This griffin was grandiose if nothing else. Boreus was right when he said that I would have to meet Prince Thistle himself if I was to understand him truly. Verbose descriptions, written or otherwise, on Thistle’s character would have done the Hiallan prince no justice. After he surprised all of us with his grand entrance at the elevator, he surprised me yet again when I tried to touch his mind with the Force as he walked down the red carpet.

My mindreading was met with firm mental defenses as my probing was met with white noise and a peerless black void. This was certainly not the main focus of Thistle’s thoughts and I expected that he sensed my attempts to see his surface thoughts. My suspicions were confirmed when the brief image of a winking Thistle replaced his dull mental images for a moment. He continued to walk toward us on the red carpet and he displayed no physical indication that he was irked by my mental intrusion. He was the embodiment of elegance as he welcomed my sister and me.

“…Welcome to the Island of Gaiety,” he finished with a fruity and bubbly voice. His smile seemed completely genuine as he gazed upon me and my sister. The two hippogriffs with the snake cutie marks remained stoic behind him and perfectly timed their gazes upon the prince and the surrounding area, as if searching for threats. Prince Thistle walked over to Falca after his greeting and the hippogriffs matched each of his strides with their own to stay within a meter’s distance behind him.

“My dearest little sister,” he said as he kissed both of her cheeks. “It is so good to see you again, and I’m glad to also see you in good health as well.”

“My dearest elder brother,” Falca replied as she kissed both of Thistle’s cheeks as well. “I’m surprised to hear that, considering you never once visited me while I was in the castle infirmary. Did it ever once occur to you to write me a letter at the very least? Or did you have no servants to spare on the matter?” Her voice was level despite the venom in her words.

The prince’s smile turned sad at his sister’s questions but he was quick to respond.

“I am afraid that I was quite busy carrying out a favor for our dear little brother Hyde. You remember that certain ‘item’ he’s been searching for?”

“You mean…” Falca paused in surprise as her eyes drifted towards Katy and me before carrying on. “You mean you found a clue, or did you actually find its location?”

“The former, and I’ll be sure to tell you all about it at a later time, but I have a gift for you. Consider it an apology for not being there for my beloved little sister during a most stressful trial.”

Thistle snapped his talons and one of the male sever staff lining the red carpet broke ranks to bring out a thin book-sized object covered in red wrapping paper and a frilly bow. The server walked up to Falca and presented the gift with a bow then retreated back to his position once Falca took hold of the gift. Falca studied the wrapped gift in her talons before realization dawned on her face. She was about to rip into the wrapping paper until her brother stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

“This isn’t what I think it is, is it?” Falca asked, and Thistle smiled in response. “How did you find one? Is it in mint condition? Please, Thistle, you must tell me,” Falca pleaded.

“Don’t worry sister, nothing has yet besmirched your gift. The previous owner had used preserving charms to keep his collection in the best possible condition. He was a young unicorn lad from Trottingham and I managed to convince him to part with this piece of his collection after a fair price was agreed upon. I even sweetened the deal for him when he got to spend a rememberable night with me and my two favorite girls. That happy grin I left him with probably stayed with him for weeks after that day,” Thistle said with a far off look and a grin.

‘Did he just admit to his sister that he had a foursome with some unicorn just to get her a gift.’ I thought bewildered as I watched the two siblings.

Falca was smiling and rolled her eyes at her brother before something dawned on her and she looked at him with a glare.

“Wait, ‘for weeks’, exactly how long have you had this?” Falca asked as she raised the wrapped gift up to his face. Thistle’s grin turned coy at his sister’s question as he responded.

“I may have gotten it only to save it for a rainy day. Rainy days like when you need to appease your favorite sister after you drank from her private wine cellar, broke her favorite vase, or… neglected to visit her while she was hospitalized,” Thistle answered with a grin still on his face. Falca continued to glare holes into her brother, but the prince shrugged and laughed it off. “Oh come off it, you know you love me.”

“Well… you’re not wrong,” Falca said with a sigh before handing the gift back to her brother. “Thank you, Thistle.”

“Of course Falca. Don’t worry, I’ll send it to your estate on the Summer Island where you can unwrap it and enjoy its contents in privacy,” as he said this the male griffin servant broke ranks again to take the gift from Thistle’s talons before retreating to his position once more.

“Now then, honored guests,” Thistle said as he turned to address me and my sister, his tail waving cheerfully. “My father has tasked me with escorting and presenting you with all that this magnificent island has to offer. May I suggest that we start everything off with a round of fine dining in my hotel’s café? The seafood is to die for, darlings.”

Katy was eating another piece of cheese and shrugged her shoulders at the suggestion, then I realized that I was feeling kinda peckish. I don’t think I’ve eaten a thing since we left Ponyville this morning.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea Prince Thistle.”

“Oh please Jack, you can call me by just my name if you wish, any member or friend of House Hialla has the right to call me whatever they want. By the way, welcome to the family,” he said as he got on his hind legs to embrace me in a hug. Being a lover of hugs like most of my family, I moved into the hug and smiled along with him as I enjoyed the feeling of his soft feathers on my crimson skin. Thistle used his wings to elevate himself up to my eye level as we hugged and he used his position to whisper into my ear.

“You’re a naughty boy for trying to peer into my thoughts without permission. If you want to see what’s inside my head, you’ll have to take me out on a date and buy me wine first.” His tone caused goosebumps to crawl across my skin and raised confusing thoughts in my mind.

‘Is he flirting with me? Shouldn’t he be angry that I tried to listen to his personal thoughts? How did he even block my mind reading-attempt in the first place? Well… I am flattered that he finds me physically appealing, but I’ve always felt more infatuated with the fairer sex. There is also the fact that he was a GRIFFIN! But… where else am I going to experience the pleasures of lovemaking? The next human woman that wasn’t my fishy sister was universes away. And there was no way in hell I was going to use just my hand as a sexual partner for the rest of my life! Hmmm... goddammit this isn't the time to be thinking about this,' I thought as I broke away from Thistle’s hug. He kissed me swiftly on both cheeks like he did with his sister and gave me a wink as he grinned.

The midnight purple griffin moved on to my sister and was taken by surprise when she initiated the hug first and held him in the air. The two hippogriffs tensed at my sister’s action and seemed ready to pounce her, but relaxed in the blink of an eye once they realized that her intentions weren’t hostile towards the prince.

“Your feathers feel soooo soft!” Katy said happily as she held the prince in her strapping arms. Thistle continued to grin and wrapped his wings around her to reciprocate her embrace.

“I certainly hope so Katy Krieger. I pay top coin to keep every part of my body in pristine condition,” He said as he swiftly kissed both of her cheeks as well.

