Marecropolis was located roughly halfway between the nation of Griffonstone and Equestria and just about right smack dab in the center of the Celestial sea. Built at the base of a volcano, the bustling civilization was once the home to a land of strong warriors of immense strength. It was also the former home to an old folk lore hero by the name of Rockhoof. It had taken a fair amount of digging -pun not intended as Rockhoof had dug a trench to save his town- to which the princess eventually found one story that stuck out more than the rest she had found.

One, involving the God King Atlas.

Now it should be said that there were plenty of stories of his majesty performing great feats of strength. There were also numerous stories of how he formed the very mountains seen today. But there was only one story as to the last whereabouts to where the warframe was located.

Rockhoof stood at the base of the volcano, his trusty shovel in hand and fight in his heart, but even he knew that he would not be fast enough to save his village!

With sweat dripping from his brow, Rockhoof was about to give in and flee from the never relenting heat of the encroaching lava. But the stallion kept digging. Lives rested on his shoulders. But even with that heart, Rockhoof held hope.

So he prayed.

He prayed to the gods that they could give the strength he so desperately needed. 'One more,' he prayed as he heaved another shovel full. Just one more. He heaved. One more! He heaved!

It was then, his prayers were answered!

The mighty stallion failed to notice the as the god king stood before him until he accidentally chipped away at the king's stone hide. Rockhoof was taken aback at the sight before him.

Atlas, God King of the earth itself.

Rockhoof was not worthy but he begged for help, to save his people and his home. He offered himself as a sacrifice if necessary!

The god king only watched as the burning river came ever closer.

He turned to the stallion. 'Keep digging!' the king ordered. Rockhoof nodded, burying his shovel to the hilt with renewed vigor. As he worked, he was in awe of what he would go on to witness. Atlas, God King of the Earth, pulled at the very earth he formed, walls of solid stone jutting from the ground. The barrier holding true as thousands of kilograms of burning lava smashed into the wall and began to rapidly fill the trench Rockhoof had dug. But he still wasn't far enough!

He could feel the heat, he could see the flames, but he kept digging!

With no more sweat to give, Rockhoof kept going forward, one heave at a time. What happened next, was yet another miracle by the god. King Atlas stood side by side next to the mortal stallion and began moving the dirt and stone as well, like it never existed. Together, pony and god would finish the trench, hand in hand and save the residents of Marecropolis. When they were finished, Atlas would pull the exhausted stallion from the trench and watch as the lava flowed over the cliffs, oozing into the cool waters below.

That was the day I had been proven wrong. Fight is not the amount of strength you have in your body, it is not the the feats you accomplish, but the hope and strength you hold near and dear within your heart. Only then can you fight side by side...

WITH THE GODS.

The letter was then signed by one of the ponies that would eventually come close to Rockhoof and accepted the once skinny stallion into their warrior’s guild. She wasn't sure, but Raven had read that letter over now several times over the last few weeks and it was her only lead now. The letter had been written to Clover the Clever many years after the events of Rockhoof's heroic act.

"We're almost to the island princess."

Raven lifted her head from the parchment gripped within her fingers as she looked towards the stallion standing next to her. "Thank you, captain." The stallion nodded with a smile before turning and making his leave. It had taken a little bit of negotiating to find a ship that was heading for this specific location. But Raven was able to use one of her best resources -which involved mooching through Copper's parents- to get her aboard a ship carrying archeologists and researchers to Marecropolis before it would be heading to Griffonstone.

The wooden ship docked not too long after, her crew scrambling to get the ship tied off and ready for unload. Once that was done, did a gaggle of eager children descend the ramp to go and play in the dirt.

Everypony has their own definition of fun.

Raven was last to leave the ship with Frost in tow as they followed after the archaeologists towards the main dig. The air was humid, but it wasn't unbearably hot, and the pleasant breeze kept the human’s skin cool. She was glad that she opted to rock a red tank top and grey short shorts and boots, much like many ponies at the dig -obviously not in those colors, but still. The dig was bustling with activity as buildings and statues were unearthed, crumbling, but mostly intact enough to be identifiable. Tents had been erected to protect other areas of special interest or just as social places for food, water, and supplies. Other ponies were examining broken bits of pottery, rusty and dull tools, and other objects of interest.

Raven paused amidst the organized chaos, resting her hands on her hips and eyeing the now dormant volcano. Its last great eruption was hundreds of years ago, long after the island had been abandoned by her inhabitants. Which had buried part of what remained of the town in a thick layer of ash. The lava had yet again drained via the trench located towards the base of the volcano.

"Princess!"

Raven turned towards the voice and was quick to spot a light blue stallion approaching her. He was dressed in what would be typical of an archeologist. A pair of khaki cargo shorts, a stained and well-loved dark blue shirt, and lastly, a brown, wide brimmed hat.

"Yes?" she replied, lowering her arms and turning towards the stallion.

"Name's Dust Pan, but everyone calls me Dusty!" he greeted once he was close enough with a thick, 'down under' accent. "Gold an Enny told me ta keep an eye out for yah."

"I didn't realize that they actually contacted some pony," she admitted. "I think you already know who I am? Heh."

