Coral and Cornfield, a hippogriff thief and earth pony photographer, begin their journey to find The Mind of Water. However, many dangerous obstacles attempt to thwart their progress, especially one that threatens all of Mount Aris.
After successfully obtaining The Heart of Nature for herself, Cobalt Coral and her trusted partner, Cornfield, set their sights to the hippogriff's homeland, Mount Aris. There they hope to find The Mind of Water, the second Gem of Creation. However, both the crimes of the gem thief and a looming threat of a new despot will attempt to stop them at every turn. Will they persevere as their trust grows, or will they fall apart?
Silhouettes of trees and mountain sides briskly glide across the distant sun-setting scenery. Cobalt Coral, a self-proclaimed treasure hunting hippogriff, peered through the glass window as she laid back in the abundantly colorful train cabin reserved for passengers. A sigh broke loose her beak, accompanied by the occasional bump rocking the bulky locomotive. Her plucky pony partner, Cornfield, was comfortably seated next to her. He didn’t inherit magic or flight capabilities, but made up for it as a “lucrative photographer” endowed with survival instinct. Even lugging additional equipment in his bags proved to be a vital convenience.
The mutual silence between them and the incoherent chatter that permeated the car was shattered for Coral when he curiously inquired, “So when we get to Baltimare, are we seeing the sights? Maybe grab a bite to eat?” He rubbed his stomach, further signalling his desires.
Gazing longingly outside, she experienced how the sun was nearly swallowed by the winding landscape. This trip turned out rather lazy as time would further elude them. A girl like her could appreciate the beauty of the twilight sights if matters weren’t so pressing. “At the moment, I think it would be best if we were to secure a hotel room,” she said as she reached under her seat, diving into her saddlebags, and pulling out a clawful of bits to count them. “I don’t know if I can afford a room for two, though...”
“Right now, I’m just hungry for an actual meal than the snacks they’re serving. Maybe we can find a cheap enough room... yeah?”
“Hopefully.” The hippogriff’s shifting hawk vision darted around in search of adequate unsuspecting prey. Numerous ponies were on board, itching for the upcoming Harvest Festival, while she and her partner sat undisturbed in seclusion. Deviously, she whispered suggestive intentions in the colt’s ear, “The last thing I want to do at the moment is to take something on this train and fence it somewhere. But, if I don’t have the money...”
Tripping a mental siren, Cornfield rebuked the thought out-loud. “Stealing?! Can’t you at least wait until we exhaust all other options?”
“SHH!” As Coral commanded him to shush up, firmly signaling her claw upholding the tip of her beak, she detected a couple ponies across the aisle glancing in response. She just smiled and waved sheepishly to save face.
“It’s one thing to steal from hapless villagers but, if we get caught in a city like Baltimare, they’ll probably lock us up and throw away the key,” he continued softly. “Not that I’ve been there before.”
“Rrrgh.” Crossing her forelegs in a huff, she folded to his protests like an unlucky poker player, even shielding away from the piercing judgmental glare he threw. “I know... That’s why I gotta keep my cool and not draw attention to myself. If I’m arrested and jailed, who knows what will happen to Mount Aris then?” She slumped forward and entered a deep state of tranquil meditation. “But... Money is needed to go anywhere and, as I’ve told you before, I want to avoid using my gems to pay for anything, especially the Puppy Peridot.”
“Yeah well, either way I’d hope, worst comes to worst, we use your valuables over somepony else’s.”
Then, the jewel hunter unexpectedly sprang an accusing claw at her sidekick. “Wait a minute, don’t YOU have some money with you? Surely you didn’t think that I would be paying for the whole trip!” Unbeknownst to Coral, the young photographer was caught pressed from the subject of finances. It’s true he did have money given generously to him by Zecora, but she instructed him to use the spare cash to treat his travelling buddy for a special day. Saved by the bell, an unknown voice interrupted.
“Aww, a couple arguing!” Some young mare blurted, giggling one seat over and lauding the comical commotion. “How adorable! Sounds like you got a gold digger on your hooves, cutie!”
Cornfield blushed while the irate avian yelled over the seats. “I don’t remember you being part of this conversation, lady!” While targeting the chuckling mare, her peripheral vision discovered a carelessly ajar suitcase beneath the care-free pony. “You know what, never mind.” Feigning dismissal, she scoffed and turned her head away.
“Cool it, Coral!” the colt ordered. “First, we get to the city, then we’ll play it by ear. ok? At least we’re not in any immediate danger.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Meanwhile, the Heart of Nature, a hard-earned artifact the duo risked life and limb for in a forgotten section of the Everfree Forest, dimly glowed as it was affixed in its new host; from within her chest. Energy rushed through her veins into her claws, causing a magical transformation as they suddenly converted to green free-flowing vines. She slipped her unnaturally powered talons discreetly under the radar as the plants wrangled and writhed below the seats, traveling on the floor. “I think our money troubles are going to be solved momentarily, though.”
“Huh?” Then, Cornfield paid attention to the low key action, the greenery burrowed, concealed in the canopy of carpet. Then the guided flora fished through the suitcase’s innards to reap the rewards. The mare’s naivety had her completely off-guard. “Ah, ok. Help yourself. She asked for it.”
“Glad you can see it my way...” Coral yanked a lonely wallet full of cold hard cash likely saved up for souvenirs at the tips in her long stems. Slowly, the vines snuck the wallet under a layer of carpet like a snake dragging a mouse with its jaws, soon finding itself in the greedy grip of her claws unseen. “This Heart is already paying for itself.”
The colt made roundabouts with his eyeballs. “Ah, Coral, you never change.” He noticed the phenomenon of her digits reverting to their original shape. “I suppose you’re getting more acquainted with it, yeah?”
“Zecora’s teachings, as quirky as they were, seemed to be a big help.” She freely pocketed several bits before gliding the wallet, ensnared in plant-life, returning via the same route it came about. “Gotta give the walking nursery rhyme book some credit.”
“I just hope nopony saw that,” he mumbled with clarity as he double checked the ponies surrounding them.
“If they did, we’d be kicked off the train already.”
“So, we’re gonna fetch a boat at Baltimare?” Pondering as he rested on his foreleg, a concerned expression donned on his face. “That could be a little pricey…”
“I have a couple ideas for a ride, but it might involve a few favors,” the sly thief informed as she returned to spectating the land beyond the train. “I just gotta pray to whatever’s watching us that luck is on our side.”
“Ok, so, do we grab a bite to eat, get a room to sleep, then find a boat? Did you have a plan in mind?”
After shaking her head, she gave a smirk supplemented by a condescending stare. “You don’t know a lot about the wheeling and dealing that happen in these cities. Piers are a hotbed of illegal agreements made where authorities look the other way.”
Cornfield could not resist the shudder reverberating in his soul. “Please tell me we don’t have to work for the mob. It’s bad enough I had to witness... You know…” He sweetly nudged Coral on her side.
“No. I’m not going to ask a favor of any mobs, especially an infamous thieves guild rooted in Baltimare, The Onyx Syndicate.” In response, she gave the young colt a simple boop on his nose. “Just follow my lead when we get there, and you’ll be fine.”
Humbled by her gesture, his hoof cushioned his snout feeling embarrassed. “You’ve dealt with them before?”
“Unfortunately. I’m really hoping that they don’t remember a certain job I bounced from a year ago.” She returned to reflect in the window, seeing a spectral version of herself casting memories of a time that lead to the present. “A simple job. A diamond was to be stolen from a noble visiting and, in exchange, I got more information on a certain far off hotel that would lead me to info about The Gems of Creation.” It was more like the subtle Coral in the glass was the one talking; reminding herself who she once was.
Cornfield’s head slowly bobbed as he nods off. Seamlessly, the hippogriff continued. “But, this was a very nice diamond and travel expenses don’t come cheap. So, I took the diamond AND the information, and left them dry.” She let out a half-hearted laugh to herself then sustained her view, seeing the hippogriff cloaked with darkness. In tune to herself, Coral spoke very briskly “Let us both promise for a better tomorrow” as she matched the claws with her clone reflection; integrating her inner psyche. Before getting too emotional, she snapped out of it and re-calibrated her confident persona. “But, that’s in the past. Back then, I wasn’t one to make friends, was I?” She cockily grinned before discovering her only trusted friend in all of Equestria sleeping like a foal drooling on the seat cushions.
“Oh, son of a b-” A whistle blew with a blaring screech flooding the cabin and cut off the thief’s expletives, signaling the final destination. In the corner of her view, the reflection drowned in the shining light of an epic cityscape. The metropolitan setting itself wasn’t as delightful, big, or glamorous as Manehatten, but it was no less bustling. Lamp posts dotted across the street emitting cones of illumination as the nightlife surged with ponies going in and out of tall robust brick-layered architecture.
Startled awake from the piercing whistle, Cornfield joined his friend, now witnessing the reality of Baltimare’s presence for the first time in his life. “Whooooa…” he whispered in awe. “Such a big place... We better stick together.”
“I’m guessing this is the first time you ever walked into a city?”
“Yeah... It’s kinda overwhelming. Look at all those ponies... Where could they be going at a time like this?”
“Same as us. Getting a swanky hotel room. Only for the festivities, though. We’re here on business.” With her claws balled in a fist, she bumped him in the shoulder. “Buckle up, buck-a-roo. You’re gonna see both the highs and the lows Baltimare has to offer.”
Eager to disembark, the colt then ensured his saddlebags were secure under his seat. “I wonder if they serve any delicious vegetables from under the nearby sea? Perhaps there are some restaurants on the harbor we can go?”
Getting up after sitting so long and strapping her own saddlebags on, the hungry bird licked her chops. “I could go for a kelp wrap right about now. Though, nopony makes it better than my mother.”
Other ponies on the train unusually saw her rise up and approach the aisle. “Uh, Coral,” chimed her friend, “You’ve been on trains before, yes?”
“What about it, Cornfield?” she responded impatiently.
“It’s just this train has a record of-” Without warning, certain passengers were violently tossed over like ragdolls as the train inexplicably halted so fiercely, the car almost catapulted. Coral found her helpless body crumpled on the carpet and Cornfield awkwardly laying on his back on top of a seat. “...Suddenly stopping...on a dime. Ow!”
The enraged hybrid growled as she angrily lifted herself up. After brushing her feathers off, she headed back and offered Cornfield assistance, who slipped off onto the floor. “I. Hate. Trains,” she declared before pulling him up by the hoof. “Let’s just get out of here already.”
“Hold on…” He retrieved his saddlebags and buckled it around his waist. “Ok, let’s head out!”
The end of their trip was marked by doors swinging open to one side of the platform, in conjunction with an announcement to disembark. Our duo stood by as the train emptied into a mere husk before following suit, keeping to themselves. “After you, Cornfield,” cautioned his friend. “Watch your step.”
With an energetic hop, the colt began absorbing the expansive sights of the densely stirring city. His fur breezed in the cool damp atmosphere, and sounds of nightlife echoed throughout. The hippogriff accompanying him could smell the seasalt not too far off in the distance. Flashbacks of her home and childhood taken away occurred in unstoppable reflex. Then, like ants to a fallen sugar cube, ponies were clearly seen harassing a bulletin board on the station.
“Well, Coral, where should we get started?” he enthusiastically asked like a happy tourist. “I think we should check if there’s a good cheap hotel by the harbor with a view of the sea.” He anticipated her answer, only for the lack of a response to rudely register to awaiting ears. “...Uh, Coral?”
Intrigued, she waded behind the ponies, her height accessed a visual scoping above the chattering crowd. Fliers and posters tattered the board about the Harvest Festival. She squinted and read the distant print. It testified that tomorrow, city officials from all over Equestria would arrive at a ritzy hotel. Among them was Princess Celestia herself, to prepare for the actual event happening the next day.
As Cornfield moved up to find what’s what, he struggled to see anything the populace kept murmuring over. The gem-thief checked the bounties below the fliers, seeing familiar ne’er-do-wells on wanted posters. Instructions desired information on the scummiest sleazebags the city ever had the misfortune of suffering and pleaded to contact the nearest official if one surfaced. As she delved into the complete list of lowlives sketched out in shaded detail, one poster robbed her breath as she grew exceedingly paler with each passing second.
“...Shit...” she uttered in a panicked exhale.
Cornfield silently wondered what got her so flustered. The dull prick of a hoof pressing in her side startled the poor hybrid as she violently squawked from unwelcome contact. He backed off without a word, but that display won her all the attention in the station, changing her from an unknown visitor to the most-wanted criminal in the blink of an eye. They watched as Coral remained stagnant while her sidekick frantically scanned the alarmed audience. Then, one stallion spoke up amongst the frightened patrons. “T-That’s her!” he cried out. “Cobalt Coral! She’s here to mug us!”
The poor colt found himself getting dragged down into Coral’s infamy. The hippogriff shouted “RUN!” as loud as she could before rushing urgently down the stairs off the busy platform.
“You don’t have to tell me twice!” exclaimed Cornfield as the two vagabonds abandoned the station and pounded through the cobblestone streets, escaping the mist of the public. Fleeing as fast as their legs could carry them, the colt strained just to keep pace, shouting “Where are we going?!”
“Just... follow me,” she huffed, stopping to catch her breath. “We can’t stay at the usual hotels anymore. Something tells me that, with the-” She gasped. “-The princess and city officials coming, the city’s police will be looking for us...”
“But why!?”
“Because the city is on high alert for thieving creatures like me, and I don’t want you to be pegged as an accomplice! We need to find somewhere to hide! Now!” She searched with utmost urgency for an escape between the neighboring buildings.
That news didn’t settle well with the young pony as he certainly didn’t want to be haunted by a criminal record. In the hollows of a dark foreboding alley, Cornfield came across a steel-plated door while Coral sprinted ahead. Its appearance spoke of secrecy and solitude. He grasped the flimsy handle and though it was locked, the worn down mechanics would clearly give in to pressure. Behind the door laid the freedom from possible incarceration. “Over here!” he called out. The escaping crook stopped in her tracks and pulled a one-eighty to backtrack with faith in her bold partner. “COME ON! COME ON!” he shouted.
With the loose handle primed up, Coral had just arrived behind him. “Just pull on it as hard as you can. It’ll open I swear!” he insisted. Getting a clue from the small bars fixed along the face of the industrial door, she grabbed tightly and pulled. “C’mon! Harder!” His voice spurred his rogue partner to dig deep. They swore it gave an inch and, as they summoned all their grit, the iron gate flung open! Coral only recoiled from the forelegs while the colt sputtered on the grainy trash-riddled ground.
Not knowing what led beyond but figured it’s better than a cell, she dived inside and he followed suit, shutting the door behind. “Ok,” she sighed and released an exhausted breath. “Ok, I think the scent is off our trail.” Zeroing in on the sirens wailing from a distance, gradually the noise was drowned out by common urban ambiance. The room was so dark, only the whites of their eyes were left opaque.
“Hold on, lemme find a lantern or something,” said Cornfield as he felt around the walls. Then, his hoof knocked into something that wobbled a bit before settling. “Oh wait, I think this is it.” With a clink of a button, the lantern lit up in a burst of flame that nearly singed him. Overwhelmed by the flash of energy, he stumbled back with a yelp while the bird explored the room with her sharper perception. The rudimentary flicker of fire could scarcely shine in the dark, yet her senses still cut through the veil of black shadows. The table, posters, and empty fridge fit the setting to the break room of a once active workplace.
Bringing in new activity stirred the dirt and dust from the floor, causing the young stallion to cough. “It’s dusty in here…” he complained as he fanned his hoof for fresh air.
“It’s something, though,” Coral optimistically noted. “Not a bad place to camp out.” She crept around the room, investigating if this was any place decent enough to sleep for the night. “I hope this dump has a couch.”
Pushing his foreleg across his muzzle, a relieved grin creased his snout.“Good thing that lantern had just enou-” As if fate wanted to play a prank on the poor colt, the flame suddenly went out in an insulting puff. “AH, BUCKING DAMMIT!” he cursed as he fumbled about in the dark. “Coral! Coral!... I think we may need a torch or something!”
“Ugh… I can usually navigate through the night, but this is too much!” she called out. “I’d use my old lantern if we could, but it was taken away by that stupid BUCKING temple!”
“You think maybe the police are looking for me, too?”
Coral contemplated his concern thoughtfully, scratching under her beak with consideration on what witnesses may have discerned. “No, I don’t think they will. The ponies at the station didn’t get a good look, and I’m sure that any onlookers on the way over didn’t see anything other than you behind me. For all we know, you could have appeared like you were chasing me.”
“Can you at least explain what’s going on?” he calmly asserted.
The hippogriff approached his voice. “I saw myself in a-” Distracted by the conversation, the poor bird-mare banged her talons on a solid table leg. “OUCH! SON OF A-” She growled and shook her claws before sighing. “...I saw myself in a wanted poster on the bulletin board. That’s NEVER happened to me before. Worse yet, it’s a high bounty.”
“WHAT?!” Cornfield reacted strongly in disbelief before slamming his hoof flat on the hard floor. “How? Why? What did you do this time?”
Recalling her past exploits gravely, she hung her head. “If I had to wager a guess, I think I made a big mistake pissing off the wrong ponies.” A heart-heavy sigh exerted from her beak. “The guild granted me protection when I worked for them. Now, I think that maybe the diamond I stole soured their relationship with me.”
“You stole a diamond!? And when were you planning on informing me about it?”
His defiance perked Coral up, making her increasingly irritated from this interrogation. “Well, if your whiny ass stayed awake for more than two seconds on the train, you’d know what I’m talking about!”
The young stallion recalled falling asleep when it seemed she started prattling on with her life’s story. Scratching the back of his neck, he let out an embarrassed chuckle. “Oh, yeah... Anyway, what should we do now? I don’t know if you can venture out with the cops looking for you.”
“I can’t, but you can. We’ll need a couple things to make our stay a little more comfortable.”
“Well, obviously, we need light.” The colt stretched his hooves where he believed the door existed. “In any case, I suppose I have to get more oil for the lantern.” Once cold steel gave his hoof a sign, he grabbed the handle and opened the door, allowing the combination of nearby lights and the moon’s illumination to intrude. Then, he peeked both ways to confirm nopony happened to be lurking around. The sounds of far-off sirens persisted, but still not a soul in sight. Then, he looked back with the pressure from uncertainty of being alone in a place he’s never been to. “Hey, Coral. Don’t birds have like, you know, enhanced night-vision or sumtin’?
“I’m not an owl, twerp!” she snapped back in a mockery of his uneducated guess, as she unlatched the saddlebags off herself and dug blindly in them. After clutching as many bits as she could, she followed the faint light to him and placed it in the safe confines of his saddle bag. “Lantern oil, food, water, blankets, pillows. Got that?”
“Yeah, sounds simple enough.” Before making his final exit, he called back in on Coral thru her eyes gleaming in the aura of dim illumination. He never had comprehended the beauty of her shining sea-blue irises until that very moment. “...Uh, what do I say if anypony gets suspicious? I imagine somepony could be looking into your whereabouts.” Then, something clicked in his mind and his head fell crooked with pupils of fret. “OH SHIT! Are we already in danger? Are there bounty hunters after us?” The Colt’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest as a million worst case scenarios played in his imagination.
Sensing his distress, the avian gently placed her talons on his shoulder and attacked his fears with a soft assuring tone. “Listen to me and stay calm. No bounty hunter is out to get us. Baltimare is too sleepy of a city for that. Now, if you are held up along the way, follow my advice. If it’s cops, tell them you were at the train station and tried to chase after me, but lost me. If it’s a thief and you are being robbed, say this: ‘You steal the sun, you steal the shadows.’ That will get them to stay away from you, got it?”
“You...steal...the...sun, and all you got are shadows?” The statement befuddled Cornfield to which he flailed one of his forelegs frantically. “Dammit, Coral, this is no time for jokes!”
The half-witted remark vexed her, leading to a claw snatching his nose and enforcing her harsher convection. “You. Steal. The. Sun. You. Steal. The. Shadows,” she reiterated, then releasing applied pressure. “It’s a code-phrase that shows you are affiliated with the Onyx Syndicate.”
“...OOOOOOOHH! Ok, I guess.” Considering the nature of that intricate phrase, he gulped upon the idea of what pony types involved with such an obscure gang. “Uhhh... So, these Onyx Syndicate guys... Are they the type to kill an unarmed stallion?”
After shaking her head, Coral slowly crept behind him as she delved further. “The thugs that are under their syndicate know never to harm a fellow thief, while those that aren’t are probably smart enough not to mug somepony under their protection.” Without warning, she slapped his flank to spur him.” Now go out there and enjoy the big city, young colt! Get me something good to eat!”
“Ouch... Not so hard! Jeez.” He finally stepped out briefly before stopping to ask one more thing. “What are you gonna do?”
“Keep watch. Don’t worry, I’ll sit by the door and open it if you say my name.”
“All right…” The colt tapped upon his forehead to once again recall the line. “Let’s see, ‘You take away the sun, you take away shadows’, right?
Coral rolled her eyes prior to throwing her head out the door. “Replace ‘take away’ with ‘steal’ and you got it. Better memorize it, because it’s your neck if you get it even slightly wrong.” Swinging her foreleg, she pointed with an order to hit the streets. “Now, git!”
“Ok, ok!” Reluctantly, he trotted off, looking to slip into the public inconspicuously as his partner closed the door, echoes reverberating along the sediment walls. Once on the sidewalk, lamp posts seemingly shined the way forward for the lone colt as he traveled deeper down the block. He managed to make up some distance from the way they came prior as he got lost in this forest created by tall incandescent lit apartment complexes, white-dotted company buildings, and smaller brightly glowing convenience stores all ganging up on him. However, as he trekked through the dense jungle of concrete and bricks, he failed to see a carriage with the famous blue and black colors of Baltimare’s finest before it was too late. Two scruffy looking stallions were stalking about in the streets.
Before he stood a chance of evading them, one officer spotted Cornfield and took special note of his presence. Then, he trotted over where the young country colt was stationed to question him. “Buck!” he kept to himself in frustration.
The cop in question was a bit thicker in girth than most ponies with a crew cut, bushy mustache, and shaved tail. His light grey fur coat and black mane melted with the nightlife. “Well, now. That’s the look of ‘I don’t know where I’m going’ if I’ve ever seen one,” he spoke with a friendly demeanor, but delivered with a penetrating glare. “What brings you around here? Tourists usually make their way to Central Square.”
“Oh... me?” The young stallion chuckled as he pointed to himself. “I just got here, sir. I’ve never been to a big city before... or any city for that matter. Why? Is there a problem?”
“Oh, no problem, sir. If you’re lost, I can help direct ya to a hotel, maybe a department store, if you’d like.” The police pony swiped his hoof back to represent the general direction of the plaza. “Gotta respect the employees in that store. They love Luna’s moonlight as much as I do, working the night shift.”
“Ah, if you could point me in the direction of said store, I’ll be on my merry way, sir.”
Cornfield took nary a few steps onward before the pony in blue got in the way. “Ho, now. It’s not that simple! Here in the big city, we have a little bit of a ‘back-scratching’ system, if ya catch my drift.”
Letting out a sigh, he thought to himself “Of course there is”. He braced for the worst. “What is it you want?”
“Now, now. I’m just asking a simple question.” The gruff stallion glanced behind and nodded his head to another cop. He came over after digging out a wanted poster from the carriage, clenching it in his mouth. “Take a good look. Do you know this creature?”
Cornfield squinted at the poster, acting like he’d never seen a hippogriff displayed before. Of course, the reality was he’d never mistake Coral’s feminine face carefully sculpted with pencil etchings even if he wanted to. Slated beneath the portrait was a description for the capture or kill of the target for 75,000 bits. “W-WOW!” he shouted over-enthusiastically. “75,000 bits! For a peacock? What’d he do?”
“She goes by the name of Cobalt Coral,” the cop corrected. “Some ponies saw her run by with some stallion. But, the dark didn’t give us a good look who. Anyways...” The pony of the law went muzzle-to-muzzle, facing him down with authority. “Do. Not. Pursue. Her. Not only is she wanted for multiple proven counts of grand larceny, but we also got anonymous tips from ponies that she is also responsible for the fire that burned down a storehouse near the docks and the murder of innocent bystanders.” Content he got the point firmly across, he relented with some room for the colt who overflowed with pure stress as the other copper rolled up the poster. “Just come to us if you see her. Ok?”
Cornfield knew his hippogriff associate had a sketchy history, but even murder certainly extended well past what was morally objectionable. “WHAT?! But... who... why...” He anxiously rechecked his standing as a lot of scenarios played in his head with varying results. However, his attachment to Coral saved him from overdoing it. Sweating, he bluffed his ignorance, nodding to the officers. “Uh... Yes, sir.”
“Good boy. Now, if you make your way down this street,” the police pony directed his hoof over his own shoulder, “Head straight thataway, take a left, then make another left as soon as you find a big archway that says ‘Central Square’. Can’t miss it. Much faster that way. But if you do miss it, just go to the train station not far from here and grab a map from the info kiosk.”
“Got it, thanks!”
“Mmhmm.” Their business concluded, the cops returned to their patrol cart, finished with the bystander.
The colt did his best to slip away like a bold tourist, following the flathoof’s instructions. He trotted down the sidewalk until crossroads stood in the way of progress, forcing him to make a choice between right and left. “Alright, now I make a left here…” he noted under his breath as he continued ever forward. Despite the simple directions, all of the buildings blended in from one another.
As he passed each alleyway entrance, he shot a glance down, then kept moving. Picking up speed as his saddlebags rattled with Zecora’s pouch of bits and his camera, he felt alienated from the safety of shelter. “Damn,” he cursed to himself. “With all this noise, I’m practically begging to get mugged.” Cautiously trotting down the messy sidewalks, a glowing white illumination shone in the horizon, like a proverbial light at the end of a tunnel through enemy territory. “Ah, that must be it!” Coming across a sizable conglomerate of ponies treading under a gateway arch, in and out of the square, he fell within the crowded walkways.
Amongst the hoof traffic, one beautiful white maned mare passed by him wearing a colorful festive dress. The jingle of his saddlebags attracted the pony with fur as black as midnight to double back and keep up alongside him. He didn’t anticipate her, wandering aimlessly as he was under the unrelenting light of bright towers built with brick and glass, astonished how the square was insurmountably busy. Even if it weren’t for the Harvest Festival, the traffic would merely equate to a similar mauling of pedestrians.
“Well, hey there, cutie!” the lovely girl flirtatiously called out to him.
The country stallion faced her and stopped in cold blood. “Oh... Excuse me?” he asked politely. Then, a whinny quietly seeped out of his lips with cheeks blushing beet red as he gazed upon a sensational equine of the opposite sex looking back at him with a smile. Her long lustrous mane covered almost half her face thanks to her horn diverting the hair to one side, leaving a single emerald-green eye to reflect his image in her pupils.
“Is this your first time here in Baltimare?” she inquired with the charming flutter of an eyelash. . “A...um…” Cornfield sputtered and stalled, trying not to undress the hot female with his pseudo x-ray vision. ”Well I, uh... Yes. Yes, it is.” Before he could start drooling over her, he jerked his head and gave it a few smacks across the cheek. “Gotta remain focused. For Coral!” he reminded himself.
“Oh my gosh, this is so mine, too! I’m a little lost in such a big city and I couldn’t help but notice that you have your mind set on where you are going. What’s your name?” She moved in for the kill, throwing the stallion a ‘come hither’ glare.
Just before he made convictions that city mares weren’t so bad, the scars from an identical situation prevented him making a deal with the devil. When the young colt first met Coral, it was over ill-intentions as she toyed with his heart like a filly and her soulless plaything, pulling his strings to get what she wanted before her sympathies steered her right. He deduced that this unicorn disguised her intentions, so he distanced himself at first. “...Well, my name is Cornfield. What’s yours?”
All too happy to get a little closer to him, she put on airs as she replied, “Oh, you can just call me Ms. Night.”
Taking note of the overemphasis on “Ms”, he begun to resume his duties, taking a step away while he thought up an excuse. “Well, ‘Ms.’ Night, I really need to get a few things before they run out... or something. So, I’ll just be on my way.” Just as he nearly left her amidst the sea of ponies, the mare quickened her pace to prolong the opportunity.
“Oh, come on, now. Don’t leave a lonely girl behind like that. You won’t mind if I just tag along, right?”
Quickly surveying around upon entrance, he learned that Central Square was defined by a vastly open park with a fountain staged in the middle and many commercial landmarks encircling it. Through the gap in the thick band of tourists, he discerned a building on the left with a showy sign bragging about three-hundred different type of home necessities. “Uh... Actually, I would,” he refuted and dashed, side-winding between the other ponies obstructing his destination. The black mare glared away with defeat, losing the colt to the crowd. Flustered, she harshly stomped her hoof on the cobblestone ground before drifting once again into the night.
Squeezing into the rushing customers feeding the constantly revolving door, he entered the noisy lobby filled with self-contained ponies glancing at quick practical wares, climbing the stairs to and fro different floors accompanied by a greeter to his right. The tired-looking old stallion occasionally muttered the words “Welcome to Princess Promenade, where you shop like royalty everyday.” A complex like this perplexed his expectations. How was he going to find the things he needed around here? A sign hanging to the left that read “CUSTUMFR SEPV CE” caught his attention. Obviously some letters had deteriorated due to negligence.
He trotted over and snagged the attention of an employee mare lazily chewing gum with her head resting in her hoof on the counter. “Excuse me,” Cornfield asked with his best smile. “Where can I find...uh, lantern oil and bedding?
Her bubble gum swelled to a loud pop, blasting a face full of rancid taco breath. “Camping supplies are floor two, bedding and mattresses are on floor five. Don’t forget to sign the survey saying how helpful I was today,” she recited as quickly as she could and dismissed him as any other customer.
Disgusted, he left and mumbled to himself, “I’d sign it if you didn’t give me a free sample of your halitosis.”
The young colt carried all he could in his saddlebags, not saving his back from some lifting either. Although his legs were struggling, he still successfully obtained reserved amounts of food and water, blankets, pillows, and a container of aforementioned oil. After the typical zoned-out employees assisted minimally with his purchase, he made the journey home under the pale moonlight, searching for the alley in which they were currently squatting. All the while, Coral resided in the back of his mind. Stressed over any danger rearing its ugly mug by leaving her alone.
Suddenly, his gut could sense a looming threat nearby. Though he was unable to see who or what, a chill invaded his spine sealing in the warning as he clocked the pace up a notch. Doubt built up in himself for whether he was going up the right street or not. It was almost a relief when he spotted the familiar cop carriage nearby, but the police were nowhere to be found. The roads were dark, grey fog erased the normally dense sidewalk of traffic, and now it was a hollow lifeless part of the city akin to a ghost town nopony belonged in. How in Equestria a city could lose its population on a head left Cornfield flabbergasted. Either way, the familiar scenery sent him back from whence he came; to the red brick walls of the abandoned decrepit old building. The recognizable alleyway and iron door greeted the shivering pony, eager to put the frightening ambiance behind him. Just before knocking on the door to signal his feathered friend, a voice announced its presence from behind.
“Well, hello there, cutie!” There was a pattern to her tone, making him recall the mare that hounded him down at the square.
“Damn!” he thought. “Does she ever give up?” More annoyed than scared, he begrudgingly chose to face the music.
“Look lady, what part of-” A sharp dagger pointed just inches away at his snout held in a telekinetic force via the tourist, who ditched her festive dress in favor of a simple pair of her own saddlebags. Though he was more focused on the blade threatening to skewer him, he senses confirmed the black mare had a braided long white tail and a cutie mark of one big white diamond with four smaller diamonds in the space of its corners.
“You shouldn’t turn a gift mare away! Money or your life, little colt,” the unicorn demanded with a sadistically sweet tone.
“AH!” Cornfield blurted as he flinched away from the carbon metal that urged to puncture his pretty young face. “Uh... You steal the sun, you steal the shadows!”
In pure disbelief, she lowered the knife a little, wondering if the scared little foal presented before her really was a syndicate member. The frightened expression on his face told a different story, as she felt desperate enough to take the chance. “T-That won’t work on me.” she declared as her friendly tone diminished. “You’re practically a child! They wouldn’t have a kid like you as a member!”
“H-Hey now, take it easy there, missy.” As he carefully inched from her, the door revealed a weakness in his assailant’s position and he decided to gamble on this split second idea. Crafting a facade, he flashed a smug grin and pointed behind her. “Thing is, I wouldn’t be, if my superior wasn’t waiting to ambush you!”
In fear of being jumped, the mugger looked back with glowing gullibility. “What?! Where?!”
“CORAL!” The colt mightily yelled as loud as he could. Distracted, his attacker returned her head only to receive a face full of cold hardened iron at full impact. The resulting explosive bang sent the female fading straight into unconsciousness as she lethargically collapsed onto the concrete.
Coral, fueled with adrenaline and the drive to defend her partner, swung her head to his location and blurted in the midst of confusion “WHAT HAPPENED!?” Saved through her convenient timing, Cornfield pointed out the thief’s stone cold body, who developed a rather sizable bump on the head. “Oh, another fling of yours, Cornfield?”
“OH! That’s GOTTA HURT! Hahaha…” he mockingly exclaimed before treating the gravity of the deadly encounter more seriously. “The city’s more dangerous than I thought. What should we do with her?” Nervously rubbing the back of his head, he regained his composure from the resolved situation.
Examining the options in their environment, an old trash can in the corner fetched her attention at the end of the alleyway. “I have some ideas.” Her vines got to work as she ensnared the mare up overhead, then dunked her face first into the can leaving the lid balanced on her hindquarters and her rear hooves sticking out. “There. Right where she belongs. Get inside.”
In mutual agreement with her orders, he finally made it back inside the sanctuary of the empty room with the door jutted, allowing minimal light inside. Cornfield hoofed over the lantern oil from his saddle bags and hoisted the bedding off his back. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.” Taking the old dusty lantern, she precisely poured enough in the bottom casing and lit it with a push of a button. Candlelight gleamed all over the room, enabling much more capable traversal. “Ah, much better!” She engaged Cornfield with a slightly concerned look donning her expression. “Other than that blunder outside, did anypony else give you trouble?”
“No,” he said, taking off his saddlebags. “Although there were some cops out there when I first left. They say you burned down a house on the docks or something. And that you murdered ‘innocent bystanders’.”
Gradually, the gem hunter’s face transitioned to horror and the hue of her body became a lighter shade of white. Her jaw hung open like she dropped the most perfect diamond down a canyon, processing the unwelcome information shared with her.
“Something wrong, Coral?” the piqued colt asked with a brow up. As swiftly as she could, the hybrid sprinted to shut the door tight and latch it, locking with a click. “...Oooook, so something IS up.” he braced for the worst, figuring he may had followed a mass-murderer all this time. “I hope it’s not another secret I should of stayed up for…”
Hanging her head, she faltered over on her hindlegs as she closely monitored the exit, trembling. “...Cornfield... Do you remember the promise I made to you?”
“Yeah, I do.” As he recalled the promise that both of them would no longer keep secrets from each other, he instinctively stepped away from her in self-preservation. “Did...did you actually murder some ponies?”
The side effect of a heavy sigh due to past transgressions, she realized that the unfortunate events taking place now added up as she spun towards him. “Cornfield. I’m still keeping that promise to you. I haven’t lied to you ever since.” Her claws laid on her chest and leaned muzzle-to-beak with him. “I’m a thief. I’m a punk. I’m a deceiver. I’m all that and more, but you have to believe me when I say that I’m NOT a murderer!”
“Ok, ok!” Witnessing her actively defending herself, he put his trust back in her as he attempted to calm her down. “So, are you gonna tell me what that’s all about? Is it a setup? The anticipation is killing me… DAH!” He jammed both hooves in his pie hole upon his poor choice of words, then relieved his gagged mouth. “Er, no pun intended.”
“Yes,” the bird answered blatantly while she massaged her temples with her talons. “Oh, Novo, yes...”
The young stallion looked on, confused on how his friend unknowingly landed them in the middle of a city that was out for blood.
“So, those murders...” Cornfield came to rest on the cracked tiles in their makeshift hideout, a dimly lit break room of a now-condemned company building. As he initiated a discussion addressing the meaning behind his partner’s infamy, Cobalt Coral sat near the scuffed table on an old rickety chair. Awaiting but not exactly willing to divulge more of the past that plagued her livelihood. “You think they started slaughtering innocent ponies so they could get the heat on you?” he continued, granting her the benefit of the doubt.
“No,” defended the suspect, shaking her head. “I mean, yeah, they are using it against me, but it all happened when I was still with the syndicate.” She leaned on a table to her side, opening the excessive indisposable baggage dating back ages ago to share with her travel companion. He had the right to know why their latest circumstances have become excessively difficult, or so she felt. “I used my talents to rob a warehouse of a certain parcel, an experimental narcotic that was being developed. One that would have a pony hooked on it for life.” She picked up on the concern saturating her friend’s mind, but preemptively quelled his fear after sticking up a claw between them. “Thankfully, the drug turned out to be a dud, but I still stole from a gang of failed alchemists that were playing too deep in waters for my leader to be comfortable.”
More and more, the colt grew attached by the tale, tethering closer with reaffirmation to chill on the floor. “So, what happened?”
“Relieved that he had no competition, but wary of how ambitious they were, the syndicate burned the warehouse down, along with the research of its development secretly stashed away. However, that was after I told my boss that there were good honest workers that were staying overtime.” Coral’s eyes welled with remorse. “He made sure nopony got out,” she spoke with muted dread in her words. “No trace, no survivors.”
The truth, however gruesome, only cemented their bond tighter than ever as he capitalized on a milestone, gathering penetrative insight developed through their destiny. He had found an isolated glimmer of unwavering virtue laid deeply submerged in her selfish heart. The colt hummed to himself quizzingly. If she were truly against excessive casualties and resisted bloodthirsty nature, why sustain loyalty under such extremes? “Who is...or was your boss?”
Reading more into Cornfield’s tone, the gem hunter forced herself from the table and sternly approached with her brow furrowed. “A cold-blooded son-of-a-bitch that hid behind his love of jazz, blues, and bars where you could cut up the dance floor.” She halted just above him and glared down where he lounged. “His name is Electric Boogaloo.” Her friend snickered at the name drawing the image of a closeted clown. “I know, I know. The cute name just made him unsuspecting.”
After filtering the humor out of his system, he scrambled some ideas fueled by imagination who this powerful figure could be. “Huh...Was he a pony?”
“Unicorn, yes.”
“Then what’s the plan? You still think you can grease some frogs to get us a boat outta here?
Surprised, Coral cocked her head, eyebrow raised. “Are you already picking up the lingo here?” Letting that slip, she crouched to his level. “Either way, no, we can’t, because we have both Canterlot Guard AND Baltimare P.D. on our tails. I can’t set hoof anywhere without being picked out of a crowd...”
“Argggggghh,” he growled as he impatiently launched up off the hard tiles. “Then lets get some sleep for now. We’ll deal with it in the morning. Or you can stay up, but I am BEAT!” Heading to his store-bought bounties, he improvised a bed utilizing an economical blanket and pillow combo, shortly before setting himself off to sleep. His companion sighed and followed suit with her mind swimming on what only plan they had for the following day. Alas, her eyelids grew too heavy as she dozed off in mid-thought.
In what seemed like mere seconds for the hippogriff, a loud banging noise immediately startled her awake. Outside the iron gate, unfriendly voices emitted subtly into the room. Coral sent herself soundlessly where the conversation was and lead with her ear, attempting to decipher the dialogues over Cornfield’s obnoxious snoring.
“What about **** door?” one voice with a slight rasp asked. “Think maybe ****** is there?”
“Silver said **** met someone ****** last thing ***** was Coral,” replied a young, aggressive voice.
“Pull it open.”
Adrenaline snapped Coral out of her roost, her heart pumping a mile a minute as she crawled to her partner to shake him awake. “Cornfield!” she hissed, scared out of her wits, like the Grim Reaper had arrived to claim her soul. “Get up! Pleeeease!”
Cornfield snorted, mindlessly waving her off as he tossed and stirred. “...Ah... Not now, ma... Just call in sick for me, will ya…?” He let out a wide, drowsy yawn without a care in the world before the violent attempts to break the door open spurred him awake. “Uh…! Huh...?”
The only prevalent option of escape was deeper into the building. Coral sprinted towards the back wall and found the only door into the obscure workplace was rusted shut. Cursing under her voice and submitting to the fact that she was up shit creek without a paddle, the hotheaded avian faced the door, aiming to fight for their freedom. Channelling her anger, her vines jutted razor-sharp thorns in response, growing sharper with each heartbeat. She breathed heavily, expecting, at worse, a whole army of goons assigned to take them out. “I can’t let it all end here!” Her psyche pumped her flora on the verge of growing out of control.
Rubbing one eye, the sleepy colt sat up, naive of the on-going emergency. “Ugh... what was that?” Then, he found a distraught and hostile hippogriff standing by for a death match. He knew it was never a good sign when the thorn-laiden plants swarmed about.
The door’s latch surrendered, letting in the blinding sunlight of the new day. The bird’s vision was painfully blinded, recoiling away trying to cover her eyes. While her sight began to regenerate, the only thing she recognized was a wooden bat swung at her legs. Taking a direct blow to the kneecap, she stumbled onto the floor, losing all her strength to guard herself, with a pained scream that resonated throughout the neighborhood.
“CORAL!” Cornfield cried out, scrambling to his hooves! “OH BUCK!” Without sparing to see the attackers, he leapt through the air to coddle her injuries. “Are you ok?!” As she slightly whimpered from the shock, he reaffirmed his need to protect Coral and glared at the party responsible. Before they both knew it, a band of battle-worn hired hitponies surrounded them, denying any hope of liberation. One punk, a brown stallion pegasus with a bandana over his mouth and messily cut blonde hair, stood over fuming with intimidation at the innocent colt defending Coral as she groaned and sneered.
Inner instincts caused the colt to dare rise up and protect the female from the other bigger stallions. “What do you want?” he shouted, targeting the alpha crook and waiting for his next move.
“No, Cornfield. Nghh. Don’t!” Coral pleaded as she grasped for Cornfield’s shoulder, gripping lightly as to not pierce his flesh.
The Ringleader with the bandanna stepped forward, looking down on their hapless victims. “Word on the street was that you came back, Coral,” he cockily informed, “And the boss wanted to ensure you wouldn’t miss his invitation during your tour. It’d be a real shame if you didn’t drop by to say hello to old friends.”
The mercenary on his right spoke up, wearing a red jacket over his dark blue fur and a shaved grey mane. “You even went and made a little posse for yourself? Ain’t that cute, hiring the young and dumb.”
The gravity of this dangerous encounter hit the young photographer as his legs got weak in the knees. “So, they sent you to KILL US?!” he fretfully guessed.
“No...” Coral said as she struggled to get back up in defiance. Using the lapse of the conversation to weigh her options, even with The Heart of Nature, there was no guaranteed method of assault and escape without putting their lives on the line. To ease Cornfield’s troubled soul, she grinned the pain emanating from her leg away and acted like she was in control. “If he wanted me dead, he wouldn’t send the likes of you around. He would want the pleasure of killing me himself.”
A glimpse into their boss’s cruelty against his own former colleague triggered Cornfield’s sense of despair. “Son of a…”
“Tha’s right.” confirmed the bandanna thug. “We got a special carriage ride just for you to Blues and Booze, where he’ll happily see you don’t miss the reunion party!”
“Come quietly,” chimed the jacket goon, “Let’s do this the nice and easy way.”
After Coral complied, he understood with bitter resentment how dire the situation was. Even if by some miracle they were able to overcome them, the police would join in on the hunt. Cornfield hung his head defeated, but then jerked his muzzle straight at the assailants. “Fine, as long as I go with her!”
“What?!” Coral shifted over to him with disbelief written all over her face to vent her rage. “No way, absolutely not!” She let her cool drop and shatter like glass in premonition of him being sucked into their business. “Don’t listen to this idiot! Leave him out of my affairs!”
Withstanding her intentions but cut from defaming his intelligence, Cornfield tried appealing to the hippogriff. “But, Coral-”
“Chill, chill, baby,” eased the bandanna thug with a sickening grin cast over his sinful disposition. “It’s nice that you care, but nopony is getting a choice. He’s coming along, whether you like it or not. You know Electric’s ol’ saying?”
“... Better a dead tongue than a loose one?” The morbid proverb quietly seeped out Coral’s beak as the purpose of the riddle got the colt’s chest to jump inside his throat.
“Right, and who knows? He might like the kid.” The delinquent issued a command by nodding to the group. It was time to send the captured to their inevitable meeting with the powerful shadow who held the criminal underground captive in Baltimare. Coral and Cornfield were made prisoners, all because of the mounting sins accumulated via the former.
“Shit…” It was the only freedom Cornfield could taste as he was helplessly shoved aside. Feathers fly as they wrangled the avian mercilessly against the ground like she was caught in a snare. She put up a miniscule resistance as an obscure black collar was wrapped around her neck. Content her fate was firmly sealed, the gang finally permitted her to rise on her feet, assured she was thoroughly “leashed”, and lacked even the least bit of sympathy.
Meanwhile, during the time Coral felt the restricting accessory uncomfortably tug on her plumage, Cornfield’s mind chaotically explored avenues of reality. “How’d they find us?” he asked himself as he pondered. His memory centered on the mysterious black mare from last night. She knew of the Onyx Syndicate, perhaps even worked for them! His brow furrowed and teeth grit indicating the verdict of guilty on her. “That bitch!”
“Hey, Cornflake! Lissen up!” the bandanna stallion announced, confirming the colt was paying attention. “We’re about to give you a demonstration.”
“...Ok?” The photographer gave him an audience, but his nerves got to him as his impatience swelled.
A spontaneous rush of fear flowed into the hippogriff’s subconscious, the unbecoming fresh sweat rushed down her forehead. “H-He doesn’t need one, really,” she stammered.
“Oh, I think he does!” the jerk in the jacket mockingly argued. “All right, so watch this. When I say the magic words ‘choking down the pain’...”
Without warning, the collar magically tightened around her neck, cuffing the bird’s breath and threatening to end her life slowly and painfully. Tears formed around her eyes as her throat endured a gripping, unrelenting squeeze. She gasped and gurgled, her claws subconsciencly digging beneath the leather to rescue her airways under siege but without any success.
In a panic, Cornfield raced to the powerless hippogriff as she collapsed and writhed in agony. Notwithstanding that the Onyx Syndicate would abuse their power to length’s end, he faced them to plead, “Alright! Alright! Stop it! I get it already! Let her breathe, for Celestia’s sakes!”
The bandanna stallion snickered wickedly as he kneeled by the tortured bird. For a brief moment, there was what sounded like indiscernible muttering to their literal choker, then it ceased the incantation.
Once her throat was no longer constricted, she sucked in air desperately like a loud vacuum. Momentarily hyperventilation occurred as a side effect, until finally stabilizing her lungs with a calming sensation as her partner sweetly rubbed the back of her neck with his hoof, easing her pain. He catapulted a condemning gaze at the thug as Coral wheezed. “You…” she uttered, coughing between words. “...Dick...”
“All right, guys,” the jacket-wearing hoodlum decreed. “Enough with the circle jerkin’. We have to get this package to Electric.”
The bandanna pony pointed at their hostages. “Follow!” he ordered while the band of criminals headed outside in organized fashion.
Arrested by crooks with nowhere to go, Cornfield lifted his friend’s foreleg from his head onto his back to get her mobile. “Come on, Coral…” he encouraged softly, struggling a bit with a grunt to raise her larger physique. “I’ll always be at your side, no matter what. Can you walk?”
“Yeah, you knight in- Urk!” She gagged when she touched her bruised windpipe. “I’ll be ok for now. I just hope that our luck can’t sink any lower than this...” Having the young stallion as an aide, she limped out into the sunlight, praying fervently inside that her journey doesn’t end prior to reaching Mt. Aris. Cornfield walked with her, slightly behind to give her the lead, as he steeled his nerves for the worst case scenario.
The carriage rumbled along the cobblestone streets of Baltimare in high noon. Avoiding unwanted attention, the ringleader of the thugs pulled the cart albeit lack of his signature bandanna. Inside, two other lackeys are restraining their cargo with their eyes, sitting across from them, not speaking a word nor stirred. The tedium of the ratty interior made Coral drift to watching the environment outside the dark tinted windows. The cityscape would dynamically shift from ritzy to shady, as the coming of Luna’s night introduced the streets to many ponies who habitually abandoned their responsibilities with cancerous vices. Alcohol, clubbing, gambling, prostitution, maybe all of the above. During the day, however, the sidewalks were vastly neglected, perfect time for nefarious minds to organize and set their dastardly duties in motion when the sun sets.
While Coral mused in whatever peace she had left, her distrusting partner laid back and stared at their brutish escorts. The reality was an opposing contrast because, on the inside, Cornfield was cynically afraid with Coral being an ace up their sleeves. The crooks engaged in the staredown, daring him to give them an excuse to break his nose, until the carriage slowed to a halt in the cover of another alley. The lead stallion driving it dislodged from the reigns to knock on the cart door. The gang motioned the two refugees out, with the submissive hippogriff obeying and her smaller guardian covering after her.
“I hope they improved the selection in the bar the last time I came around here,” she bluntly commented, stepping into the glow of the sun.
“Maybe if we’re lucky, the cops will arrest everypony for serving an underage stallion.” he remarked when, suddenly, he remembered Coral was already enough of a felon. He turned his head away with a blush. “But then they might slap another charge on you too… Ha…”
“Yeeeeah, let’s just pray that I get arrested rather than let Electric have his fun with me. It’s a much better alternative.”
Everypony trampled along the puddle-riddled, cigarette-littered alleyway when Cornfield saw a large blued steel door. Noticing they all stopped at its steps, the muscle-bound leader banged loudly on it. Another casually informed the young-blooded colt about the club. “Welcome to Booze and Blues, a wonderful, musical shithole designed for scum like your pal here. They accept lots of packages this way. If you play with a bad hoof, you might go home in several of them! Heh heh heh...” Then, the Leader whispered into the door, “You steal the sun, you steal the shadows.” The door clicked and opened to receive the next order of business.
As they entered, their ears immersed into a vortex of jazz music. Inside a humble yet sizable venue, the grand entrance on the right would greet naive clubbers, but it was locked to shelter their shady dealings from official business. A finely-polished wooden dance floor dominated the center alongside a web of tables and chairs populating the surrounding black carpet with white polka dots. Further accompanied by an underground band lively practicing for tonight on an elevated platform.
Snug in the right corner was an old retro jukebox that appeared broken and an outstanding white mare whose mane was jet black. A blue feathered hat sat on it, and a striking broken heart cutie mark stained her flank. Complementing the club was a port of entry for all involved, a.k.a. the bar. Equipped with a hoof full of chrome stools with red leather seats, the sleek mahogany station stretched from one wall to the other serving alcoholic traps that would hinder the testimonies of any loose lips. The tacky dark-green furnishings, music themed paintings decorating a brick wall, and framed vinyl records didn’t help the two captives feel welcome.
Leaning to take a peek beyond the bar, Cornfield could make out a hallway strictly for VIPs, radiating a sinister aura around it. He peered down in curiosity, asking, “So...We go to the back...? Or are they going to escort us to him?”
“The boss will see YOU two when he is good and ready,” ordained the leader. “Until then, sit tight.” The thug nodded at the burly bartender, who donned deep orange fur and a permed and slick mane. Wearing a fancy glorified two piece black suit that hugged his bulky torso, with a cocktail glass cutie mark accounting him as Electric’s stamp of trusted personnel. The employee in question finished wiping an exoticly shaped cup and trotted down the inner hall. Marching in pure professional attitude, he delivered an unseen door a firm knock.
“Fine... Whatever…” the colt responded with a huff.
“Electric is very proud of his establishment, so he allows even his captured to set a spell and take a load off.” said the stallion in the jacket while he and the third member guffawed at their misfortune. “He may be cold, but at least he gives his dead-to-be their last drink.”
“Please tell me that ain’t us, Coral,” complained Cornfield with folded forelegs. “Because I’d hate my last drink to be this overpriced black-market piss.”
In response, Coral snatched his awnry snout into her vicinity, and went eye-to-eye with the bratty teen. “Listen to me,” the avian cawed in a hushed voice to his ear. “There’s a very good chance that MY goose is cooked, but I don’t want you to either make my inevitable worse or ruin any slim chance I may have to get out of this.” To drive the point further, she planted a claw in his nose. “Just keep the snide comments to yourself and don’t make everypony here rain Tartarus down on us.”
Allowing him back into the scene of the seedy underworld, the colt let his immaturity spark as he grunted, followed by a “Fine!”.
“Penny Pinch! Come here NOW!” The establishment had their collective attention on the ill-tempered mare in the corner, apparently gauged to lay the smackdown over the one thug that never broke his silence unless absolutely necessary.
He gripped a baseball bat in his mouth, the same one that struck Coral, wearing a common black beanie, sported a goatee, and had a messy blue mane and tail to match his light purple coat. Surprised to see her so estranged, he spat out the bat and pointed to himself in uncertainty. “M-Me?” he stuttered.
His buddy system ditched him like the bat he tossed, even Coral knew how this could end as she joined alongside them. Cornfield didn’t care as he watched the bartender coming back just in time to witness familiar and never ending conflicts in the club. Though the band played on, they failed to maintain their natural talents as the music subtly deviated in slight miscalculated strokes and slipping focus.
“Penny Pinch, you stood me up again,” she seethed in a combative gait towards her coltfriend.
Penny shivered as he checked where his “friends” left, silently pleading for help until she stood point-blank from him, leaving room enough only for confession. “B-but Electric said that I had a really important job to do, baby! I thought you’d understand.”
With the squabble getting harder to ignore, Cornfield eyed the action and curiously spectated the ongoing beef between the two. The white mare effectively shot the stink eye through her “special somepony” like a silver arrow. “Then, tell him that you are busy.”
“I can’t do that! He owns my ass!”