Katy released him from the hug and Thistle adjusted his suit and vest as soon as his paws touched the floor. He walked over to Vigilant next and repeated his hug and kiss combination again, then held the guard’s hoof in his right talons as he introduced himself again.

“Prince Thistle darling and I’m terribly sorry for not knowing you as well as your companions.”

“Vigilant Star of Canterlot’s Royal Guard division. I am here to oversee Katy’s safety while she visits your islands,” Vigilant answered as he shook the prince’s talons.

“Hmmmm, let’s see here, you are one of Princess Celestia’s Solar Guards of course. The insignia on your chestplate symbolizes you as a sergeant. Your muscle structure is above average for most typical unicorn guards, suggesting a very active life in the field. The faint indent around your horn shows that you’ve married recently, probably for just a couple years. Then there’s… oh, darling, you look a little queasy after getting off that carriage, you’re afraid of flying aren’t you?” Thistle’s observant examination of Katy’s handler caused the poor stallion to blush in embarrassment at the last part. The prince smiled warmly and patted Vigilant’s shoulder before suggesting tea to calm his nerves when they arrived at the café.

“You never told me you were married Vigilant,” Katy stated to Vigilant.

“You never asked,” Vigilant replied.

Thistle walked behind the two hippogriffs after he was done greeting us and raised his right talons in front of him. The sapphire gem embedded into one of his rings began to glow brilliantly and a tall dark portal with traces of blue at its edges appeared before him, catching me and my sister by surprise. With my connection to the Force, I could see the Force\magic flowing freely from Thistle and into his ring, where a sequence of small curious reactions transpired within the core of the gem and produced the portal before our eyes.

“I hope you don’t mind darlings, but that elevator will be awfully cramped if we all used it together. This will take us directly to my hotel’s café. I assure you that it is perfectly safe if you decide to follow me,” Thistle said as he walked through the dark portal along with the two hippogriffs.

Katy, jumping like a bunny, eagerly ran through the portal after Thistle with Vigilant right behind her. I looked down at Falca smiling as we both prepared to enter the portal to follow, until… I suddenly saw her back at the blizzard from my dream.

Cold dead eyes stared out at nothing as the owner laid upon the pure snow. A gaping burning hole blemished the feathers around her chest while another hole appeared perfectly parallel to it on her back. Snow from the blizzard slowly starts to blanket her body, her grave already forming around her. Clutched in her right talons is a lightsaber.

My lightsaber.

The vision is broken once Falca’s voice registers in my mind. “Jack are you alright?”

Falca was looking up at me worried, and I shook my head as I checked my surroundings. The griffin servants lining the carpet continued to look professional while the portal that Thistle created awaited us. My hand went to my lightsaber to make sure it was still attached to my hip and I felt at ease in holding the familiar hilt. I could feel the concern and anxious aura Falca emitted even without the Force.

‘Why the hell am I seeing past Force visions in the middle of the day? Was the Force trying to tell me something? I need to speak up, Falca’s looking at me as if I’ve lost it.’

“I-I’m fine Falca, was just lost in thought about something. Nothing to worry about,” I said speaking quickly.

She continued to press on the matter. “Jack if something’s wrong you can tell me.” She placed her right talons on my thigh. The talons that held my lightsaber in the vision.

I panicky brushed her talons off, but quickly tried to apologize when I realized how rude my actions were.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just… it’s hard to explain.”

“That’s fine, you don’t have to tell me now.” Falca smiled up at me as she spoke. Her smile made me smile. “Maybe some food will help you. I don’t know about you, but I’m as hungry as a dragon hungry for diamonds.”

“Yeah I think you’re right, food could do me some good right now.”

Before we made our way towards Thistle’s portal, Falca raised a talon to ask me a question real quick. “By the way, what did Thistle whisper in your ear? If you don’t mind me asking.” I chuckled at the question and hoped my red skin would conceal my blush.

“He said something about a date and buying him wine. Does he normally flirt with total strangers during the first meeting?” I asked intentionally leaving out the mind-reading part.

Falca rolled her eyes in annoyance. “More times than I can count. And trust me, he’s into your sister too no doubt. He adores the exotic, and you and your sister as exotic as it can get. Do you want me to tell him to back off?”

“No I don’t mind really, and if I know my sister, I’m pretty sure she’ll enjoy the attention. I’m actually kinda flattered in fact.” I never considered that I may be physically attractive to someone of another species.

“Well just a little warning though first. If he flirts with you, it means he just wants to get you into bed with him. But if he flirts and talks about his businesses, it means he sees a great opportunity for financial gain from you. Flirting and sex are tactics he loves to employ so he can get people to do what he wants. It gets very annoying sometimes and he almost caused a diplomatic incident one time when he flirted with a Taurus Dominion duchess in front her husband just so he could gain some intel on the possible demand for more gemstones in the Dominion market’s future.”

My voice got a little quieter as I spoke. “How cautious should I be? I mean, will he try to take advantage of me or something?”

“I doubt you need to be too cautious with him,” Falca said shrugging her shoulders. “He hates making enemies, and if he gains something from you he’ll try hard to make sure you gain something from him as well. It’s just good business to make sure all parties are happy. However, he’s not above being ruthless to get what he wants, but don’t count on him being that way with you. He wouldn’t have flirted with you otherwise.”

We started to walk towards the portal before she told me one last thing. “Also, be very careful of his two favorite pets, the Twin Serpents. They are overprotective of my brother and are dangerous… very dangerous.”

As soon as I stepped through the portal I expected to be overcome with some abnormal sensation or feeling like I did when I fell into the void when I first came to this world. A sensation of falling like last time perhaps, or maybe some sort of tingling feeling at the very least. None of those predictions actually came to pass as in one moment, Falca and I were on the hotel’s roof, and at the next moment we were in front of a wide lavish entrance with the words ‘The Deep’s Reprieve’ embedded into a jade stone sign above it.

A crowd composed of griffins and a myriad of other species surrounded us and the entrance as hundreds of nearly blinding flashes emitted from among their number. Using a hand to try and block the flashes of light, I realized that the lights emitting from the crowd were the flashes of cameras as they took pictures of me and my associates as we exited the portal.

I looked around to see that Thistle and my sister were standing side-by-side smiling for the cameras with the occasional wave of their hands or talons to say hello. Thistle noticed our entrance and beckoned us over to him and my sister as he spoke at a higher volume over the clicks of the cameras. “Falca, Jack! Please come join us, the good media wishes to record this moment for tomorrow’s papers. All of the Isles and beyond will hear of how the two visitors from beyond our world came to enjoy their time together on the Island of Gaiety.” With a wave of his talons the portal, and our only escape route from this crowd, disappeared along with the bright glow that emitted from the sapphire that sat in one of his rings.

