Expedition to the Cloudbreak Islands

by Starglider

First published 26th of April, 2020

Ponies and friends set out to explore legendary floating islands, travelling in two experimental airships capable of piercing the permenant storm wall. A new world awaits them, populated by strange creatures and filled with unknown magic.

Herin lies the tale of the STARK WEATHER - MARE EXPEDITION to the CLOUDBREAK ISLANDS, in 1365 YD. The mysterious floating islands are the stuff of legend, said to exist within the massive, eternal storm wall, far off in the wilds beyond the north-west borders of Equestria. A few fringe historians claim they are the origin of dragons, griffons, even magic itself, but only a few fragmentary, contradictory accounts exist from those who entered the storm and returned to tell the tale.

Fifteen years after Princess Twilight took the throne, the time has come for the secrets of the Cloudbreaks to be revealed. Two great airships of the Storm Fleet have been slumbering, mothballed since their capture in the Sixth Battle of Canterlot. Now the EAS FRIENDSHIP and the EAS HARMONY have been refitted for the task ahead: equipped with experimental devices to cut through the storm. Nearly two hundred ponies and allies are assembled: the finest explorers, researchers, aircrew and engineers Equestria has to offer. Together they will be the first to pierce the veil and fly to the Cloudbreak Islands.

High adventure awaits in these 'sky lands', populated by strange creatures and filled with unknown magic. What caused a piece of another realm to seemingly break away and become part of Equs? What happened to the long-vanished guardians, villains and great spirits of the realm? What designs do the remaining population have on Equs and how will they greet its ambassadors?

Set around the time of 'The Last Problem', and based on a four-player online RP with Ferret, Patashu and Spearmint. Note: the action takes a while to get rolling; the early chapters focus on character interaction. If you want to skip the prologue, try Chapter 4: Crossing the Storm, or Chapter 18: Exploring the Cloudbreaks.

Departure

After months of frantic preparation, the two huge airships stood proud and ready to depart, carrying the STARK WEATHER - MARE EXPEDITION to the legendary CLOUDBREAK ISLANDS. Originally Storm Fleet cruisers that brought the Storm King's an invading army to Canterlot, they were taken as tribute after the Equestrian forces liberated their capital. Now, fifteen years after Princess Twilight ascended to the throne, they had been pulled out of mothballs and given new purpose.

Refitted, refurbished and demilitarised, the lead ship EAS Friendship would carry the expedition's leaders Stark Weather and Professor Mare, along with numerous explorers, cartographers, scientists, historians and geologists. It also carried a full platoon of Twilight Guards. The support ship EAS Harmony was only slightly less impressive, lacking only a few of the decorative flourishes. It was configured with more cargo stowage and less accommodation, and carried support staff and a few junior explorers who could not be housed on the lead ship.

The bows of both ships bore a complex arrangement of machinery, antennae and spark gaps, the STORM PIERCER DEVICES. This recent triumph of Equestrian Science was intended allow the ships to safely penetrate the 100mph winds of the permanent eye wall around the Cloudbreak Islands, and become the first scientific expedition to reach the floating realms within.

It was a warm spring day in Canterlot, the sun shimmering on the gilded marble spires of the capital city. The combined crews and research staff were assembled in Festival Plaza, a hundred and sixty ponies mixed with a sprinkling of other creatures. To their backs were the upper air docks holding their moored ships; in front of them lay a podium on which their leaders stood with the Princess, Twilight Sparkle.

Stark Weather was just wrapping up his speech; "...and I know every one of you will do your utmost, to make sure this expedition stands above all others, as the most significant in Equestrian history!" After a good twenty minutes the pegasus was finally running out of bombastic lines. The older unicorn mare standing next to him was much more reserved, giving a brief speech about boundless scientific opportunity and hinting at all the papers and career advancement that might be reaped from this journey.

"Thank you Professor mare. Yes it's fascinating isn't it, I can't wait to read your reports! I wish I could join you..." the tall lavender alicorn began, with an informality belying her regalia and bearing. "...but this is your adventure!" she recovered. "Go with the wisdom of Celestia and the courage of Luna! You are Equestria's finest..." her gaze passed over the bored-looking kirin at the back "and her closest allies... and I know you will carry our values with you." Speeches finally over, every creature began to file into their ships, or fly to the deck, and made preparations to launch.

CLASHING GALE's wings twitched in excitement. He'd been on the ground long enough, having to listen to those speeches. He'd be in the air soon, maybe not under his own power, but an airship trip was always something fun! As everyone started to file in, the blue pegasus could barely restrain himself from taking to the air and cutting in front of everyone. Once onboard, he moved to the bows, ducking into the equipment spaces and checking the Storm Piercer was in order.

SUMMER SCRIBE technically didn't have a job to do, right then. The little unicorn was overjoyed to be chosen for the mission: she'd be doing the archaeological work, writing the notes for the research papers to follow, generally applying her tomb raiding and history buff skills in the skies! This was going to propel her to SENIOR Distinguished Researcher for sure; nothing like a world first to kickstart her career! She was mostly be a ball of excitable energy during this time, watching the take-off with awe and excitement, clambering around the ship once she was free to roam, seeing how all the rooms and features matched up with the blueprints and instructions she'd read. This was so exciting!

"Finally. I thought they'd never shut up," an unusual creature groaned, "Putting us on stage like a zoo exhibit grumble..." Leading her crew into the engine room, she gave the command: "Alrighty everypony, let's fuel up and get this thing hot." She gave orders to half her crew, then just stood around the doors to the fireboxes, watching the flames grow inside.

Eventually she noticed the rest of the crew looking at her expectantly, then waved a forehoof saying, "Go... do something! Help the others out. It doesn't take all of you just to start this thing, does it?" They proceeded to do so with some quiet protests, and finally the junior engineer Gearshift signalled that the pressure was sufficient. The chief engineer nodded and spoke into a brass voice tube: "Pressure up to nominal and holding steady, Captain. Everything looking good in here."

"Thank you, engineeer." an older stallion's voice replied through the tube, "Half speed ahead." The order given, she pushed the main steam valves open and the engines roared to life, while the chief engineer of a big flying tea kettle, a chocolate brown kirin by the name of NUTMEG INFERNO looked wistfully up at the purring boilers and whining turbines.

REEF SKIMMER, confident the sickbay was already ship shape, took the opportunity to spread his wide wings and circle the ship as it began to lift. The skies over Canterlot were crowded with hundreds of pegasi darting about, seeing the expedition off, so the grey hippogriff quickly found himself helping with crowd control. "Stay back there civilian!" "Keep clear of those props!" 'These ponies had no sense of decorum', he thought, not for the first time.

The Harmony's cabins and passageways were scaled for the Storm King's beasts, so they would normally be spacious for ponies, but at the moment palleted line the corridors, laden with tins, boxes and supplies all covered in netting. Ponies travelling in opposite directions rubbed past each other in the restricted space. The two ships soon began to pick up speed, the Friendship taking the lead with the Harmony close behind, following a couple of hundred feet to one side to avoid the front ship's prop wash. Within ten minutes, they are clear of Canterlot mountain and cruising west at thirty knots.

Six hours later, the shadows were beginning to lengthen as the first watch stood down and the night shift took over. After a hot meal in the mess hall, the ship's crew separated from the senior officers and expedition staff, the later ending up in the saloon at the front of the ship's lower deck. Floor-to-ceiling picture windows on each side of the hull, the only ones of their kind on the ship, provided a generous view of Winnyapolis and the surrounding countryside, eleven kilometres off the starboard side.

'Alriiight' Summer Scribe thought. One could only be giddy for so long when it demands aimless physicality and reciting off ship functionality and errata! So she soon found herself slumped in a saloon seat, hair flopped over one eye. "Cider, please." she pushed out, levitating the glass over to the bartender with her horn and soon drinking freely.

After a few hours of pacing around the ship and making sure his belongings were secure, Clashing Gale also found himself ordering a glass from the bartender. It seemed like they were able to preserve some of the Apple family's famous cider, and he stood at the bar casually sipping at it. As the glass wafted across his vision he noticed the unicorn mare sitting nearby, with a horn glowing with magic and a pretty blue coat a much ligher shade of blue than his own. Catching her eye, he smiled and gave a little wave of his wing.

Summer Scribe perked up a bit at the sudden attention, and peered over at the stallion. 'Oh, he's cute!' she thought, '...and everyone here's here for the mission too, so they probably have something weird and interesting about themselves one way or another.' So maybe she can just be herself and talk work...? 'Come on Summer, go for it!' she told herself, running a hoof down her front to calm her nerves. "Hi! Summer Scribe." she started. "So, like, I'm *so* excited to have been chosen for this!" she continued eagerly "I can't believe I'm going to be one of the first ponies to pierce the Skylands! This is going to be *amazing* for my career! I can't wait!"

Crew continued to file into the saloon as the two ponies talked. One was a large grey creature, resembling an eagle joined to equine hindquarters. He gave the relaxing ponies a scant glance before going straight to a tapped barrel where he collected a glass of citrus juice. 'Always sensible to drink plenty of juice on a long voyage', he thought: 'wards off the scurvy'. The hippogriff then moved to the windows, standing transfixed by the expansive view, sunset painting the pony city and its surrounding fields and woodland in a palette of golden colours. Although a veteran of many ocean voyages, the serene calm and high vantage of the big airship was new to him.

Just outside the door, Nutmeg reached the bottom of the ramp and turned away, seemingly heading towards the cargo bay. The brown and red kirin stopped suddenly, then retraced her steps, her blue eyes glancing briefly at the saloon door before making a show of heading back up the ramp. She only made it a few steps before sighing and turning back. Who was she kidding. The mare hunched down and pushing the door open with a cloven hoof, keeping her gaze forward as she made a beeline for the bar. Looking the bartender evenly in the eye, she said quietly, "I'll have an ale, I guess." At the bartender's nervous silence, her head tilted, "...what?"

"Well it's just are you sure you should be... drinking?" the pony asked, taking a step back from Nutmeg's glare.

"What else am I supposed to do here?" she griped, "Just gimme an ale!"

Hearing a raised voice, Reef looked away from the window, considering the bubbly unicorn, then the... ah, the kirin! He had seen her listing in the crew manifest and immediately had to take a trip to the pony's library when his own collection came up blank on the species. He'd caught a glimpse of her when the ship was being loaded, but this was the first time he'd seen her up close. Such interesting horn morphology! Were those scales flexing as she sat down?

The creature seemed to be having an argument with the bartender. "Now now, there's no need to get angry," the pony said, "Wouldn't you prefer a nice glass of water, or warm milk, perhaps?"

"You think this is angry?" Nutmeg responded angrily, "What's wrong with me having a drink?"

Meanwhile, Clashing Gale's eyes had widened a bit as the mare started going on about her work, but that's okay! He sets his mug of cider on the table, waiting for an opening. "Nice to meet you, Summer! I'm Clashing Gale. Call me either! I can't believe that they wanted MY help with the storm piercing device!"

"Clashing Gale, cool!" Summer Scribe nodded, leaning in, enthused! "Wow, that must have been awesome to learn! I guess you're a technical expert, then? You'll sense the weather patterns up ahead and adjust the machine to deal with them?"

"Yeah, pretty much" the pegasus replied, "I mean, I don't know a lot about its workings, but I do know wind!" He laughed awkwardly and took a long drink of cider.

Summer stroked her chin with a hoof and was about to reply...when her ears perked and swivelled over towards the kirin.
"Wait hang on I have to take this." She hops down from her seat and trots towards Nutmeg, wide-eyed, as if approaching an ancient artefact. "Oh my gosh. A kirin! A real life kirin's on the ship!" she squeed. It's not clear whether she realises this strange creature is a person, indeed a crewmate, or not.

"Please miss," the bartender continued in a concerned tone, "You need to remain calm and in control, and alcohol will not help you with that."

"CALM AND—" Nutmeg squeaked in outrage, as reddish light played up the side of her odd looking horn. Neither of them paid any attention to the approach of the curious unicorn mare.

After his conversation partner suddently got up and approached the... kirin(?), Clashing gave a little shrug then followed, holding his drink in a wing. Glancing around the saloon, he noticed a hippogriff watching as well? He wasn't terribly familiar with the species, but another winged creature was always nice to see. Oh, something seemed to be happening with the kirin... Seeing Summer's comment fall on deaf ears, he interjected "Hey, is everything okay?"

Summer chuckled and siddled over to stand by Clashing. "So, like, Kirin have this super unique ability! When they get really mad, they turn into a Nirik, just burst into flame and make a mess of the place!" she informed her companion. She paused, then stage-whispered "..and that would be VERY bad! Hey, umm, maaaybe we shouldn't be arguing over this right now...?" She side-eyed the bartender with a sheepish grin!

Nutmeg had finally noticed the little unicorn, and told her irritably, "Arguing? I'm not arguing! I'm just trying to get a drink! This pony's trying to serve me warm milk! At a bar! Why do they even have warm milk?"

Worried by the rising tension, Clashing did his best to mollify the kirin: "Umm, you should try the cider. It's good!"

Nutmeg turned to him with a look of almost disbelief, before stomping and shouting at the pegasus, "It's. Not. ALE." With that she seemed to... catch on fire a little. Some of her red ruff ignited into evil red and blue flames, framing her face and licking at her forelegs, hot enough to char the floorboards her hooves had slammed into.

The reality of Summer's explanation suddenly hit him, and Clashing gasped at the kirin's transformation. He took a step back with wide eyes, his eyes darting back and forth as he scanned the room looking for a handy fire extinguisher. "I... uh, I suppose it's not, no." he stammered, "Ale is good too, sure!"

Staring at the flaming mare with horror, Summer was having similar thoughts. 'C'mon, think!' she thought, 'you surveyed every public room on the airship EXCEPT the saloon? How tardy... Uhh! That'll have to do!' In a daring manoeuver, showing off her quick reflexes and thinking, she dove over the bar, landing deftly behind it. Her horn lit and her magic enveloped a hose attached to a tapped keg of root beer. Summer wasted no time opening the valve and turning the flow towards Nutmeg Inferno! "Time for you to cool off, Kirin!" she said, in a melodramatic tone.

Reef was watching closely, and a sudden squawk escaped the hippogriff's beak as he saw the disaster about to unfold in front of him. Acting on instinct, he leaped forward, one oversized wing flaring out to intercept and deflect the stream of bubbly beverage. Unfortunately as he was starting from the other side of the room, Nutmeg took a good couple of seconds of the stuff in the snout, before the rest began to splatter off his feathers. They were waterproof, but he wasn't sure if they were beer-proof; in any case he was in for a lot of preening later, as the stuff was covering his wing and dripping to the floor from the tips of his primaries.

Nutmeg had enough time to rear up and shout, "WHAT ARE YOU—" before being driven back spluttering by the powerful force of the beer. As the odd wing comes out of bucking nowhere to block the blast, she landed hooves spread, dripping with sarsaparilla that hissed into steam, but only made her eldritch fire flare up along her body too.

Seeing the unsettling transformation, the hippogriff turned on the little unicorn. "What on Equs do you think you're doing, pony?!" Reef shouted, "Is spraying each other with beverages a typical break room activity at Canterlot University?"

Whatever the kirin was now, she turned and ran full tilt out of the saloon. Ponies dove out of the way as the fiery mare barrelled towards the exit, the clatter of her hooves and the light playing along the walls of the hallway diminishing as she galloped up the ramp.

"Hey, I'm was trying to... ummm... oops!" Summer replied, realising Nutmeg had fled the scene. She twisted the valve shut and the spray of beverage slackened and shut off. "Um, that went better in my head!" she sheepishly admitted, words blurted out through a haze of adrenalin, as she emerges from behind the counter to face a row of concerned and confused faces. Summer dropped her head down and buried it in her forehooves. "Look, when a Kirin gets mad they - fire, and like - I was going to put it out to stop the ship from burning down! I think I just made things worse, though..." Her body began to tremble as she hid her head under her useless cover.

Clashing Gale stood dumbfounded for a moment as the scene played out. He wasn't sure if he should go after the kirin: maybe just she just needed some time to calm down? Seeing Summer about to start sobbing on the floor, instead he gently put his free wing over the mare. "Hey, sometimes we make mistakes. You were worried, right? I was too, and I was about to grab a fire extinguisher. I don't think they'd let her on the ship if they thought she'd burn it down, right?"

Reef Skimmer, on the other claw, was not inclined to show mercy right then. He glared at Summer with his eagle eyes, and spluttered "So to be clear, your solution to the ship's chief engineer being a legendary fire-unicorn... is to have someone dump a bucket of water on her head every time she looks a bit annoyed? That seemed like a reasonable and practical solution did it? One can only imagine what brilliant ideas you might have for us once we actually reach the Cloudbreaks! Now if you'll excuse me someone has to make sure she doesn't set the whole ship on fire." With that he turned his back on the unicorn, not allowing her another word, and trotted out of the saloon.

'Nnnhhh. The stinging cold rebuke of someone who WAY outranks you.' Summer thought. She tried to hide herself completely under Clashing's wing, with little success. "...This usually goes better!" she whispered, steadying herself once the hippogriff was out of sight and earshot. She looked up at Clashing Gale, her expression gloomy and defeated. "Thanks for defending me, I really appreciate it..." she said, trying to put a little warmth back into her voice.

With a sigh, Clashing gave a little nod. "Well, I'm sure everyone will come around if you apologise." he replied, trying to reassure the mare. "You seem like a good pony, Summer. Maybe we all need a little time to settle down, but we're going to be working with each other at some point, so it'd be good to work out the differences early."

Summer tried to smile at his optimism. "Thank you Clashing... but I think I'm gonna go mope in my cabin now. I'll try to catch you around."

The stallion stepped back and gave her some room. "Yeah, I'm gonna finish my cider and head back to my cabin as well."

With that Summer gave a weak nod and excused herself. Clashing was left staring into his glass and wondering if the whole trip would be like this.

Author's Notes:

This is a collaboration between myself, Ferret, Patashu, Spearmint and Steelclaw. This first chapter covers the first RP session, for which I was the narrator / GM. Illustration by DomiDeLance.

Dramatis personae

Summer Scribe (JUNIOR DISTINGUISHED RESEARCHER, EAS HARMONY): unicorn mare, workaholic, nervous about strangers. Associate lecturer at Canterlot University. Desperate for a tenure track position: volunteered for the expedition to find new and exciting research topics.
https://derpibooru.org/images/2294380 : played by Patashu

Nutmeg Inferno (CHIEF ENGINEER, EAS HARMONY): kirin mare, grumpy and no-nonsense, few dare to challenge her. Grew up in an untouched natural paradise, and escaped to go work on machines at the first opportunity. One of the best at understanding those storm fleet engines (at least, what they told her).
https://derpibooru.org/images/2294377 : played by Ferret

Reef Skimmer (JUNIOR NAVAL SURGEON, EAS HARMONY): hippogriff stallion. Professional doctor, amateur zoologist: wanted to be a biologist from a young age but joined the Queen's Navy to uphold family tradition. Granted sabbatical to go on this expedition to 'strengthen relations with Equestria': he hopes to catalogue new creatures and possibly even find a common ancestor of griffons & hippogriffs.
https://derpibooru.org/images/2294384 : played by Starglider

Azure Feather (MAGICAL SECURITY CONSULTANT, EAS HARMONY) : unicorn mare. Combat mage, former member of the Twilight Guard. Obssessed with flying, pegasi and wings: very experienced at casting the bufferfly wings spell, has it active as much as possible. Joined the expedition at Vanhoover (third session).
(image pending) : played by Spearmint

Clashing Gale (STORM PIERCER TECHNICIAN, EAS HARMONY): pegasus stallion. Previously weather worker for small town, found this boring after a few years. Joined the Storm Piercer project looking for something new/interesting/better paid/in a new place. Volunteered for the expedition seeking fame/glory/adventure. Retired to background pony after the crossing (fourth session).
https://derpibooru.org/images/2294383 : played by Steelclaw

Crewmates

Reef Skimmer bounded up the ramp to tween deck, his wings half-unfurled to help with balance. The big grey hippogriff reached the main corridor and skidded to a stop, eyes widening as he sees the scorch marks on the deck and singed corners on the tarps covering the crates. The smouldering trail was easy to follow, and he thought it wise to do so, considering the embers glowing in the burnt tassels of the hanging ropes the enraged kirin had brushed against. It didn't look like anything was going up in flames just yet, but it was a fire's tendency to grow.

Reef cleared his throat, about to call for... but instead, a little screech escaped his beak as he realised one scaly foot was directly on a hot spot. Holding the claw up for a moment, he shouted "Fire! Fire in the tween deck corridor! Look lively, get some buckets in here!" A couple of pony faces had already begun to poke out of doorways, and now the crew began to spring into action, splashing buckets of water on anything that looked like it might start a blaze. It took them only a minute or two to put everything out, though the corridor was left considerably wetter than it was before. More ponies continued to arrive and could only stand there with full buckets, with nothing further to do.

Seeing that the ponies had the situation under control, Reef surged forward again, heading towards the rear of the ship. "Nutmeg? Are you there?" he called out. No response was forthcoming. This utilitarian part of the vessel held coal bunkers and steam pipes, oak decking giving way to the imperial iron of the Storm King, without much decoration or embellishment. The pink-crested stallion's claws clicked on metal as he entered the engine room proper: the sturdy iron hatch separating it from the rest of the ship had been left open and unattended.

The bulk of the engine crew were in the mess or resting in their bunks, with only a few ponies present to check dials, operate the coal lifts, or in one case stand there looking at him questioningly. The tawny, blue-haired earth pony stepped forward, saying in a slight brogue, "What'd you do to the chief? She came though here, flamin' mad!"

Reef Skimmer tilted his head a little and stared at the stallion, trying in vain to recall the pony's name. He'd wanted to examine the whole crew before setting off, but between checking and stowing all the medical supplies and getting the sickbay ready, he hadn't had time. Steam something maybe, he thought, craning his neck to catch a glimpse of the pony's flank picture... a pair of blue gears. Hmm, still didn't ring a bell. Oh well... "I assure you, my good pony, my efforts were directed entirely towards preventing a disaster." he began. "It was one of those blasted passengers who took it into her head to soak our engineer in sarsaparilla."

The blue-haired stallion lifted a hoof, opened his mouth as if to speak, then glances down as a chuckle escapes him. "That'd do it," he said, before looking up and approaching the hippogriff. "You know the chief?" he asked in a curious tone, glancing over his shoulder down the corridor to where the turbine of the engine is humming away. "She probably just needs some time to herself."

"Know her?" Reef replied. "No, not really, only a couple of staff meetings and she was all business at those. Fascinating though, a kirin who prefers machines to forests, and ponies to her own people?" Reef realised he was staring into space and cleared his throat. "Which is to say, one hopes she hasn't taken this too badly. We can't have our chief engineer on less than top form when we're trying to steam through a giant storm now, can we?"

Backing off, the pony said "Oh, don't let me stop you. Just keep in mind she might be kind of emotional. Given what she is and all. Just don't act like you think she eats ponies and you'll be alright." Some of the other crew who were looking your way relax at that, and go back to whatever they were doing. Gesturing dramatically in the direction he glanced, the tawny stallion confirmed, "She's over there between the boilers, where there ain't nothing to burn."

Reef gave the pony a curt nod of thanks and cautiously walked further into the noisy engine room, gazing at the crew and the machinery in turn. In truth it was an unpleasant space to be in with the din, smoke and lack of windows, not to mention the source of quite a few minor injuries as the engine ponies cut, scraped and burned themselves doing their jobs. The actual mechanics of it all were quite interesting though; pony technology (or storm beast technology, for that matter) was significantly more advanced than that used by his own people. Not that a hippogriff cutter wasn't a fine ship with a good wind behind her!

The giant drums of the ship's boilers were in a the poorly lit and ventilated area, filled with a constant, pervasive thrum punctuated by occasional hisses of steam, creaking of pipes... and a series of sharp clangs, as if something was hammering on metal. A strange purplish light was flickering somewhere behind the starboard boiler, contrasting with the orange glow of the fireboxes. Reef gulped, before finally gathering his courage and shouting over the din: "Nutmeg Inferno? Is that you back there?"

When no reply came, the hippogriff ventured a little further and caught sight of a beast darker than the darkness itself, enveloped in strange flames that somehow radiate heat but no warmth. Shining against the red wreathed blackness were a pair of glowing eyes, with bright, sharp, predatory fangs fully bared as the unearthly mare took out her frustrations on the sturdy iron wall of the giant pressure boiler. Reef couldn't help staring in wonder at the strange creature: he'd read that kirin had an alternate form, not unlike his own people's ability to assume an aquatic shape, but the sketches in his book hadn't done it justice. This was clearly a creature of magic and passion, her nirik shape possessed of a certain dangerous beauty... and apparently a propensity to vent her anger at the machinery. 'Not exactly safe, but certainly better than doing so on the crew', Reef thought.

Catching sight of Reef Skimmer, the transformed kirin paused her assault on the boiler for just a moment, her face betraying surprise before shed fled with blistering speed, heading deeper into the labyrinthine pipework. The mare herself might be hiding but the eerie light from her flames was all too evident, flaring brighter and brighter as if to consume her.

Reef's concern was rising in tandem with the kirin's magic. Had he made things worse? She clearly wasn't comfortable being seen like this. Shaking his head to dismiss an unpleasant vision of the entire engine room going up in flames, he swallowed and tried to keep his tone casual "I thought you should know, erm, that the crew... that it's fine, nothing damaged, no one hurt. Significantly that is... So! One rather hopes, err, that the silly filly hasn't ruined your whole evening..." His voice trailed off.

The light seemed to be ebbing away now, but still no response came. Following further seemed unwise: the kirin clearly didn't want to show herself and the big hippogriff would have trouble fitting through the tight spaces between the pipes. Perhaps he could coax the engineer out? "It can't be easy." Reef tried in a softer, more calmer tone. "It hasn't been for me, when ponies just see a predatory face looming over them. Add fire to the equation, and... well. This can't be the first time." The griff fell silent, wondering if he should just leave.

At that point a coughing sound emerged from the tangle of machinery, followed by a mare's voice loudly calling out, "It's okay! I'm not on fire!" Moments later an out of the ordinary creature hastily emerged, who true to her word had returned to her previous appearance. Her fiery red ruff was considerably less literal, now made of bountiful fluffy hair. Her eyes were strikingly normal, green rimmed, and looking downward as the horned kirin scurried forward, hunched in an awkward submission.

Noticing who the clawed forelegs of whom she's approaching, she looks up in surprise and says in her cool alto, "Oh, you're not a pony. You're one of those... birdy creatures. Not a griffin, um, I forget what they call you, sorry. I'm a kirin FYI." Flicking an ear and looking aside, she added in a slightly louder tone, "Uh... were you saying something? It's kinda noisy in here, so you have to speak up." The mare still bore an unmistakable scent of sweet sarsaparilla.

Reef gaped for a moment before recovering his reserve, his voice immediately returning to a loud formal tone as he tries to forget the fact he'd started pouring out his heart to this strange unicorn creature. "Hippogriff, my dear; they say we're half eagle, half pony and half fish. Not that you can see the fish part right now. But yes! Reef Skimmer at your service. Surgeon, you know."

"Pleased to meet you, doc!" Nutmeg declared practically, holding out in greeting one of her brown furred forelegs. It ended in the sort of dual-hoof that characterised her kind, as gold in sheen as the smooth scales on her back, "Nice to at least meet someone outside the engine room, at least. I guess you saw me blow up like that." As her ears turn down at that last part, she starts to pull her hoof back insecurely.

The hippogriff took the offered hoof gingerly in one of his claw, looking at it as if it might burst into flames again, before giving it a quick shake. "Indeed I did, and I see that your mane isn't the least bit singed!" he said cheerfully "Not natural combustion then, it must be a transformation of the keratin to a noncorporeal... I mean to say, you seem fine. Good, very good."

Surprised that he took it after the impression she must have made, Nutmeg shook firmly nonetheless. "I dunno how it works, sorry. We were taught it was like a candle wick but something about ethereal something transmution." As her hoof was released, she kicked it slightly against the floor, saying sheepishly, "I didn't set anything on fire, did I? I swear I'm safe I haven't had a flareup in weeks. Not that it... y' know, really matters... in here. Heh heh."

"Oh just a little singing, perhaps a few ropes a bit shorter now, nothing too serious." Reef reassured her, "The crew are well drilled it seems... Captain must have them practicing with those fire buckets every week, heh!"

"I just said it's been weeks," Nutmeg said irritably, ears going flat, "I believe it though. Most ponies here think I'm some kind of a powder keg, just gonna blow up at the slightest thing."

The avian stallion found himself staring at the kirin's horn: a deeper red than her mane, it curved slightly back in an S shape, branched but blunted and smooth, with lighter orange stripes on the main branch in the centre, a neat V pattern that almost look painted on. 'It looks more like an antler really' he thought 'The morphology is quite different to a unicorn's, and the geometric patterning is fascinating. Is it unique to the individual? Would need more specimens to compare...'

"I guess now they'll really think it's true," Nutmeg concluded says glumly, looking up at the considerably taller hippogriff. Then her horn rotated slightly, as she tilted her head in puzzlement. "My eyes are down here, doc," she said dryly.

"Yes, of course... I mean..." Caught in the act, Reef took a moment to refocusing on the conversation "...well that simply won't do! That unicorn was completely out of line, harassing an officer. Why, if she were enlisted the Queen's Navy she'd be scrubbing the decks for a week. I have a good mind to bring this up with the captain..."

"What unicorn?" Nutmeg interrupted his tirade, her expression confused. "The bartender was an earth pony. And you know I can't really blame her for being scared of me. I'm pretty flipping terrifying!" She grimaced before continuing: "Still wish I'd gotten that ale though; they don't exactly have room service down here."

Reef cocked his head again, now equally confused. "The pale blue one, that sprayed you? After telling her pegasus friend what a kirin was? You didn't see her? I mean, the bartender may be stingy with the ale, but he knew better than to hose down his customers, one would think."

Tossing her head back, Nutmeg crowed, "Oh! Her! She was just trying to put the fire out. It's that bartender who was totally outta line." Staring off into the machinery, the brown and gold kirin added in an amused tone, "I forget what she said that really set me off. I was already pretty much ready to toast the place though."

The kirin mare winced and lifted a foreleg, looking down at it and taking a sniff. "Would've been nice if she used water though." Looking up at Reef Skimmer with a sudden smile, she said, "Say, would you mind grabbing one of those water buckets over there, and maybe a washcloth? You'd think catching on fire would get rid of all this sweet root juice, but I'm pretty sure my tuft is glued to my butt." Strictly speaking it wasn't, although the red hairs did seem to be clinging stickily to the upper part of the tail.

The hippogriff considered for a moment. "You know, the sick bay is well stocked with clean water, towels, soap, disinfectant..." Reef looked away, fluffing and refolding his wings. "What I mean to say is, why don't we get you cleaned up, and I can do your physical at the same time! Won't take a jiffy you know, and it's very important that I examine the personnel, particularly the more unique specimens. Crewgriffs, rather... Crew-creatures, even! So that I'm prepared! Should I need to treat you, I mean." he stammered.

"Treat... okay?" Nutmeg said, a little confused by his choice of words. "I usually stay down here, to keep the ponies from gettin' nervous. I didn't know I had to get a physical. How much of your sick bay is flammable?"

Reef frowned with renewed concern. "I suppose... some of it? I confess, I hadn't given it a lot of thought." He decided he was willing to take the risk, ear tufts perking back up as he put on a cheerful tone: "Still, better to find out now than when you are brought in with a serious injury, wouldn't you say? Not that I would want that to happen, of course! ...but, a surgeon must prepare for the worst."

Head sinking, the kirin admitted, "That's true enough. I honestly don't know where the sick bay even is though. I figured I'd just be staying down here for the whole expedition." Giving him a nervous look, she reiterated, "It won't be a problem though, I swear. But uh, might be better to clear out any papers or y'know... flammable pony things, and stuff. Just in case."

Reef cocked his head, considering her advice, then nodded "Indeed, I suppose that's just good bedside manner when it comes to kirin. Well then, no time like the present. If you'd care to follow me..." With that the silvery hippogriff turned around smartly; a little too smartly, as his long pink tail plumes accidentally dusted Nutmeg's face. The lanky stallion failed to notice, taking a few steps back towards the entrance, before looking back to see if the kirin is following.

At that Nutmeg wiggled her snout, crossed her eyes, then sneezed. Her own tail still twisted uncomfortably as the big orange tuft at the end tried to separate itself from the stickiness. Seeing the doctor waiting for her, she shrugged, then hopped along after the hippogriff in a casual, light-footed gait. "Gonna get cleaned up!" she called back to the skeleton crew in the engine room, "Back in a few," to mild grumbles of affirmation.

Reef headed back down the ramp out of the engine room, passing the main deck and continuing down to the tween deck, making a sharp left at the next landing to enter the sick bay. The main area had several cots, currently empty, with tables, cupboards and various bits of medical equipment lining the walls. Evening light streamed in through three portholes, combining with the incandescent lamps to fill the space with a warm, diffused glow. Bottles and jars of disinfectant, saline and other things were held tightly in racks, to stop them falling and smashing whenever the ship encountered turbulence. Two smaller doors lead off to side rooms, bearing signs reading 'Surgery' and 'Medical Stores'. The later had been repurposed by the hippogriff into a rather cramped study area, specimen collection and on occasion sleeping quarters.

"So this is..." the auburn ruffed kirin began, stepping lightly through the door and gazing at the various devices and anatomical charts pinned to the walls. "I'm supposed to wait here, right? I think that's how it works?" She placed a hoof on one of the cots and gripped it lightly, unsure of whether to lay down or stand. "The place I was in last time was something like that. Do you have a... shower somewhere in here? That'd get me cleaned off quick."

The eagle-faced hippogriff looked down at Nutmeg, cocking his head to the side. "Oh, we're certainly equipped to clean up blood, bile, and, erm... mud," he said enthusiastically, "Non-sterile fluids of every kind really." Reef blinked, realising he might have failed at that whole 'bedside manner' concept again. "Erm, so... if you could just step this way, I'll demonstrate!" He gestures with one broad wing to the the door bearing the 'Surgery' sign.

The kirin gave him a long look, again wondering at the griff's choice of wording. Nonetheless, she walked quickly to the side door, pushing a hoof down on the handle, and proceeded into the 'Surgery' room. Nutmeg's broad brown ears drooped as she turned right to avoid a large steel table, bolted firmly to a floor that consists of a dense cast-iron grid. The lights in here were a harsher white than the main room, glinting off the polished metallic surfaces. Her leonine tail curled far out of the way to admit the hippogriff doctor, as she edged to the side of the room, saying, "Well this is a... place." Looking mostly overhead for a shower of some sort, she didn't take much note of the broad sink she was standing next to.

"Hmm, yes, can't say the crew have been all that keen to come in here." Reef admitted. "Terribly practical, those storm beasts, not really much for aesthetics, the opposite of ponies really. Must say, it cleans up in a jiffy though." He grabbed a cylindrical shape from a bin by the wall and with a practiced flourish unrolls the rubber mat onto the central table. The kirin seemed a little nervous, he thought, perhaps sitting on something softer than solid steel table would help? "Now if you'd just hop up here?" His beak hung slightly open in an avian smile, but his eyes betrayed some concern that Nutmeg would be the third patient in a row to run screaming out of the examination room.

Nutmeg approached the table warily, peering at the mat now covering it. "Oh, huh, yeah that'll keep my butt from freezing I guess" she observed, before rearing up and climbing onto it. Standing on the table, her eyes were now level with the hippogriff's; the chocolate mare turned completely around, cloven hooves dimpling the rubber mat as she moved. Giving the doctor a confused look, she asked, "So, where's that shower? On this thing?" Looking up, she could see only the harsh arc lights, nothing like a shower head.

"Good, yes, shower... of course, hold on!" Pleasantly surprised that his patient hadn't made a break for it, Reef spun around, almost whacking Nutmeg again with his big pink tail feathers. He grabbed a spray head from the wall in one scaled claw, then turned back around sporting an almost maniacal smile. 'This Kirin will be so pleased when she's cleaned right up in 10 seconds flat!' he thought. The hippogriff pulled the trigger on the nozzle, and for the second time inside an hour Nutmeg was blasted by pressurised liquid.

Still gazing at the ceiling, Nutmeg had very little warning of the imminent soaking. The jet of cold liquid caught her right in the chest, and she reared up in shock. She tries to protest, struggling against the force of the flow, but her forelegs pedal uselessly, and her words are drowned by a face full of water. The doctor seemed somewhat surprised as well, quickly turning the stream from her front to her flank, and fiddling with the nozzle until it lessened from a torrent into a spray.

The kirin coughed and gasped, trying to speak but breathless with surprise. "You..." she began, as Reef moved around the table to spray her rump and tail. After precisely 10 seconds of soaking, he shut the device off, leaving Nutmeg a shivering, bedraggled mess, limp red mane hanging heavy with water, dripping onto the table with in turn dripped into the mesh floor.

As the results of his treatment became apparent, Reef Skimmer's enthusiasm faded, his feathery ear tufts flattening against his head as he realised he may have overdone this. "Ah, valve was still wide open. Not ideal. Still! I guarantee you are now fully disinfected and ready to assist with surgery! Not that... I need you to do that... or anything." He dropped the sprayer and looked away, embarrassed.

Nutmeg blinked the remaining water out of her eyes, and gave the stallion a look of extreme displeasure, saying, "You couldn't warn me about that?! What's did you say this stuff was, it smells funny?! I wanted to clean off the funny smells!"

"Indeed." It was hard to tell with birds, but Reef was definitely blushing under his feathers. "Well, erm... Let me get you some towels."

At that, Nutmeg's eyes fell into shadow. "No need," she remarked ominously. Then she shook off vigorously, unleashing a wall of water in all directions from her lengthy mane and soft fur, soaking everything else in the room. The hippogriff had just turned back to look at Nutmeg, fresh-scented towel in claw, when the expanding sphere of droplets hits him, making him squawk! and blink several times. Ignoring him for now, the kirin sat back on her haunches there on the table, curling her tail around, and quietly wringing it out in her somewhat grippy hooves.

"Oh, erm, it was just a mild... disinfectant," Reef spluttered, trying to reassure her. "Also works for delousing. Not that Kirin have a problem with that, I imagine, with the flaming... hmm." He barely managed to stop himself launching into more questions, realising he should put the patient at ease first. "I do apologise, won't happen again." he said, regaining a modicum of composure. "Can I get you anything else, tea perhaps?"

Nutmeg shook her head, whipping her still-damp tail out behind her, saying, "I've had enough tea to last me a lifetime, thanks. And uh... I don't have lice, but the whole stream of silence thing kept us from flaming for generations, and we lived in a wood, so... yeah it's been a problem." She motioned to climb down from the table, then stopped, asking him uncertainly, "So do I get down, or what? I haven't been in for a... check-up before. Not sure how you even would do a check-up without you know..." Leaning down, she lightly taps her own horn.

"Ah, of course your medicine would follow unicorn practice." Reef said, beginning to regain his enthusiasm, his ear tufts fluffing out again. "Never fear, we hippogriffs get along quite well with just these..." he holds up a claw and wiggles his dextrous talons "...although I must ask, how does your magic compare to ponies, unicorns I mean? Can you cast the same range of spells? No signature effects I suppose, with no cutie marks..."

"Oh I dunno much about magic," Nutmeg said, her voice uncertain, "but some back at the village were super good at it, making things grow, looking at life forces, that sort of thing. What kind of magic can unicorns do? All I can do pretty much is lift things..." Doubt clouded her face, and she muttered "...and burn things," but then with a head tilt and half a smile, she concluded wryly, "You must get just as many questions about those weird... wiggly multi-hoof things. I dunno what they're called, sorry."

"Claws? Not strictly proper terminology you know, but colloquially 'claw' refers to the whole forefoot and 'talon' to the actual claw." As if to demonstrate, Reef had taken one of Nutmeg's forefeet in his claw and was shifting the two hooves as if to test their articulation. "But yes, not so much... ponies are familiar with birds after all, even if they've never met a griff. Hmm, interesting, interesting."

Her green eyes lit up as she declared, "Oh, yeah! It's like a bird! That makes a lot of sense." With a sheepish grimace to wrinkle her snout, she admitted, "I kinda uh... never was that good at life studies. That's why you're the doctor and I'm just here to keep the ship running. I've seen birds. We're not THAT out of touch back in the village."

"Put that way, I'm just here to keep the crew running!" Reef was now peering at Nutmeg's back and running a talon over the smooth scales he found there; the same golden colour as her hooves. "Though I do hope to contribute to the research effort." he said, optimistically. "You know what little reports we have of these islands mention creatures like nothing in Equestria! Hmm, these scutes seem quite flexible, compared to a dragon at least. Do they shed individually or moult all at once?"

The kirin's scales were interlocking and pliable, with a slight ridge in each ones. She didn't pull away, but she does try to look over her shoulder, shifting at his touch and saying "Uhm, they uh, you have to be really sick for them to shed. Or really old, I think. You didn't know that? Sometimes one or two will fall out if they get hurt. Dragons just shed all their scales?"

Reef adopted a lecturing tone: "Dragons shed scales individually, like most large reptiles, the young more frequently although no one has managed to do a comprehensive study..." The hippogriff had been holding his palm against the kirin's fluffy belly while talking: "Hmm, body temperature definitely feels higher than a pony. Do you feel normal?" Nutmeg blushed, biting her lip as he pushed his palm on her belly, soft beneath the wispy brown fur. "Let me get a thermometer." the doctor said. He moved to the wall and began rummaging around in a drawer.

Nutmeg continued to stand uneasily on the table as he turned his back to her again, her tail curled down against her hindquarters. "I swear I'm not gonna catch on fire!" she called out, "I'm not even feeling a little flarey!"

Reef decided to ignore that part, and came back holding a mercury thermometer: a tiny silvery thread in a glass straw. "Good, good, now hold this gently in your mouth please, if you would be so kind. Just need to get a baseline here, none of my textbooks cover your species... um, which is to say, people, I'm afraid."

"Well, none of MY textbooks cover... uh," she said a little defensively, then carefully bit down on the thermometer... without closing her mouth. "Rike vis?" she asked.

"Uh, if you could rather, I mean one has to close one's mouth and press the tongue against it to..." the doctor instructed; the kirin made a funny face as her tongue rolled the strange device around in her mouth. "...yes, that's it, very good. Now we just wait a jiffy, and... Hmm, that's a little higher than a griffon even."

Reef carefully removed the thermometer, taking a moment to scratch a few notes on a quill pad. As his gaze returned to Nutmeg, he cocked his head and tried again to give a reassuring beak-smile. "Now this fire transformation syndrome, did you say you had a treatment for it back home? Stream of something? Is that not something you could bottle and bring with you?"

"Sometimes I wish I could," she grumbled under her breath, the switching of her tail dropping to let it hang off the end of the table. "No, the magic from Stream of Silence is in the stones, not the water," she told Reef in a resigned tone, "It's a runic resonance array of some sort, way above my head. You wanna ask Rain Shine about it, since she's the one who created it. She's the uh... princess kirin, though we call her our matriarch. The only thing you can bottle is the cure that makes you talk."

"Makes you talk?" Reef Skimmer looked perplexed. "Am I to understand, my dear mare, that your ruler created a magical device to render you mute? How does that help with the fiery transformations?"

Nutmeg looked away, briefly lost in thought. In a bemused tone, she reminisced "It just seemed normal to me. We just... did what was needed and didn't bother each other. I wasn't into... machines, or anything really. I just... got the water, because it was the thing we all did." Frowning now, she continued "They say all this talking is normal, and the silence was an enchantment, but... when I flared up the first time, I was just completely freaking out, and I don't know if I like feeling that way."

Then she stared into Reef Skimmer's intense purple eyes, and said plainly, "No, it was an enchanted stream that washed away our feelings. When you're like that you just... don't feel like talking. We couldn't get angry, so... no fire. So now I have feelings, and they make me talk..."

Outside, in the tween deck corridor, Summer Scribe was pacing nervously up and down. Once she'd felt ready to go apologise to the kirin, she'd set out to find the strange mare. However by the time she'd worked up the courage to enter the engine room, the crewponies there had told their boss had departed for the sick bay. So Summer had headed back down the ramp and waited near the door, practicing what she would say again.

"Sorry," she would lead, lowering herself deferentially to the floor as she spoke. "I'm trained to act on my instincts, and I thought I was saving the day, but I think I only ruined yours. I hope it got better afterwards. I'd like to have a second chance at a first impression, if I may." When talking to new people like this, the little unicorn had always found it a struggle to get the words right. Practicing her lines beforehand usually helped, and she thought this sounded right.

A good fifteen minutes into Summer Scribe's spell of pacing and muttering to herself, a fluffy and fussy Nutmeg Inferno came striding out of the med bay. "Erm, splendid, do come again!" could be heard from inside before the door banged shut. The kirin seemed troubled, if not outright angry. With neither mare paying much attention to where she was going, the red, brown and gold kirin collided head-on with the pacing unicorn, resulting in two confused leaps backward then both falling flat on their rumps.

Summer Scribe let out a shriek as she undaintly landed on her rear. "Umm! Sorry! I was thinking about apologising to you! I mean, again! Uhh, for the earlier! Thing!" she babbled loudly, her words coming out in a stream before she can get control of herself. She rose to her hooves, still a flustered mess. Swirly eyed and holding a hoof to her head, Nutmeg sat up, then shook out the dizziness. Their eyes met.

"Err... I'm sorry that I sprayed you down!" apologised Summer, at the exact same time that Nutmeg began "Woah, um, sorry...". After a moment of silence, the kirin picked herself up and continued "You didn't need to apologise. I mean, again! Uhh, for the catching on fire! Thing!" just as Summer blurted "Um, it won't happen again, I swear!" The combination of mild concussion and both speaking at once was not resulting in effective communication.

Nutmeg blushed and shuts her mouth, while Summer Scribe shrank back and looked at the floor. There was a long beat of awkward silence, before finally a reassured kirin said, "Apology, uh, accepted. You're one of the expedition ponies, aren't you?"

The unicorn's eyes snapped back to the kirin's face; she blinked and shook her head out, considering what to say next. "Wait... I don't need to apologise! But I wanted to! I felt really bad!" she implored... but then she realised her apology had been accepted, even though she'd totally mangled it. Summer looked away again, rubbing a hoof behind her head, her expression relieved.

A deep breath, hold, let it out, now she was ready to continue, a smile back on her face. Talking about the expedition, now this was something she could handle. "Yep, I'm super pumped for it!" Summer said with renewed enthusiasm. "This is like, my dream: I'm going to figure out all the tricks and traps, study all the historical world firsts and write a research paper afterwards that'll propel me to the top of Academia!" she beamed proudly. "Oh.. and the name's Summer Scribe, and you?"

Holding out a dual fingered hoof out, the kirin said, "I'm Nutmeg! Nutmeg Inferno. I keep the ship going." Summer eagerly went for a bump with her own smooth hoof, then blinked as she realised Nutmeg was actually holding it, shaking it and saying "Yeah..." followed by an uneasy chuckle. "Going out into the middle of nowhere. I'm sure there's gonna be lotsa... ruins and old stuff." After releasing the unicorn's hoof, Nutmeg looked away, concluding softly, "You're really lucky that you have something to do out there. Wish I could get out of the ship and explore a bit."

With the intense pressure to make a good impression receeding, Summer could take a moment to look down at the hoofshake: the cloven shape looks really cool, and grabs her attention. She wondered what having opposable digits would feel like: it was one thing to know about a species academically, it was another to shake their hoof! Looking back at Nutmeg's face, she agreed "Yep yep! And this place is *surrounded* by storms, so you know it's gotta be holding something good!"

The little unicorn clopped her hoof down and gave another cheerful smile. "Wellll... Are you just planning on hanging around on the ship the entire time we're disembarked? You should come with me! You could be my... hmmm. How would you categorise yourself, skillset-wise?"

Flat-eared, the red and brown kirin said, "Not exploring, not the wilderness, not nature, and not some dusty old ruins. I'm not good for anything except this ship. If you show me a machine, I can probably fix it. But we're going off to the middle of nowhere, not the middle of Manehattan. These ships are the only machines in a hundred miles."

She sighed, and rubbed beneath her horn with a hoof, saying, "Sorry, it's not something I should complain about. But yeah, not everypony gets to leave the ship. You didn't think we'd all go... exploring, did you?"

Summer Scribe listened thoughtfully, before nodding. "That's okay! I've had advisors like that: prefer to stay stuck in their books. And I like a real good book as much as the next pony, but I've gotta get my hooves dirty, too!" As if to emphasise, she rubbed them eagerly.

"I totally get it, though. How about I come back when I can and tell you about how cool everything is going? I bet you'd at least be interested in that!" She smiled again. "And you can tell me about how your work is going, if you like!" She nodded her head for emphasis. "Well, no, not EVERYONE. But you sounded like you were going to be bored, so I figured I'd offer, yeah?"

Managing a weary smile of her own, Nutmeg replied, "Wow, really? Yeah I'd love to hear about your adventures. My work is nothing to talk about though." Rolling her eyes, she drawled, "We're the best mechanics west of Trottington, and all they have us doing is running an airship." She looked over her shoulder, then leans a little closer to Summer, whispering, "Most days, there's nothing to do but watch the pressure gauges all day!"

