Cloud, Bravura and Toestel had little to say on their journey back. Try as they did, none of the three were able to help Ferret. Bravura carried her body on his back.

Whether the trip back took longer because of their damaged spirits or because they lacked a guide showing them the way was uncertain, but they finally returned to Oregano after a four hour walk. Toestel left them with little more than a nod, and Bravura took Ferret’s body to her family. With nowhere else to go, Cloud went back to the police station to gather his few belongings.

It was late when he arrived. Late enough for the town to be hidden in the night. The only light to be seen came spilling out from every other building, and even those vanished one by one as the hour passed.

The police station was built differently to other buildings in Oregano. While other buildings, even the town hall, blended into the jungle by either design or fundamental building materials, the police station was built from neatly cut wooden planks. It wasn’t dissimilar to the shacks built in Canterlot, Cloud noticed. Though, far better constructed. Even while the wood showed signs of age, the structure was surprisingly solid and not a hint of wear could be seen.

“...Not like they replaced parts much either,” Cloud muttered to himself, as he looked up at the building. “Unless they somehow made new sections look old. ” He kept thinking about the wood as he came inside.

“Who are you?” Bravura asked from the shadows, making Cloud practically jump out of his skin.

“Son of a bitch!” Cloud cried.

“Language.” Bravura walked out of the shadowy corner of the room. He lazilly grabbed a potion from a desk as he passed it by, and shook it with casual vigor. The liquid in the bottle seemed to fizz up before becoming as bright as a lamp, though white and almost ghostly. Bravura tossed it onto a table before sitting at it and gesturing Cloud to sit too.

“Don’t just come out of nowhere like that...” Cloud grumbled as he joined him.

“I’ll ask again; who are you?” Bravura’s voice carried suspicion, sounding accusatory. Cloud did not fail to notice this.

“I’m a guy trying to get back to the closest thing I have to a home,” he answered flatly. “I don’t remember my past up until a while ago, I’m not sure exactly when thanks to my recent environments, but of all the potential places I could go to investigate myself, I instead got distracted by a friend. Before I knew it, I cared more about my relationship with this friend than who I am. I abandoned my motivation to search for my past after being banished because I found a connection to said friend, and once again in Shirith for pretty much the same reason. Somehow, I end up further away from said friend every time I try to take a step towards them and now I barely know where I am or what’s happening. Does that answer your question?” Throughout his rant, Cloud had become more and more aggravated until his words were spat from his mouth. Bravura watched him as a silence fell, his thoughts impossible to read.

“No, I wanted to know literally who you are, not a psychiatric analysis.” Bravura sighed and finally let the wear of the day show, at least a little. He stretched out his shoulders and relaxed his formerly rigid posture. “I just want to improve people’s lives here, that’s what I devoted myself to. Then today I led an innocent person to their death. My only solace is that I’ve potentially saved a lot of people by stopping the Golem, but…” He paused. “She volunteered, you know. Other than speeding up the tracking process, she had no need to come with us. I’m happy to put myself in danger any day if it means protecting the people here, you and the other guy were paying for your own mistakes, but Ferret-” He stopped himself and ran a hoof through his mane.

The silence was deafening.

“I wanted to thank you,” he finally continued. “For helping me fight the Golem, of course, but more for trying to save her. I…” His hoof rested on the table and he broke eye contact, his gaze drifting. “I froze up. I was prepared to face the Golem. It should have been a day like any other, but…” He closed his eyes.

Cloud felt an urge to jump in. “But I didn’t save her. I was only able to try because of you, and how you planned-” Bravura raised his hoof from the table, motioning for him to stop. He opened his eyes, with contact established again.

“...You need somewhere to stay, right?” He asked. “I know a place.” He stood and walked towards the exit, leaving the glowing potion on the table.

Gliding through the blue, Mawr’s ship made quick progress across the Crimson Sea. She paced on deck, too restless to sleep. Most of her mercenaries slept, the only other person she knew was awake being Kufn who was keeping watch elsewhere while shaking his rump to a song he sang under his breath.

