The flight was long and bad for Daring Do's nerves. What should they expect to encounter? Were trolls friendly? Would they attack them? She didn't know, and that fact drove her crazy.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Surprise, "Finally! The land of Zebrica is in sight!" the pilot informed happily.

"What does the fuel gage say, Master Sergeant?" Firefly inquired with a raised eyebrow and an undertone of worry.

"Plan J has to be set in motion soon, General!" came the giddy reply.

Daring bit into the sour apple and asked, "At the risk of regretting it. What is 'Plan J'?"

"Well, this plane was never made for such long flights without stops in between, so the fuel will go empty on us before we reach Zebrica's shore," Firefly explained like it was obvious, "And 'Plan J' means-"

"What?! You wanna tell me that we will crash into the ocean soon?!" The archeologist wasn't sure if that was some kind of very bad joke between the two Wonderbolts or not. It didn't seem that way, much to her growing despair. Nobody laughed.

"Before the fuel is completely empty, Surprise will start a slow landing approach and in the right moment Plan J will come into action. The 'J' stands for 'jump', we will try to get the perfect timing so that we don't receive too much harm, if possible. Easy, right?" Firefly grinned darkly.

Ancient Seeker's daughter gulped nervously in response.

"B-but the land is still far away! We will never be able to swim the entire way!" she tried to argue. It didn't work.

"I'm sure you heard the rumors or maybe even saw it for yourself. About humans who could use magic?" the General asked patiently, the younger woman affirmed the question.

"See? Why do you think I brought Surprise with me? For her good looks?" Firefly commented mischievously.

"Hey! I'll let you all know that Soarin complimented me once!" She paused shortly, "Well, nevermind. This guy compliments every woman who gives him a cake," Surprise analyzed, playing insulted with a wide smile.

She loved it that, even as the highest general of the Wonderbolts, Firefly never had a problem when it came to interacting with her soldiers in a more casual way, as long as the situation allowed it.

Daring Do's eyes widened widely, "Surprise is a magician?!"

The girl in question grinned madly and replied chipperly, "Yes! It was awesome! I discovered my magic when I had to fight off Gremlins at a lake on a scouting mission. They attacked my fellow Wonderbolts and suddenly… boom! Some mysterious female voice told me the name of my magic, uploaded some basic knowledge into my head and I repelled them with my new abilities. Now I'm a full-fledged witch. A Water Magic user to be precise. Like in Harry Trotter!"

"Huh... I never would have thought that I would meet one in person. I heard about the rumors, but didn't pay too much attention to them, as long as I didn't have any proof. Do you can control whole water bodies to your every whim or how does your magic work?" Daring questioned in clear interest, a passionate fire in her eyes, seeking to discover the unknown.

Surprise laughed as if the archaeologist was crazy, "Of course not! I'm at the very beginning to understand my abilities and need my time of developing them. I can easily control water in a glass, but much more? Not really. When I set the plane on its last course I will jump first, you'll have to follow shortly after me and I'll try to use a small portion of the ocean to catch you and soften your impact. Afterwards I will manipulate the water surface and bring us to the shore. We have to wait until the gasoline is as good as empty, because I don't know how long my magic lasts and if I'm able to bring us to safety." Surprise sounded positive at least.

"OK, i'ts official. You are both insane, you know that?" Daring rubbed the bridge of her nose in annoyance and disbelief, "Just warn me in time, I’d like to mentally prepare myself," she requested dryly.

A few minutes later the time for preparations was at its end.

"General Firefly! The machine is set, it's time!" Surprise screamed in determination.

"Alright soldier! Plan J is now in action! Prepare yourself!" Firefly informed sharply.

"Already?!" Daring demanded to know.

She liked flying with a passion, but jumping out of a slowly falling plane into the unknown wasn't the most desired item on her To-do list. What about sharks? Or worse? Who knew what kind of animals existed now in the water thanks to the through magic newly created fauna and flora she witnessed on several occasions. It was suicide!

When the plane was 200 meter above the water surface, Surprise opened the door, engulfed her body in ocean blue magic like a second layer of skin and turned her head to look at her fellow passengers, who had to entrust their lives to the Master Sergeant, with a dead serious expression, "I know. Normally the pilot leaves last, but you know what? I don't give a damn!"

She jumped and abandoned the sinking plane.

Daring Do looked after their former pilot with a gaping mouth. Firefly chuckled and shook her head at the young woman's antics before focusing on the unsure adventurer, "We are next. Come," the general ordered sternly.

"When do we have to jump? Is there a specific time frame when Surprise is ready? Or height?" the younger woman inquired almost pleadingly.

"Indeed there is. Position yourself at the door, fast!" Daring followed the instruction in a heartbeat, "Now, count to three and jump. Surprise will catch you," Firefly instructed completely calm and soothing.

"Here goes nothing. One... tw-" Firefly pushed her out of the plane, making the usually brave archeologist scream out like a little girl.

"Three!" Firefly exclaimed dramatically and jumped after her best friend's daughter with a giant smirk.

Daring Do felt how gravity took over and with his evil little brother, g-force, they worked together to speed up her fall. Slim tendrils of water shot out of the ocean and clutched her body in a way that felt extremely foreign for the woman. It felt like water after all, wet and fluent, but much... harder? Yes, much more resistant than normal water at the same time. Like an actual appendage out of organic material. They grabbed her legs, arms and torso as gentle as possible, until they could stop her shortly before the surface and let her body slide into the calm sea.

The same happened with a laughing Firefly, who tossed at the same time their backpacks out of the plane. They were caught from other tendrils to keep them and their content as dry as possible.

Daring wasn't amused at all, "Are you crazy?! Why did you push me?!" She was a little bit furious, no lying.

"Calm down, kiddo. I would never endanger someone with my actions, if I can't help it. But it was totally worth it, you should have seen your face in the moment I 'helped' you." Firefly had to laugh again. The younger woman pouted with red cheeks.

In the distance the plane crashed into the ocean and exploded.

"Look at that, the impact must have created a spark or something that jumped over the cockpit into the gas tank. It was a good call from us to jump in time and not closely before the machine itself would have met its fate," the general commented proudly.

Daring ignored the Wonderbolt, "I wonder where Surpr-"

"You are alright! Great, it worked!" Surprise said in joy, swimming directly behind Daring.

"WAAHHHH! Stop doing that!" The archaeologist was irritated that this girl seemed to have the habit to appear out of nowhere. She sighed heavily to calm down her pulse, "And... thank you for saving our lives."

"No problem! Now let's make haste. I called a taxi for everyone." As to answer the incoming questions, three giant dolphins with piebald skin appeared behind Surprise. They were turquoise green, dark blue splotches distributed over the body. The strangest thing was the appendage on the head though, a helically formed and longly stretched white horn. "General, Daring, I want to introduce you to my new friends. I found them after I landed in the water," the soldier informed shortly.

