22nd November 221 BNM

Late Morning/Midday

Glaceland, Grolstrom fjord, North ice cliffs, waters

Shivering as he clutched the sea ice, Irvin held his sword out, ignoring the vague call of Starswirl and Blythe high above, the wizard focusing the fox's form as he readied a spell.

The black creatures swam near him, but none yet approached as they circled, and even went away. Shivering from cold and fear, Irvin turned to begin climbing up the ice cliff, his claws digging in.

A splash sounded behind him, as one creature surged past him, and he turned to gaze in anticipation.

The mouth was shut, but the black eye stared at him as the creature passed by, before the head disappeared.

But the smaller creatures, like the larger 'mother' that formed the bay's maelstrom, had many tendrils as part of their tail, a horrific hybrid of eels, newts and squid. As the creature passed, one tentacle lashed out underwater, and found Irvin's foot.

A surge of panic caught in Irvin's heart as he was yanked away from the ice cliffs, dragged out into the bay, the speed he was dragged at preventing him from swinging his sword around to hack off the tentacle latched around his ankle. But after about 10 seconds, a most mysterious thing occurred.

The tentacle released him, and even a few moments after, none of the marauding creatures came within 50 feet of him, any movements slow and leisurely as they also dove to the wreckage of the now sunken Scurvy Blythe, the main wreck now sinking to the depths of the massive Blue Hole that the Grolstrom Leviathan 'mother' had made her home.

Now underwater, again, Irvin saw the creature in all its grandeur, horrific and captivating, due to how clear the icy water was. He saw her mighty mouth shutting, like a bulb flower's petals sealing shut, and the fattened body sitting like a tree in the blue hole's depths, her mighty tentacles too numerous to count from here slowing in their usual motions to help create the currents to drag anything in the water to her.

A reverberating growl sounded in the water, from Grolstrom herself, like the groaning of a ship's hull but magnified a thousand fold. And yet, Irvin was unharmed.

Not taking this blessing lightly, Irvin began to frantically swim away and upwards.

As he broke the surface, he saw he was a hundred metres from the ice cliffs, and thankfully hadn't been very deep underwater. A quick gaze behind him made him notice the entire Fjord had settled somewhat.

The shallow suction well of the massive whirlpool was gone, as the Grolstrom's current was now closer to what it was when they arrived, the white water only there in the centre of the bay. It was slightly less in fact, meaning that although he was growing tired, he was actually very slowly getting away from the current's stronger pull in the kilometre-wide bay of water.

As he swam though, Irvin felt warmer all of a sudden, and tingling. He was coated in blue light as he was suddenly dragged very quickly through the water, and even upwards into the air itself.

Up ahead, as he shivered while being pulled through the cold air with his wet fur, Irvin saw Starswirl focusing, the Unicorn levitating him up the 70 metre cliff and 100 metre water span as quickly as he could.

Dropping onto the ice, a good enough distance from the ledge, Starswirl's blue magic was setting to work warming and drying the Fox and his clothing from head to tail.

As Starswirl kept his blue magic warming the Fox, Blythe was sat down on his hind legs, easing weight off his peg leg of only a few hours. The Gryphon stared at the Fox, remarking all he could at what he'd seen, be it Irvin's self-sacrifice, his strange release from being eaten, and being rescued by Starswirl:

"Yer a lucky bastard, ye know that don't ye?"

Slumping forwards, rolling over onto his back as Starswirl's magic finished drying his clothes and fur, the shock made Irvin grow tired all of a sudden, as the Fox wheezed out, his purple eyes staring blankly to the slightly cloudy, bright skies above:

"I'll just, let me lie here for a bit…"

Walking past Irvin, who was lying there as Starswirl's warming spell faded slightly, the Grey Unicorn stared out over the edge of the ice cliff 20 feet away, looking out to the bay. As if wondering the same, Blythe remarked aloud:

"They took the others, and me blasted ship! Why not you, or me for that matter?"

Starswirl had his own theory, as he stared down at the now calmer fjord waters, and the no longer present dark shapes of the smaller creatures, just the current caused by the large one turning the water white in the Fjord's centre.

