“Get up! You lazy zebra!” shouted the shrill of a certain teal mare’s voice into his ear.

Zeccaran rolled out of his chair in a total stupor. He wasn’t due for a Gusty invasion for another two weeks. Her presence now only raised questions in his still mostly asleep mind. He slipped and fell onto his stomach with a moan.

“Do I have to? Can’t I just lay here?” he complained keeping his eyes closed against the bright light of her horn.

He got lifted up in Gusty’s telekinetic grip. Her hooves were quickly placed on his shoulders and he was shaken more awake. He yelled in surprise his eyes snapping open to see a broad smile on his friend’s lips.

“Okay, okay! I’m awake!” he said slapping her hooves away.

Gusty squeed and looked at him eagerly. “Get your bag, we must get going at once!” she declared. Zeccaran looked at her realizing he was dreaming, his door and all its upgraded security measures had been left untouched.

“How did you even get in here?” He questioned.

“I walked in!” she smiled slyly.

“What, through the wall? You clearly didn’t use the door.” he countered.

Zeccaran squinted his eyes suspiciously. This was a particularly weird dream, typically by now Gusty would have just opened the door, magically avoiding all his locks and mechanisms.

“Yep! Check it out!” she giddily bounced.

Gusty turned a rather dark-gray color and strode directly through the stone as if it wasn’t there. Zeccaran stood there with a terrible sinking feeling.

“I’ve been meaning to try it out. It’s called Meld into Stone! I wanted to see what you thought of it.” Gusty’s now gray face poking through the wall again smiled at him.

“Ohhhhohoho noooo….” Zeccaran griped dismally.

He started putting some of his scrolls in his bag. Grabbing his emergency smoke and concussion grenades he had made from the bottom drawer in his desk while he continued to groan. His sickle was stashed there too, he tossed it in with the other supplies. Zeccaran turned around to see Gusty’s head protruding from the wall still eagerly waiting. He moaned again. It wasn’t a dream.

He had known the day would come, but he really wished it could have waited maybe a few more hours, no days, no weeks, years! Zeccaran had rathered it never arrive.

“Let’s go.” He said slowly trotting over to Gusty.

She loosed a gasp and grabbed him with a suddenly extending hoof. Zeccaran felt fairly strange the instant she touched him. Gusty’s hoof reached around his shoulder and she hefted him up off of his hooves. She plopped him on her back. Zeccaran then could see through to either side of the wall and down the thick wall to the end of the hall.

“How...how are you doing this?” he stammered.

“Well the language is rather specific, I have to be carrying you and all other objects or the spell doesn’t work!” Gusty giggled.

“What?!” he gaped at her confused.

“I don’t know, did I say something? I kinda spaced out there.” she remarked back at him, convincingly equal in confusion.

Zeccaran wanted to complain but found that deducing how Gusty’s brain worked was not his job. Maybe he knew better, maybe it was cruel fate egged on by some dark all-powerful malevolent god, he didn’t know. Gusty pulled him the rest of the way through the wall and proceeded to sprint down the hall unabashedly carrying him.

“Where are we going?” he asked as they rounded the corner to the security checkpoint. Curiously, the security ponies were absent. Such was Gusty’s good luck, Zeccaran again found himself wanting to complain but knew he was only preaching to the choir.

“To the Baylands!” Gusty chirped excitedly. “I already arranged for Celestia to babysit Amethyst, Bunker is already at the departure point, and I cannot wait!” she yelled as she ran.

Zeccaran, realized he had asked the wrong question.

“Why are we going?” he petitioned.

Gusty kept on running, ignoring him as she rounded the corner to the main hall and shot towards the center corridor that led to the Residents’ apartments. She practically took to the air as she sped down the hall. Ponies dodged out of her way without so much as a single cry of surprise. Zeccaran supposed that was because they were used to Gusty running amok.

“Because, their leader, the Golden Dame is my friend.” she finally responded with huffs as rounded the corner to the left.

