What's the most valuable treasure in the world: Family? Money? Revenge? Love? Depends on who you ask...
Orphaned at an early age, Flitter and Cloudchaser discovered their true callings as mercenary treasure hunters. Now, they are once again risking life and limb for gold, glory, and fame while an ancient evil conspires to finish what it started all those years ago.
Finally, after battling bandits, surviving rockslides, and deciphering runes, they uncover a different kind of treasure than what was originally marked on their map.
I hope you all like the new cover-art. The amazing artist NixWorld drew it, and I am blown away by its quality. Check him out if you want high quality art!
Partially edited and proofread by the incredible writer, EverfreePony
Cloudchaser let out a groan of pain as she clumsily smeared the dirt caked on her cheek. The sweltering heat and humidity of the underground cave system did her aching legs and back no favors as she grudgingly stumbled to her hooves.
“This is certainly the quick and easy dungeon run you promised,” she muttered sarcastically, coughing her way through the dense cloud of dust from the boulder that almost crushed her flat.
“Oh, shut up. How was I supposed to know the ceiling was going to cave in?” Flitter replied in an equally irritated tone.
Limping slightly, she salvaged what little of their supplies remained from under the rubble. “Well, there goes the last of our food. Looks like we have to go back into town and buy more.”
“Perfect, just what I needed to hear. Maybe we should just leave and search some other ruin. I don’t know about you, but I don't fancy being turned into paste today,” Cloudchaser groaned, glaring accusingly at the rock mere feet behind her back legs.
“And where are we going to get the money for next month’s rent? I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but we kind of need food. Unless you’ve got a couple thousand bits stuffed up somewhere, we have to keep digging,” Flitter shot, shaking their empty food bag for emphasis.
Cloudchaser let out another tired groan at the prospect of crawling through a musty tunnel on an empty stomach. Silently wondering how her sister’s meaty legs would taste, she leaned against the cave wall and asked, “How much are we getting paid to retrieve this cup-thingy anyway? It better be enough to afford some real grub. I’m sick of eating those bitter roots that you call food."
Flitter rolled her eyes at her sister’s lack of memory and attention. “It’s not a ‘cup-thingy’, it’s a gilded goblet. We’re getting paid 2,000 bits to excavate and bring it back to the family it belongs to.”
“Whatever. As long as we get paid, I don’t care what it’s called. If getting it out of here means I can go buy some meat for a change, I’m all for it,” Cloudchaser snarked, brushing dirt off her armor.
“I’ll never understand how you can eat meat without gagging,” Flitter remarked, sparking another torch. “It always tastes really weird, and I can never keep it in me for long before spitting it out.”
Cloudchaser smirked at the perfect setup before pouncing on her sister's unintentional euphemism. “Well, I guess that explains why you’ve never had a coltfriend.”
Flitter deadpanned at her with an unamused glare. "Seriously?"
Cloudchaser clutched her muzzle as she held back a chorus of laughter. “What? We both know it’s true. I mean -pft- what more can you give a guy if you can’t eat his meat or swallow it down?”
Rolling her eyes again, Flitter turned away, not dignifying the lecherous joke with a response. As she stared down the dimly lit tunnel, her keen sight detected a faint glow in the distance. Knowing any naturally burning flames would have gone out a long time ago, she crouched down and motioned for her sister to do the same.
“Cloud, do you see that light down there?” she whispered, unsure of whether to approach the unknown entity.
“Yeah, I do,” Cloudchaser confirmed. “If someone's trying to steal our prize, they’re going to regret ever being born.”
Edging down the dark tunnel, Flitter and Cloudchaser pulled out their weapons, a bow and broadsword respectively. As they approached the inner chamber, the sound of shuffling hooves steadily increased. The two mares shared a quick glance before Cloudchaser jumped out of the passageway, Flitter with her bow drawn right behind her.
One moment, the two sisters saw a tall stallion with dark brown fur and blue hair staring back at them with a startled expression on his face. The next, the stallion was charging full speed at them with wings extended and a shield in front ready to bash them down.
Flitter had just enough time to shout “WAI-” before he crashed into them, sending Cloudchaser tumbling to the floor. The stallion then rounded on Flitter as she squeaked in fright and let loose an arrow, which thunked harmlessly against his sturdy shield.
As he prepared to tackle her too, Cloudchaser sprang up and swung her broadsword, barely missing the stallion’s neck as he backtracked into a defensive stance. She readied her sword again while the stallion prepared for another charge, but both froze when Flitter’s resounding voice echoed around the room.
“STOP!”
Both Cloudchaser and the stallion stared at her with wide eyes as the command reverberated around the chamber.
“Everypony needs to step back and put their weapons down. We don’t want anyone to get hurt over a misunderstanding,” she reasoned, taking the initiative and lowering her bow to aim at the floor. The stallion’s golden eyes flickered over to Cloudchaser, whose broadsword was still firmly gripped in her mouth.
“Are you crazy, Flitter?” she balked, clearly not enthusiastic about lowering her guard. “This lunatic just tackled me and would have done the same to you if I hadn’t struck!”
“Lunatic!?” the stallion spluttered. “Who were the ones that jumped me with weapons drawn and fired an arrow that would have turned my skull into a shower head!?"
“Listen! Just lower your sword as a show of good faith, okay? Both of our weapons out-range his shield, so we can still react if he charges us. I don't want unnecessary bloodshed if we can talk this out,” Flitter interjected, desperate to avoid a confrontation when they were so lacking in the food and medicine departments.
Cloudchaser and the stallion stared at each other for a full ten seconds before she grudgingly moved out of her battle stance and slackened her grip on the sword’s handle. The stallion eyed her with suspicion at first, then followed suit by lowering his shield enough to expose his face. His golden eyes were narrowed and his snout was drawn into a grimace, but he at least seemed willing to talk.
“Good,” Flitter breathed as relief flooded her body. With any luck, this will all have been a mistake, and they would be able to go their separate ways. “Let’s start with an introduction. My name is Flitter, and that is my sister, Cloudchaser.”
Cloudchaser gave a grunt of affirmation without taking her eyes off him.
The stallion glared back at the aggressive of the two sisters and growled, “My name’s Skyfall. I’m here searching for the gilded goblet of house Hooflepuff.” Their eyes widened as he continued, “Judging by your reactions, I’m guessing you two are here for it as well.”
Seeing no point in denying his claim, Cloudchaser fired back, “Yeah, where is it? I don’t see it anywhere in the chamber.”
Skyfall adjusted his travel pack and replied, “Wherever it is, it’s not here. I’m guessing it's still in one of the other tunnels we haven’t explored yet.”
“Damn,” Flitter muttered, slinging her bow back on her barrel. “I guess we’ll have to do some more work then. The tunnel collapsed when my sister and I made our way here, so the path back is clogged.”
He snorted with exasperation. “Great, now we have to dig our way out of here, or we’ll die trapped in a natural tomb.”
The three ponies made their way back through the tunnel, Skyfall and Cloudchaser glaring all the way, each daring the other to make a wrong move. When they reached the cave in, he whistled at the sheer size of the boulders. “Damn, how did you girls not get crushed to death by these behemoths?”
Cloudchaser puffed out her chest and taunted, “When you’re good at treasure hunting, something like this is no big deal.”
Skyfall opened his mouth to shoot back a retort when Flitter interrupted, “Can we please stop arguing and work together? These rocks look too big to move alone, so we’re going to have to cooperate if we want a chance at getting out of here within the next century.”
Begrudgingly, the bickering ponies accepted the merit in her analysis and set to work moving the stone barrier between them and freedom. As Cloudchaser removed some of the smaller debris, Flitter moved to help Skyfall with a large boulder.
“Um… Skyfall…” she stammered.
He looked up with a grimace and drawled, “Yeah? What is it?”
Flitter flushed red at his aggressive glare before stammering, “I just wanted to apologize for what we did back in the chamber. I can understand why you were alarmed when two armed ponies popped out of nowhere.”
Skyfall’s sour gaze contorted into a confused expression before finally settling on a half-smile of understanding. “Oh... it’s fine. I get how it is down here. You can never be too careful when crawling through dangerous ruins and tunnels.”
Flitter smiled and returned to moving rocks. Skyfall fell into step with her, heaving the massive boulder blocking the cave exit with a grunt.
A pair of purple eyes followed their conversation as they talked, raising an eyebrow at their strangely pleasant tones of voice.
After two hours of work and a lot of swearing, the three treasure hunters finally managed to move enough of the rubble to get through to the outside. Emboldened by their Herculean accomplishment, they all conversed with strained yet proud voices.
“Finally! I thought we would never get through those damned rocks,” Cloudchaser panted, her chest heaving with each breath.
“Tell me about it. I think… my legs are falling off,” Flitter huffed, not quite as physically capable as her sister.
Skyfall opened his bag to pull out a ration pack and a canteen of water. As he took a bite, a rumbling noise erupted from somewhere to his left. Whipping around, he was greeted by the sight of Flitter's bright red face staring stoutly away from him with humiliation painted across her expression.
Biting back a chuckle, Skyfall rifled around the contents of his bag, which rattled until he pulled out another ration pack. Trying not to embarrass Flitter any further, he offered the extra rations without saying a word. She gratefully accepted the supplies with a reverent “thank you so much” and eagerly devoured the food.
Turning his head, he saw Cloudchaser staring intensely at him with an unreadable look on her face. Locking eyes with the stubborn mare, he grinned smugly and taunted, “You know, if you want some food too, all you have to do is ask~”
Flitter giggled at her sister’s predicament, but Cloudchaser didn't smile. In fact, her expression grew more hostile by the second. After several moments of tense silence, she uttered a question that made his blood run cold.
“What is in your pack?”
The temperature dropped ten degrees as all the arrogance drained from his face. Flitter glanced up in surprise as Cloudchaser continued to glare accusingly.
Skyfall stammered, but no words made it past his muzzle. After a moment of stunned shock, he spluttered, “w-what do you m-mean…”
“I mean," she barked aggressively, “that I heard something metal rattling around in your pack. What is it?”
Skyfall started to sweat nervously as he explained, “Th-Those are my hoof bracers. I use them to better withstand pressure from attacks with my shield.”
Without losing a beat, she pounced again on his faulty reasoning. “Really? If those are hoof bracers meant to withstand pressure, then why didn’t you use them when you were moving those heavy rocks? Also, since something was rattling around in your pack, those bracers need something metal to rattle against.”
Flitter’s eyes widened as she realized what her sister was getting at. “So, I’ll ask you again… WHAT IS IN YOUR PACK!?”
Several things happened at once. Cloudchaser drew her broadsword from its sheath and swung it straight at his neck, Flitter jumped up to try and stop her from committing murder, and Skyfall made a mad dash for the tunnel exit, desperately trying to evade the murderous mare hot on his hooves.
Living up to her name, Cloudchaser's hooves pounded the dirt as she chased Skyfall through the dark cave. Broadsword at the ready, she sprinted after him, intent on doing whatever it took to get the contents of his travel pack.
Despite her best efforts, her fatigued body couldn’t keep up with her quarry. Had she been at full strength, she would have caught him easily, but her various cuts and bruises forced the exhausted mare to the ground.
As her bleary vision faded, she made out Skyfall's concerned face as he slowed to help. Then, thinking better of it, he turned tail and ran out of the cave entrance, leaving her crumpled form in the dust.
“...cloud…” Someone was calling her name.
“Cloud.” The voice grew louder as her ears hurt with the strain of listening.
“CLOUD!”
Cloudchaser’s eyes finally opened to see her sister’s face peering down anxiously. At the sight of her expression, she gave a defeated moan and turned away, desperate not to see the worry and shame she felt reflected in Flitter’s eyes.
“He’s gone, isn’t he?”
“Forget that. Are you okay?” Flitter asked, fretting over her bruised legs and battered barrel.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Cloudchaser grunted as she got back on her hooves. “But you do realize what just happened, right? What he was carrying?”
“I can guess,” Flitter confirmed. “But we don’t know for sure if he did deceive us. Maybe he was just scared of you slicing his head off and ran before he could give a proper explanation.”
This time, it was Cloudchaser who rolled her eyes at Flitter’s optimism and faith in others. Hadn’t she realized that everyone was out to get them? Even their parents hadn’t stuck around, whether that was because they were dead or just didn’t want them, neither sister knew.
The two of them sat in silence for a while, not wanting to discuss their current situation. Eventually, Cloudchaser couldn’t resist and asked, "I’m guessing this means no pay day for next month’s rent, right?”
Flitter put her head in her hooves and sighed, “Let’s not think about that. For now, let’s focus on getting out of this damn cave.”
Skyfall burst out of the tunnel entrance and sprinted towards the forest surrounding the mountains. Panting, he flew up a tree, wincing as a stitch in his side screamed in agony. When his breathing returned to normal, he frantically checked the condition of his travel pack, but all the straps were still connected and unbroken. Letting out a sigh of relief, he unclasped the pack and reached inside for his prize.
The small golden cup had two handles opposite each other with a tiny golden badger engraved into it's body. Despite not knowing it's significance, Skyfall couldn’t help but stare in awe at the beautiful golden marvel. Stowing it away, he glanced at the horizon and noticed intense storm clouds approaching the area.
“Damn, I need to get back into town before the rain sets in,” Skyfall muttered as he climbed down the tree, navigating to the nearby settlement. Glancing back at the darkening sky, he remembered another reason why he was worried about clouds.
“That Cloudchaser is a lot more intuitive than I thought,” he pondered. “I do feel kinda bad about tricking her and her sister. Maybe I should go back and help them before the storm arrives.” Thinking back to the look of rage and hostility Cloudchaser gave him before his escape, he shook his head and brushed off the suicidal prospect.
“Well, hopefully they have something to weather the storm. I’ve got my own problems to deal with. I swear, this whole transition has been a huge pain in the flank. If I ever have to move into a new place again, it’ll be too soon.”
The two sisters clung tight to each other as they battled their way through the hurricane. With their supply bag crushed under the fallen rocks, they had no wetsuits or ponchos to shield against the raging torrent.
“Can you see the town yet?” Cloudchaser shouted as water soaked her from all sides.
“No! I can barely see anything,” Flitter responded, rain stinging her eyes with every hoofstep.
After escaping the underground tunnel, the two mares were greeted by the delightful sight of a flash flood pulling rocks and mud down the side of the mountain. With no choice but to push through, they braved the harsh elements for over half-an-hour before finally reaching the outskirts of their hometown.
“Wait, look!” Cloudchaser yelled as lights became visible in the distance.
A unicorn guard with his horn lit approached the pair of waterlogged ponies and yelled, “What the hay are you two doing out here? It’s raining like the start of the apocalypse!”
The three of them hid under the roof of a nearby watch tower as Cloudchaser explained who they were and what they were doing out of town so late.
“Ah, treasure hunters,” the guard nodded. “I hope what you found out there was worth a lot, because I don’t think you’ll be going out again any time soon.”
The two sisters shared a quizzical glance, not understanding why they couldn’t go back out after the rain died down. Seeing their expressions, the guard explained, "In these parts, the water that runs down from the mountains mixes with the earth after a heavy rainstorm and creates massive bogs that flood the tunnels and ruins. Those swamps cut this town off from most of the major dig sites.” Raising his eyebrows at their lack of supply bags, he inquired, “Wait, you two did find something out there, right?”
Flitter averted her gaze as Cloudchaser glowered, “Yeah, we found something, but someone else had the same idea and took off with it before we could do anything.”
“Hmm...” the guard hummed, scratching his head, “those kinds of attacks and robberies have been on the rise. I may need to involve the royal guard if they continue. Do you have any idea who stole your artifact?”
Before she could give Skyfall’s description, Flitter interjected, “Actually, it wasn’t exactly a theft. Another treasure hunter just got to it before us and didn’t want to split the reward. There’s no need to concern yourself over it.”
Not sensing Cloudchaser’s indignation, the guard relaxed. “Oh, alright then. Just be careful out there in the future. Rumors of bandits and robbers have been circulating, and I’m sorry to say they’re probably true.”
Flitter bowed in appreciation. “Thank you for the warning and for helping us get out of the storm. I hope you have a good night.”
After parting ways with the guard, Cloudchaser rounded on her sister. “What the hay, Flitter? Why’d you cover for that stealing bastard? I was gonna get him arrested by the guard!”
Flitter stared back with a depressed gaze. “We don’t have any proof that he tricked us or that he stole the goblet. Also, even if we could prove he was there, we still couldn’t have him arrested because he was in the right. Don’t forget, he got to the chamber before us, and the rules of treasure hunting state: first come, first serve.”
“Y-yeah, but…” Cloudchaser stuttered before relapsing into silence as she struggled to find a way to pin the blame on Skyfall.
Eventually, the two reached the small, homely apartment they shared with each other. Cloudchaser approached the door, eagerly anticipating a proper meal and a long nap, but a purple hoof blocked her before she could get the desperately needed R&R.
“Hold on!”
“Whaaaaaaaat?” she groaned, every muscle in her body feeling as if she’d run a marathon.
“You saw that our old neighbor moved out a few weeks ago, right?” Flitter asked, gazing questioningly at the door next to theirs.
“Yeah, and good thing too. That old guy used to hit on me every time I left to check the mail,” Cloudchaser replied, shuddering at the memory of a stallion three times her age offering to ‘show her around’.
Flitter gestured to the welcome mat under the neighbor’s door. “Well, it looks like someone new moved in. Maybe we should say hello.”
Cloudchaser gave a snort of disbelief. “Are you serious? It’s too late for social calls. I’m exhausted and wanna get some sleep.”
Despite her sister’s resistance, Flitter dragged her to the neighbor’s door and knocked lightly three times. When no answer came, she knocked again a little harder and was met with the same result. Finally, Cloudchaser lost her temper and raised an armored hoof before slamming it into the wooden door, creating a loud BOOM and leaving a large dent in the frame.
“CLOUD!” Flitter shrieked as Cloudchaser pulled back to deliver another blow.
“What? You said we should introduce ourselves,” she countered, grinning smugly at the impact crater.
“Yes, but I don’t want us to be remembered as the ponies that caused a massive disturbance and damaged somepony’s property!” Flitter admonished, frantically checking to see if anypony had noticed the sound.
Before Cloudchaser could bite back, an all too familiar voice rang out from behind the door.
“Alright, I hear you! Just wait a damn minute.”
Both sisters froze in place. They had heard that voice before and knew exactly which pony it belonged to. Time slowed to a crawl as the door swung open to reveal the stallion behind it.
“Jeez, you bankers are relentless! I thought you said the mortgage payments on the condo wouldn’t start until next month.”
His words died in his throat as he stared open-mouthed at the similarly shocked pegasi standing on his doormat.
Skyfall, Flitter, and Cloudchaser gaped in stunned silence for several seconds before their faces shifted into various expressions ranging from fear to concern to murderous intent.
Skyfall’s apartment was normally a tidy home with a place for everything and everything in its place. Today, however, it resembled the site where a hurricane and a nuclear bomb had an ill-tempered baby.
Glasses and plates littered the floor as flipped over furniture landed yards away from its original position. The only thing that remained was a deadbolted table in the middle of the living room, though not from lack of effort. Skyfall frantically circled the guardian table as his pursuer did everything she could to wring his neck like a soaked towel.
Cloudchaser leered menacingly at her prey, making every appearance of a lion ready to pounce. Skyfall, shaking nervously, glared back while doing everything he could to stay out of reach from death’s hooves.
As Cloudchaser prepared to make another lunge, a voice rang out from behind her.
“STOP!”
For the second time that day, the two fighters stared at Flitter as she berated their aggressive behavior. “Cloud, stop attacking Skyfall. You could seriously hurt him if you keep that up!”
Cloudchaser glared at the quivering stallion and growled, “I know. That was the plan."
“What is wrong with you ponies? That’s the second time you’ve almost killed me today!” Skyfall yelled, blood dripping down his bashed muzzle and cut cheek.
Before Cloudchaser could make another attempt at murder, Flitter grabbed her sister’s wing in her muzzle and dragged her away from the table. “We already talked about this when we got into town. He didn’t do anything wrong, and we don’t have any proof either way.”
“Yeah, but he’s right here!” Cloudchaser shot back. “We both know what he did. Let’s just take him down now and get the cup-thingy before he knows what hit him.”
Flitter shook her head. “No, Cloud, we can’t.”
“Sure we can!” Cloudchaser argued back. “We outnumber him, and he doesn’t have any equipment on either.”
“I meant that we shouldn’t. We don’t have any claim over that goblet. He found it first, so he gets to claim the reward. That’s always been the rule among treasure hunters, and we have to follow it if we want to keep our reputation.”
Cloudchaser dismissively waved the word away. “Screw reputation! I don’t think anyone would care if we took it. He should have thought about that before lying to our faces about the cup’s whereabouts.”
“Regardless of what happened afterward, it doesn’t change the fact that we don’t have any right to the goblet. I’m sure you’ve already thought through every way he could have wronged us and came up with nothing. That’s why you didn’t go back to the guards to report him.”
Cloudchaser gaped for a few seconds, looking between Flitter and Skyfall for a place to turn. Finding none, she let out a yell of frustration and stormed out of the wrecked place, slamming the partially dented door behind her.
Flitter sighed tiredly and turned to look at Skyfall who was mopping up the blood on his face with a kitchen rag. “Skyfall, I’m really sorry about what just happened. Are you okay?”
He gave her an appreciative nod before dropping the bloody towel into the sink. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve taken worse hits than this before.” Looking around his destroyed home, he mumbled, “Though the same can’t be said about my stuff. She was really trying to get me.”
“Yeah, Cloud was really looking forward to buying some meat with the reward money. We haven’t been able to eat much of it for a while, so she was really disappointed when we weren’t able to get the goblet.”
Skyfall gave a nervous glance toward his bedroom. “Oh, I wasn’t expecting her to like meat since most ponies can’t stand it.”
“Well, she must have gotten a tooth for it somewhere since she’s loved it ever since we were kids. She always tells me the reason she’s so much stronger than I am is because of the protein in her diet.”
Sky nodded in affirmation. “She’s not wrong about that. I’ve been eating meat for a while and have definitely felt myself gaining muscle. I hope I can find my groceries in this mess. I had just gotten back from the market before you girls…uh... came to visit.”
Flitter adopted a guilty expression as she remembered what Cloudchaser had done to his property. “Do you need any help cleaning up? I’m really sorry for doing this to your home.”
Skyfall shook his head at her offer. “Don’t worry about it. I was actually thinking of doing a little redecorating anyways.”
She giggled into her hoof and made her way towards the door. “Very funny. Well, I guess I’ll leave you to that. I need to go make sure Cloud doesn’t try to sneak through your window later tonight.”
“Thanks, Flitter. Don’t forget to tell her that there’s a cover charge for staying over at my place.” He snickered at his own joke.
“Also, just call me Sky from now on. Skyfall was my grandfather’s name.”
Cloudchaser didn’t say a single word the entire rest of the night. Flitter suspected she was brooding over several different ways to get revenge on Skyfall, each one more horrible and depraved than the last. Trying to prevent another conversation with the town guards, she distracted Cloud from her morning schemes with a more pressing matter.
“Hey, sis, do you have any extra bits for the rent this month?”
Cloudchaser looked up from her sadistic fantasies to give her a worried frown. “Not a single coin. I wasn’t expecting the rainstorm to flood the ancient ruin for so long.” Her expression darkened as she growled, “Of course, if it weren’t for somepony, we would have 2,000 bits to fall back on to make it through.”
Rolling her eyes, Flitter didn’t bother to correct her sister again since it became apparent that nothing short of a miracle would ever make her forgive Skyfall for his supposed transgression.
Turning back to the budget sheet on her desk, she recounted all their expenses just to make sure there wasn’t a discrepancy with the massive number staring back at her. “Well, at least our grocery costs are pretty low. If we ration out how much we eat, we might actually be able to afford rent until the ruins clear up!”
Cloudchaser froze in place as Flitter delivered the ominous news. “Oh no...”
Flitter’s eyes narrowed as her sister avoided eye contact. “What do you mean, ‘oh no’?”
Rubbing her hooves together, Cloudchaser sheepishly returned her sister's appraising gaze. “Well, I didn’t think it would be a big deal. I mean, come on, what are the odds that the ruins would get flooded and our supplies would need replacing AND we’d get shafted 2,000 bits all in the span of one day?”
Preparing for the worst, Flitter gripped the table and asked again, dreading the answer. “What… Did… You… Do?”
Starting to sweat, Cloudchaser nervously backed away from her sister’s threatening aura. “It’s not a huge deal. I just took some bits to buy a new sword sheath. My old one was getting caught when I tried to pull my sword out, and I didn’t want to get killed because a wardrobe malfunction prevented me from using my weapon.”
Flitter stared for several seconds before speaking in a contained yet dangerous tone. “You do realize that we had a combined 900 bits between the two of us, right? And that our rent alone is 700 of that?"
Cloudchaser's dry lips trembled at the look she was receiving. Feeling their world crumbling around her, Flitter prepared to hear the worst and asked, “How much was it?”
Just as Cloudchaser was about to speak her last words, a knock on the door interrupted the interrogation. Jumping up, she sprinted toward the front yelling, “Don’t worry; I’ll get it!” Breathing freely again, she silently promised to thank whoever had spared her from her sister's encompassing wrath.
“Hi, what can I do for yo-” Cloudchaser started before cutting herself off at the sight of the knocker.
“Um, hi,” Skyfall stumbled. "I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting that kind of welcome from you, Ms. Sword Swinger.”
Cloudchaser’s face contorted into a growl as she slammed the door on one of his hooves. Luckily, he was wearing his metal hoof bracers at the time, but it still hurt like Tartarus. “Ow! What the hay!? Is that how you treat everypony that knocks on your door?”
“Only the ones I don’t want to see,” she shot back, preparing to slam the door on his face when another voice called out.
“Cloud, who is it?” Flitter’s shock at seeing Skyfall again so soon after yesterday’s scuffle evaporated as his injured hoof came into view. “Oh my Celestia, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Skyfall assured her. “The bracer took most of the blow, so I don’t think my hoof is broken.”
Flitter gave another sigh of relief before noticing a square package laying on the ground. “Oh, Sky, I think you dropped something.” She offered the parcel to his uninjured hoof, but he shook his head and pushed it back towards her.
“No, I was actually coming over to give that to you. Think of it as a welcoming gift from a new neighbor.”
Gazing curiously at the present, Flitter lifted the lid until it fell away, leaving both sisters open-mouthed at its contents. Sitting in the middle of the cushioning was the golden goblet of house Hooflepuff in all its radiant glory. Bright sunbeams reflected off the golden cup and blinded them for a moment before dimming to its usual shimmer.
Cloudchaser gaped at the glimmering artifact as Flitter looked up in alarm. “Sky, are you sure you meant to give this to us? You must know what it is and how much it’s worth, right?”
Skyfall smiled wryly as he rubbed the bruised spot on his hoof. “Yeah, I saw the bounty poster in town hall. I figured that you two could use it more than I could right now with the flood cutting off the ruins.” Seeing the trepidation and scorn growing on the two sisters' faces, he added, “If you have to, think of it as an apology for the way I tricked you two last night.”
Flitter waved off his apology with a hoof. “Oh no, you don’t need to apologize. It’s smart to be wary of strangers, especially in our line of wor--”
"HOLD IT!”
This time, Cloudchaser was the one that silenced the others as she glared suspiciously at Skyfall. “What are you playing at?”
Flitter gasped at her sister’s rude accusation towards their generous neighbor. “Cloud, don’t be rude! Sky just offered us a really valuable relic that he had every right to keep for himself.”
“That’s exactly why I’m so suspicious,” she retorted, still eyeing him with distrust. “Back in the cave, he did everything he could to hide it from us, but now all of a sudden he’s Robin Hoof giving us thousands of bits like they grow on trees? Something’s not right here.”
Flitter prepared to reprimand her sister again, but Skyfall cut her off with a hoof. “No, it’s okay. She’s not wrong about me having another motive.”
He pulled a flier from his pack and held it out. "I’m not sure if you girls know, but there’s going to be a new dig site being excavated after the flood passes. The archaeological community announced that there’s going to be a ton of buried treasure, so more treasure hunters are going to be in the area soon.”
“Okay, so why are you bringing this up?” Cloudchaser questioned, still cautious of his intentions.
“As more hunters show up, we’re more likely to run into each other as we search for the same loot. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you what happens when treasure hunters fight for gold.” The three of them flashed back to the moment Skyfall rammed his shield into Cloudchaser, and Flitter had tried to turn him into Swiss cheese. “I just thought that if we teamed up and worked together, we’d all have a better chance of making it out alive with some bits to our names.”
The two sisters glanced at each other before Flitter clarified, “Basically, you want to form a search party together to fend off any competing treasure hunters that might attack us during the expedition, right?”
“Yep!” he confirmed. “I know you two are experienced treasure hunters and capable fighters, so I figured you were my best bet for trustworthy partners. Oh, and don’t worry about the goblet. I’m not expecting you to decide now, and you can still claim the reward whether you accept the deal or not. I just wanted to present the offer before next week when the dig site opens up to explorers.”
Flitter smiled and tucked away the golden cup. “Well, we’re grateful for your offer and generosity. Cloud and I will need to discuss this for a bit, but I promise we’ll let you know our answer before the mine opens.” Turning to Cloudchaser, she murmured, “Go on, say ‘thank you’.”
Cloudchaser bit her lip and averted her gaze. Eventually, she swallowed her stubborn pride and grumbled, “Yeah… sure… thanks I guess.”
Skyfall smirked and raised his injured hoof. “No problem, Cloud. Just promise not to smash my hoof in anymore doors, okay?”
Cloudchaser glowed beet red and spluttered before growling, “My name is Cloudchaser. Only my friends can call me Cloud.”
His grin only widened as he trotted back to his own apartment. “I hear you. I have to go now, so get back to me soon with your answer. See you later, Flitter. You too… Cloud~”
Cloudchaser gave one more indignant grunt before his door shut behind him. As the disgruntled mare imagined all the horrible things she wanted to do to him, Flitter began giggling at her sister's frustration.
“What’s so funny?” Cloudchaser barked.
Flitter calmed down enough to quip, “Well, it seems you and Sky are getting pretty close to each other. When should I schedule the wedding for?”
“Not funny, sis,” Cloudchaser groaned, knowing the joke wasn’t going away any time soon. “I don’t even want to think about getting married to that jerk. Just the thought of it makes me want to hurl.”
Flitter burst into another fit of giggles, trotting back inside to hang the flier and store the goblet away for collection.
Of all the problems in the world, the feeling of an overstuffed wallet is by far the best to have.
Cloudchaser dug through the reward bag, letting the beautiful gold coins glitter around her hoof. “Ahh, music to my ears. This is what every day should be like. Now that we have a full bank account, I’m going to get a full feeling in my stomach with some meat!”
Before she could turn to the busy marketplace, something grabbed her by the tail and yanked back with a sharp tug. “Ow! What the hay, Flitter? Are you trying to make me go bald before thirty?”
Flitter snatched the money bag out of her hooves as she retorted, “If that’s what it takes to make you see reason, then yes. I hope you didn't forget that we still need to resupply as well as pay off our rent.”
“I remember,” Cloudchaser mumbled, rubbing her flank with a hoof, “I just thought having a little lunch would brighten up the mood.”
“There’s no way I’m trusting you with our money again. I still can’t believe you spent three hundred bits on a sword sheath. If Sky hadn’t helped us out, we wouldn’t have been able to pay this month. I’ve got to find a way to thank him for that.”
Cloudchaser's snout wrinkled as she let out a contemptuous snort. “Don’t bother. He said it was an apology for the way he left us stranded in the middle of a monsoon, remember?” She gave an annoyed swish of her tail at the memory. “Also, why did you start calling him ‘Sky’? Is there something I’m missing here?”
“No, there’s nothing going on,” Flitter responded. “He asked me to call him that since his grandfather went by the same full name.”
“When did you find that out? I haven’t seen him around for the last couple days.”
Flitter flashed her a harsh glare and growled, “He told me after you wrecked his home and stormed out without fixing any of the damages.”
Cloudchaser’s cheeks grew warm as she remembered the violent temper tantrum she had thrown days earlier. “Oh, right. If he didn’t want to get on my bad side, then he shouldn’t have lied and left us out to dry in a hurricane.”
Flitter could feel her guilt and shame building, but decided to let them stew for a bit longer to make the lesson more memorable. “Speaking of Sky, have you given his proposal any more thought?”
Cloudchaser smirked again at her phrasing and leaped at the opportunity. “I don’t know. I’m not sure if I’d be happy in an open marriage with my own sister in it.”
Flitter shot her a deprecating eye roll as Cloudchaser struggled to contain her newest humor. “I’m serious. I promised to tell him before the new mines open up, which is happening tomorrow in case you forgot.”
Cloudchaser calmed down enough to give the same answer she had maintained for the past week. “I really don’t know. He seems like a decent hunter and fighter, but he’s still a lying jerk that stole our treasure and got us soaked in the Swamp Maker 2000TM.”
“Are you still mad at him for that? We never owned the goblet to begin with, and he was generous enough to give it back to us as a genuine apology. He didn’t even try to coerce us into joining him for it!”
“Maybe so, but future apologies can’t erase past mistakes.”
Cloudchaser’s muzzle split into a knowing grin. “Besides, I think we both know why you want to group up with him so much.”
Flitter groaned as Cloud bit back another chuckle. “Ugh, not this again. I already told you that I don’t like him. I’ve barely known him for a week, which isn’t nearly enough time to know if you like someone.”
“Oh yeah? That’s not what you said in your sleep last night~”
Flitter froze. Not turning around, she clenched her jaw and stuttered, “What d-do you mean?”
“I mean,“ Cloudchaser pressed, a mischievous smirk on her muzzle, “that you seemed to be having a very intimate ‘conversation’ with him in your dreams if your giggling moans were anything to go off of.”
“...A-are you serious?” Flitter squeaked, terror and embarrassment gripping her soul.
Cloudchaser stared at her for several torturous seconds, letting her stew in humiliation as revenge for her earlier guilt shaming tactic.
“Nah, I’m just punking you, sis. The contents of your dirty dreams remain a mystery to me… for now.”
Flitter gaped before launching herself forward and tackling Cloudchaser to the ground. “You pervy little pixie! Don’t ever joke like that again!” she screeched, punching at every inch of her sister’s body she could reach.
Cloudchaser, however, being the stronger of the two, laughed and reversed their positions so that Flitter was the one pinned to the ground. “Not as long as you keep calling him ‘Sky’ like a lovesick diamond dog.”
Skyfall opened the oven as he put the finishing touches on his newest masterpiece. The smell of fresh pastry wafted through the apartment as he pulled the baking tray out. “Ahh, there’s nothing like the smell of home cooking.”
Glancing at the calendar taped to the wall, Skyfall remembered why he had started stress-baking in the first place. The new dig site was scheduled to open the very next day, and he hadn’t heard a response back from either sister.
Despite hating the need for new partners, he wasn’t so prideful as to deny the truth. He needed support from the two mares since his shield alone wouldn't be enough to fight off a gang of ravenous bandits.
Just as he was considering going to ask them again, the familiar sound of Flitter’s quiet knocking echoed through the abode.
“Finally! I thought they skipped town or something.” Opening the door, he was greeted by the two sisters, one of which was giving him a welcoming smile. “Hi, Flitter! You too, Cloud.”
“Hello, Sky,” Flitter started, nudging Cloudchaser in the side as she opened her muzzle to retort, “We just wanted to get back to you about your offer to form a party.”
“Great! The mines open tomorrow, so I’ll need to know your decision before then. So? Do you want to work together?”
Flitter pawed the ground nervously. “Well, we’d love to sign on together, but it’s a really big commitment to make this quickly. Cloud and I wanted to ask you if we could form an alliance first instead of an official hunting party.”
Raising his eyebrows at her phrasing, he asked, “What do mean an ‘alliance’? Would we still be working together?”
“Well, we would communicate about the locations of treasure and other hunters as well as fight to aid each other in case of an attack, but we would still have freedom to move separately and keep the money we make for ourselves.”
“I see. What would happen if we go after the same treasure?” Skyfall inquired, remembering their scuffle that almost turned his head into a pincushion.
“We would talk with each other instead of fighting, and the first pony to touch the artifact would get to keep it.”
Cloudchaser snorted derisively, “That way, no one will have to lie or cheat to collect the treasure.”
Flitter glared and kicked Cloudchaser’s cutie mark, causing her to let out a yip of surprise. “Either way, let’s use this arrangement as a trial run to see if we can work effectively as a group. If things go well and all three of us enjoy it, maybe we can consider doing something more serious with each other.”
Cloudchaser and Skyfall choked and hid their muzzles behind their hooves at her frequent unfortunate phrasing.
Flitter, realizing what she had said, turned beet red and frantically moved to rectify her statement. “No, wait! I just meant that we should experiment with each other before going all the way in!”
At this, they lost control. Cloudchaser and Skyfall collapsed to the ground in hysterical laughter, crying tears and pounding their hooves on the ground.
Flitter gave up trying to save what little dignity she had left and waited for their fits to end, grumbling to herself the whole time. Eventually, they all managed to become coherent enough to make their alliance official, shaking hooves with each other to seal the deal.
“Alright, I guess we’ll be looking out for each other tomorrow. Don’t worry though,“ Skyfall quipped with an eyebrow wiggle to Flitter, “whatever happens between us stays between us.”