"They sense greed for prey, and you weren't as keen on the treasure Captain. Even with you fighting them off, they just weren't as lured to you. As for Irvin, at first, he was just sneaky about it, he wasn't as proud or certain of getting the treasure as those on the ship. Their confidence in their greed must have been a dinner bell for the creatures over you two."

"They took me two loyal crew, though ah guess trying to help the others made them get picked up too." Blythe remarked bitterly, as he spat onto the ice nearby. As he wheezed on the ground, Irvin remarked:

"One snagged me in the water, but let me go after a bit. But the big one, it could'a swallowed the ship whole…"

"Maybe the elation you felt from giving up your greed to save a friend made you seem like a non-prey to them." Starswirl suggested, only knowing the deeper ramifications of that statement himself.

"Me ship…" Blythe lamented slightly, the Gryphon growling under his breath. He'd worked hard, lived on that ship for many years, over a decade even. And now it was sunk, and his crew were gone too.

Given they'd mutinied against him for the most part though, he wasn't too mournful of them at all. Speaking of which…

Turning to Irvin, Blythe asked with a grunt as Starswirl sensed the tension, turning to face them now from nearby:

"Irvin. Ye mutineed, but not in the same as the others. Mutiny still it may be, but why did you do it?"

Gaining some calm from his lying position, Irvin breathed as he felt his heart rate slow:

"I wanted the treasure, we'd have been rich forever. You were not seeming sane, I thought losing your leg made you a little nutty, and I wanted to take charge so a cool head would lead. As soon as we'd have been out the bay with the treasure, and you'd seemed to calm, I'd have handed captainship back to you."

"Ah find that hard tah' believe."

"You lead better than I do, and you're the only one I fully trusted with anything."

Blythe knew this, as Irvin had been among the first to join Blythe's crew. Yet Blythe had to ask:

"So why jump to save me?"

"I suggested this place when we got the Wizards. If it weren't for me, we'd still have the ship, a crew. And I felt you'd lost enough today as it was with your leg, and the mutiny to hand us over for ransom to New Gryphon. At least you'd live, even if I lose what little treasure I could have gained by leaving you behind."

Blythe couldn't help but give a grateful smile for this, but nearby it was Starswirl who contemplated this, disappointed in himself for doubting Irvin. Though fate hadn't shown a gradual turn, or seeds of what would come. Irvin's act had been entirely on a spur of the moment decision in wake of great misfortune to others and himself, where he chose to help another rather than himself, to the cost of his life had Starswirl not intervened to fish him from the frigid waters.

The Fox and Gryphon Captain sat on the ice cliff top, but there was another matter that Starswirl hadn't considered yet, as a voice came with a set of hoofsteps from nearby.

"Unexpected, wasn't it?"

Turning to the voice, Starswirl saw Siral walking over, the scarred, black furred Unicorn's grey cloak billowing in the clifftop winds. With a slight smile, Starswirl remarked as Siral came to stand beside Starswirl at the clifftop edge, a bit of distance from the Fox and Gryphon pair.

Starswirl's smile faded slightly as he recalled the outraged protest Siral had expressed against this entire endeavour before leaving the ship. This endeavour, and the greater one he was on with Starswirl.

Siral had seen the no-win situation for what it was, while Starswirl had tried to help the crew get away with the treasure in hope of not seeing senseless death. Though in truth neither wizard saw the scale of the threat Grolstrom presented, so Starswirl's help was perhaps the only reason the ship had been close enough for Blythe and Irvin to escape, and Irvin to show his spurred act of self-sacrifice, in the first place.

But Siral's words about the greater quest had rung too close to home for Starswirl to ignore:

POINTLESS QUESTS WITH NO GAIN TO BE HAD!

Stood beside each other, Siral sensed this in Starswirl, before the Grey wizard asked the troubled black one:

"What you said before you left the ship, what was it that made you say that?"

Quiet as always, Siral remarked: "May we continue this in a less hazardous setting? We may need to help those two, including the exemplary being we honestly both doubted more than the others before him."

"True that." Starswirl agreed, though he would be sure to bring this up again.