After being caught completely off-guard by this photo ambush and having no clear idea on how to proceed, I decided to adhere to Thistle’s request. Thistle got on his hind legs between me and my sister and wrapped a foreleg around both my waist and Katy’s, hugging us to his sides. Trying to look less awkward than I felt, I smiled and waved to the crowd while hoping I didn’t go blind from the constant flashes of lights. In my mind, I realized that Thistle must have planned this photoshoot before we arrived on the island. There was no way a crowd of reporters this huge could have amassed without someone warning them of our arrival. I wasn’t too terribly upset with Thistle for not warning us, if people wanted pictures of me and my sister then I saw no reason to deny them that. Instead, I was more interested in what Thistle had to gain from all of this. Publicity maybe?

As the flashes died down a little Thistle released me and my sister from his grasp to address the crowd.

“I know that you all must have hundreds of questions darlings, but our guests require nourishment after their trip from Equestria. Only three questions will be enquired this evening. Esteemed guests,” Thistle turned his head to me and my sister as dozens of talons, hands, and paws were raised to the air, “You may choose whoever suits you.”

Katy picked someone before me as I was too busy scanning the crowd’s thoughts for easy to answer questions. The griffin Katy pointed to was a bit tall compared to his associates and wore a suit and tie as he wrote something down onto his pad with a pencil in his talons. He had a tag on his suit that identified him as a reporter for the newspaper called ‘Shattering News’.

“Undyne, otherwise known as The Dread Fish, why is it that you are here in the Shattered Isles when you should still be serving out your sentence in Equestria?”

I was a little irked by the title he called my sister, but Katy answered the griffin’s question without even batting an eyelash.

“Princess Celestia herself gave me a temporary pardon so that I may catch up with my brother. I was told that this island was quite a vacation spot and thought that this was a perfect chance to see my brother’s new home while having fun at the same time.” Katy patted my shoulder and silently suggested that it was my turn to answer a question.

I continued to scan the thoughts of the crowd as their talons, paws, and hooves rose up in the air again. They all had dozens of questions swirling about in their heads and almost each one of them was begging for an opportunity to obtain an interview with me and my sister. A peculiar minotaur with a bowler hat that was too small for his head had a question designated to me that I thought was easy enough to answer as I focused in on his thoughts. I pointed a finger at him to single him out from the crowd and he lowered his hand with a smile.

“My lord, you are a visitor to our world and have taken upon yourself a mantle for the griffin people that hasn’t been carried in centuries. The minotaurs of the Taurus Dominion have already read about your battle against the Aper Major and applaud your rescue of Princess Falca. But many of my people wish for an opportunity to see alien life in person, is there any possibility that you or your sister may take a tour of the Dominion in the foreseeable future.”

I glanced in my sister’s direction to see her shaking her head eagerly at the prospect of exploring even more of the MLP world, and I agreed with her wholeheartedly. “While I can’t give a specific time, rest assured that my sister and I deeply desire to explore this world in its entirety. The Taurus Dominion and its people are most certainly something we wish to meet and see.” The minotaur continued to smile after my answer and wrote down what I said onto his notepad.

There was only one question left to go as the reporters raised their limbs again in the hopes that we would choose one of them. I glanced at my sister again and I saw her gesturing to a female griffin and I shrugged my shoulders at her suggestion, telling her to go ahead.

The reporter thanked us and brought her notepad up to her beak as another reporter beside her took another picture of us. “Lord Wrath, many griffins of the Shattered Isles are relieved in the knowledge that we have a Warden again to safeguard our lands along with the Royal Navy. However, while star beasts like the Aper Major are tremendous foes, entities like Discord the Spirit of Chaos are an entirely different matter. Mere months before your arrival, Discord ravaged the lands of Equestria with his magic and nothing but the Elements of Harmony were able to subdue him. If there should come a time where even the Elements are not enough to deal with a threat stronger than Discord, the griffins of the Shattered Isles wish to know if you are capable of protecting us from such a threat.”

Oh boy, that was a loaded question. Could I actually stand a chance against someone like Discord? A being who can just snap his fingers and have reality rework itself to appease his mood. But then again the show has shown many a time the faults and weaknesses of his character. Tirek at the end of season 4 showed that he can be overpowered with raw magical might, and his overconfidence in his own power has left him vulnerable again and again. Katy and I only got as far as the end of season 6 before we were taken from our home, and who knows what else the writers may have presented about Discord after we left.

The Empire’s Wrath was a very powerful Force user but often used his power in very conventional ways akin to most Force users. His skill with telekinesis could surpass those more powerful than him and his understanding of Force sense allowed him to survive many assassination attempts. The Wrath was also a skilled interrogator and could coerce his prisoners to divulge almost anything with his expertise in interrogation, Force mind tricks, and torture. However, he lacked mastery over many Force abilities that were common in the Old Republic era, such as the multitude of abilities offered by Sith Sorcery and Alchemy, and even the imposing power of Sith lightning was beyond his skill. Instead, his greatest strength has always been in his mastery over the lightsaber, which could outclass even the oldest of Jedi masters and Dark Council members. In battle, it was the Wrath’s lightsaber that saw him through most of his conflicts.

So the real question is this, is my skill with a lightsaber enough if I had to do battle with Discord? In all honesty, no, I don’t think my lightsaber enough. Its likely Discord would consider me as an annoying child fancily waving around a glowing stick, rather than as a dark lord who has the experiences of countless battles contained within his neural implant. Discord is a being whose chaotic magic allows him to easily dismiss attacks that would affect most mortals. Simply cutting his head off with the superheated plasma of a lightsaber is not enough if he can just pop his head back into place like a cartoon character. Conventional weapons will not work on an unconventional creature.

But he can be made mortal, however. That parasite Tirek drained the Spirit of Chaos of all his power once the centaur had stolen enough magic for himself. Draining and cutting off the Force from other lifeforms was an uncommon technique among most Force users but it was widely feared by Jedi and even the Sith who practiced it. Slaves to powerful Sith Sorcerers in the days of the Old Republic were used as sacrifices to fuel their rituals with the Force. Even Sith Lords were drained of their power if they were successfully betrayed by their fellow Sith. The 2 most notable users of this draining technique were a creature that called itself Darth Nihilus the Lord of Hunger and the Sith Emperor, later known as Valkorion. The major difference between the two was that Valkorion learned how to drain the Force from entire worlds without having to subject himself to the horrid appetite Darth Nihilus had to appease in order to exist. Knowledge of how to use this technique to its fullest potential resides within my token, but of course, it is denied to me at this time. For now, I don’t have a way to deal with someone like Discord on my own but that will be rectified once I access Valkorion’s trove of knowledge.