Flitter’s cheeks burned scarlet as Cloudchaser chortled at her sister’s embarrassment. “Right, Cloud and I will do our best to help out. I look forward to working with you.”
“Cool, I feel better already. Now that's settled, I need to get back to my baking. There’s a fresh piece of blueberry crumble waiting for me to eat it, so I’ll see you girls tomorrow!” he concluded, closing the door behind him with the mouthwatering scent of blueberries.
“Bye, Sky! See you tomorrow,” Flitter smiled.
“Yeah, see ya later, Sky,” Cloudchaser chuckled, still reeling from her earlier laughing fit.
As the two turned away, Cloudchaser yawned and checked her bit pouch. “Hey, sis, do you have any cash on you? I want to go down to the market before it closes and get some meat from the griffon vendors.”
Flitter wasn’t listening, but rather staring at her with a quizzical expression.
The town hall filled with court officials, printed leaflets, and hungry treasure hunters desperate for an early crack at the new dig site. Several guard ponies stood sentry outside the archaeology chamber, ready to push back in case an eager hunter decided to jump the gun.
“What did I tell you about other hunters?” Sky mumbled, his eyes scanning for the bounty board. “We’ll be lucky to get out of here without being trampled to death, let alone with any bounty information.”
A small voice to his left gave a squeak of agreement. Looking down, he saw Flitter being crushed against a wall by a particularly imposing stallion who was built more like a tank than a pony. “Hey, Arnold Schwarzeneighger, give her some space will you?”
The stallion leered down at Sky with a menacing growl before pushing through a crowd of other hunters like they were overgrown branches on a bike path. Glaring after him, Skyfall reached down to help Flitter back to her hooves. “Are you okay? That guy didn’t exactly look like he was on a diet.”
Flitter giggled at his snipe and replied, “Yes, thanks for the rescue. I think that might have actually been Arnold Schwarzeneighger.”
Sky let out a bark and grinned, “At least you’re prepared for what might happen out there in the ruins. I guarantee that some of the hunters here will do a lot worse than just push you against a wall. Look out for yourself, okay?”
Flitter nodded, but a voice cut her off before she could reply. “Yeah, dote on Flitter why don’t you… It’s not like there’s anyone else in the group that’s having a bad time.”
Smirking, Sky turned and snarked, "Since you’re built bigger than most stallions, I thought you’d have no problem in a place like this.”
Cloudchaser returned the witty challenge with a grin of her own. “Yeah I am, and proud of it. Of course, you wouldn’t know the benefits of having muscle Mr. Tiny Twig.” She flexed the well toned bulges of her haunches, giving Skyfall a very clear view of her most prized assets.
Cheeks burning, he opened his muzzle to give her a stinging comeback when a new voice broke over the crowded room.
“ATTENTION EVERYPONY!”
Everyone quieted down and gazed at the official-looking pony now reading off a scroll. “As I’m sure you’re all aware, the new mines are opening today and with them comes a new plethora of undiscovered artifacts and relics. However, due to changing circumstances, there will be new rules put in place for this expedition.”
A murmur rippled throughout the gathered crowd. One young adventurer raised his hoof and asked, “What happened? Why are we getting a new set of rules instead of the ones we always followed?”
The council representative shifted his eyes to stare at the fresh cadet and sneered, “If you had let me finish, I would have told you that there has been an increase in hill bandits and robberies in this area, so an increase in security is needed to ensure every creature's safety.”
Turning away from the embarrassed colt, he moved to explain the new regulations. "The first new rule is that no one will be allowed to explore the mines unless they are traveling in a group of at least three creatures.”
Shouts of indignation erupted from the crowd as many started shaking their hooves and claws in the representative’s direction. The council member had to raise his voice to a yell in order to make himself heard. “This is because the council believes any group smaller than this will not be able to effectively defend themselves in the event of a confrontation!”
Several more hunters protested this requirement, but the representative ignored them and continued with the announcement.
“In addition, in order to receive information about bounties or collection processes, you must have a valid treasure hunting license and register it with the archaeology department to ensure that we know who is out there searching for artifacts!”
This new rule caused several of the out-of-town hunters to yell curses and insults, which eventually escalated to a full-blown riot with the council representative running off stage to avoid the water bottles and half-eaten apples being thrown at him. Together, the three pegasi edged out of the mosh pit towards the registration office.
“Those griffons and yaks are really going at him!” Sky said, watching one yak pick up a table and hurl it towards the back wall.
"It’s not really surprising,” Flitter responded, backing away from them nonetheless. “Most of them are from up north and don’t have valid pony IDs.”
The guards ran forward to calm down the raging yak as he picked up another table and prepared to smash a new hole in the roof. As the sentries left their post, a lightbulb went off in Cloud's head. Leaning towards the other two, she pointed to the empty office and whispered, “Look! All the guards left the front desk. If we’re quiet, we should be able to sneak in there and get first dibs on the ruins!”
Flitter gave her a look of admonishment. “Cloud, you know we can’t just barge into somepony’s office and demand they give us-”
“That’s brilliant, Cloud! Let’s go now before somepony else gets the same idea.”
The two sisters stared at Sky in astonishment as he moved towards the registration desk. Realizing they weren’t following, he turned around and called, “What’s with the holdup? We should strike while the iron is hot.”
“It’s just that you agreed with me instead of siding with Flitter. Usually you always take her side and snark at me with a joke,” Cloudchaser explained, still a little stunned by his compliment.
Skyfall’s eyebrows scrunched in concern. “Wait, what? Why would you think that? I never meant to show any favorites.”
Cloud gave a disbelieving snort. “Sure, and the Dragonlands are a good place to grow food. I mean, just today you rushed over to help Flitter from that walking brick house, and you’re still calling me ‘Cloud’ even though I’ve told you several times that only my friends are allowed to call me that!”
Sky blinked several times before adopting a hurt expression. “Do you not consider me a friend?”
Flitter glanced nervously at the two of them, but turned towards the registration office as a movement caught her eye.
Cloudchaser opened her muzzle, but no words would come out as she didn’t seem to know how to answer the sudden awkward question; however, her silence was enough to send the message.
Sky looked away with his head bowed. “Well, I’m sorry you feel that way. I really thought we might’ve been getting along these past couple days.”
Turning away from her, he muttered, “And for the record, I went to help Flitter first because she’s smaller, and I knew you’d be able to handle yourself well in this environment. As for the nickname, I called you that because I wanted to be your friend before we would be working together as partners. But, if it really annoys you that much, I can refrain from using it. Would that work for you, Cloudchaser?”
The atmosphere grew thick with tension as Cloudchaser gaped, unable to form a proper response. “Well… I mean… I didn’t…”
Just as she was about to melt from awkwardness, Flitter’s voice broke through the brittle mood. “Hey, take a look at the registration office!”
Glad to have an out, Cloudchaser sprinted over to her sister. Flitter pointed towards three stallions who were moving stealthily into the office before closing the door behind them. “Horse feathers! Looks like they beat us to the registration. Are you two happy with yourselves? You just cost us an early lead!”
Skyfall and Cloudchaser looked down at their hooves as Flitter berated them. Sighing, she decided to put an end to the foalish squabbling once and for all. “Alright, you two heard what that announcer said about the group requirement, right?” They nodded, knowing what was coming next. “Well, it looks like we’re going to have to form a party after all, and I don’t want any of this drama while we’re digging through a tunnel. You two are going to make up with each other right now and work together.”
She gave them one of her rare dangerous looks. “Unless, of course, you’d like me to fix the problem for you two…”
Sensing the hidden meaning behind those words, Sky and Cloud turned to each other and started their apologies.
“Listen, Cloudchaser,” Skyfall started, “I never meant to give you the impression that I liked you less than Flitter. I was always more crass and blunt with you because I assumed you were the type of girl that would appreciate a more coarse treatment than the overly polite farce most guys put on in front of girls. But, that still doesn’t excuse the fact that I egged you on by disrespecting your preferred name. So, for what it’s worth, I am sorry. I hope we can still be friends after this.”
Cloudchaser's ears flattened as her shame and embarrassment swelled after hearing his apology. Sucking up her stubborn pride, she pawed the ground nervously and started her own path to reconciliation.
“Skyfall, I’ll admit that I didn’t like you at first. From tackling me to the ground with a shield to lying about that golden cup-thingy, we didn’t really start off on a good hoof.”
She paused to carefully form her next words. “But, ever since then, I’ve started to see that you’re not such a bad guy. You’re a good hunter and fighter, a decent neighbor, a generous patron, and one of the only ponies cool enough to eat meat. Not to mention that we both love making fun of Flitter’s dirty mouth."
They both snickered while Flitter rolled her eyes and made a mental reminder to add another filter before she spoke. “So, I guess it would be fine if you called me ‘Cloud’, but only if I can call you ‘Sky’.”
Sky smiled and took advantage of her phrasing. “Sure, Cloud, but just remember there’s a cover charge for taking up some of my air space.”
They all erupted into uncontrollable laughter at the terrible pun. Flitter smiled at the newly formed friendships they were making together and had one more idea to strengthen their bond.
“Well, I’m glad we can all get along now. Let’s celebrate our new party with a group hug!”
“...”
“...what…”
Sky and Cloud stared at her like she had turned into a dragon. When it became clear that she wasn’t joking, Cloud groaned, "Ugh, can we not do that sappy stuff? It always makes me gag when you sigh at those cringey romance movies.”
“Nuh uh, you’re not getting out that easily. We need to build a sense of camaraderie between us if we want to work well together, and this is the best way for us to become more intimat-”
Flitter cut herself off, her self-imposed filter warning of the mistake, but it was too late. Sky and Cloud clutched each other as they tried not to fall down through their newest bouts of laughter.
Seeing her opportunity, Flitter squeezed the two of them in a group hug full of joy, laughter, and embarrassment. A warmth spread between them as they all agreed to place their full trust and commitment into the party.
Pulling away, Flitter chuckled, a little color rising in her face. “So, now that we’ve officially formed our hunting party, what do you guys say we go make some money?”
Cloudchaser jumped up at the prospect. “Oh, hay yeah! Let’s get in there and snag some bounties before those other three steal all the good ones.”
The two sisters moved towards the office, chatting about what jobs they would want to take. Sky, however, was rooted to the spot as a scarlet hue rose to his cheeks. Feeling the sides of his barrel, he frantically stored the feeling of the group hug into his memory. Staring into empty space, he smiled dumbly and mumbled, “Soft…"
The three ponies made their way through the dark tunnel, guided by nothing but the torch held in Skyfall’s hoof. Glancing back, he snarked, “Cloud, it’s a cave. Unless you’ve been closing your eyes every time you’ve gone hunting for the past couple years, I’m sure you’ve seen hundreds of them by now.”
Cloudchaser gave an affronted huff. “No, you idiot, not the cave. I feel like we’ve been in this situation before, like something's going to repeat.”
Sky rolled his eyes and scoffed, “If you’re talking about you using your brain for once, it can’t be a repeat since it never happened before.”
Cloud smacked his flank with the flat of her sword, causing him to yelp and drop the torch. “If it weren’t for you acting like a pony shield, I’d do a lot worse to you than that.”
Picking up the light again, Sky mumbled, “I think we both know your sword can’t cut through my shield. I’d like to see you try and slice my flank off.”
Her face contorted into an evil grin as she chuckled, “Watch it, tough guy. I never said it would be the edge going into your flank." The sharp, pointed tip of her broadsword glinted ominously in the torchlight.
Before he could fully process her innuendo, his hoof bracer snagged on an unfortunately familiar trip wire. A loud snap echoed ominously throughout the tunnel as all three of them froze in place, too terrified to move an inch.
Suddenly, the roof of the tunnel began to shake and crumble. Flitter let out a squeak of fright as pieces of rock and dust bounced off her back. Skyfall whipped around in surprise before his eyes widened in terror.
Sprinting forward to escape the caving area, he yelled, “RUN! TRAP!”
Snapping out of their fearful stupor, they all dived for cover right before a massive boulder came crashing down directly where they had been standing seconds prior. As debris flew through the air, a shout of dismay mixed with the collapsing rubble before the tunnel went silent.
Coughing dirt out of his lungs, Sky brushed away the debris coating his muzzle. The plumes of dust made it impossible to see, so instead he called out, “Flitter! Cloud! Are you two okay?”
Cloudchaser’s voice called back in a weak yet determined tone. “Yeah, I’m fine. My armor protected me from most of the rocks.”
“Flitter? Are you okay?” he called out again.
A meek whimper sounded from somewhere to his left. Peering through the dust, Sky could barely make out the outline of a tattered pink bow buried deep under the rubble. Eyes widening, he rushed towards it and began shifting the imposing rocks out of the way. “Cloud, help me move these! Flitter is trapped underneath!”
The two of them worked frantically to shift the heavy boulders. Unlike her sister, Flitter didn’t wear heavy armor because she needed the flexibility to draw back her longbow. As they removed the debris, more of her body came into view, but it became evident that something was wrong.
Instead of her usual flowing green hair, Flitter’s mane fell across her face with glistening streaks of crimson, her wings bent sideways at an awkward angle, and one of her back hooves slowly dripped blood through a cut in the side.
Flitter let out a weak whimper of pain before falling still, her outstretched hoof trembling as it fell into the dirt.
As the realization dawned, Cloud fell to her knees and yelled, “No... no no no! Come on, sis. Don’t do this to me!”
“Stop shaking her!” Sky urged, pushing her off Flitter’s battered body. “If you keep moving her, she’ll get even more hurt than she already is.”
Cloudchaser paced nervously as he assessed Flitter’s injuries. Her wings weren’t seriously injured and the cut on her hoof would heal in time, but the head trauma definitely posed a serious problem. Unclasping his travel pack, he prepared some bandages and began cleaning her wounds.
“What do we do now? Should we turn back? I don’t like the look of Flitter’s condition.”
Skyfall concentrated on patching Flitter up but answered, “I don’t think we can go back. Those rocks are blocking the entrance, and this time we don’t have Flitter to help us move them. It looks like the only thing we can do is move forward and hope we find another way out.”
Before she could ask again, Flitter groaned and blinked open her teary eyes. With a worried flap of her wings, Cloud rushed over and started pelting her with questions. “Sis, are you okay? Is your head hurt? Which hoof am I holding up? What do you--”
Flitter squinted her eyes and grimaced at Cloud’s badgering. “Don’t… talk… so… loud…”
Sky propped her head up and whispered, “Are you okay? How are you feeling?”
“I feel like the time Cloud sat on me after that all-you-can-eat hot dog challenge.”
Sky tried to suppress a snort of laughter as Cloudchaser’s face burned with embarrassment. “Flitter, I thought we agreed to never mention that ever again!”
The injured mare flashed a smug grin as she smirked at her red-faced sister. “Consider that payback for all the times you twisted my words for your pervy jokes.”
Sky failed to suppress another unsubtle snort that neither sister missed. “Stop laughing, Sky!” Cloud fumed, giving him an admonishing shove. “You act like you weigh less than a feather after eating ten wieners at once.”
The other two glanced at each other before Flitter whispered, “Should I make the joke that’s staring us both in the snout?”
“No, that’s too low hanging fruit. You need to save your best jokes for when they’re actually clever.”
Nodding sagely, she tried to stand but collapsed again as her back hoof buckled under her weight. “Ow! I don’t think I can move very fast. My hoof is hurting worse than Cloud during heat week.”
“FLITTER!” Cloud’s face now looked as if the fur on it had changed color. “I thought we agreed that was between us!”
"Maybe this will make you think twice before you try embarrassing me in front of other ponies,” Flitter retorted, relishing the power she seldom held over her sister.
Cloudchaser adopted a challenging expression and countered, "Well, if you keep spilling all my secrets, I’m not going to help the next time you need me to put out the fire under your tail. How’s that for embarrassing?”
Flitter pointed a warning hoof at her and hissed, “If you even think of breathing a word of that to anypony, I’m going to--” she started before a voice cut them both off.
“Umm… You ladies know that I’m still in here, right?”
Sky glanced between them as they stared back with wide eyes. His back legs crossed over his tail and travel pack to conceal his obvious bulge. “So… uh… shall we get going?”
Cloud and Flitter turned to each other and nodded before standing up and stalking towards his place on the ground.
Seeing the looks in their eyes, Sky grew nervous and began backing away from them without standing up. “Uh, what are you two doing?” he asked, not liking the most probable answer.
The two girls stared down at him before Cloud raised her sword and growled, “Making sure you don’t remember any of it.”
“Ow… my head. What happened to me?” Skyfall mumbled as he stirred on the cave floor.
On his left, Cloud hurried to stow her sword before helping him to his hooves. “Oh, it was crazy. One of the rocks from the trap fell later than the others and hit you on the head.”
“Yeah,” Flitter supplied. “We did the best we could to treat your wound. Do you remember anything that happened?”
“Well, I thought I heard…” Sky started before his eyes widened.
“Yes?” Cloud pressed, sword handle in her mouth preparing for another strike.
“Nothing," he said, quickly grabbing his pack and moving towards the end of the tunnel. “Come on, we need to get out of here and find a doctor. Flitter really shouldn’t be on her hooves any more than she needs to be.”
As they moved further into the cave, it became evident that nopony else was ahead of them. The walls echoed their hoofsteps so much that they would be able to hear anypony within a hundred yards.
Following the torchlight, the three adventurers continued along the path before stumbling into a dead end. Seeing this, Cloud let out a groan of exasperation. “Oh, come on! Now we’ll never get out of here. I can’t believe we’re going to die trapped in an underground tomb surrounded by centipedes and cave hoppers.”
“No pony is going to die,” Sky reassured her, searching around for another branch of the tunnel. No additional pathways appeared, but he did take notice of the strange etchings in the wall. Thinking they looked rather suspicious, he scooped up some dirt from the ground and began plastering it all over the cave surface.
“Um, Sky? You okay there, buddy?” Cloud asked, wondering whether the thinning oxygen was starting to affect his brain.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I think there might be something here, just give me a second.”
Cloud turned to look at her sister while making circles in the air around her temple. Flitter slapped the hoof and gave her a stern look of disapproval. “What? We’re both thinking it.”
After a few minutes of work, Sky managed to cover the entire wall with soil. Taking a deep breath, he blew on the wall and scattered the excess dirt as the sediment in the cracks remained in place to reveal a hidden message.
“How in Tartarus did you know that was going to work!?” Cloud exclaimed, staring at the newly formed words.
Sky turned around with a sheepish smile. “Honestly, I didn’t think it would. I figured it was either try that or start learning how to hunt giant spiders in the dark for dinner.”
The three of them shuddered at the thought before turning back to the message. “So?” Flitter asked, “What does it say?”
Sky squinted at the wall and read,
I am hated by all, yet all still employ I am able to harm, heal, and destroy When I am removed, the truth is then shown I always beget another one of my own
What am I?
As he finished reading, Cloudchaser scrunched her muzzle with distaste. “Wait, so we have to solve a riddle to get through?”
“Seems like it,” Sky responded. “Based on the style, this was probably written by the creature that built the dungeon to test our intelligence and see if we’re worthy to collect the treasure.”
They all stood in silence for a while before Cloud suddenly burst out, “OHH OHH! I’ve got it!”
Sky and Flitter stared at her excitedly. “Really!? What is it?”
“It’s a pony!”
“...”
“...what…”
“Yeah!” Cloud said again, “Think about it! Ponies hate other ponies but still hire them, ponies can both hurt and help other ponies, and ponies always give birth to other ponies! It all fits!”
Sky frowned skeptically. “What about the third line? I don’t see how removing ponies reveals any sort of truth.”
She waved away his concern with a hoof. “Hey, three out of four ain’t bad.”
“Yeah… I don’t think 'almost' is going to fly in a case like this.”
“Do you have any better ideas?”
“I have plenty of ideas that are way better than yours, they’re just not perfect answers to the riddle.”
“Well then, you can take those answers and shove them up your--”
Flitter interrupted their argument with a loud gasp. “Oh my Celestia… I think I’ve got it!”
Looking over his shoulder, Sky snarked, “Great! No need to be embarrassed, Flitter. I guarantee that nothing you say will be worse than Cloud’s guess.”
Cloud smacked him with a hoof before turning to her sister. “Don’t listen to this moron, Flitter. Give it your best shot!”
Flitter shot another glare at her antics and took a deep breath. “Okay, I’m not sure if it’s right, but I think the answer is…”
Instantly, the writing glowed a bright blue as the cave wall peeled back to reveal a hidden chamber.
As the magical stones ground to a halt, Cloud clapped her sister on the barrel and exclaimed, “Nice work, Flitter! As expected from the smartest sister in Equestria!”
Skyfall scratched his chin with his hoof. “Yeah, good job. Though, how did you know that a lie was the answer it was looking for?”
Flitter rubbed the back of her head in humble embarrassment. “Well, the first two lines were too general to really narrow it down much, but the third line clued me in when it talked about removing something to reveal the truth. That meant whatever the answer was hides some sort of fact or reality, which must be a type of trick or deception.”
Cloud smirked at Skyfall and snarked, “I’m surprised you weren’t able to figure it out considering how good you are at tricking and deceiving other ponies.”
Sky rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on. Are you still hung up on that? I gave you 2,000 bits and a chance to make even more cash in these mines. What more do you want from me you money-hungry vixen?”
Turning back to Flitter he said, “Anyway, what about the last line? How did that fit in?”
“Well, there’s an old proverb that I remember hearing back when…” She paused before taking a deep breath and whispering, “back when our parents were still around.”
Cloudchaser stiffened and looked at the ground with her eyes closed. Flitter swallowed and bit her lip while Sky, feeling extremely awkward, mumbled, “R-Right, so uh… that proverb was…”
Flitter shook her head and continued, “Yeah, the proverb goes like this. ‘A lie always leads to more lies’.”
Sky gave a nod of understanding. “Ah, so that’s what it meant by ‘beget another one of my own’. It’s not literally giving birth to something, it just causes another lie to be created to cover the first one.”
Cloud interrupted them with a huff. “Well, this philosophical discussion has been great, but how about we snag the treasure before we die of old age?”
Pushing past the other two, she made her way into the chamber without looking back. Sky stared after her with an alarmed expression before asking Flitter, “What’s got her so upset? Did her heat period come early this year or something?”
Flitter gave a little chuckle, but quickly sobered into a morose sigh. “No, it’s not that. Cloud gets kind of… sensitive whenever someone mentions our parents.”
Sky's hair stood on end as the tension slowly abated. “Oh, I see. I don’t mean to pry, but could I ask what happened to your parents? I did kind of wonder why you two live with each other since most ponies tend to live very close to their relatives.”
Sighing, she shrugged her shoulders and replied, “What is there to say? I only knew them for a few years before they vanished. I was really young when Cloud and I were put into foster care, so I don’t have many memories of them. I only remembered that proverb because the mayor repeated it during one of his speeches.”
“I’m guessing since Cloud is older than you, she would have more memories and attachments with them, right?” Sky reasoned.
“Right,” Flitter confirmed as she made her way into the chamber, “so if you want to know more about them, she’s going to be more helpful than I am. However, please try and be delicate when broaching the subject. She tries to put on a brave face, but I know it hurts her a lot more than she lets on.”
They cautiously entered the room, only to find Cloudchaser impatiently tapping her hoof on the ground. “It’s about time. I started to think another rockslide squashed you two.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Sky quipped, giving her a playful bump. “That way, you could keep the entire reward to yourself.”
“Hay yeah I would!” she smirked back, “Then I’d be set for life! Do you have any idea what I could do with 3,000 bits?”
“Pay off our rent for the next three months?” Flitter sarcastically shot. “In case you’ve forgotten, we still need to eat and put a roof over our heads before you go off and buy another sword sheath.”
“Come on, sis, it was half off! It would have been more irresponsible not to get it at that price!” Cloud’s face shifted into an angry glare. “I still can’t believe our landlord raised the rent again. Seriously, how is that not an arrestable crime?”
Flitter rolled her eyes before glancing at the stone pedestal in the center of the chamber. “So, that’s it huh? After hundreds of years, I can’t believe we finally found The Lost Diadem of Diamondpaw.”
The diadem’s silver sheen shone back at them with a majestic beauty. A large blue gem sat in the middle of the crown, which refracted the torchlight into elegant spires of shining color. Peering closer, they saw an inscription carved into the metal rim's surface: ‘Wit Beyond Measure Is One’s Greatest Treasure’.
“Huh, that’s surprisingly clever for a diamond dog,” Cloud smirked. “Most of them can’t tell the difference between an apple and an orange.”
“Which makes you a bonafide genius then, huh?”
All of them whirled around, only to be met with the sight of three heavily-armed diamond dogs giving them hostile glares. Sky rushed in front of Flitter and Cloudchaser as he raised his shield up to his chest. “Who are you?”
The opposing trio growled before the biggest of them stepped forward. “We are the Diamond Demolishers, and that,” he pointed towards the diadem, “is our rightful property.”
“Like hay it is!” Cloud shot back. “We got here first, so we get to collect the reward. That’s how these things work.”
Sky was tempted to remind her of the way she assaulted him when he got to Hooflepuff’s goblet, but instead turned his attention to the more pressing matter at hoof. “The civilization that created the diadem went extinct hundreds of years ago,” he countered, “so there’s no way it could possibly be yours.”
“We are descendants of the dogs of this tribe.” The Demolisher argued, “As such, the diadem belongs with us and our race.”
“That’s not how inheritance works!” Flitter said. “In order to truly pass on ownership of an item, it must be written down in an official will by each new generation. Otherwise, it is given to the highest bidder or to the creature that finds it if it was lost.”
The three dogs snarled at her. “We do not follow your pony customs. That diadem is ours, and we will do whatever it takes to leave with it.” They raised their weapons in a threatening manner, evidently willing to kill for possession of the crown.
Flitter notched an arrow as Cloud pulled out her sword. “What do we do, Sky?” Flitter asked in a shaky voice. “They look serious about hurting us over the diadem. Maybe we should just back off and look for something else.”
“No way!” Cloud retorted, not willing to be bullied out of a massive payday. “We found the diadem and answered the riddle. As far as I’m concerned, we’re the ones with the right to the crown, not these fanatic psychos.”
Sky considered their options carefully. The Diamond Demolishers looked well trained and equipped. Two of them were holding shortswords while the leader carried a warhammer, and all of them were wearing custom-made metal armor. Flitter’s injuries were also a factor, since she wouldn’t be able to move or shoot very fast if they did get into a confrontation.
Just as he was about to back off and call a retreat, his eyes noticed something about the runty diamond dog on the leader’s right. His armor straps were incorrectly placed, and he was clenching his jaw tight, which gave Sky the impression that he was a new recruit to the hunting business.
Keeping his lips from moving too much, he leaned towards Flitter and whispered, “Do you see the exposed part of the smallest dog’s leg?” Flitter’s eyes narrowed as she nodded imperceptibly. “On my signal, take him down, then work with Cloud to get the other smaller one. I’ll hold off the leader until you two deal with them.”
Skyfall stepped forward towards the Demolisher’s leader and fixed him with a challenging stare. “Sorry man, but we’re not moving. If you wanted the diadem, you should have gotten here sooner.”
The large diamond dog smirked and opened his arms. “Oh? You’re approaching me? Instead of running away, you’re coming right at me-”
A/N: NO! No Jojo references!
“Oh come on man, we need to do something to get likes.”
A/N: No! I’m not that desperate… yet. Look, just stick with the lines, okay?
“Fine…”
The large diamond dog narrowed his beady eyes. “Then you have chosen death. Make peace with your princesses, because you’ll never make it out of here ali-”
“NOW!”
Sky gave a shout and charged towards the leader, shield in front ready to tackle him down.
Flitter drew her bow back and fired an arrow at the exposed part of her target’s leg. Despite being injured, her aim never faltered, and the arrow sunk straight through his leg and out the other side. The injured dog gave a cry of pain and collapsed to the ground as Cloud rushed forward to attack the other henchman, who raised his own sword to meet her strike.
Even with a number advantage, the battle was far from easy. Unlike their fallen comrade, the other two diamond dogs had properly equipped themselves, which made Flitter’s arrows little more than an inconvenience.
The Demolisher Cloud fought was well trained, but his lighter weapon proved ineffective against her massive broadsword. With each slash, he was barely able to parry it without falling to the ground due to its sheer weight. She delivered blow after blow, which eventually forced him into a corner where Cloud could make quick work of him.
Back with Skyfall, things weren’t so rosy. Even with his initial momentum, the Demolisher’s leader proved difficult to overpower. As Sky charged towards him, the dog got into a batting stance and swung his hammer as hard as he could at the approaching shield bash.
The force of the impact made a loud ringing noise and sent Sky flying through the air straight into one of the cave walls. Struggling to his hooves, he saw the outline of something big approaching before the head of the hammer was forced into his barrel, lifting him high into the air.
Gasping for breath, Sky threw his shield at his opponent’s head, but missed by several feet due to lack of oxygen. As his vision became blurry, he thought he heard the sound of somepony shouting his name before his mind faded into oblivion.
Skyfall’s mind floated in a dark void of nothingness. Gazing around, he saw only blackness in every direction. Feeling for a hoofhold, he squirmed in place while desperately trying to find something, anything, to cling to. As he fell deeper and deeper into the growing night, a voice sounded out to him.
“...sky…”
The noise reverberated all around him and seemed to pierce his very soul.
“Sky.”
It’s presence brought him comfort and encouragement. He reached out, trying to touch whatever was talking to him.
“SKY!”
Sky’s eyes fluttered open to reveal a fuzzy purple object hovering above him. Blinking away the fog, his vision focused on the teary-eyed, green-maned pegasus holding him in her hooves.
As his muzzle split into a grin, Flitter pulled him into a rib-cracking hug and squeezed him with all her strength. “Oh, thank Celestia! I thought you weren’t going to wake up!”
He sat there stunned for a second before wrapping his hooves around her and returning the hug. “No way, Flitter. I’m not going down that easily."
They embraced each other for a while, enjoying the warmth of their cuddle. Sky's hooves rubbed the base of Flitter's wings, causing her to let out several appreciative hums of pleasure. His intimate actions were met with encouragement as she nuzzled her cheek into his neck, causing his heart rate to spike up.
*cough*
Looking up, Sky was greeted by the sight of Cloud staring down at them, eyebrow raised with a smirk on her muzzle. Feeling his cheeks burn, he quickly dislodged himself from Flitter’s grasp and scrambled to his hooves. “So, uh… what happened while I was out?”
Cloud’s flank-eating grin didn’t abate as she snarked, “If you’re talking about what happened before you and Flitter got all mushy, that big lummox pinned you against the wall and nearly choked you to death before Flitter managed to shoot his arm with an arrow. Then, he dropped you to the floor while I hit him over the head with my sword and knocked him out.”
She turned to stare at Flitter with a look of confusion. "Speaking of which, how did you manage to pierce that guy's armor? Normally, those heavy plates would have reflected your shots like they were toothpicks."
Flitter shrugged before standing up and reclaiming her arrows. "No idea! Maybe his armor wasn't as strong as we thought it was."
“Either way,” Sky said while staring at the bleeding diamond dog in front of him, “thanks for saving my tail, girls. I really owe you one. Are either of you hurt?”
“Nah, we’re good. That sneak attack on the small dog really came through for us. Nice call with that one!”
Sky nodded and made his way back to the stone pedestal where the diadem rested. “Well, at least we can still collect this. I’d say after surviving traps, solving riddles, and fighting a gang of diamond dogs that we’ve earned it.”
“About that,” Flitter mentioned while pointing towards the incapacitated hunters, “what should we do with them? We can’t just leave them here or they’ll die.”
“Serves them right after what they did,” Cloud muttered, but quieted after Flitter gave her a hard look.
“Let’s tie them up and take them back into town,” Sky said, grabbing the leader and wrapping rope around his wrists and ankles. “We’ll turn them into the guard and let them deal with punishment.”
Grabbing the rest of the diamond dogs and equipment, the three ponies made their way back into the tunnel. As they walked past the fallen boulders conveniently moved aside by the pursuing Demolishers, Cloud turned to him and asked, “Hey, are you okay with carrying that guy on your back? I can take him off your shoulders if you need me to.”
Sky shook his head. “No, I’m good, but thanks for offering. I think I have enough juice left in me to get back into town, even with this flankhole on me.”
Cloud gave an unconvinced snort. “Sure, tough guy, just don’t give out before we get back inside the town walls, or I’ll have to carry three of you.”
He chuckled and prepared another witty remark. “Oh yeah? I bet you’d love it if I croaked right now. That way you’d collect my share of the gold and be, how did you put it, ‘set for life’?”
Cloud stopped in her tracks and turned to look him straight in the eyes. “Not at all, man. There’s no amount of money that would ever make me want you gone.”
Without another word, she whipped around and started moving again, her fur just a little more red than its usually balanced purple.
The town of San Hoof bustled with activity as creatures of all sizes milled about the plaza. The new mines not only brought a massive wave of treasure hunters, but also various merchants and foreigners all eager to cash in on the lucrative opportunity.
To accommodate the sudden surge in population, a temporary cramped campsite was being built near the outer walls with everything a pony could need, including a small medical tent where Flitter’s wounds were being treated.
“And…. done. Alright, Ms. Flitter, you’re all set. Just try to take it easy for the next couple days, and absolutely no flying. Got it?” The medical mare warned, pointing a hoof at Flitter’s bandaged wings.
Flitter bowed her head. “Yes, I understand. Thank you so much for treating my injuries. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem! Just doing my job. Now, place the crutch on your back hoof and use it as an excuse to hold on to your coltfriend,” The nurse winked, causing the two hunters to go scarlet.
“Um... we’re not together!” Flitter squeaked, frantically waving her hooves in denial. “He’s just part of a group with my sister and I.”
“Oh? So you’re part of a herd then?” The nurse’s eyebrows raised as she leaned towards Sky. “Well, if her sister is anything like Ms. Flitter over here, you’re one of the luckiest stallions in Equestria~”
Flipping between the sultry nurse and Flitter’s equally mortified expression, Sky sprang up and half-dragged, half-carried Flitter out of the office. “We should probably be heading out! We'll let you get on with your day.”
He caught one last glimpse of her seductive smile before making a beeline for the tent exit. Just as they escaped the nurse’s dungeon, her hoof slipped under his tail as she whispered, “If you ever feel like getting a third mare in on the action, look me up. My name is Redheart, and I’m really good at giving thorough examinations...”
Bursting out of the medical tent, the two hunters took several gasping breaths to calm themselves before sitting down on a nearby bench. Sky rubbed the spot where Redheart had groped his flank and muttered, “That was certainly a unique medical examination.”
Glancing at his traumatized friend, he asked, “What about you? How are you holding up?”
“I-I’m fine,” Flitter stuttered, still a little shaken from Redheart’s assertive personality.
Sky adopted an understanding grin and wrapped a wing around her barrel, enveloping her in its comforting warmth. Flitter stiffened for a moment before relaxing into his embrace, relishing the intimate contact.
After several minutes of comfortable silence, she turned to him and asked, “Where’s Cloud? I passed out before we got inside the gates.”
“Oh, she's handing the Diamond Demolishers to the guards and getting our prize money. It’s probably going to take a while since so many hunters are collecting rewards.”
Checking on the bandages covering her wings, he said, “We should probably get you home now. You need to rest as much as possible if you want to recover.”
Flitter nodded and stood up, only to topple over as all the blood rushed to her head. Furling her wings, she let out a squeak of fright and winced, not wanting to see the rapidly approaching ground.
Instead of rough, unyielding concrete, she was met with the feeling of strong, tender hooves holding her barrel in a tango dip. Confusion laced her face as she wondered why she didn't feel more pain from the impending gravel.
Peering up, her eyes tentatively opened to stare into Sky’s majestic golden irises as a warm, fuzzy feeling coursed through her heated cheeks. His deep breaths and soft wings made her heart race as she clung tight to his muscular frame.
Standing her back up, Sky wrapped one of her front legs around his neck and fretted, “You aren’t supposed to be doing any strenuous movement without support. Here, let me help you.”
Flitter felt too overwhelmed to respond. As Sky carried her back to her apartment, she couldn’t help glancing at him from time to time, admiring his tall, strong build and kind, determined features.
Shaking her head, she recalled Cloud's teasing over a supposed crush and wondered whether it may not have been as crazy as she had thought.
Back at her apartment, Flitter settled into her bed and relaxed her wings. As she shifted in place to find a comfortable position, Sky approached holding a snow cloud in his hoof.
“Somepony looks happy,” he quipped, holding out the freezing moisture.
Flitter giggled and accepted the ice pack. “After getting crushed by a boulder, attacked by bandits, and hiking for miles on hoof, I think I’ve earned a little R&R.”
“Yeah, no arguments here,” he chuckled, sitting down next to her with a sigh. Memories of the battle flooded his mind as his eyes lit up. “You managed to quick-draw on a tiny patch of exposed skin after being hit in the head by a massive rock! I’ve never met another archer as amazing as you.”
Flitter blushed at his admiration and ran a hoof through her fresh mane. “Oh, it was nothing. You were the one that noticed the weakness and formed a battle strategy on the spot while facing down three dangerous criminals. If anyone is incredible here, it’s you.”
Sky rubbed the back of his head in humble embarrassment. As he glanced around, it suddenly dawned on him that this was the first time he had been alone with a girl in her room.
Feeling suddenly out of place, he got to his hooves and made his way towards the bedroom door. “Well, I’m sure you’re pretty tired after the whole ordeal, so I’ll let you get some re--”
“No, wait.”