The pale blue pony pondered that for a moment, before chuckling and flashing a playful grin. ""Hmm... so what you're saying is, it'd be REAL exciting if we came under attack by sky pirates and we had to push this baby to its limits to do or die!" She seemed enthused with her own imagined scenario.

"You might get lucky, then! You know we don't really have a clue what's inside that storm: we might need the best airship mechanic we can find!" The unicorn bowed her head low again, seemingly oblivious to how close her horn kept getting to the Kirin's snout. "But no matter what, I promise I'll keep you company, Nutmeg!"

"O...kay, great," Nutmeg said, a little uncertain about how this unicorn kept pointing that sharp looking horn at her for some reason. "I could totally get this ship flying ten knots faster if I could rebuild the propellors. But if push comes to shove, this engine ain't giving out any time soon. Those storm guards sounded pretty freaky, but they knew how to build a really sturdy engine." A hoof under her chin, and she pondered, "You know, we don't have superheaters, but if we did the turbines could definitely take the extra pressure. And if we vented the steam out under the propellers, you could probably pick up another three knots easy. Huh, I hadn't really thought about making the ship go fast."

Summer Scribe sat herself down politely to one side of the corridor, blue and white tail flicking as she listens to Nutmeg talk, beaming at the passion the kirin was showing for her craft. 'Now that's more like it!' she thought. "See? You're destined to do REALLY cool things and you know it, too!" she exclaimed. "You just have to wait for opportunity to strike; or make your own, of course!" Some of Summer Scribe's most ambitious finds had been, ahem, self-motivated.

The unicorn's enthusiasm was apparently infectious, because Nutmeg Inferno's eyes brightened, and she asked, "Hey, yeah. Oh hey, did you see that Storm Piercer device though? I'd give my left hind leg to work on that. It's a 730 thaum radio enforced negative air dispersal stabiliser! They say it can literally stop the wind!"

"Oh yeah, you bet I *saw* it." Summer confirmed. "I gave it part of an hour of solid oggling! I bet the pegasi can't get enough of it! And we'll see it in REAL action when we reach our destination, huh?" She made a mental note to be up front for the best view of the show, when the ship reached the storm wall.

"They're the ones who get to operate it. The uh, pegasi that is," Nutmeg said affably, "Oh and if you didn't know, I'm a..." She almost places her hoof on her chest with pride, but remembering Summer's earlier words she stops herself and instead offers in an embarrassed tone, "So, you... uh... heard all about kirin already, huh? I guess they didn't tell you how simple water won't put out the flames."

Summer Scribe shook her head bashfully: apparently her reading had been less thorough than she'd thought. "I didn't know that part: never gotten a chance to test it, so I made an inference and it was wrong. I guess now I have a chance to ask you all I want to know, though!" she said, smiling at the prospect.

"Sure, though to be honest, I just spent an hour answering..." The kirin shook her head, dismissing the thought. "Never mind. You seem like you know a lot more than just stuff about ancient history though."

"Well, what gets MY fires going is learning all about the mysteries left by our ancestors before us!" Summer gushed. "There's so much about the world we don't know, just waiting to be discovered - and it's up to folks like me to brave prehistory and bring it back!" She grinned again, playfully thumping her forehooves on the floor. "Tomb raiding, trap dodging, puzzle deciphering: Summer Scribe's game for it all!"

"I'll have to remember to look you up, if somepony ever gets me one of those dumb jigsaw puzzles again," Nutmeg said happily, "So, no hard feelings then? I swear I don't catch fire that easy most of the time. I was just uh... figured I'd try to get out of the engine room for a bit for that launch party, and of course I start flaring up and scaring everypony right away."

Summer's face brightened at the mention of jigsaws. Oh, she *loved* puzzles! But the puzzle remained hypothetical for now, so she restrained herself. "No hard feelings, yeah! Something you ought to know about me is, when you've explored a few dangerous, crumbling ruins, you learn to act on instinct and think quickly. Sometimes I'll make the wrong choice in the heat of the moment, but... I mean well and I'll own up for it."
Nutmeg Inferno : "You don't ever, um... you know?" she pointed a cloven hoof at her own bendy, branchy horn. "Unicorns don't have... horn magic going nuts a lot, do they? Not like fire, but just like..." Laughing nervously, she said, "H-heheh, I mean it's no big deal just wondered if... I uh... yeah."

The unicorn hmmed, and tapped at her own horn in turn, looking at the kirin's. "Well, if I'm upset my telekinesis might squeeze a little too hard or fumble, but nothing like what you have to put up with, no." she replied. "I HAVE heard tales of unicorns getting flustered and casting a spell they didn't mean to, though; would hate to be in their hooves!"

"Sounds like not really then," Nutmeg said, curvy ears wilting a little. "Not that kirin are broken or anything," she added with a nervous laugh, "It's just kind of overwhelming, and I guess it's neat that unicorns don't... do stuff. I'm pretty easygoing... that means I don't catch fire much... so don't worry if you screw up. If I had a bit for every time me and my crew made a stupid decision, I'd be able to buy this whole airship and then some."

The unicorn chuckled nervously at that, giving the back of her head another bashful little hoof-rub. "Yeah, it is pretty nice. Umm. Not that - yeah, you got it already." She quickly nodded her head, as though to change the subject.

With a sigh, the kirin decided it was time to wrap this up, "Well, I'm all clean now, so I guess I'll go check on them. Still can't believe Gearshift didn't go..." her voice dropped to a mumble, as she adopted a thoughtful stare. Shaking her head, she straightened, puffing out her chest and saying "It was nice meeting you, Summer! Let's talk again, maybe, after you went out and solved all the puzzles."

Summer stood up and shook the kirin's hoof again. "Pleasure meeting you as well! I'll keep you on my mind! Thank you!"

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself, Ferret, Patashu, Spearmint and Steelclaw, based on an online RP.

This chapter covers the second session, as the crew begin to get to know each other with a couple of 1:1s between Ferret's character and mine, then Ferret's and Patashu's characters.

Metamorphosis

The two great airships continued on to Vanhoover, the last major town on their flightpath before leaving the boundaries of Equestria. Here they would pick up final supplies and give the crew one last change for shore leave, before beginning the mission proper: piercing the storm wall around the Cloudbreak Islands. The ships were carefully maneuvered into the largest berths the air docks had to offer. After the captain concluded a few formalities with the dockmaster, the deck crews began to load the remaining provisions: pre-ordered and stacked in crates on the sky pier or in an adjacent warehouse. Many of the other ponies aboard departed into the town, enjoying a chance to stretch their legs. It wasn't just cargo to be collected here; one final addition would be made to the crew...

The expedition had arrived two nights ago; this was their last day in port, so she'd arrived just in time. The newest expedition member kept to herself as she approached the ships - goodness, she'd seen airships before, but it was only for minor travels, but these two were huge - and one of them would be her home for the immediate future. She was a deep blue unicorn mare, wearing a cloak with a lavender-coloured hood, which blending with the brighter purple and pink of her mane and tail. Despite the fact that she was still affiliated with the Royal Guard, no armour was to be found... but first things first: getting on the ship.

The EAS Harmony looked like a fine vessel; Azure Feather had reviewed the blueprints and the crew manifest, among the documents sent to her when she agreed to join. Other than the expedition leaders, most of the crew didn't stand out, but the kirin she'd heard of. Well, there was a first time for everything, and working with a kirin would be a first for her; although she wasn't sure how much she'd see of this Nutmeg Inferno, as she would no doubt spend most of her time in the engine room.

Azure approached the most obvious entrance: a wide hatch into the lowest part of the hull. The boarding ramp was lowered, and a few final crates and barrels were being hauled up into the cargo bay. Unicorns were making good use of their telekinesis while earth ponies shifted things with brute strength. One unicorn in particular, with a cyan coat and a mane of blue and white stripes, huffed and panted as she sat down on her rear near the base of the ramp, a bit out of the way. "Whew... That's... quota done. What... now..." Summer muttered to herself.

Azure didn't usually seek out conversation for its own sake, but after several days of keeping to herself on her solitary journey to Vanhoover, she felt a little socialising wouldn't hurt. Besides, she might as well start getting to know the ponies she would be protecting. The deck crew were still busy with their crates, so she gave the loading operation a quick glance over before turning to the small unicorn taking a break.

"The Harmony, hmm? Good name for what a ship that can still the wildest storms..." she mused out loud, her tone neutral, but her stiff posture showing that she wasn't exactly at ease.

Summer Scribe's ears perked up at the new voice. She rose to her hooves and regard the fellow unicorn for a moment: 'Oh, we're making small talk?' she thought, 'That solves that. I don't recognise you, but I don't recognise EVERYONE on this ship (that's a lot of faces!) so I don't think anything of it, yet.'

"Well, I suppose so!" she remarked in an amused tone. "Beats being a war machine like it used to be!" Summer chuckled before continuing: "...but I'm thinking of this as more of a research expedition, right now." Her sudden rush of enthusiasm resulted in her tapping a forehoof to her horn in a rough approximation of a salute. "To brave the wild frontiers and seek the unknown! And learn all we can about it! That's our mission!" She nodded for emphasis.

Azure Feather nodded back politely; her fellow species member had quite a different perception to her own... but hey, she had her own opinion, this was fine. In truth Azure was not entirely happy about the ship's complete conversion from warship to this... glorified cargo hauler. She knew, if things turned bad, they would likely sorely miss the stripped out weaponry. The light blue unicorn seemed confident there wouldn't be any pitched battles though, so Azure would go along with that for now. Perhaps the worst threat would be strange new wildlife; not that wild animals were a matter to be taken lightly, as Azure knew well that many strange and ferocious beasts lurked beyond the borders of Equestria.

After a beat, Summer realised the new unicorn still hadn't replied, and decided to introduce herself: "Name's Summer Scribe, Distinguished Junior Researcher. And you are?" she smiled.

The deep blue mare removed her hood before answering: "Azure Feather, from the Lavender Blades. Nice to meet you." Azure bowed her head formally: her clear blue eyes along with lined streaks of two-toned purple in her mane were clearly visible now. For some reason the unicorn couldn't help glancing back over her shoulder as the hood came off.

Summer gave the new arrival another look over, now that the hood was down, and nodded approvingly. "A pleasure to meet you, Azure!" she said, returning the bow respectfully. She followed the other mare's gaze, tilting her head and trying to peer behind her. Azure covered with a nervous giggle, even though there clearly wasn't nything odd where she was looking. Seeing nothing unusual, Summer continued "Is there something you're thinking about? Did you wanna go out and wander around town? I'd be down for that, I mean."

The prospect did sound appealing to Azure, after spending a couple of days mostly cooped up on trains. After a quick moment of thinking she replied "I've been deployed to Vanhoover in a hurry, but if you say there's extra time before we depart, enough to actually feel the ground under our hooves for even a little bit, then sure. It'll be the last time we're in Equestria for months, won't it?"

Summer nodded in agreement: "Yeah, I was hoping to get a little time on the ground before we continue. I kinda did as much prep as I can and I'm a little overstimulated from just being holed up and thinking and thinking and thinking." She tapped a hoof and took a few steps down the pier, heading away from the ship. "So, what do you want to check out? The local cuisine? The scenic views? The local library?"

Holed up and thinking... Azure gave a quiet nod at that, as she'd been there quite a few times herself. The new unicorn seemed somewhat interested when Summer's mentioned getting some food, but it was the last notion that got her attention, an intrigued look crossing her face. "Y'know, I haven't actually been to the Vanhoover library. Would be nice to check out their collection... How about we head there first?" she asked.

Summer Scribe smiled and clopped her hooves "Oh, awesome! After shifting all those crates, I'm down for something nice and relaxing right now." The two ponies set off from the sky docks in an easy trot, heading across town.

As one of the more remote towns in Equestria, Vanhoover's library was much quainter and smaller than Canterlot's; but every librarian is proud of the books they entrust. There were sections for local lore, mythological fiction, history and cuisine cookbooks to peruse; as soon as she'd entered, Summer Scribe glanced at her companion to see if anything had caught her eye.

In fact, Azure Feather barely gotten out of the lobby before making a beeline for the section speaking of... flight? What use would that be to a unicorn? Without even saying a word, either... the dark blue unicorn looked a little stressed, or possibly embarrassed.

Summer trotted after her, eyeing up the shelves as she passed. "So, what did you want to start with... Azure?" Where had the other pony gone? She peered around, and caught a glimpse of a purple and pink tail turning a corner. Curious what had caught the other unicorn's interest, she followed her into... the Pegasi Flight section, huh? Well, they were going to be in close quarters with a half-pegasus crew and quite reliant on them for a while, so that made sense... right?

If only Azure hadn't already cracked open three books about pegasus wing physiology, that would have made perfect sense. Yet there she was, flank against the back wall between bookshelves, speed-reading through each book... now realising she'd been spotted, she looked up to Summer, halfway through a book. "...Sorry. Couldn't help myself... I haven't, erm, seen these books before!"

Summer paused for a moment... then released a cute giggle as she held a hoof to her face. "Oh, that's really cool! Are pegasi your speciality, then? Do you know everything there is to know about them?" She sidled over to Azure, to try and catch a glimpse at the covers. "Maybe you should bring me up to speed!"

Azure's stress level seemed to jump up a tad as Summer leaned in to read "Principles & Mechanics of Pegasus Flight, Volume 11" on one of the covers. "Pegasi... n-no, they're not my specialty, but... I know quite a bit! I know wing power calculations, Pegasus speed records, Wonderbolts through the years... just need to further my studies!" If this was the case, why did she have Volumes 13 and 14 off the shelf as well?

Summer Scribe's eyebrows inched up. 'This must be some really advanced work! ...and it's still not her speciality?' she thought. "This is just like, a side hobby for you? Wow! That's super cool! Are you going to put this knowledge to work someday? Maybe build some model pegasi and fly them through the skies? Personal trainer in Cloudsdale?" She tapped a hoof to her chin; so many possibilities!

Azure was practically blushing now as Summer continued to excitedly comment on her studies, but the mention of becoming a personal trainer prompted a thoughtful smile to cross her muzzle. "As interesting as a career as personal trainer for Pegasi sounds... I'll leave that to the actual Wonderbolts, past or present; there's bound to be pegasi way better at it than I would be. Yet... those aren't bad ideas, Summer. Got to consider them after this mission. But for now, I should be done looking through these books in a little bit..."

Summer Scribe chuckled again: there was nothing like unbridled passion to get her excited, honestly! Her tail began to swish back and forth as she nodded eagerly along with Azure. "Whatever interests you, interests me too! Feel free to tell me all about what you're working on: it'll get your thoughts in a row. It works for me at least!"

Azure quickly finished skimming Volume 11 before telekinetically placing the book back on the shelf. "Tell you what, Summer..." she replied "how long do we have on the ship, setting off from here to reaching the Cloudbreak Islands? Starting to get an idea here, but I don't want to just... openly test things out of nowhere, either."

Summer thought for a moment before replying "Oh, three, maybe four days, depending on how the winds are. We're heading north up the coast, then west towards the storm." She tilted her head, trying to guess what the other unicorn's idea entailed. "Well, what is it? Don't forget that you'll need to be preparing for the mission ahead, too!"

"Three days?" Azure replied, "Goodness... plenty of time to meet the other crew members then, I guess I can spare, um... a few hours for this little idea. Just, um... not here? And I'd rather finish these-" She cuts herself off, looking at the bookshelves again. "...ah, by the... they have Volume 15?!" She couldn't contain her amazement. "That one was a limited run, last one I haven't read... I gotta read this before we go!" And with that Azure's muzzle was quickly buried in the books again.

Once again, Summer Scribe was left chuckling and rubbing a hoof bashfully behind her head. "Wow, you're a FAST reader. I'm out of my league all of a sudden...!" Was that sweat on her brow? "Okay, if you're on a time limit, lemme find some history books to read while you do that!" she said: the unicorn researcher was always happy to find and absorb some local archaeological reports.

Azure looked apologetic for a few moments as she realised the smaller unicorn was stressing out. "Apologies. I mean, this is the last chance we have to stop at a library... and it's the last chance I have to finish this encyclopedia! Don't wanna miss my chance and don't wanna hold up the crew."

With a cute tilt of her head, Summer agreed "Ok... but... when you have a free moment I wanna hear all about that idea, yeah?"

"I promise, just let me know when you're free, once we're on the ship." Azure reassured her.

"Yeah, exactly, haha! So I won't interrupt; lemme just bury myself into something myself!" Summer nodded, and then she excused herself to head off to the History section. 'Whew!' she thought, 'that was... surprisingly intense!'

Watching the other mare disappear behind the shelves, Azure nodded quietly to herself... and resumed her speed-reading. And so, the ideal outing began: two ponies reading quietly and only minimally interacting.

Fast as she was, it took a few hours for Azure to digest the thick volume and cross-reference the new findings against the previous works in the series. She was looking quite pleased with herself as she rose to her feet and began trotting through the stacks, looking for her squad mate. After all, time was ticking until they both would have to report to the Harmony, and the crew wouldn't be happy if they were late...

The sun was starting to set: on the other side of the library, the warm, rich evening light streamed through the window onto Summer Scribe's third book of the visit. The evening light... she jolted alert, snapping her tome about ancient bullfolk shut! "Azure! Umm.. the ship! Lost track of time!" she blurted out, while hastily... but extremely carefully... shuffling the book back onto the shelf. With sudden nervous energy she trotted back through the aisles, searching for her companion.

The two ponies almost collided as Azure was already looking for Summer... and it looked like her worst fears were about to come true. Late. On Day One. Lovely. "Lead... now! Talk later!" she near-shouted at Summer. Before the librarian could scold them for making such a racket, the two unicorns had rushed out the door and were making a mad dash for the airship docks. 'What a way to join this team!' Azure thought.

The pair galloped through the town, scattering ponies left and right: Summer was in the lead, bumping aside anyone who didn't get out of her way in time. "Sorry!" "'Scuse!" "Pardon!" Luckily, the airships were easy to spot from a distance... particularly as the Friendship was already beginning to rise into the sky! She gulped: their ship, the Harmony, was still tied to the dock, but the loading ramp had been retracted and the cargo door was firmly shut!

"Stars above... so late!" Azure muttered as she spotted the closed hatch. "Guess that idea's going into execution right now: we don't make it if I don't do this!" The hood flew back in a hurry as a purplish magic aura quickly formed around her horn. "I'm so due for a nap after this!" she cried out before zapping the still galloping Summer Scribe with her magic. Ribbons of energy formed and curled around the smaller unicorn, gathering on her back, only to flatten out and produce... wings? A pair of butterfly wings? Sure enough, the gossamer wings formed and solidified within seconds.

Taken by surprise, Summer was stunned to see the huge butterfly wings sprout, glimmering with a white and blue pattern that matched her mane. She skidded to a stop and gawked over her shoulder at the new appendages as she flapped them experimentally. 'Wings...! W-Woah! No wonder Azure studies pegasi so much,' Summer thought, 'it's applied magic! Sophisticated magic, because I can feel and move these like they were part of me!'

Panting heavily, Azure pointed a hoof towards the ship and shouted "Go! Fly! I'll catch up!" She was already relighting her horn for a second casting.

"...Got it!" Summer yelled back. She had no time to admire right now. No time to even wonder why they're not feathered wings. She resumed her forward charge, beat her new wings hard, leapt into the air... and started to climb, lifting into the sky!

Less than a minute later, Azure had cast the same spell on herself and was right with beside her squad mate; she flashed a tired grin as the two headed straight for the airship. Ponies in the street below stared upward in surprise; it was rare enough to see a unicorn who could cast this spell once, never mind twice in quick succession. She could see the crew casting off the mooring ropes as the vessel prepared to take off; all she was hoping for at that point was that somepony in charge would notice that there were some members of the crew who weren't on the ship!

Summer Scribe beat her wings even harder, rising higher, quickly getting the hang of basic aerial maneuvering. You had to flap them just right to maximise the lift and maintain that rhythm, it seemed. The ship was starting to lift now, but they weren't far behind; frantically she waved her hooves, trying to catch the attention of one of the crew. "Hey! Wait up, we're almost there!" she shouted at a pair of crew-pegasi hovering near the gas envelope.

The two winged ponies gawked for a moment at the sight of two unicorns flapping desperately towards them, before exchanging words Summer was too far away to hear. Confident she'd caught the crew's attention, she looked over to admire Azure's own beautiful butterfly wings. Wow! There'd be time for thanks and catchups in a moment, she hoped.

'We're going to make it, yeah, things will turn out fine,' Azure thought, trying to reassure herself. After a good night's sleep, at least: in truth she'd pushed her magic enough to almost exhaust herself. She glanced over at Summer; the smaller unicorn's flight was a little erratic but surprisingly good for a beginner; before fixing her gaze on the airship. They were getting closer, but if the engines started to accelerate... well, the butterfly wings she'd made were hardly build for speed. If only she could create real pegasus wings...

Luckily it wasn't a problem, as the pair of pegasus crewponies swooped towards their trailing comrades. They'd all practiced pony overboard drills until the appropriate actions were instinctive: match speed, lock hooves, soon they were gently carrying the two unicorns back to the ship. Azure did the only thing she could to make the Pegasi's work a little easier: angle her wings to negate air resistance... oh, and curse herself for being late. But that was beside the point. They'd be on the ship's upper deck in a moment, exhausted perhaps but otherwise fine.

A minute or two of tight pegasus embrace and they had reached the Harmony. Summer Scribe thanked and apologised to the pegasi in roughly that order, and then slumped onto to the teak deck in a fit of nervous, exhausted, adrenalin-fuelled laughter. Wheee. "That book was NOT worth it. Let's never do that again." she said to nopony in particular. Though in truth, flying under her own power had felt pretty awesome; fortunately the burst of adrenalin had gotten her through the initial wrenching vertigo and anxiety about having no clue what she was doing. She'd love the chance to try it again under less urgent circumstances.

Just behind her, Azure managed a somewhat more graceful landing, gave her own apologies and thanks to the pegasus who had brought her in... and then collapsed in an exhausted pile.

Noticing that Azure was resting beside her, Summer recomposed herself enough to talk properly. "Azure, that was *so cool*. Is that why you read all about Pegasi? To get real good at that flight spell? ... Wait a sec..." Her eyes darted to the other unicorn's cutie mark: a magical wand supported by feathery wings. "You told me that was just a side thing for you! It's like, totally your whole thing, right?"

Groaning in fatigue, Azure looked over at the other mare, only to groan again as Summer asked *that* question. "I... yeah, I stretched the truth a bit. I read those books... because the spell needs more work. At least... to do what I want it to do. But yes, it's my specialty." Well, now one crew member knew what she'd been trying to keep secret. Surely it was only a matter of time until the entire crew knew, and she'd probably end up the laughing stock of the ship for it.

Summer leaned in closer to huddle with Azure for a bit, beaming proudly. "You totally saved us from being left behind, so I totally owe you for nailing that spell!" She chuckled with appreciation. "...and if you want to make it even better yet... I understand that perfectionism streak all too well, so I'll be here to support you to the end!" She didn't see how anypony could find it weird or silly... admittedly, she was only thinking about it from her own perspective, but it did seem way cool, so who knew? "Anyway, you must be wiped: I don't have room to complain. Want to lean on me and I'll walk you to your room?"

'Well, at least one pony doesn't think I'm a freak', thought Azure. She couldn't help but smile at the outpouring of support, and slowly picked herself up and back onto her hooves. The butterfly-winged unicorn frowned as she looked at the size of the ship: it could take a while to find her quarters, and with the way she felt right then, who was to say she wouldn't end up as a flopped mess in a corridor? Best not to take a chance; even if she'd seen at the blueprints, she doesn't really know this ship. "Yeah... that sounds great right now, Summer. And thanks for everything. Interesting meeting to start this journey, you know?"

Summer Scribe laughed again... and then after reflecting on that, grinned. "Happy to make your life interesting! Wouldn't have it any other way myself. I throw myself into danger on purpose! Well, OK, this time was different, but you know what? It was fun anyway." Hup! Summer Scribe scrambled to her hooves and nudged against Azure until the other mare was leaning against her, guiding her to the ramp leading below-deck.

"Take it from me, Summer," Azure said wearily "sometimes it's a good idea to rush into problems head-on, other times, it'll just lead you to things and places you don't want to go. It sounds like mabye... you should be a bit more careful?" she suggested, concerned for her new ally. Sure, the comment might have been a bit generalised, but still...

Summer Scribe lowered her head, but nodded in understanding. "Hey, don't sweat it! I'm careful. I still got a ton left to do, so I'm looking out for myself, okay?" she said, trying to reassure her latest friend with a gentle cheek nuzzle.

Azure Feather gave a soft nod and smile in response. 'Good', she thought. Maybe she'd overreacted; she'll need to apologise later. Right now, though, she was staring at the hallways, trying to match up what she was seeing with the plans she'd studied earlier, memorising the layout as best she could.

After a few long minutes of weary shuffling, the pair reached Azure's tiny cabin, ready for her first night on the ship. Summer wished her a good night's rest and made her way back to her own room, ready to wind down herself.

Meanwhile, deep within the bowels of the engine room, a strange creature could be heard quietly singing. The kirin was laying flat on a metal grill and tapping the toes of her hoof on it in time with the rhythm: "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts..."

Around her, several ponies were in varying poses, some sitting, some laying, some looking at dials, some just reading books, and two shovelling fresh coal into the fireboxes. "Hey Divot!" a stallion called out, "Give me a turn at shovelling already!" As things stood, there really didn't seem to be much going on.

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself, Ferret, Patashu, Spearmint and Steelclaw, based on an online RP.

This chapter covers the third session, with the debut of Spearmint's character in a 1:1 mini-adventure with Patashu.

Breakthrough

The two ponderous airships powered forward through the increasingly turbulent air, their screws fighting hard to drive them forwards through the darkening skies. Ahead the massive churning bulk of the storm wall was almost unreal, writhing tendrils of clouds lit from within by the occasional lightning flash, reaching up to the stratosphere and stretching to the horizon. Massive as they were, the Equestrian vessels seemed like toys against this unworldly backdrop. Below them, the pine forest had long since given way to windswept tundra and now barren jagged rock, an expanse of crags and canyons whistling with a cacophony of a thousand keening notes, as the endless gale battered the landscape.

On the forward deck of the EAS Harmony, first mate Pearl Gleam kept a close eye on the Friendship, roughly a kilometre in front of them. She'd already used the signal lamp to confirm that their preparations for the crossing were complete, and now they were waiting for the final confirmation to proceed. "Captain!" the earth pony shouted, "There it is! Signal from the Friendship: they're starting the crossing."

Some way behind her, Captain Polar Sky stood at the helm, practiced hooves firmly gripping the rudder wheel. Turning aside from the ominous view ahead, he spoke into one of several voice tubes projecting from the deck next to his station. "We're going through." he ordered, "Storm Piercer to full power!"

At the bow, Clashing Gale was strapped into the control cage, one eye on the gauges and another on the storm wall ahead. The long-anticipated order had finally arrived, the captain's gravelly voice made tinny by the long brass tube. The pegasus pushed a group of levers forward to their stops and was rewarded by a mounting hum and crackle that soon challenged the howling storm for intensity. The strange spikes and antennae glowed brightly with corona discharge as the device reached full power. Beside him several more pegasi watched their own gauges, concentrated on their innate weather sense and adjusted further controls to ensure the massive device functioned smoothly.

The bucking of the ship receded as the storm piercer did its work, creating a corridor of calm air for the Harmony to fly down. His control crew each gave a silent nod, signalling that all was well to proceed. Or at least, as well as it could be when their lives would depend on an experimental device that couldn't be tested to its limits anywhere but here. "Device at full power sir!" Clashing shouted into the horn, the tube relaying his words back to Captain Sky. "Everything is looking good."

The old pegasus stallion muttered something, possibly a prayer to some pre-diarchy deity, before speaking firmly into a second voice tube. "Chief Engineer, all ahead full."

In the engine room the overhead lights dimmed, as the device at the bow taxed the ship's electrical system. The whole engine crew were present and moving around quietly, eyes everywhere, everything moving like clockwork. A steady hum filled the room, as dials danced, gauges gauged, and ponies trotted to and fro swiftly and professionally. Little communication was needed as everypony and every creature knew their job and searched steadily for signs of trouble.

"Full speed ahead, aye captain!" the red ruffed kirin replied curtly into the voice tube. She turned from it and announced "You heard him! Get that coal hot!" The sound of shovelling broke the silence, as the diggers fed the fires, while other ponies shifted gears and open vents. The hum rose into a roaring rumble as all propellers engaged, the ship surging forward with a noticeable acceleration, enough to give everypony pause topside, as the Harmony began to close the gap between them and the lead ship.

Meanwhile Summer Scribe was holed up in the forward lounge, trembling with nervous excitement as the ship approached the storm wall, her face pressed up against the big bow windows to observe their progress. "Oh gosh! We're so close!" she squeed, her tail flicking back and forth. 'Aah, but there's nothing to do but watch!' she thought. 'Haaah: at this rate there'll be dry... FLOATING land under my hooves by the end of the day, and a whole new world to explore and uncover secrets in! This is amazing!'

On the other side of the lounge, Azure Feather paced frenetically. Her reaction to seeing the storm wall involved far less excitement and far more concern. Hearing the distant thunder and rising roar of wind, she grumbled "I know a few Pegasi that would throw multiple fits at even hearing this thing, let alone seeing it... and a single machine's supposed to see us through this?" Her stride slowed significantly as she muttered to herself, but then sped up again after she fell silent; the unicorn paused only to give nervous glances every time the diffused flash of sheet lightning lit up the windows.

Within minutes the two ships began to enter the storm itself, the swirling clouds closing around them and cutting off all view of the landscape below. The effects of their arcane devices were now very visible, the twin tunnels of relatively calm air glowing softly, constantly shedding tiny streamers of electricity from their edges. Even with full power the storm piercers couldn't completely calm the rushing wind, and the ships began to buck and roll gently. They could do nothing at all to keep out the rain, which pattered down on the deck and beat against the portholes in waves.

"Convection supercell pushing us down, as expected." Polar Sky shouted, "Pearl, drop three tonnes water ballast."

The first mate, a grey earth pony mare, was unsure "Three tonnes sir?

"Keep us above two thousand metres!" the Captain confirmed. "We don't want to get anywhere near those rocks"

"Dropping three tonnes aye!" Near the ship's wheel several sturdy handles dangled on chains; the first mate hooked a hoof into one and yanked downwards. On the ship's underside, torrents of water poured out of the ballast dump pipes, arresting the ship's descent.

The twin ships slowly rose, the clouds around them changing as they plunged deeper into the storm wall, going from a swirling haze to massive banks broken by pockets of clearer air. Odd luminous balls and filaments began to fill the air, getting denser and denser as the ships progressed, adding their flickering rainbow light to the now continuous flashes of sheet lightning.

In the saloon Summer Scribe sat up, attentive, not missing a single moment of the view. Admittedly, it was hard to make out any particular details: she experienced the crossing as a drowning rush of noise, an outpouring of unearthly visuals, a truly astonishing meteorological sight. Without any formal training to appreciate it properly, she gaped at the crashing of lightning, the pouring rain driven into the ship by the powerful winds, the dark and unearthly colours acting as a backdrop for shimmering patterns of sparks that might well be unknown to ponykind. 'Now this is what we live for!', she thought.

The assault of light and noise did absolutely nothing to calm Azure's nerves; she'd seen some nasty weather, but this... a part of her wondered if even Princess Twilight herself could muster conditions like these. Distracted and muttering under her breath, her pacing renewed in rhythm and vigour. She could only hope these... these devices, these blasted machines would hold on...

Back on deck, everypony was near-transfixed by the dangerous beauty of the storm wall, the violent winds just barely kept at bay by their ship's devices. Crewponies hung in the rigging, staring at the patterns of light. At the helm, traces of foam were beginning to show on Polar Sky's coat, as the stress of keeping ship and crew safe rested on his withers. "Engine room, report!" he inquired, an audible tremor putting a crack in his mask of authority and competence.

"Plasma's fluctuating, but the turbines are still going strong," came the swift reply through the voice tube, "What's going on out there?" He didn't answer, because how could he answer? How could anypony describe a phenomenon of this terrifying majesty.

A beat, and Nutmeg said to her crew, "I'll go check it out. Just to see if it might affect the engine."

Her swift stride out was interrupted by her second-in-command shouting, "Chief! I'll go instead! It might be dangerous."

Nutmeg cringed back, hurt at that, but his face shone with nothing but compassion. "Fine," she grumbled resentfully, retreating back to the engines, "You go check it out, Gearshift." He didn't hear the last part as she drops to a mumble, "...but I bet it's something really cool."

Nodding, the junior engineer headed outside instead. "Chief..." another of her crew said. "It's fine," the kirin replied curtly, checking the pressure reading again, "He's just looking out for me. What a nice guy."

Down in the sickbay, Reef Skimmer's beak was almost touching the porthole, as he stared out at the wild display. Nothing in a decade of travel on sea and though air could compare with this. The rain splattering on the glass mixed with the creaking of the ship's timbers and the tinkling of hundreds of beakers and test tubes as they jostled within their containers. He was supposed to be here, in position in case any of the crew needed his attention, but perhaps a quick check around the ship would be prudent?

At the bow, Clashing Gale was concentrating intensely on the twitching needles and flashing indicators of his console, every effort focused on keeping the vital cocoon of protection around the ship. "That's strange..." he said, in a near-whisper lost to the wind. "...it's never done that before..." Ahead, the streaming lights seemed to solidify into something like a sheer wall, a grid of flickering planes that constantly shattered and re-solidified. Visibility was down to less than a kilometre, just enough for the ships to see each other, and scant seconds after the phenomenon had become visible from the Harmony, Friendship's bow touched it.

With an enormous bang, the lead ship was engulfed in swirling sparks and crackling arcs. The tunnel of safety in front of it collapsed and dissipated, the Storm Piercer and indeed the entire airship going dark. The vessel immediately began to heel and buck, the gale force winds taking full hold.

Below deck, Summer Scribe's fascinated wonder dissolved into confusion, then panic, as the shockwave of the Friendship's encounter was felt as a tremor through the Harmony's decks. The little unicorn sprang to attention, on all four hooves, immediately alert. She looked ahead to see the lead ship start to tumble and descend, quickly lost in the spray of meteorological awe: it wasn't so beautiful now that it was life threatening!

At the helm of the Harmony, Captain Sky was fighting desperately with the wheel, trying to avoid a similar fate. "We have to turn, right now!" he yelled as the ship, as if in slow motion, began to change course.

Beside him, his first mate was already shouting into the voice tube "Engine Room! Reverse port airscrews!" The deck began to tilt as the ship yawed around, but glancing ahead, she could see it was already too late.

"What?! What's going-" Nutmeg was cut off from talking into the tube, as Gearshift charged back through the hatch.

"Reverse port screws! The lead ship hit something and lost power! We need to turn, now!" he shouted. The crew leapt into action with an enviable coordination, not even knowing they faced an impossible task. Steam burst out of valves, one of the great turbines turning the air screws groaning as the ponderous gears shift, bringing the propellers to a stop then beginning to turn in reverse with unbearable slowness.

At the conn, the captain was staring straight ahead, transfixed by the impending disaster. Pearl Gleam did the last thing she could, going from tube to tube shouting "Brace! Brace! Everypony, BRACE FOR IM-" the rest was lost in a crashing wave of sound as the bow entered the phenomenon.

Summer Scribe was already fearing the worst, and was proven right when Pearl's announcement blared out of the voice tube. She immediately took a defensive posture against the floor, curled low, pushing through her legs against the floor for support.

The Harmony was still pulling around to port when it crossed over, penetrating the barrier at a roughly forty-five degree angle. The resulting fireworks were somewhat slower and more drawn out than the Friendship's head on encounter, but no less calamitous for the vessel and her crew. Clashing Gale reached too late for the shutdown lever, as raw magic arced and sprayed across the control area. The cage protected against lightning, but it couldn't shield them from the stinging, burning raw magic that sprayed from the machine. The bodies of all four pegasi in the cage soon lay limp in their couches, fur smoking and heads lolling as the ship began to roll.

The deafening series of cracks and bangs filled every space in the Harmony, and the moment the first shock hit her, Azure's eyes screwed shut for a moment. "...Last time I trust a machine over a pony..." she muttered.

The engine room shook and groaned, as the conduits to the plasma generator burst open, sending sparks and ponies flying in every direction. As the magic went wild, the spherical quartz housing of the generator itself shattered, scattering sharp glittering fragments all over the deck. For one horrifying moment the thaumaturgically sustained ball of naked plasma could be seen with the naked eye, before it burst like a bubble, sending a shockwave that knocked everypony in the engine room off their hooves. All the lights faded out, leaving only the fireboxes casting their orange glow over the space. The groans and shouts of battered, bruised and shell-shocked ponies added to the hissing, crackling and constant pounding of the storm outside to create a cacophony of confusion.

The whole vessel was rocking, hard, sending Summer toppling into an awkward fall, but she at least didn't go flying. With a bzzZZAPP, power wobbled through the ship... and died entirely, taking the lighting with it, leaving the eerie sky as unstable illumination through window panes now marred by snaking cracks.

The airship stabilised for a moment; Azure opened her eyes again and noticed... 'Oh great, the power's already out. Not good.' "Bucking hay!" she said loudly, frustration evident in her voice as she grabbed onto the closest semi-solid thing around: a couch. Not the greatest thing, but something nonetheless. Poor life decisions? Check.

"Shoot, shoot, I'm up..." Summer reassured herself as she wobbled to her feet; the deck had resumed its crazy tilting. "Is... The Storm Piercer must be failing!" she monologued. "I better get to the equipment room and see what's going on! I'm not going to just sit around if I can help in any way!" She raced off and out of the saloon while monologuing to herself, doing her best to gallop up the ramp to the tween deck and locate the relevant door despite the darkness, noise, pitching deck, sliding crates... all her obsessive memorisation was finally going to pay off!

With the magical protection now gone, gale force winds swept across the deck of the Harmony, forcing everypony not strapped down to hang on for dear life lest they be tossed into the maelstrom. The ship slowly lost headway, lurching from side to side as full force of the storm battered the hull. With the airflow over the trim planes disrupted, the nose dipped down, beginning a slow descent into the depths of the unnatural storm.

Back in the engine room, shouts and curses echoed in the darkness, as the crew picked themselves up and began to assess the damage. Nutmeg already knew what had to be done if they were to have any chance of saving the ship: "We've gotta get the power back, we need that Storm Piercer! Gearshift, cut the lines to that wreckage and splice the old generator into the main panel! Sparks, pull that charcoal out and get new fuses in, now! Divot, ready on the steam valves."

The old steam-driven generator was a leftover from before the refit, when the ship was a cruiser in the Storm King's fleet. The fancy Canterlot engineers had deemed it crude, unreliable and underpowered and installed the magical plasma generator to replace it, but Nutmeg refused to let them toss out the old machine, no matter how much weight it would save. A single encounter with a blazing nirik had been enough to convince them, and now her instincts were paying off, as the clunky relic was they only hope of restoring power.

In the saloon, Azure realised her bracing was futile. The couch started to tumble, forcing her to tuck her wings for a moment... but seeing Summer push through the panic and look for a way to help, it made her realise... hay, there were no mere passengers on this ship. Everyone had a job. A task to complete. The impact had been bad enough down in the hull, but surely the ponies up on the deck were faring even worse. Her thoughts went to the pegasi operating the Storm Piercer; they must be in rough shape, she thought.

Pulling herself to her hooves, only a quick flap of her butterfly wings prevented the unicorn from toppling as the ship tilted yet again. Focusing her vision ahead, she pushed up the ramp towards the deck. Azure had spent a few hours trying to get used to the ship's layout; she wasn't as comfortable on board as Summer, but maybe just good enough?

Summer herself had almost made it to the equipment bay. The violent turbulence and tossing deck weren't making her job any easier; she felt like hunkered down in a corner and bracing for the worst, but she wouldn't let herself get sucked out into the brilliant unknown without a fight! "Hnnnhh!" Too dazed to use her horn, the little unicorn grunted as she pushed herself against the heavy door, leaning in against it as the ship tilts, forcing it open and practically skidding into the compartment. Barely avoiding tumbling, she frantically assessed the scene.

The space was packed with transformers, cables, spark gaps, rows of mysterious dials (many now cracked) and even stranger magical devices covered in runes and sigils. The smells of burned insulation and vomit competed with the tang of ozone to assault the sinuses. Blown fuses still smoked all over and residual magical charge pooled and sparked in the coils. The six pegasi here were in better shape than their comrades above, but they were still dazed and bruised, limping between the machinery and trying vainly to make sense of the readings.

On the deck above, Pearl Gleam was fighting to keep her footing as she pushed forward towards the bow: determined to help the pegasi there and get that blasted machine back on. Driven rain was soaking her coat and stinging her eyes; worse, it was slicking the deck enough that the earth pony was sliding back and forth even with her hooves planted. Somehow, she got to the bow, but before she could open the Storm Piercer's control cage, she glanced up and caught sight of something that made her blood chill. Movement below the ship... not just coloured phantasms, these were rocky shapes with ominous solidity. Desperately the grey mare whirled and tried to make it back to her captain, her shouts of warning inaudible in the storm.

In the stern, the engineering crew fought with hornlight and head mounted lanterns to screw melted leads to new terminals, and divert steam away from the main engines, twisting open barely used, poorly oiled valves; when the ship wasn't tossing so hard that they were knocked right back off their hooves. Finally the old generator starts to chugg, hiss and whine, slowly coming to life; the overhead lights flickered and faded back on, light spreading throughout the ship as electrical power was restored.

This was no end to the chaos though, because the propellers now fought with the turbines, starting and stopping as the powerful winds continued to toss the ship around like a toy. The whole frame creaked dangerously, audible even within the noisy, iron shielded engine room; Nutmeg had a sudden horrible vision of it becoming an iron shielded tomb, the only intact section after the ship was smashed against the jagged rocks below.

Shaking her head to clear the grim image, she focused instead on the dials in front of her, which did nothing to improve her mood. "Why is the pressure building?!" Nutmeg demanded of the gauges, "The safety valves should have opened by now!" Rousing her crew once more, she shouted "Come on, we have to get those valves open or the boilers are gonna explode in our faces!"

In the equipment bay things were slightly calmer but no less concerning. Summer Scribe's expression fell as she tried to make sense of the crazy mish-mash of unfamiliar devices. Just as she'd feared, the Storm Piercer had been hit hard and was in sorry shape. But what had happened, exactly...? She made her way over to one of the magical devices, closing her eyes and concentrating. Her horn tingled as she 'felt' out the layout of the spell, like it was a physical space to explore. The unicorn's nostrils twitched as she feels something uneasy, like a strange itch, a desire to sneeze.

"Why would these runes form a short circuit? There's no reason to loop them back around..." she muttered to herself. "Oh, shoot, exactly! The spell got scrambled by the storm somehow!" She groped a little more intensively around that area, realising that the flow of magic is 'leaping' over the channels eroded and etched by the original enchanting. And it was like this all over!

"What on Equs could make magic behave like this? Maybe... resetting it will restore the flow, set everything back the way it's meant to be?" Summer desperately hoped that would work, because if it didn't there was no way she could figure out how all of this worked before the ship was torn apart around her.

Suddenly, something tapped her shoulder, causing her to spin around in fright. It was one the pegasi, a tan stallion with a bleeding gash across his muzzle and one wing hanging limp. "Miss, you said... you think you can fix this?" he asked, with the expression of a drowning pony grabbing at a life preserver.

"Uh... maybe?" Summer responded, trying to push aside the queasy feeling of dread welling up in her. Was she really their only hope of fixing this thing? "I mean, sure! I'll try..."

"Good! Great!" he replied "Give me a moment, I'll isolate the power and replace the fuses. You just... deal with the weird magic, somehow?"

"Right! Let's do it!" Summer said, some of her enthusiasm starting to return now that she had an ally. The stallion limped over to the thickest patch of wiring, his muzzle dipping to grab spilled replacement fuses off the floor as he went. Summer turned back to the runes and with a supreme mental effort she blanked out the roaring wind, the tilting deck, the cries of the injured crew.

Her horn lit and she focused on the flow of the magic, tracking back to the central nexus where all the spells were balanced and controlled. If she could channel this power into her own horn and then dissipate it, like a rudimentary countermagic, the whole thing should bottom out and re-settle... It felt electric and hot and her instincts fought against doing something she knew would entail intense pain.

Meanwhile Azure Feather had made it onto the upper deck and was briefly stunned by the increase in noise and light, not to mention the stinging rain. She hadn't gotten everypony's name on the ship; everpony had been too busy preparing for the crossing for further introductions. But seeing one pony struggling to make it to the ship's captain made her decide: this was her cue. Spreading her wings for an extra push, she tried to dash over to Pearl Gleam, but her instincts betrayed her: the wild gusts grabbed at her wings and tossed her to the deck. In these wild atmospheric conditions they were doing more harm than good. Gritting her teeth, she folded them tightly against her back and pushed her way through the wind: head low, keeping three hooves on the deck at all times.

At last she made it, but by the time her attention was back on Pearl... the other mare wasn't there, instead all she saw was a pair of dark grey hooves barely holding on to the railing! Azure's coat was soaked already, but now... no, as much as she wanted to, leaping off the ship to try and save the earth pony, while it would be heroic if she succeeded, would almost certainly end up stupid and leave them both dead. She wasn't a full Pegasus: these magical wings just weren't strong enough. All she could do was cry out "Mare overboard, mid-port side!!", hoping someone else could save the earth pony. She couldn't, anyway...

At the helm, Polar Sky heard the cry and immediately sprang into action; he'd be damned if he was going to lose another crew member to this storm. Unfortunately just as he released the wheel, a particularly violent gust hit the Harmony, causing the airship to roll near thirty degrees to port before the heavy keel could pull it back level. On the rain-swept upper deck, the first mate's precarious grip on the railing gave way, and the grey earth pony was flung sideways into the storm.

PEARL!" bellowed the captain, throwing caution to the literal wind as he dived off the deck. Before his wings were even half spread they caught the fierce wind, hurtling him forward over the railing. Both ponies were quickly lost to sight below the ship, their fate a mystery to those that remained.

Mere seconds later an avian head poked out of the hatch, ear tufts flattened against his skull as the force of the storm hit him. The hippogriff stared wildly at the unmanned helm, the unconscious pegasi at the bow, and the... unicorn? Alicorn princess of butterflies? Changeling-pony hybrid? Whatever she was she was desperately clinging to some rigging and clearly in trouble. Blinking to dismiss the instinctive zoological curiosity, not to mention the water dripping into his eyes, Reef Skimmer dug his eagle talons into the wooden deck and made his way towards the unknown blue mare.

In the engine room, Nutmeg Inferno was wielding her favourite tool: a giant wrench. Throwing her weight behind it, the stuck valve squealed and gave way, finally releasing the steam and briefly turning the engine room into a sauna. She backed up from the blasting valve wet, but none worse for wear. The kirin quickly shook herself out and cantering back to the main control console, wrench trailing behind in an orange magical glow.

Once she reached the array of gauges she swung it around and leaned on it like a crutch, watching intently as the dials climbed and fall. "This doesn't make any sense..." she frowned. "It's just water and air. There's no power in it."

"Chief!" one of her crew called out, an unlucky mare with an eyepatch, "Boiler temperature is climbing!" Divot announced, to which Nutmeg yelped "What?!", before leaping over to look at it. Falling hard on her side as the ship suddenly listed crazily to port, she struggled back to her hooves and kept going, until she reached the port boiler. Her brief hope for a broken gauge was dashed; the iron sides of the firebox were glowing a dangerous dull orange, and a quick glance at the starboard boiler confirmed that it was following close behind.

"What in Equestria?" she remarked in disbelief, before ordering "C-cut off the vents!"

"We can't let the engine die!" the stallion named Gearshift protested.

"We just need to calibrate it." Nutmeg shouted back in what she hoped was a reassured tone.

"But we can't get close-" he complained.

Nutmeg cut him off "Right, got it."; they didn't have time for this. Wincing a little at the blistering heat, the kirin approached the firebox and used her wrench as a lever against the red-hot vent controls, the metal groaning as intake slits slide closed. She placed a cheek against the rivetted iron hull of the boiler, feeling the temperature, then closed another set of vents. Then she backed up, saying more quietly, "The temperature's dropping."

The chief engineer didn't sound entirely confident that the situation was under control, but the alternative was the heart of the engine collapsing into a puddle of molten iron, so Nutmeg headed off to the starboard boiler to administer the same treatment there.

Down in the equipment bay, Summer Scribe was fighting both the recalcitrant, alien magic and the bucking, rolling ship. If this went badly it could easily shatter her horn and leave her bereft of magic; if she even survived. Feeling the uncomfortable burning sensation build up and up in her horn, she kept herself at the task, knowing that the whole ship depended on her success. There was a hot magical HUMmm-vvv-zzzzzZAP that leapt to her horn as she broke the circuit for a split second, squealing in terror as her horn vibrated and her head swam.

After what seemed like an eternity but couldn't have been more than a couple of seconds, the energy was gone, and she awkwardly folded back onto her rump. The runes flickered, dimmed and went out; the magic was purged. "There... Did it..." she shook her head, struggling against the smothering urge to pass out against the floor.

"Erm, miss... should I turn it back on?" a distant voice asked. Summer started awake as she realised the job was still incomplete.