What was promised to me will be mine eventually.

But in reality, Discord won’t be a threat for much longer once he and Fluttershy meet. Griffins and beings from around the world won’t have to worry in fear of Discord’s return to power when he discovers the magic of friendship. The world will actually have to worry about living in harmony with chaos incarnate. Instead, I’m more worried about villains I had yet to see in the show. Who knows how powerful the villains past season 6 could be.

“Sorry but the history of your world is still new to me.” I lied in order to lift the long silence I created in order to contemplate the reporter’s question. “However I think I know of the entity you speak of. While I can’t say without a doubt that I can defeat this Discord, I can say that he and those like him would do well to not underestimate me. Since coming to your world I have started to learn more and more of what I’m capable of. Consider this, if I am able to defeat a beast like the Aper Major just when I was starting to learn my powers, then imagine how powerful I might be when I’ve mastered them. And now that I have been reunited with my sister we will be unstoppable together.”

I may not have given a definite yes or no answer, but the reporter seemed satisfied nonetheless. I only hope my words are enough to put the minds of the Shattered Isles at ease. King Grinnail told me that at times like these people need to know that there are individuals like me protecting them from threats they cannot fight. Forces of nature like Discord were definitely foes they had every right to fear.

“Well that’s all for now darlings, I hope you all got enough material for tomorrow. Our guests are famished so if you’ll please…” Thistle said as he led our group through the parting crowd of reporters.

As we were walking towards the café entrance, one young griffin from the crowd kept clamoring for our attention but Thistle told us to ignore him. The griffin got frustrated by both the departing crowd blocking his way and his inability to gain our attention so he decided to get bold and flew above the crowd to rush towards us. I respected the griffin’s drive, but it was insanely foolish trying to rush towards two members of royalty and their guests without expressed permission. The griffin could be confused as an assassin and could end up arrested or worse, so I sighed and brought my hand up to grasp the griffin in my telekinesis. However, the hippogriffs at Thistle’s side were already upon the griffin before I could even raise my hand.

If I blinked I may have missed it. First, the hippogriffs moved in perfect harmony to one-another and flew to intercept the griffin at each of his flanks. Second, they grabbed both his forearms and violently stretched them outwards, causing him to lose balance in the air and squawk in alarm. Lastly, they each grabbed a wing with their free talons and drove the griffin harshly to the ground with a loud thump. In barely over a second, the hippogriffs had the foolish reporter prostrated on the ground before us in a rather humiliating position with his hind legs kicking at the ground trying to free himself. He grunted in exertion as he tried to move, but a subtle pull on both his wings by the hippogriffs ended any thoughts of rebellion and he resigned himself to his position.

I had to admit that I was impressed by how skillfully the hippogriff twins handled the situation.

Thistle sighed at the scene the reporter caused as more camera flashes spawned from the crowd and he threw Katy and me an apologetic smile as he moved to deal with him. Thistle stood before the reporter and casually inspected the rings on his talons as he had the reporter remain in his position for a few more seconds. After waiting long enough to make sure the reporter felt more uncomfortable than he already was, Thistle clicked his talons to signal the two hippogriffs twins. The Twins hosted the reporter up without easing their grips on his appendages and the reporter kept looking between the prince in front of him and my sister and me.

Thistle inspected the reporter’s media badge clipped to a feather on his chest before he spoke with a smile. “Now I know the paper from the colonies is as eager as every other news press to get more info on our guests but you’ll have to save your questions for next time like everygriffin else.”

The young reporter shifted a little to try to find some comfort in the hold the Twins had him in but could find no success. Thistle made a gesture with his talons to the hippogriffs and they started to drag him away to kick him out of the hotel.

The reporter struggled violently but the hold the Twins had him in held firm. So he gazed beyond the prince and looked directly at me and Katy as he spoke out in a pleading voice. “But people want to know your response to the claims made by the Followers of the Djinn! Please! Griffins have expressed concern about whether-”

“Get him out now!” Thistle said in a slightly raised voice, his smile gone. The Twins immediately launched off with their hind hoofs and flew through the air and past the crowd to a set of entrances where guests came in and out. They shouldered through the door and were about to throw the reporter out but I glimpsed into his mind at the last moment to appease my curiosity. I wanted to know what these Followers of the Djinn were, and why the reporter was so passionate about all of this.

Images of Katy and I were at the center of his thoughts and I sensed respect and awe when his thoughts focused on me. Then that image was distorted when I saw a memory of the reporter looking down and writing into a notebook while listening to a voice speaking passionately about something. The memory then focused onto a…zebra?...yes it was indeed a zebra, who was clad in a robe and hood with the symbol of a bottle filled with a spectral gas stitched onto the center of his hood. The zebra stood on a soapbox and was preaching to a crowd of griffins in an unfamiliar town.

“Like dung that flows into sewers, the worst scum now flows into our world! Creatures foretold by the Djinn, who would pierce the skies in the corona of purple flame now come unto our world at last. Take heed good griffins, these aliens are not here in peace and most certainly did not come by some absurd accident! They come to release destruction upon us all and we must crush this threat before they grow too powerful for us all!” The zebra continued to preach as the memory shifted back to the writing of a notebook.

The respect the reporter had for me was now seeded with doubt, and the awe was now replaced with questions.

The hotel’s entrance door closed as I cut myself off from the reporter’s mind and I am left with questions myself. The Twins flew back to Thistle’s side and the prince turned back to me and my sister. “My deepest apologies for that little display, shall we carry on darlings?”

“Thistle, what was that reporter talking about?” Falca said in a serious tone.

“Not here, later please.” Thistle said in a hushed tone so only we could hear him.

Thistle shepherded us towards the café and a griffin hostess at the entrance led us to our table. The Deep’s Reprieve had a sort of aquatic environment setting and the décor was fascinating to witness for the first time. The lighting was created by glowing gemstones similar to the ones I saw at the castle and they emitted a dimmed blue light that gave the cafe an underwater atmosphere. This underwater atmosphere was enriched by the scent of seawater mixed in with the pleasing aroma of various cooked foods. The tables looked as if they were carved from coral and the seats that held dozens of patrons were made of carved wood that gave off an illusion that they were warped by water for years. Jazz music, my favorite genre, was played by a band on a triangle stage set in the corner of the room and the music they created felt smooth to my ears.