Sky turned to watch as Flitter pulled the covers over her scarlet face. Peering meekly over the top of the blankets, she whispered, “um… i-if its not too much trouble… could you stay here with me?”
Seeing his confused look, she cleared her throat and clarified, “I've been feeling a little nervous after we got attacked by those robbers, and I know I’d feel better if you were watching over me.”
Smiling, Skyfall trotted to her bed and stroked a hair that had fallen out of place. “Sure, I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep.”
The two sat in silence while Flitter rested her aching body. As her eyelids grew heavy, she reached out and pulled his hoof towards her yawning muzzle.
Sky gave an amused chuckle at her adorable gesture and used his wings to stroke the fuzzy fur along her incredibly plush barrel. "Sleep well, Flitter. I'll see you in the morning."
As Flitter slipped into unconsciousness, Sky pulled his wing and hoof away. Gazing at the resting mare, he couldn’t help but admire her small, cute form and soft, feminine features. The alluring sight sparked his animalistic desires as he imagined what it would feel like to hold her fuzzy coat in his hooves.
Shaking his head, he forced himself to turn away, but stored the image in his memory for future reference.
Closing the door, he let out a content sigh and started towards his own apartment before a voice called out, stopping him in his tracks.
“Sky, catch!”
Whipping around, he had just enough time to make out a brown blur flying towards him before it struck his head with staggering force.
Reeling backwards, his hooves flailed out for something to hold, but only managed to make himself look like a pony windmill before crashing to the ground.
Cloudchaser’s voice broke out over the ringing of his ears. “HA HA HA! Oh my Celestia, that was hilarious!”
Sky’s face contorted into a scowl as he pulled the heavy sack of bits off his head. “Cloud! You don’t just throw sacks of money at ponies without warning!”
“What's wrong?” she smirked. “If you don’t want your share of the reward, I’d be happy to take it off your hooves.”
“Don’t even think about it,” he shot back, feeling the bag with his hooves. “Hey, are you sure you counted the coins correctly? This feels like way more than my share of the money.”
“Oh yeah, I was going to tell you about that!” she exclaimed, pulling out a flier from her bag. “It turns out those Diamond Demolishers we took down were actually wanted criminals with bounties on their heads, so when I turned them in, the guards gave me another bag of bits.”
Skyfall's muzzle curled into a smirk. “Oh? The infamous Cloudchaser actually shared her unexpected windfall? Now where’s the money-sucking vixen that I know and love?”
She raised a hoof and punched him in the barrel, causing him to double up in pain. “Very funny, wise guy. Now, if you’re done cracking lame jokes, we should go down to the marketplace and celebrate!"
Grabbing his portion of the money, he smiled and fell into step with her. “Sure, just take it easy on the meat, okay? You don’t need to look any more like a stallion than you already do~"
This unwise crack earned him a harder kick to the barrel, causing him to groan and shield his body with his wings.
“Just for that, smart-flank, you’re going to treat me to whatever I want at the market stands, and you’re going to like it!”
As they made their way through row after row of stocked vendor carts, Sky’s eyes widened in disbelief. There were so many different types of products from every corner of Equestria, some of which he was sure couldn't be legal.
Shelling out hoofs of bits at a time, he couldn’t help buying a ton of interesting items including a joy-buzzer, a smoke bomb, and a toy plane that made a whirring sound as it flew through the air.
“Jeez, you’re such a kid,” Cloud mocked as he moved the model airplane around him. “You know that we can already fly, right?”
“Oh yeah? Look who’s talking, Ms. I-still-play-with-dolls,” he shot back, indicating the small Powerpony plushie she had forced him to buy for her from a visiting changeling.
Cloud gave an affronted gasp. “It’s not a ‘doll’, it’s an action figure. There’s a huge difference.”
Sky scoffed with a disbelieving roll of his eyes. “Yeah, okay. Whatever helps you sleep at night, Princess Flurry Heart.”
As Cloud winded back another punch, the sweet and savory smell of roasted ribs wafted through the breeze. Both of them perked up and started sniffing the air, desperate to find its source before Sky shouted, “Over there!”
A large crowd of griffons and dragons were gathered around a stall where one small griffon was panicking while trying to take orders, cook food, and call out finished dishes all at the same time.
Sky’s ears flattened in disappointment. “Damn, looks like that meat stand is all booked up. Well, better luck next time.”
He started towards another carnival game before Cloud grabbed his neck and started draging him towards the overworked griffon. “Hey! What are you doing? Let me go!”
“Just keep quiet and stay cool, okay?” she whispered before approaching the hysterical vendor. “Hey, Griffy, how’s it hanging my main bird?”
The overworked griffon shot up in alarm before dissolving into tears at the sight of her. “Oh, Cloud, thank Celestia you’re here! I need your help! I’m running behind on so many orders, and the crowd is starting to get antsy.” He pointed to the vast array of mean-looking carnivores, all of which had drool dripping out of their gaping maws.
“Today’s your lucky day, my hybrid friend. I brought along another pair of hooves to help out,” she smirked, pushing Sky forward towards the miniature griffon.
Before he could say more than “Umm, what--”, the griffon had prostrated himself and begged, “Oh please, sir, please help me! I don’t know who you are, but if Cloud says you can help, then I beg of you, please!”
Reeling back from the griffon’s worship, he bent down and hissed, “Okay, okay, I’ll help you! Just stop begging like that!”
Hugging Sky with open wings, the griffon set them to work. Cloud would take orders and relay them to Griffy while Sky was in charge of delivering the finished orders to the hungry spectators who devoured it as if they hadn’t eaten in weeks.
As time dragged by, Sky started to notice some major quirks about the strange griffon. Whenever Cloud would bring him an order, his eyes would widen in fear, even though he must have cooked that same meal hundreds of times before. Whenever one of the customers came up to the counter to pay, he would shy away from them, almost as if he was scared they were going to try and hit him.
A voice calling out for a refill pushed those unnerving thoughts away as he concentrated on serving the massive influx of new customers.
After an hour of grueling effort, the massive line thinned until every customer was happily munching on a juicy rack of ribs. Feeling more exhausted than after their last dungeon run, Sky collapsed into a nearby bench and let out a groan.
Cloud pranced up to him and chuckled at his exhausted state. “Sheesh, you can take on a massive armed diamond dog but can’t work for an hour at a food stall?”
Sky shot her a scornful glare. “What the hay was that, Cloud? Why did you volunteer me to work for an hour in the deepest pits of Tartarus?”
Before she could answer, the diminutive griffon approached them with two plates of ribs. “Oh, thank you two so much. I was afraid those other predators were going to eat me if you guys hadn’t come along!”
Cloud patted the griffon on the back. “Sky, let me introduce you to Griffy the griffon. His family is the main meat vendor around here, so you know he can get us the hook up.”
Sky peered at the diminutive bird before raising an eyebrow. Now that he had enough time to breath, he realized that the ‘tiny’ griffon was actually a child. His young feathers and childish face gave away the fact that he was no older than fourteen.
Seeing this, he changed tactics and smiled, “No problem, little man. Though I got to say, you looked kinda overwhelmed back there. Was everything alright?”
Griffy stiffened and averted his gaze. After a few seconds of nervous stuttering, he croaked, “Actually, everything was all wrong. You see, today was the first day my dad let me run the stand all by myself. He said that it was a test to see if I had what it took to take over the family business.”
His eyes watered as he sniffled, “I was never as good as the rest of my family when it came to cooking, so my parents were always reluctant to give me any important jobs. Today was my one chance to prove my worth and show that I was capable of running the store.”
He peered up, tears staining his feathers, and wailed, “But I failed! I messed up everything, and now dad won’t ever trust me again! I never do anything right!”
The weeping fledgling dissolved into a full-blown panic attack as he shoved the rib plates into Sky and Cloud’s hooves and sprinted into the confines of his stall.
Cloud called out, “Wait!”, but it was too late. Griffy had already disappeared behind the curtain as the tent’s fabric muffled the sound of his racking sobs.
Sky stared open-mouthed after the bipolar griffon. Coming to his senses, he fixed Cloudchaser with a look of alarm and asked, “What the hay just happened?”
Cloud sighed and began eating her rib plate. “Look, I’m going to be straight with you. The reason I invited you down here was to try and give Griffy a little confidence. I’ve known the kid for years, and he’s always been really self-conscious. I just figured that if he saw someone even less experienced in food service than him, he might be a little more confident in himself.”
Skyfall deadpanned at her. “So, you brought me out here just so that a kid could watch me struggle and fail to do something he’s been doing professionally for years?”
She nodded unashamedly and took another bite. “Obviously, it backfired. Now he thinks he can’t do anything by himself. He's been an emotional wreck ever since his father started giving him more responsibility while he's away."
She stared at the partially closed tent with a concerned gaze. "I'm really worried about what he'll do when the pressure finally breaks him."
Sky’s eyes narrowed. Something about that young griffon lit a fire within him, almost as if a switch had been flicked inside his brain. Despite never wanting to play the villain again, he put on his most determined face and steeled his nerves against what he was about to do.
Shoving his uneaten ribs at Cloud, he stood up and made his way over to the weeping fledgling's stall. The startled mare blinked before following him with a confused gaze. “Hey, what are you doing?”
Without turning around, his face contorted into a dangerous scowl as he growled, “Giving the kid some confidence.”
Griffy quietly sobbed as the memory of his failures relentlessly beat the insides of his skull. His claws gripped the tips of his wings and wrapped them around himself to shield against the outside world.
Gazing at the floor with teary eyes, he mumbled, “I failed. I messed up. I couldn’t do anything right” on repeat until finally breaking the cycle. “Maybe I should just give up and run away so I don’t turn into an even bigger disappointment.”
“Yeah, you probably should.”
Griffy let out a little shriek and whipped around to see Sky’s imposing presence standing over him. “W-What?” he stuttered after recovering from his initial shock.
Sky leered at the tiny bird. “I said that you should give up and leave. After all, you probably aren’t going to get any better than you are now.”
The miniature griffon let out a little squeak at Sky’s commanding tone. Despite being terrified for his life, he managed to mumble, “b-but, I think I’ve g-gotten better…”
Sky's hoof slammed into the ground inches from Griffy's head. Rolling his eyes, he shot, "What was that? You gave me your opinion as well as your nasty food? I guess that makes two things I didn't want. Those ribs you made were some of the worst I’ve ever had in my life. If that’s how all your family cooks them, I wouldn’t be surprised if you went bankrupt within the next week.”
Griffy stopped trembling. His eyebrows furrowed as his claws gripped the floor. “t-that’s not true…”
Sky smirked, “Yes it is. It’s no wonder all those predators were trying to eat you. They didn’t actually want you, they just didn’t want to see your sorry face making an embarrassment of cooking again.”
Griffy’s beak clenched as his eyes changed into slits. His breathing increased as his voice grew louder. “That’s not true!”
Grinning, Sky gave one final push. “Well, I guess it’s not that unexpected. If you were the best son your father could raise, he must be as pathetic a dad as he is a chef.”
At this, Griffy exploded. Leaping up, he slashed Sky hard in the snout and screamed, “YOU SHUT UP ABOUT MY DAD!”
Shoving Sky against a wall, the enraged griffon yelled, “My family are the best meat chefs in the world! We are a great, respected, admired business full of the best chefs in all of Equestria! I'm going to be just like them one day, and I'm never going to let a mean scumbag like you tell me to give up! No matter how many times I fail, I'll always try again until I'm the best, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"
Griffy’s voice tapered off as he breathed hard through his beak. When Sky started laughing, however, a fresh surge of anger bubbled up inside of him.
“What’s so funny?” he demanded.
Sky calmed himself down and chuckled, "I just think it’s funny that what you needed most to gain confidence wasn’t hoof-holding and kind encouragement.”
He pointed to his bloody nose and bruised lip. “You just needed something to fight for and something to fight against.”
Griffy widened his eyes as he dropped Sky’s bloody mane. “Wait, so everything that you just said was-”
“-all an act,” Sky finished for him. “I didn’t really mean anything I said. I just wanted to help you gain the courage and strength needed to find your purpose.”
He cracked a bloody smile and coughed, “And it looks like it worked! You do feel more sure of yourself now, don’t you?”
The tiny griffon fell beside Sky’s battered body. “I-I’m so sorry! I had no idea… I thought-” he started before Sky cut him off.
“It’s fine, kid, just do me a favor and call a doctor, okay? I don’t think… I’m going to stay awake much longer…”
Sky opened his eyes to see the white roof of the hospital tent. Sensing movement to his right, he was met with the familiar form of Nurse Redheart approaching him with a clipboard in her mouth. Oh no… not her again…
“Well, well, well, Mr. Skyfall. I must admit, I wasn’t expecting to see you again so quickly.” She gave him a sultry stare and bit the end of her pen. “Are you getting injured on purpose just to see me?”
Before he could answer, she giggled and turned around. “Well, there will be plenty of time for that later. For now, you have some visitors that want to see you.”
As she exited the tent, two more creatures took her place. Cloudchaser entered first followed closely by Griffy who was hiding behind her back legs. As Sky opened his mouth to greet them, Cloud put up a hoof to stop him. “Nuh uh, Griffy here wants to go first.”
The miniature griffon crept forward and peered at Sky for a few seconds before falling to his knees.
“I’M SO SORRY, MR. SKYFALL!” he shouted, collapsing in a crying heap on the floor. Expecting this kind of reaction, Sky had already leaned over and patted the young bird on the head.
“It’s okay, Griffy… it’s okay,” he soothed, stroking the teary feathers while calming him down. The tiny griffon continued to sob for ten more minutes before regaining enough control to listen. “Now, Griffy, I hope you remember the lesson we learned today.”
“Don’t attack other creatures?” Griffy guessed, sniveling into his wing.
“N-, well, yes…” Sky stuttered, “But, the most important lesson is to always believe in yourself.”
He reached out a hoof and tapped Griffy on the head. “Remember, your father left you in charge of that food stand because he believed in what was in here.”
He lowered his hoof down to Griffy’s heart. “Now, you must start believing in what is in there, do you understand?”
Griffy wiped his eyes with his wing and nodded, fresh tears pouring down his childish face. “I do, Mr. Skyfall. I promise, I’ll never stop believing in myself!”
Sky smiled, “That’s the spirit. Now run along and go cook some meat. You’ve got quite a long way to go if you want to take over your family business.”
With one last sniff and a short hug, Griffy left, ready to tackle his dream of becoming a world-class chef. As the curtain of the tent stopped fluttering, Sky’s attention was drawn to the other pony in the room.
Cloudchaser stood next to his bed, silently judging him with an unreadable expression on her face. Taking the initiative, he joked, “Damn, Griffy may be young, but that little guy can really hit hard!”
She didn’t laugh. Instead, her eyebrows furrowed as she growled, “I don’t get you…”
Sky cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"
“When we first met," Cloud continued, "I thought you were nothing more than a lying, manipulative thief. Then, after getting to know you a bit, I thought you could actually be a really cool teammate.”
She pawed the ground in frustration. “Now, I don’t know what to think of you. You said such horrible things to Griffy, yet you knew it would help him in the end. You always act so smug and cocky, but you're still kind enough to help some random kid with years of emotional baggage... You’re just impossible to figure out!”
Sky didn’t know what to say, so he remained silent. Eventually, Cloud calmed down and approached the side of his bed before smacking him in the face as hard as she could.
“Ow! What the hay, Cloud I-”
“That was for the cruel, disgusting things you said to Griffy about his family.”
Then, while he was still rubbing his sore cheek, she leaned in and kissed him full on the lips.
Sky’s eyes widened at the feeling of a mare’s lips on his own. He let out a moan of confusion before settling in and enjoying her sweet, delicious lips until Cloud pulled back with a scarlet blush on her face.
“And that… was for everything else.”
Without another word, she turned around and left, leaving a dumbfounded Sky staring after her, still rubbing his stinging cheek.
Following the impromptu kiss, both ponies reacted in very distinct ways.
Skyfall, wanting answers as to why she had kissed him, sought Cloud out every chance he could, even waiting outside her door all day after she had left for the supermarket.
Cloudchaser, however, tried avoiding him at all cost. On the day he waited outside her apartment, she flew up and smashed open one of her windows to get inside without meeting him, much to her sister’s chagrin.
Flitter sighed as she finished a lengthy conversation with the repair pony after receiving an even lengthier maintenance bill. This game of cat and mouse had already cost them over two hundred bits in damages and needed to end now.
Taping their newest bill to the fridge, she made her way to her sister's door before knocking and called, “Cloud? Can we talk for a second? It’s important!”
A noncommittal grunt sounded from inside, which Flitter took for approval.
The inside of Cloudchaser’s room, normally an assorted mess of organized chaos, now resembled a disaster site. Her sword and armor dangled haphazardly from a hanging rack as wrinkled clothes and empty wrappers littered the ground.
Flitter scrunched her muzzle and made her way through the landfill until a disheveled Cloud emerged from the unkempt bed. Growing even more concerned, she put a hoof on her sister's messy mane and said, “Cloud, we really need to talk.”
Cloud grudgingly peered up before pulling the covers over her head with a muffled, “Go away, Flitter.”
Rolling her eyes, Flitter yanked the covers off and asked, “Seriously, what is going on? You’ve been like this for four days. It’s time to fess up.”
Ignoring the rude hoof gesture Cloud made at her, she pressed, “Does this have anything to do with why you’re avoiding Sky?”
At the mention of his name, Cloud’s wings stiffened and unwillingly extended out. Cursing her body’s betrayal, she forced the traitorous apendeges back to her sides, but the damage was already done.
“I knew it!” Flitter exclaimed. "You’ve been jumpy around him for days. Not to mention you literally smashed one of our windows just to avoid talking to him outside our door.”
Now adopting a more sentimental look, she stroked her distraught sister’s mane and whispered, “Did you two get into another fight or something?”
Cloud sighed in exasperation. She knew there was no getting Flitter off her back when she went into ‘Mom Mode’. Taking a deep breath, she carefully formulated her next words and mumbled, “I introduced Sky to Griffy at the market.”
Flitter’s eyebrows raised, but she still couldn't see why that would cause this kind of reaction. "Why did that make you so depressed?”
Cloud described what had happened that day. She explained everything from the way Griffy had struggled with customers to the cruel, destructive things Sky had said in order to provoke him into action.
Everything except the kiss they had shared in the medical tent.
“Well,” Flitter started, still wrapping her head around what she had heard, “I can’t say I approve of the things he said, but I understand that all creatures are different, and that kindness and encouragement won’t be able to help everypony.”
She clapped her hooves together, “Besides, from the way that you described Griffy after his apology, everything worked out great for everyone! So why are you so sad?”
Cloudchaser steeled her nerves and prepared to confess the truth, but an urgent knock at the door interrupted their conversation.
“Oh! That’s probably Sky,” Flitter exclaimed. “He said he would come around this time.”
Cloud choked on the water she had been drinking and spluttered, “Wait, what!? You invited him in here?”
“Yes, I did,” Flitter shot back. “You two need to resolve whatever problems you have with each other right now. I thought we all agreed to be friends before we went to get the diadem.”
Blushing at the memory of the group hug, Cloud retorted, “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean he can just come in here and--”
She cut herself off when Sky’s signature brown coat and blue mane appeared in her doorway. His golden eyes pierced her as she shrunk away from his gaze.
After staring at her for a couple seconds, he turned to Flitter and asked, “Can Cloud and I have a chance to talk… alone?”
Flitter nodded in understanding and made her way to the front, closing the door behind her. As she left, Sky turned back to Cloudchaser and stated, “So… you’ve been avoiding me.”
Cloud tried to scoff, but only managed to muster up a strangled cough. “Me? Avoiding you? No… if anything, you’re the one stalking me,” she smiled, but Sky didn’t return the friendly provocation.
“Listen,” he started, stepping forward and sitting on her bed, “I know why you’re acting like this. I just want you to know that I feel the same way, okay?”
Cloud’s breath caught in her throat. Did he really know how she felt? Even she didn’t know how she felt. “O-oh yeah? And how do you feel?”
“I feel… unclear,” he muttered, rubbing his front leg with a hoof. “I feel like there’s so much left unsaid between us, so I want to clear things up with you right now.”
He averted his gaze while biting his lip and murmered, “I know you didn’t really mean what you did. It was just a sudden spur of the moment that didn’t actually have any weight behind it… right?”
Cloudchaser's eyes widened at his declaration. A million different thoughts whirled through her mind, but the dominant one emerged victorious as she stuttered, “Y-Yeah, it meant nothing. I’m glad we’re on the same page here.”
Sky smiled in relief. “Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid I had gotten it totally wrong, and you were going to hit me again.”
A small part of her conscious did want to reach out and smack him, but instead she just nodded and said, “Nah, man, we’re cool. Let’s not get hung up over something like this, okay?”
The two reached forward and gave each other a hug, relishing in the warmth and comfort they felt. The massive buildup of stress and anxiety seemed to melt away at their embrace, leaving nothing but a pleasant feeling of content in its place.
Standing up, Sky motioned to the front door. “Oh yeah, speaking of ‘getting hung’, Griffy told me he’s laying out a new rack of fresh hams later today. You wanna get an early jump on that?”
Cloud’s eyes lit up as she flew out of bed. “Hay yeah, dude! Just let me get ready first, then let’s go!”
The two meat-hungry ponies burst out the door of her apartment and bolted by Flitter who was standing just outside. As they raced each other to the marketplace, Flitter giggled at their antics and watched as Cloud grabbed one of Sky's hooves.
Readjusting their crooked doormat, she hummed, “Looks like those two are back to normal. I’m glad we can all still be friends.”
Sky and Cloud flew as fast as they could towards the marketplace. Colors and shapes whizzed past them until the familiar sight of a tiny orange griffon came into view.
Pounding on the brakes, the two pegasi crash-landed on the hard pavement mere inches away from Griffy’s front claws.
“I… I won…” Sky panted, heaving great lungfuls of air to replenish his body with energy.
“Like hay you did…” Cloud groaned back, clutching a stitch in her side. “I got here at least half a second before you did.”
The two turned to the startled young griffon and demanded, “Who got here first, Griffy?”
The tiny griffon gave a little squeak before stumbling, “Um… well… I didn’t get a very good look… b-but I think it was…”
The windswept ponies stared intensely at him, causing a sweat sheen to form on his beak. Not wanting to disappoint either of them, he finished, “It was a tie!”
Rolling their eyes at the appeasing answer, Cloud barked, “You know I beat you fair and square. Don’t lie about racing, man. Street rule number one.”
Sky’s muzzle warped into a flank-eating grin. “Oh yeah? What are you going to do, kiss me again?”
Cloud went scarlet before clamping a hoof over his mouth. “I thought we agreed to put that behind us you lying colt of a-” she cut herself off at the expression on the young fledgling's face.
Griffy’s beak fell open as he pointed between them. “Wait, you kissed Mr. Skyfall?” Then, clasping his wings in front of him, he shouted, “You two are special someponies!”
Sky and Cloud glanced at each other in horror before jumping apart and waving their hooves.
“No! No!” Cloud yelled, trying to convince Griffy of her innocence, “We’re not special someponies!”
“Y-yeah!” Sky supplied, indicating his lack of a ring. “We just kissed in the medical tent. It wasn’t anything serious!”
Griffy’s eyes widened further. “So you two did kiss! I knew I heard something after I left that day, but I thought it might have been a groan of pain after she hit you.”
Seeing this was getting them nowhere, Sky and Cloud grabbed Griffy by his tail and dragged him into the back of his food stand. There, they spent the next half-an-hour making absolutely sure he knew there was nothing going on between them.
“Oh… I see now. So you two just came here to try the new hams I have for today, right?”
They both smiled as the tiny griffon reached into a cooler and pulled out a massive ham almost half his own body size. “Well, here it is! Just give me a few minutes to cook this, and I’ll have it ready in no time!”
After the most agonizing twenty minutes of their lives, Griffy finally returned with two plates of delicious smoked ham. “Here you go, specialty ham fresh off the grill!”
“Thanks, kid,” Sky grinned, reaching into his bit pouch, “how much do I owe you?”
Griffy waved away the money. “No charge for the two ponies that helped me realize my true potential as a world-class chef! Plus, my dad always said to never charge friends and family since they’d be worth more later than their money is now.”
Cloud chuckled and patted him on the head. "Look at you, Mr. Business Griffon. You’re already sounding more confident in yourself. Just make sure not to let that confidence go to your head, alright?”
After finishing the best meal of their lives, Sky and Cloud waved goodbye to Griffy and headed back home. The dying sunset casted beautiful rays of light across the sky as they trotted along the path, full to bursting with good food and better spirits.
Chatting merrily, Sky wiped his muzzle as a particularly hilarious joke caused him to snort with laughter. When his senses returned, the pupils in his eyes dilated at the marvelous spectacle standing mere feet away from him.
The dying sunbeams reflected off Cloud's deep purple coat, making her glimmer with a hidden magic he had never truly appreciated. Her large, athletic frame accentuated the copious amounts of muscle in her forelegs and haunches, causing his face to warm up in a way that had nothing to do with the sun’s light.
Not wanting to get caught creeping on her body, Sky shifted his gaze to her face where her spiky, multicolored mane caught the wind perfectly.
As he admired the beauty that had been cruelly hidden behind the tomboyish mare’s crude personality, Cloud turned to look at him with a mischievous smirk. “Hey, dude, haven’t you stared long enough? You’re going to burn a hole through me at this rate.”
Sky blushed scarlet as she called out his gauking. “Sorry, it’s just…” he carefully formulated his next words so as not to receive another one of her patented barrel busters, “I noticed you brushed your coat and styled your mane. I never really took you for the type of mare that worried about that stuff.”
Cloud smiled as he recognized the extra effort she had taken to look her best. Flaunting herself, she smirked, “I can be as classy and girly as any mare. I just choose not to because it’s a huge pain in the flank.”
He let out a snort of disbelief and quipped, “Yeah, and Princess Celestia doesn't like eating cake.”
Realizing his mistake, he had just enough time to tense his barrel before Cloud’s hoof sent him tumbling to the ground. “Ow! Can you please stop doing that!? You’re actually going to break my ribs one of these days.”
Sticking her tongue out, she retorted, “Maybe that will make you think twice before insulting a beautiful mare’s style.”
“Yeah, it’s just a shame there aren’t any here.”
Sky’s hooves flew to his muzzle to take back the words, but it was too late. Scrambling up, he frantically beat his wings as Cloud’s voice shouted right behind him.
“I’m gonna tear you a new flank for that one! Don’t bother worrying about health insurance, because the only thing you’re going to be covered by is a coffin lid!”
As the two flew into the air, a tiny orange griffon watched them from his food stall. Sighing into his claw, Griffy whispered, “Wow... I hope I can find someone that will make me as happy as they are.”
Flitter rubbed her eyes as the words on the pages started to blur together. Resting her head on her hoof, she closed her eyes for a second before starting awake at the feeling of another hoof tapping her on the back.
Turning around, she saw Sky’s concerned face peering down at her with a cup of coffee in his extended hooves. “O-oh, thank you,” she mumbled before chugging down the energizing liquid.
“Are you okay?” Sky asked, casting her a worried glance. “You’ve been working really hard these past few days, and it's starting to show.”
Shuffling the bounty posters on her desk, she waved away his concern and yawned, “Don’t worry about me. I’m just really concerned since we haven’t found any work for over a week. All the available jobs are either too small to be worth the payout or too dangerous for just the three of us.”
Staring at her tired expression, he clapped his hooves together and said, “Flitter, you really should take a break. Let’s go down to the market and relax a bit. What do you say?”
She glanced at the daunting pile of bounty notes on her desk before groaning, “You’re probably right. Give me a minute to prepare myself before we leave. Do you want to invite Cloud along too?”
“No, I was thinking it could just be the two of us.”
Her hoof froze halfway towards picking up her bag. Resisting the urge to squeal, she asked, “I thought you and Cloud resolved whatever issue there was. Are you two still upset with each other?”
Sky shook his head and assured, “No, that's already taken care of. I just thought it would be a good chance for us to go outside again.”
Seeing her confused look, he clarified, “After your injury, you’ve had to stay put until your wings and hoof healed. Now that you’re better, I thought it might be fun to explore the new places around town together.”
Flitter's cheeks grew warm as she turned away to hide her blush. Recalling his intimate bedside-manner, she put on a brave face and grinned, “I’d love to go with you! I have been a little antsy, so a trip to the market sounds like a lot of fun.”
“Cool, I’ll meet you outside in twenty minutes. I need to grab my bag and hoof bracers from my place first.” Sky closed the door behind him as Flitter’s wings began flapping happily.
Trotting to the washroom, she splashed water on her face and undid the bow clasping in her hair. Staring hard at the mare in the mirror, she grasped the fancy perfume saved for special occasions and whispered, “Okay, this is it. You’ve got one shot at this, so you better make it count.”
Sky's hoof anxiously pawed the ground as he glanced at the setting sun. Nearly half-an-hour had passed since their meeting time, and still no word from Flitter about their date.
Just as he was about to give up, the door eventually opened with a click. “Finally! For a while I almost thought you stood me u--”
The rest of the words died in his throat. Standing in front of him was a mare that very much resembled Flitter, but there was no possible way it could actually be her.
The mare in front of him featured a pair of low-cut outdoor slippers and thigh-high leggings that perfectly accentuated her soft flanks. A flared miniskirt fluttered loosely around her hips as the open-top schoolfilly dress shirt showed off her freshly preened wings and chest fluff. Finally, higher up, a pair of golden earrings perfectly complemented the red silk head bow that replaced her usual pink one.
As she turned around to lock the door, her tail lifted just enough to give him a tiny glimpse of the white underwear that clung tight to her most private regions.
Sky's dumbfounded gaze lingered as all his higher brain functions ceased. In his head, he worried that this fiery succubus had somehow infiltrated Flitter’s apartment and possessed her body while his other head told the former to shut up and drink in the incredible sight while it lasted.
When the breathtaking mare turned around, he coughed and hesitantly stammered, “F-Flitter? Is that you?”
Flitter giggled at the effect she had on him. “Yes, it’s me. Don’t tell me you forgot what I looked like already~”
If Sky hadn’t been floored before, he certainly was now. The voice that came back to him was definitely Flitter’s, but there was something else mixed in there that wasn’t normally found in the demure mare’s tone.
Trying to contain his surprise, he rubbed a hoof through his mane. “So, uh… you know that we’re just going to the market, right? It’s not like I have tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala or anything like that.”
Fluttering her wings, Flitter sauntered over to stand next to him. “Oh, I know. I just wanted to break in this new outfit to make sure that I look good in it,” she explained, putting a heavy emphasis on her appearance while flipping her newly washed mane so he could smell the liberally applied perfume.
A look of comprehension washed over Sky’s face as he gave a bark of laughter. “Ohhhhh, I see what’s going on here. You’re trying to haggle with the merchants to get the best prices they’ll offer!”
He turned to her with a smirk on his muzzle. “You know, I never took you for that kind of mare, Flitter. Although I guess what they say is true, it’s always the quiet ones.”
Flitter stared at him with a look of shock and disbelief. She could not believe that was the first place his mind had gone, especially considering her modest attitude and personality.
Resisting the urge to go back inside and shoot him with an arrow, she smiled wryly and forced out, “Well, that wasn’t my primary reason for dressing up, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt saving a few bits where I can.”
Turning towards the marketplace, he chuckled, “I hear you. Come on, we’d better get a move on if you want to put those negotiating skills of yours to good use.”
The smoldering mare fell into step with him, facehoofing at his obliviousness and density.
I swear, if I had my bow with me right now, there’d be one less arrow in my quiver. There’s no way he can misconstrue this though.
Taking a more blatant approach, she opened her wings and pressed up against the side of his barrel while nuzzling into the crook of his neck.
Feeling her warm pressure, Sky opened his own wing and enveloped her barrel in its warmth. “Oh! Are you cold, Flitter? That outfit doesn’t look like it provides much insulation,” he said, wiping away the smile that had plastered itself on her muzzle.
Flitter’s face burned red in embarrassment and frustration. What more could she do? It seemed that nothing short of hiking up her skirt and bending down on all fours would make the message penetrate his thick skull.
Sighing in defeat, she settled into his warm embrace, enjoying the intimate moment they shared under the sun’s golden rays.
Sky was not an idiot. He knew full well what was happening the instant she had flicked her tail to flash her panties.
As Flitter made more and more insistent attempts to flirt, he had to fight his raging hormones and feign ignorance to keep his cool and not skip to dessert before having the main course.
What frustrated him the most, however, wasn’t her skimpy outfit or seductive tone but the perfume. Unknowingly, Flitter had purchased a scented perfume specifically engineered to smell like a mare in heat.
The instant Sky smelled the familiar fragrance, he shifted into a defensive ignorance so as not to take advantage of a friend supposedly being influenced by a biological trigger she couldn’t control.
As they traversed the market plaza, he noticed that Flitter was getting a lot more attention than she would normally garner. Passing stallions would do a double take and sniff the air hopefully before seeing Sky walking with her and turn away looking disappointed. A few of the more brazen onlookers would call out or wolf whistle, causing Flitter to blush even more and hide her exposed midsection with her wings.
Each time Sky heard one of these derogatory remarks, he felt a flash of anger bubble up before passing it off as an effect of the pheromones Flitter’s perfume was giving off.
Just when he was about to call it quits and head back home, another voice called out to him. “Hey, Mr. Skyfall! Over here!”
The two ponies turned to see Griffy waving a claw while standing next to a taller female griffon that looked very similar to him.
Flitter panicked and frantically buttoned up the top of her shirt so as not to corrupt Griffy’s young, innocent mind. When they reached him, Griffy gave them both a big hug and squealed, “It’s so good to see you two again!”
Sky patted him on the head. “Hey, little man, it’s good to see you too.”
Shifting his gaze to the griffoness, he called, “You have a very enthusiastic son, ma’am.”
Griffy’s mother’s beak curved into a smirk. “Oh? How did you know he was my son?”
“Well, I didn’t know until you just told me, but the fact of the matter is that there aren’t many griffons with orange feathers, so I felt pretty safe in my assumption.”
The large orange bird gave a caw of laughter before fixing Sky with an impressed gaze. “You’re just as clever as Griffy said you were. Maybe you are up for the task after all.”
Griffy’s face burst with excitement. “Do you really mean it!? Are you going to give them the job!?”
Sky raised his eyebrows as he peered at the older griffon. “What is he talking about, ma’am? What job are you offering?”
Griffy’s mother held up a claw. “It is a delicate matter that I would prefer to discuss in private.” She turned and walked back into the tent before adding, “And please, just call me Kaya.”
Griffy tugged their hooves towards the tent, his eyes gleaming with excitement. Once safely ensconced, Kaya faced the pair and asked, “You two are members of the treasure hunting group that found The Lost Diadem of Diamondpaw, correct?”
They nodded as she pulled out a sheet of paper. “Well then, this might peak your interest.”
Almost the entire page was taken up by a shiny silver longsword with a ruby encrusted hilt. The caption under the image read, ‘The Sword Of Griffonstone. Reward: 5,000 bits’.
A ding rang out from the front of the shop as a large griffon waited to place his order. Griffy ran out to take care of the customer as Kaya explained, “This sword is one of the only relics that remains of the ancient Gilbert Griffonstone, the founder of the Griffon Empire. I’d like to commission your party to search the mines and bring it back to me so that our capital can honor its founder.”
“I see,” Flitter replied, peering intently at the page. “I do have a few questions. You asked about the diadem before offering us the task. Why did you do that?”
Kaya pulled out two more bounty sheets and passed them across the small table. “I noticed that your party found The Goblet of Hooflepuff and The Diadem of Diamondpaw, both of which were relics of other important founders of Equestria’s main races.”
She gestured towards the posters, “Given your group’s uncanny knack for rooting out these artifacts, I figured I should give you all a chance to search before I post this in town hall for other hunters to see.”
Sky leaned towards Flitter and whispered, “What do you think? We haven’t had a decent job in a while, and Griffy personally referred us to his mom, so I’d hate to let him down.”
Flitter nodded before turning back to Kaya and handing her the posters. “Thank you so much for your consideration. We would be honored to find The Sword of Griffonstone and return it to its rightful place.”
Kaya smiled and extended her claw. “I’m glad we can work together. I’ll contact you later with the information regarding its last known location and a more detailed description.”
As they shook appendages, Sky left the tent to order a round of meat from Griffy. Flitter turned to follow him, but was stopped by a wing blocking her path. “Hold on a second, Ms. Flitter.”
Kaya peered down at her with a calculating gaze. Flitter began to grow nervous under her piercing eyes until the griffon's beak curled into a smug smirk. “I recognize the perfume you used to try and attract your handsome friend.”
Flitter turned scarlet as she stumbled over her words. “W-What!? I d-don’t know what you’re t-talking abou--”
Kaya interrupted her with a chuckle, “There’s no point denying it. Your red face and expression say it all. I remember during my first date with my husband..." she broke off and stared wistfully into space.
"Anyway, I just wanted to give you some advice, woman-to-woman. Don’t rely on things like that perfume or your uninspired outfit to draw his attention. If he doesn’t love you for the mare underneath the dress, the relationship isn’t going to last very long.”
A movement to her left caught Flitter’s attention. Griffy was showing Sky all the various ways to prepare meat while the stallion watched along, patting the miniature griffon on the head after tasting a particularly delicious strip of bacon.
Seeing how well Sky got along with the little bird, Flitter smiled to herself and replied, “Thanks, Kaya. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Sky, Flitter, and Cloud gazed at the concealed castle in astonishment. After a week of fruitless searching, they had finally located the ancient cathedral described by Kaya in her scrolls.
