Extremist.  This guy's family used to run a multi million bit slave empire in Saddle Arabia, Zebrica, Minos, and the Zuban Archipelago.”

“But Slavery has been illegal for centuries.” Stout butted in again.

“And it cost his family their fortune.” stated Spitfire rerouting the conversation.

“When their empire collapsed they swore a blood oath on the Saddle Arabian royal line.” Soarin shrugged,”Some load or road apples about honour. So fast forward four hundred years and let me introduce Jaffar Di-saad. Slaver, Arms Dealer, Thief, Counterfeiter, excetera excetera.” Soarin rolled over some of his more classified titles and chose not to mention his ties to the Brotherhood of Assassins or The Circle.

“And I sold Cumulus to him.” Stout said in a soft but horrified tone.

“That definitely isn’t your fault.” Soarin reassured him,”THis guy has sweet talked mother’s out of children and whole cities out of their treasuries.  I mean Tartarus we didn’t even know what this guy looked like a year ago!”

Stout nodded but was clearly troubled by this news,”IS there anything else I can do to help?”

“Contact us if you see the Anubis doctor, or your friend, or Jaffar Di-saad.” Spitfire explained even as she turned and made for the door. “Di-saad is a dangerous stallion.” She said pointedly at Stout,”If you see him you may be tempted to confront him on the whereabouts of your friend.  That would be a fatal mistake.” She pulled the door open and stepped out, Soarin quickly thanked them and followed whizzing through the door before it swung shut.

Stout and Adamant exchanged a look, after a moment the crystal stallion grabbed the keys to the tavern and went and locked the front door. In the brief span of time it took him to return to the bar there was already a pair of shots resting on the counter. Neither said a word as the liquor went down,oncce they set the glasses down with a clank Stout drug a hoof across his muzzle,”Buck!”


-----


“That might have been a bit much, don’t you think spit?” Soarin asked flying behind Spitfire as they dipped between the cities towers. Granted they had been a little more forthcoming with information than the situation called for but his captain rarely tried to scare the witness’s.  

“On the off chance that Jaffar does come back I don’t want that blockhead trying to start something.” She explained with a backward glance while swaying her flightpath to the right to ovoid Baltimare’s bell tower.

“Still that may have been a bit much.” Soarin protested as he followed her coarse correction. Spitfire turned back to respond but never got the chance as Soarin flared his wings.  A bubble of pressurized air pulsed out at just under the speed of sound creating a shell of stagnant air roughly eight feet across.

The curious look Spitfire gave him only lasted a fraction of a second as a large black wood arrow bounced off the air bubble. She blurred into action before the arrow had even plummeted a single story, Spitfire seemed to blur then vanished from sight.  Familiar with her technique Soarin snapped his gaze to the shadow of the bell where the arrow had been fired from.  Sure enough she had an Anubis dressed in familiar white robes pinned under her hooves. Even from his distance he could see the would be assassin pop one of his teeth out and crunch it between his molars.

“No!” Spitfire wailed and shook the Jackal who was now foaming at the mouth and twitching.  “No! Dammit! Talk you mangy scavenger!”

“Spit!” Soarin called grabbing her shoulder and pulling her off what was now basically a corpse.  “That’s not gonna help.  He’s already dead.”  As she stepped back he quickly rummaged through the bags on the Jackal's hip, other than a few vials of poison he could only find a small scroll.  He sighed and passed it to Spitfire,”We’re definitely on the right track.”
She took the scroll and read over,”The Circle.”

“He must have been watching the tavern for months.” Soarin stated.  “They must have unbelievable resources at their disposal to put a Brotherhood assassin on a stakeout.”

“We need to get to Canterlot.” Spitfire said turning to the open sky. Soarin glanced at the dead assassin before followed his captain.”

- - - -


Iron Peak was one of the largest and oldest Holds in the shattered remains of the ancient Griffin Empire.  As the name would suggest, it was home to the largest deposit of hematite on Equus and was responsible for the city that had been carved into its heart.  Unlike Baltimare this city was not beautiful, or warm and welcoming.  This city was cold, bleak and nearly all of the houses were carved from the mountain side.  

