Being jailed sucked. That’s stating the obvious, but it went double when you were the innocent party while the zebra that’d pickpocketed you got off scot-free. It wasn’t even a nice jail cell; all I had to sit on was the hard stone tile floor, the bars had rusted over long ago and could have been broken if they weren’t so thick, and the only thing that counted for plumbing was a leaky bucket. It wasn’t the type of place you held people for long (at least I hoped not), but the type of cell a guardhouse used to hold prisoners until whatever amounted to the justice system dealt with them. There wasn’t even a window to allow for airflow, making it feel like I was being sweated to death within the hot and humid cell.

So it was a relief when about an hour after I’d been thrown in there the guards came by. “Come with us,” the guard said as he swung the rusty door open. A squad of soldiers stood outside, and none of them looked happy to see me.

I stood up with a grunt. My legs tingled from sitting too long on the hard floor, and the tight chains around them didn’t help either. “What’s going on?”

“No questions.” The leader of the group gestured with his spear for me to get moving.

I sighed and did as he said. The guards surrounded me and soon we were heading out of the guardhouse. It wasn’t long before we ended up in front of the largest house in town, which still wasn’t saying a lot. It was two stories tall, a bit wider than the houses around it, and looked better maintained, but otherwise looked like every other house on the block. The guards prodded me to head inside and I shortly found myself in the parlor. The room was filled with old, sturdy wooden furniture, with various knickknacks and other decorations scattered about the room. But the hodgepodge nature of the collection ruined the effect; by the looks of it everything had been gathered haphazardly, probably bought whenever an opportunity presented itself.

There were two individuals there to meet me, and the presence of one of them surprised me.

“Oh Daring! There you are!” Capital exclaimed with a big, bright smile that quickly disappeared as he saw my chains. “My word! Why are you shackled up like that?!”

“Because these jerks arrested me for no reason!” I jabbed a hoof in the direction of the guards, my chains rattling.

“That’s not how my guards put it,” said the other person in the room. Sitting in a big cushioned chair was a heavyset zebra in his later middle years. A trio of old and ugly diagonal scars ran down his face, and they weren’t the only ones on his body. “The way they put it, you assaulted some sailor and then resisted arrest.”

“Yeah? Well they’re lying.” I slapped my hoof to my chest. “We’re the ones that were pickpocketed, and yet I’m the one who got arrested while the thief got off scot-free! Who’re you anyways?”

One of the guards gave me a rough shove. “Give the Mayor more respect.”

I opened my mouth to tell him where he could stuff his respect, but the Mayor raised a hoof and spoke over everyone else with a firm and commanding voice. “That’s enough, all of you. Daring Do, was it? I’m Okan, the mayor of Haztuha. How about you tell me your story and then we’ll figure out what should be done here.”

I ground my teeth, but decided it’d be best to cooperate for now. I wasn’t in much of a position to argue chained up and surrounded by guards. “We were just shopping in the market square when some pickpocket nicked a compass off of Capital. I went after her, but just when I’d caught her these guys pulled me off of her. Next thing I know they’d let her go and were arresting me instead.”

“The sailor said she won the compass in a card game,” the leader of the squad unhelpfully added. “The alleged thief even returned the compass in question to put the matter behind them.”

I glared at the guard. “And I told you, it was a fake. She still had the compass she actually stole.”

“So you’re telling me she exchanged one compass for another?” Okan asked, sounding unconvinced. “Sounds like a lot of trouble for a common instrument that tells you which direction north is.”

Capital cleared his throat. “Not to be rude, but I did tell you this particular compass is unique. An artifact, really.”

Mayor Okan grunted. “So you said, but I wanted to hear her side of the story. Without bonus commentary from you.”

Capital held up his hoof. “Of course, I just wanted to clear some things up.”

So that’s what this was all about: determining my guilt in front of the Mayor. Given the size of the town, Okan was probably the judge and jury. That was good if I could convince him I was innocent, but very bad if I couldn’t.

“Well, he’s right that the compass is special.” My eyes narrowed. “And I bet I know where that thief took it.”

Okan’s eyebrow raised. “Is that so? Care to enlighten us?”

“It had to be Ephemera—she’s a pony who came with us on the Buried Treasure,” I told him. “And she hates us, a lot.”