"That ah do!" Dusty beamed before he waved her along to follow. "Come on, ah'll show yah around. So, what brings yah ta Marecropolis?" the stallion asked as they started back through the camp and leading the princess along.

"I'm looking for any clue leading to Atlas. Do you know about him?" she answered.

"The god king? Nothin much ah reckon. Supposedly he had visited here ta save the village a long time ago. But what do you want with 'im?" Dusty replied as they passed by a group of researchers that softly greeting them. He replied with a simple wave and a smile.

"I intend to find him."

"HA!" Dusty let out a single, uproarious laugh at the notion. As he turned back to acknowledge the joke, his smile faded immediately at her rather serious expression. "Yer serious?"

"If I told I've found three of the gods, how would you respond?" Raven shot back, genuinely curious about his response.

"Well," Dusty mused as he turned to face her, holding a hand to his chin as he looked to the sky in thought. "If I had ta take a guess. Oh, how do yah Equestrian's say it? Full ah shit!" he laughed, garnering a smile and a playful eye roll from the young woman in response. "But please, enlighten me on the three you've found."

"Inaros, God-King of the sands. Wisp and Harrow as well."

"The queen of the woods and the king of wisdom?"

The princess paused as she thought about those words. She hadn't really looked too deep into either. All she knew was that Wisp was called the Monarch. Inaros was the King of the Sands -duh. Lastly, she found Harrow through Wisp. But in her fascination to learn about what was going on, she had failed to look very deep into the prospect.

"I guess?" she answered rather unsurely. "I haven't looked deep into their respective… oh what’s the word…" she said with a couple of snaps of her fingers. "Respective rules... if you know what I mean?"

Dusty nodded his head in understanding. "Aye, that I do. Well," he said as he began leading her and Frost back through the camp and towards a specific site. "We just started a new dig. Perhaps we can find something about Atlas in there. But it will be sometime before we excavate enough ground to identify everything in it."

"Well… I'm willing to work!"

Dusty let out yet another hearty laugh. "That's what ah like ta hear!"

Stepping out from her tent, Raven was dressed and ready to go for another day of hard and dirty digging. Dressed in her cargo pants, heavy boots and what was now, a very dirty and stained grey t-shirt, Raven was ready to start her day. It has been a month since she had landed on this little island and physically, her search had been a bust.

Up until yesterday, that is.

She had felt something while they had been digging the day prior. That surge in power and the call of… something. The human was close, and she knew it and knew it well. It motivated her to stay just a little longer before giving up. But the dig hadn't truly been in vain. A building, what appeared to be a church, along with several artifacts had been excavated from the dig. It had been a major discovery that had made headlines across the world.

Raven and part of her crew were front page news in papers and historical magazines worldwide. Copper was very eager to write her a letter, along with his family and her own immediately upon the discovery. Celestia was so proud, Moondancer was very jealous, Cadance hoped for a souvenir and Twilight-

Her letter had gone unopened…

Raven stretched her arms over her head, letting out soft little mewls at the feeling of her muscles loosening up. With a pleasant sigh, she took off towards the dig, cracking her neck very loudly before doing the same with her fingers before wiggling them to ease away the slight ache that came with such a pleasant action.

It wasn't that far of a walk to the dig, but it was definitely a change in terrain from the original dirt square plot that had been dug partially into the ash. Now what stood, or rather, dug into the ground was an impressive wooden structure. The building was mostly intact, a once welcoming building that stood tall and proud a millennia ago, now an empty shell of its former glory. Entombed within the ash, it had been protected by the elements and it was almost as if it had been built yesterday. All it needed was a good hosing.

All around the site, either within the pit or on the scaffolding surrounding the building, ponies worked away dutifully. A specialty crew had been called in and were working hard to keep the aging wood from degrading now that ot was exposed to fresh air and were trying to keep it well preserved while others were removing artifacts or trying to get inside. The structure seemed to almost be glued shut and the crew were trying to get into the secrets hidden inside without demolishing the thick wooded doors.

Raven landed in the soft, moist ash with a splat as she jumped from the last bit of scaffolding that lined the pit. "So, what do we got going, Spade?"

The light grey unicorn mare in question slowly turned towards the princess. She was much dirtier than the human, soot covering most of her body and clothes. "I think we’re getting very close to getting the doors open," Spade answered as she turned back towards the doors and the small crew that were in the process of trying to get the rusty hinges to move.

"Get me a crowbar and I'll have it open in a jiffy!" Raven joked, garnering several laughs from the crew. "Or an axe!"

"If only it was that simple," Spade replied with a breathy laugh and a roll of her eyes. "We don't want to destroy anything you maniac!" Spade finished with a playful elbow to the princess, who smirked knowingly.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang and a deep, metallic moan as a couple of ponies stumbled and landed with a wet splat and a roll in the ash. Both Raven and Spade watched on, concerned, that something bad had happened.

"I think we finally got the door!" one muddy stallion smiled before letting out a frustrated sigh as he sat up, flicking his arms, splattering mud everywhere before finally standing up.

"Is everypony okay!?" Dusty shouted from the lip of the pit.

"We're fine, Dusty!" Spade shouted back. "But we may have gotten the door!"