But the most stunning attraction of all was at the center of the café where a massive sphere of water nearly touched the ceiling as it sat on a small pedestal. No visible barrier kept the water in its spherical shape and I used my connection to the Force to see that it was an invisible telekinetic field that was responsible. Bright light was focused onto the sphere by hidden gemstones set into groups of four on both the ceiling and the floor, and they highlighted the fish that floated within. Danio’s, guppies, cory catfish, mollies, etc. swam around the sphere and cast themselves as larger than life shadows on the floor and the ceiling. Adorable little griffin cubs, pony foals, and minotaur calves sat around the spherical aquarium after their meals with their families and sat in awe of the multiple shadows cast by the fish.

The hostess took us towards a large booth near the back with a clear view of every corner of the café and we were starting to get looks from the patrons. Curious eyes and gossiping mouths followed our every step as we moved towards our destination and I noticed that Katy was drinking this all up. The attention given to her was well received and she answered the patrons with briefly enthusiastic waves of hello and a happy grin. I was content with just having Katy responding to the crowd’s attention, but she elbowed me to get me to respond with her. I put on a gentle smile and I waved to a random table filled with griffin females who giggled happily and waved back to me. I heard a small grumble coming from Falca’s direction.

We arrived at our booth at last and we placed in our drink orders to the hostess herself when she said she will be serving us this evening. I sat in the middle between Katy and Falca while Vigilant Star sat at the end of our booth. Thistle sat between the Twin Serpents and had a forearm draped over each of the black and green feathered hippogriffs. The double scimitars each of the Twins held were placed at their sides in the booth and their talons were always at least a few centimeters away from the scabbards that held their blades. The hostess left us our menus and was off to get us our drinks as Thistle spoke up again.

“Dreadfully sorry about not telling you about the media parade darlings. I hope it wasn’t too dreadful an ordeal to go through.” I honestly couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or not. I wish I could listen to his thoughts.

“It was… unexpected, but I suppose me and Katy should be getting used to this. I expect there will be dozens of media parades like this in our future after all. But I have to ask, why did you set all that up?” I had a hypothesis forming in my head but I wanted some confirmation.

“If you’ve had to live with him for as long as I have, the answer is always the same,” Falca said as she browsed her menu.

“Then do tell us, little sister. Why was I such a naughty cub this evening?” Thistle said in a haughty tone with a grin.

Falca sighed in annoyance before she placed her menu down and explained away. “It’s because it’ll likely bring in more tourists to the island once news reaches the world that the aliens are spending their vacation here. More tourists will likely come and that means more profits for the Island’s businesses, and therefore more profits for him. Thistle has his talons in almost every entertainment business here on the island and directly owns the most major ones himself. It’s also why you two only had to answer just three questions out there. Thistle only wanted a picture of you two and wanted the papers to primarily focus on the fact that you two were here.”

“Right on the beak Falca,” Thistle said as he tapped his beak with a pedicured talon.

“But please darlings, don’t think that I’ll allow more little distractions like that to get in the way of my duty to you two. I still plan to show you all the splendors of the Island of Gaiety.” He said as he splayed his wings out behind him and cloaked the Twins in their shadow. “After all, who could be better suited to give you a tour than the griffin who owns the island?”

“I hope your time away from court hasn’t made you forget that the Island of Gaiety is our House’s island dearest brother?” Falca said as she brought her menu back up to her face.

“Oh silly me, of course, Falca, of course.”

Our drinks arrived and Thistle told us not to worry about paying considering he owned both the café and the hotel as well. Katy and I took advantage of his hospitality and ordered one of everything to start us off since we haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. Falca ordered a simple salad suited to a griffin’s diet, and I listened to her thoughts to find out that she didn’t want to indulge herself in front of her subjects. Her brother didn’t hold back at all and followed our example by ordering one of everything as well for him and the Twins.

“Now then,” I said as the hostess left again. “Do you know what that reporter was talking about? Who are these Followers of the Djinn? Why was that reporter so determined to get an answer from us?” I asked as the images I plucked from the reporter’s head took precedence in my mind.

“Ah yes, them…” Thistle’s expression turned dark at the mention of the Followers. “All I have is word of beak so far. Rumors from griffins off at the colonies who visit the Shattered Isles and spread what the Follower’s preach. I’m sure father already has a more detailed report on them from his agents but I bet my information is just as good. Apparently, there is a group of zebras that call themselves the Followers of the Djinn and they are preaching to anyone they can find that you two will be the death of our world.”

Thistle rolled his eyes as he continued. “Unlike most of their kin who practice voodoo to connect with spirits, the Followers worship the djinn and seek to learn and become like them. These djinn apparently made some sort of prophecy long ago that creatures will fill the skies with purple flames and bring about the end of life as we know it. One will be a creature that came from beyond the stars and the other from the underground.”

Katy and I looked at each other in quiet alarm before I asked Thistle another question.

“What are these djinn exactly?”

“Well, they are far more renowned than their worshippers, although they are more commonly accepted as myths even among most zebras. In primitive times when griffins, ponies, and most races were just starting to learn how to make a fire pit, a few zebra tribes claimed to have come into contact with powerful spirits who called themselves the djinn. The djinn told the tribes that they were powerful condensations of an element they embody and are endowed with the conciseness and character to control their element. Elements of air, water, fire, gravity, time, literally anything that is considered a universal law of existence. They told the zebras that they’ve existed since the world was just beginning to take shape and that they’ve been the masters of the world before we were all nothing but motes of biological filth just barely able to survive the world’s harshness.”

“When biological life started to form conciseness, they decided to observe our evolution and considered us as interesting distractions. Eventually, a few djinn decided to make contact with their new neighbors and wanted to see if they could teach them to manipulate matter and magic like they could. According to this legend, this is how the science of alchemy was introduced to the world, and how zebras discovered it first before any other race.”

“What happened to the djinn then?” Katy asked.

“You see, this is why they are considered a legend. There is not a single shred of evidence other than the tales told by zebra wisemares. Some of the legends explain their disappearance by saying that the djinn left our plane of existence by departing to a pocket dimension of their own creation. This dimension barely has any magic however, so they occasionally return to our plane just to ‘recharge’.” Thistle said making air quotes with his talons over the shoulders of the Twins. “Some zebra wisemares theorize that they left our plane in order to generously make room for biological life’s growth, although every theory is all really speculation.

Time was at a standstill and I sighed in annoyance for what it could mean. My fears came true when Valkorion walked up to our table from the shadows and it took everything I had to not stand up and shout at him to leave me in peace. However, I knew that would be fruitless.

“Ancient and powerful entities who dominated this world simply left their territory to accommodate lesser beings? What nonsense,” Valkorion said with a mirthless smile as he stared down at Thistle.