"First of all. How could you even survive a 200 meter jump in the first place. And secondly, how could you convince these... interesting looking dolphins to help us?" Daring Do asked completely confused.

Surprise snorted, "Oh that's easy. One of my abilities is more a passive one and is called 'Lord’, or more in my case, 'Lady of Water'. Thanks to this neat trick I can change some properties of the element itself. After I surrounded my body with magic I shot it into the ocean beneath me, creating a 'hole' in it so to speak. With that I mean I let the water surface completely disappear where I would have landed, avoiding on this way a hard and most likely deadly impact. Then I gave the water close around my body its original properties back step for step until I was safe and sound.”

“And what about Flipper and his friends?” Firefly asked incidentally, petting one of the graceful animals.

“Well, suddenly I heard someone saying, 'That looked like fun! Since when can humans do something like that?'." Another of the dolphin like beings emerged right besides the woman and rubbed its nose against her back to get attention. It received the same treatment as its friend, only by Surprise this time, “I was confused who would be able to talk to me under water and noticed these three cuties here, swimming around me like I just did the coolest stunt. They brought me near the surface and asked me if I needed to be somewhere, they would help me for the good show I delivered. At this point I was sure I could talk to them and asked the trio if they could bring us to the shore of Zebrica after I helped you landing. They agreed." The young Wonderbolt grinned happily, "I guess I can understand animals of the sea thanks to my magic, because I'm pretty sure that I was never able to do that before.”

"Good job, Master Sergeant! When we are back I will give you a promotion for saving this mission's success and our lives!" Firefly proclaimed proudly.

It brought her joy to see that many of the younger generation showed this much promise for the future ahead of them.

"T-thanks, General. I feel truly honored." Surprise didn't expect that.

Every dolphin-looking animal wore a human on its back and together they started their way to the shore, backpacks safely secured. "So..." Daring Do started, "We will need several hours, maybe until sunset before we reach Zebrica. How were you even planning to bring us to the shore without the help of your new friends?"

"I wanted to make it look cool, to make it possible for us to do something no human ever did before us. I would have used my magic to enforce the water surface beneath our feet to make it possible for us to walk on it.” Surprise blushed, “Buuuut then I realized that it would have been impossible to maintain this effect for long. Letting the spell work in such an accurate manner would need an amount of magic and training much beyond my possibilities… I'm glad I met these three," the Wonderbolt explained sheepishly.

Daring rolled her eyes at this confession and she could have sworn that these dolphins made noises which sounded like laughter. Maybe literally if Surprise's red cheeks and mild pouting face in the direction of the animals was anything to go by.

"Anyway. You just discovered a completely new species. As their discoverer from our land you could give them a name," Firefly joked slyly.

She was trying to change the topic, because Daring was visibly irritated that the master seargeant didn't think of any other way to get them across to Zebrica, except ‘walking on water’.

"General, you are right! Hm, they look like dolphins and have a long horn on their... I know! I call them'dolphicorn'! What do you think?" Surprise asked the others, having a smug smile.

Both women in question facepalmed with force. The ‘dolphicorns’ snickered hysterically.

At last. After hours of wandering around, Canterlot City came into sight. Much to Zephyr's joy, his feet were simply killing him. He just could. Not. Take it!

His mother, as a professional gardener and botanist, admired many new flowers, trees and other things nature had to offer these days, he was glad that the sights took her mind off from her constant worries about Fluttershy.

They didn't even meet any dangerous animals or other perils, it seemed the main roads were safe routes, still.

He spoke up in a dramatic tone, "I hope our home is standing after all. There are things of great importance for me which I wish returned to my side."

"You shouldn't have your hopes too high up. I was once in Canterlot myself, most streets and buildings were burned down to the ground or molten in such a way that it is very unlikely that anything in the building itself would have survived the extreme heat. Then there is the problem that some streets are completely destroyed, what makes it impossible to reach most places," Fire Streak commented dryly.

"I'm sure we'll be fine. Maybe we will even find someone in Canterlot who needs our help and we can't be sure as long as we didn't see the damage with our own eyes," Mr. Shy said in a calming tone.

The Wonderbolt sighed patiently, "I know, madam. But the prob-"

Noises and screams were heard from their left, but they couldn't see anything through the thicket.

"That doesn't sound so good," Zephyr Breeze whispered nervously.

"HELP!" a female voice shouted in sheer horror from the same direction.

"Hide! I'll check what's going on and come back to find you," Fire Streak ordered in an alarmed and quiet voice.

Zephyr Breeze didn't need to be told twice and led his parents from the street they were walking on moments ago. They hid themselves behind the trees, waiting for their protector’s return in tense anticipation.

Minutes passed, they felt like hours for the trio, when suddenly everything went silent after what sounded like a gunshot. Nothing could be heard anymore.

"D-do y-you think that he will be alright on h-his own?" Mrs. Shy asked her husband and son fearfully.

"I-I'm sure of that. The young man seemed capable enough for me. At least I hope so," Mr. Shy responded meekly.

Sometimes the youngest of the Shy household wondered how his parents were able to act even shyer than Fluttershy herself. But to her credit, if necessary, she always managed to pull through. He was proud to call her his big sister.

"Ah. More prey, I wondered what I would find here. My pets smelled your scents," a silky, deep female voice informed darkly.

They turned around and faced the potential enemy. Zephyr swore to himself to wait for Rainbow Dash until she was ready to confess her undying love for him, but this woman in front of the teenager was more than just ‘exotic’. Her beauty stole his breath.

The closest resemblance he could come up with was... an elf, she was clearly no human. Her whole appearance screamed beauty, grace, and much to his dismay, a fast death, despite her fragile looking figure and height of maybe 1.70 meter. Oh, the prolonged and pointy ears were a give-away, too. She had pearl dark gray skin, perfectly formed eyebrows, platinum gray eyes, creme colored, full hair made in a ponytail and anthracite gray skin. The woman wore black earrings in the form of crescents, sleek and very good hugging, in his humble opinion, armor of metal, fabric and leather. Everything was colored in various tones of black, with golden adornments on the edges and over the entire armor. Her breastplate reached from her chest, with a very admirable cleavage, to the upper part of her stomach, leaving the rest of her well-trained center exposed. The metallic platelegs and vambraces were the last parts of heavy armor. Then there were nicely crafted leather boots, shoulder pads and thin gloves, on both was imprinted a gray symbol of two observing ravens. Her hip was covered by fabric made, noble looking pants, which reached to shortly above the knees and a deep black and golden bandana around the neck completed the outfit.

"W-who are? And w-what are you?" Mr. Shy asked, terrified from the intimidating aura the woman gave off.

The unknown beauty rolled her eyes at the question, "It's exhausting to explain to every human what I am, but what can I expect. It's not like you know about every new species. My name is Makara, I'm a Beast Tamer and a Dark Elf.”