"Really!? Hold on! Ah gotta see this!" The blue stallion was like a monkey as he hopped from scaffold to scaffold, leaping through openings and forcing ponies out of the way before he landed within the pit, eager to see what was hidden within.

Raven transferred into her warframe and stepped up to the plate. She wasn't going to let anypony get hurt should something serious or dangerous arise. The princess had already been through Inaros' Tomb and those traps. Not again.

That, and Frost was a bit stronger than most ponies.

~Raven~ stepped forward and towards the door, grasping the edge that had been pried free just enough to get her fingers between. She pulled, not jerked, making sure to be careful and not break any of the wood or the rusty metal hinges of the door. She groaned as her warframes muscles were put to the test, but it was a success. The door jerked, then moaned as the ancient hinges finally gave way. The musty smell of old wood and wet soot permeated from the otherside of the door. It wasn't pleasant.

Once the door was open far enough to get through, Raven transferred from her warframe, gagging slightly at the stench. It was like an old basement or a musty attic. Spade stepped forward and the two females shared a cautious look. Dusty however, was eager and stepped forward, easing his way through the door and into the building. Both girls shared another glance before Spade shrugged and stepped into the abyss.

It wreaked like mold.

The two females pinched their collars and pulled them over their noses, using their shirts as makeshift masks desperatly trying to filter out the stench. Dusty -with typical male attitude- did not care at all. He was too excited as he drank in the sights within the building. When their vision adjusted to the dimly lit room, the sight was breathtaking!

Okay, maybe not with the mold.

Point being the sight was amazing.

Several wooden pews all faced towards the opposite wall of the main door in various states of disrepair. Many were either broken in two, backs were missing, or legs were snapped in half. The walls were painted with various depictions and paintings of something. No pony was exactly sure what the depictions meant; more analysis would be required. But it was what was at the front of the church that garnered the most attention.

There, right at center stage, stood a tall depiction of the Atlas, God King of the Earth. Fists clenched and at the ready, should he ever be called to battle.

"Well butter my buns and call me a biscuit," Dusty said breathlessly with an unbelievable shake of his head at the sight. "Guess this is tha clue you were lookin' for?"

"Guess it was!" Raven mused with a smile. Her and her two compatriots approached the statue while others from the dig team entered through the door behind them. Most of the dig crew was giddy as ever at the recent discovery, hugs and high fives were shared all around. While the crew celebrated, Raven could feel the power emanating from the statue, it was for sure the clue she had been after.

Now she was going to be damn sure not to touch it, she didn't want a repeat of Inaros and his guardians.

Spade was the first to approach the statue, her smile never faltering as she began to examine its surface. God King Atlas stood tall and proud like the warrior he was. Raw stone and gems made up his unique body. More earth than pony, a mountain, unmoving and forever strong. Reaching out, she ran her hand along the rough surface of his left shin.

"Ow!" Spade yelped when a spark of magical energy arched between her hand and the statue. She pulled her numb hand back, holding it close with a hiss.

"You okay?" Dusty asked as he hopped towards her, gently cupping her hand within his own.

"Must be some kind of rune," Spade explained. It wasn't unusual for artifacts to be protected by long lasting ruins. But just as they turned towards the statue, the room shook violently.

Everypony strengthened their stances at the sudden shake. At first, they thought it was an earthquake, then the next thought was the volcano. But neither seemed to be true when the stone statue shook, then a large crack suddenly appeared right across its chest.

"Spade what did you do?" Dusty chastised, his tone very disappointing.

"I just wanted to look. What, am I not allowed to as an archeologist?"

A deep crimson light seeped from crack before the earth began to shake a second time. It was then that the statue seemed to come alive.

Like a professional boxer going for the final blow, the statues right fist shot out like a bullet, stone breaking and shattering to dust, the statues fingers unfurling for the first time in centuries. Dusty, Spade, and Raven stared in horror at the sight. The left arm broke free a second later, flexing inward as if it were lifting an invisible dumbbell. Dusty and Spade were struck stiff in both fear and awe as they watched the guardian move and free itself.

Raven, however, was on them in a heartbeat, grabbing both ponies by the backs of their collars and shoving them towards the door. She didn't have time to spit orders when the stone hide of the statue shattered with an explosive bang. Sand, dust, and small pebbles became near lethal projectiles, shattering pottery, smashing through wood, and embedding themselves in the walls and the God King came back to life.

Raven landed hard against the floor, a look of absolute horror on her face as she frantically tried to back away and head for the door.

Atlas, however, was not having that.

His heavy frame shook the entire building as he stepped down from his pedestal, old rotten boards cracking and moaning under his immense weight with each thunderous step. He clenched his fists in anger, sharp and jagged bits of stone and gem formations protruding from his knuckles like jagged claws. Raven had seen how ruthless an Atlas can be under the control of an operator, this one, who knows what sort of destruction he could cause. Nothing, not even the strongest of rockets or even spells could knock him off his feet.

The princess continued to frantically backpedal towards the door, her shoes unable to catch the right traction for her to get up and run on the moist wood.