“You don’t know what these Djinn were like any more than I do. It is more than possible that they viewed the world in a way entirely different from us. Who knows why they left, even if they did exist,” I said looking up at the dead emperor.

Valkorion turned his smile towards me and I despised that superior look in his eyes.

“I have lived for generations upon generations. I have seen stars collapse and form into black holes that devoured the light from other stars. I’ve gazed upon the very heart of the Force and have truly witnessed the entirety of what a galaxy can offer. I have studied life both corporeal and non-corporeal, and in all of my experiences, I never once saw a superior form of life willingly surrender its home to a lesser one.”

“So why do you think they left then? Since, you seem to be so knowledgeable of the way things are,” I asked with a little venom.

Valkorion’s annoying superior expression was replaced with a serious one, and I had to admit it unsettled me a little.

“They were afraid of something.”

Time flowed normally again as my connection to Valkorion was cut and Thistle was finishing his explanation of the Djinn.

“There are about a dozen other legends of djinn visiting our world. Some tell of how they work as sagacious teachers to a few gifted individuals. While other legends tell of how a few djinn came to be trapped by powerful sorcerers and granted wishes so they could return to their pocket dimension. One legend I remember quite fondly was how centuries ago a unicorn mare captured a djinn into a lamp and greedily wished for knowledge, the djinn obliged her by conjuring a children’s book.” Thistle chuckled to himself as he recalled the legend. “If you can believe it, there are actually some who theorize that Discord himself is just rouge djinn.”

“But whatever the case may be,” the prince continued. “These myths departed from our world in mass and left behind a prophecy that has the Followers startled and spreading hate now. Hate specifically targeted at you two darlings.” He stared down at the table in thought for a moment. “And they are being very smart about it too. Instead of preaching here on the Isles, the heart of our kingdom where your heroic princess saving popularity could crush any hateful cynic’s words. They preach and seed fear in the farthest reaches of our kingdom and have their venomous words work its way subtly to the heart.”

“How come I’m only hearing about this just now?” Falca demanded as she drained half of her glass of water.

“Well I’ve only just recently learned of them yesterday myself while you and father were on your trip to Equestria,” Thistle said answering his sister. “I can’t say exactly when they started to preach their nonsense, but it must have started a few days after Katy made the headlines from her stroll through Canterlot. Then they started to work in earnest when Jack was announced throughout our kingdom. I can’t be sure if they’re doing the same in Equestria but I wouldn’t be surprised if they did. They’re likely to gain a lot of attention among the Equestrians since not many ponies besides their overseas entrepreneurs have actually seen a zebra in real life.”

Thistle’s almost ever-present smile turned smug as he regarded his sister for a moment.

“My, my, my, and here I thought that my sister with the cute little spy network would know these things way before I ever did. Does your network only reach as far as the farming bumpkins and rich wine guzzling drunkards of the Summer Island? If so, you really need to expand further if you want to come even remotely close to the level information our House’s Watchers can obtain.”

Falca matched her brother’s smile with a smile of her own, and I could sense a silent huff of annoyance emitting from her thoughts. She finished her glass of water with one last swig before she spoke again.

“Trust me, Thistle, it won’t stay small for long.”

New questions were formed as the conversation got off track from the Followers. Who are these Watchers of Falca’s House? Also, Falca has a spy network? I was tempted to take the conversation topic off track to learn more on this but my interest still rested primarily on the Followers of Djinn who seemed to be trying to make enemies of me and my sister. I don’t need the Force to foresee that these zebras could become a problem and I wanted to research more on this supposed prophecy these mythical djinn made so long ago.

“So should we do anything about these Followers of the Djinn?” Katy asked bringing the conversation back to its original focus. “Shouldn’t we release some kind of statement that says that Jack and I obviously do not seek to ‘bring about the end of life’ in order to put some minds at ease at the very least?”

“Oh we most certainly could darling,” Thistle answered. “But do you think a nice simple statement would be enough?”

“Then what do you recommend that we do?” I asked, curious to see what he had in mind.

The prince took a moment before responding as if to give himself time to properly word what he would say next. He motioned a talon to direct our attention to the rest of the café, and as I gazed upon the dozens of customers I suddenly became very self-conscious of how much attention we were attracting. Everyone in the room was completely fascinated with everything Katy and I did. Young children to the elderly sat at the very edge of their seats trying to get a better view of us, completely forgetting the pleasant smelling food set right in front of them. Sever staff navigating around the tables to serve their customers took extra-long routes just so they could pass by our table and take a closer look.

I listened to their thoughts individually out of curiosity.

‘He’s so tall and red. I wonder if aliens like comic books. I should ask mommy.’

‘Just wait till I get back to the cubs back home. I’ll be able to tell them that I sat a table away from the aliens and Hiallan royalty!’

‘By the ancestors her teeth look like they could chomp right through bone. And those pretty blue scales, I wonder if they feel smooth or slimy.’

‘My husband and I should go up and ask for a picture with them after they’re done eating. This is a chance of a lifetime!’

‘I hope my wife doesn’t ask us to go up and take a picture with them. That’d be so embarrassing.’

‘Where’s that awesome sword he showed off at the announcement. That thing was so freaking COOL!’

‘I wonder if either of them are single.’

“Whether you like it or not,” Thistle said bringing our attention back towards him. “You two are in the entire world’s spotlight. They all wait and wish to see what you’ll do next. So a simple statement would be a waste of a grand opportunity. Words are nice and fine, but your enemies can manipulate anything you say and turn them against you. Your actions on the other talon could eclipse any naysayer’s gibberish and will clearly display what you two want the world to see you as. With my connections, I can ensure that any action you take will be presented exactly as you want them to be.” He brought his talons away from the hippogriffs and laid his talons on the table, digits extended outwards, in a gesture I interpreted that he was trying to offer us something.

I suddenly became very mindful of Falca’s warning from earlier.

“Jack, you are already a hero to most griffins in our kingdom since you saved Falca and took up a mantle that hasn’t been held in centuries. But they know so little about you and have yet to see you in battle. We griffins, I admit, highly value strength and one’s superiority in combat. Next to money, nothing gets the average griffin to love you more when they see your prowess in the heat of a battle. You saw the vast Titan Arena as you flew in yes?
Is it any wonder why it dominates the center of this island considering our lust for conflict? If you are as strong as the populous has been led to believe, then a martial display witnessed by thousands will have you idolized by millions.”

I think I see what he’s trying to do here. I remembered when he claimed to be some sort of Keeper for the Titan Arena when he introduced himself. I wasn’t entirely sure what his honorific entails but he obviously has influence over the arena’s dealings. He’s suggesting that I fight in the Titan Arena.