“M-Miss Makara. What circumstances do we owe the pleasure of meeting you here?” Mr. Shy inquired carefully.

The Dark Elf frowned, “You should consider yourself lucky that my pets have already eaten. So I just will take you with me for some personal entertainment to the moment I'm bored of you and you can no longer provide me with stories," Makara explained sharply.

"S-stories?" Mrs. Shy was filled by fright.

"Of course my dear. I simply love to collect stories. Everybody has a different tale to tell, new information to share and undiscovered secrets, waiting to be exposed by me. And my instincts are telling me that you may have stories I didn't hear before," the beast tamer answered gleefully.

Zephyr Breeze wasn't sure how to feel about her last statement. Did she already knew that he knew about his sister? How was that possible? Well, he was confident that his charm could convince this sexy woman to release them.

Of course he had to protect his parents, if she was unpleasant and had a fetish for pain, they would break instantl, "I concur, Ms. Makara. Secrets, gossip, that's totally my thing, too. No juicy detail escapes the Breeze.” He chuckled flirtingly, “I make you an offer! We two can have a little chat about everything you desire, I will be completely open with you in return, don't worry. So, what do you say? A beauty like you must feel simply exhausted and has surely much better things to do than trying to force unwilling people to talk if someone like me will gladly speak with you of his own accord. No strings attached."

It would surely break the ice between them. No woman could resist his winning smile, she even started to laugh! Huh?

After Makara calmed down from her laughing fit she locked eyes with Zephyr Breeze and stated amusedly, "That was certainly a new one. I can't remember the last time a hormone-ridden teenager tried to seduce me and really thought he had a chance. Sorry, boy, but I'm not into children, only men." The parents winced, they could practically hear how their son's pride shattered into a million pieces, "Though I congratulate you for having the courage to even try something like that. Most humans I met were paralyzed by fear, but not you. So let me show you in what kind of situation you are in, OK?"

She snapped her fingers and nine demonic looking dogs surrounded them, growling. He didn't need to turn around to know that the sounds behind him meant that his mother had fainted from shock and fear, while his father tried to wake her up. Zephyr had to admit, not only was he feeling like his man pride was brutally murdered, but that these things looked very dangerous as well. But he already decided, in the end of the day his pants would remain dry.

"Wow, these are nice, err, pets. Hehe..." he started awkwardly.

Zephyr wondered if Fire Streak was still alive, but he didn't want to ask either. Maybe she didn't know about him yet and the younger brother of Fluttershy didn't plan to inform her about the Wonderbolt's existence, should that be the case. It would just endanger his life.

The Dark elf closed the distance between them and poked him painfully into his chest with a single finger, making him stumble back, "Do you really think it would help you to play brave? These cute little demons are known as 'Frost Hounds'. Very loyal to their master and perfect for finding potential prey, or enemies for that matter. They are just a part of my menagerie. But don't worry, you won't be completely alone. I always catch myself a few victims at a time to collect stories. And I already have more than enough humans from and around Canterlot to make up for it. Vyndrak will be pleased. There are even girl's of your own age, boy, maybe they will fall for you. Before they are worthless for me and die that is," Makara suggested sadistically.

"S-So we won't be eaten?" Mr. Shy inquired hopefully, barely able to hold himself back from fainting like his wife.

She scoffed at the man's cowardly behaviour, "I won't feed someone who has knowledge to share worth my time. I hope for you that my instincts are telling me the truth." The elf switched her attention back to Zephyr, "I fear your parents, and I'm sure these two cowards are your parents, will lose their value otherwise. I'm sure you understand. But enough chatter for now, it's time to return to Jormun, eventually you know this place under its former name, 'Camp Everfree'?" Makara lectured with a smug smile in the end.

She met already enough humans who were always deeply disturbed when they discovered that the newest outpost of the Adepts of Khom was the formerly child-friendly summer camp, converted and twisted beyond recognition. It became boring in time, but it was always worth mentioning in her opinion, because the reaction told her more than 1000 words.

And the beast tamer was right, the awoken mother, the father and even the wannabe womanizer looked like Makara just told them that she murdered someone they knew... interesting. That could be exploited.

"Oh? Judging from your facial expressions I presume that you didn't expect that? Was someone you knew in Camp Everfree when we took over? Has this special someone a name?" the Dark Elf asked innocently and played confused.

She knew that only the former co-directors died and that their souls served as fuel for the Soul Prisons, but why telling them the truth?

"Did you see a pale girl with pink hair in Zephyr's age?! Did you meet Fluttershy?! Did you hurt her?! Tell me!" Mrs. Shy shouted in a very unusual state of rage. It certainly surprised her family.

Makara was sure that this 'Fluttershy' had to be something like a daughter. She saw it many times, even the most harmless and weakest woman she caught could become a ferocious beast when her own children were in mortal peril.

Still, it was too good of an opportunity to not mess with them, "Fluttershy? I think I heard this name before. Hmm... yes, I'm sure. I think I killed her yesterday, because I didn't have anymore use for her. Why? Was she important to you?" She grinned darkly.

"How could you?! Y-you monster! M-my little girl. She's... she's... " Mrs. Shy fainted again. Fluttershy's father broke down crying and Zephyr Breeze looked at the Dark Elf in disdain, he saw her satisfied smile and knew she just wanted to see them suffer.

That was enough for now in Makara's opinion, "Calm down, I'm just joking. I don't know who that 'Fluttershy' is. Maybe she is one of my prisoners, maybe not," she confessed, bored by their pitiful attempt to appear bravely.

"Again, she has long pink hair and yellow skin. Did you see her, or not?" the teenager demanded to know in barely contained anger.

The exotic woman acted like she had to think about it, making Zephyr Breeze much more furious, until she replied gleefully, "No. But. I would love to meet her. I always had a weakness for family reunions. I could bring her to you, perhaps."

"Shut up!" Zephyr Breeze shouted, at the end with his patience. He didn't care in the moment what she would do with him. Nobody talked like this about his big sister! "Fluttershy will make you pay if you harm us, you hear me?! You can't win against her and her friends!"

"Oh? How come? Now I'm really interested in your secrets," Makara commented with a predatory smile.
He cursed himself for having a loose tongue. He surely didn't want to talk with this beast tamer about the abilities of his sister, "W-well, you see-"

"Don't be shy. I won't bite, only my pets have this habit," she assured sweetly, before shrugging uncaringly at the lack of reaction, "Suit yourself. But I fear next time we will talk on my own conditions." The Dark Elf spoke words in a language which gave the humans an ill feeling in the stomach alone from hearing them. A black door-shaped portal appeared in front of them, "You will come with me. Punisher Vyndrak should return soon enough, maybe he already is." At seeing their thoughtful faces she decided to taunt them more, "I will tell you a little secret, see it as a last present of freedom from me, before you are mine. I'm sure you know the town with the name 'Ponyville', right? We will invade this place soon and take every single human prisoner. I'm positive that your precious 'Fluttershy' will be there, too. I can't wait to 'chat' with her."