It all seemed to be in vain as he approached her faster than she could retreat. Atlas held up his right hand, clenching it into a ruthless fist and preparing for what would easily be a lethal punch. He pulled his right arm back as his left was pulled up into a guard. Just as he went for the lethal swing, somepony dove right between them.

"Wait!"

The God King's gargantuan fist froze mere millimeters from the tip of Spade's muzzle. The poor mare was shaking, her eyes glued shut as she had been expecting to be killed. But that never happened. Tentatively, the mare opened one eye, then the other, both of them soon focusing on the razor-sharp tip aimed right for her head.

Atlas pulled his arm back, his joints grinding as he moved.

"Move!"

His voice was deep, imposing, and filled with such authority that demanded the utmost respect. But even with her chest still rumbling from his resonating tone, Spade stood her ground.

"N-No!"

Spade continued to stand her ground; her lips held in a tight line as she opposed his order. The mare took a deep breath in an attempt to compose herself as she spoke further. "I'm sorry, my king but…" She gulped. "But I will not let you hurt my friend!"

Dusty appeared a moment later, standing firm next to his worker, glaring up at the titan of a golem before them.

"I thought you were supposed to protect ponies, not attack them!" Spade accused.

"You protect this demon!" Atlas boomed, pointing one of his gargantuan arms and craggy fingers at the woman behind the ponies.

"I will protect my friend, even from you!" Spade spat.

Atlas leaned in close, his massive head dwarfing the mush small mare, but she stood stout, just like the god before her. "Her people made me into what I am!"

Spade took that opportunity to lean in, trying to be as intimidating as the god king was. But her much smaller stature didn't seem to get the point across. So, the archeologists pressed her muzzle firm against his majesties’ smooth face. "She's not her people. She's a pony through and through!"

Atlas turned slightly, just enough for him to look past the mare and towards the human. The king glared at the human and Raven knew it, even with his lack of eyes. But it was also very evident that the King of the Earth would not attack these people. The warframes were seen as immortal, protectors of the land and her people. They wouldn't dare try unnecessary violence. Just as Atlas was about to speak further, he was surprised by the sight of yet another warframe entering the building.

He watched in awe as Frost casually approached the human, gently aiding her to her feet and into standing position. Once she was standing, did the ice-frame began by wiping the mud from her clothes and trying to get them clean to the best of his ability. Raven just let him work, all the while Atlas watched on, observing the interaction between the human and warframe. Frost finished not too long later and just stood next to his operator, waiting for his next orders.

"Took you long enough!" Raven chastised.

Frost slowly turned his head to look down at his human. "You have the ability to control him."

The princess blinked.

Then slapped her forehead.

Dumbass…

She let out an exhausted and somewhat embarrassing sigh, slowly dragging her hand down her face. Atlas continued to stare at the woman as she locked eye(s) with him through her fingers. He was thinking, bit he could probably use some convincing.

"I was created by the same knives that created you," Raven explained in Orokin. "By the same monsters that called you, called me, demon. They tried to control us. Two sides of the same coin."

Atlas turned his mighty head, eyeing the building he had laid dormant in for centuries. "Who sent you?"

"Harrow."

Atlas turned back towards the human expectantly, so she continued.

"He is awake and looking for you. At the castle above the Tree of Life in the Everfree Forest. Wisp is with him as well."

Atlas stared at the human, looking keenly for any mistrust or malice in her gaze or her words, but he could not find any. But if she was lying, she was very adept at hiding it. So were the Orokin.

The warframe continued to stare, unmoving for several seconds before he huffed, stomping his way towards the human. "If you are wrong," he threatened, holding up a single finger. "Your death will be… painful…"

"How reassuring," she replied, bemused and in Equis as Atlas lowered his arm and stepped past the human, and towards the door. Upon exiting the ancient structure, the massive warframe held a hand to the sky to shield his vision from the intense light of the midday sun. He stared at the orb for several seconds. It had been a long time since he had seen the light of day. Once his vision had appropriately acclimated to the light, only then did he lower his arm.

Like a beacon of hope, ponies from all across the dig had surrounded the pit and stared in awe at the God King.

An earth pony stallion was the first to take a knee and bow his head. An earth pony mare was quick to follow is lead, along with the rest of the earth ponies at the dig.

They were the tenants of the land, from dust they appeared and to dust they shall return. Their strength stems from the magic that runs deep from within the soil. He may have been the god of the earth, but he had chosen them, as his people. The rest of the dig crews eventually took their bows, lowering their heads in respect. Atlas turned his mighty head, eyeing a nearby stallion and mare before approaching them.

"Rise, my children," his words while deep in tone, were caring, and held the utmost respect. The young couple stood, standing proud, yet nervously before their rightful ruler. "I have returned." If he had a mouth, he would be smiling.

"Welcome back, my King!" the mare cheered, tears of joy streaming down her face.

"All hail King Atlas!" the stallion rejoiced, thrusting an equally excited fist into the air. Then the entire crew surrounding the pit cheered to the heavens at the return of the Earth King.

Raven however, had other plans as she stepped in front of the warframe and between the two earth ponies before him, "Sorry, but can I borrow him for a second?" She didn't let the two confused ponies respond as she continued speaking, this time towards Atlas. "Sorry, but I'm kind of on a mission from your boy Harrow. Do you know where Zephyr is?"