I decided not to elaborate on the other point clawing at the back of my mind. That thief hadn’t been just any bit-a-dozen pickpocket. That zebra had known how to move. Even worse, how she moved reminded me of Puzzle. Then there was how she had managed to convince the guards to let her go while arresting me. That was exactly the type of trickery I could see Puzzle pulling off.

“Mainly because your thief was this one,” Puzzle added with a grin. “Of course, you didn’t know that at the time.”

“I didn’t have much reason to believe I was dealing with a shapeshifter,” Daring said. “If I started thinking that everyone around me might be a changeling during all my adventures then I’d drive myself batty.”

“Paranoia is like most medicines,” Puzzle said. “It’s best used in careful doses.”

It made me worry that Ephemera had hired more than just Puzzle. Was there a whole gang of elite mooks like him? If Ephemera was really trading up from the usual cheap goons she usually hired.

Okan pulled a cigar from a nearby box and lit it. “And this is the same Buried Treasure that mysteriously caught fire earlier today?”

“There’s nothing mysterious about it,” I told him. “It was Ephemera, I just know it.”

The Mayor puffed his cigar as he watched me carefully. “And your proof?”

“If you knew her like I do, then you’d know what she was capable of. It was because of a bet the captain of the ship set up that she lost the compass to start with, and Ephemera wasn’t wild about how much she got charged for the voyage either. You can ask the Treasure’s crew all about it. She must have set up some sort of fire gem trap or spell to set the fire.”

“I already have people doing just that.” Okan let out a long puff of smoke. “So you don’t have any hard proof, just conjecture and a motive?”

I ground my teeth together. “If I saw her trying to set the ship on fire then I would have stopped her.”

“And why didn’t you come to my guards as soon as the ship caught fire?”

Ugh, this Mayor was really getting on my nerves with all his questions. It was like he thought I was responsible for everything bad that had happened. “We tried to talk to you, but then your secretary got in our way.”

Okan took a moment to think as he fiddled with his cigar. “Sergeant Aykan?”

The sergeant saluted. “Yes, Mayor?”

Okan put the cigar in his mouth and gave the guard a stern look. “Find this Ephemera and bring her here. I have a few questions I’d like to ask her.”

“Better bring plenty of guards if you’re gonna do that,” I told them. “Ephemera’s got a couple of mean-looking bodyguards, and there’s a slippery zony by the name of Puzzle with her. Don’t let him get behind you, if you get what I mean.”

“I know how to do my job,” the sergeant sneered. “What do they all look like, and do you know where they’re at?”

I bit back a comment the sergeant probably wouldn’t have liked. “I don’t know where they went, but here’s what they all look like.” I gave them Ephemera and her gang of ne’er-do-wells’ descriptions.

“Should be easy enough to find.” The sergeant turned back to the Mayor. “Shall I take the prisoner back to her cell on the way?”

“Hey, I’m cooperating!” I snapped. “No reason to throw me back in that sweatbox you call a cell.”

Okan shook his head. “No, leave her here with a couple of guards. I want everyone here when I question them.” The sergeant looked like he was about to object when the Mayor cut him off. “Go already. If this Ephemera is responsible for burning the Treasure then I don’t want her running around town setting anything else on fire.”

“Yes sir.” The sergeant dutifully saluted, then motioned for a pair of guards to stay with us before departing.

Once he was gone, Okan motioned to a nearby cushion. “You might as well make yourself comfortable. I believe your friend was about to break out a drink for us to enjoy while we discussed some business.”

Capital smiled brightly. “Oh yes! I’ve just been dying to share this good bourbon I brought with me.” He waved to Proper Penny, who had been standing to the side nearly unnoticeable despite having been in the room the entire time. “Will you pour us some glasses, Proper?”

“Of course, my lord.” Proper proceeded to open a bottle of a fancy brand of bourbon and started preparing glasses.

“And what business did you want to talk about?” I asked as I sat. While I didn’t like still being in chains, the current arrangements were a lot better than the suffocating cell I’d just been in.

Okan snorted as Proper gave him a glass filled with amber liquid. “You should know. You’re the ones that wanted to see me.”