The outer walls were coated in a thick layer of grass and moss while the battlements near the open gate crumbled with age. A catapult, no doubt left by raiders hundreds of years ago, lay broken near the overgrown entrance to the decaying mansion.
“Woah… No wonder it took us so long to find this place. It’s practically part of the forest at this point!” Cloud mumbled, staring open-mouthed at the rusted iron fence.
Sky nodded, running a hoof along the discarded catapult ammunition. “If Kaya hadn’t mentioned that the castle even existed, I would have never guessed there’d be one this far into the jungle.”
Hearing no reply, he turned and asked, “Flitter, what do you think?”
Flitter jumped and turned to look at him. “Oh, what did you say? I’m sorry, I got distracted.”
Cloud gave her a curious stare. “You’ve been on edge ever since we left town. Is there something bothering you?”
Running a hoof along her bow, Flitter’s eyes darted from side to side as she whispered, “I can’t help but feel like we’re being followed. I’ve been catching movement out of the corners of my eyes for days now, but every time I turn, there’s nothing there.”
Sky and Cloud both turned to look at the area around them, but the dense trees made it hard to see very far.
Cloud narrowed her eyes before flapping her wings and flying above the treetops. “Hmm… I don’t see anything, Flitter. Everything around us is either green trees or green grass. There isn’t a single other colored thing around us for hundreds of yards.”
Sky rested a wing on her body. “Maybe we should take a break. If you’re starting to hallucinate, we really shouldn’t go any further until you’re better.”
Flitter brushed him off with a shake of her head. “No… I’m fine. It’s probably just my imagination. Let’s go and get the sword before it gets too dark.”
Flying over the ruined walls, the three entered the main hall of the castle. Searching around, Cloud let out a groan at the sheer volume of the structure. “Oh man, this place is HUGE! It’ll take hours just to search the first floor, let alone the entire building.”
Flitter put a hoof to her chin. “I don’t think we need to search the entire castle. Don’t you remember the dungeons where we found the goblet and the diadem? Both of them were underground and were guarded by something that tested whether we were worthy to claim the treasure at the end.”
Sky clapped his hooves. “Right! The diadem was protected by a rockslide trap and that cryptic riddle Flitter solved.” Scrunching his muzzle, he added, “There were also those Diamond Demolishers too, but I don’t think they were part of the original design.”
Cloudchaser frowned, “But what about the goblet? There wasn’t any test at the end of the cavern, and the rockslide there wasn’t triggered by any tripwire, it felt natural.”
Sky’s eyes widened. “No, it wasn’t!”
The two mares gave him an incredulous stare. Seeing their confusion, he clarified, “I never told you two this since it didn’t seem important, but the goblet wasn’t actually in the room when I first got there.”
Flitter blinked in surprise while Cloud’s eyebrows raised another inch. “What are you talking about? You had it in your pack when Flitter and I got into the chamber a few minutes later.”
“Right, but while I was in the chamber, the room was empty until the goblet’s pedestal suddenly rose out of the ground."
Sky flapped his wings excitedly. “That was the test! The rockslide that trapped you two and the pedestal that rose for me weren’t natural; they were magical. I’m guessing they were set to trigger once more than one creature was past the falling boulders.”
Flitter stomped her hooves in realization. “I see! The purpose of those mechanisms was to test our cooperation and teamwork since no creature could have moved all those heavy rocks by themselves!”
A snort sounded from behind them as Cloud tried to hold in her laughter. “If that really was the test, then I’d say we failed it considering Sky tackled me to the ground, and Flitter tried to use his head for target practice.”
Flitter blushed before countering, “Hey, don’t act like you’re the morally correct one. You guys would have killed each other if I hadn’t gotten everypony to calm down and talk things out.”
“Eh, fair enough. We still got the treasure out of there, so I’d say those tests are far from foolproof. I mean, they were built using magic from hundreds of years ago.”
Sky scanned the crumbling stone walls. “So, where would someone hide the sword in a castle like this?”
Flitter shrugged as she pondered the location of the sword’s hiding place. If the pattern continued, the sword would be hidden underground just like the other two. Also, since the sword was hidden in an abandoned fortress, it would probably be buried somewhere secure with systems built to keep out unwanted trespassers.
Grinning at her brilliant deduction, Flitter opened her muzzle and exclaimed, “I got it! The sword is obviously in the guard armory!”
“The sword’s in the prison dungeons!”
The two sisters stared at each other, neither believing what the other had said. Eventually, Flitter broke out of her trance and huffed, “The prison dungeons? Why would the sword be down there? If it’s weapons and armor we’re looking for, the guard armory should be the first place we look.”
Cloud countered with her own reasoning. “That’s exactly why we shouldn’t go there. I don’t believe that we’re the first ponies to stumble across this place, even if it was hidden by the jungle. Anypony that wanted to salvage valuable gear would have gone straight to the armory, which would not make it a good hiding spot.”
She flicked her head to the descending steps. “The dungeons, however, would be perfect. It’s underground, there’s nothing valuable down there to pillage, and it’s literally designed to keep ponies from breaking in or out, which is exactly the kind of place we’re looking for.”
Sky and Flitter couldn’t hold back a look of astonishment. It was no secret that Flitter was always considered the brains of the two while Cloud was relegated to the role of brawn with her tomboyish attitude.
However, as Sky remembered, Cloud had proven herself to be much more intelligent than most ponies gave her credit for when she uncovered his deception in their first encounter.
Humming, he rubbed his chin with a hoof. “Huh… when she puts it that way, I can see the merit in her observation. What do you think, Flitter? I say we give Cloud’s idea a sho--”
Flitter drew back her bow and fired an arrow towards his head. Sky yelped in shock and closed his eyes as he felt the arrow whiz past his left ear and out of sight.
Before he could shout at her for giving him the closest shave of his life, a cry of pain sounded from behind him. Turning around, he had just enough time to make out a griffon falling from behind a stone column before a hail of arrows returned fire.
Sky yanked the other two down and raised his shield above them. Most of the incoming projectiles landed on the stone floor, but a few that surely would have put them underground thunked against the sturdy metal.
Not wanting to get caught in another hail storm, the three pegasi ran for cover behind another crumbling column. As they caught their breath, Sky panted, “Flitter, what the hay was that? How did you know they were behind us?”
Flitter nocked another arrow as she replied, “I knew I wasn’t hallucinating! Those griffons have been following us for days! I think I recognized the one I shot down. It was the same griffon that was ordering meat from Griffy the day his mom gave us the job!”
Sky’s eyes widened. He too remembered the large, mean-looking griffon that interrupted their private conversation.
Leaning out of cover, he called, “You griffons that are shooting at us, we’re not trying to steal your nation’s sacred relic. We’re returning it to our client who wants to take it back to the Griffon Empire’s capital to preserve your founder’s legacy!”
Praying this was all a big misunderstanding, Sky hoped the attacking griffons would stop firing and believe their noble purpose.
His hopes, however, would not be realized as the leader of the raiding party replied, “We are the assassin guild, The Wind Slashers. We don’t care about your client or your treasure. We just want you dead.”
Another arrow flew by Sky’s muzzle, missing it by centimeters. Pulling back, he turned to see his own fear reflected in the sisters’ worried expressions. “These guys aren’t treasure hunters. They were hired to assassinate us! It doesn’t look like we can talk our way out of this.”
Trying to formulate a battle plan, he asked, “Do either of you know anything about these Wind Slashers? I’ve never even heard of them before.”
His initial hopes rested with Flitter and her vast encyclopedia of knowledge, but, like the location of the treasure, the answer came from Cloudchaser. “They’re a clandestine society of talented aerial archers. They’re known for swooping down and hailing arrows on their targets before flying away to avoid prosecution.”
The other two blinked in surprise at Cloud’s knowledge of dangerous assassin guilds but held back their questions as a bomb arrow blew apart the top of the column they were hiding behind.
“Alright,” Sky whispered, lowering his voice so as not to give away their plan, “we need to beat them at their own game. Cloud and I will attack them to draw their fire and force them out of their trench. Flitter, I need you to hang back and shoot any we manage to push out. No offense, but I don’t think you can out-play an entire squad of veteran archers.”
Flitter gave a nod of acknowledgement and flew towards an alcove to wait for an opportune time to strike.
Cloud, however, spoke up to voice her concerns. “Sky, there’s no way we’ll make it to their encampment. They’ll shoot us down before we get anywhere close, even with your shield!”
Smirking, he raised his trusty shield to show her a hidden switch on the back near his hoof. “Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.”
Fixing her with a tense gaze, he said, “You need to go around and hit them from behind. You should be able to fly through one of the holes in the ceiling and get the drop on them while I draw their attention.”
Seeing the trepidation lacing her otherwise beautiful features, Sky put a comforting hoof on her barrel. "I’ll be fine. I promise.”
Cloud bit her lip and lowered her gaze before wrapping her hooves around his neck and pulling him in for a tight hug. Whispering into his ear, she mumbled, “Don’t you dare die out there. I’ll never forgive you if something happens.”
Pulling back with a blush, she flapped her wings and took off through the open ceiling, leaving behind the faint scent of mare musk before disappearing from sight.
Feeling his cheeks burn, Sky shook his head to concentrate on the task at hoof. Stretching his wings to prepare for liftoff, he raised a practiced hoof and activated the concealed switch behind the steel plates.
Instantly, the sides of his shield expanded as the dual layers of metal split from each other, effectively doubling the shield’s area of protection. Grinning at the engineering marvel, Sky flapped his wings and charged towards the enemy archers, shield raised in a bashing formation.
As he flew through the air, multiple thunks sounded as arrows pelted the extended metal plates. Ducking behind another column, he adjusted the strap on his hoof and called out, “You know, for a group of infamous assassins, you all kind of suck at actually killing!”
An angry voice yelled back, “Stop hiding behind that stupid shield like a coward, and then we’ll see who sucks!”
Sky chuckled at the griffon’s frustration and beelined for their defensive trench. As he approached, the Wind Slashers parted to reveal a hidden surprise of their own.
Instead of being all archers like their reputation implied, two melee guards equipped with spears were waiting for him with weapons drawn and wings extended.
Moving too fast to stop, he charged towards one of the spearmen who panicked and dropped his weapon before Sky smashed him full force into the ground. Scrambling to his hooves, he turned to face the other spearman who thrusted the sharp spearhead forward toward his exposed body.
Rolling over, Sky caught a glimpse of Cloud and Flitter cutting down the panicking archers as they tried hopelessly to put some distance between themselves and Cloud’s aggressive swings. A grin split across his muzzle as a particularly incredible snipe from Flitter shot down one of the fleeing griffons that managed to get away.
Before Sky could stand up, the enemy spearman slashed at his face with a claw, leaving a large gash in his cheek. Wincing, Sky jumped back and prepared his shield for the oncoming spear thrusts.
In hindsight, he probably shouldn’t have pulled away from the attacking griffon. His opponent’s spear had superior reach, which meant Sky couldn’t effectively attack without closing the distance. Smacking himself for the momentary blunder, he hoofed the ground in preparation for another charge like a bull in a matador ring.
With a burst of speed, he rushed forward while trying to tackle the opposing assassin to the floor. As the distance closed, Sky leapt into the air and dive-bombed at his assailent.
Seeing this, the griffon spread his wings and flew into the air out of shield-bashing range, laughing as the failed attack sent Sky tumbling to the ground.
Sky fell back nervously. With the weight and bulk of his shield, aerial combat was never his specialty. As he brainstormed another plan of attack, he noticed the spear of the downed griffon guard laying near his back hoof. Seeing his opportunity, he grabbed the fallen spear and flew up to meet his opponent in the air.
The flying spearman narrowed his eyes, evidently not approving the idea of Sky using his fallen comrade’s weapon against him.
Raising his own spear, the opposing griffon taunted, “I’ve trained for years to master the ancient arts of spearmanship and aerial combat. Even if you carry my brother’s weapon, you’ll never have his experience. What chance do you have against my perfectly honed Assassin Style?”
Sky smirked as he took aim, spear tip pointed at the enemy griffon. Putting his full weight into it, he hurled the spear like a javelin, which sailed forward towards the flying spearman's head.
The griffon avoided the projectile by pivoting to the side and smacking it away with his own weapon. “Hah! That was your plan!? You couldn’t throw a spear to save your li--”
His voice cut off as Sky’s shield slammed into his beak, cracking it in the process. As he fell, Sky pinned him against the floor while knocking the spear out of his claw and snarked, “That’s Sky Style. Learn it.”
Dropping the beaten griffon to the floor, he picked up his shield and tapped the hidden switch again, which caused the extended metal plates to contract back and reattach to their base.
As he turned to support his teammates, the body of one of the enemy archers landed at his hooves.
The griffon gazed up at him with pleading eyes and stammered, “p-please… save me…” before Cloud sprinted up and struck him hard in the head with the flat of her sword, causing him to collapse in a heap.
“Whew! Say what you like about these cowards, they sure know how to run away.”
Flitter’s voice spoke as she joined her sister. “They’re also good at setting up an ambush. If that one griffon hadn’t lost his footing, I would never have known they were there.”
Glancing down at the griffon Cloud had just incapacitated, she added, “Cloud, take it easy with the finishers. I know they’re assassins, but we don’t want to kill. Otherwise, we’ll be no better than them.”
As Cloudchaser rolled her eyes at the sentiment, Flitter asked, “Why do you think they came after us? Better yet, who was the one that hired them?”
“There’s only one way to find out.” Sky made his way over to the griffon he had tackled out of the sky. As he approached, the defeated bird fixed him with a glare and tried to attack, but Sky grabbed his claw with his hooves and pinned him to the ground again. “Now, I’m only going to ask you once before I start resorting to other methods. Who sent you? Why did they want us dead?”
The griffon spat at him and growled, “Do whatever you want 'cause I’ll never talk. I’ve suffered much worse than anything you ponies could possibly do to me.” He flipped his head feathers to reveal a horrible burn mark that scarred his left eye past the point of recovery.
As Sky began to bend his elbow, Flitter averted her eyes with an expression of fear and disgust. Just before the griffon’s shoulder popped out of its socket, Cloud yelled, “Sky, stop for a second!”
Sky glanced up before finally relenting. He had the feeling that physical pain wasn’t going to crack the hardened assassin, so whatever Cloud thought of couldn’t possibly be worse. Keeping the griffon pinned, Sky forced him to look at her face.
Cloud leered down with a pitiless expression and said, “I’m not going to bother negotiating since you and the rest of your gang are already dead. Your little ambush was being watched by more than just my sister.”
She pointed a hoof at a balcony overlooking the castle. “Whoever your contractor was obviously didn’t trust you and your gang to finish us off because there was someone tailing you up there.”
A look of surprise flashed across the griffon’s face before being replaced by his usual cold glare. “You’re lying! My scout constantly scoured this entire area and never saw anyone following us.”
Smirking, Cloud pushed his head down with a hoof. “I’m not surprised. Even with your incredible griffon eyesight, you still aren’t able to see through disguises.”
She lifted his head to stare into his eyes and whispered, “You guys were being followed by a changeling.”
At this, the griffon’s façade started to crack. His pupil dilated as a nervous tremor shook his voice. “N-no way… if it really was a changeling, then how did you see it when my scout couldn’t?”
Cloud smirked, “No matter how good the changeling, it still needs to complete its metamorphosis, which creates a flash of light. I just saw it as Sky was bending back your claw.”
When the griffon didn’t seem totally convinced, she unleashed her trap card. “I’m sure you took note of the stone gargoyle near the upstairs banister. Take a look at it now.”
All four of them looked up. Sure enough, the decaying banister was completely devoid of any statues. Thinking back, Sky did remember seeing it in his peripheral vision as he circled the griffon during their aerial fight. Glancing around nervously, he wondered what other objects or creatures were also changelings in disguise, waiting for an opportune moment to strike.
The griffon’s face contorted into a look of terror. Sky felt all the fight leave his body as he buried his head into the ground. “T-That’s it… we’re dead…”
Cloud flashed the others a triumphant look before changing track and returning to the scared griffon. “You’re not dead until your heart stops beating. You still have a chance to survive.”
She lifted his head again and said, “Tell us who hired you, and we’ll take him out. We want him gone just as much as you do now that he’s placed a mark on us.”
Sighing in defeat, the griffon spoke in a much softer tone. “Alright, alright, I’ll talk. It’s not like I have much choice now anyway.”
Sky released him from the pin as the griffon sat up and rotated his shoulder to get the feeling back in his arm. Flitter took the initiative and said, “Let’s start with an introduction. What’s your name?”
The griffon raised an eyebrow at her before muttering, “My name is unimportant, but for now just call me Hawk.”
“So, Hawk,” Sky said with a bit of an edge, “now that we’re on the same team, it’s time to uphold your end of the deal. Tell us who hired you and why they wanted us dead.”
Chuckling to himself, Hawk grinned, “It doesn’t even matter if I tell you. You’re all dead anyway. But, since you insist, I’ll let you live out the short remainder of your lives in paralyzing fear.” He fixed them with a cold, unsympathetic glare.
“The one that hired my assassin guild to kill you was…”
The three ponies reeled back in terror. Dragon Lord Torch was an immensely large and powerful draconic dictator that ruled the Dragonlands with an iron claw. He was one of the few creatures that could actually hold his own in a battle with the princesses of Equestria.
Despite his brutish appearance, Dragon Lord Torch was incredibly clever and crafty, which fooled many of his opponents right into his merciless jaws.
Clenching his teeth to stop hyperventilating, Sky exclaimed, “WHAT! Dragon Lord Torch!? Why would a cruel, ruthless dictator want a bunch of small fry treasure hunters like us dead?”
Hawk hung his head and groaned, “Do you see why I was so terrified? Now that the changeling has reported our failure, The Dragon Lord will surely send even more dangerous assassins after both of our groups to tie up any loose ends.”
Peering morosely at them, he repeated, “We’re all dead. There’s nothing we can do now…”
Cloud shook her head to clear away the rising panic. “No way! There’s no way I’m just going to lie down and let a bunch of assassins kill me in my sleep.”
Grabbing Hawk by his feathers, she shook him and yelled, “Why did that scaly mosquito want us dead? If we do something about his motive, maybe he’ll stop attacking us.”
Any hope they had of preventing the assassination plots vanished as Hawk mumbled, “It’s no use. He wanted you dead because you arrested his subordinates, The Diamond Demolishers, and confiscated the treasure they were after, The Lost Diadem of Diamondpaw.”
Sky’s eyebrows furrowed. “Wait, arresting his lap dogs I can understand, but why would Dragon Lord Torch want the diadem? It was only worth 3,000 bits, which must be less than pocket change to a guy like him.”
Hawk shrugged, “I have no idea. He wouldn’t tell us anything other than what we needed to get the job done. If you want to know his other motives, you’ll have to ask him yourself.”
Cloud let out a scoff. “Oh yeah, that’ll be a pleasant conversation. Excuse me, Dragon Lord Torch, would you mind extrapolating to my compatriots and I as to your motivations behind our premature demise? That would be most appreciated, good sir.”
All four of them laughed at the ridiculous notion. After regaining their senses, Sky turned to assess Hawk with a more serious glare. “So, now that we both have marks on our backs, can my friends and I expect not to be followed and riddled with arrows?”
Holding up a claw, Hawk promised, “Now that the contract with my previous employer is void, your group has nothing to fear from The Wind Slashers.”
Cloud raised an eyebrow. “Until someone else comes knocking with the same business opportunity?”
He smiled with a bit of cockiness in his expression. “Business is business. I have neither the ability nor the desire to see into the future.”
They glared at each other before Hawk stood up and started helping his fellow assassins recover. “Well, it’s been a pleasure talking, but my brothers and I must be leaving now. Good luck with whatever treasure you all were trying to excavate.”
The three ponies watched him until he and the rest of his guild disappeared from sight. As they rounded a corner, Flitter whispered, “I’m not sure about them. They don’t have a reason to want us dead anymore, but they’re still highly trained assassins.”
Cloud nodded in agreement. “Yeah, let’s get the sword and leave before they have a chance to heal up and come back for revenge.”
The three of them turned to face the ominous descending staircase. “So, shall we?”
The inside of the prison dungeon was exactly what they expected. The slippery stones made wet slaps as their hooves slid across the slimy surface. More than once, one of them stepped on a crumbling tile and fell to the ground, sending several echoing clangs down the dark passageway.
Cloud scrunched her muzzle at the musty smell emanating from the tunnel. “Jeez, first a dirty cave and now this? Why couldn’t these founders hide their relics in a well-lit ski resort?”
Sky snorted while Flitter rolled her eyes. “Sis, these relics are some of the only records of our world’s history. They’re an important part of each nation and identify the values and morals of each race’s societies. While they might not have much material worth, they still make a huge impact on the sociopolitical attitudes that still affect us to this da--”
Cloud cut her off with a groan. “Okay, Flitter, I get it. Cultural identity blah blah very important legacy blah.”
Flitter looked scandalized as her red face puffed out with indignation. Sensing the oncoming tirade, Sky interrupted them by pointing towards the end of the corridor. “Look out! There’s something moving up ahead.”
They all readied their weapons and edged down the stairs. As they approached the moving object, Sky felt a strange tingle race up his spine as the other two showed similar signs of discomfort.
After confronting the mysterious entity, they discovered it was nothing but a broken door swinging lazily on its hinges. Sky let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness. For a second, I thought we were going to have to fight our way through another wave of assassins.”
Pushing it aside, he peered at the dungeon that lay beyond. The walls and floor were just as slick as the staircase, and an old wooden stool meant for guards was flipped over near the entrance.
Holding up a torch, Sky’s eyes narrowed at the suspicious lack of defenses. If this really was the hiding place of The Sword Of Griffonstone, shouldn’t they have run into a challenge or test by now?
As if reading his mind, the previously broken door suddenly snapped shut with a bang, trapping them in like the prisoners it held hundreds of years ago.
Flitter gave a squeak of horror and rushed to pull it open, but hesitated as she noticed the lack of a door latch. “W-What the hay!? How is the door locking itself without a lock to keep it in place?”
Cloud pushed her aside and raised her broadsword. “Move, Flitter. I got this.” Normally, bringing her heavy broadsword down on the rotten wood would have reduced the door to splinters, but instead Cloud’s blade bounced off it as she was thrown backwards through the air.
“Cloud!” Flitter yelled, rushing to her sister’s aid. “Are you okay? Do you feel any injuries?”
Cloud groaned and sat up looking dazed. “No… but I do feel like I got run over by a dozen carriages.” She glared back at the offending door. “What in Equestria was that? I should have turned that decrepit old thing into matchsticks!”
Sky reached out a hoof and felt the door. A familiar buzzing feeling traveled through his foreleg as he remembered the sudden chill they’d experienced on the stairwell. "Damn it..."
Turning to face the other two, he flapped his wings and growled, “It looks like this is the trial. The door is sealed by magic, and some kind of spell is preventing us from flying. Try to get airborne.”
They all flapped their wings as hard as they could, but none of them could get an inch off the ground. Searching around with a worried expression, Flitter trembled, “O-Okay, we know that this is the right place, so where is the test?”
Once again, the dungeon seemed to answer their questions as a bright red light suddenly illuminated the closest jail cell. The blinding flare was accompanied by a resonating hum that vibrated the entire chamber.
They all staggered away from the miniature sun, fearful that some evil monster was appearing before them, but nothing happened aside from the steady hum sounding throughout the room.
After thirty seconds of eventless waiting, Sky lowered his shield and gazed expectedly. “Huh… I thought something would have happened by now.”
Cloud relaxed the grip on her sword and stared at the shining cell. “I wonder what it wants from us. I mean, it’s not like there’s a riddle written on the wall this time.”
Flitter pulled back her bow and fired an arrow at the light. It shot forward and passed right through the shimmer, hitting the back wall with a clatter. “Whatever it is, it’s definitely not a solid or liquid. Based on the sparkles, I’m guessing it’s some sort of spell.”
Sky nodded and asked, “Do either of you know anything about magic? I’ve always been more of a physical kind of pegasus, so I got nothing.”
Both sisters shook their heads. Cloud tried to open the magically locked door again as Flitter replied, “I’ve studied basic magical spellcasting, but I’ve never heard of a spell being used without a unicorn being nearby.”
Searching around for any form of instruction, the three pegasi spent over an hour scouring every inch of the prison dungeon before finally accepting that there were no other clues in the room.
With all other options exhausted, Sky turned to the other two and sighed, “It looks like there’s no other choice. We’re going to have to find out what that spell does on ponies.”
Stepping forward, he prepared to enter the spell’s area of effect before being violently yanked back by Flitter's frantic hooves.
“What are you doing!? You can’t just approach an unknown magical spell! Who knows what could happen?”
Cloud nodded. “Yeah, man, for all we know, that spell could blow you into smithereens the second you walk in there!”
Cringing at the messy image, Sky flapped his wings and pointed at the shining spell. “What other choice do we have? Either one of us goes in there to investigate, or we all starve to death in here. I don’t think that door is going to open until we pass this trial.”
“Shouldn’t we talk about this first?” Flitter asked. “I mean, maybe we could all go in together to reduce its effect on each of us.”
Sky closed his eyes and sighed before gazing at the two sisters with a subdued expression. “No, I have to go in alone. If it really is dangerous, I don’t want anything to happen to either of you.”
He gave them a sympathetic smile. “You two are family. The only family you have left. I couldn’t forgive myself if I let one of you get hurt and leave the other with no one else. At least this way, if something does happen, you two will still have each other.”
He unstrapped his shield and offered it to Flitter. “If I don’t make it, take my shield and use it to protect yourselves. Even if I can’t be there myself, at least I can still have your back this way.”
Flitter stared down at the offered shield, gazing with eyes that didn’t really see the metal plates. Then, tossing it to the floor, she flung her hooves around Sky’s neck, eyes streaming with tears.
No words were needed as the two embraced each other, neither wanting to let go out of fear of never feeling the other again. Sky could feel his own eyes starting to water. He didn’t want to leave yet. Even though they hadn’t gotten off on the best hoof, the three of them had been through so much together.
From discovering treasure and chatting in the marketplace to fighting side-by-side against hunters and assassins alike, their sacred time together had been the most fulfilling moments of his life.
Their intimate contact lasted several heartwarming minutes before Sky pulled back. Flitter clung to his coat, desperate to hold him for as long as she could, but he gently pushed her away with his wing. “Flitter,” he started, smiling softly at the sobbing, heartbroken mare, “look at me, please.”
Flitter peered into his golden eyes, her own shining pink ones giving him a pleading gaze, begging for reassurance. His heart gave a lurch as her beseeching expression pierced it like one of her arrows.
Leaning down, he whispered, “Flitter, no matter what happens, promise me that you’ll keep going. Promise me that you and Cloud will do whatever it takes to survive, even if I don't come back. Can you do that for me?”
Wiping her eyes with her hooves, she gave another sob before choking out, “I’ll never be happy if you aren’t there. I don’t want you to go…”
A calming hoof gently brushed her delicate fur. “I won’t be going anywhere. No matter what happens, I’ll always be with you.”
Placing the metal disk into her hooves, Sky planted a kiss on her forehead, causing her to let out a squeak of surprise.
Standing up, he gave Flitter one last smile before turning to her sister. “Cloud, I don’t really know what to say. We’ve always been stepping on each other’s hooves, but I don’t want to leave without saying how I really feel about you.”
Taking a deep breath, he prepared to express what he had worked so hard to contain. “When we first met, I thought you were an aggressive, brawny tomboy who got her rocks off by kicking other ponies in the barrel.”
Cloudchaser’s face contorted into an affronted glare of indignation. Before she could start on him, he continued with the latter part of his confession. “But, as we worked together, I realized that there’s so much more to you behind the brazen personality you display. Yes, you’re strong, brash, and like to eat meat, but you’re also compassionate, intelligent, and, despite the messy way you like to keep your mane, incredibly beautiful.”
He met her startled eyes with an affectionate gaze. “The way you got Griffy to open up and pour his heart out to us showed the caring maternal side that you hide out of fear of appearing weak. The way you saw right through me both when we first met in the cave and after I confronted Griffy about his problems perfectly displayed the intelligence that is so often overshadowed by your sister.”
Sky blushed scarlet as he forced himself to expose his innermost desires. “Cloud, you’ll never know how much I admire you because there’s no way I’d fit the words in this lifetime. So instead, I’ll just show you.”
Swallowing hard, he tenderly wrapped his hooves around her soft barrel and neck. Cloud gasped before slowly relaxing into the sudden act of affection.
Something about this hug felt different than the ones they had shared before. It was no longer two teammates congratulating each other for a job well done. It was no longer two friends hoof-bumping after a particularly witty joke. Now, it represented two ponies expressing their mutual desire to be more, to go beyond their current boundaries and explore this new feeling they shared.
As he pulled away, Cloud’s eyes began to fill with tears. Lowering her gaze, she tried to discreetly wipe them away with her wings and mumbled, “Y-Yeah… thanks, Sky.”
Then, turning her tear-stained face toward him, she grinned, “But there was no need to get all sappy on me! You’re definitely going to come back, so I’ll have plenty of time to tease Flitter about that mushy stuff you said to her.”
Sky gave her one last smirk before turning to face the mysterious red light. As he stared at what could be the end of his life, his mind urged him to make one final confession before it was too late.
His heart was beating out of his chest as stepped forward into the illuminated cell. The iron rod door slammed shut as the humming around the room grew louder. Glancing over his shoulder, he caught one last glimpse of the two mares, Cloud holding her sister back as Flitter tried desperately to pull him out.
Tears falling down his face, Sky's lips trembled with the effort of saying the most powerful words in existence.
The two sisters stared blankly at the spot where Sky had vanished. One moment, he had been confessing his innermost feelings to them, the next, he had vanished in a flash of red light, leaving nothing behind but the echoing of his last statement of love.
Flitter collapsed to her knees as fresh tears poured from her eyes. Cloud, holding back tears of her own, hugged her sister to provide what little comfort she could. As Flitter’s tears splashed onto the stone floor, her wracking sobs created a cacophony of misery throughout the empty dungeon.
After several minutes of crying, Flitter and Cloud looked solemnly at the cold, empty cell where Sky had once stood. Nothing of the brown and blue pegasus remained, but the magical door leading to the stairs remained as locked as ever.
Glancing up in desperation, Flitter grabbed her sister’s coat and cried, “What now, Cloud? He’s gone! He’s gone, and we’re still trapped in this Celestia-forsaken prison!”
Cloud wrapped her wings around Flitter and calmed her breathing enough to whisper, “He’s not gone, Flitter. You heard what he said. He promised he would never leave us. He promised he would always be there to protect you.”
She ran a hoof gently across the metal of his shield. “He’ll come back for us… I know he will.”
Flitter fell into her sister’s embrace and continued to weep, though more quietly as she clung to Sky’s shield like a lifeline. As she held his departing gift, she took not of its strange, intricate design for the first time.
Where most shields would have a ramming spike near the steel sheet’s center, Sky’s shield was emblazoned with three differently sized arrows inscribed within each other.
Narrowing her watery eyes, she let out a gasp at the realization that it was Sky’s cutie mark. As she stared wide-eyed at the logo, it struck her as odd that neither she nor Cloud had ever questioned the peculiar design choice before.
Feeling better at the thought of having something so integral to Sky’s character, Flitter wiped her eyes and held the shield close to her chest. With a shaky breath, she hugged the protective steel and whispered, “Sky, you promised you would never leave me… please, please keep it…”
Sky’s head felt like it had been smashed by a sledgehammer. As his brain seared with pain, his eyes clenched shut, but his ears still managed to detect the sound of dripping water. Feeling around blindly, his hoof felt the familiar texture of dirt and loose pebbles as his bracers rattled against the stones.
Opening his eyes, his blurry vision filled with brown as tears fell down the sides of his face. Wiping them away, Sky focused on the vast quantities of dirt and gravel around him. He could instantly tell he was in a cave, the rocky walls and soil-covered ground made that abundantly obvious.
The place he had landed was in the center of a carved chamber about ten yards across. Searching around, he felt like he should recognize this mysterious location, but the exact information remained elusive no matter how hard he racked his brain.
Suddenly, a grinding sound echoed throughout the chamber. Jumping to his hooves, Sky whipped around to find its source before settling his wide eyes on a very recognizable golden cup. There, on the rising stone pedestal, was The Goblet Of Hooflepuff in all its radiant glory.
Sky gasped as the memory came rushing back. This was the place where he had first met Flitter and Cloudchaser during their scuffle over the goblet! Gazing in awe at the cup, he reached out a hoof and touched one of its handles to make sure it was real. The cold metal pressed against his hoof, letting him know this wasn’t an illusion. The goblet was really here, despite the fact that the two sisters had returned it to its original owner months ago.
Before he could dwell on the goblet’s mysterious reappearance, a very familiar voice rang out from behind him. “Stop right there!”
Sky whirled around to see Flitter and Cloudchaser glaring at him with their weapons drawn. Letting out a cry of relief, he exclaimed, “Cloud! Flitter! I’m so glad to see you two again!”
Flitter’s eyes went wide as Cloud furrowed her eyebrows in suspicion. “How did you know what our names were?”
Sky blinked before stifling a chuckle. “Okay, Cloud, very funny joke. Let’s stop messing around and get out of here so we can grab the sword.”
Cloud growled under her breath before Flitter interrupted, “Um, sir, do we know each other from somewhere? I’m afraid we don’t recognize you.”
At this point, he couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “Jeez, you even got Flitter to join in the prank too? What’s next, is Griffy going to pretend like he hasn’t memorized my usual meat order?”
Flitter’s expression changed to terror as she stammered, “H-How do you k-know about our relationship with Griffy?”
Before he could respond, Cloud’s sword slashed through the air. “Don’t you see, Flitter? This guy’s been stalking us! Well, there’s no way I’m going to let a sneaky little pervert get away.”
Sky’s eyes widened in horror as Cloud charged forward and brought her broadsword down on his head. Letting out a scream of fright, he scrambled away from her murderous glare as her blade pierced through his armor, cleaving open his neck and head.
Sky’s head felt like it had been smashed by a sledgehammer. As his brain seared with pain, his eyes clenched shut, but his ears still managed to detect the sound of dripping water. Feeling around blindly, his hoof felt the familiar texture of dirt and loose pebbles as his bracers rattled against the stones.
Opening his eyes, his blurry vision filled with brown as tears fell down the sides of his face. Wiping them away, Sky focused on the vast quantities of dirt and gravel around him. He could instantly tell he was in a cave, the rocky walls and soil-covered ground made that abundantly obvious.
The place he had landed was in the center of a carved chamber about ten yards acro-
“Wait a second.”
Sky staggered to his hooves as he gazed around. His vision focused on the circular chamber as he ran a hoof along his face. “Did that really just happen?”
Feeling his neck, Sky tried to recall what had just happened. If his memory wasn’t completely failing, he could have sworn Cloud had called him a stalker before decapitating him.
As his memory caught up with the present, a grinding sound echoed around the chamber. Turning around, he stared blankly at The Goblet Of Hooflepuff again, but hesitated out of fear of repeating the traumatic experience.
As Sky contemplated his options, the fur on the back of his neck stood up when two sets of muffled hoofsteps and clanking armor echoed down the passageway. With seconds on the clock, he grabbed the goblet and stuffed it into his travel pack before whipping around to face the approaching creatures.
Flitter and Cloudchaser emerged from the dirt tunnel with weapons drawn. As they glared at him with suspicion, Sky raised his hooves and yelled, “Wait! H-Hold your fire!”
The three of them stared in silence before Flitter lowered her bow and soothed, “Cloud, put your sword down. He’s unarmed.”
Cloud’s eyes roved over his weaponless body before relaxing the grip on her broadsword. “Fine, be sure he doesn’t make any funny moves, okay?”
Sky sighed with relief and pointed to the girls' equipment. “Thanks for not shooting me. Based on your gear, I’m guessing you two are treasure hunters looking for The Goblet Of Hooflepuff, right?”
Flitter nodded as she replaced the notched arrow back in her quiver. “Yes, we are. Have you seen anything like it by chance?”
Sky could feel the pressure of the goblet pressing on his back as he adjusted his travel pack. Curiosity getting the better of him, he admitted, “Yeah, I have. I found it on that pedestal and put it in my travel bag.”
The two sisters glanced at each other in surprise before Cloud growled, “Well, you better take it out and put it back or else-”
Flitter clamped a hoof over her muzzle as Sky took a step back. “Cloud! What are you saying!? We can’t just rob someone who got to the treasure first!”
Cloudchaser opened her mouth to retort, but Flitter silenced her with a dangerous look. “We’re not criminals, Cloud. We play by the rules, and the rules say: first come, first serve.”
Flitter's hooves shuffled across the ground as she apologized, “I’m so sorry about my sister’s behavior. I promise we’re not muggers Mr…”
He thought for a moment before murmuring, “My name’s Sky...fall. It’s Skyfall.”
Flitter nodded in greeting. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Skyfall. My name is Flitter, and my sister’s name is Cloudchaser. As you suspected, we were looking for The Goblet Of Hooflepuff before you found it.”
She fixed him with an ingratiating smile. “You see, Cloudchaser and I are very strapped for bits right now, so I was just wondering if there was anything we could do to convince you to hand over possession rights to the goblet.”
Sky’s mind whirled as this new, unexpected situation unfolded. Thinking over Flitter’s request, he decided to answer in a way that reduced the probability of a fight. “Well, I might be willing to give you the goblet if we could form some sort of alliance with each other.”