"Yes! Please, yes, it has to work now! It has to!" she cried as her blurry vision tried to resolve the brown pegasus-shaped blob. Switches were thrown, the lights dimmed and flickered again... and then a constellation of glowing runes surged back to life, resuming their original vibrance. It was at that moment Summer realised she couldn't see because tears were streaming from her eyes; pain, exhausion, relief, joy; maybe all of the above?

On the deck, the grey hippogriff had nearly reached Azure, body low to the deck, his claws scoring deep gashes in the planks. Talons were definitely helpful when it came to grip strength, Azure couldn't help but agree to that, but seeing the avian form energe from the hatch was something she hadn't expected at all! But while she still struggled to maintain her own grip, this griff likely had no idea what was going on.

"Captain and an earth mare just went overboard..." she shouted, still struggling to be heard over the storm, "...can you handle the ship?" Her wings were still trying to provide assistance, instinctively, but it was a futile struggle, as she grunted "and... a little help here?"

Reef Skimmer tilted his head, fixing the new mare with an aquiline stare. "One will... certainly do one's best." he yelled back, looking at the rigging behind her. The hippogriff was already struggling to hold himself steady on the deck with both claws, using one to grab the strange pony would make forward progress impossible without risking both of them getting blown away. Unless... there, that one would do.

Naval training kicking in, he lunged past Azure and bit down on a loose rope, his sharp beak slicing through it after a couple of bites. There was no time for proper knots; lashing one end of the cut rope around his foreleg, he held the other end in front of the unicorn's face and shouted "Now grab this in your mouth and DON'T... LET... GO!" She complied, and the pair slowly made their way across the deck to the helm, where there are at least more railings and rigging to keep them in place.

In the engine room, a strained conference was underway. "The backup gauge must have gotten skewed somehow," Gearshift shouted, squinting with Nutmeg at the console, "There's no way we'd be getting that much pressure with the valves open."

"But that doesn't explain the firebox," Nutmeg replied, "It was like somepony was in there blowing on the coals."

The stallion frowned. "And what's the deal with the electrical output?" he asked, gesturing a hoof at a dial that was dancing crazily. "That's... wait," Nutmeg began, then she looked up to the old piston generator with alarm, saying, "How much power are we putting through that thing?"

"Not THAT much," Gearshift retorted. Nutmeg and her crew immediately converged on the backup generator.

The poorly fastened leads still crackled with energy. "Pressure's normal!" Wild Spark yelled, watching the dials on the generator itself.

Nutmeg joined her, peering at the apparatus and confirming, "The condensers aren't busted or the power would be lower."

Just then the eyepatched mare comes charging up shouting, "Chief! Both fireboxes went out!"

"Went out?!" Nutmeg exclaimed in utter consernation, "They were running hot!"

"It just stopped!" Divot protested, "The walls were cool to the touch, like something sucked the fire right out of it!"

"Oh, no..." Nutmeg said, stepping back from the old generator, and looking back at the giant boilers that supplied steam to everything in the room. Even as they all ran over there as if Hell was on their heels, the great turbines sang a descending note as they whined to a stop, leaving the ship's propellers to the mercy of the storm. Even worse, as the flow of steam to the generator ceased, the lights faded away and the power went out again. The only things that can be heard are the howling wind, the sound of crazily flapping canvas and rope, and ponies crying at each other in the distance, their words swallowed by the storm, as the ship drifted along in total darkness.

At the helm, Reef Skimmer was struggling to read the instruments: the airspeed swung wildly and the needle of the altimeter was trembling with pressure fluctuations. "We're definitely losing altitude! I'll hold her steady, you dump the ballast!" he shouted back. The hippogriff grabbed the freely spinning wheel and tried to stop the ship's prow slewing about, but with the engines out the rudders were ineffective. Seeing Azure's blank look, he clarified "Those levers, to your left! Don't touch the chains... they're for the gas valves... I think."

Azure followed orders without argument. This 'griff definitely knew what he was doing, as opposed to what she was doing. And with his guidance, goodness... part of her couldn't help but think, if he would have been at the helm, would things have been different? Better, she wondered?

Turning to find the levers for the ballast valves, she tried to work them manually, but her physical strength wasn't much to speak of. Using the controls with telekinesis? That was another story. That is, until several impacts connected on the starboard and bow of the ship, disrupting her concentration mid-way through. "Bucking... we've got rocks impacting to starboard, near the bow I think! Take us out of here and I'll get the rest of the ballast!" Refocusing, she tried to just do her job... surely this griff could do the rest!

Reef's eyes widened. "Rocks?!" He glanced back at the altimeter. "We're low, but we're not that low... wait, do you mean-"

Whatever he might have said next was lost as a deafening splintering crash sounded from below. The ship bucked and shuddered again, the ship seeming to tremble with agony. "The debris zone! In the briefing, the captain said..." Another, smaller THUMP-crack-hiss sounded from below. The wheel jerked with each impacts and Reef almost lost his footing.

Despite his efforts it didn't seem like he had any control over the ship; after another scan of the instruments, he finally realised the problem. The airscrews were showing zero revolutions, and without power the rudder was useless. Turning back to the unicorn, he shouted "Pony, we've lost all headway. The only way out is to lighten the ship, do you understand? If we don't climb, we'll be smashed to splinters! We've got to drop cargo, dump anything that we can heave overboard!"

Looking at the scared, confused unicorn staring back at him, some vestige of his attempts at 'beside manner' returned. "Look, we can do this. You're... a powerful unicorn, I'm sure. I'll dump the rest of the ballast and stay on the helm: someone has to keep her steady if the engines come back. You... get down to the hold and toss the cargo. Are you with me?"

Azure Feather leaned in close to the hippogriff and stated "If I'm not with you right this moment, we aren't even making it to the islands. You bet I'm with you." The tone in her voice was clear: she knew there was only one way through this. She ran for the hatch, ducking inside and spreading her wings as soon as she was clear of the gale. It wasn't hard to know where the darn cargo hold was: at the bottom, right where the crew had stowed her gear before her ill-timed outing with Summer Scribe. Flapping through the rolling corridors with not-quite-Pegasus skill (not quite a hippogriff's either), Azure went to start on her new mission... and at this point that was nothing less than saving the bloody ship.

A brief, mad dash through the pitching corridors, dodging shifting crates and panicking ponies, and she'd arrived at the cargo hold. Now it was time for another round of magical exercise, but this time, there wasn't any resistance from machines, there wasn't anything but her and the cargo. Cargo that had to get off this ship to save lives. Crate after crate was taken with her purple aura, tossing them into the stormy skies; she knew that without most of this stuff, the best-case scenario was to be stranded on an uncharted piece of land, but that was still better than the current 'we're gonna crash into jagged rocks and die in a few minutes'.

In the bow, despite the crashing impacts and shuddering deck, Summer Scribe still had to fight the urge to give into slumber. She shook her head and swallowed to clear the pressure-pain created by the ship's descent from her ears. "Rrrhh! C'mon, Scribe! We're still... drifting! Falling?" The magic seemed to be fixed, what else could she do? Did the pegasi controlling the machine realise what she'd done? Or maybe they were in bad shape like the crew here? "What am I even doing... Forget it! Figure it out on the way!"

After that rousing pep-talk, Summer Scribe vigorously shook her head again and snorted, turning tail and feeling her way out of the equipment space. Time to make it above-deck and brave the elements! She couldn't rest now, not when there still might be something she could do!

She'd barely made it into the tween deck corridor when a red-hot flying boulder burst through a porthole, bounced through a cabin and smashed into the corridor mere metres in front of her. "Arrgghh!" A scream ripped from the unicorn's throat and she instinctively curled into a defensive posture as she was blasted by splinters. Wincing hard, only the adrenalin kept her from wailing and collapsing into a heap.

Shoot, the corridor in front of her's wasn't BLOCKED as such, a good leap could get over it, but it was boiling something fierce! She could see the wood already beginning to smoulder around the glowing rock; if only... Oh! Her eyes darted to a supply room beside her... "No way!"

She leapt in and rummaged around... telekinetically pulling out a hose linked to a keg, she turned the valve, and sprayed sarsparilla all over the molten rock in front of her! Steam HISSED, making a hot clouds that carried away the heat, the rock finally cooling enough to stop glowing after she'd dumped an entire keg all on it. "HAH! I knew this would work as a fire extinguisher on an ACTUAL fire!" the little mare huffed and laughed. As soon as the passage was safe, she resumed her desperate ascent.

In the dim light of the emergency lanterns, with shadows dancing all around the engine room, Nutmeg continued to struggle with the heart of the engine. With her and Gearshift both pulling, they managed to tear off a lever, opening the intake vents on the port firebox. "Great, just great," he griped, throwing away the useless lever.

"I found the problem!" somepony else called out from over by the vents. As Nutmeg hurried over the pony explained, "See? The vents melted shut! You thought you were only closing half of them, but..."

"You know what?" Nutmeg shouted over the noise with a forced smile, "This is fine. This is just great. Listen help me tear open these vents. We've gotta get airflow in there." Another pony was already there with some impressive looking pliers and a chisel. "You two, check the starboard side," the kirin barked, "probably needs the same treatment."

The crew tore off the useless vent covers one after the other until Nutmeg growled, "Great! That's fine!". Save for Gearshift, her crew hurriedly backed away from the boilers. "Are you gonna...?" the stallion asked, worry covering his face. "Of course I'm gonna!" Nutmeg snapped at him, "And if you don't want a face full of it, then get outta my way!" He stumbled back too, and Nutmeg furiously stormed her way around the firebox, the door open to the piles of smouldering coal and ash inside.

"You all know what to do!" the kirin shouted to her crew. With that she climbed in and pulled the door shut behind her. The firebox lit up with a purple glow, and soon hissing and pinging announced the boiler was making steam again. The great engines squealed and thrummed into life, while in the corner the old generator chugged and thumped, bringing light back to the ship.

Outside, Reef Skimmer was still struggling to get some kind of control over the ship. Yes he knew the theory, he'd even taken the helm of an airship a few times before; in calm weather, on a normal ship, with an experienced captain ready to step in if he screwed up. At last the altimeter began to creep upwards again; Azure's efforts had dumped enough weight that even the new tears in the lifting gas envelope would not stop the ship from rising. The wheel seemed to be doing something now, as the propellers started turning and airflow returned to the control surfaces.

Summer Scribe noticed the lights flickering back on as she makes her way up the last ramp, emerging onto the chaos of the top deck. 'Whew, great!' she thought, 'now if the power can STAY on this time, we might stand a chance!'. Rain-swept and staggered by the wind, she stumbled and struggled to adjust her stride in the soaking gale, before charging bravely ahead. The Storm Piercer controls were just up those steps; with any luck she'd be able to figure out what to do!

Reaching the control cage, Summer looked over the quartet of unconscious pegasi with a frown. 'Out cold, figures...' A certain blue and cyan maned pegasus she'd met earlier was passed out in front of the densest cluster of controls. The unicorn placed hooves on his side and shook firmly! "C'mon, get up, Clashing! We need your help to make it through this!"

Clashing Gale's eyes blinked open. "Who... what... what hap-happened" he mumbled as he struggled to stay lucid. His eyes closed for a few seconds, then with a supreme effort the stallion managed to speak loud enough for Summer Scribe to hear over the storm. His body shifted as he tried to get up, but he didn't have the strength. "Summer? I dont'... ugh, hurts so bad... not sure I'm gonna make it. What... what are you doing here?"

"Doing my best to not crash the ship!" Summer tersely responded. She looked over the numerous controls: she knew ACADEMICALLY how it functioned, yes, but she wasn't licensed to operate this thing, and obviously hadn't had a chance to familiarise herself. "Just stay awake; tell me what to push and I'll push it! You can do it, Clashing Gale!" She looked over to the pegasus for guidance.

"There, pull that to... charge the... that button will start..." His vision swimming, Clashing could see a fuzzy pony-like shape trying to comply with his instructions. "NO not that one... got to.. got to let it build slowly... then just... just keep those two needles in the grief... grease... green..." he slipped back into unconsciousness.

Back in the engine room, Gearshift was now Acting Chief Engineer, as his boss had decided to be a bonfire for a while. "Oh fussbudgets!" he exclaimed, Nutmeg's wrench on his back now as he watched the pressure dropping again, "This time we DO have a leak. I just know it!"

"Are you sure?" his cohort asked over his withers.

"Chief Nutmeg is not gonna let that fire go out," Gearshift stated confidently, "There must be a leak in the pipes."

The conversation was interrupted by the resounding clang of a rock slamming into the side of the metal bulwark around them. The ponies staggered on their feet, fighting to stay standing, as a one-eyed mare looked up at the noise and shouted sarcastically "Gee, I wonder why."

And so a short search began: very short in fact because a burst pipe spraying forth burning hot steam is a very visible and noisy target. The engine room ponies crowded up near the leak, standing in the metal passage through the fuel bunkers, getting bathed in steam and coal dust. Behind Gearshift, somepony spoke up: "How are we gonna get close to it without the chief? The rest of us can't shrug off scalding steam!"

"There's a shutoff valve on the other side," the stallion replied, "Hold on!" Then the earth pony charged forward, leaping through the hot steam, doing his best to avoid the blast, but crying out as his side is scalded in passing.

"I'm okay!" he shouted back through the mist, before trapping the whole spigot in his wrench and making small slow turns, until the spray of steam died away. The crew moved forward then, and the hammering and emergency welding began.

Down in the hold, Azure's efforts would continue until she was literally told otherwise! Cargo crate after crate... goodness, she would at least put a few boxes that held cans and jars aside... surely every creature deserved some kind of meal after this insanity...! She knew she did, at least... As far as everything else went, though... into Twilight's skies it went.

By the time she was done, the only things left in the cargo hold were... edible. As best she could tell at least, she didn't exactly have time to unpack each crate before tossing it overboard. Everything else was now scattered to the wind... The butterfly-winged unicorn nodded and flew up, satisfied with her work. After all, stranded with food was one thing. Stranded without food? Entirely another...

With a crackling hum the Storm Piercer sprung back into life, blasting away the wind and rain and cutting a channel of still air into the roiling chaos. Summer Scribe allowed herself a sigh of relief as the roar of the storm began to subside. Pulling levers, twisting dials, pressing buttons, harnessing all of the remaining willpower in her hammered shell to play a rousing game of 'Keep Talking And Nobody Crashes' with Clashing Gale. "OK, keep maintaining these dials, then... Hello? Oh no, that better have been it... c'mon... c'mon!" She focused intently on the needles, thinking 'green, come on, stay green'!

The battered but intact EAS Harmony began to pick up speed, moving forward into the tunnel of safety. The bucking and rolling quickly subsided as the ship settled, much to the relief of its crew. Which is not to say things were smooth sailing; here the tunnel would flicker and threaten to collapse as the young unicorn desperately searched for the right control to correct it, there the ship came dangerously close to breaching the wall of the tunnel as its inexpert helmsgriff fought to get it back under control. These difficulties were trifles though, compared to the crisis had been met and surpassed.

Nutmeg in the meantime was getting some kind of meal, as she bellowed out from the firebox, "MOAR COAL! FEED MY RAGE!", her exhausted crew doing their best to comply.

Less than an hour later, the ship broke through the last grey cloud bank into the warm, clear skies on the other side of the storm wall. Arrayed ahead, as far as the eye could see, was an impossible floating archipelago. Floating islands as big as mountains, mixed with smaller cousins the size of towns, ringed by tiny islets that bobbed gently in the breeze, all half-veiled in wisps of soft white cloud. It was a riot of colour and texture in three dimensions, the climate and vegetation seeming to vary wildly between island groups.

Summer Scribe let out a massive sigh of relief. It worked! They'd really done it! Realising there was nothing pressing left for her do, she let her magic flicker out. The blue unicorn took one last moment to absorb the view as Harmony left the storm behind, then her body caught up with her. "Made it..." she whispered, as the last of her adrenalin left her system. She wobbled to the side and collapsed into a heap, quickly losing consciousness.

Azure had also returned to the upper deck, tired but still standing. With a sigh, she announced to nopony in particular "I... I really hope some creature finds us in this... this place. We made it... but unless we find something to fix the ship here... we're unlikely to make it back with all the cargo I had to toss. It was that... or we weren't making it at all, but..." She trailed off. Did she really do the right thing? And what about Pearl Gleam and the captain?"

The beauteous visions of the Cloudbreak Islands were lost in the battered, smoking engine room. Forces beyond pony ken were at work there. As Nutmeg's angry screaming turned into angry pacing, then growling, she slowly, painfully ripped herself out of that rage. The nirik climbed out of the firebox at last, that dark fire flaring from her fitfully as her inky black hide returned to a soft brown and gold. She didn't usually have to hold it that long. Herself again at last, Nutmeg declared flatly, "Fireboxes are... lit." With that she sank to her belly, sobbing into her hooves, and her crew at last closed around her. Surrounding her, they held her and helped her up, with that same steady efficiency that indicated: maybe this wasn't the first time this happened. She was okay though. It didn't get... out of control.

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself, Ferret, Patashu, Spearmint and Steelclaw, based on an online RP.

This chapter covers the fourth session, by far our longest to date, narrated / GMed by myself. This was the last part of the prologue so I piled on the action, setting up the premise of the crew being separated from their leaders and stuck on a damaged ship in an alien albeit beautiful new world. Illustration by ValyceNegative.

Arrival

It was a quiet day in the Cloudbreak Islands. It was a quiet day far too often, these days. It was a day like any other, in a lasting peace that no one wanted, like that sweater your grandmother knitted for you, and you have to pretend to like it, even though it's ugly as sin. In the distance, a sheep could be heard among the ever-present birdsong, as its sheepy brethren danced through the verdant meadows of the sky islands. The soft puffy clouds enveloping the islands were a dense, swirling bowl far below and all around, ending the boundary of the world, ever shifting in mysterious patterns.

If only we'd heeded the warnings we were given. A lone balloon drifted through the clear air, its colourful fabric shining in the bright sunlight from overhead. They were not the only witness, for everycreature within a dozen leagues would look up and stare at the crackling boom and streamers of light. The wall of cloud forming the boundary of the known world erupted into a swirling tunnel, punching a gaping hole in the insubstantial barrier that no one could ever remember anyone penetrating.

Seconds later, a monstrously huge airship roared out of the disruption, the strange passage collapsing swiftly in its wake. Lightning played along the metallic surfaces of the creaking vessel. The size of a small island itself, the soaring hulk emerged into paradise, coughing black smoke the entire way. The ship's crew were fighting to keep the old bird aloft, but every creature among them paused as one to stare in amazement. Amidst the clear blue sky floated a throng of beautiful and mysterious islands, of all sizes from a modest field up to a respectable mountain, wreathed in tendrils of cloud and levitating far above where land has any right to be. In the distance, crumbling ruins and hints of strange fallen structures could just be seen, hidden under a carpet of verdant greenery; the newcomers could only wonder, what else might be hidden by the mist and foliage?

At the centre of the open deck, a large grey-feathered creature still gripped the wheel with avian talons. In truth Reef Skimmer was desperate to relinquish the helm and get back to the sick bay, where no doubt a score of ponies needed his medical attention. None of the crew had appeared and offered to take over, which left him no choice but to keep steering the vessel until it could find some kind of berth, anchor or failing that a survivable crash landing.

With calm air now filling the sky in every direction, instead of just a narrow artificial tunnel, it should have been safe to just let the ship drift. However a combination of inexperience and fear that some new atmospheric anomaly could strike at any moment left the hippogriff unwilling to abandon his post. Desperately, his eagle eyes scanned the sky for the closest place that looked like it could offer the ship safe harbour. Seeing Azure on the deck ahead, he shouted "Pony! Sorry, I mean... didn't catch your name before. Good work with the cargo, saved the ship no doubt! Now, can you see anywhere safe looking, where we could dock... or at least moor the bow for a while?"

With her mind still on the lost cargo, not to mention the lost crew, Azure Feather was slowly pacing the deck, gazing at the shrouded islands below. The hippogriff's call ripped her out of her train of thought; turning to Reef Skimmer, she nodded and then turned and picked up her pace towards the bow. Reaching the platform in front of the Storm Piercer controls, she got a good look... and turned back a back moment later, shouting back "That island dead ahead looks about as safe as it gets from up here!"

A nearby groan ripped her attention to another point though: it was Summer Scribe, her small equine form sprawled on the deck and barely moving. Wings tensing, Azure rapidly turned her attention to her friend. The light blue unicorn was indeed collapsed on her side near the Storm Piercer controls, eyes lidded and lungs taking deep breaths. Her horn still felt tingly and uncomfortably hot, with the occasional flare up of static that made her wince, toss and turn, or just spasm and shiver for a bit.

As the sound of the howling wind and raging storm at their backs slowly faded away, she cracked open an eyelid and hazarded a glimpse. What Summer could see from her awkward position looked promising: clear skies filled with puffy clouds, and what looked like... yes, floating islands! She couldn't make out any particular details without getting up, but a little groan of restrained excitement escaped her lips, as she let her mind imagine the details and fill in the blanks for now.

The mechanical bulk of the Storm Piercer continued to hum next to the two unicorns, still trying to pierce a storm that was no longer there. Summer's ersatz mentor remained firmly unconscious: the pegasus known as Clashing Gale was still slumped over the console. His four companions in the control cage were even less responsive; troublingly unconscious even.

Looking back down the upper deck from her position near the bow, Azure saw ponies and other creatures rushing to and fro, carrying boards and nails, tying off ropes, flying around the balloon to check for damage, and a few struggling to pull free their companions hanging there tangled up in the rigging. Seeing the small unicorn's eyes flicker open, she asked "Summer? Still with us there?"

Realising she'd just been addressed, Summer perked an ear and managed to get both eyes open. Seeing Azure's familiar colours and shape in front of her, she leaned forward a little and nodded her head. "Yeah, just... Taking a nice nap here. What's up? Is the landing going OK?"

Azure nodded to herself as Summer replied without much of a delay: no signs of concussion. "Landing's..." She dared a look back to Reef. "...going okay, I guess? Speaking of which, I gotta get back..." Relieved that her new friend seemed to have nothing more serious than exhaustion, she started trotting back to the hippogriff's side.

Back at the helm, the ship's doctor, whose experience with sailing clippers was poor preparation for piloting a giant airship, hoped mightily that holding the wheel motionless was a good idea. He held the ship steady as the soft breeze ruffled his pink crest; the calm skies were so eerily peaceful given what they were in just minutes before. His valiant efforts to maintain professional calm were then destroyed, as he was startled out of his wits by a bodiless voice calling out into his ear, "Captain! Have you got the Storm Piercer back online? Please say you have. This boiler can't take any more stresses. We're still leaking like a sieve back here, trying to track down all the pipe fractures. The backup generator is holding for now, but if that gives out, we'll be at the mercy of the storm again. How long until you think we're out of it?"

Reef spun around and found himself looking at an array of brass voice tubes: the very familiar mare's voice was emanating from a tube labelled 'engine room'. "What's that?! The storm... I would say we're well clear, yes well clear now." the griff replied, trying to regain his composure as it suddenly hit him that he had only a vague idea what he was doing up here. "We're, erm, we're looking for a place to heave to. What was that about the boiler?"

Azure, trotting up to the helm, hadn't heard Nutmeg's voice yet. "Introductions later..." she muttered swiftly, as she looked at the 'griff apparently talking to himself. "Need me for anything else?"

"Doctor Skimmer?" came Nutmeg's puzzled reply, causing Reef and Azure to both glance at the tube's flared mouth, "You're not the captain. What's going on out there? We're clear of what? Are there more boulders inbound? Where's the captain?"

"The captain..." Reef glanced at Azure, as if for confirmation, before continuing: "I believe the poor fellow was lost overboard. Right in the middle of the storm wall, after we hit that... phenomenon. Don't worry though Nutmeg, it's all clear out here now, smooth sailing, couldn't ask for nicer skies if I do say so. So... if anything back there looks like it, oh I don't know, blow up or anything, well do feel free to shut it down."

Reef gulped, hoping that sounded professional and reassuring. Noticing the winged unicorn still looking at him, he stage-whispered "Why yes, if you could find somecreature who knows how to fly this thing, I'd be much obliged."

Getting a first-row seat to the state of the ship... ugh. Azure didn't look the least bit reassured, but standing at attention meant being ready for anything... and finding a new creature to command the ship was her next task? Nodding swiftly, she started her hunt for a fitting soul. Unfortunately... the deck didn't seem to have one pony that didn't have a critical task themselves. From repairs to security to rescue to flat-out wounded; Azure quickly exhausted the possibilities on the upper deck, and headed into the lower levels to try and complete this latest task.

"Oh... oh for the love of-" At the bow, Summer Scribe was roused from her barely-consciousness by the sound of a stallion's voice trailing off with a curse, followed by the distinctive sound of electric arcing. She might have ignored this in favour of continuing to drift into blissful sleep, except that a claw gripped her shoulder, shaking her awake. She opened her eyes to see a griffon's upside down head, or maybe that was just because he was standing over her. "Hey, you know how to work this thing, don't ya?" the newcomer asked the fallen unicorn curtly, "How do you turn it off? We gotta get those ponies outta there."

Summer Scribe blink blinked her eyes and groaned a bit, looking up at the griffon's head. 'Oh, hello.' she thought 'I... think I remember a pair of griffons, in the square, back in Canterlot...'. Realising she needed to respond, Summer blurted out "Uhh, KIND of? I was being instructed by..." she looked over as Clashing, "...him, and now he's out cold. I know how to turn it ON, maybe you can just do it in reverse to power it down?" she sheepishly suggested, her brain puzzling over the notion. Not a great time for tech support, but when is it ever? "You have to push those levers there and there to pressurise it, and keep those gauges in the middle green, and monitor the electrostatic charge so it doesn't overflow, and..."

Meanwhile Reef was... fine. Everything was fine. Ponies were dying, and he can't do anything about it because if he did the ship might crash, and there was nothing coming from the engine room now but the sound of hammering and steam. Just then Nutmeg bounded out of the engine room in a total panic. On the plus side, the engine did not explode. The kirin mare screeched to a halt at the railing, her russet mane framed by the serene islands floating in the distance, and her alarm faded before giving way to an expression of wonder and relief. Forgetting the chaos around her, she sank to her haunches, lost in the beauty of the view from here.

She didn't notice a certain grey griff staring at her. She knew machines, Reef thought. The ship was a machine. Of course she could fly it. She must have magically sensed his desperation and come to his rescue. 'Mental note: Kirin apparently telepathic, or at least empathic, needs further study...' shaking his head, he released the wheel from the death grip he'd had on it for the last hour. His talons had left deep scratches on the wood, and now that they were free, he realised his claws were shaking.

"Excellent, good show everyone..." the hippogriff began, then his voice cracked and he quickly blurted "...oh hi Nutmeg great to see you you can take it from here good luck bye", before turning tail and dashing below. Saving dying ponies seemed like the lesser challenge compared to setting down the ship without breaking it in half.

The kirin's ear twitched at the doctor's words; unfortunately, Nutmeg herself didn't seem to notice: she was too captivated by the incredible view. Behind her, the ship's wheel started to turn on its own.

Meanwhile, Azure had been galloping through the lower decks, all ready to save the day. Unfortunately her search went poorly: if anything they were even busier than the top deck, with everypony she saw either hammering pipes, tossing boulders out of the holes they'd made in the hull, boarding up said holes in the hull, or clearing the corridors of fallen items and other debris.

Everywhere down below was smoky and unpleasant, as engine exhaust had apparently leaked out at some point. Making her way back through the tween deck, she spotted two ponies carrying a third pony on a stretcher made from improvised canvas and poles. They seemed to be headed for the sick bay, but unfortunately the ship's doctor was still up on deck, steering the ship.

The winged unicorn sighed: the stallion on the stretcher looked seriously injured, and his best hope was... "Oh, Luna's stars..." she facehooved before racing back towards the upper deck... and passing more injured creatures on the way. Yeah. There was no one else, so she had to do this herself. Resolving to tell Reef just that as she set a hoof on the final ramp, it suddenly became unnecessary as the grey-feathered form of the surgeon darted straight past her.

Blinking in surprise, Azure continued up to the deck, and paused for a moment before realising... the ship no longer had anyone in control. Frantic, she looked around... there was an odd unicorn, with a forked horn and scales on her... no that was the kirin, wasn't it. She'd known the ship's engineer was one of the rare creatures; aside from reading the crew listing, Summer had mentioned an encounter; but this was their first time face to face. Approaching Nutmeg, Azure asked bluntly "Uh... hey, you got any experience driving this thing?" Whether she said yes or no would mean they'd either have an easy way to the islands... or they'd have Azure driving.

The blue unicorn surprised the red and brown curvy horned creature, who turned to look at Azure. Instead of answering her question though, Nutmeg asked Azure in total wide-eyed bewilderment, "Are you a princess?!"

Azure paused for a moment. The princess question: hadn't had that for a while, and it usually came from fillies or small-town earth ponies who'd never seen the wings spell. Not an answer... and she couldn't help but spot the wheel turning on its own, no hippogriff or other creature left to handle the thing... Only one thing left to do! The unicorn ran right past the kirin and to the steering wheel... both forehooves gripping the thing tightly as she tried to stabilise the thing. Flying was second nature to her, almost... flying a thousand-tonne ship with a steam engine... just as easy, right? ...Right?!

Below deck, Reef Skimmer dashed down the second ramp, dodging around ponies carrying things, ponies banging hammers, ponies limping... "No, don't try to walk! Your hindleg is clearly broken!" The hippogriff looked around for something to splint the earth pony's leg with. Seeing nothing obvious, he hunkered down and put a wing around the pony to steady him.

"Now lean on me, good, good, that's it. The sick bay is just a few paces down the corridor..." His voice trailed off as he caught sight of his workplace; cots full of unconscious pony forms, floor full of groaning, twitching pegasi, even more ponies on makeshift stretchers in the hallway outside... Reef closed his eyes. He could do this. He was these ponies' best hope. He opened his eyes again, brow furrowed with determination, and set to work.

Meanwhile near the Storm Piercer controls, the brown-feathered, white-tufted griffon was looking down at Summer like she was an idiot, saying in aggravation, "I don't want to operate it, chit! Creatures are dying here! Isn't there an off switch? Some kinda brake lever or something?"

To Summer it looked like he was just one of the deck crew, with that little hat they all wore, and no fancy medals on his uniform. It certainly didn't look like he could keep up a scholastic conversation with her. The chief engineer sitting by the railing over there would probably be a much more intelligent conversation partner, Summer thought. The one who figured out how to restore electrical power to the ship and the Storm Piercer? "Well?" insisted the griffon crewmate.

The unicorn hmmmed quietly to herself. 'Yeah, this conversation isn't going to go anywhere.' she thought. She legitimately didn't know the answer, and fidgeting with things to learn it was out of the question in her current condition. "Sorry, I don't know how to turn it off. Maybe..." she gaves a shrug of her head over in the kirin's direction. "...Nutmeg Inferno does, or knows someone?"

"The creature?" the griffon replied sceptically, "They're supposed to be some sorta mechanical wizards ain't they? It's likely as any. You, eh, you stay there and take care." He then galumphed towards the helm, where the butterfly-bewinged blue unicorn had just fled from the confused kirin.

A stiff conversation passed between the two, and then Nutmeg was dancing up to Summer Scribe, chanting, "Oh shoot oh shoot oh shoot..." Looking with dismay at the unconscious pegasi effectively trapped in an electrified cage, the kirin declared, "Why did they not let me even look at the manual for this thing?" Whether she noticed that she'd just planted a yellow-gold two-toed hoof right beside Summer's face was a matter of debate.

The little unicorn certainly did notice and took the opportunity to explain the situation to Nutmeg Inferno. "Thanks for the help." she said, still breathing heavily. "When I got here, there was only one pegasus awake, and I barely got enough instructions on how to turn it ON, so I don't have a clue how to turn it off. Good luck, yeah?"

Glancing down at Summer, Nutmeg squeaked and jumped away. "I did NOT see you there!" she declared in a shaken voice, but she listened at any rate, and her ears quickly went down at Summer's explanation. Looking at the console from the left side this time, she griped, "Come on. There has to be an off switch somewhere, or..." then she leaned closer and remarked, "Oh hey look, a brake lever."

The marks on her horn brightened with a green glow, the sound of a lever being pulled, then the whole machine powered down. The glowing arcane and the sparking electrical energies faded, and that ever-present hum went silent. Even the light breeze across the deck stopped as all around the ship air rushed back to its natural motion.

"Right, let's get 'em out of there!" the griffon declared, following Nutmeg into the machine. Heeding his command, two other crewmates, ponies this time, climbed into the cage. Between the four of them they began to carefully unbuckle and haul out the unconscious pegasi still strapped in there.

Clashing Gale moaned when they put him on a stretcher, but it didn't even seem like the other four were even breathing, as more of the crew came with improvised stretchers, to take them to the sick bay. "S-sorry again, Summer" Nutmeg said, after the rest had left with their fallen comrades in tow, "You look... pretty tired, huh?"

Summer Scribe can't help but give an amused smirk at that. 'Oh, there we go' she thought. Probably could have figured out that brake lever on her own, if not for, you know, the whole not being able to stand or use her horn thing. She grinned and said breezily "Yeah, taking a bit of a break. Don't forget about me once we've landed, right?"

In the sick bay, two decks below, Reef Skimmer was checking each patient in turn in a frantic round of triage. Fortunately he had help; Winter Hope and Bluebell, both cross-trained as nurses, had made it to the sickbay with only gashes and bruises. The expedition's leaders had allowed for the possibility of an accident or attack leaving a whole scouting party in need of medical attention; they hadn't planned for the entire crew being shocked, shaken and battered with boulders.

Looking up from an unconscious pegasus mare, the hippogriff gave his verdict "Fluid in the abdomen, severe bruising, almost certainly internal bleeding from blunt trauma. Prognosis, pressure on diaphragm, increasing breathing trouble, survival unlikely without surgery." Turning to Winter and forcing his voice to stay level and cool, he told the unicorn "Get her on the table and give her a sedative. I'll prep as soon as I've checked the others." He glanced at Bluebell, who was splinting a fellow peagsus's wing. "Once you're done, check her blood type, she'll need IV afterwards to recover."

At the helm, Azure had put her hooves on the wheel, but it hauled back against her with surprising force. Although perhaps surprisingly low, she thought, considering what she's piloting. Regardless, she struggled against it, but the wheel did turn, slowly. The only question was, how far to turn the wheel, before the rudder is straight? Or however these balloon ships worked? Otherwise, there she stood, reared up onto a ship's wheel, the whole airship moving at her command.

Strength wasn't Azure's forte, and this was really taxing her, judging by the grunt as she pushed herself... before she went straight to Plan B: magically handling the thing. Telekinesis was a wonderful thing... if she was good enough to keep it in her grip. How did that bird creature even handle this wheel, much less dump the ballast at the same time? To be fair, he was nearly twice her size. But if she didn't do it, the unicorn thought, there was a real chance they wouldn't make it to the islands at all. She pushed away every other distraction in her head, as she had to focus on keeping the ship straight and level.

Her view ahead was limited by the bulk of the ship, but beyond the bows she could see a plethora of islands, many choked with trees, too small to hold the ship, or covered in jagged peaks... but there was a big one not far off the port bow that looked promising. It must have been at least a league across, mostly covered in trees... but the nearest part was flat and grassy, like a big open meadow; right up to the sheer edge where the land fell away. Something was moving about down there, maybe some pony-sized creatures, but it was certainly the largest area of flat open land she could see.

"We're here..." Azure muttered, as her telekinetic grasp held true. "Landing spot located... every creature, please buckle up." she declared firmly into the voice tube Reef had been using, as she steered the ship maybe a little too roughly towards the meadow. "Alright, Azure... you know how landing works..." she muttered again, nodding. Of course, she knew how pegasi landed. This was the same thing, right? Just... a lot larger... and no hooves. Uh oh.

There was a significant delay between the wheel turning and the ship turning. Long enough for a stallion to sound out from the engine room, "Landing? What? You want us power down the engine?"

Near the bow, Nutmeg was smiling at Summer, saying "I haven't forgot you the first time. Say have you seen-" and then the ship lurched, staggering everypony aboard, and knocking things that were just righted back over again.

"Why are we turning?" the mysterious stallion in engineering shouted through the voice tube, "We can't land! We're still going at seventeen knots!" The land before the ship approached far too quickly, the EAS Harmony bearing down on it like a charging bull, sending the placid fluffy creatures scattering at the sight of the approaching behemoth.

"...This is why you don't let a rookie drive a giant airship..." Azure muttered. She had a feeling she was about to receive the biggest stack of complaints she'd ever have in her life. It was becoming clear she's set this airship on a landing approach that was far too fast, and the body language of the winged unicorn was anything but positive.

What seemed like half the crew immediately had plenty of free time to pilot the ship, converging on Azure even as her magic wrestled the steering wheel the other way. Again, with... a long delay before the ship even began to change direction.

"Hold it steady, chit!" shouted a stallion's voice. Azure glanced at the speaker: it was that griffon who'd been talking to Summer, who Azure had only seem in passing before the crossing. With brown fur and a white tuft of feathers on his head, he dived towards Azure... or as it turned out, for that second wheel down there to the right of Azure.

He started turning it like mad, as another crewmate who seemed to know what they were doing cautioned: "Easy, Gustus. We can't go past 25 degrees, not if the keel's going to strike."

"Every creature hold onto something," the griffon declared defiantly, "We're not gonna turn this ship into an accordion today!"

The change was smooth, but soon very noticeable as the ship tilted up, and then further upward, until the deck was a steep hill, with the bow a distant peak overhead. A half-dozen creatures were now crowded around the wheel watching a single dial creep upwards. "We're gonna clip the propellers!" one mare declared in horror.

"23 degrees is fine!" Gustus protested, "We'll clear the land, don't worry!"

The ship did indeed avoid ploughing a furrow in the meadow, although a sheep or two may have gotten a free shearing by the rudders dropping dangerously low. It didn't clear the edge of the forest on the far side though. The battered vessel shook once again, the air filled with screams of wrenching metal finding itself bested by the sacrifice of thick woods. The lower propeller assemblies had been turned into unrecognisable shrapnel littering the unlucky treeline the ship had clipped.

"Maybe 23 degrees was... a little too much," Gustus said in the quiet aftermath. Robbed of half its thrust, the damaged airship slowly climbed as it headed towards the centre of the island; a small lake could be seen nestled in the foliage ahead. The griffon turned the elevator wheel until everything slowly, gently levelled out.

Standing up beside Azure, the griffon said to her in dry disapproval, "We don't steer the ship. We don't land. We steer the ship away from land, storms, and other ships. Other than that... just leave it afloat. We've got the leaks in the envelope patched; we're not gonna fall out of the sky." As if on cue, the remaining propellers ground to a stop, the ship slowing to gentle drift as the engine settled down from a constant whine to a low thrum. As promised, they didn't fall out of the sky.

Azure looked right to the griffon as the engine died down. The tone was clear, and she was in no mood to have any creature worsen her already-poor mood. "Next time, don't let an airship rookie pilot the thing. I'll be on the ground." She didn't give the griffon a chance to reply, instead taking flight and doing exactly what she'd said. Flapping hard, she headed clear of the ship.

By the time dawn came the next morning, the Equestrians had managed to manoeuvre their ship to the edge of the meadow, casting mooring lines to the top of the rocky cliff where grass gave way to sky. The worst tears in the envelope were patched, and the lift holding steady, but the EAS Harmony was in no shape to travel much less brave another storm. The atmosphere on the deck of was peaceful, but sombre. Most of the crew was there, standing in a rough circle, but there wasn't a pony or otherwise among them who didn't notice the conspicuous absence of someone lost in the storm.

"Okay I'll set things off," said a brown furred pegasus mare. Her blue hair, striped with lavender, was tied back in a green bandana. "I'm Set Sail: third mate, technically. We didn't expect to lose both the captain and the first mate. So, uhm, sorry if I'm doing this wrong. Ponies have been asking me about uh... the rest of the ship, so I asked you here so we could all talk about... what's got damaged and what we're gonna do now. So let's take turns and not like, shout at each other... please? How about we start with the whole... ramming into an island thing."

She folded her ears down at that and didn't exactly make leadership-material-level eye contact when she admitted, "I got uh... tangled up in the rigging, but I still should have made it to the helm somehow. Saw someone at it, and just uh... hung on and hoped for the best, so... my bad. Didn't know the captain had... well anyway. I think Doctor Skimmer sailed great; kept us in the tunnel, didn't let us invert. But uh... I should've told him to stop steering after we got to calm air. So, sorry about that. Things were kind of crazy. So Doctor Skimmer, did you really tell Azure we needed to land this thing?"

The grey hippogriff was easily the tallest creature present; he looked like he hadn't slept since the crossing, with bloodshot eyes and pink crest feathers sticking out at odd angles. "Land? Can't recall anything about landing. We'd just made it out of that storm, I was needed below, but somecreature needed to keep us from flying into any more of those bloody rocks. I asked Azure here to find someone else to steer, she went and got Nutmeg, it was all fine. Or so I thought." Reef paused and fixed Set Sail with a piercing glare. "Now see here, none of us would be here if that unicorn hadn't dropped the cargo and gotten us out of the debris zone. I see no point in recriminations over a little bump afterwards."

The unicorn in question clearly wasn't comfortable with having the spotlight directly on her, and even if the doctor spoke favourably, she knew her standing with most of the remaining crew was slightly lower than 'pain in the neck' status. Had she done the right thing trying to find somecreature to steer the ship? Sure. Taking the wheel when no one was available? Maybe. Forcing a landing that necessitated a damage report meeting and Celestia knows what else? The mere reminder of what she had caused was enough to have her lower her head and instead of defending herself...

"He said nothing of the sort about landing, simply steering." she said, flatly. "I wasn't sure how long we'd last in the skies. I don't know the first thing about how to drive one of these. I thought of one thing: getting on the ground before things got worse." Stick to the facts, Azure... even if they're really not in your favour.

Set Sail seemed surprised at their response, saying hastily to Azure, "Oh, no no nopony's blaming you. It's just some ponies were saying they thought he said that to you, and you know how easy that is to get mixed up. Azure, you..." The pegasus mare stopped, the implications of the doctor's words suddenly hitting her. "...Wait, you emptied out the cargo? I haven't been down to look yet. Of course we needed to lose weight fast, but... what did you throw out? You didn't happen to take time to look at it or anything, did you? Because it's kind of important to know what we're missing."

Some way back from the group sat another unicorn mare, groggy and bleary eyed. Summer Scribe's tail swished idly as she listened, as attentively as she could. A combination of not being fit for any other work around the ship (due to yesterday's, well, events) and a desire to absorb any relevant information on their new and rough circumstances lead to her being there on the top deck, much as she'd preferred to be napping in her cabin.

This was the first time she'd heard about the cargo thrown overboard... Hmmh. 'Understandable, but depending on WHAT got thrown out, that could lead to a real rocky start to the expedition...' she thought. 'What if we end up having to scrounge for food? Augh! Please don't let it come to a survival mission, anything but that! So many possibilities to dread! This is why you should fear meetings like these!'

Oh, by Luna's stars... as if having to explain the circumstances of nearly crashing the airship weren't enough to depress her, now having to explain what she's done with the cargo... ugh. Azure was clearly looking for a spot she could shrink down and hide in, but it was her duty to explain the situation... just stick with the facts, right? With a sigh, the winged unicorn began.

"Again... I didn't have much of a choice, I couldn't look through everything... so there's probably some important cargo that was cut. Food, however, was not one of them. Whatever had food inside, I made an effort to keep. I... I can't make any promises on anything else." She couldn't look any creature in the eye after saying that. She'd probably doomed the entire crew because of her stupidity.

"Oh for the love of Celestia," Set Sail groaned, rubbing her forehead with a hoof, "I was gonna drop all the water ballast but of course I had to get tangled up in my own tow rope. I..." she looked up and around then, blushing and saying to Azure, "Sorry, no it's fine. It's good that you saved the food. We're not gonna-"

Just then a certain curvy-horned creature hopped forward into the inner circle, Nutmeg demanding urgently to Azure, "The engine parts. Did you throw out the engine parts? Say you didn't throw out the engine parts!"

Reef Skimmer looked at the cringing winged unicorn, his expression unreadable, before staring at Set Sail again. His claws tensed and his bulky wings unfurled slightly, almost as if to pounce; "It wasn't her fault..." he shouted, before catching himself. Closing his eyes for a second, he drew back and continued in a calmer tone. "What I mean to say is, that I take full responsibility for the loss of any cargo. When I saw the altimeter falling, I instructed Azure to drop all the ballast, and then when the rocks began to hit, I told her to toss the cargo." His gaze moved between Set Sail and Nutmeg. "You must understand, the engines were out; shedding weight seemed like our only alternative to being battered to splinters."

Inspecting the state of the floor of the room even as she heard Doctor Skimmer defend her, Azure managed to raise her head back to take a look... only to see an angry Kirin staring back at her, seemingly treating the question of the engine parts as if it was life or death. The accusing gaze might as well have hit the unicorn in the jaw with a cinder block, for the impact on her emotional state. "As I'd just mentioned..." she said quietly, struggling to keep her voice neutral, "if it's not food... I can't make any promises."

"Why did you keep the food?!" Nutmeg demanded, now looking not so much mad as hyperventilating with panic, "I... I needed those parts to fix the engine! The boiler has a thousand leaks in it. The firebox is practically melted shut! She's on her last legs, I tell you, and you were saving food??"

Set Sail was the one who shouted back at her, albeit while edging away like everypony else, "Hey! Hey! I said no shouting! Just... just tell me the engine status, okay? No need to get mad here, okay?"

"I'm not mad! I'm...!" Nutmeg responded, trailing off sharply as she focused on the former third mate. "The... the pipes were stressed by the buckling of the ship," she said in anxious frustration. "We can't fix them without replacement segment, or welding plates. The firebox needs new vents, or we can't control how hot it gets. Everything's acting out of whack. And thanks to her steering, two of our main propellers are trashed. You think replacement propellers grow out of the ground??"

"Hey!" called out a male voice: the griffon who'd taken charge of the elevators and stopped the ship crashing in the meadow. He strutted toward Nutmeg, feline tail lashing and feathers fluffed up, saying, "Don't talk about what you don't know, hiding back in that engine room there. I was the one who broke your propellers. She was just gonna ram the bow into the island, but I thought we could get off scot free. So blame me if you're gonna blame any. We all screwed up here, and it is a screwed up situation. The Friendship is gone. We were almost totalled. It's a miracle we're still alive."

"Not all of us." Reef's tone was grave. "Three pegasi dead, another two in comas. Strange secondary symptoms as well, skin and fur turning purple even after death... presumably an effect of high-powered magical device..." his voice trailed off, as he realised the audience didn't need to hear this. "In any case, we have another four ponies with broken legs, six cases of concussion, internal bleeding, more sprains and cuts than I care to count... My staff and I are doing what we can, but if we don't get help, ideally magical help, we're likely to lose more."

The room was silent for a moment as the news sank in. The surgeon looked at Nutmeg and continued "I assume going back through the barrier is out of the question." His gaze shifted to Summer, and then Azure. "Do we have any way, any magical means, of contacting or locating the Friendship?" he asked, unaware of what had befallen the expedition's lead ship when it contacted the mysterious phenomenon in the storm wall.

Summer Scribe perked up at the mention of magic. "Well, I know that both the Harmony and Friendship were outfitted with magical locator beacons - per protocol, I think?" she offered. "Buuuutt..." she looked uncertain, "...when we flew through the storm wall, it did something that messed with enchanted items: I had to reboot the Storm Piercer's enchantments since they were on the fritz. So it's possible that, sturdy as they are, theirs isn't working right now... but worth a try."

Nutmeg didn't continue to butt in, instead just wilting back and staring downward, murmuring something quietly to herself. Set Sail didn't seem to know what to do about the situation. So it was Gustus who suggested, "Perhaps you could report on the status of the balloon?"

Eyes widening, Set Sail said, "O-oh, yes, right. Um, we're not going to be sinking any time soon, but several of the cells have gotten tears in them. We patched the worst of it, but there are still a few slow leaks. The heat from the engine should be enough to keep us buoyant, at least with the cargo gone... Uhm..." She gave a nervous look at the diminished kirin, before concluding, "We probably should set up some kind of camp o-on an island, just in case the ship... goes down."

"We can repair the engine," Nutmeg said quietly. Set Sail wasn't the only one to give her a sceptical look. "For the worst of it, we can figure out something I'm sure," Nutmeg explained, "I can probably keep us floating forever. But without those parts, we're not going anywhere fast. Going back through that storm... no chance."

Looking right back at the Kirin, Azure couldn't help but reply. "Next time you want to go hungry instead of this situation, let me know." she muttered, before realising that the very griffon that gave her crap previously had taken the blame for the damage. A momentary look of surprise crossed her face, but one thing was for sure. A lot of creatures had screwed up: she was just one of them. And as the conversation shifted to the medical report... Azure couldn't help but frown. They'd barely arrived, and already lost multiple creatures, even more injured... the unicorn just fell quiet and listened as the conversation went forward.

Set Sail sent a smile Azure's way, saying, "You got that right. Things could get bad fast, without any food."

Some of the crew chime in in agreement, including Gustus who said, "I'd rather lose a few ship parts than a few shipmates to starvation!"

At that, Nutmeg just couldn't resist chiming in as she stared incredulously at absolutely everypony, saying, "Are you all seriously worried about starvation?" Throwing a two-toed golden hoof to point away from the ship, over to the verdant green island they were moored to, she stated in exasperation, "There's food just hopping around on those meadows over there! You realise that, right?"