He eyed her with a scrutinizing gaze yet again, still weary of the women's direct intentions.

Eventually, he turned, holding a single, gargantuan arm and pointing to the east. "Head to the east, she is somewhere in the Griffon Kingdom."

"Thank you…" Raven sighed.

It had been tough, saying goodbye to all the new friends she had made on the dig. The stories that had been shared, the laughs that were made, and the ponies she had grown to know. But Raven needed to keep moving. She had found her charge, who was on his way to link up with the rest of his squad while she was on her way to Griffonstone. The princess had spent over a month at Marecropolis, a bit longer than she would have preferred, but she would gladly do it again in a heartbeat. Based off that, she knew that her summer was coming to an end and if this continued on like this, she was definitely going to miss the upcoming school year.

Raven was one hundred percent okay with this.

Even though she was out and seeing the world and everything it had to offer through personally experience. Raven had been out on this expedition for over three weeks, more if she includes her time with Inaros and Wisp as well. The princess had been home for a very short period of time and missed it dearly. Raven missed her mother, aunts too, and she especially missed her boyfriend.

Raven let out another wistful sigh as she leaned up against the railing of the ship as she waited for it to dock in Griffonstone. It took some time for the ship to fully dock, but for the second time during this trip, her ship had landed and was ready for offload. As Raven descended the ramp, she read over the letters she had received from home yet again. Her mother had set up a place for her for the foreseeable future and Copper apparently had a surprise waiting for her when she landed, which was a bit odd. But whatever it was, she knew she'd love it regardless.

Raven was… less than impressed with her first impression of Griffonstone. Because holy shit, the rumors were true! She had been told that Griffonstone had once been a sprawling and proud nation. Then thanks to some monster, the nation had now become a third world country run by greed. All of it nearly happening in the blink of an eye. But right now, the dock and one building near it seemed to be the nicest part thus far. Both of which were heavily guarded by some mixed Equestrian and griffon force. Which made perfect sense due to the fact that both structures were privately owned.

Everything else in sight was suffering from severe dilapidation. Buildings were filthy, missing shingles while many suffered from broken and boarded up windows. Graffiti covered everything that was accessible and within reach. It was horrible and a tale of tragedy and the fall of an empire. Crime had to be rampant and hiding in her warframe was probably the best idea to avoid not only avoid serious injury, but prevent an international conflict as well.

That's when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

Raven reacted accordingly, grabbing at the hand and dragging the pony forward into east striking distance, locking his arm behind his back.

"OW! Baby it's me!"

Raven's eye went wide as she immediately released the culprit with a loud and horrified gasp, holding both her hands to her mouth. "Copper! I'm so sorry!"

Copper winced, holding onto his right shoulder with his left hand as he looked towards his marefriend with a smile. "Still got it I see," he laughed, turning around to face his still shocked girl.

After the initial panic wore off, Raven glared at her coltfriend before she bunched up her hands into fists at her sides. "You know better than to sneak up on me like that!" she yelled before spinning on her heels and holding a hand to her head as she did a quick lap. "I could have seriously hurt you!"

"Well then it would have ruined the surprise," he chuckled, messaging his aching joint. However, his smile immediately faded when he saw the near tearful expression on his girl's face. So, like the good boyfriend he was, Copper's pain faded immediately and he stepped up towards Raven and pulled her into a very needed and welcoming hug.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, giggling softly and gently shaking her head.

"Mom and dad, along with your mother, made it possible for me to be here!" he explained, adjusting his head so that he could rest his cheek on top of her head as she grabbed at his shirt. "I told them how badly I wanted to go but couldn't, so they arranged for me to get off work and booked me a ship!"

Leaning back, Raven stared deeply into her coltfriend's eyes before leaning in for a much-deserved kiss. They let it linger a bit longer than what may be socially acceptable, but it was fine as far as they were concerned. Neither lover had seen the other in well over a month and were eager to make up for lost time. Upon breaking the kiss, Raven wrapped both arms around Copper's right and began leading him away from the dock with Frost in tow.

As they entered the streets, it really was as bad as the stories told. The once well-maintained streets were broken, riddled with potholes, and in some places, just dirt. Just like the buildings that lined them.

"Come on," Copper urged with a sense of worry, his head on a swivel. "I don't want to be stuck out here after dark!"

"Mom has a place set up for us," Raven replied as they sped up their walk. Romantic, it wasn't. She reached into her pocket and pulled out that specific letter. "What does that sign say?"

It took them a hot minute to find their way based off the instructions within the letter, but when they did, the building stood out like a beacon of hope. What they could see of the building, which was mostly the roof, was in pristine condition. The outer wall stood tall, made from the whitest of stone and heavily guarded. The trio approached the front gate and were immediately greeted by the pair of guards guarding the gate. After a short conversation, the guards let the trio inside.

They were yet again greeted, but not by a guard this time, but a maid, the head maid. A golden-headed griffoness, She informed them about the arrangements, how she was happy to have the princess here and that it was unfortunate that the home’s owner was out of town but more than pleased to house the princess for the duration of their stay.

As far as the royal couple was concerned, they were just happy to be off the streets.