“Swordsman, sorceress, thug, two pirates, two bandits,” Mawr muttered again and again, as if to put herself into a trance. “Swordsman, sorceress, thug, two pirates, two bandits… Bandits no good on the sea, pirates no good on the land, thug has no range, sorceress is too random, swordsman-” She stopped for a moment and tutted. “Swordsman’s an asshole.” Her pacing continued. “Star-damn boat… Stupid swordsman couldn’t pick up even a bow let alone cannons…” She stopped again and groaned loudly.

“[What’s wrong, cap’n?]”

Mawr turned to see one of the pirates, a brown Gryphon named Whet.

“[We’re tracking a dangerous group across water and not one of us prepared anything for naval combat,]” Mawr replied, her tone condescending. “[If we’re attacked by anyone, even if it’s not the assholes we’re tracking, we can’t do any-]”

“[Enemies sighted!]” Cried Powder, another Gryphon pirate, her feathers a somber orange.

“[Fantastic.]” Not wasting time by complaining, Mawr snapped into action. “[Location?]” She called out.

“[Starboard!]” Powder called back.

Mawr spun to starboard and transformed her eyes to those of a Dragon. The night became clear with their darksight, and there she saw it - a small boat flying a flag of an eye.

Shifting her gaze lower, Mawr spotted two Horses aboard the boat each armed with crossbows. She blinked her eyes back to those of a Changeling and tilted her head aside just as a crossbow bolt flew where her face had just been. The others had gathered, and not even Kufn had any sarcastic quips as they awaited her orders.

“[Sorceress, put up a smokescreen,]” Mawr spoke quickly and concisely, and every order was followed swiftly, “[swordsman, take the helm and apply evasive action, pirates, fly around their vision and attack their flanks, bandits, collect stray bolts, thug, make sure they’re not hit. I’m attacking from the front to keep their attention.]” Without a second spared, Mawr leapt from the ship and switched her Changeling wings for Pegasus wings for better maneuvering. She flew forward, the next bolt catching her leg slightly but doing little more than a harmless scratch thanks to her chitin. When a few metres from their ship she switched back to Changeling wings for smaller targets and hovered side to side, acting as an armoured bait. For a few precious seconds, this remained. Most bolts she avoided, though two struck her - one was stopped by her chitin but the other hit her right in the muzzle and chipped a fang. Mawr hissed at them from a mixture of rage and pain as her Gryphons boarded the ship from behind. Each grappled one of the Horses and Mawr moved forward to board from the front. The Horses were no match for the Gryphons and one was quickly knocked unconscious. The other Horse panicked, pulling a knife. Mawr quickly morphed her left hoof into the fist of a Minotaur and struck the back of his head, dropping him like a bag of potatoes.

“[Tie them up and bring them over,]” said Mawr. “[I’m gonna check on everyone else.]” All parts reverted to Changeling, she flew back to her boat. Thanks to her diversion and Kufn’s evasive action, the boat had sustained little damage. The few bolts that made it on deck had already been collected into a pile by the two Horse bandits and the Minotaur thug. Carry, the Zebra sorceress, had taken cover below deck.

“[That sigil matches what we’ve heard, boss,]” Kufn called from over his shoulder. “[Looks like we’ve been going the right way.]”

It would be worth taking that flag, Mawr thought to herself, tonguing her chipped fang. Easier to show people directly than describe it.

“[Delivery for ye, capt’n!]” Laughed Powder, dropping one of the Horses nearby. “[We looting the ship fully?]”

“[Yes,]” Mawr replied, ignoring the joke. “[Take their flag too.]” She raised her voice so everyone could hear her. “[Who here’s good with a crossbow?]”

“[Sorry, boss,]” Kufn grinned, “[swords are all I’m good with.]”

“[Stop smiling, it makes me uncomfortable.]”

Despite the death in Mawr’s eyes, Kufn couldn’t help but grin wider, before breaking into a laugh. Mawr rolled her eyes and turned away, knowing she couldn’t do anything about it.

“[Sorceress,]” she called, “[get these prisoners awake, we have interrogating to do.]”

A door swung open, revealing a dark room. Bravura walked inside, followed by Cloud.

“What is this place?” Cloud asked. Probably his home.

“This,” started Bravura, pausing for dramatic effect, “is my home.”

Called it.

Author's Notes:

“This,” started Bravura, pausing for dramatic effect, “is my home.”

https://youtu.be/PPoYzyOn44M?t=5