As the Wizards finished talking, Irvin turned to Blythe, who was sat there thinking to himself. Irvin asked carefully:

"I know this is maybe a little callous right now, but are you sure you didn't snag any coins yourself? Not greed talking here, but we'll need supplies wherever we head next."

Looking at the fox, still lying on the ice resting, Blythe shook his head, remarking:

"Nay, skint broke."

"And if I had any treasure in pocket I'd have been eaten." Irvin remarked, as he casually dug into his pocket, finding nothing. He'd cautiously stuffed his money bag coins in with the treasure, now hundreds of feet underwater.

As if overhearing this, Starswirl had remarked as Siral stood back slightly:

"We'll transport you back to Raykjevick. Can you make your way there?"

"Aye, ah can make arrangements with Lady Athalie, employment maybe fer us." Blythe remarked, while Irvin nodded in agreement, remarking aloud:

"And ships from all over come and go, plenty of work to find."

Behind Starswirl, Siral's head turned slightly at this statement by the fox, but he kept quiet as Starswirl gave a nod, before he turned to Siral, knowing what they could do.

A blue and grey mixed flash engulfed both the Fox and Gryphon, while the two wizards vanished with them, in a series of teleport jumps across to the south of Glaceland's west coast.

In the Fjord's depths, as if all was the same, the Grolstrom simmered, her gullet and that of her underlings filled.

Underwater, a few of the smaller creatures swam into the wreck, sensing treasure, as they snatched up the chests to swim them into the underwater chambers, breaking them open to then take the piles of treasure in their mouths.

Once the chamber holes were dug again, they'd deposit the treasure back in place, their lure for any sailors lucky enough to get through the channel.

But this was a first. This was the first time some had actually survived the journey. Living knowledge of the site may well change things, though the beasts didn't know this yet.

24th November 221 BNM

Late Morning [dawn]

Glaceland, Raykjevick city

Lady Athalie's Lodge and Tavern

They'd arrived on the late afternoon of the 22nd, and had stayed in the city for 2 days now.

Captain Blythe and Irvin had got jobs at the Tavern, and though Lady Athalie had not been too pleased they hadn't recovered any treasure to repay her for the damages their crew's fight before leaving for Grolstrom had done, she couldn't berate them after what she'd heard happened.

A quick talk in her office about something Starswirl and Siral didn't know had simmered her temper with them returning empty handed surprisingly quickly. Why, they would never know.

Starswirl knew Siral was still not down, the black Unicorn had been distant, and they had talked briefly. Siral was doubting the entire point of this whole endeavour to do with the Prophecy, namely if it was useful they be on it while Equestria and others relating to it as a nation fell more and more into discontent and less peaceful times, an impending power struggle between Equestria and New Gryphon brewing, amidst the already growing power struggle of Alicorn led groups within Equestria itself.

Last night, after a long talk, Siral had left when Starswirl had asked whether he was doubting this quest, or his own role in it. That seemed to strike a nerve, and the black wizard had left for a walk to clear his head in town, and then returned to his rented room without a word to Starswirl yet said.

Sat at the bar, as Irvin now actually was working behind it to earn a living under Lady Athalie, while Captain Bryce had become a sort of bodyguard for her, Irvin handed Starswirl his usual morning drink and bread, before he gave a sigh, remarking honestly:

"I never got to say upfront, thank you, for saving my life from the water. I'd likely have died from the cold or drowned, sucked down maybe, even if not eaten."

"You earned it after you helped your captain, after you overcame the treasure's pull on you."

Looking away slightly, Irvin gave a small chuckle as he remarked: "I'd like to give you something as a way of saying thanks, but I'm short on anything as is. I owe as much."

Starswirl seemed surprised by this, considering Irvin's attitude to his possessions, and he remarked:

"I don't think I could take something you need."

Pausing for a moment, Irvin remarked: "Well, from what I overheard, you and Siral travel a lot, and I also heard you're leaving later today too."

"What haven't you snooped in on us to hear?" Starswirl asked bluntly. Irvin disregarded this, as he dug into his pockets to pull out an item:

"We won't be travelling for a while me and Blythe, no ship. Plus, magic or not, you always could use a good compass in case any magic fails or something."