Then she turned her head dramatically, faking rejection to Penny but, in turn, winked her shaded eye at the menacing bartender. The enforcer lifted a counter flap in his way and stuck behind the scenes to ambush him as grizzled mercenaries cowered away with each step, inching so closely to Mr. Pinch. “If you don’t have the gumption to choose me over your career,” the femme fetale replied, “You won’t get far.”
“Cornfield, close your eyes,” Coral instructed as she also distanced herself from impending terror.
“You’re not my mother, Coral,” he sarcastically remarked.
“Cornfield, I’m serious, close your eyes before-” Coral derailed mid-sentence as Penny was draped in shadow, looked back like unassuming prey and inadvertently closed the book on his fate. In one swift motion, the bartender instantly twisted the “messenger” pony’s head, brutally overriding its limitations and inducing an audible sickening pop, killing the band’s performance on a bit. The doomed body slumped on the floor, dead. There were no words, no music, and no sounds as everypony stood stricken with unmitigated fright at the demonstration by Electric’s henchpony.
It was another casualty at this dive, laid waste for all to see. Just in the peace of mind Cabellaron’s witness had seen enough bloodshed, another heinious murder was commited without regard. Registering the death paid a toll on his emotions, drilling itself into his heart and ransacking it of all the foundations that anchored his once faithful soul. “Oh, well…” he hesitantly strained to brush it off internally. “It’s not the first time... and I guess it won’t be the last…” Despite his ruse, his body unconsciously gravitated humbly to Coral. The disgusting violence corroded the hippogriff’s discipline, trying desperately not to tear up after wincing away from the public execution. Sufficing an order of death “on-the-rocks” served with haste, the bartender hoisted the limp body over his back, carried it behind the counter, opened a discreet laundry chute, and slid the carcass in unceremoniously.
Parting the deceased was a sendoff in awakened silent fear. The stallion-devouring white pony fired an expression that could break glass at the band. “Well?!” the mare shouted impatiently. Knowing the threat attributed to her influence, they retroactively played like their lives depended on it.
Courage hemorrhaged in Coral’s spirit from the old nightmares remergance, her talons erratically combed through her mane as she murmured, “Shit, I hate this place.”
“What are we going to do now, Coral?” the young stallion asked, dependent on their salvation by her claws.
Being an ex-member of the syndicate stole the confidence she held inside, and avoided any direct honesty with him while massaging her collar. “Uh, well, there are two things that might happen. Either I make a plea deal with Electric and hope he listens, or I get a shock treatment from him personally.”
“So, we take a plea deal, right?”
“Assuming he’s kind enough to let me talk, right.” Single once again, the white mare, sought fresh, unadulterated young meat. Coral caught a familiar pattern incoming and blood fled from her face, resembling the same color as the fur that layered said female approaching Cornfield. “No,” the bird mashed the mental emergency panic button. “Buck no, you aren’t touching him! He’s going to end up in the chute if I don’t do something now!”
“So, here I am, thinking ‘what’s a girl to do to find my special somepony’ and, well, you don’t seem to be doing anything tonight, right?” the white mare discussed innocently with Cornfield, who, unknown to her, can’t even pull the effort to spare her the time. “Name’s Fleeting Fancy. Nice to meet you.”
“Aw shit, here we go again….” the colt sensed before stepping forward to nip this potential disaster in the bud. “ Look, lady,” he said as plainly and bluntly as possible. “I’m kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place.”
Unabiding under the receiving end of rejection, Fleeting’s mood converted into vexed intolerance. “...What?”
“AND BESIDES!” Coral shouted boldly as she reached out to take a hoof from the photographer stuck between two troubled chicks. “He’s my special somepony, isn’t that right, darling?”
Distracted, Cornfield shunned eye contact with either girl in agreement. “Uh, yeah, what she said.”
“You don’t look like it to me,” the white threat rebutted.
“Of course we are! Cornfield, baby?” She tugged on his foreleg urgently, vocals cracking and pulling out all the stops.
Since Electric was evidently in no hurry to greet his “guests” and so, terribly sick of this mare’s twisted love games, Cornfield took initiative to burst in pseudo dating. “Yes! We are together!” Mentally relieved, Coral blushed and played coy with an effeminate giggle, while Cornfield portrayed himself as the ideal gentlecolt best to his knowledge. “Tell you what, ‘baby’, let’s go over to a table where we can get more ‘comfortable’. He smoothly directed her over to a lonely table.
“Oooh, I love it when you talk romantically to me.” With a sultry strut in her step, she enabled his escort if it meant sneaking away from that dastardly mare. Substituting the sting of a loss in belief the bird will be fried, Fleeting Fancy went back to flirting with the terrified band members.
Cornfield pulled out a chair for her in continued facade. Just as they sat down, the bartender rested a silver tray on the table. It held two “complementary” shots of hard liquor swirling in glasses exclusively for them.
The server was back at his post in a snap and the adjacent-sitting colt spoke softly for Coral’s ears only. “Ugh! The mares in this town are rock bottom sleazy!”
“It’s worse than that,” his playdate added. “Fleeting Fancy is insane. She lost her coltfriend when one of Electric’s hitponies killed him dead for disobedience. Now, she stays in the bar most of the time, working with the boss while hitting on suitors to replace him.”
“Except, they just get killed because of some ‘workplace discrepancy.’” His tongue clicked as he shook his head in distaste. “Sounds pretty insane to me. I wonder if you and Ms. Night all learned from her...?”
Coral was dealt an uncanny revelation when all the pieces fell into place. “Wait, that thief in alleyway? She tried that on you?” The hippogriff stifled a chuckle at the sound of the colt’s admittance. “Well, that mare did teach the subtle art of wooing stallions before getting them to do your bidding. I thought they were a little too cliche and forward for my tastes but, as you are living proof of, it works sometimes.” Unable to hold back, she might as well enjoy the free booze after generating a subtle titter. With a swift swig, she drank the whole contents in one entire gulp and coughed from the intense burning kick throbbing down her throat.
The sullen pony in his displacement, with forelegs folded, and denying the dignity of a response in any form, clearly unamused by her comment. “Ah ha... ha…” When she realized that he wasn’t in the mood for levity, she once again brushed her mane before going back to more pressing matters. “Anyway, do you see why I left? Electric does have power, no pun intended, to protect his gang, but they are all insane. The murder of innocent civilians is what made me fly the coop when I got the chance.”
“Yeah, well, is he known for keeping ponies waiting or is this some unusual circumstance?”
“Well, well, well, look what the bird dragged in.”
As if on cue, the pony in question had announced his presence with a honeyed, yet gritty voice. Neither flinched in his unexpected arrival, while an empty chair from afar flew in the air with his telekinesis to join them. The country pony’s intuition hinted at the stallion as the source of every despicable event they’ve attested to since arriving. Not just in bondage, but within Baltimare alone. He couldn’t afford to say so much a quip but knew the worst has yet to come. Fate manifested itself through a bright orange unicorn fancying a green zoot suit and a spikey, gelled back white mane with eyes glaring red as the sun. He spun the chair in swagger ending with a suave posture sitting on a chair in reverse form, intimidation building up while he greedily sought the guest of honor foremost, " So... What’s shakin’, fly girl?”
The big boss, the pony that crushed his foes under an iron hoof and owned a stranglehold in the underground, seemed calm and laid back. However, the gem thief was already familiar with his explosive mood swings like a maximum case of bipolar disorder. “Electric Boogaloo” were the only words she chose as pawns moving on the board of social chess.
“Enjoying ourselves today?” the pony who delighted in a musical purgatory queried. “Drinks got the same kick as before?” Coral identified the intense raging fire burning inside his eyes zeroed on her, rather transparent even with his relaxed demeanor.
“It’s the same as always.”
He nodded after driving fatal intentions into her soul, then glanced over to the uninvited one. “And you? Enjoying my modest club?”
“Yeah... real cozy…” Cornfield replied, already over the nonchalant nice-guy act.
“Yeah? Would you be willing to stay here for as long as you live, it’s that cozy?”
“What exactly are you insinuating?” Anger slowly begins to solidify his senses, sick of being toyed with.
Electric mildly raised his hooves and laughed. “Whew! This colt is all hot. Relax, cat. I’m not here to hurt ya. Now, your friend here...”
“If you’re going to kill me, go ahead and do it,” the hippogriff had it with his crap, cutting him off and examined her empty glass in humility. “You have everything you need. The bartender. The collar. Your magic. Just pick one.”
Electric paused briefly and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, as he does whenever beginning a slimey deal. A good sign, it meant he allowed for negotiations and that stalled their demise; a possibility of hope they very much lacked. Dressed in a faint blue aura, he tossed the pack on the table, isolating a cig that floated due to his magic. Then, a miniature bolt of lightning struck the tobacco tip, banding his horn and reeling it into his puckered lips. After deeply inhaling the addictive soothing substances and billowing it out in a collective cloud above, the interrogation had begun. “Where’s my diamond?”
“Sold it.”
“Nice gem on your chest. What is it?”
“Not telling.”
He switched gears to the plus one beside her. “What’s that gem on her chest?”
“It’s a heart. Can’t ya tell?” he plainly retorted.
“Your ‘no-harming’ privileges are on a fine line.”
“Is that a threat?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
“PLEASE!!!” Coral begged, losing her cool, not accepting the charades determining their punishment caused by her cursed transgressions any longer. Emotions on the verge of snapping, she unknowingly pressed her talons into her temples, feeling like the organ in her skull could breach and accumulate a mess on the fine carpet. Reaching the boiling point of a mental breakdown, Electric lazily smirked at his pathetic plaything, intrigued if she will cave in and sell the colt into slavery. During a prolonged awkward silence, she finally straightened herself out on the hot seat and regained minimal composure with a deep sigh. “What do you want from me?”
“R-E-S-P-” The jazzy stallion sucked out a puff of smoke, expelled it precisely at her face, and tapped the ash off his cigarette. “-E-C-T. You are gonna get something for me to prove trash like you is worth the trouble.”
The tainted gas provoked her lungs, displacing a coughing fit as she rapidly waved to recirculate her breath faster. “It’s always-” She wheezed again. “-something with you. What is it this time?”
“Pop quiz: What event is happening in Baltimare right now?”
“The Harvest Festival…” Cornfield answered for the sake of his partner.
“Ding ding ding! You’ve won first prize!” Electric answered with overblown sarcastic enthusiasm, clapping his hooves. “Bartender! Fetch a glass a’ juice for our wonderful colt!”
The bartender humorously obliged, pouring a cup of colorful fruit juice meant to mix with cocktails. When brought onto the table, it even had a bendy straw, pre-bent. The young stallion, unnecessarily poked fun of at his expense, tilted his nose far down as despair latched on, the mocking glass in view and spoke as a defeated victim. “You’re a real comedian.”
“It’s an annual event where ponies with nothing better to do grow a bunch of plants and compare who wasted the most time. Not to mention that pretentious cunt Mayor Mare is bringing a solid gold trophy for the winner.” Finding amusement in his line of dirty affairs, the orange puppet master chuckled as he dumped the cigarette in the colt’s juice, making the abridged loud hiss of a punctured tire. “I’d compete myself for the hunk of cold hard moolah but, well, everything I seem to touch tends to die.”
Casually stating death like it was just another day at the office almost unnerved the syndicate’s deserter. Moreover, his proposal had passed the point of absurdity. “You want me to steal a trophy?” she implored clarification as she was stranded in disbelief.
“Yeah. My room could use a new decoration.”
“Why us?” Cornfield further questioned. “To compensate a debt?”
“It’s very simple, a yak can understand it.” Done screwing around with the vermin, Electric’s tone harshened; baring the teeth of criminal dictatorship. “You get me the statue, we bury the hatchet. I go to the police. I clear birdbrain’s name. You refuse, don’t get it by midnight, or skip town, you’ll be choking down the pain.”
Coral’s pupils shrunk to pinpricks upon activating the cursed collar, throttling her neck immediately. She opened up her beak to claim back her health, but the object resumed its cycle of painfully crushing her throat with hydraulic strength. The suffering too soon revisited Cornfield’s psyche and permanently contorted his heart as he broke out streams of sweat. Imprisoned helplessly into an exhibition of his best friend dying, a nuclear bomb of catastrophic heartache went off within his social conscience while she descended towards a painful death. To save his friend, he disregarded his hatred for Electric and nearly reduced to pleading for a stoppage. “We get it, alright?! There’s no need for that!”
“Nah, nah,” the cruel unicorn smiled, entertained by the sheer agony. “She has to say it. Speak up now, Coral! I can’t hear you. We got a deal?”
Oxygen had nearly deserted her decrepit lungs, inducing slight hallucinations she was at the gates that swallowed its victims through assimilation unto their final destination. Her claws dug into the surface of the table and grasped for one last merciful chance. Her head practically ascertained a purple hue akin to the recently deceased. All Cornfield could do was absorb the unbearable sight inside a cracked bottle made with thin glass. “You’ve gone TOO FAR now!” his mind screamed. “I don’t know how I’m gonna do it. But I will KILL you myself!”
Electric bellowed hysterically and, knowing exactly when to pull back before the victim fell to asphyxiation, said “breathe easy”. This conveyed to a loosened collar, registering the notion to disarm. Stunned from the lack of oxygen, she ragdolled onto the ground, feeling like she had entered a trans-dimensional rift into another world while the room spiraled around her.
Gasping for air as her vision realigned sluggishly, she lifted a clawful of talons up and counted each digit in tune with a list. “W-wuh-”, Her gaping beak absorbed more polluted ventilation. “Whisperweed, glass-cutter, binoculars, and a disguise for me to wear.”
“Whisperweed?” Under his cool composure, Electric’s curiosity piqued, “Why does the ‘lone eagle’ need whisperweed?”
“C-Cornfield is going with me. H-He’s-” she gulped the smoke-tainted air down with her mangled throat enough to speak without knocking herself out. “H-he’s my recon.” Her partner became dumbstruck, wondering what brilliant idea she has rationally conceived in her condition.
“Whisperweed it is, then.” While the hippogriff remained hacking like a cat throwing up hairballs on the carpet, his horn glowed. The collar suddenly radiated a magical fog around it, then abruptly stopped. Towering over her, he pointed his hoof down at her no better than garbage strewn along the side of the road. “You leave town, don’t see me at midnight, or try to take off that collar, it will choke a bitch so fast, your head will pop off. Not kidding. Get my trophy.” Hopping off the chair, he lightheartedly punched Cornfield’s shoulder experiencing deja vu giving his partner a hoof. “Good luck, colt. You’re gonna need it.”
Disregarding the comment, Cornfield wiped the impression left by Electric’s corrupt hooves, and watched him go back to the hole he crawled out of earlier. Then he beelined to help up Coral. In a particularly soft, caring dialect, he aided her up. “Here. Grab my hoof, let’s go before they get any more bright ideas.”
Although the leverage his hoof provided got her back on her feet, she fringed on keeling down again, wrapping her foreleg around his neck like it was a lifesaver. She glanced behind in trace of Electric. The murderous unicorn visibly slammed the door behind him. “I hate... him…” she rasped. “And this place.”
Much like the rats scurrying along a sewer, Cobalt Coral and her trusted comrade, Cornfield, navigated stealthily through Baltimare’s infrastructure in a hurry back to their hole in the wall. While her friend retained his appearance, Coral, on the other hoof, came equipped with a wide brim hat, a long trench coat, and sunglasses. Ironically, wearing heavy clothing in the middle of a late summer’s noon only served to attract an increasingly wary crowd. If her identity was compromised, no doubt half of Baltimare’s force would show up in droves, so she’d rather remain sweating her feathers off, than risk arrest.
Thankfully for her, the young colt escorting her was boiling over with anger, and grinding his teeth. The seemingly permanent scowl could hardly fit on his face and harshly shooed nosy strangers away, respecting his body language to steer clear from the fury he packed. Sensing his escalated tension, the concerned hippogriff took thoughtful measures by asserting her companionship in him and lightly massaging his back with her claws. She knew whatever distressed his mind, she held the responsibility. “Easy,” the soothing words left her beak. “Let’s just go back to the safehouse and wait for our instructions and supplies.” The sweat dripping like a leaky faucet ruffled her feathers, as she yanked the collar of her coat. “Geez. I feel like I’m in a sauna...”
His jaw stumbled, while his whole body began to shake, “I... I’m... I’m gonna kill that motherbucker…” Looking into his heart, he witnessed himself and Coral’s former boss, Electric Boogaloo, locked foreleg-to-foreleg, before suddenly the orange unicorn’s neck received the broken end of a liquor bottle, promoted with the colt’s hoof, as blood flushed away the scene. “Bucking bastard...Whatever it takes…”
“Trust me, Cornfield, not before I do. But, we need to play his little game first. I free myself from him, then we figure something out later.”
While Coral avoided the death gaze he’s throwing at passerby, he sincerely asked once he noticed the abused gem hunter keep pace, “How hard is it to steal that gold trophy?”
Feigning ignorance, she playfully hummed aloud and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. How hard is it to steal a diamond? What about the Puppy Peridot? Or many other gems I’ve stolen? Ooh, here’s a good one!” She tapped the gemstone lodged invasively in her chest through the heavy fabric. “How hard is it to steal The Heart of Nature?”
“Well, compared to the ones you’ve just listed, this will be in a public place. As a matter of fact, that could make this even trickier.” The next step he took on the sidewalk was so heavy, he swore he left a crack behind him. “Shit! We’ve been really dealt a bad hand this time!” Cornfield should have been frightened, even in his now more experienced state. However, seeing his best, most founded friend suffer from the hooves of scumbag goons and overrated tyrants pushed him so far beyond his eternal being. He’d carry the burden to his grave. At this point, he would without thinking, destroying himself, if it meant substance for revenge.
Indications that the long trip home would soon reach its end, Coral watched their backs on the way down the alley, making sure nopony followed. At the door, she gripped the knob as Cornfield mindlessly followed like a lost lamb. Then, she called out to him. “Hey, Cornfield?”
The mental lights suddenly switched on, no longer distracted by murder and responded with an eriee calmness. “...Uh... Yes, Coral?”
“It’s comforting to know that you are worried about me. It’s been an awful long time since anypony has done that. However...” Turning her head strongly to him, she zeroed in on his pupils while slyly pulling her sunglasses down to highlight her wink and confident smile. “I’m a pro at this. As long as you cover my flank, I can pull it off.” She lifted the cheap shades off her beak and lodged it in her coat pocket, then opened the door for a welcoming gesture.
As she waited patiently for him to enter, his eyes once again dared to enter her very soul. He couldn’t resist the thoughts of her pathetic submission, writhing on the floor, lusting for mercy from her tormentor. It scrambled his emotions, his rationality, as he so desired in holding steadfast to the things he believed in. For such defilement, the tolerance of their existence was vilified in his judgement, and he would go as far as the ends of space and time to seek their destruction. Then, in the prelude of an awkward silence, he submerged himself into their humble residence.
The holdup sparked her curiosity, yet she hastily excused its sudden occurrence as nerves and followed suit while lugging off her heavy clothing. Finally settling in with the door shut, she did her best to make their home away from home soothe aching emotions sustained from conflict. “You know what I just realized the moment I stepped inside?” she quizzed as she reanimated shadows dancing across the walls with a lit lantern nestled on the table.
Hardly tolerating her insistent monitoring or possibly the rare occasion of vital insight, he revloved his head from a corner that light failed to tread into a receiving position. “What is it, Coral?” he spoke readily.
“I’m starving.” She reached to pat her own growling stomach in an effort of lightening up today’s tragedies. “I forgot what fear does to make you lose your appetite.”
The ambush of her uncharacteristic dialogue suddenly rocked him out of his adrenaline fueled rage, but not entirely. “Ah! Yes! We haven’t actually eaten all this time. I’m sorry, Coral. It’s just... Been one of those days... Haha…” He rubbed his neck, his fur resisted the pressure of his hoof, testifying just how tense he got. Despite blowing over dark clouds, he couldn’t shake off the threat of Electric’s massive puppet mastery, lingering diabolically in the recesses of his mind.
“Well, what did you pick up at the store? Touristy crap? Because I could go for anything at this point.” She nested her tall, slender body comfortably on her blankets and laid on her side, facing present company.
“I’m sorry, Coral. It’s not like we have an oven, so I just got...well…” Flapping open his nearby saddlebag, a multicolored pile of labelled bags spilled onto the cold floor surface. “The food is just things like whole enriched corn chips, fried kelp snacks, and some candy. Hardly anything that a nutritionist recommends.”
“You act like that’s the worst thing I’ve eaten in my life. Dibs on the kelp snacks.”
“Still... we’ll need more food later on. I think nuts might be good.” His eyes widened, thinking he said something outlandishly stereotypical as he back-pedalled. “Not just because you’re a bird, but…”
She waved her talons dismissively, motioning him to chill out. “It’s still better than nothing.” She swiped a bag at the summit of processed consumables and pulled its top apart. “Trust me, this is a far cry from panhandling in the streets of Kludgetown. Never again.”
“Please tell me these goons are the last of your history that we must worry about. I’d hate to walk into Mount Aris only to go through that song and dance again... almost literally!” He shook his muzzle with forehead in hoof, as the band’s performance reenacted in his subconscious. “I mean, I can enjoy a little jazz here and there, but even that exhibition barely qualified as ‘amatuer’.” Emphasizing the sarcasm, he curled up his hooves.
She let loose a brief laugh before continuing.”No no no. Baltimare was the first and last time I tried organized crime. Also, don’t worry about that desolate garbage community hole-in-the-sand I mentioned before. They would most definitely kill me on sight anyway.” She traced a sharp talon across her neck as she spoke. “They are not very keen on thieves, especially young street urchins.”
“So then, no special quest gems we need to collect while we’re here?”
“Nope!” She reached in the bag for a clawful of kelp chips and greedily scarfed them down, savoring the zesty flavor of sour cream and onion powders. “Mmm, when you stare death in the face for so long, suddenly everything tastes so good,” she talked with her mouth partially obstructed before covering it and swallowing whole, in lieu of grace. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m just glad you’re alive. But... Correct me if I’m wrong, we’re gonna have to do something about these criminals before we leave, aren’t we?”
“I’m just hoping to do the favor, get my name cleared of the crimes I DIDN’T do, and get a freaking boat! We’ll settle them later.”
A light pounding on the door startled them both, then an utterance of the phrase: “You steal the sun, you steal the shadows”. The pitter-patter of hooves scrambling away; sounds of somepony galloping rapidly away reverberated throughout.
“Good, that’s our stuff,” said Coral as she set down her precious junk food to answer the delivery.
“Yeah,” Cornfield sighed, his secure conscious violated to have someone from the Onyx Syndicate breathing down their necks. “But now they know our hideout!”
“I know. We’ll worry about relocation later.” She creaked open the door revealing a box that answered her requested supplies lying outside. Urgently, she yanked it inside, shut themselves in, and slid it over to curious Cornfield. The box opened up as she rummaged through the contents. “Let’s see...” She continuously rattled around the items inside, almost fraught with anticipation to get started. It was just like old times. Times where she felt a rush of excitement during the planning phases of each heist.
“I’m guessing it includes the weed thing?”
“Whisperweed, yes.” One by one, Coral removed and laid out each item, properly organized to improve comprehensive presentation. “Blueprints of the hotel where Mayor Mare is staying at, whisperweed, glass-cutters, oh, and they threw in some binoculars like I requested! Good. These are pretty decent, too.” After setting the optics down softly, an electrically charged stamp of a saxophone highlighted some folded letter clipped into the corner of said blueprint. Upon opening, its message assembled in various paper clippings read “Mayor Mare is holding a press conference at 3 pm. Get your spotter to find her room.”
After fiddling with each item in detail, Cornfield examined the piece of stationery left by his thieving feathered friend on the ground. Accused of being powerless in its context got the colt down on his hocks, pouting with his forelegs crossed. “Ugggghhh... I HATE being this guy’s puppet!”
“More like sock-puppet. How do you think I feel?” She pinched the odd plant delicately between her digits. “Ok, so, do you know how whisperweed works?”
He wouldn’t let her squirm her way out of this one any longer. It was time she confessed what she did. “Excuse me? I didn’t decide to band with some crooks for my own gain!”
Coral just froze as a deer stunned by bright light. Her eyebrows and crests drooped slightly while the loose weed gracefully descended like paper onto the blueprints. The rock that kept her emotions stabilized just prosecuted her. “...What?”
“All I’m saying is we’re dealing with your consequences, Coral!” The hippogriff under the burning spotlight flinched hard from the accusing damage of his attack! Angrily, he shot up and patrolled across the ground like he was some kind of infantry pony, not dignifying her with facial acknowledgement. “This is all because you had to enlist among an unforgiving vicious mafia!”
“Oh, my gosh...” The palm of her talons formed a web on her face. Suddenly, Cornfield was behaving as nasty as the very enemies that held a knife over their heads and, of all things, he chose this dishonorable opportunity where she was most vulnerable. “Cornfield, I’m sorry that you had to be dragged into this. But, you were so forgiving of my lifestyle when I told that I did what I had to do to survive! I felt like I had no other choice!”
“Oh sure, it’s easy to say ‘You had no choice’!” he sassed in a condescending tone. “But now, our lives hang in the balance! This is what happens when you side with criminals!” He stopped to socially knock her down a peg and point his hoof in judgment. “Are you proud of yourself?!”
After the sting of her trusted companion’s accusation sank in, she closed her eyes into spontaneous meditation before puffing out her feathery chest. “You know what, Cornfield? You’re right. I have made mistakes in my life. Joining the Onyx Syndicate was DEFINITELY one of them.” Stepping forward without adherence to his point-blank presence, she hardened her expression and resolve. “But you know what? I’m proud of who I am. And you wanna know why? Because I’ve been dealt the shittiest hand I could never dream of in my wildest nightmares, and I’m still MOVING FORWARD!” Her voice steadily rose as she strongly laid down a definitive justification, “I’ve shown that despite having my family slaughtered before my eyes, ostracized from Seaquestria, almost killed in Kludgetown, and left ALONE for the better part of my life, I will never give up!”
“B-b-b-b-but...” The weapon to counter her return fire was nowhere, the subject of her deceased relatives vanquished any meagering criticisms he had prior. “I just have to know, why didn’t you look for an alternative?” He backpedaled away from the swiping range of her sharp avian talons, asking the most pressing query. “Why resort to stealing?!”
“It’s because-!” Just as she flowed into her own twisted reasoning, the logic cut her off. It suddenly dawned on her she had never really attempted an honest living. Softly, her anger and voice diminished as she looked deep inside her own soul. “It’s because it’s all I ever knew to do.”
Her hindlegs gave way, plummeting her rear back down. Being a thief of professional caliber taught her never to show weakness, especially in front of the small young stallion. The hemorrhaging sorrow densely shrouded her heart and her tears leaked like water through a brittle crack of a dam. She recalled what led her down such a destructive road, which bore permanent scars that could never properly closed. Ever since Cornfield became ensnared in her career, the open wounds threatened to undergo a rebirth, and so the pain of her tormented spirit spilled everywhere.
“Ever since I was left stranded on the cold dark world to float aimlessly above the ocean’s surface,” she disclosed with a shaky voice, “I felt lost. More lost than I ever felt when my parents had died. I was young. Maybe half your age. A lot of skills I developed were what taught myself in desperate situations…” In her selfish disgrace, the passage of the tale resumed while she was drawn to the dipliated floor. “...And I’ve been living that way ever since, dodging the detours from a path that’s kept me alive.”
Cornfield picked apart her testimony for the truth while respecting the rationalization that her survival persisted against the odds. At the same time, the contradictions of moral alignment begged a certain question. He stood solid in place on a higher standpoint and proclaimed, “You should have seen when you could have prevented your own undoing. Do you resolve to fix what you started?”
The hippogriff sat wrapped in her forelegs, agonized by the selfish harm she commited. “I want to fix things, Cornfield. That’s why I’m searching for the Gems of Creation. Not just to right my wrongs, but the horrid acts done by others as well.”
He stomped his hoof in cold ignorance of her feelings, blinded by his black-and-white sense of justice. “You could’ve prevented this! And you chose to pilfer others for yourself?!”
“I could…” The room hung still in cold silence before she kept her thoughts pumping. “I could’ve also went back to being a slave before being a thief. I could’ve gone back to not steal the pearl to turn back into a hippogriff. I could’ve gone back and obeyed my queen.” Tears were pouring from her face, her beak quivering as it pointed at her feet. “It doesn’t matter now. I did what I did, and I do hope to fix it...” She reenabled eye-contact sorrowfully, but the flowing water down her cheeks was perpetual. “I just hope you understand what I went through to resort to that...”
“Coral…” Like a candlewick bursting into flames on its own, he suddenly realized the reality of the situation that they were prisoners of. Even though he denounced her lifestyle choices, she did them because no creature would beget a charitable hoof upon her. No matter where she found herself in, the cruel world forced her to capitalize on the needs of survival, which henceforth forced a required direction. That being putting herself before the relative desires of others just for a passage in mere existence. “...I’m…” He wept as he approached her and placed his hoof sweetly on her shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have gone so far! We’re here now. And that’s ok.”
At first, she was reluctant to accept his gesture. The only possibility for her distraught remorse flourishing was Cornfield shoving a corrosive vindication overwhelming her conscious. Yet, she didn’t neglect the truth that he was caught in the middle. The path to redemption meant disposing the corrupt zeitgeist haunting these two unlucky travelers in a quest to change the world. She cupped his comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s ok. We’re ok...” After he granted her some space, Coral regained her confidence as she wiped the water off her cheek. “Cornfield...?” He stopped in place, wondering what else was on her mind. “Thank you… You are one of the only ponies I ever opened up to.”
The young colt let out a whinny before blushing at her words. Coral’s eyes dried as she stood up once more and spread her claws on her jewel-embedded chest. “Before I met you, I felt myself becoming more and more distant with the world I grew up in,” she revered. “But, when I heard you cry, it made me realize I was going down a dark path. In a way, you saved me from that.”
He stood dumbstruck, heart fluttering with nothing to say. Although it’s been almost a week, he never imagined that he could have this much of an impact on some other creature before. And yet, here he was, unlocking the gates of her heart. “...Coral...” he spoke softly. “I…” Beating him to the punch was a claw gingerly across his mouth. No need to be the scared chick she held inside. It was time an adult showed up.
“One more heist, Cornfield.”
Forming a unison leveraging the misfit duo in the grander scheme of things, the young photographer resolved to swear a covenant with his friend. “...Ok... But just promise me one thing in return…”
“Of course. What is it?”
He responded by locking down on her view coldly with murderous intent. “When the time is right, you’re gonna help me kill Electric!” he announced in fiery vigor. “I can’t get to him myself. But, together, surely we can bring him to justice!”
The onslaught of pure hatred utterly stunned Coral, pupils shrinking while her brain drummed up a vibrant demonstration vividly confined powered through imagination. Where did he acquire a taste for blood enduring their adventures as she knew him to be the innocent and naive colt? The onset of his change brought mental turmoil, and she soon wished he’d stay within the bubble of his insecurities. For him to show these guts argued that presently he was better off a child. Taking a deep breath, she articulated the answer reserved inside herself and sternly rehearsed, “I’m a thief. Not a murderer, Cornfield. I’ve never killed before and I’m not starting now.”
“Please!” It was now the colt’s turn to plead for sympathy on behalf of his postulation. “After what happened to you... I just... I can’t let him live!”
Coral backed off, assuming that, in his naivety of the real world, he wasn’t familiar by nature under pressure of a force with such magnitude. It wasn’t just about wanton brutality this time. Instead it was the ploy, influence, and circumstances conspiring against them both. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and she chalked it up to immaturity when push came to shove, as it most certainly did. “I’m not saying we should let him get away with this, either! If there is any creature I could willingly kill to save my country, it’s Lord Whirlwind. Electric Boogaloo does deserve justice, but...” No matter what, she could never place herself in a position to promote homicidal antics, her head shaking in disapproval.
A stalemate cleary befell them here. He could confirm if he were to become victorious, it would be without her aid and possibly left alone. Coral would abandon him for exhuming the ghost of Electric. Having so much wrath built up in him, it was overflowing any controllable effort at a level that prevented his anger from softening his heart. Concealing his eyes watering bitter sadness into the air, he jerked away. “Well, anyway! How hard could it possibly be? We just gotta break into the hotel guarded by royal security, trespass into a city council member’s secured quarters, and rob the most coveted prize of the city’s holiday! What could go wrong?” His tone deceived his diminishing confidence, followed up by a hollow chuckle, fearing the reality of the mystified future.
“Nothing bad will happen to you only if you follow my lead. Now, do you know what whisperweed is?”
Wiping his face with a single sweep of his foreleg, Cornfield put minimal effort into looking right at her; inelegantly disguising the raw tears protruding down his fur. “No. What is it?”
Once more, she presented the flora; two small white bell-shaped flowers dangled at the top. After gingerly plucking one bell, she stuck it in her ear, the open petals expanding outward. “If two creatures wear a bell from the same whisperweed in their ear, they can hear and speak to each other speak from a great distance. It’s a very useful tool for communication.”
He looked at her awkwardly. “Oh? Like some kind of microphone?”
“Right. Now then...” She invited Cornfield to join her in studying the blueprints of a large building. After they both got comfortable, she planted a claw on the paper and tapped important sections to help him follow along.
As the blazing sun overlooked the citizens scurrying about, many photo ponies and journalists in Baltimare were collectively bursting out their competitive publishing companies for a chance to meet their intensive quota. Their destination: Oceanview Suites, a stunning establishment for their clientele, geared for the rich and famous, to kick back and relax in a luxury home, away from home. The towering building stretched into the skyline, with white marbled stone and streaks of gold on the edges of the doors and windows ensured its majesty. Accompanying the immediate vicinity was a luscious garden, lining the outer walls with green, healthy bushes. Fields of colorful flowers complimented two fountains articulated a concrete pathway to the main entrance. However, while the unsuspecting herd of noisy paparazzi trotted by, minding their own business, a wriggling vine emerged onto the sidewalk from the canopy of the alleyway. It laid unseen for unsuspecting prey to tread on its territory. Much to the horror of one unfortunate stallion, the volatile plant stem instantly latched onto his mouth, gagging his screeching snout shut. Then, even more vines whisked him away as his muffled cries of panic died out in the prevailing darkness.
“Cornfield, that tip said that Mayor Mare was going to a press conference outside of the hotel,” Coral reminded him, long before their mission began. “How proficient are you as a photo-journalist with that camera of yours?”
“I always get my snaps... save for that one time on the rock farm… Haha…” Combined with his own camera and the whisperweed implanted in his ear, the tools of deception, espionage, and thievery had secured his role in the mission.
“Put those on,” the hippogriff barked as she tossed a white suit, red tie, and green coat close to falling through his surprised forelegs. “You are from the Baltimare Tribunal. Remember that. I’ll make sure that this pony is unharmed and secure.” She ended with a phrase that was crafted for calming her hostage, and coaxing him into cooperating.
Clearing his throat so obvious even a cavepony could see it, he summoned within his best impression he imagined of a fast-talking, hard-hitting member of the press. “Baltimare Tribunal!” he announced, like he suddenly knew what he was doing for a change. Getting up close and personal with Coral, he asked “Ma’am! Is it true that you, a hippogriff, said yaks are more like overgrown hairy dogs pretending to be civilized creatures?”
“Gasp and horror!” She poorly acted like his words put her in a corner. “That is a bold-faced LIE. I said griffons were dogs, not yaks!” They laughed as their liberal-minded tied-up guest rolled his eyes at the insulting mockery of “professional” journalism. “Convincing. Now, remember, after the press event is done, follow her, and ask for a personal interview. Get ruthless and get out there!”
“No problem! Sneaking is what I do best. Especially with my camera in hoof.” The colt saluted her as his boy scout side was showing, a contrasting revelation of his true innocent nature in this dark place. With that, he sallied onward, committed to the task entrusted in him. Cornfield shifted into the gang of photo-happy journos eager to rip and tear each other apart for the first shots. The pack of hyenas in pony fur quickly assimilated with the busy audience of an epic stage, effectively set up in a clearing before the gardens. Mayor Mare dominated the podium, surrounded by camera flashes, with the rest of the other officials from neighboring cities listening to her speak.
Suddenly, the flower in his ear reverberated the voice of his hippogriff confidant. “Take a few pictures and act like a journalist. Remember: no butt shots.”
“Very funny, Coral.” Cornfield subtly remarked back. “You know, I used to like the mayor. Then, I found out she sold a special range of hills by the Everfree Forest to some ‘Special Canterlot Garden Club!’” Instinctively, he curled his hooves while mockingly addressing the haughty organization. “Bucking sellout…” With repeated clicks, he wasted no time in snapping some photos as the politician dove into her pompous speech.
Minutes seemed to convert into hours, the mayor really packed tons of fluff in her wordy texts. “...And with that,” Mayor Mare finally concluded, “may I be the first pony to say ‘Let’s go grow!’ Any questions?”
The crowd murmured to themselves as fields of hooves propped up.
“Cornfield!” the whisperweed rang. “I’m on top of one of the buildings nearby. The blueprint says there’s a trapdoor behind the building that goes to the basement.”
“You sure they won’t just let me waltz in after the Mayor?” he asked softly.
“Definitely. This isn’t a public hotel, remember? But, the Mayor has such a fondness for attention that she’s sure to invite you if you run into her as she heads inside.”
Nonchalantly, he weaved through the dense audience in the direction of the hotel, lightly brushing ponies aside like he was on official business. Giving the event a wide berth, he snuck around until he found himself behind the building. Spotting the wooden trapdoor obscured by the lawn, he pried the latch, swung it open, and plunged himself inside without a second thought. His heart was in his throat when he found himself freefalling downward, but landed on a pile of soft delicate clothes in line for the wash.
“You in?” Coral queried.
“Yeah!” her spotter proclaimed awfully full of pride. “And boy, did I hit jackpot baby! There’s gotta be a week’s worth of mare’s dirty laundry I just landed in!”
“Gross! And yet, it’s strangely good to see you back out of your funk!”
“What funk?”
“Nevermind. I’m just glad you’re doing ok. Head up, pronto. The crowd seems to be dispersing. Take the stairs out of the basement and wait for her to waltz inside the main lobby.” Mischievously, the pervert stuffed a pretty red thong down his journalist’s pocket. Then, he conscientiously climbed a set of stairs and pushed the door slightly with his eyes peeled.
Peeking through the visible gap in the door, he marked a few guards and a maidspony passing by, turning a corner, and going their separate ways.
“Wow, this place sure looks fancy, Coral,” he noticed. The glorious decor adorning the halls were astounding on their own. Many fancy paintings dotted the walls between doors with distinguished regal furniture to rest on and soft patterned carpet to trot on top of. If this is what being a prince is like, any homesickness rapidly evaporated in the country stallion.
“Nothing but the best for the rich and the famous, I suppose. Must be nice to have life so easy.” Then, a gasp rushed out of his lookout’s beak. “She’s coming in now! Get to her, quick!”
He surged into the main lobby. A heavy and expensive chandelier hung above as a mare penetrated through the swivel entrance and past the front desk. It was the Ponyville mayor herself, trotting along and ascending the pure marble stairs that welcomed visitors to the elevator system. Acting in excess paranoia, he made fast sure nopony watched as he stealthily hugged along the walls, tailing his target. Then, an unexpected staff pony urgently pushed forward from behind a corridor. Mayor Mare had narrowly avoided a collision and her glasses fell from her recoiling snout in reflex onto the carpet. “Oh dear! My glasses!” she exclaimed as the employee went along without skipping a beat.
Nearing the top of the stairs, the innocent stallion beheld his objective in a compromising position. She had bent down to pick them up, unconsciously swinging her backside slightly. The easy offer before him was absolutely tempting, as her backside was literally on a silver platter for a snap. The angle, the disguise, the camera. Her rump was asking to be framed in all of its glory and added to his posterior trophy collection. “Ah,” he muttered with his hooves quivering. “Coral… she’s right in front of me… ASS FIRST!”
“Cornfield!” she quickly blurted out, praying her stern tone would cease him. “You can either take a picture of her butt or save my life. You can’t have both and I’ll never forgive you if you pick the former.”
The incognito journalist was sweating like crazy, bordering the lines of putting the mission in dear jeopardy. Then, the esteemed mayor reassigned her glasses on her nose and brushed herself off of the rash encounter. “There, that’s better.” The end of the sensation killed the mood, and he kept his bulge down the pants of another stallion.
“Damn you, Coral…” he cursed to the whisperweed. “I’m clear.”
“Good.” his flower responded with Coral’s positive acknowledgement. “If this all goes well and I’m free from Electric, I’ll pay you back with all the pictures of MY butt you can take!” After an awkward pause, she walked it back before he got any ideas. “Kidding. I’m kidding...”
Following close behind, he prowled like a wolf on the hunt as the VIP guest stood in standby for an oncoming elevator. The soothing tone of its glass cabin coming to a halt alerted him to pounce at a moment’s notice. The bell chimed for those of special privileges to step inside, as the mayor casually went forth without a second thought. Once the bell dinged again to signal departure, Cornfield slipped through the crack as quick as a whip, capturing his target with nowhere to go. Needless to say, the mayor was gobsmacked with ambushed surprised by his sudden arrival, shouting “Gah! Land’s sakes!”
“Good day, Madam Mayor!” he enthusiastically greeted with his overly-invasive paparazzi shtick. “Baltimare Tribune! I was wondering if you were available for an exclusive for our fine city?”
Mayor Mare eyed him up and down in cycles, flabbergasted on appropriate split-second reactions. The awkward moment had finally settled for a bit when it was safe to say the stranger had no ill intention to her physical state, she felt at ease. “You journalists are getting more and more bold every year.”
As they shared the exotic view reserved for owners of luxury in the elevator, Baltimare’s main capacity was appealing to the serenity of the skies. Its occupants gaining altitude, he then brought out his A-game with querying standard, non-offensive questions to fire endlessly. She answered them with ease as he wrote down her responses with his notebook, under the guise of authenticity.
After a timely arrival, Mayor Mare and her interviewer exited the elevator through a long hallway. “Well, Mister...”
“Cornfield, ma’am! Mind if I walk you to your room?”
Knowing only the life of chivalry and high class, she granted him the pleasure of accompanying her to the temporary space of dwelling. His endeavor lead to a finely polished wooden door. When he respected the room to be his goal, the stallion examined the number engraved on a golden plaque embossed on the door. He relayed the room number “1991”.
“Perfect!” the whisperweed hummed in gleeful cheer. “Get out and come back to the alley. Don’t forget, those interview answers are a tip for our little friend’s silence.”
Bidding the mayor farewell, he mindfully retraced his steps back until he was once again reunited with his friend, Coral. She then welcomed him back at the rendezvous point where they returned everything back to its rightful owner hostage and sent him on his way, unharmed albeit confused.
Time rolled on until the night’s shadowy blanket covered the city like a shroud. Above the many blocks condensed with central city living, on the platform of the tallest of towers, the bird burglar and her spotter kneeled upon anticipation. Baltimare’s infrastructure laid before them, and they peered over and gazed down the dizzying city streets. Cornfield’s eyes were strictly glued into the binoculars, scanning through windows and gardens of the ritzy hotel for patrolling security.
“Cornfield?” Coral stretched her feathers out, priming her wings for take-off. “How many ground patrols are there?”
“Just two intersecting each other.” he relayed back, watching their pattern of movement. “I think most of the guards are inside the hotel. If only they were female...”
“Perfect. Didn’t today make it all worthwhile?” Taking out a rolled-up blueprint out her saddlebags, she unfurled it to memorize the tacky layout of the rooms. “What floor is it on again?”
“The Nineteenth floor, Coral. Should I repeat it so your parrot instinct will remember FOR you?””
“With a building that big, there’s bound to be pegasi guards. Can you spot them?”
He scoped the higher floors of anything flying, wondering if her assumptions were correct. “Well, if they’re any more guards they’d probably be inside the room itself, because I’m not seeing anypony around here.
“All right. Let’s hope that the guards outside don’t look overhead, then.” Ready to soar, she perched herself on the edge, waiting for any signal to commit the crime. The spotter gave the nineteenth floor and neighboring floors a thorough scan. The barren halls occupied a couple guards, but they rounded a corner in their designated patrol routes. With the gardens left neglected, he raised his hoof as Coral was set for launch.
“Go,” he executed as he flung his hoof forward. The hippogriff leapt into the cool night air as her majestic wings synchronized with the wind, leaving behind a couple small feathers fluttering about. After a silent glide, she utilized her keen eagle eye to pinpoint the window of the mayor’s room. On approach, she graciously flapped her wings aiding a slow descent, lest she become the statistic of many birds in history slamming into glass as flat as a pancake. Then, when she leveled out her altitude, got out a glass cutting tool from her saddlebags. Cornfield watched from afar as she began her grand larceny.
“You think the room has security sensors?” her whisperweed buzzed in her ear.
“We’re about to find out if these windows are enchanted or not...” Carefully tracing a circle with an irritating creak noise, she grafted a small circle in the pane. Plush carpeting softened the impact underneath after she shoved the glass in, letting it fall with a softened impact. Finally, her foreleg penetrated through, undoing the lock and opened the window to barely squeeze in. “I’m in!”
“Watch your step, Coral! In and out! Like you said!”
“Right. In and-” The door across the room swung out, sending worrying fears down Coral’s spine as she stared in horror. The striking golden armor signalled the telltale visage of a royal guard coming inside. Something however, was very off about the pony inside. He was rather small but familiar, and the white braided tail and black fur was a dead giveaway. “Y-YOU?!”
Finding an intruder inside the office pronounced confusion in the guard’s fragile hoofing, but the hippogriff’s appearance instinctively caused her back to arch with aggressive posture. “YOU?!”
“Coral?” The stallion had reverberated distress in her auditory cavity. “What is it? Coral? Answer me please!”
“What are YOU doing here?” the avian interrogated, pointing a hostile claw in the rivaling perpetrator’s face.
“Stealing the trophy you birdbrain!” the black mare snapped with her hoof back but, in actuality, her innate greedy hoof pointed at the golden trophy. “You?”
“I’m here to do the same, and I came here first! Piss off!”
“I could arrest you with this getup. Maybe I should after you put me in the trash!”
Cornfield only picked up bits and pieces through the whisperweed, but that statement spelled out the third party loud and clear. “Shit!” he cursed in silence. “Did Electric just screw us over?”
“Not before I send you there again,” Coral threatened. “I’m not going to let Electric have my head!”
Mentioning the notorious mob boss jabbed some blight into the second thief’s comprehension. She cocked her head, requiring clarification with “Wait, he’s gonna do what?”
“If I don’t get that trophy, he’s going to kill me.” The hippogriff enunciated each word slowly for an impactful delivery. “My collar is going to choke me dead at midnight.”
The black burglar observed her opponent’s neck, detecting the leather collar. “You mean that thing? I was told it’s just for tracking ponies!”
Silver took her helmet off, shaking her silvery white hair loosely around as it laid over one of her emerald green eyes. To Coral’s horror, the same collar had been locked around her throat as well. Glancing between the collars, which represented a deadly ultimatum, she suddenly pieced together the sick joke that left pawns to die in a game nopony wins. Yet Cornfield was still left out of the loop. “What’s going on Coral? ...Coral?”
The troubled avian cupped her ear in her claws to issue a direct order. “Cornfield, don’t go anywhere,” she coldly commanded as she tossed the flower in the bin.
“Buck… CORAL!!” The whisperweed drowned in the trash. It was the worst case scenario that she wasn’t expecting. The crime lord’s sadism was brought down on another, causing chaos that might end the life of one petty thief, but entertain the puppet master. Pacing distressfully around a government leader’s residence, the hippogriff’s thoughts overcame her as the mysterious and beautiful mare hung her head, gazing at the carpet, betrayed.
Then, gathering herself to discern a viable remedy of their conflicts, Coral did a pacifist approach at the cautious ebony mare, extending her claws for a truce. “So, you and me. Let’s get better acquainted. I’m Cobalt Coral. What’s yours?”
The dark outlaw reeled at the display of sudden friendliness, braced for any exploitative trickery. “WAIT!” she shouted. “How do I know I can trust YOU?!”
Taking the time to exert dominance over Silver’s bewilderment, she shelved those concerns and snapped her talons in commanding respect. “Because I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you have, hon. Electric is playing us for fools. I’d rather let you have the trophy then let another pony die in my stead. That’s honor among thieves.” Verbal bullshit poured from Coral’s beak like it was going outta style. Of course her needs were greater, but she and Cornfield needed all the help Equestria could offer.
Words of an offer for friendly support occured to the black burglar like an alien language. Come to think of it, she’s never actually met her temporary boss, Electric. Through highly viable connections contained the promises of riches beyond her wildest dreams. Instead, all four of her legs were contractually wrapped up within a befouling competition that fraudulently held no interests of her heart. If there stood an opportunity to secure the trophy and keep her neck, then it was worth dying for. “What exactly are you proposing?”
“I know enough about magic to know that when a unicorn dies, the active curses enchanting our collars die with him. I was hoping to take on another way, but he leaves us no choice.” She braced a moral bound conscience, cursing herself that Cornfield’s hatred could bear wicked fruit. “You, me, and a friend of mine. We got to kill him before midnight strikes.”
The only saving grace laid in her opponent, the mare considered it calmly inside a serious demeanor. “You’re saying we kill Electric, the collars won’t hurt us?”
“Exactly. We got one chance for us both to make it out alive.” Coral searched deeply for a mental stall in her palm, wallowing in absolute disbelief that murder would score a victory opposed on her ethical standing. Against an entirely unpredictable, insane, yet vicious unicorn brimming with curses and destructive spells, their only lingering hope was a suicidal chance of winning this fight. “I will be honest, it’s not a sure fire guarantee that we will live to see the sun rise. But…” Demonstrating the powers of Silver’s newfound ally, her claws perform its vine-transformation with thorns as sharp as forged sabers frothing at the stems. “I think I can take him on with these new tricks of mine.”
Silver detoured her attention at the sparkling golden trophy. It sat in a locked glass case overlooking the two, tempting Silver with its solid gold wealth, “Well…” The unicorn trotted almost hypnotically towards it. “Is it possible we can get... both?” The dashing rogue hinted with an assuring smile and a tap on the glass.
“If you got a plan, I’d love to see you put it into action.”
With the bird’s blessing, Silver inspected the case, mostly deducing what would bring it to an unlocked state. Then, an idea sparked in her intrinsic mind. “Hey! This lock wasn’t built with bird creature things in mind, such as yourself…”
“Hippogriff. And what’s your point?”
“I’ll bet you can use those claws or even those thin vines of yours to pick the lock off this case.”
The crests on Coral’s head perked up, a wide devilish smile stretched across her beak. She effortlessly slid the vine in, playing with the pins inside the lock until a subtle click resonated.
With a hold onto the majestic treasure intended as a reward for the hard-working gardeners of Equestria, it was now inevitably in the possession of Coral and Silver. They cooley hoof-bumped each other in celebration of their combined power.
Marking the abrupt end of their heist, Mayor Mare thrusted the door open to the sight of two terrifying thieves ransacking her belongings. Instinctively, she screamed and called for unwanted attention, “BURGLARS! THIEVES! HELP!”
“Busted...” Coral remarked at the rude intrusion.
“SHIT!” the black mare exclaimed.
With only a breadth of a second to decide, Coral took charge through sheer adrenaline of preventing an end with asphyxiation in jail. “You!” she commanded her fellow thief. “Grab the trophy and jump out the window! I’ll catch you when I fly out!”
With unbecoming determination, Silver latched onto the trophy like it was a life preserver as she made a mad dash to fling herself out the window! “YOU BETTER CATCH ME, CORAL!” she yelled into the hallows of life-burdening wishes before gravity pulled her down to a daring deathly plummet.
A brave hippogriff plunged out of the hotel and let her wings grip aerodynamically while gaining acceleration to her flight. Her vines projected and ensnared the poor pony’s barrel as they both tumbled down the city depths in high speeds. Then, after the grip reaffirmed stiffly on her associate, she slowly rose her pitch and retracted the vines bringing the black outlaw securely under her stomach. “Neat trick, huh?!” she shouted with a cocky tone.
The cute pony struggled just to screech as she held her eyes shut, clutching onto the trophy like a teddy bear. All she thought in her mind was at least she held onto the one thing she loved the most and would give whoever had to clean the mess one harsh job.
Cornfield spotted Coral flying at him on the rooftop with the thief dangling in tow. The entire complex behind her lit up like a Hearth’s Warming Eve tree. Scarce on any time left, they must act in haste lest the feds show up to spoil the party. The avian displaced her extra cargo next to her spotter and loosened her vines from the burglar, only for her to slip off and land on her bubbly hindquarters. “OW! Watch it!” she protested, still clumped together with the trophy.
“Coral?!” shouted the stallion, recognizing the unwelcome pony in one glance. “Why in Equestria is she here with you?!”
The mare finally lifted herself up and then scoffed at Cornfield, pushing her trophy away from him. “I can’t believe you’re involved in this, too, little boy!”
After the third party’s defilement, Cornfield attempted a pressing debate to remove her, but the effort was futile against the hippogriff’s neutral position physically enforcing peace between the two. “Ok, break it up, both of you!” she ordered. “We have...” Coral referenced a clock tower stranded in the distance, tauntingly counting down the minutes before her doom. 9:56 pm was all that was left for consumption after their ordeal and ticking away faster than she would like. “Two hours before we die. We got the trophy, but we aren’t giving it to Electric. Cornfield, you’re getting your wish after all.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” The opportunity to fill him in was nigh. Keeping it concise as time ran short, Coral relayed the plan of snuffing out Electric to sustain their breath once and for all. Even though Cornfield could not fathom how Coral’s convictions reversed, he was more baffled by her company, a pony that introduced him to the parasitic life in his first ever tour of the city. Of course, achieving the colt’s empathy needed more than confiding a resolved conflict as he questioned his trusted friend. “Coral? Do we really need HER? She’s just a lowly mugger!”
“Yeah, and you’re a real knight in shining armor, wondercolt.” The mysterious mare saved her forelegs the trouble of carrying the golden statue and surrounded it with her horn’s levitation aura. “I may be a ‘lowly thief’...”