Raven and Copper were shown to their room and didn't hesitate to drop their bags. She also asked about getting her clothes washed, to which the head made just took the bag and informed the human that her clothes would be clean within the hour. From there, the exhausted human flopped onto the bed, admiring how soft it was against her skin before Copper joined her a moment later.

They were out like lights in ten minutes.

It had been two weeks since Raven and Copper had landed in Griffonstone and they were no closer to their goal of finding the Queen of the Winds, Zephyr. They had spent many hours researching her whereabouts and nearly spent a small fortune trying to garner information from the local populace. A gold bit for a single sentence seemed to be the recurring theme and an ridiculous trend. But the royal couple seemed to have finally narrowed down a location. From between the written recordings and the verbal tales, it seemed that the location of the God Queen of the Winds was in this certain ravine known for two things. The first was the ravines howling winds, which were so strong that not even the best fliers in the world could fly through such ruthless air currents. The second thing was that supposedly the monster that stole the nation's precious idol had fallen in the pit, taking the Idol of Boreas with it. To which neither had been seen since that eventfull day.

Raven awoke to yet another decent day in Griffonstone. The human really couldn't say it was glorious with how depressing of a sight it was when they left the estate grounds, but it was still nice out as far as the weather was concerned. Sitting up, the human grabbed her eye patch and placed it accordingly upon her face. Once it was set where it belonged, did she finally toss the sheets aside and stand up to greet the day in all her naked glory. It had been rather warm at night that it was almost a necessity at this point, then there was the fact that she was a sexually active woman who sex drive was almost unstable.

Especially now that her boyfriend was here.

But that was not her focus now.

So she spared her still sleeping boyfriend a glance, confirming that he was indeed, still asleep. With that revelation firmly out of the way, the human wandered over towards the elegant makeup table and the mirror attached to it and sat down, grabbing the brush resting upside down on the tables surface and began running it through her hair. She did her best to straighten it from the rats nest it had become not only from sleeping like a rooting pig, but also the rooting around her and Copper did last night~

So, she continued to work delicately to not pull her hair to badly. Her hair had become quite long in recent months. With the lack of a decent hair stylist and trimmer both at the Marecropolis dig and here in Griffonstone, her hair had grown longer than she usually liked it. It was now down to her shoulders, often tickling her skin when she turned her head compared to the shorter length she prefered to have it at. More than once the girl had swiped at her shoulders, often thinking it was an insect touching her and not her hair.

But she'd call herself a liar if she didn't think that she looked good with longer hair -she just wasn't a fan of long hair.

Just as she was brushing her final strokes, did the door to her room suddenly open and without warning. Raven squeaked, dropped the brush on the floor and covering her nakedness out of reflex before turning towards the door with a glare.

Standing in the doorway, as professional as always, stood the head maid. The griffoness' golden eagle head searched the room briefly before finding the errand human. She quickly held up a letter in her golden talons. "An urgent letter for you, princess."

"Would it kill you to knock!" Raven spat angrily.

"It was urgent."

"I'm naked!" Raven protested. But the words fell on deaf ears as the maid wandered further into the room and placed the letter on the table next to the naked princess as if it were just a normal interaction.

Raven's glare never faltered.

"It was urgent, Princess," the head maid repeated. "It is nothing I have not seen myself, either. We are both female and Master Eclipse is known for bringing home a female from time to time. It is not a foreign concept, let alone the sight to me anymore."

Raven's face scrunched up in further frustration as she watched the head maid exit the room and close the door with a soft click. The human waited, hands still covering her private areas just in case the maid decided to poke her head in a second time. But that time never came, so Raven lowered her arms and placed her feet back against the floor before turning back towards the mirror. She grabbed the letter and read the front of it.

To Raven

.

It was postmarked to the castle back home, but the cursive was not that of her mothers, so she didn't really recognize who it was from. She flipped it over, looking for any more information, but found nothing.

"Who's it from?"

She spotted her coltfriend as he stood up from the bed and let out a full body stretch and a yawn, his semi erect shaft going limp now that he got his blood flowing. Raven continued to less than subtly stare before he turned and approached her, pecking her on top of the head once he was close enough. She was glad to see him more comfortable in his own skin. He had grown a lot, she was proud.

"Don't know," Raven replied before stealing another kiss to the lips before she bladed her finger and began tearing into the letter. Raven pulled out a very nice, blue card before tossing the plain envelope to the side. "You're invited?" she questioned, raising a brow as she read the front of the card. Copper rested a hand on the back of her chair, leaning over her shoulder to take a looky see. She glanced up at him, to which Copper just shrugged and shook his head in ignorance. So, she opened the card.

There was a loud pop!

Raven squeaked again.

Copper jumped.

Both of them were given -and covered- a light dusting of glitter that seemed to almost cover everything. Raven kept her eye shut, making very sure not to get any of the incessant sparkles in her good eye. She could feel the remnants of the small glitter bomb clinging to her bare skin and was still too scared to open her eye.

"Baby?" she asked, reaching out blindly to try and find her boyfriend.

"Right here," he replied to her right, her hand brushing against his forearm. Raven patted it a few times before fully grabbing it and holding on for dear life.