“Is that it? Wait, like you know her from before?” he questioned, concerned. If Gusty was starting to remember things the world had just become a much more dangerous place. Zeccaran knew that much for certain.

“Well, yes. But it was Celestia, and grubby old Stormwind, that said I should go to try and recover more of my memories.” Gusty answered between heaving breaths.

“I hope they know what they are doing then!’ He shouted in surprise as Gusty began bounding up the stairs at the end of the residence halls.

It had been a time since Zeccaran had been to this portion of the castle. He actually had been under the impression that the area they entered from the basement was restricted to military personnel only. It probably was, but given everyone’s understanding that Gusty was not a mare to be trifled with they weren’t stopped. Then again, the officers and guardsponies they passed were quite literally diving out of the way. Judging by the speed of the passing windows, if Zeccaran fell off his current transporter it would be an exceedingly painful experience. He held on tight as Gusty zipped around the corners of the halls and entered the main lobby of the Office of Military Intelligence

Gusty kept sprinting, going up the lobby’s patillo like stairs. He desperately wished to get down from Gusty’s tall back. Such an idea was pointless until she stopped, unless he really felt like breaking his legs which he didn’t. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth hoping this farce would be over soon.

“Wait! Why am I running?!” Gusty suddenly cried.

Schwiishhh-pop! Came the sound of teleporting, accompanied by the usual sense of nausea at being sucked through time and space.

Zeccaran open his eyes to see a set of two golden air-chariots. They were positively the most elaborate carriages he had ever seen. They had full-covers arching over their raised fronts giving them somewhat ball shaped appearance. They had full windows without a pane to be seen that slipped up from the floor to the hard metal cover. Inside there were seats, cushions, and curtains visible through the glass. The back featured an elaborate hatched door and what looked to be a small private chamber.

The great sky-wagons sat atop the main battlements of the Wall, the main defensive barrier that surrounded the Palace’s back and gardens. Around the chariots armed ponies swarmed about, they weren’t Royal Guards. Instead the ponies, almost all of them pegasi, wore dark-grey steel armor adorned with an strangely familiar crest depicting a cloud shooting lightning away from it. He couldn’t recall where he had seen it before. It did not matter Zeccaran was quickly distracted by a loud female voice.

“Late as usual, eh Gusty, lass?” somepony brogued from the crowd.

Zeccaran looked up to his right towards the early morning sky. He only needed to look at the image for the briefest moment for his brain to kick the rest of the way on. It wasn’t somepony, it was somesheep. He facehoofed remembering what peoples lived in the Baylands.

“I’m not late. I arrived precisely when I wanted to.” Gusty responded coyly. Zeccaran took the moment to hop of her back while he had the chance to no break bones. He looked into the crowd of bodies again to see a pair of heavily armed and armored rams escorting a small golden ewe towards them.

“Well, what have we here, eh? Ye moost be Zeccarah-ah-an” the ewe bleated with a smile.

“Hi.” he waved lost to her thick accent, and trying his best not to smile.

The ewe crossed the distance to him in the blink of his eyes.

“Hullo, laddie! Any friend o’ Gusty’s is a friend o’ mine!” she purred as she hugged him. Zeccaran assumed she was actually trying to crush his sternum. He had no idea how the little, very old, ewe was so strong, he just wanted her to stop.

“Nice to meet...you...too!” he eked out with the last bit of air in his lungs. She released him just before he blacked out. He stood there panting as Gusty and the Golden Dame laughed at him. The Dame caught herself after a moment and offered a formal curtsy.

“Th’ name’s Gerturde, sir zebra an’ Gusty tell me that ye be a ex-” The ewe was cut off.

“Alright ya featherbrains, mount up the chariots!” came the booming voice of Stormwalker. Zeccaran barely had to look over the crowd to see the enormous stallion. Around him the milling mercenaries immediately began readying the craft for flight. Meanwhile Stormwalker himself began personally fastening a fiercely blushing female flyer to the near chariot mount. A pair of mercs brought a clearly surprised Bunker over to them and stood there stoically as their compatriots bustled to get things ready.