“MUGGER!” He asserted.
Exasperated, the white-maned female blew her hair aside, which proved as a pointless gesture. “Fine, MUGGER! You happy? Anyway, I’m really not looking forward to getting caught in a place like this, so could we hurry this along, please?”
The young stallion wanted nothing to do with this pest, so he tugged his friend’s foreleg. “Come on, Coral, we don’t need her! We’re good enough to take on Electric ourselves!”
Unamused by his childish tactics, Coral yanked her leg away and looked down on him. “Cornfield, did you forget that I am a thief, too?” she retorted, quick to shrug him off his soapbox. “Yet you found value in me and who I am. She’s in the exact same boat and prettier and any help we can get is more than welcome.”
As if on cue, a droplet of water skipped off the tip of the hippogriff’s beak. The signaling effect drew their attention to the multitude of dark clouds gathering above them, gradually sending more rain to soak the three. “But what about Caballeron?” Cornfield refuted, opting for ignorance of his increasingly wet fur. “Remember? If I helped him out, chances are he’d betray us! Who’s to say she won’t do the same?” He peered around her like she was a corner of a wall to establish visual confirmation of the uninvited third-party, who was shielding her precious loot while precipitation dragged her mane flat. Yet, she seemed only materiality concerned, even though they all knew she was at their mercy. “Ugh... look, if we kill Electric, she’ll be fine! She’ll just wander off some place!”
Silently, Coral checked the dark equine pilferer and sighed, breaking her feathered mane of the sogging moisture as she came beak-to-muzzle with said pony. “Look, I won’t ask you to do anything you don’t want to do. If you want to give Electric the trophy and be on your way, we can take him out ourselves. Yet, if we fail, he’ll still be around to trick thieves like us that are starving in the street to play these sick games.” This was the last chance she’d give the benefit of the doubt and provide a way for the unknown malefactor to redeem herself. The holder of The Heart of Nature then reached her talons out to the mare, attempting to extend her offer of cooperation once more. “The more power we have behind us, the more likely it is for us to come out on top. Will you help us?”
The terrifying reality had the two thieves fooled under a pounding rain. They were contenders in a vile game for some exclusive trophy of the Harvest Festival with their mortality as the prize. All courtesy of a malicious unicorn, Electric Boogaloo. From whence they flew, the Hotel Baltimare buzzed ravishly, having kicked the proverbial hornet’s nest. The purple hippogriff, green colt, and mystifying black mare considered negotiations into further exploits of mutual benefit. While the rooftop provided shelter from unwanted attention, it left them subject to the chilling tears of the blackened heavens. A surgency into combined efforts were motioned with the avian’s claws thrusting outward to her fellow rogue for a desperate alliance.
Regaining lost hope, said unicorn covered in fur akin to the depths of dusk finally relented and accepted their partnership, passing her hoof into Coral’s talons to unify their friendship. “My name is Silver Night,” the black mare introduced. “And your name is Cobalt Coral?”
“That’s right,” Coral chirped. “And this is Cornfield, my partner. Trust me, he’s reliable enough.”
Adjusting her view around the hybrid, she peered to the colt who maintained his neutral stance, as she questioned the validity of that statement. Restraint held inside, she shook Coral’s talons. “I know. The dweeb. I can see why you’re in charge here.”
“Hey!” the only male of the group protested before grumbling to himself.
“Mare knows brains when she sees it,” laughed Coral, appreciating a scarce moment of levity that descended upon a somber turn of events. She cleared her throat to contract their attention. “Anyway, we’ll need to stick to the rooftops as we make our way to Booze and Blues. I’m not looking for subtlety anymore. We go in there, we take him out. However, you both should know that, true to his name, he prefers electrical magic. So, I got a bit of a plan to short circuit him.”
Cornfield fowly stared at Silver; she didn’t earn his welcome just yet. Stowing his hatred in a bottle specially reserved for taking down a certain dastardly criminal. “I can’t believe we’re actually working with her!”
Silver tolerated the whining protest in silence. Not only did she need all the help in Baltimare, she understood the big bird could empathize with her disposition as well; knowing the life of a thief. Predictably, Coral didn’t disappoint. “Ok, Cornfield. Your opinions are noted. Now shut it.” Then, she pointed to the indispensable objective of fated contract held aloft via telekinesis. “Silver, we will send you in the bar with this trophy. That will lure that slimeball out of his office. When he’s out, we give him a taste of my homeland. A taste of the sea!”
With the door to vengeance unlocked by his partner, Cornfield elected to ignore Silver’s patronizing existence. Returning the favor to Electric for all the pain and torment he caused him would be worth it. The thieving unicorn propped up an inquiry about a potential threat. “What about his guards? We’re not equipped to deal with however many gangsters there are.”
“Normally, I agree. However, we are too close in getting bumped off.” Her back feathers stood on end as soundwaves of the clock tower rang through the city. It was now ten o’ clock, and they needed to best make use of what may be their final hours. “We need to focus on making sure the big boss doesn’t kick our asses.”
“Do you even know how to handle yourself in a fight?” With a plan like this, Silver worried that the bird was pecking off more than she can swallow. “I dunno about our colt ‘friend’...”
“I can fight better than YOU!” claimed Cornfield, stomping his hoof in frustration as if he tried to kill a flyder.
She quickly dismissed his pitiful rebellion, as if deflecting it with her mane. “Whatever! I’m better at avoiding fights rather than starting them.”
“ENOUGH!” squawked the hippogriff, serious about maiming their needless banter. Eyebrows now furrowed, she strictly commanded orders in an uncompromising tone, leaving no room for defiance. “Cornfield, go down the building from the roof and I’ll meet you at the piers. Buy empty balloons. And Silver, I’ll drop you by the club on the way there. Police is going to be hounding the two of us down, so stay hidden in the alleyway until we arrive. Got it?”
“Um… Ok…” Silver wasn’t one to take orders from anypony else. Her freedom to do as she pleased gave her value in life. Unfortunately, desperate times called for rather disproportionate measures. Only a compromise would guarantee her freedom would not be snuffed out.
Cornfield, however, was raring to go as he galloped his way to the roof access door. Though he practically flew diligently down the fleet of stairs to make a hasty exit, a security pony cutoff his route on the way to the tenth floor. Assuming they were instructed to report any suspicious characters, he slipped incognito as a panicked bystander. “W-what’s going on?” he stuttered on cue. “Is there a fire?!”
The rent-a-cop stallion, observing the hysterical colt enacted protocol on stabilizing the chaos. “Sir, stay calm.” he softly ordered with his hoof pressing the air down; like some common procedure. “I ask that you gather in the lobby with the rest of the occupants and wait there. We need to check all floors!”
Inside a decrepit club, slow in attracting patrons or lively music, a few thugs and lowlives gathered at the bar, downing shot after shot as their hardships blur out. The band played their part to keep the atmosphere consistent while the mare in the corner, Fleeting Fancy, was chatting up a new, unfortunate date. Another usual scene at Booze and Blues, the time on the clock struck 10:37 when an odd subtle door opening brought the pony of the night, Silver Night that is, into the establishment.
A muted ding stirred, alerting only one gangster of the patron. He nudged the others beside him on the bar stools and pointed in her direction. With the indication of her arrival, the bartender promptly set aside his drinks and set off to Electric’s office. All it took was three knocks for the sinister orange unicorn to saunter out of his office with a twisted smirk on his face. Silver kept her unconcealed eye peeled as she snapped up a chair by a table clear across the exit for a split second retreat. Surrounded by baddies and powerless against Mr. Electric himself, she waited patiently and hoped Coral would crash this sad excuse of a party soon. She sat opposed to the unfriendly faces, her eyes locked on the stallion approaching in a self-satisfied gait towards her, the golden trophy held prisoner beside her in telekinetic magic. This was the first time she saw the elusive mob boss muzzle-to-muzzle and he was every bit as slimy as she had been told.
“Well, ain’t THIS a happenin’ scene!” Electric announced, proud of only himself while catching the attention of his hired followers. “Silver Night comes in with the clutch after all! Of course, I knew you were on your way here to give me good news. That collar of yours chimed me the moment you walked in.” The leader would only grant her an audience as long as he looked down on her; cockily positioned by her side and relentlessly intimidating. Silver glared back in faint but solid determination to walk away on a victorious conclusion.
“Of course! But before I just give you this prize...” She put forth the bounty on the table, still within reach of her hooves before listing demands. “First, I want my reward NOW! Second, you free me from this collar when I collect my money. Only then, will I release the trophy.”
“Sure, babe, sure. Tell ya what, we close at 12 and I still got some paperwork to do in the back. Bills, you know? At last call, I give ya your pay.” Content he smooth-talked his way out of another deal, his magical aura gradually over took the gold trophy until she physically reclaimed it with a bearhug.
“Not until I see the money and the collar is off!”
“Whoa, babe. What’s this negative charge I’m feeling? You told my boys you liked the collar when they put it on you. And besides, we need to keep you safe. It’s part of being with The Onyx Syndicate, after all.”
“I would feel a lot safer without it!” her volume increased. The argument gained the entire establishment’s curiosity. Even the band ceased musical activity. Leaving the sounds of glasses set down with fading audibility.
The orange mafioso slowly cracked his head one direction as several sparks shot off his horn like a loose wire, still wearing that pseudo grin on his expression. “According to whom, babe?” he spoke ominously with a bit of a growl behind his voice.
A lump in Silver’s throat formed when she realized that she had crossed the line too soon. The menacing danger against her felt like a power that might drop the floor beneath her into an empty abyss of unsuspecting death. Attempting to throw off the truth of colluding with another rival, she blurted “You’re nothing but a two-timing crook! Why should I trust you in the first place?” All the while, she kept a secretive check between her way out and Electric, holding off on a premature dash before Coral arrives.
Fleeting Fancy, recognizing the signs to a bar fight, witnessed how sour the deal became for her sun-colored employer, who was ready to show this white-maned upstart why he’s the boss. Watching Electric make an example of fillies was a rare entertaining spectacle as she turned to shoo away her next victim of the night. “Why don’t you come back later, sugar?” The young stallion, eager for a typical night of sadness becoming one of companionship, asked her why. He simply kept neglecting the bigger picture in the same vicinity. “Well, you could stay,” she replied, “But boy, I gotta warn ya. This will turn into a bar room blitz.”
Static began to thrive in the air as manes flowed with positive currents. Whenever Electric’s rage accumulated, his horn reacted accordingly while everypony around experienced a sensation before the ensuing violence. “Because I know what’s good for them.” he selfishly vindicated on a rasp that can send chills to any alley dwellers. “Now, are you going to stick around like a good filly and have a drink or two while this grown stallion does his papers?”
The beads of sweat building on her forehead ticked with sparks from the atmosphere, giving her a couple dull zaps. Running out of ideas, the last move in her negotiation skills went into play. “Fine!” she agreed, but stood firm in not giving him what he ultimately wanted. “But the trophy stays with me until then!” At least she could if nothing else, die with what she loved.
He thought about simply letting the clock run and allow the collar to do its magic, but she already became a rogue element. The golden sheen irreversibly infected his soul, calling him out, and he didn’t want anypony ever think he had gone soft over Silver. The crowd practically brewed over in the club, and it had been a while since he gave a demonstration of his might. “Shoulda agreed from the beginning, but you had the misfortune of riling me up, doll. I’m all tense and in need of some therapy.” Electricity concentrated over his brightly lit horn, coursing with heart-stopping bolts of energy as the tip defined a lightning rod. “SHOCK therapy!”
Suddenly, a pure white sphere had gathered preemptively at his horn’s edge, ready for smiting whomever was unlucky enough, with Silver’s life to be over in a single zap of a thousand storms. Once the traitorous thief could literally taste the voltage seeping out his body, an object squashed against the back of Electric’s head, exploding with water. Next thing he knew, the massive deposits of stored energy discharged everywhere on his body, like he dropped a toaster in the tub. The agonizing pain of every molecule receiving his own amps uttered a howling sourced from his soul, punishing everypony with an ear shattering scream until he shorted out.
“What?!” cried out the black mare, after the blowback had sent her reeling in the opposite direction. She tumbled off her chair and fell safely outside the zone of Electric’s blast. As the dust cleared, the question in damage would not be raised with the third degree burns were revealed on the stallion’s visible flesh. All the while, his beloved zoot suit, the physical manifestation of his pride in style, drooped about, tattered and singed.
“Therapeutic enough for you? Personally, I feel great,” a familiar effeminate yet cocky voice refuted to the smoking heap being upstaged in his own club.
The near electrical victim shouted “CORAL! YOU CAME!” with great relief.
The stallion with eyes as red as the sun pinpointed the suckerpunch and unleashed a deathly stare at his old underling. Her trusty colt partner brought along a bucket of balloons dripping with water, and started sogging his fur with a few more volleys. A water droplet that slipped into Electric’s mouth was particularly salty and, like a ton of bricks, the realization dawned on the don. It was no wonder the water had a magnified effect. “Y-You-!” he stammered as he nearly keeled over and saved himself the dignity of falling after that cheap shot. His foreleg held him upright while he favored a table. “You can steal my diamond. You can bitch endlessly about morals to me. You can betray my trust time and time again. But, no pony or filthy buzzard half-breed touches THE SUIT!”
Cornfield sprang out in turbo speed, before the master of the Onyx Syndicate could have a moment’s rest any longer. He snatched the felled trophy between the cowering thief and the eyesore of an ugly stallion. Electric glanced over just to keep up with the colt’s actions, seeing him lunge straight back in the momentum and let out a strenuous war cry. Cornfield screamed “DIE! YOU BASTARD!” before smashing the wounded gang leader, thrusting his attack with all the anger and hate he previously failed to cope with.
It wasn’t suffice to kill him, but it created another opening. Unfortunately, the odds were against them in Electric’s palace. One of the stallions who carried a baseball bat, the same in charge of Coral’s abduction, brutally tackled the colt to the floor. The rest of his four-stallion posse shielded Electric, disrupting the assault. “No one touches the boss, punk!” warned the member who decked the green upstart.
With a grunt of pain, Cornfield struggled to get back up and keep the fight going, but the Ponyville slugger was about to introduce his finest oak to the colt’s face. Coming down at high velocity, it narrowly missed when the target rolled one way as the club made a dent in the dance floor. Quickly, the young adventurer recovered from the spat, swiftly dashed, and properly aligned himself with one-bird army, re-joining her in the confrontation. “Why are you defending him?!” the feisty green pony prodded. “If he’s so eager to kill anyone working for him and throw them away in the trash bin, you could be next!”
Stepping away and avoiding unnecessary danger, Electric stumbled away by the bar, refuting Cornfield’s claim. “As long as they don’t buck up, they don’t have to worry about that! I control these ponies. Not YOU!” Pointing towards the mare in the corner leaning on the jukebox, he barked one last order before slinking from the fight. “Fancy! A little music, please!” Casual patrons and the band members ran out for their lives screaming while the white femme fatale smacked the jukebox. Audible drums starting ramping up with radically fluid music suitable for a high stakes tussle.”Everypony, attack!”
“Silver!” Coral called out, motioning over the exit. “Get out of here! This is not your fight!”
Using any opportunity to escape, the black pony magically grabbed a hold of the trophy off the ground and dashed straight out of sight. Her absence converted the trio back into their usual duo, much to Cornfield’s frustration. “So much for her!” he snarked. “That greed will bite her in the ass one day!” In the spare breathing room they had, Cornfield cautiously deduced the best course for action. “There’s no way he can use his electric powers now! This is the greatest chance we’ve got to finish him before he recuperates! If he dies, the underlings might surrender!”
Coral, backing up her partner, finally seized the opportunity of revealing their secret ace in the hole. For the rowdy thugs, they cowered at the hippogriff’s rapidly growing vines which wrapped around a table and launched it towards them. The resulting strategy decimated Electric’s barrier of henchponies and permitted Cornfield the very opening he desired. Then, Fleeting Fancy approached from behind with a switchblade strapped to her hoof. Thankfully, the thief’s keen eye detected the metal’s sheen and twisted away to avoid being fatally stabbed. “You crazy bitch!” the bird brazenly insulted. “I knew you were broken mess the moment I met you.”
“My flirtatious techniques were wasted on you.” the black-maned female replied. “No one would love a rat with wings like you, anyway.”
Adrenaline pumping in his veins, Cornfield leaped to Electric at an angle devoid of retaliation. “SURPRISE, DICKHEAD!” he taunted as he primed his hoof for a haymaker, gathering as much strength as he could, and took a swing at him only to receive a counterpunch straight perpendicularly into his muzzle. The bartender had jumped in and demonstrated his immense prowess, sending his lightweight body hurtling through the air and into another thug. The impact slammed said stallion into a wall, incapacitating him from the battle.
“I have one colt that’s standing by me!” Coral retorted to Fancy. “He’s more than enough!” After glancing over to see her only associate laying on the floor, it spurred her to do away with the white sack of garbage once and for all. “Speaking of which...” The aerodynamically capable creature thrust herself into the dame, engaged her wings at full speed, and laid the smackdown upon her against a wall. This brought about a severe concussion and caused the mare to flump over, out cold. When the hippogriff became reaffirmed on solid ground, she rushed where Cornfield had collapsed only to be intercepted by the bartender. He showed her the same hospitality he generously dished her friend, with a hoof whaling into her cheek. Coral stumbled onto the old worn out carpet like a ragdoll.
Bruised and battered, Cornfield crawled his way off the miscreant who helpfully cushioned the impact. Some meager adrenaline kept him afloat, just as another armed bandit hurried over to cap him. The colt devised a tactic and improvised his small stature in creative measure. He charged as if attacking head-on, but proceeded to slide down on the slick surface, while the hostile attempted to grapple him. The colt’s lowered profile tripped the assailant who fell on his cranium, instantly KO’d. Back for round two, Cornfield hastily grabbed one of the chairs and assaulted the bartender on his back, stumbling the hulking deliverer of drinks before he could do anymore damage to his avian friend.
Meanwhile, the call of police sirens started tethering everypony’s ears in its wake. Any lower waged gang members responded by booting for the side entrance in an effort to save their skins. The rest were left behind ultimately to watch the sunrise inside a cell. “HEY!” Electric shouted at those fleeing with tails between their legs, “I didn’t say this fight was over!” Taking advantage when the bartender was off balance, Coral swiftly coiled his legs with her thorn lined vines. In one swift motion, she yanked the flora so hard, her organic daggers tore through the skin like a blender, carving him up with deep lacerations. Even a tough stallion like him bellowed loudly in agony. His gored legs weakened until at long last, he collapsed on the crimson-stained carpet as a large thud echoed throughout.
Never in his entire life had Electric Boogaloo felt this sensation of pure bestial fear. Coral crept closer, leaving behind what everypony once believed was an unbeatable bodyguard. To him, Death hath cleverly disguised himself as a hippogriff and traded his scythe for razor-sharp thorns. Her brows furrowed with her irises reflecting the fires of unyielding rage inside. Losing further ground from her every step, she raised one of her claws perpendicularly. The ivy, fueled by hate, anger and anguish, rampaged along the decor mindlessly. Its strength thoroughly trashed everything in its path, showing the untamed ferocity it had and planting ideas of what she’s going to do to him.
Then, wicked ideas flowed through the cornered rat as he spotted a vengeful opportunity. Cornfield crucially needed to catch his breath during battle, gathering up his bearings for the end. Before he knew it, somepony latched their forelegs around his barrel tightly and the next thing he saw was a horrified Coral as he realized he became Electric’s hostage. “You want out so bad, you filthy seagull?” the fallen leader asked hysterically. “FINE! But I’m not giving you the pleasure of killing me before I go out in a blaze of glory!”
The unicorn’s horn sparked and started charging with red unhinged energy so lethal, even the aura became faintly visible around them. Cornfield struggled desperately in his vice grasp, cursing under his breath.
“Cornfield!” Coral blurted out in fear, then looked angrily at her former employer. “ELECTRIC! Don’t you dare hurt him! This fight is between you and me! You’d rather die a coward?”
A pathetic laugh emitted under the orange unicorn’s lips. “Nah, that’s no fun. I’ll just take somepony you care about and leave you to the cops a broken bird!”
“What would you know about fun?!” Cornfield yelled with growing fervor. “You played both odds against the middle! If anything you are just a leech of this city! Nopony’s gonna cry for you when you’re gone!” The colt then used everything remaining inside him to slam his head back, smashing Electric’s snout.
His subduer recoiled, breaching control of his electricity after his suicide attack backfired. The overcharged energy showered himself in gigawatts, cooking him alive as his body writhed about. Red lightning bolts shot from the victim of his own demise, striking different locations in the bar and lighting wherever they may land on fire. In the chaos, a hot blade of electricity fried Cornfield’s back, entrenched with saltwater when the mob boss slathered his wet suit all over him. The colt’s screams filled the room as he collapsed on the floor, unconscious.
In that instance, the boundaries of purgatory swallowed up every passing second. Lacking the normal movements in a lively colt transcended common symptoms of the deceased. A cold chill raced through Coral’s spine as her mind had been possessed by scenarios she always feared might resurface. Endowed with ancient forgotten powers, somehow, she was left helpless to save him. Once her mind snapped back to her tragic reality, she wailed his name all the way unto the depths of Tartarus, and rushed to his immediate aid. Gingerly, she angled his head upward and pressed her talons gently on his neck, for any signs of a pulse. He’s breathing, but terrible wounds gravely marked the earth pony’s back. Skin was flayed off, exposing blistering raw flesh to the external invasive elements. She shot a glance at Electric’s charred steaming body, the gruesome sizzling flesh waiting to ruin a coroner’s night, as a result of fatally succumbing to his own power.
“Attention, everypony in the club!” a megaphone blared from outside. “This is the police! You have 30 seconds to come out and put your forelegs up. We will use excessive force if necessary!”
With the situation growing worse by the second, the panicked hippogriff effectively scooped up her partner onto her back. Racing out the side door into an alleyway shouldering Booze and Blues, she clung to a fading hope that the cops wouldn’t naturally be inclined in noticing her. Luck was not on her side though, when a duo backing up the main unit, one locked with a baton in his mouth and a whistle in the other’s, pinpointed Coral as a perpetrator. Utilizing those tools they had, a blaring tweet rang out, alerting every cop to the located felon. Thinking fast, she leveraged her much larger body to shove her way past them, into the busy streets. “There she is!” the whistleblower announced. “One of the trophy thieves! Stop her!”
Meanwhile, atop a fire exit far on the other side of said street. Silver attempted pushing off the collar with her hindlegs like a dog, when the scuffle below piqued her curiosity. She witnessed Coral desperately eluding the fuzz. An entire fleet of cops aggressively chased the fugitive into the shadows.
Thick rain kept falling in a massive downpour. Coral sped deeper into an alleyway maze, every step drew her closer to the hideout where Cornfield’s salvation laid. She cut her way across, enroute through Central Square where ponies gathered for their late-night shopping routine. Horrified onlookers gasped as they briefly witnessed this giant creature sprint past them in a blur. Many scared ponies hid under crates or buildings, while others clutched their valuables like they were precious foals. “GANG WAY!” the bird squawked at each group of ponies encountered. “MAKE ROOM! MEDICAL EMERGENCY!”
The long arm of the law lost her within the heavily crowded square. Although they could see the towering figure fleeing, an overabundance of mingling citizens and tourists alike made the chase a real slough. They simply couldn’t keep up as their momentum decelerated and their pursuit proved futile. In a sliver of dying hope, Coral had at long last reached their hideout, entered with haste, and slammed the door behind. Dreadfully, she laid the poor colt cautiously on his stomach, on a carpet of blankets. She still had one card to play, and rummaged around her saddlebags. “Come on…” she growled. “Come on! Where’s that stupid-”
“AHA!” Coral withdrew a healing potion out from her inventory. Sticking it in her beak, she yanked and spat the cork out, then swiftly administered the concoction into a gap she propped open in his lifeless mouth. Electric’s last victim had still not regained consciousness. He likely held on by the thread of a needle, the needle being his partner’s sole capabilities and only resource for survival. Occasionally she lifted his chin up, expediting a steady stream of mysterious mixture. “Oooh, Zecora.” Coral muttered, her prayers transcended the sides of her beak. “I really hope this zebra hocus pocus of yours works...”
Small bits leftover in the medicine dribbled down Cornfield’s chin, as he lay still, lacking any new signs of life. His deeply concerned partner sat with him, wishing for whatever was watching over wouldn’t leave her with a dead stallion. During a realm of somber silence, a voice lit the flame of life. “...Coral…”, her friend uttered.
The avian’s eyes sparkled when her mind activated to that familiar call. She edged closer gently taking his forehooves and wrapped them around her, sinking his head on her feathery chest and grasped him tight. Placing her head over his, she rubbed her beak affectionately on his scalp. “It’s all right, Cornfield,” she cooed softly. “You’re safe now...”
“...I-I... could really…”
Looking upon his back, various flakes of burnt skin shed with rapidly emerging flesh covering the naked muscle. She stared dumbfounded by the speedy recovery, wondering what zebracraft achieved full restoration of his back. Meaningless to question, she redirected to his request “You could what? Tell me, Cornfield, what do you need?”
.”...Use CPR... on me... right now...?” A single eye opens, zeroed at the hippogriff with a wanting beg.
Flustered, knowing his deception that they had gone past such a life-saving procedure, she blushed profusely. However, he had performed exceptionally well with this silly bird’s plan and even took one for the team, what kind of friend was she to deny him even a little pleasure? “Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, huh?” she smiled slyly, fluttering her lashes. “Hmm, I think I can manage that.”
“...Maybe one for the guy underneath? Hmmm?”
The edges of her beak just inches away from a kiss, she reeled back after that lewd comment with a very disgusted look. Unceremoniously, she dropped him on his aching back.
“OW!” he yelped, fully aware. “Hey, careful! it was just a joke…” Sparks splashed from the impact of his healing wound as he raised himself upright. “Anyway... I think I’m fine. But I’m a little woozy…”
With a huff, Coral gave him the cold shoulder, contempt of the stolen romance for perverted relief. “Got an awful lot of nerve to go hoof-to-hoof with Electric, make me worried sick, then request I do THAT the moment you woke up.”
“...Ah…” he uttered, stroking his temple. “Sorry, I was caught up in the moment… But, geez, that guy sure packs a wallop!”
“That bartender was no slouch, either.” Far away, the huge bell rang loudly over the city, as midnight became the present. Coral gasped with fear, her talons latched her collar out of reflex, but it stayed reserved. A numb sensation followed her traumatized memory of the collar’s crushing bite, as she expelled an unforgettable sigh of relief. At long last, the hippogriff was permanently freed from this terrible fate.
At ease, resting those serious injuries he accumulated, Cornfield pleasingly observed her reaction. “Hehe... At least we won’t have to worry about that now. Thank Celestia…”
“That means Silver is hopefully safe, too.” Just saying that out loud took the weight off her shoulders. When the darkness had nearly overtaken them, all three accomplished a triangular act of salvation. “I gotta admit. I was only half-sure that this curse would die alongside him. Some magical artifacts stick around well after their creator kicks it.”
“So... how do we remove it?”
“Like this,” she happily replied, and then unbuckled the literal choker like a novice archer drawing an arrow, and tossed it indiscriminately, landing in the corner to be eternally forgotten. “Now that the magic’s gone, nothing will happen if I remove it.”
Once magic got involved, the young stallion’s curiosity piqued. “Oh, so they must’ve been powered by his body’s natural current then?” he theorized based on the logic of the spell. “You know, I would’ve read more books on this if I wasn’t banned from the library.
“Probably. The guy was a walking battery. Well, now he’s shorted out.” She sighed again and viewed Cornfield longingly, reveling in the miracle they’ve earned the right to another day. As she nested alongside him, she exhaled for further concern. “They’re going to blame his death on me, you know. Without him around to take any of those allegations of my previous murders away, it’s just one more to the pile. Even if there’s no evidence, a police report is a police report.”
“Then we leave the city?” Cornfield asked, ready for her to say the word. That word being the bird.
“Yes. As fast as possible. In the morning, we get a boat. We’ll see if there are any sailors willing to receive what I have to offer.”
“I’m guessing you don’t have any plans to come back here?”
“Baltimare has too many bad memories. I agree to never stepping hoof back here again.”
The colt thought about Silver. Despite everything, she also let herself become a victim of Electric’s stranglehold on the city’s criminal empire. While he started warming up to her, the door was met with a loud banging sound.
Coral reacted with a wing outstretched around Cornfield, practicing self-preservation and signaled Cornfield to stay silent. Gingerly, she snuck over to the door, and quickly swung it open to execute her vine-trap around whoever would foolishly provoke their shelter.
A familiar unicorn shrieked in distress, helpless against the hippogriff’s flora. “KEYAAAAAAAAAAH! Put me down THIS INSTANT!”
Realizing her mistake, and those muffled shrill cries could attract undue attention, Coral extracted the thief swiftly into the safehouse. She let Silver out on the floor and shut the door. “Sorry about that,” she apologized. “You can never be too careful when you are on the run.”
The black mare dusted herself off, acting suave to save face despite being plenty startled a minute ago. “So,” she engaged a conversation. “You guys took out the big bad boss, huh?”
With the unicorn back in their lives so soon, any second thoughts the colt preserved suddenly vaporized that instant. “Awwww,” Cornfield whined. “Her again?”
Silver poked her head over Coral’s shoulder. Then, in complete silence, the hippogriff reinstated the more relevant subjects. “Electric... kinda took himself out,” she informed. “The spell on our collars is gone, though. Want me to take yours off?”
Instead Silver cocked her head with a smirk, revealing no collar around her neck. “Actually, mine came off without too much fuss. You can’t keep this mare in a bind!” She then showed the tall avian a more serious expression. “But, I came here for a different reason.”
“Oh? And what would that be? Surely it isn’t to annoy Cornfield some more although, trust me, he deserves it for the rude idea he proposed to me.” Coral shot the pervert a wry smile.
Expanding a green eye much wider with curiosity rather than confusion, the colt was receiving glances from both sides. Increasingly fed up by the females talking smack in front of him, he averted his gaze. “Ooh, he’s a stalker, isn’t he?” Silver asked mockingly.
“Don’t ask him to show his photo album with you,” Coral snickered as Silver chuckled at the dismay of Cornfield.
His humiliation fulfilled, Silver shook the comedic bashing to shift the conversation on a more serious tone. “Now, surely you’re no ‘hero’ the police idolize over, am I right?”
“Uh, yeah. If they catch me, I’m going in the slammer for sure.”
“So clearly you’re leaving this city first thing in the morning before the press even prints tomorrow’s headline.” Raising her hoof as high as possible; barely making Coral’s height, the dark thief panned it slowly across with big bold envisionary words. “Legendary mobster found DEAD! Hippogriff at large!”
“How blatantly put,” Coral groaned, the fires of impatience forging her vexation. “Yes, I want to go back to my homeland before Electric’s body starts attracting flies. Your point?”
“I want to go with you.”
Coral flinched in disbelief at this simple phrase. The mare’s casual request held an attitude as if she hadn’t even slightly etched her soul into the decision, if it even amounted as one. Slightly tilting her head, eyebrow raised, the bird stood boldly over the pony’s tiny frame. “What business do you have at Mount Aris?”
Silver trotted into a corner like they were on a stage, also serving the young male a potentially rare shot of one of the most beautiful rumps he’d ever seen. If only he wasn’t so intolerate by her emergence. The shadows enveloped Silver’s dark body, save for her glowing green eye. “Well, how do you expect to escape a city when the entire BPD is after you? Why, I’ll bet the Canterlot guard is keeping a lookout too! I know you’re too clever to take the train.”
Recognizing the consequences of the ill-fated hippogriff’s actions dispelled any mental tranquility left, thanks to Silver’s taunting. She commited a crime against a government official, a crime occurring under royal guards who swore an oath of the highest honors in service. This felony wouldn’t go unnoticed by Celestia. “...Shit,” she whispered under her breath. “I forgot that the princess herself may have heard the news. She might send me to the moon or something...” Burying the worries that predicted her capital sentences, she spoke as one burglar to another. “We need a boat!”
After searching the ceiling for a productive thought, Silver darted her eyes right back at the flustered hippogriff. “I can get you a boat!” she asserted confidently.
“You CAN?!” Coral’s face lit up with rays of hope. “How?”
Taking this moment to further press home her earlier request, she once again asked, “Let me join you. If you’ve got nowhere to run, I can get you a boat. Any boat!”
Her unwavering enthusiasm flew up red flags for the jewel collector’s point of view. What did this thief really stand to gain from this ordeal? A chance to stab her in the back and take her gems? Worse yet, The Heart of Nature? After all, this sly mare knew she was at the end of her rope without a practical alternative. She sighed defeatedly “If you can get a boat, then my life is in your hooves. If I can’t get to Mount Aris before-” She just pressed back those words before they could be interpreted vocally, sealing away information beyond Silver’s needs and stalling the nightmarish visions of genocide. “Just... help us, if you can.”
“Nnnnnnggggghhh…” Cornfield uttered annoyance in a grunt of gritted teeth. “We’re gonna trust HER again?”
“Do YOU have an idea for a boat, Cornfield?”
Despite his complaining, a faded faith deep inside his very being testified that, worse comes to worst, Silver won’t turn a blind eye to help friends in need. Even if she was no modern day Robin Hoof type thief, she had a special vibe he couldn’t bear to confess. “...Damn.” he cursed in a hushed voice. Getting his head back to business, he caught sight of the curvy quarters, stopping him mid-flight on her rather adorable posture. Mares always were a weakness for him. “...Alright, we’ll let you join.” Feigning the sound of acceptance wasn’t that hard in his disposition.
“Then it’s unanimous.” the hippogriff declared in a final ruling of friendship. “Is there anything we can do to help other than prepare for a long voyage?”
“Hehe... I knew he’d fall for that,” revealed Silver ever so deviously.
“Wait, Wha-” Before Cornfield could rant, Silver bounced briskly on the way out, eagerly taking depart.
“Just be ready at four in the morning! I’ll have everything ready at the docks and take you there! Just get your stuff when I arrive!”
“It’s that simple?” Coral begged to question, as she checked her bags and reassessed the supplies at hoof. “Not even a little spending money before you go?”
The sound of money automatically froze Silver like an emergency brake had been pulled, but she quickly disposed the idea, favoring preparation rather than profit. “Oh! That’s right! How good are you guys on food and medicine right now?”
“We have potions from a local zebra for any injuries. As for food, unless you count chips and snacks, we are less than a little malnourished.”
Plotting her next move carefully, the black bandit sprang back where the towering hippogriff stood. If they intended for success, needs are undoubtedly a must, but her more thrifty side concealed an agenda that would impede her fellow burglar making wise decisions. “Weeeeell, if it’s food you’re concerned for, I could see what I can do. But, surely you can survive on this food if you had to, don’t you agree?”
“I don’t.” Coral reached down inside and scrounged every little bit contained in her bag, as well as a flawless diamond, and hoofed it in the shifty mare’s face. Silver’s eye widened to the size of a dinner plate upon viewing the succulent stone. “Mount Aris is a sizable voyage south of here. We’ll need to be as prepared as possible. If the bits aren’t enough, fence the diamond and get more. Got it?”
Silver hesitantly pocketed the diamond, though she desired to watch it sparkle in the light forever. The bits too, but dwelled upon wondering the length of the trip. “How far is Mount Aris again?”
Digging into her bag again, Coral pulled out a map like drawing a signature weapon and sprawled it on the table brightened by the lantern. The tattered paper and worn edges even told Silver of their many hardships, but her silence restrained the worthy acknowledgement circulating her mind. “Baltimare is here,” stated the bird and pinpointed the harbor city on Equestria’s eastern shoreline with her avian claw. “Mount Aris is due south.” She traced a route snaking down until it hit the Seaquestria region, past Equestrian borders and the desert badlands. “It’s not a very long trek, but it’ll take half a day’s worth.”
“....Huh…” The mare was worried that she might be signing up for an adventure too grand for her, having traveled quite far from home. “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Placing her concerns aside, she shifted to an unnaturally goody-four-horseshoes. “But the good news is I’m helping you poor souls out so don’t worry. Besides, I’m impressed you two managed to take on that asshole Electric and end his reign of control.” Her focus drifted into Cornfield, spotting the shocking bare skin over his back, still regaining his fur. “But wow, do you guys need all the help in the world or what?”
Coral debated informing her what really was at stake, but refuted the speech if ignorance meant a guaranteed vessel. “At this point, I’ll take whatever good news is in front of me.”
“I better get started then.” The thief took her leave, reminding them to be fully up and ready when she returned for the journey before closing the door behind her.
The bird pushed her head against the door after hearing echoes of Silver’s promises. Constant hoofsteps faded until it was indiscernible from the background. At that cue, Coral safely sputtered an exasperated breath. “That entire conversation had NOTHING but alarm bells sounding off.”
“Yeah, well, you were in no rush to kick her out.” Cornfield ranted.
“She was right, though!” the hippogriff criticized, disturbed by the cards they were dealt. “If I can’t find a way out, I’m royally screwed! Police will comb this entire city looking for me! I just wish I knew what her MO was, but I’m desperate and crazy enough to trust her!”
“Let’s look at it this way,” the colt suggested when he sat up. “It’s very likely she was going through hard times and got stuck in a city. Normally, she would think that this kind of society would be full of lucrative criminal opportunities, only to find once again she has been forced to perform contract work under an organization that is so powerful, it uses its influence to absorb new recruits under Electric’s leadership.”
“Once she was stuck in an unwinnable situation,” he continued as Coral sat beside him, allowing the ramble. “You came in and freed her of this iron fisted death bond to his empire, granting her to do as she pleases with a newfound freedom. Perhaps, she would have nothing better to do than follow us to new places, knowing that this partnership will enable her with additional eyes on her back.” He shrugged upon his hypothesis falling together. “After all, anypony from Ponyville understands the power that friendship can carry when you’re a long way from home and nowhere to go. She’s seeking to cleanse her fear of ever being restrained into another contract that ends with her head on a stick.”
The colt’s partner mustered just enough brainpower to blankly stare at him, silently blinking from the long-winded speech, “That was a lot of words just to say ‘she wants to start over’,” she summarized. “Your point?”
“I say we leave her!”
“What?”
“She’s criminal trash, and now that she’s free we can’t trust her!”
Coral’s best response came with her talons slapping her forehead and running slowly down her face. “Uh, unless you forgot, this whole town thinks I’m criminal trash and, if we don’t trust her, you can kiss my feathery butt goodbye.” Unwilling to resume the conversation longer, she laid on her bed of blankets and laid snuggly to get as comfortable as possible.”Let’s just get whatever sleep we need, ok?”
“Ow,” Cornfield felt a twinge of pain seeing her back press down on their hard floor. “I think I’ll be laying on my stomach the whole night.”
“That’d be wise. Also, I hope that bald spot grows in soon. You look like you got into a fight with a barber.”
“Yeah... Do you have any potions that deal with pain?”
“Nope. Just healing. Be thankful we even have THAT.” After exchanging pleasantries for a good night, the duo drifted soundly to sleep, exhausted from the tremendous victory they scored. However, Coral stirred throughout the night, her homeland still in great peril and urgently required her to prevent any more tragedies that may befall her fellow hippogriffs. After a short night filled with anxiety, a subtle knock sounded on the iron door.
Pushing these hushed words out her beak, Cobalt Coral widely yawned as a small span of sleep could hardly sustain her energy. The iron door stood ajar by the blackened mare, Silver Night, with the thief examining the depths for Coral & Co, as the hippogriff sought her partner, still sound asleep. Pulling his covers down, she detected the revitalized skin on his back, thinly covered by the buzz-cut looking hair. She proceeded to nudge his side insistently, which spurred him to grip his pillow tightly.
Grunting and snorting, Cornfield was still spent after the onslaught he barely endured. This, combined with the absence of sunlight restricted him from opening his eyes, meagerly tilting his heavy head up. “Uh,” he groggily uttered. “Is it time alre-” A bellowing yawn bounced around the room as he set his skull back on his pillow.
“Oh, oh no, please don’t do that in my directio-” Before Coral could finish her plea, her body instinctively assimilatedhis loud inhalation, wanting to curl up back into bed before slapping herself awake. She grabbed Cornfield by the shoulders with unreserved intensity, and shook him off the ground.
“Whooa-wo-whoa! Ok! I’m Up! I’m up!” The poor colt was tossed about mercilessly like a ragdoll by his travel companion until she dropped his ass onto the hard floor. The impact splashed dust upwards as he shifted his legs around, dizzily lifting himself up. Then, he and Coral packed everything they could, including the lantern since the gem hunter sacrificed her own in the forest temple.
Curiously, Silver peeked deeper beyond the edge of the door to see if they were done or slacking off. Cornfield spotted the emboldened mare spying on them in the corner of his eye and scoffed as he turned his smooth back. “Y’all know it’ll be harder to avoid attention as a trio,” he pessimistically reminded.
“Well, yeah!” the sleek black pony shot back sarcastically. “That’s why we’re sticking to the alleyways. I’ve learned a lot about this city you know!”
“Again, it’s good to know that you are on top of things,” Coral chimed her appreciation, then muttered to her shoulder. “Almost suspiciously so...” The now hefty saddlebags gained her peace of mind as she latched them on her back. “Got your belongings as well, Cornfield?”
“Ah... I’m coming, ladies,” he announced before stopping at the phrasing of such a statement. “N-Not in the way you might think!”
“Mind in the gutter as usual.” Now reaffirmed as one party, she nodded at the mare awaiting them. “All right, Silver, lead the way to the boat. I hope it’s big enough to fit all of us in.”
With a hastened voice and hushed tone, Silver scanned the alley as she waved her hoof. “Stay close behind! If something happens, I’ll throw this tarp over you!” She showcased the compacted material, supposedly big enough to blanket them both, from her own strapped luggage. “You gotta duck and make no sudden moves. Just in case.”
“That means whoever sneezes gets all the blame. Got it. Cornfield, I’m looking at you.”
The thief of the night gingerly stepped over to the alleyway’s end and scouted the route ahead. Early in the morning, nopony seemed to exist on the lookout for criminal movements. Perhaps the high-profile events amounting to the resounding death of a mob boss drove tourists into hiding. Another wave of Silver’s hoof and they migrated under unison to the next alley, winding through residential blocks.
“Why do we have to go this early again?” the cranky young stallion whined. “I think even Luna is still up in pony dreams.” Despite his complaints, he made his best effort sticking behind Coral’s hindquarters.
“Quiet!” Silver hushed with a hoof tapping her lips. “We’ll never get there if they hear you. And if you get caught I’m going away for a long time too!”
“She’s right,” Coral whispered, swinging her tail aside to address her green partner in clarity. “We’re all in this together. You might even be guilty by association, so I can’t take that chance.” She zipped her beak, sunk her head, and followed Silver as silently as she could.
The unicorn tried shifting her flanks in each step and making signals with her braided tail, assisting in navigating the tag-alongs however possible. Double checking every corner for bystanders, the pony of the shadows escorted them in a maze of brick and concrete with solid determination. Near the bend, she caught a break; the back of an apartment with a door left cracked open by a careless tenant. “There’s a shortcut we can take right around the corner,” Silver informed. “When I move, just follow me inside.”
Then, the opportunity came when nopony’s vision flooded over their direction. Silver lunged straight through the door in one ninja-like motion and swung the door wide open for them.
“Move it, Cornfield. I don’t want to leave you behind,” she advised her friend.
“Your ass makes it easy!” Cornfield taunted back.
When everypony was inside and accounted for, the three fugitives gazed longingly down the ragged hallway. Multiple doors lined the walls with room numbers embedded on the front of each. Cranked up air heaters perpetuated a warming atmosphere, as the cheap gas-lit wall sconces flickered between each set of entrances. The green and white striped wallpaper had plenty of tears to reveal its age, with the floor stained from multiple hooves treading on it. “Ok,” Silver began explaining. “In here, we don’t have to be as close together. Just let me check the hallways up ahead before you start to follow.” Trotting further in the hall, she found it to be desolate and inactive, tenants were probably still sound asleep in their appointed dwellings. Signalling her teammates, the mare hoped they could keep up the silence at this rate.
Coral, however, didn’t feel as comfortable or confident with her stature dwarfing everypony else. “I wish I was a little younger for this gig,” she quietly stated to the jet black guide. “I’d be around the same size as both of you. Now, I’m easy to pick out of a crowd, let alone an empty hallway.”
“As long as we don’t get lost, we should be fine.” Trekking an endless abyss kept barely lit by the dull aged wall-mounted lights, the smaller of the two thieves quipped about these buildings connected at the foundational floor. She even mentioned that any distance accumulated indoors was always better than aimless exploration in plain view. It certainly was convenient having apartment maps laid about and indicating the exit in this elaborate maze.
A sixth sense sparked in the hippogriff. Nopony was behind her but she soon found out why. The stallion curiously poked his nostrils inside a room which lacked any concern for security. Coral could see wavering illumination going down his face through the door. There was only one possible explanation. A pretty light blue mare was trying out different types of lingerie heedless of peeping toms and ripe for pleasuring. “Cornfield,” Coral snapped in a hushed tone. “Get over here!”
Stranded in his hypnotic fantasy come to life, he naturally disobeyed, as a hoof intricately set on drawing his “gun” out. Powerful twirling silky ropes clasped his compact frame and whisked him away, and just when those panties were gracefully slid off his target’s sleek butt cheeks.
Obviously Coral wasn’t about to let him have his fun as he shouted “CORAL”! It was smothered, but his frustration raised the volume nonetheless.
Suspicious in her vulnerable state, the tenant responded via investigating the queerly exposed doorway. The attractive pony leaned out the door, glancing one way and then the other. With only the company of abysmal nothingness, she rolled her eyes and shut away her room. Banking a corner right, however, the backs of the sleuthy bandits lay flat against a wall. The hippogriff’s flora wrapped around Cornfield’s mouth until they were clear.
Coral felt Silver’s judging presence with an awkward vibe abound and blushed sheepishly “Yeaaah, we need all the help in the world,” she embarrassingly admitted.
Silver could only click her tongue and shake her head in disapproval. She was hard pressed to believe Coral was a professional thief with the company she kept. Nevertheless, she pressed on and urged the two to follow her. They arrived shortly before a glass-paned side exit that barred their progress. As the infamous thief laid her magical aura of telekinesis upon the smudged rusty knob, it creaked slightly but not without resisting her struggle. “Damn! Gotta pick this one open,” Silver took advantage of the hippogriff beside her. “Think you can do it, Coral?”
“With pleasure.” It was a mere simple lock for keeping undesirables at bay. With just one talon and a click and a push, the locks surrendered, creating a new path onwards.
Despite their success, something didn’t sit right with either of the original team members. Silver pointed outside, well across what was yet another alleyway. “Alright, now we’re almost there,” she reassured her weary team. “Once we go through this door we’ll be traversing that alley. We need to go right, where there’s some construction going on, then if we can slip our way past, you’ll see the Maneview park. Nopony goes there this early except maybe a ne’er-do-well or something. After that, we need to cut through Gaskin Terrence. Then if we can get past the train station, all we have to do finally…” She paused to take her breath for what sounded like an ultimate conclusion. “...is climb down the underlying sewers. Then…”
“WAIT, WHAT?!” Cornfield startled his companions and pounced his forelegs. “We’re still that far out?!”
His backlash rocked Silver. Like it or not, she invested a hoof full of hours studying the route all night and doubting such methods occupied her mind in disbelief. Why did this kid have the gall to question her in the first place? However, some oddly shaped grey shadows cast by street lamps ventured too close and caught the thief nearly off guard. She instinctively blurted out “TARP”, tossed a layer of stolen plastic material all over them with levitation magic, and expanded a reassuring smile in guarding the oversized cargo.
“Wait, I’m with Cornfield on this-” Before Coral could say another word, her vision became lost under the thick canopy. Being part bird, her natural instinct in total darkness was to stay silent and still, as if she was asleep.
An unwary pony waltz right in front of the gang, and much to Silver’s dismay, the figure revealed its identity with the shiny badge of the authorities. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing with that?!” the seasoned officer went past reading her rights and straight for the interrogation. “A citywide curfew had been announced. All buildings are on lockdown! Explain yourself!”
“Ah,” verbally stumbled Silver as her eyes darted between him and the figures shrouded in a blue, crumpled sheet. “Uh... I have this excess... trash I need to throw out and decided to take a shortcut to the nearest bin!”
Regardless, he carefully examined the tarp from the open door. “This door was vandalized. Something ain’t right with you lady, I’m gonna have to ask you to come with me.”
Once he drew his cuffs, the thief noticed his position relative to the doorway and recalled a similar situation which now placed her in redeeming herself as a clumsy victim. “Alright, you caught me. There’s something under this and, if I show you, just don’t arrest me, ok?”
The cop cautiously obliged, suspicious about the part she might be playing. He’ll still take her in for further “questioning” anyway. Might even have some fun on this crappy shift. When Silver turned to the tarp, she started closing the door. Seeing it as resisting arrest, the officer braced for a charge and shouted “HOLD IT!”. Silver timely bucked the door very hard with the cop’s head perfectly smacked by a solid plate of heavy metal. The resounding thud cleaned his clock and took him out momentarily. The unconscious body of a cop would create quite a scene, so she speedily flung it inside and unveiled her accomplices with a sense of pride.
Coral snapped out of the stupor she was placed under before shaking her head and regaining mental comprehension. Cheap lighting blinded awakening pupils, inciting a rapid blinking reaction as her eyes adjusted on Silver. “Whoa, ok,” the bird spoke intuitively. “I spaced out. What happen-” Cornfield sensed the tingling brush from Coral’s feathers when they stood on end, but he wasn’t without his share of surprise. Silver plainly hid a police pony under their discarded tarp like sweeping a massive pile under the rug. “I-Is he dead?”
“Wha-of course he’ll live,” assured the black mare, drooping the edge on one side; allowing the stallion’s nostrils to breathe. “I learned by personal experience thanks to you.”
“Thank Cornfield. He was the one that thought up the idea in the first place. He loved the results, too.”
“It wasn’t me who knocked her out, though,” chimed the aforementioned colt.
“It was a combined effort.”
Concern welled up in Silver’s mind from the abrupt lone cop intervention. Usually, they patrolled in pairs or more. She bent around the arched doorway once more westwards and cursed under her breath. Marching through the streets, squad carriers hunted the city for offenders of a missing prize trophy. Tagging along side were a few dozen or so officers armed with tasers. Silver huffed a defeated sigh and returned, bearing grim news. “It’s no good anymore,” she updated.
“What? Coral squawked impatiently, “Yes, it is! You said it yourself, it’s straight across.” Her volume accelerated higher than a whisper, prompting Cornfield to calm her down.
“No. I mean, we can’t go this way. The police are everywhere!” Discouraged, the mystical pony zoned out on a window, thinking back on events prior. “Because it was a city official that was robbed, they must be escorting Mayor Mare and the rest of the other important figures safely out of Baltimare as a safety precaution. Worse yet, the supposed ‘murder’ tied to you must have led the police force into seeing you as a highly dangerous creature.”
“What!?” yelped Cornfield, disregarding his assumed role in calm. “Oh, this keeps getting better and better! There’s no way we can cross without having the entire BPD on us when they see even a hint of Coral’s feathers.” His friend did not remind him about settling his volume. Instead of concern for escape, her thoughts raced circles around her, having earned a reputation as public enemy number one. She contemplated about rushing out like a bat outta Tartarus and let fate decide on whether she succeeded or not. “If this is it for me, I want my descent into death be known by every creature out there,” thus saith the hippogriff resigned to fate.
Mentions of the underworld spiked an idea for Cornfield, as the gears in his head directed ideas upwards to salvation. “Wait... Why not ascend the situation, rather than descend?”
The hippogriff was about to dismiss the idea until she saw the same sign he looked at about the staircase. “Hey, yeah!” Coral agreed with her voice raising spiritually. “I can fly you ponies over the rooftops one-by-one. It’d be a lot easier than pussy-hoofing around outside!”
“Exactly!” The excited colt clapped his hooves, happy to be on the same wavelength.
“It’d mean I’d have to get rid of the blanket on my back to handle the extra weight.” She reached behind and pulled the sheets binding her wings and liberated them for flight. “Acceptable losses.”
Silver joined in their elation of a much easier journey with a bounce in her step. “If you can find a way to the rooftops, you can map out your approach carefully between buildings without getting spotted! It’s perfect!”
“Will you be coming along or-”
“I can make my own way on hoof. Just be sure to get there!”
“Then, what are we waiting for! Let’s get out of here before a passing cop notices the body.”
Led by signs and arrows, the duo made haste up to the roof after several flights of stairs. Coral prayed nothing would obstruct their race against time but, if they don’t escape soon, they will be cornered by the inevitable backup. Hiking up the final fleet of stairs, Coral barreled into the door and burst through to the luminated night sky outside with Cornfield closely behind. The sun’s edge extended far on the wide acres of Equestria, dawn was fast approaching.
In a hurry, the colt leapt to one side, perched on top of a stone lip preventing clumsy non-flying ponies from their certain doom. In his perspective, the ocean stretched as far as the world’s end. A pattern across towering architecture developed the safest route for aerial travel. “Hey, look!” he called out.
As she approached by his side , the spotter enlightened her over these roof’s unique passage ahead of them. “I think if you gain altitude over these buildings, nopony will notice us! The higher, the better.”
Coral stretched each wing in anticipation, itching to give Cornfield the flight of his life.”One question,” she inquired, “How afraid are you of heights?”
“I climb trees for mare butts,” he smirked as he blatantly reminded her what his favorite hobby was. “I can handle heights.”
Deviously, the hippogriff smiled straight back. “That means I’m not going easy on you.” She vertically swung her wings and hovered neatly above him, generating vines that gently caressed around the young stallion’s barrel before tightening its grip. “Just remember the golden rule. Don’t look down. And if you start to feel nauseous, aim for a cop.”
The feeling of his body lifting off the ground, hooves already aching for the surface, made him feel very uneasy as she pulled him closer. “Can’t I just ride you?”