Only the Elitist of the cities families had homes built from the trees that had once grown in the river valley beneath the excavated mountain.  The largest and most ornate(6) of these houses was settled at the very peak, walled in on all sides by thick granite walls reinforced with low grade steel.  However at the moment most of the citizens were leering out of windows and half open doorways at the procession of warriors that were moving from the lower Air Docks.

They were garbed in cruel black armour that helped to make these fearsome warriors all the more intimidating. More than a dozen Crows marched two by two sending harsh scowls anywhere their sharp eyes landed.  At the end of the procession lagged four Crows, two of which were pulling on the leads tied to a Donkey's bridle, while the last two casually walked behind the Ass prodding his rump with the hafts of their spears.  The Ass himself lumbered along slowly, be both pushed and pulled did little to speed up his pace.  He walked with a limp in his left foreleg and his eyes were hollow and clouded over, much of his fur looked to have been burned away and open sore tricked blood at a steady pace.  He was on his last legs and not long for this life, truly the only reason thee Crows had not left him for dead was because they had no intention of lugging the heavy metal crate strapped to the Ass’s back.

Which set the young Griffon at marching proudly at the group’s head, he wore only light leather armour and steel bracers.  An ornately carved yew bow was slung over his shoulder and a polished metal case hung on his haunches and he was clearly strutting like a peacock.  On another day the older Battle hardened Crows would have laid into the cub about his prancing, today though they were going to let him have his moment.  Odds are he’d have his wake up call real soon and it promised to be a good show.

‘Prince’ Talon, as members of his family had taken to calling themselves royalty, grinned proudly at any griffon who lingered in their path even as they approached the towering walls of his family estate.  He had reason to be proud of himself, with Ripper still away tending to their father’s business south, Audun long overdue with his search in Zebrica, and Discord’s capture of his eldest brother Vanrook, his success,no matter how small, should please his father and earn him some favour.


The group stopped at the heavy wrought iron gate, it was covered in the crest of his house a stylized griffon who’s wings were flared and curved in such a way that they made the top half of a circular crest that was typical of all Griffon nobility.  The griffon depicted held a broken spear which was thrust through the gut of a long snake that coiled around itself three times to complete circle that was the crest.  According to the histories, that griffon immortalized on the gate was Vanpelt the 1st, his ancestor and remembered as a great hunter.  The grates jolted and the iron griffon folded open to reveal a wide courtyard more than a hundred yards wide but only about twenty yards long.  

Talon stepped through the gates and into his dilapidated ancestral home, cracks crisscrossed the stone paths, born of generations of griffons prowling on them.   Clover and dandelions pushed their way up to soak up the weak light that shown under the midnight sun.  The summers here were brief and mild and at present the sun was not due to set proper for another month, then would come the long night.  This had been the only way Talon had known for fifteen years, he had been taught how nature worked in other parts of the world.  However to be sent to the jungles of southeastern Minos had been like visiting another planet to the young Griffon.  Now though he was just happy to be home.

Directly before the gate at the other side of the poorly maintained courtyard was a set of steps that lead passed barracks and armoury to the main door of the Hold, aptly named Iron Pride.  The stairway was meant for the grounded visitors that may have come to seek an audience with the Lord.  Talon however just spread his wings and flew to the trio of elder Griffons who stood at the top of those steps waiting for him.

The first to greet him as he landed was a coal black Crow who gave him a snakey grin,”Talon! My son good she you home safely.”  Vannis welcomed in an oily voice.

