Author's Notes:

"Hey GM, why hasn't there been a chapter in a while?"

Well, dear reader, because I decided NOT having a clear-cut plan of where I was going was a bad idea. So I went and planned out the rest of the story in a decidedly more concrete manner. So instead of floundering around, hopefully, things will keep in line a bit more than before. I wasn't in danger of screwing up the lore - but the character motivations were losing focus and I sometimes felt like I'd forget a plot-thread I sewed earlier.

So now you can rest easy knowing Yiyxa actually has an ending planned now. Somewhere down the line.

"...then there's the entire part where it's operating based entirely on non-magically endowed HEAT, pure machinery, nothing more, nothing less - what did you call this part, the engine? Simply a marvel of engineering beyond anything I've ever seen..."

Pinkie whispered in Myrrh's ear. "I was expecting a song."

Myrrh blinked, holding up her nurv and tapping one of the crystals. "...Is there supposed to be a song?"

"Uh... maybe? Do ponies or dragons randomly break out into song here?"

Crypt and Myrrh looked at her like she was crazy.

"No? All right, good to know." She made a mental note, returning her attention to Windstream.

"Then the wheels are so accurately designed they can dig into any terrain aside from smooth metal, and if I'm not mistaken these treads would conquer even that! I wonder if it's watertight... Such a haphazard arrangement of metal couldn't be, surely."

"Ahem," Pinkie said, clearing her throat. "This machine is very important to Myrrh, and while I don't think she minds you looking at it, could you please not tear it apart?"

Windstream lowered a wrench from his telekinetic grip. "I have never seen anything like this. I will give you anything you want for it, name your price?"

"Two Prowlers," Myrrh said, rolling her eyes.

"Done."

Myrrh blinked. "W-what?"

"I can reverse-engineer this machine and re-create it with my resources, easily."

"Ah, we don't have time for that!" Pinkie commented.

"Don't have time!? You're travelers, you have all the time in the world!"

"If we're being pursued by the Sky King?" Pinkie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"...Waitwhat." Windstream shook his head. "The Sky King doesn't pursue anyone! He doesn't' care about anything beyond his mountains!"

"I may have told him we have something called the 'Gem of Oreand' to keep him from attacking Ser'ta'ta to look for it."

Windstream processed this for a minute. "Fascinating. I wonder what this Gem of Oreand is that he would want it so badly. His cloud fortresses are already so far beyond any ancient structure I've ever heard of..." He put a hoof to his chin and began pacing. "Though if he wants something badly enough, I suppose he would seek it out with every resource he had..."

"Windstream, what do you know of our enemy?" Crypt asked.

Pinkie frowned - she supposed he was their enemy. Even though she didn't want anything to do with him, there wasn't exactly any going back now.

Windstream didn't even look at Crypt as he formulated an answer. "The Sky King... no pony of Ser has ever seen him. He never leaves the mountains, but if the legends are to be believed he didn't always live there. When Ser was small and poorly defined, he supposedly descended from the sky and claimed the mountains for his own. The pegasi turned traitor and that's about it. They keep on their mountains, we stay away for the most part. A-" He furrowed his brow. "Wait a minute, I don't have to tell you anything!" He pointed a hoof at the Prowler. "I'll give you whatever you want IF you let me have my way with this device."

"Sorry, no," Pinkie said, shaking her head. "It's not yours."

"Don't you want to know about this world!? I have a vast library in my house and an impressive store of knowledge within my mind! I could arm you with the greatest power of all - knowledge!"

Pinkie glanced to Myrrh - who imperceptibly shook her head.

"No is no, Windstream." Pinkie jumped onto the Prowler. "I think we'll be going."

Crypt nodded in agreement, jumping next to her. Myrrh took her position in the Prowler's harness and started it up, churning away into the distance.

"...That's the second time this month," Windstream muttered, driving his wrench into the ground. "First the Technician doesn't let me examine the armor, now this..."

He growled to himself, stewing in extremely negative thoughts while Pinkie and the rest of the group decided to skip town as quickly as possible.