Before Zephyr Breeze could retort anew, his father put a hand on his shoulder and shook firmly his head. He followed Mr. Shy's silent plea and helped him to support his mother. Hopefully Fluttershy managed to stay out of trouble.

He was screwed, Fire Streak knew that. Rainbow Blaze would explode in his face the moment he confessed that the family he swore to protect was captured by the enemy. He could only witness how they stepped through the portal and how it closed afterwards. Attacking them was out of the question, he just would have died and, in progress, endangered the trio, too.

Captain Spitfire had to be informed. Oh... and Colonel Wind Rider as well. The young Wonderbolt didn't like his superior, he had a streak of arrogance and seemed to be the type of man who would sabotage others when he thought they threatened his position or put his deeds to shame with their own.

When he was honest to himself, he had to thank every deity who was watching over him. When Fire checked out the source of the cry for help it was already too late. One of these demonic hounds ripped apart an older woman in the moment he jumped into the open. A fault that nearly costed him his life. Disturbed by the discovery he just reacted in time and put his weapon, a shotgun, in front of him. The hound jumped upon its next meal with widely opened maw. Out of reflex did he pull the trigger. The Wonderbolt shot this thing directly into the presented opening, destroying with an unbelievable amount of luck its head from the inside.

It was a gory mess.

Fire Streak ran back immediately without a second thought to find the Shys, but what the young soldier had discovered wasn't promising at all. The senior master sergeant saw from the distance more dog demons and this ‘Dark Elf’ woman. He sneaked into a better position, so that these things didn't hear him. He wondered shortly how it was possible that they didn't smell him already after the gloating about their superior senses, until he noticed that his entire body was covered in demon blood. Perhaps it confused their nose and hid him from detection on this way? In the end it didn't matter, he heard enough and had to inform the others as soon as possible.

It was a good thing that Fire Streak trained his stamina so much.

Earlier was everything much easier, Spitfire was sure of that. She remembered her time at CHS when she was still captain of the school's soccer team, until she stepped down from her position and gave it to Rainbow Dash, preparing for graduation and her dream in life. Becoming a Wonderbolt. It was so much easier, indeed.

After her graduation many of her friends and Spitfire herself signed up. Originally they all planned to become stunt flyers and solely taking part in military activities when necessary.

Then the whole world went to hell.

Spitfire remembered it well. Highest alarm code for all military units, no matter what rank you had, even the reserves were mobilized. Reports of problems and threats from nearly every corner of the country reached the government. No, the whole world. Ranks had to be filled instantly to create a perfectly functioning chain of command, after many years of peace they had a shortage of qualified high ranking officers.

General Firefly ordered the young woman into her office and informed her that she was chosen to become a captain of the Wonderbolts after her predecessor, Colonel Wind Rider, was promoted. A dream became reality, but Spitfire wished it would have happened in a time of peace. Nowadays, everything was uncertain. Magic was suddenly real, beings of fantasy roamed the land, most of their equipment died and there were no possibilities to communicate anymore. Except maybe with letters and messengers, how annoying.

Now she was sitting in her chosen office of the newly proclaimed Wonderbolt HQ, the former government building of Governor Blue Sky, and had to look through tons of paperwork. Complains of citizens, requests of refugees from Canterlot, reports from the patrols. Her job never ended, she literally had to keep herself awake with coffee in order to get everything done. Soarin and Fleetfoot helped with it, but there was just too much.

Seriously. Why couldn't she have discovered magic like Surprise to go with General Firefly on her mission instead? Oh, how she wished that something would happen that released her from the torment of officialdom.

Not even five minutes later the door was ripped open and Fire Streak stormed into her office. He looked like he ran a marathon and would fall over at a moment's notice. When he caught his breath enough to speak, the Senior Master Sergeant saluted and shouted in panic, "Captain Spitfire! Something terrible is about to happen!"

It was a joke! A bloody joke! What brought her to her subordinate's… gory appearance.

“What the hell, soldier?! Why are you covered in blood and entrails?!” Spitfire demanded to know, feeling a little ill to the stomach from the overwhelming smell of iron.

"I would like to hear your story as well, Senior Master Sergeant. Your panicked arrival caused a lot of commotion, so I decided to investigate what happened myself. It seems it was the right decision to make," a smoky male voice commented from behind in a calculating tone.

"Sir!" Spitfire and Fire Streak saluted Colonel Wind Rider when he stepped into the office, followed by a completely baffled Rainbow Blaze.

"Fire, you are back already? And where are the others?" Rainbow Blaze inquired worriedly, seeing the mess.

Instead of his earlier clothes he wore now a similar uniform to the Wonderbolts, but the symbol upon the chest consisted out of two crossed teal lightning bolts and the uniform itself was colored in vermillion and fir green.

The Wonderbolt in question began to sweat again, this time not from running, and replied nervously, "S-sir! There is something I have to tell you. And please! Before you do something you might regret, know that there was nothing I could have done to prevent it..."

"Are you seriously eating cake again? Where do you get always so much sweets, Clipper?" Fleetfoot asked her teammate in dry humor.

"I think I deserved it. After all, I helped Spitfire with a lot of paperwork and decided to reward myself," Soarin answered in a chilled position. He was leaning with a chair against his desk.

"Well, next time share with me. I suffer too, you know?" she demanded in mock-agitation.

"Sure thing, Fleet! Maybe we should ask our captain if we could get a more interesting task to do. What do you think?" He grinned challengingly.

"I think you are a dreamer. Don't misunderstand me. I would love to do something more excited, but it's not like Spitfire suddenly needs us to go on some suicide mission," replied the young woman with a smile of her own.

"THEY ARE WHAT?!" screamed a furious voice. It sounded like it came out of Spitfire's office besides them.

Soarin fell out of the chair from shock and mumbled only loud enough for his friend to hear, "Me and my big mouth..."

A pregnant silence reigned over the room after Fire Streak finished his story and Rainbow Blaze's outburst.

The angry father of Rainbow Dash voiced his opinion first, "Colonel! Captain! We have to help Ponyville and rescue the prisoners from this Dark Elf and her demons!"

"Troublesome, indeed. We can't allow this 'Jormun' to continue existing, either. It's much too dangerous to ignore and to close to Cloudsdale. Sadly, there is not much we can do about it in the moment," Colonel Wind Rider lamented.

"What do you mean, sir?" Fire Streak felt annoyed. Why couldn't they just push these monsters back?

Spitfire took the word, "What the Colonel means is that the biggest part of our forces have to remain in Cloudsdale to protect and hold the city until further notice. We don't know what kind of threats are just waiting to strike us down in order to take the city or destroy it. The safety of the citizens has the highest priority. You know what happened with Canterlot, and as matters stand, thanks to the reports of other refugees, Fillydelphia fell, too. Pirates are now in control of one of our country's most important havens, goblins, Nagas, other humans and more took over and repurposed it into their own pirate paradise, specially made for scum like them. Every form of resistance was absolutely eliminated by the invaders.”