Dame Gertrude’s guards along with a pair of unicorns clad in leather hopped onto the far carriage. One of the mercenaries guarding them turned at the sound a of a whistle before waving the group over with a hoof. The pair helped each of them up onto the large raised platform of the chariot, Zeccaran went in first. He beheld a large assortment of traveling bags and a few packs he recognized as Gusty’s. They had been hidden by the craft’s raised front paneling and two rows of seats. He took the leftmost position in the front row and turned to watch as Gusty, Bunke,r and Dame Gertrude got on before selecting their seats. Bunker sat next to him while Gusty and the Dame took the right pair of chairs, loudly gabbing on about the trip.

Stormwalker thumped his armored front legs up on the hatch threshold drawing everyone else’s attention.

“Are the accommodations adequate, Lady Dame?” he spoke in a silken tone.

“Aye, lad! They are most comfortable! Thank ye!” Gertrude responded with a bounce and a grin.

“Gusty?” He prodded further, leaning into the carriage.

“This meets the bare minimum of travel comfort for a mare of my stature.” Gusty responded tepidly, nose in the air. Zeccaran noticed she still kept one eye trained on the stallion regardless.

“I suppose I will have to try harder next time.” He responded with small bow of his head. “Have a safe trip.” he added with a sly smile and a wink, before closing the hatch.

Zeccaran could have sworn he could hear a chorus of mares shrieking in a desperate harmony of attention-seeking high-pitched screams. Zeccaran just rolled his eyes. That stallion was the heaven's’ gift to mares to be sure, but he didn’t have to flaunt that he knew such like some petty piece of shit.

A static buzzing suddenly filled the cabin. A buzzing Zeccaran recognized as an invention he had made. He had only recently finished the design and its first fully functional prototype. It was a total mystery to him how Stormwalker had acquired the technology, much less had it installed into a chariot.

“Hello? Is this thing on?” came the gratey voice of a stallion.

The group collectively confirmed the device was working.

“Alright good. I’m the lead driver of your carriage...uh. We will be taking off presently….uh. There will be no stops on the trip...uh, if you need to relieve yourself please see to the private room at the back of the wagon.” the nameless fellow drolled on through a series of pauses.

“Food has been readied and placed underneath your seats. That will be all.” he concluded. Zeccaran leaned his head down to find several sealed thin cardboard boxes stacked neatly under him.

Through the small front viewing window the five pegasi attached to the chariot began beating their wings. The craft shook lightly as its wheels were lifted off the ground. Zeccaran found himself subconsciously clutching to the seat as best as he could with his hooves. On his left one of the tall battlements fell below the edge of the viewport. Once they were level with the tower’s flat top they stopped ascending with a harsh jolt causing Bunker to groan uncomfortably next to him. The pegasi shifted their wing beats to unison downstrokes and the craft began to rattle as the started moving forward.

Zeccaran hazarded a look at his earther friend. Bunker was practically wrapped around his seat. “Shit, shit, shit, shit.” the stallion murmured his eyes wide.

With a grand decrescendo the shaking came to a stop as they flew over the city. Zeccaran watched as they slowly picked up speed, the ground breezing by ever faster. The were out over the open air of the Equestrian Plains some huge distance from the ground. He released the breath he had been holding. He was certain the flight was going to have no trouble now that his nerves had settled.

“How long is this trip to your homeland, Dame Gertrude?” he asked leaning past the still rather petrified Bunker.

“Hum. Methinks it be ‘bouts a two day trip from Canterlot.” The golden ewe responded with a thoughtful look. “Boot, wit’ this mighty carriage, I be betting we get there’s in only a day-an’-a-haf. We shan't be landing ‘til the ‘morrow’s afternoon.”

Zeccaran nodded in agreement. He had no need for words at this point. He was actually starting to feel sleepy. He was fairly certain that he had only recently fallen asleep earlier in the morning. He yawned, deciding there was no real reason to be awake he slouched back in his chair and was quickly asleep.