"Is my eye okay?" she desperately asked, her eyelid still firmly shut.

"Hold on." Copper gently blew the loose glitter from her face before she felt his thumb gently prod at her eyelid and wipe away the remaining glitter with a couple of tender swipes. "Okay, I think your good now."

Raven gently opened her only good eye and looked around before spotting Copper standing next to her with a reassuring smile. His upper torso sparkled in the early morning sunlight with a combination of multiple different colors. She turned towards the mirror and her hair, part of her face, and the tops of her breasts -along with most of her lap- mirrored her boyfriend’s tragic outcome.

Raven sighed.

Whatever, she needed a shower anyway. The problem was the fact that glitter tended to linger even after a shower. The princess would have to get the head maid as well, since there was glitter all over the makeup table and her beauty supplies as well.

She'd deal with it later.

Raven grabbed the card a second time -since she dropped it when it 'exploded' in her hands and just before she opened a second time, she paused. The princess angled the card away from her body and towards the mirror, angling her head away and squinting her eye just in case before slowly opening the card.

Nothing happened.

Both Copper and Raven let out a sigh of relief, the former rising from behind his hiding spot behind his girlfriend and the latter relaxing and looking back at the card to read.

"You are cordially invited to the wedding of Captain Shining Armor- wait! When did Shining become captain?" Raven questioned, lowering the card and looking over her shoulder and towards Copper.

"I think it was a few weeks ago," Copper mused.

Raven furrowed her brow before shaking her head, she'd gripe on Shining about it later before she went back to the card and starting over. "You are cordially invited to the wedding of Captain Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza…" Raven paused, lowering the card in confusion before holding it up again and closer to her face. "Since when in Tartarus did Shining propose!" Raven slammed her hands and the card against the table. "Copper!"

"I was not there! I do not know!" he quickly denied, slightly ducking behind her chair. "I might know Shining and Cadance, but you know were not really friends. Acquaintances is a better word."

Raven continued to fume for a few seconds before she let out a defeated sigh, resting her elbows on the table, caring not of the glitter as she held the back of her head and closed her eye. Raven secretly wanted to be there when he proposed, but she wasn't going to force to poor boy to wait until she got home.

Whatever.

The rest of the card talked about V.I.P. and reservation requirements, the date of the wedding and finished off with a photo of the happy couple. Raven would respond to the invite after her shower. So with great care, both her and Copper spent much longer than they would have preferred in the shower trying to get as much inesant glitter out of her hair and out of his fur as they could. Even after nearly forty-five minutes, they still didn't get it all.

Copper still looked like a disco ball and her hair was no better.

"So, when is the wedding again?" Copper asked as he grabbed his underwear and began slipping his legs through the holes.

"A couple months from now," Raven replied, pulling her panties up and over her hips with a wiggle. "But I don't want to stay here for that long." She grabbed her pants and began to put them on, buckling her belt as she spoke. "I'd prefer to get home within the next two weeks." Grabbing a shirt, Raven gave it a flick before pulling it over her head.

Copper mirrored her actions as he finished getting dressed.

Today they were going to scout out the Abysmal Abyss, the location of both the Idol of Boreas and Zephyr's last known location. Thankfully, Master Eclipse was able to allow them to use his personal chariot to get them close to the abyss, but the remaining hike up there was pretty brutal. The royal couple needed to be tethered as they climbed one of the rock faces that led to the out cropping that allowed them access towards the abyss. They made it with just enough time to look around, make a plan and leave.

So, over the course of the next several days, Raven, Copper and a few of Eclipse's workers help set up a sturdy anchor point on the edge of the abyss. They had found a great place that provided a very sturdy anchor point and would allow for a reasonably safe descent into the depths of the abyss. Then, severe weather had moved in and kept the princess away for over a week. Unlike Equestria, the weather had fallen back into its natural state of rain and wind came down in buckets.

Then it was another several days of resetting and replacing the gear they had up there with equipment that hadn't brutalized the ropes and hardware.

And now, four weeks after her initial landing, Raven was ready to make her descent into the Abysmal Abyss. The princess tugged on her harness straps before she double checked her knots. Raven waved over one of the griffon members that was aiding her in the climb. He tugged at her straps, jerked her rope and tugged at the knots as well before he nodded his head and gave her a thumbs up.

She slammed the top of her fist against her helmet twice before turning towards the crevasse.

Copper stepped up and gave her a loving goodbye kiss before resting his forehead against her helmet. "Be safe."

"I will," she smiled before they released one another. With one last thumbs up, Raven approached the ravine and took her stance. Her tether… griffon… gave her a thumbs up before he grabbed at the rope and took his own stance. With a nod, she began by taking the first few arduous steps. The winds were very harsh and violently blew at her pant legs, sending them flapping in the wind. Raven struggled to keep a good footing on the stone that had been worn smooth through years of abuse. But when she did find it, the princess began her descent into the roaring winds and darkness.

Copper watched on nervously as his marefriend's helmet disappeared finally from sight. With nothing else to watch, he just stared at the rope.

Then it jerked.