Summer Scribe blink blinked, and followed Nutmeg's gaze. Sure enough, there were sheep scattered over the island, happily munching away at grass. The unicorn narrowed her eyes: "Nutmeg, you can't be implying that we eat living critters! That's barbaric!"

Nutmeg opened her mouth, but instead of speaking she just blushed horribly, eyes wide. Taking a step back from the critical unicorn, she managed to stammer "Uh, ah, uh, I didn't—I mean—I forgot you u-uh ponies, y' know, y-you don't have to eat them I promise. There's plenty of... of grass, too!"

Summer Scribe stared at the kirin for a moment... then chuckled, looking more enthusiastic and animated than she has all day as she gives a playful nod. "Don't sweat it: I imagine we have plenty more to learn about each other!" She stuck out her tongue. "I don't know how long I want to subside on just grass." Bleh! "We'll have to figure out what other flora's edible."

"Certainly caution is advisable, even if the species look familiar." Reef spoke up. "That said... if the other islands are this verdant, then food is unlikely to be a problem... for our herbivores, omnivores or carnivores." the hippogriff said, glancing at the brown griffon. Was that a smile? Hard to tell with beaks. "Medical supplies on the other hand..." he frowned "We were well stocked, but with half the crew injured and several crates missing, we're burning through our supplies fast."

"We had no idea what we'd find here... if there would be food or not." Azure concluded, wanting to close the issue of what cargo she'd saved and what she hadn't. Finally able to look at a creature without thinking that creature wanted her in pieces, the blue unicorn had kept her mouth shut... simply listening in to the conversation. Yet she clearly didn't look very happy when the doctor mentioned medical supplies were being quickly used...

At this point, Nutmeg didn't seem inclined to do anything but skulk back to the rear of the gathering, away from any critical eyes. Set Sail herself seems shaken, but doesn't bother the kirin, instead saying nervously, "Uh, ohkay so... what about the expedition? You pon—you creatures know all about medicinal uh, plants and stuff, right? Who's your best uh, who's your chief of staff?"

"The distinguished senior research professor," a pink-haired, squat green stallion spoke up, "She was on the uh, EAS Friendship."

Summer Scribe sweatdropped a bit as she realised something. It was a bit sudden, but... '... Is it possible that I'M the most senior researcher still extant?' Oh, gosh. Was it finally her time? Not like she was COMPLETELY prepared for this, but, uhh, haha, this'll have to do, right??

"Well how about on the Harmony?" Set Sail was asking the young stallion in consternation, oblivious to the unicorn's excitement. "Who's your second-in-command?"

"He's on the Friendship too," the stallion said unhappily, "There was our senior research botanist, but she uh... went overboard. A huge rock broke a hole in the wall in the cabins. There are only three of us left. And I'm just a grad student."

"Well??" Set Sail asked anxiously, "Which of you three is gonna lead the... uh, scouting expedition?"

Melonwater was sweating nervously, as he glanced worriedly at the excited Summer Scribe, saying uneasily, "Well, uh, technically the technically 'senior' researcher here is... uh... eh..."

Oh goodness. Summer Scribe's brain was lurching, roused into action from its slumber. Alarm! This wasn't how the expedition was categorised! 'You're the most senior researcher now!', she thought. A grin spread across her face as different parts of her brain light up out of order. She looked thoughtful, and then giddy and giggly. "Oh, uhh, my condolences, but, uhh, umm, yes, I guess that DOES make me the senior researcher!" Her hooves clicked at the floor as she did a bit of an uneasy skitter-nervous-dance. Responsibility! Excitement! Adventure! More Responsibility?? But... This is it! Wow!

"...Her," the green stallion concluded, hanging his head in defeat.

Hearing that her friend was now in charge, Azure stepped forward and spoke up. "If you're headed for a gathering expedition, Summer, is it alright if I accompany you? No telling what's out there, and well... nothing against any creature here, but I could use some air. Besides... there could be something interesting here besides the flowers, you know?" She seemed slightly excited herself, the promise of action moving her past her earlier self-doubt and despair.

Summer Scribe was grinning from ear to ear. 'Oh gosh, at last, a leadership role!' she thought. "I'm gonna have to check out who's up and ready to venture out into the great unknown!" she announced to the group. "I'll need all the ponypower I can get, especially botanistic right now, and... oh" her ears perked up and she nodded to Azure. "Of course, I'd be delighted to have you along, Azure! You're in!" Summer tapped a hoof on the floor, then held it out to shake. "There's no telling what we'll find out here: literally! We'll need to be prepared for anything!"

"Okay, great, that's great," Set Sail said pleasantly, a few strands of her mane going unpleasantly askew. "We might be able to contact the EAS Friendship, so we'll try and get that beacon working again. But first Azure and Summer Scribe's team are going to lead the search through this island for food, shelter, and any sort of medicinal plants for when we run outta medicine. Our ship's gonna stay floating, but it's not going anywhere. As our chief engineer pointed out, worst case, there's plenty of... grass to eat. And no more ponies are gonna... die when we... run outta medicine, and..." A crewmate put his hoof on the mare's shoulder as she falls quiet, but she pushed it off, straightening up and saying in a shaky voice, "And I'm the leader now, and...!"

But that was as far as she could get. The pegasus's head sank, before tears flooded into her eyes. Staring at the ground, Set Sail took in a shuddering breath before saying, "Sorry. So that's the situation. Does anypony else have anything to report?"

Summer Scribe shook her head. "Think that's everything!" she said brightly, ignoring Set Sail's near-breakdown. "I better get on top of sorting this expedition out! Azure, come with me and we'll round up anyone willing and able-bodied!" The little unicorn gestured vaguely but enthusiastically with a hoof.

"Wait uh," a purple-furred pegasus stallion spoke up, stepping forward into the circle. "I have something to report," he said uncertainly, "I'm feeling, uh, better?" As he contemplated his next words, everycreature on the deck became aware of his most notable feature: an eerie lack of pupils. "I don't think I'm supposed to."

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Nutmeg Inferno), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

This chapter covers the fifth and sixth sessions, narrated / GMed by Ferret. Ferret got off to a strong start, immediately adding some memorable characters to the crew, as everycreature comes to terms with being stuck on a broken ship in a strange new world.

Landfall

The day dawned bright in its strange, un-Celestian way, revealing an airship still distinctly the worse for wear. The sailor ponies flew and climbed around the big balloon keeping the ship aloft, but with the supplies gone they were done to whatever scraps of canvas they could find around the ship, and there wasn't enough to repair all the tears. With all the ballast dumped, that left the ship floating squarely at neither up nor down. Winged crewmates actually pushed the ship with great beats of their wings, slowly sliding its bulk towards the floating island until its side butted up against a smooth spot in the edge, where the verdant meadow terminated abruptly in a rocky face.

Ropes were tossed and stakes driven into the earth, and for the time being it seemed like the ship would stay securely anchored here. The only indication that the airship was anything other than a floating hulk was the low, quiet rumble of the engines in the back. From the upper deck a gangplank slid out to thunk onto the grassy land, securely bridging the two worlds, and an intrepid team of explorers prepared to head into the unknown. Four ponies would gingerly cross over to stand on the firm, verdant soil...

Summer Scribe, new to the office of distinguished senior researcher, a young pale blue unicorn mare with a mane and tail in stripes of white and stronger blue. Melonwater, a pink haired, green furred, and rather short earth stallion in his late teens, who had not quite yet graduated to the point of researcher, but knew a thing or two about Geology.Blue Type, a Ponypologist just itching to see what strange, alien cultures have left behind: a pale lavender earth mare with her blue mane wrapped neatly in a bun. Azure Feather, a blue unicorn guardsmare with a grape purple mane and shimmering butterfly wings, there to keep the rest of them intact.

They found themselves on an idyllic pasture, full of rich, luscious grasses, and not a lot of thorns or brambles. The meadow was flat as a plate, stretching for perhaps a kilometre before reaching the banks of a smoothly flowing river. On the far side the grass was interrupted by scattered trees, which quickly became a dense forest of strange, twisted vegetation, with branches that seemed to go sideways as often as they go up. The only possible threats to pony life out in the meadow were the pleasantly bouncy white woolly puffballs that sort of looked like sheep. The creatures took one look at the quartet of colourful equines, then went straight back to eating grass again.

Oh gosh. Summer Scribe was all over herself with excitement! "Check it out, everyone! An entirely new world, unlike anything we've seen on Equestria! Anything and everything could hold a new discovery within it!" Let's see what we immediately have on offer! Grass and sheep in an idyllic meadow; "Wow! You rarely get anything this pristine back at home. It's like it's reached the platonic ideal of harmlessness!"

The ponies trotted across the meadow, soft grass brushing at their legs, and approached the river. A structure immediately caught their eye: out in the middle of nowhere, a stone arch bridge spanned the water course, a work that might as well have been made by pony hooves, if there were any ponies living here. It seemed entirely intact, and though it ended in grass on the near side, on the far side a gravel path could be seen leading away into the dense woods. Stone might last a long time, but surely that path would have been overgrown long ago, had the structure been abandoned?

The river itself emerged from within the dense greenery, far to their right, flowed swiftly down the border of the meadow, then poured heedlessly off the edge of the island to their left, tumbling down into the mist below. The other three sides of the meadow all ended in open air, or rather, a sudden and vertiginous drop.

A stone bridge over there, with path leading out of it... clearly sturdy and well maintained, Summer thought, for lack of disrepair and overgrowth. "Signs of construction and ongoing maintenance..." A forest, full of twisting and baffling trees... "Magically influenced terrain growth. Forest likely to hold danger and discoveries within..." She traced the river upstream, wondering what source was concealed by the thick forest. "Note to self, study Cloudbreak Islands' water cycle... likely to be heavily magical in nature." With the initial survey out of the way, the implications are obvious; Summer took out her notebook and quill and telekinetically sketched one of the sheep! They were white, fluffy and curiously spherical, compared to the sheep one might find in Equestria.

Azure Feather seemed significantly less excited, but wasn't absolutely indifferent to the new lands. 'On one hoof...', she thought, '...you've got a meadow that's a little too perfect, but there are such places in Equestria, too'. Or at least close to it. What Summer Scribe stated out loud, she was noting to herself quietly. That forest, however, was never a thing that she kept out of her field of vision for very long. If magic was a common thing, this was more akin to the Everfree more than anything.

"Sheep likely to be the native civilized species." Summer confirmed, nodding her head to Blue Type! "OK, shall we make First Contact and write pony history?" Without waiting for the other mare's response, she approached the nearest sheep (which was peacefully chewing on grass), keeping a comfortable distance at first so as to not spook it. Hearing Summer now trying to approach the natives got Azure's attention too: as innocent as they looked... house cats also looked rather innocent. Were they? Not so much. Her eyes remained on both the forest and the unfolding First Contact...

"Hello, fine and fluffy denizens of Cloudbreak Islands!" Summer began in a loud, cheerful voice, "We have sallied here from Equestria far below in the name of scientific discovery and exploration! We are ponies, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance! I hope that our two species can co-operate, as friends!" With that, she held out a hoof to shake!

A few of the roughly spherical sheep turned to look her way with something like interest, as Summer Scribe waited for an answer. Slowly, they chew on their mouthfuls of tasty grass. The sheep she approached finished chewing, emitted a quiet 'baa', then without a word, hopped away. Its fellows all immediately lost interest, turning from the pony to aimlessly gambol about the meadow again.

The forest failed to comment on this. A slight hiss sussurated through the air as a breeze danced across the island’s surface, to entwine with the bright green leaves high overhead. A keen eye would have seen things rustling around back there, now and then on the shaded forest floor, but the movement was too far inside for Azure to be able to identify it.

After a few long moments, Blue Type coughed awkwardly.

Summer Scribe... scratched behind an ear awkwardly. "Not as... amicable to conversation as I was expecting. Admittedly." She lowered her hoof and thought, looking to Blue Type. "Any ideas? I mean, well... I guess if they don't want to talk they aren't gonna. And..." She squinted, walking in a circle. "I don't see any written language or artistic decoration of any kind to study. Or, for that matter... well. Structures of any kind, except for that bridge."

Blue Type shook her head. "It could be a completely alien language, but... perhaps they don't even have speech?" She looked around. "They don't seem to be interested in us." Azure muttered something unintelligible as the sheep turned out to be... well, even less interesting than Equestrian sheep.

“If only Dr. Story were here,” the grad student known as Melonwater said glumly, “She at least specialized in studying plants. I can tell you the stones in that bridge weren’t cut anywhere near here, though. It’s actually kind of impossible to have igneous rock up here. There’s no magma layer under the islands.” He inspected them more closely, declaring, “Yep, that’s granite alright.”

Oh! Summer Scribe nodded to the student stallion. "Good catch! I wonder what that means; we're going to find magma on another of the islands or... A real headscratcher! "For some reason, that stone got used to make a bridge HERE?" She made a note; definitely worth remembering.

“So we can cross?” Blue Type asked, looking to Summer Scribe hopefully, “It doesn’t look like the, err...” she glanced over her shoulder at the sheep, “...residents particularly mind. Forgive me if I had a hard time believing that... sheep could create something like this, even before you tried to talk to them.”

Mentally blocking out Melonwater's talk about rocks, Azure turned her attention to the smooth stonework of the bridge. "Admittedly, I agree, I don't think the sheep built this either."

Summer's thoughts concurred with Blue's. "I think I'm coming around to your point of view, yes. These sheep are... Well, not like the sheep back at home. They seem to be blissful and content just eating grass here! I wonder what..." she shuddered "...natural predators they might have here?" And just like that, gone from seeing them as friends to potential prey! Barbaric!

Her gaze travelled back to the forest. "Well... Yeah! I wanted to go this way, anyway!" she realigned her train of thought, beaming now with a smile! "Within and beyond this forest are no doubt going to be answers to the questions we seek! Before we venture forth, does anyone have any comments or objections? We'll have to all be on our guard and keep our eyes open! We'll want to take stock of any plant and animal life we make out, and any signs of civilization! Yes, I believe crossing the bridge and exploring the forest is our next move."

'That sounded just like what an expedition leader would say, didn't it?' Summer thought to herself. "Shall we then?" She nodded over to Azure, the team's bodyguard, for approval.

Azure's constant scanning of the forest had picked up something moving back there, though, and her attention snapped back to the group as Summer asks for comments on how to proceed. Her wings had spread out to relieve tension before folding again as the issue of crossing the bridge came up. "Unless some creature wants to take a nap this early, then yes, crossing the bridge would be our next move." She would stick with the group. There was no use in moving out in front, not when she was the only guard: what if some creature waited for her to pass then ambushed from the rear? "All I will say is to keep your eyes open for more than just plants and minor wildlife." she cautioned. "There's no telling what lives in this area, and even less telling us if it likes us or not. Be ready for anything." Now if only the serious-sounding guard didn't have butterfly wings, she'd be that much more convincing...

Summer and Blue led the way, and as soon as they marched up onto the stone bridge... nothing special happened and the party crossed without incident. The forest loomed ahead, and the buzz of insects, the spooky murmurs and animal moans in the distance immediately had everypony on edge. The path is clear though, and it’s easy enough to navigate double file, so the forest envelops them as they enter seeking the origin of this strange little chunk of civilization.

Four sets of hooves crunched on the packed gravel of the path, which formed a narrow corridor cutting through the increasingly dense vegetation. Ferns, shrubs and brambles lined the sides while crooked branches laden with creepers and vines closed overhead, letting occasional shafts of brilliant sunlight through to dapple the forest floor. The path curved gently to the right, just enough to quickly hide the entrance. The strange chirping and clicking sounds came from all around now, thousands of unknown species of insects broken intermittently by a musical bird call.

The path snaked back to the left, and a mere five minutes trot from the entrance had brought the group to their first choice of route: a side branch veering off to the right with a glint of water visible at its terminus.

Summer Scribe marched on, in high spirits - vast unknown territory to explore, things to learn - it'd be a lot of responsibility if it wasn't even more fun! Though the actual walking from place to place part mostly consisted of letting your eyes wander: taking in the sights and keeping alert to your surroundings. Not that it took much of a keen eye to notice the obvious side path: her ears perked at the sound of lapping water. "Alright, let's take the right here," she ordered, "I've been curious as to what was upstream."

Azure nodded and waited for Summer to proceed, keeping her in the lead. Next to her, Melonwater mumbled uncertainly: "Perhaps be a spring, some sort of magical source... There's no way rainfall on this island alone could keep a river of that size going."

Summer Scribe nodded in consensus: "Exactly what I was thinking! I mean, islands floating on their own power is one thing, but the water is flowing. It's coming from somewhere, and I want to know where!" The party proceeded forward, following Summer's lead.

A few more minutes trot brought the group to a substantial stone pier, overlooking a small lake. The pier itself was clear, but the lake was choked with reeds, lilies and the rotting remains of fallen trees. A couple of weathered boards sticking out of the water just by the pier might once have been a rowboat. Motion caught Azure's eye and she stared out over the water, looking for danger: a few groups of ducks paddling and quacking around the shallows probably weren't an issue, but the electric-blue glints of light moving under the water might be.

"I don't think this is the source." Melonwater remarked, assessing the terrain. "Look, the river flows in over there... two outlets on the other side, the closer one must lead to the meadow." He stared nervously at the lights moving beneath the surface. "What are those?"

Summer approached the lake, taking in the plant-filled waters, rivers leading into and out of it, and the solidly built pier; granite again, perhaps? "Yeah, I think this is just an ordinary lake: pretty, but little scientific value on its own." She glanced over it again, seeing if anything stood out... then perked, and backed up behind Azure. "Do you see that? Some kind of native aquatic fauna that produces illumination? You'd normally not see that except in the deepest oceans, I'd thought..." Looking more closely, Summer realised that at the glowing shapes were long, squirming fish, likely some kind of eel. Less extravagant species can be seen swimming with them; in particular large plump fish with brick red scales.

Blue Type looked out of her element, staring nervously at the trees, then the fish. Other than the masonry, there didn't seem to be any sign of civilisation here; nothing for her to study. "Perhaps the griffons will appreciate them." she said. Many griffs spending time in Equestria liked to maintain a polite fiction that they satisfied their carnivorous appetites only with fish, to minimise distasteful reactions from their hosts.

"Ooh, that IS cool..." said Summer, trotting to the end of the pier and crouching down, wiggling a little as she tried to get a closer look. "Let me see if I can get a sketch..." She sat down on her rump, taking out her notebook and jotting something up. It wouldn't have the most artistic value, especially given the viewing conditions, but it would make for a nice reference later!

Taking a cue from the expedition's leader, Melonwater also dropped to his rump and pulled out a scroll; fumbling with a quill pen, he began to update his map to show the path, lake and watercourses. Meanwhile Azure had taken to the air, flying out over the water on gossamer wings, to get a better view of anything that might be contained within. "I see another wreck, a little larger, sunk into the mud... nothing else unusual, except... Summer, I don't like the look of those... fish." Indeed there seemed to be more and more glowing creatures gathering in front of the pier.

Summer Scribe blinked, looking up from her sketch at the illuminated and flashy figures lurking and wriggling in the water, congregating at the pier! She instinctively backed off... but then perks and giggles as nothing further happens. "I guess they're hoping I'll fall in! Guess we should skip the swim, then..." She walked back along the pier, thanking Azure for the intel. "I think this is all we want to find out from the lake for now; everyone ready to move on?"

"Yes please." Blue Type looked relieved that she wouldn't be stuck staring at fish any longer. Behind her, Azure drifted down to the stone, landed and nodded; the trees were too dense for her to stay overhead once they returned to the path.

Meanwhile, Melonwater blew on his parchment to dry the ink. "Uh, just a moment... got it." he said, packing the map back into his saddle bag. "Granite again..." he muttered, looking at the pier, "but the fill is sandstone, you can see it where the retaining wall buckled here..." His voice trailed off as he realised Summer and Blue weren't listening.

With her party assembled, Summer Scribe headed back to the main path. "Let's see what's up ahead!" she enthused. A few more minutes trot down the green-walled tunnel and she was again presented with a choice; the path formed a Y-shape, splitting into two branches. The right fork was clear, whereas the left one had weeds growing up through the gravel and ferns reaching out to obscure the view. Its otherwise limited appeal was enhanced by a mossy stone arch that reached up and over the entrance, big enough to admit a minotaur. The remains of a large wooden sign hung from the top of the arch, a few strange symbols barely visible under the moss and rot.

"Is that writing? Those look like runes!" Blue Type said excitedly. "If only they'd carved them into the stone, they might be better preserved." Turning to Summer, the older mare was excited for the first time on the trip: "We have to find more of this!"

Summer Scribe hmmed and looked at the arch, squinting at the sign, but of course they had no way to read it... for now! "Yeah! This probably leads somewhere civilised! Let's check it out." She trotted straight through the arch, eager to see what lay beyond.

The ponies pushed their way down the overgrown path: Azure using her magic to rip away the larger branches, while Melonwater took some pleasure in stomping the weeds underhoof. It was much slower going here than on the open path, but soon enough they made it to a new area of the island. Not a clearing exactly, or perhaps it was once before the vegetation took hold again, but the trees here were smaller and less dense than the forest proper. The air was warmer as well, the climate becoming subtropical as the group travels further across the island.

Blue Type and Summer Scribe paid little attention to the climate though, as dozens of stone shapes catch their attention. Clearly the remains of buildings, many had lost their roof but some still retained a covering of cracked tiles to keep out the weather. Ferns clustered around the walls while vines clung to the sides and crawled through the windows, but the jungle had not yet completely reclaimed this village.

Summer Scribe's jaw slowly dropped as she trembled. "Oh my gosh. Ruins!" She squeed and rushed forward to check everything out. No people, but about the next best thing! "Oh, Celestia! There is so much to do here, I don't know where to begin!" Well, where she DID begin was by running around and checking things out; getting a lay of the land, as it were! Taking note of notable structures, what kind of central hub it had: anything out of the ordinary!

There was a definite structure to the village, even if it took some effort to visualise with the blanket of plant life. Larger, better preserved structures towards the centre of the cluster, smaller less substantial ones around the periphery, including some wooden shacks and barns that time had reduced to a collapsed jumble of rotten timbers. A paved square, the cobbles pushed up and scattered by spreading roots. The far side of the settlement sloped gently down to end at the bank of a babbling stream, apparently distinct from the rivers they'd visited before. A large blocky building projected a weathered wooden axle over a straight section of stream, that might once have held a water wheel.

"What a find!" exclaimed Blue Type, "...and on our first foray. One of these central buildings must be the town hall, or at least the leader's house. There have to be records in here somewhere, oh I hope they haven't all rotted away." She started pushing her way towards the doorway of the biggest structure, only to shriek and jump back as a cluster of furry bodies dashed out of the entrance.

Summer Scribe was been muttering and taking mental notes as she paced around, settling in to become more studious, getting the lay of the land. "Yeah, Blue Type - this is greaaaa woah now!" She rushed over, horn glowing, ready to do battle! Hopefully Azure noticed too: they might be in mortal peril, after all!

A sudden zapp and a glowing bolt of energy streaked over Summer's head, bursting in the trees behind the ruin. Blue Type dropped to the ground with her head between her hooves as Azure flew to the rescue, with Summer not far behind. The family of lemurs wailed and chittered as they ran like they've never run before, desperate to get away from these new magic-wielding invaders. Within seconds they'd disappeared into the trees and the ruins are still, save for the renewed trilling and squawking of a hundred agitated jungle birds.

Azure drifted down to a landing near Blue Type, muttering "Better safe than sorry..." In a louder voice she said "I apologise if I startled you, Blue Type. It seems like there were just a few small animals living in there."

Summer let out a long breath. "Thanks, Azure!" She squints, "I guess we just disturbed a nest of wild squatting critters, not a pack of bloodthirsty killers. Still, you're right, better safe than sorry!" She gave a nervous chuckle, looked around, and then approached the building. "OK, let's check this place out."

The ground floor was mostly one large room, with a couple of doors leading to storerooms at the back. Blue Type wrinkled her nose at the scent of animal droppings; it seemed like a lot of wildlife had lived here at one time or another. Splintered and chewed wood littered the floor, some of which was fallen floorboards from the upper level, but much of it definitely looked like carved pieces of furniture. In fact a couple of tables and the odd chair are still recognisable. Mixed in with the debris were the remains of plates, tankards and the odd fork.

Over the next two hours the ponies pushed their way into a half dozen of the ruined buildings, taking stock of their contents for future investigation. They confirmed that the first building was the remains of a tavern, restaurant or perhaps inn of some kind. Melonwater was fascinated by the rusted machinery and grind stones within the mill, and Blue Type had to fight back tears when they found the library, its contents long rotted away to illegibility. The historian had to content herself with a few slates found in what might be a classroom, still bearing chalked runes where they hadn't been exposed to the weather. Finally Summer came to a curious structure on the edge of the village, with a domed roof held up by stone pillars. Skylights in the dome still held glass, and let shafts of light fall on a large stone table in the centre, but vines had grown all over and obscured the contents.

"Huh, check this out: looks decorative in nature. Spiritual, even?" she remarked. The little unicorn trotted up to the central platform - altar? The solid stone mass formed a pentagon, with each side divided into two sections, each with a contrasting central symbol, surrounded by rows of smaller symbols. "Oh, this is looks like a table of elements? That's fire, that's water - right - there's a skull and a plant, hmm - sun and moon, earth with... guessing that spiral is wind, and then these two are..." She studied the remaining pair of symbols: an eight-sided star and a gear.

"Aha, this one looks an awful lot like Twilight's cutie mark! Magic, maybe? And this would totally be Nutmeg Inferno's if she had one. Hehe! Technology it is." Rearing up to put her hooves on the altar, Summer peered at the numerous statues: each the size of a newborn filly: "Look, creatures in battle poses, and lunges! I guess this is a shrine to the heroes of this place! Are they all from here, or maybe they're legendary across the Cloudbreak Islands?" she mused. "Probably the latter, given the limited scope... and these ten elements are clearly significant."

Blue Type glanced over the statues but then immediately went back to the sides of the altar. "Look at this! What a find, completely intact, if we can just...." The earth mare began pulling vines away with her teeth, eager to get an uninterrupted view of the rows and rows of runes carved there. "...uh, this tastes horrible."

Azure Feather had been hanging back, keeping an eye on the surroundings as her charges worked, but at the mention of 'battle poses' she trots up and examines the statues. "They're all different. A dragon, a griffon, a monkey, some sort of tree-minotaur? I don't recognise the rest." she said, in a curious tone.

Summer Scribe gave the other unicorn a playful smile: at last something for Azure's interest! She wonder if they might meet any of those figures in person... before turning to Blue Type and her runes. "Yes, let's see them! Maybe we can even figure out what they say..." Lighting her horn, she magically nudged and tugged the foliage away from the altar.

Meanwhile Melonwater had been walking around the structure, examining the pillars, the dome, the mosaic ceiling... "Marble, aventurine, betonite... oh and this is good stonework, the best we've seen so far." he muttered.

Blue Type beamed at the fully revealed carvings. "And there we are... thank you Summer. Now, let's see here..." She fished several notebooks out of her saddlebags and began copying and comparing the symbols.

Summer took out her own notes, thinking she'd want a copy sooner rather than later. "I won't expect a complete translation, of course, but whatever you can glean will be great!" Just then felt a slight twinge in her horn; tilting her head, it began to tingle a bit. "Hmm, something feels... funny... I just noticed." Leaning in waaaay close, she touched her horn to each of the large symbols, wrinkling her nose and making a different face for each one. "Yeah, it's faint, but there's something in each of these that feels... magical, but foreign." What could it mean?

Azure was still studying the figures: she'd flown up for a better view, and was hovering carefully in the confined space under the dome. "Those element symbols... do you see, they appear up here as well. Just below the statues. Like each one is assigned an element. Champions perhaps?" She turned to Summer Scribe "Do you think this was a real battle, or just mythology?"

Summer oohed and noted the correlation, peering back and forth. "Yeah! Champions of each Element." She pondered that for a while. "Good question - but this is a world of magic, and I'd expect no less than real living heroes! Though, whether or not they're still around is another story entirely."

"I hope they're not still around," Melonwater said morosely, gesturing with a hoof at the opposite side of the table where a horde of ugly mishappen creatures display frozen snarls or brandishes tiny stone axes. "They don't look like they want to be friends."

At that, Summer pulled a face. "Yeaaah, can we save that part for later?" She grinned. "They do NOT look like they're here to make fr- hah, yeah, jinx. Well, this place at least hasn't been looted or pillaged: we're presumably safe for now?"

Azure frowned. "No burnt timbers, but... we haven't found any valuables either. I think... this place has been abandoned a long time, we don't know why. Signs of battle might be washed away or hidden under the rubble." She fell silent, mind churning over the possibilities.

Summer scratched her head with a hoof, also thinking it over... "Yeah, I don't know why no one lives here anymore. The island looks perfectly fine to me. Conflict would make sense, but we haven't seen any battle damage so far. I think I'll have to keep mulling over this mystery..." As she did so, she suddenly realised it must be noon by now. Fascinating as this was, they'd explored less than a quarter of the island.

Nodding her head, she addressed her party. "Anyway, look, this place is super cool: definitely coming back here." Before Blue Type could object, she continued "...but we need to days to do this properly! For now, our mission is to find help, supplies, useful flora and fauna... and we have more of the island to explore." She rounded up the group, reassuring Blue Type that she could come back tomorrow and Melonwater that he'd have another chance to look at the mill. "Alright! We're continuing on, deeper into the forest. Map making done, Melonwater? Good, let's set off!"

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Nutmeg Inferno), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

This chapter covers the first half of session seven (the sheep contact scene), narrated / GMed by Ferret, with some extra material from myself & Patashu (the ruined town / Skylander altar scene).

Contact

The first expedition was underway, and those remaining on the ship, or at least the ones who could spare the time, watched the four brave ponies travel boldly across the meadow and disappear into the forest on the far side. After that exciting start, the rest of the day on the EAS Harmony proved to be long, stressful and very uneventful. Nothing emerged from beyond the bridge expedition had crossed. Some of the crew busied themselves with scurrying about the nearest section of the meadow, setting up tents and digging out a firepit. Others sat in the engineering room staring at dials, tightening bolts, oiling strained bearings and wondering if there’s anything going on outside for the 7,359th time.

Returning to sick bay entailed renewed frustration for Reef Skimmer. The purple pegasi just did not make any medical, magical or for that matter logical sense. The silver hippogriff had been at this most of the night, in between two more emergency surgeries on the still living crew, and was getting nowhere. Still too stressed to rest, he needed to get away from the stuffy air, smell of disinfectant and constant groans that filled the sick bay. Sleep had claimed Bluebell, but Winter Hope could handle the patients for a while. "Winter, look, I'm going out for a little while. I'll be on the top deck, do come get me if you have any trouble, understood?"

The unicorn nodded, understanding. "Yes doctor. See you soon." He turned back to an earth pony patient, sprawled on a cot.

Reef made his way out of the sick bay and up the central ramp, to the main deck. The larger debris had been cleared from the corridor, but signs of the ship's struggle through the storm were everywhere: broken lights, charred timbers, splintered remains of a door hanging loose where a flying rock had burst through. A few ponies were moving around, checking the damage and checking for intact supplies that might have escaped the exodus from the hold.

He headed towards the bow and ascended the final ramp, emerging from the dark, dusty interior into the bright midday sunlight. The teak deck was warm and pleasant under his claws as the hippogriff made a beeline for the port railing. Reef hadn't had a chance to really look at their new surroundings since abandoning the conn the previous day, so he took the opportunity to drink in the view. They were moored to a verdant green island covered in grass and trees, framed by much larger massings of rock further away, which were themselves surrounded by the tiny drifting shapes of even more floating land. There must have been hundreds of islands in total, just visible from this one vantage point. Unconsciously Reef let his wings unfurl and sprawl out on the deck beside him; the sickbay had been even more cramped than usual with the influx of patients, and he'd been holding them tightly folded all day and night.

The top deck was relatively untraveled, lacking debris as it had been swept clean by the storm. The hippogriff stood at the edge with the great canvas balloon hanging above him, a soft breeze full of peace and life ruffling his feathers, as beyond the ship the shining green meadow spread out in front of him. Fatigue aside, he was sorely tempted to leap off the deck and glide over the field, maybe take a dip in the inviting steam at the far side...

There was a commotion at the door to the engine room then, as a certain kirin engineer stepped blinking out into the sunlight, only to look back through the iron doorway saying, “The engine’s not gonna explode! I’ll just be a minute.”

A green haired mare with an oil-stained apron partially emerged, her voice full of concern: “Just... don’t go off into the woods or anything. We need you now more than ever.”

“You know we’re overqualified for this job,” Nutmeg said, flat-eared, “You could probably fix the whole engine yourself, Gimble. Don’t worry, I won’t... I mean, I’ll be careful.” With that, she parted from her associate, and danced eagerly across the top deck. The kirin skittered to a halt at the sight of the magnificent wings of the hippogriff stallion spread wide across the deck, looking guilty as she blushed and lifted an unsure hoof.

Reef's ear tufts flattened as he pointedly ignored the commotion of the crew behind him. He came up here to get away from things, not have another bloody meeting, and if no one was bleeding, he didn't want to deal with them right then.

Nutmeg stepped forward, then turned back, then hesitated, then just snuck around the hippogriff. She was certainly quiet on her hooves, as she hurried over to the railing. Rearing up to lean on it with maybe a small clink noise, the brown and red kirin looked off across the island they were anchored on, then down to further verdant green sky islands drifting below it. “Wow..." she murmured, tail switching behind her as she gazed over the edge. "I wonder how they stay up."

It took a couple of seconds for the question to filter through to the stallion's conscious awareness: when it did he blinked and tensed with surprise at the familiar voice. Shifting his gaze to regard the kirin sharing the view to his side, he exclaimed "Nutmeg! Fancy meeting you up here. Craving a little fresh air as well, I would think? But yes, excellent question of course. I mean the basis for pegasi settlements is well studied, but the mass ratios here..." Reef's voice trailed off as he realised he's rambling.

Nutmeg gave a mighty squeak at his sudden and enthusiastic address, jolting in place and hopping to the side to face the hippogriff on the tips of her hooves, "Fresh air! Yes! Right!" she said with a forced smile, "Just you know, getting some... fresh air. That's what I do. I don't...." Her loud claims stumbled to a halt as her face fell to curiosity, and she asked him, "Pegasi settlements? I never saw any of those. Are they flying islands, too?"

Reef looked perplexed, unable to imagine what Nutmeg might be denying doing. After a moment he explained "Well, err, not exactly. Pegasi have the ability to imbue their magic into water vapor, you see. Wing magic works a little differently from ours, some good papers on..., erm, but never mind that." He coughed, and tried to summarise "So what they do is sort of compress clouds and stop them from falling, so they can build a house or even a whole city on top."

"You can build a city, on clouds. Wow," Nutmeg said, wryly, "And I thought these things were impressive. But I mean take a look down there!" she pointed a golden hoof over the railing again. "I think this is a whole chain of islands!" she said excitedly, "I mean well obviously it's all a chain of islands up here, but it looks like the ones down there are chained together!" She regarded the distant green pillars, ropes, or chains stretching from island to island, far below the ship, their nature entirely unknown to her. "I wonder if those really are chains," she said, "But they have trees growing on them? I don't think trees can grow on chains, can they?"

Reef followed her lead, staring at the distant islands. "You know I think you're right. Those do look rather like rusty chains with something growing through the links, vines or roots perhaps." He titled his head, reflecting. "No small bit of metalworking either, somecreature around here must have industry... or did at some point."

Nutmeg squinted, and tilted her head, but eventually said, "I can't see it. Whatever it is they're covered in green stuff. I want to..." She stepped back away from the railing, her ears going down as she continued fretfully, "I want to go... down there and see. See what they are." Shaking her head, she tries to sound casual, looking aside, and remarking, "Maybe they have some old ruined forges or something, that... Summer Scribe would know more about than me. And that's why she's out there, and we stay here, right where we're needed."

Reef gave the kirin a long look. "Well, yes, indeed. Doing our jobs... like good ponies, following our cutie marks and all that. Except neither of us have cutie marks, hmm?"

"What do you mean? Ponies don't..." She paused, looking down, "Oh, huh, I guess Gearshift does have gears for his, but Gimble just has a compass rose. The firepony has three daisies I think." Lashing her tail, she blushed, meeting his eyes again, saying, "Sorry. I know I'm good at what I do." A half smile graced her face as she added, "This job is a waste of my talent, honestly. I can't miraculously get that engine good as new, but it's just an engine. I don't mind doing my job. I just wish there was something more... interesting to work on. Something to design, or take apart, or figure out."

"This assignment really was..." she sighed, looking away again, before concluding, "And I shouldn't to burden you with my personal problems. You already got enough on your hands, with all those injured ponies down there. I was lucky to be stuck in the engine room when all that went down. Safest place for a hundred miles from here, for me at least."

Was that a sympathetic look? Bird faces were still hard to read, for mammals at least. The hippogriff had raised his wings off the deck, holding them half-spread to his sides. "Hmm. Were you not... I mean, I just assumed, did you not refit the ship, convert it for the expedition I mean? Build that storm device on the front?"

A surprised laugh escaped the fluffy kirin, as she said, "Are you kidding? That's top secret military research! They didn't even let me look at the schematic! Though it's obviously some kind of antigrounding attractor framework. Looks like they worked backwards from kinetic energy in the air to make a kind of giant antenna that you could charge with the thaumoelectric effect to..." Nutmeg seems to realise something then, and her voice trailed off to silence, before continuing in a whisper, "Uh, hey could you not mention that I might have reverse engineered top secret military research? I'm only supposed to be here to keep the engine running."

This was proving to be a confusing conversation for the hippogriff. "I... see. Well, have no fear my dear, you can consider my beak sealed. And it's quite all right, nice to hear about someone else's problems for once, and it's not as if we have a psychiatrist on staff." Pausing for a moment, he fixed Nutmeg with another of his piercing stares. "Though I must ask... if you didn't build the ship and you don't find running the engine room terribly satisfying... why are you here?"

"It's a long story," Nutmeg replied with a roll of her eyes, "Long story short, didn't read the fine print signing the contract. I thought this ship was gonna be on a trade route, where we could've set up shop in Klugetown. It was top secret until recently, this sky island ruins exploration business, with the whole Storm Piercer device being seriously hush hush. Plus uh... well, let's just say there are some creatures in high places who might want to... get me out of the way, for... various stupid reasons. I can't name names, but... you know, every door starts closing for you, until you don't have any other options, and nobody's admitting they're all working together against you?"

A familiar but still eerie aura traced up her oddly shaped horn as she stomped in frustration. "Nothing I can do about it now though," she growled, before her mood quickly cooled. "It's just rotten politics in the industry. Could've been worse I suppose."

Reef tilted his head, considering, then looked away. "That does sound... unfortunate. Not that we didn't have politics in the Navy, but just about who got the plum assignments, who got promoted first..." He looked back at Nutmeg. "If you did your duty, didn't screw up, then your course was set for life. Not many options really, especially if your family... well, tradition and all that."

She tilted an ear at that, looking up at Reef again and asking, "You didn't get... railroaded here too, did you? I don't know much about family, but I hear for ponies it's like the village sometimes, with everyone in a family just living for the group. That's one reason I left. I guess you didn't though? At least not officially. You uh... you'd rather be working at a big, fancy hospital, I guess? Ponies have these huge buildings called hospitals with a ton of doctors and healers and stuff."

"Oh no, not at all." Reef said, in a surprised tone. "To be entirely honest, becoming a surgeon..." He paused for a moment, considering his choice of words. "...it was the best... compromise I could find. You see, my father was very insistent I should join the Navy, serve the Queen, uphold the family honour... while I, well, I spent my childhood filling our house particularly interesting sea urchins. Heh." The hippogriff paused, remembering those early years spent under the ocean. "Naturalist was... out of the question, for a nation at war, so he said. Medical school, training as a ship's surgeon, well, it was... the closest I could get." Reef ducked his head, suddenly intent on studying the deck planks. "But you probably don't want to hear about that."

"No, no it's fine," Nutmeg said, wide-eyed, "I know a lot of... well, kirin like that. But there was a lot of room for them to do it anyway, since we were nothing but naturalists just a while ago. Would you be any good with it? They were saying the biologist on the expedition was... lost in the storm. Not sure why a biologist would be needed for studying old ruins, but..." she waved a hoof at the verdant greenery adjacent to the ship, "There's a heck a lotta biology out there." Snickering, she continued, "It'd be funny if they came back and needed somebody to study some weird animal or plant or something. You might just get dragged along with!"

"Oh most certainly, that's why I applied for the position." Reef said with enthusiasm. The hippogriff gave a little flap, creating a downdraft that ruffled the kirin's mane, before loosely refolding his wings. "In truth, I was lucky the Queen was pushing the Admiralty to do more with the officer exchange program, otherwise my old Captain would never have released me..." he said, a little more seriously, "but... yes, that's why I am here. It's a whole new biome, multiple biomes even, and that's without the strange magic which no doubt means..." His voice trailed off and he frowned. "Of course, I wasn't counting on having half the crew injured and medically impossible purple pegasi to confound me."

"Well, you know, I might have some uh... notes that I might have taken on the uh... Storm Piercer," the little kirin said hesitantly, "Just in my spare time. It actually looks like it could get into the gigathaums, if the electricity... well I mean maybe we could compare notes sometime? I don't think I ever heard about anything getting exposed to as much magic as those pegasi would've gotten hit with, if it grounded on them somehow. Then again I haven't been around the world all that much, so maybe they have that up in those cloud cities."

"Hmm, you don't say." Reef said, considering, before the intensity returned to his gaze: "You know that might well help with this zombie pony business. No pulse, no breathing, yet not just moving around, fully verbal! Complaining quite a bit in fact. So, if you wouldn't mind... perhaps we could take a look now? If you aren't in the middle of something? Although, I may need you to explain the mechanical parts." he finished, looking down at the deck again.

"Pff, zombie ponies," she laughed, "I'm sure there's a sensible explanation for all this. Don't worry, it's right in the engine room, and my team's got this rig well under control anyway. C'mon, let me show you what I got!" And so tugging on his birdlike foreleg to follow her, Nutmeg lead Reef Skimmer to a tiny little private room around behind the engine, labelled 'Chief Engineer's Office'. The kirin wasted no time in sharing her most intimate and forbidden secrets with the hippogriff doctor. And as luck would have it, some of it even made sense!

All attempts to communicate with any inhabitants on the islands had failed, whether by magical broadcast, or rocket post. Long range mana-sonar mapping had mostly been swallowed by the storm wall; a few blurry but enchanting images had been gleaned, of the dilapidated ruins of a strange civilization unknown to ponykind. It was stated that nothing looked like a building in which creatures would still live, and repeated observations over the years had revealed no changes to the ruins, suggesting an abandoned land. With the life all around here and something clearly maintaining the bridges and paths, that assurance seemed more and more shaky. So everypony kept a sharp eye out for movement, be it eyes glimmering with the spark of intelligence, or intact buildings that might be hidden in the woods.

Following the path out of the village had led to another fork: Summer Scribe had chosen the right path, which had taken them over another well-kept bridge and finally to the overgrown remains of a quarry. Melonwater had been in his element, pointing out one mineral strata after another, commenting on the discarded tools and speculating about mining techniques. Even he had been stumped by the huge cubes that were scattered about the place, carefully carved with giant, flattened faces and serving no apparent purpose. Summer had finally pried him away from the site, much to the relief of Azure and Blue Type, and headed back to explore the remaining path.

Perhaps, after so much trotting back and forth, fatigue was setting in; that or complacency as the ponies became accustomed to the strange surroundings. In any case, one second the four ponies were making their way down the path, the next Summer Scribe and Blue Type had dropped off the face of the earth. Vanishing in front of Azure and Melonwater, the spine chilling shock was relieved by their sharp cries of alarm from below, and immediately replaced with worry for their safety. As the two remaining ponies hurried to the edge of the sudden dropoff in the trail, the ones who slid down into it were already standing up and brushing each other off, seemingly unharmed.

"Alright, I bet we'll be stumbling across the natives any moment noowAAiIieEEE!" Summer Scribe's triumphant spiel turned into a cry of fright, as she plummeted to her demise! ...Or rather falling face first with an oof, and stumbling to her hooves. Ok, demise postponed for now. She nursed her forehead as she swiftly assessed her surroundings: didn't really look like an intentional trap which probably means... she didn't get outsmarted, she just wasn't paying attention. Gah, typical!

Azure cried out as Summer suddenly disappeared down into the pit after wandering a little too far ahead... the unicorn's eyes clearly showing worry as galloped to the verge and stared down... She found herself on the edge of a steep dropoff into a very large dirt pit taking a bite out of perhaps 20 meters of the trail and the surrounding forest to either side. 'Bloody hell', she thought 'I just had to fail my first real test as a guard, didn't I?!' Urgh... she spread her wings, preparing to fly down and offer assistance.

It was a broad, round, flat pit with steep walls, a packed dirt floor untouched by the greenery all around the area, that Summer and Blue find themselves in. Totally empty of anything else, at least until something jumped into the pit from the surrounding undergrowth. The newcomer was a small, goofy-looking green creature, which proceeded to run around aimlessly, its two prominent eyestalks apparently not very observant.

Summer had been starting to piece together how she'll climb out, when they were paid visitor by an unexpected, not to mention novel, guest! Her horn reflexively flares up with magical energy as she turned her body to keep watching it at all times. "What is THIS?... It doesn't seem hostile. I think? But what is it trying to do, then? Umm... Hello, we mean no harm, critter?" she ventured. The creature didn't seem to notice. Summer Scribe side-eyed towards Blue Type, to see if her companion has any observations to make. Azure would doubtless catch up soon, so they probably weren't in TOO much danger. Just had to be careful!

Concentrating on her friends down in the hole, Azure hadn't spotted the creature until it was already falling into the pit. Her head snapped up as she desperately scanned the bushes, looking for further hostiles. Finding none, she lit her horn, mentally preparing to blast the critter if things don't go well. Her two charges seemed no worse for wear on the floor below, but she readied herself for anything as Summer once again attempted diplomatic negotiations, with something far too weird to trust to be diplomatic. She turned to Melonwater "I'm going down; you stay here. If the worst happens... we're counting on you to get help from the ship."

The little dopey green creature turned toward Summer Scribe as she spoke, paused for a few seconds, then immediately made a beeline for the unicorn. Blue Type shies away, and Summer scrambles back, but you know... steep wall behind her and all. Sensing impending disaster, Azure closed her wings and dropped down into the pit in front of Summer, horn aglow, glaring at the creature while snarling “That’s far enou-” before it sprang forward with surprising speed, opened up a big mouth full of sharp teeth, and latched onto Azure’s face.

Summer Scribe yeeped! as the cute little thing went wild and attacked Azure; it seemed you can't trust anything around here! After a few moments to process what was going on, she sprang into action: racing towards Azure, her own horn aglow, to try and tug at the critter with telekinesis and help Azure get it off! Her intervention came too late however...

That was about the last thing Azure had expected... but this wasn't her first battle either. The creature was about to learn that leaping onto a unicorn's face, who'd already got her magic charged, was generally not a good idea. Unable to see Summer's attempts to peacefully tug the thing off, Azure Feather's reaction was rather less peaceful, instead choosing to give the creature a nasty magical shock.

The creature immediately exploded into a rain of sticky chunks, splattering all over Azure’s snout which was already starting to bleed from the thorn-like teeth stuck into her skin. She tried to wipe the mess from her eyes with a foreleg. Strangely it tasted vaguely of banana.

“Oh, oh Celestia I’m sorry!” Summer said, not quite understanding what occurred, getting in Azure’s face, “You’re bleeding! Are you o—” and that’s when Blue Type shrieked. Summer whirls apart from Azure to follow the earth pony's gaze, where two more of those green creatures had leapt into the pit and are already headed their way.

“What? What is it?!” Azure shouted, still trying to clean her eyes out.

"Two more! Get ready to blast, close range!" Summer Scribe replied. She had an idea: after they leap into the air, they're unlikely to be able to change their trajectory, so she'd just go for the old bait and dodge strategy! Summer held her ground, just ahead of Azure to make sure she's the juiciest target; her horn cracked with energy as she charged up a spell. She fired a quick magical blast at the more distant one, and was filled with warm confidence as it instantly popped, oozing goo as it sinks like a deflating balloon. The nearest one was already moving to strike; Summer let it get into range, tensing her legs to leap to the side and roll back onto her hooves. It would miss and be perfectly lined up for Azure's blast!

Meanwhile Azure was grumbling, still trying to clear her sight as she furiously rubbed at her eyes. "Can't see a blasted thing here! Give me a minute!" she cried out, stumbling back as she completely failed to notice Summer's setup...

The critter leapt forward. “Now! Blast it!” Summer shouted triumphantly.. before jerking back reflexively as it goes for her face, instead of dodged right as she'd planned. She tried to recover, but only manages to turn her head enough for it to latch onto the flesh of her thick neck. And of course her supple rear having not moved an inch, is still blocking Azure's shot with her own magical beam of destruction.

"Oww! Shoot! Aah! Nerves!" Summer Scribe panicked as her strategy went south fast. The shock of the direct clamping and nomming down made her spin on the spot, hooves awkwardly stumbling as she couldn't get a moment to calmly reassess the situation. There was no telling what sight would greet Azure once her vision cleared: a complete botch, it seemed! Someone was screaming; she couldn't see but it must be Blue Type, still pressed against the wall.