Wind Rider looked gravely at the angry Wonderbolt and Blaze, “I understand your concerns, gentlemen. Ponyville seems to be the next target. But it could be the case that our enemies are watching Cloudsdale right now, just waiting for an opportunity to act. No, we have to stay strong and can't allow ourselves to show any weakness or risking being vulnerable, or exposed. So that is the answer to your questions. We can't send soldiers away into the unknown."

The captain of the Bolts took her seat again, thrumming with her fingers on wood, “On another note, we have no idea how this Jormun is even constructed and what kind of forces they have. It could be a giant deathtrap for every approaching army. Heck, for all we know they have fire breathing demon dragons which could kill us all or forms of magic at their disposal that will let our weapons look like toys in comparison. A direct assault is in this case completely out of the question. I can understand that you wish to help, but we won't be able to spare much ressources at the moment. Too much is at stake here and too many variables are unknown to simply 'attack and destroy' our foes," Spitfire explained for her very frustrated looking duo like a teacher.

Fire Streak couldn't simply accept their decision, "But-!"

Wind Rider stared his subordinate down, "Captain Spitfire is right with everything she just said, soldier. I can't ask the troops to risk their lives for nothing but a fast way to die painfully, or worse, ending up as prisoners themselves and leaving the city defenseless as a consequence. Then there is the newly formed militia. I was talking with Mr. Blaze about General Firefly's plans before we were informed about your arrival. All points on this topic need to be coordinated. Every new recruit needs training, food, shelter, the usual. And no, I can't and won't allow the Clouds Guard to fight and die at this point. They had no training at all. We may have vaguely 800 volunteers, but in this moment they are just civilians and nothing more. These people will get slaughtered like pigs by the enemy in a real battle," added the major analytically.

Rainbow Dash's father groaned, "I just say it, I'm pissed off. Not only are my friends in danger, but everyone else, too. But you are right, we can't storm off and charge into certain death. At least send a small team to Ponyville to organize its own protection. I would come, too, but I have responsibilities towards the new recruits. Unlike the others, I already had my fair share of training," he clarified. There was no room for discussions.

The colonel sighed fatefully before he focused his second-in-command, "Alright. We can't afford to lose Ponyville, so I want an elite team under your command to aid the town, speak with the local major. But only if you are up for the task. I know it will be your first major conflict under your own command as the highest ranking officer in this campaign. I will grant you free reign over every soldier you think is needed for your mission, as long as you keep your team small. What do you say, Captain Spitfire?" he asked in anticipation.

The newly announced commander of her very first own campaign saluted in conviction, "Sir! I will accept this mission and I already have the perfect candidates to recruit in mind. We will hold Ponyville and stop the demons from advancing any further. The city won't fall," promised the determined young Wonderbolt. She glared at Fire Streak, "And get your ass under a shower and burn your clothes! You are ruining the floor!"

The soldier in question saluted fastly and ran for his life, an angry Spitfire was a bad thing to have.

Everybody who was still attendant knew that the success of this mission was mandatory if they wished to catch a break any time soon. Or wanted to survive for that matter.

Zebrica, the land of trolls. They didn't know what to expect when they arrived, but this was unexpected. But first, the three women had to orientate themselves after the Luminas, Daring and Firefly convinced Surprise to choose another name than ‘Dolphicorn’ for the new species she found, brought them to the shore and returned home.

"What now?" Daring asked Firefly in expectation.

In response the general took out a flare gun and shot the munition into the sky, "We wait."

The sunset illuminated their surroundings in a warm orange light by now. It was a welcoming sight for sore eyes.

"Wow. That's what I call giants," Surprise commented astonishedly. She pointed to their right in the distance to a nearby cliff.

Daring Do was happy that these beings never existed before magic came into action. Two enormous scorpions ran wildly around where Suprise pointed at, luckily they didn't notice their group.

They were at least 1.5 meter tall, completely black with a yellow underside, had vibrant blue eyes and owend a giant stinger to boot. They disappeared into a nearby cave.

"I swear if we meet giant snakes..." Daring muttered to herself, twitching. The archeologist really didn't like snakes.

A shriek came from above.

Firefly looked up and commented with stars in her eyes, "I want one!"

"Huh?" Daring did, too, and saw the reason for the general's excitement. She could share her sentiment.

Three griffons approached their position. With riders upon their backs, so it seemed.

The griffons themselves looked very similar, only the plumage had various shades of the same colors, if the young woman saw it right. Majestic golden yellow beaks, deadly claws in the same color at the front on otherwise more like from a lion looking forelegs, paws at the hind legs and emerald green hawk eyes were the first details she saw.

Then they landed in front of them.

"Whoa! Coolest animals ever!" Surprise stated like it was a fact.

Daring couldn't disagree. These proud specimen were at least two meters tall, had a lion's ears and body for the most part. Nearly wholly covered by ochre brown fur, a long tail was attached to their backside, with black hair at the tip. Their bodies were in general very aerodynamically built, very muscled to grant power, but clearly made for speed and flight. In addition, a yellow underside. Speaking of flight, their wings were big, but very long and slim, too. With a wingspan of 8 meter from the left to the right and a pearl white coloration with single black feathers in between. The plumage itself at the front of their body on the chest, the neck and around the head were ochre brown, too.

"May the spirits be with you, humans. Mamba sent us to bring you safely to him and to the home of our tribe, Jin'Zeni. My name is Yurakon and these two brave warriors at my side are known as Voj and Hebara," Yurakon introduced themselves in a thick zebrican accent and a humming tone. He was the tallest of the troll trio.

"Welcome in Jin'Thala. Or formerly known as Zebrica," greeted the female troll in a nearly accentless deep voice. She was the smallest, but only by two inches.

"What's up? I didn't expect you would be able to survive the journey in days like these. You are smaller than I thought, too. By the spirits, I don't know what kind of business our prophet has with you, but it can't be that important. You look like a sneeze would be enough to bring you down. Your bones wouldn't even be usable for a good mojo potion," Voj joked in a very young voice. The only problem, or maybe boon, was that nobody of the three humans understood what he said in the first place.

"What language was that?" Firefly inquired in confusion. She heard much in her life, but nothing like that before.

"Our new mother tongue, Tro'ju. He just gave you a traditional greeting between trolls, don't worry." The smile he gave their youngest promised a serious talk for later, "Voj can't speak English, most didn't have a reason to learn how. He was just a simple farmer in his earlier life, before the spirits used their mojo and granted us a rebirth into what you see before your very eyes," Yurakon answered reassuringly.

It wasn't necessary to anger the women. It didn't stop him from giving Voj of them a glare for being disrespectful though.

"My name is Daring Do, these are Firefly and Surprise. My mother, Ancient Seeker, sent us to speak with Mamba," the archaeologist introduced their own team.

