Author's Notes:

New continent, new characters, but most of all... a new threat. When traveling to Abyssinia, Rain and his companions begin to learn that things in this land are much different than what they appear to be. And that they must be careful if they are to find out what is really going on in the Kingdom of Abyssinia.

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For this chapter, I decided that I had to get rather creative consider where Rain and his Party are right now. Abyssinia is a destination that is only mentioned a few times in the show and is only shown a few times in the comics. So, I had to take what is known about them and find a way to put my own twist on it. Another point I like to note is that since this takes place much earlier than when Abyssinia is shown in the MLP Comics that tie into the movie, some of the characters from the movie like The Storm King aren't exactly showing up right now in this story. Yet, there will be a few other ones that will make some appearances.

For now though, please enjoy the start to chapter three and have a wonderful day.
-Frost

The Invincible

On the main deck of the invincible stood two figures. The first being the armored one that was known among the Sworn Six of Paladia as Veritas of the Dark, while the second was the griffon engineer that was named Gaven. Both of the were waiting for another comrade to return to the main deck of the ship. But when the Veritas of the Heavens did return, both were caught off guard by the cracks in the armor and the helmet that was no longer there. They expected for him to come back with not a scratch on him, but this was a much different outcome than either of them had anticipated.

And it made the engineer believe that the first thing that he should do… was apologize. “Forgive me, my lord,” He spoke as the Veritas faced towards the griffon, whose head was lowered in shame. “If I had not stopped the Guardian when I did, this never would’ve…”

“Do not blame yourself,” The heavenlord quickly responded, surprising Gaven as he looked back up. “The failure was mine. Though, I do appreciate the groveling in any circumstance,” The heavenlord turned away, facing Veritas of the Dark now as he floated closer to him. “I was too careless and allowed those lowly creatures to see my true face. All too careless.”

Now, the darklord took a turn to speak. “Nevertheless, do not concern yourself. It is beyond belief that such fools like them could possibly understand the truth.”

Now though, a new voice could be emerged as all three of them faced the doors to the cabin. Another armored figure, one who was dressed in dark blue robes and wore a helmet where the top of it was shaped like a crown. Steel pauldrons and gauntlets were along the outside of the armor as they heard her speak. “What was that, heavenlord? You let them see your face? Good heavens, they really must’ve had your back against the wall.”

The new figure then turned away from Gaven as her tone changed. “Heh heh… Leave this up to me then. I’ll go clean up the mess that you left behind. In fact, I’ve already gotten started. It is, like all the best plans, deliciously and unnecessarily cruel.”

Then, she turned around, holding out something in her hands as it began to glow a faint red. A ring that held a gemstone that was brimming with magical power. “Which reminds me… Darklord, this is what you found in the ruins of… what was it called again?”

“Ponehedge.”

“Right, whatever,” She continued. “The point is, I’ll be sure to make good use of this. I can’t wait to see the look on that boy knight’s face… Speaking of boys. You there, the greasy one.”

Upon hearing that, Gaven’s head turned to face the newcomer as he faced her. But before he could say anything, she spoke first. “You said that you happened to have a little sister right? But she’s not on our side…” The griffon stayed silent as she turned away, not speaking a word as she continued. “That’s a real shame. For you see, I don’t tend to hold back against my foes. So, I might kill your little sister in the course of events. But since she’s our enemy… you’re all right with that now, aren’t you? You did fail to bring her down last time, so I wonder…”

“It’s not a problem,” Gaven answered coldly. “Do as you please.”

“Do as I please!?!” She proclaimed, cheerfully. “Well, now I can really let loose! You’re such a good sport, greasy.” With that, she disappeared in a flash of a pillar of water. Leaving the two other Veritas to stand there as Gaven went back inside. But, as he went inside, he could not get the thought of his younger sister out of his mind.

The trip over to Abyssinia from Canterlot by airship was a lot smoother than Rain and the others were anticipating. Given how their last two trips by ship so far had either been interrupted by a beast in the ocean or bad weather gone wrong, traveling on clear skies straight towards their next destination was a much satisfying change of pace.