Zeccaran awoke to an argument.

“I just don’ understan’ lass. Why wouldn’ta ye not indulge da’ stallion if he showed interest in ye?” Gertrude was questioning in tone somewhere between accusatory and desperate.

“There are not words enough to describe what is wrong with him, Gerty.” Gusty answered with a near growl.

Zeccaran reached below his seat and grabbed one of the food packages. He noticed Bunker stretched out on the rows of seats behind them asleep. He smiled at the red fool and his ability to sleep through the females’ near yelling. He began eating, absently listening as he looked out towards the setting sun.

“Oh come now! We be the closest o’ friends, aye? Tell ole’ Gerty why.” the ewe schmoozed.

Gusty loosed a long melodramatic sigh. “He’s rude, arrogant, and a damned demonic scoundrel.” she spat bitterly.

“An’ tha’ haff stopped ye before? Nay, me says. Th’ mare I kennt taken such males as a challenge!” Gertrude responded sharply.

“Well, he’s not worth the trouble, nor the challenge.” Gusty scoffed.

“Never would such a day ere’ pass, I had thinked. Alas, I be wrong. Well, no harm meant den, lass.” the Dame apologized.

“Don’t mention it.” Gusty graciously accepted.

Zeccaran could finally make out the edge of the ocean glinting in the sun’s last rays by the time they stopped. He kept peering out the glass enjoying the new silence, admiring the beauty of the earth. He slowly picked at his meal as the sun slipped the rest of the way below the horizon causing all the sky to turn a vibrant pink-orange. The packaged food consisted primarily of granola and oats in a copious volume. A pile of sun and spice dry hay was a decent side along with an apple and a pear. The traveling food even had a heavy pound cake for a dessert, wrapped tightly in a wax paper. He felt quite satisfied by the time he had finished eating.

A curious set of bleats made Zeccaran turn around to find Dame Gertrude asleep, wadded up on one of the seats. The small ewe was just barely visible beneath Gusty and her mane, who was using her friend as a pillow, both snored lightly the Dame’s bleats merely new to his ears. They were an odd pair of friends Zeccaran remarked silently, but he supposed they were no more strange than he. The motion of a shadow on the far side of the carriage made him look up sharply. The strange apparition had flashed in and out behind the dark clouds on the right of their vehicle.

He stared in that direction waiting to see any movement between the fluffy waves of the quickly darkening clouds. He was starting to turn away and ignore what he had thought he saw when the shadow appeared again. The spectre broke the bank of the aerial moisture, banking away from the carriage in an evident effort to make it to the next wall of clouds. A strong unease settled on him as the silhouette disappeared again leaving him to scrutinize the darkening sky. He waited for at least ten minutes before the shadow popped out of the thick sky-soup this time flying up and eventually above their ride. Lightning flashed in his eyes as he continued to try and track the shape, the explosion of brightness caused him to lose it.

There was a softened but growing moan as the deluxe chariot changed directions in a gradual turn. Winds began to buffet the wagon as the scratchy voice of the pull leader came over the comm.

“We are diverting course around this storm. We have a really strong tail wind so we aren’t expecting any delays. You can expect some light bumps from the turbulence coming of this storm. Good luck sleeping through it.” he said dryly over the hiss of wind.

“Yeah, no problem.” Zeccaran responded over the snores of his companions. Tonight was going to be long unpleasant experience. More flashes this time accompanied by low rumbles of thunder shook the frame of the chariot. No one else stirred, Zeccaran bit his lip in frustration wondering why he had to be plagued with this nonsense weather. He turned his view back outside hoping to see some remains of the sun’s light only to be disappointed. However, the curious feeling of being monitored returned as did the mysterious silhouette.