“That’s enough double entendres for you, flyboy.” Once he was practically secure around the forelegs, she zipped mildly down in an inverted arcing motion to gain extra momentum. Skillfully flapping her wings there was plenty enough lift for both of them. Cornfield tensed up from feeling the intense inertia weighing down as she gracefully carried him away and above the rooftops.
“Hey! I think I can see Silver down there!” With his discerning eye over the city, the colt in tow could make out a black and white pony pulling out something hidden by what looked like a dumpster between apartments.
“She’s shrewd enough to make it on her own! This is MUCH faster than working her convoluted slower route.”
As they glided freely out of range of the fortified police checkpoints, two coppers, along with a few night owl ponies breaking curfew, indeed noticed a mysterious hippogriff in flight. Fortunately, the surrounding structures convinced the witnesses that some illusion was at play, and opted to mind their own beeswax. The park Silver Night described before in her detailed plan lied far below, and the docks were still further ahead.
“How much longer is it?” Cornfield asked, while watching monuments and landmarks blur past them.
“We’re almost there, just wait,” answered Coral. Cutting across the nighttime skyline and the beautiful flame lighting provided by way of street lamp posts, she imagined herself relaxing inside the park like a free bird. “I wish we coulda just laid low and enjoyed some down time. Stupid Electric had to ruin everything!”
“Either way, I’m glad we made it this far! I still can’t believe how fast that potion healed me!
“We need to send Zecora postcard or something to tell her how her magic drinks worked like a charm.” Soon, the smell of salt grew stronger as the central hub involving naval trades came into view. “I’m going to find an empty clearing to land,” Coral said as she scanned the port and its facilities. “I don’t know which boat we are getting yet.”
“We should find a good place to hide while we wait for Silver,” suggested Cornfield, taking note of a lacking pony presence near the docks.
“Fair. One of the empty warehouses should do the trick. We’ll pick one that’s open and on the way over from the path she’s taking.” Swooping down, she descended for a landing until in close proximity of the damp concrete and flapped her wings to a halt. Then, she allow Cornfield from her entanglement, disembarking onto the deck, lined by several warehouses that invited shelter.
“Actually, I can probably just go keep a lookout,” he snickered with a smug, holier-than-thou expression upon his face, “You’re the criminal here, not me.”
“Thanks for volunteering,” she expressed her gratitude before playfully delivering his rump a quick lash with a thick vine.
“HEY!” his demeanor soured, resulting from the stinging whip and soothing its bold mark. The hippogriff laughed as she turned tail, trotting inside a storehouse welcoming her to crash.
The harbor started bathing in dawn’s yellow sunlight. The green stallion stood impatiently while Coral remained on standby. He stayed watchful, but there was only so many one-off silhouettes who paid no attention to him, let alone a familiar face. That was until he noticed black on white in the distance. It was indeed Silver, carrying something in a box on route through the entry gates. Approaching with her clear acknowledgement of their rendezvous, he quickly confronted the tardy pickpocket. “There you are! What kept you!?”
She jerked her head to the side, swapping the hair over the other eye for a brief second. “I don’t know if you realize it but everypony is fawning over a stupid festival. Even if the riff-raff are under curfew, there are ponies preparing for the big event. Things got hairy on the way.”
He rolled his eyes at her arrogance, then began questioning about the box fitted precariously on her withers. “...What you got there?”
Like a reflex, Silver glanced around rapidly, whispering with a hoof siding her mouth. “If you must know, it’s that trophy from last night! No way am I losing this baby!”
“Fine,” he brushed off the matter. “Are we ready? I’ve got my things and Coral is laying an egg in a desolate warehouse.”
“I just need to grab the key. Then we set sail.”
“Good! I’ll go tell Coral…” About halfway in rotation, he slowed his step for a clarification. “Uh, where do we find you?
Explaining what boat she seized felt time-consuming, so the thief gestured to join her as they strayed over to the appropriate pier. An array of many boats bobbed along the waters between each pocket the port branched into. Cornfield monitored the selection and wished it would be any of the better vessels in the lot. Then, she stopped him in his path and isolated a boat with a black foreleg stretched, influencing his field of vision another way. “That one,” she said with a sense of confidence.
The humble vessel in question had a mast absent of any sails, possibly hidden away so jackers like them wouldn’t steal it. However, the brilliant colors of the white hull and the turquoise line traced alongside the stanchion were very attractive. The words “S.S. Clamshell” labelled the sea-worthy vehicle broadside and the boat itself in good shape, its true owner obviously cared for it. “A fishing boat?!” Cornfield shouted in unappreciative disappointment.
“Not quite, but yes.”
With a defeated sigh, he prepared to double back where Coral refrained exposing herself in public discretion. “Alright, I’ll go grab her and we can head out. Have everything ready to leave as soon as we embark.” Silver shot him a nasty glare in response, as if saying “Don’t tell me what to do” before acting on said preparations. He put up with her attitude and tracked the path he incurred back where he’d find his partner.
His faith in his ability to detect Coral died when he approached the open storage room, when even the invasive sunlight refused to show what hid amongst the piles of crates and freight. Alone and surrounded by huge distant objects all somehow made the poor colt incredibly uneasy. Cornfield crept inside accepting that his partner needed his intervention. “Uh... Coral?” he called out hesitantly.
“BOO!!!”
“AHHH!!”
Coral emerged from a dark corner straddling the shutters, fighting to choke her laughter down as the young stallion’s tail and mane stood straight on end. “...Don’t scare me like that!” he yelled after calming his beating heart.
“Relax,” the hippogriff cood, approaching him with a saunter. “I knew you were coming. Plus, I want you to be wide awake while we’re preparing for the voyage. You can nap after we set sail.”
Regaining his composure, Cornfield was not amused and furrowed his brow, only for Coral to cock her head and flutter her eyelashes coupled with a more tender smile. Her charm lightened the mood as he paused, then rubbed the back of his head chuckling and swallowed his pride. “...Sorry. It’s just been a crazy trip already, and we’ve already gone past the point of no return.”
Then, his muzzle brought his peering eyes where the harbor rested. The unmistakable scent of the ocean permeated the air. Seagulls honked out in the distance as waves splashed against the nearby foundation of land. After evading an extensive incarceration and surviving the suicidial gauntlet of Electric, Cornfield took in the scenery and remarked, “I guess I know now the true feeling of freedom.”
Coral stepped out to discard his loneliness, and inhaled as deeply as her lungs could muster, relaxing body and mind as she took to heart the stallion’s words. “Just wait until you see Mount Aris, Cornfield,” she excitedly hyped up, letting her rare softer side stand out for the colt. “One, it will be good to broaden your horizons. Two, you’ll get to see all the beautiful sights it has to offer. Three, you’ll get to see that not EVERY hippogriff is as charming and beautiful as I.” She pushed her mane back and shook it, flowing gently about like the waves.
Cornfield couldn’t help but lightly shake his head to her egotistical notion about other hippogriffs. Yet he’s more than happy to finally see it for himself. “Welp! Better not keep Silver waiting. She said it was that boat right there.” When he revealed its spot, he declared a challenge in friendly competition. “C’mon! I’ll race ya!”
“”Race ME? I’m twice your size, shorty. I’ll outpace you easy.”
The pony and hippogriff duo raced down the deck, no longer afraid of what others might say. For a fleeting moment, they enjoyed a carefree innocent life, soaking up the most of their companionship before setting out on the next perilous chapter of their lives. True to her word, however, she passed the galloping creature, cantering with relative ease and showing off how further ahead in speed she was. “Come on, little guy. I know you can run faster than that when you are scared.”
Despite Coral’s taunting, he discovered an exclusive heavenly satisfaction formed in a gift earned by having vanquished a deadly vendetta and even ironically saved Baltimare. Cornfield never experienced this eternal happiness that exists secluded from meager daily activity. Because after living so many years companionless, it was the first conscious time he genuinely felt as Coral saw him vividly; galloping with glee and without a care in the world.
On a mission that they demonstrated unwavering commitment until the end. The gem thief’s transgressions were utterly resolved for good, and his faith held steadfast in an earnestly loyal conviction that no matter the obstacle blockading their goals, they shall overcome the odds every time. “I’m coming!” Cornfield shouted. The duo closed in on the boat. Silver, emotionally numb to their passionate sprint with each other, simply went about finalizing remaining cargo in selective anticipation of their arrival.
Coral decelerated as she neared the bow, then walked casually down to communicate with Silver. “So, this is the boat you want us to take, right?” she asked Silver as she stepped around her, maintaining visual contact with that sole green eye. “And you got the supplies we needed?”
The water fluctuated as it soaked struts arrayed beneath, fixating the nailed-in planks of the pier. Audibly wrestling itself as the life-giving liquid retracted and pushed into the concrete bed. It was very soothing to hear for many a sailor, and provided travelers a taste for adventure.
“Yeah. It’s all inside the boat. It just needs a big sail and it’s ready to go.” Silver responded with the flick of her hair as she pointed towards the tiller. “Careful. My trophy’s in there!”
“All right. Hopefully you got more than just chips.” Flapping her wings, she boosted herself up to survey the boat’s deck. To her delight, various food, supplies, and water populated the base of the steering wheel. A book laid precariously on top. Intrigued, Coral grasped it in her claws and examined the cover. “A Seafaring Guide for Landlubbers: How to Navigate the High Seas,” she read aloud. “Great timing on this guide, considering none of us know how to sail.”
The hybrid relaxed as she cracked open the book and skimmed the pages. “I was hoping to find a sailor to take us there himself. But, time and circumstances prevent us from doing that now...”
Cornfield helped himself up as he climbed the wooden ramp to board. “Ah, so let me just add my bag to pile.” As he settled his luggage among the goods, a wicked idea struck him like a bolt to the brain. “Hey, Coral,” he called out softly.
“Yes, Cornfield?” she responded, leaving the book open on her progression with anatomy charts. “What is it?”
He stealthily closed the distance between his mouth and her ear as he began to whisper. “Let’s drive off now before Silver gets on board. It’ll be perfect!”
A breath of awkward silence passed and Coral was visibly irritated. She jabbed the open book up between them and Silver, disguising their susurrations as they got talon to hoof with each other. “You really want to be a dick and do that? After all the trust we put into her helping us get this far?”
“C’mon. What’s the worst that could happen? We got everything we need right here! Let’s go before she gets on!”
Beak clenched, she growled her answer. “The worst is she could always rat us out! Now that she knows where we are going and how we’re travelling, one squad of Celestia’s finest will stop us cold.”
Opening his yap, no words emitted from within it, just the sound of choking on his metaphorical hoof in his mouth. The possibility of retaliation never raised concern for him until she verbally smacked him with it. “Damn... I didn’t think of that.”
Any chance they’d find a conclusion was disrupted, as Silver hopped on, completely naive of their conversation. “We’re burning daylight,” the black thief impatiently pressured them. “Are we ready to go or what?”
Desperately playing it cool, Coral chucked the book by the pulpit to save face, while both swiftly and synchronously backed away, assuming a modest position. “Sorry,” she began to explain. “I was showing the colt here the book’s illustrations. Very informative.”
“What? Is he going to start coloring the pictures with crayons or something?” Snarling in contempt at the uninvited mare, Cornfield wished they could leave her hanging in the gallows.
“Depends. Did you bring any?”
“HEY!” The stallion fiercely interjected. “Don’t indulge her!”
“Anyway,” the bearer of The Heart of Nature continued. “We need to store the food and supplies in the cabin below, the sails are missing and possibly stored there, and the door to the companionway is locked.” Coral summoned the unicorn’s inventory with her talons expectantly. “Key?”
Silver’s eyelids narrowed her gaze. An absurd work of nature triggered a weary disposition of her as she strafed laterally outside the increasingly guilty looking bird. Her movements were akin to taking an x-ray for any ulterior agendas lodged surgically inside the specimen. “You weren’t thinking about leaving without me now where you?”
“Again, Cornfield just wanted to see the pictures,” Coral testified, wanting to strangle the young colt for inevitably putting her in this really awkward situation. “You know the youth of today. Can’t use their imagination.”
It seemed her tale did not faze Silver’s convictions. Luckily, the onyx colored thief just wanted to get the show on the road and forked over the key. Gripping it in her claws, she unlocked the companionway and crawled into the spacious shelter. Eventually she returned, dragging out a large cargo container and settled it on deck. Unhooking its locks revealed a large well-conditioned sail. She lifted it up, causing it to expand and proceeded to install it on the mast.
“Ok. I’ll set this up,” Coral proclaimed as she divvied up tasks. “Silver, move all the supplies down the companionway. We don’t want our food to rot in the sun. Cornfield, unravel the ropes holding the boat on the pier and hang them securely on deck.” Once their newest partner complied and hunkered down inside with the first load, the hippogriff roughly pulled the colt aside to make her stance clear. “No funny business. She’s coming with us. That’s that.”
Silver placed everypony’s stuff securely below while Cornfield begrudgingly unwrapped the ropes and hung them on the hooks of the railing for safekeeping. After several minutes of final insurance checks, Coral secured the turquoise sails in place, catching the blustering wind and proudly displaying the green fish embroidered on the mainsail. “Everypony ready? All hooves on deck!” The hippogriff cawed to the crew below.
“Ready Coral!” Her first shipmate gleefully answered.
“Let’s go already!” Silver openly whined.
The boat drifted from the piers and into the open sea, as she jumped down with a nice impact on the wooden deck and grappled the steering wheel. With her open luggage situated by the captain’s theoretical seat, she readied hear map and compass. Fully equipped to navigate her crew out from Horseshoe Bay, they sail onwards to the only land she can truly call home.
The sounds of ambient waves flowed as the hull of a boat sliced through the sea. Hushed wind filled the sails, as if it was intentionally guiding the passengers drifting ashore from Horseshoe bay. Cobalt Coral and her trusty partner, Cornfield, had done what would seem impossible to most ponies. They escaped slavery, eliminated a mob boss, and fled the city of Baltimare; swarming with police on deadly authority. Having successfully dodged the trap behind them with their new plus one, the two fugitives were dead set on arriving at their destination, Mt. Aris.
There was a new air around Coral. Perhaps it was the thrill of the escape or the happiness of returning home. Either way, it gave her the courage to act like she never had before. “All right, me hearties! We’re off to me homeland!” she declared with the best graveled accent she could muster; a single claw outstretched towards the deep, blue yonder.
“When did you become a pirate?” asked Cornfield, wondering exactly how she changed her temper so waveringly.
“That’s a dumb question,” replied Silver Night, basking in the sun as it reflected off her shiny black fur. “We just forcefully commandeered a boat. I’m pretty sure that qualifies.”
“And you will refer to me as captain from now on,” the hippogriff added, adjusting the rudder with the steering wheel “Now, who’s my first mate?”
“Right here!” the chipper colt reacted as he practically jumped to her side. “Wha’cha need?”
She knew what value resided in him, his young naive attitude could lessen the hostile tension between him and their new team member. There’s only one way she could think of that would help them gain mutual trust. “Cornfield, if we are to let this second mate in on our group and not segregate ourselves from her at all times, she must take… the oath.”
“The oath?”
“You know. The one I made for you when I came back to your cottage?”
“Ah, yes! The oath!” he repeated flinging his hoof up in a salute.
“Second mate, Silver! If you are to learn of our secrets and our plans, you must swear to take the same oath that Cornfield and I made with each other. Condition 1: You don’t hide anything from us, we don’t hide anything from you. Condition 2: You don’t tell anypony else about our secrets.”
Emphasis on the latter caused the darkened unicorn to hesitate from the presumptuous attitude, lifting up a queried foreleg as she leaned back. “...Uhhhh... Is this really necessary?”.
The bird’s responded with a talon directed at Silver. “Very! I speak for both of us when I say that we are thankful for what you’ve done to help us. But, if you want to help us any further, you need to take an oath. Otherwise, by the time we dock, we go our separate ways.”
Doubt further shrouded the mare’s mind as she paused to think. With a half-hearted tone, she belted out a simple phrase in her little voice. “Ok, sure.” It wasn’t like she had a choice anyway.
A precarious answer such as that dissatisfied Coral as she shifted to peer at her, gripping to the wheel for a steady ride. “Are you sincere? Then tell us, why are you going through all of this trouble to help me and Cornfield? Be honest.”
“Yes.” That was all the will Silver had to swear by. She wanted nothing more than for the hippogriff’s beak to stop flapping about this shipmate initiation nonsense.
“She’s not serious, Coral. LET’S MAKE HER WALK THE PLANK!” loudly suggested Cornfield as he glared daggers into the non-compliant member.
“Stand down, Cornfield,” Coral ordered as she barred him from attempting to seize the unicorn. “That won’t be necessary. Besides, this boat is lacking a plank to walk out of. Give her time. Until she answers our question, we’ll simply ignore any questions about what our motives are.”
“...Damn,” He uttered under a hushed breath.
“Until then, both of you take turns reading that book Silver got us. I’m not going to be the one steering the boat for the entire trip.”
“Fine…” His thirst for indignation forcefully repressed, he sulked past Silver to snatch the book and explore its contents on deck. The black thief, eager to squeeze more info out of her captain, walked up to Coral manning the ship.
“So, you knew Electric?” she asked bluntly.
“More than I’d like to,” the hippogriff answered as she surveyed the softly rumbling waves, glancing at her map and compass, while steering down the empty ocean. “That stallion was insane. Killed innocent ponies and blamed me for it. Probably did a lot more evil in my absence. I hope the police find evidence of that when they search that hole in the ground he called a dance club.”
“But why kill innocent ponies?” The queer inquiry ruffled Coral’s brows as she stared back at the smaller burglar, asking such naive questions like an innocent filly. “What could drive a criminal who had everything to do so?” Behind the curious dark pony, along came Cornfield, arriving with the book in his mouth. He spat the book out on the deck to learn the basics of navigating on a boat.
“...Nice,” said Coral at the uncouth Earth Pony habits, then resuming with Silver. “Power goes to creatures’ heads if they aren’t prepared for it.” The bird tapped on her temple to drive home the point. “Sure, he had it all, but he wanted to make sure it stayed that way. That’s why he killed; to cover up loose ends.”
“How did you get involved?”
Before Coral could answer, a forceful wave crashed against the boat, almost breaking the balance of the passengers. “Whoa! Hold on!” Coral wrested the steering wheel back, preventing the vessel from going capside. The sudden tilt made Silver stumble, unable to steady her legs as they flung her into an unsuspecting Cornfield. Her body shoved him off as his sight became dark. Yet for some reason he wasn’t struggling under her, sitting on his face in an unusual turn of events.
“There we go,” the pinkish captain assured, as she readjusted the vessel’s roll and path. “That should be-” Her eyes widened and crests perked up from the jeopardizing position Silver had taken. “Getting comfortable on the first mate, are we?” Her face couldn’t help but express a wry smile and narrowed eyelids at the unassuming burglar.
Silver glanced down to find herself above a colt’s torso, then her cheeks turned a shade of beet red when she realized where his head was. She launched herself off of him screaming. “You stupid creep!” shouted the flustered mare.
“Hey!” Cornfield shouted as he fumbled his way up off the wooden surface. “That’s not my fault!” His eyes were guided by the mare’s braided tail covering what felt violated as a thought made him blush. “Ok, maybe she’s not so bad after all…”
“I thought I felt something!”
“Novo help you if it was his tongue,” snickered the hippogriff, trying to hold back her hysterics.
Silver’s expression conveyed absolute disgust, tongue out as she recoiled as far away from the perverted colt as possible. “Egh!” she gagged. “Gross!”
Her defenses on complete shutdown from the exaggerated theatrics, Coral busting out laughing, falling on the wheel and nearly sent the boat off course. “Ahah, so funny!” she exclaimed, wiping a tear from her eye and expelling the last of her chuckles out.
“I...I did no such thing!” the green stallion protested.
A distant boom of thunder summoned the attention of the voyagers at sea, as dark clouds formed in the distance and soon floated towards them, bringing bullets of rain upon them. The black unicorn pondered the next best move as she consulted their temporary captain. “Looks like a heavy one... Can we avoid it?”
Taking charge, Coral grabbed the binoculars out of her saddle bag and peered through the storm clouds. “We can avoid the worst of it if we make a sharp enough turn, but we’ll still be rained on.” Skillfully rotating the wheel to prevent another embarrassing spill, she navigated the boat to one edge of the looming threat hovering above. Prepared to take in the falling drizzle from where the clouds were less dense, she commented, “Storm clouds always give me the worst feeling deep in my gut. It’s probably my nerves...”
“As long as we don’t have to worry about fighting the weather, we should be fine,” added Cornfield as he collapsed the sailing manual in preventing the pages from getting wet.
“Speaking of fighting the elements, let’s get back on topic about you and Electric Boogaloo... How’d it happen?”
Thunder crackled in the distance, warning passersby of its dominance as a trickle of downpour sprinkled the finely painted deck. “Right,” the hippogriff responded, thinking back to where she left off. “Ok. So, after I escaped certain doom from Kludgetown, I made my way to Equestria to hone my craft in thievery. I found that cities often had looser pockets and careless tourists. So, I started going from city to city. Then, I heard a rumor. A rumor about a-” Her brain snapped her beak shut before it spilled confidential information. “Uh… Something that led me to another thing that would have me on this adventure that I’m on now. So, to get that info, I worked with Electric. Does that answer your question?” She worryingly paid special attention to the storm.
“Hmmmm... I see.”
Meanwhile, the colt continued monitoring the storm from afar. Flashes of lightning struck into the background, as he thought about the fate of where they’re headed. “So, how long is it to Mount Aris at this rate?” he queried.
“Possibly by the afternoon, since we started so early,” Coral informed. “Of course, that’s my best guess.” She noticed his mouth expanding quite widely to let a bellowing yawn out. Putting his youthful body into consideration, she knew that he needed to gather himself from the mess she put them through. “Cornfield, you can go take a nap if you want to. I know we got little sleep but I promise to navigate through this.”
“Yeah,” he lazily agreed and made his way below deck, hoping the rocking boat would simply lull him to sleep and not cause seasickness.
Taking advantage of their newfound privacy, Silver pried all the more about the colt. “So, that boy… Why did you let him come along?”
The hippogriff rolled her head to address the mare as she steadied their course. There was a brief pause until she began enlightening Silver. “In the beginning of my expedition, Cornfield and I met during my investigations of something extremely important. At first, I pegged him as a lonely loser desperate for the attention of the opposite sex.”
“Tee hee. Yeah?”
“Yeah, well, turns out he has more than a couple virtuous bones in his body to see me through all of this.” A slight remorse weighed her head down. “I tried desperately to get him to change his mind, but he’s just so damn tenacious. I just didn’t want him to get hurt. That night when Electric gravely wounded him, I felt like my stomach was going to implode.”
“He seems fine now though.”
“Indeed.” Her head rose with a slight smile while glancing at the companionway door. “He doesn’t seem fazed at all! That zebra was a miracle. A kooky rhyming miracle. If it weren’t for her, I don’t know if he’d be with us...”
“It was that bad? At least Electric is done for. We can all breathe a little easier…”
“Yeah... For Baltimare, anyways...” Coral’s thoughts turned to a home she left behind, fearing the time lost amounted to nothing but a tragedy greater than they could ever imagine.
Daylight shimmered and burned as the boat rocked back and forth endlessly. From the right of the boat, they recognized a beach with a vast, scorching desert far in the draw distance. The silhouette of dilapidated and hastily made towers dotted the horizon, marking the location of Kludgetown. As much as the sight disgusted the hippogriff, she could not deny the relieving satisfaction of reaching their destination soon.
“What are you gonna do once we reach our Mt. Aris?” Silver piped up, somewhat mesmerized by the distant shore.
“First, I’m going to pray that nothing happened to it,” she began to list. “Then, if we aren’t too late, I’m getting the next extremely important thing on my list.” Her Heart of Nature dimmed to the tune of worst case scenarios playing with her head.
“You got a back-up plan, right?”
She looked at the mare mindlessly gazing at the glittering, shell-littered sands, then back at the sea ahead. “Considering I’m playing it by ear as I go so far? No.”
That answer didn’t sit well with the unicorn. She lifted her body off the railing-lined edge and confronted the hasty creature. “Then tell me, why are you in such a hurry to get there? It’s not just because you’re homesick, yeah?”
“No. I-” Scenes of the Storm King and his battalions interrupted her, tickling the inner engraved resentment and blinding her with hatred. “Look, all I want to do is go for The Mind of Water before anything irreversibly devastating happens to it.”
“The Mind of Water?”
“Shit.” She cursed quietly, but loud enough to hear, scratching the fine wood of the steering wheel’s handle with clutched, angry claws. The motive, now blurted out in the open, she verified Silver was indeed a loose end. “That’s all you’re getting from me, Silver Night.” Her tone hardened considerably. “Now it’s your turn to tell me why you are so interested in coming with us!” Her brow furrowed, eager to engage with claws bared. “Is it to play hero? Is it to deceive us later? WHAT?!”
Taken by surprise from the sudden hostility, Silver reared and backed up, swiftly complying. “Hey, I haven’t seen my home in three weeks now!” With all four hooves grounded, she maintained her posture as passively as she could to avoid conflict. “After ending up in the city, that bastard Electric caught me in an act. He blackmailed me, threatening to turn me in if I didn’t ‘pay my debt to society’. So, I panicked! He even went as far as setting the most unrealistic demands! It was only then I realized he was using me for his bribes. By then, he had gained sovereignty over the chief of police!”
After hearing Silver’s pathetic confession, Coral relaxed her aggressive stance and allowed her to delve more into it. “Once I became aware of the circumstances,” the black thief explained calmly, “he told me the cost of freedom and a ride back to Ponyville was one last errand. Instead the ‘last errand’ became my imprisonment to the dirty deeds of his henchponies. Raising her chin slightly, she pointed to her neck. “When I resisted, he forced that collar on me and sent me on that final job, even telling me, the moment it was done, I’d be on a train back home. I couldn’t trust him but he said if I removed the collar, I would be hunted down and killed.”
Moments passed as the burglar wondered if her words got through to Coral, who contemplated her tale while the sun dried her rain-soaked feathers. “Where is your home, Silver?” she inquired, staring off toward the vessel’s direction.
“The Everfree Forest.”
“No kidding,” the hippogriff responded dryly. “That close to Cornfield’s dwelling?”
“That dork lives there as well?”
“Outside of it. Knows it like it’s his backyard.” The crashing waves slapped the hull of the boat, sustaining the silence between them before Coral asked about her situation in hindsight. “Am I correct in thinking that the trains would be impossible to get on without authorities staking it, questioning you when you arrive, only to have no other option but to escape by boat instead?”
“Hard for me to say,” Silver wondered aloud as she flicked her hair, revealing her second green iris for a brief moment. “Do the police know I’ve been a bad girl?”
“I know they do. Question is, are you a bad girl to me?”
“I understand you’re weary and all, but at least you can feel safe knowing I can’t drive this boat myself, nor can I do anything about where we’re going.”
“You swearing by the oath, then?” Coral’s attention piqued to the possibility of a new ally, increasing their numbers in a fight against the odds.
“...I don’t normally do such things,” Silver hung her head. “I like to be free to do whatever I want without consequences.”
“Fine. I recognize that. Perhaps I got too carried away in thinking that you would be so quick to agree.” With a set of claws, she stretched them in open invitation to the black mare once more. “Do I at least trust your word not to tell anypony of our quest?”
Silver gazed at her protruding talons with one piercing emerald look of her eye. She knew not what to say but compromised without a token response to quell the hippogriff’s nerves about her ulterior motives. “In due time, you will realize that I wasn’t a mistake to ask for help.” Finally planting her hoof in the hybrid’s grip, a firm shake followed. “I’ll take the secret to my grave.”
That phrase sufficed for Coral to release Silver’s appendage and the wheel. Making space, she reared up then started flapping her wings to maintain the higher posture and puffed her chest out, embellishing the Heart of Nature in the dull light of a cloud-covered sun. “This, Silver Night, is called ‘The Heart of Nature’. One of the four fabled Gems of Creation. It has merged into my body and allows me to command the flora with my claws and heart.”
The allure of rare treasure tempted the unicorn to curiously peer with awe into the crest and tap the gemstone with her hoof. Sure enough, it had no intention of separating from its newfound home. “Don’t suppose you’re thinking of having it removed once this is all over...?”
“According to my mentor, the gem will leave my body when I set it back in its resting place or I... die.” The somber thought prompted Coral to plant her claws back on the wooden deck again. “We are on our way to my homeland, because the Mind of Water, another gem, lays dormant deep underneath the sea near my home. Legend has it that any creature that collects all four will gain immeasurable power.” She waved one of her extremities across from one side, emphasizing the gems’ importance. “Power to fulfill your wildest dreams.”
“Your wildest dreams, eh?” The black mare chimed back, sounding rather skeptical. “But then, surely it must be an extremely dangerous job?”
“It was dangerous enough when we had to go temple raiding.” A serious tone filled the hippogriff with utter grief as she went on. “Now, it’s even more perilous ever since we found out that a new leader of those storm creatures threw his hat into the ring...”
“WHAT?!” Thoughts raced through the unicorn’s mind as she stepped back in shock. “Storm creatures?! Those things that invaded Equestria? Those things are still around?”
“Exactly...” Returning to her driving role, Coral grasped the wheel and gave it a spin, navigating down their intended path. “If Lord Whirlwind manages to get his monkey paws on the Mind of Water... He might use it to terrorize all of Equestria. Thankfully, he can’t find the Mind of Water without the Heart of Nature.”
“Lord Whirlwind…” whispered Silver, mulling over the trouble she might be asking for with this crazy cuckoo. She then raised her voice in protest. “Prey tell, what in Equestria makes this worth all the trouble?!”
Coral hung her head and looked away from the troubled mare. “Nopony... No creature... Needs to go through the same life I’ve gone through.” She quickly turned with fiery determination in her eyes and glared at the dark-coated thief with vigor. “That’s why I’m doing all of this. To prevent anymore slaughters.”
“Wait a minute... So this is some vigilante crusade?! I thought there was some REAL value after these treasures!”
“There IS value in changing the world for the better,” the hippogriff was quick to argue back. “That’s the true worth of these gems, more than every bit in Equestria...”
There was never such an equation in Silver’s math. She held up a hoof to make her personal stake in the matter clear as crystal. “I’m no hero. I’ll help you out, but I’m not about to sacrifice my own life only for ‘the greater good’.”
“Fine. I’m not asking you to do so. If there’s anything of value to you on our journey, you’re welcome to it. My prize is the Mind of Water.”
With the knowledge that her adventure would surely yield priceless treasures along the way, Silver could not refuse the rare opportunity and nodded delightfully at her proposal. “Well then! At least that we can agree on.”
A couple more hours pass on the southern oceans of Equestria. The turmoil of the storms had subsided, as they sailed unabated to Mt. Aris. Silver and the now refreshed Cornfield do what they can to pass time on the boat as Coral manned the wheel on an uneventful plane of water. At least, until hunger set in.
“Go fish!” Cornfield called with an annoying tone.
Silver glared down her cards before ultimately tossing almost the whole deck overboard in frustration. “HEY!” The colt angrily stood up, while the unicorn quickly complained aloud. “I’m sick of this kiddie game! I want to eat now!”
The captain, agreeing with her childish crew, set the rudder to sail itself as she hunkered down the companionway. A moment later, she reemerged with all the food and water wrapped around in many loops of her vines. Then, she piled it all upon the middle of the deck for all to eat heartily.
“You know, it’ll be good to get away from all this pre-packaged stuff.” Coral stated, sitting by the food dump across from her friend and popped open a bag of trail mix. “When we get to MY home, I’ll whip you up my mother’s recipe on kelp wraps.”
The young stallion dived right in for the chips and dip, favoring the junk food. “Hey, I think this stuff tastes good!” said Cornfield, just as he stuffed his mouth, cheekful with salty potato flavors. “I could eat chips forever!”
Meanwhile, Silver swiped away the honey oat cookies before anypony else could. “It suits you. I can’t imagine you having a palate beyond hayburgers.” She took a few bites as Cornfield heeded no mind.
“Well, I think a little home cooking is good for the soul,” the hippogriff backed her opinion. “It’s just baked rice wrapped in kelp and topped with a tropical coconut sauce.”
“Somepony isn’t shy about their cooking.”
“When it’s the ONLY thing I know how to cook, I take pride in knowing I can recreate my mom’s dish.” The memory of her parents made her crests perk up as something important arose in the hippogriff’s mind. “Oh, yes! If we are going to visit Mt. Aris, you need to learn a couple customs.”
“Better try teaching that boy first! He’s not exactly ‘courteous’.”
“Whatever!” Cornfield scoffed.
“I’m more worried about YOU, quite frankly,” the bird cawed at Silver accusingly before focusing on her lesson. “Anyway, rule number one, is never speak to a hippogriff of high status unless you bow your head first. When the hippogriff bows back, then you may speak.”
Silver stood there silently, almost as if she wasn’t listening or simply didn’t take it seriously. With greater contrast, Cornfield was more curious as to the reasoning and logic behind such a rule. “So, should I just bow to ANY hippogriff? Or are there only a few to worry about?”
“Oh, no.” Coral brushed off the notion with her talons. “Bowing is reserved only for showing deep respect. Don’t bow unless you want to show it. But high officials, like the queen, expect to be bowed to, as talking outright is seen as out of place and disrespectful.”
“Does this mean we’re gonna see the queen?”
Exasperated by the idea, the hippogriff hung her head. “Damn it, I hope not...”
“What’s wrong?”
“Let’s just say my life of thievery didn’t start at Kludgetown.”
Cornfield couldn’t help but exert an annoyed growl. “Aw, Coral! Are we gonna find ourselves stuck with another tyrant who you owe favors to? How bad is it?”
“Nothing big. Just decided to steal Novo’s prized relic, the Pearl of Transformation.” There was a hint of regret in her voice as she took a bite of an apple from the pile of food on board.
“Well, on the bright side, at least it’s in the claws of a civilized leader, right?”
“Why is that good news again?” asked Silver, wondering what it means to be introduced to a pissed off queen.
“All I’m saying is I’d rather have to deal with her transgressions in a society and its leaders over criminals,” the young colt compared. “C’mon! What’s the worst that could happen?”
“Famous last words,” Coral refuted. “I’d rather provoke a hive of bugbears than the queen. Doing so once led to-” She cut herself off, catching a landmark off in the distance from the corner of her eye. Walking to her saddlebags, she pulled out her binoculars and peered over the boat railings. A wide grin stretched across her beak to see Mount Aris, standing and well. They had finally made it. “LAND HO!” she enthusiastically announced.
The two shipmates met with Coral on the port bow. “Alright! So that’s what your home looks like?” The thought of visiting somewhere new, far away from his little hovel and into a brave new world excited the adventurous colt. He couldn’t help but jump for joy. “I’ve never been to a place like this before! This is so cool!”
The black unicorn, already tired of Cornfield’s hyperactivity, plugged her hoof in his mouth, stopping him cold. “Just chill,” she commanded.
“It’s still in one piece!” Coral’s words alone eased her tensions as they began to melt away with a sigh of relaxation. “I never thought I’d be home again.” The hippogriff turned to witness Silver eagerly canceling the colt’s celebration. She pushed Silver’s hoof away, stating “At this rate, Silver, I’m going to be the one shouting!”
“Actually, I’ve never been here before, either.” The dark thief’s mind fell upon the thought of various loot that lied in wait for a pilferer, stored in the treasury hidden deep within the palace. After all, rarely ever do ponies tread this far out.
“Well, there’s a lot to do there. There’s the Harmonizing Heights, seafood, dancing, music, and-” Before Coral could finish her verbal tour of her homeland, she noticed that Cornfield was not beside them anymore. Instead the colt was sitting on the starboard of the boat, pondering alone. His feathery companion sat beside him to tickle his brain. “What’s wrong, Cornfield?”
“I was just thinking,” he answered, “About Baltimare…”
“What about it? It’s in the past, right?”
His thoughts start to wander as Coral pried in, sabotaging his tranquil meditation. “Yes... including Electric. He is dead. We took his life away.” Making a half hearted smirk alongside a chuckle, he flipped around and leaned his back against the stanchion. “I guess I got what I wanted in the end. Does that make me a murderer?”
Shocked to hear those words, the hippogriff was speechless, but put her talons gently on his shoulder. “You did no such thing to call yourself that. Electric did himself in to try and take you and put me in more misery.”
Taking into consideration the things she said, the naive stallion stumbled over his own words, trying to piece together his deepest conflictions. “...But... I felt the desire to do it. I wanted him to die. Is there really any difference after the fact?”
“We all have dark thoughts like that. You’re not the first pony to wish major harm on somepony and you won’t be the last. But, I didn’t see you killing him.” She used her other set of talons to lightly bop the colt on the nose. “I saw him killing himself on a last ditch effort to kill you. You didn’t commit the crime, therefore you aren’t a murderer. Simple, right?”
Cornfield froze for a bit. To which, he sharply exhaled from his nostrils and turned his head away, much to Coral’s dismay. Then, a voice called beyond the deck. “Hey guys!” Silver called out. “I don’t mean to be rude but somepony better steer the boat like... right now!”
Her claws meeting her face, the hippogriff pushed herself off the damp wooden surface. “Oops! Right, we need to make our course for-” A booming sound of thunder was heard east of Mt. Aris from where the boat rocked. “Ah? Oh, come on. Another storm? It’s nothing but sun out here!”
Suddenly, Cornfield lost all control of his body, with a slight whitish-blue aura engulfing him. Eyes were the brightest white, highlighting his face like mini-spotlights. “No,” Cornfield murmured with a static voice. “It’s not the storms. They will raze the earth for the endless source of the fountain. Their dreams are to make yours die, and bring nightmares to life.” The cryptic message bamboozled the thieves, and the magic surrounding the colt speedily dissipated as he collapsed helplessly on the ground.
“CORNFIELD!!!” Coral panicked, rushing to the poor stallion’s side to keep his head from knocking into the cockpit floor.
“Ahh,” Cornfield rubbed his head, groggily waking up from his supernatural trance. “I... think I tripped or something. What’s going on?”
“What’s going on?” she repeated back to him, shaking him slightly in distress. “What’s going on?! You start speaking some gibberish about a fountain with your eyes lighting up, and you ask me what’s going on?!”
Slowly, as he was settled back on his own four hooves, he gazed at her like she lost her marbles. “What are you blabbering about?”
The unicorn by the sidelines couldn’t help but stand silently and blink during the whole ordeal, completely baffled on what madness she witnessed. “Whoa, ok,” she finally spoke up. “This is starting to get REALLY weird!
Glancing between the bird and the mare, the stallion felt unsure of himself with the stone-cold looks in their eyes targeting him. “A-Are you two serious?”
Another thunderous boom rocked the atmosphere. Its severe proximity to Mt. Aris demanded the immediate attention of the only native on the boat. She picked up her binoculars again, paying close attention to the sky. Some darkened cloud, pitch black, was getting closer and closer to the summit of Mount Aris. Then, emerging through its darkside, Coral beheld the telltale silhouette of an attack blimp, with the Storm symbol adorned on the sinister armor covering the balloon. Her talons trembled with the binoculars drifting slowly below her eyes. Pupils already shrunk as she witnessed the horror that plagued her whole life right in front of her.
Cornfield and Silver joined by her sides to identify what seemed like the second invasion looming. “Oh, please tell me we’re not walking into that?!” pleaded Cornfield.
“I actually have to side with him on this one,” Silver added.
Intense fear took over Coral’s body as she stumbled backwards and fell on hindlegs. The binoculars tumbled upon the deck, breaking one of its lenses. Her whole body quivered at the display while the lightning struck her last resolve, highlighting the blimp with its dark, foreboding colors. Memories recalling the first invasion flooded her mind, blood pouring on the beaches as screams of hapless victims being slaughtered mercilessly echoed with an unbearable despair. Trace flashbacks of the mutilated corpses belonging to her immediate family chipped away at her sanity. Her beak uncontrollably shivered, barely breathing out the word “no”.
Recognizing Coral’s self-destructive triggers, Cornfield blurted “Oh no, NOT AGAIN!” as now it was his turn to rush in her aid. “Coral?! Are you alright?!” Silver watched plainly. Befuddled how to handle the once bold daring leader of the three creature brigade break down like an old barnhouse at Silver’s hooves.
“N-n-n-noooo.... Nooooo....” Coral let out each word whimpering at the sight, flashes of her past overwhelming the senses. Finally, combined with the shriek of an eagle’s cry, she screamed at the sky. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
“Get a hold of yourself!”
Coral’s eyes watered, unable to stop the flowing tears, as she dug her claws into her own face. Unsure of what to do, she mumbled mere incoherent thoughts. She showed bravado racing to intervene and save her only home, but in the face of her worst fears, she just managed to curl up into a ball of agonizing misery.
Noticing the black unicorn standing about and being generally useless, Cornfield angrily called out her waste of assistance. “Dammit! Silver, help me out! Do something!” All Silver did was shuffle her hooves around, muttering to herself on what he took her for. “Just get over here!”
As the stallion did everything he could to prevent his friend from lashing her own face in a fit of feral confusion, Silver meekly approached. “Wh-what should I do?!” she asked.
“Hold back her claws with your magic. Keep them bound! I gotta calm her!” He maneuvered over Coral, trying to eclipse the terrifying sight of the blimp. “Look at me, Coral! Look at me!”
Silver does what she can with her minor magical abilities to pull the hippogriff’s claws together and away from her face, struggling against her stiff hydraulic-like muscles.
“L-Lor-Lord W-Whirlwind...” the terrified bird stammered. The sound of Cornfield’s voice etched a hole through her caged psyche. She stared at him with heavy breaths, intently listening to his input.
“We came too far to lose like this!” Cornfield implored her to hear his reasoning and come out of her total mental breakdown. “It won’t do anypony any good to sit here and panic! You need to get a hold of yourself!”
Even with his best intentions, what he didn’t understand was that, while helping to dispel any fear tucked inside, the sight of the ship above her precious homeland was also converting the fear into an emotion that Zecora had warned to watch out for: anger. “Cornfield...” Just when it seemed like he was successfully getting through to her as Silver eased her magical grip. Coral, coming free from her bonds, slowly rose to inch ever so closely with her trusted companion. “I’m going to... I’m going to...”
Cornfield patiently awaited the result of their efforts, praying that she had finally ascertained a level head. “You’re going to what?” he asked. Silver stood in awe and became a mere spectator to this moment. Cornfield felt an ominous force flowing inside his friend.
The gem on Coral’s chest burned brightly as her brow descended to the point of shooting a deathly gaze at the airship. “I’m going... to KILL... Lord Whirlwind.”
Before Cornfield could say another word, his partner, Cobalt Coral, flapped her wings off the boat’s deck, hovering higher like a hot-air balloon. Effortlessly, she used her vines in whisking him away with her, flying as fast as a purple hippogriff could to Mt. Aris and stranding Silver Night in the process.
The awful sight of her homeland being invaded by a stormy blimp repeatedly broke Coral down into nothing but cowardice and fear. When Cornfield snapped her out of her PTSD, he awakened a caged beast that desperately thirst for revenge by any means. She ignored the abandoned mare yelling angrily from afar, floating above the bouncy waves. “HEY! DON’T LEAVE ME HERE!” Silver’s voice had ultimately been drowned out by the sound of air speeding past. Cornfield on the other hoof found himself in a rather unfortunate position; being dragged along inside thorn threaded vines pressing against him.
“Ack! Uh, Coral! You need to calm down! You’re hurting me!”
At this point, Coral was seeing red and selfishly disregarded the colt’s anguish. Then he saw, in much dismay, they were flying right into the giant spire, in the dead center of the sea, while the vines tightened even more painfully around him. Far away, large muscular soldiers rappelled down from the ship with their indistinguishable white matted fur and intimidating armor. She throttled up, accelerating to meet them head on!
“Dammit! I was hoping we’d have time to plan. But Coral is literally charging in to make the first move! She’s gonna get us killed!” Cornfield thought.
The colt struggled against her vines, but that only made it all the more uncomfortable. This was proving to be a real thorny situation indeed. Soon, yet not soon enough for either party involved, they established contact with the beach at the base of the mountain. Dropping the pained photographer on the sands, and landing beside him was an angry bird who immediately bolted for the wooden walkway; zigzagging all the way along the walls of the cliff where the city entrance stood.
After a brief moan and recuperation, he realized she left him behind. “W-wait up Coral!” Cornfield sprinted after, using all his effort to keep up. No idea what would happen once they’d get inside the city but he certainly had to watch her back in her frenzied moment.
Finally, after what felt like a long flight of stairs, Coral stared at the center of Mount Aris as her companion crawled up past the final hoofstep at her side. For the first time, Cornfield finally witnessed his friend’s true home, as they passed through two hippogriff statues acting in service of the main gate. While they were quickly surrounded by trees that made up various houses and stores, there wasn’t any time to admire the exotic architecture. Rows of Storm Soldiers lined up side by side with the hippogriffs who had already taken notice of the notorious outcast, bringing alongside a new guest into their stronghold. Although Coral appeared menacing, she was in fact surveying the location carefully.
Nervously, the colt asked, “C-Coral? Will you listen to me now?”.
There was an uneasy standoff in the atmosphere, and even the natives had unfriendly faces to welcome them. They in turn kept marching. Seemingly everypony waited for somepony to break the ice of a cold reception. Coral, however, didn’t need any invitation, as she lashed out her vines on an unsuspecting soldier. After attacking his neck with a vice-like hold she threw him off the ground. The soldier vainly wrenched the thorny vines cutting his throat, while the rest of the crew primed themselves for battle, unsheathing their weapons.
Thrust into an unwilling conflict, the only thing Cornfield could do was stare in awe of her rage. He couldn’t even summon the courage to stand by her anymore, as her abandonment of caution upon arriving could possibly ignite the war prematurely.
“If you monkeys have any brains at all, you will bring me Lord Whirlwind!” the purple thief squawked with unbridled fury. “I want a chance at his HEAD!”
One soldier wisely strafed out of formation with his sharpened spear and cut the vines keeping his comrade aloft. Coral’s hostage collapsed onto the dirt with a thud, dripping alarming pools of blood from his sliced neck. To the gem bearer’s horror, the floral ropes quickly disintegrated, but once it retracted back to her talons, unharmed, she was relieved. The other hippogriffs gasped with shock and fear, not of their natural enemies, but of her.
“Now who else of you beasts want some?!” Coral taunted, her body raring to give everything she had. Yet her mind raced in a desperate plea for the blinding anger clouding her judgement to end. The troops did nothing except address their fallen’s wounds and stayed in a defensive format. “ANSWER ME!” Another screech echoed. Her impatience was getting the better of her.
“STOP! Leave them alone! They aren’t here to hurt any creature!” A voice called from behind the two visitors as they turned to witness another hippogriff, with light-blue fur, green eyes, and light-green spiky feathers in a mohawk hairstyle. Sheepishly, he approached Cornfield, as he seemed to be the less threatening mediator.
The colt glanced upwards to see him clearly, noting he was a little taller than Coral, but not by much. “What the-? But aren’t they attacking the city?” he asked as he moved closer to the new voice of reason.
“Did you see them with their weapons raised?” retorted the unfamiliar native of Mt. Aris. “They’re simply here to ensure that Lord Whirlwind is protected on his visit with the queen!”
“But Lord Whirlwind... Is a dictator!” Cornfield reiterated, remembering that Dr. Caballeron was a murdered victim and stoked the flames of his conviction further.
“He’s right!” chimed Coral, hastily getting up in the male hippogriff’s face. “Who are YOU to defend both him AND these brutal creatures responsible for the deaths of their first invasion?!”
“My name is Calm Breeze,” the light-blue avian answered with diplomatic intentions. “I’m Lord Whirlwind’s assistant.”
“Assistant?” chimed Cornfield once more. “Why? Do you even realize you’ve aligned yourself with a power-hungry murderer!?”
The colt then looked at Coral, expecting she’d back him up, but only froze with shock instead. The moment Calm introduced himself, gears started turning in her head. “Calm Breeze?” She uttered after a moment of contemplative silence. “...Is your father Crashing Waves and your mother Pearl Gleam?”
The colt stepped aside and allowed his purple partner to take over. He didn’t understand these matters as it was left between them for discussion. The male hippogriff, however, narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously, wondering who this mysterious female was before it became terribly obvious. His eyes suddenly widened in astonishment as his beak hung open. At a loss for words, he could only respond with a name he lost so very long ago. “... Cobalt Coral?”
His sister’s heart swelled, overwhelming joy washing over her as a lost piece of her past revealed to be intact all along. Nothing in Equestria could stop her as she forcefully wrapped her forelegs around his neck, hugging him tight and shouting his name, never wanting to let go of him a second time. The sudden wave of emotion enveloped Calm and returned the favor as he embraced her back. Cornfield could not bring himself to interrupt this tender moment between family, especially one she believed had been dead all this time, despite these circumstances that surround them.
“I can’t believe it!” Coral cried tears of bliss as she rubbed her cheek on his neck. “I thought you were dead!”
“I honestly thought the same...” her brother responded, thanking the stars that he found his family on this fateful day. Then, he noticed Cornfield, wondering how he’s involved in all of this. “Who is this with you?”
Coral hesitantly broke away off the hug and gave Cornfield his due introduction. “Calm, this is my friend, Cornfield.”
“Uh, nice... to meet you?” The colt hung his hoof in the air, queuing a shake, uncertain what her immediate family thought of him.
“Likewise,” Calm politely said as he grasped his hoof and gave a firm shake.
Coral was in awe of her brother, thinking how wonderful it would be to catch up after years of separation. Yet regrettably she let it go, as reality slowly crept back to wrest her happiness away and set priorities straight: why would he be here, now after so long, eagerly defending the Storm Creatures. An angry stomp befell from her, with a somber expression. “Why, Calm?!”
“W-Why, what?” The concerned sibling felt himself targeted by the sudden shift in tone, wondering why he’s questioned so suddenly.
“Why are you working for Whirlwind?” Cornfield wasted no time, avoiding minced words for Coral’s sake.
Calm looked at his sister’s friend. Like it or not, this reunion initiated with a trial, and he was court appointed to be his own lawyer. “Well, when I was a young colt myself, I was kidnapped by the Storm King’s soldiers to be a slave. But, Lord Whirlwind, in his kindness, saved me from a life of abuse! I’m indebted to him for that.”
The only witness to Caballeron’s murderer stood there, mouth agape as his brain processed the the testimony and compared it to the facts before him. With nothing to counter, Cornfield reiterated the sole truth he knew in his heart, “But, Whirlwind is evil”.
“The way you revere him,” Coral reinforced her partner’s defense, “you sound like he’s this protector of justice or something!”
“That’s just it!” Her brother begged desperately to assure them. “He wants to repair the relationships between the Storm Creatures and the Hippogriffs. That’s why he’s here! This isn’t an invasion, this is a peace treaty!”
“Ponyfeathers!” Cornfield shouted “He’s a murderer! Why would he do that?!”
“You’re dismissed, Calm Breeze,” said a young voice in an authoritative tone. “I’ll answer that question myself.” With a gasp, Coral found Queen Novo behind them, in all her beautiful and graceful plumage, walking alongside a rather unique Storm Creature that stood out from the rest of the hulking brutes. He was incredibly youthful, yet as tall as Celestia herself. His primate face resembled the Storm King’s, but less brutish and more refined. Another curious feature was the fur on top of his head curled sideways like freshly served ice cream, sticking out from the top of the Storm King’s old crown. Finally, his attire spoke a thousand words of his intellect, sporting a pair of short lens glasses and a lab coat with light storm armor layered around the torso.
The adventuring duo sized the lord up as he approached. Cornfield couldn’t help but identify his body like the silhouette from the same communication potion that ended an aforementioned pony’s life. “Could this be him?” he thought to himself.
“A-are you... Lord Whirlwind?” Coral stammered, taken aback from his thin frame. She honestly had overestimated his stature. Either way, rage still bubbled up inside of her, having finally met the heinous figure, with his nose turned upward, looking down on the creatures as if he was above them. However, the queen’s presence kept the gem thief from taking any action less she be incarcerated, or worse.
“Indeed.” As the clever, noble creature spoke before them, his voice sounded very familiar with Cornfield. This was unmistakably the voice he heard speaking to Caballeron. “I see that you are already causing chaos with my units, however.”
Eager to save his long-lost kin, Calm got between his sister and his boss. “Please, sir!” he pleaded for his merciful understanding. “She acted out of fear! Not malice! It was reacting with undue conscious”
“Even so, Calm,” Cornfield refuted his partner’s respect. “Coral can speak for herself.”
With a step forward and loudly clearing her throat, the leader of the Hippogriffs demanded the visitors demonstrate their etiquette to her. Calm and Coral instinctively bowed first, adhering to the royal standards of conduct. Novo bowed to the brother, but not his sister. “One can’t simply say that for sure,” her majesty addressed to Calm. For you see, she already has a history of acting on impulse and disobeying the crown.”
A frustrated click escaped the thief’s beak, rolling her eyes when her ruler unearthed those past transgressions. “Oh, damn it, here we go....” the purple bird thought with a sneer.
Cornfield bowed his head to Novo. “I’m sorry,” he spoke up to the queen. “But it’s not what you think.” He hastily forwarded the conversation at Coral. “You should probably clear the air for us. I can see it’s you they’re more worried about than anything.”
“Right.” Nodding at the gesture, she took her case up with Novo. “If you can just try to understand why I-” The Queen screeched a piercing eagle’s cry relentlessly at the both of them, nearly deafening them both in her outburst.
“Who gave both of you the RIGHT to speak to me?!” Novo cawed furiously.
Under the colt’s breath was a subtle plea of noble recognition. “See? I did the bow thing. Am I a good boy or what?” However, it would be sheepishly discarded due to his clumsy knowledge.
“She didn’t bow back. You hadn’t any permission to speak to her...” said Coral. Momentum had shifted as the outcast started explaining the situation, while Lord Whirlwind adjusted his glasses, as the gem on the hippogriff’s chest reflected in his lens.
“Your majesty, correct me if I’m wrong,” the Storm Creature chuckled; the only one amused in these times on the notion of ever being wrong. “But isn’t that one of the Gems of Creation on her chest?”