The only slight issue that they had upon getting closer to their destination was the fact that they could not find the port of entry for Abyssinia’s harbor anywhere on the map. To Fidget, it would have been more preferable if they were to dock in a port considering that the crystal used to power her ship would need to rest and it would be much safer to dock there instead of out in the open, where they could be attacked by monsters. However, despite it being more preferable, they didn’t exactly have that option and instead, had to set down her ship along the edge of the northern edge of the continent while also being careful to not hit anything as they were touching down. Besides, it wouldn’t really look good as travelers if they accidentally uproot several trees upon arrival.

As the landing gear of the ship was released, Rain was the first one to get off the ship and have his feet feel solid ground. Which, to him, felt good considering that they had been on board a ship for several hours that occasionally rocked a bit with the current of the wind. At first glance, Abyssinia looked much different than that of the griffon kingdom upon first arriving. For where the griffon kingdom had rather rocky terrain and not a lot of greenery, Abyssinia had rather vibrant green grass and a couple of trees that looked much different from those that he had seen before in both the Everfree Forest and Hollow Shades.

What the knight did not expect though was for him to be joined by the griffon engineer as she was coming down off of ladder that she had just dropped down. “Wow… This place looks amazing! Much different from how things were back home.”

Rain himself nodded his head, shortly before thinking of something that he wanted to ask Fidget. “Hey… not to sound weird or anything, but are you sure you’re all right to come with us, Lid? Shouldn’t you be more worried about your workshop?”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Gillian’s got it under his wing, so it should be fine,” She replied back, before facing him. “Besides, I wanted to learn more about the first Cid. And I can’t forget about the Invincible either now, can I?”

That was indeed a fair point. But before the knight could say anything, Fidget added on one more thing. “Besides… If we catch up to the Invincible, we might find him as well.”

Immediately, Rain knew exactly what she was talking about. “You mean your brother? Gaven?”

“Yeah, him,” Fidget responded. “He and I are like two airships made in the same workshop. Maybe they got the same design, same basic parts and all the important things. But no two ships are alike, you know what I mean? And if you look at each piece and really analyze it thoroughly, the more and more both of those things become completely different.”

Taking a moment to let out a breath, she looked towards Rain before finishing what she was saying. “Even so, I never thought that the differences would end up being this big…”

As she explained everything, Rain began to understand what she was referring too. Both Fidget and Gaven did not really seem to have that many differences. But now in the grand scheme of things, Gaven was now seen as their enemy and as someone who is now assisting the Sworn Six of Paladia. “I think I understand what you mean… after all, I was stuck with Shining for as long as I can remember.”

“Yeah, the two of you do seem to act more like brothers than just old friends,” Fidget commented. “Shining definitely seems more like the older brother type given how he acts as if he’s always looking out for you.”

“It’s just as you said though,” Rain replied back. “Shining hasn’t always been like that.”

In the moment that he said that though, the crimson knight did not know that Shining himself was along the edge of the deck. Listening to what he was saying as he and Fidget continued to speak. But just as Rain was about to go more into detail, both of them noticed Luna getting off of the ship and looking back at both of them.

“Everypony, look! There’s a group of creatures over there. I think they’re in trouble!”

Luna was right. Because much farther down, there were a series of six to seven figures that wore azure colored armor. The only one that stood out from the rest of the group was one that was dressed in while and held onto a azure colored book. Their fur was the color of ice with a patch of white on their head as he was casting magic to try and support the soldiers, even though they were losing ground against a horde of monsters.

What stood out the most though… was that these creatures resembled that of cats. Which… could only mean one thing. “Those are soldiers from Abyssinia.” Fidget pointed out.

“And it looks like they’re having a rather tough time too,” Rain then commented as his hand motioned to grab ahold of his blade. “Let’s hurry and help them out!” With that, Fidget, Luna and Rain raced towards the soldiers with Shining trailing not that far behind.