Azure's sight finally cleared... only to see Summer starting to panic with... oh, by Celestia... the creature was latched onto her neck! "Summer, stop moving for a moment! I got you covered, just... I don't want to zap you!" Carefully channelling a less-intense blast to ensure she doesn't hurt her friend, Azure tried to draw a bead on the creature despite the now frantically bucking pony it was attached to.

The bad news was that Azure’s blast missed the creature. The good news was that it hit Summer’s neck close enough that the violent jolt made the creature let go. Summer crashed down on her side, merely dazed and twitching, while Blue Type shakily took a step forward, wincing before stomping down hard on the twitching green beast, bringing her hoof down again and again until it’s reduced to green mush. Beyond the earth mare, four more of the green creatures jump down into the pit and head directly for the ponies.

Azure bit her lip as she zapped Summer instead of the intended target: argh! She had one job, for goodness' sakes! A good showing from Blue Type, but then four more of the darn creatures made their presence known... okay...

Summer's legs twitched and shuddered as she tried, with great difficulty, to pull herself to her hooves. "Yaaah! Unnh..." she saw four more critters coming out of the edge of her vision, and reflexively winced. "Thanks for the save, Azure; I panicked. Can you take on *four* of these bitey things, or can you evacuate us?" She wearily stumbled onto her hooves and shook out.

"Evacuate, no. I'm not that good yet... all I can do is give you two wings and we can fly out... I think..." Azure grumbled.'...if it doesn't leave me unconscious' she thought. She should have spent more time learning combat magic, and less on her flying fantasies....

The three ponies huddled together, butts against the wall as their four enemies advance. A beam of magic lances out from Azure's horn, blasting one of the beasts into chunky salsa, only for two more of the creatures jump down. Just when it looks like they might be overwhelmed by the horde, a rock comes sailing from above, splatting another of the creatures. At that moment, a thick tendril flops down on Azure’s back. Turning in a panic to face the new foe, she sees it’s just a vine, hanging down the side of the pit. “Climb up!” comes a stallion's voice: Melonwater from beyond the edge of the pit. “It’s secured!” he shouts. Another substantial rock comes flying down: it lands between two of the creatures, leaving them intact but stunned.

Summer Scribe beamed up towards Melonwater: they were saved! "Thanks! Blue Type, you go first!" After all, it was impolite to let your coworkers get mauled - or chomped in this case - behind you! Of the three of them Azure was best placed to defend herself, and could just fly out once the two of them were clear; Summer would take the vine second and take potshots at any approaching chompers. How humiliating to be brought to their knees by these toothy little monsters; but an important lesson to learn: they couldn't slack off for a moment in this strange and dangerous new land!

Melonwater with a big save... Azure sighed as she watched both Blue Type and then Summer clamber to safety, vine in their teeth and Melonwater hauling from above. The creatures kept coming, throwing themselves at the ponies. Adrenalin pumping now, Azure blasted four in quick succession, but one made it through to bite Summer's foreleg; the smaller unicorn had to smash it against the wall of the pit. Another flanked Azure and bit down on a hindleg; she grunted with pain and vaporised it with another lance of magic. Her horn was warm, almost painfully hot... suddenly Azure realised that everypony was clear and there was nothing stopping her flying out of this hellhole.

A few quick flaps brought Azure up and out of the pit, landing heavily next to the others. Injuring her teammates and herself in the first outing: beautiful, just beautiful, she thought. Urgh.

“Well that—” she said unhappily, cutting off at a sudden pain in her ass. It seemed one of the creatures had decided to take a ride up out of the pit; in the fog of pain and anger she hadn't even noticed it latch on. Taking care to blow the thing off of her, rather than blow it up, its smoking remains went sailing back into the pit from which it came. The four ponies crowded together at the edge, watching the five remaining green creatures now ambling aimlessly around below. No more of them appear from the bushes, but the ones already down there don’t seem to be up and disappearing just yet.

With a bleeding muzzle, ear, leg, shoulder, and rear end, Azure had taken the worst of it. She didn’t have a neck wound, at least. Still in an adrenalin fuelled daze, Summer didn’t seem to notice her own wound still trickling blood down to her shoulder. Blue Type had a bite on her chest and foreleg, and... that’s about it actually. Melonwater got off with a minor scrape from rushing around to sever and tie off the vine, not to mention hurling sizable rocks. In summary the party was in a bad way, and though the path continued beyond the pit, the undergrowth grew thickly all around it. Further exploration was out of the question until they could regroup and find another way; or deal with this menace for good.

Summer Scribe carefully watched to make sure no more hostiles are incoming... and then took inventory of their wounds. Wincing, she addressed Azure, "You're looking really real messed up. I think Reef Skimmer will want to tend to your injuries." Blue Type and Melonwater seemed ok, at least. But... Oh goodness, is that blood? Summer hadn't even noticed that her own injuries were pretty serious as well. She winced, and assessed their meagre stock of first aid supplies: not enough bandages for every wound.

Azure sighed. "Nothing broken though, except for my ego. Don't worry... been through a lot worse than this." She shook her head. "I'm going to be honest, I'm more upset that I got you two injured. We'd best head back to the ship: there's no telling how many more hostiles are here, and we need to get our wounds cleaned and stitched, before they fester..."

Summer begrudgingly accepted Blue Type's pleading that she should have her own wound bandaged, allowing it before tending to Azure as best she could. "Yeah, we need to head back, right now: we're in no condition to last another fight like this, and these wounds are only going to get worse without proper attention." This was already a bad note to end their first expedition on, no sense making it worse.

The time spent trekking back to the ship was sombre, but a certain sense of relief prevailed once everypony had calmed down. They were all still accounted for, and nothing truly disastrous had happened. Aid was not yet procured, but many things had been learned about this new world. Returning in late afternoon, they found the crew had set up a small camp in the meadow next to the ship, with tents and a fire pit dug out.

As the battered ponies reach the gangplank, they see the ship’s doctor sitting contemplatively on deck with that engineer kirin, the one who kept the engine running through the storm. The pair are dismayed at the condition of the bold explorers: she backs away with a sheepish smile and one two-fingered hoof raised, as the doctor makes it clear there is no time for pleasantries. There are wounds that need cleaning, injuries that need to be assessed, bandages that need to be applied, and then maybe tales can be told that night, over the very first campfire in this strange place.

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Nutmeg Inferno), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

This chapter covers the second half of session seven (the chompy battle scene), narrated / GMed by Ferret, plus a 1:1 with myself and Ferret (Nutmeg and Reef taking in the view). Super-dynamic illustration by ValyceNegative.

Regrouping

Two days after the crossing, the sickbay of the EAS Harmony was still a sorry sight. Creatures lay in cots with splinted legs and bandaged burns, while the shelves were increasingly bare of bandages and disinfectant. Some lay quietly, with shaved strips of fur and stitches, but their chests still rise and fall. The four whose chests no longer rose or fell had been discharged, and were helping set up base camp in the field outside, while creeping out most of their crewmates.

Though things looked bad, every pony, griffon and dog was aware that it could be a lot worse, and they all know of a hippogriff stallion working tirelessly to keep it that way. He had spent the last two days splinting, draining and stitching with the confidence of a true healer. Groans of complaints rather than agony pierce the silence, and in general the downed crew members have little to do but talk with each other. Two conscripted nurses moved along the beds; a slim white unicorn stallion named Winter Hope, and a brawny blue pegasus mare known as Bluebell; each checking injuries and doing what they can to help.

Into this scene came Doctor Reef Skimmer, busily herding yet more injured ponies. Azure Feather immediately stumbled to the one empty cot and collapsed: the blue unicorn was utterly exhausted. Her fellow unicorn Summer Scribe was tempted to follow Azure's example, but the only remaining option was the floor and she didn't want to get in the way. Trailing behind was an earth pony mare who looked in much better shape, a historian named Blue Type, and a short stallion named Melonwater in need of just an adhesive bandage for his single scrape.

"Substantial lacerations on the left foreleg and rump... will definitely need stitches... perforated ear, punctured cheek... we'll need to get you into the surgery room." Reef said firmly to Azure. As she began to struggle back to her hooves he placed an avian claw on her shoulder and clarified "There there, no need to get up." He turned to the pegasus nurse, who was by now quite used to the procedure: each lifted one end of the cot with their wings and between them they began to maneuverer it into the side room.

The best thing that could have been said about Azure's condition is that it could have been a lot worse. The worst thing? Listening to the doctor's speech... well. It could have been a lot better, too, as she closed her eyes and grumbled something incomprehensible that may or may not have resembled the word 'careless'. Surgery? Surgery in her first job of guarding any creature in this extended mission?! "Onto the operating table, I'm guessing? I know more or less what to do, this isn't my first time in one of these..."

Opening her eyes again, she saw a giant eagle's face hovering over her; the apparition opened its beak and asked "How do you feel? You may have lost a significant amount of blood... and I see you don't have wings any more? Gone entirely... is that supposed to happen?"

Azure's face showed a moment of frustration as the severity of her injuries... her failure... was confirmed, but it faded as the doctor directly addressed her. "I've felt a lot worse, Doctor... felt a lot better, too, but..." Another frustrated and defeated grunt escaped her to conclude the point. And then the wings... oh, she's explained this one dozens of times. "The wings are a result of a spell, Doctor. I'm hurt and by the looks of things headed for surgery... this isn't the time to fly. Or put on a show." Her voice quieted substantially as she concluded. "...or anything for that matter, looks like..."

Summer Scribe's wasn't the kind to complain and mope over injuries, at least not of the kind she'd just suffered: she'd had worse, she'd recovered before and she was wasn't going to let this slow her down. That said, she did find herself fretting and worrying about Azure. The winged unicorn had taken quite the beating... well, chomping back there, and without anything else to do or even conscious thought, Summer found herself following Azure into the side room. Once she realised she was inside, her ears perked and she looked a bit bashful. "Is it ok if I watch? I promise I'll be quiet; I'm just worried."

Reef Skimmer did not acknowledge this: he had placed his claws under Azure's form and was gently transferring her onto the operating table, while Bluebell held the cot steady. His claw lingered on her flank for a moment, after which he turned to address his assistant: "Thank you Bluebell, if you could clean her wounds please, I'll handle the closure. Breathing ok, alert... but check her core temperature, would you."

"Whatever you say, Doctor Reef" the part-time nurse replied, moving to the shelves to find the necessary supplies.

Shifting his gaze back to Azure, the hippogriff said in what he hoped was a pleasant, reassuring voice. "Well, that's good: a spell eh. Fascinating stuff, unicorn magic, you must tell me all about it some time. Now see here, you're going to be fine, won't take a jiffy to fix you up, Bluebell here just needs to get you cleaned up and then we'll stitch those wounds right up."

Azure had been staring at the metal grid floor with an unhappy expression, waiting for the sting of the disinfectant. The bedside patter did have some effect: at the mention of telling the doctor all about wing magic, she managed a hoarse chuckle. "Sure. Will do when we get some free time... when I'm back on my hooves." 'Got to keep my spirits up', she thought...

With that done the griff stallion rounded on the smaller unicorn, his wings half-spread and blocking Summer's view of the examination table. "You... Miss Sarsaparilla isn't it? Or should I say Senior Researcher Sarsaparilla?" Reef caught himself and closed his eyes, before asking in a slightly less annoyed tone "What happened out there? Those look like bite marks... sizeable ones, at that. If so your friend is lucky teeth that size didn't do more damage... individually that is, alas they've made up for that in quantity."

On hearing the new nickname, Summer Scribe flattened her ears; but chose not to object, feeling that her facial expression said it all. She didn't want to get into an argument right now, and besides, everyone knows HER name! Instead she said "We ran into some trouble while exploring into the forest, sir. We got cornered at the bottom of a ditch by these indigenous lifeforms..."

Rearing onto her hind legs for a moment, she made a 'chomp chomp' gesture with her hooves. "Green, eyeballs on stalks, smaller than a pony, but more teeth than anything else... I guess you could call them 'chompers'... because it seems like they've only got one tactic: lunging, and chomping... but they ambushed and outnumbered us, so we had to retreat and tend to our wounds." She was still upset about her earlier fumble: that was the easiest dodge in the world, and her legs just seized up! She shouldn't be making mistakes like this on good spirits! Again, the look on her face told it all, or so she felt.

Reef cocked his head, considering Summer's words. "Ambush predators? Eyeballs on stalks? Hmm, did they look like insects, or reptilian or mammalian? Carapace, scales or fur, I mean to say. Venom definitely a possibility in the former two cases..."

At this point an excited stallion pushed his way into the conversation, saying "They somehow dug this huge pit, right in the middle of the road! Or... something did at any rate. Something big! They dug out all the topsoil, they must've, but it was still dirt down there, not rock! Are these islands dirt all the way down?" He blinked, then blushed, before adding "Eh-heh... and they caught us in there. Well, not me. I managed to throw in a vine, but... if I hadn't been up there, we might've..." He stopped talking and stared off into space, as if he just realised what a close call it had been.

"Uh, yeah, thanks again Melonwater. So... the critters, well they're..." Summer Scribe paused; what were they? "Well, they have, umm..." She made an uncertain gesture with one hoof, trying to visualise one, her memory coming up with chaotic flashes of alien eyes, flailing stumpy legs and impossibly wide mouths, filled with too many needle-like teeth to count. "...They're green? Two legs, spikey little arms? They honestly don't seem to have much in the way of endo or exoskeleton. ... Just teeth." She shivered. "...but they weren't exactly gelatinous either, so... They might be plant based, if I were to hazard a guess?"

"Plants with eyes and teeth?" Reef said, snorting as if offended by the concept. "Unprecedented, although... there are certain hybrids in southern Equestria, which while not technically plants, do possess... erm, never mind that now." He refocused his eagle eyes on the unicorn in front of him. "So... you fell into a pit? In the middle of the road?" Reef sounded sceptical, as if thinking 'why would anypony just walk into a pit'. "But you were able to walk back? No broken bones, torn muscles or sprained ankles?"

Summer Scribe scrunched her nose, looking a bit worried by that possibility as well. But what else could it be? She just nodded along with the doctor's musings, before the conversation continued. "Yeah, l guess... visibility was poor, and we blundered right into it: tumbled down the side, but it was too steep to easily escape from." She indicated the slope and depth with a hoof as she spoke. "So... yeah! Me and Blue Type took the fall surprisingly well, so we can be thankful for that part. No plans to walk into any more pits from now on!"

"We're not that clueless, honest." Melonwater grumbled.

Reef looked away. "Well then, good... it seems things could have gone much worse, as your young friend said. As full as we are in here, hardly want to deal with more life-threatening injuries." He turned back to Summer, continuing in a more apologetic "Look... Summer Scribe, why don't you take this cot here..." he gestured with a wing at the now-empty bed Azure had been occupying, "Nurse Bluebell can take a look at your bites while I attend to..." Reef blushed and coughed in embarrassment as he realised in all the commotion he still hadn't gotten the other unicorn's name. He continued in a quieter tone: "...the magic-winged mare..."

At the cough, Summer Scribe quietly elides in '...Azure Feather...', with a wry smile on her face.

The hippogriff looked grateful, and perhaps a slightly surprised "...Indeed, and you can tell me what else you found out there?"

Summer nod nodded in agreement! "I'm thankful we all made it back in one piece!" She clambered onto the cot and it wasn't until she was lying down that she realised how much her legs hurt, not to mention her muzzle. Those teeth had sunk deep! She didn't mind being deprioritised though, Azure's need was greater. As she waited for her turn with the nurse, she started going down her mental checklist.

"So like, I'll start with the biggest ones: there's a derelict village here, but it's DEFINITELY not for the Sheep, and there's no extant inhabitants that I can see. The occupants might have even been bipeds? More investigation required... particularly of that shrine or whatever it was, definitely important to their culture, and traces of magic as well!" Summer smiled, visualising the details already looking forward to the follow-up visit.

"Hmm, indeed, interesting, interesting..." Reef said, half-listening to Summer's chatter. He checked over the blue unicorn, now lying on her side on the surgical table, before nodding approvingly at the nurse. "Thank you Bluebell, now if you could take a look at Miss Scribe over there, I'll take it from here."

"Oh, and another weird thing: Melonwater pointed out that the bridge leading to the forest is made of granite, but this island doesn't HAVE a layer of igneous rock..." she continued, starting to ramble, "...so it must have come from a different island. There's even a quarry here, and you'll never guess what's mined here; it's marble, by the way; so why not build it out of local resources? Also, there were these weird 2 by 2 metre blocks of solid stone in the quarry, easy to push along particular grooves but solid as a rock otherwise - might be prototypes of a puzzle mechanism? And did you ever think about the fact there's apparently a full water cycle just on this tiny island..."

"Mmm, quite fascinating to be sure..." Reef said, not exactly paying attention but not wanting to discourage Summer. Looking at his patient, the hippogriff asked "Azure, you're holding up well, thank you. Now, I have to ask, would accept a pain-numbing casting rather than a local anaesthetic? I must warn you, it isn't quite as effective, but, erm, we need to conserve supplies... for the most serious cases."

Summer Scribe grinned, pleased that someone listened to her rambling! She wasn't sure if the doctor was genuinely interested or just humouring her, but chose to assume the former. The unicorn showed Bluebell her wounds and accepted the stings of the disinfectant sponge, satisfied for the time being.

"So a pain-killer instead of an anaesthetic?" Azure replied. "It's probably going to sting less than those biters, and if it doesn't, it has to hurt before it can heal. I can take it, Doctor, I get your point. Go for it." Azure had barely listened to the conversation, more focused on her situation and performance in the pit, trying to analyse what had happened and work out how to avoid a repeat of this situation, but it appears she's not fully absorbed in her thoughts.

"Quite so... very good." Reef said, appreciating a patient made of sterner stuff than most of the ponies he'd treated. The griff ducked out of the room to fetch Winter Hope, who'd fortunately... or unfortunately... been getting a lot of practice with his pain-numbing casting recently.

The unicorn did his best, but the stiching was still a stinging pain, almost worse than the bites of the chompers since Azure didn't have to anticipate those. Winter Hope's pain-numbing spell mostly keeps her from twitching, even if the horn of a skilled unicorn would be much more effective at dulling the pain. Winter was better at hauling rope though, so the surgery was a pretty harrowing experience. Now with annoyingly chilly bald patches in her fur, Azure was too exhausted to do much other than gripe about a blanket, before drifting off. Summer Scribe, Blue Type and Melonwater would have a much easier sleep, though Summer did have to assure the doctor that fresh bandages were sufficient, and she didn't need stitches.

It was a more select group than before that met in the mess that evening; perhaps half the remaining crew, with Azure Feather noticeably absent and Reef Skimmer still missing a great deal of sleep. "Now I know a lot of you are wondering," Set Sail began, "why the expedition team came back limping and bloody. We might be up against... some stuff that's nastier than sheep. I'll uh... I'll let Dr. Scribe relay what she discovered on the expedition, and how it uh... ended."

Summer proceeded to give a full account of her team's adventure; the story of their initial explorations was greeted with enthusiasm, but expressions shifted to shock and then horror as she described the pit and the creatures that attacked them.

"...Anypony?" Set Sail asked desperately, looking around, "Does anypony have any idea what we are going to do about this? A pit full of little green monsters, not an hour's trot away from here! I know we were here to find ruins, but if all we can find are ruins and monsters...!" She stomped the deck with a frustrated snort.

"Sorry... I just don't know what to do if our expedition teams aren't gonna be able to deal with those green things, or any more of the nasty critters in this place. We had a creature expert, and they fell right outta the ship. I can't even tell the difference between a chipmunk and a squirrel, and I don't think there's anypony who does. But they almost didn't... make it... back. I don't want to send out another team, if they're not gonna make it back."

Reef took a step forward, claws spread out on the deck. He stared into space for a moment, gathering his thoughts, before saying "Certainly a better understanding of the local fauna would be of use. I... might be able to assist in that area. That said..." he fixed Summer with a steady gaze "...that does not strike me as the most pressing problem here. No, I do believe this is a question of protocol. You see, back in the Queen's Navy, the regulations covering shore parties and unknown terrain were quite specific, and quite extensive..."

Not seeing many, or indeed any nodes of approval, the griff changed tack slightly "Not that one has to stand on regulation all the time, but surely a basic protocol would apply? Overflight to assess the lay of the land before embarking, two griffs armed with wing swords, in the air at all times keeping eyes on the ground party, signal flares in case aid is needed from the ship, and all that? Not that it was my area of expertise, but surely... you ponies have something similar... ?" his voice trailed off.

Blinking, Set Sail asked, "Overflight over the jungle? What for?" Looking left and right, she called out, "Anypony here have wing blades?" A couple of heads shook; the only possible candidate was the pegasus security officer, but she'd been crushed by a boulder in the crossing, and was currently in the sick bay, newly turned purple and inexplicably still animate. "How about signal flares?" the Captain hollered instead.

"One box in the captain's quarters," the male griffon called back.

"Right, there would be there," Set Sail winced. Ears going down, she said with a sigh to Reef, "Signal flares are a good idea... honestly I thought either Doctor Scribe or the security officer would be able to send out a flare with their y'know... horn thingy. Sorry, the captain knew all about all that procedure. I uh... yeah. Wait did you say you understand the local fauna?"

Morning dawned on the expedition's third day in the Cloudbreaks, and once more a circle of crewmates of various sorts could be found gathered on the upper deck of the moored airship. Those sailing the ship, setting up a base camp, working on the engine, and walking off their injuries have come to learn what the expedition's next step will be. The third mate, now captain; a brown pegasus mare with a blue mane and a green bandanna; stepped forward to speak.

A very grumpy looking Reef Skimmer tried not to grind his beak, as Set Sail explained eagerly, "And Reef Skimmer here is not only a doctor, he's an expert on all sorts of creatures and plants! He volunteered, well basically volunteered, to accompany the expedition so we don't get waylaid by strange... thingies like that anymore. Winter Hope and Bluebell said they can take care of everypony still injured back here at the ship, so there's no reason not to send him. And get this, he has a pair of honest to gosh wing blades, so he can even defend himself!"

The grey hippogriff frowned at that, but didn't interrupt, as the mare continued: "So he'll be in the group of our toughest ponies, going to try and deal with that chomping menace out there," the green capped mare continues, "Another team led by uh, Summer Scribe will be doing their... thing in that ruined village. You wanna tell us uh, what exactly you're doing there, Summer?"

Summer Scribe beamed proudly. Messing around with bitey green critters in a dark forest has turned out to not be as exciting as advertised; finally, she'll get a chance to do some REAL scientific work! "Of course! This is our first treasure trove of indigenous species history: an entire village to ourselves! We'll be doing digs, cataloguing items of historical note, figuring out the local architecture, seeing if we can piece together the language. We'll learn everything we can about who lived on this island!" She picked her head up, beaming: this felt joyous! "And everypony who's ready and able to put in the work will be chipping in! While Reef Skimmer and company will be working on our... Chomper problem." She nodded back at Set Sail, a look of relief on her face!

Reef Skimmer looked troubled, possibly even embarrassed. "Well, one will do what one can, of course... though there may be no remedy other than to avoid the general habitat of the beasts..." Realising that he might be talking himself out of an excuse to get off the ship, he blinked and finished in a more jovial tone "...but eager to take a look of course, terribly exciting, new form of life, happy to help, when do we set off?" The hippogriff fluffed and fidgeted his wings, staring over Summer Scribe and Set Sail's heads.

“Right, okay,” Set Sail said to Summer Scribe in vague comprehension, “Anyway, the ponies going to that monster pit are Reef Ski—” Set Sail blushed, and glanced at the proudly fluffing hippogriff, “The creatures going to that monster pit are Reef Skimmer, Grenelda, and Cloud Cutter, who uh...” she looked with unease at the glassy eyed purple pegasus, “...says she’s fine, and she’s a red belt in wing-fu.”

Cloud Cutter smiled at that... spookily.

Azure Feather had been listening carefully, having made her way up from the lower deck at a slower and more painful pace than usual, still sporting the bevy of the bandages she'd received in the sick bay. "Time for the next mission already? I'm not 100%, but I can walk and stand guard at the very least." Still not sporting the wings that she's usually been seen with, she looked over her shoulder at the spot where the wings should be, before looking to the rest of the ponies. "Need a guard with some creature?" she asked, not sounding entirely sure of herself, but enough to risk going out again.

Set Sail looked thoughtfully at Azure standing there, mostly hale and whole it seemed, give or take a few cuts and bandages. After a quick assessment she asked, “Are you sure Azure? You totally... I mean, we don’t have many unicorns, and you’re the only one trained in those horn... lasery things. But I don’t want you to hurt yourself just for us to go look at the monster pit maybe.”

Reef frowned again, his gaze passing over Azure's wounds, checking no sutures have come out. Hearing Set Sail's words, he nods approvingly to her. "Quite right..." there is a pause as he tries and fails to remember the third mate's name.

Azure turned to Set Sail, reluctant to admit that she might not be able to do her job. "Look. I got injured before, yes, but I can walk, and I'm..." There was a slight hesitation there. "I'm rested. I'll be fine, I can't#"

The doctor cut her off. "Now see here... Azure, that's very noble of you and... I know your magic is our surest defence against many a threat. You really can't hazard another wildlife attack though, a few more bites and those stiches might be liable to tear right out."

Judging by her wince mid-way through Reef Skimmer's first sentence, there was no way Azure was at 100%, and by the end, she was noticeably slumping. "On the other hoof, Doctor, if you get injured, we're going to be in a heck of a worse situation than we are right now. This place isn't safe, and the last thing we need is our doctor to be injured, or worse." Another pause as she tested her right forehoof before continuing with a bit of a sigh. "But if you truly think we're better off with me staying here and recovering, then I won't argue."

Reef Skimmer stared at Azure, cocking his head, before saying in a conciliatory tone "My dear pony I can't count the number of sailors who ignored my advice to stay in their cots, because they put their duty first. I'm not your commanding officer, I can't order you around. My... advice is just... try not to be on the front line this time? Magical support from the rear and all that, isn't it how unicorn tactics go anyway?"

Summer Scribe was listening attentively to the conversation between Reef and Azure, and took this chance to offer her two cents: "It probably won't be as dangerous the second time around, if you keep your wits about you - the fact that we fell into the pitfall meant we had no way to retreat, and their tactics seem to be limited to 'approach and lunge'. They're not even good at flanking! So just keep your distance and a cool head and you'll be safe."

"Sounds good... general unicorn blasting platform tactics." Azure nodded slowly as her unicorn horn suddenly flared to life, channelling magical blue energy towards her own form for a few seconds: within moments those familiar butterfly-like wings had blossomed and melded into her back, but it wasn't without a significant wince as the spell ended. "Okay...! Maybe I shouldn't be casting spells like crazy today, either. Strain, physical or magical, doesn't do healing injuries any favours." She nodded again, "Guess I'll be in the back lines after all... so which group am I accompanying today?" she asked.

Reef stared at Azure's new wings, making a mental note to ask her about the zombie pegasi when he gets a chance (not to mention get a sketch of her wing patterning). Despite Nutmeg's best efforts he still had no idea what kind of magic could be letting the purple ponies move, talk and even eat without breathing, pulse or any of the other conventional signs of life. His gaze shifts to... Cloud Splutter was it? He could hardly tell the pegasus to sit on the ship when he had no idea if she would or even could return to previous state, much less how to accomplish it.

Meanwhile, Summer Scribe was giving Azure a welcoming wave. "Well, how about you act as the guard for the dig?" she suggested cheerfully. "We don't KNOW for a fact that nothing will come by and attack, and I'm sure everypony will be relieved to have someone standing watch. Seems like a win win!"

"Good, good..." Reef mumbled, then more loudly "One had best get a pack together then! Just a few essentials, I'll be back in a jiffy." He unfolded his right wing, eyeing the pinions critically. "Must say I'll be glad to get in the air again." Folding it back up, he said "Right-o, see you on deck in ten.", turned about smartly and disappeared down the ramp into the ship.

Azure watched the griff depart: "You be safe out there, we need to see you again!" She called out, before turning to Summer again. "Sounds like a plan... varying amount of risk, no hostiles on the last visit but no guarantee that will hold, as opposed to... significant hostiles facing the other group." She thought it over for a few more moments, before giving a final, resolute nod. "Alright. Any creature need supplies in this group, or are we ready to set off?" She asked, clearly glad that she won't be spending another day in the ship's quarters, doing nothing while she's classified as injured.

Summer clopped her hooves eagerly. "Glad to have you on board, Azure! I'll be running around rallying up the help and gathering tools and supplies, then we're ready to set off whenever."

Author's Notes:

This chapter covers sessions eight and nine, narrated / GMed by Ferret: due to various issues the players were dealing with, they were short sessions. The map is a player handout from the RP, made by me.

Reconnaissance

Wisps of morning mist still clung to the mysterious floating island as the group of flyers prepared to leave their current home, the Equestrian airship EAS Harmony, currently stranded on the far side of the storm wall. Their mission would be creature control: specifically the small and very bitey creatures the first expedition had found lurking deep in the forest. Gathered in a small circle was a trio of tough looking birds: a sharp-clawed, battle-scarred griffon hen, a pegasus mare in shades of deep purple with empty, unblinking eyes, and a grey hippogriff sporting a magnificent pink crest and tail. The later was bedecked in his long, slender wingblades: priceless heirlooms from his family's martial tradition, that he might even know how to use. Around them assorted crewponies and the odd non-pony got on with repairs and other duties.

The griffon, who went by the name Grenelda, held Melonwater's map in one claw, studying it intently. "This stone bridge in the middle, the one closest to the pit," she said, "Should be able to land there, then it's just a short walk to where those ponies got jumped."

“And what do we do at the pit?” the pegasus once named Cloud Cutter said, making a couple of practice swings with her much smaller and utilitarian-looking wingblades. Her emotionless tone, cutie mark of a cloud sliced into three pieces and softly glowing, featureless white eyes combined to make her a rather unsettling presence.

Grenelda appeared unfazed; “That’s up to the good doctor here,” she replied, looking up at the hippogriff stallion, Reef Skimmer.

Reef had been fidgeting his wings nervously; not that the weapons are particularly heavy, just that he always felt self-conscious with the showy things strapped on. At the mention of the mission, his wings snapped back to his sides as he addressed the griffon. "Why, capture a sample of course! Intact if possible, if not then the least damaged." He waved a claw at his flank, where a bundle of wood tied with rope was sticking out of one of his bulging leather saddlebags. "Collapsible cage right here, assuming the blighters don't chew right through it... in which case we may have to go for dissection in situ. Rest assured, I'm prepared for that as well."

His gaze shifted to the pegasus, where it lingered for a long moment. "Now Cloud Flutter, are you quite sure you're ok to fly? No stiffness in the wing muscles? Nothing feeling too heavy, or too light?"

"Wow, you're gonna stew them? That's pretty ballsy," Grenelda said, with an eyebrow raised. "Guess we could find out if they're good to eat. I’m not takin the first bite though."

Not particularly commenting on that, Cloud Cutter answered the doctor in an even voice, “Nothing stiff. I can fly for sure. What do you mean, ‘too light?’”

"Well my dear, pegasi rely on their magic to fly, even more so than us griffs you know." Reef lectured, seemingly unaware that this was junior flight camp material, if that. "I regret to say we, which is to say, I've engaged the finest minds on this ship to work on it... but yes we, collectively, still haven't pinned down the specifics of your... curious transformation." The hippogriff paused for a moment, suddenly realising this probably wasn't very reassuring for the patient. "What we do know is that you're infused with a strange magic unlike any pony or griff has previously encountered... and lived to document at least... so, umm, be on guard for... things perhaps working differently than you're used to?" he finished vaguely.

While Cloud Cutter stared at her spread primaries and tried to digest that, Reef glanced back to Grenelda and stage-whispered "Now now, biological science first, culinary science afterwards."

“But, you just said...” Grenelda trailed off, looking down at a claw in consternation.

Looking Reef Skimmer in the eyes now, well sort of, Cloud Cutter said flatly, “There was a weird storm. I was knocked out. I turned purple. That’s all I know,” as if she has said that to a certain someone several dozen times over the past two days.

“What colour were you before?” Grenelda asked curiously.

Finally something that could crack Cloud's calm facade: a slight pause, then she turned to the griffon and replied in a surprised tone, “W-white. White and... blue. Blue mane. I had two stripes of blue, not just purple and... more purple.” Her mane and tail were a little darker than her fur, but otherwise she was now in painted solely in shades of purple.

Reef rolled his eyes; ponies were so touchy about their colours. Purple seemed like a perfectly good crest colour. Maybe the mare was concerned about looking so similar to her fellow transformed pegasi? But then they all had those personal flank pictures so surely there was no danger of being confused with each other. Shaking his head, he said "Indeed. Very well then." and turns back to the hen and half-spread his wings. "By all means, my dear, lead the way."

A brief flurry of wingbeats and the trio were airborne, climbing swiftly above the meadow until they disappeared over the treeline.

Below them the dense forest expanded in every direction, until abruptly ending at the shores of the sky island they crossed. The three soar together on gentle skies with the tall tops of the trees far below them. The vegetation steadily progressed from subtropical near the ship to full-blown jungle on the far side of the landmass. The thick canopy only breaks in two spots, one immediately below where the trees circle tightly around a swampy lake, and one further away where a hilltop pushes up out of the woodland, a second body of water glimmering just below the rocky summit. At first it seemed like neither the ruined village nor its adjacent stream will be found within the endless trees.

Reef Skimmer banked and bobbed through the air, giving his wings a nice stretch and enjoying a good flap around after a week confined to the ship. The hen in front was quite striking in that stereotypical, old-school griffon way, all rough edges and fierce predator. She reminded him of that one time he'd managed to... well, let's say griffons didn't seem to have much concept of foreplay, and while she'd been intrigued by the notion for a few minutes it turned out she didn't have much patience either. Alas, it was out of the question here; Reef had been looking forward to the hen turning up for her physical, only to have Gustus appear in his sick bay instead. The tiercel had made it quite clear they were a mated pair and somewhat less clear exactly what horrible fate would befall any creature who might intrude upon that.

Ah well, he thought. In any case, the hen had the map; Reef could only try to recall its layout, and scan the jungle for any break that might be a recognisable landmark. There was a section of younger trees that might be... yes, most likely squarish forms were the overgrown buildings of the village. The bridge they were heading for was supposed to be upstream of that, now if only he could spot said stream through the dense branches and vines.

The dark grey griffon had either paid closer attention to the map or was gifted with sharper eyesight, because she was soon descending towards the isolated stone arch, threading through the narrow open space above the river. The hippogriff doctor followed with some difficultly, his wider wingspan catching a few branches on the way down, while the empty-eyed pegasus smoothly glided in behind him. Grenelda settled onto the bridge and pre-emptively shushed her companions with a talon to her beak. “Voices down," she murmured quietly, "We don’t wanna attract the things.” Stealthily, the three followed the path into the jungle, approaching the monster pit with utmost care.

Thick foliage leaned in from either side of the path, as if the jungle wished to reclaim the meagre open space or perhaps conceal what lay ahead. It made a few lazy turns then descended abruptly into a large, shallow pit. The roughly circular cavity was in no danger of surprising wary travellers though: at least a dozen metres across and completely barren of vegetation, this was obviously the place the ponies had spoken of. No creatures could be seen in the pit though, much less green, chomping ones; the scene was quiescent and still.

Reef Skimmer looked around, wide eyed, gazing at the surrounding vegetation. None of it was familiar! Many of the plants were outlandish in proportion and colouration. Even the species that seemed to be Equestrian, on closer inspection, had some subtle detail that set them apart. This was a treasure trove of new biology. He could only wonder about the bird song they were hearing and whether it was coming from similarly undiscovered species.

Shaking his head, he focused on the pit: this was the mission, there would be time enough to study the surroundings later. "Hmm, curious. No bodies, scraps or even skeletons. Scavengers must have carried them away, or else decomposition is supernaturally fast." the hippogriff mused, scratching his crest feathers with a claw. "No obvious burrows either. Plenty of roots..." Looking to his companions, who were pacing warily around the perimeter of the hole, he asked "Do you see any tracks leading to the pit, or even any spoil from digging it out?"

Cloud Cutter had been stepping lightly around the edge, stopping to peer into the jungle. The purple pegasus glanced back at Reef, saying "Nothing trampled or broken. I don't think anything bigger than a squirrel could have pushed through." She looked back at the route they'd taken. "That trail is the only way to the sinkhole, or whatever this thing is." Regarding the far side, she concluded “It looks like it continues on the other side of the pit. I could fly over there and check it out.”

Grenelda backed up, her avian gaze darting from one tree to the next. “Just watching our six,” she said dismissively to Cloud, “I don’t hear anything. Not anywhere near this, at least." Turning to the hippogriff, she asked "So what is it, doctor? Some kinda giant’s footprint? And where are all the chompers, or whatever they’re called?”

Reef looks up from a particularly interesting flower he was studying. "What's that? Chompers?" He gives the little clearing another quick scan. "Oh yes, well: no remains, no burrows, no spoil from digging, no trails through the undergrowth... and barring unseen magic they didn't sound like a stealthy bunch." The hippogriff looked at the eerie pegasus and gave a quick beak-grin. "I think Cloud Splutter has the right idea, this is most likely a natural sinkhole, the beasts probably just saw two trapped prey and thought it was a free lunch. I imagine they thought our colleagues were particularly colourful sheep."

The two griffs seemed amused by that, although Reef quickly looked away as Cloud Clutter gave him another of her unblinking, silent stares. "Well, yes, in any case, they must have come down the path, so... we may indeed find their lair on the far side. Let us proceed."

"We should cross together," Cloud said distantly, eyes returning to the trail leading deeper into the jungle. "If those things come at us..."

“We run,” Grenelda cut in, “We’re not here to be heroes. The way Blue Type was going on, there was no end to the things.” She looked increasingly unhappy to be stuck under the dense canopy.

“Just... ‘cmon, let’s go,” Cloud Cutter said, spreading her quite modest wings which unlike the griffs had no trouble opening wide in the confined area of the trail. “And be ready for a fight.” She leapt into the air and drifted easily over the pit, shortly followed by Reef Skimmer, then Grenelda bringing up the rear. A growling, scarred griffon, a sleek pegasus with head down and blades bared, and a hippogriff stallion who looked from one to the other, before trying to make a show of baring his wing blades too.

The foliage only got denser as the group continued, the path literally excavated from the dense tangle of choking vines, branches and ferns, snaking from side to side as it went around the largest trees. All sound was muted by the foliage, even the omnipresent birdsong sounding distant and muffled.

Reef trotted cautiously down the path, starting to become nervous. There was nothing obviously threatening, but then, that was kind of the trouble wasn't it? Summer's group hadn't seen anything dangerous in hours of wandering about, until they were surprised by a horde pf bloodthirsty beasts. "Look lively now, if that was a cover-collapse sinkhole... well, there's no telling what else might give way under our weight," Reef whispered. "Still no sign of large animals..." The path seemed to go on and on, all view of the pit already lost due its twists and turns; by now the group was at least a kilometre from their landing point.

"Cover-collapse... what?" asked Grenelda in annoyed tone; geology was not one of her strong points. “You know, uh... I don’t see any green critters over here,” the griffon said, peering around Reef’s stately posterior to scan the trail ahead. "Maybe it was some sort of trap? Set up by whoever is keeping this path clear? But yeah could be more of them."

“Oh no, we can’t fall into a pit,” Cloud Cutter said emphatically to the gryphon, “How would we ever get out?”

A beat, then Grenelda responded flatly, “That was a joke, wasn’t it.”

Cloud Cutter just smiled back in amusement; it was the first time she'd shown emotion since they left.

“I'm saying there's no point going back.” Grenelda said, rolling her eyes, “We’re past the pit. Let’s see where this trail leads!”

Reef frowned and nodded, "Not a bad idea, I have to say. This path was built by someone, it must go somewhere they thought was important. Even if that hole was a trap, well, it couldn't have been intended for us, we just arrived. Besides... look at all this." He gestured at the surrounding greenery. "I could fill every jar and pouch I brought with samples and still only scratch the surface. Even if we don't find those bitey beasts, we'd hardly be returning empty clawed. Aha!"

Spotting a particularly interesting bright blue slug, the hippogriff reached into a saddlebag for one of said jars, set it on the ground with top unscrewed, then reached out delicately with a claw to snag the creature... and SQUAWKED as a tiny flash of electricity jumps from the slug to his leg. The charge was only mildly painful but it was enough to fluff all his feathers up.

"Damned bloody awful little..." Reef's shouting trailed off "...which is to say, hmph, got a little carried away there, one ignores proper procedure at one's peril you know." he finished in a sheepish voice. Extracting a pair of tongs from the other over-filled saddle bag, he grabbed the slug, which is now a rather duller shade of blue, and stuffs it in the jar. Within seconds the whole lot was stowed back in his bag. "So, where were we?"

The trail continued for another three kilometres, with no hostile encounters other than Reef’s brief delight as some slinky beast went rushing across the trail and crashing into the brush just ahead of them. A single side path to the right was thoroughly overgrown and duly ignored; none of the winged creatures felt like pushing into an even more confined space. Finally the woods begin to open up, with light streaming through the branches as they approached the edge of the island: the undergrowth grew sparser but the great trunks only grew taller, towering overhead in a chaotic mass of twisted branches and hanging vines.

At last the group reached the edge, where the land dropped away entirely to reveal a vista of open sky dotted by clouds and the floating island's distant siblings. Many of the enormous trees seemed to have fallen on their side, massive trunks stretching precariously out into the void. Instead of dying however, leafy branches sprouted and flourished upward into trees of their own right, extending the jungle beyond the boundaries of the land that supported it.

Reef Skimmer peered over the edge, letting his gaze follow a particularly large trunk that could have stood in for one of Canterlot's smaller towers. It slanted down a hundred metres or more, before terminating on new ground below. It was an entirely new island, floating adjacent to and below the first, obscured from view until now. The forest didn’t even hesitate at the edge: the eager plants bridged the gap like some kind of living waterfall, stretching all the way down to where a second forest, no, the same forest continued beyond.

The slanted trunk had been hollowed out at some point: they could see the entrance to a substantial passageway, travelled down inside of it, presumably leading to the lower island. The way down was barred by a substantial wrought iron fence and gate, built all around and over the opening, held tightly shut by an impressive brass lock.

Hanging from the lock was a neatly drawn sign, featuring two lines of runes that were completely incomprehensible to the newcomers. Fortunately the four pictograms below the strange writing were rather more comprehensible: a key, a house, several small circles and an arrow pointing right. Indeed to the right of the gate a small side path lead along the side of the island, then up through a small clearing to end at an ordinary looking cottage, just sitting there in the middle of the jungle.

Reef Skimmer spent some time staring in awe at the aerial jungle, before his gaze settled on the locked gate. "What in Equs... I can't imagine the sheep made this." Walking right up to the barrier, he examined the metalwork, the giant keyhole and alien writing of the sign, then cocked his head at the sight of the cottage. Stepping close to Grenelda, he said in a quiet voice "It doesn't look abandoned, but I don't see anycreature around either. Do you suppose there's something else on this island still drawing travellers, wingless ones at that? Anything on that map that might warrant visitors?"

“Why are you asking me? I’m just here to beat up monsters,” the griffon replied vaguely, looking up and all around at the cathedral-like branches as she strutted around.

“I would guess that means 'ask at that house for a key',” Cloud Cutter said, pointing a hoof at the sign, then in the general direction of the cottage. “Those might be coins, indicating payment? You don’t suppose there’s anybody living here?”

“Probably, I mean, someone must be keeping this trail clear.” Grenelda observed. “Well 'cept for that pit we were supposed to be looking at. Unless they were the one that dug it out in the first place. Either way, let’s go see if anyone’s home.”

As the griffon hen took a step forward, Reef put a claw on her shoulder. "I admire your curiosity, my dear: not to mention bravery, given that it could very well be another trap." Grenelda gave him an angry glare that softened only slightly at the compliment. "But assuming there is some civilised creature in there..." the hippogriff continued "...don't you think we should have the ponies present, for first contact with a new culture and all that?" He glanced at the undead pegasus standing stock still nearby. "We're hardly the diplomats... or the friendliest looking... of the crew."

"We're just going to talk, not contact them. What do you think I am, a pervert?" Grenelda asked Reef irritably, “You can go touching strange creatures all you want, but leave me out of it!” she snorted.

“No, he’s... right. I think,” Cloud Cutter said, looking nervously from the cottage to the edge, “I don’t even think we were supposed to be out here. Just a quick trip to the pit, right? How long have we been walking on foot?”

“The sky is right there,” Grenelda replied, pointing a claw at the island’s end, “So you can just go ahead and fly right on out." She turned back to the hippogriff. "I don’t really get that whole ‘culture’ stuff though. You mean we should steal the key instead, so they don’t see us or anything?”

"Certainly not!" Reef hissed. "There will be no stealing on my watch! I mean, aside from the fact that we aren't dishonourable knaves or diamond dogs, why would you risk hostilities for a key we don't even need? We can fly the ponies down there easily enough." He took a moment to compose himself before continuing. "What we truly need are allies that can help us with supplies, repairs... and maybe there are creatures in there who fit the bill, or can at least point us in the right direction. Look... I'm going to... head back that way, collect a few more samples, and report back to Set Sail, I mean, the senior junior research pony Sunset Scribble. This is a major discovery! No need to hog all the glory."

“Fine! Whatever. I was just curious, okay?” the grey griffon said, tossing up a foreleg dismissively and stomping away from the gate. “So we could’ve just flown around here the whole time. What’s the point? I didn’t think this trail would go all the way to the other end of the island! Forget this, I’m going back to camp.”

She struggled up over a big branch and leapt off the edge of the island, catching the wind as her wings spread and soaring swiftly away. Reef just watched her go; he was pretty sure arguing would just turn frustration into anger, and while angry ponies could be kind of cute, angry griffons were always trouble.

“...I think that went rather well,” Cloud Cutter remarked, drifting silently up beside Reef Skimmer. He tensed and began to spread his wings, before parlaying the motion into a kind of shrug; he wondered if the pegasus used to sneak up on creatures before she turned purple, or if it was a consequence of the transformation.

"Hmm, well, can't be helped I suppose, on edge and expecting a fight for the last hour, must be disappointed that we didn't see any action." Reef stared into Cloud Cutter's blank expressionless eyes for a moment, before looking away. "Might be a predator thing. So! As I say, I'll just be collecting a few more samples... if you wouldn't mind, err, keeping an eye out while I do so?" The big grey bird-pony took s a tentative step down the path, back into the forest. It still seemed peaceful... but the overhanging canopy was starting to feel oppressive, and he couldn't shake the image of being overwhelmed by a sudden tide of chomping mouths. He didn't want to be all alone out here.

"I will be with you as long as you like, Reef Skimmer,” Cloud Cutter said smoothly, following his lead as she trotted along behind him, heading back into the jungle. “But don’t wait until it’s too late to escape the nightfall. We wouldn’t want to get caught out here in the dark.”

Reef nodded at this: "Oh indeed, I would hope we'll be back for afternoon tea much less nightfall". The odd pair make their way back down the mossy path, the hippogriff constantly stopping to poke around in the jungle while the pegasus stood motionless, her eyes searching through the trees for any sign of trouble. One by one Reef's jars were filled by various insects and, after a particularly lucky pounce, some kind of rodent. Various pouches were stuffed with seeds, fruits and cuttings of plants. Perhaps two hours later, the two creatures found themselves back at the pit.

The shadows were beginning to lengthen, as the sun sank in the sky, casting the bottom of the pit into twilight. The hollow was still barren of life, even tree roots; nothing moved in the depths. Once again the sounds of animal life were muted, as if everything was avoiding this place, leaving a suspicious stillness that was broken only by the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze. Perhaps that was why the feathers on the back of Reef's neck were standing up.

"Right, here we are again then... and nothing. Not drawn by sound, or scent it seems." the hippogriff looked perplexed. "Although, if they're burrowing... vibration perhaps? Hmm..." Curiosity getting the better of him, he located a sizable rock and strained to pull it out of the ground. The stone was the size of a pony's head, and got significantly easier to carry once the hippogriff had spread his pinions. Struggling to keep them clear of the overhanging branches, he flapped up and hovered over the centre of the pit, before releasing the rock.

The rock plummeted to the bottom and embedded itself in the smooth dirt. Reef thought he caught a glimpse of something else moving, but with the shifting shadows it could have been his imagination. The lump of stone just sat there, and no green creatures came to investigate.

Reef stared into the pit for a few more seconds, before looking back to Cloud Cutter and attempting a smile. "I can only assume that after that licking Azure gave them, the beasts are avoiding the area! Perhaps smarter than they seemed? In any case, nothing for it now, let's head back." He glided down to the far side of the pit, the point where they'd first arrived, and added "Oh but if you don't mind, I'd like to check in with the other group on the way. They might have, erm... something?"

Cloud Cutter followed after, and nodded silently as she landed beside him. She wasn't sure what he meant, but checking in on the other team was a sensible precaution. Crossing the river and travelling on foot into the western forest, the two took the very overgrown southern detour to the abandoned village, slowly being reclaimed by the jungle. Here they would find Azure Feather, Summer Scribe, and the other ponies who'd spent the day sifting through the ruins.