Pulling out the large, silver coated compass, Starswirl was puzzled as Irvin opened up the thick backside, pulling out a set of thin lock picks. The Fox cracked a smile, his purple eyes glinting as he remarked:

"But I'll keep what could come in handy for me later on if you don't mind."

Sliding the compass forwards, Irvin saw Starswirl take it in his blue magic grip, slipping it as he also shrunk it, into the very same pouch that Irvin had stolen mid run when they first met just over 2 weeks ago now.

The Grey Wizard seemed to mumble something under his breath, though if Irvin's ears didn't deceive him, it was likely something about 'five down, one left'.

Raising his mug of light ale to Irvin, Starswirl made a gesture to Irvin as he saw the Fox bend down to begin cleaning some glasses:

"If you want my advice Irvin, try not to use those lock picks on anything in this town. A safe haven is a good thing to have."

"Until we get a ship to move about in as our safe haven yes. Besides, Athalie would string me up if I caused trouble in her town."

The Fox's remark wasn't at all joking, though Starswirl knew this town wouldn't be his and Siral's domain for much longer.

Early Afternoon

Glaceland, Raykjevick city

Lady Athalie's Lodge and Tavern

Athalie's office quarters

They had left, fully packed with what they did carry with them. Siral had muttered enough polite farewells to Irvin and Captain Blythe, who saw off the two Wizards they'd become involved with, to their financial loss ultimately but not necessarily total as they secretly knew.

No long goodbyes, as it was straight to the point. The Wizards had places to be, and could hire boats to get there if need be.

But as the Wizards had left, it was 30 minutes later that Lady Athalie had called them into her office for a more thorough meeting about their exploits.

The diagram Irvin had drawn was crude, but simple to understand. The treasure hall and floor of wealth, the crevice it was in, the opening to the ground above, and the beast entry holes around the hall, along with a few crudely drawn marks showing snow collapsing to plug them.

Staring at the diagram, Lady Athalie remarked to the two:

"Well, it looks like surviving it meant you may have found a way to get it more easily. Only reason nobody found the crevice to enter from with enough length of rope was that nobody survived the only known way in and out by the water."

"Aye. If we can muster up ways to block the creature holes safely, like the wizards did or better, and get treasure up to the crevice, travellin' by land will save a lot of risk." Blythe remarked, pointing specifically to the creature holes.

Adding to it, Irvin remarked: "I'd say we wait until spring or summer though, when the snow and ice is less. And that we keep quiet about this, no one else will know where it is, or that a way in by land even exists, except for us."

Giving a smile at the two surviving, and highest ranking members of the Scurvy Blythe, Lady Athalie's Gryphon beak cracked a smile as she looked at the two, though Blythe slightly more for other reasons:

"Well gentlemen, we and those we hire may be rich beyond measure yet."

"We? Ye'd come with us to claim it?"

"No, but you owe me for giving you jobs, and for the wreck your crew did fighting the other in my tavern below." Athalie reminded them. Giving a sigh, Blythe remarked:

"Aye lass."

"Welp." Irvin coughed under his throat, not letting his Captain, who now was subservient to lady Athalie until their ploy in spring or summer it seemed, hear his thoughts on his submissiveness.

A few long months he could wait until great wealth was his. He'd waited long already; a bit more wouldn't hurt.

He had no regrets.

Meanwhile

Glaceland, Raykjevick city

Docks

Starswirl had said they'd leave for the nearby mountains, though finding a secluded place in Glaceland wasn't exactly a challenge anyway.

Yet before they left, Siral stopped them in town, near the docks. As he took a breath, what Starswirl worried was finally said.

"I can't do this anymore. I can't keep accompanying you."

Starswirl stood by as Siral was staring at a ship nearby, which was moored at docks, though it was being loaded for a departure later today it seemed. And a particular Earth Pony officer on the crew seemed to recognise the Black Unicorn by his grey cloak, giving a slight nod towards him.

Turning to Starswirl, Siral remarked: "That ship is leaving for Equestria in 3 hours. I'll be on it."

"But, what about the prophecy, we have only one more before we have to then be ready for the 7 beings of threat to Equestria and the world, you can't leave now!"