When she looked closer, she didn't expect trolls to look so similar to humans, except maybe the form of the face and the long ears with prolonged ear lobes to the neck. She was convinced in her mind that they were much uglier in reality, so it was a plus. All three of them had black tusks in the face, Hebara had shorter ones as her male companions, but she had a very human-like nose of a woman, while a long hammer nose was what the other two got. Three thickly built digits on the feet and four thicker fingers on the hands seemed to be typical for trolls, too. Daring saw furthermore that Hebara and Voj had both green glowing eyes and a light red skin color.

The rest of their bodies were covered by combined armor of leather, furs and metal made chest plates and helmets. Both wore strangely looking silvern spears on their backs, covered in glowing light blue runes.

Yurakon had black brown eyes, dark vermillion colored skin and a black mohawk haircut. He wore a pearl orange and yellow toga and terra brown sandals.

"I have a question, Mr. Yurakon. Your warriors look nearly the same, but you wear something completely different, does that mean something?" Surprise asked with a wide smile.

Yurakon chuckled and responded with a smile of his own, "Indeed. These two are warriors of our tribe, the Nanakoui tribe to be exact. Trolls with this kind of armor are especially recognizable because of the glowing green eyes, they are known as Spirit Guardians. I have more freedom with what I’d like to wear, I'm a shaman."

"That's interesting and all and sorry that I have to be that person, but we really need to meet with Mamba. Could you guys bring us to him, please?" Firefly inquired urgingly.

"Of course. That was the reason we came to search for you in the first place after all. Mamba knew that you were the persons who sought him in the moment we discovered the flare. Climb up upon the griffons' backs, and we'll escort you to him," Hebara answered this time.

The flight to Jin'Zeni was short, but beautiful for the three women. The steppes and plains of Jin'Thala were filled with all kinds of roaming animals, some new, some old. Many with palms filled oases and rivers were distributed over the landscape, first stars at the sky greeted them in the moment they arrived in the city. It was certainly rebuilt after the new cultural ideas and wishes of the trolls. Not only the name of Cato changed. A few temples were constructed, adding to the clear picture and brutal truth which wasn't really understood from the trio, only reported by rumors and reports. Now they saw it for themselves.

The world changed. A new age had arrived.

A big wooden bungalow and many smaller ones were built around their destination. The National Museum for Ancient History of Zebrica.

The griffons landed directly in front of the biggest one. Spirit Guardians stood in front of the building, an intimidating, but somehow welcoming committee.

"Remember, Mamba is now our tribe leader. The prophet of the Nanakoui, show him the respect he deserves," Yurakon warned lecturingly, "In the meantime we will bring the griffons to their stables. You should be fine from here on, Jin'Zeni is a safe haven for friends and allies alike."

"We will. Thank you very much for bringing us this far," Firefly replied gratefully.

He nodded his head and disappeared with Hebara and Voj, who bowed curtly before they followed the shaman.

"OK, let me talk with the guards. I can already tell that they are the type who demand proof that we have the right to visit their prophet," the general of the Wonderbolts informed.

"Suit yourself," replied Daring, unfazed.

"Yes, Madame!" Surprise saluted in vigor.

When they stood right in front of the entrance one of the trolls stopped them with her spear, though a small gun was decorated her hips, still. With an old sounding female voice the Spirit Guardian demanded to know, "What business do you have with Prophet Mamba, humans? Speak!"

"Called it!" Firefly thought smugly before she replied respectfully, "A very good friend of mine told us to seek out Prophet Mamba for his guidance, so that we may discover the truth behind what happened in the Celestial Sea. Maybe you heard about it. She mentioned that your tribe leaders owns her a favor, because she saved his daughter 15 years ago."

"Why didn't you say so from the beginning? Every troll in this city knows the prophet's daughter and who saved her life in the Ruins of Saphtam. Soul Sister Ancient Seeker is an honorable member of our tribe, allies of her are allies of the Nanakoui. Enter, friends," clarified the guardian.

There were a few words they didn't understand, but it sounded friendly and polite, so it wasn't important.

"Seriously, what did mom do? 'Honorable member'? Did she ever tell you about what happened 15 years ago, Mrs. Firefly?" inquired the curious adventurer and author.

"Call me Firefly, kiddo. You earned it. And to answer your question, I just know a few details and didn't really listen to be honest, because it sounded to me like a normal tuesday for Ancy at that time," Firefly responded, shrugging with her shoulders.

The trio walked through the entrance, admiring the art and interesting looking decorations on their way, until they reached a big door with two totems at each side. They all were decorated with very calm faces of trolls, it was strange.

"What are these for?" Surprise asked out loud in interest.

"I have no-" Daring Do couldn't finish her sentence.

All four totems started to glow in different colors. The eyes of every totem began to glow in the color of its representative element, and out of their wooden, slightly open mouths came fog in the same coloration. In sky blue, dark blue, a blazing red and a muddy brown.

Then the red one, which looked like on fire, started to talk in an ethereal voice, "I'am the Ember Totem. You were expected, mortals of flesh. May your path be illuminated."

The sky blue glowing totem spoke next, "I'am the Aero Totem. May the illusions of your enemies be blown away."

The muddy brown colored totem, "I'am the Terra Totem. May you stand firm in the time of uncertainty."

Lastly, the dark blue one, "I'am the Aqua Totem. May your senses be purified. Step into the room behind us, the prophet awaits you."

Whatever power infused the totems disappeared. They stood still again, like the dead objects they were beforehand.

"Well. That wasn't creepy and mysterious at all," Firefly commented dryly. The others laughed.

In the center of the homey room itself sat cross-legged between two big burning green torches on a complicated looking light blue magical circle, if they had anything to guess, a troll with closed eyes. His entire bare upper body was covered by vibrant white symbols. most likely Tro'ju, and illuminated in a light blue outline, similar to the circle beneath him. This had to be Prophet Mamba and he didn't seem to notice them.

The interior of the round chamber consisted moreover out of voodoo masks of various expressions on the wooden walls, arranged around the entire room and facing the troll. Two stony bookshelves stood behind Mamba and were furnished with a lot of scrolls and vials, filled with potions of various colors.

"I reaaaally hope that's just art," Surprise commented nervously and in slight fear.

Daring looked up and saw what she meant. Distributed under the entire ceiling hung as decorations many different forms of wind bells and beneath them with red runes and words, or so she guessed, painted white bones.

She hoped it was just clay.

He opened his sapphire blue eyes, they shimmered in the afterglow from his former act. His body stopped glowing and the white runes upon him faded to a weaker shade of white, nearly dull in comparison to earlier, "The spirits and Ancient Seeker informed me about your arrival. I know why you came this far, you need my help for your further journey. Aid for an important task, a quest of hope. I'am Prophet Mamba." He locked eyes with Firefly, then Surprise and finally Daring, "And you must be General Firefly, highest officer of the Wonderbolts and best friend of Ancient Seeker. You are the young Surprise, a promising magician of the cleaning element of water. And you are surely the infamous Daring Do. Your mother told me a lot about her daughter. May the spirits be with you, my friends," stated Mamba in a fatherly, deep, but still soft voice with no accent in perfect English.