The first action that was taken was when Luna shot an arrow at one of the avian beasts that was attempting to swipe its claws at a wounded abyssinian soldier that was holding onto its leg, growling in pain as it and the rest of the soldiers watched the two knights put themselves in between them and the beasts that were attacking their patrol group. While the alicorn was conjuring healing magic to treat the injured, Rain and Shining fended off the beasts that flew towards their position. Unlike the monsters that they first encountered in the griffon kingdom, which mostly consisted of aquatic monsters that dwelled along the shoreline and the ravenous insects that lurked in the passageway that led inland to Granitebeak, many of the monsters that were attacking them now consisted of either avians or plants. Birds that hunted other monsters or plants monsters that laid in wait to catch unwary travelers by surprise.

It was something that Rain and Shining both had to keep in mind as they were fighting them. They can handle the plant monsters rather easily, but neither of the knights had the means or proper equipment to attack the avian monsters while they were airborne unlike that of Luna and Fidget. Meaning that both of them had to be cautious and defend themselves when they swooped down for aerial attacks.

Eventually though, once Luna had treated the injured soldiers, she was able to help them out. Firing shots from her bow and grazing the avians wings in order to force them down to the ground before Rain, Shining and Fidget could be able to hurt it. The more that they took these foes down, the more monsters that kept on coming. Some of them being beasts that fought on the ground instead of in the air as Shining conjured up a blizzara spell to repel a group of wolves and mandragora.

However, just as they thought that they can get a break, that was when they heard one of the soldiers call out to them. “Rudra, Incoming!!”

When both Rain and Shining turned around, a giant green avian landed just mere meters from where they were standing. Letting out an ear piercing shriek as it flapped its wings. Sending out a whirlwind that forced both knights to stand their ground. The first thing that Rain tried to do was summon Nimbus to help them out, but it didn’t exactly go to plan given that the monster they were now facing could easily shrug off any attacks that consisted of wind. Rendering some of her abilities as a pegasus useless.

But when Shining called on Steela Oresdotter and the mare channeled an attack that was filled with the power of the earth that she stood upon, it made the beast cry out in pain and agony. Which, upon seeing this, gave the Unicorn an idea. “Rain, it’s weak against Earth Magic!!”

“You got it!” Immediately, the crimson knight began to cast Stonra on his foes as pieces of sharp rock began to strike the avian monster. Making it holler and cry out in pain as it attempted to retaliate with a whirlwind from its wings. But another spell from Rain interrupted the Rudra before it could be able to send it stirring towards them. Providing an opportunity for both knights to finish off the winged beast while it was down.

As the two knights began to put their swords away though, that was when one of the abyssinians began to speak up. The only one who was there as they walked past the two knights and looked to be evaluating the battlefield before turning to Rain and Shining. “You two. You must be knights from the country of Equestria. Or at least, that’s what you appear to be.”

The figure let out a sigh as it looked back at the two of them. “I must admit, your strength is formidable. But after seeing your display just now… forgive me for sounding brash, but strength without subtly will get you nowhere. With that in being said, the two of you fight like fools.”

“Woah, hold on just a squawking minute,” Fidget then abruptly spoke up. “All of you were getting backed into a corner just now until we came to help you out and you’re saying we’re the fools?”

“Getting backed into a corner? Was that honestly how you saw that?” The abyssinian then asked. “Because from our perspective, we were trying to lure out our opponents into a single location. Making it easier to finish them off with just a single blow. But I honestly don’t think someone with your perspective of strategy would understand.”

“My perspective?!” Lid snapped. “Just who are you supposed to be?”

That… had the Abyssinian sigh as he looked back at the four of them. “Of course… How remiss of me to forget something so simple,” He replied back, letting out a small sigh before speaking again. “Very well. My name is Nikol. One of the Tacticians for the Kingdom of Abyssinia… and a Warden of the Waters.”

The last part though, happened to catch Shining Armor’s attention as he soon spoke up shortly afterwards. “A Warden of the Waters?”

“Wait a moment,” Fidget now interjected as she turned to Shining. “Are you saying that you somehow know who this jerk is?”

“I recall my father telling me that the Ocean Shrine in Abyssinia has a protective field around it that is maintained by a priestess. Who is chosen from among the elite Warden of the Waters.” He replied back, turning to face Fidget in the process.

“Well, if that’s the case, then why the heck is one of them out here fighting then?”

That single question had all four of them turn back to Nikol, who appeared silent for a brief moment… before he began to speak. “The waves that flow through our kingdom are so pure and clean that it is the holy water to our rituals. And it is also said that the sacred purity of this water is the reason why monsters have never encroached upon our kingdom.”

“But given what we saw just now… something’s different, right?” Rain then spoke up. Prompting a nod from Nikol as he looked back at the four of them.

“Recently, we have been finding that something… or somebody has been defiling the purity of our waters from outside the city,” The tactician told him. “And since then, our patrols have been finding packs of monsters like the ones we just encountered.”

“Defiled?” Shining was now prompted to ask. “What has happened?”

“I fear that something might have befallen the head priestess, so I was trying to investigate what the root of this was.”

“Oh, so your guys were going to go check on the Water Priestess then?” Rain then asked.

“That is correct,” Nikol replied back. “So I suggest-”

“Why don’t we come with you?” The crimson knight’s words interjected before the tactician could finish speaking. “We can help you and your group fight those monsters and it would make getting to your destination much easier.”

“Plus, it would allow for me to finally find a place for me to properly dock my ship.” Fidget added on, pointing to the vessel that was not too far out from where they were all standing right now.

Yet, even with the kind offer, Nikol remained unfazed. “I would consider it…” He said, before looking directly at Rain and Shining. “But only if you two tell me something.”

“What is it?”

“Those powers of yours that you demonstrated just now,” He told them in response, adjusting the blue scarf that was around his neck as he looked back at them. “In my position as a tactician, I often study the tactics and strategies used in battles and wars waged long in the past… There are records of warriors who use such visions, but they are rare.”

“And what do those records say about our power?” Shining then asked.

For a moment, Nikol looked away, before letting out a sigh as he then responded. “Our records say that those who summon forth warriors from crystals… are servants of the darkness and pawns of demons. At least, that’s how it’s described.”

That… just made Rain blink for a moment as he just stared blankly at the abyssinian. “Darkness and Demons? I don’t mean to sound rude, but just what kind of strange books were you reading?”

However, the abyssinian just shrugged off the question, before looking back at the two of them. “Both if you must tell me… How exactly were you able to obtain such power?”

After hearing that single question, both knights looked at one another. Trying to figure out the best way to respond to that as they began to talk amongst themselves. “How? That… is not really a simple question that we can answer.” Shining first said to his fellow Knight.

Yet, the response from Rain wasn’t quite what Shining, or Luna for that matter, wanted to hear given how close she was to him. “Yeah, and it might not exactly go well if we told him that we got these powers from a magical naked alicorn girl that was trapped in a crystal and told us to save the world. Besides… this guy’s kind of a hard-ass, wouldn’t you think-?”

“I can hear you, you know,” The tactician abruptly stated as both knights looked back at him. “But you are right on one thing. I will not be easily persuaded by what sounds like an under cooked patchwork of cliche narrative that you would find in storybooks for kittens.” With it, he also looked back at Fidget and prepared to say something else. But his attention soon drifted elsewhere as he looked towards something that was in the distance…

… And then began to take off.

“What the-?” Rain spoke up, caught off guard by the sudden motion. “Hey! Where are you going?”

“Rain… look over there in the distance,” Shining said, pointing at what Nikol was heading towards. “It looks like a ship of some sorts.”

“Running off and leaving his men behind to head to some ship? What kind of tactical strategy is that!?” Fidget asked.

“I don’t know, but given everything so far, he doesn’t seem like the guy who would do something without there being some kind of reason for it.” Rain replied back. “Let’s go after him before he does anything reckless.”

“What about Fidget’s ship though?”

“Don’t worry about it,” The griffon replied, before pointing to a contraption that was on her opposite wrist. “If I press this, I can have the ship lock on to my position and come to where I am. That’s the wonders of Griffon Technology for you.”

With that, the crimson knight nodded, shortly before all four of them began to chase after Nikol. It took a few moments, but they all soon arrived at what looked like a ship that was torn apart and stranded along the coastline. Pieces of the ship lingered in the waters around it as the four of them had to carefully enter the vessel through a hole in the ships exterior haul.

Once they were inside, they could tell that the boat was in rather bad shape. And amongst all the wreckage, they soon found the abyssinian. But he wasn’t exactly calm and stoically composed like he was earlier. Right now, he was acting off of instinct. A look of concern and worry on his face. Not even being aware of their presence until Rain spoke. “Nikol, what’s wrong? Why did you take off back there?”

“This ship… there’s no mistaking it,” He said, turning around briefly as he was talking. “This one was the ship that the Water Priestess was on,” Then, he turned away from them as he continued. “But it should not be in this state or in a place such as this… Luka, please be unharmed.”

That, just lead to Rain walking up right next to him. Telling him something as he used a bit of fire magic to light a candle that was in a lantern on the wall. “Then let's take a look around. Perhaps there is still somebody on board that’s below deck.”

“Take a look around? I’d advise you to leave all at once instead,” He boldly stated. “With the four of you in here and the state that this ship is in, it’s bound to capsize at any moment.”

“Exactly,” The statement from Rain caught not just Nikol off guard, but some of his friends too. “That’s why we gotta help you find the Water Priestess as quickly as possible, right? Many hands make light work, no matter what the situation is.”

With it, all of them began to immediately search all levels of the ship. With the water inside beginning to rise the longer that they were inside, they were in a race against time in order to try and find the Water Priestess before the entire boat would sink. It didn’t really help at all that in certain sections of the ship, monsters would linger around and attempt to attack them when their guard was down. It was primarily the reason why Rain and Shining both kept one hand on the handle of their weapons at all times while venturing through the broken hull of the sinking vessel.

As they approached the back of the ship though, that was when one of them found something. “Hey, over here!” Their attention soon went to Luna, who was pointing at a young abyssinian that wore a blue veil over most of her head and a blue and white dressed that was laced with gold thread around the edges. Her fur was exactly the same as Nikol’s, aside from the aquamarine strands of fur that ran alongside the back of her head and under her veil. She was just getting up as Rain and the others approached her carefully. Not wanting to scare her as Rain spoke up.

“Miss… are you okay?”

The abyssinian, upon hearing his voice, turned towards him and his group, before asking a question. “Who… are you-?” Before he could come up with a proper answer to the question, that was when Nikol moved past him and approached her. Both of them seemed genuinely relieved in order to see one another as all the nervousness, concern and worry that was with Nikol earlier began to subside. Now in a calmer state as he finally had the chance to say something.

“Thank the crystals that you are unharmed, Luka.” He told her.

“Brother!” She said happily. “Oh, I knew that you would come to find me!”

Yet, despite this… touching moment between both of them, it unfortunately did not last very long. Mainly because of what one griffon said in response to this as she turned towards Shining Armor. “Wait a minute… did she just say ‘brother’?”

“Well, he did introduce himself as a Warden of the Waters,” Shining replied back to her, thinking that Nikol would not hear them if they just talked amongst themselves. “So it’s not surprising that the two would happen to be related to one another.”

“I’m not confused by how they’re related,” Fidget retorted. “I’m more confused by how she stayed kind and gentle growing up around a dagger eyed, condescending prick like that guy-”

“And I can still hear you.” A now annoyed Nikol spoke up in response to the side conversation between the two of them.

“Brother, who are your companions here?” The priestess now asked, a little curious as to the ones who came here with the tactician.

“Knights from Equestria,” He replied, before looking off to the side back at where Rain and the others were for a moment before finishing the rest of his sentence. “Or so they have led me to believe.”

After hearing him say that though, the priestess let out a sigh and walked around that of her brother, before addressing both the knights and their companions. “Please, allow me to thank all of you on the behalf of my brother. I’m sure that all of you were a great help to him, even though he would not admit it to you personally,” Shortly after that, she then turned her head back towards her brother before asking the first question that came to mind. “Brother, if you’re seeking me out, then does that mean that the kingdom’s waters have been tainted?”

Nikol nodded his head in response. “They have. We must return back at once. We need to purify these sickened waters before it can spread any further.”

“Um… s-speaking of water…” Fidget spoke up, getting her claws away from a hole in the floor as the seawater began to flow through the side of the ship and rise up. “We should probably get out of here and get to the shore, fast-!”

“Don’t do anything irrational,” Nikol interjected. “If you try to flee now, you would just end up having to swim for the shore because the tide’s carrying out the wreckage.”

“Okay then, Mr. Smarty Cat. How do you suggest we get out of here and not drown then?” Fidget snapped. But before the tactician could answer, that was when Luka stepped forth and in front of the group. Placing her paws together as she told them only a few words.

“Please don’t be afraid. I can at least do this much…”

In the brief seconds that happened next, the water in the cabin began to rapidly fill the entire hull of the ship. But not before a light blue light began to form around Luka and everyone else that was in the room. For a moment, Rain was really unsure about what was going to happen at this rate as the water rushed in and their equipment dragged them down to the bottom of the ocean. However, that was also when he realized something. He didn’t feel any air around him, but he could breathe as if they were on land. And that… caught everyone off guard.

“W-what the!?” Fidget was the first to react. “How in the world is this possible?! Could it be…?”

“Yes,” They all now heard Luka as she looked back at them. “This is my power as the Water Priestess for Abyssinia.”

Everyone in Rain’s group was caught off guard by all of this. Especially both Rain and Shining Armor. For Shining, he had heard about the priestess from his father as a young colt, but did not imagine that their power was anything like this at all. Even though it was for the brief amount of time that it would take for them in order to make it from where they were to the coastline, it was still a marvelous sight to behold. And for Luka, she looked to have been maintaining this power well considering that she was able to apply this blessing to all of them.

Eventually, they were able to make it back to the shore. Which was a relief for Fidget and Luna since they were glad to be back on dry land again. The same could be said for Rain and Shining, but they didn’t exactly have the time to say anything before they heard another new voice speak up. “Nikol! Luka!!” Everyone turned around once again, only to find what was another abyssinian with two of the guards that Nikol had earlier. Only that this one was dressed more as a soldier and the cyan spiky fur on the back of his head was swayed backwards. A style that would normally been seen on that of pegasus stallions. As the newcomers approached them, that’s when the new figure spoke again. “Oh, what a relief it is to see that you’re alright.”

“El, what do you think you’re doing out here?” Was the first words out of Nikol’s mouth as he looked back at him. “You’re supposed to be guarding Panthera while I was searching for Luka.”

“That’s the problem… Monsters have breached the walls of the city,” The abyssinian’s words set off an alarm inside of Rain and Shining’s heads as the two of them looked back at one another, before returning their attention to the soldier. “The soldiers that are left in the aquapolis are trying to hold the front, but they can’t hold on much longer. That’s why I came out here to find you and call you back.”

“Sounds like trouble’s brewing. Let’s go hurry back to the city then.”

Yet, Rain’s words didn’t quite exactly come off so well to El as he looked at him with a pair of ferocious eyes that made Shining think of what would happen if Twilight was told that a major exam she had been studying weeks for had been cancelled last minute. “What? And just who are you supposed to be?!”

Which gave Shining a cue to step in to try and de-escalate the tensions that were brewing in the air. “Custom among soldiers decrees that you must introduce who you are first before you demand the name of another, young one.”

In response, El just growled, before letting out a groan as he spoke up. “… My name is El. A Warden of the Waters and the younger brother to Luka and Nikol.”

“I’m Rain,” The Crimson Knight introduced himself, before pointing over his shoulder at the unicorn that was not far behind him. “And this is Shining Armor. We’re both Knights from the City of Canterlot and if you need help getting rid of monsters, then we’ll be happy to help you out.”

“We do not need your help. This is the concern of Abyssinia only, not one of outsiders like yourself. We only need my siblings, or do you think that our kingdom is so weak that we need to rely on travelers such as yourself to protect us-!”

“El! That’s enough,” The retort from his brother had the soldier stop speaking immediately, before the tactician spoke up again. “What have I told you before? Don’t let your emotions take control of your judgement and let reason guide you forward. It’s the primary key when it comes to strategy.”

Looking back at both knights, Nikol then asked his brother another question. “And since time is of the essence right now, would it be wise to reject an offer of help?”

All El did in response was just shake his head, before answering. “No… i-it would not. I’ll guide you to the city. Follow me… please.”

The route to Abyssinia was not difficult by any means with El as their guide, but upon reaching the city, that was when Rain and his companions realized how badly the situation was. Just upon entering alone, several of the soldiers that were on guard were beyond exhausted and weakened. Statues and fountains that were in the city began to crumble, break and wither as the three Warden’s raced over to tend to the soldiers of the city. However, the one who was shocked by this the most was that of the Water Priestess, Luka. She was using her powers to heal the wounds of the soldiers, but some were so severe that even she could not heal completely.

“I-i wouldn’t have believed that our beautiful city could be vulnerable to attacks like this… This must be because of the waters being corrupted.” She said, turning to her brother Nikol as he nodded his head. “We need to perform the purification ritual and quickly.”

Around the time that both of them turned to head towards the temple in the middle of the city, Rain and the others were helping El with another task as Luna was conjuring her white magic to heal the wounds of another citizen who was harmed in the attack. One who had long brown fur go down her back and wore a dress that had the same colors as the sky. “There we go. That should do the trick, but please take it easy on yourself.”

“How do you feel?” The soldier asked. “Can you make it back home on your own?”

Much to their surprise though, the abyssinian soon nodded her head before looking back at El. “I think I can, it was only just a scrape,” She replied back, before turning back to Luna. “Thank you, though. You were a great help.”

“Arsha!” El told her, sounding annoyed now. “You don’t have to thank these louts!”

Yet, all that did was have the same abyssinian turn back around and let out a sigh, before looking back at the soldier as she straightened out her tail. “Louts? El, is that really how you treat the creatures who came to our aid? What got your whiskers all frisky today?”

“We can protect Panthera and Abyssinia on our own! We don’t need the help of… foreigners!” He rebuked.

“El, what does that have to do with anything?” She asked him, folding her arms as she looked at him. “This girl healed my injuries! Who else should I be thanking?”

“Uh…” Now though, Fidget felt as if she needed to speak up as she stood next to Luna now. “S-sorry to interrupt, but we didn’t really mean to cause any arguments or anything? I mean, you two are friends… right?”

“Friends is one way to put it,” Arsha replied back to the griffon. “But it's rather more than that. I’m El’s fiancée, Arsha.” That… threw Fidget into a bit of a loop, leading her to go on a small tangent of how despite El’s attitude on the outside, he had ‘hidden charms’ to win over a girl such as Arsha. Something that really made Rain want to tell her to stop talking so that she didn’t embarrass herself even further. Because all that did was make El even more irritated as he told Arsha to go back home so she could be safe.

And while she was leaving, he glared at everypony else, but mostly Rain as he gave them a very stern warning. “I don’t care what any of you do now, foreigners… but if any of you do anything to further defile our waters, then you will be answering to me. Are we clear?”

“Crystal.” Rain simply replied back as the knight and his companions regrouped. While Nikol was with his sister in the city’s temple, He and his friends took some time to look around t in order to learn more about Abyssinia, given how massive the capital city was. And based on what they heard from the civilians, there was more to this place than they originally thought. A lot more.

The capital that they were in, or otherwise referred to as Aquapolis Panthera, had two main sections. Old Panthera; which had been around since the founding of the kingdom and consisted of a lot of the ports, markets and shops that were vital to their economy, and New Panthera; which was built very recently to expand the aquapolis and to provide more homes and buildings to its residents. The King and Queen of Abyssinia both ruled over Abyssinia and the capital, but only at the guidance of the Warden of the Waters. Yet, as of now, both of the rulers were away from the city. Visiting Equestria in hopes that they can provide aid and assistance to Princess Celestia after they heard the news of Canterlot getting attacked.

As for Panthera itself, the holy waters of the aquapolis was more than just something that warded off monsters and kept their civilians safe. It was connected to every other aspect of daily life for them. Panthera’s economy primarily depended on fishing. Not just for trade, but also as a source of food. So, if the waters were tainted, it would mean that the fish they would bring in would also be contaminated. Their civilians would either get sick from the fish that is brought in or starve if there wasn’t anything for them to eat. The holy waters was essentially the lifeblood of the city, and something that must be kept in check in order to keep the people of Abyssinia safe and well.

As for the waters themselves… well, once Rain and the others have found Nikol and Luka again, the tactician began to explain just how important they were as he looked out over the city that he and his siblings called home. “There’s a reason why our city is known as the aquapolis… it is our waters that keep us safe as they flow from Lake Katt in the South. If they were only briefly unclean, then my sister could easily cleanse them. But… this is much different. Something must’ve happened to the water god.”

“Well, I understand the water priestess,” Fidget then replied, “But could you clarify on what you mean by ‘water god’?”

The question had Nikol turn around to face Rain and the others. But what he had to say did not entirely settle well with both of the knights. “The water god that we speak of goes by a different name amongst your kind… the great being known as Leviathan.”

The mentioning of that name not only didn’t make Rain and Shining feel rather comfortable, but brought out somebody else that had been a bit absent since their arrival on Abyssinia. “Woah woah woah… Leviathan!?” Carbuncle now spoke up, appearing on Rain’s shoulder as he glared directly at Nikol. “You mean the same beast that freaking had us shipwrecked is the lord of your lake?”

His sudden appearance lead to Nikol raising an eyebrow and Luka looking rather surprised as Rain let out a sigh. “First… Nikol, this is Carbuncle. An esper that fights with us and has been helping us on our journey,” He said in order to get the brief introduction out of the way before following up with a much different question. “Second, if Leviathan is the water god that lives in your lake, then why did it attack our vessel as we were trying to travel to the Griffon Kingdom a few days ago?”

“The Griffon Kingdom?” The tactician asked, sounding puzzled by what the crimson knight just told him. “The water god would never wander that far from his domain. Especially into the territory of other nations. If delegates from that country saw Leviathan on their shores, they would see it as a declaration of war. Not to mention he would not attack travelers such as yourself. For he’s revered for being compassionate and kind…”

“Try telling that to the crew members on the ship he wrecked that lost their lives and are at the bottom of the ocean…” Carbuncle mumbled.

“What did you say-!?”

“Brother, wait…” Luka now stepped in, preventing her brother from doing anything drastic as she now spoke up, before looking over at Carbuncle for a brief moment. “Abrupt as this one might be, I fear that what they’re saying is right,” Taking a moment to walk over to a stairwell that descended downward, Luka only took a few steps down before saying something that Nikol couldn’t believe what she was saying. “The one who destroyed my ship and attacked everycat inside… was the great water god.”

The tactician’s eyes widened at hearing her words. Only one question could be formed as he looked back at his sister. “How… is that possible?”

“Master Nikol! Lady Luka!!”

Immediately after hearing that, they all turned to the right to see a member of the Abyssinian military approach them. “The monsters from before are back again! They’re making another attempt at the city!”

Nikol’s question was soon buried under the burden of his creed as he looked back at the soldier. “Grab everycat you can and form a defensive perimeter now! We cannot let any of them enter the city no matter what.”

“And we’ll also pitch in to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Rain soon spoke up afterwards. “Nikol, where do we need to go?”

“The guards we have on standby will be stationed around the north, east and west ends of the city. Primarily though, they will attempt to attack us from the main gate to the south,” Nikol informed them. “If you really are the Knights of Canterlot that you two say you are, now is the time to prove it.”