Siral shook his head, speaking fairly with Starswirl:

"I can't stand by while we gallivant across the world and Equestria, and nations affected by them, plunges further from the more peaceful state we left it in nearly 6 centuries ago now. We haven't been back to Equestria in nearly 600 years Starswirl, 600 YEARS. One of us has to go back, and fulfil the pledge for greater good we took as Wizards."

And as Siral turned, he finished with a stern tone: "And like you urged me before I followed out of morbid curiosity, against your wishes, I shouldn't have come on this journey, so I'll go back for us both."

As he put a hoof to the scars on his face, and knowing of the ones crisscrossing his entire body like a mosaic's lines, Siral remarked: "And experiences have shown there's things that we cannot both ignore, from Equestria, and possibly against it in New Gryphon's case."

Starswirl was silent. He wanted to tell Siral that he was wrong, that Stasrwirl couldn't have done this without him, that he was wrong to think he shouldn't have come.

But he had a very good point.

And yet, Starswirl tried his best:

"We're partners Siral, friends! I'd do anything for you and you the same, we've helped each other and accomplished and seen so much. You can't just give that all up now!"

"You were the one the Prophecy mentioned, not me. I should not be on this quest." Siral remarked. Shaking his head, Starswirl remarked:

"I know Geldrath tortured you, that Alicorn was not normal, if this is about him-."

"Geldrath is merely one way in which my eyes were opened to a mistake we both made. We've been gone from Equestria, we haven't been keeping track of the very country the Prophecy states these 7 beings of harm will arise from, and by what we've heard, New Gryphon is on a long road to warfare down the line, and the Alicorns are growing increasingly powerful, influential, and ambitious to the point of even sadistic means in Geldrath's case. I wasn't predestined to finish this journey as you were, not with you all the time."

Turning away, Siral remarked: "This isn't goodbye forever. I just, I can't stand by anymore while Equestria is falling into disharmony, turmoil, from inside and outside sources. I'm going to return there, see what I can learn, what I can maybe do. At least get a better idea of what sort of things could cause turmoil from 7 beings down the line."

Siral's reasons were compelling, thought out, and driven by logic, yet fuelled by his own bad experiences. Despite all his pleadings at a sentimental level, Starswirl knew duty had to come before it.

With a stiff nod, Starswirl laid a hoof on Siral's shoulder, remarking: "I understand. But, I just can't believe this is us parting."

"You know I can track when you time jump, and how long until you come out. Once I have what I need to know, however long it takes, I'll jump myself."

At this, Starswirl gave a reasoned joke: "See who finds whom first then."

Cracking the smallest of smiles, Siral remarked: "You more likely, I won't know where fate will point you for case number 6, only WHEN you come out."

Putting down his hoof, Starswirl stood quiet for a moment, before he gave a slight cough, remarking: "So, this is goodbye?"

"For now. We'll meet again." Siral's answer was vague, but as accurate as could be.

Walking forwards, Starswirl wrapped Siral in a one forearmed hug, the Black Unicorn reciprocating himself, before they both pulled back. As Starswirl looked at Siral, he took in the slightly younger, albeit middle aged looking Black Unicorn for the last time.

A Black fur body with a white mane, and eyes as grey as rainclouds. The mosaic like scars across his entire body were hidden from view by his grey travelling cloak, except for Siral's head and face, his hood rolled backwards, uncaring of the odd look of fear or interest at his slightly disfigured looks. Looks could be easily masked if needed be.

Starswirl's blue eyes, Grey fur and lighter grey mane and beard stood in contrast, but he was content to let his friend go from here.

Not wanting to delay much further, and not risk having second thoughts and trying to dissuade Siral, not that he likely could have given his adamant state, Starswirl gave a small smile as he turned to leave, a sad sigh escaping his mouth before he spoke:

"It was good to have you with me, all this time. It would have been lonely otherwise."

"One more reason I had to leave, just as the prophecy warned, less chance of those close to your heart becoming a threat. Like Geldrath told me, and you didn't."