Copper looked away and closed his eyes out of fear as the griffon holding the rope jerked as well, breaking immediately and holding strong. There was another softer tug on the rope indicating that the princess was fine, so the griffon laid off on the rope and began letting her back down. He could feel the rope shaking violently, probably due to the roaring winds within the ravine.

This continued for some time, the only exciting -and horrifying- thing that happened was the occasional jerk of the rope, indicating that the princess had slipped yet. But the rope continued to move, clear indicator that Raven was still alive and kicking. Copper would have very much liked to make a conversation, but he was too nervous to even speak.

Eventually, and Copper was not even sure how much time had passed, but the line had come to a stop. Both Copper and the griffon stared at the rope before the latter of the two felt two hard jerks from the rope.

"She made it to the bottom," the griffon stated as he looked back towards the remaining rope that laid behind. "Good thing too, we only have a couple meters left." He turned back towards the ravine and relaxed his body, rolling his left shoulder. "Now, we wait."

"Should she be worried?" Copper asked nervously.

The griffon glanced towards the stallion before responding. "About what? The winds down there are so violent that nothing can really survive down there." He took a deep breath and sighed, closing his eyes. "Look kid, I get that you're worried about your girl. But there isn't much we can do up here. Better to try and relax."

"...okay."

The griffon leaned back and took a seat on a nearby boulder and reached into one of his pants pocket, pulling out a small notepad and a pen before he opened it and began writing something. Copper followed his partners lead and sat back as well, glancing back briefly, only to see the other two griffons that came with them, playing a game of cards.

There were sounds of what sounded like thunder or maybe even stone breaking that emanated from the crevasse, causing Copper to turn back towards the abyss.

The poor stallion really wanted to relax but his fears just kept building. His hands began to shuffle nervously. In one last desperate attempt to calm himself, Copper took a deep breath to calm his nerves. The stallion found it best to just close his eyes as well.

Before he knew it, Copper was taking a nap.

Copper slowly awoke an undetermined amount of time later to a strange whistling noise. Now fully awake, he sat up worryingly and was a bit surprised to see that the rest of the griffon crew were in similar sleepy states. Just as everyone started to sit up, did that strange whistling begin to increase in pitch.

It was then that there was a deafening explosion that kicked up a thick plume of dust and enough force to shake the ground.

Copper frantically threw up his arms to try and protect himself from the thick cloud of dirt as he closed his eyes to keep the small particulates from blinding him. The rush of air was brief, but nearly knocked the poor boy backwards. The dust however, continued to linger, causing everyone to cough violently, their lungs burning. When it was safe to open their eyes, Copper and the griffon crew were terrified by the sight before them.

Kneeling before them, was the Queen of the Winds, stood Zephyr. Built like a bird's she created, it was no question that it was her. From the griffon style head, to the long feathers that ran down the length of her arms and the pair of wings on her back, it was her. Her bright white color and light orchid highlights stood out, giving her this strange glow to her.

Raven stepped out from within the warframe a moment later, allowing the queen to stand to her full height and taking to a hover not a moment later. Raven's smile was huge and full of excitement, knowing full well that all she could go home now. She was also holding something wrapped in a large cloth that Copper failed to notice initially.

"Found what I'm looking for, " Raven declared happily with a point of her thumb over her shoulder as she approached her still stunned boyfriend. Holding out a hand, the princess helped him to his hooves before she approached her griffon crew member and helped him to his paws. "Oh, I also found this," she replied, tossing the cloth towards her compatriot.

The griffon male stumbled with the object and its weight before he fully had a hand on it. The other two griffon males approached their companion before he grasped at the cloth only to unveil-

"YOU FOUND THE IDOL OF BOREAS!?"

"I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for Griffonstone," Master Eclipse stated gleefully.

Raven stood before the jet-black griffon male. His bright yellow eyes sparkling with glee and joy as he held the Idol of Boreas in his golden claws and close to his pristine white suit. Once the griffon royal had heard about the return of not only the idol, but the Queen of the Winds as well, he was absolutely positive with both the idol and the help of the God Queen Zephyr, that he could bring the nation back to its former glory.

"You have done Griffonstone and her people proud, Princess," Master Eclipse continued to praise, reaching out with his right claw and grasping her left bicep briefly. He then turned towards Zephyr and bowed. "Thank you as well, your grace."

The warframe inclined her head before turning towards the human. "I shall link up with Harrow once I have aided my people. Thank you, Princess."

"No, thank you for the info. I'll go find Oberon as soon as I can," Raven replied with a smile before she turned towards Master Eclipse and gave him a curt bow. “Thank you, as well, Master Eclipse, for letting me and my coltfriend stay in your home. You’re proof that there are still griffons out there that care.”

“You’re very welcome, Princess,” he smiled

Raven turned, gently tapping Copper on the arm with the back of her hand before bending over and grabbing her travel bag before Copper did the same with his own backpack. With that, the young royal couple bid their goodbyes and headed off towards the dock they had landed at so many weeks ago. But now it was time to head home, Copper had to get back to work and Raven needed to find one last warframe.

Oberon, God King of the Forrest.

Oh, Raven also made sure to send her cousin a nice stink bomb letter as well.

Revenge for that glitter bomb letter.

Author's Notes:

Kind jumps around a bit. But I didn't want to break this chapter up.