The two sisters blinked in surprise as he added, “I can tell you both are experienced hunters, and your weapon skills look decent too.”
Gesturing to his lack of equipment, he supplied, “Normally I carry a shield with me, but I didn’t bring it along today because it’s heavy and I didn’t think I’d be meeting somepony this far into the jungle.”
Cloud gave an unconvinced snort as Flitter mumbled, “W-Well, I’m not sure if we can form an official party without knowing each other better, but if you’d be interested in negotiating I’m sure we could come to some compromise.”
Sky smiled back as he trotted towards the tunnel entrance. “Great! I’m staying at an apartment in San Hoof, so if you tell me where you two live, we can schedule a meeting to discuss a partnership.”
Cloud chuckled as she fell into step with him. “Huh, Flitter and I are staying in San Hoof too! Looks like we won't have to go very far.”
The three of them made their way down the dirt tunnel, chatting about the best finds of their careers. As they laughed at another one of Flitter's unintentional euphemisms, Sky grinned to himself for his peacemaking accomplishment.
Before he could celebrate, the mysterious red light flooded the tunnel. Sky raised a hoof to shield his eyes, but the other two didn’t acknowledge it at all. As he shouted out a warning, the flare expanded into a massive fireball, forcing him back into the dark void of nothingness.
Sky’s head felt like it had been smashed by a sledgehammer. As his brain seared with pain, his eyes clenched shut, but his ears still managed to detect the sound of dripping water. Feeling around blindly, his hoof felt the familiar texture of dirt and loose pebb-
“Oh, no…”
Sky lifted his head and peered around, preparing to see what he knew would be there. Sure enough, he was lying down in the middle of the same circular chamber from the last two replays.
Shaking his head, he mumbled, “That pretty much confirms it. I’m stuck in a time loop from my past.”
As he got to his hooves, Sky stared at the spot where he knew The Goblet Of Hooflepuff was going to emerge. “So, I guess the trial wants me to do something about my past actions. The question is, what do I have to do here to pass the test?”
Reminiscing over his previous lives, Sky documented the actions he took that had resulted in the trial resetting itself. Telling the girls about their future partnership caused his head to be removed from his neck, which was not experience he wanted to repeat. Feigning ignorance and peacefully negotiating didn’t work either since the trial forced a restart by blinding him with that light. What other options could he try?
Sky’s eyes widened as the obvious reality caught up with him. Grabbing the goblet by a handle, he whirled around with a grimace as the now startled sisters emerged from the tunnel.
Hating himself for what he had to do, he charged forward just as Flitter shouted, “WAI-”.
Cloudchaser swung her sword, but he dodged the familiar attack pattern with ease and tackled her to the ground. Then, standing up, he snarled and rounded on Flitter’s terrified expression.
Seeing her flinch away from him with so much fear wrenched his heart, but he didn’t have time to dwell on the pain as she fired an arrow at his head. Not having a shield this time, he ducked under the projectile’s path and prepared to lunge at her.
Just like last time, however, Cloudchaser staggered to her hooves and swung her sword at his neck, shaving off a few hairs from his coat. Sky fell back and ducked behind the stone pedestal as Flitter's voice echoed around the room.
“STOP!”
Suddenly, the room was engulfed in a red glow that blinded Sky just like in the tunnel, but this time a voice sounded inside his head.
“Well done, Skyfall. You have acknowledged your past mistakes and accepted their permanence.”
Sky shook his head to clear his thoughts before thinking, “Who are you? Are you the guardian of The Sword Of Griffonstone?”
The voice resonated in his skull as it replied, “Yes, I am Gilbert Griffonstone, the ancient founder of The Griffon Empire. I am here to pass on a warning to you and your group about Dragon Lord Torch.”
For a moment, Sky didn’t know what he was talking about. Then, with a start, he remembered the assassination attempt the draconic dictator had placed on them. “I know about the assassins. We met some of them before I entered your trial.”
Gilbert Griffonstone gave a grunt. “No Skyfall, I’m not talking about those petty assassins. I want to warn you about the power Dragon Lord Torch has acquired. Thousands of years ago, the Dragonlands were ruled by an even more ruthless king than the one now. His name was… Salamander Slytherdrake!"
He paused to let the dramatic reveal fester. "During the founding of Equestria, he constantly hungered for more territory, even breaking treaties and contracts agreed upon by the rest of the race’s leaders. Eventually, the other founders and I could no longer stand aside as he ravaged our lands and hurt our citizens, so we fought and defeated him in combat.”
Sky’s memory wandered back to his time in school when they learned about Equestria’s founding, but realized that the Dragonland’s founder had never been mentioned alongside the other race’s original settlers. “So, you defeated Slytherdrake and replaced him with a new ruler. What does this have to do with me or my friends?"
The enigmatic griffon sighed, “Unfortunately, even with all our powers combined, we weren’t strong enough to vanquish him forever. His evil influence remains in this world inside his signature locket, much like my own presence exists in the sword.”
Widening his eyes, Sky exclaimed, “And that’s why you’re here to warn me! Dragon Lord Torch has gotten the locket and is being influenced by Salamander Slytherdrake’s evil powers!"
Griffonstone hummed in approval. “Indeed. With the power of Slytherdrake in an already powerful draconic ruler, I fear that even the princesses will not be able to hold back his reign of terror, which is why I am here to warn you and your friends. I must ask your party to defeat Dragon Lord Torch and eliminate Salamander Slytherdrake’s corruption once and for all.”
“W-What!?” Sky stammered, fear gripping his soul. “U-Us? Take down a magically empowered giant Dragon Lord? That’s crazy! We’d never stand a chance by ourselves!”
“I never said you would be fighting him alone,” the griffon reassured. “You three will have the power of the other main founders of Equestria at your disposal. With your skills and our power, I am confident we can destroy Salamander Slytherdrake for good.”
Sky’s ears perked up, “So… are you here to give me the power and courage of The Sword Of Griffonstone?”
Gilbert Griffonstone let out a disapproving noise. “No, you have already been chosen as champion by one of the other founders. If you think back to your previous encounters with The Wind Slashers and that little one, Griffy, I’m sure you will be able to deduce who has blessed you.”
What did the assassin guild and innocent little Griffy have in common? Sure, they were all griffons, but Sky didn’t think that was the connection he was looking for. Finally, after several seconds of intense pondering, he raised his head and exclaimed, “I was able to use words to acquire the outcome I wanted!”
“That’s correct. You were chosen by Helena Hooflepuff and blessed with her powers of negotiation and empathy the moment you first touched her goblet. Similarly, your teammate, Flitter, was deemed worthy by Diana Diamondpaw when she solved the riddle guarding her diadem.”
A mirage appeared in front of Sky’s muzzle showing the image of a dark-purple pegasus carrying a steel broadsword. “Now, I have chosen my own champion. She will make an excellent vessel to impart with my strength and courage.”
The mirage faded as a doorway materialized in its place. “You have proven your party’s worth and shown great prowess in many tests of character. Return to your friends and complete your quest. Once you have vanquished Slytherdrake, we may all rest easier knowing cruel tyranny is not in our destiny.”
Sky nodded as he walked towards the door. Looking back at the red light, he asked, “Mighty Griffonstone, I know one of Diana Diamondpaw’s powers is the ability to see into the future. Has her wisdom granted any insight about this endeavor’s outcome?”
Gilbert chuckled at Sky’s question. “You’re quite well informed for a treasure hunter.”
With a more serious tone, he continued, “Diana has not received any premonitions about the battle’s victor. Even if she had, I wouldn’t tell you because it would influence your decisions and void the premonition’s accuracy. You all must move forward with the courage, wisdom, and empathy necessary to defeat your foes and fulfill your destiny.”
As Sky’s vision faded, he could have sworn he saw the outline of a large, armored griffon smiling back at him before falling into unconsciousness.
Sky’s eyes blinked with the strain of waking up after a century-long nap. As his vision cleared, he focused on two blurry purple shapes that were getting bigger the longer he looked at them.
Before fully knowing what was approaching, he felt two fuzzy sets of hooves wrap around him as he was knocked backwards by the force of the impact. Looking down, he was greeted by the sight of two purple pegasi hugging him with teary faces buried in his chest.
“You’re back!” Flitter cried, squeezing his armor so hard he feared it would bend. “I’m so happy to see you! I was afraid you weren’t going to make it.”
Slightly taken aback, Sky embraced her and whispered, “Of course I came back. I promised I wouldn’t leave you, didn’t I?”
Turning to look at the other pegasus clinging to him, he chuckled, “I never expected you to be so cuddly, Cloud. Have you been holding out on me, or am I still dreaming?”
Cloud wiped her watery eyes with a hoof before slugging him on the shoulder. “Don’t be stupid, man! I always knew you were going to return. I wasn’t worried for a second!”
Sky smirked as he pulled her into another embrace. The three of them stayed there for a while, basking in the warmth and comfort of the group huddle. Eventually, Sky broke the hug and asked, “What happened while I was gone? Are you two okay?”
Flitter sniffled into her wing and choked out, “After you stepped into the spell, you just vanished for over ten minutes! I was terrified that we were never going to see you again.”
“Yeah,” Cloud agreed, “You gave us a real scare there, dude. What did that spell do to you?”
Flashing back to his ethereal experience, Sky sat down and took a deep breath. “You girls better hold on to something because I’ve got some big news…”
Half-an-hour later, Sky let out a sigh of exhaustion. “Finally, once we destroy Salamander Slytherdrake’s locket, Dragon Lord Torch and all the others it has corrupted will be vanquished, and a new ruler would have to take his place as Dragon Lord.”
Flitter and Cloudchaser stared at him with wide eyes. Finally, after several tense moments, Cloud barked, “You’re being serious, right? This isn’t just some prank?”
“I know it’s a lot to take in, but I do have proof. Once we go into the final chamber of this prison, The Sword of Griffonstone is going to choose you as its champion and bless you with the strength and courage of the late Gilbert Griffonstone.”
“Well, what if I don’t want the power? I mean, attacking a magically buffed giant Dragon Lord doesn’t really sound like the safest mission,” she balked, flapping her wings in anxiety.
Sky thought about her question. “I don’t think we have much of a choice at this point. Flitter and I have already been chosen, and I don’t think that door is going to open unless you accept your place as champion of the sword.”
Cloud snorted. “Ugh, that’s so typical. These founders don’t give a changeling’s hoof about our lives. They just want to use us to finish the fight they couldn’t win.”
“Regardless, we’re still going to have to accept their mission if we don’t want to starve to death here.” Sky stood and picked up his shield. “Come on, we need to get moving if we want to get back home before the sun goes down.”
Flitter’s wings expanded as she squeaked, "wait…”
Sky turned to look at her. “Yeah? What’s wrong, Flitter?”
Her face blushed as she mumbled, “it’s just… what you were saying before… did you really…”
A confused expression plastered itself on his face. “Like I told Cloud, I was being serious about what I said. That’s why we need to get back home quickly.”
Flitter turned even more red as her wings extended to their full length. “oh… I d-didn’t know you wanted to do it so s-soon… shouldn’t we wait a bit before…”
Sky’s voice became impatient. “Flitter, I know you’re scared because I am too, but if we don’t do it now then we may never have another chance! Now, let’s get the sword and leave so we can get started.”
The three of them crossed the prison floor, Flitter’s wings twitching and jerking all the way. As they entered the final chamber, a shining gleam reflected around the room and blinded them for a moment.
There, in the middle of the chamber, was The Sword Of Gilbert Griffonstone, its shiny, ruby-encrusted handle sticking out of a boulder in the ground.
Cloud huffed, “So, that’s it? It doesn’t look all that impressive.”
Sky stepped forward and grabbed the hilt. “Gilbert said the sword would choose you somehow. Let’s pull it out now so we can leave this depressing pla-” His voice cut out as the hilt glowed red and blasted him backwards, throwing his battered body against one of the cave walls.
“SKY!” Flitter shouted, running to his side as Cloud laughed her head off.
“Are you okay, Sky?” Flitter asked, frantically checking him for injuries.
He groaned as his body protested any movement. “Ow… what the hay? Gilbert didn’t say anything about the sword having a bomb in its hilt!”
Cloud’s raucous laughter echoed throughout the chamber. “AH HA HA! I take it back! This thing is awesome!”
Sky growled at the hysterically laughing pegasus as he rubbed the bruise forming on his snout. “Jeez, where’s all that hugging and affection from just a few minutes ago?”
“Oh? Do you want me to kiss it to make you feel better?” Cloud swooped down and planted a gentle peck on his muzzle. Instantly, his wings stiffened and erected to their extended positions as his legs went ridged. Flitter gave a muffled squeak of horror as her sister’s lips made contact with Sky’s.
Pulling back with a giggle, Cloud wiped a hoof across her muzzle and smirked, “How do you feel now?”
“Uhhhhhhhhhhh…”
She gave a self-satisfied grin and turned around, flicking her tail to the side as she sauntered away. “Now that you’re all better, I’m going to grab the sword. I have a feeling it won’t jettison me like a cannonball this time.”
Her teeth gripped the ornate handle as she pulled on the sword. A red glow emerged from the ruby-encrusted hilt the moment her muzzle touched it, and the sword’s blade slowly started rising from the enchanted stone. “Oh, yeah. Come to mama…”
Inch by inch, the flawless steel blade emerged from the rock’s confines until the tip finally broke free. The torch light reflected off the pristine metal and blinded them for a moment before Cloud slashed it through the air, creating a beautiful whoosh as it cleaved through its surroundings.
“Not bad… not bad at all!” Cloud murmured, staring at the impeccable weapon like it was made of diamonds. “Hey, do you think Kaya will mind if I keep the sword for a while? I wouldn’t mind taking it into a couple fights.” The sword’s blade seemed to glow brighter as if agreeing to her proposition.
Flitter, however, shook herself out of her kiss-induced stupor and growled, “Don’t even think about it. We promised to return it to Kaya in order to preserve griffon history and honor its founder.”
Cloud chuckled, “Too late! But, you’re right. We promised to bring it back, so we need to uphold that contract if we want to keep our ‘reputation’. Isn’t that right, sis?”
“Yes, that’s right. Now that we have the sword, let’s get out of here and go home already!” Flitter adopted a bashful expression as she glanced at Sky. “I mean, w-we still have s-something to do before fighting the Dragon Lord, right?”
Sky staggered to his hooves and exclaimed, “That’s right! We need to get back to San Hoof soon if we want to have enough time to finish.”
Flitter’s fur turned scarlet as she nodded. Together, the three of them made their way back through the prison, past the now unlocked cellar door, and into the castle’s entrance hall. Raising his shield, Sky whispered, “Wait! Stay behind me in case someone is trying to ambush us.”
Inching out of the basement staircase, he looked around for any sign of trouble, particularly watching for any indication of The Wind Slashers. However, like they had promised, it seemed the assassin guild had better things to do than wait in ambush for their hunting party. “Ok, it’s clear!”
The three of them flew over the collapsed entrance gate into the fresh forest air. Glancing up, they could see an orange tinge starting to stain the sky as dusk approached. “Wow, I had no idea we were in that castle for so long. We really need to get a move on if we want to get back into town.”
Turning to Cloud, he asked, “Since you’re so attached to it, can you bring the sword to Kaya and collect our payment? Remember, we still need to eat and pay rent, so no funny business, okay?”
She rolled her eyes and socked him in the barrel with a mocking gasp. “Ah stuff it, I was just joking about keeping it. I’ll deliver it safely and get the payout, so don’t get your panties in a bunch.”
Sky huffed in disbelief as she took off towards the marketplace. “I’ll believe it when I feel some gold coins in my hooves.” Turning around, he said, “Flitter, you and I need to get back home. We need to get started as soon as possible if we want to be ready when Cloud gets back.”
Flitter’s eyes widened as a scarlet blush rose to her cheeks. “W-Wait, you want to get Cloud involved too!?”
Raising an eyebrow, he replied, “Of course I do! I mean, wouldn’t it be better if all three of us were there before starting? We’re all going to be doing it anyways, so it’d be better if we practiced together before doing the real thing, right?”
“I-I suppose you have a point, but I thought for our first time… we’d be able to… you know…”
Sky gave her a caring smile. “I understand how you feel. I’m scared of messing up too, but we all need to improve our techniques if we want to stand a chance at lasting more than a few seconds.”
“I-I can last more than a few s-seconds…” Flitter mumbled, mortified at what she was saying.
“I know you can, but we’re still going to need all the practice we can get. Now come on, we really need to get moving before Cloud beats us there.”
Flitter stood outside her front door as Sky landed a second later. Her heart was beating a mile a minute as the moment of truth approached.
Shaking his windswept feathers, he said, “Great, looks like Cloud isn’t back yet, so we still have some time.”
Flitter made a small noise of agreement as her trembling hoof turned the key in the door lock. With a click, the two entered her apartment before settling into the living room. Sky placed his travel pack near the door as Flitter whispered, “Um… Sky?”
He turned to look at her with concern. “Are you alright? You’ve been jumpy ever since we left the castle.” Then, adopting a cautious glare, he asked, “Did you see another assassin guild following us?”
“N-no, I didn’t see anypony. I just wanted to let you know before I went to go change.”
His expression relaxed into a relieved grin. “Oh, right. I should probably get out of my armor too. It’d probably be uncomfortable to do it with it on, huh?”
Too embarrassed to speak, Flitter nodded before entering her room and closing the door behind her.
Loosening the straps on his armor, Sky stepped away from the metal plates and picked up his shield. Staring at his printed cutie mark, he smiled and swung it through the air. “Well, I’m not really sure how empathy and negotiation is supposed to help in a fight with a demonically possessed Dragon Lord, but I’ll do the best I can to protect others from harm.”
The sound of a door handle made his ears perk up. Turning, he said, “Okay, now that we’re both ready, let’s start training each other on how to use our powe...” His voice faded as his brain started to process what his eyes were claiming to see.
Flitter sauntered out of her bedroom wearing one of the most erotic night dresses he had ever seen. Just like before their quest for The Sword Of Griffonstone, she was wearing a pair of low-cut indoor slippers and thigh-high leggings, but this time the form-fitting fabric stopped just above her knees, leaving very little of her legs to the imagination. Her normally cute bow was replaced by a hot pink string of easily removable silk. However, unlike their intimate date to the market, Flitter had forgone a skirt or top, leaving her angel-white panties on full display. This caused her cutie marks to be half-hidden under the alluring material, making his eyes wander to her irresistibly tempting flanks and honeypot.
After several moments of stunned silence, Sky clamped his hooves over his closed eyes and yelled, “FLITTER! What are you wearing!? Have you lost your mind!?”
Flitter’s seductive expression evaporated, being replaced by one of embarrassed shame. “I-I’m sorry! Do I not look good in this? I thought you’d like it given how you reacted to my outfit a few weeks ago!”
Sky spluttered, “T-That’s not the issue here! Why are you wearing that!? You know that I’m a guy, right!?”
“I t-thought that you wanted to… do some things together. That’s why you wanted to get back home so quickly!”
His mind felt like it was on fire as he shouted, “N-No! That’s not what I meant at all! When I said that we needed to get back fast, I meant that we needed to help each other practice using our new powers! You know, the abilities we gained when the ancient founders chose us as champions!?”
The room fell silent as the red-faced ponies stared at each other. When the realization of her mistake crashed down, Flitter’s face turned beet red as she let out a tiny *squeak* of humiliation. Covering her vulnerable body with her wings and tail, she sprinted back into her bedroom, slamming it behind her for good measure.
Sky didn’t have time to calm his body down as the sound of another opening door reached his ears. Looking around in horror, he saw Cloud entering through the front door with a satisfied smile and a large bag of bits in her hoof.
Not wanting to greet her in his compromising position, he immediately covered his barrel and sat down, wincing as his sensitive flesh impacted the ground at high speed.
“Woah! Chill out dude, it’s just me!” Cloud said, waving a hoof at his startled expression. “Hey, these bits are kind of heavy. Would you mind bringing these to the counter while I take off my armor?”
Sky fidgeted as his own sword refused to return to it's sheath. Thinking quickly, he stammered, “Uh… I don’t think that’s a very good idea… can you do it yourself?”
Cloud raised her eyebrow at his deflection. “Are you okay, man? You sound kind of scared. Were you and Flitter attacked by another assassin guild?”
“N-no, we’re fine… it’s just, I’m kind of tired right now, so I don’t want to stress my legs… heh heh…”
Losing her patience, Cloud dropped her armor in a heap and started towards him. “Alright dude, time to fess up. I know there’s something bothering you, so why don’t you just tell me before I have to force it out of... your...”
Her voice trailed off just like his had when Flitter exited her room. Sky’s hooves were crowded around the bottom of his barrel while his tail created a translucent cover over his most private region. The heat emanating from his cheeks seemed to double as his Excalibur stood tall and proud to the startled mare's calculating gaze.
Once again, the noise in the room fell away as she stared wide-eyed at his shame. Shaking her head to clear away the awkwardness, she grabbed the reward pouch and muttered, “R-Right… I’ll just… take the bits to the counter then.”
As she stumbled away, Sky shuffled over to the bathroom and locked the door behind him. Gazing at his harassed reflection in the mirror, he covered his heated face with his hooves and grumbled, “Things can not get worse…”
Sky, Flitter, and Cloud sat around the small coffee table in awkward silence. For the lone stallion, his source of shame had thankfully calmed down to a more reasonable level, however the embarrassing memory of being caught in his most vulnerable moment would haunt him for much longer.
After several minutes, Cloud looked questioningly at the other two in the room. “So, Sky, you said that you wanted to get back in a hurry. What was with the rush?”
Clearing his throat, he stuttered, “R-right. So, when I said that, I was trying to imply that we needed to start training ourselves to use the powers given to us by Equestria’s founders.”
Flitter blushed again as her wings gave a twitch. Cloud, not being privy to her sister’s impromptu fashion show, exclaimed, “Oh right! Now that we’re champions, I wonder what awesome new abilities we got.” She picked up her sword and examined it. “Maybe Gilbert Griffonstone taught me some cool new fighting moves or something.”
Sky pulled out a book from his travel pack. “Well, the first places we should look are history books and old legends. If there are any records of the founders’ sacred powers, that’s where they’d be.”
Cloud groaned, “Oh come on! We literally have the most powerful warriors in history at our hooves! We should be testing them out there in the battlefield, not in some crummy apartment.”
Shaking her head, Flitter interjected, “No, Cloud. We need to know what we’re working with first. Sky is right, if we go and fight the Dragon Lord now, we’re going to lose.” Cloud opened her muzzle to retort, but she cut her off. “Besides, do you even know where the Dragon Lord is? The Dragonlands are a huge place, and it would take months to comb through the entire area, not to mention the guards and patrols we would encounter along the way.”
“Okay, okay! You’ve made your point!” Cloud pouted, looking away with a sour expression. “I was just saying that the best time to use our powers would be out there in the field, not an office.”
Sky coughed to get their attention, “Right. Now that’s settled, we need to know about the powers we received when becoming champions. I already know a lot about my spirit, Helena Hooflepuff. She was a beautiful, strong-willed earth pony that founded Equestria’s first land settlements. She was known as a kind, compassionate leader with an unprecedented ability to placate others and reduce conflicts before and after they arose.”
Turning the page, he continued, “Her signature relic is The Goblet Of Hooflepuff. This golden cup is said to be blessed by Helena with the ability to purify any contaminant and heal any grievous wound simply by drinking its contained liquid. That was how she stopped disease and plague from ravaging the early colonies without modern medicine or healing magic.”
He lowered the volume and pondered, “If I was granted some sort of magical ability by Helena Hooflepuff, her healing and negotiation skills would probably be my best bet. Those are the most useful ones I can think of that would actually have an effect on our battle with Dragon Lord Torch. What do you girls think?”
Flitter nodded contemplatively, but Cloud gasped, “Oh my Celestia! Sky, your cheek!”
Sky raised a hoof to his muzzle. “What about it? Is there something on my face?”
“No! That’s exactly the problem!” Seeing their confusion, she continued, “During our fight with The Wind Slashers, I saw Hawk slash you across the face with his claws! A wound that deep should have taken weeks to heal over, maybe days with enough magic, but it’s completely gone!”
Sky’s eyes widened as he felt the place where he had been cut. True to her word, the injury had completely healed with none of the usual scarring or fur loss that usually accompanied a wound that serious. Grinning, he locked eyes with Cloud’s smug expression and snarked, "I never would have expected you to notice something important! Are you sure nothing happened to you when you returned that sword?”
He tensed his barrel in preparation for another one of her punches, but instead she wrapped her foreleg around his neck and noggied his hair. “Oh, don’t be like that. I know you love me~”
Flitter made a *squeak* of indignation before pulling Sky out of her sister’s grip. “Okay, that’s enough of that! We still need to discuss the other founders’ powers!”
Cloud raised an eyebrow at the overzealous reaction. “Relax, sis. I was just having a little fun. No need to get your panties in a bunch.”
Sky briefly flashed back to the image of Flitter in her angel-white underwear before smacking himself in the head and saying, “Y-Yeah, we need to move on! Let’s talk about Flitter’s spirit.”
Flipping the pages of the history book, he read, “Diana Diamondpaw was the princess of the diamond dogs. Unlike most modern stereotypes, Diana Diamondpaw was incredibly wise and intelligent. It was rumored that she knew the answer to every single question in existence, even ones that hadn’t been asked yet. With her vast knowledge of the mountains and tunnel layouts, she was able to create an underground society of gem-hunting miners to bring her nation great wealth and prosperity."
Flipping to the back of the book, he continued, “Her most famous artifact is The Lost Diadem Of Diamondpaw. This ancient headpiece is said to imbue its wearer’s mind with the precision and clarity of the blue diamond it contains. It’s even said that the diadem’s owner has the ability to see into the future through premonitions, but no legitimate cases of premonitions have ever been recorded.”
He glanced up and noted, “While I was talking to Gilbert Griffonstone in that prison trial, he told me that Diana Diamondpaw could have premonitions, but she couldn’t make them come whenever she wanted to. Instead, it was more like something would warn her whenever a major event was about to take place.”
Cloud patted her sister on the back. “Wow… so Flitter’s going to be able to see into the future? I’m kind of jealous now. If I had that kind of power, I’d wait outside the local convenience store until I see the winning lottery numbers and take it from there.”
Flitter glared at her. “Of course you would. These powers aren’t meant for personal gain. They’re meant to help us defeat one of the most evil tyrants of our world and free those he controls from his oppression.”
Waving a dismissive hoof, Cloud quipped, “Yeah, of course! But if you do happen to see the winning Powerball numbers, give your big sister a call, will ya?”
“Trust me, if I do see any lottery numbers, you’d be the last pony I’d infor--”
Flitter’s eyes flashed as a bright blue light emitted from her sockets. Cloud gave a shout of surprise as Sky raised his shield and shouted, "Flitter, are you okay!? What’s happening to you!?”
The blue aura radiated out of her for several more seconds before she collapsed into a heap on the floor. Sky rushed towards her and yelled, “Hey! Wake up! Are you hurt or something?”
Her eyes fluttered open, blinking at him in surprise for a brief moment. Then, with the force of a manticore, she tackled him to the floor and shrieked, “LOOK OUT!”
Suddenly, an arrow smashed through the living room window, sending shattered glass raining down on the three pegasi inside. As Flitter pushed him out of harm’s way, the arrow whizzed by his ear and embedded itself in the far wall directly where he had been seconds before. Cloud, acting on instinct, flipped the coffee table into a makeshift barricade and dragged it over to the other two.
“W-What the hay was that, sis?!” she panted. “How did you know we were going to be attacked again!?”
Flitter shook as she clung tight to Sky’s coat. “I don’t know! I just had this vision of Sky being shot through the head by an arrow and reacted! I wasn’t positive it really was a premonition until the arrow broke through the window.”
Sky held her in his hooves. “Thanks for saving my life. Somehow, I don’t think Helena Hooflepuff will be able to heal a headshot from a longbow too well.”
Before they could talk anymore, an arrowhead pierced the thin table’s surface right next to Cloud’s head. Sky backed away from the kill zone and whispered, “I’m guessing this is another assassin guild, so talking isn’t going to be an option. We’re going to need a battle plan.”
Turning to Flitter, he continued, “You need to grab your bow and start shooting back. Remember, stay behind cover until Cloud and I push them out of their trench, then shoot down any fleeing our swings.”
She nodded and flew towards her room, an arrow barely missing her wing as she made her break. With Flitter safe, he turned to Cloud and murmured, “You and I need to do another pincer maneuver. I’ll rush at them with my extended shield while you hit them from above, got it?”
Cloud gripped her broadsword and growled. “Yeah, if this is those Wind Slashers again, I’m not going easy. We already gave them a warning, so this time I’m playing for keeps.”
As she soared out of the kitchen window, Sky activated his extended plates. The familiar sound of clanking metal rang out before he charged towards the firing assassins. As he rushed forward, an arrow shot past his wing towards their attackers, letting him know Flitter was now laying down suppressive fire.
Enemy projectiles dinged off his shield as he approached the opposing rooftop, but a disturbing sound made his ears to perk up in alarm. Before he could swerve to evade, a large, hammer-wielding figure flew up and smashed him out of the air. The sound of cracking metal ripped deafened him as the hammer's weight and momentum left nothing in its path unscathed.
Falling through the air, Sky straightened out his wings and glided before righting himself. Reclaiming his bearings, he shook his head and mumbled, "What is it with war-hammers? Every time I see one, I end up getting hurt."
Readjusting his hoof on the weapon strap, he paused as another issue revealed itself: his shield was ruined. The once immaculate steel plate now resembled a battered piece of scrap metal with broken fragments and huge dents ruining its beautiful surface.
Anger bubbling, Sky took off towards the assassin’s hideout with newfound vengeance fueling his body. Even with parts ripped away, his shield still provided enough cover to get him within striking range. As he made to tackle the hammer-wielding figure, he realized these weren’t the expected griffon Wind Slashers. Instead of beaks and feathers, their assailants sported the hard scales and fire breath of fearsome dragons.
Tackling the assassin commander to the ground, Sky saw Cloud ambush their rear guard as Flitter engaged the archers in a archery duel. One of the swordsmen took advantage of the distraction to swing at his neck, but the battered shield still had some fight left in it and managed to deflect the blow.
Sky took to the air and surveyed the battlefield. Flitter and Cloud were finishing off the archer brigade, so all that was left were the swordsmen and spearmen. Several of the spearmen stretched their wings and chased him into the air, forcing him to perform evasion flight tactics. “Damn,” he thought, dodging a flame blast from one of the spearmen, “I don’t think my shield is going to last another hit. I better drop it before it slows me down.”
Just as he was about to chuck the torn metal, an opportunity presented itself. All the spearmen were chasing him in a single file line, not bothering to perform any sort of encircling strategy. Smirking, Sky gazed lovingly at his old friend and whispered, “Okay, buddy, don’t let me down now…”
The plan worked perfectly. As he hurled the shield at his pursuers like a discus, it smashed straight into the first spearman’s jaw. As the dragon fell back with a look of shock, he crashed into the second spearman, causing the entire capture team to fall out of the sky, flailing their wings at their teammates’ tangled limbs.
Before he could celebrate his triumph, a loud cry of pain sounded to his right. Turning around, Sky’s eyes were met with the sight of a massive red dragon in full plate armor trudging towards the battlefield. Using his immense size, he swung a massive claymore around like it was a toothpick, which caused many of his own soldiers to back away from his current duel with Cloud.
Cloud, on the other hoof, wasn’t faring so well. As strong and well-trained as she was, she simply couldn’t overpower somecreature ten times her size. One of her wings was bent at a concerning angle as blood gushed out of an injury in her back leg. Her face was drawn back into a grimace as she struggled to maintain a grip on her sword. Admirably, she glared back at the huge dragon, never once faltering out of fear.
The dragon general stared down at her with an impressed gaze. “You are quite an impressive warrior, little pony! It’s a shame you weren’t born a dragon, or else I would have gladly accepted you into my unit.”
Cloud clenched her teeth and snarled, “Even if I was a dragon, I’d never serve under a big bullying bastard like you!”
Sky rushed to aid her, but several rear guard swordsmen blocked his path and forced him to fly away to avoid their swipes.
“Hmm, that is unfortunate,” the massive dragon growled, raising his sword above his head. “Now comes the part where I defeat you in battle. I’ll give you a warrior’s death.”
As the general slashed his blade down towards her crippled form, a bright blue light cut through the air and pierced his right eye.
“AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
The massive dragon screamed in agony as more shining arrows punctured his armor and embedded themselves into his chest. Turning around, Sky's gaze was met by Flitter as she drew back her bow, a bright blue arrow notched and ready to fly. Taking advantage of the dragon’s distraction, he flew towards Cloud and carried her away from the crossfire in his hooves.
The dragon general fixed his left eye on Flitter and shouted, “YOU ARROGANT LITTLE BRAT! GUARDS, KILL HER!”
The remaining swordsmen averted their attention and charged towards her, weapons drawn and teeth bared. Even with her new power, Flitter didn't stand a chance against an elite squad of dragon soldiers before they cut her to ribbons. After shooting down three of the advancing guards, she took to the air and focused on dodging their incoming strikes.
With Flitter distracting the dragon guards, Sky retreated from the battlefield and shook Cloud out of her stupor. “Cloud! This is our chance! The general is wounded, and his guards aren’t around him! You need to take him down now!”
Cloud coughed blood into her hooves and indicated her bent wing and bleeding leg. “N-No way, he’s too strong. I can’t win like this.”
“Yes, you can!” Sky shouted, forcing her to look into his eyes. “You were chosen by Griffonstone for a reason. The Cloud I know would never let something like a scrape keep her down. She would get back up, spit out the blood, and vow to make the one that hurt her bleed twice as much in revenge.”
He held her broadsword up so that her reflection shined back at her. “The Cloud I know would never stop fighting until the battle was won. She would stand up with the power and courage that a million stallions could only ever dream of having!”
Panting with the effort of flying and talking while supporting her weight, he finished, “The Cloud I know is the most amazing, courageous, determined mare I’ve ever met in my life, and she’s the one that’s going to take down that slimy overgrown mosquito that calls itself a dragon general!”
Cloud’s eyes widened as a surge of heat welled up in her cheeks. Turning away to hide her blush, she mumbled, “D-Do you really feel that way about me?”
Sky smiled as his wings started to grow sore from overexertion. “I do. Now, are you going to crush that tiny arrogant lizard, or am I going to have to carry your fat flank to the ground like a filly?”
A mysterious red aura surrounded Cloud as she glared back at him with a challenging smirk. “Are you kidding? I was just taking a little break!” As she grabbed her sword, the steel burned red and inscribed strange, unreadable runes into the blade that glowed with power. Pushing away from Sky’s hooves, she exclaimed, “I’m the greatest swordsmare that ever existed! It’s time to show you what I can do!”
Cloud sprinted towards the injured general despite her damaged wing’s protests. Leveling herself, she called out, “Hey, Mr. Pincushion, want to know what it feels like to be stabbed with a sword?”
The dragon general turned his good eye on her with a look of hatred. “You ponies will regret the day you messed with me! I shall slice you apart until there is nothing left!”
The two swordsmen charged towards each other with weapons drawn. As they clashed, the giant dragon’s smug expression changed to fear as Cloud’s enchanted sword cleaved through his reinforced steel blade. With the rest of her forward momentum, she slashed into his chest, ripping through his armor like butter, causing him to fall back while clutching his bleeding scales.
“T-That’s impossible!” he stammered, holding in the blood seeping through his wound. “H-How did you cut through my sword!?”
Cloud raised her own blade as a red glow started charging in its tip. “Did you like that? Well, you haven’t seen anything yet.”
With one more downward slash, she released all the sword's stored energy at him in one massive beam of power. The blast wave smashed the general’s armor and launched his body into the mountains where he landed in a battered, crumpled heap before becoming still.
Sky's astonished gaze lingered on the incredible feat of power as the final sparks of power faded into the air. Panting, Cloud glanced at the speechless stallion and smirked, “That’s how it’s done.”
Sky's gaping continued as the dying light of the sun reflected off her dented armor to create a glow that shined on all her most beautiful features. The rips and tears in her armor revealed sections of her body he had never fully appreciated before. The muscles in her haunches and forelegs tensed as she struck a battle pose, ready to fight off anyone that dared attack while her dirt and blood-stained hooves only served to emphasize her Amazonian perfection. As she flew closer, her mane fluttered in a mesmerizing twist of dual colors, causing him to imagine the various different ways he could stroke the delicate fibers.
Before he could snap out of his trance, Cloud smacked him in the head with a hoof. “Hey, Romeo, Flitter’s still fighting!”
Shaking himself to clear his thoughts, Sky turned to check on the other mare. Flitter had taken down two more dragons, but five swordsmen were now attempting to box her into a corner. Seeing this, Sky’s eyes flashed gold as he flew into the air.
“STOP!”
As if compelled by some irresistible force, all five dragons froze in place and turned to him. Sky felt a strange power coursing through his body, but didn’t have time to dwell on it as he shouted, “Your general has been defeated! Your archers and spearmen have all been quelled. You have no hope of defeating those who have bested your superiors. Surrender now, and I promise you will be spared!”
The warriors’ eyes searched around before focusing on the battered, broken body of their former general. Seeing their superior in such a humiliated state, their shoulders slumped as they all dropped their weapons and held up their claws in defeat.