Cornfield detected Whirlwind’s focus on Coral’s beating chest, nervously breaking out bullets of sweat. Meanwhile, Coral glared angrily at the pompous lord, cursing the day he was ever born. Then, when she saw the jewel Whirlwind was talking about, Queen Novo furiously shot daggers at the gem bearer’s eyes.
“So... Even after all these years, you still haven’t given up on your life of thievery?” The feathered monarch nearly spit in disgust from the disgraced sight before her. “It wasn’t enough to try and steal away the Pearl of Transformation. You’re here for The Mind of Water also?!”
“B-But, your majesty!” Coral struggled to assert. “I need it so I can keep it out of that monkey’s paws!” She cast her talons of wrath at Whirlwind, who pushed his glasses up with a pretentious smirk on his face.
“Do you even know what powers you are playing with, you fool! The implications that taking the Mind of Water will bring? The waters will grow stale and rotten in a matter of months if you dare to steal it. What are the costs of the fact that you have The Heart of Nature with you now? Do you even care?”
Bursting with rage, Coral lunged herself beak-to-beak with Novo. “I DO care! I care more about my country and my fellow hippogriffs more than you do! When the Storm King reigned and Celestia sure as shit wasn’t going to help for years, Mt. Aris had to be SAVED!” The rebel backed off, mocking her leader further. “I wanted to band together and escape the waters to rebel against him, while you sat on your ASS protecting your preeecious peeeearl.”
The collective hippogriffs in the streets gasped at the insolent rogue and chattered with each other like a mile high waterfall of stones while the Queen stood flabbergasted with her jaw hanging. Coral settled her side of the argument with a smile on her beak. “Truth is, your majesty, someone has to reverse the damages done by his kind, and make sure nothing like that happens again. I’m electing myself to be the creature to do it, whether you like it or not.”
Overwhelmed by these new developments, Cornfield urged Coral to reevaluate. “Uh, I think we’ve overstayed our welcome at this point.”
Calm faced her sister, equally stunned by her obscene behavior. “Y-you…” he hesitantly stuttered, making dead sure his grave accusation was not without its certainty. “You’re a thief?”
Coral addressed her brother as the speechless Queen backed away, hoping to save face after what the potential usurper had proclaimed and regain her majestic composure. “Yeah,” his sister said plainly. “I am. What of it?”
“Well, not only is that... wrong, but I can’t believe that my own sister would go out of her way to do something this dangerous. Lord Whirlwind is trying to make reparations with the hippogriffs without resorting to magical gems. He’s doing the right thing!”
His attempt to set her straight only received the furrowing of her brow. “And I can’t believe that my thought-to-be dead, long lost brother is peddling bullshit for a living. He killed a pony in cold blood when he was dealing with bandits to do his dirty work! Cornfield has proof!”
There was a tug in her tail feathers. “It’s... ah, it’s back at the boat, Coral,” her partner quickly reminded her. “But surely your brother would take your word for it anyway, right?”
Inquiringly, Calm inquired about said proof. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to see the evidence myself.”
“Er... I hope Silver parked the boat someplace where we can get it.”
“Silver?” Coral’s crests shot up as her eyes widened. “Oh, CRAP, Silver! She’s still back at the boat! I doubt she could put it ashore!”
“W-wait! Coral! Don’t leave without...me.” It was too late to ask for a ride as Coral blasted back from whence they came. Cornfield slowly faced the vast crowd of towering hippogriffs watching him, abandoned in an unbecoming moment way out of his element. “...So... How about them sea urchins… I mean what is up with that... Ha ha...?”
Then, a shadow doused Cornfield in utter darkness as a tall figure stood high over him. As he checked what loomed above, Lord Whirlwind had completely stolen any breathing room between them, being within range of his deathly grasp. The colt leered back as the wicked Storm Creature flashed a grin. “So, you’ll have to forgive if I ask this, but why are you here?”
“Umm, well, doesn’t Coral have the right to see her family?”
“No no. I’m not concerned about her other than the well-being of every living creature on this earth. The question is: Why are you here? What have you to gain from all this?”
“I’m just with Coral. I swear!”
“I see.” Then, the piercing determined gaze that was in Whirlwind’s eyes revealed itself upon removing his glasses as he bent down to his level. “Well, are you aware of what your friend is doing?”
“Well... What business is it of yours anyhow?”
Lord Whirlwind let out a knowing chuckle. “Well, part of our treaty is keeping our neighbors safe. If Coral is attempting to procure the Mind of Water… I must profess that would be nothing less than abominable for both parties that have their own island countries here in the ocean. For that, I might have to take action...”
“...Do as you wish!”
The ape-like animal chuckled even harder, to the point he was bursting out in laughter. After calming himself and retaining his suave temperament, he answered back enthusiastically. “Exemplary idea! But it’s not mine to command.” Turning to Novo, in the midst of recomposing herself, he proclaimed, “Now, your majesty, in her infinite wisdom, would know that protecting the Mind of Water is something that she must do at all costs. After all, she knew better than to rush out, but rather go on the defensive to make sure the Storm King couldn’t have the Pearl in the wrong paws.”
Cornfield buckled down in his thoughts. “Come on Coral! The situation is out of hoof once again!”
Novo’s feathers perked up. Taking the baton of inspiration from Whirlwind, a wry smile formed as she scratched the underside of her beak. “Yes…” she quickly agreed with his honeyed vocabulary. “I think we should discuss our plans to further strengthen the protection of the Mind of Water in private.” The queen proceeded down the path into her towering palace, leaving her subjects to mingle with the other creatures. “Come along, Lord Whirlwind. We have much to talk about.”
Meanwhile, as the two royals retreated back inside their sacred residence, the colt jumped over where Calm stood, anxiously. “Look, Calm. I get Coral did some things in the past she regrets. But surely you can believe your own sister when she says Whirlwind is no good!”
The light-blue avian sighed, unable to properly wrap his head around the situation he’s in. “I understand that you care for her, even helped her out in my long absence... But, it’s still all so hard to take in...”
“You must have noticed something in your current position. I imagine having Coral has helped sharpen your senses to wrongdoing.”
Grasping his head, Calm groaned like he was in pain. “My life with Lord Whirlwind had been... such a blur. One day, I find myself in shackles. The next, I’m his trusted aide. Ever since, all I heard him talk about was plans to bring about unity and justice.”
“How come you’ve never even tried to reach out to your sister?” He said in wish-fulfillment of his kin’s redemption.
“I didn’t even know she was still alive! The last thing I saw of my family was when I was being dragged away and my mom and dad getting killed in front of me! I thought she would be gone as well!” He reaffirmed his stance back at Cornfield. “You have to understand! It’s not that I didn’t care for her. I still do, even now! It’s just that after so many years of separation... Well, some hippogriffs would move on with their days...”
Then the green equine alien to their world conceded. “...I guess we’ll just have to wait for her to come back then.”
“No need. I have some words for her of my own and I’m off-duty. I’ll take you to her.” Crouching down, he presented his back for a rider to mount and spread his wings. “Hop on.”
The colt hesitated only for a moment but did comply; situating himself comfortably on Calm. The extra weight of a full-grown pony caused Calm to stumble a bit. “Whoa! Are you ok?” the passenger questioned for both of their well-beings.
To which Calm replied, “Ah, sorry. We griffs aren’t used to serving as flying mounts for a very long time. But I’ll get used to it!”
“Well… that’s reassuring!” Cornfield thought.
“Hang on!” The hippogriff stood firm before he shot out of the entrance gate like a rocket. Cornfield hugged tightly with his lips flailing and tears spawning from his eyes.
Barely squinting, Cornfield tried to make the most of his position, observing what he could make out in the distant Earth. Calm was whizzing about in the air, zooming downwards in fancy feats of aerial versatility. With the sole knowledge that they sailed their way, the search had narrowed down to what only plausible terrain might have the vessel hoisted. Scaling down the mountain, a rocky cliff jutted out across the ocean over a sandy beach. A silhouette befitting a sailboat crept into the rocky shoulder, and the feathered carrier slowed as they carefully descended upon their suspected point of interest. On the cockpit of the boat, Coral and Silver Night seemed as if they were in the middle of a heated debate.
“-that I had to go in such a hurry! I thought I had a national CRISIS on my claws!”
As Calm graciously hovered down over the deck, his rider eagerly jumped off and not just because he desperately wanted a break from Calm’s dazzling acrobatics. “Whoa! Hey, what’s going on, you two?”
The delightful sound of her friend caught Coral’s attention. She’s less than thrilled to see her brother, but still pleased to find Cornfield made it back all right. “Oh, Silver is just bitching because we left her behind. She steered her way over here trying to figure out how to pitch the boat ashore, when I came by and saved her rump.” However, once she saw Cornfield’s watery eyes and slightly loopy expression, she had to ask. “You ok there?”
He rapidly shook his head in clearing his mind. “Well, I can tell you’ve had many more ponies ride you than your brother… I MEAN!” He clamped his mouth shut from the embarrassment. “Hehe… not like that…” Coral stifled a laugh as Cornfield struggled to correct his verbal humiliation. Quickly, he changed topics while his partner was in a good mood. “Wait, you saved her?”
The colt also scanned around for his saddlebags, seeing them conveniently nestled by as Coral went on. “You shoulda heard her. Poor mare was panicking something fierce underneath that cold exterior.” She gives Silver a sly smile.
“I was NOT!”
The unicorn slightly blushes as she glances away. “It’s just a stupid boat anyway.”
“A stupid boat you can’t steer.”
Cornfield sighed. “At least we can finally prove Whirlwind is a bad guy.”
Although a bitter Sliver tried snidely remarking. “You’re a boat I can’t steer.”
Coral pointed back at Silver. “You’re just a steer. Period!”
Calm himself began to interject. “Sister, please!”
“Jeez, now you two are fighting?” The stallion whined.
“I’m just kidding.” Coral said plainly. “I need to laugh after the horrendous things I’ve witnessed.”
She then glared at her brother, who begged to differ, saying, “Coral, there’s nothing bad even happening! Lord Whirlwind has everyone’s best interests.”
“Oh yeah?” Called out the young green stallion as he zipped over to his bags. “Well, wait until you see this!” Opening his luggage, he dug in and retrieved the camera. Then, he popped the latch but history repeated itself as all the photos stored flew out and fluttered in the soft tingling wind. “OH! BUCK!” Many of them fell to a watery grave save for a few, including one peculiar photograph that Calm swiped up midair. Silver saw them plain as day, snickering in the background while Cornfield snagged as many as he could back into his camera.
“Oh, Cornfield...” Coral shook her head, seemingly disappointed at his behavior, but she couldn’t help but guffaw at the sheer silliness of his misfortune.
Calm further examined the picture of interest in his claws. No doubt, it’s Whirlwind’s silhouette in the potion’s mist, and he took Cornfield’s word that the rough looking stallion was a dastardly pony. “And you are saying he killed this... Caballeron?” he asked with disbelief in his tone.
“Yeah!” confirmed the colt. “Right in front of me! He made that thing explode and it killed him!”
“Do you have a picture of that as well?”
The question deflated Cornfield slightly, mentally kicking himself for never taking the shot in the first place. “Well... no. But this sure is telling, don’t ya think?”
“It only tells me that he deals with unsavory characters sometimes. Not that he’s a murderer.”
Despite the lack of explicit proof, a light bulb went off in his head as he switched tactics. “I wonder what Whirlwind would say if we were to present this to Novo?” A glowing smirk flashed on the colt’s face. “If he deals with unsavory characters, the act might just cost him.”
Calm raised his chin, “What did he want from him, anyway?”
“He was after The Heart of Nature. Cornfield said that Whirlwind specifically asked for it in order to get to The Mind of Water,” Coral informed.
The green stallion’s confidence bolstered from his friend’s backing. “Heh… Yeah, he was real ticked when he found out Coral got it before Caballeron.”
“The punk even mentioned me by name and my species to him!” Coral exclaimed.
Calm reacted strongly with worrying fear. “He knew about you?!” The group looked at the male hippogriff with confusion, who was unable to handle that sudden intake of information. A momentary pause filled the gap as Cornfield stepped forward to warn him further.
“...We’d better be careful,” said the young shutterbug. “Who knows what he plans to do?”
“No…” Calm fell back on hind legs as he clutched his head in his claws. “No, no, no. It doesn’t make sense... Why would he withhold that information about you from me, unless he didn’t know we were siblings...” His crests perked from the logical conclusion he said aloud, and summoned the strength to stand tall again. “That’s it. He didn’t know. Anyway, I-I’m sure it’s nothing. You’re just mistaken.”
The esteemed photographer rolled his eyes with a scoff and sheathed his journalistic equipment back in his trusty pack. Then, aggressively, he got right into Calm’s face, causing the addle-brained bird to flinch back slightly. “Your sister is in serious danger! If he IS after the Mind of Water, then that makes Coral a target!”
Outside of the heated argument, Silver quietly hopped off the boat and searched for new thieving adventures, exploring the land of its overlooked valuables. Anything than stick around some family feud.
It was all drama as Coral pressed full steam until she was nothing short of eye to eye with her brother. “You aren’t planning on ratting me out just because you became addicted to kissing monkey butt, are you?” she interrogated coldly.
“No!” Calm sheepishly denied. “No, there has to be a more peaceful solution to ALL of this.” Then he regained his hoofing and warmly smiled at his only family. “Look, Coral, it’s been so long since we saw each other. Why don’t we just go somewhere and talk about what happened between you and Novo...?”
“If you guys do that, I suppose I’ll go find someplace we can ‘hang out’,” Cornfield volunteered. He proceeded to disembark, but not without checking with Coral. “That is, unless you had a remedy for our needs?”
A hum reverberated in the treasure hunter’s beak as she scanned along the shoreline. A sneaky grin stretched at the sight of familiar terrain. “Wouldn’t you know it, Silver steered over to the perfect place in mind.” Suddenly she realized that their third party member went unaccounted for. “Hey, where did she even go?”
On cue, the colt gave the boat a run-around, yet catching no blackened hide or whitest hair. When Coral asked if he found any indication on his very search, he shrugged and replied. “Nah, but oh well. She seems to show up when it’s most convenient for her, anyway.”
“Fair enough. Come on, follow me.” She glided off the boat with her two stallions following behind, and traversed the shadowy rocky beach that was Mt. Aris’s western coast.
Meanwhile, not too far away Silver Night was on the prowl, happy to have the sound of the waves replace the squabbling over politics. She was more engaged on a lucrative adventure. As luck would have it, along the edge of the receding ocean, was a lone young hippogriff wearing beautiful ornate jewelry. The pitiful creature with creamy-yellow fur and long light blue feathers sat head down on the beach, eyes barely open in solemn contemplation. She didn’t even realize let alone care, that a treasure-seeking mare was stalking her, sizing her up as easy prey to rob blind.
Making her approach from behind the unassuming hippogriff, the unicorn took one hoof at a time. She wondered how to relieve the poor hybrid of the heavy metal and valuable rocks weighing her down, clearly stressing her out physically if not mentally. From its beak huffed out a sad sigh, watching the seas rhythmically move up and down the sands, sometimes splashing her claws.
Then, as the thief was slowly magnetized by the loot she might reap, the hippogriff does the unthinkable. Her claws unceremoniously released the latch of the weighted golden necklace off of her neck and tossed it over her shoulder before sobbing into her claws. Silver froze, totally surprised as the jewelry arced in the air before hitting the sand. At first, she glanced between it and the hippogriff, figuring out what had just happened, but regardless knew not to look a gift horse in the mouth since all she had to do was snatch the object and go for a clean getaway. Her horn sparkled with clear aura as the necklace encased with magic levitated towards her.
With the bauble in her possession, she crept away on the tips of her hooves, hoping the crying creature wouldn’t miss such pretty accessories. Suddenly, a whooshing sound whistled closer behind the bandit. She jerked her head to locate the source, but a cracking pop echoed the shoreline, swiftly followed by the lashing pain of a thorny sting landing on the mare’s backside.
“AAAAAAAOOOOOWWWW!!!” bellowed Silver as the impact resulted in dropping the necklace with her rear recoiling into the air!
“You dirty snake!” Coral shouted from afar as the vine retracted, trudging after her with Cornfield and Calm. “I didn’t think I had to tell you not to steal from my kind, but your greed just couldn’t stay put! Haven’t they suffered enough?!”
Silver screamed in fright of another lashing. After she cowered behind a large rock that jutted from the coast, the younger cream-colored hippogriff was startled upon hearing a commotion and saw the thief hiding in plain sight. Then, she became aware of two other hippogriffs and somepony approaching her.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I take full responsibility for-” Coral abruptly cut her apology short when she gasped at the adorable avian sitting alone. The distinct freckles on her face along with her favorite hibiscus flower on her head were dead giveaways that they were in the presence of royalty. “P-Princess Skystar?!”
“Princess... who?” asked Cornfield, looking at the creature from top to bottom.
Skystar lifted herself up and shook the sand out of her fur as she glanced at her fallen necklace. She grasped it and peered around the rock where the frightened mare had taken cover. Knocking upon its mossy surface, she softly called out “Hello? Ms. Thief Pony?” There was no answer, only subtle cursing and pained moans. “Maybe I’m mistaken but, if you are behind there, you can go ahead and take the necklace.” Kindly, she tossed the jewelry down, then further removed her rings and bracelets to charitably throw into a pile for said thief. “These, too. I don’t need them!”
Silver peeked a little over to see the glittery bounty. It was tempting, but she was concerned what Coral would do. “Princess!” The purple gem-hunter exclaimed. “Are you sure?! I mean, I don’t want you to get in trouble with- I MEAN!” Flustered and sweating nervously, she bowed instantly without saying another word.
Gleaming with a smile that would ease tensions, the princess assured “Oh, that stupid bowing thing. It’s ok! We’re all friends here!”
Coral raised her head back up, feeling more relaxed and rather cheerful to be with such a joyful child; a far cry when they were handling her mother. “Oh, princess. You were just a chick the last time I saw you. You’ve grown!”
“Hey!” Cornfield addressed his friend by tapping on her wing. “Do you think she could help us out?”
Skystar tilted her head, puzzled. “Help you out with what?”
“With Lord Whirlwind.” He answered while Silver crept cautiously aside, watching out for any whip-happy birds, especially Coral who was now keeping a sharp stern eye on her.
Skystar lost her smile as soon as the unwelcome tyrant became their topic and stomped her claws on the sand. “Whirlwind?! Ugh... Honestly, I wish someone would help me with him!” Calm rubbed his neck, realizing he would be a prime target of contention if she knew his involvement.
“What?!” angrily shouted Coral as she stepped harshly forward. “What did that monkey do to you?! If he so much as put a single-!”
Motioning her claws to settle down, the royal daughter jittered her head with dismissal. “No, he didn’t do anything to me. He’s just... He’s just a... creep!”
“A... creep?” whispered Calm to himself.
“Like Silver?” Cornfield claimed, laughing aloud.
“Hey! I’m not as creepy as YOU!” the thief shouted, insulted by his remark.
“All right, you chuckleheads. Knock it off,” commanded the leader of the group as she gave her attention back to Skystar. “Your highness, you may not remember me, but I’m Cobalt Coral. Hiding behind the rock like a chicken is Silver Night, the hippogriff with me is my brother, Calm Breeze, and the pony right beside me is my partner, Cornfield.”
“I wasn’t chicken!” protested the sore mare as she rejoined the group, treasure in magic’s grip. “You attacked me with your weird freaky mutation, bitch!”
Skystar paid her no mind, however, as her eyes lit up at the word “partner”. She silently stared Cornfield up and down. “Partner?! He’s such a cutie! You really bagged a good catch, Coral!”
Coral blushed profusely, averted her gaze, and stuttered “Ah! N-Not what I meant by ‘p-partner’!”
Cornfield interjected. “WHAT?!”
“You need glasses,” snarked Silver, severely questioning princess birdbrain’s taste.
“Hey, let’s kindly change the subject now.” pleaded the flustered gem-bearer. “My hideout is right around here, if you want to come with me, princess.”
Skystar chirped enthusiastically. “Sure! It’s better then back at the castle with my mother and those storm things...”
“Phew!” The colt audibly expressed his relief. “At least we have some hippogriff on our side in this matter.”
“Wait, so they’re not attacking?!” Silver queried.
“No, they aren’t!” exasperatingly declared Calm. “I’ve been trying to tell all of you this!”
“But they’re enemies? Or are they not enemies?”
“They aren’t our enemies!”
“That’s not what the other hippogriffs think...” Skystar declared grimly.
The occupation of the storm creatures on hippogriff soil kept them pacified for the time being. Venturing across the shores a ways from Mt. Aris and enveloped in thick mist, known by locals as Basalt Beach, was a party that stood upon a wide spectrum of matters. Cobalt Coral, banished from her seafaring home, and her partner, Cornfield, were adamantly against Lord Whirlwind’s peace-faring facade. The princess of the hippogriffs, Skystar, rebelling against her mother’s wishes by travelling without royal supervision, shared a mutual sentiment of their cause. Coral’s brother, Calm Breeze, on the other hoof swore an undying allegiance with the tyrant, promising up and down that his intentions were peaceful, despite the air between them. Finally, there was Silver Night, a true neutral member that in no way cared about what happened so long as her purse was fuller for it.
Exchanging arguments to the end, the group came across a giant stone disc precariously blocking something on the cliff wall. Coral confidently strolled to one side and rolled away the barrier with a grunt, revealing an inconspicuous cavern behind it. As Cornfield marveled on what his friend was hiding, Silver shared her fantasies openly with the group.
“Mmmmm... I wonder if they’re any gems inside?” the brazen black thief wondered aloud.
“Follow me inside, and you’ll see,” Coral responded, enshrouding herself into the depths of mystery behind the darkness. “Touch anything without my permission, however, and I’ll bury you in the sand personally.”
“Ouch! That’s no way to make friends!” scolded the princess as the blackened thief gulped, swallowing down her greed out of pure fear.
Deeper into the unknown, the edges of their ears picked up faint echoes of water dripping from rocks above. Inside the dark wettish tunnel led our party to a sturdy makeshift wooden plane, resembling a door. Upon entry with a creak, Coral presented her company with her personal abode, a humble home with a flimsily crafted table and set of “borrowed” chairs. There was a pantry on the wall with her stove beneath it, several books on the lonely shelf righted itself in a corner, rounding out with a comfortable looking queen-sized bed. When Coral adjusted the lights of the lanterns hanging along the walls, many jewels and gems illuminated off the guest’s easily delighted expressions. These precious valuables were secured inside plain glass cases, which decorated the room, easily showcasing her fantastic exploits of treasure hunting.
“Feel free to look around,” The purple gem hunter stated, lacking any humility like a queen showing off her kingdom. “If you have any questions about my booty, I’ll give you a tour.”
The white-maned thief carefully observed, salivating at the thought of what price each individual treasure could fetch in a black market. It would have been enough for her to snatch and grab if her backside didn’t radiate a painful reminder not to steal.
As the purple hippogriff sustained an accomplished smirk during her guests’ marveled reactions, she realized her bags were still at the boat on the shore. One being a sack full of even more sparkly gems to add to the collection. “Whoops!” Coral exclaimed, “I’ll be right back.” As she led herself out, she directed a claw to the only one she trusts the most. “Cornfield, you’re in charge!”
Upon hearing this command, Cornfield swiftly protested on the matter. “WHAT?! But! Coral I-” His whines fell on deaf ears, as she’s already gone in hurried steps filling the cavern walls. He snorted in frustration. “Again, Coral? How am I supposed to keep your brother, a princess, and a thief in check?”
Calm Breeze eyed the glittering collection closely over Silver’s shoulder, ignoring the remarks of the irritated green stallion. “All these gems, relics, and jewelry... Did she steal all of these? Or were they excavated?”
“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” The colt fired back, without dignifying him any eye contact. “She’s YOUR sister!”
“I just don’t know about all this…” The light-blue hybrid drew himself uninvitedly close to his aggressor. “If everything was as Queen Novo said. Does that... make her...”
Suddenly, Cornfield got up close and personal, in more ways than one, going so far as muzzle to beak with the shady associate of Whirlwind. “You know what doesn’t make any sense to me? After all this time, you thought Coral was dead. Here she is, alive and well. All you want to do after everything you’ve been through, is defend the new leader of a tribe that tried to eradicate your kind, force you to cower in the ocean, and because why? Because he spared you? Which could only mean you would rather prioritize your own status among the hippogriffs than that of your long lost sister?!” The enraged colt stepped back, sparing Calm some breathing room, but favored his aggressive disposition against those allegied with Whirlwind. “What kind of brother are you?!”
Despite leveling any pony’s stature with his towering physique, he despaired in the confrontation, failing to remotely meet this pony’s small height through a platform of reason. “I told you! I didn’t know she was alive! I know the Storm Creatures and their kind did terrible things, but Lord Whirlwind doesn’t seem like the type of animal to be as brutish as he was. He saved me from the king when I was meant to be a slave. That’s all I know!” His confidence in his words giving him strength, he dared to defend his brotherly honor. “I don’t want my sister to be some sort of villain fueled with only thoughts of vengeance.”
His voice raised, the colt tried belittling his opponent’s disposition further. “OOOOOOOOOOOOH! OK! I thought I was mistaken here. Got it! So the previous ruler kidnapped you but then this hotshot comes in and goes, ‘Oh sorry about that, he gets cranky when somepony resists his conquest’.” His tone mocked the know-it-all nature of his boss before following-up with a last-ditch resort to an accusation that Calm would lead a betrayal. “Oh, NO PROBLEM! Let me repay the favor by helping you get close to the queen and finish the job your ruler started after all! IT’S THE LEAST I COULD DO!”
Calm had had every intention of bursting forward, grab Cornfield by his throat, and make him sympathize with his argument. Nothing would stop him from doing so. If the colt had just listened perhaps even he’d understand his disposition, but Calm lacked the knowledge of persuading his side of the conflict.
Right when his sharp-looking claws raised above the ground, ripe for enacting those adverse violent tendencies, Skystar utilized whatever political power she had to delegate between them. Calm lowered his aggressive stance when the princess physically separated them both at a range. “I hate to butt in, but you have to realize it’s not that easy, right, Calm?” she tread lightly as she could, observing a murderous intent underneath the hippogriff. “I understand if you want to make peace with those around you and even make new friends, but many hippogriffs are still very afraid of the Storm Creatures. There are many that don’t want to go back into the water, including me! I went, like, totally insane decorating things with shells!”
Despite her ever soothing and cheerful voice, Calm felt the walls closing in, not getting any ground to stand for himself as he grasped his head with another sudden migraine coming on. “Shut up, shut up. SHUT UP!” The princess gasped as she was angrily pushed aside with Cornfield as the prime target. “Is it SO WRONG to think that my sister is probably, maybe, overreacting by going for these ancient gemstones in the first place, and having you egging her on?! Our father was a soldier, in charge of guarding the temple that housed the entrance to where the gem lied! He knew of their importance! What would HE say if he learned his daughter was a thief and stole with reckless abandon!”
“He’d probably say ‘At least, she doesn’t blow smoke up ape asses all day long.’” A familiar voice seethed.
“And I’m sure he would rather they fall in the claws of a hippo-!!!” Cornfield stopped himself in a gasp after realizing who was at the door. Slamming her goodie bag on the floor, she only harbored the grudge at her brother, livid that he could ever speak ill of her behind her back after everything she’s been through. Menacingly, she approached him without reserve now, Calm barely got a word out before he received the same treatment for all those that’d stand in her way; the back of her merciless claws straight across the cheek. Silver and Skystar both let sounds of shock and surprise out, backing away from the deep seated conflict.
“First of all, how DARE you bring up our father, the hippogriff that died to protect you from the monkeys you now serve, into this,” her beak dripped with scathing venom as she spoke. “Second, what gives you the right to judge me?!”
His talons covering his bruise, Calm backed away with his tail between his legs. “But look at all the things here. Things you stole! I knew you to be headstrong, but I didn’t think you would resort to this. I thought you hated stealing!”
“You thought thieving was my FIRST choice?! It was my ONLY choice. Some like Silver may do it for the thrill, but I did it to LIVE!” As she puffed her chest in and out in heavy breaths, her anger eventually disintegrated and softened the blows. “Live long enough that I’d see you again...”
Cornfield, amongst the crowd of three, took to Coral’s side, confidently reaffirming his position.
“But, I just think you are on the wrong side of history here, doing something that you weren’t meant to do?” her brother pushed his undying resolve further. “Did Cornfield see Whirlwind with a crook? Maybe, but he’s the only one who saw the act of killing him. Maybe he’s lying to all of us due to the prejudice you planted in his head.”
“At this point, Calm,” she took a deep breath before preparing her unrelenting bombshell. “I trust him more than I do you. Right now, he’s more family than you are.”
Calm sharply flinched as he grabbed his chest, reaching for the heart that’s wounded by her words. Then, he stared straight into the pupils of Cornfield’s judging eyes. The colt demanded his resolve, “So Calm, you calling me a liar?”.
“Yes! Wait, I mean, no, but...” Before he could work out an answer, he clutched his skull with his claws, and started yelling as if trying to stop his aching brain from exploding inside-out.
“What’s happening?” Cornfield asked, looking to Coral for answers.
“I think the logic is getting to be too much for- " Suddenly, with her eagle eye being trained after many heists, she spotted a pink scar on the top of his head, barely concealed underneath his feathery mane as he writhed on the floor. “Is that... Did... When did you get that?” she asked her brother as she tried to reach for and examine his scalp. Instinctively, Calm slapped her claws away before violently flooring her. She roughly slammed against her back, knocking the wind out of her, as he bolted out of the cave, wailing in pain.
Concerned for his partner, Cornfield offered his hoof to her. “What was that all about?!”
Latching onto his foreleg for support, she lifted herself up while eyeing the door. “I... I swear he wasn’t like this. Something or some creature changed him to be the way he is now... Either mentally or physically.”
“Then... Something must have happened to give him that scar!”
“Something... But I don’t know what...” First, Mount Aris was under the false pretense of peace achieved with barbaric apes, providing them an ideal position to stage world conquest once more. Now, her own brother not only was on their side as well, but suffering a complete maniacal breakdown. Coral was mentally spent as she pulled out a chair from the table to sit, then folded her forelegs on the surface of her wooden support and pillowed her head into a one sided glance. In her state, she automatically locked her gaze on the gem collection, soothing her a bit. However, Skystar attempted to circle around the table and catch the attention of her most distraught subject, hoping she could help shoulder these emotions. Silver became mesmerized by the valuable prizes Coral’s got; as other kinds of matters were beyond her interests.
“I know you aren’t a bad hippogriff,” assured the princess gracefully, “Much like I know that Silver isn’t a bad pony.”
“I wonder,” stated Cornfield as he began producing one theory. “Could Calm actually be afraid and didn’t want to go against Whirlwind for fear of what power he truly possesses?”
“Or he might actually believe in his words,” Coral surmised, “And is too afraid of the truth...”
To engage in a heart-to-heart, Skystar sat across from her mother‘s defector to discern the truth in the air of mystery around her. “I am curious, though. Why did my mom banish you from Seaquestria in the first place?”
Coral had debated sharing her corrupt history with the sole hippogriff that stood by her side, in fear of losing that when she needed it most. Yet her gaze centered on Cornfield, his poise visibly acknowledged the most earnest respect for her. That alone summoned enough courage to finally bring him and the future heir to the throne up to speed. “... I was among the hippogriffs that survived and retreated to the ocean, at first. Yet after a month, some of them speculated that the Storm King had left and, if they could get the word out, organize other nations to decree war and liberate us. Unfortunately, your mother arbitrarily prevented anyone from leaving, content that hiding away sheltered our species as the storm creatures reigned unchallenged. When I saw how desperate everyone was to claim back Mt. Aris, I took action and attempted to steal the pearl.”
Shedding light on the situation prompted the princess to offer rebuttal, but Coral softly denied the chance as she raised her talons to await the conclusion. “It was both my first heist, and my first sting of getting caught. The queen banished me, as an example for anyone who thought about defying her orders, while I forced myself to live and survive in Kludgetown.”
“You... You were trying to help the hippogriffs?” Skystar asked as she hung her head, questioning what could bring the queen into carelessly resorting to such severe actions. “... Mom... Why?”
“Huh... I guess that’s why, considering Twilight and her best friends’ powers, you spurred your mother to fight, but she refused aid,” Cornfield joined in their conversation. “So you realized that if she wasn’t gonna do anything, you’d step up as princess, alongside with the Sky Pirates.”
“I heard about that,” spoke the Heart of Nature’s bearer as she gave a big smile to Her Majesty. “You are hailed as a hero in our realm. I couldn’t be prouder. I hope to go bigger for not just Mt. Aris, but the entire world. I want to be the girl that creatures from all over will come to for ending strife.”
“Oooooooooooooh!” Silver let out a squeal like a giddy school filly. “Where’d you find this one?” She placed her hoof on the glass case which held a fine jewel brooch embedded with cryptic and archaic markings and shaped like it was meant to be placed into something.
Curious what in Equestria the dark-furred mare sought, she pulled herself away from the table to discover Silver’s type in materialistic possessions. Once she identified the brooch, with some consideration, decidedly unhitched the simple lock with her talon and opened the display case. Graciously, she transferred the trinket to its new owner; Silver, whose irises sparkled from the reflection of the centerstone. “I haven’t figured out the mystery to that yet,” claimed the adventurous hippogriff. “Perhaps you can?”
The unicorn glanced at Coral. Unsure if she was serious or if it led to an excuse for a cruel joke. “Uh... C-can I keep it?
She put her claw to her beak, then shrugged with a smile. “You might as well. I got bigger fish to fry with The Gems of Creation. If you ever do find out what it’s for, you just let me know if you find vast wealth because of it.” She winked at Silver as the thief started bursting with enthusiasm, she used her magic, obtaining the treasure in her bag.
“Thanks!” Perhaps for the unicorn, this bird wasn’t so bad after all. Neurotic with certain mental issues, but worthwhile.
Cornfield saw fit in upholding their prior discussion as Coral made her way back around the table, joining her other guests. “So Novo banished you for taking the pearl?” he asked.
“Exactly. And after that, during my stay in Kludgetown, it was either life as a slave or life as a thief. Not knowing what those ugly creatures would do to a sweet young thing like me...” She shoved her rump in his face, giving it a shake, further emphasizing the value that those inhabitants would place on it. “... I opted to steal until I was eventually told to either pound sand out of town forever or have my limbs cut off. And the rest is history!”
“But after the Friendship Festival Incident, Queen Novo realized she was wrong not to entrust the pearl after all! Surely she could understand your real value here, because you and many others were right all along in the end!”
“Maybe, but having an all-powerful gem that could change the world in the claws of a former thief doesn’t inspire confidence.”
“What matters is we have an argument to support the cause!” Putting his hooves boldly on the table, Cornfield raised his upper body in a bid to spur confidence with his words. “Even if Queen Novo doesn’t agree, I’ll bet there are other hippogriffs that would sympathize with our cause against the Storm Army!”
“You bet there is! I’m one of them!” cheered Skystar, although she had already motioned to take leave and head back home. “I’ll see if I can’t get my mother to change her mind.”
Turning to the young foreigner, he shared a taste of hometown goodness with Coral. “We have a saying in Equestria: friendship is magic!”
“Ha,” Coral laughed rather sarcastically. “How unbelievably corny.”
“Funny, coming from a colt with no friends and scares off all the girls,” Silver said, way too eager in pouring salt on the wound.
“Well... Not ALL of them...”
“Whatever! I bet he’s still a virgin!”
“Shut the BUCK up, Silver!” Cornfield angrily demanded, only to see the bratty thief stick her tongue out with smug satisfaction.
“Uh, we have ROYALTY in the household,” reminded Coral. “Can we not?”
“It’s ok,” assured Skystar before she beckoned Cornfield over with a “come hither” gesture using her claw. “Can you come with me outside, please?”
Royally dragged out of his spat with Silver, he found himself limboing with uncertainty. “Uh, sure,” he obliged, walking with Skystar into the blinding outdoor sun.
“Just don’t take pictures of her, Cornfield!” his partner coyly shouted within her realm.
“Who’s side are you on!?” Skystar giggled at Cornfield’s annoyance, unaware of the darker implications behind her snide remark.
The evening sun glared its light on the two, washing away darkness which pervaded the cave as their pupils properly optimized visibility from the sudden illumination. The roaring waves bashed the beach mercilessly under the beautiful orange sky, creating a romantic scene for those who would appreciate it. As soon as the princess was sure-hoofed in the rocky environment, she spread her wings to take off and hovered about the cliffs, actively scouting for something ambiguous.
Cornfield noticed her scanning beyond his line of sight, and busted the concerning ice wide open. “Uh, so what’s up, Skystar?”
“I just think Coral needs cheering up,” she upped the volume so that the colt could pick up on it. “That incident with her brother hurt her feelings pretty bad...”
“Yeah, I’ve never seen her that angry before.” His mind drifted like the water receding to the sea in contemplative thought. “I wonder what happened to her brother?”
Skystar merely replied in an unfaithful sign of body language, walking along the beach and keeping her watchful eyes zoned on the cliffs. Cornfield unironically stalked behind, anticipating what might be on the hippogriff’s agenda. “I have no idea. But with the Storm Army, it’s never good. My mother always said that we must embrace moments of peace, even with former enemies as it shall be worth the friends we save,” she searched around the cracks dressing the cliff surface, holding out that the item would show up eventually. “She learned this lesson from Twilight herself, but I just don’t know if she placed them in good faith. That’s why I was out here on the beach all alone. I couldn’t stand assuming a rightful position by Lord Whirlwind. He just looked so…” She shuddered at the thought of him. “CREEPY.”
“For a creature who’s distrustful of others, she sure can be surprisingly diplomatic.”
“I know my mom wants to do everything to protect her subjects, but she acts before she thinks. She wants to live in comfort, rather than confrontation.” Then, she spotted something on the cliffs and pointed with no lack of enthusiasm. “OOH! There’s some!”
Cornfield cocked his head, trying to get a better angle. “There’s what?”
Nothing short of a hummingbird, she came into a point where she gingerly plucked a delicate bundle of blue flowers from overgrowth flowing inside a crack, then swooped down and delivered it to him with care. “These blue hibiscus flowers are the perfect present for her!”
With flowers stuffing his hooves in lieu of an explanation, he became increasingly puzzled before revealing his hopelessness. “These...?”
“Yup! Just give those to her, and she’s right as rain! Guaranteed!”
“And how do you figure that?” The colt raised an eyebrow skeptically.
“Just promise me you’ll give them to her. She needs somepony right now, and you seem to be it!” Giving a mischievous wink, she assured “it’s just one small thing”.
“Ok. Only if you say so!” He didn’t want to argue how these natives came off as indigenous as they were. “Shall we go back?”
“Ah... I can’t, I’m afraid. My mom is probably worried sick over me. I wish I could stay and see Coral’s reaction, but...” She confidently puts a claw where his heart laid. “You can just tell me later!”
“...Alright then. See you, I think.”
“Bye! I’ll come visit you three tomorrow!” Giving off a courteous wave, she blasted off into the southern skies once more with a cloud of beach sand billowing behind her. Cornfield watched until she was but a speck among the horizon approaching her home. Then graced by her exit, he returned from whence he came, the testimony surging him with warmth that he actually played a very significant role in Coral’s life. To have that knowledge in somepony’s eyes for anypony he so desired uplifted him psychologically, and granted a sense of security never to be found in him otherwise. The path laid before him was much less adverse than he thought knowing that, however frantic things ascertained.
Stepping hoof deep inside Coral’s cranny did he receive her unabiding acknowledgement. There laid a steaming meal home cooked as she implemented the finishing touches on the next plate. The remaining masterpiece stood onto the counter top awaiting its final stage. “There you are. Where’s the princess?”
“She took leave,” answered the colt, albeit not looking straight into her eyes. “She said her mother would worry.”
“Ah. Makes sense.” The dismal of his attention shined significance upon the special romantic flowers arranged within his hooves. The hippogriff fluttered sheepishly, “A-Ah… Those are blue hibiscus flowers?”
Clearing his throat, he shelled out this attractive flora that she would partake. “Yes. They are for you, Coral,” he sweetly replied as he finally connected his sight with hers.
Coral’s beak hung wide, careful not to trip over her tongue and disrupt this romantic gesture. Her cheeks converted its purple feathery hue into a deep red, blushing profusely. Then, she entertained the thought that, just maybe, he was enacting a routine. “Ah, C-Cornfield. You know that, traditionally, hippogriffs give blue hibiscus flowers to one they wish to be betrothed to, right?”
Realizing that, it was the young colt’s turn for his face to become red and flustered, shivering a bit with the awareness he was incidentally bargaining for much. “O-oh... really...?”
“I think I know the answer, but...” She nervously ran her claws through her mane. “Who suggested I should be given these?”
“Ah... Star… Cloud or something... I… kinda forgot her name already… Haha.” An awkward chuckle breathed his mouth, knowing nothing of hippogriff romances.
“Skystar. Figures that she’d stick her beak into our affairs...” She seemed rather annoyed, wondering what saucy novels the teenage chick became inspired by. Once the atmosphere settled and she gave it more thought, a grin along with a slight chuckle was directed at him. “...Whatever! It’s perfect!” She happily took them in her claws and inhaled their oh-so-sweet scent into her nostrils.
“I didn’t think you were the ‘chocolates and flowers’ kind of girl,” said Silver, spectating the exchange from the display cases.
“I’m usually not.” Coral quickly corrected the thief with a flashing glance. “I’m a ‘diamonds are forever’ kinda girl...” Yet, without hindrance she focused on Cornfield. “But... After meeting my brother, it made me a little more thankful for those that truly stood by my side...”
“What should we do about your brother?” her partner asked bluntly but sensitively.
“I don’t know... I’m hoping that, tomorrow, we meet up with him and try again to talk this out. We were both a little emotional, what with our reunion...”
“Yeah... I guess so…”
Coral united with her colt companion, making him garner a sense of the beauty the flowers radiated, fulfilling its harmonic purpose. “Blue is both the color of the sky and the sea, where hippogriffs call home. It symbolizes the partnership that one covenants with another.” His eyes locked into hers, realizing how blessed he was radiating her softer side as she opened her heart completely to him. “You could have, at any point, gave up and walked away, saying that it was too hard or not worth the aggravation. However, you never did.” She leaned in closer, practically exchanging the same breath with him. “Do you plan to keep being beside me, even when things are at their worst?”
Cornfield already knew what came next. Despite Skystar accelerating him beyond his comfort zone, Coral’s resonance with each other swirled his relationship unto a mental microscope. Although it began with treachery, lies, and manipulation, it all mounted to trust, care, and loyalty towards one another. Though they were from two different worlds with very different backgrounds, they became paramount to a testament of love.
“...I do...” he whispered softly, without hesitation.
“Do you remember the lesson I gave you back at the temple of The Heart of Nature?” Coral tested him.
Reflecting on the trials they had undertaken, leading all the way to acquiring the Heart of Nature. Memories of his then first kiss flashed before him. “Yes.”
“How about a refresher?” Tossing the flowers behind her, their purpose fulfilled, she took his body in her into claws and pulled him closer. She cupped the back of his head to force his mouth closer to hers as she enveloped her beak over his lips, pushing into the kiss and replacing her history of loneliness with love. The Heart of Nature burned brightly, shining like it never did before, as the cave enveloped in a brilliant green glow.
Silver was literally floored, both amazed and disgusted that Cornfield finally succeeded in his personal mission. She had no idea how Coral could stoop so low for the sake of a verified pervert as she fainted into disbelief.
Meanwhile, Cornfield utterly taken by her advances, eased into her kiss. Admittedly, her beak presented a hurdle to settle his mouth, letting their tongues do a bit more of the talking, but he still embraced the passion that the hippogriff provided for him.
Breaching the tender intimacy, she shucked off the kiss then hugged him close, unrelenting in her grasp. “I’m... very happy right now, Cornfield... You opened me up and led me down a more promising road. One where I won’t travel alone.” Her eyes lit up when these self-enlightening words hatched an idea in her head. Suddenly, she reached out to Silver with her signature vine abilities.
Silver was so stunned that the vines shot her way unnoticed until it was futile to resist. Instinctively she curled up panicking from their encroaching, but they lacked the painful thorns that struck her last time. Instead, they cultivated into buds that popped wide open as flowers. Rapidly, the air was drenched around the black bandit with glittery sweet scented pollen supplied by the white blossoms, frosting her in serene calmness. The unicorn thief was no match for the magical drowsiness that overwhelmed her eyelids, as her body slowly slumped on the floor, falling fast asleep without so much a whimper.
The resulting impact caused by love had Coral beaming, unable to refrain from squealing in excitement. “Look! Look, Cornfield! I did it! I finally am able to produce flowers!” She retracted her claws and tightened them into a fist raised high victoriously like she just won a championship. “Suck it, Zecora! I completed your training!”
Laughing a bit from his friend’s abrasive cheer, Cornfield smiled on. Yet his mind piqued about her evolution, “Are there going to be any more abilities you’ll learn going forward?”
Cutting the celebration short, she peered deep into her claws, wondering without any knowledge of her slumbering powers. “Hmm...I’m not sure. I only know what Zecora’s ancestor knew...” Releasing Cornfield, she talked about the next phase of their adventure. “Tomorrow, we go for The Mind of Water. But, before we do, I’ll need to take a look at the notes again to see what I’ll gain from it.” She got up and headed for her stove to sit on it. “In the meantime, let’s eat!”
“Yay!” Cornfield hopped up, ready to rival the fullness of her heart with his tummy. “I’m starved! What’s for dinner?”
With the pan on the burner, her culinary art resumed while gleefully beaming at her close compatriot. “The kelp wraps are already on the table, as well as a pitcher of coconut water. I’m finishing up the tropical sauce that goes with it. I had Silver gather ingredients while you were with Skystar.” Checking on the unfortunate said mare, who laid about sawing logs and even drooling a little. “Too bad she decided to retire early!”
“Sounds tasty and... awfully islander style.” He pulled up a chair and hopped on, waiting patiently on a lovely supper for two.
Once the sauce was sufficiently infused with the ingredients, she sauntered over to the table, pan in claws and quite masterfully applied the succulent glaze upon the wraps. “Dig in. That’s my mother’s recipe.” As she returned the pan on the stove and snuffed out the heat, she kept sighing with her mind on current affairs. “I... kinda wish my brother was here to taste it.”
Taking a hearty bite of the exotic cuisine, the colt attempted shifting concern where he felt due. “Well, we still gotta find out what’s wrong with him.”
Sitting herself across the horizon of Cornfield’s seat, she began devouring the succulent delicacy. “Hopefully, we can convince him to stop following that damn dirty ape. But, The Mind of Water is our highest priority.” Casually nipping off another worthwhile bite of the recipe, she remarked about her rather fine cooking. “Good thing the rice still held itself up while I was gone. I haven’t had a full meal in a while.”
Cornfield swallowed a chunk of wrap, complimenting the chef before continuing. “I-I think we may need to do more than ‘convince’ your brother. I have this feeling that something or somepony is manipulating him.”
“I’m getting that feeling, too... But, how?” As she pondered on the possibilities, her plate became practically barren with crumbs. “Never thought I had family matters like this.” She raised her head up and pointed towards him. “Hey, you know what? Here I am, worrying you about my problems, when I never knew about your family. Do you have any siblings?”
“No, not really. I’ve always been an only foal.”
“Ah. And your parents?”
A thoughtful pause lapsed in their conversation. “They... live with each other so far.”
A feminine giggle emanated from her. “Imagine their surprise to see you on this little adventure of ours. We should send them a postcard of Mt. Aris.”
“Ha... Yeeeeeaaaaahhh…”
She cocked her head slightly from that distant response. “Everything all right between you and your folks?”
He perked up at her concerned, caring voice. “Oh! No! Nothing like that!...” After a few more bites, he urged to switch topics to prevent waltzing into restricted territory. “...Say Coral, remember when we first met? I wonder what you thought of by your first impressions of me? Other than the... you know…”
Caught off-guard, she coughed and tried clearing her throat as well as her mind deliberately. “Well... If it’s any consolation, I did find you to be good-looking, even if you were... Ah...” She brushed her claws through her mane nervously, searching anywhere for the words to do him justice and close that chapter forever. “...Desperate.”
In spite of her gingerly put implications, Cornfield felt his heart burn with a touch of humiliation, mitigated by their reinforced bond. “Ah ha... Well... I just hope you realized that pony was more deserving of a chance.”
“Cornfield, we’ve all done things in our lives that we’re never exactly proud of, but I’m sorry I tried using you at first. Rest assured, I’m a much better hippogriff than when we met.” Inadvertently caught in an intimate confession, she gazed down at the scars grafted upon her table, sustained after many scathing frustrations of her traumatic past. “The day I heard you cry, all alone in your hut, it made me feel... Like a bitch.”
During her heartfelt admission of guilt, he glanced at his plate which reflected himself in its ceramic sheen, then back at his friend. “...But now that we’ve come this far, that’s all been remedied. Isn’t it?”
“Oh yes, absolutely!” she cheered up as she gushed more about the past. “Gosh, could you imagine where I would be without you? ...Probably dead. Caballeron would have obtained the Heart of Nature. Electric would have killed me. Many other things…” She cooled herself from the hypothetical rhetorics and tuned back into the present, propping her head on the table with a foreleg and staring longingly into his eyes. “And you... I noticed that you have grown. Matured. Something happened to bring out that inner stallion.”
“I have?” The colt certainly didn’t feel like he did.
“Yes, Cornfield. You have. Though there have been times where you showed a little coltishness here and there, you are more willing to put yourself before others in harm’s way. You’ve been nothing but strong and trustworthy.”
“Wow…” Cornfield swelled in pride, realizing not only had he come a long way, but even had been endowed with the trust of his partner. “Thanks, Coral. Now that you mention it, however, I’m curious as to who our next opponent will be?” He scratched his chin with the ridge of his hoof in brainstorming. “Or maybe things will hopefully be much less stressful for a while? I’d rather solve than fight for the Mind of Water, you know?”
“That’s if we beat Whirlwind to the punch. Luckily, he has no way to get in the temple without The Heart. So, now it’s our turn to be on the offensive! Also, thanks to my dad’s duty of patrolling the outside of the temple in his days, I know where to go!”
A relief to know they had a means of navigating the sacred grounds.Without Whirlwind bearing down on them, they could relish in the scenery while venturing for the Mind of Water. “That’s great!” he exclaimed.
“Really, it was The Mind’s existence that deepened my appreciation to learn more about The Gems of Creation. Never knew the legend until I started, though.”
“So what’s the plan? Where is the Mind of Water? Do we have to go through Queen Novo? The village? Or is there some hidden way?”
“Ah, about that...” Using her experience, she drew the plans up in her head to conduct their next course of action. “The temple lies sleeping inside an underwater cavern, deep below the submerged city of Seaquestria. So, how long can you hold your breath?”
Cornfield couldn’t tell if that last question was serious or not. “...You know equines have never been notable divers, right?” He mulled over other alternatives before remembering a peculiar bit of his partner’s backstory. “What about the pearl? You almost stole it, didn’t you?”
“Ah, yeah, ALMOST. Now I learned that Novo broke the thing and gave the shattered shards to all her subjects.” A little frustrated, she pounded on the table firmly. “So, where the hay is my necklace?” There was a pause before she huffed disappointingly. “It’s good we made friends with Skystar. Perhaps she can spare a few shards or let us borrow hers?”
“Have you ever been a ‘Seapony’ before?”
“If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t need to steal the pearl. I tried to escape from my underwater prison, remember?” She leaned back in her seat, reflecting on the experiences she had as a refugee. “Life as a seapony wasn’t glamorous. Our time underwater isn’t exactly what you would call ‘thrilling’. We were trapped, stripped of our freedom. At least I got my wish, even if it meant banishment.”
The naive colt wondered how one grows fins and gills seemingly out of nowhere. Worry began eating at him while he asked for clarification with a gulp. “So, this transformation process. Is it… painful?”
“HA! No. You just need to remember to surface before you transform. Going from lungs to gills and visa versa ain’t quite as easy as it sounds. It’s a tingling feeling, like your anatomy is being rearranged. It’s actually magically painless.”
“Ah, good! Then I bet Skystar would help us out. She seems to be very sweet.”
“I just wonder what goes on in that birdbrain of hers. Perhaps you haven’t noticed but, well, being isolated in the ocean can really play with your mind. Still, she knew what she was doing when she gave you those hibiscus flowers.” Then, with a bit of playful naughtiness, she leaned in with a flutter in her eyelashes. “So, when you are exploring MY depths one day, you can thank her.” A naughty wink and a smile put a nice bow on her flirting.
That notion which undoubtedly signaled his clearance to land those long restrained innermost desires brought an overwhelming sensation of brilliant emotions. The very proposal made the blood drain from his face and drop into his lower half with beads of sweat dripping down. He strained just to let out a few syllables.
Seeing his satisfying reaction, she broke off her sexy flirting and failed to stifle her laughter. “Ha! Oh, my gosh! You are still so much fun to tease. That face is golden!”
“....Ah....hehe…” That was all he could muster before he shook himself out of it. Cornfield took a moment to breath and thought, “Wow! I did not expect that! Is this how it’s supposed to feel?”
She got out of her seat and swaggered gracefully onward to his side of the table. “Welcome to the world of being a strong gentlecolt. Instead of pictures, you’ll soon be playing with the real deal if you keep this up.” She delivered him a gentle peck on the cheek, as he considered what they should do with their sound asleep thief, who twitched her hindleg in dreamland.
“Ah... So what do you think of Silver Night?”
Weighing their options, Coral gently took her up and settled her on top of herself. “I’m thinking I’ll take her back to the boat’s cabin. I’m sure my bed can take a pony and a hippogriff sleeping on it. Not so much two, though.”
“I mean... Do you still think she’s on our side?”
“Ah. Well, Skystar seemed to take a liking to her. She’s harmless, even if I need to tan her rump if she acts out of line like that again...”