Anticipation flooded my mind at the thought of fighting on a warrior’s most glorious stage. Ever since Boreus told me about the Isle of Gaiety and how it was home to such an arena, I’ve wanted to see it. Arenas and coliseums were a bit of a fascination to me since I saw them so often in video games and studied them in human history. They were the crucible for numerous warriors which lead to the creation of champions who would be showered with glory and a chance at immortality in history, like modern-day boxers and mix martial arts fighters. Or they were the pits for dregs who were forced to appease their bloodthirsty spectators. Above all though, I saw this as a prime opportunity to test what I’ve learned from days of training with the Sith and Jedi holocrons.

“And you, a Keeper of the Titan Arena, would be able to facilitate that martial display for me?” I asked leaning forward.

The prince leaned forward as well, his smile broad and infectious. “Oh, most definitely darling. But the question is if you would be willing to partake in such a… barbarous practice. Most members of other races find fighting for the entertainment of others quite distasteful. However, most people in these peaceful times aren’t warriors. Are you a warrior Jack Krieger?”

I matched my smile with his. “I only became a warrior just recently. But I have to admit, I’m already infatuated with the craft.”

“That’s good to hear.” Thistle leaned back into the nestled embrace between the two hippogriffs before turning his gaze to Katy. “And for you Katy, I might not have as much influence over Equestria like I do here in the Shattered Isles, but I can still pull a few strings. If we want to curtail any Follower rhetoric in Equestria then you need to improve your reputation among the ponies. Money goes a long way in making people forget grudges and a couple donations, in your name, to the right nobles in Canterlot will be an excellent first step.”

‘An excellent suggestion Thistle,’ I thought as I pondered the offer the prince made to my sister. ‘Sadly though, Katy prefers an…’

“Thanks, but no thanks your highness. I’m sure I can win over the ponies just fine on my own. If I’m going to earn respect and acceptance from others then it will be through my own merits and actions, not from the bribes of associates.” Katy said as she finished her glass of water and motioned for a waitress to get her a refill.

‘…Independent approach to her personal problems,’ finishing my thought.

Katy is kind of like Applejack when it comes to handling personal problems. She knew it was alright to accept help from others, but those calls for help always came when she is at her most desperate. Often times those desperate moments could have been prevented if she had accepted an offer of help from earlier. But if she thinks she can solve a personal problem by herself then she’ll do it by herself no matter what. In a team, she could be the best team player the world has ever seen, but woe be it for the team if they wanted to help her with her personal problems.

‘This is a prime opportunity to cut off a potential problem should it be allowed to fester. Katy is already a convicted criminal in Equestria and her reputation will only worsen if these Followers spread wicked rumors about her. While I wanted nothing more than to crush the windpipes of every Canterlot noble piss ant that tried to collar my sister, I knew that would only cause more problems than solving them. A criminal reimbursing a city she’s wronged will send a benign message to the ponies of Equestria. Fortunately, I know how to manipulate my sister.’

A waitress came over and refilled Katy’s glass and I placed a red clawed hand on her shoulder as she took another drink. Now having her attention I tried to convince her to accept Thistle’s offer, while also conceiving a new offer for Thistle as well.

“Katy I know you don’t like having others help you with your problems but you don’t have to take Thistle’s money as a gift. Instead, you could work to earn Thistle’s money if you wanted to.” I looked over at Thistle to see that he was very interested in where I was taking this. “I’m assuming there are rewards for fighting in the Titan Arena, rewards like… prizemoney for instance?”

“Ohhh darling, prizemoney and so much more,” Thistle said with a purr.

Katy was looking down at the table and I didn’t need to read her thoughts to know that she was seriously considering my words.

“You will be the one that earns that money and it will be you who uses it to reimburse the damages you caused in Canterlot. Also, I have to admit it would be pretty awesome to see your powers in an actual fight. What do you say, Katy, wanna be a gladiator?” My last sentence caused her to grin.

“Hold on, hold on, hold on.” Vigilant Star interrupted as sat his tea down. “I thought you two wanted to come to the Island of Gaiety to relax and enjoy some time together. Why would you want to go and immediately start fighting?”

Katy showed off more of her dagger-like teeth before she chugged all of the contents of her glass and slammed it onto the table. She answered Vigilant’s question while also confirming that my argument had succeeded.

“Sometimes Vigilant, there’s nothing more relaxing than punching someone in the face.”

Our food finally arrived and our conversation was cut short for a moment as everyone focused on their dinner plates. Katy, having tasted nothing but fish for her protein needs, feverishly dug into a T-bone steak made of some sort of domesticated livestock animal Falca called korion. I took care to follow my newfound diet and ate what was only enough to satisfy a sith pureblood’s dietary needs. Which thankfully required a hefty portion of the various foods we ordered. Vigilant had a simple salad and tried to avoid watching us omnivores dig into the meat of several different animals.

As I was eating I began to notice that the hippogriffs clinging next Thistle had yet to speak a single word since we met. I now felt embarrassed that I had yet to introduce myself properly to them. As I was busy conceiving of a way to introduce ourselves, Katy, out of the blue, spoke up about the issue before I could.

“You two don’t talk much do you?” She asked while pointing a fork in their direction.

Not the way I would have worded it but at least a conversation has been started at the very least. The two hippogriffs remained silent but Thistle tried to keep himself from laughing while he swallowed a piece of his grilled shrimp. After he got a hold of himself he answered Katy’s question for the hippogriffs.

“Yes darlings, my two little serpents hardly talk much at all actually. You must forgive them but they only talk to others unless it is absolutely necessary. They’ll only talk freely to each other alone or with someone that they trust. Although sometimes if I ask them really nicely,” he began to trace a talon across each of their dark green and black feathered chests, “They’ll say a few words for me.”

“So are they you’re… bodyguards or something?” Katy asked.

“For the most part, although they’ll do the occasional assignment for me and House Hialla.”

“What kind of assignments?”

Thistle hummed to himself as if he was pondering how to properly word his response. “Assignments that require the removal of certain people who would seek to commit evil actions instead of virtuous ones.”

“They’re his pet assassins,” Falca stated openly as if merciless killers were but an ordinary occupation.

“And I thought Takada was the blunt one,” Thistle said under his breath but just loud enough for Falca to hear.

Falca ignored Thistle’s comment. “The Twin Serpents were hired to assassinate Thistle and would have succeeded had it not been for those enchanted rings on his talons. Thistle barely managed to fight them off and was successfully able to capture them. Had father had his way with them, they would have been another pair of blocks on the line for their crimes.”