It surprised everyone. Wisdom beyond his years could be heard.

He stood up and for the first time Daring noticed that her mother's friend was truly tall. At least 7'8”, well muscled, but no walking tank and without the magic that surrounded him she could see how he looked like otherwise. Very long and slightly inwards curved strong black tusks and three silver earrings per side on the pointed tips, formed like snakes, were noticeable. Sienna brown skin and white full long hair were other traits the archeologist saw. Mamba wore long mahogany brown pants made of leather, she had absolutely no idea what kind, but it made an expensive impression, and silky black sandals.

Daring bowed respectfully. "Prophet Mamba. I wasn't sure what to expect when my mother wrote me in her letter that I should seek out a 'curator'. Now it makes sense."

The troll chuckled amusedly, "Ah, yes. Your mother always had a need for being cryptic, I guess her life as a historian and its guardian rubbed off on her. I finished consulting the spirits and they granted me clarity in many ways. I saw pictures of great events in the future, but it won't do you any good to tell you about it. Like it always is with the future, it's not set in stone. Every decision in life influences the outcome. But what I can share with you is the next step you have to take," Mamba informed thoughtfully.

"We would appreciate your help very much, prophet," Firefly said politely.

He nodded shortly, "It's just the logical thing to do. Something pushed our world over the edge into a new era, we have to find out what or maybe even who is responsible, because such a powerful entity doesn't do something like that out of boredom. There will be a reason and we have to find it out. I asked the spirits for a name or anything else in that regard, but they are not omniscient, they are spirits of fire, earth, air and water, connected to their very element. They can tell if something related to their own domain happens and a threat is endangering the natural balance, but whatever is responsible for awakening the slumbering forces of magic, we trolls call it mojo by the way to your information, hid its identity well. The spirits are disturbed and restless, the Celestial Sea opened itself, gates which should never have been opened, so they said. A forgotten domain of ancient times has to be your next goal. There you may find the answers you seek. It is located under the sea," Mamba explained in a heavy tone.

"Mr. Mamba, sir, have these 'spirits' anything to do with the fact that the totems outside in front of the door decided to talk with us?" Surprise queried in great interest.

"Oho? The spirits speak rarely, if not at all, with beings who are no shamans or prophets. When that is the case, then we are in greater peril as I feared and have lesser reason to feel at ease than I hoped. Still, it explains much and why I have to help you with more than simply giving you informations," realized the prophet.

"That's fine and all, but we are missing here something very important. How in the name of everything holy could we even find this forsaken place? It's literally impossible to reach the ocean floor in the middle of the sea much less places beneath it," Daring commented, feeling an approaching headache.

He smiled patiently and replied in a lecturing tone, "You are right. The path beneath the sea is usually closed off for people like us, but there is a way to accomplish that. The spirits work in mysterious ways. They showed me an old grot, it was once sealed and awoke now from its slumber. The wardens of this holy place are the beings you seek. Nature spirits, the Nymphs of Horseshoe Bay, ask for their support. With their help you might be able to find the forgotten capitol and kingdom of the sea, Marelantica."

Firefly groaned, "Why has it to be so complicated? Well, beggars can't be choosers, I guess. If someone had told me a few months ago that Marelantica was a thing, I would have laughed, said that it was just a myth. But now..."

Their world was already upside down and now that? Marelantica? Nature spirits? One surprise hunted the next, no pun intended.

"Anything else we should know about? In the very unlikely case we reach Marelantica, what would we have to do next?" Firefly inquired tiredly, rubbing her nose between her fingers.

"I must confess that I didn't receive any more informations regarding your task. Regardless, I'm confident you will find your way and will know what to do next when the time is right," Mamba answered comfortingly.

"It must be so cool! As a prophet you can always know beforehand what will happen and act accordingly," Surprise said joyfully and gave him a thumbs up.

He laughed bitterly, "You have no idea, child. It is not as great as you make it out to be. Seeing the, and I emphasize it, potential future, is a blessing and a curse at the same time. Most nights I try to understand what I saw, hoping that some visions never come true, but others do. And I can't really 'prepare' myself as you might think. As I said, I see a potential future, visions which drive me to drink sometimes. Just so that I can sleep one night without feeling like I'm shortly before having a seizure from the amount of informations in my mind. Trust me, Surprise, a prophet's life is nothing you would wish to have," Mamba informed with a thousand-yard-stare.

"You said you had to do something else than talking with us. What did you mean?" Daring wanted to know.

He looked between the general and the archeologist, "Some humans have stronger magic in their body than others and can become mages, warriors, sorcerers or even warlocks, depending on your talent. I can use my connection to the spirits to unlock your inner power. They feel that you both have strong forms of magic inside of you, waiting to be used.”

A grim frown dominated his features, “There is something else you have to do first before you can try to find the Nymphs. A great darkness took root in the Forest of the Everfree. It aims to consume the nearest town, Ponyville, and all its inhabitants. From the oldest to the unborn child, it doesn't matter for it, everything shall be consumed and it only leaves misery and death in its wake. You have to help the settlement, a victory is mandatory, or your mission is doomed to fail before it even begins. So I will use my mojo to awake the magic inside of you," responded the prophet in a suddenly very serious manner.

"Dash..." Firefly whispered in shock. She stared helplessly at the prophet, forgotten were her former mannerisms and pierced him with livid eyes, "Couldn't you have said something earlier?! I'm very sure my daughter and her friends are in Ponyville in this very moment! We have to return as soon as possible and help them!" exclaimed the general of the Wonderbolts.

Mamba was unfazed, "The righteous fury of a concerned parent is truly a mighty weapon. Focus your anger not on me, but the very beings who want to take your family away from you, General. And I didn't say anything earlier, because I needed you all to focus, I saw that the attack will commence in three days. The spirits confirmed it. I already planned everything out, you will reach Ponyville in time, I promise. So don't worry, Mrs. Firefly." She didn't like it, still, but accepted it. Her instincts told her that Mamba was a man of his word, "You won't stand a chance as you are now, you need your magic to be awake and train with it in a fitting environment. Our training ground for the shamans serves exactly that purpose. The trolls of the Nanakoui will help you to be prepared. Are you ready?" He was curious, would they be strong and patient enough?

Daring Do and Firefly looked at each other in determination, an unspoken understanding between the two, they nodded.

"Yes!" answered both at the same time.

"So be it," Mamba stated and ignited his hands with great power, until they were completely surrounded by white colored magic.

He put his hands upon their heads, the duo's eyes were filled by the same power Mamba used and after a few moments it was already over. The troll prophet breathed laboriously from exhaustion and saw it in their eyes, magic.