Capital smiled apologetically. “Excuse my companion, it has been a rather long day for her. The thing we wanted to discuss was being allowed to travel inland for an expedition.”

“Absolutely not.” Okan sipped the bourbon and briefly coughed after doing so.

My wings twitched. The declaration had been so casual as to be insulting. “And why not? We just want to explore the ruins deeper inland.”

“And that’s exactly the problem,” Okan told us. “I’ve had it up to here with explorers, treasure hunters, and soldiers of fortune. You’re all trouble, not the least because most of your kind just get yourselves killed in some stupid manner. We had some college students who wanted to head into the jungle and see the tyrant lizards they’d read so much about. We told them no for their own good, but then they snuck out of town in the middle of the night.” He snorted derisively. “All we found of them were some half-eaten corpses.”

“We’re not some college kids in over our heads,” I growled. “We’ve got a fully prepared expedition with food, supplies, and all the technical expertise we need to survive in the jungle.”

Okan shook his head before taking another sip. “And do any of them have experience with the tyrant lizards? How about dealing with the Dromaed?”

“Not specifically, no,” Capital admitted. “But I’ve hired the best experts in Equestria. If anyone can manage this, it’s them.”

Okan shook his head as he picked up another cigar. “Maybe your people are fine in whatever forests they’ve been skipping around in, but that jungle is a dark place that’ll kill you for the slightest mistake. It devours all that go into it.”

“We’re not scared of the jungle,” I told him. “I’ve been to dangerous places all over the world—places that ponies said nopony could walk into and come out alive. And we’re gonna be the ones who find Zihlius.”

The Mayor’s eyes narrowed. “The City of Giants? If you’re looking for that place then you’re bigger fools than I thought. The Dromaed will never let you get close to that city. Plenty of glory-seeking idiots have tried before you, and how many of them have you heard of, eh? None. Because most of them disappeared in the jungle and were never heard from again. The lucky ones came back with their skins intact and stories to haunt them for the rest of their lives.”

I glowered at Okan. “We’ll do it. I’ve been told plenty of times something was impossible, but I still pulled it off.”

“And what’ll you do about the Dromaed? You think they’re gonna let you go poking around their holy city and steal all the gold that’s supposedly there?” Okan lit another cigar, one of a brand Capital had brought with us, I noted. “I don’t need you starting another fight with them. Things are hard enough here without adding a brushfire war with the local Dromaed tribes. Most of the overgrown lizards are willing to let us be as long as we don’t travel too far inland, but some are just asking for an excuse to burn this town to the ground.”

I tried to cross my arms, but was stopped by my chains. “We’re not looking to start a fight with anyone.” Well, except maybe Ephemera, but she’d long ago earned a good punch in the face.

“And we’re hardly going there to steal anything of theirs.” Capital offered a box of chocolates to Okan as he explained our plan. “We’re going to the Green Seers at Szuszushlui to ask them to let us go to Zihlius.”

Okan let out a short bark of a laugh. “Ask them?! You honestly think they’re going to let you go to the hristaks’ training grounds? You’re due for a pretty big disappointment if that’s your plan. They don’t like outsiders in their jungles in general, much less around any of the ruins. They get prickly about anyone getting too close to those places.”

“Oh I’m sure the Dromaed are perfectly reasonable people once you get to know them,” Capital said with his typical optimism. “Especially once they know we’re just there for wholly scholarly reasons. We’re on an archeological expedition—what could the harm be in learning about the past?”

“I’m sure the Dromaed will have an answer for that,” Okan said between a mouthful of chocolate.

“Then we’ll deal with it as it comes,” I told him. In truth, if the Dromaed did tell us no, then I wasn’t above sneaking into the City of Giants. That wasn’t my first option, but sometimes you had to break the rules to get things done. “Look, we’ve come a long way to be just told no. A ton of effort’s gone into this, and if anyone in the world’s ready for this, it’s us.”

Okan let out a long sigh and placed his empty glass to the side. “Look, you seem like decent sorts.” He waved casually at my chains. “I think you’re telling the truth for the record, but I want to hear this Ephemera’s side of things too before I make any decision. I just don’t want to see any of you get hurt, which is what will happen if you go into that jungle.”