Reef Skimmer trotted into the cracked central square, surrounded by the vine-choked ruins of former buildings. He immediately spotted Azure, sitting on the roof of one of the more intact structures and keeping a watchful eye on the various unicorns scattered around the settlement. Her folded butterfly wings shimmered in the late afternoon light. "Azure!" he shouted, "Good to see you again. No luck with the chomp beasts but plenty of specimens, and oh, guess what we found at the far end of that path? An honest-to-Novo toll gate!"

Azure's stance was a relaxed one, as she maintained her vigil over the ponies investigating the various ruined buildings, but there was still a sense of frustration, judging by the increased tension in her wings, not to mention the quiet muttering. At the doctor's shout, though, her head rose back to attention, and couldn't help but tilt at the mention of the toll gate. "Hmm. Suggests something actually intelligent lives here, then. Promising, at least. It's... been pretty dead here." she called back. She rose to her feet, indulged in a quick stretch and shook out her mane before adding "No hostiles to report."

Walking up to the building she'd chosen as her perch, Reef said "Ah... probably for the best, you still need to heal up you know," lingering concern in his voice. "But yes... does look that way, a little cottage and a neat sign, not that we could read the writing but there were these pictograms... asking for a toll, most likely. Grenelda... you know, the griffin hen... she wanted to go in right there and then... but you know what those unicorns are like, first contact protocol and all that. Best have the actual diplomats to do the talking, I have to admit."

Azure shrugged a bit at the mention of healing. "Honestly, I wouldn't have minded one or two hostiles to make sure the darn things don't bother us again, I've done nothing all day but stare at ruins... but you're right. Is everything okay, though? I notice your squad is down to two members..." she noted, concern in her own eyes now.

"Oh, once it was obvious there wasn't going to be any action, she just took off, in both the literal and metaphorical sense. Didn't have your patience or dedication, it seems." Reef said, in his most charming tone. "Although, speaking of the ruins..." The hippogriff flapped up to get closer to the unicorn, continuing in a quieter voice "err, did you find anything, you know, as we discussed?"

Azure frowned, recalling the various finds of the day. "The ponies down there seem interested by some... box, with brass bits sticking out. I haven't gone down there for a closer look, but from here it just looks like a fancy wardrobe."

"Wardrobe?" Reef looked confused. "That doesn't sound very..."

Azure gave a quick nod before cutting him off. "Not your average wardrobe. Not with the horn and the glass bits." She shrugged slightly with her wings. "Believe me, if I knew the slightest bit about this place, it might make more sense to me. I think it does fit your criteria though. Maybe that's why the creatures down there are so interested too?" Turning away from the hippogriff, she gave the area another scan, looking for any sign of hostiles, before gesturing with a hoof at the far side of the central square.

"Is that so?" Reef quickly located the relevant artefact, sitting in the middle of a small collection of items in front of one of the larger ruins. "Indeed, that does look appropriate!" The hippogriff bobbed his head in a sort of flying bow. "Thank you!"

He glided down to a landing, eager to take a closer look. Rusted pots, half-rotted books and a great many pottery shards surrounded the artefact, which was clearly the prize find. Formidable in size, festooned with odd protrusions, and seemingly little affected by the passage of time save for a surface patina, it might be just what Reef was looking for. Glancing from side to side, he verified that the ponies were all busy investigating other buildings or uncovering buried objects.

Running his claws over the seasoned wood of the artefact, the big griff moved around to the rear... and discovered a panel, flush with the surface. A quick pry with his talons had it open, and what he found inside confirms his hopes. "Yes... this will do nicely." he muttered. Taking the thing in his claws, Reef struggled and flapped... by Novo the thing was heavy... and finally managed to wrench it into the air, where it suddenly became a bit more manageable albeit still very cumbersome. It was at this point that he looked up, and realised the flaw in his plan.

'Well, at least some creature's happy' Azure thought, nodded with a bit of a smile as she watched the doctor fly towards the weird object, and judging by his reaction, yeah... he was looking forward to this. Though flying with it in tow... and... oh goodness. Didn't doctors stay away from risky, unhealthy ideas? Not today! Azure quickly spread her wings and took off to try and help Reef Skimmer. Was he actually going to carry this thing back to the ship? "Doctor, last thing we need is you injured... let me help you carry this!" She lit her horn and began to wrap her magic around it; it was indeed heavy, too much weight for her to carry alone, but... at least they could take this home together, right?

Registering Azure's presence again, Reef clarified the problem: "Azure, err, thanks for the offer... honestly though... not the weight... that's the issue... once you're airborne." he said, breathing heavily "You've seen... air carriages... right? That canopy though... damned inconvenient... don't suppose... you could arrange... a way through?" Reef looked upward at the tangle of branches and vines forming a dense canopy over the ruined square.

Azure blinked, initially surprised when the doctor declined her offer to help, but it seemed her quick take-off would not be for nothing... clear the way? It's true that flying in the forest was a challenge even for the pegasi, and with his much larger wingspan there was no way the doctor would be weaving his way through the maze. There was no way he was going to carry that artefact back... unless she could clear the way.

"It's true that the quickest place from one point to another is a straight line... and there may not be hostiles, but this'll do just fine!" she called out happily, forgetting her injuries for a moment as her magic came alive in her unicorn's horn. She charged and shaped it into the same beams that she used to annihilate the hostiles last time, intent on cutting a path to the ship... only to get much more than she'd bargained for. Her horn grew painfully hot as the magic built and built, before bursting out in an enormous glowing torrent that smashed into the jungle, erasing the offending foliage from existence.

Reef almost dropped the artefact as waves of light, sound and flying splinters hit him. Maybe this pony really was an alicorn? "Thank... thank you!" he shouted, staring at the tunnel of total destruction sloping gently up through at least a hundred metres of jungle canopy, ending in a circle of sky with the distant EAS Harmony visible at the lower edge. "Most impressive! Take care!" With that the hippogriff flew off, flapping laboriously down the newly created tunnel until he emerges the into open sky. Such was his eagerness to depart, he failed to notice Azure's stunned expression or the steam rising from her horn.

Down on the ground, ponies came charging out of various digs and ruins. "What is it, what's going on? I'm ready!" shouted a certain Summer Scribe, horns lit. Seeing Azure, in flight and framed by a swathe of devastation behind her, she asked desperately "Is it an attack? Where are they? Wait, did you... vaporise them?"

With a distinct clang, the hatch leading from the engine room to the main deck opened, admitting a light grey hippogriff struggling with a pony-sized wooden cabinet. Reef had already dropped his saddlebags, but the wing blades were still strapped on, occasionally clinking against the walls and scratching the metal. Grunting with exhaustion, he pushed the thing over the deck plates into the open space between the boilers.

It stood on a wide brass plinth with four substantial feet, with a circular glass feature on the front and protrusions to the sides, the largest resembling a speaking tube adorned with a lightbulb. The artefact was crowned by two metal rods, linked by a piece of curly wire, the insulation aged and cracking off. "Nutmeg?" the hippogriff asked, panting. "Has anyone seen her? Thought she might... want to take a look... at this."

"Hey hey hey what the hay are you doing?" an off-pink mare shouted roughly, running up the causeway to the hippogriff and his ill-gotten goods, "Is that a... why the hay are you bringing in... the largest radio I've ever seen!? You think tunes are gonna broadcast this far from Equestria?" At Reef's question, she tilted her head, saying, "She's in the back. We found some tin sheets so we're welding the pipes what we can. Why you want her to look at a giant radio? She's very busy ya know."

Reef looked down at the unicorn, unimpressed. "Why? We just found evidence that not only is there industry and technology here, but there might be a way to communicate with the natives without even having to find them! Assuming this even is a radio and not some technology completely alien to us! You don't think that might be of interest to the chief engineer?" he huffed, anger and voice rising at having lugged this thing all the way here only for the ponies to act as if he had it in his cabin the whole time.

"What... what?" she replied in fretful confusion, "Look, I... don't know what you mean but just hold on I'll go get her." She went galloping off into a service corridor.

Seconds later a redheaded Kirin sprang out, saying "Hold on, I'm coming!" Nutmeg fells to a walk upon approaching Reef Skimmer. "You put the fear of Celestia into Sprocket, Reef," she chided, "She almost sounded like she was saying you found some alien technology." The brown furred mare stopped before him, looking to her right at the new machine, then back to him, adding in confusion, "What's a radio doing here? It's huge! I didn't even know we had one of these on board."

Looking at the fluffy kirin, Reef closed his eyes and let out a long, long breath. Calm, stay calm, surely this was a good idea, even if it had gotten a bit out of hand. Finally, he opened his eyes and said dryly. "We didn't. This is from the village. Honestly I'm not sure if it was a radio or not, but it's definitely a complex bit of technology, that seems native to these islands. Thought... you might like to take a look."

Nutmeg squinted at him, then looked at the radio: rusty antenna, warped casing, cracked dial, it had definitely seen better days. Another glance at Reef, then another squint at the device, before saying "Seriously? They had radios here? I mean I... guess I could take a look." She looked at the radio thoughtfully, "I'd have to drill out the screws though... unless this panel here opens... huh." The rear panel came away at her touch, and the kirin stared at the guts of the machine for a long while, before looking at Reef again in disbelief. "They really found a fluffing radio in that village?! This thing's almost intact! It must be a fake or... or a prank or something."

Laughing humourlessly now, she looked away before adding, "Ha ha, yeah you got me good there. It almost even looks like it came from a ruin. Were you the one who lugged an old trashed radio all this way just for a prank, or is someone else watching me freak out here?"

Reef's claws tightened, making an unpleasant chalk-on-blackboard screech as his talons scratched the deck plates, while his feathers fluffed up and his ear tufts flattened. His barely held cool evaporated as he said angrily "I go out of my way to lug this bloody thing back here, out of the foolish notion that perhaps you'd like something interesting and technical to sink your fangs into, and you have the nerve to call me a liar! Well, Chief Engineer Inferno, you've made it quite clear I needn't have bothered! Hmph. Good day to you!" With that the hippogriff turned tail (Nutmeg leaning back instinctively this time to avoid the pink feathers in the snout) and stalked out of the engine room, disappearing into the bulk of the ship.

Nutmeg stares in shock after the hippogriff storming out. Then she looks at the oversize radio again, still sitting heavily there in the middle of the engine room. "He was serious?" she declared faintly, falling to her haunches before the aged machine.

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Nutmeg Inferno), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

This chapter was mostly a 1:1 RP with myself & Ferret, Spearmint came in for the village / horn surge scene. After slow progress in regular sessions 8 & 9, we did this extra unscheduled session to regain momentum.

Illustration by Domi de Lance.

Introductions

The sun gleamed on the tiny speck flying across the broad expanse of the floating island. A small wooden cart, designed to be drawn by a pair of pegasi, was instead being pulled through the sky by a single larger creature. A hybrid of avian and equine, with the head and claws of a sea eagle joined to the frame and hindquarters of an Arabian horse, the hippogriff's bright pink crest and tail constrasted with the smooth light grey of his coat. Far below, the dense green canopy passed beneath them, turning from forest to jungle as the party crossed to the far side of the island.

Seated in the cart was a unicorn with a mane of blue and white stripes, her fur tinted in pale teal. Next to her sat an earth pony: a lavender mare, with a blue mane once again wrapped neatly in a bun. Following along behind the cart, the purple-maned blue unicorn named Azure Feather was flapping along with a somewhat self-satisfied expression, her magically-endowed membranous wings scintillating in the sun. Blue Type, the lavender mare, seemed nervous.

Summer Scribe was mentally preparing herself for the Diplomatic task ahead, whatever form it ended up taking. This lent itself well to musing out loud about their unprecedented situation. "So, we have a toll gate, our first sapient contact will likely be its owner... Why do they even have a toll gate up? Do the people here use it often enough to warrant the effort? The island seems pretty abandoned now, but the village was bustling at some point, so it might just be a relic of a bygone era. May or may not get to update beliefs with new information..." She hmmed. "Are we hoping to get passage, or just to talk? True, many of our crew can fly around it, but the rest of us would appreciate having a more direct thoroughfare."

Out in front, his wide wings thrumming as he hauled the extra weight across the sky, the unicorn's words didn't register on Reef Skimmer the hippogriff. He stared down at the increasingly dense jungle, not really seeing it as his mind continued to churn on recent conversations. What was going on with these creatures? First the kirin acted friendly, showed him her secret blueprints, then rebuffed his gift and accused him of tricking and making a fool of her. Was she bipolar?

Then there was newly promoted pony captain, Wet Gale, ignoring his restraint in keeping that hen under control and acting as if walking a little further in search of the chomp beasts was some major insubordination. If she was just a strict disciplinarian, he could respect that, but she didn't even put him on report! Just said she was disappointed and looked like she was going to cry, didn't even cheer up when he volunteered to pull the cart. Not to mention the researcher, she couldn't seem to make up her mind how to treat him either, upset one minute, pleased the next. Was he doing something wrong? It was never this complicated back in the navy.

Azure wasn't thinking much about the toll gate: diplomacy used to be something she wasn't too bad at, but her mind was on other things, mainly the... magical working she'd used for the bramble clearing. What was supposed to be a repeated series of cutting beams to clear a path through the branches, had ended up being, well... just the one, enormous... blast. Yeah, blast. Never mind the whole thing sounding like Celestia had followed behind the EAS Harmony and brought the power of the Sun to obliterate the whole jungle. Not something she was keen to discuss; she remained silent for now, flying steadily and keeping the cart in view.

Hearing Summer's musings, Blue Type glanced at her companion, obviously tense but trying to smile as she said, “It’s quite possible the cottage is abandoned too. It may have been a long time since anypony ever lived here. If there is some... creature living there, I think passage through this gate isn’t as important as finding out the hist- finding out what happened here, and why their people have never attempted to communicate with Equestria.” She shivered, scooting closer to the centre of the gently rolling cart, adding curtly, “I certainly wouldn’t turn down a chance to get across without flying though.” The mare kept her eyes down, not looking at the cart’s driver, or the frighteningly powerful unicorn following close behind.

Summer nod-nodded in consensus with Blue Type's thoughts. "Yeah, I basically agree: this'll be our first in-person talk, so we want to be polite, respectful and learn about each other as equals... Well, hopefully! Being this devoted to a toll booth strikes me as a certain hostility... but! We'll just have to see what we can do." Summer settled down and devoted the rest of the journey to note-taking and planning things out in her notebook, occasionally glancing over at Azure. Come to think of it, a blast as big as the one at the one at the dig site would make short work of pretty much any hostile encounter! She wondered if it was a repeatable performance...

As the party approached the far side of the island, the landmass beyond came into view, mostly shrouded in morning mist. Reef banked right, crossing the edge of the first island some way from the tree bridge, before gliding down in a wide anticlockwise spiral. The tangle of trunks and vines linking the two islands was directly ahead, a waterfall of plant life with the massive hollow trunk at its centre. "There it is, dead ahead." Reef shouted. He aimed for the small clearing near the top of the tangle, between the cottage and the trunk entrance.

Azure was still considering the possible hazards ahead. The idea of a toll booth and possibly hostiles more intelligent than those stupid teeth-filled... things, that was something to be concerned about for sure. The one thing that was worse than a enraged predator was an intelligent enemy. As it stood, her mission wasn't complicated: you have allies, you protect allies, and that's it. If they return unhurt, then you did your job well. Though... her mind drifted to another possibility: the danger of friendly fire, previously remote, now seemed quite real. Hay, it had been a close call yesterday when she was trying to do nothing more than clear some branches, never mind casting in a combat situation.

Her train of thoughts was derailed as Reef Skimmer began his final approach to their destination. The griff backwinged and slowed as they came in for a landing; as they approach the small dwelling came into view, sitting on a knoll above the clearing with a clear view of the toll gate and its approach path. It seemed nice enough, Azure thought, but appearances could be deceiving. Touchdown was a little bumpy, but everything stayed inside the cart and they soon rolled to a stop. "And here we are," the hippogriff said pleasantly, "apologies if I jostled you around back there, it's been an age since I last pulled one of these things you know."

The party found themselves in the unusually open space, bordered by dense forest on three sides and the sheer dropoff at the island's edge. It was a nice, pleasant, sunny morning, even in the dappled shade of the dense foliage. Crossing the clearing was a pebbled path, leading down though the undergrowth to the heavy iron toll gate, where it joined the more substantial thoroughfare leading from the hollowed-out trunk to the ruined village. In the opposite direction it curved up around a prominent trunk to reach a quaint looking cottage. Blue Type wasted no time in exiting the wooden cart, clambering onto the grass before hastily trotting further inward, finding a hollow within a tangle of roots and taking a moment to rest there.

Summer Scribe studied her surroundings: in all her travels through the wilds of Equestria, she'd never seen anything quite like this. The little unicorn squeezed her way around a tangle of thick branches, or are they roots, emerging from the earth only to plunge downward to the second island. Now she had a clear view from the very edge of the island, getting a good look at the giant hollowed out tree forming a bridge down to the mysterious neighbouring landmass. Pointing a hoof at the structure, she said "I gotta say, just from an aesthetic and pragmatic perspective, this is a really cool setup." She sighed and turned away from the stunning panorama, trotting back to the path and staring at the cottage. "But I suppose we should start by knocking and seeing if the lights are on! Everyone who's involved with negotiations, come with me please."

Such a nice place. Had this just been a peaceful retreat, a camping trip, Azure would have been first to relax, at least a little. Under the circumstances though, if anything, she was just getting more tense. This was too quiet. Especially since she knew there were hostiles out there, lurking in the jungle. And as Summer requested every creature involved with negotiations to follow her... the blue unicorn was the first to step up. "In case things go wrong," she stated.

Reef Skimmer parked the cart at the edge of the clearing and unbuckled the yoke harness; he'd had to combine the two pegasi-sized harnesses into one to fit his larger barrel. "I'll just, err, stay in earshot then?" he said uncertainly, before looking away and admitting "I realise we griffs can sometimes be a little, erm, intimidating? To non predators I mean."

Blue Type smiled at that, saying, "You are a true gentlepony, Doctor Skimmer." Her smile tensed as she adds awkwardly, "Err, a true... gentlecreature. Sorry, old habits."

She fell in behind Azure and the three little ponies moved towards the dwelling: Summer Scribe first, trying to act casual, seeing if she can catch a glimpse of the occupants through any of the windows... no, that might be rude, the first thing she'll do is knock and stand back. 'Gotta treat people as your equals!' she thought. Reef followed at a distance, keeping a good dozen griff-lengths back from the ponies, glancing around looking for anything that has changed since his last visit, ready to render assistance if things got ugly.

The cottage was very well kept, built of weathered grey stone with a roof of soft red clay tiles, certainly not wreckage like the abandoned village at the far end of the path. It had a glass paned window in the front, but there are shades drawn across it, and nothing could be seen through them. Next to that is a painted wooden front door, with a pull lever for the doorbell on one side. No sound could be heard from within.

Summer checked to see if there was any kind of garden being grown: indeed there did seem to be some rows of vegetables planted around the back, a strong indication of ongoing habitation! "Certainly LOOKS currently inhabited." she remarked. Azure nodded quietly; she was all set to do her part in these negotiations... and that's to just shut up and listen. She'll be ready if things go wrong, but until then...

Without much else to study beyond that, Summer gave the doorbell lever a tug and listened for a response. Instead, a secret trap door suddenly opens... but not underneath the ponies. It was a tiny little door in the bottom of a hidden compartment high overhead, opening to release a single marble. The glass sphere drops down and strikes a bell with a resounding clang, after which a hidden whirring mechanism returned the marble to its hiding place.

Some way behind, Reef Skimmer's gaze had settled on the vines linking the islands; did they grow down from the upper level then put down roots, or did the tree grow from the lower island then fall, giving them a path to grow up? At that height it was really amazing that the xylem could still pull water up, unless of course... he blinked and pulled his attention back to the ponies. This was history in the making!

From deep inside the old stone cottage came a crashing sound, followed by the thump of a flailing body. A stallion’s voice called out from within, “One minute! Just a second!” There was the sound of thumping feet, followed by the clacking of a lock at the front door. As it swung open, a strange creature was framed by the portal, bipedal and very tall. He didn’t seem to have any fur, just leathery green skin from head to toe. He was wearing a half-buttoned shirt, and a brown jacket with one skinny arm threaded through the arm hole. Hastily adjusted suspenders held up his pants, also brown. Judging by the smooth, dextrous digits on the end of his forelimbs, the lack of a tail, and the triangular floppy ears, he looked like some kind of goblin, albeit a rather large one.

“Oh ho ho,” the creature said, his droopy eyes widening in surprise as he saw the intrepid explorers gathered before his door, “You’re adorable!” His face filled with a pleasant smile, “Hey little guys... who brought you here?” Then his expression grew more serious, as he straightened up and looked over everpony’s head, calling out, “Silas? Barnaby? Is this one of your little jokes again?” He looks down at the three ponies again, scratching his head, saying, "Well they seem friendly. Maybe they’re some kind of new jungle sheep?”

Summer had to push past her initial reflexes at the sight of this strange... bipedal creature! As tall as a minotaur, though much slimmer in build, with a face frankly unlike anything you'd see back in Equestria! She stepped back a bit and looked around, expecting to see more... but if 'Silas' or 'Barnaby' were indeed out there, they weren't visible. But... ponish! It seemed like just as in Equestria, writing systems and accents varied, but all sapients still shared a spoken language (save for the Prench, and respectable Equestrian academics all believed they were deliberately putting it on).

To be sure, adorable wasn't exactly the first impression she was hoping for, nor did she envision starting with comparisons to sheep, but at least it implied an openness to discussion! So she cleared her throat and began: "Greetings, inhabitants of Cloudbreak Islands! We are ponies... and a hippogriff... from Equestria far below, and we've come here on a mission of scientific discovery and exploration! I am Summer Scribe, and these are Blue Type, Azure Feather and Reef Skimmer. To that end, we'd like to extend our friendship to you, and learn what we can from each others' kind!"

Azure Feather had stood her ground as the strange green creature arrived. Adorable? There was a slight tilt of her head at the term, but she otherwise had no reaction. As Summer Scribe began her introduction, though, the blue unicorn kept her silence. As long as things kept going well, she had nothing to do. And so far so good.

Some way down the path, Reef Skimmer was trying to get a good look at the new specimen, without drawing attention to himself. 'Fascinating!' he thought 'Bipedal, obviously... minotaur sized, but plantigrade, unlike a diamond dog or most known bipeds. Some kind of primate maybe... but hairless, and how is his skin green? Chlorophyll perhaps?'

At “Greetings,” the creature jumped back with an “euaah!” Staring down at Summer, who was merrily continuing “inhabitants of the Cloudbreak islands we are,” he murmured, “...talking sheep?” He doesn’t seem to be paying much attention to what she’s saying, but when she falls silent he asked, “What the heck is a ponyzanda hippagriff? You don’t look like sheep! Talking sheep from the Underlands? You don’t have a hint of Undead in you though.”

Again he looked over the ponies, staring into the jungle and calling out, “Seriously, is this a joke?” When no answer was forthcoming, he turned back to the ponies, saying, “Look, I don’t know where you came from, but you’re uh... trespassing here on the Blissful Pastures if you don’t pay a toll. Sorry uh, I didn’t think anyone was actually going to come here anymore. I’ll have to dig out the cash register. One sec.”

With that he turned and bipedaled his way back into the house, leaving the door hanging open. Inside, it looked like a relatively bare living room, with some rickety chairs that look poorly hand made, an empty dining table, and a very ratty looking couch.

Summer Scribe's ears were pressed flat against her skull: being talked at rather than with! She was not on the level of a talking sheep! But she couldn't let that sidetrack her now. The unicorn looked around at her allies as the troll moves out of earshot. "Doesn't seem much like diplomatic material, unfortunately... As for the toll, I hope that he takes old coins from the ruins?"

Meanwhile Azure was thinking 'What the heck is a Ponyzanda Hippogryph? This creature thinks ponies are sheep? Ugh.' At the mention of trespassing and a toll, though... Azure seemed to tense up a bit, looking even more uneasy. So much for diplomacy if the creature wouldn't accept their currency, lucky as they were to even have any! She kept all this to herself, staying silent for now.

Summer popped open a saddlebag, and hovered a few small silver discs out: they'd been cleaned and brushed off a bit, but their age was clear. "Hopefully this does the trick." Taking a step forward, she stood on the threshold and peered around the interior of the cottage: it seemed simple and quaint enough, and gives some idea of the level of technology and logistics here... though who was to say this isolated cottage was representative of the other islands?

Reluctant to get close, Reef Skimmer paced awkwardly around through the trees. As the biped seemed to have disappeared for now, he decided to check out the garden at the rear of the cottage, hoping to get an idea of the creature's diet. Given the prominence of the lower canines, it seemed unlikely the species was herbivorous, but exactly how much of their diet consisted of meat remained an open question.

The native returned with his hands wrapped around a rather bulky contraption. It appeared to be some sort of typewriter, but with no place to feed in the paper. There were strange $ symbols engraved in the metal on either side of it. “Okay, it...” he began, dropping the thing heavily onto the table in the room, making the table wobble dangerously on a half broken leg. “It’s thirty gold per... three,” he mumbled distractedly, pressing the keys down with a noticeable clack.

'Thirty gold?' thought Summer, shocked at the price. 'Shoot, I've only got copper and silver here... and wait until he hears how MANY people are here!' She watch nervously, braced for the impeding negotiations breakdown when the creature realised they could pay his toll.

Finally he pulled a large lever on one side, causing a spring to burst out of the top of the machine, knocking aside the upper casing which now dangled askew. Whatever internal process he was attempting ground to a halt: with a final 'sproing' a gear popped out of the hole and just kind of rolled across the floor. “Oh who am I kidding,” he groaned, head sinking in despair. Looking up at the ponies still waiting patiently at the door he said, “Oh you... ponyzandas can come in I suppose. Can’t hurt at this point. Do you like uh... do you like Jungle Apples?”

Summer stared at the broken device for a moment before it dawned on her that they were getting off scott free! What a relief! She discretely tucked the coinage back away and gave a happy nod and smile! "Thank you for inviting us in, sir!" She looks back to her companions as she trotted into the cottage, before giving an enthusiastic nod to her host: "Sure, I'd love some!" How bad could they be, right? Apples were ostensibly edible!

Azure had winced as the strange device... completely fell apart in the creature's hands. The invitation to enter was met with a little scepticism from Azure, but after Summer's cheerful response she moved to follow. No choice now, right? Her wings were tightly folded, and her posture remained tense.

Outside, Reef Skimmer was experimentally poking a... radish? with a talon when he heard the clack-sproing of the broken register. Peering around the corner, he saw the ponies disappear from sight as they trotted into the building. It seemed like things were going well? Thinking he should keep them in sight, and wanting to observe the intriguing biped further, he gave a little flap-jump-glide over to where the ponies had been standing, allowing him to peer in through the door.

“Hold on while I...” He spotted Reef nosing his way in then, tensing at the sight of the much larger creature with a much sharper beak and talons. “Friend of yours?” he asked, not looking away from the pink-ruffed hippogriff. “I suppose you’re not here to pay the toll either,” he grumbled, “You flyers don’t know the meaning of private property. Not that you could tell from looking at this island. I suppose you want a jungle apple, too, Mister Griffon?”

Azure's head gave a sharp tilt at the creature's apparent dislike of flying creatures... but she said nothing of it. She was a flier too, most of the time at least, and darn well knew that trespassing on private property was a mistake... and Griffon? ...hardly... surely the doctor would correct him. The native seemed harmless enough, but she didn't like his tone.

Reef Skimmer blinked: coming from a pony that would be annoying, but he's rather surprised this creature even knows of griffons (to be fair, his hindquarters weren't visible from the native's position). But then... there was that legend, discredited by every serious researcher but stubbornly persistent, that griffons originally came from these islands. The hippogriff raises a claw to his chest and is about to correct the creature, before thinking better of it. "Ah, you've met my, err, people then? Do they come here often?" He cocked his head and stared at the green biped. "I must say your species is new to me, what do you call yourselves? Oh and, erm, an apple, yes don't mind if I do."

"New to you? You've never run into trolls before?" the creature asked, giving Reef an incredulous look. “I don’t see how that’s possible. I know I’m a tall one, but you know, we’re all uh, all over the place. Anyway, I’ll be right back with your apples, hold on.”

Troll? Reef Skimmer racked his memory; weren't those mythical? A creature from nursery rhymes, something that lived under bridges, always grumpy or causing trouble? He'd never heard of a real creature called that... had he?

The green biped returned a few moments later, bearing three pleasantly red fruits. “I’m Abernathy, for what it’s worth,” he said, “Keeping this bridge family owned since, well, forever. I think you said your names already, but I didn’t catch ‘em.” He began handing out the apples.

Summer enthusiastically accepted one in her magic: she bit down on the juicy flesh, discovering it has a tangy, yet spicy taste, not unlike lily or rhododendron. Pleasantly tingly! Seeing that the troll doesn't appear alarmed by Summer's display of telekinesis, Azure took one too, though she doesn't take a bite just yet. He then tossed one to Reef, who caught the fruit in a claw and stares at it, seemingly more interested in its morphology than what it tastes like. Blue Type seemed more reluctant to accept the unfamiliar food, asking, “Ah, I don’t suppose you would have any hay, perhaps?” as she gave the fruit a sideways glance.

“Hay?” the troll replied. “You mean like... sheep?”

"Mmmm! This is delicious! Can you show us where you find these later?" said Summer's, tail swishing briskly as she takes another bite. She smirked over at Blue Type: as bothersome as the connotations were, they were certainly in need of a balanced diet, and hay was an excellent source of fibre. "Yeah, like sheep! But... we're ponies, not sheep. As I said.. I'm Summer Scribe! It's fine if you don't have any, though, this is great!"

Finally taking a bite herself, Azure nodded slowly at the taste of the apple. "Not bad... not bad at all. Thank you." First few words she's said, but at the same time... at least she's speaking now. And with the food, she seems to relax at least a little. "My name is... Azure Feather." Her wings partially unfurled as she looks around, falling silent again.

“I’ve never heard of ponies,” the troll named Abernathy said, sitting down carefully in one of the rickety chairs, “But I haven’t been around a lot. Still if you haven’t heard of trolls, then you’re definitely not from around here.”

He looked up at the shaded window with a sigh, “Regardless, if you came here for the grass, you’re about two generations too late. This island hasn’t been any good for grazing in as long as I can remember. But I guess that’s what I get for being a smarty pants.” Looking away again, he continued, “But enough about my problems. Why are you all here out in the middle of nowhere? I haven’t had any guests, or customers in uh...” He glanced over at the broken cash register machine, “...a while.”

Summer made a mental note of this; it sounded like the island, as expected, used to be a lot more vibrant. Maybe there would be something closer to civilisation on the far side of the bridge? "As I mentioned before, we're here on a mission of scientific discovery and exploration." she said cheerfully.

"These islands are completely surrounded by an enormous storm cell, impenetrable by normal means, so we're making first contact right now!" She nodded for emphasis. "And it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. We're as pleased to see someone here as you are us, I imagine!" Anyway, the thrust of the line of conversation... "Do you think you'll be able to let us pass through your toll gate?"

Azure nodded as well, but doesn't break her silence. This wasn't her conversation, Summer Scribe seemed far more suited to play the role of diplomat... so she just kept munching on her apple.

Reef Skimmer had been absent-mindedly dissecting the apple with his talons, but chose this moment to chime in: "...and if you wouldn't mind giving us a few pointers, you know, to where we might find more speci... inhabitants, griffons especially, one would be entirely in your debt." The griff frowned; hopefully that wouldn't be interpreted literally, although if this 'troll' had an actual map, that might be worth trading for. "And oh, erm, Reef Skimmer, at your service." he concluded, ducking his head in a brief bow.

“A storm cell?” Abernathy said to Summer, seemingly in shock. “You mean the... you mean The Storm Wall? The one that goes around the whole islands? There’s nothing on the other side of that! If you... I mean, no offense but, you’d get torn apart if you tried to fly through it with those little wings.” He gestures at the hippogriff’s flanks, “Nothing could get through it, not even a dragon!” He paid no attention to Reef's question, or for that matter Blue Type, who had abandoned the conversation and was snooping around the house, searching for books she could ‘borrow’.

Before Reef could take offence, Summer nodded in confirmation: "The very same! And believe me, it WASN'T easy to get through: we came in on an airship with specialised equipment. We're lucky to be standing before you today! And we have no way back, until we can repair the ship, or rescuers come..." Summer trailed off, realising she may have said too much. Who knew how long it would take to repair the Harmony, or if it was even possible with the spare parts gone? Even if a rescue ship was sent, how would it survive the storm better than they did or find them if it did get through?

In truth the expedition was stranded here for the foreseeable future... 'Better make the most of it, huh?' Summer thought, 'we still have so much to learn about just these first two islands: hopefully they're not a dead end!'

Azure couldn't think of anything to add to that, but she did seem... at least a little concerned as Summer mentioned they're stranded on these islands for... yeah, who knew how long. Her wings drooped rather significantly. Not good.

“Oh, well that’s too bad. Sounds like you got your hands full,” Abernathy said a little irritably, “I’d be more sympathetic, if you hadn’t gotten to the tunnel leading to this island, seen the sign that says to ring the bell, then flown around it instead of paying. I’m already a laughing stock, and who ever heard of troll who couldn’t keep people from crossing his bridge for free? Between that and the chompy problems I’ve been having, I’m afraid there’s not much I can do to help you.”

Reef's ear tufts perked up at this. "Chompies? Are those... creatures? Small green creatures that live in a pit, by any chance?"

Blinking, Abernathy replied, "Well... you could say they live in a pit. It's more like they are a pit. You miss one rooting itself, and don't take care of its pod, and bam you have a chompy pit in the most inconvenient place possible. They've been infesting the island recently and I haven't been able to keep up with getting rid of all the pits. They're a royal pain, I'll tell you that."

Summer leaned over to Azure, and beckoned Reef to listen in. "Huh, sounds like we have a good opportunity to do a good deed, and learn about a foe that's likely common and indigenous to the islands, right?"

"Oh, don't worry. I know how much of a pain in the flank they are." Azure muttered, shaking her head. "We fought the bastards, and they landed me in the injured list. Would rather that not happen again. Blasted things." The little beasts clearly didn't have a place in her heart.

Reef ducks his head down to the ponies. "Indeed, if this... troll... can help us locate them, capture some specimens, his gratitude would be a bonus." he whispered, rather loudly. "Perhaps then he'll tell us where the native griffons can be found."

"They're on the lower island?" the troll interrupted, half standing in alarm, "I thought that place was clean! Where did you run into them? It wasn't by the docks, was it?"

Summer exchanged glances with Azure. Docks? Presumably a feature of the lower island? "No, we encountered them on *this* island, in the forest, in a nasty pit," she corrected, "Though Reef told me they no-showed when he went to check on it."

"Indeed, no sign of the blighters, not even tracks or bodies; we were there twice, dropped a fair-sized rock in the pit even." Reef said. The hippogriff had been staring around at the furniture, the cupboards, searching for a biology textbook, a cookbook (the next best substitute) or even a map. Failing to find anything, his gaze settled on the machine on the table. The top hanging off and gears lying underneath made it clear that it was broken. "Hmm, perhaps we might also assist... with this? Not my area of expertise, you know, machinery and such, but we do have..." He winced, thinking of how the kirin had acted last time he brought her a device. Maybe her assistant, Rocket? "...ponies, on the ship, handy with this kind of thing."

Azure just let the others talk... as she was rather annoyed to find out that the darn 'chompies' were apparently a widespread problem. It seemed her services as a guard would not be required for this encounter, and that was something at least. But if they had to fight the darn things again...

"There are more of you?" Abernathy said, looking Reef's way with some modicum of hope, "I don't care about the cash register, but if you've got more griffons you can probably take down a chompy pit easy. Uh..." he gave an apologetic wince at the ponies, saying, "Unless you just have ponies. Sorry, obviously darling little things like you can't go out fighting chompy pods. But a griffon or two..." He stood up and paced across the room, looking back at the big hippogriff and saying, "I'll even give you the key, so you can get back through the tunnel to your ship without flying. If you can help me take out a chompy pit, I'll consider your toll paid in full!"

Azure looked more than a tad irritated at the implication that ponies can't fight chompies. "Oh, I assure you... we can fight the things," she said in a confident tone, "I've fought them. I've destroyed a few... and I'd be willing to do it again. I can safely say I'd do a lot better, second time around." Of course, while she was getting herself either frustrated or excited, a glowing charge of magic was building around her unicorn horn... one she dismissed as she reminded herself of what she almost did earlier, and what she was thinking about on the way over. "So! I don't know about you creatures, but if we need to blast that pit to shreds to get through... I've been looking to take down the creatures that put me on the injured list."

Reef tried to offer support, taking a step forward and starting to spread his wings before he realised the room was too small. "We do indeed have more griffons, but I must say, that cute little pony there can... neutralise more foes in a second than a pack of griffons could in a minute! More than meets the eye, these pony-folk, I can assure you. So... if you could just clarify this 'pod' business..."

Abernathy waved the hippogriff away, trying not to laugh as he said endearingly to Azure, "What'd you do, stomp on it with your adorable little hooves? You don't have to pretend you can fight chompies. Not everything has to be all that strong. You just keep using your big, strong magic to pick yourself some tasty fruits. Your friend here will keep any of those nasty bad chompies from getting you." He gave a knowing look to an increasingly nervous Reef Skimmer, his voice full of amusement as he continued "If you can't do more damage to a chompy pod with one claw tied behind your back than these silly little critters can do all day, then I'm a monkey's uncle."

Azure just stared at Abernathy for a moment. "...Well. I see words mean nothing." Her tone was dangerously serene, but the spark of magic was quickly returning to her spiralled horn as she looked to the roof. "I apologise in advance." is all she said, before she fired what was intended to be a tight beam of magic, sized to pierce a neat hole through the roof. As with her last attempt at a beam strike, magic took one look at her intentions and decided to do its own thing instead.

The room was replaced by an intense bubble of light and sound as the entire roof of the building exploded upwards, tiles shattering and timber disintegrating as they're carried away, the fragments swirling around the expanding tornado of destruction. The roaring wind and spiralling debris rushed upward, soon replaced by a steady torrent of crashing and splintering as bits of house and jungle rain back to earth. Slowly everything settles back to silence, the cottage now four stone walls completely open to the sky, the attic floor and roof seemingly vanished from existence. Sunlight beamed down on the group through a neat circular hole in the canopy far above, vegetation obliterated by the same massive beam.

"Well," Abernathy said faintly, covered in the dusty remains of his own roof, "I suppose my third nephew was always the rambunctious type." Her consciousness fading away, Azure Feather collapsed quietly to the ground.

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Nutmeg Inferno), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

This chapter is based on the tenth session, narrated / GMed by Ferret, in which the party finally made contact with intelligent natives (although apparently not that intelligent given what happened to his roof). Summer is still enthralled by this whole concept of 'diplomacy', even if she's still learning the ropes (and/or making it up as she goes).

Aftermath

Reef Skimmer immediately dashed forward and dropped to the floor next to Azure, checking her airway and carefully opening an eyelid to assess pupil dilation. "Unresponsive, shallow breathing... pulse is irregular." The hippogriff glanced at Summer Scribe, concern evident in his eyes. "And... this isn't the first incident. I need to get her back to the ship. Right now."

Summer gave a curt nod of agreement. "Seems like some some kind of... obligate laseritis! I wonder what she's come down with?" She planted her hooves, ready to help move Azure with her telekinesis. "I better stay here and, uhh, keep our shellshocked friends company here..." she said, looking up at the giant hole where the roof had been, sweat forming on her brow. This was a hell of a first impression!

With Summer's help, Reef Skimmer soon had Azure's innate form draped over his back, and he carefully rose to his feet. "Out here on your own?" he asked Summer, concern in his voice, "Very noble of you but do you really want to risk it? One could probably manage all three of you you know, perhaps not at best speed, but..." hie trailed off. It would definitely take longer hauling a two-pony cart. He looked at Blue Type, then back at Summer. "...you're sure about this?"

Summer Scribe nodded, her tail swishing with renewed enthusiasm. "If I can't handle this then you ought to kick me off the islands entirely." A nervous laugh, then with more confidence "I'll figure something out."

Abernathy had been keeping his distance, watching the creatures rush to the winged unicorn's aid. "I hope this isn't normal for you," he said, trying to keep the shock and fear out of his voice, "That couldn't possibly have been magic. Do you have some kind of explosives in those horns of yours?"

Blue Type glared daggers at the troll. "It is not normal, and it’s not the time to talk about your silly notions of magic!" she replied furiously.

He dismissed her with a wave of his green, fingered forelegs, preferring to concentrate on Summer Scribe. "I want all you horny creatures out of my house, right now, before another one of you explodes. Do you have any idea how long it's going to take me to rebuild that roof?"

The little unicorn shook her head: "Look, this is as far from normal as it gets! She wouldn't do something like that, unless..." She hesitated, hanging her head down in thought: sometimes the most valuable skill one could apply was listening...

Summer closed her eyes for a moment, before her head came back up: "Alright, no problem." she told the troll cheerfully, "I bet we can have someone fix that for you. Let me just consult..." who? She was the leader of this expedition, and Set Sail was back on the ship, yet she felt the need for moral support. Her eyes settled on Doctor Skimmer, who was standing in the doorway with Azure sprawled on his back, listening to the argument. Trotting over to him, she asked "We can spare some manual labour, right? Rebuild the roof as a token of good will? I know, we have to discuss it with Set Sail and the crew... but we can make a statement of intent, right?"

Reef Skimmer hesitated; it seemed plausible, but he had a hard time thinking about such things with an unconscious friend on his back, in urgent need of treatment. That troll creature could still be a threat, now that it's angry... but he judged the unicorn likely could handle it, at least until reinforcements arrive. "Worth a shot, certainly. I'll inform everygriff, err, pony, on the ship: another party will be right over, I'm sure."

With one final glance at the fuming Blue Type, giving what he could only hope was a reassuring wink, the griff concluded with "Best of luck then, Summer Scribe!" before trotting out into the clearing. Was there a faint muttering of "...and how in bloody Tartarus am I supposed to explain this one to Set Bail" before the sound of forceful wingbeats signalled his departure? Maybe Summer just imagined it.

The unicorn in question just stood there for a moment, before it dawned on her that perhaps a written note to Set Sail was called for. Not that she didn't trust the doctor, it's just that he could be a little... absent minded and with his mind on Azure... "Reef! Wait!" she shouted, galloping out the cottage door just in time to see the now airborne hippogriff and passenger disappear above the trees. She skidded to a halt and groaned; she had to admit, having the big grey griff around was somewhat reassuring, and she hoped he'd be able to return with the reinforcements. Just have to figure out what to do until then!

About-facing to, uhh... vaguely face the cottage, she was greeted by the sight of Abernathy shooing Blue Type out of the dwelling. She took a few steps forward, eager to resume the conversation: "So, umm, yes, we're deeply sorry about the hole in your roof, we'll endeavour to fix it as soon as we can..."

Hearing Summer's words, the troll looked up from the earth pony he was herding and immediately fixated on the spiralled appendage protruding from her head. Abernathy flailed backwards, shouting, "Gah! Don't point that thing at me!" and grabbing clumsily for the doorknob.

'Whoops! Can't even do that...' Summer thought. Trying to minimise any perceived threat, the pale blue unicorn turned her body away from the cottage and talked over her shoulder, looking sideways at the troll and keeping her horn pointed at the trees. "Ok, is this acceptable?" Her expression was almost bashful now; she felt kind of silly, stuck here with an ungrateful troll and without any transportation back!

"...fine," Abernathy said reluctantly, peeking around the nearly closed door, "Bring your crew over and then maybe we can talk. But I don't want any more holes in my house."

By this point Blue Type had collected her wits and tried to reason with the troll, approaching him cautiously. “See?" she said, gesturing with a hoof, "No horn on my head. I assure you that could never possibly happen to me."

Abernathy stared at her, assessing the truth of her words. His gaze shifted rapidly between the earth pony and the unicorn, before he finally relented, opening the door but staying firmly within the cottage. “Okay, you want to talk to me, I get that. But you’re gonna have to answer a few questions. How did that purple... horn pony or whatever you are, blow a hole in my roof? You said all you had was magic.”

Summer Scribe nodded, resisting the urges to turn and face him, making her look unusually stiff. "Yeah: magic! That's what us unicorns do. Well, all ponies have a limited form of it in one way or another... But for unicorns like me and Azure, it manifests in the more stereotypical associations of the word: telekinesis and magical spells." With an enthusiastic grin and further nod, she continued, "And Azure's really good at it! Butterfly wings and magical blasts come easily to her. I know the theory, but I don't have nearly the experience and capacity she does! I bet she's practiced sooo much."

"Those butterfly wings, they weren't magic," came Abernathy's knowing reply, "Magic just isn't all that powerful, not more than any of the other elements. You could make an... illusory wing maybe, but it would take a lot of concentration." He looked thoughtful, trying to puzzle out what had happened to his house. "That... 'blast' must have been more wind than any one creature should be able to channel; a lot more. Just how powerful is your... telekinesis? More than picking fruits, I suppose?"

"Telekinesis is pretty much like flexing a magical muscle: you have to grip and tense and lift. Like this..." Summer clarified. She looked around, catching some rocks in her field and pulling them into a pile in front of her. Then one by one she lifted them up into the air, each surrounded by a glowing aura. The more she lifted, the more she strained, until with a 'whew' she sets them down.

Suddenly she thought of her earlier find: 'Aha! Should've known...' Still avoiding looking directly at the troll, she asked "You're talking about magic being one of the 'elements'? Run that by me again; what about that blast was more 'wind' to you than anything else?"

"It was... windy?" Abernathy said, as if it should be self-explanatory. He let the door swing open as his fingers went to scratch his bald head. "Don't tell me you creatures don't know what air is. It's the stuff that everything floats in. We're breathing it right now. It's just weather, but what she did was like weaponised weather."

"Well, yeah, we know what AIR is." Summer said, trying not to sound patronised and not entirely succeeding. "But that's something pegasi work with, not unicorns! Flying really well and walking on clouds and making them rain and stuff. A blast is just..." She made a vague gesture with her hoof, "Magic magic. Like, a direct release of unstructured energy. It's just pure magic!"

"It was certainly powerful," Blue Type observed, "And usually unicorns aren't at all good at weather magic. But this one seems... fond of the pegasi way. She clearly had a horn surge of some sort, but I wouldn't call it a weapon." She looked up at the hole in the canopy overhead and winced, "Just... destructive."

Summer pondered for a moment, before saying "That said, we don't have analogues for ALL of your elements. There's also fire, earth, water, and uhhh... skull, right?" She blinked, hoping her meaning came across.

"Oh, I suppose you saw the old village," Abernathy remarked, folding his arms, "Darn shame that. My great grandfather said it used to be a mabu village. Haven't seen a mabu in forever. But I've heard they practically worship some kind of balance of the elements. That's what that old shrine used to be about, or so he said. The skull one is for the 'Undead' element, which is like... you know, the stuff that stops things from dying? Or living?"

Drawing a blank, Summer shot a glance at her companion, but Blue Type's baffled expression made it clear she had no idea what the troll meant either. Instead, the earth pony continued her attempts to reason with the troll: "We promise not to indiscriminately use magic, or... wind as you put it." She looked meaningfully at Summer, before continuing: "We will probably bring along more unicorns in the repair of your roof, though, if you'd could trust us for a moment. I mean, one second you're not taking us seriously, and now you're acting like we're monsters. Isn't there some middle ground here?"

Summer nodded encouragingly to Blue, glad to have help in the negotiation. "I think we can work our way through this: surely we can solve this just by learning more about each other, as any good pony ... or troll, should!" She beamed at Abernathy and nodded again for emphasis. "So, back to the elements... We, uhh, had some pegasi turn purple and, uh, 'spooky' when we crash-landed here. Do you think they might be, uhh, infused by this 'Undead' element, then?" She'd never heard of anything like that back in Equestria; it seemed the magic here was weird, following different rules.

The troll winced - 'probably not a good sign', Summer thought - saying, "Only time I've ever seen Undead is when it got into one of my great grandmothers. It's sort of incompatible with Life, so... some creatures who are old or weakened get infected and, well they live longer, maybe, but they stop being able to do the things that make life worth living. There are legends of creatures actually becoming undead, but that was way before my time. These days, the most that element can do is... make old people a little more miserable before they die. Arthritis and cancer and the like."

Fresh sweat beaded on Summer Scribe's forehead as she considered the implications for their friends. "Okay, thank you for that..." This did sound like it a problem that needed fixing, even if the transformed pegasi seemed fine for the time being. "Do you know anything about what makes elements associate with pon- creatures? If what you're saying is true, and Azure is getting, uhh, 'Windy', and those other ponies 'Spooky'..."

"What makes elements associate with anyone?" the troll said, turning and just heading back into his roofless cottage. Glancing at each other uncertainly, the ponies cautiously approached the open door, only to see Abernathy pulling up a rickety chair and carefully sitting down.

Once they were inside, he continued: "Some people have a knack for an element. Nothing like your friend of course. But my seventh cousin Edgar is pretty good with the earth element. Breaking rocks, and... making rocks and stuff. As for why? I dunno. Because they like it? If you have a friendly relationship with air, then the air listens to you. And uh... you can propel a balloon around maybe, or get the rain started earlier. She must just really like air, so it likes her back. Never heard of anyone with a knack for Undead, but I don't expect they would last long. I don't have an elemental affinity though, so you probably should ask someone who does."