Sky breathed a sigh of relief before turning to Flitter. “Can you tie them up and take them into my apartment? I need to help Cloud with her injuries.”
Flitter nodded and rounded up the remaining dragons before herding them into his undestroyed apartment. Shifting his focus to the injured mare, he called, “Come on down. We really need to patch those wounds up before you bleed out.”
Cloud staggered to the ground as Sky placed a hoof on her injury, causing her to cry out in pain. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to do that!” As she steadied her breathing, he noticed the ethereal red aura starting to fade away from her body. Remembering his own founder’s power, he reached out a tentative hoof and mumbled, “Helena Hooflepuff, I call upon your power. Please lend me your ethereal healing and save my friend!”
A warm sensation flooded his forelegs as a golden glow emanated from his hooves. Running his hooves along her body, he stared in amazement as the grievous wounds left by the dragon general closed themselves without leaving any sign of a scar.
Cloud gazed at the freshly sealed wounds in shock. “Wow! Now I’m kind of jealous of you too! I mean, that’s pretty kick flank.” Turning away with a blush, she whispered, “Thanks for saving me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Sky adopted a flank-eating grin as he snarked, “Probably die of an infection. Or maybe from blood loss… it’s a toss up between those two.”
She rolled her eyes and punched him in the barrel before chuckling, “Oh, shut up! Can’t you just take the thanks without being so smug?”
Glancing around, Cloud made sure no one was in sight before leaning in and kissing him full on the muzzle. Sky’s eyes widened for a brief moment before settling into the kiss and wrapping his hooves around her neck. The two of them made out until forced to take a breath. Holding each other’s loving gaze, they leaned in for another round of tonsil hockey. Neither wanted this moment to end as everything else in the world became irrelevant. The feeling of the other’s lips and hooves were all they wanted as nothing could possibly go wron--
clatter
Their eyes flew open as they whipped towards the source of the noise. Breaking apart, they tried to be inconspicuous as a look of panic settled on both their faces.
Standing a few yards away with a look of absolute horror and betrayal was Flitter. Tears welled in her shining eyes as the muscles in her jaw clenched tight with unsuppressed anger and rage. Flattening her ears, she let out a shrill, agonizing scream that cut through the tense atmosphere like a gunshot.
Flitter grabbed a length of rope and started tying the captured swordsmens’ wrists behind their backs. She tensed her legs in preparation of an escape attempt, but the demoralized dragons didn’t put up any resistance.
As she marched them into Sky’s apartment, her hoof knocked against something hard that rattled across the pavement. Glancing down, her eyes widened as she noticed the familiar triple arrow pattern of Sky’s cutie mark emblazoned on a busted piece of metal. “Oh no… I hope Sky can fix it. I know how attached some ponies can get to their equipment.”
She touched her bow with a hoof before continuing, “I’d better bring it back to him. Plus, maybe this will give me a chance to clear up the awkwardness from our... misunderstanding.”
After securing the captives in Sky’s living room, Flitter backtracked to the rooftop where he was healing Cloud’s wounds. As she flew, snippets of the battle flooded her memory. The way her arrows had glowed blue and pierced heavy armor, Cloud’s shining beam of power, and Sky’s incredible shield toss made her wonder just how powerful these founders of Equestria were. “I need to do some more research with Sky about those powers if we want to stand a chance against Dragon Lord Torch.”
Blushing at the possibility, she mumbled, “And who knows? Maybe during one of our study sessions, we’ll cuddle up together while reading from the same novel… his hooves wrapping around me as his enchanting voice whispers sweet nothings into my ear~”
Giggling at her imagination, Flitter landed on the former battlefield and glanced at where Sky’s glowing hooves traced over Cloud’s body. Not wanting to break his concentration, she approached them quietly as the ethereal healing came to an end.
Just when she was about to make her presence known, Cloud’s cocky voice floated through the air. “Oh, shut up! Can’t you just take the thanks without being so smug?”
Before Flitter could do more than open her mouth, Cloud’s lips moved forward and planted themselves upon Sky’s unsuspecting muzzle. A shard of ice pierced Flitter’s heart as her sister's lips greedily ravished his, leaving long strands of saliva dangling between their mouths. The shock and betrayal coursing through her veins intensified when Sky wrapped his hooves around Cloud’s neck and deepened their lip lock, only coming up to take a quick breath before resuming his feast.
The world around her began to swim as a red haze tinged her vision. The shaking of her sweaty hooves loosened the grip on Sky’s shield until it broke free of her grasp and clattered to the ground.
The two lovers broke apart and whipped around, disentangling their hooves from each other in an attempt to feign ignorance, but Flitter had already seen enough. With the fury of one thousand manticores, her face contorted into an infuriated growl as she shrieked.
“WHAT THE BUCK!?”
Once again, the three ponies sat in silence around a coffee table. As the tense atmosphere descended on the room, even the hostage dragons started to grow uncomfortable. Sky and Cloud averted their gaze towards the ground while Flitter breathed heavily into her hooves. After several uncomfortable moments, Sky raised his head and mumbled, “S-so, should we start interrogating them?”
Flitter glared at him with a look of fury. “I don’t know. Will you and Cloud be able to separate lips long enough to ask any questions?”
Sky lowered his gaze in shame before Cloud came to his aid. “Hey, back off, sis. We were just…”
Flitter rounded on her backstabbing sibling. “Just what, Cloud? Are you actually going to try and say you weren't sucking face with him?”
Cloud’s mouth opened and closed like a goldfish out of water, but no words escaped her muzzle. Seeing her sister had no valid excuse, Flitter stood up and stormed out of the room with one last look of betrayal and hatred, slamming the door behind her.
The sharp sound of Flitter's exit caused Cloud to jump as tears started forming in the corners of her eyes. Covering her face with a wing, she desperately tried to hide the pain her sister’s reaction had caused.
Sky felt awful seeing the wrench he had thrown into the sisters’ relationship. Trotting over to Cloud’s shaking form, he wrapped a caring wing around her barrel and whispered, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”
Cloud buried her head into Sky’s chest and wept. With a shaky breath, she stuttered, “I k-knew… I knew she l-liked you… I even teased her about her crush when we f-first met…”
His eyes widened at the shocking confession, but he withheld his questions in favor of embracing her body with his hooves. As her breathing slowly returned to normal, Sky pulled back from the embrace and stared at her tear-stained face.
Cloud’s eyes were dull and watery, the usual confident fire that burned inside them had been extinguished, only to be replaced by the smoldering ashes of shame and regret.
Seeing the usually feisty mare crumble in defeat, Sky desperately thought of any way he could make things right. As bad ideas and even worse actions ran through his brain, the striking gold of his irises glowed bright for a moment before fading away as all the confusion and panic that had settled into his mind seemed to float away. With a determined gaze, he steeled his nerves and worked to wipe away the guilt currently eating the broken mare alive.
“Cloud, your and Flitter’s bond is strong enough to withstand anything. You two are family, the only family you have left.”
He kicked himself for bringing up the sensitive topic before continuing, “You two have withstood so many challenges together, and you’ve never backed down from a fight just because it was difficult.” He rested a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “You and Flitter are the closest, most amazing mares I’ve ever met. From the first moment I saw you two, I knew there was nothing that could ever break the sacred connection you both shared.”
He smiled wryly and quipped, “I mean, if I hadn’t gotten Hooflepuff’s Goblet first, I’m sure you two would have worked together to escape instead of trying to decapitate me and turn my skull into a shower head’s spray nozzle.”
Cloud’s muzzle twitched as she gave a little chuckle. Wiping her tears away, she gazed into his golden eyes and mumbled, “Thanks, Sky. You’re a really good guy… I just wish we had met under better circumstances.”
He nodded in agreement. “Hey, it's not like we’re trying to snuff each other out anymore! Besides, if anyone needs a new introduction, it’s Flitter.”
He turned to look at the room where Flitter had secluded herself. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to talk to her now that she’s so distraught. We might want to give her some time to cool off.”
Cloud shook her head before standing up. “No, I can’t leave her like this. The longer we wait to talk, the more she’ll resent me and the less she’ll listen. I need to clear the air with her right now.”
Sky’s eyes widened. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I’m more than a little concerned about what she’ll do to you right now…”
Shuddering at the possible outcomes, Cloud mumbled, “I’m worried too considering it’s my flank on the line, but you were right. I need to talk to Flitter before she hates me forever.” Glancing back at him, she joked, “If I don’t come back out in twenty minutes, stop Flitter from mutilating my corpse, okay?”
He snorted into his hoof. “Sure, Cloud. If Flitter does manage to get her hooves on you, I’ll be sure to write you an epitaph.”
Sky watched as Cloud knocked on the bedroom door. When no response came, she tried to turn the handle and blinked in surprise when it actually opened. With one last apprehensive glance, she entered the lion’s den and shut the door behind her with a snap.
Now that he couldn’t see her, Sky’s mind started panicking again. He knew Flitter wasn’t a violent pony, but after that look she gave Cloud, anything was possible. Thirty seconds passed, but he had yet to hear any noise come from the bedroom, which could either be very good or very bad. Just as he was about to start pacing, a new voice called out to him from the living room.
“You’ve got it bad, man.”
Sky whipped around in surprise at the masculine tone. A fairly large gray dragon stared back at him with amusement written all over his face. “I mean, a lot of guys would kill to be in your situation.”
A frown formed on Sky’s face as he growled, “Those stallions clearly don’t care enough about their partners to want this heartbreak drama. It’s not all it’s made out to be.”
The gray dragon chuckled, “I get it. It’s not about how many partners you can attract. It’s about finding the one that’s right for you. The one that you could imagine spending the rest of your life with and never get sick of each other. The one that makes you get out of bed every morning and think, ‘I’m so glad I can see her again’.”
Gazing out the back window, he continued, “But just when you think you’ve found the one, another comes along and throws a wrench into your plans. Suddenly, you can’t imagine a life without either of them. No matter how much you love one, you’ll never truly be happy if you don’t have the other too.” He fixed Sky with a knowing look. “That’s what you’re thinking, right?”
Sky blinked in surprise before raising a suspicious eyebrow. “Who are you? Are you some sort of mind-reading magician or something?”
“The name’s Spark,” he said with a wave of his tail. “And no, I’m not a mind-reader. I’ve been where you are now, so I definitely get what you’re going through.”
Sky raised his eyebrow. “Is it common to have multiple partners among dragons? It’s not unheard of in Equestria, but it's not really something we ponies brag about."
Spark reached into his breast pocket with his teeth and pulled out a picture of himself with two female dragonesses hugging him from both sides. “I’ve got two amazing girls waiting for me once I get out of the military,” he said, pocketing the picture. “I just thought I’d let you know that before you all start interrogating us.”
“We’re not going to kill you!” Sky balked, horrified that execution was the first place Spark’s mind had gone. “We’d never stoop that low! Even captives and prisoners of war deserve some level of respect and dignity.”
“I wish our own military thought that way,” Spark noted dryly. “When we get back to the Dragonlands, we’re all going to be court-martialed and sentenced to prison for failing our mission.”
Sky saw the rest of the captured dragons sniff disdainfully or shake their heads in disapproval. Turning to Spark, his eyes flashed gold as he noticed the lucrative opportunity. “That's rough, buddy. I hope you don’t mind that we beat up your general.”
Spark gave a bark of laughter. “Hah! Why would I mind? If anything, I should be thanking you. That fat bastard made our lives miserable.”
The other dragons nodded and mumbled their agreement. Sky blinked in surprise as Spark explained, “Every dragon in our unit didn’t actually want to be soldiers. In order to keep up the strong military presence on the border, The Dragon Lord started conscripting men into the army.”
One of the smaller dragons raised his voice. “Yeah, I was a hot spring cleaner before I was forced to join this unit. I can’t wait to get out, even if it means going to jail.”
Sky’s muzzle curved into a grin. “Well, if you guys really want to get out of service that badly, there is something you could do that would accomplish just that.”
The five dragons stared up at him before Spark asked, “What might that be? If you think you and your girlfriends can beat Dragon Lord Torch’s armies by yourselves, you’re wrong. There are thousands of well-trained and equipped guards and patrols all over the Dragonlands.”
“Actually,” Sky smirked, “if we knew the exact location of The Dragon Lord's palace, we might actually be able to take him down.” Seeing their disbelief, he pointed towards the closed bedroom door. “You saw what those girls can do. Flitter can literally see into the future. That’s how she predicted your archers’ first strike. Cloud is no slouch either with that broadsword of hers. Did you all see her duel your general? She cut through his reinforced sword and armor like butter and blasted him into the side of a mountain in a single strike!”
The dragons widened their eyes as he concluded, “And don’t forget about me. I might not have any offensive abilities, but any kind of damage or injuries the girls sustain won’t slow us down as long as I have a say.”
Sky raised his hoof and pressed it onto Spark’s bleeding arm. Instantly, a golden light showered the injury and sealed the wound within a matter of seconds. With one final grin, he said, “Of course, all these abilities won’t mean a thing unless we know where The Dragon Lord is. If only there were some deserting dragons that could help us out…”
Spark blinked in surprise before turning to look at his fellow soldiers. All four of the swordsmen were nodding their heads frantically while the runty hot tub cleaner whispered, “Do it, Spark! We’ll never get another opportunity like this! It’s either accept his deal or be court-martialed and sent to prison.”
Sighing in resignation, Spark leveled his gaze and mumbled, “Fine… I guess we don’t have much of a choice. I’ll guide you to where the Dragon Lord’s palace is and help you get past the security, but after that you’re on your own. If we get caught near there, we’ll all be sent to the gallows for treason.”
Sky started untying his new allies. “Glad to have you aboard. Just remember, you all promised to take us to The Dragon Lord, and we don't take kindly to those who don’t hold up their ends of the deal.”
The four swordsmen rubbed their wrists and made their way to the kitchen to find something to eat, but Sky stopped Spark with a hoof. “Hang back a second, man. I need to talk to you.”
Once the rest of the dragon unit was busy stuffing themselves with his stash of meat, Sky whispered, “I… I was just wondering if you could give me some advice on fielding two different girls. I really like both of them, but I’m not sure how they’d react if I suggested what you have with your partners.”
Spark gave him a confused smirk. “What’s so complicated? When I suggested it to my girls, they were all for it! They even said it made our time together much more... interesting.”
Sky grimaced and lowered his voice until it was almost inaudible. “Yeah… I don’t think I’m going to get the same response. They’re sisters.
Spark’s face scrunched, “Oh… yeah… maybe not the best idea.” He rubbed his nose with a claw. “Well, the only advice I can really give you is to be honest. In situations like this, once you make a choice, you’re committed. After you choose one of them, the other likely won’t ever forgive you or the other sister. You need to be totally confident in your answer, or else you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life.”
“Yeah, I figured as much,” Sky groaned, stomping his hooves nervously. “Thanks for your advice. I guess we should start going over our plan for the attack now.”
A cocky grin broke across Spark’s toothy maw. “You know, if you do manage to get them both on board, I have a bunch of bedroom tips for dealing with two girls at the same time.”
A scarlet blush flooded Sky’s face as he spluttered, “W-What!? I’m not planning to do anything like that!”
Spark raised an eyebrow and flashed him a disbelieving eye roll. Finally, after several seconds of awkward glaring, Sky flattened his ears in embarrassment and leaned in.
Cloud knocked softly on the door to Flitter’s isolation chamber. After waiting several seconds with no response, she raised a shaky hoof and pressed down on the imposing door’s handle, which unlatched with a click. Blinking back her surprise, she turned to look at Sky, whose face bore the same anxious expression she had. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door and entered the ominous room, shutting it behind her.
As the door closed, the room was plunged into darkness, making several shivers race up her spine. Gazing around the gloomy space, her eyes focused on the messy bed where Flitter sat, head bowed in a look of defeat and resignation.
Cloud slowly crept towards Flitter’s broken form, ready to jump back from an attack, but the demure pegasus just sat there looking as lifeless as a doll. Sitting down, she reached a tentative wing around Flitter’s barrel and stammered, “H-Hey, sis. I, uh… just wanted to come by and check up on you.”
Cringing at her own words, Cloud continued, “Listen, I know that things aren’t great between us right now, but I just want you to know that-”
“I’ve always resented you.”
Flitter’s words pierced Cloud’s heart as if she had fired one of her magical arrows. Cloud’s voice faltered as she quivered, “O-oh… well, I guess things are even worse than I thought. Can I ask why you’ve always h-hated me?”
Flitter’s gaze remained fixed on the floor, but her lips moved as she whispered, “You’ve always had everything I ever wanted: You’re naturally big and strong, you have a natural gift for making friends and relationships, you even have memories with our parents.”
Cloud winced at the mention of their parents, but held her tongue as Flitter continued, “You’ve always been the better sister, the more desirable sister. Throughout our lives, you’ve always gotten everything I could never have.”
She turned to gaze at Cloud with her dead, unseeing eyes and breathed, “And just when I thought I had found a stallion, a guy so incredible that I could finally move past all those other things, you swoop in and take that from me too.”
Her face split into a hollow smile as she giggled, “B-be honest with me, Cloudchaser. Are you doing this on purpose? Did you make it your life’s goal to make me as miserable as possible? Because if so, you’re doing a perfect job.”
Cloud’s face ran wet with tears as Flitter twisted the knife inside her heart. She thought back to their childhoods and cringed at the truth behind her sister's words. Being born with more prominent features, Cloud had always been the center of attention. With her loud, outgoing personality, she had always had plenty of other foals to play with while Flitter was shunted to the sidelines by herself. Also, being the older sibling meant she had gotten to spend more meaningful time with their lost parents, no matter how much heartache those memories caused now.
Shame and regret filled Cloud’s mind as her unintentional torture of Flitter throughout their lives came to light. As Flitter shrugged off her wing, Cloud burst into hysterical sobs and wrapped her hooves around her sister’s neck. Squeezing tight, she cried, “I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry, Flitter! I never meant to hurt you! You have to believe me! I never wanted to make you feel this way!”
They both sat there, crying into each other’s fur until there were no more tears to shed. The buildup of years worth of buried emotions and grudges breached their self-made barriers and finally revealed themselves in the form of sobbing apologies and cries of desperation.
Eventually, the two sisters quieted down enough to wipe away their last snivels and clear the air. As Cloud pulled away, she flapped her wings anxiously and mumbled, “Flitter, I’d never try to push you aside. We’re the only family we have left. I really am sorry for the things I’ve done to you, but please don’t let this be the end of us. I couldn’t live if you turned your back on me now.”
Flitter didn’t speak for several moments. Cloud started to grow nervous and supplied, “Sis, I know how much you like Sky. I even teased you about him when we first met, remember?”
Nodding, Flitter stared at the ground, a look of pain and longing etched across her otherwise beautiful face. Cloud bit her lip and looked back at the closed doorway where the stallion in question was likely panicking, waiting for her to emerge. Taking another deep breath, she opened her muzzle and forced out the words that pained every inch of her body.
“Flitter, I give up. You can have him.”
Flitter raised her head and stared at her sister with a look of shock. After several seconds of disbelieving silence, she stuttered, “W-what did you say?”
Cloud clenched her teeth with the effort of not crying and repeated, “I give up… he’s yours. I promise, I won’t try and be with him anymore. You can have him all to yourself.”
To say Flitter was surprised would be a massive understatement. For as long as she could remember, Cloud had never given up something this important to her. She would always fight to the bitter end to get what she wanted, even if it was just another cup of pudding at the orphanage they used to live at. To see Cloud purposefully quell the burning fighter that always drove her to any lengths was so unnerving that Flitter even forgot to act cold towards her.
“A-Are you serious, sis? You’re actually going to back off of him?”
Cloud’s head and heart fought furiously against each other. On one side, her mind told her that this was the best, most effective way to get Flitter to forgive her and move on from their marred history. However, Cloud’s heart ferociously retaliated by arguing that Sky was a unique stallion that would never be accessible again should Flitter successfully claim him as her own.
In the end, Cloud’s mind emerged victorious as she mumbled, “Yes, I’m being serious. You and Sky are perfect for each other. He’s your knight in shining armor, and you’re his beautiful princess. Once he’s been with you, I’m sure he’ll forget all about me and the times we spent together.”
Visions of the humorous jokes, the strolls through the marketplace, the battles they won, and the loving affections they shared flashed through Cloud’s mind before she forcefully suppressed them. She couldn’t afford to think of those memories anymore. All those wonderful moments full of bliss and happiness would only make her want him again, which would strain her relationship with Flitter to the breaking point.
Hating every syllable she was saying, Cloud finished, “I value our bond more than anything in the world. You’re my sister, the only one that I can call family. We’ve been through so much together that it wouldn’t even matter if we weren’t related by blood. If giving up the most important stallion in my life is what it takes to make you whole, then I’d dump him a thousand times before choosing my own happiness over yours.”
Flitter’s ears perked up at her words. With a tender expression she furled her wings against her body and stuttered, “A-After everything I just said to you… why would you be willing to do that for me? Aren’t you angry?”
Cloud turned to look her directly in the eyes and stroked her mane with a hoof. “Of course not, sis. I could never turn my back on you. You’re family, and family always sticks together no matter what sacrifices we have to make.” With one last loving embrace, she leaned towards her stunned sister and whispered,
“I love you, Flitter. No matter what.”
Sky paced around the living room on anxious hooves. The deserting dragons had all left to find lodging in a more ‘dragon-friendly’ environment, so he was all alone with nothing but his increasingly worrying thoughts.
When Cloud had first entered Flitter’s den, he had been uncomfortable with the situation. Now, half-an-hour later, Sky was positively hysterical. Despite his promise to check on her after twenty minutes, she had yet to make any kind of loud cry for help. With a light head and a churning stomach, Sky flapped his wings in desperation, hoping beyond hope that everything was going to be okay.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the door handle unlatched with a click. Sky whipped around, eager for any scrap of information as to what was happening inside the room’s confines. Cloud emerged from the dark doorway, an unreadable expression on her face. Flitter followed right behind her with an equally ambiguous gaze locked onto him.
Sky’s heart skipped a beat. He had expected a violent argument and hoped for a peaceful compromise, but the stoutly resolute features that stared back at him made his skin crawl. Eventually, he cracked a tentative grin and chuckled, “S-So, ladies, is everything okay?”
The two sisters glanced at each other before slowly advancing on his position. Suddenly fearful for his life, Sky reached for his shield only to fall back in horror as the busted metal splintered at his touch. Before he could do more than yelp, Cloud and Flitter descended upon him, their unwavering glares never breaking eye contact.
If Sky had been scared before, this new development upgraded him to terrified. His tail and barrel were being pinned to the floor by their hooves as they leered down at his exposed form. Covering his crotch with his forelegs, he whimpered, “P-please, girls… do whatever you want to me, just don’t hit below the belt…”
Sky closed his eyes and prepared to endure unspeakable pain, but the next thing he heard made his ears perk up in confusion. Instead of shrieks of rage and hatred, a low chortle and a high pitched giggle met his ears as the hooves holding him down lifted themselves off his quivering body.
Several seconds passed before he had the courage to open his eyes. When he finally decided to use his vision again, he was met by the two sisters shaking with laughter as their hooves tried and failed to cover their amused muzzles. As the realization crashed down, Sky’s ears flattened in annoyance as he shouted, “What the hay was that!? I thought you girls were going to kill me!”
At this, Cloud broke out into uncontrolled laughing fits as Flitter sat down to stop her back legs from shaking. Sky’s frown deepened the longer their shared humor lasted, which took a good five minutes to calm down to a more reasonable level. When the two girls composed themselves, Sky grumbled, “Well, now that you two she-devils have had your fun, can we get started with our super important invasion of the Dragon Lord’s Palace?”
“Oh, don’t be like that.” Cloud guffawed with her usual smug grin. “Frankly, Flitter and I could have done a lot worse to you considering how much pain you caused.”
Flitter nodded in agreement. “Yep! We’re letting you off easy today, but don’t ever break our hearts again, or we’ll have to punish you~”
“Oh, come on!” Sky exclaimed, his wings flaring in indignation. “How is this my fault? It’s not like I tried to make this happen.”
After another shared giggle, Cloud trotted towards the front door. “Alright, I’m going to grab some things from our apartment. Flitter, do you need anything in particular?”
“Yeah!” Flitter replied, giving a side glance to Sky. “I need my toothbrush and another change of clothes. I want to take a shower before going to bed.”
Sky’s muddled brain tried to process what the two sisters had said. When the message finally penetrated his skull, he raised his eyebrows and asked, “Wait, hold on. You two are staying at my place tonight?”
Flitter flashed him an ingratiating smile. “Well, considering our apartment has a smashed window and multiple arrows stuck into our stuff, it’s probably not the best place to sleep.”
She sauntered over to Sky’s side and nuzzled his chin with her fuzzy cheek. “We were thinking that… if it’s not too much trouble… maybe we could stay over at your place for the night~”
Sky’s face blushed scarlet as Flitter’s seductive tone clouded his judgement. As he tried to form a coherent sentence, her tail crept under his barrel and brushed against the sensitive bits underneath, causing him to let out a very feminine eep.
His voice trembled as her continued ministrations made it difficult to think straight. “A-Are you sure? I mean, my place isn’t that big, so you and Cloud won’t have a separate room.”
“That’s okay. I’m sure you can find a way to squeeze us both in. After all, if you can set up complex battle strategies and plan invasions, I’m sure you can imagine how to fit two girls into your bedroom~”
There’s only so much one stallion can take. After relentless attacks from the undercover succubus, Sky’s hormones finally got the better of him. "Ok, you two can stay! Just tone it down a bit, alright? My heart can only take so much.”
Flitter‘s seductive expression vanished only to be replaced by one of happiness and joy. “Oh, thank you, Sky!” She gave him a glowing smile and wrapped her hooves around his neck with an adorably cute squeal.
Before Sky could return her affection, a smug voice rang out from behind him. “Nice work, Flitter! I had my doubts, but you’re a natural at talking to stallions.”
Sky glanced around to see Cloud smirking back at him, a pack of clothes and toiletries in her hooves. Grinning back at her, he chuckled, “You two convinced me. It’ll be a tight fit, but I’m sure the three of us will be able to squeeze into one bed~”
The two sisters shared a smirk as they made their way to the bedroom. “Oh no, the bed won’t fit all of us, so somepony’s going to have to sleep on the couch tonight.”
Sky’s expression faltered. “Wait, so are one of you girls staying in your own apartmen--”
His voice cut off as something blue impacted his body. Disentangling the offending object, he gazed at the cloth and realized it was an old camping blanket. Cloud's cutie mark flashed back at him as he continued to stare at her parting gift.
Seeing his confusion, Cloud snarked, “I hope you have working AC ‘cause you’re going to need it~” and shut the door with a snap, leaving Sky stranded outside his own bedroom.
After processing what had just happened, he flattened his ears and looked directly at you, the reader.
Flitter’s mind faded in and out of consciousness. She could vaguely tell that she was in a bed, but something felt odd about the blanket covering her body. Rather than the traditional fluffy cotton and wool, the object wrapped around her felt fuzzy and coarse. In addition, instead of the light, warm feeling of a normal blanket, the thing around her was much heavier than any cloth she had used before.
As her senses sharpened and she became more lucid, Flitter realized the thing covering her wasn’t a blanket. Opening her bleary eyes, she was greeted by the sight of a dark lavender hoof wrapped across her torso. As if that wasn’t disconcerting enough, she could feel the same fuzzy fur pressing against her back as a slow, deep breathing warmed her neck.
It took a few seconds before Flitter put these clues together. After realizing the position she was currently in, her eyes widened as she thrashed around and shrieked, “CLOUD! What are you doing to me!?”
Her sister groaned at Flitter’s sudden outburst and mumbled, “Flitter, quiet down. It’s too early to do it again.”
Flitter fought to extricate herself from her sister’s grip and hissed, “Let me go, Cloud! Why are you spooning me like that!?” Then, after processing what Cloud had said, she added, “Wait… what do you mean by, 'do it again?'?”
Cloud grudgingly opened her eyes and asked, “You mean you don’t remember?”
“I wouldn’t be asking if I did know, would I?” Flitter snapped, finally managing to slip out of the impromptu cuddle.
Cloud’s eyebrow raised before her muzzle cracked into a wide smirk. With the cockiness of an alpha chicken, she raised her head and taunted, “Let's just say that yesterday’s Flitter was feeling a little... pent up."
Flitter narrowed her eyes at her smirking sister. “Wait, the last thing I remember was convincing Sky to let us stay in his apartment for the night. Everything after that is a blur.”
Cloud snorted, her grin widening until it stretched across her entire jaw. “I’m not surprised that you’re a little disoriented. Last night, most of your attention was focused on enjoying the present, not remembering the past~”
She held up a hoof to show Flitter the dry, crusty residue of their late-night activities stained on her fur. As Flitter’s face turned scarlet, Cloud deepened her humiliation by snarking, “Oh, and this is just the stuff on my hoof. You really should take better care of yourself, sis. I swear, last night’s output was more like a firehose or a geyser.” She peeled back the blankets to show the fluid-stained bedsheets, each plastered with a variety of wet spots of intuitive origin.
Flitter was too mortified to reply. With trembling hooves, she felt the ruined fabric before launching herself forward and tackling Cloud into the floor. With her sister at her mercy, she brought her muzzle close to Cloud’s ear and growled, “What were you thinking!? You do realize that we were on Sky’s bed, right!? What are we going to tell him!?”
Cloud’s flank-eating grin didn’t abate as she whispered back, “Yeah, I know we were on his bed. Your constant sniffing of his sheets while we were doing it was a pretty good indicator~”
“That’s not important!” Flitter shrieked, pointing a hoof at the soiled bed sheets. “If Sky realizes what we did to his room, he’s going to go ballistic! We need to clean this up now before he wakes up!”
“I don’t know… Something tells me that wouldn’t be the reason he’d be mad.”
Flitter was already yanking the bed sheets off the mattress and folding them into a wash basket. Turning to look at Cloud with scorn, she hissed, “Shut up and help me fix his room! You better hope he’s still asleep because if he finds out about this, I’m going to shoot you with so many arrows you’ll look like an inbred changeling!”
Cloud adopted a look of confusion. “Wait, I thought all the changelings came from the same queen that mates with her own brood to produce new eggs. Doesn’t that mean all changelings are inbre-”
A musty pillow came flying through the air and hit Cloud full in the face, cutting off her voice. “Ow! What the hay, Flitter? Not cool.”
Flitter frantically moved to wash the contaminated covers and sheets. As she made her way out of the bedroom, she gave her sister one last scathing warning. “I’m going to put these in the washer before Sky wakes up. If this room isn’t spotless by the time I come back, a couple stab wounds are going to be the least of your worries, understand?” She fixed Cloud with a deadly glare before quietly latching the door behind her.
Cloud trotted over to the bed and picked up a pair of wrinkled bedtime panties. Sighing, she tossed the used undergarments over her shoulder and muttered, “Jeez, I thought getting rid of her heat was supposed to relax her.”
Flitter crept slowly towards where she assumed the washer was. Since their apartments were right next to each other, they probably had the same layout. As she crossed into the living room, the air was suddenly filled with the delectable aroma of fresh cooking. The incredible smell broke Flitter’s concentration and dragged her towards the kitchen where the familiar outline of a blue-haired pegasus stood over a sizzling pan.
Skyfall stirred the pot’s contents before replacing the lid and turning around to prepare the next batch of food. As he reached for the bowl of cherry tomatoes, the sound of a gasp caught his attention. Flitter was standing across the kitchen counter, her wings and hooves desperately trying to hide something within her feathers. Smiling, Sky said, “Oh! Good morning, Flitter. Is everything alright?”
Flitter clutched the stained rags closer to her barrel and stuttered, “G-Good morning, Sky! Yes, everything is perfectly acceptable on this day, thank you.”
Sky raised his eyebrows. Throughout his life, he’d known his fair share of good liars, and Flitter was definitely not one of them. Trotting up to her, he sighed, “You know, if you’re going to lie to me, at least try and make it believable.” Smirking, he grinned at her and continued, “Besides, we both know how good you are at getting what you want if last night was anything to go off of.”
The fur on Flitter’s face turned scarlet as she stammered, “Y-You know about t-that!?”
“Of course I do! After all, I was the one you were coercing into letting you girls stay in my room overnight.”
Relief flooded her mind as she realized her mistake. Thank Celestia… He doesn’t know about what Cloud and I did…
As Skyfall reached for the soiled sheets in her hooves, Flitter gave a shriek of fright and jumped back, nearly cracking the coffee table behind her in half. Sky widened his eyes at her reaction, “Jeez, what happened? With a reaction like that, I’m almost expecting to see a dead body in my room.”
Flitter wasn’t sure if she would rather have Sky think they were murderers or find out about the private show Cloud had roped her into. Panicking, she tried to come up with a reasonable explanation. She couldn’t play it off as a routine cleaning because her earlier reaction gave away that something was wrong. However, letting him touch the mare-stained cloth would probably make her die of embarrassment. Running out of time, she blurted out the only other explanation she could think of.
“I was just taking these sheets to the washer because Cloud wet your bed!”
Silence permeated the small apartment for several seconds. The shock and horror on Flitter’s face was reflected in Skyfall’s as he stared open-mouthed at the bedsheets in her hooves. After making sure he hadn’t misheard, he cleared his throat and whispered, "w-what?”
Flitter was mortified at what she had said, but it was too late now. Silently apologizing to her sister, she pushed on. “L-Last night, Cloud had an accident and wet your bed. I was just putting these in the washer so they would be clean for later.”
Sky’s face scrunched into a look of disgust. “Don’t bother washing them! If Cloud peed in them, I’m definitely not sleeping in it anymore!" Pointing outside, he muttered, “Just throw them out. I have another set of sheets I can use for tonight.”
Nodding, Flitter opened the window and tossed the contaminated sheets into the dumpster. Just to make sure no one would ever find the evidence, she flew around and tossed various other bags of garbage and twigs on top until the white fabric couldn’t be seen.
She retreated back into the kitchen where Sky was finishing up with cooking. Turning to face her, he muttered, "I was planning on surprising you girls with breakfast, but I think I lost my appetite.” He pushed a delicious-looking bowl of hearty salad to her before stepping into the bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower now. Feel free to eat whatever, just save some for your bed-wetting sister, okay?”
Once Sky had left, Flitter rushed back into the bedroom to check on Cloud. Throwing open the door, she blinked in surprise as the room looked much cleaner than she had expected. As she searched around, a voice called out to her from the closet.
“Hey, come check out the cool stuff I found in Sky’s room!”
Flitter shook her head but didn’t reprimand Cloud for snooping after the humiliating excuse she had used to cover their tracks.
Cloud turned around holding something in her hooves. Grinning, she revealed the mystery item to be one of Sky’s baby pictures that showed him hugging the waist of a scaly green dragon who looked very annoyed.
Cloud broke into an amused chuckle, “Wow, who would have thought that Sky would be that cute? He looked so adorable back then. He had probably just gotten his cutie mark by the look of his expression.”
Glancing around nervously, Flitter was focusing on more important issues than an old foalhood photo. “Yeah, cute. Listen, Cloud, I need to tell you something important.”
Cloud smirked as she calmed down from her fit of giggles. “Don’t worry, sis. I won’t tell Sky what happened between us. However...” she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, “if you ever want to do an encore, I’m down.”
Flitter glared at her with a blush before averting her gaze. “N-no, it’s not that. Whatever I say, you have to promise not to scream, okay?”
Sky sighed as he turned off the water. The feeling of taking a shower was one of life’s greatest pleasures, and he could use all the happiness he could get after hearing Flitter’s disturbing news. Staring into his reflection, he wondered, “Did Cloud really pee in my bed last night? I mean, there’s a bathroom inside the bedroom, and there’s no way she still wets the bed at her age.”
Shaking his head to clear away the disturbing thoughts, he reached for his comb before overturning his entire sink tray as a monstrous roar echoed throughout the apartment. Flailing around to catch the falling toiletries, Sky lifted them up with trembling hooves. “Damn, I guess Flitter told her I found out. I’m not looking forward to the strategy meeting today.”
He combed his hair the best he could, however it still maintained a wild, untamed style, which gave him his typical roguish look. Taking a deep breath, he unlatched the door and prepared to face the two sisters, one of which might already be dead.
As he entered the living room, he was greeted by the sight of a predator staring down its prey. Cloudchaser’s eyes pierced her sister’s body while Flitter stared resolutely at the floor. Each second of silence seemed to escalate the already thick tension building between them, and the creaking of the coffee table under Cloud’s aggressive grip wasn’t doing any favors.
Cloud growled as she ate the BLT Sky had made for her. With each bite, she imagined the satisfaction she would get by tearing into Flitter instead of the admittedly delicious sandwich. As Sky entered the room, all her rage and anger transformed into embarrassment, which caused her murderous glare to change into a look of abject humiliation.
Seeing the effect he was having on the distressed mare, he hurriedly said, “D-Don’t worry, Cloud! It’s no big deal. I have another set of sheets I can use for tonight.” Then, seeing the shame and regret building in her, he added, “There’s nothing shameful about wetting the bed. Sometimes it just happens, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”
Shooting another disgruntled look at Flitter, she muttered, “Yeah, thanks. I’m really sorry for ruining your bed. I’ll replace the sheets that I apparently ruined all by myself.”
Flitter winced at Cloud’s tone and flattened her ears until they were flush with her mane. As the atmosphere became more hostile, Sky tried to defuse the situation. “Ok, so now that we’re all here, let’s go over our battle plan for invading the Dragon Lord’s palace.”