“And we understand that,” Capital insisted. “And trust us, none of us are eager to have anything happen to us, but the danger is something we all agreed to before coming out all this way. We think it’s going to be worth it for what we’ll find out there. But if you have any advice for traversing the jungle we’d be more than happy to listen. We’d even be willing to hire a guide from your village and pay them well for the help.”

Okan grunted as he sat back, a sour look on his face. “Maybe. Though I’m really not wild about the idea. Like I said, let my guards bring back this pony who you’re accusing of naval arson and then I’ll make a decision.” The corner of the Mayor’s mouth quirked into a grin. “In the meantime, I believe you said you had a couple of other drinks for us?”

Capital smiled and nodded. “Proper, if you will be a good chap and bring out another one of the bottles we’ve been saving, I believe our dear mayor would like a sampling of some fine spirits that are hard to come by out here.”

I sighed and settled back. It looked like we were back to the waiting game. Though I couldn't shake this bad feeling about those guards who had been sent after Ephemera...

After procuring the compass—

“Stealing,” Daring corrected.

—this one did some shopping around town to gather some of the supplies it would need for the trip into the jungle, and to give it some time to think. Now that this one had determined that its relationship was doomed to end unhappily for one of us, it had to consider how best to approach the situation. The wrong misstep could spell doom for this one, especially when the Ephemera-mare was such a volatile and toxic individual. But once this one was done getting some fresh air, it headed to the bar the Ephemera-mare had said she would be going to. The Port Landing wasn’t much to talk about, being a dockside bar that served all of the alcohol-based needs of anyone in the area. It was a relatively large building by the standards of the surrounding structures, but one look at its exterior and interior quickly identified that it didn’t cater to affluent clientele. Still, it seemed to serve the simple needs of the hard-working villagers and sailors that frequented it.

The place was certainly packed as this one entered, surprisingly so. There wasn’t a single empty table, and all around this one pressed the bodies of rough-looking zebras, ponies, and gryphons. The only open spots left were at the bar, and the Ephemera-mare seemed to have reserved most of that section for herself, with some help from the glowering prescience of her janissary bodyguards. The only person that was risking the bodyguards’ attention was the Alya-mare, who seemed to be trying very hard to concentrate on her drink as she ignored the catcalls of a nearby table of mean-spirited patrons.

This one decided to get to work and sat near the Ephemera-mare despite the disapproving looks from the bodyguards. This one flashed her a grin. “I found a little something you misplaced.” The greenseer compass slid down the counter to a stop in front of the Ephemera-mare.

The Ephemera-mare’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of the compass, and she snatched it up. “How did you get this back?”

“Trade secret,” this one announced mysteriously. “I’ll share some of mine if you’ll share some of yours.”

The Ephemera-made snorted derisively and hung the compass around her neck. “It’s about time you did something to justify the money I’m paying you.”

This one didn’t let its smile waver at the rude dismissal. From this point forward this one couldn’t give away it had any intention of betraying its employer, and that meant ignoring her more caustic comments. “I said I’d get it back for you, and I did. So what’s our next move?”

The Ephemera-mare took her time taking a sip of her drink before answering. “We’re heading into the jungle and meeting up with my patron.”

This one raised an eyebrow. “We’re not heading straight for the City of Giants?”

“No, my patron wishes to meet with us before we head to Zihlius.”

There were aspects of this plan that struck this one as odd. “Out in the jungle? Why didn’t he wait for us here in port?”

The Ephemera-mare’s eyes narrowed. “He has his reasons, and that’ll be good enough for you.”

This one frowned, because that wasn’t good enough for it. Not that this one expected to get any more details than that. “Alright then. How are we going to find him? The jungle is a big place.”

She turned from this one, suddenly interested in her drink. “I know how to get there. You don’t need to worry about any of those details, just work on getting us there.”

This one considered how best to press for more information, but then the door to the bar opened, and suddenly this one had more pressing concerns. A dozen guards with the stern looks of law enforcement on business entered the bar and surveyed the crowd. Considering earlier events that day, this didn’t give this one a good feeling. Still, this one kept its cool and motioned for the bartender to get this one a drink. It was possible that the guards weren’t here for this one, and if so this one shouldn’t draw attention to itself.