Summer Scribe hmmmed: that did check out. So did that mean anypony with enough passion of the right type is going to get magically infused with one of these ten elements? "Thank you, Abernathy!" she said cheerfully, "You've been a big help."

"If you really wanna thank me, you can help me get materials to repair my roof," Abernathy told Summer, standing up again. "I have to do it anyway, now. Is your fancy magic any good at digging up a bunch of clay?"

Reef Skimmer ascended rapidly, flying faster now with no cart to pull. His forelegs were bent back awkwardly, to allow his claws to keep a firm grip on Azure's forelegs, making sure she can't slide off his barrel. As soon as he cleared the canopy, he wheeled around and started flapping straight back across the island, heading for the docked EAS Harmony.

The whistling slipstream and regular thrum of hippogriff wings, not to mention bobbing and jostling of her flying mount, soon brought Azure Feather back to consciousness. Before her eyes even opened, a groan escaped her muzzle, then tension filled her body as she came to her senses. "Air... Doctor?!" she exclaimed... before the magical exhaustion hit her like a brick in the form of a nasty headache. Her right forehoof went straight to her forehead with another groan. "...the heck...?" is all she could manage before her eyes closed again.

Feeling a hoof pull away from his grip, Reef looked over his shoulder and watched his passenger regain consciousness. "Azure? Can you hear me?" he shouted over the wind, "Do you know what happened?" They were above the centre of the island now, passing over the village and only a few minutes flight from the ship.

With eyes still closed, Azure found it easier to respond. Shutting out the light made the headache a little more bearable, at least. "I can hear you, Doctor... I don't know exactly what happened... but judging by the fact that my head feels like I've drained three barrels of cider, and I'm riding on your back instead of flying myself..." She sighed deeply. "...it's not good, is it." Even the smallest movement was an effort; 'why does this feel like another trip to the injured list', she thought.

Some of his urgency draining away now that his patient was conscious and responsive, Reef stopped flapping and settled his wings into an easy glide. The whistling wind died back to a stiff breeze, and Azure was no longer jostled with each wingbeat. "Not ideal no." he said, in a quieter voice. "I have to say, not ideal having a hippogriff for a doctor either, what with one magical calamity after another. Oh I have a book or two on horns and unicorns but no experience treating any of this... maybe I shouldn't have come." A few moments of silence pass before he continued in a firmer tone "Sorry, don't know what came over me. I might not be a unicorn but one will do one's best of course! Now, err, have you ever had... symptoms like this before?"

Reef felt the unicorn tense up even further; silently he lamented the lapse in his beside (or was it wingside) manner. After a few moments of thought, she responded with "I've never had these symptoms, I'll take a mug of cider from time to time, but..." Azure gives another weary sigh before continuing in a tone of pointed concern: "Doctor, what happened? Exactly? Because if it's what I'm thinking... this could be stuff I've learned in Unicorn 101..." The unicorn had shrugged off the first incident, but now that a recurrence had proved it wasn't a random fluke, she seemed severely shaken.

Reef thought back to the event in question. "Well, erm, you apologised, then you looked at the ceiling... your horn began to glow, then there was a glowing magical discharge and... well pretty much the entire roof disintegrated into shrapnel and was propelled at least a hundred metres into the air, cutting a swathe through the branches overhead." He looked over his shoulder again and fixed his passenger with another of his avian stares. "Very much like that trick you pulled back at the village, blasting a flight path through the canopy? That was your general intent, was it not?"

Azure listened carefully to the doctor's explanation, lying immobile on his broad back as they glided through the air. She opened her mouth to respond when the hippogriff drew a parallel to the previous incident... before a slow-building chuckle soon became a laugh... and then a groan as the headache returned. It was several seconds before she could reply.

"Truth be told, Doctor, no. I intended to demonstrate by blasting a small hole, maybe a hoof in diameter, through the ceiling. Not completely destroying his roof. Likewise, the previous time I expected to release several, less powerful rays to clear the way through the brambles. Not... that ridiculous beam. No, Doctor, my intent in both cases... wasn't what happened. And if this is what I think it is... it's not good. Not good at all."

Reef considers that for a moment, racking his brain for details about unicorn magic and how it could go wrong. "I seem to recall there are... structural defects, in the horn core, that can cause 'surges' of excessive or uncontrolled magic? Although I'm sure there was a study that showed a good fraction of cases were psychosomatic... the exact percentage escapes me but..."

He paused for a moment, trying to brush aside the trivia and focus on something that could help his patient right now. "Well, it seems that this... problem only occurs when you're actively attempting to employ your abilities? So... no risk to ship and crew... as long as you don't use your magic?" Realising a little late this could be a major issue for a unicorn, he hastily added "Or at least, stick to minimal telekinesis... just until we figure this out."

Azure shook her head. Horn defect? That... that sounded borderline dangerous, and thinking back to both incidents... yup. Really dangerous. More so than the case of magical exhaustion she was thinking of. Meanwhile, with the increasing tension came a renewed pain from her forehead, as she groaned. "Right... I'll keep that in mind. Right..." Her voice carried even more worry than before. She slumped silently, from sheer exhaustion, but the underlying tension remained.

While his patient didn't seem to be in imminent danger, it was clear she needed rest, and perhaps an aspirin. Meanwhile, Summer Tribe and Blue Stripe were still out there, perhaps facing down a whole family of trolls by now. Reef began flapping again, quickly closing the remaining distance to the ship, flaring his wings to come in for a landing near the tip of the gangplank. Assorted crewponies were wandering around, both in the meadow and on the upper deck. Reef cast his gaze about, looking for the third mate (or should he say, acting captain), or failing that one of the griffons or even that surprisingly helpful purple pegasus.

Once the hippogriff was spotted, a small crowd of ponies and other creatures came running, crowding around as he landed and shouting out several questions at once. The din did very little good for Azure's headache. "Okay, okay, hold on!" called out a familiar voice, and progressively all the other creatures fell silent, turning to look at a pegasus wearing a green kerchief, flapping over to land next to Reef and Azure.

"Where are the others?" Set Sail asked the hippogriff, her tone full of alarm, before leaning in next to his shoulder and asking more quietly "Azure, are you okay? What happened out there?"

With a sigh, Azure slid off the doctor's back, followed by a groan as her hooves touched the deck. "Thank you for the ride, Doctor..." she said, looking groggy but more or less able to walk. Turning to Set Sail, she replied "Long story short? From what the doctor tells me, my 'quick magical laser' turned into a 'house-wrecking magical blast', despite my intentions being firmly the former. Migraines now, might be magical exhaustion, they might mean worse, I don't know, I'm worried and most importantly... I really have no idea what's going on. Not here, not with me, and..." She just trailed off after that, looking confused and frustrated.

Reef frowned: clearly it was down to him to explain things to the acting captain, but how to do it without upsetting her again? He still didn't understand why she got upset last time, but everyone was looking at him now and...

Attempting a cheerful smile, he adopted a jovial tone and launched into his report. "Wet Gale! Just the pony, glad to see you Captain. Err, acting captain. So... a bit of a medical emergency here, nothing too serious but had to get the patient back here on the double... Now, Summer Tribe and Blue Stripe, they were just having a little chat with a... erm, troll, that is to say, one of the natives! And I'm sure they're fine, but no doubt they'd be very appreciative if you could, perhaps consider, sending some help? They might need somegriff, somecreature... somepony! Somepony who could fix a roof, say, or maybe they're more in the need of someponies who could rescue them from a family of giant angry primates. Just as a hypothetical, better safe than sorry and all that! So, erm, I'm sure you have that... all under control?" As the crew falls silent one by one, realisation slowly dawns on the hippogriff that this isn't going well. "That's a lovely bandanna, by the way."

The pregnant silence lasted a good few seconds, before Set Sail said carefully "That's probably a good idea. We'll send some flyers to deal with... whatever is going on over there... And you..." The pegasus choked up for a second, her expression a mix of anger and disappointment. "You can go back to working in the infirmary, until further notice." Another long silence, before she added "Don't forget to take off your wing blades."

Reef treated the much smaller pegasus to perhaps his more intense avian stare yet, and for a moment the entire crew tensed as they wondered who would yield. Then the griff cocked his head, saying stiffly "Just as you say, Captain.", before turning away and escorting his exhausted unicorn patient below deck.

After a quick pep talk from Set Sail and a few hasty preparations, a motley crew of winged warriors were in flight and heading over to the far side of the island. They landed as silently as possible and proceeded to enter and search the cottage, taking note of the destroyed roof and not helping matters by knocking the surviving furniture over. They then inexpertly tracked the footprints and hoofprints leading away from the cottage, down a secret little side trail off into the jungle.

At the sound of sharp cries coming from ahead, they rushed forward, weapons (mostly improvised, or in Griselda's case, natural) bristling, racing into view of a shallow riverbank, full of rich, clay-like mud. There a unicorn was demonstrating her fearsome power to levitate globs of mud and throw them at a tall, green biped. The strange creature couldn't seem to stop laughing as he threw more mud back, splattering it all over Summer Scribe's beautiful pale blue fur. As the pair waded through the mud in search of more effective weaponry to defeat their laughing foe, a blue maned earth pony named Blue Type stood uneasily at the edge of the mud, hanging her head and shaking it slowly at her two companions.

The mare looked shocked to see her crewmates burst into the scene, full of adrenalin and ready to fight. "Oh, hello! Um..." she began. Behind her the sounds of shrieking and laughter alternated as Summer and Abernathy continued their impromptu mud fight. "Err, Summer! Company!" shouted Blue Type.

Summer Scribe perked up, instinctually leaning to the side to duck a splatter of mud as she looked over towards the commotion. "Oh! Cloud Cutter! Grenelda! There you are." she said cheerfully. The unicorn leaned forward and shake-shake shook the mud off like a dog, then playfully pranced over towards her crewmates. "You're here to..." she paused to take in the angry expressions and weapons on display. "...Oh! Go defeat the Chompies while we watch, right?" Summer finnished with a cheeky grin.

"Where's all the giant angry primates?" Grenelda replied, looking around in bewilderment.

Summer Scribe blink blinked, now somewhat confused herself. "Ah, there must be some miscommunication; Abernathy here's quite nice once you get to know 'im!" She leaned in close to the griffon's beak and whispered urgently... "And we'd better get their roof fixed before too long or there'll be trouble..." before then leaning back and smiling again! "Anyway! We're happy to do 'em a favour, aren't we?"

"If your friend is any indication, they should be more than enough to take on a chompy pit," Abernathy said, walking over to join Summer and the others. He was eyeing the new griffon which seemed rather diminutive compared to the big one he'd seen previously. "We got a little ah... distracted getting some clay for the roof though. Give us a sec to get cleaned up, I'll get my stuff, and then maybe we can go fight some chompies?"

Summer Scribe wriggled herself down, a few lingering globs of mud falling free. "Yeah, sounds good! And, uhh, just to set expectations, these aren't the 'beaming' kind of pony, but they'll kick all kinds of Chompy butt no problem!"

“What are you talking about?” Grenelda the griffon said, still giving Summer a bewildered look. “You want us to fight him?” She gestures to the rather muddy and unassuming troll, who wide-eyed, points to himself in confusion.

Blink blink. Were they not told? "Oh, no, uhh. You know the chompy pit, right? Our troll friend here wants it cleared out, as a favour..." her voice dropped to a lower tone "...and revenge is important, too!" Summer was getting the feeling this isn't what the crew were expecting, so she added an escape hatch: "...but we're not in THAT much of a hurry, so we can leave it for tomorrow if needed!"

A pause to process that, or to decide what to do with this pony, then Grenelda said evenly, “...we’re going back. Already bad enough that doctor was talkin’ up his ass again.”

“Wait a sec!” Abernathy protested, “Summer here is helping me repair my roof right now!”

Summer gave a sad headshake to Abernathy: "I gotta get back, I'm sorry. This is my ride home, and I need to check on Azure..." and maybe Reef, too... "Promise we'll all make it up to you tomorrow, OK?"

Sighing, Abernathy waved her off, saying, “Like I haven’t heard that one before. I’m not forcing you or anything. Your ‘ride’ would make a pincushion out of me if I did.”

“He’s not wrong,” the purple pegasus named Cloud Cutter admitted, idly twirling a knife in her pinions.

Summer Scribe squinted her eyes at the knife. Was that really appropriate? Well, whatever... "Ponies make good on their obligations to others: you have my word!" she said sincerely to Abernathy, before bowing, saluting with a hoof, and pads over to the pegasi.

If Cloud Cutter was even aware how menacing she was being, you certainly can’t see it in her blank, empty eyes. She turned to follow behind Grenelda and the others, as the group made their way back to the clearing in front of the cottage, and the cart Reef Skimmer had abandoned there. A flurry of wingbeats and the group are airborne, leaving Abernathy the troll to sit in his roof-less cottage.

Finally the rescue team returns to their ship, their last missing member found and accounted for. Set Sail is perhaps a little too relieved to see Summer return unharmed, so the others take her aside to tell her what’s going on. Summer would have a restless sleep that night, while Azure would sleep through the whole afternoon and night, recovering from her magic exhaustion.

“Hey, Chief Nutmeg. Do you...”

Nutmeg Inferno froze, her expression guilty, the only movement coming from the hovering supplies vaguely bobbing in the air around her. The red-ruffed, brown-furred kirin stood over a set of simple saddle bags, ensconced in the chief engineer’s office, only a thin metal wall away from the rest of the engine.

The grey earth pony had poked his head into the room, his expression turning to disapproval as soon as he saw the bags. “Oh no,” Gearshift said, “You’re packing, aren’t you?”

“I knew you were gonna say that,” Nutmeg replied irritably, turning stiffly to face him, “But I have to. I can’t just stay here anymore.”

“Why not?” he asked testily.

Nutmeg glanced nervously at the oversize radio occupying the corner of the room, still hissing away the eternal forlorn static of a world long gone, as it had since she'd gotten it working the previous night.

“Because what if there are other artifacts?” Nutmeg asked deliberately, drawing herself up to slightly shorter than the stallion’s height, “They need a mechanic to go with them, in case they find more machines like this one.”

“No they don’t,” he said, tone devoid of sympathy, “They’re going to bring any machines they find, back here to you. Because you’re going to stay here, like we all agreed...” at that point he lost his confidence a little, looking away and finishing in a low grumble, “...that it was for the best.”

The blanket and knife descended woefully to the floor as the glow departed from Nutmeg’s branched horn. She looked like she’s going to cry, but instead she shouted, “Dammit!” and kicked that metal wall with as much force as her cute little hind leg could manage. Gearshift backed out of the room as strange fire curls around the frustrated kirin, now dangerously close to flaring up. “There’s always a reason I have to stay here, isn’t there?” she accused him.

“I-i-it was part of the... the deal, you know?” Gearshift said weakly, staring at her in wide-eyed fear.

“Yes I know I’m flaring up,” Nutmeg growled, ignoring the dark flashes of flame along her fur, “I can do it much as I want in these stupid metal rooms, as long as I never leave, right?”

“I don’t know what to tell you, boss,” he said with a desperate grimace of a smile, “You can get out some. Just... d-d-do you need some time alone?”

The kirin looked at her own foreleg, shaking there as its brown fetlock rippled in and out of being just fire. “I-I’m losing it, Gearshift,” she said, “It’s... I swear it’s not that. I swear. I just can’t stop getting angry all the time now, because I just... wanted to...” the fire faded slowly as she concentrated on breathing, and returning to normal, “Because I’m just cooped up in here all the time, and I want...” She sank to her haunches, fully cool for now, “I just wanted to find a way to beat them.” She sighed, hanging her head, “To get out of the... the whole deal.”

“You and I and most of the crew know that you can’t just... get out of it,” the pony said solemnly, “It sucks, but... you know...”

“It’s just stupid, it’s just...” Nutmeg lay fully down on the floor, staring dully at the wall as her tail lashed behind her. “You’re right, I guess, Gearshift,” she said quietly, “I don’t want to hurt anyone. It’s just so hard to resist. I–I’m really curious what else is out there.”

“And the research ponies will bring it right back here, where it’s safe,” Gearshift said soothingly, approaching Nutmeg again, “They’ll find tons of stuff for us to work on, I bet.”

“Yeah, they’ll find it,” Nutmeg replied morosely into her forelegs, “Not me.”

“Sorry to say, but you can’t think of yourself anymore,” Gearshift chided, sitting beside her, “There are other... creatures counting on you. That’s what your role is now, and you have to come to terms with that. And you agreed to stay here, and not do anything risky, so...”

Nutmeg didn’t answer so much as to cry quietly into the soft grey fur of his shoulder. Hating herself for doing so, hating the other members of her crew watching in concerned silence from the door, hating what she is, and wishing that things didn’t have to be this way.

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Nutmeg Inferno), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

This chapter is based on the eleventh session, narrated / GMed by Ferret, in which Summer Scribe demonstrates impressive pony diplomacy while Reef Skimmer demonstrates how to make a total hash of a simple situation report. The scene at the end is a little bit of solo Nutmeg characterisation from Ferret.

Confessions

Summer Scribe trotted briskly through the ship's corridors, heading for the sickbay; she'd been told Azure was fine, at least physically, but the unicorn wanted to check in on her friend as soon as possible. It had been a long and tense debriefing with Set Sail; the pegasus seemed even more stressed and upset than before. Soon enough she reached her destination, amidships on the tween deck. The space was still crowded: the population of critically injured creatures was slowly decreasing, but most of the cots were still occupied by ponies sporting splints, bandages or IV bags.

Tears welled in Summer's eyes as she caught sight of the motionless form of Clashing Gale; the pegasus stallion was still unconscious, barely breathing and now almost entirely purple. She could only hope he'd eventually wake up like the others, even if it was courtesy of this weird 'elemental' magic. Sadness gave way to happiness on her face as she spotted Azure Feather: safe, sound, apparently sleeping peacefully, with no further injuries...

'No visible injuries', Summer reminded herself with a grimace. There was still the mystery of the horn surges to resolve, and the possibility of an 'air element' interfering with Azure's workings was still just a theory. At least Azure was in good hooves, or rather claws; the doctor was sitting there in the corner, reading from a sizeable book. Curious, Summer looked closer: she saw an elaborate engraving of a unicorn's horn on the cover, before the book quickly snapped shut as the hippogriff realised she was watching him. His expression was hard to read, his eagle face enigmatic as ever, but from his body language Summer got the impression it was some combination of anger and... guilt?

Now he was staring at her, his eyes bloodshot. 'What's up with Reef? What's with that look?' Summer thought. She'd seen him exhausted and under pressure before, that first morning after the crossing, but this was something else. Breaking the silence, she asked "Azure is OK, right?", giving a little tilt of her head as she patiently awaited a reply.

"As best as I can tell... yes." Reef Skimmer said, frustration evident in his voice. "Two horn surges, it would seem, in the space of two days, and the second took a heavier toll than the first." He looked away. "I wish I could tell you the cause... but all I can say is that physically, her symptoms are merely exhaustion and perhaps very mild concussion." The big griff sighed. "One has administered a sedative, she will sleep soundly at least."

Summer Scribe quietly nodded, sympathizing with Reef's worries. "Yeah: I don't get the impression Azure's ever dealt with this before," she said, "and I wish I knew too... I hope we can get to the bottom of this soon." The cover of the book suggested he was reading up on horns, probably medical problems that could affect them. Certainly seemed like a good idea, but proving fruitless? "Hopefully if she takes it easy she can keep it under control." she continued, trying to cheer the griff up, "Don't worry too much: she'll pull through and adapt! That's what we do as ponies!"

Reef's ear tufts flattened as he stared at the floor. "Indeed, ponies are awfully good at helping one another," he said morosely. "No doubt a unicorn doctor would know exactly what to do." Realising this wasn't reassuring Summer, he shook his head and looked her in the eye again. "No matter though, as you say I'm sure she'll be fine, after all those purple pegasi made a miraculous recovery didn't they?" Although his tone had changed to forced cheerfulness, Summer couldn't help noticing that the doctor's claws were clenched.

Summer Scribe looked back to Azure's sleeping form, shying away from Reef's intense avian gaze. 'Empathy Alert!' she thought, 'Something is Wrong here'. She thought hard for a few moments, tilting her head one way then the next. The subtext seemed clear: maybe should could fix it. "Reef, I... think that something's weighing on your mind," she began cautiously. "When was the last time you had a good, heartfelt talk? I'll be happy to listen!" Hmm, actually this could take a while and all she'd had since breakfast was one 'jungle apple'. "Over food, perhaps?"

"A talk?" the hippogriff sounded shocked. "Well, err, that's not exactly, I mean, one must retain a certain professional reserve..." His voice trailed off. Who else could he talk to? Perhaps he wasn't on the best of terms with the lead researcher, but the creatures he'd thought he'd connected with had rejected him, or were currently unconscious. At least there wasn't much to lose with Summer. Looking around the cramped sickbay, no one else seemed to be listening; indeed if anything Winter Hope was deliberately ignoring them. In a quieter voice, Reef concluded "...but perhaps there are a couple of matters we could discuss?"

Summer Scribe nod-nodded! "That's the spirit! Pon... uhh, critters offer each other shoulders to lean on in times of need! Don't be afraid to bring up anything and everything that's on your mind." Smiling, she trotted out of the sickbay; Reef hesitated for a second before putting his book down and following behind. They headed straight for the mess hall.

"So... how did the troll take the loss of his dwelling?" Reef asked, as they climbed the ramp to the main deck. "One hopes we haven't started a war with the natives, at least?"

"Ah-ha, no!" Summer said nervously, "Everything is... fine, actually! He's developed a temporary fear of unicorn horns being waved towards property, but I've agreed to help him fix his roof..." She returned to an upbeat tone as she asserted "After that and his other errand, relations will be right as rain!" In a mock whisper, she added. "...Also, between you and me? I get the impression he doesn't get out much. Maybe we should encourage him to tag along a bit so he can spread the goodwill we're investing in him!"

"Hmm, not a bad idea, assuming that your diplomatic skills are sufficient to befriend him even after that disast... little setback." The hippogriff stared at the deck again, before the forced cheerfulness returned: "But I suppose that is what you ponies do best! Along with magic of course. Ah, here we are." The pair emerged into the mess; a few crewponies were munching on some hay fries but in mid-afternoon it was mostly empty.

Summer Scribe glanced at the snacking ponies; not exactly the tastiest meal she's had as of late, but food was food! Looking back to Reef Skimmer, she began "Let me get you, uhh..." before blushing as she realised her unfamiliarity with his species. "What have you been subsisting on, lately?"

"No need, I'm not hungry... although, mostly tuna salad, if you're curious." the griff replied. "Just a black coffee for me..." Reef looked at his claw, which was trembling slightly "...although on reflection, perhaps six cups is enough. Tea it is then!"

Lighting her horn, Summer levitated over a portion of hay for herself, followed by a mugs of water and tea respectively. Putting on a serious face, she began: "Now then! This session's all about you, so tell me what's on really on your mind! No holding back: I want your true feelings!" The little unicorn certainly looked prepared; any doubts about her own ability to play counsellor for a giant eagle-horse stallion from a completely different culture were pushed to the back of her mind.

The doctor snorted and leaned back with surprise. "Session? Feelings?! Hmph, are you a licensed psychiatrist or is it more of a hobby?"

Summer Scribe couldn't help but giggle at that. Why was he treating a friendly chat as such a big deal? "It's just something we do, you know! No pony's an island: we all need each other to work!" she explained, smiling and waving a hoof in the air. "I don't know how it is for you where you come from: I assume you had a pretty strict military hierarchy when you were in the Navy. Did you ever just... Find a friend and vent? Or just trudge on on your lonesome through adversity?"

Reef cocked his head, not sure whether the little mare was mocking him or not. After a moment's consideration he decided he might as well play along. "Miss Scribe, the camaraderie of a hippogriff crew is legendary; the officer corps doubly so. Why I could regale you with tales of late night poker in the officer's mess, shore leave misadventures shared, pranks pulled on new griffs..." Reminiscing on what he'd left behind, Reef's manner had begun to warm, before it sunk in how much he was missing it. "Suffice it to say that ponies do not have the monopoly on friendship some might imagine."

Summer, having been enlightened in this moment, didn't express shock or embarrassment, but... excitement and intrigue! "Oh, that DOES sound super awesome!" she said, grinning broadly. "Okay, so I bet your problem is more like, you're not used to solitude. You're totally looking for friends, same as anyone else! You're just having trouble in an unfamiliar environment?"

"That... may well be the case." Reef Skimmer said slowly. "One must confess, to a certain lack of comprehension when it comes to pony behaviour. Or for that matter, kirin behaviour." He sighed. "I've made some efforts, to, erm, engage with Set Sail... which is not to say we are getting engaged, of course!" With a worried look the hippogriff scanned the mess to see if anyone else heard that. "To support her rather, perhaps even... impress her?" Was that a blush? It was so hard to tell with bird faces, but his ear tufts were flicking back and forth. "Much the same with Nutmeg... the ship's engineer, that you gave a good soaking when we first met?"

"Hmm, hmmm..." Summer was tilting her head left then right, trying to make out the griff's expression, straining to pick up every contextual clue she could. "I see, I see! The bonds of friendship do strengthen when we do things for each other... so may I ask what Set Sail and Nutmeg asked of you? Or what you did for them?" She was genuinely curious: it sounded like the doctor was taking some initiative, desiring some closeness... but was he going about it the right way?

Abandoning restraint, Reef launched into an explanation. "Well, for Get Mail... uh, Set Sail rather," he corrected himself, embarrassed, "Oh you were there of course, it was just after your account of the first sortie... I described some naval procedures, didn't go down too well with the crewponies it seemed, but the captain seemed keen for me to take a shore party out. I was happy to oblige of course, but here's the thing, I took pains to rein in that feisty hen... griffon, that is. She wanted to march straight into that cottage there and then, but I knew you ponies... I mean, Sails or yourself, wouldn't want us contacting the natives on our own initiative. So I had Grenelda glaring daggers at me for the sake of following orders, and what do I get for it?!"

Reef paused for a moment, but the question was clearly rhetorical, and he soon continued indignantly: "Set Sail was 'very disappointed' that we even went beyond the pit at all! It's not as if her orders designated the area of operation..." Pouting was physically impossible with a beak, but for some reason Summer imagined Reef doing it anyway. "So of course I thought, what can I do to get back in her good books, why volunteer to take the unicorns out in the cart. Make an advantage of my stature for once, instead of just bumping into everything. Yet somehow, that only made her more unhappy! And then... she ordered me to take you out, all the same!" Reef snorted, staring at Summer intensely now.

"And to cap it all, right after I brought Azure back to the ship, she could barely listen to my report before she ordered me confined to the sickbay! And had the gall to look upset when I obeyed! Now I admit it wasn't the most coherent report, one's tongue may have gotten a bit tied from the stress... but still. What kind of officer gets upset when their orders are obeyed!"

By that point the hippogriff had stood up and leaned over the table, talons digging into the stained wood. At some point the other crewponies had decided they didn't want to hear the rest of his monologue and slipped out, leaving the mismatched pair alone in the mess. Reef looked down at his shaking claws, before dropping back to the floor (he was too big for the bench). "I'm sorry. That was... uncalled for."

Summer Scribe found herself enthralled by Reef Skimmer's tale of woe. It was clearly spoken from the heart, and when described from Reef's perspective, it did seem like a morass of unfairness and confusion... But! Summer had her own perspective on the events and persons involved, so she starts cross-referencing it in her mind, brow furrowed... before clearing as insight dawns. The unicorn smiled wide, giddy at the realisation that this could be a simple misunderstanding. Seeing Reef's bemused look, she composed herself, excited to give a lesson.

"I hear you! And I think I know the fundamental source of your confusion. Watch this..." she said, making a pouting, teary, trembly face. "This is Concern." Then she made a harsher, frowning, indignant face. "This is Upset." Shaking it off, she explained: "Set Sail isn't Upset; she's Concerned! Concerned because she's been thrust into a job she didn't ask for, responsible for the whole ship and crew, concerned because everything she sends you to do is dangerous and seems to lead to people getting hurt. And that's not your fault: she's just worried sick!"

Nodding with satisfaction at a puzzle well solved, Summed added: "And I wouldn't be surprised if you're missing other cues, too. No shame in admitting you can't read a pony's face if it's something you haven't learned to!"

Reef frowned, trying to digest that. "I suppose then... she is mostly concerned, not upset? Though I definitely saw that second one, from the rest of the crew, up on the deck today." The griff sighed and sat back on his haunches. "Which strongly implied... this problem can't just be Set Sail, I must be doing something wrong. But tell me..." he looked imploringly at Summer "...if she's so concerned, why didn't she just ordering us to minimise the risks? Or... wait, I hope you aren't saying that the acting captain confined me to the sickbay out of concern for my personal safety? She can hardly wrap the whole crew in cotton wool!"

Summer Scribe waved a hoof vaguely, wondering how to explain it. "It's like... Well, I guess the quickest way to say is that us ponies don't typically organise in the kind of military hierarchy you're used to. We're just sort of... read each other's body language and don't always say everything out loud! You know, a lot of the time you just kinda know what's going on with each other, without realising." She tapped her hoof on the table for emphasis. " So... you're probably not doing what Set Sail REALLY wants you to do. And that's okay! It's just culture shock, for the both of you. But it still means that you're not on the same page: she probably thinks you're blundering over the most obvious signs."

The unicorn looked Reef Skimmer in the eye and said earnestly: "Safest way to find out? Own up to everything you think you might have done wrong; ponies love a good apology; and ask what she really wants from you!" Summer smiled broadly at that. "As for the 'grounded in sickbay thing... yeah, I think that you might be right! Set Sail couldn't figure out how to keep you safe and this was a means of last resort: an order you couldn't refuse or misinterpret." Sighing, she explained "It probably felt painful, even! And I'm sure that's hard to understand, but we have totally different social and communication norms like that: we try to be easy going and loose."

The griff stared into space, turning over Summer's proposal in his mind before responding. "Heartfelt confession, you say? You really think that might help? If she thinks I'm so useless outside the sickbay that I'm only going to get myself or other ponies hurt, telling her I have no idea how ponies communicate is only going to make things worse." His ear tufts drooped and his voice was pained. "If I really can't understand what she wants... and she doesn't want to give me orders... then maybe there's nothing to be done. But if I'm not on cordial terms with the captain, what hope is there with the rest of the crew?"

"Uh-huh! It really does help! And I know you can do it." Summer encouraged, smiling again. "Set Sail will really appreciate you coming clean; I'm sure of it. She's probably as confused about you as you her, and these kinds of things are perfect for setting the record straight and getting expectations right." The hippogriff seemed to be coming around to her argument.

"There's no way she thinks you're useless." Summer shook her head, trying to dispel Reef's doubts. "We're all here for a reason: we're ready to do whatever the job demands! And that means lots of failure, confusion and uncertainty. By saying you don't know how ponies communicate, it actually shows good communication skills! We all need the flexibility to admit when we're at fault or nothing can ever get done." She eagerly clopped her hoof on the table. "Don't act like this will be the first or last thing you learn in your life: own it, embrace it! You can do it, Reef!"

Reef Skimmer took a few moments to absorb all that, before giving a weak beak-gaping grin. "I must say I admire your spirit, Summer. One might almost classify it as an infectious disease! Um, just a little medical humour." He continued in an earnest tone. "But yes, you are right of course! To do less would be cowardice. I feel we can ill afford fear or division, so far from home."

Summer Scribe chuckled, holding a hoof to her mouth for a moment. "Yep, exactly! And that's why you have to be open with your friends... err, coworkers... whatever you wanna call 'em. It shows you're ready to put in the work, and the biggest part of a lot of jobs IS the communication part!"

Reef's wings unfolded and fluffed up a bit, before settling back at his sides. "Thank you. You didn't have to do this... unless, of course, that scroll on your flank is actually a license to practice psychiatry?"

The unicorn twisted to peer at her cutie mark... and then smirked. "Nah! This..." she gestured a hoof at the griff then herself, before smiling again, "...is just... what any good pony ought to do for a friend."

Reef smiled warmly at that... or at least opened his beak in a manner that didn't seem to imply an imminent desire to consume the pony opposite him... before frowning again. "In that case, I hate to impose, but perhaps... you could shed some light on the other matter? Not that kirins are ponies, but I feel when it comes to communication they are closer to your kin than mine."

Summer Scribe nodded encouragingly; she was on a roll. "Well, yes: I think I can weigh in. What exactly is the problem, with you and Nutmeg I mean?" This would be harder; unlike Set Sail, she hadn't seen the pair interacting. Though at a guess... repairs aside, Nutmeg was probably bored witless cooped up on the ship, which couldn't be helping.

Reef Skimmer leaned back, thinking over his encounters with the kirin. "Well. Obviously we first met in the saloon, when I was unsuccessful in preventing you from soaking her. We had a good chat after that about her species, in the examination room you understand, did you know their leader used an water-based magical artefact to suppress all their emotions? And any desire to talk, it seems." Reef shook his head; Summer might well be interested in the tale of the Stream of Silence, but that could easily fill the next hour and leave no time for the matter at hand.

Summer Scribe had, of course, heard of it: the kirin village in the Peaks of Peril had hosted a steady stream of pony research teams as soon as the news had gotten back to Canterlot. Not that it wasn't interesting to hear about every time, but the hippogriff had a more pressing matter just now.

"Oh but I digress.... So, we met again while you were off making first landfall, and that was a much more sociable affair. We talked about our pasts, the situation, and she showed me... some private things. All very friendly, I thought! But she was clearly bored of her role on the ship, maintaining the engines not providing much challenge, it seemed. So I thought, if we could find any machines on the island, perhaps it would cheer her up, raise her spirits: taking a look, figuring them out? So one asked Azure Feather to keep an eye out for anything that might fit the bill... she pointed out the radio, which seemed perfect!"

Realising this might be a touchy subject, Reef dipped his head down to Summer and said hoarsely and rather quickly "Sorry again by the way - got carried away there - should have cleared it with you first - won't happen again" Pulling back again, he continued "So, where were we... ah yes well I hauled the thing back to the ship, brought it in for her... and she accused me of passing a fraud! Of deliberately tricking her to make her look foolish! Now I'm not averse to a good natured prank but really, it seems like something convinced her I'm an irredeemable scoundrel!" The hippogriff glowered, staring into space.

Summer smirked, thinking back to that first Horn Surge incident: what a fright it gave her, and it was just to clear some foilage in the end! She didn't mind about the radio, it would have gone back to the ship anyway, although it would've been nice if Reef had asked first. Never mind that now... she tapped her chin, thinking about the kirin's behaviour. "Yeah, I'd say that you're not the only one with pent up emotions in this scenario."

Summer chuckled again. "Think about it from Nutmeg's perspective: you're brought on as an engineer; treated as a safety hazard; mostly confined to the metal underbelly of the ship. Where, after we crashed and lost the spare parts, her job is nearly useless! She's reduced to hearing about all the cool things everyone else gets to do, because there's no airship to fly. In that kind of mind state... Having an artifact brought to you by someone else FEELS like a practical joke. Something to try and keep you company, you know?"

Summer frowned, showing 'concerned' face again. "I think what Nutmeg REALLY needs is to feel like she's here for a reason - like her contribution matters. And you just happened to be the messenger who got shot. If it was me who took the radio to her, I'd be the one eaten out. Get it?"

Reef cocked his head to one side, then the other, considering. "I can't honestly say that I do. Surely taking a look at some alien device is an improvement on just running the engines? I thought, well, I was overjoyed to find some prize specimens on my first sortie, I thought that artefact would be a fine 'specimen' for her? Now I admitt, being stuck in the sickbay and having somegriff, erm, somecreature just hand me, say, an intriguing electric slug in a jar... Well that would be somewhat less satisfying, but still, much better than nothing, and I'd certainly share a round of brandy with that creature!"

Summer couldn't help but wonder if slugs in jars are typical gifts for courting hippogriffs; presumably they had to switch to sea slugs when they went underwater... Ignoring that for now, she nodded to Reef. "Mmm... under normal circumstances, you'd be right! But I think Nutmeg let her unresolved emotions speak for her, and let them all over you like a downpour of molten lava. So this is a case where like..." she made another vague hoof gesture, "You didn't even do anything wrong. But it's still probably the right play to chat her up and give her a space to talk about her feelings and what she wants. You know? She doesn't REALLY hate you!"

Reef looked deep into Summer's eyes, before saying in a tone of utter gravitas, "Am I to understand that as the senior academic on this mission, you are conferring on me an honorary degree in kirin psychiatry? If so one must of course accept, to do otherwise would be most unappreciative."

"Umm, well..." Summer Scribe stammered. "Not EXACTLY like that. It's not in anyone's professional capacity to, well... Just be a good friend!" She smiled again, perhaps a little nervously this time; did the hippogriff get it? "It IS hard work, it's true... but it's the kind anyone can do."

As Summer stammered Reef turns his head to the side, a twinkle in his eye. "I did say I was not adverse to a good-natured prank." Another avian beak-grin. "In all seriousness that is a splendid suggestion, pay it forward and all that. Can't vouch for my chances of success, but if she is in truth struggling, well, as you say, everycreature deserves a friend. One shall do one's best, inscrutability of fuzzy twitchy muzzles be damned."

"Pfff, okay, prank successfully executed!" Now Summer had a playful grin on her face as well. "And, yeah, you totally got it! Nutmeg's probably desperate to get off of the ship and feel like she's a part of the action, you know? You might even figure something out just by working through those feelings! ...Wow, this was productive..." The blue mare took a deep breath, then let it out with a pleasant sigh. "And a lot of fun. Um! We should do this again sometime." She hoped that didn't sound like a counter-prank: sincere tone, eye contact and everything!

The big grey griff rose to his feet, saying "Indeed! Most productive, I couldn't ask for a better therapist... or should I say, friend." He extended a claw, easily reaching over the table, and held it in front of the unicorn.

Summer Scribe was cheerful as can be at that, holding a hoof out to shake the claw: it was a bit of an awkward cross-species grip, but somehow it worked. "Yes: friends! That feels nice to say." Didn't it always?

The sun peeked through the clouds, throwing a patchwork of light and shade on the floating island, somewhere near the edge of the Cloudbreak archipelago. A sizable airship was moored to the rocky edge with a makeshift collection of lines and anchors. Little figures could be seen moving around the Harmony; some flying, some on deck, some out in the meadow; ponies, mostly pegasi, and a pair of griffons.

High above the deck, Set Sail had almost finished stitching together the balloon canvas, covering up a ragged hole with a large piece of improvised, but airtight cloth. The dense clouds that she coaxed back in through the hole would definitely not be able to escape as easily. She had some goop in a cannister around her neck that sealed off the seams and sealed the patch tightly to the rest of the balloon. She would have replaced the whole cell if she could, but there wasn't nearly enough material; the patch job would be enough for it to slowly reinflate with warming air from the engine below.

With four other pegasi up there doing the same thing with her, the blue and brown pegasus still did her job next to her crewmates. However with the captain and first mate lost in the crossing, and the second mate stuck in the infirmary with multiple fractures, Set Sail had been thrust into the role of acting captain. She now found herself responsible for the whole ship and crew, including the small camp taking shape in the meadow, on top of her normal job of keeping the vessel afloat.

The mare descended to the ship’s deck, glue pot attached, to find a certain grey hippogriff loitering under the envelope, apparently waiting to speak with her.

Reef Skimmer had been watching the ponies work for some time, taking in their chatter, their jokes, their expressions and in particular how the new captain treated her crew. He stood with his wings tightly folded and his claws tucked together; somepony might thing that they were clenched, until they looked into his eyes and found them strangely calm. Neither confident nor nervous; resigned perhaps, possibly even sad.

He waited for the pegasus to notice him, then just as she was about to ask, opened with "Captain... Set Sail." His tone was low and smooth, a voice last heard by those patients unlucky enough to be in the sickbay right after the crossing, being reassured that they would make it. "...if you could spare a few minutes, there's something I'd like to discuss. Privately, I think, would be best."

“Well, hello to you too,” Set Sail responded, still looking a trifle miffed at the griff. “Sure, if you need to say something, the chart room’s probably unoccupied. You wanna meet me there? I should only be a minute." She hovered just above the deck without landing, furtively waiting his answer.

“Very well,” he said wearily. “Shall I...” but she’d already flown off to the supply locker, ready to stow the sealant.

The chart room hadn’t seen much use since reaching the Cloudbreaks: with nothing but scattered mana-sonogram impressions of the islands to go by, there were no maps of these skies except those they made as they explored. Reef Skimmer did not have to wait long, before Set Sail came poking her green-topped head in the door. “There you are,” she said, at the sight of the big bird-stallion; she trotted in and closed the door behind her with a swish of her tail. “You said you had something you wanted to discuss?”

Reef ducked his head for a moment, apparently examining the mare's forehooves, before looking her in the eyes. "I... need to speak frankly. And then... I need to listen to whatever you want to say." He sounded less certain of himself than Set Sail's few previous encounters, but also strangely less stressed. "So, the bare bones of a discussion, at least." The hippogriff tilted his head, waiting for her response.

The acting captain stood there for a while, looking at him with a puzzled expression puzzlement. A tilt of her head, before asking "So... what is it you want to say? Is this about the monster pit?" The mare certainly had an impatient twitch in her tail, trying to figure out what this strange creature wanted of her.

Reef looked away, his gaze travelling over the largest (if least useful) map: the known regions of Equs, pinned to the wall. "Not exactly, though I wish I could tell you something of use in that area. Of course haven't had time to analyse the samples..." The griff suddenly closed his eyes, gave a little shake of his head and quite deliberately cleared his throat, interrupting himself. When his eyes opened he was looking directly at Set Sail again.

"Captain... one has had a little time to reflect on recent events... and a little help, I'm happy to say, from a... new friend. In truth, I owe you at least three apologies..." Again, his gaze dropped to the floor and his ear tufts drooped, "The first of which must be, that you are my commander and yet I did not support your authority. Undermined it, even. Not with a will, you understand, but in ignorance and lack of consideration."

“Well...yeah,” Set Sail said, taking a step back from the intense eagle eyes. “I know I’m only the third mate, but you know, I’m trying. It was worse that you ignored me. You can tell me if I’m wrong, but when I was asking for a status update I wasn’t just asking for me. A lot of the... crew were kinda peeved at you for brushing it off like that. We almost... we almost attacked the natives because you didn’t give us the whole story. That could be really bad, you know? Really...” she sighed and looks off in dread, “...bad.”

Reef nodded at that. "Yes of course! A leader needs the facts to make the right decisions, and I didn't furnish them!" he said, with sudden vehemence. "Which leads me to the second apology, Captain." The hippogriff turned away and took a single step across the room; spacious for the pony but cramped for his larger frame. He stared at the map again, looking at the tiny symbol for Mount Aris. "I... didn't realise it would be this difficult. I hadn't spent much time with ponies before, but... well you all seemed so friendly. How hard could it be?" Looking back at Set Sail, his beak opened in a weak smile, but it died and the sadness returned to his eyes.

"The expedition wasn't military, but a ship's crew is a ship's crew no? Perhaps not, it seems, because I find myself adrift trying to understand how things work around here. Looking for the chain of command, yet you seem to operate with only a suggestion of one; quite effectively though, I should say!" He paused for a moment, then in a softer voice continued "I wanted to help, needed to help, but I didn't know what to do. And I must confess, the harder I tried to say the right thing... well you heard. Drowning diamond dog in a storm and all that, latching onto anything that floats; I latched onto your order to return to the sickbay and ignored everything else." The hippogriff looked away. "Summer helped me admit that."

Her ears drooping, Set Sail didn't meet his eyes as she admitted, “I’m not a good captain. I’m not even supposed to be captain. Just the captain... and Pearl, and I was just stuck in the rigging the whole time. I didn’t even try to get out. I was just... so I’m just captain by default, until Wind Waker recovers. The crew like me, but... y’know, and I try, but...”

The tears belied her angry eyes when she looked up at the imposing hippogriff stallion, saying, “You were blowing us off again, and I just got so mad, I...” her confidence wavered as her gaze dropped, “I wanted to show you I wasn’t a... a pushover, and I should have just kept asking you for the details, instead of sending you away.” Sighing, she concluded, “But instead I almost ruined the whole expedition sending Grenelda and the others out to... do bad stuff to the monsters. It could’ve started a war between Equestria and... whoever lives here. So I don’t know why you’re apologising. I was the one who told you to go back to the sickbay until further notice.”

Reef straightened and fluffed his wings, some of the usual intensity returning to his gaze. "Captain! Don't sell yourself short. Your crew was in danger, what with the first party attacked by monsters and who knows what other beasts lurking about! For all you knew, for all we knew, the first shot had already been fired, albeit by accident and the war was already underway!" Realising his talons had tightened and his wings were half spread, the hippogriff ducked his head again and took a step backwards. "What I mean to say, Captain, is that you didn't start a war, and everyone made it back safely. By every account, the crew trust you to do the right thing, and you haven't betrayed that trust." He caught Set Sail's eye again. "I don't believe you will."

The pegasus managed to smile at that, though her eyes were still sad as she said “Yeah, I'll do my best. But I mean I didn’t come here to cry at you or anything. Just want you to know that things aren’t... okay. We’re all in a lot of trouble, and we’re just trying to do what we can now. So there’s gonna be a lot of mistakes, and we’re not always gonna do it the right way. If you wanna...” She blushed a little, admitting sheepishly, “If you wanna go, then y’know the explorers do need a pony who can y’know patch them up.”

Set Sail caught herself and blushed harder, pinions quivering and stammering nervously, “Need a–a creature, I mean. Anypony... creature who can patch them up, I mean. S-so if you want, you’re not confined to the sickbay or anything. That’s why you wanted to talk to me, right?”

The hippogriff frowned, saying "I do appreciate that Captain, but..." before trailing off and turned away again. He raised a claw, absent-mindedly placing it on a map case, before it dropped back to the floor. "...I have to say, I... shouldn't be here." The stallion glanced sideways at Set Sail, before turning away completely, staring out the porthole and leaving her face to face with his long pink tail feathers. "It was foolish. I thought, well, I've treated enough shipwreck survivors, volunteered a few times, read the journals, it would be fine. Doctor Pulse was a legend, the senior surgeon that is, with him on the expedition, well we were more than covered, medically speaking. I fancied I could just indulge myself in a spot of natural history..." His voice trailed off and he turned back to the pegasus, his eyes moist but his voice angry.

"I pushed my way into this voyage, and if I'd bloody well left it alone, well... you'd have a unicorn doctor who would know what's wrong with Azure's horn! Who would have more than a vague hint of a clue about these medically impossible purple ponies! You needed some... pony who could make sense of all this magical malarkey..." The anger in his voice receded as he took the pearl amulet hanging around his neck in a claw, staring at its faint glow "...rather than a griff with only the slightest acquaintance with it." Reef closed his eyes and sighed again, before looking back to Set Sail. "I'm sorry, Captain. I suppose that's all wash under the keel now. One will... do one's best of course." He paused, seemingly for some kind of confirmation or instruction.

Set Sail gently pressed her hoof into his shoulder, probably unintentionally near where the pearl hangs. “That’s what you’re worried about?” she asked, looking up with a wry smile, “Unicorns aren’t that great. We've got like a half dozen, and none of them knew how to do all that stitching you did. Or half of how to put a pony back together again. You’re probably the best uh, crew member we got right now. In terms of skills.” Pulling her hoof back, she paced over to gaze out the viewing window, saying sombrely, “We don’t have many unicorns at all, because this is a flying ship going to a flying island. When you see somepony falling and you can’t save them, but you know you’re safe just because of your wings...”

She turned to look back at him, saying frankly, “You think we’d have a unicorn doctor? Besides Doctor Pulse, over on the Friendship? Both ships with unicorn doctors? We’re lucky to have one! And I wouldn’t blame ‘em, because you’d have to be a crazy pony to come on this mission without wings. Unicorns can’t do what you do either. They can’t transport somepony all the way from the other end of the island in minutes. And it doesn’t really matter what you are, because no matter what you are, some of you are good doctors and some aren’t. And you’re a better one than we would’ve gotten without you. Does that make sense?”

The hippogriff's beak opened slightly, and a good approximation of levity returned to his voice: "Well, it does seem, that you got a sawbones and a cart pilot for the price of one griff." In a more serious tone he added, "My services are at your disposal, Captain, but..." he looked away for a second, before returning to an intense avian stare. "I must ask, could you make your intentions as clear as possible. Not that I intend to stand on formal orders, it's just... with the best will in the world, the subtext may continue to escape me, where ponies are concerned."

Set Sail blushed horribly at that, immediately looking away (probably in admission of defeat in the pecking order!) and replying, “S-s-services at my—? You mean uh, you can’t really mean uh, I mean... y-yeah. Clear as... possible! That’s me! I’ll be clear as the sky when it’s... clear! Like a clear sky. Yup!” Her very cute coverts look a bit ruffled at his sudden intensity, as she looks stiffly out the window, her face still red under her fur.

Reef continued staring at the pony, perplexed. Could she really be... ? Surely not, although, well, her wings were fluffing up a bit and... well, certain regions of his anatomy might be starting to respond... "Yes well, jolly good, glad we understand each other!" he said with sudden urgency. "As you are... my commanding officer now, and, erm... yes. I should probably go..." The hippogriff turned to leave, but then remembered the request he'd wanted to make, if the captain accepted his apology. "That said... just one last thing, Captain, a, erm... mental health issue?" he said uncertainly. "With a member of the crew? Would you mind if I..."