Cornfield couldn’t help but giggle at the poor mare’s expense. “She doesn’t seem to be the sharpest knife in the kitchen, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, but... Without her to help, we’d still be in Baltimare, or worse. She’s earned a break.”
Time passed and, having silently escorted their tag-along, Coral returned to help clean up the cave. Concluding a long and emotional day, she hastily slipped into her comfy bed and made room for the only other pony worthy of gracing her mattress.
“No need to scoot over, babe!”
“Heh. Saucy.” When he flopped on the bed alongside her, Coral tucked her and her loving stallion in when he was good and comfy. Then, from behind him, she put her claws on his stomach and pulled him closer, resting her head above his on the pillow. “Comfy?”
“Yeah... This is nice…” He snuggled himself in her warm covers, letting the feel of her feathers drift him to sleep that much faster.
“Good night, Cornfield...” the hippogriff lovingly cooed near his ear.
“Goodnight, Coral. Sweet dreams.” With a deep yawn, his mind had drifted. After so many years of living alone, he had finally found a home in the warm embrace of a friend. Little did he know, at the time, that it would be a mare of a different nature.
The morning sun’s life-bearing rays broke through the mist canopy over the ocean, with a new dawn to follow. Cornfield’s eyes opened to both the sounds of the waves crashing through the cave and his avian girlfriend stirring, still holding him closely. Once they finally settled in a discussion for their current needs, they unanimously set off for breakfast. Cobalt Coral’s location of choice was Pine Needle Barrens. Though it consisted mostly of inedible pine trees, it gave home to certain virgin fruits and vegetables from the gifting earth. The cool grass tickling their legs was a welcome change to the hard, sharp rocky terrain of Basalt’s shores. Passing the time amidst their travels, Coral brought along Zecora’s notes about the Mind of Water to enlighten herself on what power slumbered in the fabled stone.
“Huh... That’s interesting...” she muttered aloud, trying to catch Cornfield’s attention. With her basket full of edible mushrooms, she checked her stallion friend in the corner of her eyes hoping he could forage as she read.
Dazed by the mystic light carried onto the Earth through the sun, Cornfield found himself mesmerized by the visions dancing before him. Prior to their arrival, he protested with assurance that his body grieved him of an unknown illness. Coral presumed that mere hunger pained him after their arduous oceanic journey, and urged him to endure it until they ate. If she saw the same white silhouette now shimmering in the horizon, it probably wouldn’t feel like starvation to her.
“It says here that The Mind of Water requires concentration and meditation to use,” the hippogriff continued on. “If used too much, it will wax the brain with hollow, blank memories.” Disbelief suspended her as she scoffed at the revelation. “HAH! I wonder if there’s a way to make it so I can forget ever meeting Whirlwind. Right, Cornfield?” She glanced towards him for a response, and yet received none.
Hovering a few meters above the ground, a mysterious glowing figure of vague but coherent shape akin to equines revealed its true form, obscured by the shining light. It struck the colt like lightning and he became immobile to its profound discovery.
“Cornfield?” Coral called for him on approach, observing a blank neurotic expression upon his face. “Hey, Earth to Cornfield? Who’s ass are you obsessing over-” She gazed over yonder to see shining rays belonging to the sun, and nothing else. Puzzled by his empty staring, she finally cued in with an obvious question. “What are you even looking at?”
“Coral…” The dazed stallion finally responded. “Are you seeing this, too?”
“No, you look like you are just staring at the sun, which is bad for your eyes, by the way.”
Her insistent calling fell on deaf ears as he was locked on that very thing which he swore had materialized beyond the natural formation of the land. It called out to him, beckoning him to dive deeper into the rabbit hole. He gauged his partner’s face of concern once more until analyzing the figure again. Without warning, he felt compelled to dash for it!
“Hey, WHAT?! Oh, this motherbuc-” His sudden dashing run caught her off guard as she reared up from the ground. “Cornfield, where are you-”
“Come on, Coral!” He shouted as if he knew what to do.
Annoyed, she jammed her notes into her saddlebags. “Ugh! For the record! I didn’t vote on exerting myself on an empty stomach!” She kept a trailing yet desperate pace as she yelled. Cornfield disappeared into the veil of the thick foliage as Coral struggled to make up the difference in her delayed reaction. Catching her breath, she set aside the thick leaves blocking the way and found themselves within the veil of an arena shaped clearing, distinguished only by rocky cliffs in the north. The colt wandered around in search of the elusive figure he seemed infatuated by.
The hippogriff finally reunited with him, gasping for air and joining him in his bewilderment. “Cornfield, I swear to Skystar, if you don’t tell me what is going on, I’m leaving you to go eat breakfast myself!” Coral threatened out of pure frustration and hunger.
“But... But…” the poor pony stammered, visibly distressed.“They were right here! I KNOW I saw something, Coral!” Taking a moment, he sat down and concentrated his mind on the fading memory, mentally picturing what he witnessed. “I... I saw it... It looked like... a hippogriff...? NO! It was a seapony! I think... Female?”
“One, if it’s a hippogriff, I would have seen it, too. Two, seaponies can’t survive on land. Three, I didn’t think it would be so soon after I shared my heart with you that you’d be chasing after someone’s tail...”
Cornfield hastily defended himself. “Whoa, hey! It wasn’t like that, Coral!” But as his mind wandered, he came to a worrying realization. “...Could it be ghosts?”
“Ghosts?” Coral reiterated with disbelief. “In broad daylight?”
“Is Mount Aris haunted?”
“Haunted? ...No? It shouldn’t be. Are you that hungry for hallucinations to become a problem?” She waved her claws in front of him to check if he was coherent. “Did my cooking cause this? ... No, because I ate it, too...”
Upon realizing he may have been caught in some spectral trickery, he relinquished the idea. “Let’s go back. I guess there’s nothing here…”
They headed back from whence they came but, as they approached the thick foliage, another figure emerged from the canopy. As Coral prepared for a wild animal or something equally threatening, her guard heightened until Calm Breeze revealed himself. The male hippogriff hailed both of them, but mainly focused on his sister.
“So, you are in a meadow in Pine Tree Barrens, close to a cliffside and surrounded by forest...” Calm delineated with detailed accuracy. Perhaps too much so as it riled his sibling’s worst fears.
“That’s right, we are.” Coral confirmed after a hesitated silence. “Why?”
Calm put his head down, evading her hostile glare and looking rather guilty. “Coral. I’m sorry. As my sister, I wish you had chosen another path...”
“Didn’t we discuss this before, Calm?” Cornfield chimed in, yet remaining civil.
As her brother turned his head to the colt’s direction, Coral’s unmistakable perception detected something sticking out of his ear: a bell shaped flower. She instinctively recoiled, horrified at what he had done. “No... IS THAT A WHISPERWEED?!” The purple hippogriff screamed.
“Say WHAT?!” Knowing their use, his anger built up against another attempt at Calm to screw over his own flesh and blood.
“This is why I’m sorry.” Calm clarified, firm on his stance. “It has to be done.”
Visibly shaking, Coral clenched her beak, allowing her rage to leverage the situation. “You... BASTARD!”
She feared that the worst was yet to come as she latched her claws around his beak, jerked his head closer, plucked the flower out of his ear, and listened in: “-The entire cave. Repeat, Search the entire cave for the map to The Gems and take every jewel you can find.” It was Lord Whirlwind, presumably commanding a raid party.
Grasping the flower and crushing it in her claws, she released Calm with a shove. “You sold us out!” The gem thief accused. “You’re planning on taking everything I ever had!”
“What’s going on, Coral?!” Cornfield started panicking from her intense reaction. “Who was that?”
She looked at Cornfield with a mixture of frustration and worry, as her confidence took a dip with their well-being at stake. “We need to go! It’s not safe for us back at the cave anymore!”
“We have troops surrounding this beach and heading northbound.” Calm informed, confident peace was attainable at last. “They will find you eventually. You aren’t going to be harmed, both you and your friend! Just... Please, give up!”
“Why are you doing this?!” Cornfield demanded answers, stomping with his hoof.
“Coral is a thief, and she’s playing a dangerous game with one of The Gems in her possession. I’m sorry, but I can’t even trust my sister to do good with a criminal history like hers!”
“My criminal history?!” Coral quickly protested. “Those monkeys have more blood on their paws than I ever will in a hundred lifetimes!”
“Coral hasn’t done anything wrong since she’s returned,” The colt argued, before drastically raising his volume in the hopes that he would be heard loud and clear. “YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TAKE HER IN!”
Whirlwind’s lapdog winced from the shouting, but unexpectedly snapped as he asserted himself against the green stallion that has caused him nothing but heartache. “By taking The Heart of Nature, it became the world’s concern! Stop impeding the fight for justice!” Unabiding as he wavered over to Coral, he made his resolve clear as ever. “Coral, you are coming with us!”
While her brother closed in with bitter resolve, Coral propelled boldly forward, hurtling into his body with her shoulder as they fell into the grass. “The BUCK I am!” she answered with resistance held firm, standing over him pridefully.
“Who in Tartarus are you to decide that?!” queried Cornfield, ready for his partner to tag him in anytime.
“I’m just…” Calm struggled to finish with the wind knocked out of him. “Following... orders.”
Running well past the point of no return, the female avian scanned along the distant horizons. She eyed the cliffside and debated flying over it, but unless they plan on leaving, it wouldn’t help them much. Kludgetown was the next stop and she’s not having that as an option. Feeling the wavy grass blades grace her limbs, she noticed their thick fibers and a plan hatched like a newborn chick. “Cornfield, stand in the middle of the field,” she instructed. “I have an idea.”
Without hesitation, he jumped into position with enthusiasm. “Ok, Coral! I trust you!”
“I’m glad you do, because we have nowhere to run! We stand our ground!” She primed the Heart of Nature, thinking about the pony that mattered to her most and her duty to protect him. The surrounding grass suddenly grew tall, high enough that even a storm creature would have trouble looking over. Then, she ran in wide circles around Cornfield, gradually making tighter and tighter laps. The grass towered over all in her trail until the colt felt like he was practically drowning in thin flora and smelling like a wet lawn. Finished with the barrier, Coral jumped inside and waited for the hunt to begin as her claws dug into the Earth.
Calm marvelled at the clever ability his sister accomplished first-claw. Cautiously, he drew near the seemingly impassable amount of greenery. An audible rustling stirred the outer rim as he tried parting the obscuring grass blades. “Coral,” he nervously uttered. “You don’t have to do-” A vine under Coral’s power shifted effortlessly through the dirt to smite her brother without letting him finish. It popped out of the soil, surprising the light-blue hippogriff as he let out a yelp, before slapping his cheek with the tough floral rope, then hiding back in the ground after delivering a blow.
“You’re lucky I could control myself to not have thorns, Calm!” his sibling rudely dismissed.
“What now, Coral?” asked the colt beside her, growing nervous about the coming tide of reinforcements. “He knows we’re in here.”
Silence hung over the two as the grass rustled around them. A solemn expression of sadness washed over as she went eye-to-eye with him. “I’m sorry, Cornfield. I have no other backup plan. If you want to run, I’ll understand. I will deal with each filthy primate that approaches myself!”
“NO! We stick together!” Cornfield planted his hooves on the ground, content to do or die with his friend as always.
Helplessly cracking a smile at his gumption, Coral steeled herself for the worst. “Somehow, I knew you’d say that...” Then, beyond a path to them, she could hear and feel the rumbling of numerous giant paws pounding soil, alongside the destructive sounds of crashing trees. Their armor carelessly clinking and clanking gave away their distinct proximity. All the while, the cowardly Calm designated the overgrown floral cover, pointing straight down the middle. “She’s in here!” He commanded the lumbering fleet like an ant ordering lions to do his bidding. “Seize her, but don’t hurt her!”
One soldier charged onward, spear planted in his hands going ahead into the grass with a warcry. The bellowing hollers cut short into a pained, gasping yell as Cornfield watched the creature receive a thorned vine tightening around his neck. The body twirled around like a ragdoll before chucking him off to Celestia knows where, blood trailed down onto the grass, soaking it. He wanted to cheer for Coral, but figured it was best if they deduced there was only one perpetrator hiding inside.
More troops took up to the fight, but instead dispersed into a rounding wall formation that surrounded the grassy anomaly. Taking into account somepony was listening in for an ambush, three of the soldiers headed in together with stealth as the rules of engagement. However, Coral’s organic trip-alarms went undetected within the grass they trampled upon. Enacting enough power she could muster, two soldiers from her flanks had been swiped up in vines. Unfortunately, she was preoccupied with them as one in the reserve shoulder charged in and rammed itself home against the plucky colt! The force dragged him out of the grass, screaming along the way.
The forced entry shocked the bird, but she kept her cool enough to discard the rude guest. Latching it by the legs, she hurtled the storm creature towards the cliff with a rocking thud, followed by a small avalanche of stone, before calling out to her friend. “Cornfield! Are you ok!”
“Ah... Yeah…” He barely voiced loud enough for her to hear as he slowly lifted his rattled body up.
Just as he neared her position, two more forced themselves into the grass, taking advantage of the lapse in focus. Coral knew they were coming, but hesitated with concern of unfairly subjecting her only ally to the deadly slicing thorns. “Cornfield! Shout where you are!”
“Over here!” a familiar voice cried out in the northwest.
“Good!” From a distance, Cornfield could hear more pained primate cries and bodies flung overhead, a sight of which made him hit the dirt out of reflex.
As the crashing of arms and magic weaved its tale of battle, Lord Whirlwind stoically approached the scene, mounted on a trusted Elite Troop’s back, who donned red and intimidating armor. He slid off the giant shoulders and marched towards Calm who stood spectating his sister’s abilities with his unsightly gaping jaw.
“Why are you impressed with your sister’s futile attempts in evasion?” He calmly spoke to Calm as another body flew over him, landing with a sickening crash. He observed the body’s relative velocity, but then went back to their conversation, lacking any sympathy in the world.
“It’s the Heart of Nature, sir!” Calm explained hurriedly, shaken that he might answer for his failures. “S-she’s using it to her advantage to-”
“I can see that, Calm.” The tyrant thrusted his palm out and hushed his subordinate’s grovelling. “While you were busy wondering how many bodies, however expendable, to throw at the situation, you were deluded by your mercy for her. You missed an obvious solution.”
The ears of the pony and hippogriff duo picked up the familiarly pretentious voice. “Uh oh, hey Coral,” warned Cornfield. “I think that guy’s here!”
“I can’t see him, but all we need to do is strangle his neck and, boom, no more monkey army!” Mindlessly, Coral huffed out her call to end the fight. “Come closer into the grass, you filthy brainwasher...” Whirlwind, demonstrating the conditions Coral foolishly trapped herself with, took a stick lying next to him and casually tossed it to the grass. Thinking it was her moment of justice, Coral lashed a vine at it, but reeled it in to find no monkey at her claws. “Huh?!”
“Huh?! What?” Her colt friend repeated.
“Did one get away?” A soldier, following his leader in a classic example of monkey-see-monkey-do, threw a rock into the grass, fully exposing her plan’s critical flaw. Once again, she entangled the empty air. “What the-?!”
“What’s going on?” Cornfield had yet deduced Whirlwind’s strategy, while their plan started crumbling away. Soon, more things were chucked into the grassy field. Up a proverbial creek without a paddle, Coral went into a frenzy, rapidly lashing her vines out, in full spray and pray fashion. Then, after consuming so much power from the Heart, Zecora’s warnings came into fruition. Coral gasped in pain as her chest snapped, blood pumping as fast as it could from all the adrenaline, as one of the chambers skipped a beat. Then, each wave of blood shot a slight jolt to her system. She had abused the Heart too much, too quickly, and her real one suffered for it.
“CORAL!” Her back-up immediately rushed on over, called by the sound of her suffering.
“I-” She stammered, retaining what little strength she had, struggling just to stand up with a cough. “I’m ok... I just need to keep... fighting....” Even if he couldn’t hear her heartbeat, the Heart’s brilliance was slowly fading before his eyes, losing its luster.
“No! You need to rest and relax! We’re outnumbered!” Just as she gazed longingly into his comforting eyes, they were crept up by an elite from behind and, with formidable strength, had been lifted up by their necks. The hippogriff’s vines tore through the Earth like an uprooted tree stump.
“Ah! Let- Let go of ME!” She vainly struggled in the monkey’s grasp.
“Don’t hurt us!” the green stallion pleaded with a hanging head. “...Please.”
Lumbering out of the grass, the red cladded warrior achieved victory in Lord Whirlwind’s name, throwing the two of them onto the ground at his paws. Both captives let out a pained grunt as they received a faceful of dirt. Any motion to stand as they looked up was met with a surrounding circle of spears primed at them.
Exaggerating a sigh, the pompous young noble proceeded to rub salt in the wound. “I thought that maybe you had the sense to listen to your only brother and cooperate. Yet, it seems that your type only learns from failure. Your crimes can only get you so far, Cobalt Coral.”
“Don’t!” Cornfield blocked his face for any stabbing weapons heading his way.
“Fear not. I do not wish to kill her.” Biding his time, he polished the lens of his glasses with his handkerchief before putting it back on. “We are only here because Ms. Coral is needed to tighten the security protocols for the Mind of Water. Her gem is the key to unlocking the temple and seeing what improvements need to be made.”
The captured colt revealed his eye through his forelegs to see. “Improvements?”
“He’s telling the truth,” Calm assured. “We have direct orders from Queen Novo herself.”
Coral, though nearly wiped out after all the struggle, saw red when her brother spoke in confidence. “You honestly believe what this banana-sucking primate is telling you?” she seethed. “You think that he’s doing this for some greater good?!”
“For your information, Calm trusts my word due to my astute resolution for peace between countries,” The lord of the storm creatures proclaimed with unwavering charisma. “He has always been my right-paw hippogriff of choice, and his scouting tasks have always been satisfactory. Wherever he goes, my army shall arrive.”
The beaten gem thief met with the space between them. After contemplating his words in silence, she let out a sarcastic laugh. “Oh, you think you are so bucking clever, huh? I get it. He’s ‘the calm before the storm’.”
“Ooh, so even an unpredictable sociopath like yourself could see the comedic irony of this situation.”
“What are you gonna do with us?” Cornfield demanded an answer, though he was in no position to get one. “Don’t we get to send a letter or something? A court appointed lawyer? You aren’t responsible for sentencing her for past transgressions!”
“That’s where you are wrong.” Whirlwind addressed the spunky stallion, who spoke out of turn. “The queen assured me that I could do what I wish to her, considering her prior banishment from Mt. Aris. However, I’m a fair ruler, unlike my simpleton father. I will take Coral prisoner into my prototype submergence capsule to have her open the temple’s doors. You, on the other paw, may leave, so as long as you never return! Go back to Equestria where you belong and stay there!”
This ultimatum would be merciful for any unwelcome pony in foreign soil, but Coral’s endangerment only strengthened his resolve. “Where Coral goes... I GO!”
The lord’s face twisted a sickening grin, leaning down to his height. “I respect your chivalry, though it will only doom you in the end.” Resuming his upright authoritative position, he readied to pass conviction like a judge slamming his gavel. “Then you shall face the same charges she does.”
“WAIT!” Coral suddenly cried out. All other eyes locked on and anticipated her next move. Her face lost all bravado when her beloved pony became part of the pot. In a desperate last attempt, she tried reasoning his behavior with his family in the debate spotlight. “The Storm King... He’s... Your father?”
“He is, though I’d elect not to speak about it.” He precariously looked into her eyes. “However, I’ll make an exception. What of ‘him’?”
Coral dragged her weakened body closer to Lord Whirlwind’s legs while the rest of his battalion eagerly watched for any treacherous foul play. However, her faint movement was no act, but a plea of mercy. “If you are doing this because you want to avenge your father’s death, I know what that is like. I, too, wished nothing but pain for your people because of the death of both me and my brother’s parents. Right now, you are the only creature to break this cycle of vengeance. If you swear to do no harm, really and truly, I will take The Heart of Nature back to the Everfree Forest and put it back where it belongs.”
The desperate wish she confessed inspired Cornfield of his hippogriff partner, embracing her with energy as he carefully observed Whirlwind. For his valiant compassion, his object of affection wrapped her wing around him, returning the favor. The gears in Calm’s mind started revving, as his sister was ready to capitulate everything in the name of true peace after all. Surely his leader sworn in justice will give a harmless, crying thief another chance like any good king would. “Sir. If I may advise, this offer helps our end-goals between relations perfectly. No Heart of Nature in her possession means no more need to defend the temple’s entrance. Then, we can convince Celestia to-”
Whirlwind put a paw against Calm’s beak, physically silencing him. “Not yet. Novo entrusted us to fortify defenses and we are using Coral to do it. Besides, I couldn’t care less about the idiotic baboon that spawned me.”
“Gee.” The green colt addressed the lord’s personal lackey in a chastising tone. “I wonder why he would want to ‘fortify defenses’ rather than ensure peace the easy way?”
Ignoring those comments, the monarch nodded at his troops and commanded, “Secure them both and bring them to Basalt Beach. We are departing soon...”
As the troops dragged the powerless duo away, Cornfield desperately yelled that Calm do the right thing. “He’s lying, Calm! He’s going to use Coral’s heart to open the way to the next Gem of Creation! YOUR SISTER’S LIFE IS IN DANGER!”
The cowardly hybrid stewed while these words reverberated in his head about the alleged fugitives being pulled away. As doubt settled in, he could feel his superior’s claws rest on his shoulder blade. “Fear not, Calm,” the primal prince assured. “I promise that your dear sister will not suffer under my jurisdiction.”
Crossing the mighty waves of the ocean below, a lone figure flew as fast as possible towards Basalt Beach. Aiming for the cavern where Coral resided, the young princess Skystar flapped her wings with great urgency. While hoping to whatever cosmic deity in charge out there that she wasn’t too late, her shadow below became distorted once it hit the shore’s terrain. Along the white and rocky sands, she spotted the lone thief, Silver Night, exploring around and hoping that a careless pirate buried treasure somewhere near the boat. As loud as she could, the next of kin to the throne called to the pony out of her element. “Ahoooooooooooy!”
Silver jumped and looked about, startled by the sudden voice. Then, she noticed a creature’s peculiar silhouette zeroing on her location, shading the sun out of her uncovered eye for a better view. The careless bird, failing to land with any decent sense of royalty, crashed upon the sand in front of Silver, burying her face while the waves splashed into her hindlegs.
“Oh...” The black mare had very little to say about her less than regal entrance. “Hi...”
The royal hippogriff coughed as she gradually lifted her body. Slices of sand shifted off her sides with her beak spitting the grains out before turning to Silver, desperate for good news. “Am I too late?!”
“For what?”
“For the attack!” Slightly hysterical, Skystar moved in and gently shook Silver by the shoulders. “Did you not hear the soldiers?”
“WHAT?!” The thief pulled herself away. She didn’t think that she was going to be involved in a potential war zone so soon, let alone ever! “I thought Coral was safe at home?!”
“I hope she is, too! I hope it’s not too late!”
“Which way did they go?”
“Er, the soldiers or Coral?”
Silver’s hoof abruptly became very acquainted with her own face.“The soldiers, you dolt!” she shouted, hoping that the birdbrain would get it together.
“OH!” The teenage hybrid’s feathered mane stood on end from the jolt to her attention span. “RIGHT! I don’t know! All I know is my mother told me to stay away from the beach, because the Storm Creatures were going to appre- Appro... Aprra?” Her mind trailed off as she delved into her narrow vocabulary to pull out that big fancy word she’s searching for.
“Going to what? Approach a swim competition?”
“Er, capture Coral and take her away to do something with The Mind Of Water! I may not be queen yet, but that’s just bad news all around to me!”
“Can’t your mom do something? She’s just, I don’t know, the Queen of right bucking now!” Shouted Silver, throwing her hoof.
“But Mom gave them permission to take Coral and enter the temple! I don’t know what my mother is thinking, but Whirlwind is…” Skystar shivered and winced at the thought of him around her presence. “A JERK when no one is watching! We gotta help Coral!”
“Great idea! You go save them! I’ll grab our stuff and make our escape!” Just as Silver was about to save one-eyed face and run with her braided tail between her legs, the queen’s only daughter made a plea.
“Wait! I don’t know if I can stop them by myself. If I’m caught, Whirlwind will snitch on me!” Skystar bowed it as low as she could, practically begging for help. “Can’t you come with me to the cave? Please?! Do your thiefy thing! Sneak around ahead of me!”
Admittedly, the onyx coated burglar was amused by the notion that a member of a legendary royal family was pleading her. The thought crossed her mind to dish out the ultimate rejection in her face, but when she saw a certain shimmer in those light blue eyes, suddenly she couldn’t lose that honest trust. Eventually, Skystar’s big pupils drove her point home and the unicorn huffed. “Ok, FINE! But I warn you, I’m not the fighter type.”
Skystar jumped up with newfound hope. “Neither am I! I’m not asking you to beat them. Just run and I follow your lead!”
Silver understood and nodded. “Back to the cave, then?”
“After you!” Skystar allowed her newly “hired” rogue to take point.
After a short trip, they found where Coral’s cove had been, only to discover that the stone discus hiding the entrance was tossed aside onto the sand like it was hastily discarded. Already this was a bad indication how events were developing to the intrepid scout. Fulfilling her duties, Silver led the way with the twitchy Skystar following behind. The wooden door at the end of the tunnel had been shattered into splinters. They crossed over the debris and once inside the hovel, learned the terrifying reality that another party had ransacked Coral’s safehouse.
The table was split down the middle, as well as the chairs. Any edible foodstuffs had been raided from the pantries, leaving behind containers of nothing. The biggest tragedy became obvious when they saw the dismal lost beauty of Coral’s gem collection. The display cases were smashed and all sparkling traces of her troves gone. All save for the very gift that was faithfully donated to Silver.
“Shit!” Silver uttered aloud. Although she rarely saw eye-to-eye with her feathered rival in crime, she wouldn’t wish getting one’s thieving trophies stolen on even her worst enemy.
“No! We’re already too late!” exclaimed Skystar, failing to qualify the leadership necessary that royalty would have. “Oh, what do we do now?!”
“Now we get out of here! They’ll soon be after us too!”
“Wait!” The princess stopped Silver with a quick and gentle tug on the tail. “If they already ransacked the place, then they aren’t coming back... They’re after Coral, not us.” Then, from the corner of her eye, Skystar spotted a bag, thankfully untouched. Unbeknownst to her, it was Cornfield’s. Curiously, the princess checked it out. Then, rather playfully, she took out his prized possession and started looking at it from all sides. “Oooooh, what is THIS thing?”
Depressing the button unleashed a flash, and then a snap occurred; the princess unwittingly took a picture of herself with his camera. “Eek! That’s bright!” she chirped.
“Dammit, get serious, Skystar!” Silver chastised her foolishness in a tense situation.
“I’m sorry, it’s just that I’ve never seen something like this before.”
“We should go back to the village. I think it’s safe that way.”
“I think we should. But, Silver?” She held the camera for all to see. “What is this and what does it do?”
“It’s a... camera?” The thief’s visible eyebrow raised as high as it could, surprised by her lack of understanding.
“A camera? Is it important? Sorry, I’ve been living in the sea for almost all my life. I’ve never seen this before.”
“It takes pictures, what do they…” Halting her unneeded dismay with her current friend’s child-like curiosity, she shifted focus. “Look, we don’t have time for this, we should get going! The only place I can imagine they’d be is either Mt. Aris... Or that temple Coral talked about?”
“You’d think they’d go after the Mind of Water so soon before Whirlwind does?”
“If Coral is anything to go by, she’d be halfway down there by now.”
“Really? That would be terrific if she’s not already captured! Let’s go see if they need our help, then!” Silver reluctantly agreed, and had planned on at least collecting some royal bits for keeping the princess herself company. They abandoned the ransacked hole-in-the-wall for the sunlit sands back on the beach, but not without Skystar playfully hanging Cornfield’s professional shutters around her neck. Then, the sliver of a familiar voice resonated in their ears, perking them up in the audible direction.
“Calm, PLEASE! Cornfield is telling the truth! You can’t trust Whirlwind, no matter what he says!” That amount of loud squawking tipped the bandit off.
“It’s them!” Silver exclaimed in a hushed tone. “It’s Coral!”
“She’s here?” chirped Skystar. “We aren’t too late?!” Going past her escort, she peeked over, identifying the beings ahead. However, the scene itself brought her feathers to stand on end as she reeled back and quickly took cover in the few tall rocks jutting out of the beach. Curiosity piqued in Silver to know why she became so flustered, but then she caught a glimpse of the terrifying bondage Coral and Cornfield found themselves in. Their necks were wrapped with heavy industrial cuffs and connected to chains clamped around the arms of four elite storm guards. Calm conducted himself in negotiating with Coral, as Whirlwind stared out upon the horizon, patiently waiting for something.
“But I do!” Argued the brother of the most wanted hippogriff. “He hasn’t led me astray yet! He’s always had my best interests at heart.”
In the heat of the moment, all Silver could fathom was imagining the worst nightmare; herself locked away among the imprisoned, surrounded by hulking giants that could potentially crush her flat. “Oh shit!” she cursed once again before turning on her hooves and made headway back into the cave’s shelter.
“Wait! Where are you going?” Skystar called her cowardice out just as she started to make her way to safety.
“I’m hiding! You can do the same if you want but don’t you dare let them know I’m here!”
“Don’t you want to see what they are even doing? I think we could be one of the few witnesses to see Whirlwind do some-” The princess attempted to get close, but Silver exchanged her warmth with hostility.
“SHOO! SCRAM! Whenever I find myself in the wrong place at the wrong time I skedaddle! Like you should too!”
“Even if it means running from other creatures in need?”
“Watch me!”
Suddenly, a crashing roar of water could be heard happening on the ocean’s surface. The princess, ever curious what it could be, leaned around to investigate the source, safe in the cover of a rock the storm creatures would never suspect. A long metallic oblong machine had surfaced above the water, bolted with darkened blue steel frames around its hull and bearing the ever-ominous storm symbol near the rudders. Then, from the top of the vehicle, a panel flipped up and extended, creating a bridge where Whirlwind resided and granting access. Coral and Cornfield stood in awe what the heir to the Storm King had achieved through his technological advancements
“Finally. Let’s get started with our mission.” After adjusting his glasses, he signaled the guards and motioned them along with the rebellious duo. “Bring the boarding party along.”
Hauled away onto the ramp, Skystar considered tailing them, trying to generate a plan in her hyperactive mind.
“PSST! What’s happening?”
Barely containing herself from shrieking, the royal bird clutched her chest and jumped away from the voice of Silver. Her mind was so deeply rooted into the events that she forgot all about that one dark mysterious pony. As soon as Skystar took a few deep breaths, she began “It’s a large thing! A REALLY large thing! Something popped open on the top and made a flat branch thing to the beach! Coral and Cornfield were led to it!”
“WHAT?! Let me see!” Skystar saw everything unfold as Silver met her situated point, watching the said events. “Holy bucking shit!”
Light expanded beyond the hatch of the vessel. Stretching over the beach, a foreboding walkway settled down, and it was there that Coral and Cornfield were taken inside through that opening.
“What’s happening?! What should we do, Skystar?” Silver’s voice shrieked with sheer dismay after seeing their friends taken fully prisoner.
The panic flooded the monarch in training. “I-I don’t know! All I know is that my mom gave him permission to go inside the temple but-” Then a hint of knowledge reemerged inside her mind, which would greatly aid their quest. “... But the chamber with The Mind of Water is still forbidden!”
Silver cocked her head awkwardly. “What? Come again?”
“Mom specifically instructed Whirlwind not to enter the precious dome protecting the Mind of Water! If we can sneak behind them and catch them entering... if they even DARE walk inside, mom will surely rip and tear that treaty to ribbons!”
“But what about Coral and the brat?”
Skystar rolled her eyes with a smile. “Well, OBVIOUSLY, we need to make sure that they aren’t hurt. They’re our friends, right?”
“Maybe... but that kid is still a creep!”
“I don’t know. He doesn’t seem THAT bad. He cares for Coral a lot, and I trust any friend of a hippogriff!”
Silver stood on buckling hocks, repressing anything about the risk that helping them would ensue, until she burst. “Whatever! So what now?”
The poor camera was soon at the mercy of Skystar’s innocent playful talons. “So this takes... pictures, right?” The princess presumed. ”I’m not sure how it works, but I point and click, right?”
“Oh yeah!” The pony realized the available method at hoof to incriminate any broken promises by Whirlwind. “Good idea! ...But don’t you DARE take any photos of me!”
“Of course! But let’s wait until that big metal thing is gone, then we follow it. So, have you been a seapony before?”
“A... Seapony???”
“Well, I mean. How well can you hold your breath underwater otherwise? I can hold it for 7 seconds!”
“Whatever you’re thinking of, you better just drop it!!”
“Bu-But...” Their opportunity to frame Whirlwind was evaporating. All members of the brigade boarded with the bridge extension retracting and the hatch sealing them safely inside. The machine hummed and vibrated as it eventually submerged into the briny depths.
“Oops! We gotta go!” Without a moment to lose, the princess snatched the thief by her hoof and gave pursuit.
As they approached the sea, Skystar tapped a piece of the pearl on her necklace. It glowed before just as quickly transforming her into a seapony, equipped with everything a fish needed for underwater excursions. Silver was unpleasantly surprised after her unsuspecting hindquarters became a fish’s tail, complete with white fins.
Upon submerging themselves, bubbles bursted out of Silver’s mouth in a scream. “WAAAAAAAH!! Wha-” The sudden transformation made her almost go into shock, leaving her exhaling heavily. Only to realize she had a pair of oxygen-exchanging gills instead.
“Ah...ha... what the....buck?” She said, giving her new body a thorough examination.
Skystar, possessing a pony’s snout instead of her usual bird beak, praised the blessing of the pearl. “Isn’t it great?” Although she suddenly felt the tug of Cornfield’s camera and inspected it with concern. “Gosh, I hope this is water-proof! Come on!” With a twirl, she zigged downward in expert fashion.
Silver waved her parts about and the newly found fins fluttered about, realizing how efficient they were at swimming. “...Uh... Ok, I guess this is fine.”
Enveloped in the dark blue ocean, Skystar could make out three spinning propellers driving the capsule at a brisk pace. “There it is!” she cried out to Silver as the former unicorn strained to keep up. “Follow it and we’re sure to find the temple! ...Not that I already know where it is or anything.” She rubbed the back of her scaly glimmering neck and chuckled sheepishly.
“Oooook!” Silver exasperatedly shouted, wondering how she crawled out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Meanwhile, inside the capsule, the lead pilot was at the helm, equipped with a subnautical suit in lieu of any armor. At the ready behind him was a foyer, with Whirlwind taking to the grand seat in the middle and two benches on each side, some occupied by the chosen elite onboard. Beyond that laid the prison, holding those unwelcomed locked within. A mere small window with bars upon a door was the only privilege fugitives had to make contact with their captors. Portholes were fixed on the walls for their only oceanic viewing privilege. Calm guarded outside said door while Coral and Cornfield stewed inside.
Coral watched outside the window, carelessly dragging her pointed claws on the thick glass, leaving fine hairline scratches. Beside her, Cornfield sat himself against a wall entirely motionless, looking down upon himself. “I.. wanted to go back into the water with you by my side, Cornfield...” said the distraught gem collector as she planted her forehead on the chilly glass, their fates sinking in an underwater prison. “...But never like this...”
Cornfield unexpectedly groaned rather heavily. Sudden jerking pain riled his internal organs, making him delirious. “...Ngh... I-I…” Though her faults weighed her down into pity, she immediately shot up and tried to address the poor suffering colt. “...I don’t feel very good…” he started doubling over.
“Cornfield, are you ok?” She touched his forehead, testing his temperature.
The stallion wrapped his stomach in his hooves, clutching it like his organs would pop out at any moment. “I feel sick…”
Further pained grunts left his faithful companion at a complete loss. With no immediate solutions, she slammed on the iron bars. No one but her brother could help her now. “Calm! Cornfield is getting ill! I think he needs something to settle his stomach!”
Acknowledging her plea, her brother peeked through the gap in the door and observed the colt. Despite present indications he was in pain, the blood-tied servant waved his claws, brushing it off and calmly stated his mind “It may be the sudden pressure as we go deeper underwater. He should be fine.”
Before everybody in the sub knew, there was a scream so sickening, it threatened to raze their brains and almost deafened Coral forever. The entire vessel shook with incredible might, every storm creature grabbed the nearest metallic thing they could grip, thrown by heavy turbulence, barely staying in their seats. It almost bumped the glasses off of Whirlwind’s face, but he quickly stayed and sucked back in the single drop of sweat purging from one of his pores. “What’s the meaning of this?! Admiral! Did we hit something?”
The pilot gathered himself while monitoring every gauge available to him and reported, “Negative. Sensors show no external impact.”
As if the events couldn’t get any more unusual, a specific portion of the ship broke apart without warning; the prison section crumbled off and quickly became absorbed in a bubble, floating ever safely higher. This miraculous action tore the u-boat wide open, threatening the malevolent creatures with watery graves. Whirlwind, however, came prepared for every contingency, and with the swift click of a button, initiated an emergency back-up in the event of such catastrophic damage.
The command deck sheltered just beyond his chair, sealing them with an impenetrable iron wall, as the remnants of their ship ascended. However, with the remaining sub sinking to the bottom, all he and his crew could do was wait for the other half to float to the surface. One crew member was MIA on Whirlwind’s side, as Calm was forcefully taken along, holding on the iron bars for dear life and watching his boss gracefully ride a safe escape. One false step into the wrong side of this bubble, and he would be doomed to drown without the pearl’s transformation properties.
Meanwhile, Coral was distraught, flushed from one disaster after another, and there was no way to tell if things were improving or worsening. Only thing left for her was to see that Cornfield would wake up from this nightmare. She rushed to his side and squawked in his face. “CORNFIELD! What did you just DO?!” His body absent of any will, eyelids shuttered over his distant pupils, he ultimately lost consciousness from the sheer magic that launched within, containing enough power to shift the fates of everyone involved.
The sun’s rays pierced through the surface of the ocean, shining a natural spotlight over the hippogriff, Cobalt Coral, and the bizarre events around her. Just as she thought that they were doomed to fall under the authoritative paws of a tyrant, her friend, Cornfield, came through with a self-destructive miracle. Their jail cell had been attached to the mechanical shell of a machine she’d never seen before that travels under the ocean. Now, after the prison had torn itself violently from the vehicle, it broke in two with the bottom half sinking into the deep while Whirlwind’s half floated to safety. The cell drifted away where the storm creatures would emerge from the sea, guided by a bubble surrounding them and granting life-sustaining air.
With his fleet abandoning him to the prison cell, her brother, Calm Breeze, strongly gripped and struggled to open the cell door and join his sister, avoiding a drowning. Fumbling with keys jiggling on a key ring, he managed to jam the correct one and turn the lock. Bursting through, he demanded someone enlighten him on this sudden change of course. “Can someone explain what the hay happened?!” The light-blue hippogriff hollered in a rather confused and panicked state. “We got separated from Whirlwind’s submergence capsule!” He looked back at the open door, staring into the empty deep blue. “I certainly hope my lord is ok!”
Shouting back in hysterics, Coral held her precious and hapless victim close. “Forget that monkey! Cornfield’s the one in danger here!”
After detecting a faint pulse and listening carefully to his still beating heart, there was lingering hope that he would live. Shivering, questions spilled from Calm’s tongue, begging Coral for answers. “How did he even do that? Who IS he, anyway?”
Understanding the environment catered not to their dire situation, Coral told her brother, “Well I thought I picked up a lonely looking stallion from the edge of Ponyville! It’s not like I knew he had superpowers too!”
Flabbergasted at the near total annihilation of the propelled vehicle, Skystar and Silver observed the distressed wreck from afar. Yet still lagging a bit as the latter came to grips with the oceanic environment, she hoped Ms. Sea Royalty understood things better. “What is it?” The fish version of Silver enquired. “Are they under attack?”
“I don’t know,” the princess answered. “But I think we should help!”
Failing to discern which section held their captive friends, the black thief asked Skystar, “Which one? They look almost the same!”
Yet Novo’s only daughter was also clueless and went by the sheer mercy of going with her gut, pointing out one bubbly chunk rising to the surface. “There! Let’s see if they need us!”
Swimming with enough fierce velocity to seamlessly fly through the depths like a pegasus in the sky, the sea pony rescue team desperately concentrated on themselves to deliver the best help they could. Raring to seek out shelter after the traumatic event, Coral hoisted the poor colt on her back. Unfortunately, none of them can thrive in the deep water as sea ponies have, lacking the required pearl’s transformation ability. “Calm, we need to do something!” His sister pleaded. “If this bubble bursts, we’re gonna drown!”
“Wait... Look!” Calm addressed the steady speed their bubble had rapidly accumulated. Promptly, it breached the surface popping into a shower of water as the prison kept afloat. The three claimed safety for the time being, via unexplainable circumstances.
Despite the door leaving them exposed, the prison’s buoyancy shifted heavily in favor of the back wall, preserving the interior from water as they floated on the ocean’s surface. Realizing this, Calm flew up to the prison doorway, poking his head out for a better view like a gopher out of its hole. He spotted Mt. Aris on the horizon, opposed by Basalt Beach’s side, deducing they were in the part of the ocean that divided them.
Unexpectedly, Silver and Skystar popped out on the waters nearby, much to Calm’s shocked dissatisfaction. He climbed out in haste, eager to give the young rulebreaker a lecture. “P-Princess Skystar?! You aren’t supposed to be here!”
Not counting on his company, Skystar shrugged a bit awkwardly and played it off like it was nothing. “Oh. Haha... Busted, I guess.”
“Never mind! You two must help push this metal box to Mt. Aris’s shoreline. We got a pony in need of urgent care, even if he is a prisoner!”
Silver could have guessed who he was referring to. “Cornfield?!” However, she was just as quick to forget her current status, as she leapt inside and flopped about. “ACK!” It wasn’t fun when reality bitch slapped her in the face no less.
The caring princess, realizing that Silver was without a means of breathing as a fish, came to her aid as fast as possible. “Oops! Hold on!” Holding her breath and doing her impression of a fish out of water, she leaped into the cell, held Silver’s fin, and restored their previous quadrepedic forms.
Annoyed by the antics of the royal daughter and her poor taste in friends, Calm sighed and sputtered “I asked only one favor of you two.”
With her trusty extremities back under her, Silver checked out the unmoving Cornfield, completely mystified. “Coral! What happened to Cornfield!?” A loud reverberating clang surprised everyone, drawing their attention to the prison door above. Shutting it tight and locking them in, Calm had sealed away their escape. Alarmed, the black pony shouted a resounding “HEY”!
Appalled by her brother’s actions, Coral gently laid Cornfield on the floor by Skystar and leered upwards, scowling at his knowing smile. “Oh, you did NOT just do that, you son-of-a-bitch!” she screeched with her blood boiling.
“Don’t disgrace our fallen mother like that, Coral.” Calm patronised her with a smug satisfaction on display, eager to knock his violent sister down a peg.
Barred from strangling her brother, Coral punched the hard glass of the port windows and cried at him with rage welling in her heart. “I WILL RIP OFF YOUR DAMN HEAD!”
“You and that… freak are still a prisoner of the Storm Army.” Having enough of his sibling’s revolution, the only remaining obligations were to read them all their rights. “Now that I have evidence of your ill-intentions to heinously rob our royal family, Silver, you will be served justice when her majesty saves the princess with our armed guards.”
“What?!” Getting her authoritative mother involved made Skystar’s voice crack. “No! I don’t want to go back to her yet! And you can’t arrest Silver either! I gave her my family jewels willingly!”
“They are still a treasure that doesn’t belong to her,” the presumptuous light blue hippogriff refuted. “Besides, we saw her attempted theft before you were aware of her sorry existence.”
Silver had been part of too many illicit deeds to care for accusations by a brainwashed fool. Instead, she concentrated all her focus and power on Calm’s key ring, extracting the set cautiously while he was distracted in a needless bicker.
“Calm, if you are trying to play ‘cops and robbers’, then fine,” Coral resigned, but her face was still fuming inside. “You win. Just please, please, let me get Cornfield some medical attention. If you don’t, I’m not above strangling my own brother!”
“How dare you threaten me! Are you so far gone that family means nothing to you now?” Calm yelled back with disgust by the audacity of his sister desiring to murder him. Invested thoroughly in his politics, Silver had just managed to slowly unlock the door right under his nose. As the locks clicked away, it was past the point of no return and Calm would receive his comeuppance. “What?! What was-”
Before he knew what hit him, Coral barreled out the door her brother carelessly stood on, catapulting the traitor. As he crashed into water like an oversized harpoon, the still hippogriff flailed about, struggling just to swim. A downpour of vines rushed upon him and constricted him in a vice grip. Thorns protruded and scratched his flesh as the vines swung heavily into the cell he tried sealing them with. The plants then rapidly faded, letting him crumple onto the back wall substituting as the floor of the prison.
With the keys now on their side, Coral plummeted into her brother, pinning him to the cold steel wall. “Considering you’ve sold our entire species out to the blood-thirsty creatures who enslaved us, I won’t hesitate to stop you. Even if that means killing my only brother! Let us go save Cornfield, and I will spare you here and now.”
Regardless of how rapidly their options had descended into despair, Silver grooved to the accomplishments she had pulled off in a solo celebration. Meanwhile, Calm squealed “Ok! Ok! Geez! When did my sister, the girl who would pick on the boys and run to me for protection when they tease her back, become such a hardened criminal?!”
“She grew up, Calm.” Coral and Skystar hoisted the flightless ponies out of the cell. Before Calm could tail them, his sister slammed the cell door down and threw the keys inside with him as insurance. “Have fun telling Whirlwind that you failed.” She took pleasure watching her traitorous brother take a bite of his own medicine and followed Skystar with Cornfield in her claws.
“I hope there’s a hospital somewhere in Mount Aris,” Silver uttered in a passing mention, faintly expecting the reaffirmation of such.
“I know the next best thing,” the gem thieving hippogriff assured. “Follow me!”
For the two hippogriffs doing the heavy lifting, the jail cell was thankfully not far from Coral’s cove. Upon arrival, however, her emotions spiked, seeing the stone discus dipped in sand and fearing the worst when she found her wooden door obliterated. Then, she took a breath, stepping in with anxious anticipation of what was left. She shrieked after seeing the mess. “W-WHAT?! MY HOME! MY JEWELS!”
Silver winced while Skystar, on the other hoof, attempted to console her. “I’m sorry,” the princess sheepishly explained. “We meant to tell you sooner. The Storm Creatures must have raided the place.”
The feathered bandit was disheartened by this revelation. First and foremost, she made way for Cornfield to rest properly against a wall within a gap of peace. Then, she grasped a piece of her broken chair and, after staring deep into it, growled and threw the wooden shard across the cave with a splintering crash. “Those damn apes! They are taking what’s mine!” She huffed angrily while her world crumbled around her, irises like pinpricks, eventually catching Silver and Skystar silent and fearful during her fit. Becoming more aware that her antics summed up to that of a foalish tantrum, she tried applying the brakes to her fury. “Ok, ok! We can fix this...”
Glancing at the corner where Cornfield’s bag was, she realized hers was completely missing. Worried in a cold sweat where she misplaced it, a vague memory passed into her mind. Just before being tossed in the cell, there was a tug upon her side by one of the storm creatures. If her sickening hunch was correct, and her bag was indeed confiscated, then Whirlwind had possession of two important artifacts: Zecora’s notes about the gems including their powers, and the ancient map indicating every gems’ secret location. With all the information he needed to realize his twisted dream, Coral lost a heap of sand in her hourglass. To add insult to injury, all of the money and gems she stored away were gone, including the Puppy Peridot that she swore to return to its rightful owner.
Internally, her heart raced over this. Thankfully, the potions that Zecora gave them were spared, tucked away in Cornfield’s knapsack. She fished one out in a frenzy and popped the cork open, her friends tended to him as she arrived with the treatment.
“Hold him up, he needs to drink this.” Skystar obliged, placing her talons underneath to support his chin for the incoming dosage. Putting the bottle to his lips, said potion washed properly down his throat. “Hold on, you big colt. This is bottle number two for you. You gotta stop making this a habit.” Coral said, as she noted their dwindling resources.
Silver cocked her head with her hoof. “What is that potion?”
Coral elaborated while looking up, “It’s a healing potion. A kind zebra brewed this for us.”
“And earlier, what was the deal with that… thing you were in?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. We were inside the capsule, imprisoned and surrounded by monkeys and one very aggravating brother, when Cornfield complained that he felt sick then screamed bloody murder. Next thing I knew, the prison broke off and we floated in a bubble to the surface!”
Once the potion had been sufficiently ingested, Coral anticipated the steady recovery of her friend. Instead, his body rejected it through his mouth like a forward geyser. The liquid spilled out all over the floor and Cornfield still lumped over with no sign of life. Foolishly, she had forgotten all about the potion’s intended purpose in hopes it could miraculously cure any ailment, not just physical injuries. “ACK! That’s not working?” his purple companion squawked.
Silver put her hoof to her lips in concerned fashion, “I think he needs to see a doctor.”
Tears were slowly welling up in her eyes. Coral picked up a fallen tablecloth to start mopping up the mess on and around the poor colt. “...We can’t go to a hospital. The moment I step into Mt. Aris, I’m sure to be arrested…”
Then Skystar gave her two bits to the precedent treatment. “But he did nothing wrong! I can take him there myself if I have to! Besides, what if Whirlwind comes back for you again?”
After a moment of thought, the black unicorn raised her hoof with more enthusiasm than normal, “How about I stay here with Coral? In case, something happens.”
Accepting her voluntary action, Coral rested her talons on the shoulder of her future queen. “I’m trusting you, Skystar. It kills me that I can’t do anything to help him...” The younger hippogriff took the stallion on her back, then she handed the camera that hung around her neck over to her fellow hippogriff.
“Sorry if there is any water damage,” the princess apologized. “We tried to use this to prove any dirty deeds, but all we did was get it wet.” Coral nodded and smiled in understanding. As she dried it off and placed it where it belonged, Skystar headed for the beach to take off.
“I pray that she gets across all right...” Using the opportunity to inspect the destruction, she checked around for any underlying salvage. “They really took everything... Everything I worked for...”
Perhaps it was the gumption gained from their latest daring escape, but Silver wasn’t ready to sit and pout. Wiping her hoof off her chest, she replied “Well then, I guess our only choice is to steal it back! We are thieves after all! Remember?”
The suggestion sparked a glint of inspiration in the speckled heart upon Coral’s chest. “I mean, yeah, I certainly wouldn’t feel bad pilfering those dull, lumbering apes, but I have no idea where they might be stashing them. They could be back at their lands inside that capsule for all I know.”
“So we go for their capsule! Wasn’t he taking you to the Mind of Water or something?”
“He was, but it’d be fruitless without me and-” Then, a pang of realization hit like thunder. In the capsule earlier were only the elite guards, Whirlwind, and an admiral. Too few compared to the plentiful army which chased her down and chained her. If there was any place they would have emerged from, the blimp floating above Mt. Aris was their known entry. “No. It’s not in that capsule. That blimp. I didn’t see it take off anywhere. It must have landed nearby my home to transport all those troops. If Whirlwind had already escaped that death trap of a machine, then that’s got to be where they’ve taken my things.”
“Excellent…” said the darkened thief, putting her hooves together with devilish plotting.
“And if Whirlwind no doubt has another one of those capsules in reserve, he’ll probably make the trip back to his kingdom to retrieve another one, leaving his troops without a leader! This is perfect!” The fire in Coral’s eyes burned brightly.
“So, where is the blimp now?”
“I don’t know, but it has to be somewhere. Probably back at Pine Tree Barrens, hidden away. And I’m about to make you an offer.”
The unicorn slightly raised her head with stilted anticipation.
“I don’t care what it takes,” Coral rambled on. “All I know is that you are much more sleek than I am. Not to mention that I’m a highly wanted individual. My offer is simple: Get me the map, Zecora’s notes, and the Puppy Peridot back for me, and you can keep any other valuables you can carry in there.”
Silver sunk her head in contemplation. The offer sounded good, but something held her back. “There’s just one problem, Coral…”
“And what would that be?”
“I didn’t bring my bags…”
The lightness of her absent saddlebags was a subtle yet distracting sensation for Silver. However, it was an easy fix for a bandit who had to improvise on quite a few touch and go moments. Without hesitation, Coral snatched Cornfield’s bulky package and latched it on Silver’s back.
“Oof!” She faltered, as she wasn’t used to carrying equipment for a male equine, let alone not her own bags.
“Go empty those out on the boat. I’ll fly around and do some surveillance. I’m sure Cornfield won’t mind if you borrow that for a bit, seeing how he’s not using it.”
Tugging on the strap herself, it wasn’t all the more comfortable, but the pony would make do. “Well fine. So after I drop this stuff off at the boat, where do I head for the Barrens?”
Coral thought hard for procuring a suitable rendezvous point. Then she ultimately fed the unicorn directions to a grassy circle, requesting she wait at the sight of the first engagement with the storm creatures. Nodding, Silver made about beginning her trek but the hippogriff halted her momentarily. “Also, one more thing, you and I both know that Whirlwind is up to evil deeds. If you can somehow find proof of that for me to give Queen Novo, it would make our lives so much easier.”
“Ok, got it.” Silver acknowledged her task and the two triumphantly extracted from Coral’s hideout to take position among the ridge of the beach. As soon as Coral saw light perforating the clouds, she shouted “All right! See you there!”, then galloped past Silver, spread her wings and ascended into the sky.
[br]
Several minutes passed as Silver Night had made her arrival. With each hoof step upon the grassy clearing, she saw many weapons discarded around like trash, while many large dark red pools left a gruesome indicator how the battle turned out. The unicorn couldn’t help but admire the struggle exerted by the troops of Whirlwind against a tenacious foe. She was starting to think there was no blimp after all until she heard a familiar cawing from above. “I fooooound iiiiiiit!”
Carefully, Coral closed in on the Earth, letting the fans of feathers catch the air and create a clearing for her landing point. As she touched down, Silver curiously trotted up with anticipation. “Oh! Where is it?”