Unfortunately, the guards headed straight for us, moving with a purpose that promised trouble. This one considered running for it, but that would have only confirmed this one’s guilt to the guards. But staying put might allow it to talk its way out of whatever situation had come up. If the Ephemera-mare was concerned by the guards she didn’t show it. She just kept sipping her drink, though her bodyguards moved so that they would be ready to intercept if needed.

When the guards reached us the leader of the troop cleared his throat loudly. “Excuse me, are you Ephemera?”

“I am,” the Ephemera-mare said with clear annoyance. “Why do you ask?”

“We’d like you to come with us to see the mayor,” he told her. “He wants to discuss some matters with you.”

The Ephemera-mare didn’t even deign turning to look at him. “Tell him I’m busy with something more important.”

This one suppressed a grimace. That was not how this one would have spoken to the guards, especially when they outnumbered us by a considerable margin. The mayor probably wanted to speak with us about some very recent events in town, if this one had to guess. This one was confident enough in its ability to talk its way out of most problems, but it seemed like the Ephemera-mare didn’t even want to bother with diplomacy. That was going to cause trouble.

The guard sergeant glowered at the Ephemera-mare’s back. “That wasn’t a request, ma’am. When the mayor wants to see you, you come.”

“I’m no one’s dog.” The Ephemera-mare turned a baleful eye in the sergeant’s direction. “Now be a good boy and go scampering back to your master. Tell him if he wants to see me he can come himself.”

The sergeant wasn’t willing to back down any more than the Ephemera-mare. “You’re coming with us willingly or in chains. The choice is ultimately yours.”

The Ephemera-mare sighed and tossed her mane. “I think not.” She turned around on her bar stool and spoke out with a loud and commanding voice to the bar patrons. “Boys! Deal with these guards for me, will you?”

To this one’s surprise, everyone in the bar stood up and gave the assembled guards menacing looks. There had to be at least five dozen rough-and-tumble individuals filling the bar, and it looked like every single one of them was one of the Ephemera-mare’s henchmen. Whether all these goons had been hired by the Ephemera-mare or her patron this one could only guess, but they definitely had quite a bit of hiring potential and an ability to pay this many employees. That was something to worry about. Though this one suspected the guards were worrying a bit more than this one right at that moment.

The sergeant glanced at the gathered patrons, and while he tried to speak with authority, there was a note of worry in his voice. “Go back to your drinks everyone. This doesn’t concern you.”

“What’s the matter?” the Ephemera-mare purred. “Worried you bit off more than you can chew?”

This one certainly thought so. Assuming the new goons were up for it, they should be able to easily overpower the guards. All of the guards were armed with spears, but they wouldn’t be able to use them properly in the close confines of the bar. The press of bodies would simply be too much.

The sergeant swallowed. “Ma’am, maybe we can—”

The Ephemera-mare didn’t let him finish before she cried out, “Get them!”

The goons rushed the guards in a wave, their hoots and hollers nearly deafening. For this one’s part, it leapt over the bar and hid behind it as soon as the Ephemera-mare ordered the attack. This one did not want to get mixed up in this bar brawl.

“That’s our Puzzle,” Daring teased. “Bravely running away.”

“Because you’ve never decided discretion was the better part of valor?” Puzzle countered.

Daring answered with a cocky grin. “I exercise my right to remain silent.”

And it was a good thing this one dove out of the way when it had, because soon the guards were being pressed up against the bar by the mass of bodies. The Ephemera-mare was only saved from such a fate by her bodyguards, who were not above punching anyone who got too close. Meanwhile the Ephemera-mare sat on the bar itself to get a better look at the chaos she started, a malicious smirk on her lips.

The fight wasn’t a long one. The guards were overwhelmed by the deluge of blows from hooves and improvised weapons. They could hardly turn to one foe without two others jumping into their openings. After securing victory the goons had their pleasure at beating the guards into incapacity, shouting all sorts of taunts as they did so. However the Ephemera-mare came by her hired muscle, they seemed to share a uniform nasty character. This one’s employer seemed to have a type, and that type displayed itself as taking advantage of the weakness of others.

Before this could get any more out of hoof, this one stood and shouted over the ruckus. “Ephemera! Aren't you going to call them off before they kill someone?”