"You should go to sleep now, ask Yurakon where your sleeping quarters are. Your training shall begin tomorrow morning at dawn." The prophet and chieftain of the Nanakoui left the room to make the necessary arrangements for them.

"Night!" Shouted Surprise after the troll. She positioned herself directly in front of the other two women, "Aaaaand? What did you get?" The Wonderbolt looked like a child on christmas.

Firefly processed everything first and replied smugly, "No 'madame', soldier? Ha! Relax, it's fine. I got Magma Magic! It seems I can attack now with abilities of molten lava and a sunburn won't be a concern for me anytime soon. But don't expect a demonstration in here, I don't want to burn down Mamba's home."

Surprise saluted, "Thank you, Madame! We should change your nickname from 'Thunder Demon' to 'Fire Demon' now.” She giggled, “Daring?"

The archaeologist in question spaced out since her magic awoke, she thought about the possibilities and felt giddily already. Then she noticed that Firefly had touched her shoulder and responded happily, "My magic is named Archive Magic. It allows me for now to look into the history of things I touch and to find out everything I want to know about it. Well, if it's possible that is. I don't know how I know that, but it seems that not everything is 'willing' to share its secrets with me, so it could be the case that it's impossible to see something I wish to know and remain empty-handed. And it only seems to work on inanimate objects.”

The door opened and Yurakon entered the room, "I see you finished your business with the prophet. The chieftain's wisdom is beyond most, I hope he could help you with your task and ease your worries. I will bring you to your rooms for the night. Please, follow me," requested the shaman in a friendly voice.

The trio of magicians swiftly followed him and soon stood before a smaller bungalow with furniture that could be considered too small for the bigger trolls. So that had to be their place.

"I can't wait to see what kind of training Prophet Mamba planned for us. What do you think, General?" Surprise asked excitedly.

"We will have to see. I don't know what kind of help they want to give us, but I do know that I'm tired and want to sleep," Firefly replied neutrally.

Yurakon laughed loudly, "That's the spirit, friends! Remember, you will always have an ally in our tribe. I'm positive that you're welcome to visit whenever you desire. May the spirits guide you." The shaman left.

All three hit the hay and were out like a light.

The next two and a half days were filled with training, training and more training. They learned all as much as possible in such a short amount of time, but weren't satisfied with the progress they made. Mamba calmed the humans down and said that it was fine, they shouldn't worry too much.

"It's time for you to return home, friends. I must say I never expected to meet a human who could create a hotter fire than me," Yurakon jested.

He was mainly the trainer for Firefly during their training and lost a lot of targets because of her Magma Magic. They were literally pulverized.

"Sorry! I know how much it must cost you to create or buy targets to train," Firefly apologized embarrassedly, cheeks reddened. Everyone got an amused reaction out of her plight.

The three griffons stood saddled and ready to go in front of them. They were groomed and fed by the trolls so that their team had no problems on their way back.

"We prepared everything for you. The saddles for the griffons are made in a similar fashion to a normal horse saddle and enchanted so that you are protected from the cold and rain up there. And don't worry about sending them back, they are highly intelligent and will return to us, or not, depending on their mood. We may use them as mounts, but they are not our slaves. These proud animals can do whatever they desire," Hebara informed.

Voj just grunted expressionlessly. He had to admit, they were OK... for small humans.

Mamba took that as his cue to say his own goodbye, "There are two things you should know before you leave. Well, the second topic is more a personal request of mine and I would be grateful if you could do something for me," he requested sadly.

It confused the human trio, his fellow trolls knew what their prophet had on his mind and smiled comfortingly.

"Of course, you can count on us. It's the least we can do after everything your tribe has done for us," Daring agreed for all like it was obvious.

The prophet nodded in gratitude, "Thank you. The first topic concerns something the spirits told me at the same time I received the visions about this dark presence. I just remembered now this morning, because I didn't want to distract you from your training. The message is that you won't be able to achieve anything alone, no matter how hard you try, it seems that Marelantica is under the control of a powerful trio, three beings, three sisters. The Royal Triumvirate. They have an army of their own and many allies, like slaves who are in thrall to them. Seek the help of the Phoenix, her allies will follow suitly when you manage to convince her.”

The female trio glanced questioningly at each other. What was he talking about?

“My personal request has to do with my own daughter. Her name is Zecora. She left Jin'Thala years ago to see the world and decided to settle down in Ponyville to help with her knowledge where she could. My little girl was always a master of making tonics or other potions. I am certain, with her new abilities, she is even better. Zecora is a troll shaman living under humans and I know about the problems your country is facing, the spirits told me about Canterlot. Please, be there for my daughter. I know that Zecora can help herself, but there are many humans who would try to kill her immediately out of hatred and fear of the unknown and she is but one. They make everything magical responsible for what happened to them and won't tolerate anything or anyone who is not a human.”

Firefly didn’t like what she was told, “I already feared that this could happen. But don’t worry, the Wonderbolts will ensure the safety of every citizen, not just humans alone.”

Mamba was pleased to hear that, “That goes for your own magic, too. I saw how humans killed humans, because they saw it as something evil. So you will have your fair share of work cut out for you. It could be that the population of Ponyville itself tries to hunt you down in the moment they know about your true nature," Mamba expounded with a slight edge in the end.

He knew why humans reacted like they did, but hurting innocents was unjustifiable, always.

The Thunder Demon sighed heavily, "I should have known. I have to think about it how we may approach the situation. We can't wish us back to another time. This world, this reality, everything here is now a part of our life. If some selected few, no matter the reason, think they can live out their darkest fantasies, act like savages, hurt others and spread racism, hatred and pain, just because they can't accept it... then they have to be dealt with," the general voiced emotionlessly.

"What is your plan? There are more than enough on this world, humans or not, who will never accept whatever you might have to say. They were, are and always will be violent and merciless. Will you hunt them down? Slaughter them like prey? Be careful. Tyranny is no solution, it will only backfire," Mamba warned sternly.

"No, no! That wasn't what I meant. There has to be a solution which doesn't include the death of hundreds or thousands, I concur..." Firefly felt the burden Fancy Pants was talking about. What could they do about the people who will never accept magic in their life, and in extension someone who could use it?

"Calm down, Firefly. We have a lot of time to think about it on our way back. Let's go," Daring mentioned urgingly. The Wonderbolts consented.

They mounted the griffons, exchanged last words and returned to the USA.

It was silent for a few minutes until Surprise asked a question which bugged her since Mamba mentioned it, "Who is this 'Phoenix' we have to talk to anyway? We don’t even know for what we are looking for."

Her partners in crime had nothing.

Author's Notes:

Greetings my avid readers!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Yurakon is best troll!

Oh and if someone is curious about all the different colors I used. On 'RAL' and especially 'wikipedia' are lists with a lot of existing colors.

Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned!