Chapter 20: Community Service

“Ah, Ivory Star. I must say it is quite good to see you again.” Karfiso said, putting on a smile as I entered into his office alone.

We had made our way to the capital of Khaweth; a city named Khass. After a bit of pestering, Siri revealed that this translated to something nearing Zebraville, but that didn't sound as exciting so I decided to just go with their word for it. Khass was a city of colorful buildings and glistening crystal towers. It was easily as large as any Equestrian city-hub like Manehatten or Las Pegasus. Every building was constructed by stones of various colors; colors that would reflect off of the crystal towers to create glittering rainbows in the sky above the city whenever the sun passed over.

Karfiso had made his space in one of the large, glass-like towers of ancient gems that filled the city. Wazipata, Enyi had called them once, and after seeing them firsthoof I had to admit that they were beautiful. The sun and clear skies of Khaweth ensured that they always shone, clear and bright, like the most dazzling of diamonds while the magic of the zebras potions and poultices ensured the comfort of those inside. These towers were reserved for the highest of Khaweth society and only zebras of great importance could even be allowed to enter one, let alone have an office inside of one.

Karfiso's office was equally as impressive as the tower and city around it. It had been surrounded by very imposing looking guards, who only allowed me to enter to see Karfiso alone. His office space was filled with what I assumed were pieces of traditional zebra art. The inside had been paneled with finely grained wood so it looked more like the inside of a tree than a tower of crystal, giving it a more homely feel to it than it otherwise might have had. The only part of the room which was still blatantly crystal was a large panel on the outside wall which created a window that gave a view of the city below. Masks making many different and exaggerated expressions hung from the walls aside shelves filled with large, old looking books. Flasks and bottles of variously colored liquids hung from the ceilings and were ornamented with gold trims. On any open space on the wall hung strange looking spears and pieces of primitive looking armor made of what looked like wood or grass(These also had gold filigree traced along their slender shafts and edges, it all looked quite august). Karfiso himself had golden earrings slung from his ears as well as gold and silver bracelets on his legs as he sat behind a large, finely carved desk.

“Not like I had much of a choice.” I said, nudging the door closed and trotting up to the edge of Karfiso's desk. “You seem to be doing quite well for yourself.”

“Indeed, but being a member of the council will tend to lead to some affluence(explains all the guards on the lower floors). We, however, are not here to talk about my recent change in social status. We are here to discuss your future. I have received some very interesting news from Siri regarding a new friend of yours.” Karfiso's eyes narrowed as a smile appeared across his face.

It was obvious that he meant Caelus. Siri must have somehow gotten word to him about picking up his peoples boogeyman and trotting around with him. I expected most zebras reactions to be a bit more apprehensive like Siri's was but Karfiso seemed almost intrigued.

“Yeah, he's your great Darkness.” I said, sitting back in a chair that conveniently had been placed at the side of the large desk. “You know, destroyed your empire and almost brought your entire species to extinction.” I was gonna take every chance I could to hold anything up over this guys ears.

Karfiso smiled, “Most interesting. I would very much like to meet him. I feel we could have some enlightening conversations.”

No way was I gonna leave those two in a room together. Caelus seemed nervous enough being around ponies, if I left him alone with a zebra like Karfiso he would probably end up using Caelus in some manner similar to how Silver wanted to.

“He's with me for now.” I said firmly. “I promised I would get him out of Tartarus and that doesn't mean leaving him anywhere near you.”

Karfiso let out a sly laugh, “Very well, my plans did not include him anyway. You may keep your little demon, you will need him for the tasks I wish you to complete.”

“I guess that's why you let me out of prison. Planning on making me your errand pony or something?” might as well cut to the chase.

“I had some community service in mind, in return for ending your sentence early.” Karfiso sat back in his chair, his face had an almost sinister feel about it.

Hearing that gave me a moment of happiness but with Karfiso offering it so readily something in me pushed that happiness back inside, “Your willing to just let me go? Your zebras might not like that. I was told that council members were elected, if they find out that you-”

“The council will not exist for much longer so it will not matter much.” his face turned very stern, “You need not concern yourself much with our politics. All you need to concern yourself with is the tasks I wish you to complete. When those are done I will consider your debt to society paid and you will be free to return to Equestria with no fear of reprisal.” he smiled.

I had that bad feeling in the back of my throat about this. I mean, I was obviously going to do it if it meant never having to go back to Arnband but the feeling that these tasks would be bad was very eminent in my mind. My instincts were screaming at me to just go back to prison and sit there but my mind was busy strangling my instincts for saying that.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked with the greatest apprehension.

“Three things. I will tell you each task as you complete the previous, just in case.”

“In case of what?”

“In case you start talking.” his smile faded and his scary-stern face returned, “If you tell any creature of the tasks I am having you do, I will have you killed before you can ever hope to leave Khaweth.”

Fuck him hard with a rusty spike.

“Siri will be accompanying you of course, so I do not see that option as likely.” Karfiso's face returned to normal.

Something about Siri unnerved me. The way she could just disappear and reappear out of nowhere would naturally make anypony a bit wary about being around her for protracted lengths of time and the idea of going into potentially dangerous situations with a zebra I didn't trust was not confidence building. Combine that with the fact that she probably feels something similar about me and you've got yourself a recipe for a bad time.

“Come on, I don't need some foalsitter to do this. I came back after the whole Silver incident didn't I? Besides, I don't think Siri likes me or my friends very much.” I protested.

“Yes, you returned without Sable if I recall.” Karfiso said, giving me a slightly condescending look. “And Siri hardly likes anyone who is not me. Either way she will be going with you to make sure this task is completed to my liking. You may feel free to complain as much as you like but that is simply how it will be.”

Just for once I would like to be able to go off on some adventure where I wasn't being used or manipulated. It really saps the enjoyment out of something when you're forced to adhere to strict guidelines not of your own making. But as I didn't really have much of a choice(whoop-de-do) I might as well try and make it tolerable somehow.

“Well then, wanna tell me why exactly Siri is only comfortable around you?” if I was going to be forced on these long trips with her I might as well learn all I can about not constantly aggravating or annoying her. I don't particularly fancy being on the constant bad side of a zebra who could break my spine without even batting an eyelash.

Karfiso seemed to relax a little, “Well we are lovers for one thing.”(ok, not doing that) Karfiso laughed as he saw my face begin to redden, “You ponies are quite adorable at times I will admit.”

“Aren't you like, her boss or something?” this guy is weird.

“Yes.”

“Isn't that like...not allowed or something?”

“Siri is the commander of the Socotra. If one could so easily take advantage of her then she would not be in that position. No zebra in Khaweth would ever dare question the both of us.” Karfiso said with such a confidence that I almost felt the urge to back away from him.

Time to change the subject, “Well anyway, what is it exactly you want me to do?”

“If you are uncomfortable with the tasks, I would have you know that each one will help the zebra and Khaweth greatly. You might think me cruel of unfair in someway and while maybe I am a little, I like to think I am a good person at heart(ugh).”

Karfiso stamped his hoof on the floor with a loud thud. Within moments Siri had quickly made her way into the room and was standing straight at Karfiso's side. She then bent her head down towards a lower shelf on a bookcase that stood on the wall and grabbed a very old looking book in her muzzle. She placed it gently on the desk and nudged it open. The writing in it was Ungul, the language of the ancient zebras.

“This book is older than Khaweth itself.” Karfiso began, “It makes your Equestria appear as an infant, if that comparison is more to your liking. It was not a terribly important book by any means when it was written, but now it is an invaluable treasure.” I cocked my head as I stared at the ancient tome. “This book is an inventory of magical items from the old empire. A trifling thing that tells of powers long thought lost by my people(had to admit that sounded pretty cool). One item in particular appears in this text as well as several others of a similar nature.” Karfiso gestured to several other old books that sat on his shelves. “An item that appears to have been quite common in those days will aid in bringing forth much needed change here in Khaweth. I want you, Ivory Star, to head to the citadel of Umbaara and retrieve this item for me.”

That sounded hella cool. Obviously there was some kind of catch or Karfiso would have found it himself but still. This Umbaara place sounded pretty cool; it was obviously some ancient ruin from the old zebra empire days which means it would be somewhere Enyi would probably love(soon).

“What's Umbaara and what's the item?” I don't like the pronoun game but Karfiso's little speech made it necessary.

Karfiso took a breath, “Umbaara is a very special place. We do not know the original name of the city but we call it Umbaara because it is a place of great darkness. It is a fortress-city located in the Phiri mountains in the south that was destroyed by your new friend, thousands of years ago during the end of the old empire. It is believed by some to be the birthplace of Abila and the final stronghold of the ancient zebra against the Darkness. The item I want you to find is called an irpata, a memory stone. It is a small, black stone that was used to record moments of great importance or any moment I suppose. I want you to go to Umbaara and retrieve the city's irpata. It will most likely be in some vault, deep within the citadel of the city.”

“My next question is: what's the catch?” there had to be something more to this.

Karfiso looked away for a few seconds before returning his gaze to me, “The catch is that I sent a few Socotra to the ruins some time ago. They returned with news that a roc guards the gates to the city. Such a beast is not to be engaged lightly and so I decided to wait until the time was right to send you.”

Shit. “You want me to fight a roc? Like, the giant bird monster that eats dragons? That kind of roc?” double shit.

“Yes.” he answered bluntly. “Siri will come to assist you, of course. You will find her combat skills to be far superior to your own. I am certain her help will be invaluable.” Karfiso smiled at Siri who simply smiled back at him.

“I have hunted rocs before.” Siri said to me. “With my aid you will need little more.”

The thought that Siri had fought an actual fucking roc before and come out alive was...absolutely frightening. I remembered the Socotra we brawled with back in the jungle; it took our entire group just to restrain him. If Siri was even better than that we might actually stand a chance against a genuine monster. I would be lying if I said the thought didn't excite me more than a little bit. I had been cooped up so long that now a little action might be fun. We've all improved over the last three years so fighting one giant bird shouldn't be too hard after all, right?.

“Oh, and Ivory.” Karfiso glared.

“What?”

“If you feel the urge to look into the irpata I will allow it. But know that if you do and you tell any of what you see then-”

“I get it. This is all super top secret.” I groaned. After a while the threats get a little old. Come to think of it, I've had a lot of threats given to me over the past years. Maybe I should start to keep count; have my own little adventure threat counter.

“Good.” Karfiso smiled. “Then when this task is completed then you will return the stone to me and I will give you the next task.”

A thought just occurred to me, “What if it's not there?”

“What?”

“What if the stone isn't there?” I asked.

Karfiso seemed to ponder this question for a few seconds. “Then you go back to Arnband I suppose.”

“Have I ever told you that you suck.” I nickered.

“No but I am sure you have thought it many times.” he smiled. “Go now. The sooner you leave then the sooner you can get back.” he waved his hoof towards the door to signal me to leave. “Besides, I have other business to deal with today.”

I let out a small groan as I hoisted myself out of the chair and headed off towards the door. I used to dream about fighting a roc with Grit when I was still a filly. Now, here I was about to fight one with a zebra, a dark magic wielding unicorn, a former super villain and whatever Jackpot could be described as(I could use a lot of names for him).

Everypony was waiting just inside the doors that led back out into the city. Caelus was watching out of a small window while Scarlet was watching Jackpot rifle through his saddlebags as he counted his remaining cider flasks. There were several intimidating looking zebra guards that were watching them until they noticed me enter the room from the stairs. They gave me a disgruntled look before trotting past me and up the stairs, leaving me and my friends alone.

So, what's the plan?” Jackpot asked, looking up from his bags. Caelus and Scarlet turned their heads towards me once Jackpot spoke.

I sighed, “Ancient city, magical artifact; you know, the usual.”

“Where is this ancient city?” Scarlet asked.

“It's some place Karfiso called Umbaara, it's in the southern mountains I guess.” I answered.

Jackpot let out a groan, rolling his head, “If you thought the jungles here were bad, some of the things in those mountains make pyth's look like garden snakes.”

“Yeah, I guess we're going to be fighting a roc.” I said, affirming what Jackpot just said.

“Rocs are powerful.” Caelus said. “I remember many of the ancient zebra I used to fight against riding them into battle.”

“Seriously?” damn, that sounded cool. I wonder how Enyi would look riding on top of a giant bird?

It was now that Siri now entered the room. She had several large packs on her back and a determined look in her green eyes. “Come now. We will leave immediately.”

“Ooh, this is going to be so much fun!” Scarlet squeed.

Jackpot rolled his eyes but couldn't help crack a small smile on his face, “Wonder what kind of treasure I can find?”

“I will help in any way that I can.” Caelus said firmly.

“Alrighty then, let's go.” I said.

*****

The Rompo-drawn carriage took us swiftly southwards towards the mountain range that took up much of that part of Khaweth. The grassy plains and savannas of central Khaweth gave way to the hills and woods that sat at the base of the mountains. Siri took the time we had on the trip to explain the area and any dangers we might face there(luckily, Karfiso had apparently ordered her to act more friendly towards us so she stopped speaking in rhyme the whole time....dammit, now I'm doing it).

The lands surrounding the city were directly controlled by the Council of Khaweth. Normal zebra citizens were not allowed within the bounds of the city which had left it uniquely untouched compared to other ruins. The reason for this, however, was not a unique one considering the area of Khaweth the ruins sat in. The southern mountains(according to Siri and Jackpot) were rife with dangerous creatures and natural disasters. Large earthquakes were relatively common in this particular region, though the city somehow remained undamaged by the millennia of quakes it had to have been subject to.

As for the creatures, there was the roc of course(how...just how?) and apparently other beasts as well. A creature that was common in the area of mountain we would be poking around in, Siri described as nothing short of a demon. Brogels, she called them. They were small, dog-like creatures that had iron claws and fiery breath. They were known to swarm teams of explorers and burn them to death before devouring whatever remained of the corpses. They were particularly numerous in this region and have been spotted in packs of several dozen around the ruins of the city. Then there was the biggest challenge, the roc. They were uncommon in these mountains but according to Siri there were some eyries among the highest peaks where they nested. The one we had to contend with, however, had been seemingly guarding the city since it discovery, many years ago. No zebra or pony has ever set hoof inside the city-ruins proper which is why, I suppose, Karfiso thinks the irpata stone might still be among the city vaults.

“I have knowledge of near every demon we may encounter in these mountains.” Siri said. “Although I guess Caelus may have more in-depth knowledge than me since it was he who, according to legend, created many of these beasts in the dark times.”

As a member of the Socotra(especially as their leader), Siri was required to have an encyclopedic knowledge of all of Khaweth's most dangerous predators. She had mentioned hunting rocs before so I would have to trust in her knowledge to get us through this ordeal.

“We will come within view of the city tomorrow.” Siri said. “It lays behind that spur there.” she pointed a massive wall of stone that made up the edge of the mountains. “Once we pass those stones the lands will become very dangerous. There will be packs of brogels both within and without the bounds of Umbaara. Once we get deeper into the city I will not know what we may encounter outside of the roc; it has never been properly explored.”

The day had slowly melted away as the sun began to sink low behind the horizon. We had settled near a large bolder that stuck its way several meters out of the ground. Jackpot immediately got started in building a fire with some wood from a nearby copse of trees. Siri poured a few drops of a potion onto the wood and within seconds of Jackpot making a few sparks the fire roared to life.

In the gloam of the twilight I could make out the Phiri mountain range that stretched east and west further than my eyes could follow. Around the base of the cliffs were rows and rows of trees that gave way to the plains and savannas that we had just come from. Just looking at the mountains I could tell how ancient they were. All rocks are old, of course, and all we can really do is wonder what things they have seen in the countless years it would have taken for them to form and grow to the heights these peaks reached. What sights could they have seen? Who has climbed them in the past? Were any battles ever fought in their shadows? These mountains were doubtless older than pony or zebrakind so the things they could have witnessed would be more than any of us could ever imagine.

“I remember this place.” Caelus said as he took a seat near a large stone. Jackpot was starting a small fire in a small patch of ground with only a little grass. The sun had set and it had been decided that we should rest up before continuing onwards to the city. “I lived here for a time before...well, it was a beautiful place then.”

“Ooh!” Scarlet cooed. “I'd love to hear about it.” she said, smiling. Jackpot leaned up against the stone and nodded in agreement as the fire flared to life. Siri took up a spot further away from the rest of us yet still close enough so she could be within range of the warmth of the fire.

“But you destroyed the city?” Siri said as she looked over at Caelus. “Karfiso told me that it was a citadel of the old empire. That means you were the one who ruined it.”

Caelus looked down towards the ground and away from Siri. “That is correct. But of that, my memory is still somewhat hazy. I could tell you what the city was like before if you want though.”

“I think that would be pretty interesting.” I said, smiling with excitement at the opportunity to learn something that no pony or zebra had heard in thousands of years(also to lighten the mood Siri had just created).

Caelus' ears twitched as he stared down at the fire Jackpot had set up. “The city's name was Angkir, which meant Hardrock. I'm hoping the meaning is self explanatory. Despite the coarse sounding name, the city was a haven of scholars, artists and musicians. It held great libraries, studios and theaters. The mountains that surrounded the city provided a great resonance with the music that would flow from the streets, creating a great symphony that could be heard for miles in all directions. The sculptors and artisans brought forth great reliefs and statues that were more beautiful than any I had seen outside of my homeland. The architects ensured that every house, every hovel, was a wondrous work of art. It's archives held literature and history going back to the founding of the empire; millennia of songs and tales, older than the counting of years, were held in those halls. I remember there being a great colosseum where every year, on the beginning of each new season, great games were held to honor the spirits and heroes of ages past. It was a wondrous city.” Caelus halted in his speech and took a breath. “All that is gone now, I suppose.”

“Sounds like a fun place.” Jackpot said, poking at the fire with a stick before taking a sip from his cider flask.

“Oh it sounds absolutely wonderful!” Scarlet beamed. “I wonder what kind of magic the ancient zebra studied? Did they make potions back then? How did their spells sound I wonder?” she quickly became lost in her own imagination.

“It is all a ruin now.” Siri stated, shaking her head back and forth.

“Yes, we know.” I nickered back at her. “Honestly though, it does sound wonderful. I would have loved to see that library and all those scrolls and books. If we get the chance we're definitely going to have to find a library tomorrow when we enter the city.” even on the minuscule chance there would be something left I just needed to get in and have a look around one of these amazing sounding libraries.

“The storytellers say that the Darkness came with an endless horde of demons and laid waste to everything that was good about the old empire.” Siri nickered back at me. “You may be just a pony now Caelus, but you once were a great calamity that brought the land of Karfiso's ancestors to ruin.”

“Rude as that was my dear Siri,” Scarlet interjected, “It does make me curious about something. I know a bit of dark magic, but you Caelus...Hubbard said the Darkness was the originator. How powerful were you and how strong is your magic now?”

We all turned our gazes towards Scarlet. Siri looked at her with a look of special uneasiness while Jackpot looked on with curiosity. It was a good question and if what Siri had been saying about Umbaara was true, we would need all the magic power we could get if we were attacked.

Caelus didn't answer immediately. He rolled his eyes back and forth a few times as he thought of something. “I don't think I can say what I was like but I can say that I still do feel my own magic within me. Dark magic is not of ponykind. It's not natural. I do not know if any is still within me but if there is then I cannot feel it. So I guess that all I can say is that I could still perform suitable magic, if we have a need to.”

“Once we get into those mountains we definitely will have a need.” Jackpot said, giving off a slightly nervous laugh as his eyes quickly glanced towards the mountain.

“If it's truly as dangerous as Siri says, then I think we should all get as much rest as we can before we head out tomorrow.” I said, stretching my legs out and letting out a long yawn.

“That is wise Ivory.” Siri agreed. “I will remain awake for a while and keep watch until the fire goes out.”

“Ooh, it's going to be just like old times.” Scarlet said, a sparkle in her eyes. “The old team: Jackpot, Ivory and me; exploring ancient tombs and learning secrets long thought lost.”

“Very poetic.” Jackpot said, chuckling to himself as he settled himself against the boulder we had built our camp beneath.

“Hubbard always says that spells work better when they sound good, so he had me learn a little bit.” Scarlet responded. Resting herself near the pegasus.

Siri leapt up to the top of the boulder and sat herself facing towards the mountains. Caelus took a position opposite of where Scarlet and Jackpot had laid down while I settled in between him and them.

After a day of traveling sleep came fairly easy as the warmth emitted by the fire quickly lulled me to sleep. I had settled into a nice dream about Enyi for some time when the images were brought to a sudden end by a strange whooshing sound that snapped me back awake. It almost sounded like some kind of spell had gone off or something but the first image my waking saw was Scarlet's eyes opening alongside my own as the rest of the party stirred awake.

“Earthquake!” Siri suddenly yelled as the zebra jumped down from on top of the boulder, almost landing on my hooves as I still laid there on the ground.

“Huh?” is all my sleep-addled brain could muster saying before the ground I was laying on suddenly jutted up and threw me several meters away from where I was laying.

Our camp seemed to break apart within seconds as the ground opened up and throttled us around as we came to the sudden conclusion of what was happening. Jackpot swept Scarlet up in his hooves and hovered themselves off of the ground as Siri scooped me onto her back and moved me out of the way of a hole that had just appeared beneath me. Caelus had magic and levitated himself off of the ground with his horn glowing a dull grey. The rompos brayed and roared in a sudden panic, rearing up before galloping off in various directions, far out of sight.

As quickly as it started, though, the ground stopped shaking and tearing itself apart. Within seconds the quake had ended and all of us seemed to be completely unharmed. Jackpot let Scarlet down as she hopped back onto the ground, Caelus lowered himself down with his magic and I was able to slide off of Siri's back.

“Uh, thanks Siri.” I said, my body shaking and my mind swirling from the experience.

Siri didn't answer as she plopped herself down onto the ground once I was off of her back.

“Siri? You ok?” I asked as I saw her keel over.

I quickly shifted my gaze to her hooves, one of them had a rather large and sharp looking shard of rock sticking out of it. Blood had begun to rush from it as the jagged edges of the rock had cut away at her skin. She had gotten hurt saving me.

“Out of my way!” Scarlet yelled as she pushed past Jackpot and Caelus over to where Siri was laying.

The wound looked bad but Siri didn't make any sound as Scarlet made her way over. Her face seemed locked in an intense concentration as Scarlet's horn glowed a deep red. A black and purple jolt shot from her horn, instantly dislodging the rock and forming the blood into a protective cocoon around Siri's cut leg. The blood wrapped around the gash and near instantly seemed to stop the bleeding and even reform some of the torn skin.

“Hmm?” Scarlet said, “This spell works fast, but never this fast. Why, the injury looks practically healed already.” she smiled.

“Wa-was that-” Jackpot began.

“Nothing major.” Scarlet said, interrupting him. “Dark magic and medical magic, working in tandem. A little trick I came up with while I was with Hubbard.”

“Sweet Celestia.” I had never really seen dark magic used up close like this before. To see Scarlet so casually use it boggled my mind nearly as much as I saw how effective it was.

Siri quickly hopped to her hooves, her face still concentrating on something. “Thank you.” is all she said as she rolled her hoof around to see how good it still was.

“I must say that you seem especially receptive to my spell.” Scarlet said happily. “That or I'm even better than I thought!”

“You've gotten a lot better.” I said, curiously peering down at the blood bandage that had appeared around Siri's leg.

Thank you Ivory.” Scarlet smiled. “I got a lot better on my own with how much Jackpot would get hurt, and with Hubbard's assistance I think I'm quite top-rate now.”

As Scarlet admired her work I took a look back at the cracked boulder and the crevasses that had appeared where we had previously been sleeping. The pits went deep enough for darkness to obscure any sign of a bottom. Siri had just certainly saved my life back there; falling into some bottomless hole was not my idea of a fun time after all.

It was still a little bit strange, I thought to myself. I would never try and pass myself off as an expert on earthquakes but to do so much damage over the course of barely thirty seconds to a place that apparently had regular quakes just seemed weird. I flicked my head around to see that the area around us seemed relatively fine with only a few noticeable cracks having appeared in random spots. Only the area we had been sleeping on had received any kind of life threatening damage like the crevasse. The forest that spread about at the base of the mountains didn't have a single tree out of place from when I had seen it yesterday. This earthquake seemed to only have affected an area directly around us which instantly shot up a series of red flags in my mind.

“Come.” Siri said, turning towards the last mountain spur between us and the city. “We must hurry before some other calamity befalls us.”

That was probably a good idea so it didn't take long for all of us to have what things didn't fall down into the crevasse slung over our backs and to be heading out towards Umbaara. As we trotted along, Siri remained alert as he head constantly twitched back and forth. I could tell she was looking out for something despite the pain she should have been in from her hoof. In fact, she didn't seem like she was limping at all; she continued to trot along as though her hoof had never had a dagger-like shard of rock slashed through it. There wasn't a hint of limping or sign that she was even being slowed down. Was she just that tough or did Scarlet's dark magic infused healing spell just work that good?

We managed to go for several hours before Siri halted us. We were near the edge of the mountains and I could see the final turn we would have to take before the city was supposed to finally come into view. Jackpot immediately propelled himself high into the air and looked around as Siri gazed off into a patch of high grass not far from us.

“Somethings movin out there!” Jackpot called down to us from his elevated position.

“Brogels.” I heard Siri mumble.

“You mean those fire-dog things you mentioned?” Scarlet nervously answered her.

“Indeed.” Siri responded as she suddenly shifted into a more aggressive stance. “The earthquake must have brought them out.”

“Just how worried should we be?” I asked, sliding up next to Siri.

“Worried.” Siri answered, gritting her teeth together.

At that moment Jackpot blew past me, just above my head. As he flew over the moving grass I saw them; several bright orange dog-like beasts, about half my height, leap out of the grass at him. Jackpot easily avoided them but now that they had been seen they began to pour out of their hiding spots out at us. There were at least six of them that we could see and they sped at us on thin yet muscular legs. The first one to reach us was deftly pounded into the ground by Siri, her hoof finding its way into the brogel's face. One of them had sprinted off to the side and leapt at me but I wasn't about to be shown up so easily. With one kick the brogel was sent flying into the air and landed limply on the ground a ways away. Scarlet had grabbed one with her magic and had flung it away as well as Jackpot simply bounded between them, his wings ensuring his speed was far too much for them tot ouch him. Before the brogels even realized what had happened, Siri had made her way between the rest of them and proceeded to crush their skulls in with her hooves as Jackpot distracted them from above.

“Ha!” Jackpot laughed, “I thought you said we should be worried.” he said right before a ball of fire blasted him in the wing, sending the pegasus plummeting towards the ground.

“Jackpot!” Scarlet yelled as her red aura caught him as he fell.

“Karfiso said you were dim-witted but letting your guard down in a fight was not something I expected from you.” Siri said as the offending brogel was easily stamped into the ground by the zebra.

“Um Siri!” I yelled, looking in the opposite direction.

At least a dozen more brogels had made their way out of the grass and were speeding their way towards us. A few of them tried jumping towards me but the strength of my kicks sent them reeling into the dirt.

Scarlet was batting away any brogel that got too close to her and Jackpot with telekinesis, while Siri quickly made her way back to the group. There were now nearly two dozen brogels quickly closing in on us from multiple directions.

“Run!” Siri yelled. “They are trying to encircle us!”

She didn't have to tell us twice as Scarlet, carrying Jackpot, and I bolted towards the mountain heel. Siri easily made up the distance and was leading us away from the tall grass and towards the mountain and forest. Despite this the brogels closed in quick and the few that dared to close in alone were deftly clobbered by either Siri or myself. More and more of them closed in as three dozen of the little beasts were now following us. Despite our best efforts, their numbers won out and soon we found half a dozen in front of us, ready to pounce if we got too close.

“It seems I have little choice.” I heard Caelus say from behind me.

There was a blasting noise as a wave of blue energy shot past me with such swiftness that it almost knocked me over. The brogels in front of us were suddenly blown away and scattered as the blast from Caelus' horn hit the ground between them.

“Ha! Take that!” Scarlet yelled as we continued past the blown out brogel corpses.

“How many more of those you got in you?” Jackpot asked from Scarlet's back as we continued to run.

“That seems like the best I can do right now.” Caelus answered. “Took me a while to build up though. Give me a few more minutes.”

That quick feeling of hope I had seeing half a dozen brogels blown away so easily dissipated as the final pack of brogels appeared from the forest edge we had been hugging. Dozens more of them poured out from the trees as several fireballs landed at my hooves. I had to stop or else they would have hit me and burnt my legs off.

“Fuck!” I yelled as I tripped over my own legs and tumbled to the ground.

“Scarlet, help me!” I heard Caelus yell as a blue shield of magic suddenly enveloped the group.

“Oh, right!” Scarlet responded as she shot a beam of her own into Caelus', reinforcing his shield.

The brogels swarmed over the shield. Their claws scratching and hacking at the magical bubble that now surrounded us. In her rush to help Caelus, Scarlet had dropped Jackpot onto the ground and he was now cradling his burnt wing as several more fireballs slammed into the shield. Caelus was beginning to sweat as more and more pressure was being put onto the shield as the brogels backed off and began breathing their fiery breath at the magical barrier. I could tell that Scarlet was growing a bit pale even as her red beam slowly darkened with streaks of purple and black. The shield was holding for now but even I could tell it wouldn’t last more than a minute or two.

I had to think of something. I looked down at my foreleg and saw Sparky still sitting idle, completely useless without Abila's helmet to power it up. I frantically looked back towards the shield as the brogels had resumed clawing at it with the large claws that sat on their paws. Their teeth were nearly as long as my forelegs, despite the brogels themselves being around the same size as a medium sized dog. I could hear them snarling and growling wildly as they snapped at the magical bubble that was keeping us safe from harm for the moment. Foam escaped through the cracks in their teeth as they savagely shredded and tore at the surface of the shield. I kept looking around frantically,I had to think of something to do quickly, or else those beasts would break through and rip us all to shreds.

Siri had reached into her pack and grabbed a small vial of red liquid within her teeth. She held it firmly as her eyes darted back and forth. Taking note of as many brogels as she could. One of Scarlet's legs gave out as she continued to funnel her dark magic into Caelus' shield, causing her to fall onto her knees as she struggled to keep the spell up. Jackpot had finally managed to stand back up, his burnt and crumpled wing hanging limply at his side. He still had a determined look on his face as he stood next to Scarlet.

“Thinkthinkthinkthinkthink!? What the fuck do I do!?” My mind was jumbling itself trying to think of some way out of this as the shrieks and snarls of the brogels grew louder as one of them managed to slash a small hole in the shield and reach its claw through.

Jackpot was quick to push it back out, allowing Caelus to fix the hole before he fell down, panting heavily the shield wobbled with his effort.

“Behind me! Now!” Siri ordered, speaking with the vial still placed firmly within her teeth. She moved over towards Scarlet and Caelus as Jackpot and I formed up behind her. Siri had sunken into an entirely aggressive stance as her eyes seemed to become hyper focused on all of the frothing beasts that were about to break through the shield.

There was a loud crack, as Caelus' horn sharply dimmed and he was thrown to the ground with Scarlet quickly following suit. The brogels immediately swarmed in from all sides, their snarling faces red with rage as sparks and flames shot out through their teeth. They were nearly on us as Siri prepared to smash open the vial when a massive gust of wind blasted all of the brogels back out and away from us. Siri paused in her attack as her eyes widened as we all looked up and saw what had just appeared above us.

The roc was there; an absolutely massive bird had appeared above us and was currently undergoing the task of swiping at and blowing the brogels away from us. A few of them launched fireballs at the creature which hit its feathers, singing them but not slowing the bird down at all. Watching this suddenly snapped me out of my panic and the fear which had been gripping me vanished instantly.

“Come on! We have to help it!” I yelled as I bounded forward into the swarm of brogels which had turned their attention away from us.

“Girls got the right idea!” Jackpot yelled as he rushed after me.

“What!? Wait!” Siri yelled in vain after us as she turned to look at our two exhausted unicorn companions.

The roc had scattered the brogels enough that I found smashing my hooves into them a fairly easy affair. Their attention had diverted to the gigantic bird and away from us so my bucks and kicks landed with deadly effect. One. Two. Three. Four. A few turned to face me and managed to lunge but I had now entered the proverbial 'zone' and found my instincts allowing me to dodge out of the way and smash their now mangled bodies down into the dirt below. With each kick, I could hear their bones cracking as blood shot out their mouths, slightly singing me when it landed on my fur. The adventurer shirt Joe had given me managed to resist the larger spurts that hit me, magically repelling the magical blood as it hit. Jackpot was following up behind me, his wing slowing him down, yet he was able to kick back a few that tried snapping at my flank as I rushed forward.

The last few brogels that remained soon ran whimpering back into the grass with one particularly vile looking one turning back to hiss at us before disappearing into the tall weeds. I stood there. Staring up at the absolutely massive avian beast that now stood upright before me and my friends.

Siri quickly rushed up and pushed me aside and behind her.

“Stay back Ivory!” she yelled as the great bird swung around to face us.

It's dull, white eyes focused in on the aggressive looking zebra as she gritted her teeth at the roc. Jackpot ran up beside me and gave the roc an equally pervasive stare. The bird seemed to hop around on its two legs, ruffling its feathers where they had been singed by the brogels. It was quick for something so large as Siri continuously slid herself around trying to stay between us and it.

“Now it is time for you to do exactly as I say ponies!” Siri said in a very commanding voice. She turned her head to quickly nab something from her saddlebag when something quite unexpected happened.

“Schala! Kack ra lak!”the roc spoke?

Now, to most ponies, strange sounds coming out of the beaks of fifty foot tall birds would sound just as described, as strange sounds. I(and my friends), on the other hoof, had seen enough weird shit to recognize when something interesting just happened. Plus I had a lot of practice translating languages to recognize when weird sounds were actually weird words. Rocs were not usually known to talk(or make any noise outside of ear-piercing shrieks) so when you can hear some form of syntax coming from one it's difficult not to take notice. A few years ago my brain would have exploded at the opportunity to meet a talking giant bird...who the fuck am I kidding, THIS IS FUCKING AWESOME!

“Did the beast just...speak?” Siri said, frozen, her eyes still trained on the massive bird.

“Those sounds sure sounded like some kind of words.” Jackpot said, looking confused.

“Tak Roäc! Rokko kork ok?” its voice was almost squeaky but at the same time, due to the roc's size, loud and imposing. The bird stood there, its old looking eyes locked on us as it bobbed its head back and forth.

“Stay where you are!” Caelus called up from behind us. He and Scarlet were slowly hobbling their way over towards us. The roc turned its head towards them and I saw its pupils grow and shrink as it stared deeply at the two unicorns as they made their way forward. Caelus' horn glowed weakly as a speck of light left the roc's breast and sparkled over each of our heads. “There we go.” Caelus smiled before falling to his knees, panting heavily as Scarlet supported him.

“Hmmm. It's been a long time since I've seen that spell used.” the roc said suddenly.

“Hu-wah?” Siri said, utterly confused.

“Caelus just taught us his language.” I said to her. “He taught himself ours when I first met him in Tartarus.” this was great! Now I could actually talk to it!

“Can't say I've ever talked to a giant bird before.” Jackpot said, rubbing his hoof across his forehead.

“I should say not!” the roc said, sounding offended, “If you had then your manners would have been better! I have been here, keeping you troublesome zebras and ponies out since before your ancestors ancestors were even a thought in their ancestors lineage!”

“Mighty Roäc, please forgive them.” Caelus managed to say weakly, “They couldn't understand you until now.”

The roc(apparently named Roäc) seemed to finally divert his gaze from us after Caelus spoke.

“Well, I hope this display has successfully convinced you that this land is not safe for your kind.” Roäc said.

He might have been right, but the opportunity to talk to such a legendary creature and my original need to enter the city outweighed anything now, “Um, hi. My name is Ivory-” Something deep within me was telling me to act very fanponyish...and it was winning, “and I had absolutely no idea that rocs could talk. I mean, I've certainly never met one that could, well I've never met a roc at all actually, but if I had I might've been able to tell or something. Anyway, I just want to say that you are just..just incredible and cool and awesome(I'm excited, can't you tell?) but I do kinda need to get into that city that's just around that corner there.”

Woe be it to me to try and argue with the giant bird that probably just saved our lives but, despite my excitement at finding something even Grit never saw, I still had a job to do.

He turned his gaze towards me. His eyes looked half blind and upon closer inspection his feathers were very dulled in some places and in others still sported brighter colors of green and red. This roc looked extremely old as I glared at him more.

“If you enter that city, you will all die.” he said rather grimly.

“We can handle brogels.” Siri said, speaking up.

“Are you crazy!?” Scarlet yelled from her position of holding up Caelus, “We barely survived one pack of those things!”

“We were never in any real danger.” Siri said, almost spitting back at Scarlet, “I was taken by surprise at first but should the roc not have come, I had a weapon that would have ended our attackers.”

“That red stuff, right?” I asked, remembering the vial Siri had been holding in her teeth..

“Indeed. It is a powerful poison specially made to kill brogels. All I had to do was smash the vial and all of the beasts would have died within seconds. I just needed them to all be in one place so I waited until the shield fell.” what the fuck kind of stuff was this zebra carrying around in her pack?

“Oh, there are far worse things that those blighters in the ruined streets of Angkir.” Roäc warned. “Horrible things indeed.”

“I have come prepared.” Siri flipped off her saddlebag and a multitude of colorful potions sat inside the bag. “Every demon that lives in this land I know, these potions here are not for show!” she stated very firmly.

Well, I didn't feel like playing the pronoun game and Siri and Roäc would no doubt continue to argue so I simply pushed my way past Siri(she didn't look happy at that), “What exactly lives in Umbaara that's so dangerous?”

The great birds head lurched back and then began to shift quickly in various directions as his eyes darted in various other directions, “A demon of the old Darkness. The brogels serve him, and he is their king. I felt his stirring and came out to investigate only to see you being swarmed by the brogels. I felt compelled to save you and ensure you left this land with your lives, as I have every time before.”

“The earthquake!” I heard Scarlet utter from behind me. “Was that this demon?”

“Yes.” Roäc answered. “He is a horrible thing of darkness and death. It has been so long since I have seen him though, that I simply cannot remember what he looks like. My memory isn't what it used to be after all.”

“It is more than likely a large brogel.” Siri interjected, “Packs are known to follow larger queens, they are fierce creatures, some have even killed Socotra, but I have faced several and beaten them. Or maybe it is a krak, living in some dark pool that forces smaller demons to do its bidding. Either way, I am prepared.” Siri nodded affirmatively.

“Can you give us any kind of description mr. Roäc?” Scarlet asked.

“Hmm” the bird thought, “It was big. Also I remember it being on fire.”

“See!” Siri proclaimed loudly, “Just a large brogel. Large ones are rare but not unheard of. We can deal with it.”

“We really do kinda need to get into the city.” Jackpot said, looking up at the big bird.

If ever a bird looked annoyed, Roäc was certainly that bird.

“Kaaaa!” He screeched, causing me to shove my hooves up into my ears it was so loud. “I have made my eyrie here above this city for two thousand years to keep meddling zebras away. I will not end that guard now because a pony asked me to.” did he just say-, “I am Roäc, king of all rocs! Once was a time when the free skies of this world bent to the will of my people! Then the dark times came and all that I had fell into ruin and death! It has been so long, so long since any roc has been even able to speak or act like anything other than a beast. I alone remain of all my kind to tell you that only death awaits you in that place. His power still dwells in the dark halls and palaces of Angkir; an evil that compels the brogels to gather and obey! I may have forgotten its face, but I can still feel its presence within the city. Nothing that enters ever leaves that is not torn to pieces by the brogels. They have come in greater numbers than ever before the past few weeks. Once there were mere dozens, now, hundreds roam the woods and plains, killing and dragging whatever they find into the walls of Angkir.”

There were several seconds of silence, “Lovely speech.” I heard Jackpot say from behind me with an obvious sarcasm in his voice.

“Quite nice.” Scarlet agreed.

As for myself, I was trying to wrap my head around everything Roäc had just unloaded onto us. My brain was stirring at the thought that I was talking to a roc that was actually two thousand years old, at least. I was feeling a mixture of excitement, wonder, disbelief, confusion, and absolute fascination. Imagine, this roc was most likely around when the city was still functioning; that means he was around during the zebra empire and might actually know something about it. Hell, he could have seen the city fall, or maybe even have fought against Caelus while he was the Darkness; it would make sense if he was...the king of the rocs, is that what he said? Shit, this just keeps getting better and better doesn't it?

Roäc's chest had puffed out and the dulled feathers had plumed out, making him seem even larger as he shook his head, “Why, under the sun's radiance, would you creatures seek to venture within the realms of darkness? All who came before you turned back at the merest sight of me.”

Siri came forward, “We are looking for an item called and irpata, Roäc. One that exists within Umbaara may hold knowledge that I may use to aid in the betterment of the lives of all zebras. These ponies have been contracted to help in this mission. Ivory here, requires this mission to be successful as part of a way to pay for crimes committed against zebrakind.”

I let out a long sigh, “Please king Roäc, I understand that the city is dangerous and you're just trying to keep us safe, but we really need to get in and find this memory stone. We won't stay long if it will make you feel better. We just want the stone and then we'll leave.”

“Is it not the custom of your people to offer help to those who need it?” Caelus said, standing up on his own and moving in front of Roäc.

Roäc cocked his head at Caelus and I saw one of his eyes zero in on the grey unicorn, “What would you know about the ways of my people, eh? That spell you used is an old one, I recognize it from one I knew long ago.” the great roc's eyes slid closed as he hung his head down for several moments, “I will not force you to leave, yet if I let you continue on you will be killed by the many brogels that now roam around the city. It is true the way of the rocs of old was the assistance of those in need. So therefor, I, Roäc, who was once a king, will fly you to a location in the city I know to be safest. I will circle above to watch for your return and then we will leave. I will advise you to spend no more than a day within the city for if you tarry then the brogels and their master will surely find you.”

“Wait!? You're going to let us ride on you?” I asked in astonishment(and excitement).

“Yes.” said Roäc.

It took every ounce of my willpower to contain the immense levels of excitement I was now feeling. I was going to get to fly on the back of a fucking roc! Not only that, but an ancient roc that apparently used to be the king of all rocs. I'll admit that today started out pretty bad, but this part was shaping out to be fan-fucking-tastic(in a good way).

The ancient bird swung its massive body around so that his back faced us. His great tail lowered down, forming something of a ramp that we could use to climb up onto him. Caelus went first, trotting up Roäc's back with no hesitation. I quickly followed suite, practically bursting with an excitement I hadn't felt in a long time. Scarlet had to help Jackpot onto Roäc's back as his wing had begun to hurt again, leaving Siri to hesitantly slide her way up onto the back of the giant bird.

“He will drop us, mark my words, who ever even heard of talking birds.” Siri nickered as she took a seat on Roäc's back.

“This is gonna be fun.” I said happily.

With that, Roäc's mighty wings began to beat off the ground. As if in one, fluid motion, the great bird leapt off the ground and beat his wings with such force that they began to blow a vast torrent of wind in all directions. All the others manes and tails began to blow wildly as the air stream roared around the bird as he rose in altitude. I rubbed my hoof through my maneless head, almost feeling a bit left out as only a short fuzz had grown back from when it had been cut in Arnband.

Roäc launched himself high into the air with such speed that the ground became a distant memory in seconds. From this vantage I managed to peer over the edge just enough to see the burnt crushed grass where the brogels had attacked us grown smaller and smaller. Roäc was really taking us up high, all the trees and even the edge of the mountains themselves seemed to change in size as the trees became a green carpet and I began to be able to see over the small spires of the mountains edges.

Roäc then launched himself forward, the wind almost lowing me off of his back. I had to wrap my teeth around some of his feathers to keep from falling off as he flew forwards. The ground began to pass quickly, turning into a blur as the bird gained in speed. The wind began to sting my eyes but I began to see movement within the tall grass as more brogels closed in on our former location.

“Fuck that was close.” I murmured to myself as we sped forwards through the sky.

The air became crisp, everything seemed so open and free as Roäc took us closer to the wall that had shielded Umbaara from our view. I couldn't help but wonder if this amazing feeling is how Jackpot felt every time he lifted off of the ground. I took a quick look over to him as Scarlet's horn glowed around his burnt wing, sparks of black and purple blended with her natural red aura. It was astonishing, I could actually see Jackpot's wing mending from the burns with each passing moment.

“Look forward!” Roäc called back to us.

“Huh?” I said, before turning my gaze to where we were going.

Roäc had crested the last arm of the mountain and now the ancient city of Umbaara was in view, and what a view it was. My eyes became glued open as the city was nothing like any I had visited on my previous adventure. It was not a hardly noticeable ruin like Numnah, nor a dank, depressing tomb; it was a city, a real city. I could see spires and towers, houses and archways colored in every conceivable color and then some. Yellow archways, blue bridges, red walkways that climbed up and around the taller buildings. Each structure was decorated with faded murals and frescoes, some crumbled and broken, while others seemed more intact. Each building was topped in crystal or gold, though some was faded and bent. There were what could have once been walls but was now only large piles of rubble that we could see even from our height.

The city sat within a circular vale, the only way into it from the ground was a path that existed between two sides of the mountain. On each side of the path were two colossal pedestals with the bases of broken statues. Only the rear hooves remained but it was easy to see these statues could have been as large as any tower in Canterlot. They looked like they could have been of rearing zebras as large shards of their bodies lay at various points on and around the pedestals.

“It's beautiful!” I shouted, a smile on my face at the wondrous work of art that was the city of Umbaara.

“Celestia's tits!” I heard Jackpot exclaim as his eyes stood wide, staring down at the marvel.

“By Scorpan's amulet, it's incredible!” Scarlet chirped as she broke her concentration on Jackpot's wings to stare out at the city below us.

“This is what the old empire was like?” Siri said, almost sounding stupefied. “Karfiso would love this.”

Caelus remained silent as he stared at the city. Before long he turned his head to stare at Roäc's back.

I scanned every inch of the city that I could see from Roäc's back. Near the edge of the city, near the mountains, were a series of impressively built blocks of stone. They were massive, the size of the Canterlot palace at least, and I could see little windows in them, showing me they were buildings. Compared to the rest of the city they looked rather plain, perhaps they had been built at a later date than the rest of the city? Roäc turned towards these structures as he slowly began to lower in altitude, his grayed eyes moving about, scanning the ground beneath us.

“Those are the vaults!” he cried, “I know that many irpata were stored within them. Maybe they are still there, if the demons have not destroyed them by now. I will need to set you down a bit west of them though, that area of the city is the safest. Make your way towards the vaults quickly and carefully, and you may make it out alive.”

Roäc landed swiftly and far more silently than I would have expected from a creature of his size. I could see Caelus and Siri constantly scanning the area around us as Scarlet helped Jackpot down from Roäc's back. I eagerly hopped down to the cobbled walkway our wondrous pilot had landed on. My eyes went wide as I looked around the square we stood in. The buildings, despite being ancient and half torn down, seemed to be as vibrant as they ever could have been.

Roäc had landed us in a large rounded courtyard that sat between a ring of what looked like houses. In the center of the circle was a ruined fountain, long silent and dry of the clear and refreshing waters that no doubt once ran from it. The courtyard was just as colorful as the rest of the city had been from above. The crumbling houses besides us contrasting the still vibrant colors of blue and yellow that graced the surfaces of the ancient dwellings. The cobbled ground beneath our hooves was cracked and filled with weeds, evidence of the long neglect that these once beautiful walkways have endured over their centuries of loneliness.

There were several narrow streets that ran out of the courtyard that split into various directions and around multiple corners. They sat there, shadowed, as the ruined forms of ancient houses loomed over the wrecked stones that lay there on the paths. There seemed to be no signs of brogels or other nasty beasts within the courtyard itself which gave me no end of relief.

“Caelus was right, this place was a city of artists.” I mumbled to myself as it seemed we were surrounded by rainbows.

“Remember,” Roäc said, “Do not tarry here too long. I will remain above to wait for your return to this spot.”

“Thank you, king of birds.” Caelus said, bowing his head down as Roäc lifted back into the sky and flew off towards a mountain peak that overlooked the city.

“This place is even more beautiful close up.” Scarlet said, giving off a contented sigh as she looked at a partially crumbled fresco of two young zebras playing with what looked like marbles.

“Can't say I've ever seen a place quite so colorful.” Jackpot said, agreeing with Scarlet as he to gazed at the beautiful fresco.

“Let's not forget that Roäc said this place was dangerous.” Caelus warned. “Those brogels might be all over the city, it'll be difficult to get past them.”

“I will take care of that part.” Siri said, trotting over to a small street that led out of the court. “I will see just how many brogels block our way and find the most effective way past them.”

“You're not scared they'll see you?” I said, concerned for the zebra.

“They will not see me. All of you will remain here, I will return shortly.” and with that Siri quickly disappeared down the small street.

“Now what?” Jackpot said.

“Well, this'll give me some more time to work on your wing. It shouldn't take much longer to get it in working shape anyway.” Scarlet responded, her horn glowing a dim red as she concentrated on Jackpot's singed wing.

I occupied my time trotting from one end of the yard to the other, gazing at the beautiful colors that still seemed so vibrant on the ruined walls of the crumbling houses. It was like nothing I had ever seen before in my life; the city must have been an absolute wonder before being destroyed if it was still so beautiful after millennia of neglect.

Jackpot couldn't seem to help but wander around with Scarlet traipsing after him, keeping her magic focused on his nearly healed wing. Caelus went and sat down near the fountain with Jackpot following him closely from behind.

“Jackpot!” Jackpot called as he stuck his head excitedly into the ruined fountain at the center of the yard.

“Your names not that exciting, and hold still, I'm almost done.” Scarlet grumbled as the light in her horn dimmed before Jackpot's wing shot out stiffly.

Jackpot pulled his face from the dried fountain and between his teeth sat several dulled coins. Jackpot's eyes had a gleam in them as he laid the coins on the ground, diving his head back into the fountain and dragging out a multitude of very old looking bits.

“Zebra foals used to throw coins into fountains and make wishes. Do ponies still do that?” Caelus said as he watched Jackpot toss out more coins.

“They're beautiful.” Scarlet said, nodding to Caelus before looking down at the now small pile of coins Jackpot had laid out on the ground.

“They're not ours.” I said, trotting up to Jackpot as he looked triumphantly at his pile of loot.

“Technically they don't belong to anypony.” Jackpot said excitedly as his wing swept the coins up into the only pack he had that wasn't filled with cider flasks.

“Haven't we learned about taking artifacts?” I said, staring right into Jackpot's eyes.

“Oh relax Ives, I've got a deal with Karfiso for anything I can dig up here. Those zebras are starving for stuff from their old empire and he's willing to pay me a fucking load for anything I can bring him.” Jackpot answered confidently, securing a strap on his bag to seal his treasure.

“Jackpot does have a knack for getting money.” Scarlet mused as she gazed into the fountain herself, picking up a few coins and carefully setting them in her own saddlebag.

“I just don't want Siri, and by extension Karfiso, getting mad at us while we're still out here.” I said, unable from helping myself from gazing into the fountain to see if there were any coins left for me(there weren’t).

“Oh? You think she won't be looking out for stuff on her own?” Jackpot teased as he jumped up into the air, flapping his now healed wing and flying around on it in circles.

“Don't worry Ivory,” Scarlet said sweetly, “Jackpot would never do anything to jeopardize your freedom.” Scarlet turned her head upwards to where Jackpot was swerving and looping through the air, “He absolutely adores you.”

I turned away, looking down the street that Siri had disappeared down, wondering if the fact that she had taken this long meant that she had run into trouble. The city seemed very desolate despite the beauty of its crumbling buildings; I could hear no animals of any kind. There were no birds, bugs, or any other kind of animal I could think of that would live in an abandoned city. The buildings, despite many of them being partly destroyed, seemed remarkably clear of anything. There was an almost pristine look to the city as though it had been carefully preserved and kept free of any outside influences. It was clear that what Karfiso said had been true, no zebra(or anyone else) had ever entered this city.

“Siri's back!” Jackpot called from the air as I saw our zebra guard come trotting back into the courtyard.

“What did you see? What's in the city?” Caelus asked as Siri approached us.

“I was correct.” Siri said nodding to herself, “There is a brogel queen that roams the streets.”

The idea of a bigger, nastier brogel was not a pleasant notion but I had little doubt Siri could lead us past it with little difficulty.

“Anything else out there we should know about?” I asked.

“Many brogels prowl the streets, the queen has several dozen around her at least.” Siri said, gazing back down the street. “They are not close to here, this place should be safe for some time.”

“Is there a clear path to that vault thing?” Jackpot asked, landing and stretching out his healed wing.

Siri nodded.

“Well then, Scarlet and me got some things so now lets go help get Ivory the thing she needs.” Jackpot said happily, patting me on the back with his wing. Jackpot then gestured to his saddlebag before shaking his flack to the sound of the jingling coins in it. Siri nodded again before turning back down the street. “See,” Jackpot whispered to me, “it's all good.”

“I can't wait to see the rest of this gorgeous city.” Scarlet smiled as we set out.

Siri was unnaturally quiet as her hooves glided noiselessly across the cobbled cracks that made up the ground in Umbaara. Jackpot was gliding just above the tops of the buildings, keeping watch for any brogels that might think to try and jump us while we made our way closer to the vaults pf the city. Scarlet and Caelus brought up the rear as I could hear her excited voice telling Caelus whenever she saw something that she thought looked nice as we passed by ever more beautiful wall paintings and buildings.

It didn't take long from that for me to snatch a view of an image I knew quite well. As we turned a corner a large carving of a bound book hung over the entryway into one of the larger buildings on the block. My brain instantly knew that we had just come across a library and before I knew it I had crept beneath the entryway and into the front hall of the ancient structure.

My eyes boggled and my brain swayed back and forth as I looked upon row after row of stone shelves, covering hundreds of feet of stone floor. The ancient shelves were covered in the dust of the long rotted books as piles of dust covered the floor. It broke my heart seeing so much ancient knowledge lost in such a way. Many of the shelves had been cracked and broken, some even had scorch marks either from the brogels or from the ancient battle that had brought the city to its knees. I crept between the many stone shelves, looking in vain for any sign that I might find something of value in the decrepit hall. I compelled myself ever onward as my brain frantically kept yelling at me to find something...something I could show to Enyi, something we could maybe even read together.

The library had high windows that trickled in several small rays of sunlight, lighting up the empty hall. On each and every shelf I looked at I could only see piles of dust with the occasional binding that had only half disintegrated into dust. The slightest touch from my hooves was enough to make these bindings unravel and be blown away from my nervous breaths.

I almost couldn't believe it. I was in a literal library from an ancient zebra empire and there was absolutely nothing I could read. This knowledge(or lack thereof) had almost reduced me to tears at the mere thought of everything this library had contained to be lost forever. Each empty shelf I passed, each pile of dust and debris that could have at one point contained knowledge that no creature today could ever conceive of brought my heart to a new low. I kept walking through the forest of dead shelves, waving my head back and forth at each new row and aisle for a mere glimpse of whatever I thought I could see. I was truly beginning to think that everything was gone, I was beginning to think that everything that had ever been in this city was destroyed and all that remained were the husks of its colorful buildings; a hollow victory for a hollow city.

As I neared the end of the hall, something managed to catch the corner of my eye. Beneath a ray of sunlight I managed to make out etchings on a wall in the distance. My heart leapt as my hooves propelled me forward through the dusty ruin of the old library.

“By the princesses, I think I found it.” I said, eying up the wall where the carvings had been made.

My mouth hung open as my eyes scanned the ancient writing. It was very well ordered as my eyes saw line after line of letters I couldn't even begin to comprehend. I could feel my excitement grow with each letter I put my eye upon. Line after line I saw, row after row that led far off to the sides of the wall in every direction.

“If only I could read this.” I sighed as I continuously followed the lines across the wall. “I wonder who wrote it? Could it be graffiti maybe? Was this written during the battle or before?” I kept eying every possible bit of the writing that I could as though looking at a word multiple times would somehow magically reveal what it said to me.

“This wall should be destroyed.” a voice said suddenly from behind me.

“Huh!?” I jumped at the surprise. I turned around to see Caelus, his grey fur nearly making him invisible as he stood just outside the sunlight, standing behind me staring up at the writing on the wall. “D-destroyed!? Are you crazy!? This is-”

“You don't know what this is.” Caelus said abrasively. “You can't read a word this writing says.”

“I know that this is history.” I said brusquely back, “I've ruined enough zebra history and I don't want to be responsible for ruining any more.” my mind went back to the portion of Abila's tomb that I caved in with Goldie. “Can you use that language spell to help me read this?”

“No.”

“You can't, or you won't?”

“Won't.”

“Why not?” my mind was now racing with what exactly this wall could possibly say to make somepony like Caelus think its bad.

“The things this wall says should stay forgotten. The fewer creatures that can read it and know it, the better.” Caelus sighed and shook his head.

“Can I have a clue?” I asked curiously.

Caelus took another look up at the writing, his eyes rolling over each word and letter carefully before turning his head back to me. “It's a recipe book. It lists the ingredients needed to make horrifying poisons. The contents of this wall could kill thousands in mere minutes.”

Ok, that shocked me a bit. I took a step back as though the wall had suddenly become much more dangerous with the mere utterance of Caelus' words.

“Something like that is just sitting here out in the open on a library wall? What if-”

“The zebra changed a lot near the end.” Caelus interrupted. “We all did horrible things; twisting and torturing nature to suite our needs. Not all the monsters of the world were made by me.”

“What happened?” I asked almost hesitantly. “I'm not going to hate you for telling me you know.”

Caelus let out a heavy sigh as he looked once more on the writing on the wall, “Seeing this writing brings back memories I would rather not have. The zebra are a very clever bunch. They were always good at making powerful elixirs from the world around them. Whenever I would throw something new and horrible at them, they would make a poison that could kill it. Then they would make something worse and send it at me. We both grew to be very good with this skill and ended up making many horrible monsters. For example; I created changelings,” Caelus turned his gaze towards Siri who had appeared behind us with Scarlet and Jackpot in tow, “from zebra magicians.”

“You should not have disappeared like that, Ivory Star.” Siri said, sounding a bit angry.

“Looks like ya found something though.” Jackpot said, peering up at the wall.

Siri looked at the wall and the copious amount of writing it contained. Her eyes seemed to eagerly soak up every bit of it as she stared. “Karfiso would want to see this.”

“This wall should be destroyed!” Caelus said again, this time with more force.

“This wall is the history of the zebra!” Siri said just as forcefully back. “It seems to be all that is left of this library.”

“I'm not going to damage it.” I said. There was no way I was ever going to do anything damaging to such a historically important work, even if it was as horrible as Caelus claimed. “I've taken enough history from Khaweth.” I said, my eyes quickly glancing towards Jackpot.

“The knowledge contained on these walls is evil.” Caelus said.

“You would know.” Siri spat back.

Before the argument could escalate any further, a flash of dark, scarlet energy shot past my head. Purple and black, mixed with a dark red glow slammed into the wall, crumbling it it and it's contents to dust and knocking down the surrounding wall as well which sent plumes of dust and debris flying everywhere.

“The Fuck!?” I shouted as I hit the floor, instinctively ducking from the magical blast as a plume of dust and rocks shot up around me.

The blast had knocked everypony onto the ground as they dodged the flying bricks and rocks that came from the now destroyed wall. The air became heavy and clouded for several moments before the dust cleared, revealing Scarlet standing there, her horn dimming as she stared at the spot where the wall once stood.

“I didn't like that wall.” I heard her say, “It felt quite ugly.” Scarlet turned her back on us and started trotting away and back into the larger hall of the library.

I just stared at the rest of my friends as they watched the unicorn disappear into the haze of the ancient library. None of us moved for several agonizing moments as what just happened whizzed through our brains.

“Did she just...” I began to say, the words faltering in my mouth as we all just continued to lay there in the pile of rubble.

Siri was the first to rise up, dust herself off and continue onward to where Scarlet had gone off to. Jackpot followed suite, flapping his wings as he went off after the others. Caelus and I continued to lay there for several seconds before rising ourselves and making our way towards the exit of the library.

“I can't fucking believe Scarlet just did that.” I cursed to myself.

“She was right to do so.” Caelus said, apparently hearing me.

“That was important history. It was an invaluable piece of a history the zebra already know very little about. Don't you think we need to preserve as much as we can?” I said to Caelus, my eyes and tone betraying the severe strength to my belief of this.

Caelus just looked at me and shook his head as we neared the others who were waiting at the exit of the building, “No.” he said as we met up with the others.

“There are some brogels out there now.” Jackpot whispered back to us as he poked his head out the stone entryway that lead back on to the street. “We're gonna have to wait for them to leave or risk alerting the entire pack.”

“They probably heard you blowing up that wall Scarlet.” I said giving her an angry look to which she just turned her head.

“They will find our scent if we linger here too long.” Siri whispered, “We will need to find another way out of the library.”

With that we all crept away from the door and back into the ruined halls of the zebra library. Siri lead us around the back and down the inside wall until, as luck would have it, we came upon a small hole that was just big enough for one of us to squeeze through at a time. Siri went first, followed by the rest of us as we managed to sneak past the brogels that had gathered around the entrance to the library.

The winding streets and buildings provided ample cover as several dozen brogels had gathered in front of the library. Siri led us through several abandoned and crumbling houses which let out a good distance from the brogel pack.

The inside of these houses seemed remarkably familiar to what somepony could see back in Equestria. I took notes of several rooms in the ones we passed through as we detoured around the brogels. The first building we crept through had the trappings of some kind of family room. I could see stone shelves carved into the walls and old, petrified wood laying around that once might have been furniture. The room next to it had rusted sheets of metal and smashed pottery(a kitchen perhaps?). I noted some stone shelves and several empty places between them where some wooden ones had perhaps once hung. There were ceramic pots, some smashed, but with one still sitting, silent and still, on a slenderly carved counter. I halted and stared at that one pot, sealed and preserved these past millennia for me to lay my eyes upon. I wondered what might be inside it? I wondered who lived here and what they had been doing to leave this pot here, untouched, before leaving forever. Maybe it was just a family preparing dinner, or more likely, packing away supplies as the Darkness overtook more and more of the city.

Seeing this lonely pot filled me with a strange sadness I had not expected to feel by just looking at a pot. The stories it could tell if only it could talk would be enough to fill a dozen books. As the others were getting ahead of my, I had to turn my head and keep going. I turned back once more before exiting back onto the street to gaze at this lonely pot once more. It was still there and would most likely remain there for many years to come.

As Siri continued to lead us through the streets my mind had even more time to wander around my surroundings. It drifted between Caelus' words in the library and the history I knew that he knew about the city. It was a strange feeling, trotting around with the very pony who, thousands of years before, had destroyed the very city I now found myself in. His comments on the wall Scarlet had destroyed had gotten stuck in my head, for no matter how much I knew he was right I just couldn't get the rotten feeling out of my gut for having witnessed the death of such history.

There was also Caelus' comment on changelings that I couldn't keep my mind off. He had actually remembered something substantial and had just decided to mention it so casually. It almost seemed impossible that this grey, cutie markless pony who seemed so ordinary had once been so powerful as to twist life in such a way. My eyes drifted between Siri and Caelus, thinking on just how such a thing could be possible. I knew that zebras seemed to have that ability to disappear into their surroundings, I had certainly seen Siri do it enough to know that. He did say that they were zebra magicians; perhaps these ancient magicians could do things that most modern zebra could not. There was certainly enough lost pony magic for me to be able to believe the ancient zebras could do things that the zebras of today could not(there was also that wall...fuck).

There was just so much for my brain to absorb, so much new information that my thoughts seemed unable to simply remain still long enough for me to actually come up with good explanations for things.

“Stop.” Siri said suddenly, halting us with her hoof as she neared an intersection in the street. “Get into a building, now.” she said sternly yet in a hushed tone.

“What is it?” I heard Jackpot asked before Siri simply began pushing him off of the street.

None of us felt like arguing so we all followed her quickly and quietly into an abandoned house. Siri quickly hurried up a set of stairs that ended up leading to the roof of the structure. After following up I peered my head over the side with her just enough to see down onto the street and what I saw terrified me.

A brogel, but larger...much larger. It must have been four or five times the size of an average brogel, easily several times my own. Its charred, orange fur bristled as it lurched down the street, followed by several dozen smaller brogels. Even from our vantage point we could hear it snarling and growling as the brogel queen made its way through the broken streets and away from us. I found myself holding my breath and freezing my body in place to the point where every slight movement seemed like a heard of elephants were jumping up and down.

The large beast made its way further down the broken stones of the street and back in the direction of the library. When I saw that I instantly knew that they knew that something new had entered the city. I looked over at Siri whose face, I could see, had several drops of sweat moving down it.

“What'r the odds of us beatin that thing?” Jackpot whispered into Siri's ear.

“If she were alone and with only a small pack, quite good. With a pack of this size, too risky.” Siri responded.

“What about that poison?” I whispered to her.

“Not enough for an entire city of brogels.” the zebra answered.

“How close are we from those vaults?” Scarlet whispered, coming up from the back.

“Close.” Siri said, “A few more blocks and we will reach the entrance.”

I snuck one more look over the top of the building to witness the brogel queen take a turn down another street and away from us. With the distance I now allowed myself to breathe again as I relaxed my stiff body. This place was obviously very dangerous and the trek back to Roäc was more than likely going to be very dangerous indeed.

*****

The door to the vaults was large, at least the size of five or six of me stacked on top of the other and another five or six of me across. The good news was that the door had a large hole near the bottom with plenty of room for us to fit through. Either through force or time, the entry into the first hall had been made easy for us well beforehoof.

The first hallway was about the size of one you would find in an everyday house. There were two doorways, one on the far-end and the other off on the side. Siri produced a small, clear vial from her pack, and with a few shakes in her muzzle the clear liquid inside lit up into a pale light. Looking down at Sparky I began to miss its usefulness in these kinds of situations as I remembered the light it was able to produce. Siri hooked the vial to her saddlebag and continued forwards.

The first door led into a small and empty room while the second opened to a narrow stairway that led downwards.

“I have a very bad feeling about this.” Scarlet cringed as her face scrunched up once the door opened.

A rancid blast of air came from the stairway, nearly causing me to vomit on the spot before I was able to catch myself.

“This certainly does not smell like treasure.” Jackpot moaned as he peaked over Siri's shoulder and down the stairs.

“I must admit, I'm having an uneasy feeling about what's down there as well.” Caelus added.

“The irpata is most likely down there, so that is where we must go.” Siri said, nodding and taking her hoof straight down the first step.

“Dark stairways never stopped us before guys!” I said confidently, “We've gone through this before and we can do it again.” I smiled to the others, trying to clear the nervousness that I, myself was feeling at the sight of the stairs..

With some hesitation I took the next step down after Siri, with the others following close behind me. The stairs were wide enough for only one of us to fit, forcing the group to descend single-file down the twisting stairway. We reached the bottom after a short time and the sight we were welcomed to at the bottom justified the bad feelings we had been suffering through.

Skeletons. The bones of long-dead zebras littered the floor as Siri angled her light close enough to make out the skull she had just stepped on. I almost screamed as I found my own hoof standing in the middle of a decaying rib-cage but my other hoof held my mouth shut.

“Damn.” is all Jackpot said as he stared at the ground of the hallway.

Scarlet was lighting her own horn up as she inspected several of the bones that were littered near her. “They're all zebra bones. They're all covered in gnaw marks.”

“Brogels.” Siri growled as she immediately dropped into a low, combat stance.

The room remained silent. We all stood there, waiting for something that never happened to happen. The room simply remained dead.

“These zebras all died a long time ago.” Scarlet said through the dim light of her horn. “I doubt any brogel has gnawed on these bones any time within the past few centuries.”

“She's right.” Caelus said. “These zebras would all have died when the city fell, two thousand years ago.”

Siri dropped her stance yet we could all still tell how apprehensive and on guard she still was.

“Be careful where you step then, and let us continue.” the zebra said, stepping over the crumbling bones that littered the floor.

The bones, thankfully, ended as we continued down the next hallway. The floors remained relatively clear as we made our way to another large door. This one had no gaping hole to clamber through but the wood that made it up was so rotted that it gave way easily to a simple push from Siri. What we saw next was much better than the hall of bones.

The door gave way to a much larger room, giving us a slight break from the oppressive and rank air that permeated the smaller halls.

“Here, I will now join in.” Caelus said as his horn began to glow a bright and pale white.

With Siri, Scarlet and now Caelus, the larger chamber was wholly illuminated. This room had five doors attached to it, counting the one was entered through. The walls were adorned with more elaborate carvings of fields and the zebras that seemed to dance around them. Some of the pictured zebras wore golden armor as they marched through the fields and towards a range of mountains covered in dark clouds.

“This room looks like it used to be quite beautiful.” Scarlet sighed as she eyed up an image of two zebras laying together in the field.

“No doubt this was some kind of common room or lounging area.” Siri said, walking around and looking at several images herself.

“I just hope none of you blow anything here up.” I grunted, trotting off towards a small rotted chest that sat in the corner.

Jackpot hovered off to a pile of debris in one of the corners, waving to Caelus to come over to help him rummage through it.

“Why would vaults have a living area though?” Scarlet's voice echoed throughout the room.

“This place would have been a final refuge if the rest of the city fell.” Caelus said. “Many zebra would have made their final stand in this place.” his voice almost seemed to trail off and weaken as he spoke, the final few words barely even being audible.

I looked down to the hallway we had come from. Those bones we had stepped over were probably soldiers, holding that hallway and trying to keep others safe. I couldn't bear the thought that we had just been tromping through the remains of zebras who had given their lives in the vain hope of protecting their families. I turned my head down towards the rotted chest I was digging through and began to silently cry.

Nevertheless, my hooves began to carefully push piles of debris around in the chest. My eyes caught the sight of a small glimmer as I pulled a small metal frame from the rubbage. Within the frame I could make out a picture, but not just an ordinary picture, it was a photograph.

“Guys, come here!” I shouted to the others, waving my hoof for them to hurry up.

“Quiet, we do not know what else may still be down here.” Siri said harshly as she made her way over.

“What is it Ives?” Jackpot asked.

“It's faded and I can't make out the picture, but this looks like a photograph, from a camera.”

“They had those back then?” Scarlet asked, confused.

“We do not know.” Siri shrugged, “If this is down here then it seems they did.”

“Jackpot, put this in your bags.” I held my hoof out as Jackpot carefully held the frame in his wing and slid it gently into his saddlebag.

“All safe.” Jackpot smiled.

The find got me excited. Despite the ill feeling I was still getting from being down here, there was that part of me that still found joy in finding new pieces of history that I could never lose. I turned towards one of the doors that led out of the room and pointed to it.

“I have a less than horrible feeling about that door, let's head there next.” I said.

“If we’re gonna keep going, then we're gonna have to pick a door. If Ives here says she has a good feeling about it then I second her idea.” Jackpot said, agreeing with me.

“Very well. Any objections?” Siri said.

Scarlet and Caelus each nodded and so we headed towards the door I had picked out.

This door led us back into another small hallway and another set of stairs that led downwards. Siri led the group with her vial still glowing brightly in the dark. Scarlet and Caelus were still using their horns giving the hallway a very well-lit atmosphere. The stairs gave way to another room of similar size to the other but with much less in it. We rummaged around for a few minutes but quickly deduced there was nothing here.

The door we picked next was a far more obvious one as it was a very large one, similar to the large one that made the entrance to the vaults themselves. It practically drew me to it with how much it stood out from the other, more normal sized doors that went off to the sides.

The wood on this door was far less rotted than the last and it seemed to have been reinforced with metal beams and, as Caelus pointed out, rubbed with special potions to further increase its resilience towards damage. All of us had to throw our backs into pushing this door open. It was heavy and ran low on the ground, creating a horrible wrecking noise as we pushed the ancient door open to where we could slide through.

“Well, if anything is down here it most certainly heard that.” Scarlet huffed as she caught her breath after passing the threshold.

“All the more reason to move quickly.” Siri responded.

When I entered into the new room, my hooves froze where they stood as I gazed upon our new surroundings. Through the glow of the unicorns and Siri's vial, I could make out an exceptionally large chamber. Glinting across the ceiling came shafts of light from a source I couldn't begin to guess. Massive pits, perfectly circular, and about as deep a shallow pool lined the ground, reaching far off to the other side.

“Treasure room.” Caelus said as he gazed around.

“I don't see any treasure.” Jackpot said, sounding disappointed.

“There used to be.” Caelus responded as he began to move further into the large chamber. “These pits are actually doors and they open up to more individual vaults that are buried even deeper.”

“There must be dozens of them!” Scarlet lamented.

“Hundreds.” Siri answered, looking around herself.

The size of the room before us and the realization of hundreds of smaller vaults sank much of the hope I had of actually finding this stone Karfiso wanted. All I could do was look around at the row upon row of potential resting places and wonder how big each vault would be once we descended.

“We'll never find this damned stone.” I moaned.

“This might prove more difficult than I or Karfiso thought.” Siri said, sounding a little overwhelmed herself.

“There!” Caelus sounded off as his hoof stretched out to one of the shafts of light that beamed straight down to a small door on the side of the room. “That should lead to the inner vaults. That is where the city would have kept its most valuable treasures.

“Sounds better than trying to pry all these vault doors open. They must weigh a couple of tons each, at least.” Jackpot said, patting Caelus on the back with his wing before heading off towards the door.

Jackpot noiselessly glided over to the doorway and peered through it as the rest of us made our way over to him. He came back to meet us half way with a smile on his face.

“There's a very important looking door down a short hallway. I have a sense that what we're lookin for is behind it.” he said happily.

“Then let's hurry and get out of this horrid place.” Scarlet whined, “Ever since entering this room I've had the unpleasant feeling of being watched.”

“This place does have an odd feel to it.” I mused, taking another look around the empty chamber. “Whatever it is, I'll be glad to leave it behind, let's go.”

We made sure to quicken our pace as we made our way to the small doorway, lead on by the shaft of light that pointed it out. Jackpot was right, a gilded door, etched in dull gold with old letters sat at the end of a short hallway. Some of the shapes seemed similar to the writing that adorned Abila's tomb but it was beyond my knowledge to be able to translate what they said. Siri pressed her hooves on the door-frame and pushed, but was unable to move the door. This door was much smaller than the last one and was not large enough that we could all efficiently push on it at once. After we each gave pushing against the door a try it was quickly decided that it was stuck.

“I could blast it open.” Scarlet suggested.

“Too much noise.” Siri answered. “I have begun to feel the same as you Scarlet, something is watching us. I would much rather not attract it, or something else, closer for that matter.”

“Maybe it's what Roäc was talking about? He mentioned something bad in the city.” I said, now feeling something very uneasy myself and taking periodic gazes back beyond the doorway.

“I already told you, it was the brogel queen.” Siri said, sounding offended. “There is nothing else it could be.”

“I've seen enough weird shit to know that bad things like to live in places like this.” Jackpot said, now sounding nervous himself.

Siri began to grumble as she dug her muzzle into one of her saddlebags. She emerged a few seconds later with a vial of green liquid that she held carefully in her mouth. She slowly laid it down on the ground in front of the door and gestured us to back away.

“This potion is difficult to make so I would rather not use it, but it seems we have no choice.” She said as she then dug another vial of orange liquid out.

“What is it?” I asked.

Siri effortlessly tossed the vial towards the other she had placed on the ground. The thrown flask hit the first one, shattering them both as the two liquids combined. From them came a fume that seemed to rise and cover the locked door more and more with each passing second. I watched in amazement as the door seemed to dim and bend within the fumes that rose quickly around it. The massive block began to bend and sway as it began to droop over itself more and more. The fumes dissipated after a few more seconds, leaving the door sagging over the stone floor.

“Now we should be able to open it.” Siri said, nodding to us.

I trotted over and bucked the door as hard as I could, shattering the thing the instant my hooves made contact. The remains of the door fell backwards, landing in a rotted heap at the floor. There was a slight clang as some small metal bits hit the floor but the sound was still relatively faint to what it could have been.

“Well done Ivory.” Siri said, giving me a nod as sh eagerly moved past me and into the next room.

This room was small, smaller than any we had yet been in within the ruins of the vaults. We were all barely able to fit in it together without bumping into and pushing each other around just to have space to breathe. Luckily, this made the contents of the room easy to spot as all it contained was a small, metal chest that sat on a stone pedestal just a few feet from where we stood.

“How much you wanna bet it's booby trapped.” Jackpot snickered.

“It is not.” Siri answered shrewdly.

“How do you know?” Scarlet asked.

“It would make retrieving the items unpractical to whomever kept them here.” Siri said, sounding a little annoyed.

“I think that's the point.” I said.

“I agree with Siri.” Caelus added, “If these are the memory stones, then the zebra would want as easy access to them as possible.”

“What exactly do these things do again?” Scarlet asked, rubbing her chin with her hoof as she gazed at the box.

“It is quite self explanatory.” Siri answered as she carefully neared the box, “They hold memories, artificially implanted into them for later review; or so the book Karfiso has states.”

“Let me open it.” I said, coming up behind Siri, “If it is trapped then I'd rather get hit with it than risk having Karfiso getting mad at me for getting you hurt or killed.”

“That is not necessary.” Siri said, waving her hoof.

“I'd rather Siri risk it than you, Ives.” Jackpot said from behind me.

Siri responded to this by throwing Jackpot a dirty look before quietly backing off from the chest. I also threw Jackpot a disapproving gaze before shifting past Siri and waiting for the others to make their way out of the small room. I could see the glow of Caelus' and Scarlet's horns behind me as though they were preparing for any potential trap I might encounter.

I looked down at the small box, inspecting it for anything I could conceive as potentially dangerous. There were no abnormalities about the box; it was in fact, quite plain. There were no wires or creases around the pedestal that would indicate any pressure plates or moving parts of any kind. I gingerly placed a forehoof on the box and halted...nothing happened. I sat down and then placed my second forehoof on the opposite side...nothing happened. I lifted my hooves up and the lid of the box slid off quite easily with no lock or stopper of any kind...nothing happened. I released a breath I didn't realize I was keeping in and took a look down into the box. Within were shards of shattered pieces of a black stone, filling the box in its entirety.

“Fuck!” I instinctively shouted at seeing the ruined contents.

“What's in there!?” I heard Jackpot shout from the back.

I didn't answer immediately as I continued to stare at the rubble-filled box. I took one of my hooves and set it into the shards of stone and began to move it back and forth. My demeanor instantly changed when my hoof hit something smooth and solid. I let out a big smile as my hoof scooped up a small, round, black stone. It seemed almost clear with small, white wisps flowing just beneath the surface. My eyes grew larger as I clasped the stone in both hooves and watched as it seemed almost ethereal in my hooves. Something about it compelled me to set it against my forehead as my surroundings faded away and everything seemed to go black.

The feeling I had was similar to when I had drunk the oracle drought that Karfiso had given me back in Khaweth. This time though, it felt more natural than when I had witnessed the lives of the two alicorns, but without the feeling of being suddenly flung across the world.

My body wasn't there this time, however, and I seemed to be trapped in something that felt like my body but wasn't. I could neither move nor make any sound as I was confined to some kind of prison that impeded any kind of movement. A momentary fear gripped me as my mind raced with horrifying thoughts of being trapped in this spot for all eternity until I heard a strange voice call out from the side.

“General Ab, I must speak with you!” I heard a voice that was unmistakably zebra shout out.

“What is it Zulu?” I heard another zebra voice answer.

“I have the daily report from the surface, sir.” The zebra I guessed was named Zulu responded in a very official sounding tone.

It was then that I saw two zebras come into view and stand around a table that sat at the center of my field of view. They each had very tall manes and short, bobbed tails. The one I guessed was named Ab had golden rings around his hooves and wore golden armor while the other had the armor but lacked the rings.

“First off, sir, is that seven more changelings have been slain within the bounds of the city.” Zulu began, “The soldiers they were impersonating have not been discovered, but it is a sign that the new potions are doing their work in uncovering these spies.”

“Good.” Ab sighed, “Now that we know it works, have every zebra in the city painted with it, we cannot have these beasts open the gates to the spider.”

“Yes sir.” Zulu saluted, “Next is that one of our scout parties has returned and spotted several hundred nirik gathering below the main gates. They have come with more of the demons of the Darkness.”

Ab shook his head with a sad look to his eyes, “So, some survived. That news bodes ill as I thought we exterminated those vermin. Their flames could cause great harm to the city, they must not pass the gates. We must bring the poison we made for them back to the soldiers on the walls, I trust we still have some?”

“Yes sir!” Zulu saluted once more, “My final report is that your daughter, Abila, has finally returned from her mission.”

At the mention of that name my ears, if I could still move them, would have stood straight up. Was this a memory of Abila's? Is that why Karfiso sent me here? I began to grow excited as I once again tried to move about the room to look for any sign of the legendary zebra. My excitement abated upon the rediscovery that I couldn't actually move. Still, if Abila were to show up here I would have something to tell Enyi if I ever saw him again.

Ab grew a friendly and warming smile on his face at the news, “Ah, that's good news. I was afraid I had made a terrible mistake sending her out there.”

“Please, father.” another voice echoed proudly, “That you would doubt the training that you gave unto me is disheartening.”

And from the side I saw her enter, with strides as proud as I could have imagined for only the greatest of heroes. The zebra entered the room with green markings covering all of the stripes on her body. Her mane had been cut short and straight along with her tail and her yellow eyes pierced through the din of the underground room.

“Abila!” Ab shouted with joy, “I'm so glad you're safe.” the zebra galloped over to his daughter and threw his front hooves around her in a hug.

“General?” Zulu asked, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

“Yes yes, I apologize. Very unprofessional, I know.” Ab straightened himself out and went back to the table.

“No need, father.” Abila said, smiling, “I bring good news. Roäc has agreed to come to our aid.”

Roäc? Roäc knew Abila!? Holy shit! I was definitely going to have to talk to him about this once we got out of this dark place. I was filled with a tinge of excitement at the mere thought of being able to potentially learn knowledge that had been thought lost for thousands of years. A creature that actually spoke with and knew Abila; I was definitely going to tell Enyi about this!

“H-he has?” Ab looked quite excited, “How many rocs will he bring?”

“One thousand.” Abila said affirmatively with an air of accomplishment forming around her.

“One...one thousand?” Ab fell over onto his haunches with a completely dumbfounded look on his face, “We may survive this war yet.”

“Should I tell the king, sir?” Zulu said, eagerly.

“We should all go. I think he's with the magicians right now.” Ab replied.

“Let us g-” Abila began before the room started to shake and bits of rock and dust fell from the ceiling onto each of the zebras heads.

“What?” Abila said, immediately adopting a stance I could only guess was meant for fighting.

“The damn spider is back!” Ab shouted, “She's beating at the gate, we must go now.” the zebra general said, waving his hoof to Zulu and pushing Abila out of the room.

“Yes!” Abila shouted, “Long have I desired to slay that terror! The demon Lazilob shall fall beneath the righteous hoof of the mighty-”

Before Abila could finish what would have most likely been an epic speech, the vision dimmed and I was hastily thrown back into the dark reality of the underground vault.

I awoke to the sound of a scream and blood running down my face and an intense pain running through my head. The room was shaking uncontrollably as I found my body being tossed back and forth across the small room.

“I think something hit Ivory!” I heard Scarlet yell, “She's covered in blood!”

“Why'd there have to be a damn earthquake so suddenly!?” I heard Jackpot shout out as the sound of frantic hooves clopped about around me.

My eyes fluttered open to the sight of Scarlet staring intently at my face with worry in her eyes. Her horn was glowing red as I felt the pain dying down slowly and the flow of blood calming down.

“Wha-” I started to say before an intense dizziness overtook me and my head lolled to the side.

“Quiet now Ivory.” Scarlet said softly. “You just got whacked in the head by large rock; getting thrown out of that memory stone thing probably didn't help either.”

“There's something in that big chamber down the hall!” I heard Jackpot yell.

“What is it!?” Siri yelled back as she trotted up to Scarlet and me. “Ivory, there was a sudden earthquake,” she said, “The room nearly collapsed.”

“I don't know!” Jackpot yelled, “Whatever it is, it's glowin!”

Siri immediately galloped back down the hall to Jackpot while Scarlet's eyes continued to scan me. I could feel her turning my body over as she continued to inspect me for further injuries.

“Just some bruises, you'll be fine now that I've stopped the bleeding.” Scarlet smiled and stood up.

She stretched her hoof out to me and I proceeded to latch onto it with my own, “Careful now, get up slowly.” she said sweetly as I managed to stand up.

Once I was up, my senses returned to me and the dizziness left; Scarlet has gotten good. I nabbed the stone from its place beside me and, setting it in my saddlebag, looked out of the small room to see Caelus, Jackpot and Siri peering out of the entryway to the larger vault chamber. They both stood there in the dark with only the dim light of Caelus' horn to illuminate them.

“What is it?” I asked, trotting up behind them.

The moment I peered out of the doorway myself, I saw what my friends had been looking at. There was a shape in the dark, moving silently and swiftly as a deadly shadow through the vast hall. It's form could only be distinguished by a pale light that seemed to flicker from it's body; that of some massive wolf or bear perhaps? Peering at it, even from so far a distance, filled me with terror. The beast had a menace of doom about it as it moved about the chamber. Every fiber of my being roared at me to run, to run as far and as fast as I could from the terrible form that lay between us and the daylight outside.

“Umbrog.” Siri whispered.

“What?” I whispered back.

My gaze shifted to my friends only to see their gazes fixed upon the beast that blocked our way. Jackpot and Scarlet looked out with the same terrified expression that scarred my own face. Caelus' look was not one of terror but of mere surprise. He clearly knew what this thing was, the same as Siri.

“I thought them extinct.” Siri whispered to the group. “It was believed that they had all been killed in the great hunts over three centuries ago.”

“What are they?” Scarlet asked.

“They're mine.” Caelus answered before Siri could. “I made them eons ago to fight the zebra during my war with them. I instilled each one with dreadful strength and powerful magic.”

“The storytellers say it would take fifty Socotra to slay even one Umbrog during the hunts.” Siri said, peering back out into the chamber. “I have always wanted to test myself against one.”

“That doesn't sound like a good idea.” Scarlet said, her gaze never leaving the Umbrog, “I think we should try and sneak past it.”

“We could make for the door outa here.” Jackpot said back to us, “If we b-line it, we might be able to get out before it can catch us. It looks to big to follow us into the smaller hallways near the surface.”

“Jackpot's right.” Scarlet said, nodding. “I don't think we can fight this thing, you saw what those little brogels did to us. We wouldn't stand a chance.”

“Not with that attitude.” Siri nickered, obviously wanting to fight this thing. “It was the greatest honor to slay and Umbrog in battle. A zebra could gain no greater glory than that.” Even in the dim light I could see Siri's body shaking with excitement as she stared out into the cavern.

It took me only one more cursory glance at the Umbrog and the intense dread I felt by just looking at it sank my heart. I felt my ears and tail twitching in fear for every moment my eyes sat on the white, flickering flames that shaped the dark form of the Umbrog. Even from our distance I could tell it was huge, dwarfing me by several times at least. My mind immediately went back to the Pyth I had encountered back at Abila's tomb with Grit and Jackpot. Even that beast was not the equal in stature of this Umbrog.

“We're not fighting that thing.” I said finally. “We're going to try and sneak back towards the doorway to the upper halls and the exit. Jackpot's right, it looks to big to follow us up there.”

“Better douse all the lights before moving out.” Caelus said.

I could hear Siri quietly grumbling to herself as we crept out of the small hallway and back into the massive vault chamber. Jackpot hovered just above the ground, noiselessly using his wings to float above the ground to lower our noise level as much as possible. Siri, of course, made no noise whatsoever with her hooffalls while Caelus and Scarlet's hooves could only be discerned by my twitching ears on the rarest of occasions.

The plan seemed to be working. The Umbrog seemed to make it's way opposite the direction we were moving, it's flickering white flames easily distinguishable in the dark room. The doorway back to the surface was practically invisible without any lights but Each of us bit onto the tail of whomever was in front of them as I led us along the wall in the general direction of the exit.

We moved swiftly through the dark, all of our own light sources extinguished to avoid detection by the Umbrog. It seemed like the chamber continued on endlessly as I hugged the wall, Siri's hoof holding onto my haunches so the rest of the group wouldn't lose me(no tail still). It seemed like at least an hour before the large silhouette of the door appeared into my field of view. My eyes(now adjusted to the dark) could barely make out the shape of the part of the door we had swung open to first enter the chamber.

“We all here?” I asked, as quietly as I could to sill be heard by everypony.

I could see their shapes in the dark as each member of the party answered my question. We gathered up and began to head past the side of the open door.

Dur Kur!

A horrifying trembling shook all of us(except Jackpot) right off of our hooves. The door instantly swung shut as the room shook horribly.

“The fuck!” I heard Jackpot yell as more rocks fell from the ceiling due to the new tremor.

Luckily no rock large enough to do damage landed on any of us, but that proved to be a hollow mercy. All I could do was stare at the Umbrog who now faced us with what could only be described as a horrifyingly cruel smile. His maw was ringed with massive fangs that glowed in the pale light he exuded. The beast was still some ways away but had somehow noticed us and somehow slammed the door shut.

“The Black Speech!” Caelus cried in a shrill voice. “He knew we were here!”

Before any of us could react the Umbrog leapt towards us at a great speed. The white flames covering his body roared into an inferno that sent us scattering. Luckily, his flames also lit a large portion of the room allowing us to finally be able to see clearly.

“This guy seems to know magic!” Scarlet shouted out, “Be careful!”

The Umbrog reared up as white flames shot from his body; Jackpot nimbly and easily avoided them all in the air but for me(not in the air) it proved very difficult. The flames seemed to scorch and burn even the stones they touched(I didn't want to find out what they would do to me if they touched my skin!).

Siri seemed to leap for joy as she bounded towards the massive beast. Her movements seemed to change from how she usually moved and I stood in awe as she seemed to blur in and out of sight as her strong hooves struck at her large foe. It almost seemed a miracle as the Umbrog's attention shifted.

Jackpot wasted no time himself as he came down on the monster from above, striking it's face and eyes with his own powerful hooves as it swung at Siri.

“What the hell am I doing!?” I shouted, “They need help!”

I immediately leapt into action myself. Siri and Jackpot seemed to be in some kind of synchronization with their moves as one struck while the other retreated to draw the Umbrog's attention from themselves. With it's attention diverted, I came in at one of the beasts mighty claws and with one fell stamp of my hooves I shattered a portion of the beasts extrusions.

The Umbrog howled in pain as it suddenly leapt away from us. It opened it's fanged jaws and roared so that the room shook with a wrathful fury that halted any hope of a continuous assault. Fire once again came from it's body as a magical shield(thanks Scarlet and Caelus!) quickly arose over us. The fire and the shield shattered each other instantly, giving us the time we needed to recover our balance. The Umbrog was not done however as more horrid words left it's cursed mouth.

Morkul Kurug!

At these words, Caelus' and Scarlet's horns ceased to glow in their respective magical auras.

“My magic just stopped working!” Scarlet shrieked as she struggled in vain to reignite her horn.

“The same for me!” Caelus shouted in tandem, “He's toying with us now!”

Once again the beast seemed to smile wickedly at our distress as it came at us once again. Siri and Jackpot once again went at it but the beast seemed to be ready for them. He went for Siri first and even with her skill and ferocity, she was batted away by the beasts broken claw on his first swing. This prevented her being ripped to shreds but she was still thrown like a ragdoll by the swipe.

Jackpot had the advantage of the air and flew out of the beasts range the moment Siri went down. The Umbrog's terrible gaze then landed upon Caelus. It seemed to stare at him curiously for several moments before letting out another room-shaking roar; then it charged.

All of it's attention had turned to Caelus as Jackpot sped downwards towards where Siri had landed. Caelus turned and fled as the Umbrog gave chase to him. I chased after the both of them, only catching up to the beast when Caelus pivoted backwards using the size of the monster to roll beneath and behind it. The instant I got in range I landed the most powerful kick I was capable of giving right into the leg whose claws I had previously shattered.

With the strength of Celestia, I leapt at the leg and slammed my hooves into it as hard as I could, drawing on as much inner strength as I could possible muster. The kick landed perfectly and actually managed to buckle in the Umbrog's leg, causing it to stumble and roll onto the ground in a great crash.

“Lick my fucking clit, bitch!” I shouted(I may of hopped up and down a few times as well here, not gonna lie) in utter triumph as I watch the beast's body slam into the ground.

“That's some nice strength you got there, Ives!” Jackpot shouted from above as he circled the Umbrog's collapsed body. “You alright too, Caelus!”

“I am fine, but be wary, he's getting back up!” Caelus called in worry.

The Umbrog rose once more, his eyes burning with a furious wrath that only seemed to increase the flames around his body. They now roared to an intensity that made touching his body a mere dream as his entire form became coated in the white-hot fire. The roar that the Umbrog let loose no longer just shook the room, large chunks of roof and wall began to collapse into massive heaps of rubble. The doors leading back to the surface even shook violently as cracks arose in them. Anypony who still stood was immediately thrown to the ground, leaving only Jackpot, who was still flying above the Umbrog.

Jackpot flew straight down at the head of the Umbrog, his hooves digging into a spot between the beast's neck and shoulder. Jackpot immediately leapt up, screaming as his forehooves were scorched black.

“Jackpot!” I called, “What the fuck are you doing!?”

“Saving your ass!” he called back in a pained voice.

Jackpot immediately began to circle the Umbrog at an ever increasing rate of speed. At first the beast ignored him and charged at a still rising Caelus, but when Jackpot slammed into the same spot as before the beast's attention shifted to attempt to swat Jackpot away. I once again galloped at full speed towards the Umbrog; there was no way Jackpot would be able to continue dodging the beast's swipes with the amount of pain he had to be in from his blackened hooves.

The moment I got close the beasts swiftly turned to me, his fiery face and deathly glare stared straight into my soul. It's face was that of a wolf; skin blackened and charred with a look of horror and evil in it's eyes. My body froze the moment it's eyes met mine, as if I was being put under some spell. My vision began to blur as I heard more terrible words being whispered into my ears.

Truzu.

My vision began to blur and my mind began to lose itself and jumble around as if I was losing control of it. I could feel parts of my body attempting to move on their own, while whispers filled my head. The words they spoke I could not understand but they sounded horrid and evil as they crept deeper into my head. I began to feel lost to myself as a growing hatred and anger began to rise up in me towards my friends.

This trance was broken only by the sound of shattering glass and a tremendous roar of pain from the Umbrog. Immediately my sight returned, only for me to be flung off by a stray swing of the Umbrog's paw. I flew off towards the far wall, only stopping when my body slammed into it. Pain exploded into every inch of my being as a cry of absolute anguish fled from my mouth and into the heated air of the vault.

“Celestia's cunt wanking thunder bucket!” I cried repeatedly as my body felt as though it had erupted into millions of tiny shards of glass.

Every inch of my body felt broken as though I had just gotten hit by a falling house. After a few moments of unremitting anguish I managed just barely heave my body into a standing position and gaze back at the Umbrog.

The Umbrog's face seemed to be even more scarred and burnt from when I had just seen it now. Jackpot was hovering over it with a smug look on his face and several of Siri's vials in his hooves. There were several shattered ones on the ground that I could see in the pale light and Jackpot was continuously throwing more and more of them.

“Burn in Tartarus, you piss-flap!” Jackpot yelled as he hurled the various vials he had taken from Siri's saddlebag at the Umbrog.

“I'm ready now!” I suddenly heard Scarlet yell from somewhere far away.

I looked over to where the voice had come from and saw Scarlet, her horn sparking with shades of purple, green, and black energy.

“Normal doesn't seem to work, but my Dark Magic still seems to!” she yelled.

The Umbrog immediately stopped and turned towards Scarlet. It's eyes widened as he seemed to sense the magical energy coming from the unicorn. At once he charged at her, now utterly uncaring of Jackpot's attempts to keep his attention. The moment the Umbrog reached Scarlet, her spell was cast. Even as her body went flying, a massive red spike pierced through the skin of the same leg I had hit, just above the shoulder. The spike came from within the Umbrog's body and dripped with blood.

Indeed, the spike itself seemed to be made of the creature's blood as it immediately retreated backwards, limping on it's wounded leg. This did not mean it admitted defeat, no, the flames seemed to only burn brighter now and it's roars increased in intensity until more of the chamber seemed to fall down on top of us. It took all of my strength to simply hobble out of the way of the falling rocks and rubble of the Umbrog's rage.

Just then, Caelus came running up, Siri lying limply on his back as he dragged himself towards the cracked doorway to freedom.

“We can't keep this up Ivory!” he yelled at me, “We need to leave, now!”

“Scarlet!” Jackpot shrieked as his wings carried him faster than I had ever seen him go towards where her body had landed.

“I agree, we need to leave now!” I shouted back as I began to make my way towards the weakened doors.

It took everything I had to make my way towards the exit. Caelus had arrived first as Jackpot appeared second, hauling a motionless Scarlet on his back. I looked back to see the Umbrog ripping and tearing at the blood-spike that Scarlet has plunged from inside his body. The fires that engulfed him were now a raging inferno, the heat of which nearly caused the sweat that was pouring down my face to nearly blind me.

“How are we getting past these doors!?” Jackpot asked frantically, “They're fucking huge!”

“The Umbrog's spell seems to be broken.” Caelus said as his horn began to glow a dull silver color.

With a flick of his head, a single energy blast came from his horn and slammed into the cracked door. The Umbrog's roars must have greatly damaged it as the one blast was enough to shatter a hole big enough for us to squeeze through one at a time. Jackpot flew through immediately with Scarlet in tow, followed by Caelus, who held Siri, and finally by me.

We galloped(Jackpot flew) back up the passageways and corridors we had taken to descend into the vaults. Every hall and passage shook as the wrath and rage of the Umbrog grew, taking chunks of every wall and ceiling with it. The earth shook, every inch of stone seemed to radiate with the flaming anger of the Umbrog. The floor began to heat up in an ever increasing intensity, causing my hooves to begin to burn each and every time they hit the stony floor.

It was not long before the mighty beats of the Umbrog's feet could be heard echoing from the halls behind us; it's terrible roars shaking every room we passed through. We could hear walls being torn down and stones being ripped apart as rooms behind us began to cave in on themselves.

My body screamed at me with every movement I made. My skin was covered in bruises from the single, wild swing I had taken from the Umbrog. Siri and Scarlet seemed to be in a similar, yet worse, condition than myself as they weren't moving. Galloping as I was, I could not tell if they were even breathing, they had each taken a full hit from the Umbrog and had taken hard landings. Their bodies dangled limply from the backs of Jackpot and Caelus, Siri especially looked as though she had taken a particularly nasty hit. Some of her skin looked as though it had been horribly blistered and blackened(in fact, it didn't even resemble skin much at all.).

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” I screamed to myself(out loud) as I forced my body to continue moving forward. “Fuck you Karfiso!”

“Those cave-ins should keep it from coming after us.” Jackpot said as we neared the surface, climbing single-file up the final staircase past the room of zebra bones. “His own rage has trapped him under there.”

“The brogels on the surface will have gathered by the vault entrance by now.” Caelus lamented, stopping before the top of the stairs and the room that led to the door out. “The Umbrog's rage will have stirred and enraged them in kind, I think.”

“Well we can't stay here.” I said firmly, “This place is going to come down any minute and I don't particularly fancy being trapped in here forever.”

From behind us, another echoing roar came from the blackened deep that we had just departed. The room shook, prompting us to immediately stop talking and make one last dash for the exit. Sunlight streamed into the entry chamber from the hole in the front door. The light, though only a few streams, hurt my eyes that had become accustomed to the darkness over the past few hours. I could hear the stairs we had just climbed crumbling behind us as my hooves pushed me past the broken and crumbling door that led back to the outside world and Celestia's sun.

My body collapsed on the stones of the road the moment I landed after having jumped through the doorway. At once the comforting warmth and light of the sun hit me like a falling Canterlot tower after having spent so long in the oppressive darkness of the vault and the blazing heat of the Umbrog. It felt like nothing short of a long, loving hug from Celestia herself as I sprawled, my body aching terribly, onto the ruined stones of Umbaara.

What comfort I took from this faded as the sunlight caused me to shut my eyes and reopen them slowly. The first thing I saw was Caelus and Jackpot gritting their teeth and staring out and away towards the city. Turning my head, I saw a horde of brogels staring wretchedly at us. There had to be three or four dozen of them at least, and among the horde were several larger ones(the queens).

I could barely move; every small bit of motion made my bones ache terribly. Despite this, I forced myself up and took a stand beside Caelus and Jackpot. I could see the violence in the eyes of each and every brogel; they had no doubt been enraged by our actions. Flames flickered from between their fangs as the mass of death leapt towards us.

As my own imminent death approached, I could only watch as the ground began to suddenly shrink before my eyes. The sun disappeared for a split moment as a shadow enveloped our group. A massive gust of wind blew the ranks of brogels back as my body became wrapped in a pair of massive talons. Roäc had saved us.