The hippogriff was smiling ear to ear. “East! East up to shoreline! They landed that far away, probably so that I wouldn’t hear them after my traitorous sibling told them where I lived. That ship is bustling like… Well, a barrel full of monkeys! So, I thought of a way to make your life easier.”
“Ooooh, I’m listening.”
“It’s gonna be a thrill for me, and I’m risking a lot by doing this. But, I’m going to be the distraction and send a majority of them on a wild goose chase.”
“Well, all right then!” Taking unwanted attention away from her was a welcome change, but if Coral were to get caught that might jeopardize the situation. “...But what if something goes wrong? Do we have a plan B?”
“Well, plan B isn’t as exciting...” Coral said hesitantly and shifted her sheepish gaze away.
“...Oooh...?” The sudden lack of confidence didn’t sit well with the black mare, and she’s had trouble after some mishaps in thievery before.
“Yeaaaaah, considering the fact that my... Well, let’s call it like it is, coltfriend is sick in the hospital, my own nation won’t bring me back, and Whirlwind has access to the rest of the Gem’s locations and what they do, I figured it’s do it or die trying.”
The pony stood in uninspiring silence, then took a deep breath. “...Ok... Got it”
“Excellent!” chirped Coral. “No pressure or anything.”
“You know, with my record, they won’t let me run free either.”
“Yeah, I know that it looks grim, but you still get to keep my gems and save the world from a maniacal simian.” “I don’t plan on getting caught. It’s just that, I’m not like the greatest thief of all time, you know?” She gradually hung her head and humbled herself. “...Most of my livelihood has been off of hapless wanderers and tourists. I’ve pulled a few heists.... but most end in failure.”
Coral blinked, staring at her for a second before realising that the bandit was trying to weasel out from fear. “Well, when I was younger, that’s certainly how I got my start, you know. Then, the more I did it, the more I got better. Let me ask this, what’s your strongest and weakest suit?”
“My strongest suit?” After mulling the question in Silver’s head, she pluckily threw her hoof up and exclaimed “I’m a go-getter!”
Stunned in disbelief, the hippogriff massaged her forehead with her talons, furrowing her brows. “...Silver, this isn’t a job interview. I’m asking what makes the best you when it comes to thieving. What’s your best strategy?”
“Oh…” The mare’s eyes reverted back down on the grass, taking the time to consider what she said. “...Well, the way I go by it, I just try not to be spotted. Not even once.”
“Good, good,” Coral agreed with the simple, yet satisfactory answer. “That’s the way to work. Now, what’s your biggest weakness? I know you try not to get caught, but what makes it end poorly?”
“I just have bad luck. I think.”
An eyebrow raised sharply on the hippogriff’s face, then shook her head dismissively. “Unless you’ve been in my talons, you don’t know bad luck.” The veteran of all things thieving related pondered more about learning what true destiny the unicorn was meant to become. ”I think it may be nerves or not planning for what happens if someone sees you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m just suspicious it’s not luck, but rather bad circumstances coming from poor planning or concentration. When Cornfield was a spotter for me to get that Harvest Festival trophy, we had schematics, whisperweed, time, attention, and detail. He did great for his first time around that made the heist so much simpler.” Like a master to a student, Coral warmly set herself down upon the ground and went eye-to-eye for passing down her wisdom. “In this world, you don’t get bad luck, you decide what the outcome of your fate will be by your hoof and not some invisible force.”
“But I plan out my heists thoroughly, I swear!” Silver felt her pride dip, like she was getting a reality check.
“The plan stays. I distract, you sneak. Don’t get greedy and leave your backside unaccounted for, I’ll fly you out when you are ready. We communicate, we plan, we do everything to make sure nothing happens to us. All it takes is a little ingenuity. You got this?”
Silver puffed her chest out. She was tired of being the butt of jokes and the receiving end of unfortunate events. This time, it wasn’t just about filling a coin purse, but finally proving herself as a true thief. “Of course I do!”
“Good, come with me. We’re going to pick up a few things.”
Tagging along with Coral, the little unicorn was determined to get away without making a scene. On their way, the hippogriff scanned the various pathways, even made a few trip traps, grew some shrubs, and took advantage of the local fauna to use for deterring chases later. Finally, in their scouring for anything she could use, they came upon a fortunate bloom of whisperweed. After explaining its commutative properties to Silver, they each planted their respective flowers in an ear of choice. Finally, the two-creature band of thieves slowly crawled on their bellies up a gentle incline to hide themselves in view of the blimp. At least ten soldiers were routinely patrolling the outside, but there was undoubtedly more in the massive ship.
“Ok”, whispered Silver’s temporary mentor. “Everything should be ready for the great chase. If you find anything you can improvise in a pinch, like smoke pellets or stun rods, use them wisely. Now then, are you ready?”
The unicorn pressed her chest against the ground, bracing her body for going as fast and quiet as possible. “...Ready!” she sounded off.
Coral ascended high as a kite, breaking away from Silver’s position. Hovering, she squawked loudly enough to ensure all the attention was on her.
“Guess your dumb monkey leader couldn’t contain me for long! You all want the honors?” Having no shame, she spun around and lifted her tail up, shaking her bare rump at the triggered creatures down below. “Come and get it!”
Silver smacked her face with her hoof, wondering what could possess her to act in such an undignified manner. At least if it went according to plan, she’d be in and out to laugh about it later.
Some guards aggressively chucked spears at her, while others went back inside the blimp to sound the alarm and rally the squadron. It’s blaring ring spawns many more guards from the airship to settle the score, especially the victims who necks she punctured. Taking that as a cue, she hit the ground running quite literally, and dashed away with the rumbling army pursuing their high priority target.
“Ha HA!” the whisperweed in Silver’s ear rang. “They’re going for it, hook, line, and stinker!”
“Alright,” the unseen shadow responded. “I’m going in!” Getting closer, the imposing vehicle’s dark and deep purple hull had a malicious design behind its architecture. It was meant to dissuade rather than attract attention, but that didn’t stop the thief from sneaking into the side door of the exterior. A ramp of stairs were left unfolded for entry, and she seized the opportunity to climb inside.
“Seems I REALLY stirred the hornet’s nest now.” Coral blabbered to the flower in her ear. “You need to work fast while I distract them.”
Silver speedily trotted while maintaining a low profile in the now abandoned halls of the main entrance. She scanned around to find a way in further whilst keeping herself wary for any security. Several various doors offered opportunities that would expand her infiltration. Each was labeled with the following options: kitchen, infirmary, barracks, weapons, and storage. Although the infirmary, storage, and weapons had been shut tight. There was access to the next floor east of her heading.
The heister snuck into the storage room, an obvious first choice, and tried the door with her magic since the intricate knob was crafted by and for primate paws. Unsurprisingly, however, the door was locked in place, and there’s a peculiar hexagonal slot on a panel fixated by the doorway. Same pattern applied to the other sealed doors in the hall.
Silver cursed her luck, yet there just had to be some kind of key around to undo the locks. With no clear solution, she took the next best idea in her head, and stalked near the barracks. She carefully peeked around the corner with her muzzle straight down and one eye looking in, inching ever so closely over the edge. Despite having a raging mob after her, Coral failed to attract every single one of them, as the reserve guard remained on standby. A minor number of these off-duty creatures were either asleep, lounging on their assigned beds reading, or gambling blood money over cotton-paper blend cards. Though they lacked their distinct armor, revealing the bestial faces normally obscured by an intimidating mask, they were not ill-equipped to deal with intruders.
“Better try sneaking over to the kitchen.” Silver pondered to herself. “Perhaps there could be a distraction?” Backing away, the thief decided to investigate the eerily silent kitchen. One would certainly hope that no monkey would still be assigned in there.
Thankfully, it appeared that any guards posted at the kitchen left in a hurry. Instead of old hags that served disgusting slop, there was some rationing system in place, which ensured the roster of soldiers would not be without their supplemental meals. Tables with stubby metal stools were installed in rows, spaced apart to prevent rubbing shoulders with other units. The fridge, cabinets, and sink stood in plain sight over a counter complete with a sneeze shield and remained visually functional. Hanging above were warnings about using the equipment per served unit or risk the loss of special food privileges. And when there was nothing to eat but MREs, you don’t want to lose such a sacred right.
“HA!” The hippogriff’s voice abruptly chimed in loud and startled Silver with a jump. “They’re having a fun time going through all those snapping turtles at the lake. How are you holding up?”
With a hoof upon her chest after the shock, the unicorn assured, “Oh... I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, Coral.” Stretched thin of ideas, she tried asking her partner in crime. “Say... Know anything about these particular blimps? I think they would stick the stolen goods in storage or something. But it’s locked and a weird hole is on the wall next to it.”
“These creatures are simple, even if their leader is not. I imagine that the guards have a master key that accesses those facilities, so one key should be all you need. Also, while- Excuse me a second.” Even though the sounds were faint, Silver could make out some water splashing on the other end. “HEY! You dumb monkeys! Did that swim tire you out?! No wonder you couldn’t handle a couple of little ponies!” Yet she realized by the sound of the weed’s static shuffle, did Silver hear that last note. “Er, no offense to you, of course. I imagine the loot is stashed in storage, but the juicy stuff is in the captain’s quarters.”
“Captain’s quarters? I didn’t see that in the hallway.”
“That ship has more than one floor. I imagine it’s on the floor above you. Wish me luck, I’m going to lead these fools through lots of poison ivy.”
“Shit…” Silver cursed inside her mind. “Ok, looks like I gotta find a way to get my hooves on one of those keys... Hmmmmmm....“ With many ideas stuck in the planning stages, she wandered into the defined kitchen section. Taking in the surroundings, the presence of a conspicuous button became apparent. Situated under the counter lip, some imprinted instructions revealed it was to be solely used by their cooks for signaling the main dish. If she pressed it, surely those things would fall for it, but she had better secure a hiding place beforehoof. It wouldn’t help if those brooding hulks rush all the way to the kitchen with nothing to appease them. They would crush her throat just for that, much less being an agent of Coral.
In the height of the moment, she delibrerated her plan. “I could see if there’s any food in the fridge. My Celestia, I’d rather not stick around cooking something, though. Maybe I could take my chances and grab the keys from under them, literally!”
Nothing stuck out to her in the cupboards, just cups and packaged tin M.R.Es neatly stacked. There was however a bounty of ‘monkeyshine’ reserved for an afterparty, of which she had no clue about. As delightful as putting those apes in a drunken state would seem, there lacked a motivation to do so on their end. Effectively reducing its usefulness.
Putting her hoof around the handle of the fridge, she breached the fine seal of the door, spawning dense industrial frost which dissipated as it fell. A chilled glass bowl of banana creme pudding laid front and center among the more mundane foods, like some holy grail of desserts, with a note attached. “Those that touch this other than the lord will lose their heads” the bold words read. Surely, it wasn’t directed to ponies like her.
A wicked idea resulted from considering the possibilities she could get away with. Snatching the pudding bowl, she displayed it in plain sight on the table farthest from her. Then, she dashed under the counter and pressed the button. The bell rang as Silver awaited the opportunity to use her thieving skills for good this time.
The onrush of hungry monkeys raced in disorderly fashion to the kitchen, enthusiastic about their next meal and lacking any question why they’d be fed now. Even the one plainly asleep had wanted first come first serve. Upon arrival however, the five brutes stopped to find only a lone bowl of pudding for them. Fortunately for Silver, things like friendship, sharing, and courtesy were apparently foreign concepts with primates in general. They burst out into a greedy and violent brawl, for the last monkey standing would get his just desserts.
After pumping a foreleg in victory, the thief then stealthily exited the kitchen with her head down and entered the empty barracks. From there, she searched through their bedside chests one by one, hoping they would fight non-stop over a bowl of banana pudding until somepony would arrest their gluttonous hides. Then inside one of the boxes, she found a small crystal. Green, long, and thin in a hexagonal shape.
Upon closer inspection of the crystal, Silver felt lovestruck by the simple yet elegant design. Venturing out of the barracks, she observed it on all sides, but suddenly and witlessly tripped. The resulting fall disrupted her telekinetic hold over it as it flew over, spinning. In a display of dumb luck, the key surprisingly found its way into one of the equally-shaped depressions with a resounding click.
The pony uttered a pained grunt which Coral even heard through the Whisperweed. “That didn’t take as long as I thought…” The feathered rogue muttered to herself. “Are you ok?!”
“I think so…” The coal black bandit picked herself up to reclaim her prize, and saw it had firmly planted into a hole by the door. “Damn! That crystal fell into one of the holes in the wall!”
“Hold on, which hole? If it fits, then that’s a good thing. Now try opening the door.”
Following the bird’s advice, she twisted the knob, and the door moved effortlessly. Of course, as fate would have it, her crystal had also been irreversibly jammed from the sheer force of its velocity.
“Well, it unlocked the storage room, but now I’m one less crystal! Buck!”
“Well, that crystal could lead to many treasures, the risk should be worth the- Hold on.” Once again, Coral couldn’t help but belittle her pursuers further. “Awwww, feeling itchy? How about some honey to go along with it! Hyah! Yeeaaaah! Take that down your gullets and choke on it, you big- OW! Wha- Not me! Go after the- OUCH!”
Faint buzzing sounds could be heard around the flower’s field of sound, leaving Silver to be more than a little perplexed. “...Uh, Coral? Are you ok?”
“Yup! Just painfully learning that- OUCH! -bees don’t discriminate. I gotta run a little faster. Trust me, though, they got- OW! -it worse! Remember! Map, Puppy Peridot, Zecora’s notes. Anything you can carry is just- AUGH! - a-a bonus!”
The unicorn disregarded any further outcries from her associate and ran into the storage room. Inside were shelves of boxes on all sides. Only thing left and centered on the floor was a sleeping bag and a book. Silver wondered if maybe there was something among the piles of boxes in here that was not only valuable but could clear Coral’s name. She began sorting through them, talking as she went along. “Hey Coral, remember that thing you asked me to find? Didn’t you say it was like a photo or something?”
“No! There’s no photo I know of. Just the Puppy Peridot, the Map, and Zecora’s Notes, that’s all that- SQUAAAWK! That sting was a cheap shot! Look, I gotta go. This is getting chaotic!”
“Ok, got it!” Looking through more boxes, she searched for anything incriminating against Whirlwind. There’s miscellaneous supplies in some boxes. Junk and spare parts in others. However, one box was filled with an assortment of gold and gems, some which Silver never even saw before. A piece of the Peridot stuck out of the pile among the treasures that the stinger-peppered avian collected, but the map and notes were nowhere to be seen.
The importance of the Puppy Peridot was rather questionable to her, but she digressed and used her magic to stash it in her saddlebags. “I wonder how much I can carry? Perhaps that book could point me where to go next.” Silver retrieved it and expanded the flaps to digest its contents and hoped she would discover a new lead.
Upon opening it, the best she could tell was that it was a dairy by the scrawlings. The first entry read as follows: “As the migraines and blackouts continue, my memory has gotten worse and worse. Still, Lord Whirlwind assured me that I’ve received the best medical attention in Seaqueatria. The strides he’s made in medicine is nothing short of incredible! It could change the world! I started making a diary so I don’t forget the important parts of my life, should my memory fade forever.” Silver paused and thought to herself, “Well well well. I wonder if I should take this?”
“Sleeping bag...? But where is the rest of the stuff? Zecora’s writings... and something else... Are there any more boxes needing to be pilfered?”
Then Coral rang through the Whisperweed, “Whew... Finally got away....”
“Hey Coral, why do you need this peridot again?”
“Oh good, you found it! It’s for a promise I made, don’t worry your pretty little head over it. So, have you found the map and the notes yet?”
“Well… I found Calm’s diary.”
“You WHAT?! ... Wait a minute, that book might be useful, if you think about it. That monkey trusts Calm more than his troops, so maybe there’s an entry to get into the captain’s quarters… Anyway, now that I’m dotted with stings, it’s time to really torture these monkeys. I hope these traps I set up work!”
“Spare me the details, Coral.”
“I just hope this one’s more effective. One even stung me on the… Anyway, we’re running out of time and tricks. Move quicker!”
“Right!” Drawing her hoof skittishly on the pages, she eyed for relevant keywords to her investigation.
Suddenly, she detected “key” among the logs, and reread the paragraph “My Lord entrusted me with a spare key to his quarters. He instructed that if I retrieve anything regarding the Gems of Creation, bring it to his desk. I owe him my life, and I can’t allow something so precious to be misplaced. That’s why I stuck it in a discarded pill bottle inside the medicine cabinet. Coral. My sister... I wish I could turn back the clock and tell you how I felt about seeing you again. It pains me greatly to see you on the side of greed...”
The emboldened thief smirked at the naivety of the hippogriff to leave major clues in his personal journal.“This has to be a recent entry! So, the key is in the infirmary. Well, if anything happens, I’ll have access to first aid.” Silver stashed the book back in her sack and sauntered out of the storage; making sure the coast was clear of any nasty monkeys as she jumped rooms. Sounds of conflict were erupting in the kitchen. Those apes must especially be on a strict diet of prepackaged war meals to still keep going at it thus far.
Inside the infirmary was a sizable pool of blood on the dirty cracked ceramic floor. The bed in the middle had evidently not been sanitized, surgical equipment was laid out in the open exposed, and an acrid stench of death overflowed the air. One wondered if this room was for the soldiers or prisoners. The medicine cabinet hung on the wall across from Silver.
“I’m just gonna grab that key and go before I puke.” Feeling the need to update her status, the unicorn spoke louder for her companion beyond this side of the whisperweed. “At least you don’t have to deal with smelling the ass of a morgue right now.”
“The WHAT?!” Coral shouted in response.
“Nevermind. I’ll tell you later... Though I REALLY don’t want to.” She revealed the medicine cabinet and searched a bottle fitting of Calm’s description. Keenly, she spotted an orange bottle just big enough for a key, with the label ripped off, leaving a patch of fuzzy paper. Shaking it with her telepathy, something larger than a pill shifted and clacked about. Pushing the cap in, it opened and a golden octagonal key slipped out. “Shoot!” Silver took it the moment it hit the ground, now sustaining the trace of a hairline crack, yet she couldn’t see it. Tossing the bottle away, the pony examined it a bit closely. “Hmmmm… like the other one, but the shape and color is different… Whoever designed this vehicle has some weird hobbies.” She left and vowed never to set hoof in it again.
Upon leaving, it was apparent that the brawl in the cafeteria had finally reached a conclusion. Sounds of sore and highly disgruntled losers about to trudge out of the kitchen in defeat caught the ears of Silver. In eager evasion, she swiftly ran with her bounties as fast as she could upstairs, questioning if Coral was correct in the captain’s quarters being stationed above. At the top, she found it on her left. With tempered steel along the doorway, creating a motif befitting a master, and giving away its restrictive presence. Silver approached wary of its ominous fog and pushed her key in, warbling it around and hoping for a clicking noise, but it fell off and shattered into a million pieces. “Oh, what the buck?!” her words seethed through clenched teeth. “How much did they invest in this ship?! Two bits that they can barely rub together?!” She spun over and bucked the door in anger, as it fell off the hinges unceremoniously. “Oh…” she couldn’t help but stare at the deceptively shoddy handiwork. “That works.”
Shifting her hooves over the wreckage, she ventured inside. The room had a scientific setting befitting the current ruler on the storm creature throne. Spare trench coats, lab equipment, paper notes cluttered everywhere in organized chaos, bookshelves with difficult to read tomes. Sitting amidst the furnishings was an unmade bed that decorated the room, alongside the usual navigational equipment necessary for airborne travel. What caught her attention right away was a desk and office chair, sitting in the middle of the room, waiting for a larceny loving lady like her to rummage through it.
“Wow, this dork’s really into his research. Probably has had the same luck as Cornfield when it comes to girlfriends,” her snide opinions echoed in her subconscious. The map and notes of The Gems of Creation were left in disarray on the desktop, seemingly by a hasty perpetrator. Stars shined in her eyes now as the main end goal being within foreleg’s reach. She snatched them up and stuffed them in her saddlebag right away. Then she realized that she already deep in the belly of the beast, and wondered what horrible and explicit evidence still remained in this important sector.
Quickly losing all subtlety, she pulled out and overturned every drawer, spilling out their contents and tracking whatever stood out the most. One manilla envelope called out to her like a siren’s song, begging to be opened. The contents contained a map and a letter. The written parchment read:
Esteemed Lord, we have finished scattering the explosives around the parameter. They are placed in the spots you requested to do the most damage. Can’t wait to see the fireworks go off, regardless if we procure the Mind of Water.
Signed, Captain Static.
The map was the landscape of Mt. Aris, with circles drawn on it, likely the locations of set bombs. “OH MY CELESTIA!” The bandit’s hooves trembled as the map resting on them quaked, while Silver contained a lump in her throat.
“What?!” the hippogriff on the other side of the flower squawked in response. “What happened?!”
Knowing it became a race against time for her life and the lives of countless hippogriffs, she carried everything within the capacity of her bags and scrambled over the desk. After vaulting over it, she unexpectedly saw Calm Breeze standing defiantly in front of the doorway, effectively denying her liberating exit to a successful retreat. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” His voice rang out. “You have a lot of nerve waltzing in like you own the place!”
“What’s going on?! Coral chimed in while Silver cowered and shook with fear, heart still pounding from her latest discovery. “You should know that I’m getting close to the airship. I’m out of distractions!”
The black unicorn didn’t respond. All she could do was whisper dreadfully to the creature that caught her red-hooved. “It’s you…”
Cobalt Coral’s words echoed from the bellflower wedged in Silver Night’s ear. The brazen black unicorn thief had found herself eye-to-eye with the hippogriff’s wayward brother, Calm Breeze. The feathers on his neck flared ferociously, gazing with disdain and approaching with a stance that exhumed an authority to seize back his leader’s property. “You rotten THIEVES!” his beak rang out. “You would invade Lord Whirlwind’s private quarters?” His eyes locked onto the envelope hovering freely with the pony’s magic. “What is that? Answer me!”
“Wait! You guys stole from us first!” She hesitated with the faint hope of pleading to his senses as her assailant made an attempt to swipe the folder away. “I’m just stealing back what’s ours!”
Following up with a desperate lunge he successfully grasped the folder away from her stilted magic skills. With a leer, he retrieved the folder contents curious what on Mt. Aris she was after. “I don’t recall us stealing military letters that... say...” Upon examination of the map and skimming a letter by his master, he became rather cold with fright as his crests fell as low as they could go. Part of him couldn’t believe it, but it had the Storm Seal as the smoking gun. The young hippogriff’s solid sanctity crumbled about as the folder flopped onto the floor. As quickly as ponily possible, Silver snagged the letter back together with all of the notes that were on the desk, shoved not so neatly into Cornfield’s saddle bags and bolted for the exit!
Meanwhile, the poor creature that had been questioning his life from this revelation shook out of it when a black and silver streak sped by him. “Wait!” The poor confused bird cried out. “Please, wait!” Silver chose to ignore his plea, focusing on probable escape plans. Veering right after she escaped him, ahead was a door, unlocked for all to bypass. She hedged her bets to simply bash through it and make her rendezvous with Coral.
“Silver! I can see the blimp!” the pony’s partner in crime chimed through the whisperweed. “Where are you?!”
“Look over the deck!” she guided through her shouting. “I’m vaulting over the rails to get to you! Just catch me!” Prompted by her command, Coral dived alongside the port side of the warship into a glide. Silver, timing her jump with the hippogriff’s speed, adjusted her legs and free fell from the blimp’s railings, leaving her life in the avian’s claws. She never appreciated the sudden stop and pull of another creature more than this moment as she landed safely in Coral’s feathery forelegs. “I hope I got everything… Haha…”
“Hey, the fact that you got out alive is the real prize!” Coral enthusiastically praised Silver for her efforts. “Let’s go back to the-”
“Coral! Please! Don’t leave me behind!” The last thing the purple bird cared for were the pleas of her light-blue brother. She rolled her eyes after looking back to see him hastily taking off beyond the blimp’s deck and doing his best to tail them.
“He’s here, too, huh?” Coral muttered with a tired groan. “Kinda figured the prison would hold him longer...”
“He just wants to arrest you, don’t acknowledge him!” Silver said in vain ignorance.
“...Maybe so... but something inside me just can’t entirely disregard my only family, no matter how annoying.” As the bearer of the Heart of Nature, Coral would have to make a landing for herself, Silver, and to give a stand for her brother’s testimony. After all, she still believed in him as her last relative. On top of that, she needed to verify what the scope of the threat stacked against all of Mt. Aris was. She was the first to land on the cockpit of their trusty sailboat in Basalt Beach, giving her time to prepare for the inevitable conflict to follow. Calm, making a less than balanced landing, stumbled with his footing as he adjusted to the rocking vessel.
“Coral…” Her sibling gasped, catching his breath from his attempts to catch up with her. “Lord... Lord Whirlwind, he-”
“Is a pampered bitch tugging on daddy’s coattails?” His sister kept him away from Silver, protecting both her and the loot she had swiped. “I don’t want to hear how that primate is Celestia’s gift to Equestria, Calm!”
“...Now that I think about it,” Silver interjected, shoving a written parchment in front of the female griff with her magic. “He did see this letter.”
Coral snatched it from the air, noting an uneasy horror looming over her brother. She skimmed through it. Then, froze for a distant second only to reread it again and again with each loop around, flushing the remaining color of her face. She turned to Silver, who instantly delivered the map to her. With a red circle creating pimples in Mt. Aris, her expression of fear matched Calm’s. “D-Do you know about this?”
Calm stared at her, followed by insistent nodding, his expression unchanging.
“...And you still follow Whirlwind?” Coral begged for common sense to finally overtake him. Both her and Silver saw him shake his head in utter disgrace. “Look at this... Look at this Novo forsaken map... There are bombs dotted everywhere... The castle, the markets, neighborhoods, hospitals, the- " A beat in time passed with silence, realizing what she listed, as The Heart of Nature dimmed from an overwhelming sense of doom. “Hospitals...?” She muttered before screaming. “CORNFIELD!!!”
“Wait what?” Silver spoke in confusion. “Didn’t Skystar take him there?”
Without so much as another word, the purple hippogriff unfolded the sails, ready to catch the next winds as soon as they came. Meanwhile, the former servant of Whirlwind sheepishly approached the black thief, who grew wary with his approach. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so, SO sorry.” He repeated himself in a vain attempt to gain their trust. “I never thought it was like this... I followed his every command, he told me that- that-” Suddenly, a sparking jab of agonizing pain throbbed in his brain, causing him to instinctively clutch his skull in his claws. “AAARGH!”
His screams made Silver backpedal away. She recalled that these headaches happened earlier in Coral’s Cove, when he fought with Cornfield. She stood contemplatively while watching him contend with his inner demons.
“I’m so sorry!” Calm shouted to himself. “I’m sorry, Lord Whirlwind, but I can’t follow you anymore! This is going too far this is- AAAAARGH!” Another surge of pain brought his body to the floor, exclaiming a sharp gasp for air. As the unicorn stood helplessly, he waited for some of the ailments to subside before reaching out to her. “My head! I’m sorry. I can’t say anything negative! Everytime I do, my mind just feels like it’s going to explode!”
“Poor choice of words, Calm!” His sister shouted from above while finishing her work on the sails. “If we don’t do something now, we’re ALL going to explode!”
After seeing him burst with agony during any breakthrough in good conscience, Silver pieced his behavior together into a conclusive statement. She resounded her suspicion, “...This whole time… You never really believed in Whirlwind, after all! Someone implanted your faith in him!” With more and more revelations piling up of the tyrant’s many crimes, she considered now would be the best time to retaliate. “Coral! I think we have enough evidence here! We need to inform the Queen right away!”
The purple gem thief knew that time was of the essence, and flew down to fling the steering wheel in the direction of Mt. Aris. “Silver,” Coral called back to the unicorn. “If we make it out of this alive and the Queen doesn’t reward you handsomely for this, I will steal her entire treasury to give to you!”
“Hey, that’s great! Just make sure we get to those bombs in time! I want to live to steal another day.”
Meanwhile, the guilt-wracked light-blue hybrid stewed on the port side of the boat. He felt like saying something, anything to get on his sister’s good graces again. Carefully, he made his way with light steps to her, who focused all her efforts on shooting through the waves. “Uh, Coral,” Calm began while he sat up to fidget with his own claws nervously, like an awkward student being called upon by the teacher. “I feel like I need to say something…”
“That your beautiful and brave sister was right all along and you should never doubt her ever?” Coral finished his thought without missing a beat or taking her eyes off the clear blue ocean.
Calm nodded in sadness, unprepared for what came next. He felt his blood chill a bit when she suddenly motioned him over. Once he was beside her, however, she warmly embraced him with one wing wrapped around him. “It’s all right, Calm,” his sibling assured. “I forgive you. The sooner we stop this mad monkey from going forward with his plans, the sooner we can become a family again.”
On the other hoof, Silver questioned if Coral’s forgiveness was warranted. Not only did he chastise Coral’s lifestyle as a thief, but he even trusted Whirlwind over her. The justification seemed rather dubious to let him off the hook so easily. However, for the sake of maintaining their stress at a minimum, the unicorn elected not to bring it up. These family matters were of no concern to her after all. In the meantime, she realized this was the ideal moment to verify her stolen goods. Using her levitation magic, she brought the loose pieces of paper within the bird’s peripheral vision.
“Do any of these look like Zecora’s notes?” Silver asked.
“Calm, could you?” Coral pleaded with her brother, still minding the roaring waters beyond. “Kinda steering here.”
Taking her cue, Calm gripped the bundle of notes and checked them one at a time, some of which were scientific jargon beyond the understanding of his simple brain. There were, however, some peculiar bits about the Gems and Zecora’s ancestor. “These look to be the ones.”
“Yes!” Silver channelled Cornfield’s colt-like behavior as she hopped about in celebration. “I found them… I got everything you asked for, Coral! Except I couldn’t find your saddlebags with all of your supplies, I think.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Her partner in crime beamed with pride. “I’m really impressed with you, Silver. You’re a true thief to your name and I’m happy that all the blood, sweat, tears, and bee stings were worth it. We’re back to being ahead of the curve!”
“Wait, bee stings?” her brother asked.
“Don’t worry about it. So, thieves aren’t all that bad, huh?”
Calm glanced over at his sibling and the black beauty back and forth, both confidently peering at him, knowing he wasn’t in a position to question their choice of means. The insurmountable pressure they piled on eventually jolted a response out of him. “Oh! Uh, yeah, you don’t have to be evil to steal, I guess...”
“Ever the white knight.” The purple hippogriff’s eyes rolled at his answer before engaging her discussion with a more like-minded pony. “By the way, didn’t you score any of the loot he had stolen for yourself? That was the deal, remember?”
“I was overencumbered.” Silver said, treating it like it was no skin off her back.
Coral only just stared in bewilderment, wondering how she curbed her greedy tendencies for so long. “You... didn’t want any of the riches for yourself?”
“Those riches…” Calm temporarily interjected. “Whirlwind said he would return them for good will. But something now tells me that he might keep them for himSEEEEEELF!” Another bad thought caused a shock of pain in his head as he once again curled up into a ball. His sister let go of the wheel momentarily and tried to comfort him.
“Of course I wanted it!” Silver continued, wanting to get the conversation back to herself.
“And yet, you focused solely on the mission.” The purple hippogriff huffed at her insensitivity. “My goodwill seems to be rubbing off on you. Still, you do have that amulet I gave you, right?”
“Duh. It’s still in these bags. I did steal as much as I could carry considering I had to deal with some monkeys in the ship.”
The boat was closing in on the docks of Mt. Aris as Coral focused on bringing the boat into an empty space. “True. Don’t want to be too greedy. Besides, what you discovered is more valuable than any treasure in the world.” After saying that, she slowly glanced down at the heart-shaped gem grafted in her chest. “Well... ALMOST any treasure...”
The time wasted away following the usual docking procedures made Coral more and more anxious. When the critical documentations of treachery were stashed safely in Cornfield’s bags, all three members of her group sped up the stairs leading to the mountain’s main gate as fast as possible. At first, the stalwart soldiers blocked their only access inside upon their approach, crossing their spears to obstruct the outsiders.
“HALT!” One of the queen’s guards instructed.
The other of her majesty’s finest took a moment to size Coral and Silver up, finding the latter to be the most suspicious. “You two are wanted criminals of the Queen,” he said matter-of-factly. “Leave the island or face charges!” Looking at Silver, he added, “And you! Move your bangs! They’re undignified!”
The unicorn, shocked by the avian’s uncouth remarks, backed down instantly, in an attempt to avoid jail time right after finishing a big score. However, Calm emerged forward in confrontation of his fellow species.
“Lord Whirlwind has sent me on an errand,” He lied convincingly to the armed soldiers. “In the name of my lord, I demand they be allowed passage. Fear not, they shall be arrested at an appointed time after we commence our audience with Queen Novo.”
The guards eyed each other, pondering on the request. The two prisoners were walking about unshackled and with no restraint; a particular oddity that brought hesitation. Upon lifting their spears, one questioned the subordinate, “They are turning themselves in... freely?”
Coral and Silver exchanged glances, making a subtle agreement with one another before putting on their best act. “You stupid half-breeds!” The black unicorn shouted with bluster. “I’ll bite your wings off! Just try it!”
“I just want to see the queen once more,” Calm’s sister flapped her beak, “So I can spit at her talons and tell her how wrong she is!”
“Why don’t you guards go lay an egg!”
The members of the Queen’s royal military, annoyed by their pure audacity, decided to grant Calm’s request if it’ll get them moving out of their sight sooner. The same guard who dissed Silver’s hair fluttered into formation behind them and made a small flick of his spear, in commanding motion, scraping the unicorn’s backside.
“OW! Hey!” was all the captive could let out as they began moving with shameful silence. They did so as Coral chuckled at Silver’s expense. She then looked and smiled at her brother, tailing them along the path.
As the band of the imprisoned traversed beyond the palace gates and across the courtyard garden, a giant red and gold door opened with an imposing flair, as if to swallow the unwanted visitors whole. The sounds of claws and hooves traipsing upon the aquamarine hued marbled surface filled the halls as they gazed around the castle’s glamorous foyer. Feathers, busts of famous hippogriffs, paintings, and other works of art adorned the silver walls while transferring to the audience room. Queen Novo lounged about on her throne, brilliantly ordained with giant purple-hue-cycling peacock feathers sprouting behind a golden throne and a white carpet complementing her unmatched position in the kingdom. The Queen was momentarily lost in thought, but sat up straight when she laid eyes on who would dare disgrace her with their presence.
Shifting her beak closer to Silver’s ear, Coral suggested she bow her head first. The unicorn obliged, yet her eyes wandered. Drinking in the many valuables proudly on display, it was obvious that the hippogriffs, despite their distant small island nation, were especially wealthy from the gifts the sea bestowed.
Calm bowed his head, and the queen bowed hers to him. The guards bowed respectfully, and took leave with a royal gait. “Calm, is it?” her majesty began, not even dignifying her other guests with acknowledgment. “While I often do find pleasure with the audience of Lord Whirlwind, you better have a good explanation for deeming such petty bandits as worthy of my presence.”
“Indeed,” the young hippogriff stallion replied with careful politeness. “I humbly request you bow to the both of them, as they hold the evidence of your kingdom’s ruination...”
“BOW TO THIEVES?” Her loud cawing echoed in the room with enough volume to almost rival the Royal Canterlot Voice. Her wingspan stretched out as she rested her talons on her chest in a dramatic fashion. “Me?!”
“Please. If their sight offends you so, you may toss them in the dungeon. On the condition that you just grant their say in all of this.”
The agitated monarch stood with emotions stewing, contemplating what the other hippogriffs would think if she relented and sacrificed a fraction of pride. Reluctantly, she gave a short and informal bow to each of them, grumbling inside mouth, and no longer withholding their right to free speech. “What ruination do you speak of?” Nova queried the band of thieves.
Holding his claws out to the black pony by his side, Calm made a polite request with a hint of urgency. “Silver! The map, would you please?” Yet, the walls had Silver in a trance, as she was enthralled about the monetary value of each and every shiny thing around her.
Visibly irritated by the unicorn’s absentmindedness, Coral thrusted her claws into Cornfield’s bag on Silver’s back, wrecking her trance by rummaging around for the folder. After pulling it out, she bottled her pettiness of the queen inside for the greater good.
“Your majesty, though I obviously don’t see eye-to-eye with your views, we need to work together to save our kingdom and our people. Silver and I bravely risked our lives to give you this dire information.” Presenting the files with one foreleg, the hippogriff thief beckoned her to investigate the suggestive evidence in front of her, no matter how much she stood to lose against it.
Novo eyed Coral as she took the envelope in her claws, notwithstanding her doubt. Extending the map outward, she prepared to scan over it properly before sending them delightfully off into the dungeon. Though the marks were pretty conspicuous, she didn’t piece it all together until she literally got the memo. Then, she read it again. Again and again as her piercing claws tightly gripped the note and her beak prodded it to the point of piercing through. A deep seeded hatred for the Storm Creatures resurfaced, fueled by too many years trapped within the deep blue watery abyss. Lurching forward, she let out a furious screech, tearing the paper to ribbons and scattering the shreds with a blast of wind from her angry wings.
Huddled close together in fright, Coral, Calm, and Silver traded glances with each other, worried that the queen may go on a rampage after such a terrifying cry. Ensuing the outburst, a long uncomfortable pause befell the room, to which the monarch sat hunched back on her throne, digging her claws into the armrests. All the while, she peered into the hippogriff closest to Whirlwind throughout their entire facade. “How long did you know of this?” Novo practically hissed.
“I-I had no idea, your majesty!” retweeted Calm, frantically defending himself to save his neck. “Really! This is all news to me!”
His hurried words didn’t suffice the queen to doubt the possibility of a double cross. Yet, if they were going to uproot the Storm King’s son on a plot for revenge, she would have no choice but to listen. “Will you perhaps be working with me a little while longer until I sort out an evacuation plan?”
Calm quickly bowed his head, relieved that wisdom won over the queen to mercifully spare him. “O-Of course! Anything to stop this from happening!”
With the subject of Whirlwind’s former lackey temporarily sated, the thieves found themselves in the spotlight. First was the darkened outsider. “Do you have any intention of being involved in our matters?” Novo asked Silver, slowly extinguishing her ire.
“I-I... I’m just a d-drifter…” The unicorn stuttered, unable to control her nerves. “Sir ma’am sir.”
Rolling her eyes, the queen held back any naturally occuring hostile remarks for the sake of brevity. “Then name your price, drifter. Your service to this kingdom deserves a reward.”
“Ooh!” Perking ears and a widened grin accompany Silver as she stepped forward boldly for her payday. “This gets better and better! Ok! Firstly, I’m gonna need crates…”
“Crates?” Novo flashed a slight smirk from this optimistic request.
Behind the pony, Coral’s jaw hung at the idea of what purpose those crates would serve. “Oh, you can’t be seriously-” heckled the purple hippogriff before being cut off.
“To carry all that reward you’re gonna pay me with, of course!” Silver couldn’t help but laugh haughtily with her demands. Her triumphant cackle died down, however, as soon as Novo stared unflinchingly into her. The pony thief sounded gradually more nervous, fearing she went overboard once again.
Without warning, there was a loud snap from the throne. The queen, her raised talons bent, made an official decree. “You heard her,” she addressed the guard, having no hint of jesting in her words, “Let her take a tour of the castle and everything she requests of it.”
“WHAT?!” Mt. Aris’s own purple bandit reeled in utter shock, words failing to escape her beak coherently. Her mind raced, thinking of how her majesty of all hippogriffs, historically so vindictive and judgmental, would agree to such an outrageous ransom. Her mind would never receive enlightenment on the matter.
“YES!” Excitement surged forth through the black pony’s body. She felt like she was a filly in a candy store with nopony watching over her, and lacking any restraint from her deepest and greedist wishes. Fully embracing the queen’s uncharacteristically generous offer, she skipped over to the soldier tasked to assist and flashed him a sultry look. “Would you be my lovely escort this evening?”
As clueless as the exalted avian taking bemusement at the unicorn’s selfishness, a nervous chirp escaped his beak. He was beet red, delighted in the thought to be near such a rare beautiful pony as he made off to account for the necessary containers.
“But why?” Calm begged for a suitable answer floating inside his majesty’s head. Novo gestured the curious lackey over to her throne and gander at the map.
“Take a good look. There are five bombs planted around my castle alone. In the short time we have, we could not possibly salvage everything and see to it my subjects would escape in time.” Graciously, she rose and then descended upon the stage of her audience, stalking around Calm to further address his sister. “And you, Coral. What is your intention?”
“I’m surprised you have to ask,” the purple bandit retorted. “The Mind of Water.”
“I thought you’d say that. When I gave the go ahead for Whirlwind to hunt you down, I assumed he had our best intentions at heart. Now, I know what he’s truly after.” The queen jutted her talon of the highest rank to Coral’s chest in an authoritative manner. “You want it so bad? Work with me, and it shall be yours until we deal with Whirlwind permanently!”
When it came to taking orders but not giving them, the Heart of Nature’s bearer was more defiant as the scarring banishment had tarnished such trust in her highness. Yet, this time was different. The whims of fate had turned, and Novo was finally listening to her for the good of hippogriff kind. She sighed, her talons tapping on the floor anxiously. “What is it you wish for me to do?”
“Calm.” Her royal highness piqued the brother’s attention. “Contact Whirlwind and send him here. I will hand Coral over to him in chains and have my guards escort with her in the temple.” Knowing that command would perturb her, the queen preemptively subdued the gem thief’s concerns. “When the time comes, my guards will liberate you, and you can claim The Mind of Water before he can!”
“I assume this is to trick Whirlwind into thinking we are all allies while you evacuate every creature?”
“Correct. While he’s in the temple, I will commence an evacuation plan while Whirlwind’s forces are distracted. Will you do it?”
Deeply considering the different angles this could backfire, Coral hesitantly dismissed the notion since nothing better came to light. “Of course. But on one condition...”
“And what would that be?”
“I must see Cornfield first and foremost.”
The only hospital on the island, much like every structure in Mt. Aris, was built inside a large multi-chambered tree, decked with colored windows. Cornfield was laid up in a bed, after Skystar proficiently submitted him to the facility’s care. His room’s surroundings consisted of a wooden floor and a decorated powder blue wall. Within the space of the room were the usual hospital and care equipment. Within the corner was a snug bedside drawer with lively flowers, and a bookcase lined with miscellaneous documents.
All of the fixtures couldn’t help the unconscious, however, as the green stallion showed no signs of breaking out from the magic-induced coma. The chance of an awakening grew nearer as a nurse escorted Coral inside and informed her to call if anything was needed. The purple visitor thanked her and, when the nurse left, paused a bit. She pulled alongside a chair and sat beside Cornfield’s bed, grasping a bouquet in her claws. Looking at him now, as he rested in the peaceful tranquility that a hospital provides, left her smiling with some relief. Perhaps, in some wishful miracle, he could arise right then and there, uplifting her warm grin. Alas, her imagination relinquished the thought, as she held back the emerging tears and rested her gift by his side.
“Hey, Cornfield…” She started talking, desperate for a reaction. “I know you probably can’t hear me but... I brought your favorite flowers over. They’re blue hibiscus flowers. The same ones you gave me.”
An audible click of the door handle churned and squeaking hinges broke the silence. The grieving thief sat up straight to see a peculiar light-red hippogriff with styled back tangerine feathers and a doctor’s coat coming in. “Ah,” the medical practitioner chimed with a low baritone voice. “Are you this colt’s family?”
This question came off a little awkward to her, Coral glanced at the flowers, then back at the doctor, prolonging the response. “I suppose... You could say that. I never got the diagnosis from the nurse when I came to see Cornfield... Will he be alright?”
“Ah... Well, it’s difficult for me to tell you this…”
“What?” She responded with a ghost of her normal vocals. That’s the one absolute last thing she needed to hear in a hospital. The consulting red hybrid approached the colt’s still body from the other side of the bed.
“The thing is... while we don’t normally diagnose ponies, it’s usually not that difficult to do so since we all share similar traits. However...” He drew a clipboard from the rack hanging off the bedframe and looked it over one more time to confirm the prognosis. “According to our results, this young stallion here has a bad case of a ‘magical coma’.”
In a state of shock and disbelief, Coral recoiled from her chair, almost tipping herself over. “WHAT?! A coma! H-How? He had a stomach ache, right?!”
The force of her hysterical screech was met with the doctor’s talons held up to her face, hoping to calm her down. “It’s caused when an abundant source of magic enters a pony with no clear outlet of release. If he was a unicorn, his horn would discharge any that he could not contain. As it stands, however, he still needs to get the rest out of his system before he can wake up. The phenomenon is known as ‘Astral Slumber’.
Coral shivered from the chilling news and hung her head, trying to discern the meaning behind this information. “Astral Slumber? Will he ever wake up on his own from that?”
“Wha- Oh yeah… ‘waking up’ is one way to put it.” The doctor cleared his throat. “Well, there’s one solution that was devised and shared by the brilliant minds over in Canterlot to solve the problem. However, it can’t ensure all side-effects are accounted for.”
“Such as?” Coral questioned, shrugging with her eyes glaring as she had no other option in mind.
“According to our records, if there’s still a massive buildup of magic in his body, the mixture we would give him can release it all very violently, enough to cause a lot of unspeakable damage around him and even to himself. Tell me, do you know what happened for him to fall into Astral Slumber?”
She briefly recounted the many events which led up to the last time she saw him. “He... There was an event where he was struck on the back with a powerful bolt of lightning. Not natural lightning, mind you, but lightning magic made by a powerful unicorn. Why? Is that the possible cause?”
“Consider this: has there ever been anything unexplainable that happened involving him? Perhaps contact with a magical artifact or magically-induced consumable?”
“When we were on the sailboat on our way here. There was one incident where his eyes glowed and made incomprehensible statements. Then, he claimed there was a female hippogriff in the sky when there was none. Finally, when we were, uh…” Quickly, she disguised the truth about their encounter with the storm creatures. “Trapped in a shed somewhere, he screamed really loud and blasted the, uh, wall, allowing us to escape.”
It didn’t take the sharp eyes of an eagle to see that the medical professional was deeply disturbed by these symptoms. “R-Really? He has that much magic imbued in him?! And you want to let that out? Are you sure..?”
She thought about it carefully, leaning in to caress his cheek while his head laid on her claws. The talons brushed through his messy blonde mane as she started tearing up and spoke to him softly. “It’s your fault, Cornfield. You made the promise that you wouldn’t leave me. At a time like this, where I need to do the most dangerous mission of all, I’ll be damned if I have to do it alone. I hope you realize that... and forgive me...” She looked right at the doctor’s anticipating face and gave him a determined nod. “Do it.”
The hippogriff of medicine, afraid to defy his hippocratic oath, mumbled profusely and abandoned his professionalism considering what disaster might befall. “...Shit… Alright... You know you’ll be responsible for him, right?”
“I gave you a FUCKING answer!” Cornfield’s committed partner bared her claws at her own kind, threatening to eviscerate him. “I’m not charging to face death if I’m without my partner! DO IT OR I’LL SEND YOU TO THE ICU, AS IN: I’LL SEE YOU DEAD!!”
Stumbling, barely keeping himself from tripping over his legs, he scrambled to the door and poked his head out. His voice wobbled with fear, cracking in pitch. “N-nurse?! Can you tell the lab to brew up a Magi #341 potion?! And a waiver to sign for the procedure!” Confused, the nurse asked why only for the doctor to quickly reiterate “Just do it… please!”
Despite practically the entire hospital’s plea for Coral not to go through with her wishes, the selfish bird waved them all off. Was it all overly exaggerated or were the lives of the hippogriffs in the building at risk from her actions? No matter what, Coral comprehended the emergency that urged Cornfield’s revival and knew it would justify the means of their survival. Before too long, a flask of blue shining liquid arrived in her clutches. The doctor suggested she drip-feed him the concoction into his mouth before scurrying out and slamming the door behind him. Gingerly following his step, drops of the tincture splashed on Cornfield’s tongue, sliding down his throat as she leveraged his swallowing.
Then, a gradual glow emitted around the colt’s body, bringing back the magical aura she first witnessed when he became “possessed”. Coral foolishly leaned in, believing he would surely stir awake. Much to anyone’s surprise, a shockwave of magic blasted from him with an audible bang. The force of it threw her back into staggering, with the glass of the window near his bed shattering. It was almost like a paranormal force had escaped its prison and fled into parts unknown.
Instantly, Cornfield broke out of his incapacitated trance, almost like he was in a state of suspended animation until he came to! “Whoa!” His eyes were still adjusting, but he could feel the stiffness of being out of it for so long. Once his vision became clearer, he stretched his forelegs out. “Aaaahh… Wha... Where am I?”
Taken by surprise from his sudden awakening, the edges of her beak struggled to uplift her smile, as she fought back the tears. Identifying his most dependable friend, the green patient was rather dumbstruck, seeing her emotionally distraught face. “Um... Coral? What’s going on? You look like hell…” He asked. Coral embraced the bedridden Cornfield, hugging him tight while rubbing one of her cheeks against his.
Unable to deduce any proceeding event which led to this moment, the colt maintained his query of misunderstanding. “...Coral? Coral what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
Reinforcing her forelegs around him, Coral replied “ I’m just happy to see you’re ok again...” Then she took the bouquet on the bed to give him, chuckling to herself.
“Oh! Thanks! I am pretty hungry!” Just when he came in for a bite, the color of a particular flower caught his attention. “...Oh, wait... These are…” The memories lingering in his brain had surfaced. He could visualize the elation on Coral’s face when she had gazed upon him in a state of love. Those feelings began to flourish inside him as well. “...Heh, now I know why you are crying.”
She smiled but cut it short with a sigh. “A lot has happened while you were asleep. Silver and I went through Tartarus and back to find something important.” After informing him, she turned over to the medical staff peeking through a crack in the door, called by the initial sound of shattered glass. “Would you allow us some privacy please?” Upon the door being shut, Coral gave Cornfield a grave look. “You cannot tell a soul what I’m about to say. Not even a hippogriff, got it?”
Although he just came back to the land of the living for about five minutes, he agreed to her demands and listened with the best his addled mind can muster.
“I know that this may be frightening, after just waking up, but...” She braced herself for the literal bombshell she’s about to declare. “It seems that Lord Whirlwind has loaded Mt. Aris with explosives and is going to level my home. Even if he gets The Mind of Water.”
Cornfield remained silent and still like he was analyzing her proclamation. Just when it seemed he would once again freak out over things beyond his control, something clicked. “Wait a minute! Do they know about this? I mean, the queen and all the other hippogriffs. Have we finally got everypony on board with fighting that lunatic?”
Although not what she expected, Coral dwelled on his response. “Well, in a manner of speaking, yes. For once, Calm is behind us one hundred percent, and even the queen has authorized us the duty of securing the Mind of Water before he does!”
Unfortunately, the colt fell back into a pattern of confused hysteria. “Wait! We’re what?!?! You didn’t mention that part!”
“Hey, hey, take it easy! I’m not losing you to yet another coma! Meanwhile, I’m trying to keep panic to a minimum. But listen, the fact that he already planted the bombs suggest they are detonated remotely.” Then she stood up before him. “We just need to distract him long enough to evacuate as many hippogriffs as possible!”
Energy building back in his young body, he stood up in his bed slightly panicked. “Alright, but what should we do?! How can we extract everypony without raising a panic?”
“Cornfield, Settle down now. Look, We already got a plan!”
“Wait, you do? You should have led with that, you know.”
“You won’t like it, though. Calm and a few other hippogriff guards are turning me in, all chained up and everything. The Queen herself will act like the ‘treaty’ is still in effect. By the time Whirlwind takes us deep underwater, we’ll have bought everyone enough time to be saved!”
“But, then what will I do? Whatever it is…” The colt aligns himself next to her, leaning on her foreleg. “I’d rather be with you. If it means chaining me up as well, then that’s fine. After all, you have the Heart of Nature, so I think I’m safer with SuperGriff than anywhere else on this... Is it a mountain or an island?”
“Both! And I knew you’d stick with me! Besides, the more able hooves on my side when Calm lets me get The Mind, the better. Queen Novo is waiting for us over at the castle. Are you in? Or are you… chicken?” She starts folding her forelegs and making sounds like free range poultry. They both laughed, endearing each other after becoming revitalized once again. “Don’t worry, Coral!” He stood with bravado. “I’ll never let anything bad happen to me again!”
Happily nodding, Coral then held her fist up, “Partner?” and reached out to him.
“Partners for life!” Cornfield enthusiastically bumps his hoof with her fist, and they share in the moment of friendship.
“Time to check out and get into character, then!” Gingerly, she helped her coltfriend off of the bed and assured his hoofing after a long period of time in slumber. As Coral approached the door to upturn the handle, Cornfield paused to review his time of consciousness up to this point.
“There’s just one thing I gotta ask…” he queried. As his favorite hippogriff opened the way for him, her fellow kind witnessed his leave and scurried out the hall, giving him a wide berth. “...Why am I at a hospital? The last thing I remember, we were taken captive aboard some sub, and then I felt a little seasick, and now I’m here!”
“Oh!” The gem thief darted her eyes from Cornfield to the floor, processing the best possible answer. “You, uh, got a stomach bug and complained you weren’t feeling so good before you passed out. So, when Silver and I busted all of us out, Skystar took you to a hospital.” She smiled at him, hoping what she said was satisfactory. It’s not like that was being dishonest, as she promised never doing so again between them. Just left a few itsy bitsy details out.
“Wow!” The colt answered with genuine awe. “You broke out of that hold? That’s incredible! ...But it’s weird... I passed out?” Recalling the best he could, he tried to think with his hoof tapping his temples to get the memory banks working. “I remember while you were with me and I felt sick, I was wishing really hard that we’d somehow break free and get out of there. I guess it worked, huh?
“YUP!” Coral blurted out, hoping for the topic to drop. “Dreams sure do come true… Anyway, come on. We got a tyrant to overthrow.”