The Ephemera-mare shrugged uncaringly. “Why should I care? It’s going to be a long trip through the jungle, so they should have their fun while they can.”

That probably wasn’t the only reason she was letting her goons off their leashes. This one could sense her enjoyment at the pain of those she held power over. That was a major negative personality trait that sent up red flags. It was one thing to hurt someone as a matter of course, but it was quite another to gain pleasure from it.

“It’s going to be trouble for us if you let them keep going,” this one explained. “For one, we don’t have much time before others start to investigate the ruckus that we're causing.” If there was any member of the bar staff left in the building this one didn’t see them. They must all have snuck off during the confusion of the fight. Smart.

She narrowed her eyes in a bored expression. “And?”

This one bit back a more provocative comment and instead kept arguing logically. “Given how many people you have here, you’re going to bring the whole town militia down on our heads. This is a pretty rough-looking town. I’d be surprised if everyone didn’t own a weapon and knew how to use it.”

The Ephemera-mare hummed unhappily. “That is true.” There was a sparkle in her eyes and a cold smile spread on her features. “I’ve got an idea. How about we arrange a distraction?”

Before this one could inquire further, the Ephemera-mare looked up to address the group. “Everyone spread some of that booze along the bar and walls! We’re torching this place!” There was a mixture of cries welcoming the opportunity for some arson, those disappointed at the end to their fun, and some grumbles at the waste of good drink.

The Ephemera-mare returned her attention to this one. “How does that work? We set this place alight then we make a break for the gate. The townsfolk will be too busy keeping the town from burning down to stop us.”

This was escalating a lot faster than this one liked, so this one moved towards damage control. “It’d be best if we left most of the guards outside as we leave. No sense letting them be burned alive.”

The Ephemera-mare raised an eyebrow. “And why’s that? I hardly see a reason to leave them in a state to follow us after we leave.”

“Because if we kill all these guards then the whole town will try and hunt us down,” this one pointed out. “Everyone knows everyone else in a small town like this. Kill this many guards and half the population’s going to lose a family member. They’ll want blood if that happens, and even if we get out of the port they know the local terrain much better than us. At best we’ll be harrassed all the way to our destination.”

“And, you know, murder is wrong,” Daring stated. “There’s also that whole thing.”

Puzzle gave her a flat look. “How likely do you think a moral argument was going to work with the Ephemera-mare?”

Daring scowled. “Good point.”

“The best way to convince someone else to do something is to convince them it’s in their best interest to do it,” Puzzle explained. “People are inherently selfish. Even when doing things like donating to charity, they in no small part do it because it makes them feel good to be helping others. Appealing to someone’s morality will only irregularly work, but appeal to what personally benefits them and you’ll have them in your hooves.”

“As it is they don’t have that much reason to follow us into the jungle,” this one continued. “Sure, they’re not going to be happy with us, but some property damage and assault is a long way from mass murder.”

“Then what would you suggest doing?”

This one considered its options and who it was talking to as it finished formulating a plan. “We go ahead with your plan to burn the bar. That’ll distract the townsfolk. Once we’ve set the fire we leave most of the guards outside, but keep a couple to serve as hostages. We’ll need them to convince whoever’s watching the gate to let us pass. Once we’re through we drop the hostages and go as fast and hard as we can to put distance between us and the town. If we’re lucky we’ll get far enough away to avoid any pursuit.”

The Ephemera-mare’s eyes narrowed and there was a flash of something nasty behind them. She was not accustomed to being told what the best course of action was, especially when it contradicted some of her own plans. But in the end she seemed to concede, growling deep within her throat as she addressed her minions. “Alright, that’s enough all of you! Pick those guards up and get ready to move fast once the fire’s set. We’re moving out and putting this sorry excuse of a town behind us.”

She glowered at this one. “Happy?”

This one gave her a smile. “Oh, I’m sure it’ll work out in the end.” This one had every intention of making sure it would. Whatever the Ephemera-mare and her patron had planned, this one was going to come out on top.

Author's Notes:

Thanks to my editors Chengar Qordath and Comma-Kazie for all their help, and to my pre-readers Brony Writer, wolfstorm56, Trinary, 621Chopsuey, Rodinga, PoisonClaw, and Swiftest for their hard work editing.