This time he was able to gage the size of the thing following them. It was roughly thrice his size. The black outline’s near proximity to the carriage allowed him to better look over the dark creature. It moved with a sharp grace that made it hard to distinguish its body structure, not that he had much time to do that anyway. As if the shadow had noticed he was watching, it picked up an immense burst of speed and zipped away through the weather leaving them far behind. He followed it as it became a speck against the increasing number of lightning flashes, his sense of foreboding growing endlessly.

Stressed and dead tired from the length of focus he put into following the spectre Zeccaran barely registered the clouds clearing away hours later. He stared anxiously out the window, blinking as fast as his hurting eyes would allow him. The first yellows of dawn broke to the east as he continually flashed his eyes back and forth trying to follow the shadow as it hid in the clouds. He grimaced his eyes in pain as the dark speck tailed their path through their air, whoever or whatever the entity was it had no interest in being spotted with any clarity, yet it was determined to follow them. At this point had he not been actively searching for it all night he would not have believed it was even real, he was fairly certain no one else with him would believe the situation. Finally, his face warming from the sun Zeccaran shut his eyes slowly trying desperately to relax.

He yawned, trying to force his eyes back open but failed miserably. He slouched down into his chair his back relaxing from its straight position for the first time in what felt like days. He quickly passed into a worried sleep, it was almost as if he was back in Canterlot concerned about one of his projects. A smile spread his lips at the thought and a fuller sleep plunged him into complete darkness and relaxation.

-----------------------------------------

“Zeccaran, get up!” “Zeckie boy, rise!” shouted Gusty and Gertrude in tandem.

Zeccaran flew out of his chair propelled by the magical power of being suddenly woken. His back uncoiled, catching against his chair and flinging him into the air in that way that sudden wakefulness could. He landed uncomfortably on the deck of the carriage with a heavy Thwump! and lay there angrily, knowing Gusty they were not waking him for anything particularly important. He gradually rolled over and look back at the two females who had scared him with a glare that could melt glaciers. However, Gusty and Gerty missed his stare, instead they rolled on the floor laughing loudly. They continued to mock him in that perfectly chastising way that only girls could, he ignored them as he stood up and looked about the carriage noticing something missing.

“Hey, where is Bunker?” he croaked, his voice a rasp. Gusty recovered upon hearing his question. She looked around the space they occupied and gave a confused shrug. “I..I don’t know.” she said with a dumb look. Sudden racket turned their attention towards the private chamber. A great spluttering and coughing came from the small room as the group outside recognized the unmistakable sound of someone retching. The sounds persisted for a few minutes as everyone outside looked to various parts of the carriage not wanting to see each others’ looks of disgust. The noise came to an abrupt stop with a primal grunt and the door swung open to reveal a less-burgandy more sick-green Bunker.

“Ack, I think pear was rotten.” He blubbered as he moved towards the seats. He flopped down haphazardly, before turning his gaze over to Gusty. “Wife you say we are close to place we are going?” he asked with a heavy, sickly sigh. Gusty instantly perked up.

“Yes! Zeccaran look!” She exclaimed rushing over to him. She snagged him with her hooves and nearly slammed his face into the glass. Below them lumpy hills jutted up out of the sea like someone punching into a sheet from below. The land expanding in various wads and fjords for a short while before he could see the sea slapping against white limestone sea stacks the size of needle heads at this distance. The island was a dark forest green on the near coast and down in the valleys and lakes. The jagged hills were closer to an olive with various grey outcroppings of harsh rock and cliff, it was a majestic land to be sure.

As they slowly began to descend a clearing became evident atop a cliffed section of the southern coast. Little yellowish dots of thatched roofing began popping into focus marking a rather large settlement. A rectangular grey outline surrounded the dozens and dozens of homes and became clear, appearing as a thick stone wall. Near the forested hill that dropped into a valley a great grey castle-like mansion faded in as well, its slit windows and few stained-glasses glowed with active light even during the midday sun.