Mt. Aris’s hospital doors swing open with Cornfield officially checked out from their care. He and Cobalt Coral moved swiftly to rendezvous with the queen on the plan of action. However, as they approached the castle gates, they noticed two guards working up a sweat with boxes full of hippogriff loot. Silver Night, like a pegasus on cloud nine, skipped along with her head held high.
Coral couldn’t help but glare at Silver. Though she wanted her fellow thief to be rewarded from someone as possessive as Novo, she was a tad annoyed that she made pack mules out of Aris’s finest. “Get your share of the reward, then?” she asked with a dry tone.
“Yeah!” Silver gleefully sang. “I’m having them put some of it on the boat and the other stuff in your cave. I hope that’s not a bother is it?”
“Coral, how is Silver looting the castle with nopony to stop her?” The stallion from the sidelines chimed, emphasizing how no guards took any action resisting her greedy deed.
“Mind your business!”
The purple hippogriff of the group wedged herself between Cornfield and Silver to prevent any more needless confrontations. “Enough!” Coral snapped before turning to the luckiest black unicorn in Equestria. “If Novo can do without it, then that’s fine. For all I care, you can keep everything. That cave of mine is dead at the moment, so just load them on the boat and sail somewhere safe, away from Mt. Aris.”
“Good! I plan to.” Silver trotted forward until Cornfield had blocked her passage.
“That’s a really familiar bag strapped around your barrel,” the green stallion interrogated with a furrowed brow. “Wouldn’t happen to be mine, would it?”
Silver stood and blanked for a minute before realizing she got carried away. “Oh. Yeah. Here.” Unstrapping it from her side, she precariously tossed it to the ground without any disregard of its contents.
“Hey! Careful! You could break my camera!” He opened his bag to find his belongings were unscathed, but noticed that the peridot and the map of the Gems were in his bag. “Hey, Coral, why is your stuff here? Aren’t these-”
“My bag is gone, Cornfield,” Coral interrupted with a sigh. “The Peridot and the Map are the only things I have left that I could call my own, and one of them is stolen property.”
Silver, not knowing what to say to that, shrugged and resumed her kingdom pilfering adventure. “Well, no shame in building back from the ground up,” she encouraged. “Who knows, maybe you’ll end up with a boatful of swag like me!” Her words of motivation shared, she strutted down the street until she was out of earshot.
“Cheeky little-”
“Cornfield! You’re OK!” The two intrepid adventurers were suddenly ambushed by a gleeful Skystar, running to greet them while her mother and Calm Breeze followed. It didn’t take long for the princess to wrap her forelegs around him and, despite being taken aback by the sudden affection, he returned it with a hug as well.
“Of course, I’m fine!” The photographer assured “As long as Coral’s with me, we can get through anything!” He glanced over to see a soft smile on his partner, reflecting how touched she was by his words.
Novo approached the Equestrian citizen and bowed to him, as her daughter sided with the queen. “Good to hear you are eager to save my citizens,” said the hippogriff monarch. “Although that cowardly Whirlwind may destroy our city, we will always rebuild. It’s much easier to replace buildings than innocent lives.”
Remembering the royal rule of hippogriffs, Cornfield bowed his head respectfully. “Thank you, Queen. As long as Whirlwind remains a threat at large, once this is dealt with, we should inform the Princesses of Equestria the danger he poses.”
“Agreed. We will not let the Storm Army tear apart the world once more.” A tinge of humility briefly overcame the monarch, though she initially hesitated to address it. “I’m sorry that I didn’t trust either of you from the beginning.”
Calm approached Cornfield gingerly. Since as far he knew, the pony might have thought he was on the side of the Storm Creatures. There was still much to prove who he still swears by. “T-That goes double for me,” he stammered. “I n-never thought you were-”
“Don’t worry, it’s fine,” the colt waved off any more unneeded explanations. “Coral filled me in. Any idea why you have a scar on your head, Calm? Did we figure that out while I was in the hospital?”
Unsure how to answer, the light-blue hippogriff fidgeted his claws against the ground until his sister stepped in. “Silver came up with an interesting theory. We think that it may be related to the migraines he gets when he has negative emotions about Whirlwind.” A growl escaped her beak as she stomped her hind-hoof. “Thinking about what that bastard may have done to my brother makes my blood boil!”
“Regardless,” Novo restructured the subject to get everyone moving into action. “Calm has received a letter from Whirlwind. He is coming back in his underwater capsule to take you both to the Mind of Water.” The queen glanced back at a few soldiers who stood by on her orders, shouldering opened chain shackles. She motioned them, and they obliged, the chains clanking loudly against the iron shackles. “Be careful, my soldiers. Treat them well, as their binds are only a ruse.”
“Yeah,” Cornfield said as he stuck his neck out to be latched up in the chains with Coral. “Save the tough guy for when it’s time.” With the iron chains binding himself to his partner, the trap was set. However, as the storm creatures’ arrival drew near, the princess of the hippogriffs bounced enthusiastically to the stallion’s side before they could get their act together.
“So! How did my gift turn out, Cornfield?” Skystar leaned in to whisper. “Was she happy?”
“More than ever, Skystar,” he responded with a smile to her.
For the royal descendent, the excitement levels had breached her limits. Squeals of delight sounded as she transitioned into an overjoyed celebration. “Eee! I’m so glad! Now I know you two will be there for each other, no matter what happens!” A beat of silence passed as she collected herself from the news. “So, will I be one of the flower mares for the wedding?”
“Skystar!” Novo squawked. “That’s hardly appropriate.” The purple bandit in chains couldn’t help but laugh at the naïve innocence behind Skystar’s words.
Then, as if all joy was chased out from the moment, more soldiers galloped up to their palace posts in a hurry. The captain of the squadron stopped to catch his breath and gasped “You’re majesty! He’s here!”
With their deadly opponents soon reaching the palace, everyone had to scramble into place. Quickly, Coral told Cornfield in a hushed tone, “Listen, time to be miserable for a little while, ok?”
He dimly nodded, responding with nothing more than “Yeah, got it”. The young stallion never took pleasure out of faking his suffering, even if to defy his greatest enemies. Something he would only do out of pure necessity.
Their heads drooped and as their bodies became cold with despair. Every creature put on the guise of deception with no time left to spare. The loyal elite squadron enlisted solely for protecting critical assets had already infiltrated the castle. Within their formation striding along was Whirlwind, looking to repossess once more what slipped through his grasp. Queen Novo displayed her disgust for Coral, who shot her a dirty look back. Hiding away in the backdrop was Skystar, wishing Sheldon and Shelly were here to comfort her in this terrifying scene.
Meanwhile, Calm approached to acknowledge his former boss’s presence. “My lord,” he welcomed with a bow. “It pleases me immensely to see you in good health, especially with what happened while we were in the depths of the sea!”
Whirlwind, growing further impatient by his lackey’s cordial greeting, subtly lifted off his glasses and wiped them slowly. “Naturally,” he answered with a dull tone, hiding away his annoyance. “We’re fortunate to have one more prototype.” With the formalities out of the way, he got down to royal business with Novo. “Did these two give you any trouble?”
Before the queen could respond, Coral held nothing back to shout, “Not as much trouble as I’m going to make for you, you wretched ape!” She leapt after him, coming to an inch of Whirlwind’s unflinching face when the steel chains yanked her back like a fifty pound red snapper. “BAWCK-ACK!” After the major recoil, she reached for her bruising neck, then side-eyed the guards playing along with the ruse and thought “I know it’s for show, but did you guys have to yank that hard?”
Bemused, the leader of the storm creatures felt it appropriate to get a feel for the foolish stallion that always shadowed the large vicious hippogriff. The fact that he kept staring at the sea-washed gravel on the floor beneath his hooves was an indicator of his attitude for these politics. No matter how much Whirlwind had investigated, researched, and experienced, after everything thus far he’s seen come about from this ‘kingdom of filthy birds’, this peculiar stallion was the biggest oddity of them all.
“This case study intrigues further investigation”, the mad scientist thought as he approached the little equine. Towering over, he proceeded to kneel paw-to-hoof with his eyes down at the captive and asked, “Who are you, little pony...?”
He remained silent, as if hiding something from everyone. Not Coral nor Novo comprehended what on Earth he could be planning, let alone Whirlwind, but it was awfully quiet in that moment. Then, as if a spotlight donned upon himself, Cornfield gracefully raised his head, eyes closed, and faced the ceiling, shooting a hoof to the sky.
“I was, but a lad, before I arrived upon this dreadful prison of Earth surrounded by water. Everypony looked at me with aspiration, yet I hath doomed them all to anything but failure. On this day, my shoulders burden the past, the present, and our future. What was once a mere simple quest, had evolved into a journey lusting for the roots of which could testify the epiphany of destiny! Its weight will crush me now that I, once a boy, now a stallion in the name of virtue, lost everything to a dictator! A tyrant! A parasite! A vessel whose passengers are lust, destruction, and despair!”
Every creature in earshot of Cornfield’s speech stood there in silence, befuddled by what came out of his mouth as he held that pose. Even Coral stared at him, silently mouthing out the words “what the fuck”.
“Of all the techniques to withhold information, yours is the most… creative.” Whirlwind then cleared his throat and stepped around the weirdo to face Novo. “With your permission, for the safety of our countries, I will take these vagabonds to strengthen the Mind of Waters defenses. Once we’re done, I’ll return with them to discuss further on how to deal with these thieves properly.”
“You have my blessing,’' Novo agreed flatly. “On account that my soldiers will accommodate you.”
Though she said nothing, the queen noticed how visibly annoyed the lord looked, but he obliged all the same. “I see you don’t trust that I’ll get the job done after my first slip-up,” the young dictator uttered. “I assure you it won’t happen again.” He followed through with his back turned and nothing more to say as his guards accompanied their leader. Novo’s guards and the “prisoners” soon entailed.
At a sufficient distance from Whirlwind’s audible range, Cornfield inquired to Coral what they should do next.
“We play by ear,” she answered confidently. “Calm has the keys to our locks. He’ll free us when he thinks the time is right...”
Soon, after what seemed like an hour-long walk to the docks, they found themselves boarded back inside a new nautical capsule. Although this time, the prison containment section had been reinforced with some shiny dense alloy. “Isolate the colt in the prison cell,’' Whirlwind commanded. “The hippogriffs stay with me and my troops.”
“What?!” Coral protested loudly.
“Sir?!” Calm joined his sister in exclamation.
The elite guards sought to release Cornfield ever so briefly in chained captivity before shoving him inside the reinforced chamber like baggage into a locker. The poor colt regained his hoofing and circled back to the open door. “D-Don’t worry, guys...I’ll be fine... Rea-” The cell door slammed shut on him mid-sentence, reverberating the deafening sound that filled Coral with horror. Menacingly, Whirlwind slowly came to face Coral, eyeing the Gem on her chest with greed.
At the same time Coral realized it with a glance at the Heart of Nature and fired back scathing words. “You want it so bad? Take a picture, it will last longer...” Smirking, Whirlwind lumbered over to her while a distressed Cornfield desperately peeked through the barred window embedded in the prison door.
Frustrated, he shouted, “Damn!” and bashed his hoof against the door. “Once again I am helpless. If Novo hadn’t conceded to Whirlwind…” Taking a deep and contemplated breath, he loosely stepped over till he landed upon one of the cell walls. A barred porthole hung over him, shining a blueish beam of ocean sunlight, and the imprisoned drifted his eyes into the depths of the sea. “I guess all I can do now is wait until they drop their guard.”
Meanwhile, the south side of Coral’s beak felt Whirlwind’s cold, monkey paw wrapped around it in a vice grip. “I’ve seen what power you hold, Coral. You’re already well taught in its mysterious ways,” said Whirlwind in a sinister tone. “I just need you to be cooperative for a little while longer until I claim what’s rightfully mine.”
Coral strained to escape his grasp and tried to bite at his monkey fingers, but a jerk of his arm back denied such petty satisfaction. “It’s not yours to have, Whirlwind!” she rebelliously corrected. “I don’t have to do anything if I want to. What dare will you take if I don’t let you have your way?!”
Whirlwind then eyed the prison door where Cornfield laid.
“I have a couple ideas.”
The capsule’s propellers guided it through the vast, seemingly unending ocean, passing through Seaquestria and deep into a ravine where light cannot escape. Yet the cold calculating tyrant had prepared for this, deploying magically generated spotlights, which shined down via crystals installed beneath the head of the vessel. Through his tiny window, Cornfield witnessed how the environment shifted from deep ocean, to an undersea cavern. Rocky terrain surrounded the vehicle until he felt it slow its pace, followed by the motion of its ascension, breaking through the surface of the water.
The view outside the porthole was breathtaking to the pony. The rocks turned into white and blueish bricks that served as the main masonry the hippogriffs of the past used in their architecture. Water reflections bounced around, with glorious illumination in the main entrance hall, as waves of light danced about upon the carved stone.
“All personnel,” the lord announced. “Prepare to disembark!”
These words urged Cornfield to the door, expecting to be released from his cell. One of the storm soldiers let a hippogriff guard inside for the purpose of reapplying restraints. Back to playing guard and prisoner, the former aggressively dragged him along, exhibiting realism in their act.
“HUUURRRK!” The hapless stallion gasped as he almost choked on the chain. Abandoning the lifeless and empty submersible, Coral reunited with Cornfield and together, they were in majestic awe at the sheer sight of the temple. Unlike the forest temple, the brickwork had been expertly built and laid out by many generations of hippogriffs. Water dripped onto the aqua-coloured tiles and drained into micro rivers that flowed through the gaps, leading backwards from whence they came. Feeding the pool of entry, it provided the means for a vessel such as Whirlwind’s to dock upon. The only source of illumination was thanks to a ceiling equipped with glowing coral.
Laid before the raiding party was a towering purple crystal door, tightly sealed, with two very familiar looking statues of a bearded alicorn of the elements seemingly guarding each side.
“Cornfield! Look!” Coral pointed to imposing figures of marble. “Isn’t that the alicorn that we saw at the forest temple?!”
Cornfield examined it from a distance, and felt the same sensation as she did. “...Yeah... But what does it mean?”
Something in the purple treasure hunter beckoned her to investigate. “I don’t know… those vines of his beard...” Then she found a pile of rubble, having fallen off of the beard itself. “It’s broken off, like back in the forest? Could The Heart of Nature have anything to do with- URK!”
Whirlwind snapped the chains back, casting the poor hippogriff across the floor. “Might I remind you that this isn’t a field trip?” The young storm creature calmly snarked before becoming visibly angry. “Shut your beak or I’ll shut it for you!”
After such a display of contempt for his friend, Cornfield angrily stared down at the cold water gathering around his hooves. Retorts and shouts at his enemy circulated inside his head until he gathered the courage to lash out. “Hey!” the bold stallion cried out. “Don’t make her suffer!”
A moment of silence passed as the Storm King’s heir gazed in Cornfield’s direction. Then, he took one step and imposed his stature right into the little pony’s muzzle. “Or what? You freak of a creature! Do you expect me to show mercy for you? Then you thought wrong!”
“Lord Whirlwind, please! They did nothing wrong!” said Calm, pleading with his “boss”.
Powerless, Cornfield chose his steps carefully as he backed away, to which Whirlwind opposed Calm with a finger pointed at him. “You and that thief over there may be kin, but if she doesn’t obey like the queen ordered, I’m permitted to punish her! Is that clear?” Although it sounded like he was being scolded by a teenager with a bit of angst behind his voice, Calm submitted to his authority. “Y-Yes, sir.”
When the slight scuffle had settled, they soon found themselves dealing with the matter of the door, for it contained a hole, centered plainly between the double door monument. Being stuck in direct administration by a power hungry mad scientist and his league of apes was starting to get Cornfield’s nerves going. “Oh damn, I hope this plan works...” He thought.
Giving up Coral’s metallic leash to her brother, Whirlwind brought their attention to a plaque next to the door, written in Old Ponish like the inscriptions found in the temple of Everfree. “This was as far as we got. My transcribers translated this primitive language ahead of time. It calls for the Heart of Nature to open the way.” It is then he leered right at Coral with daggers in his eyes. “I’ve seen the way you used the vines on my soldiers. Do as I command or Cornfield suffers.” Shocked by his eager use for the colt as a hostage, Coral furrowed her brow with a glare.
Cornfield, unsure of his present disposition, thought to himself, “Is it time now?”. Coral looked around, seeing her pony friend become increasingly nervous, along with the hippogriff soldiers. She holds a single claw up, sternly ordering them to wait, before going ahead to unlock the door.
“This will be no problem,” she said with brave words. She slid her claws through and gradually projected her vines outward. The plant extremities felt about the other side, hoping for a switch or anything relevant to their predicament. Then suddenly, Coral detected the sense of something thin and long. It was loose and easily graspable too. “I think I found something!”
Her excited tone made Cornfield tense up as he tried bracing himself for what he could not predict. By lifting the object in an outwardly direction, the heavy crystal door became light enough for her vines to breach it open. As soon as she did, Coral was blindsided when Whirlwind greedily thrusted her aside, sending her down into a corner.
“Out of the damn way!” he proclaimed.
With an audible thunk and stunned from the sudden trauma, she faded into the shallow faint light. Calm rushed to her side, wanting to cry for her pain. “Sister!” While he did his sibling duty to help her off from the glistening wet bricks, she peered at what stood beyond Whirlwind. Behind the door was not the Mind of Water after all, but instead a large winding staircase, which coiled downward into a narrow veil of stairs.
“Those hippogriffs really are in love with their pitiful nation,” the leader of the storm creatures stated with animosity in his tone. “This is a giant wentletrap.” He clicked his tongue impatiently as he glanced back at the creatures of Mt. Aris, who were checking in on Coral’s condition. “Seems we still need the birds a little longer...” Exerting his status as Lord, his booming voice returned. “Hippogriffs, forward! Let’s see what this temple holds.”
Coral stumbled upward, leaning on her trusted partner for support. Despite regaining her balance, she saw that Calm and Cornfield were both lost on what they needed to do about the monkeys. Whispering, Coral laid out the rules. “Calm, you will need to distract him when he finds the Mind of Water. He must not touch it. Give the key to one of the guards.” He passed the key entrusted to him discreetly to the nearest guard bird. “When I say ‘now’, they spring us out and surprise the brat. Got it?”
Now with a new resolve, Cornfield gave her a solid salute alongside the soldiers. Them, along with the hippogriff guards joined the Storm Army marching downstairs, eventually thinning into a straight line that led somewhere deeper. Into the heart of the temple, they wandered around the inside of a very large dome, feeling more like a coliseum in size. On the other side of the dome was a massive cavern, but it was too dark to see anything inside. A second staircase dug into the center of the room, beckoning with a faint blue light. Yet before they could even scope it out, something brought about a tremor shaking the room. It was as if the entire temple had an awakening.
More and more were the awful vibrations piling up. Some of the guards, primate and avian, fell off balance as large rumbling sounds echoed from within the caverns. Something huge was coming their way, and coming their way quickly. The storm creatures gathered around their lord and raised their spears and shields, while everybody else tried not getting knocked off their feet.
The one pony in the dome panicked aloud. “What’s happening?! Is it a cave-in?!” Cornfield shuffled his legs and hooves about; wherever he could find pace.
“N-no! I think it’s something worse!” Coral squawked, as she blocked the loose sentiment from invading her eyes.
Slowly emerging from the bowels of its home, a gigantic sea tortoise lumbered its way forward; going for the intruders. Its giant bronze and glossy head was covered with many sword scratches and broken arrow tips after many unsung battles in generations of its existence. Its eyes were shining a sinister red, its unnaturally sharp teeth were bared, tainted brown with the blood of many foolish victims. Its massive flippers dragged its colossal moss-green shell out of the cavern and into plain sight. As soon as its head hung above the staircase, it rang out a giant roar that shook the temple for good measure.
Whirlwind cowered back with his troops, though they remained protective of him. “What inconceivable beast is this?!” he shouted with a hint of fear.
Cornfield was shocked to say the least, yelling “WHHAAAAAAAAT!?!?!”.
Coral’s eyes grew wide as she too reeled away from it, alongside the other hippogriffs. “Holy...” She mouthed to herself. “I-I had no idea that something like this lived under the sea...” After beholding the sight, she screamed in terror and grasped Cornfield as quickly as a whip. The behemoth of a tortoise snatched up an unfortunate Storm soldier that failed to keep his distance from the creature. Resulting in an inevitable casualty who roared an unrestrained death cry, it was shaken around by the lizard like a piece of meat until it devoured him whole, cutting the soldier’s yells short.
“SIR! What do we do?!” Calm begged his presiding leader for implementing a winnable situation.
“CORAL! WHAT SHOULD WE DO?” Cornfield shouted in mindless fright.
“I DON’T KNOW! IT’S HUGE!” Coral pulled him in closer like a stuffed animal as her irises shrunk.
Evaluating the large beast scarfing down one of his own, Whirlwind searched for whatever clues or indications to this monstrosity’s flaws, but could only define the target’s superiority. “Do you see those scales! They have been hardened by centuries of ocean pressure! You can’t destroy it with any known weapons!”
Unusually, Cornfield determined the path to victory laid in the least obvious route. “But... There must be a weak point…” The puzzle solving side of him gave focus in the face of an imperative crisis. That was when he noticed numerous small holes in the ground. Their pattern suggested an ulterior intention. In the meantime, the lumbering colossus was stirring up chaos in the room. He knew to act now, lest they all perish. So the plucky colt darted as best he could with his bondage devices, to where death may follow.
The chains tugged Coral along, beckoning her to follow, “Cornfield! Wait for me!” she pleaded as she ran alongside him.
Whirlwind, who was more concerned of his self-preservation, saw the hostages flee towards the beast. Though he despised providing assistance to his nemesis, he already knew their immediate value as keys to the Mind of Water. “WHAT ARE YOU IMBECILES DOING?! IF THAT THING EATS THE PRISONERS, OUR WORK WILL BE FOR NAUGHT!!!” He bellowed.
Gaining speed, the stallion colt began swerving in order to dodge the front right leg of the temple’s guardian as it settled on the wet floor. Thrusting his body to squeeze underneath its hind-end inches from the ground, his eyes then suddenly sparked with resolve. Located deeper in the domain of the creature’s dwelling was an intricately grafted but decapitated switch installed on the floor with the handle not far from its home.
“CORAL!” the stallion called in hopes she would find a way to him.
However, invading the cavern caused the creature to deviate its focus, specifically on Cornfield! It was only a matter of time before it fully spun around and mashed his small frame. Coral spread her wings, flew up, and circled the monster, narrowly avoiding the jaws of the creature, just enough to catch up with her friend.
As she reunited with him, she noticed their new predicament; now cornered in the cave with the turtle monster. It makes a loud roar to the both of them, nearly deafening the two.
“LOOK!” Cornfield jutted his hoof to the ground. “A SWITCH!”
Panicked, the feathered rogue turned to her partner. “Well, what do you think that thing does!?”
“Try using your vines to affix the handle onto the switch! I think this is part of a trial to test anypony getting past the door!” Then, the colossus makes a horizontal swipe with its razor sharp fin; they both duck to avoid an unfortunate decapitation. “I’ll turn the handle! Just keep it secure!”
Comprehending with a breadth inch of understanding, she sensed the creature within their vicinity and nodded. Using only one talon, she secured the handle by tying her vines through the holes that would attach the mechanism. Her instinct to check over the shoulder made it clear death was lurching ever nearer to them. They were right in chomping range of the maw their worst nightmares possessed. The hippogriff had thrown her body all the way near a wall, thinly dodging the inevitable snap while straining to keep her vines stretched and tight. Her frightened scream reverberated the giant monster’s domain.
And then it was all over. Everything they had worked for this far vanished within the instance time would run out on them. Leaping with faith, Cornfield managed to flip the switch with all his might, despite barely maintaining its integrity. A resounding click, followed by the sounds of rumbling called upon a deluge as a section of water gushed out the ground through the small holes. Partially underneath the tortoise’s quarter-half was enough force to flip it slowly over and send it tumbling with a trembling crash. Seizing this opportunity, the duo embraced their luck to live another day and race away from imminent danger!
After the plucky colt escaped by the skin of his teeth, he called out his friend as the tortoise collapsed upon the center, belly up. “Are you ok!?”
The bird hybrid caught her breath for a moment, yet was shook by fright. “Y-Yes! But we need to do something about that monster! If it finds a way to get right-side up again, it will just try to kill us when we return!”
“WAIT! LOOK!” Cornfield pointed his hoof, hoping everyone else could connect the dots. The tortoise’s exposed underside revealed a soft furry point on its belly. Strangely, it glowed like some kind of vulnerable spot, or maybe that was a trait of it’s unknown digestive system. No matter the cause, it was ripe for an assault.
A roar thought to be the creature’s distress actually revealed itself as Whirlwind barking out excited orders, seeking dearly to end the monstrosity. The front-most guard engaged, aggressively charging in to leap above and deal the final blow. Before their legs could even get within jumping range, they were smacked fiercely by turtle fins, with one fatally sliced and faltering. Growling, Whirlwind called out his captives opposite of him.
“I don’t know what you fools did,” the impatient lord shouted, “but my troops COULD finish this miserable creature. We just can’t get close! NOW DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!”
“Damn! We still need some way to bring this to an end!” Coral’s mind raced in frustration. Yet there were feelings overwhelming her about the stakes that took place. Not of fear or danger, despite the circumstances, but of gratefulness over the risks Cornfield went through in saving her from the beast. Indeed, it was that moment where she felt happy to know Cornfield to begin with. That happiness fueled some much needed inspiration.
“Cornfield, hop on!” She stated. He obliged, hopping on her back and allowing her to take to the air without choking her friend on the chain. Coral spread her wings, flying high and hovering above the teetering lizard as it attempted to wriggle itself back up. She came face to face with the beast and, with all her might, while it made attempted lunges at her, channeled all the happy moments she shared with her adventure. Seeing her brother again, the proposal of the blue hibiscus flowers, everything.
Witnessing this pinnacle climax out of eager anticipation was Cornfield. As her vines stretched out to the beast’s head and wrapped them around its mouth, she held it shut as tight as possible, enough that her vines couldn’t get eaten themselves. Then, her powers developed into budding flowers that bursted into a cloud of pollen. The lizard writhed as it inhaled the concentrated powder, making it sleepy and eventually pacified.
As it went limp, Whirlwind sufficiently ordered all remaining soldiers into full eradication of the beast. The hippogriff guards assisted by carrying them airborne to the top of the beast with their talons, while in turn the soldiers plant their paws down and gut the soft belly like some sickening sport. Blood gushed from the opening, as they lacerated the innards, drenching the white fur of the storm creatures, who would happily scream in the blood-soaked execution.
The onslaught of so many stabbings made the tortoise wrangle about, struggling to surpass its demise as the soldiers stabbed and skewered some more. Finally, a death cry echoed throughout the cavern after receiving one last mortal blow. Coral and Cornfield saw its limbs fall meekly and conform on the ground, with a twitch as the beast drew its final breath. The soldiers let out a victory cry, and raised their spears in pride.
With the brutal death of the living fossil behind them, Coral did her best to silently land outside of Whirlwind’s view, and let her partner touch solid ground once more. “What’s the plan, Coral?” Cornfield questioned as he dismounted. “Shall we take them?”
She had a wide grin on her face and hugged the exhausted colt quickly before whispering in his ear. “Let’s get the hippogriff guard’s attention. Then, we spring out of these chains!”
“Ok! And hey, this time I saved OUR butts!” He smiled with glee.
Coral could only chuckle and shake her head. “We ALL did our part, you goof. I just needed a minute to compose myself!” Humility took over as she blushed and brushed her feathered mane back. “...But I would be turtle food if it weren’t for you.”
“Heh... I could have done better if this was the forest and not... An underwater exhibit.”
With a quick peck on his cheek, she brought him over where the other hippogriff guards anxiously await their orders, accompanied by Calm, settling in their own place away from Whirlwind’s brutes. One soldier cautiously asked her, “Is it time?”
“Yeah, now!” Coral chimed.
The guard shuffled a key out of his pocket. However, unexpectedly, the sound of a glittering magical beam rang out, echoing a gnarly sizzling splash. The poor member of Queen Novo’s army gave a fainting grunt while his cranium disintegrated, revealing a broken, brainless skull, and body fluids overflowing the top. Slack-jawed with all his motor functions gone, he took the fall like a marionette with no strings. The grotesque sight made Coral scream in horror as the next unwary guard took a similar acidic blast in his head before he even realized they were under fire.
Calm, who became powerless and fell to his knees by his lord’s actions after a failed attempt to stall, stared awestruck at his lord. “Lord Whirlwind... WHY?!”
The sight was overly traumatizing for Cornfield as well. He let out a disheveled shriek as Coral could not shield her friend’s eyes from any more ghastly deaths. Before they knew it, the third elite guard who didn’t join the fight snuck up and pulled back on their chains, reigning them both to him. Whirlwind stood holding a contraption in his paws, a pistol with a refined crystal humming energy at the end of it and his digit on the trigger. With a sickening, cold-hearted smirk, he aimed this foreign device right at Coral’s head.
The Storm leader coldly stood with his deadly crystal gun gripped firmly in his paw. “Do you honestly think that you could fool me so easily? Me? A genius?!”
Yielding to his explanation, Cornfield acted plain oblivious. “Fool you? What are you talking about?”
Then Whirlwind looked at Calm, pointing with his weapon of choice and shook his head in disappointment, saying, “You would have been my greatest ally, Calm. After the airship was raided, my soldiers reported a certain document was missing from the airship. Something detrimental to my work on Mt. Aris. Sound familiar?”
His traitor reared onto his collapsed hindlegs, shaking in fear of being executed on the spot. “E-everything I did was only for peace W-whirlwind I swear! Please! D-Don’t hurt me, my lord!”
With her brother’s life on the line, Coral struggled as she tripped over her chains, desperately trying to save her last bit of family, shouting “NO!” several times.
“Use your powers, Coral! You can do it!” Cornfield raved for her in this dire situation.
Raising one foreleg forward, she was about to use her vines and put a stop to the madness. However, Whirlwind drew a shiny remote from the confines of his inner coat pockets, with a red button on it. The moment he pressed it, the world around the poor thief stopped when she saw Calm’s eyes go white, then his body toppled over.
“CALM!” Coral screamed, unable to hold her tears and claws outstretched to her fallen brother. “NOOOOOOOOOO!”
“Oh, cut the theatrics,” the lord of the storm creatures droned in annoyance as he put the remote away. “The puppet is still in this mortal coil.”
“What…” Her words hit a pause as she relived the crippling sight in her mind. “...Did you DO to him, you monster?!”
“Buck!” said the panicking colt as plans were falling apart. WE’RE BUCKED!”
After holstering his crystal gun snugly in his coat pocket, the elite guards leapt off the giant corpse of their prey and reunited with Whirlwind. “Hmmm, I suppose you have the right to know, seeing how it’s your sibling,” the sinister side the storm creatures were notorious for oozed in his words. “It is my greatest achievement after all...”
With his battle-hardened personnel backing him up and leaving no room for any counterattacks, their leader seized the moment to elaborate his diabolical ingenuity. “When my idiotic father was still king, I specially requested he’d see several hippogriff colts and fillies taken hostage during the initial war.”
“...Oh no...” Cornfield said, seeing where this was heading. “But it can’t be…”
“It was beautiful. He believed we’d use them as leverage against Equestria. Little did he realize I had no interest in such political riff raff. Instead, I so loved to play in the kingdom’s laboratories, but every child prodigy needs a few guinea pigs for his experiments. Thankfully, I had a new shipment of friends to play with, as I played with each one.”
Whirlwind knelt down to scoop up the unconscious light blue hippogriff in his paws, like a kid with a beat-up doll. “The brain is an amazing thing and our scientists had recently discovered how to channel magic in specially tuned crystals,” he continued. “But, while my father was infuriatingly content on using the scepter engineered for him to play with the powers of the sun and the moon like it was a TOY, I went for a new kind of science…” He unceremoniously dropped the head of his former servant and pointed to his own temple. “Mind control.”
“Mind control?!” The broken puppet’s sister recalled in disbelief, hearing what she believed to be science fiction. “Y-You mean...”
“That scepter?” The green stallion muttered as it rang a bell in his head. “You mean the Staff of Sacanes! That staff can absorb Alicorn-tier magic!”
Whirlwind jolted a single finger. “INDEED!” he loudly confirmed. “This pony is a smart one. But do you seriously think that’s ALL it can do?” He walked around Calm’s body, staring at his guinea pig while gently kicking it around a bit.
“The scepter’s potential was untapped, unadulterated, I knew it was my destiny to explore its true capabilities. Although, there were some rather unexpected consequences... Many hippogriffs didn’t survive my experiments, involving their skulls being opened as I witnessed what ticked.” He uttered these words with a bit of grief at first, then a smile cracked as he turned to Coral, making his way towards her with a giggle under his breath. “Then, wouldn’t you know it, Calm was the last hippogriff who survived a crystal surgically inserted into the neocortex, opening him to mental suggestive thinking. It’s not perfect, but it’s enough for him to obey. I gave him elation for praising me, and agonizing torment when he resisted.”
He bent down for his arch-rival to get a good look in his deranged eyes. “And, due to my advancements, I’m able to simply turn off his brain, open him up, reconfigure the crystal’s magic, and give him new commands.”
Coral said nothing, letting her friend do the talking for her. “Just what do you plan on doing to him?” He questioned incredulously. “How will you explain to Novo your deception, huh?”
Whirlwind stayed silent for a few seconds, then stood up straight to whip out a second peculiar device, shaped like a handle and labelled with yellow and black stripes, capped with a button underneath. He popped the top open and pressed the button. A loud rumbling was heard from above as Coral sharply gasped from the worst that may have happened. “Thank you ever so much for reminding me. Novo already knew of my traitorous acts the moment my maps were missing.”
That was the moment that the female hippogriff saw red, shrieking like a hawk and letting her talons and feathers fly. Every beastly instinct told her to strangle the pompous brat, only for the guards to clothesline straight into and pin her against the ground.
“DAMMIT!” shouted Cornfield. He knew they were between a rock and a hard place more than ever.
From the top of her lungs she screeched, and the dome echoed her tormented words. “YOU AREN’T A CREATURE! YOU’RE A DEMON! AN EVIL DEMON BORN FROM THE BOWELS OF TARTARUS!!!”
Coral’s cursing and crying filled the air, as the three guards kept her down, restraining her squirming hindlegs and wings. She would attempt to summon the power received from the Heart of Nature, but they preemptively stomped on her talons, pressing their weight down as she screamed in pain.
“AGH! STOP!” Yelled Cornfield as he covered his ears from the deafening sound of his friend’s suffering.
Whirlwind yanked one of the spears from his soldiers and stood over the bound Coral, holding it above her, poised to execute the troublesome creature once and for all. “There is no stopping me,” he rebuked with a growl. “Hippogriffs, ponies, griffons, dragons and every creature in between will bow to us, the children of the Storm, as their new rulers of this world!”
“CORNFIELD!” The doomed bird shouted in desperation, glancing at him with shrunken irises. “SAVE YOURSELF! TELL EVERYONE ABOUT THIS! WE NEED TO- AAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!” She yelled as more painful pressure was applied to her wing.
The last bastion of hope rested on the young earth pony, who was in a state of mental dismay. “What should I do?” His head repeatedly asked himself as everything grew dark and his nightmares became reality. Then, like a sunlit beam from the dark clouds, a delicate unseen voice cut through the shadows and called out to him.
“Cornfield,” the voice chimed, reverberating deep within.
He looked around, thinking “Who’s there?”
Before Lord Whirlwind raised the spear at its highest, time gradually grinded to a halt. Water flowing around him froze in place and Coral’s frightened face was completely still. Everything had just stopped moving altogether.
“Who... Who’s there?” Despite the phenomenon, when he tried summoning his forelegs, they gained movement in his bewilderment. The grooves underneath his hooves were visible without detriment to them or himself. It was clear he remained unaffected, but nothing made sense from his present disposition. He turned to witness a holy bright light shining from down the stairs in which the mighty giant tortoise once guarded. A feminine voice beckoned him, calling him downward.
“Cornfield.”
Curiously, the colt wandered closer to the opening. Peering at the end of the stairwell, there awaited a door, already opened for him, glowing with a brilliant blue light on the other side.
“Hurry, Cornfield…” The voice called from inside. “You must save her...” With no other option, the stallion moved along the steps, slowly accelerating into a trot once he descended entirely. The middle of the room housed a fountain, shining and white with the water gushing out of it as blue and pure as a cloudless sky. The Mind of Water etched itself inside the middle of a rock pillar, similarly as The Heart of Nature. He gazed at the tilled murals surrounding the fountain, detailed what seemed to be the creation of all things from the very beginning.
“My hatchlings are in danger,” the voice carried on, “as well as the foals of your realm. Please, step onward...”
Completely perplexed by the mystical sacred waters, he pressed onward to seek the truth. The Mind of Water’s form materialized as he drew closer; finding a crystal-like brain composed of two symmetrical lobes. The perfect natural water retained its purity due to the brilliant crystal’s liquid deposit flowing from its foundation.
“I’m sorry for all the trouble I gave you during your stay, but my powers are not allowed to bless my own creatures.” There was sadness in the female’s voice, almost like she was in mourning.
Cornfield shook his head around, trying to wake himself up saying “...Is this real? Am I hallucinating?”
“Given your relationship with Cobalt Coral, you were a fitting candidate for my gifts. My only regret was seeing how afflicted you became, having that much magic trapped in you. I hope you can forgive me.” Cornfield felt a light splish against his foreleg, and noticed the fountain waters had started rippling “Although I wish for The Mind to stay dormant, the gears of time are already in motion. Hence, you must secure it.”
“WHAT?! Are you telling me to absorb your powers like Coral?” the colt shrieked.
A soft titter passed whomever’s lips were speaking to him. “Ah, you are mistaken... I’m not the spirit that houses inside The Mind of Water. I’m simply a forgotten legend...”
“Oh... For a second, I thought this was a real mystical brain thing I was staring at. So, who are you anyway?”
“I cannot extend the length of time any longer than I am able to without reality ripping apart. Please! Take the Mind and save her!”
“Ugh. Fine. The mystery deepens, I suppose…” He stepped into the fountain and reached his hoof out to the stone, but fear of the unknown gripped him “What’s gonna happen if I take it?”
“The gem will infuse on the surface of your head. With deep concentration and meditation, you will be able to fire strong jets of water from your hooves that are able to crack stone. You also can use your hooves to drip water on injuries or cure illnesses with it. Be warned, however. The more you use this power, the more your mind will become dull.”
A scoffing huff brushed through Cornfield’s teeth. “Oh damn, now I can make my own circus: The Pool Colt Cornfield and his Amazing Jungle Bird.”
“...Cornfield... The chains that pull time are beginning to murmur once again...”
“Well, here goes nothing,” He cautiously but urgently pried the gem out of its resting place. “Coral oughta give me one hell of a ‘thank you’ for this.” He held it above him, trying not to think about how this transformation would feel like. Suddenly, a light blinded him until the only thing left was the empty indentation of where the Mind once laid on the rock. He didn’t feel any different and questioned if it even worked, but there was one distinct deformity: the jewel grafted in his skull, meshed within his forehead.
“Ugh…” He gingerly tapped it with his hoof, thinking that it would hurt. “As if things couldn’t get any stranger...” He then noticed the ripples of the fountain moving faster to its original pace. Borrowed time was beyond out. “I-I gotta save Coral!” he shouted to himself and made a break for the staircase above.
Time gained nearly its full momentum as the spear pierced and began digging into Coral’s chest. A sickening grin formed on the evil primate in charge, lusting for bird blood.
“AAAAH!” Cornfield let his battle cry be known and aimed his hooves trying to shoot Whirlwind with his limbs like he was some green wonder from a superhero comic book. He focused his mind with the greatest effort he could put forth, with faith in the mystical entity that entrusted those powers to him. Upon his attack, a light instantly shone from within the jewel.
In the nick of time, his forelegs melted into clear water, blasting out a vicious jet of liquid from his hooves. The dictator thought he heard the desperate cry of Coral’s pathetic colt, but instead found himself pounded onto his chest by the iron fierosity of blue tides from a deadly tundra. He collided into the dome’s walls and crumbled into the floor like a heavy potato sack. “W-What in Equestria...” he gasped, catching his lost breath.
“FOILED ONCE AGAIN, WHIRLWIND!” the cocky pony taunted. The spear went careening elsewhere as Coral took advantage of the situation handed to her. She quickly wrapped two of the stunned distracted soldiers around the neck and jutted thorns, puncturing their arteries. She tossed their bleeding bodies aside with a hearty throw, then focused on the one at her hindlegs, giving him the same treatment. A constricted toss made sure he wouldn’t be getting back up.
“CORAL!” Cornfield, being her knight to lean on, rushed to her side and helped her up.
“Cornfield,” she said, using his body as support. “What the hay did you-” She gasped and her eyes grew wide, seeing what her friend’s forehead achieved. “No way. How in the world did you-”
“I’ll explain later, ok?” The colt glanced over to the cracked walls where he blasted the young storm tyrant, only to find him missing. “Where’s Whirlwind?”
A laser beam fired between the both of them, missing and blasting a smoldering crater into a wall instead. Startled, Coral zeroed in on where the shot had been discharged. The culprit, Lord Whirlwind, hobbled to and lunged for cover behind the literal and metaphorical shell of a giant tortoise. “There’s that bastard!” she answered with a talon pointed out.
“Stop him!” Cornfield galloped in the villain’s direction to try and snuff his evil plans out preemptively. “We can’t let him get away!”
“Be careful, that laser magic is nothing to mess with!” She quickly sprinted over to Cornfield, ducking and diving along the way while the monkey made blindfire shots at her. Each laser detonated on contact with the environment, blowing up in smoke and debris. Then, he hastily made for the shallow cusp behind the tortoise’s leg, keeping himself opposed to the upgraded duo as they all encircled the massive corpse.
Cornfield signaled her to flank around him one way while he pressured the other side. As he stepped around knowingly of the threat the self-proclaimed crownhead presented, he fired a warning shot of water around the blind spot; an effort to get his attention away from where Coral was approaching.
“The jig is up, Whirlwind!” the water-controlling stallion announced. “Surrender yourself and we won’t have to harm you!”
Eager to make a retort, Coral kept her beak shut to not give away her position. Whirlwind shouted back, “If I kill you, I get the Mind of Water! If I kill her, I get the Heart of Nature! Come test your abilities on me!”
Cornfield got on his hindlegs and slowly shimmied along the wall of the dome. Although he couldn’t see Whirlwind’s tracks, he checked around the corners and nooks around the long dead monster to make sure the brat didn’t get the jump on him. In need of a fresh strategy, the water colt remembered what that strange voice advised him. “...Strong enough to crack stone...” he reflected. He scanned the area, confirming for sure Whirlwind’s position with the tip of his vision.
As soon as Coral was close enough, she put her years of thievery into play and ducked into a corner of the giant turtle where no creature could see her. Letting her vines roam across the ground, their paths carefully spread as wide as they could to create a snare in waiting. Suddenly, Whirlwind retaliated against Cornfield by shooting into empty space around the corner, being careful, but also giving away his position.
With a clearer idea which way the villain sheltered himself, Cornfield decided now to concentrate his mind even harder, having learned from Coral’s battles as well. A surge of enormous energy flowing through his bloodstream built up inside the ends of his hooves. Weighing them down in fact. Taking a risk in exposing himself, he stood and fired a solid velocity water stream into the ceiling above Whirlwind’s last known location. Well-targeted, the ceiling broke apart as piles of debris fell to its impending victim hiding below.
At the last minute, the monkey dived away from a traumatic injury, only to stumble on the vines below him. They ensnared his legs, preventing him from wiggling free. “I got him, Cornfield!” she yelled and lifted him, leaving him to dangle about. “Sorry, ape. You just lost the war.” She grinned with pride and delighted in watching him hang by his legs. However, in her short sighted view of victory, she didn’t anticipate the ace still in his sleeve as the lord smiled back.
Cornfield could see their victim about to wriggle something out of his coat, giving the colt instant flashbacks to the trauma earlier, and try alerting his friend before she was toast. “CORAL!” her partner warned! “LOOK OUT!”
Without a second to spare and no chances taken, he dashed his way as fast as his hooves could carry him. He managed to dive between them and take the brunt of a fatal laser blazing out the muzzle of Whirlwind’s quickly drawn pistol. The magic pierced a hole straight through his flank. “GAAAAAHHH!!!” Cornfield’s painful cry echoed out as he fell to the bricks, adding his blood with the turtle’s.
“CORNFIELD!” The innate priority of keeping her friend out of harm’s way had Coral dropping the young scientist free in favor of snatching the colt up with her vines and running for his life. The bleeding wound appeared worse than anything he’s absorbed thus far, making her panic further. The moment Whirlwind lifted himself up from the ground, he didn’t think twice about making his swift and opportunistic exit.
As soon as Coral laid her partner down out of the way from any immediate danger, he stopped her from any further action by raising his hoof to her. “Ack... ugh... hold on…” he gagged. “I’ll be fine, see?”
Since his hippogriff friend had yet to understand the nature of his new abilities, he took this opportunity to demonstrate his new life saving power. With his lower half rested on the side, Cornfield focused as he dropped water on his partially flesh stripped flank, while Coral gazed on in a mixture of confused vexation.
When the water seeps into the many injured and torn parts of his flank, the effect Zecora’s potions had on him go underway, reforming all lost muscle and skin. Just like that, he was in perfect fighting shape once again, to his amazement. “Wow, this is VERY reliable after all!”
Astounded, the hybrid complimented his newfound healing solution. “That’s amazing... Imagine that skill wasted on-” Out of nowhere she noticed their main hostile was gone and gasped, “Oh no! Whirlwind!”
Cornfield got on his newly healed body to see what’s missing. “Huh?” He couldn’t find him either.
Then she dashed beyond the large lump used as a shield by the evil leader. Alas, he left no discernable trace. With the only way out being the way they had entered, she looked and saw him backing away upstairs. To make matters worse, Whirlwind had lifted Calm over his shoulder, taking him back as he fled. Of course he would not leave without his sworn regards.
“You imbeciles may have won the battle, but the war still continues! I swear on my stupid father’s grave that I will have your Gems soon!” the tyrant loudly proclaimed.
“Where are you running off to, Whirlwind? Huh?” Cornfield taunted as he tagged behind Coral.
“Back to my kingdom, of course! But since you two can’t swim as seaponies without the pearl...” He laughed at a wicked idea brewing in his twisted mind. “Maybe I will just take off and leave you both stranded deep below the sea with no hope of returning! Wouldn’t it be a treat to let you die slowly and come back to pry the gems over your cold dead bodies?!”
Realization struck that, without transforming into seaponies, they were at the mercy of the vehicle which carried them. “Oh, shit!” Coral cursed at her situation.
He kept laughing, certain of victory against his opposers. “So long, you mentally handicapped quadrupeds!” He ran with as much agility he could muster, carrying an unconscious hippogriff and headed for exfiltration by sub.
Cornfield joined alongside his hippogriff friend as they both made a daring break for the winding stairs above. However, their target had quite the head start. By the time they reached the top of the wentletrap staircase, they saw their only trip to dry land sinking into the underwater cavity. Both of the gem-bearers skidded before the hole, huffing and catching their breath. With the bad hand they’ve been dealt, the colt stomped his hoof on the floor. “BUCKING DAMMIT!!”
Still gasping for air, Coral hung her head as sweat dripped and tapped the smooth surface on the floor. With their chances of survival ruined, she felt steaming hot anger boiling inside. Her talons formed a shaking fist and hammered it on the tiled floor hard enough to leave a bloodied scrape. “SHIT!” she erupted with hopeless rage. “That… That bastard stole away my brother and got away with blowing Mt. Aris to Tartarus!”
With nothing left, she sat and hid her face in shame behind her claws, making an effort to avoid the assumption of the massacre taking place on hippogriff land. Not knowing what else to do, Cornfield grabbed her by the shoulders and shook any clues he could get out of her. “This is bad, Coral! Seeing your kingdom means nothing if we can’t find a way out right now!”
As she tried regaining her composure, the fabled gem they sought after reflected a flare of light, bringing the hippogriff out of her anguish and returning a different kind of concern. “How the hell did you get the Mind of Water before anyone else?! One second, you were on my side panicking, the next I saw you charging in gung-ho!”
Cornfield could feel her leer zeroing in on his forehead. “Ah, yeeeeaaaaah… You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, honest.” the colt pleaded as he let her go.
“Oh yeah? Try me!”
“There was a voice that was telling me to do so. I followed and she led me to it,” he shrugged as water kept leaking out from his forehooves.
“What voice? What are you even talking about?” She scoffed and stood up, recalling history as she brushed the feathers on her head back. “You know, you have been REALLY strange before we even arrived at Mt. Aris. How in the world is ANYTHING you did feasible?”
While his female compatriot ran her beak, Cornfield noticed the entire room got darker overtime, the ceiling corals above dimming their luminescence. An odd figure was approaching the both of them, coming into his focus, and he could identify it as an ethereal hippogriff. Her body was shrouded with a clear blue aura, wisps of light spiraled in her wake, plainly showing that she was not like any other creature he’s ever encountered. The crest of feathers from her head dangled long and curled outward before her knees. Her blanked white eyes shined with brilliance, but revealed nothing of her true nature.
The outstanding anomaly drew ever so closer, and Cornfield could not comprehend anything about it. He ended up babbling in incoherent fashion, leaving ignorant Coral to crack wise in her flustered confusion. “What?” she asked. “Are you now speaking in tongues?” With his verbal communication gone haywire, he desperately stuck a frightened hoof over her shoulder at the apparition. She drew her head from the hoof’s aiming gesture, and beheld the pure phantom-like form. Her eyes widened with fear as she lurched back. “A-a-a ghost?!”
The bright being attempted to demonstrate pacifism with an open yielded palm between them, yet her sudden striking appearance left them dumbstruck and distant. “Please, don’t be scared! I’m not a ghost, and I mean you no harm.” Each step she took forward was met with her own kind rapidly pushing the ground away from her.
After the spirit spoke, Cornfield made a stunning revelation. “Wait,” he said. “You’re the voice from that fountain room…” Another good look at the strange hippogriff also brought excitement in his voice. “Now I remember, you’re that ghost I chased after in the wild!” He happily reflected to Coral, “See? I told you I saw something!”
“Please believe me, I had every intention of revealing myself. If those vile creatures you call the storm king’s minions discovered my presence, this world would be in greater peril!”
Getting a grip, Coral precariously stood before her. “Just who even are you?” Coral interrogated, still unsure if this otherworldly figure was trustworthy. “Where did you come from and why are you helping us?”
“I am called Aqua,” the holy silhouette recalled herself as such. “I am known as a sculptor, and it was my grace that sculpted your ancestors so long ago.”
“My ancestors? Are you saying that you created hippogriffs?”
“After my own image, yes.”
Flabbergasted, Coral pointed towards Aqua in disbelief. “T-Then… Then that makes you a… A…”
“God?” Cornfield appended to her sentence.
“No,” the mystical hybrid responded bluntly. “I can’t call myself that. Gods would be all knowing. All powerful. I am limited in what I can do.” Then, she sat up to trace a circle in the air with one talon. Majestic light manifested outside her motion, until it combined and formed a perfect pink pearl out of thin air. It gently floated into her open palm as she gifted it to them. “However, as a sculptor, I can grant you the ability to abandon this doomed place.”
“That’s… That’s the Pearl of Transformation!” the thief exclaimed, taking it into her own talons. “Can you make another?”
“You will have to crack the pearl in half and each partake of its power. I beg of you to go to Mt. Aris and watch over my legacy. Already I am sensing many new souls releasing from their mortal cages.”
That news made Coral’s heart drop and newfound conviction surged as she slammed the pearl down on solid ground, splitting it in two like a ripe coconut. She plucked one half and told Cornfield promptly to take the other. “Just imagine you are going to morph into a seapony with this and it’ll do the rest, ok?”
Gingerly retrieving said item with his mouth, the colt wasn’t quite making sense of what this was all about. “Uh… Ok,” he said while Coral prepared to dive.
“Ready?” she asked, and he took her side in the belief they could return to the surface.
“I’ll pray for the gods to smile victory upon you two!” the hippogriff creator exclaimed. “Keep the Gems of Creation beyond evil’s grasp, and no matter what, do NOT let the four become whole!”
Coral jumped straight into the water, while her friend spit out the pearl fragment and held it between his hooves, before diving in himself. “What was that about? The four of them shouldn’t be together?”
“That’s not important right now!” said Coral, as they swam on top of the water. With a shroud of light, Coral gave up her aerial form and, in its place, acquired her never before seen aquatic body. Gone were the beak, the wings and talons, now she had fins and a pony’s snout. “We need to hurry!”
“Right, I’m with you! So I just think about being a seapony and then I-’' His train of thought derailed as he was suddenly overcome with blinding magic. The colt’s pony hindlegs creased into his body as it obtained the appropriate fins around it. Once the pearl’s magic finished its natural modifications, he examined the major overhaul and shrieked. “Gah! Please tell me this isn’t permanent!”
“Don’t worry! As long as you have that pearl in your possession, you can change at will.” Peeking above the water, she nodded at the sculptor who aided them. “Thank you, Aqua. We’ll do what we can to help the hippogriffs.”
Without another word, the two of them dove down through the entry hole into the deep blue depths of the ocean and kicked their fins to maneuver. Although, Cornfield was not as intuitive with sea movement like the Mt. Aris native. To Coral, it was like riding a bike; she never forgot and easily demonstrated the ideal seapony swimming technique. By watching her, he got into the motions quickly enough for a beginner, fighting with inertia to catch up with her. The gem on his head glinted as they made headway for the penetrating sunbeams high above. It brightened as his thoughts began racing, wondering what could be taking place right now. How many lives were lost? Could they rebuild from the catastrophic damage? Was Silver and Skystar ok? These were all questions burning in his subconsciousness, and the only hope of finding answers was back on land.
For all he knew, things were not going to get any better from this moment forward.