“Father.” Talon bowed and unclasped the metal case from his hip.  “I am pleased to report that my expedition was a complete success. Though it didn’t come without price.” Talon saw his father raise a curious eyebrow,”Birger’s predictions proved true.” He flipped the case open and removed a clear crystal vial which contained a single large silverish lump of metal that might have weighed ten ounces. “Sun Silver is deadly to life and, by the time the excavators began showing signs of exposure, Bjarke had been poisoned.”  He passed the vial to his father,”And again, as Birger predicted, magic beings like us are even more vulnerable to its ravishes.  The dogs lasted a week before I chose to end their agony, as such I was only able acquire a little more than a hundred pounds.”

“That looks a might less than a hundred pounds to me, cub.” Growled an elder griffon who’s head and neck feathers were an alabaster white, the rest of his feathers were a flat black. He nodded to the Ass standing in the courtyard with a wide braced stance as it drooled and wheezed. “Gods what a pathetic beast.”

“It’s still alive and the meat is already spoiled.” Observed the eldest griffon who was much more muscular, stood a full foot taller, and had softly greyed feathers.. 

“With respect, Uncle Vanalen, Lord Bard.” he nodded pointedly at both of them.  “I encounter a hostile tribe of Minotaurs while the excatation crew was being culled.  They were none too pleased to find us trespassing and demanded that we leave.”

“So you scrabbled up one crate and a display sample and turn tail and run!?” Lord Bard laughed.

Talon laughed in turn unphased by the jab at his honour,”I made piece.”  

This caught the three elder Griffons off guard,”Explain.” Vannis instructed.

“I told them the Sun Silver was sacred to us.” He reached to the quiver he wore opposite the metal case and removed a long black arrow fletched in bright red, metallic blue and fluorescent yellow feathers, the point ended in a simple triangle shaped piece of blue metal.

“Mythril!” his uncle gasped

Talon nodded,  “So they showed us their sacred metal.  They seemed to like that we had that in common so I gave them two thirds of what we found and told them it made beautiful jewelry.” He saw his father smile, and grinned in turn,”After a peace pipe ceremony, the Chieftain asked if we had a peace ritual.”  His Uncle gave a long snorting laugh clearly amused by the concept.  “So i told him we anoint the wells and rivers with Sun Silver!  Told him it gave long life and health!”

Vannis laughed unable to believe his ears, in the span of six weeks his youngest had acquired plenty of Sun Silver for research and take steps to obtain a Mythril deposit.  ‘Ambitious! I like that!’  He reached out and jabbed at his son’s shoulder,”Well done young Hunter.” h


He turned to the other to Griffins,”Come we must speak about this new development.”

“Father we should commission more containment equipment from Birger at once-” That was as far as he got before his father’s hard scaled fist slammed into the underside of his beak making his vision flash white.

“Know your place whelp!” Vannis hissed as he wrapped his claws around Talon’s throat and driving his skull into thee granite stairs. “You Delivered more than asked of you and I will remember that, but do not believe for a moment that one success has earned you any privilege!” Vannis pressed hard on his son’s skull once more as if to see if it would pop, before turning and prowling into Iron Pride without a backward glance.

Talon lay still for a while, he wasn’t dead but he didn’t feel great at the moment, every time he opened his eyes all he saw was a painful white light.  He should’ve known better to press his luck around Eagles, and he could hear the Crows snickering at him in the courtyard.  Then through the steady throbbing in his ears he picked up the light clack of talons on the stone,”Well you always did know how to get yourself beat up didn’t you?”


Talon just groaned, he was all too familiar with the musical voice of his elder cousin, and mentor. While he couldn’t see her with his eyes at the moment he could see her clearly enough in his mind. The stark white of her feather that played out grey dapples that transitioned smoothly into black dapples of her snow leopard hindquarters. “It’s a gift Valerie.”

“Well as long as you're not dead.” She said casually and made down the stairs,”Berger wants the Sun Silver by the way.” with that she took wing and gently drifted to the courtyard.  She landed softly and cast a sad look at the dying Ass, she clicked her beak and in a blurred motion threw a small dagger at the suffering beast.  The weighted steel found its mark and buried itself deep into its head, The ass sighed and went limp.  “One of you Crows can take it from here, the meat suffered enough.”

- - - - -