The other two nodded as Sky pulled out a map of the Dragonlands. “Okay, Spark told me about several of the palace’s defenses including guard patrol routes and sentry locations.” Several red dots and arrows covered the outer edges of the Dragonlands while several more dots were gathered around a mountain near the northeast of the barrens. Sky pointed a hoof at the large cluster and explained, “This is where the Dragon Lord’s palace is. There’s going to be a ton of royal dragon guards swarming around there, so we’re going to need to be stealthy. If we’re caught in there, we don’t stand a chance against them, even with our new powers.”
Cloud swallowed her food and asked, “Yeah, I have an early question. Why aren’t we going to the princesses with this information? If we had the strength of them and all their royal guards, we would have a way better chance at winning, right?”
Sky shook his head. “No, if we go to the princesses or any other military force, questions would be raised. We might even be arrested for being spies for the Dragon Lord! After all, who would believe that three random pegasi suddenly got incredible abilities without using some form of dark magic.” Cloud opened her mouth to argue, but Sky cut her off. “Besides, even if we did get them on our side, we’d be spotted almost instantly by dragon sentries. An army of royal guards is a lot harder to hide in the rocky terrain than three little treasure hunters.”
Having said that, Sky turned his attention back to the map. “Since we’re all pegasi, we’ll be able to fly over most of the hills and valleys, but there is one area we won’t be able to get around.” He pointed at a small line that snaked its way directly to the back of the palace. “This sliver of land is called The Serpent’s Pass. The areas around it are covered in mountains and volcanoes, so flying over them is out. Also, since it leads to the palace, there are going to be sentries posted along it, so we’re going to have to be careful.”
Flitter raised her hoof. “Um.. what are we going to do once we get to the palace?” She pointed to the massive amount of red dots around the gate. “It seems like there are way too many guards in the building to sneak around. Eventually, we’re going to be found and captured… or worse.”
Sky grinned at her question. “Ah, that’s where our new dragon friends come in.” He pointed to the southwestern entrance gate and said, “Spark told me he’s still officially the commander of this gate since he hasn’t been discharged from the military yet. Once we get there, he’s going to bypass security and sneak us past the sentries while they’re distracted with his orders.”
Cloud made an impressed noise. “Wow, how’d you manage to get him to do that?”
“Eh, I had a little help from Helena Hooflepuff, but most of it was my charming personality and good looks.”
Flitter giggled at his quip and said, “Well, I hope your persuasive techniques work if we’re being held at sword-point by a gang of hostile guards. Maybe you can talk them into not stabbing us to death.”
They all shared a laugh at Flitter’s joke. Once they calmed down, Sky rolled up the map and stored it in his bag. “Spark told me that he’s probably going to be officially discharged within the next month, so we’ll need to make it past the gate before then. It should take around three weeks to cross the Serpent’s Pass and sneak past the gate, so we’ll need to leave soon.”
The two girls nodded and moved towards the front door. As they left, Cloud leaned in and growled to Flitter, “I still haven’t forgiven you for telling Sky I pissed in his bed.”
Flitter’s face heated up as she shot back, “Well, if you don’t want me to make excuses like that, don’t molest me while we’re in somepony else’s bed!”
Cloud’s muzzle broke into a smirk. “So you’re saying you’d be okay with doing it in Sky’s living room?”
The next few days were hectic to say the least. Not only did the three pegasi need to pack enough money and supplies to last the month-long expedition, they also needed to iron out their attack plan for when they stormed the Dragon Lord’s palace.
With less than a week to prepare, Flitter and Cloudchaser rushed to throw together their meager possessions as Sky worked with Spark and the rest of the deserting dragons on the invasion.
“Hey, Flitter, are you going to need this book on our trip?” Cloud asked, holding up a romantic fantasy novel her sister would often read when feeling lonely.
Flitter snatched the book from Cloud’s hooves with a blush and said, “Yes! I was planning to read it on our way to the Dragonlands. It’s going to take weeks to get there after all.”
Cloud snickered at Flitter’s embarrassment. “I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. The way you sigh whenever you read those mushy romance tales makes me queasy. Just mare up and ask Sky to suck face for a while.”
She wiggled her eyebrows and whispered, “Trust me, something tells me he would be more than willing to lock lips with you~”
Flitter’s blush grew as she hid her face behind the book. “Cloud, don’t say things like that! You know I get nervous when it comes to... those kinds of things.”
“Oh yeah? You seemed pretty confident when I has hoofing you a few days ago~”
A light-purple hoof clenched Cloud’s mouth shut as Flitter growled, “I thought we agreed not to talk about that! You know, after you molested me and triggered my heat on purpose so I’d get super horny?”
Cloud chuckled at the memory of their explicit encounter. “Yeah, but I never consented to be the pony that pissed in Sky’s bed, so I guess we’re even.”
Flitter rolled her eyes. “Are you still mad about that!? I apologized like a million times, and it was your fault the sheets were dirty in the first place, so you kind of got what you deserved.”
“Whatever, just ask me next time before you make me look like some kind of Olsen Twin, okay?”
Flitter snorted before rifling through more of their stuff to pack. As she threw a stack of old newspapers into the trash, she noticed a cute Powerpony plushie laying on Cloud’s bed. Her eyebrows raised as she picked up the strange doll and asked, “Hey, Cloud, where did you get this doll? I never took you for the type to still play with plushies.”
Cloud did a double take as she recognized the cute stuffed pony Sky had bought for her on their market date before the infamous medical tent kiss. Panicking at the thought of Flitter finding out about the impromptu snogging session, she stuttered, “Uhhh… I got it from... Griffy, yeah Griffy! He got it for me as a present after I helped him deal with some customers during a busy day!”
“Oh, I see,” Flitter nodded, placing the action figure in storage. “Well, I’ll put it in the travel bag for now. Take it out later if we need more space, okay?”
She went back to sorting through more of their junk as Cloud made her way towards the storage container. Holding Sky’s present in her hooves, her mind flashed back to the casual strolls and flirty quips they would tell each other to try and get a funny reaction. A fluttering feeling fanned a fire in Cloud’s heart as the pleasant memories brought a wave of heat to her cheeks.
Then, just as quickly as it had come, the happiness was replaced by the cruel reality that stood only feet away from her.
Things had finally been getting better between the two sisters. After talking things out and releasing all their pent up emotions, Flitter had started acting more like the cute, joyful pegasus Cloud knew and loved. However, as normal as things appeared, there was still a small hint of tension between them whenever Sky’s name was brought into the conversation.
Cloud needed to hold herself back from Sky’s affections to repair the strained sisterly relationship, and telling Flitter about a date gift didn’t seem like a smart choice to accomplish that.
Turning to the discard pile, Cloud willed her hoof holding the doll to move above the trash bag where several other piles of litter were waiting to be thrown out.
As her hoof began to shake, a pressure formed in Cloud’s chest, as if the prospect of getting rid of something so precious was physically hurting her. For several more moments, she stared resolutely at the colorful plush, trying to force her hoof to let it go and rid her of the painful connection the present had on her heart.
Finally, after several agonizing seconds, she retracted her hoof and placed the doll back in the travel pack. Hating herself for her weakness, Cloud turned to look at her oblivious sister and whispered, “Sorry, Flitter, it’s not as easy as it looks to let go…”
Sky stared blankly at the map in front of him. Rubbing a hoof on his temple, he turned to the gray dragon on his left and asked, “Ok, Spark, explain this to me again. After we sneak by the patrols on the Serpent's Pass, how would we get through the gate with your help?”
Spark pointed a weary claw at the map and repeated, “As I said, until I’m discharged, I’m still the commander of the southwestern gate. All I have to do is order one of the patrols to alter their schedule, and you and your girlfriends should have plenty of time to sneak past the sentries.”
Spark held up a claw and said, “Remember, once you get through the gate, I and the rest of my dragons are out. We can’t be seen anywhere near the palace once news of our court-martial gets to the gates.”
Nodding, Sky felt weary of the deceptively simple plan. “If this palace is so heavily guarded, why is it this easy to sneak into? Shouldn't there be more security? If we’re caught off guard in there, we’re all toast.”
“Once you three get past the gate, it’ll be easy to find the Dragon Lord without being spotted. He’s not exactly known for his subtlety.”
As they finalized their plans, Flitter and Cloudchaser entered Sky’s apartment carrying their travel packs and gear. Sky turned to them with a start before grinning, “Oh, there you two are! I was starting to think you had skipped town.”
Cloud smirked back, “Please, you know you need us and our powers. If we weren’t there to take down that giant behemoth of a general, you’d have gotten your flank pounded in!”
They all chuckled before Sky slung his pack and newly forged shield on his back. “Alright, if you girls have everything, we should be good to go. Provided there aren’t any catastrophes, we should get to the Serpent’s Pass in about two weeks.”
As the ponies and dragons walked through the market towards the town exit, Flitter held out a hoof. “Wait! We forgot to say goodbye to someone!”
As they followed her hoof’s direction, the other two noticed a small orange griffon staffing a very familiar meat stall. Cloud let out an uncharacteristic squeal, “Oh! Griffy, come over here!”
The tiny bird jerked up in surprise before running over to their group. “Hey, where are you all going? Are you looking for more treasure in the Dragonlands?”
The three pegasi glanced at each other before Sky stammered, “Uh… y-yeah, we’re going out to find more cool stuff.”
Flitter leaned in and gave Griffy a hug. “We’re going to be away for a while, so don’t worry if you don’t see us around. We just wanted to say goodbye.”
Griffy’s face fell into a disappointed frown. His tiny claws scraped at the loose pebbles as he murmered, “Oh, okay… you need to go where your job takes you. I guess I’ll see you when you get back, right?”
Cloud hugged him from the other side and ruffled his feathers. “Come on, champ, don’t be sad. We’re coming back soon, I promise! When I get back, I’ll be sure to bring you a cool souvenir from the Dragonlands, okay?”
His eyes brightened up as he returned the embrace. “Really!? You’ll bring me something from a volcano ruin!? That’s so awesome!”
Flitter giggled at his enthusiasm. "Think of it as a return present for the adorable Powerpony plush you gave Cloud. I’m sure you’ll love what we find.”
Griffy’s face scrunched into a look of confusion. “What are you talking about, Flitter? I never got Cloud a Powerpony doll.”
Cloud flinched with panic as Flitter’s eyebrows creased, but a ringing sound from the meat vendor’s stand interrupted them before she could ask any questions.
“Oh, I’ve got to get back and serve customers!” Griffy shouted as he ran back to his shop. “I’ll see you all when you get back, so stay safe. Bye!”
After saying their goodbyes, the little fledgling waved back at them from his meat stand where a line of customers was already waiting. The three pegasi watched him confidently take a customer’s order as he fired up the grill and began frying a fat sheet of pork.
Flitter turned to the other two and whispered, “Are you guys sure this is the same Griffy I met? He’s nothing like the last time I saw him.”
The other two shared a grin as Sky replied, “Trust me, he’s the same Griffy as always.”
The sun hung low in the sky as golden sun beams split the horizon into beautiful slices of pink and orange. The motley group of ponies and dragons trudged forward as they moved towards the Dragonland’s capital.
Spark stared out at the barren lands of rock and magma that were so different from Equestria’s agrarian landscape. With another glance at his map, he dropped his travel pack and called, “Okay, this should be far enough. Let’s set up camp for the night!”
“AAAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH!”
Spark whipped around in surprise to see the three ponies collapsed on the ground. Snorting with amusement, he raised a claw and quipped, “Jeez, if I had known all ponies were as wimpy as you three, I’d have attacked Equestria a long time ago!”
Cloud glared back at him with a challenging stare. "If you’d like to test that theory, we’re r-right here ready to tango.”
The deserting dragons all had the benefit of harsh, often brutal soldier training in the Dragonland’s military which the treasure hunters, while fit, could never hope to compete with.
The dragon unit erected tents and built a fire pit while the three pegasi flew around collecting burnable fuel. Once the campsite was sufficiently stocked, Spark blew flames over the branches and leaves, causing a great bonfire to erupt from the prepared kindling.
Flitter opened her travel pack and reached inside. Pulling out her romance novel, she glanced at Sky’s large, impressive frame glowing in the light of the fire and blushed as she reread the first chapter.
Skimming over the introduction she had long since memorized, the aroused mare furtively glanced around before diving into the more intimate chapters. As images of dashing knights and damsels in distress flashed across her mind, she and Sky began to replace the faces of the book’s characters.
The valiant hero pulled the princess into his strong frame and whispered, “Don’t worry, Princess. That horrible monster can’t hurt you anymore. I am here to protect you.”
Princess Flitter’s breathing increased as she felt his hooves wrap around her barrel. Nuzzling into the cuddle, they basked in each other’s warmth until she whispered, “Thank you so much for rescuing me, Sir Skyfall. I could never have escaped the evil Dragon Lord’s clutches if not for your heroic deeds and sacrifices. If there’s anything I can do to repay you, name it, and it is yours.”
Sky chuckled and smirked down at her adorable face. “Well, now that you mention it, Princess…” his hoof slowly traced down to her more intimate regions as he teased, “there is something we could do that I’m sure would be very… satisfying~”
Princess Flitter’s face grew red as his hooves groped her flanks to clarify the meaning of his innuendo. Even with his rather assertive advances, she swayed her full hips and pressed her heated body against his barrel. “Well then, Sir Skyfall, I suppose I should fulfill my royal promise. What do you say we get started on your reward~”
Flitter broke out of her reverie when a purple hoof snatched the novel out of her grasp. As the incriminating pages flew through the air, she made a desperate grab for the book’s cover, but missed as the perpetrator held her down with a hoof.
“Jeez, I knew you were bringing this half-baked porno along, but I never expected you to use it so early~” Cloud grinned as she held the embarrassing text above her sister's head.
The aroused blush that had dusted Flitter’s cheeks now transformed into anger as she sprang up and wrestled the book out of her sister’s grip. “Cloud! You can’t just take other pony’s stuff like that. At least speak up before you scare someone’s tail off.”
Cloud fixed her with an unimpressed gaze. “You need to start making your move on him now. Once we get to the Serpent’s Pass, we probably won’t have time for leisure activities while fighting off a massive, demonically possessed Dragon Lord.”
“I know,” Flitter argued, indicating the romance novel Cloud had rudely taken, “I was just looking for a little inspiration for how to ask him. Since most of your advice involved a hoof going places I’m uncomfortable with, I figured I should get a second opinion.”
A bark of laughter escaped Cloud before she could stop it. Snorting into her hoof, she snarked, "Mare up, sis. Despite how amazing he is, Sky is still just a stallion. It’s not hard to get them in the mood. Go up to him and flick your tail to the side a bit while you're in heat. I guarantee that’ll get a reaction~”
“Well, you may be okay with starting a relationship that way, but I’d like to have a foundation built on something more than just two pieces of a puzzle snapping together,” Flitter shot back, standing up and making her way to Sky’s tent. “I’m doing this my way, so you can keep your advice to yourself.”
Cloudchaser rolled her eyes and drawled, “Alright, have fun getting clam-jammed when you fall apart during your confession.”
Flitter threw her another look of admonishment before approaching Sky’s tent. Cloud watched her sister intently as she called out to him through the curtain. Once his head appeared, Flitter’s wings started to twitch while her hooves nervously pranced in place. Sure enough, her rambling words started to blur together as she tried and failed to say the phrase that was stuck in her throat.
Sky gave a smile of understanding and wrapped a wing around her barrel. As Flitter’s breathing calmed down, he led her back into his tent and whispered words of encouragement to soothe the anxiety coursing through her body.
With one last affectionate nuzzle, Sky pecked Flitter on the cheek before closing the tent, cutting off Cloudchaser’s line of sight.
The smirking mare stared at the spot where the other two had vanished. It took a few moments before the smugness and teasing drained away from her cocky grin.
As reality slowly dawned on her, Cloud dropped her arrogant facade and shuddered, “This is good… this is what I want… this is what is best for Flitter, so I am happy.”
With her mental reminders firmly back in place, she solemnly plodded to her own tent and closed the entrance flap so that no creature could see the fresh tears falling down her crying face.
“Be careful, everyone! We’ll be arriving at The Serpent’s Pass in a few days!”
A chorus of murmurs acknowledged Spark’s warning as the pony trio trudged along behind him. As expected, everyone’s spirits were a bit dampened after two weeks of grueling travel. Normally, the three treasure hunters would fill the time with sarcastic quips and witty jokes, but the conversations between them had become short and abbreviated ever since they left town.
At first, Sky thought the curtness was simply due to nerves, but two weeks of tense silence clued him in that there was something else going on.
Every time he tried talking to Cloud, she somehow found a way to worm out of the conversation. One time she had been so desperate to avoid him that she flicked her own tail into the burning campfire and ran into a nearby river with flames shooting off her flank. It was eerily similar to the way she had smashed open her apartment’s window after their infamous medical tent kiss, but this time Sky couldn’t imagine why she would want to avoid him.
As his thoughts carried him away, somepony else coughed nearby to grab his attention.
“Sky, did you hear what I said?”
Sky’s head whipped around to stare back at the younger sister’s concerned gaze. Slapping himself for getting distracted, he stammered, “Flitter! Sorry, my mind wandered a bit. Can you repeat what you said?”
Flitter’s eyebrows scrunched with concern. “Are you feeling okay? You’ve been spacing out a lot recently. We all need to be in top shape if we want to infiltrate the Dragonlands without getting caught.”
“Yeah, I’m good,” he replied, readjusting the nearly empty supply bag on his back. “I’ve just been thinking about Cloud a lot recently. She looks like there’s something bothering her, but I can't imagine why.”
Her expression flashed with jealous anger as a sickening feeling churned within her stomach. Turning to look at her sister, she noticed that Cloud did in fact appear to be in lower spirits than usual.
Cloud’s head and tail both drooped slightly as she plodded along the beaten path. Her signature cocky grin was nowhere to be seen, replaced with a half-grimace of discomfort that had nothing to do with the travel. When she glanced up and saw their gazes, she averted her eyes and hid her face, a light blush dusted along her lavender cheeks.
Flitter turned back to Sky with a pained smile. “I’m sure she’s just worried about the mission. So, you said you were from Ponyville, right? That’s quite funny because Cloud and I were actually from...” she trailed off as Sky broke away from their conversation.
With an apologetic smile, he nodded his head and made his way over to Cloud’s despondent form. Extending a comforting wing towards her barrel, he put on his most reassuring grin and tensed himself in preparation for another painful buck.
Cloud flinched at the sudden contact and tried to pull away, but Sky wrapped his wing around her to prevent another vanishing act. After several tense moments, her shoulders relaxed as she returned the wing-hug and smiled back in a friendly, yet cautious manner.
A shard of ice pierced Flitter’s heart at the display of affection, but she soon brushed it off as nothing more than a friendly gesture. Ruffling her feathers, she stared ahead at the darkening sky and reassured herself of her sister’s innocence.
“Don’t worry, Cloud promised to back off…”
She promised.
Sky stared down at Cloud’s gloomy expression with a frown of his own. As her downtrodden gaze fell to the floor, he squeezed her barrel with his wing to get her attention. “Hey, Cloud, are you feeling okay? You’ve been really quiet for the past couple weeks, which is the last thing I’d expect from you~”
Cloud gave him a weak chuckle and intertwined his wing with her own. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve just had a lot on my mind.”
“I hear you. We all have a scary future ahead of us,” he gave her another reassuring grin and raised his gleaming shield. “Don’t worry. No matter what happens, we’ll be safe as long as I have a say in it.”
Before she could do more than nod, a new voice floated through the air and interrupted their conversation. Turning around, Sky rolled his eyes as two of their dragon escorts engaged in one of their daily spats.
“Dude, what’s the first thing you’re going to do when we get back to the Dragonlands?” a short, heavy-set dragon asked, stabbing his weapon through the air. “When I get back into town, I’m gonna find a nice dragoness and have myself a little fun~”
The taller dragon rolled his eyes and jabbed the other with the sheath of his sword. “You would say that. I swear, that and food are the only two things that ever cross your mind.”
“Hey! Cut me some slack, man! I haven’t seen a dragoness in months.” He lowered his voice to a whisper that still carried to the eavesdropping ponies, “Besides, the ones I did see weren’t really going to fit the criteria… if you know what I mean~”
“Yes, I get the idea.” A wistful sigh broke the taller dragon’s voice as he stared up into the mountains. “When I get home, the first thing I’m going to do is check on my parents.”
Cloud winced as the sensitive topic was dragged into the conversation. Before Sky could do anything to distract her, the dragon explained, “My parents never wanted me to join the military, so they’ve been worried sick ever since I received the draft order. I haven’t seen them for months, so I’m sure they’re going to be really excited when I come home!”
Another stab of pain shot through Cloud as the tall dragon continued to unknowingly torture her with recollections of his family. Just to add one more nail to the coffin, he concluded by pulling out a picture of his parents and holding it close to his chest.
“Once I get back, I need to get them out of town and put them into hiding. I’m going to be known as a deserter and a traitor, so I don’t want them to be punished for my crimes.”
Gazing lovingly at the photograph, he murmured, “I can’t abandon them like that. I made a promise to always come home no matter what. I need to keep it.”
At this, Cloud burst into tears and flew off towards the front of the line. Sky reached out a hoof to stop her, but she slipped through his grasp and vanished into the horizon. Turning back to glare at the tactless dragons, he took off and hissed, “Great going, morons! Look at what you did to her!”
As Sky flew away, the dragons stared after him with incredulous expressions plastered across their faces.
“Jeez, what do you think got up their flanks?”
“No idea, man! Ponies are weird.”
It was well past sunset by the time they set up camp. As the orange horizon slowly faded to black, Sky glanced around at the other campers to make sure no one was watching. Spark and his dragons were milling about, erecting tents and lookouts for their resting site, Flitter was busy collecting kindling and wood for the bonfire, and Cloud was refilling their canteens in a nearby river.
Seeing his chance, Sky took the opportunity to speak to Cloud and hopefully clear up whatever issue was causing her so much distress. As he made his way towards her downcast form, another pair of narrowed pink eyes followed his path towards their owner’s sister.
Brushing off the strange shiver that crept up his spine, he raised his hoof and tapped the moody pegasus on the back. “Cloud, we need to talk!”
Cloud’s wings flew out as she whirled around. “Sky, what the hay!? You almost gave me a heart attack!”
He put on an apologetic smile and chuckled, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to talk about what happened earlier with those dragons. Is everything alright?”
Flinching at the flood of painful memories, she huffed in annoyance and turned back to the half-filled canteens. “I’m fine. You don’t need to coddle me. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
Sky sat down next to her and raised his hooves. “I’m not coddling you, Cloud. I’m just worried.” He ran a hoof through the flowing river and stared at his rippling reflection. “After those dragons finished talking, you had a panic attack and disappeared for over half-an-hour. Was there something you needed to do?”
When Cloud didn’t respond, he glanced at her stony face and sighed, Damn it, she’s not budging. I need to do something that breaks through her shell.
Hating himself for what he was going to do next, Sky steeled his nerves and whispered, “It has something to do with your parents, doesn’t it?”
At this, Cloud’s head jerked up as she stared at him with terrified eyes. Realizing her mistake, she forced herself to suppress her emotions, but the damage was already done.
Sensing her mental walls building, Sky pushed his advantage before she had a chance to gather her thoughts.
“Flitter told me about your childhood before we got the diadem,” he admitted. “I don’t mean to sound pushy, but could you tell me what happened to your parents? Flitter said you knew more about them, and I’m pretty sure whatever happened is killing you inside. I just want to help!”
Cloud’s gaze hardened as she knocked away his comforting wing. “I don’t need you prying into my personal life. There’s nothing important about what happened to my parents. All I know is that they disappeared and left Flitter and I to fend for ourselves.”
Sky was shocked at the bitterness he detected in the normally relaxed pegasus. Even during the first week of their shaky friendship when they wanted to slit each other’s throats, she had never spoken to him with that level of animosity. Treading carefully, he hesitantly mumbled before stuttering, “It sounds like you kind of resent them for disappearing…”
Something within Cloud snapped. Scrambling up, she shoved his unsuspecting barrel to the ground with a hoof and screamed, “Of course I resent them! They vanished and abandoned us when I was eight! Instead of supporting us through our foalhoods, they left us right when we needed them the most! If my old teacher hadn’t asked to see them after school, we probably would have starved to death before anyone noticed! How could I not resent them!?”
Sky stared in disbelief at the raging mare above him. Instead of her usual cocky grin or recent gloomy grimace, Cloud’s face was now painted with nothing but pure vitriol, hatred, and contempt. If it weren’t for her unique purple eyes, he would never have believed her to be the same mare he had just been talking to.
Wrestling her hoof off his chest, he wheezed, “Cloud, I know how you feel! Believe me, I do! It’s not worth wasting your time and energy hating someone you can’t see anymore, especially without knowing all the facts.”
Cloud shut him up by pressing a hoof onto his neck. “How would you know what it feels like!? I barely got to know them before they left! Every second is filled with pain and longing as I pray to Celestia to bring them back! I want to look them in the eyes as they explain why they left Flitter and I before we were able to look after ourselves!”
She lifted her hoof off Sky’s neck and collapsed back onto the ground. With one more agonizing sob, she lowered her head and shook with grief as salty tears continued to flow freely down her fur. After several seconds of tense silence, Cloud glanced up at him with pleading eyes, begging for reassurance.
“I just want to know what I did to make them abandon us…”
Sky didn’t know what to say. Her sudden frailty took him so off guard that he couldn’t form a single coherent thought. Snapping himself out of his shocked silence, he rubbed a hoof along his foreleg and said, “Well, I can’t claim to have been in your hooves before, but I can empathize with how you feel right now.”
Dark memories flashed across Sky’s mind as her words broke down the mental walls he had meticulously built and maintained. Shifting himself closer to Cloud’s shaking form, he wrapped a tentative wing around her barrel.
After confirming she wouldn’t punch him again, he stared at their distorted river reflections and continued, “Self-loathing is one of the worst feelings in the world. You feel like everything is your fault, even when it’s not. You feel like you failed yourself because you weren’t good enough to be what you wanted to be. You feel like nothing will ever change from the terrible grip that reality has on your soul.”
Sky paused and took a shaky breath before whispering, “You feel like a monster because you failed to protect someone when they needed you the most.”
This time, Cloud was the one who looked up in surprise. Throughout their friendship, she had never heard him speak with so much pain and misery in his voice, even during his interrogation of their would-be assassins.
“When I said I knew how you felt, I didn’t mean that my parents disappeared.” The scars of past mistakes bled through Sky’s gaze as old wounds started reopening. “I know how it feels to blame yourself for something you couldn’t control. The agony of shame and regret hurt worse than any wound a sword could ever inflict.”
His unblinking eyes drifted away from her as he stared at the black canvas of night that stretched all around them. In a hushed tone, he whispered, “Do you remember the things I said to Griffy when you first introduced us?”
Cloud’s mind flashed back to the rude, hurtful, borderline cruel insults Sky had thrown towards the quivering young griffon. A spark of anger flared up inside her before he continued.
“Like I said, I never wanted to hurt Griffy. I only said those things to him so that he would stand up for himself and believe in his convictions.” Sky stared into the eyes of his shining reflection as he thought back to his own marred past. “In a way, I guess I saw a bit of my foalhood self in Griffy’s timid, unconfident nature.”
A smile flickered across Cloud’s muzzle as she recalled his adorable foal pictures in his closet. Biting back a witty remark, she raised a hoof to her muzzle and chuckled, “I never would have expected you to be the shy type. When we first met, you were very… assertive.”
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.” Sky rolled his eyes as he continued, “You see, before treasure hunting in San Hoof, I used to be a library assistant in a small town called Ponyville. I loved working there because no one actually came by to check out a book, which meant I didn’t have to talk to many other ponies.”
Cloud’s ears perked up at his backstory. “Wait, you used to live in Ponyville!? Flitter and I lived there for a while too!”
They both cracked smiles at the serendipity as he exclaimed, “Yeah! After Princess Twilight started her school, Spike was the only one left to take care of the book fortress, so he hired me to do the boring jobs he didn’t want to do anymore.”
The two of them reminisced about Ponyville’s bizarre history before Cloud asked, “So, why did you hate yourself for working at a library? Were you afraid of getting too many paper cuts or something?”
Sky’s face fell into a sorrowful grimace as he lifted his wing off her barrel. “Not quite. It’s a lot worse than that. I’ve never told this to another soul outside the royal guard, and I’m sure you’ll understand why.”
Gazing at her with an anxious expression, he rubbed his hooves across the ground and whispered, “No matter what you hear, please don’t think I’m a monster.”
“Ugh! If Spike keeps me out past eight again, I’m going to report him to the Equestrian Labor Board, princess connection be damned.”
Sky’s juvenile wings twitched with irritation as he trotted back towards the library. After a long day of sorting, shelving, and deliveries, his aching hooves dragged across the ground, kicking up dust along the way.
“Well, at least it’s the end of the week. If I ever have to deliver another book, it’ll be too soon…”
As he plodded back to work, a sudden movement to his right caught Sky’s attention. Jumping back from the poorly lit side street, he flapped his small wings in an act of defiance and stared around to look at his assailant.
Sky’s hooves paced nervously as he stared into the darkening shadows, but a low growl called out to him before he could yell for help. “Hey, calm down, kid! We’re not dangerous.”
Three large, heavily-armed dragons emerged from the dingy alleyway and began approaching him. Remembering what his parents taught him about stranger danger, Sky backed away from them and yelled, “Stay away from me! I’ll call the guards!”
A large green dragon stepped forward and held up his claws. “Woah, kid, let’s not be hasty! We just wanted to ask you a question.”
His shaking hooves became rooted to the spot. Not wanting to provoke these scary, dangerous-looking dragons, he leaned backwards and prepared to make a break for the nearest house he could reach.
Sensing the young colt’s fear, the green dragon crouched down and whispered, “Really, kid, we don’t want to hurt you.” He opened his arms and continued, “I think we got off on the wrong claw. My name is Sear. What’s your name, little one?”
Against his better judgement, Sky turned back towards the dragons instead of running away. Staring at the scaly green reptile, he stuttered, “M-My name’s Skyfall…”
“Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Skyfall. Like I said before, we need to ask you a question if you’re willing to answer.”
Sky eyed the inquiring dragon with suspicion before asking, “Okay… what d-do you want to know?”
The three dragons breathed a sigh of relief and smirked at each other before Sear explained, “We were taking part in a tour of the princess’s castle when we got a little lost. I’m afraid we’re not very familiar with this town’s layout yet, so we got separated from our pony friends who were guiding us around.”
He gave Sky a calculating look and whispered, “You wouldn’t happen to have seen them, would you?”
Something in Sky’s brain clicked as alarms rang out, but Sear’s deep, slow tone muted those warning signals enough that he answered. “Well… I don’t really know many ponies around here, so I probably haven’t met them. Do you know what they look like?”
Once Sear finished describing his companions, Sky’s eyes widened in surprise. As fate would have it, the ponies they were looking for happened to be the exact same recipients of his latest book delivery.
Overtaken by a feeling of excitement, he shouted, “Yeah! I just saw them a few minutes ago! They ordered a series of books from the library, so I was delivering the parcel to them.”
A sinister grin split across Sear’s face. With a backwards glance to his cronies, he bent down and murmured, “That’s great, kid! It’s getting late, so we really need to find them. Otherwise, we’re going to be stranded out here with nowhere to stay!” He fixed Sky with an ingratiating smile.
“You wouldn’t mind showing us where they are, would you, buddy?”
Sky’s body shook as he recounted his traumatic childhood mistake. Blinking away tears, he clenched his hooves in the ground and whispered, “I told them… I told them where those ponies were… it’s my fault…”
Cloud stared open-mouthed at his broken form. The usually stoic, confident stallion was now shaking with barely suppressed sobs. Unsure of what to do, she reached her own wings around his barrel and comforted him as best she could.
A feeling of morbid curiosity consumed her as the fate of the revealed ponies weighed heavily on her mind. When the urge finally overtook her, she lowered her voice and asked, “So… what happened?”
Sky took a shuddering breath to calm his racing heart. With a great effort, he recited the story he had repeated to the guards all those years ago. “After I told them where those ponies lived, a bright light appeared on my flank.”
He glared down at the triple arrow pattern on his haunches with a mix of pride and revulsion. “I got my cutie mark that day. The three arrows symbolize my unique ability to discover things that have been lost. It’s what inspired me to become a treasure hunter in the first place.”
Peering up with tear-stained eyes, he shuddered, “But it’s also a constant reminder that some things are better left hidden.”
Cloud’s eyes widened at his implication. “Wait, are you saying that they…”
Sky nodded as the familiar pain of shame and regret pierced his soul. “Yes… they’re gone now. The next day their bodies were found in the house I led those dragons to.”
His voice broke as he forced himself to finish the horrible tale. “I-I went to the guards and t-told them what I had done, but they ruled that I wasn’t t-to blame because I was so young and didn’t know any better...” He trailed off as a morose silence fell upon the desolate riverbank.
Cloud’s eyes started to water as she empathized with his intense feelings of guilt and shame. Thinking back on her own experience, she hugged his quivering form and intertwined their bodies, running a comforting hoof through his mane. "It wasn’t your fault, Sky. It wasn’t your fault.”
The two of them sat there, embracing each other for several minutes before reluctantly breaking apart. They both wiped their eyes and held their gaze as a warm, fuzzy feeling connected their hearts without a single word being spoken.
After a few more heartfelt moments, Cloud smiled and started to chuckle under her breath. Her giggles seemed to be infectious as Sky couldn’t stop the grin that appeared on his face.
As they slowly reclaimed their senses, she placed a hoof over her muzzle and snorted, “Thanks, Sky. I really appreciate you confiding in me like this.” She lifted her sparkling eyes as a red hue coated her blushing cheeks. “And also for caring enough to comfort me.”
He reached out and pulled her into another deep hug. “No problem. I’m glad you’re feeling better.” His voice faltered as he continued, “And I’m sorry for bringing up your parents. I hope you and Flitter will get to see them again someday.”
Sighing into his mane, she rested her head on his shoulder and reminiced over her foalhood memories. “I can still remember their red and blue coats… their Wonderbolt uniforms… their comforting wings. I miss them.”
Her content, peaceful expression was not reflected in Sky’s horrified gaze. His face contorted into a look of utmost terror as his trembling wings clenched tight around the nuzzling mare in his hooves.
At this point, the only pony more mortified than him was a demure, light-purple pegasus whose pink eyes were narrowed into a venomous, accusatory glare.
The two sentries roved around the top of the guard tower, searching for any sign of the three ponies. A gleam of light reflected off the spear gripped tight in the commanding officer’s claw. With another scan of the surrounding landscape, he turned to growl at his battle partner.
“Damn it, they’re not here! Let’s circle back around to the gate and continue looking. Maybe the border patrols already brought them in.”
His teammate nodded and flapped his wings for takeoff. When the two dragons flew into the air, a small boulder shifted off the ground as the three treasure hunters dug out of their hastily-made trench.
Cloud groaned, rubbing her sides with a tender wing. “Ugh! I thought those flankholes would never leave. I’m pretty sure my hooves are going n--”
Before she could finish, Flitter’s scathing voice cut across her complaint, “That would be a real tragedy, wouldn’t it?”
Flinching irritably, Cloudchaser glowered and fixed her with an unappreciative sneer. “What’s your problem, Flitter!? You’ve been really bitchy ever since we got to the pass.”
Flitter’s eyes flashed with anger as she clenched the longbow in her hoof. “Seeing as you’re the reason we’re being hunted down by those murderous soldiers, I’d say my ‘bitchy’ attitude is more than justified.”
Their attack on the Serpent’s Pass had been an absolute fiasco. Before they had even crossed the narrow stretch of road to the entrance gate, a massive war horn sounded, and dozens of heavily-armed dragons descended on their position. Within a few minutes, the entire attack party had been surrounded by the advancing guards.
As the massive defense force approached, Spark ordered his unit to draw their weapons and take a final stand. The defecting warriors fought bravely, but they were no match for the small army bearing down on them from all sides and were quickly subdued.
Seeing Spark and his unit being dragged away, the three adventurers made a break for the gate entrance, desperate to avoid the horrible fate that awaited them if they were captured.
Despite the dragons’ ambush, their bulky frames and heavy armor were no match for the swiftness of a pegasus. After several hours of frantic flying, the three pegasi raced to the ground and hid in an abandoned war trench. There, they dug into the shallow pit and covered themselves with dirt and rocks until the coast was clear.
“My fault!?” Cloud barked, shooting daggers at her accuser. “How is this my fault? If anything, it’s your fault for not warning us about the ambush. I mean, one of your powers is future sight, for Celestia’s sake!”
Flitter clenched her teeth and hissed, “It’s your fault because you built that stupid fire I warned you about! Those patrols probably saw the smoke from miles away and reported it to the gate before we even got close!”
She growled for several seconds before turning away with a huff. “Besides, I can’t use my future sight ability at will. It only activates when my spirit deems it worthy of my attention. Apart from that, I can’t see any further into the future than you.”
Cloudchaser rolled her eyes and waved a condescending hoof through the air. “Well, isn’t that convenient. Makes me wonder why we even brought you along…”
Sensing the impending feud, Sky stepped between them and raised his hooves. “Girls, I know things look bad right now, but we need to work together! Spark and his unit were kidnapped because of our mistake, so we need to think of a plan to rescue them. The longer we spend bickering amongst ourselves, the less time we have before they get executed.”