Siral's last words stopped Starswirl in his tracks, the Grey Wizard turning to see Siral already wandering over to the ship bound for Equestria in 3 hours, the Earth Pony captain seeming to take up Siral's offer on helping load cargo before departure.

Staring at the Black Unicorn vanishing into a few storage buildings nearby, Starswirl looked down slightly, lamenting a lost friend, and the secret he had kept from about one line in the Prophecy.

He hadn't trusted Siral completely, as Siral had him. Duty had come first, and Siral had volunteered to help him by both coming with him, and now leaving to deal with trouble at home.

Yet a small part of Starswirl wondered if he himself had driven Siral away by focusing too much on the Prophecy, ignoring much else in the world until gathering the 6 exemplars was done.

All of a sudden, the 5 trinkets in his small pouch he'd gathered from Mashri, Hinai, Frello, Nahia and Irvin weighed heavier, despite him now travelling much lighter in company.

Now those 5 trinkets from them would remind him of times when he had Siral on side.

Snorting, Starswirl kept the one hope in his mind that Siral would improve with his conscience and worries sated, while Starswirl would focus on the final of the 6 before returning himself.

Donning his blue pointed hat, acquired all the way back in Pahrii centuries ago, and tightening his blue travelling cloak, Starswirl decided to walk out of town to clear his head slightly, gain some full composure at parting with his one friend in all these journies.

4 hours later

Late Afternoon/Dusk

5 miles west of Glaceland, Muttlantic Ocean

Equestrian merchant ship

Stood aboard the deck of the ship, as sailors finished tying down the ropes for a smooth nighttime sail, Siral's usual seasickness was not there as he stared back east, the smallest part of his mind knowing he'd miss Starswirl, he'd miss the travels.

But he had greater things to deal with.

Duty had to come first. It was why Starswirl had lied to him about the Prophecy's omitted line all the time, even to the end.

Siral understood, and didn't make a big scene of it, but just let Starswirl know. When they regrouped, they would both be on better terms with their duties more aligned now, on the threats to come.

But Siral would be the one to know the state of things as they are, and were developing in Equestria and nearby.

And whenever he and Starswirl next met, things would be much different, that was guaranteed.

Whenever that was, whenever he came out of the time jump.

He'd drunk the potion, and he'd know when Starswirl time jumped, and what date he'd come out. Once Siral had enough of analysing and trying to alter the course of things in the present, he'd leap forwards too, and work from there.

The only thing was that where Starswirl was drawn was unknown, so Siral would be sure to do what he could to find Starswirl as soon as he was out.

For now, the first stars in the night sky beckoned above the rigging, as the long sail west to Gronnland, then onto Equestria's north eastern shore, was left to be done before anything else.

Ahead lay many years for Siral before he would join the time Starswirl jumped to.

Those years would change him greatly in ways he himself hadn't forseen.

1 hour later

Glaceland, north western hills

Hidden cave

Finding the secluded cave, knowing this may well be the last time jump, Starswirl readied himself.

Once he found the 6th, he would not time jump, but return to Equestria. Like Siral, he would return to his duty place as soon as was possible, once the lessons, and 'magic' from their examples set were all acquired.

He focused on the time jump potion and spell, knowing Siral would be aware of this and join him in his time, likely in Equestria, when he was ready.

The blue light consumed Starswirl for the 6th time in his life, as he was thrust forwards in time yet again, to travel to where his prophecy influenced mind directed him when he re-emerged.

What would come from his next venture would be wildly different from what he had ever expected when he started out this journey, and the lack of partner on this leg was merely a small part of that.

As he travelled through time, world events unfolded that had Starswirl known would be occurring around his time of emergence, would have stayed behind with Siral to try and intervene and dissuade.

Author's Notes:

The end of the GENEROSITY arc, as well as Starswirl and Siral as partners in travel.

It was inevitable that Siral's conscience about affairs back in Equestria reached a juncture with all they were learning, Starswirl omitting the warning of anyone close to him on the journey [Siral], and a personal experience with a turned Alicorn in the HONESTY arc.

As for Irvin and Blythe, the treasure of Grolstrom is within easy reach now that they've found an easier way in no one lived to tell of. A way where the creatures won't be able to touch them or the crew they bring once planned.