‘Another pair of blocks on the line? Does she mean imprisoned or executed?’ I thought as I pondered the curious choice of words.

Falca rolled her eyes as she continued. “But my brother, in his infinite wisdom, wanted to keep them as his little pets for his lechery and dirty work.”

“Oh come now Falca, must you use such harsh words? I assure you darlings that there is much more to it than that. They may have tried to put an end to my marvelous existence, but I saw a potential opportunity from them that I couldn’t ignore. With a little digging from father’s Watchers, I found out who hired my little serpents and the organization they worked under. A cross-species cutthroat organization called Helix was hired to kill me by a duke of the Taurus Dominion. Apparently, he took offense to me for merely making his duchess feel special and took things way out of proportion by trying to kill me. After I learned of the duke's plot it would have been a simple matter of accusations, a trial, and the gallows. But instead, I took the opportunity for what it was and used it to leash the duke to the desires of House Hialla. With the threat that I could shame him before his government for his little scheme of petty revenge, the duke was more than willing to help House Hialla in securing a most generous agreement in the export of gemstones to the Dominion.”

“As for Helix, the organization that was arrogant enough to think that they could slay a prince of House Hialla,” Thistle said with a touch of heat in his voice. “I gave my little serpents an offer they couldn’t refuse, and had them ‘dispatch’ every member of their entire organization…”

Thistle replaced his current empty plate with a dish that had a scrumptious looking red crab laid out in its center. “Every. Single. One.” He said cracking a crab leg with his talons after each word was spoken. The hippogriffs merely edged closer to him more affectionately.

‘That was a little… dark. Why do these hippogriffs seem so enamored by him? He had them murder their own comrades, and they don’t even seem phased by a single word he said! Good lord, I can see now why Falca thought them to be dangerous.’

After a long pause, I tried to ask Thistle another question but the unease in my voice betrayed that I was a little unsettled by the prince’s calm admission for having others commit mass murder for him. “Ummm so how did you survive their attempt to kill you? I mean no offense, but you don’t exactly strike me as the fighting type.”

“None taken darling, I like to keep it that way,” Thistle said as he pierced one of the crab legs onto a talon and fed it to the Serpent to his left, where she seductively took his entire talon into her beak and slowly pulled away. Her eyes lidded and portraying a seductive warmth.

“It’s a rather personal tale so forgive me if I don’t go into specific details, but to make a long story short, it was these enchanted little gems that saved my life.” Thistle brought up the four digits of his right talons to display the ornate bands and the gemstones that I sensed hid an impressive wealth of raw magical power. “As you saw on the roof, the ring with the blue sapphire gem allows me to summon portals to any destination I desire and is by far one of my more expensive investments. The pearl gemstone contains a very small pocket dimension which houses my sword for the occasional physical confrontation. The ruby gemstone allows me to spew forth elemental fire like the mighty dragons and acts as an entertaining party trick at most festivities. Then there is cute little pink diamond, which helps me ward off the more telepathically gifted creatures of the world.”

Thistle gave me a wink which made me feel embarrassed for my snooping behavior. I hoped my red skin hid the warmth I felt in my cheeks.

“This ring with the handsome onyx,” Thistle continued as he showed us the rings on his left talons. “Contains another pocket dimension which houses a spectacular gauntlet that is very useful when I am on the defensive in a fight. The amethyst gemstone acts as a magic ward, which is an excellent aegis against hostile spells and can absorb the magic used to create said spells to empower both myself and my magical little trinkets. The lapis lazuli can allow me complete control over harsh elemental ice that can encase my enemies and is useful for when I need ice for a glass of scotch. Lastly well…”

Thistle paused to stare at the last ring, a fine baroque gold band with many tiny arcane symbols that surrounded a gorgeous purple sugilite gemstone. “This last ring is a bit of a secret I’d like to keep to myself.”

I gave Falca a questioning look and she responded with a shrug. “I’m not sure what function that ring provides. I don’t think even my father knows what that ring does either. What I do know is that it had to be the ring he used to fight off the Twins, because I’m sure the other rings don’t the ability to level an entire mansion.

I was surprised and infinitely more curious now. I entertained the idea of probing the minds of the Twins to obtain more information, but I figured that if Thistle kept his own mind protected then he would surely keep his own bodyguards protected as well.

“So with all these magical trinkets, are you a mage like your brother Hyde?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Oh heavens no darling, I don’t have the patience or desire to stick my beak into a book for hours on end to learn even the simplest of magic. Although, I realize that magic has a great many uses and I have had the greatest enchanters create several magical toys to do the spells for me.”

I now found myself wondering if I could have such magical trinkets crafted for myself as well. What new heights of power would I be able to obtain if I could combine the Force of Star Wars with the magic of Equestria? I suddenly felt the need to geek out and pester Thistle on every type of enchantment he could think of, but I tried to hold myself in check. No need to embarrass myself in public and in front of Falca.

“You know you haven’t even told us what their names are yet,” Katy said pointing to the two hippogriffs, bringing up a very good point. “I know you said that they don’t like to talk unless it’s necessary, but surely they can at least give us their names right?”

Thistle smiled and leaned into the Twin on his right to whisper into her ear and that Twin looked deeply into the eyes of the other Twin. It was as if they were holding a conversation between themselves that only they could hear, and I suddenly wondered if hippogriffs were telepaths. I don’t remember seeing hippogriffs in the show before me and my sister were abducted, but who knows how many creatures the MLP writers will create since we left.

They finally broke eye contact with each other and they whispered into Thistle’s ears in unison. Thistle’s smile widened.

“They agree to tell you their names and they’ll even answer one question for you both should you ask. I must admit I’m impressed, think very carefully darlings because it's not often they speak so freely. Unless it’s with me of course.”

The hippogriff with the python cutie mark spoke, her voice soothing and enveloping. “My name is Kaa.”

Then the hippogriff with cobra cutie make spoke as well, her voice surprisingly as smooth as her sister but with an insidious tone. “And I am Xaa.”

Now that they spoke their names they calmly waited for us to ask our question. Katy and I softly debated what we should ask and each one we came up with seemed more significant than the last. Finally, we came to an agreement on the question and Katy left it for me to ask.

“Why do you serve Thistle?”

Kaa was the one to answer.

“We serve him because he is the most beautiful of serpents”

Author's Notes:

Deeply sorry that this took so long. Life often gets in the way of things, and this chapter went through so many rewrites. Hell, the chapter was nearly 20,000 words long originally but after I read it I realized that it just carried on and on and on.

I guarantee that the next chapter contains some action finally. I feel that the story has gone on too long without some real combat for two cosplaying characters that come from games filled with fighting.

Till next time.