“Ahhh! ‘Tis a wonderful sight. Home.” Gertrude cooed behind him. “First things first lads and lasses, when we land, a great banquet shall be had! Mmm...Muh haggis, Ah’ can’t wait!” Zeccaran actively resisted the urge to vomit upon hearing the word haggis, he had read enough books to know exactly what that horrid stuffed atrocity was like. He rolled his tongue around his mouth in an attempt to taste anything but the idea of haggis.

“I can’t wait either! Ooooo! I am so excited to help! To be back with good old-fashioned folks!” Gusty chimed in practically dancing as she nearly shook him out of his hooves. He swatted her grip away successfully as she became distracted by Gertrude. Zeccaran loosed a sigh of relief as they continued to land. It perhaps took them another fifteen minutes before the wheels of the chariot sank into the soft ground outside the manor walls. Gusty and Gertrude had chattered like chickens the whole way down and just as soon as they had stopped moving the two of them bounded out the back hatch and into the grass.

Zeccaran cast a long look at Bunker and then over to their luggage. “Females.” the stallion offered with a roll of his eyes. They gathered up the bags and piled them up outside the carriage before loading them onto each other's’ backs. The stallions moved around the front of the wagon to find all the pegasi mounted to the contraption asleep. Zeccaran approached the lead driver and clapped his hooves together next to the stallion’s ears.

“Ah! What!” he woke with a start. “Oh...hey….see you around some time Zec, we gotta sleep for now…” he blathered eyes barely open. Zeccaran gaped, he recognized this pony now that he saw his face. “Stiff Inspection? Is that you?” he asked the usual checkpoint pegasus. He was shocked that the fellow had left the palace, at least now it explained why he hadn’t been at his station. “Yeah...sorry...I gotta…” the stallion instantly started snoring his body limp in the chariot harness.

“Is small world.” Bunker said having stood waiting for Zeccaran. He remarked that his friend had accurately described the strange coincidence. Overall, with the two teams of pegasi passed out from nearly thirty-six hours of flight there was no one to talk to and nothing to do besides follow the two unlikely friends of a ewe and an alicorn inside. Zeccaran absently motioned for Bunker to walk with him to follow them towards the manner. The Ram Guards from the other wagon had finally reached Gertrude a pair now flanked the females in front of them and another pair flanked he and Bunker.

They began advancing to the gate which opened with a long eerie creak that wrought iron and wood is known for. Their slow-as-molasses pace allowed Zeccaran to hear a strange sound over the top Gusty and Gertrude’s chattering. It was something close to a hiss but sounded more chemical. The sharp smell of smokey pewter hit his nose in the next instant and he stopped walking, the guard nearest to him did the same, casting his gaze at the center of the wall. Bright fire erupted from the bricks and the world went dark as the body of the ram was slammed into his own.

Sharp ringing woke him up from the darkness. He rolled over to his side trying to find any sense of balance as something hot and sticky feeling poured down his head. It was a thick crimson flow of blood, but his skull didn’t hurt in anyway he thought. He sat up to see the shattered remains of the Ram Guard who had slammed into him. His upper torso had been blow apart in a foul manner that exposed his ribs and skull. The flesh seemingly had been sheared away in a vicious instant as portions of lungs and stomach still attempted to pump and breathe inside the broken ribs and spine. Zeccaran did not feel any form at disgust at the sight, the ringing in his ears rendering him unable to under comprehend the terror he should have felt. The poor ram flopped about somehow still alive his bone and sinew only front legs clutching futilely at his face.

He finally flopped down, his face, what was left of it, looking directly at Zeccaran. All the surrounding tissue of the creature’s features and been seared away leaving only bloody bone and scorched horns. Somehow, the ram’s bright blue eyes had survived the explosion and goring of his face. They remained transfixed in his skull twitching violently as their light slowly faded to a dull stillness. Head still reeling the zebra wondered if he had met a similar fate and couldn’t feel it. The stillness of sleep and the black void overtook him, it was a joyous release from all his trials, his only hope was that it would last.

Next Chapter: Act 2: Chapter 3 - The Low Road Estimated time remaining: 19 Hours, 27 Minutes