The three ponies fell silent as they imagined the horrible punishment their captive allies would surely receive. Shivering at the thought, Cloud stood up and shook her disheveled mane. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go and bust them out!”
Sky shook his head. “No, we can’t force our way through. Those dragons already know we’re here, so they’ll be expecting our attack.” He turned to stare at the fortified garrison. “What we need is a new plan. If we stick to what we were doing before, we’ll be killed faster than Princess Celestia can finish eating a triple-decker lava cake.”
Cloud snorted into her hooves as Flitter let out an appreciative giggle. Grinning at his own joke, he continued, “I think we should wait for nightfall. We’ll be harder to spot in the dark, and the night watch will be a skeleton crew compared to the day shift. If we can sneak in and break them out before anyone can sound the alarm, there won’t be any need to fight through the rest of the dragon guard.”
The two sisters nodded and began to unpack their supplies. As Flitter searched for a first aid kit in the jumbled mess of camping gear and canned food, a sudden flash of red caught her eye.
Pulling the object out, she stared in disbelief at the familiar red Powerpony plushie Cloud got from the marketplace. She had almost forgotten about the conspicuous doll after everything that happened, but the fresh sight of it began to unsettle her nerves in a way that made her stomach churn.
As she continued gazing at the enigmatic toy, a flurry of questions flooded her mind.
Why was the doll in their supply bag? Why did Cloud bring it with her? And last but not least…
Who was the one that really gave her the doll?
Flitter’s eyes narrowed as she recalled what Griffy had said during their goodbyes: “What are you talking about? I never got Cloud a Powerpony doll.”
She couldn’t imagine why he would lie about something like this, so the discrepancy must have come from Cloud. But why…
“Hey, you found the Powerpony plushie!”
Flitter’s wings shot out as a deep voice sounded behind her. Whipping around, she stared into the golden irises currently locked onto her own. “Sky, you almost gave me a heart attack! Make some more noise when you walk.”
He chuckled under his breath and stomped on the ground. “I thought the point of stealth was to be quiet when you move. Of course, I could always start singing the Equestrian national anthem when we get to the dragon’s gate if that makes you feel better~”
Rolling her eyes, she cracked a smile at his playful jab before holding up the fluffy action figure. “No, thank you. I’d prefer not to be stabbed in the gut if I can help it.” They both laughed at her reply before she continued, “I was just wondering where Cloud got this toy. She said Griffy gave it to her when she helped deal with some customers, but he told me that wasn’t the case.”
Sky blinked in surprise at the familiar present. “I’m not sure why Cloud told you that. I’m the one who bought it for her.”
A chilling wave of dread washed over Flitter as her mind went numb. Staring at the red figurine, her initial feeling of shock rapidly gave way to a surge of fear and betrayal.
Biting her lip, she squeezed the plushie so tight that the buttons started to strain against the seams in the fabric. No, that can’t be true. Cloud promised to back off. She wouldn’t...
Shoving the strangled doll back into the supply bag, she adopted a pleasantly confused expression before asking, “Why did you buy her a Powerpony doll? Was there some sort of special occasion or something?”
Before he could reply, Cloud called out and interrupted their conversation. “Sky, can you help me with my tent? I can’t get these damn poles to fit right!”
He flashed Flitter an apologetic smile before trotting towards the frustrated mare who was now trying to hammer two separate pieces of the tent’s frame together.
As his brown coat melted into Cloud’s deep-purple, Flitter turned away with a pained grimace, not wanting to see more of them than she had to.
Throwing one last spiteful glare at her deceitful sister, she picked up her longbow and ran a hoof along the arrows in her quiver.
“That’s the last straw, Cloud. One way or another, we’re settling this now.”
Sky raised an eyebrow at the thrashing lump in the tent’s cover. Several sounds could be heard from within the writhing mass, the most prominent being curse words not suitable for even the hardest of criminals.
After watching the amusing spectacle for a while, he decided she had suffered enough humiliation and pulled on the tent’s folds, which untangled the struggling mare inside.
Stumbling to her hooves, Cloud ripped away the constricting fabric and shot a glare at his barely contained smirk. “Nice of you to help me out. If you had taken any longer, you might as well have buried me in that spider web.”
A small smile appeared on Sky’s muzzle as he removed the tent anchors from the ground. “I figured you could deal with a simple camping tent on your own considering how stallionly you are with most other stuff.”
Cloud rolled her eyes and let out an affronted huff. “What did I say about insulting a beautiful mare’s style? Do you want to feel another one of my barrel busters?” She extended her wing to give him a playful nudge and highlight the consequences of insulting her marely pride.
The instant her primary touched his coat, Sky flinched and recoiled away as if fearful of contracting a deadly disease. His terrified eyes pierced her startled expression before dissolving into a visage of shame and regret.
Averting his gaze from the bewildered mare, he grabbed the mallet and began hammering the proper anchors into the tent. “L-Let’s just finish setting up and gather some food. Most of our supplies were destroyed during our scuffle with the dragon guards.”
Cloud gaped for a moment before fixing him with a concerned stare. “Are you okay? That was a pretty extreme reaction to a wing bump.”
She reached out a tentative wing and brushed it along his barrel. As her feathers glided across his back, the muscles tensed up and contracted, causing him to stiffen at the delicate ministrations.
Trying not to panic, Sky pulled away from her and focused on the tent poles scattered at his hooves. “I’m fine. We need to finish this quickly if we want to eat dinner tonight.”
Her eyes narrowed at his sudden mood swing, but she ultimately wrote it off as a build-up of stress and anxiety. Wiping sweat off her forehead, Cloud hammered in another anchor before glancing up at his shaking form.
Sighing, she stood up and adopted a bashful expression before beginning an apology. “Listen, I’m sorry I built that campfire. I know it was a stupid thing to do, but I felt so cold after we stopped hugging on that riverbank. I didn't mean to screw us over like this.”
As her pleading gaze pierced his heart, Sky felt the guilt and shame swell inside him. Swallowing what felt like a mouthful of sawdust, he croaked out, “I’m not mad at you. The fire wasn’t the smartest idea in the world, but there’s no point crying over spilled milk. Let’s just focus on moving forward and rescuing Spark before he and his squad are used as training dummies.”
Cloud let out a bark of laughter and started setting up her tent. “I could use a training dummy to sharpen up my skills. You wouldn’t mind if I tried out a few of my new moves on you, right?”
Sky let out a weak chuckle and turned away before she could see the pain reflected in his eyes.
Blinking away the stinging tears, his muzzle contorted into a grimace as he whispered low enough that she couldn’t hear, “Sure, it’s not like I wouldn’t deserve it…”
Cloudchaser grimaced as her hooves slapped against the slippery floor. The sound of dripping water echoed around the underground sewer as she reminisced.
Sky scrunched his nose and tried not to vomit from the smell. “What do you mean by that? Have you been in a dragon sewer before?”
“Not a dragon sewer, but we’ve had to go into drains during other hunting jobs.” She flashed a smirk at her queasy sister. “Do you remember, Flitter?”
A scowl formed on her sister’s face as she retched at the memories. “Yes, I do. I also remember asking you to never mention it again, especially not in front of other ponies.”
Sky gave another dry heave before covering his muzzle. “I don’t want to be here any more than you do, but it was the only way I could think of to get into the fortress without being seen.”
The two mares groaned as they slogged further into the dank, odorous cave. Thankfully, the tunnel soon ended with a ladder leading up to an access hatch in the roof. The three ponies let out sighs of relief, only to gag after realizing their horrible mistake.
“Sweet Celestia! Let’s get the hell out of here before one of us dies of pink eye or something,” Cloud coughed, flapping her moist wings towards the roof.
Sky gave a half-amused, half-disgusted snort and choked, “Really? Of all the possible diseases, you go with that? At this point, I’m pretty sure pink eye is the least of our worries.”
Cloud grabbed the door handle and grunted as the heavy metal plates slowly yielded to reveal a small, dimly-lit maintenance cubby. The moment it opened wide enough, they all burst through the hatch and slammed it shut, taking deep, gasping breaths to replenish their oxygen-deprived bodies.
Before they could formulate a plan, the sound of a different door opening made them all jump. Stumbling to their hooves, they scrambled behind a nearby workbench as a voice rang out, “Hello? Is someone there?”
They all held their breath as the sound of shuffling claws grew louder. Sky and Cloud drew their weapons while Flitter nocked an arrow in preparation for a potential fight. Drawing closer, the mysterious voice called out again, “Hello? Therm, is that you?”
Flitter pushed the other two aside as she drew back her bow, taking aim at the door where the approaching dragon would soon enter.
Sky’s eyes widened at her aggressive tactic, panicking at the thought of her killing this random guard. Reaching out, he frantically diverted her aim away from the unwary target and hissed, “Flitter, what are you doing!? We can’t risk shooting someone here, or they’ll raise the alarm. We have to get out without being seen.”
His eyebrows furrowed as she reluctantly lowered her bow with a huff. Gazing at the unusually surly mare, he reached out a hoof and murmured, “Are you okay, Flitter? You’ve been kind of… strange ever since we left camp.”
Her eyes flashed as a sneer planted itself on her otherwise beautiful face. Knocking his hoof aside, she growled, “I’m fine. You should focus on dealing with that guard since shooting him is apparently off the table.”
The other two stared at her, completely dumbfounded by her sudden outburst. Glancing at Cloud in bewilderment, he turned his attention to the rapidly approaching sentry mere hoofsteps away from their current position.
Sky’s eyes flashed gold as something in his mind began to feed him instructions. Standing up, he cleared his throat and called out, “Yeah, it’s Therm. I was just doing some maintenance on the sewer hatch since someone in engineering said it got stuck again.”
They all prayed to Celestia as a shadow appeared under the door. The three ponies watched with bated breath as the door handle stopped opening before returning to its closed state.
Finally, the guard replied, this time sounding a little more dazed than before. “Oh, right… I think I heard something about that. I guess I’ll let you finish up.”
The sound of scraping claws retreated down the corridor as the entranced dragon departed, muttering confusedly to himself. When the guard’s mumbling abated, Sky rushed to press his ear against the door frame and whispered, “Be quiet! I can hear more of them!”
They all fell silent as two more pairs of claws scraped against the stone floor. As they passed, Sky heard one of the dragons ask, “Hey, have you heard about the deserters that were brought in? Apparently, one of them was Commander Spark! Can you believe that?”
His partner scoffed and shot back, “Yeah, I can. We all knew he wasn’t here by choice, so it was only a matter of time before he made a break for it. What do you think is going to happen to him?”
“He and the rest of his crew are going to be executed, no doubt about it. I did hear that Spark is going to get a special punishment since he’s an officer. That’s why they have him locked up in the maximum security cells instead of with the rest of the deserters.”
“Nice! Maybe with him gone, the rest of us will finally have a chance to get promoted once in a while. It never hurts to dream, right?” The two dragons let out a chorus of laughter as their clawsteps faded down the hall.
Sky’s face contorted into a scowl as he resisted the urge to beat the scales off the insensitive guards. Turning around, he pulled out a schematic of the garrison and said, “Ok, based on the layout Spark gave us, the dungeons should be right under the kitchens on the east wing. If we subdue the cooks, we can avoid most of the patrols.”
“What about Spark?” Cloud asked, pointing towards the west wing of the fortress. “The maximum security cells are on the opposite side of the building. I don’t think we’ll be able to free him if we go to the dungeons first.”
“We’ll split up. You and Flitter can use the kitchen route and free the other dragons. I’ll use my persuasion powers to get into the maximum security cells and rescue Spark. Then, we’ll meet back here and escape through the sewer before anyone notices they’re gone.”
The other two nodded as they pushed open the door. Casting one last worried glance, Sky rested a tentative wing on their barrels and murmured, “Be careful out there, okay?”
Cloud flashed him a confident smirk and quipped, “Who do you think you’re talking to? We’re always careful, right Flitter?”
Flitter didn’t reply.
Cloud stared after Sky’s retreating form until it disappeared behind a corner. Dropping her smile, she rounded on her surly sister with an annoyed huff. “Okay, what’s going on, sis? Why are you being so moody again? I thought we were over the whole campfire thing.”
Flitter shot her another disgruntled glare before stalking down the east corridor. “It’s nothing. Come on, we need to get to the kitchen before they finish eating dinner, or we’ll miss our window of opportunity.”
Rolling her eyes, Cloud fell into step and started scanning the hallway. Raising her eyebrows at the surprising lack of dragons, she asked, “Hey, where is everyone? I thought we’d be running into guards left and right.”
“If you had paid attention during our planning sessions, you would have known that the east wing soldiers eat their dinner in the cafeteria at this time, which is why we planned our attack for now,” Flitter sniped, flicking her tail in annoyance.
Cloud scrunched her muzzle and retorted, “Oh, I’m sorry for forgetting such a tiny detail. I’ve been so tired from gathering all the food and water you’ve been shoveling into your ungrateful mouth.”
Flitter’s eyes flashed with anger as she clenched her bow with a hoof. The two sisters glared at each other for several seconds, neither backing down from the sibling stand-off out of rage and pride. Their staring competition became so intense that neither stopped to notice the rapidly approaching kitchen door.
“Augh!”
“Son of a--”
Flitter clutched at the goose egg forming on her forehead as Cloud tried to dull the ringing in her ears. Cheeks burning with humiliation, they averted their gaze and silently agreed to never mention it again before kicking in the offending door.
The kitchen was devoid of life except for a small dragoness wearing a flowery cooking apron. The terrified chef let out a squeak of fright and fell to the ground as Flitter nocked an arrow and pulled back her bow.
Before she could fire, Cloud rushed forward and tackled the dragoness to the ground, smacking her on the head with the flat of her sword for good measure. The unwary cook collapsed to the ground, still clutching the soup ladle in her slackened claws.
Dragging the unconscious body into the pantry, Cloud’s muzzle shifted into a reprimanding stare. “Sis, what is going on with you!? Were you actually going to kill an innocent chef that wasn’t even fighting back?”
Flitter relaxed her bow and returned the notched arrow to rest. “Just because she’s a cook doesn’t mean she isn’t dangerous. For all we know, she could have combat training or hidden weapons around here.”
Cloud gave a sarcastic sweep of the shining gemstones and fresh produce littering the counter. “Sure… I wouldn’t want to get beaten up with an eggplant. I can definitely see where she would hide a weapon in here…”
Flitter didn’t return the provocation, instead turning towards the stairway near the back. “Hilarious. If you’re done wasting time, let’s do our job and free those dragons before the soldiers start wondering why their soup is taking so long.”
As they descended into the dungeons, the sound of chatting voices echoed up the flight of steps. Crouching down, the two mares crept towards the end of the passageway where two guards were currently engrossed in a game of cards. Behind them, four bruised and beaten dragons lay helpless in a reinforced steel cage.
Drawing her sword, Cloud whispered, “Ok, here’s an idea. I’ll rush in and take down the bigger one first. You shoot the other one in the leg while I break out the captives, okay?”
Ignoring the plan, Flitter fired an arrow straight at the larger dragon’s torso, ripping through the thin chainmail like butter. As the unfortunate soldier cried out in pain, she shot another bolt at the startled bystander, reducing his abdomen to Swiss cheese.
With the two sentries incapacitated, she stalked into the room before glaring at her sister with a nod towards the locked cage. “Well? Aren’t you going to do your job?”
Cloud stared dumbfounded at the mare in front of her. Flitter’s once kind, compassionate gaze was nowhere to be found, replaced with cold indifference towards the dying dragons clutching at the arrows jutting out of their stomachs.
Rushing forward, she pressed on the guards’ puncture wounds to stem the relentless flow of crimson blood. “What the buck, Flitter!? Why did you shoot them in the torso? I told you to aim for a leg!”
Flitter’s harsh glare hardened as she growled, “They’ll live. I didn’t hit any vital organs, so they shouldn’t bleed out as long as they don’t move too much. Come on, break the lock so we can get out of here.”
A spluttering cough echoed throughout the dungeon as the smaller dragon desperately grasped Cloud’s hoof. Peering up at her with terrified eyes, he begged, “p-please… don’t leave us. I’m d-dying…”
Cloud stared at the young drake, no older than nineteen from the specks of acne on his spotted scales. Gritting her teeth, she unclasped her travel pack and started wrapping the bleeding area with medical gauze.
Flitter narrowed her dull eyes and hissed, “What are you doing!? We need to get out of here before more guards come to replace them!”
“No, I’m not leaving them like this. If we go now, they’ll die,” Cloud growled, tightening the bandages around the victim’s wounds.
“You didn’t seem to mind when those Diamond Demolishers attacked us,” Flitter retorted, grabbing Cloud’s sword and breaking open the cell’s padlock. “Back then, you were all for leaving them behind.”
“That was different. They were ruthless bandits who jumped us in an enclosed cave. This time, we were the ones that ambushed these dragons. There was no need for you to attack them with so much force.”
As Cloud applied more binding to the injured guards, the captives emerged from the cell, cracking their necks and stretching out their aching wings. Flitter handed them the downed sentries’ gear and asked, “We’re planning to escape through the sewers in the west wing. Can you get there without being seen?”
A large purple dragon hefted the offered spear and assured, “We know this place like the back of our claws. Don’t worry about us.”
As they departed, Cloud finished her treatment and gazed around the empty dungeon. Blinking at the sudden lack of dragons and ponies, she rushed to repack her supplies and whined, “Damn it, Flitter, we’re supposed to stick together. Where in Tartarus are y--”
Something whistled past her ear as the sound of an arrow hitting stone echoed around the chamber. Tensing in shock, she stared open-mouthed as the bolt that almost split her head open clattered to the ground.
Shaking with unmitigated fear and terror, Cloud raised her hooves and slowly turned to peer at the hostile archer behind her. As the assailant crawled into view, her brain registered the drawn bow and notched arrow pointing between her eyes, but that wasn’t what truly caught her attention.
A light-purple hoof gripped the bow’s handle as another pulled back the string. Behind them, a pair of narrowed pink eyes glared down the bow’s sight, directly towards Cloud’s helpless form.
Sky’s body shook nervously as he rounded the corner. Glancing back at the two sisters, he managed a reassuring grin before losing sight of their purple coats.
Once they were no longer in view, his confident smile fell away as reality began to settle in. “Ugh, me and my big mouth. How the hay am I supposed to get Spark out by myself!?”
Picturing the fort’s layout, he made a right and proceeded towards the maximum security cells, shield up in case of an ambush. The garrison’s maze-like structure made his head spin as the numerous twists and turns began blending together in an unappealing mix of grey and brown. “This place could really do with some interior design. I’m no Photo Finish, but I could definitely offer some sugg--”
His critiques were interrupted almost immediately as the sound of scraping claws reverberated through the stone corridor. Panicking, Sky scrambled for a place to hide, but there weren’t any doors or closets along the entire hallway.
With only seconds to spare, he spread his wings and soared into the ceiling, gripping a torch bracket to prevent any noise from his flapping feathers. Shifting slightly to avoid casting a shadow, he held his breath as two more dragon guards strolled beneath his hiding perch.
The approaching sentries passed at a snail’s pace, rubbing their bellies with a sigh of content. The smell of fresh cooking wafted through the passageway as the door to the mess hall closed behind them with a snap. An irresistible scent flooded the hall, causing the hungry stallion’s stomach to growl loudly.
The smaller of the two dragons gave a start and turned to stare at his battle partner. “What the hell, dude!? How are you still hungry? You just ate sixteen emeralds on top of the normal rations!”
The larger guard stared back at his incredulous partner. “What are you talking about? If anyone’s stomach is rumbling, it’s yours. I’m telling you, now is not a good time to start dieting. You’ll never manage to snag a dragoness looking like a half-starved diamond dog.”
As the two sentries continued bickering, Sky floated above the corridor, keeping his flapping to a minimum to avoid their prying eyes. Inching across the ceiling, he grasped hanging torch brackets and hid behind support pillars until the guards’ arguing faded into the background.
Gasping to refill his empty lungs, he clutched his chest and emerged from his hiding place, only to let out a squeak of fright as the head of a spear planted itself between his eyes. Raising his hooves in surrender, he slowly backed away from the hostile guard who was now jabbing the spear directly into his exposed neck.
The suspicious sentry narrowed his eyes before snarling, “Who are you!? What are you doing here, pony!? Do not lie.” He pressed the sharp spear deeper into the startled stallion’s neck to emphasize the command.
Sky’s panicking brain ran through several different excuses, each of which would surely end with him in either a jail cell or a ditch in the ground. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on his champion spirit and pleaded, 'Helena Hooflepuff, please lend me your power of persuasion in my time of need!'
A familiar surge of warmth flooded through his body as his eyes began to glow gold. Fixing the alarmed dragon with an indignant glare, he yelled, “What the hay, man!? Why are you pointing your weapon at me!? I’m another gate guard!”
The bewildered sentry gave a start of surprise before lowering his spear. His eyes seemed to dull as a golden aura enveloped his relaxing form. “W-What? You’re a gate guard? But… you’re a… this can’t…” he fumbled, shaking his head to clear away the invading thoughts.
Pushing his advantage, Sky pressed, “I was sent to patrol this corridor since news got out that someone ditched his shift. The commander ordered that I guard this area until someone came to replace me.” His hoof clenched the shield strap, ready to pounce once the dragon let his guard down.
The confounded sentry narrowed his eyes before gripping the shaft of his spear. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Wait a second, I thought the commander was arrested for treason. How could he have ord--”
Sensing the dragon’s growing suspicion, Sky lashed out with his hoof, striking the unfortunate guard with the edge of his shield. The dragon let out a bark of alarm before collapsing to the ground. His spear clattered against the stone tiles before skittering to a halt, creating a loud disturbance that echoed down the corridor.
A chill ran up Sky’s spine as the ringing continued to sound the dinner bell for the dozens of bloodthirsty dragons. Before he could fully process the consequences, a familiar voice rang out from the neighboring corridor. “Nice going, featherbrain. Now we’ll be lucky to get out of here with all our limbs attached.”
Whipping around, Sky raised his shield for a bash before blinking back a look of astonishment. “Spark! What are you doing here? I thought you were about to be executed in the maximum security cells!?”
Spark snatched up the fallen spear before drawling, “I was, but I have friends around the fortress that pulled some strings to get me out. Thanks to your little stunt, that might not matter. There are going to be guards everywhere in a couple of seconds.”
The sound of a door opening interrupted their discussion as other dragons emerged to investigate the disturbance. Spark grabbed the unconscious guard’s feet and hissed, “Help me move this guy behind the support columns before we’re skewered!”
Tossing the body into the shadows, they sprinted away from the approaching sentries. Remembering the fortress’s layout, Sky whispered, “We’re escaping through the sewers in the west wing. Follow me!”
The two pelted through the twisting corridors, desperately trying to put as much distance between them and the crime scene as possible. Rounding the corner into the west wing, Sky tackled an unsuspecting patrol to the ground as Spark followed up with a quick blow to the head, knocking the startled dragon out in an instant.
Moments later, a horn bellowed throughout the garrison, alerting the entire fortress of their infiltration. Spark grimaced as the sound of clanking armor echoed towards their position. “Damn it! I thought they wouldn’t find the body until after we’d escaped. I really hope those girlfriends of yours are waiting for us at the exit.”
Sky’s blood ran cold as he recalled the distance between the holding cells and the sewer hatch. Trying not to panic, he clenched his teeth and mumbled, “Don’t worry about them. I’m sure they’ll be fine as long as they work together.”
Flitter leveled her aim to point directly between Cloud’s eyes. Her brain barely registered the groaning dragons as she focused on the terrified mare she had once called family.
Cloudchaser’s gaze fixated on the narrowed pink eyes glaring back at her before letting out a sigh of relief. “Oh, it’s just you, Flitter. Don’t disappear on me like that. We need to stick together if we want to get out of here ali--”
“Don’t move, or I’ll paint the walls with your brain.”
Cloud froze halfway through standing up. Raising an eyebrow, she reassured, “Don't worry, I’m not an imposter. We need to get out of here before--”
“I know you’re not an imposter. If you were, I wouldn’t be aiming at your head.”
By now, Cloud began to realize that something was wrong. Crouching down, she held up her hooves in submission before asking, “Then why are you pointing an arrow at me? Don’t tell me you’re still mad about the kitchen door. I ran into it too, so there’s no need to be--”
“That’s not what I’m upset about,” Flitter shot, tightening the grip on her bow. “I know what you’ve been doing around Sky. There’s no point hiding it anymore, you lying, backstabbing piece of dragon dung.”
Cloudchaser’s expression contorted into a shocked glare before she groaned, “Oh, come on! Don’t tell me you’re still hung up on that. I told you weeks ago that we’re just friends. I’m already over him!”
Flitter let out a disbelieving snort before hissing, “Oh, really? That wasn’t the message I got when you cuddled up with him on your little date to the riverbank.”
A chill raced up Cloud’s spine as her hooves went numb. Stumbling over her own excuses, she croaked, “W-What? That wasn’t romantic at all! He wasn’t taking me on a date. He was telling me about what happened when he was a--”
CRACK
Another arrow whistled past her ear, this time shaving off a few more hairs before clattering against the back wall. “Don’t even try it!” Flitter snarled, pulling a familiar red plushie from her travel pack. “If things were so innocent, why did you lie about where you got this from. I know Griffy didn’t give it to you.”
Another jolt raced through Cloud’s body as her moment of weakness returned to haunt her. Gritting her teeth, she mentally groaned, 'Damn it, why didn’t I get rid of that thing before we left? I’m such an idiot.'
Gathering up her remaining strength, she managed to crack a sheepish grin before chuckling, “Okay, you got me. I like stupid kids stuff, and the Power Ponies are my favorite superheroes. Are you happy now?”
“I know Sky bought it for you. He told me.”
Cloud’s shoulders slumped in defeat as every one of her secrets came to light. Averting her eyes from her infuriated sister, she sighed, “Why are you bringing this up now? You’ve clearly known for a while.”
Flitter nocked another arrow and growled, “I want to hear you say it. I want you, the sister I thought I could trust with my life, to say the words that will rip out my heart with the knife you stabbed into my back.”
An angry grimace broke across Cloud’s muzzle. Years of old grudges and scars flooded through her mind as she stared angrily at the floor. Why is she always the one that’s expected to be mature? Why is she always the one that has to make sacrifices? Why can’t she be a little selfish once in a while?
Lifting her gaze to glare back, she snarled, “Do you really want me to say it? There’s no going back if I do. We’ll have to live with the consequences, well, you will at least.”
Flitter’s look of hatred only hardened as she tightened her grip on the bow’s string. Cloud’s eyes began to sting with tears as she prepared to utter the words eating away at her rapidly breaking heart. “Fine. If our bond is really worth so little to you, then I’ll say it.”
Locking onto Flitter’s pink eyes, Cloud stood up and fixed her with a defiant stare, unwilling to back down from the arrow mere inches from her forehead.
The two mares held each other’s gaze as their shaky sisterly bond shattered to pieces around them. Finally, Cloud, tears streaming down her matted fur, opened her quivering muzzle and whispered the words that sealed their fates.
“I love him. I love Skyfall more than anything in the world, and nothing is going to change that.”
Flitter’s gaze flickered as a culmination of sadness, betrayal, and hatred wiped out any trace of the happy, innocent filly she had once been. Her grip on the bow’s string trembled as she let out a hollow, deranged giggle.
“A dragon shot Cloud with an arrow while you were escaping?” Sky asked, running a glowing hoof along the bloody wound.
Flitter’s cold eyes darted away from his questioning gaze. Tossing another branch into their makeshift campfire, she bit her tongue and mumbled, “Yes, that’s what happened.”
The two held the awkward tension as a log splintered in the fire. Before he could press the obvious lie, a drawn-out groan ripped through the air. “Agh! I thought your powers healed ponies, not dug out their flesh with a cheese grater!”
Sky shifted his attention to the mare squirming in his hooves. Fixing her with a look of concern, he replied, “It does, but you need to stop moving. I’m still learning how to use it.”
Cloud sighed with relief as the magic finished sealing her bleeding leg. Rotating the injured limb, she winced as the tense muscles protested any sudden movement. “Well, you’d better learn fast. I don’t think healing powers will help if it takes an hour to plug a single arrow wound.”
Flitter prodded the tender flesh with her bow, causing Cloud to squeal in pain. Shooting her a derisive snort, she drawled, “Stop complaining. There are plenty of other creatures who could use his skills more than you.”
Cloud’s watery eyes flashed with contempt as she returned the venomous glare. Her lips curled into a furious snarl as she hissed, “Why don’t you come over here and say that to my face you--”
A pair of hooves forced them apart as Sky interrupted their recurring fight. Adopting a reproachful frown, he barked, “Stop! Cloud, you’re in no condition to move, let alone fight. I’ve done my best to fix you up, so don’t waste my efforts on trivial squabbling.”
Turning around, he continued, “Flitter, don’t provoke her when she’s already injured. You’ve been really aggressive ever since we got to the pass. Is something wrong?”
Flitter’s eyes flashed with anger as she averted her gaze and growled, “I’m fine. It’s nothing important, so don’t bother asking.”
Sky ended his healing with a flicker of light before fixing her with a suspicious stare. Grasping his shield handle, he stalked towards her turned form and pressed, “We can’t afford to keep secrets from each other. If you don’t control these wild mood swings, we might mistake you for a changeling spy.”
They all cast furtive glances, each clearly wondering the same thing. Finally, Cloud broke the silence and suggested, “How about we come up with a secret code word? That way, we’d know if one of us is an imposter.”
“That’s brilliant!” Sky said, clapping his hooves together. “What should we choose? It could be something about where we all first met, the town we worked in, or--”
His voice cut off as a light-purple hoof closed around his muzzle. Shooting him a disapproving glare, Flitter muttered, “How about we make a more creative codeword while not shouting it out to a bunch of eavesdropping dragons?”
A pair of nosy guards gave starts of surprise as she blew their cover. Fixing the eavesdroppers with distrust, her pink eyes narrowed as she nocked another arrow. The alarmed dragons backed away from her hostile glare as they stammered through their flimsy excuses.
Before she could punish their spying, a pair of claws dragged them away from their concealed hiding perch. “Honestly, how many times do I have to repeat myself? Keep your snouts out of other creatures’ business if you like them the shape they are; although, I don’t know why you would.”
Spark glared down at the quivering dragons with an exasperated grimace. Tossing them aside, he let out a puff of flame and barked, “You two are on cleaning duty for the next week. Get out of here before I double the time!”
As the nosy pair scurried away, he turned to the frowning trio and mumbled, “Sorry about them. They’ve been a little antsy after escaping that prison cell.”
Flitter let out a snort as Sky gave a nod of understanding. “No problem, but try and keep your soldiers under wraps. It’s better if they don’t know what we’re planning.”
Spark made an ‘ok’ sign with his claw before turning to Cloud with a cheeky grin. “That’s not the only reason they’re being so pushy. I’ve heard some gossip that a few of my crew developed a bit of a crush on you. I guess rescuing them from the gallows and beating up their abusive boss will do that~”
Her eyes widened in shock as her muzzle fell open. Before she could process the stunning revelation, Flitter’s annoyed tone cut across as she sneered, “Yeah, Cloud gets hit on by another gaggle of guys. Surprise o’ the century right there.”
Cloud’s snout scrunched at the shallow snipe. Shaking off her surprise, she whipped around and hissed, “Don’t get all pissy with me just because the only thing you’ve ever nailed is a mare’s hoof. Maybe if you’d stop being such a prick, you might get some tail for once.”
Flitter rolled her eyes with disdain and mocked, “You’re one to talk. Remind me, how many bathroom stalls have your name carved into it?”
A low grinding echoed around the campsite as Cloud’s hoof slowly drew her sword. Leaning closer, she fixed Flitter with a dangerous scowl and growled, “Can it, bitch. At the rate you’re going, the only guys willing to touch you will be a mortician and a grave digger.”
“At least the number of guys that’ve been inside me doesn’t look like a zip code.”
A ringing cleaved through the air as Cloud’s sword emerged from its sheath. Before she could strike, Sky raised his shield and intercepted the swing, burying her blade into the ground. Wrestling the handle out of her grip, he forced them apart and shouted, “That’s enough! Cloud, go deal with your stalker fanboys by the other campfire. Flitter, come with me. We need to talk. Now.”
His burning gaze gave no room for negotiation. Tossing Cloud’s sword at her hooves, he whipped around and stalked towards their shabby tents. The two mares stared after him before shooting each other another scathing sneer. Cloud snatched the fallen blade and stomped towards the dragons’ campfire where several bachelors eagerly awaited her arrival.
Flitter considered shooting her in the back before dismissing the crazy idea. It would be much easier to deny with everyone sleeping. Retching at the hopeless dragons’ pitiful flirting, she turned to follow Sky for their private chat.
Her mind flashed back to the night they shared his tent as her stony heart fluttered with affection. Then, the brief happiness evaporated as quickly as it had come as a chorus of fake laughter erupted from the desperate dragons at one of Cloud’s halfhearted jokes. Building another layer around her broken heart, she tore her gaze from the sickening display and approached the open tent flap.
Sky’s brown coat blended into the canvas as the entrance sealed shut. Fixing her with an unreadable expression, he unstrapped his shield and asked, “Are you okay? You haven’t been acting like yourself recently.”
Flitter’s muzzle curled into a frown as she averted her eyes. Forcing back a growl, she pawed the floor and mumbled, “I’m fine! How many times do I have to say it? There’s nothing wrong, so stop asking.”
“I don’t believe that,” Sky interjected, holding up a warning hoof. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but please don’t lie to me. I hope we can trust each other enough to at least be honest.”
The two sat in silence as his burning gaze remained locked on her guilty frown. Before he could start questioning, another round of forced laughter floated in as Cloud suffered through the horny soldiers’ blatant attempts to sneak under her tail.
Flitter’s eyebrows furrowed at the infuriating sound as her boiling temper finally breached the rim and spilled out in a raging tirade of hateful spite. The arrow in her hoof snapped in half as she fixed him with a snarl and screamed, “Fine! You want to know what’s bothering me? I’m sick of always living in her shadow, like everything I do is compared to her! I’m sick of being left behind or shunted aside when she breaks some new record or defeats some massive beast! I’m sick of being ignored by everyone when she walks into the same room. I’m sick of always being the little sister!”
Her breaths came in short, rapid bursts as she released the demons plaguing her soul. Tears streamed down her cheeks with each painful word that escaped her scratchy throat. Whipping around, she buried her face in her hooves and wept as her broken heart splintered into more fragments of hatred and betrayal.
Sky gaped at her sudden outburst as a rush of concern and pity wiped away his initial harshness. Scooting closer to her prostrate form, he hesitated for a moment before wrapping a tentative wing around her shaking barrel.
Flitter flinched at the unexpected contact before settling into his embrace. Peering up with bloodshot eyes, she collapsed to the ground and cried, “Why… Why is she always the one that’s noticed? Why can’t anyone ever see me? Why is she always the b-better sister?”
The terrible words pierced his heart as her crestfallen gaze returned to the floor now wet with tears. He stared at the quivering, broken mare in his hooves as his mind flashed back to the last time the two sisters fought. Swallowing what felt like a mouthful of sawdust, he awkwardly cleared his throat and coughed, “Flitter, I hope you know that none of us see you that way. You’ve always been an amazing, noteworthy pony completely separate from anything Cloud has done.”
A familiar surge of warmth rushed through his body as his spirit reared up to aid him, but he pushed it back, suppressing the unwanted influence. Ignoring the golden aura’s advice, he reached a foreleg around her ruffled feathers and soothed, “You’ve accomplished more in the last few months than most have in their entire lives. Not only can you see into the future, but you’re an amazing archer that can pierce plate armor that would turn most arrows into matchsticks.”
He propped up her sagging mane and brushed the hairs out of her despondent face. Racking his brain for more material, he continued, “It’s not just your spirit that makes you incredible. You didn’t need any mystical powers to quickdraw on a gang of ruthless bandits, and all of us would surely be dead by now if not for your keen senses and abilities.”
A flicker of hope flashed in her eyes as his compliments cracked the walls around her stony heart. Pressing the opportunity, he praised, “Ever since we met, you’ve been the one pony I could always rely on. Whether it was finding contracts, holding off assassins, or not turning my head into Swiss cheese, I’ve always felt better when you’re by my side. Our team wouldn’t be the same without you.”
Her eyes searched desperately for any malice or deceit in his heartfelt words. Finding none, she parted her cracked lips and whispered, “Do you really mean it? Do you really feel that way about me?”
Sky smiled as he met her hopeful gaze. Squeezing her fuzzy barrel in a warm embrace, he stroked her delicate tail fibers and breathed, “I do. Now, are you going to show the world who you are, or do I have to tuck you into bed like a filly?”
A mythical blue aura surrounded Flitter as she giggled at his clever quip. Batting her beautiful eyes, she hummed, “I wouldn’t say no to a little pampering. Would you read me a bedtime story too?”
They shared a laugh at her witty comeback and cuddled together, enjoying each other’s comforting warmth. Turning to meet his relieved grin, she murmured, “Thanks for listening to me. I hope I didn’t weird you out too much with my issues.”
“No problem,” Sky beamed, running a hoof along her fluffy wings. “Just promise you won’t hide stuff like this again. I’ve been really worried about you, and I’m sure Cloud is too.”
A flicker of resentment flashed across her muzzle before being replaced by her usual smile. Snuggling deeper into his fuzzy coat, she breathed in his soothing musk and sighed, “I promise.”