Author's Notes:

This chapter is based on a couple of extra 1:1 sessions, the first with Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) & myself (playing Reef Skimmer) and the second with Ferret (playing Set Sail) & myself.

Reef Skimmer dug himself into a bit of a hole with the rest of the crew and needed to chill out a bit; the culture/species barrier is still there but he's making an effort at least. Meanwhile Summer is taking every opportunity to level up her cross-species diplomatic skills: we're certainly going to need them.

Picnic

Dawn was still unfolding as Reef Skimmer made his way into the mess; indeed, with the limited sleep over the last few days he might have missed the engagement had Winter Hope not done the courtesy of waking him. The grey hippogriff once again had his ornate wing blades strapped on; he still hadn't corrected Set Sail's dubious assumption that they would enhance his ability to defend against any hostile natives that might appear. In the mess he found a clawful of ponies and one donkey taking a breakfast of toast and oats, but no kirin. Determined to carry out Summer's suggestion, with a twist of his own devising, he proceeded up the next ramp into the machinery spaces.

Reef made his way through the metal doorway, to be greeted by the ever-present hum of turbines and hiss of steam through pipes, quiet now as the engine idles. In the corner the old backup generator was still knocking away, keeping the lights on. Only a few of the crewponies were present: two were sprawled out in front of the main control panel, and one up on a maintenance platforms, all looking sleepy and/or bored. Seeing no sign of his quarry, the griff approached the largest and most active group.

Three ponies were gathered around some sort of contraption, looking like a tower of metal scaffolding with a cage of sorts inside it, festooned with assorted wheels, gears and cables. The device was clearly a work in progress as they were adjusting screws, tightening bolts and fiddling with levers. One looked familiar: the creamy pink unicorn mare with a brown mane and tail, Reef Skimmer had met her on his previous visit. All three looked up as he approached but she was the one who spoke, taking a step forward before saying “Can we help you?”

"Good morning, ponies." Reef said, in what he hoped was a pleasant tone. Although he recognised the pink one, as usual it was hard to place the names; the stallion he'd met on the first day, Steer Shift, stood out in his memory but he wasn't present, and the others were a bit of a blur. "I trust things are going well back here? You do seem to have repairs well underway, I imagine it must feel like you're being asked to work miracles, given the sudden absence of spare parts." He made eye contact with the other two as he spoke, before his gaze settled on the lead mare; he couldn't help checking on the crew's physical condition, the engineer ponies were particularly bad about not getting proper treatment for their scrapes and burns.

“Yeh, not a lot more we can do without parts, but it's runnin'" the unicorn said, glancing over at the engine.

An earth stallion up on the scaffold placed a hoof on the contraption, saying “We were just working on a little elevator!” He moved one of the wheely things, but his demonstration didn’t make much sense at least from a laygriff’s perspective. Reef did notice a couple of bandages on his foreleg that he hadn't administered, spotted with oil and grease; the mare in front seemed unharmed, though the second mare hiding shyly behind the ‘elevator’ looked a little scuffed up. Nothing seriously concerning, he thought; usually he'd insist on changing the dressing but they were getting low on supplies.

“So you just came down here to say hello, doctor?” the creamy mare at the front asked, warily. She noticed the big griff was wearing ornate blades on his wings, gleaming softly in the warm glow of the electric lamps. Was those normal accessories for him or was something amiss?

"Oh, It's always a pleasure to get to know the crew," Reef began jovially, "not to mention check there isn't anything in need of treatment that the patient was too busy to report." he finished in a more serious tine, craning his heck to try and get a better look at the mare in the back. "You look rather busy just now though." He stared at the unicorn, cocking his head. "I confess I am rather curious about that artefact we recovered, radio was it? Do you know if Nutmeg had a chance to take a look?"

“Oh, yeah!” she said enthusiastically, trotting straight past Reef, “Don’t worry we’re just passing the time. Gotta watch the engine. Lemme show you what I did with it!”

“What you... did with it?” Reef asked, raising a judicious eyebrow, but the mare was already progressing deeper into the engine room, so there was nothing to be done but follow.

She led him to a long metal table, near the chief engineer’s office. On it was what was left of the radio. The decaying wooden case had been delicately removed, and its internal components were laid out, strung together by wires. Glass tubes, metal coils, gears for some reason... Reef couldn't make much sense of it. "Check it out!" the brown-tailed mare said eagerly, gesturing at an array of little light bulbs, lighting up in a particular sequence, "I made it run as a clock!" Between that, the jury rigged metal detector next to it, the mysterious box with a single switch on it marked 'Completely Useless Machine' and the completely functional toaster made from scrap iron, it looks like somepony may have too much time on their hooves.

Reef frowned. "Well, that's... ingenious... but can it tell us anything about the natives? For example, do they prefer hard rock, or smooth jazz? A matter of some importance, you understand, as one has something of a bet going with Summer Scribe." Reef's beak was gaping half-open as he glanced at the cream pony.

The mare looked at him with clueless concern, saying, “Oh, no. The chief got the radio working right away, but it doesn’t look like anypony’s broadcasting. All we could get was static. It’s got some super cool components though. See these vacuum tubes are nothing like the ones we use in Equestria, and this tuner, boy howdy that was tricky to figure out. The diodes are twice the...” her attempts to describe the radio quickly lapsed into technical jargon, and she didn’t seem to notice.

"Mmm, very good, well perhaps if you could write that up, I'm sure the senior unicorn would love to see your notes." The hippogriff's idle claw was fiddling with the toaster. "Senior researcher even." he corrected himself. 'Useless machine'? A talon was drawn inexorably to the lone, enticing switch...

The mare quieted down as his talon approached, but she did not object. Tension mounted as they both watched with baited breath. Reef carefully, delicately flipped the switch. Machinery whirred within the box, and a compartment opened on it, from which emerged a small metal rod to press against the switch. The rod flipped the switch back, then receded back into the compartment, which closed.

"Heh. Not bad, not bad at all." Reef chuckled. "So, is the Chief Engineer around, or does she tend to sleep late? Came through the mess on the way here, didn't catch her eating breakfast though."

“Didn’t you know we’re taking shifts?” the mare replied, tilting her head at him, “We can’t all be up watching the engine all the time. She’s probably in her cabin.”

The hippogriff frowned again, annoyance creeping into his voice: "Wasn't clear on the specifics, no. There was, erm, a matter I need to discuss. Would she be sleeping at present, do you think?"

The mare shrugged "Her shift's in a few hours," she said, "So she's probably up by now. Might as well go check."

Reef Skimmer gave a little bow, dipping his head and bending his forelegs for a moment. "One is in your debt, miss... I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

Holding up a hoof with a little blush at his gesture, she says, “Sprocket, junior engineer. I-it wasn’t no big deal. Thanks for stopping by!”

After getting a few more directions, Reef Skimmer was back on the main deck, in a corridor lined with doors to the VIP cabins. On the Friendship they would have been full of expedition bigwigs, but on the less populous Harmony the senior crew had the luxury of individual rooms. Walking along the wooden decking with a soft click-clop of talons and hooves, he reached the door to Nutmeg’s cabin, which was open just a crack.

The room was barely big enough for a storm beast to lie down in, but relatively generous for a pony, or kirin. There was no window, and when Reef pulled open the door slightly, calling softly, “Nutmeg? Are you asl—” it was easy to tell that she was still sleeping. There was no sign of a bed: her brown-furred and golden-scaled body lay on a small mess of blankets and pillows on the floor, curled in a little ball as she quietly slept the morning away.

As the light from the hallway fell upon her sleeping form, Nutmeg’s ear twitched amid her thick red ruff, before sleep released its grip. Stretching her gold tipped forehooves forward with a big toothy yawn, she settled to her haunches, blinking her soft green eyes sleepily. Then she looked to the open door, with Reef standing wreathed in the hall’s light. Then she startled up, saying wide-eyed, “Oh! Uh-uh, sorry I was just uh... h-hey there, Reef!”

The hippogriff took a step back into the corridor, his wings fluffing up before resettling. "Nutmeg! Oh, erm, terribly sorry, didn't intend to wake you there. Was just checking in, you know, since I had a few moments..." He looked away. "Perhaps I should go. We can always catch up later."

At that Nutmeg quickly relaxed, lifting a forehoof where she sits and smiling, saying, “Nah, nah, it’s fine. I was getting ready to wake up anyway.” Standing and stretching out her hind legs one by one, she headed out of the room with a saunter that belies her nervous tenseness. Looking up to meet the eyes of the much taller creature with some trepidation, Nutmeg asks, “I-is this about the radio?”

Reef waited for her to exit, then followed along beside. "It does appear the device provided some amusement, Rocket... Sprocket! Yes Sprocket, seemed quite entranced, showed me her new clock even. Although poor consolation for the lack of smooth jazz, I have to say." He looked at Nutmeg. "You know, I wasn't sure what to make of your reaction, when I dropped the thing off."

“Yeah, I’m really sorry about that,” Nutmeg said, ducking her head shamefully as they headed for the ramp to the upper deck, “You were totally right. There is no way that could’ve been made in Equestria. And I couldn’t even believe it. Thought you were joking with me.”

"Yes, well, I have been known to indulge in the occasional prank. Would like to think none of them were cruel... discounting my days at the naval academy, of course." As they emerged onto the open deck, Reef gave Nutmeg a meaningful look that was completely lost on the kirin. "In any case, I regret I did rather lose my composure there."

“Do you realise what this means?” the kirin said in a tone of wonder, making a beeline across the deck for the engine room, “Not only are there creatures here, but they have technology! Well at least a little technology. Do you think there are any cities here? I thought it was all just a bunch of mud huts and broken pottery!”

Reef took a running step and leapt into the air, wings snapping out for a powerful flap, soaring over Nutmeg's head before landing heavily on the deck in front of her, a loud clack-thump of claws followed by hooves. He whirled around, wings still spread wide, ducking his forequarters to bring his beak down level with Nutmeg's muzzle. His manner was playful but the speed and force of it was a little intimidating, and it drew a couple of stares from the few crew ponies who were up on deck early.

"Would you care for breakfast first? A picnic, that is to say? Summ.. Somepony pointed out that you might appreciate a spell off the ship." The big griff gestured with a spread wing at the wooden cart, which was parked on the side of the deck, harness ready and a wicker basket stowed in the back. "No need to worry, applied for and received full permission from Set Sail, as long as I keep these on at least!" Reef waggled his wings, bringing the gleaming weapons strapped there to Nutmeg's attention, while his beak gaped open in another avian grin.

Falling to her haunches at that startling display, Nutmeg looked back at him owlishly a moment, before declaring with growing excitement, “That’s... a... great idea!” She leapt back to her hooves, darting over to the cart, “I've had to eat in the engine room ever since I almost set fire to the mess hall. This is great! This...”

Reared up on the cart, she paused and looked back at him with a worried expression, saying, “Why are you...? I mean, I know I... apologised, finally.” She clambered back down, facing him and asking, “Do you throw a picnic for everyone who apologises to you? I mean, it’s cool if you do, but are you gonna fly me somewhere in this thing? I just don’t know what I did to... deserve it?”

Reef drew in his wings and trotted over, returning to a more serious expression. "My dear, as a fellow officer and vital member of the crew, I am compelled to ensure that your wellbeing is promoted and maintained. Now I can't say I'm an expert on equine behaviour, but it does seem to me that something is troubling you, and a change of scenery might be in order." He turned away, preventing Nutmeg from seeing him blush as he starts strapping the harness around his barrel.

“Oh, I... suppose, yeah,” Nutmeg said, ears drooping at his explanation, “Sure, whatever you say, doc. I sort of kind of miss... talking with you though, and it’s okay, but I am happy in the... engine room, but...” Clambering back into the cart, she declared, “A change of scenery would be... healthy yeah. But I really am sorry I stuffed my hoof in my mouth over that radio. So where do you think we should go?”

Harness buckled up, the griff looked over his shoulder to check that the kirin mare was properly seated in the cart. "Not sure if you've travelled in these before, but... you might like to stay near the centre of gravity there, I hear it helps. Now, I had to clear our destination with Set Sail, promised we wouldn't go anywhere else, she's so protective you know and feels... well, yes anyway I think you'll find it suitable." Reef Skimmer spread his wings again, the feathers shading from light grey at the root to almost white at the tips, shining in the bright morning light. "Here we go then, all ready back there?"

“It's my first time. Is it different from the ship?” Nutmeg Inferno asked worriedly: she was sitting in the exact centre of the conveyance, right up against the picnic backet, tail curled around her butt, “I mean not that I’ve y’know, been out on the ship much and...” her voice trailed off, then she shook her head, saying, “Y’know what? Go ahead. Let’s just go.”

"Righty-o then, hang on." Reef said, tensing up. With a brief canter along the deck and a few downstrokes, the griff rose into the air and flew out over the bow, cart following behind. A couple of ponies in the rigging waved at the pair as they departed. Once clear of the balloon, Reef banked left in a gentle descending turn: reasoning that Nutmeg might appreciate a chance to assess the damage, he made a slow loop around the far side of the ship. Once they passed the propellors, his wings pumped harder as they climbed up above the edge of the island, flying across the sheep-filled meadow.

Several calm, restrained seconds passed, then Nutmeg was up on the edge of the cart, looking from one sight to another before saying, "Woah, those sheep are so small! You can see the river from up here!" She continued to state the obvious for quite a while, as Reef headed for his destination, until when they were sailing over the forest canopy like a whispering green sea, the lady kirin just looking quietly around.

The hippogriff continued to climb slowly as the terrain rose, flapping almost lazily across the sky. The cart was rather lighter with one kirin instead of two ponies, but they were in no rush, and the weight of the wing blades was a little awkward anyway. Their destination was the highest point on the island, not worthy of the term mountain, but certainly a large outcropping of rock rising up above the trees. As they closed the distance the sparkle of crystal-clear water came into view, filling a sizeable depression within the top of the formation. Some unseen source of water had filled this lake, which in turn fed the rivers and streams snaking out across the island.

Reef's wings slowed and stilled as they entered a long glide, circling the lake as he looked for the best landing spot. The side nearest the ship, above the abandoned quarry, was rather barren, but the far side had shrubs and a few small trees poking up around a beach of mossy pebbles. The hippogriff came down low over the water, almost meeting his reflection before pulling up into a landing flare and coming to rest on the beach. The cart's wheels clattered over the pebbles for a few seconds before it too came to a stop. "And here we are then, nice little place for a spot of breakfast, wouldn't you say?" Reef said, as he began removing the harness.

“B-breakfast, yeah,” Nutmeg said, somewhat dazed by the dramatic location. “This place is... are we on a hill? You can almost see above the trees even from the ground here. Wow, I didn’t even know there was a whole lake here.” Hopping out of the cart, she took a few steps towards the lake, then turned back, and asked curiously, “You... need any help with that?” to the unbuckling hippogriff.

"Quite all right, thank you." Reef said, detaching himself from the cart and turning to stare intently at Nutmeg. "Looks much nicer than the lower one doesn't it... oh did you see the map? Set Sail managed to pry it away from Grenelda, made by... err... Melonjuice I think."

“Oh, okay,” she replied, watching the unbuckling process curiously, eventually remarking, “Those... claw things on your forelegs are pretty handy.” As he comes to meet her eyes, and asks her about the map, Nutmeg blushes and looks aside, saying, “I didn’t see the point. I’m not even supposed to be here.”

Reef frowned. "No reason not to stay informed, I'm sure you can borrow it if you like." In a more cheerful tone he continued "Now... breakfast, how does the notion of fresh fish tickle you?"

Nutmeg sighs, her ears flattening down, not particularly encouraged even about breakfast, until... she snaps up straight, staring at Reef in open mouthed disbelief: “Did you say fresh fish?“

The hippogriff winked at her: "Don't hold me to it, but I did see a few fish down there on the way in, so... one will see what one can find. Just need to stow these for a moment..." He fiddled with some more buckles and removed each wing blade, placing them carefully in the back of the cart. His claw re-emerged holding the wicker basket. "Here you are: loaf of bread, dried tomatoes, two jugs of cider..." Reef waited for a moment to watch the sudden look of horror on Nutmeg's face before continuing "Oh dear, strike that, looks like I accidently brought ale instead." He placed the basket on the pebbles and reopened his wings. "Now, you stay here for a moment..."

The bird-horse flapped into the air again, downdraft from the close take-off ruffling Nutmeg's mane and tail, and flew a short way out over the lake. Suddenly, ribbons of bright golden light formed out of nowhere, wrapping around the hippogriff's body and reshaping it. The newly transformed seapony had silver scales, bright purple fins on his head and tail, and giant grey dorsal fins where his wings had been. As if it was the most normal thing in the world, he dropped into the water with an enormous splash, and started zooming around under the surface.

Nutmeg did stand motionless on the shore for a bit, still staring in shock at her companion’s strange transformation. As he landed in the deep lake and vanishes beneath the water, she ran up to the shore to look down into it, though it was hard to see much more than flashes of scale and movement, even beneath the now-rippling surface. Lifting her head to look off distantly, Nutmeg declared to herself, “That was more impressive than I thought it would be.”

She looked back toward the picnic basket, adding, “I don’t think he meant fresh fish in there.” before her gaze went to the lake, “He meant in there.” Then she traipsed over to the picnic basket, saying fondly, “Oh, I hope he did manage to find ale.” Her horn markings lit up, as she started pulling things out of the basket.

The first thing she removed was the red and white checkered picnic blanket that was covering the food. She looked at it thoughtfully, before folding it and putting it back into the empty basket, while she tried to find a good place on the ground to set down the bread and cheese, and a small armful of curious oblong fruits, somehow fresh despite all their travels. “Did he harvest these here?” she remarked, squinting at the fruits hovering before her nose, limned in her green magic.

Reef Skimmer swam happily through the lake, twisting and turning, the water pleasantly cool on his scales. While it didn't quite have the appeal of soaring free in the skies, it was good exercise and always made him nostalgic for a childhood spent under the ocean, searching for new kinds of marine life to study. Unlike the barren shores, the bottom of the lake was carpeted in aquatic plants, on which many varieties of fish were nibbling.

Valiantly resisting the urge to spend the next few hours studying them (although he promised himself he'd come back later), the seapony zeroed in on some of the larger specimens: fat, juicy-looking red fish. They were wholly unprepared for a giant aquatic predator to suddenly appear in their lake and a quick lunge sufficed to catch one in his mouth. Happy not to disappoint the kirin, he swam up to the shallows, broke the surface and with a flick of his head tossed the fish onto the shore. It landed with a splat a few metres from where Nutmeg was unpacking the basket.

Delighted, Nutmeg leapt over to the fish, not just in excitement, but to put an end to the flopping around by quickly and neatly killing them. Worrying open a gash in the side, she left them bleeding out on the rocky shore, then looked out over the lake. As soon as Reef resurfaced again she called out, “Okay! This is plenty!” He probably already knew that, the thought, but her smile is genuine and her boisterous attitude is the polar opposite of malice.

The seapony nodded, then disappeared below the surface again, following the bottom of the lake out into deeper water before angling up towards the surface with powerful strokes of his tail fin. About ten seconds later he breeched the surface with another huge splash, his whole body shooting into the air before the ribbons of light returned and transformed him back into his familiar quadrupedal-bird-shape.

Reef flapped over and landed back on the beach, looking with concern at the amulet around his neck. The organic looking purple lump, which Nutmeg had assumed was ornamental, was glowing with blue light and humming like a struck tuning fork. However over the next several seconds the light faded from dazzling to bright then to a slight glow, slowly dying away to nothing as the humm also got quieter, slipping below the threshold of audibility.

“That was so cool!” Nutmeg said eagerly, cantering up to the emergent hippogriff, “You just sploosh, and bam, and fish just flying out of there! They said you turned from some kind of sea creatures, but I didn’t think about how you could actually go get the fish. You guys are great in every environment!”

A beat, then she added, “Well, except for environments that are on fire. Oh, speaking of fire, this’s a great place to build one! C’mon let’s go find some sticks!” Then she bounded off into the wilderness, leaving Reef standing there without a word in edgewise.

Glad that the kirin seemed to be happy, the hippogriff trotted along amiably behind her, saying nothing but keeping an eye out for trouble. It seemed unlikely the chompy beasts would pop up in such a rocky area - the topsoil here existed only in scattered, shallow patches - but this was still unexplored wilderness.

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself, Ferret, Patashu, Spearmint and Steelclaw, based on an online RP.

This chapter is based on a 1:1 between myself and Ferret, mainly to explore Nutmeg's backstory a bit more, though we may have gotten a bit carried away with the build up: the revealing chat got pushed into the next session (and chapter). Illustration by ValyceNegative: I didn't tell Ferret about this one in advance, so it was a pleasant surprise when we got to that point in the session.

Seaponies

Nutmeg Inferno didn’t wander far. The trees up on the rocky peak were a scattering of stunted, weathered pines, a far cry from the dense, lush forest below, but they were quite sufficient for Nutmeg's needs. The kirin showed her companion how to break off dead branches, and levitated them into a growing bundle on his back. Soon they were back at the lakeside, where Nutmeg shifted the rocks and pebbles to make a circular, stony bowl. Reef watched curiously as she arranged the sticks there in a sort of pyramidal shape, then jammed two of the branches vertically into the rocks on either side of it.

The brown-furred kirin then squatted beside the structure, lightly shaking a foreleg and grumbling at it, “C’mon...” Then her hoof was engulfed in that eerie red and blue flame that once consumed her. Without skipping a beat, Nutmeg lay her burning hoof against the stick pyramid, which hissed as she did so, but didn’t immediately erupt into a roaring bonfire. She just kept her hoof there then, muttering as she moved it around now and again.

Reef Skimmer watched Nutmeg curiously, wondering if kirin spell casting inherently involved more gestures than unicorns, or if it was just something Nutmeg liked to do.

Nutmeg continued being a little on fire. The sticks caught eventually, and adopted a normal-looking fire colour as she pulled back and blew on it to fan the flames. Sharpening a stick between her hooves as the fire grew, she used it to spear a fish and suspend it between the forked sticks as a crude sort of spit. “See? That's how we did it back in the village,” she said, gesturing proudly at the simple setup, “Makes the fish nice and seared!”

Reef cocked his head. "You didn't use your horn at all? Fascinating..." He blinked and gave a little shake of his head. "That is to say, awfully convenient and, we can only hope, tasty."

“Well, I usually use my horn for catching them,” Nutmeg admits thoughtfully, “Guess it’s just not too much trouble to put the fish up on sticks with ordinary hoofiwork. She looks up at her own horn, and it glows green, along with the spitted fish, which rotates once slowly, before the glow fades. Then she rotates the fish with a push of her hoof, saying, “See? Not much more convenient. Wouldn’t think you would be surprised, since you do everything without a horn.”

Reef turned around in a circle, trampling down an area of loose pebbles, then sat down heavily, staring at the fire. "Your hooves do seem quite dextrous, my dear, but I was referring to the fire. I once saw a unicorn light a fire in a tavern, it was just a few seconds of her horn glowing, maybe a little grunting, and then hey presto, the logs were burning. That was more like, hmm, coaxing it from your hoof?" The hippogriff snorted and fluffed his wings.

"You know it took us a while to get the hang of that, after coming back to the surface. Cooking in general really, best we had in Seaquestria was that one place that broiled everything in a hot spring, but fires in particular, not a few griffs came to me with singed feathers after..." He trailed off, remembering that the goal of the trip was to get the kirin to open up more, not regale her with his medical student tales. "Well, it wasn't pretty."

“Oh! Yeah, actually,” Nutmeg stomped her forehoof and upon lifting it, a little fire flared from it, burning freely. “It’s more like... taking out your frustrations on your hoof,” she explained, giving it a conflicted look, before waving it out. “Horns actually don’t catch fire at all. They get really... cold though? Not cold, but like mean. I really don’t know how it works. I catch fire from the bottom up though, not from my horn.”

She looked back at the fire, then at Reef saying, “Well don’t worry about singing your feathers. I’ll take care of the fire. That... wing fluffy thing you’re doing means you’re worried about them, right?”

Reef frowned and stared at a wing for a moment, before folding them both down as tightly as possible. "Hah, not at all, just getting comfortable you know, sometimes the pinions sit at an awkward angle and you just want to preen them there and then... Oh, never mind about that." His eyes went back to Nutmeg, as he said in a concerned tone "How are you feeling now? You do seem less tense than, well, last time we spoke."

“Tense? When am I ever tense?” Nutmeg asked in confusion, then blushed, saying, “Oh yeah, the whole engine contract. Yeah it sucks, but what are you gonna do? Thanks for... getting me out of there a little. Heck, you threw me a whole gosh to honest cornucopia here! Or whatever you call this basket full of food thing.”

She gestured at the foodstuffs that were placed rather haphazardly around the area, as if by someone unsure of where to put them. The picnic blanket was still folded up in the basket. “So come on and sit by the fire and enjoy yourself too, okay?” the kirin asked hopefully, “And maybe we can try out some of that ale?”

"Oh, least I could do, cook seemed happy for me to take the provisions actually, at least after the first ten seconds of staring at him, ha ha... eh." Reef cast his eyes about, looking for the bread, before grabbing a piece of fruit he could reach without getting up. "Honestly I usually take brandy these days, goes better with the coffee you know, but back at the academy, before we could have a proper party we'd plan out a whole mission, to, uh, 'liberate' a few kegs from... heh, there I go again."

His ear tufts flattened as he thought over the kirin's earlier statement. "Problem with a contract did you say?" She'd said something before, what was it, a pony expression... 'railroaded here'? He'd assumed that just meant taking a train to Canterlot, but maybe he had missed something. "I thought you said you didn't build the engines?"

“It’s not much of a story,” Nutmeg said dismissively, mincing over to sit on her haunches beside the hippogriff, tail neatly tucked around her feet. “Our contract is to work on the ship’s engines for the duration of the trip. Turns out the fine print said round trip, and I didn’t know it was going to be going out into the middle of nowhere.”

She did use her horn to levitate the jug of ale he brought with him, giving it a hungry look before taking a swig out of it, and then another one. “Oh fires, I have been dying for some this,” she said, leaning back and heaving a relived sigh, “I haven’t had any since Manehattan. It’s not the same stuff as back home, but... yeah.”

Nutmeg proceeded to float up a piece of bread, breaking it with her hooves, and sending half over to the hippogriff. Along with the jug of ale, a little reluctantly. Setting them on the other side beside him, she added, “Thanks for... bringing me that radio. I think I might actually have some fun on this trip, if you keep bringing me back stuff like that to tinker with.”

Reef grabbed the bread out of the air with a claw, setting it aside for now, before frowning at the jug. After a moment he grabbed that too, tipped his head back and poured a generous slug into his beak. "Not bad, not bad at all!" he exclaimed "Those earth ponies do know what they're doing, well, compared to griffs at least. Try as we might I don't think we've quite got the knack for it, although, I heard Griffonstone finally has a proper brewery going again so... mmm."

After a moment, he continued. "Oh and that radio, think nothing of it, hate to see a fellow officer going to waste. Does seem promising doesn't it, if an abandoned village just inside the border has something like that, must be more to find further in."

“You wouldn’t know it at a glance, but it was definitely not built by ponies,” Nutmeg happily agreed, finishing her bread in two bites, “I bet you’ll find all sorts of awesome stuff,” she said with mouth full, “Even if it’s jus’... hold on.” After swallowing, she continued, “Even if it’s just ordinary appliances, the parts’ll be all different on the inside. Could learn something from that.”

She snagged the jug for another drink, before setting it down and heading over to the fire. Turning the roasted fish, she takes a deep breath, before lifting it off the fire with her hoof, pulling the spear out, then transferring the fish to float in her horn’s magic, while she speared a fresh one to take its place over the flames. “Seems like they’re pushing you around to places you didn’t sign up for as well,” she said, heading back to Reef Skimmer, “Sending you off on those missions just because you’re big and tough. I bet all you thought you were gonna do is do medical stuff the whole time.”

"On the contrary, one appreciates any excuse to get out here and study new species!" Reef replied, staring at the dancing flames, then out into the water. "Do you realise this one lake must contain enough finds to populate a book on Cloudbreak aquatic life! I mean, I was optimistic about the prospect of new species, but literally every creature we've encountered has been unknown to Equestrian science!" he continued enthusiastically. "Much like finding entirely new kinds of machine parts, I suppose?"

“Seems like a lot more creatures out there than machines,” Nutmeg countered in an amused tone, giving Reef a joking nudge to the side. She led her hovering cooked fish to float before him, adding, “Like these for instance. Here go ahead and have the first one. You caught ‘em after all.”

The hippogriff looked nervously at the kirin for a second "Ah, erm, thank you..." before grabbing it in a claw and tearing strips of flesh off it with his beak. "mmm, gud, qite delishus in fac! Do tri sum!" Reef exclaimed, mouth full.

Nutmeg beamed at that, saying, “What’d I tell ya, kirin cook ‘em the best.” She hurried over to check the other fish, turning it over, and feeding a few more sticks into the fire. Not that there was an emergency, but the smell of cooked fish pervading the air lended a sense of urgency to her movements. Tail swishing playfully, she returned, noting “Second one’s all mine. Needs a little more cooking still.”

Reef was now picking the remaining chunks off with his talons and dropping them into his beak; Nutmeg thought it was kinda funny how his tongue wasn't long enough to stick out of his mouth. She supposed that prevented griffs from biting it off by accident, at least.

"You did say something before... mmm... about wanting to go to Klugetown, instead of here... must take a couple of these back for Grenelda..." The stallion froze for a second "...and the whole crew to try! Uh... the non-herbivores that is. Like Grufftuss!" Reef stared at Nutmeg for a second, crest feathers sticking out in different directions and ear tufts twitching and looking utterly befuddled. "So, err, yes Klugetown! Awful place I hear, don't know why you'd want to go there."

Raising an amused eyebrow, Nutmeg replied, “Awful, maybe. But there’s all sorts of strange creatures there. I’d hardly be noticed, compared to trying to work in a pony city. They got a legendary mining industry, too. I’m sure we’d find something to do.” She picked up a piece of fruit in her forehooves, then asked sweetly, “So, Grenelda, huh?”

Reef looked down, apparently inspecting his claw. "Us griffs have to stick together you know... oh maybe you don't know her. Came with me to the chomp chomp pit you know, seemed upset she didn't get to fight anything. Gustus, well, they're paired, very firmly it seems, at least to hear him say it..." Reef was frowning and staring into space now. "Cute couple I'm sure.

Nutmeg’s ears drooped as Reef mentions Grenelda’s beau, saying, “Right, you don’t want to actually do anything, because it’d break the poor guy’s heart. Even I can tell he’s a softie under that grumpy exterior. Still doesn’t hurt to look though, if that’s the kind of girl you fancy.”

Reef blinked and refocused on the kirin. "Well anyway, erm... I'd always thought, well, always heard, ponies were very welcoming! Compared to all the other species at least. You must have... had it bad, if a dusty dump like Klugetown seems more promising than Manehattan."

At his protest of her life choice, Nutmeg griped around eating her fruit, “Yeah, they sure are welcoming, until you try to do anything. Then it’s oh no we can’t have that. It’s too much risk! It’s too weird, and I don’t like things that are different, and weird. I can’t believe ponies even got a railroad built with the attitude of some of them. They’re herd animals, you know? They have a hard time thinking straight in large groups.”

She paused for a moment after finishing her fruit, then said, “And they already took away my license to work in Manehattan. I had to go somewhere, so we all decided... well, obviously we didn’t make the greatest decision.” Looking off over the water, she asked, “You ever... feel like you don’t fit in, no matter where you go?”

Reef frowned. "If you'd asked me before I set claw on this crazy ship, I'd say definitely not, but just recently... well, it's been harder than I thought. I imagined that was down to the whole bird among mammals situation, but I suppose a tendency to catch fire would spook those little ponies as well..." Reef stopped, wondering if this was insensitive. "Is that what happened in Manehattan, they were afraid of your flames?"

Nutmeg started to shake her head, but then nodded, saying, “Yeah, something like that.” Standing and strutting over to check on the fish, she returned with it in tow, sans stick. “I met some amazing ponies though,” she said, sitting down with her fish, “Who didn’t even care if I flared up just...” Biting into the crackling skin of the fish, Nutmeg’s eyes half closed, as she concluded, “Mmm...”

Reef was biting chunks off the bread now. "Novo knows the Navy could use your help, what with phasing out sail and going steam-only, more than a few false starts there you know. Keep running out of coal in the middle of the ocean... don't tell anyone I said that!" He looked shocked for a second, before continuing "Of course the younger griffs tend to say it's a fool's errand, should just replace the whole fleet with airships, no matter if they crash every time there's a proper storm." Ear tufts dropping, he explained "I guess we don't quite have the way with the weather that the pegasi do."

Nutmeg paused in devouring her fish to shake her head, saying, “If I ever see another ship’s engine again, it’ll be too soon. No offense. We’re more about... personal labour saving devices. Like that hair dryer that’s been all the rage in Equestria. That was one of our designs. Subcontracted, of course.”

Using her powerful magical abilities to toss the bones on top of the remains of Reef’s fish, Nutmeg lifted the ale jug in her hoof and took another swig. “Ah, yeah, that’s the stuff,” she purred warmly, setting the jug down and laying back. She sat up again hurriedly then, blushing through the brown of her fur as she looked Reef’s way and said, “Sorry I forgot it was your turn at the ale.”

"Oh, quite all right... Sails does want me on the shore party by noon after all. Set Sail, that is. The captain." Reef stopped to glare at his wings, which has somehow become partly unfolded again. Pulling them in tightly, he continues. "Our? Oh of course your herd, erm, group? You're the leader aren't you, before you even came on the ship I mean. They do seem to like you, that stallion in particular... Steer Shift, he was quite... protective, when I followed you after the saloon incident."

“Yeah, I guess I ended up with a herd, heh,” Nutmeg said, laying back in soft disbelief, just gazing upwards, “Kirin aren’t as herdy as ponies. Mostly we just live together. But I’m not gonna say herds are a bad thing. Got some good ponies in my crew.”

She cast a lazy look Reef’s way, “Gear Shift’s the one you’re thinking about, I think. He really doesn’t mind you or anything. He just doesn’t want me to go get myself killed. Poor guy has his hooves full, I’m afraid.”

Struggling up again to a sitting position, she hastily added, “Oh, we’re not together, if that’s what you’re asking. He’s with Static and Sprocket right now. He’s just somepony who’s been with me since graduating. Cares about me like a... like a brother would.” She didn’t seem entirely pleased with that conclusion, sighing and holding before herself one of her uniquely two-fingered hooves.

Reef blinked. "Static... and Sprocket. I suppose stallions are hard to find, in ponyland. I'm aware of the genetics of course, read quite a few papers on it, it's just... well, it's always a bit of a shock. Griffs are 1 to 1 you know, same number of males and females, even if us hippos are a little more relaxed on the pair bonding than the cat-birds..." Reef looked thoughtful for a moment before giving Nutmeg a curious look. "Can't say I've ever seen the figures on kirin sex ratio, I just assumed things worked for you like they do for ponies? Reproduction that is."

Giving Reef a leery look, Nutmeg asked, "You know about the Stream of Silence, right?"

The hippogriff frowned, thinking back. "Just what you told me, that time in the sick bay. Magical device suppressing emotions and all that. Hmm, one imagines your, erm, leader? ...must have just ordered you all to, err, procreate. To continue the species and so forth."

“It’s called the Stream of Silence for a reason though,” Nutmeg said, “It goes beyond just removing emotions. It takes away... I mean I just... no, the leader didn’t order us. She didn’t say anything. It was just, when you went into season, you counted how many kirin had died the last year, and then you just randomly assembled, and... had that many babies. We didn’t have pair bonding, or any bonding. And it wasn’t terrible. It just... was.”

"Huh." Reef looked away for a while, unsure what to say about that. Tentatively, he asked, "erm, if you don't mind me asking, did you... participate? Do you have any foals, I mean to say."

Nutmeg was quiet for a moment at that. “No, I haven’t had any, err, foals yet,” she said, “I was getting on to that age when we awoke, but then we, y’know, awoke. I haven’t known how kirins are supposed to love each other ever since. I don’t think it’s like ponies though, even if we’re also one of the creatures with more females than males.”

With a smile, she added, “But it was nice to get my emotions back right when I was starting to appreciate males. That’s a crazy feeling, I’ll tell you.”

The hippogriff looked away for a long moment. If we was blushing, he managed to hide it by the time he faced Nutmeg again. "Indeed, no doubt, teenage hormones, bad enough without magical artefacts complicating things, can't imagine... well." The stallion rose to his feet.

"So! I regret I do have to get back, have to prepare for the sortie you see, certainly can't let Sails down. We do have a little time though, if you'd like to go for a little swim? Try being a seapony for a bit, I mean." Another pause, then "Oh you might not have heard; you know us hippos, we can transform other creatures into seaponies you know. Well usually seaponies. I hear dragons can be a bit unpredictable, eh heh, but it's all fully reversible, I assure you."

Nutmeg blinked, staring at Reef like a deer in headlights. "Wait... what?" she asked incredulously, "You can turn me into a seapony?"

"One certainly can, should you desire, nothing to it really, the Queen did all the real spellwork... oh, not to rush you, wouldn't want to spoil your breakfast." Reef Skimmer took a few steps down to the lake shore, dipping a claw into the gently lapping water."

Nutmeg didn't follow immediately, saying from where she sat "I... but... you didn't even have any hind legs," she says faintly, "What would that even feel like?"

The hippogriff looked back at his own hind legs: long and covered in short grey fur. "Hah! Quite normal I would say, you know when I first turned at seventeen, I had no idea what to do with these things! Must confess, I still turn seapony at night sometimes, if I can't get comfortable..." Reef blinked: maybe he didn't need to confess that. "Well anyway, not exactly like your legs are tied together, more that your body just sort of, tapers down to your tail... maybe a little like a snake? No that I've ever been a snake, so..." The griff trailed off, realising he might not be making a good case. "Must say it's nice to have a good splash about... unless... that doesn't cause problems with your fire does it? Wouldn't want you going, out, ha!" His beak grin was short lived. "That can't happen can it?"

“Water’s never put out my fire before, but I’m not even on fire right now,” Nutmeg said cautiously, taking a step forward, then a step away, then bounding up to him, saying, “Oh what the heck, let’s try it!”

Nutmeg Inferno's red ruff and chocolatey brown fur quickly became soaked, plastered against her as she kirin-paddled away from the shore. "You know I'm n-not entirely sure this is a good idea," she said nervously, sticking close to Reef, who was swimming confidently even in hippogriff form, though at least she wasn't having much trouble staying afloat. "Are you sure it'll even work right on me? I can't really turn into a... a fish, can I? Maybe we should..."

Reef gently placed a claw on Nutmeg's flank, saying "No need to worry, very reliable this single-purpose magic. It all feels quite natural, so I hear, even for first timers; certainly the ponies I've see give it a whirl were swimming around confidently after just a few minutes. Wouldn't suggest it otherwise..." He frowned: this was supposed to cheer the engineer up. "...but if you're having second thoughts, we can give it a miss and just head back to the ship."

Clinging to Reef's arm for support, she started to speak, then looked back to the shore, then turned forward again saying, "But you know then I'd have gotten all wet for no reason and... yeah let's do it. Before I get tired from all this..." a bit self-consciously, she pushed free from Reef, floating on her own, concluding, "...paddling around."

Reef cocked his head, looking at the kirin with an unreadable expression for a moment, before continuing "Righty-o then. Now the one thing that can panic a landlubber, err, pony, is if you think about respiration too much. You see what actually happens is that your trachea gains two additional branches that lead to your gills, the valve action is reflexive when..." Seeing the kirin's confused stare, he summarised "Yes, well in essence you can breath air or water, you won't drown, no need to worry about it. Understood?"

Nutmeg nodded, looking his way seriously. "Don't think about it. Got it. Let's do this." She sounded more confident than she looked, which wasn't hard considering her timid demeanour. "So how do you... I mean go ahead and zap me, or whatever."

Restraining himself from delivering another confusing explanation, or perhaps preferring to preserve a little bit of mystery, Reef Skimmer nodded silently and swam over to Nutmeg, placing one claw on her shoulder while the other grasped the amulet dangling around his neck. The hippogriff closed his eyes and concentrated: almost immediately an irregular humming started, rising in tone while beams of bright white light escaped from between his talons. A few seconds later, the magic reached a crescendo and burst out, wrapping the two creatures in swirling ribbons of energy. It left Reef in the sleek grey seapony shape Nutmeg saw earlier.

As for the kirin, the light enveloped her, slightly lifting her in the water as her tail expanded through the water into a huge muscular snakelike rudder, sucking her hind legs right into her body and leaving only a pair of small fins where they had been. Her slick brown fur became smooth scales, though the golden ones remained on her back and rear, now extending all along her tail. Her hooves became more cuplike and prominent, the tuft at the end of her tail became a large sail-like crimson fin, and her ruff shrank slightly while staying fluffy. Her horn didn't change at all, though it already resembled coral so went along nicely with the whole aquatic theme. Nutmeg twisted around on the surface of the lake in confusion, exclaiming, "W-woah, what?"

For a long moment Reef Skimmer just watched the transformed kirin: he had been thinking of her as 'kinda cute, in an extra-fluffy-pony way', but as a seapony his impression was 'really rather pretty'. He shook his head; he should probably be doing something more supportive. "That's it, just go with it." he said, swimming in a slow circle around Nutmeg, "Tail drives you forward, angle your body to steer."

Nutmeg was still unconsciously attempting to paddle along with her forelegs splashing on the surface, turning her tail slowly left and right, more to keep herself upright than to move forward. "Woah, my tail is... HUGE," she said in astonishment, twisting in a circle to openly stare at what was now the lower two thirds of her body.

"Indeed it is, and a very shapely tail it is..." Reef blinked, realising what he'd just said. "Erm, I mean to say, that's the expected shape! More or less, vertical caudal fin rather than horizontal, and pectorals too, definitely closer to fish anatomy than... erm, I mean to say, the transformation, well, it came through just fine, fine indeed..." he blurted, blushing and turning his head away. Trying to focus, he suggested "Perhaps you might try just tucking your forelegs in there?" He pulled his own forelegs up to his chest, the fins that had replaced his claws folded back. "Let the tail do the work, you see."

"Oh yeah, I... I see," Nutmeg said, cautiously snaking about, still on the surface. "You like tails, huh?" she asked in amusement, trying to strike a pose for him, but her upper body just flops back to splash into the water when she tries. "Whoops, ha ha..."

The question immediately took Reef back to certain escapades as a teenage seapony, which he considered sharing with Nutmeg for about half a second before classifying the whole notion as hopelessly embarrassing. "Hah, yes, surprisingly flexible you know... One does wonder how dragons feel, lugging theirs around all the time, no buoyancy to help."

"Oh, right, yeah, s-sorry," she said, somewhat mollified by her awkwardness as a fish thing. She managed to swim up to him uncertainly, saying "I dunno about dragons. I don't even have hind legs though, so my tail would be lugging around me!" Swishing her rear fins, she qualifies, "Well... sorta. Am I... supposed to be this long? I mean you don't know you said every creature is slightly different, but it's just really... I mean..." Flopping her tail over her shoulder, Nutmeg looks wide-eyed around it at Reef, explaining, "See? I can hug my own butt!"

"Indeed you can." Reef beak-gape smiles, swimming backwards for a little way before flipping his own big pink tail fin up between the two of them, poking just above the water, and resting his forefins on it. "You do seem to have stretched out to more like hippo proportions, ponies usually look a bit more, erm, stubby? Not that my sample size is comprehensive." The griff seemed very interested in the anatomical differences in Nutmeg's tail, compared to his own more dolphin-like setup. Yep, that was definitely why he was staring at it, Reef told himself. Realising it was starting to get awkward, he turned away from Nutmeg and disappeared under the surface with a quick splash.

"Well, I guess I... follow him," Nutmeg said to herself, left alone on the surface, "N-no problem, right...?" She hesitated, but then took a deep breath and just sort of pulled herself underwater by the power of that thick tail. Squinting her eyes cautiously open, she could see Reef descending away from her. It was a simple enough mathematical vector, to angle herself at the hippocampus and undulate her tail back and forth to quickly catch up to the male... whatever male sea ponies are called.

Seeing Nutmeg make it under, Reef thrashed his tail up and down and zoomed around for a bit, kicking up swirls of sand, pushing through strands of kelp and setting the whole kelp bed twisting and undulating in his wake, before slowing to a stop near her. "Oh good show, you're taking this in your stride! Couldn't ask for better conditions, this water is crystal clear." Indeed, the two could see clear across to the far side of the lake and down to the bottom, which was laced with bubbling cracks.

Curling around in a half loop to right herself, Nutmeg smiled nervously and nodded. She seemed to be more focused on him than the surrounding lake though. Or focused on something, at any rate. Still very tense, she certainly wasn't swimming around and having a blast.

Reef admired the transformed kirin, now fully underwater and bathed in shifting rays of light, for another long moment. He was definitely tempted to... well, no, that would be unfair wouldn't it. He did rather have her at a disadvantage; the kirin was completely reliant on him to turn her back and get her home, and she might feel pressured to accept any advances on his part. Hardly sporting. He started casting about for something else to engage her with. Hunting fish was probably asking too much for a beginner, not to mention they'd just eaten. In Seaquestria or even the nearby reefs there would be a multitude of attractions, but this mountain lake was relatively barren, except... hmm.

Giving Nutmeg a little fin-wave, the stallion swam away for a while, heading down to the bubbling cracks in the central lakebed. He darted about down there for a bit before making his way back to Nutmeg. "Substantial outflow, and looks like some interesting polyps in there... I mean to say, they're, erm, nice and warm! Must be what's keeping the streams going." He cocked his head, looking at Nutmeg. "Want to try one? Might relax the muscles.."

Nutmeg frowned, and waved him off with an oddly-shaped hoof, instead concentrating intently on herself and her intention here. She quivered there, scrunched her eyes shut, and then exhaled just a bit of air. That made her gasp, and all her air rushed out at once, which made her reflexively suck in a bunch of water. So far so good, but she'd never breathed anything as thick and heavy as water before, so her eyes snapped open as her muscles strained to pump it into her. She overcompensated and began to spasms, hyperventilating and writhing and yeah to be honest, totally absolutely panicking.

"Nutmeg!" Reef Skimmer looked shocked for a moment before bursting into action. With a few powerful strokes of his tail he was positioned behind the mare and able to grab her smooth-scaled body in his forelegs, wrapping them around her chest and holding her tight. She was still small enough that his tail was free to propel both of them rapidly upwards, breeching the surface in a dramatic spray of water.

Reef's dorsal fins spread wide as momentum carried them above the water, then at the top of their arc, just before they begin to fall back towards the surface, the ribbons of white-gold magic returned and transformed them back into a hippogriff and a kirin. Nutmeg found herself staring at her own reflection in the water just below her hooves, held aloft by the claws of a hovering hippogriff, her spine still pressed against his keelbone.

The transformation spared her a lungful of water, but Nutmeg was still dripping and bedraggled, hanging there in the arms of Reef Skimmer, gasping for breath as she stared at the water below. Her tail lashes behind her as if... well... as if she still were mostly tail. She slowly relaxed though: her breathing evened out, and she began to chuckle, then to shake with laughter, still hanging there.

Reef dipped his head and looked at his patient; his eagle face upside down from Nutmeg's perspective. Seeing she's fine, he gradually relaxed. "Perhaps that's enough swimming for now? You were doing well there until, err, hmm. You know maybe that explanation was counter productive. Can't recall any other griff mentioning it and the ponies just, well, didn't give it any thought. Ah well". His amulet was doing that odd blue light and ringing sound again, but he didn't have time to worry about that right now.

A few powerful flaps and they were rising away from the water, before gliding down to the pebbled beach. Reef dropped Nutmeg off next to the cart, landed, then began to pack away the picnic materials. Still chuckling to herself, Nutmeg caught her breath upon returning to dry land. "I, heh... I thought about it, sorry," she remarked, ears dipping a little guiltily, as she pulled the picnic blanket out of the basket and unfurls it to hang suspended in the air, while the two of them worked together to return the remaining foodstuffs to the now empty basket

"So, erm, how was it: two legs and a tail fin, that is?" Reef asked, uncertain. "You did make a lovely seapony." He blinked, then turned away. "Err, that is to say... I hope... you enjoyed the outing?" He busies himself backing into the cart's harness, fussing with the straps.

"It was... strange," Nutmeg admitted, "Not the sort of thing I'd ever have dreamed of experiencing. I'd love to try it some more." She floated the blanket down and secured it tight over the contents of the picnic basket, just like it was when they came here. She shook off here and there, the remaining water scattering from her fur and helping to put out the fire, before she stomped its embers into ashes. Some burned sticks and a few fishy skeletons were all that's left of their little meeting, as she came up to Reef with the basket floating behind her.

"You keep saying that about me," she remarked teasingly, "But you don't give yourself enough credit, I think, because you make a pretty lovely sea pony, or... bird pony too. No matter what you are I mean, you are yourself, and... I kind of like that guy." He might have caught her blushing at saying that, but she made a single swift leap into the cart, and busied herself with important things in there like putting down the picnic basket and finding where to sit.

"Indeed! Well then. Erm..." Reef muttered something Nutmeg couldn't quite hear, before saying loudly "Jolly good then. Better get back to the Harmony, wouldn't want Sails... the Captain, rather, getting stressed!" He looked over his shoulder at her, beak-grinning "After all, we've only got the one cart left and I had to swear I'd bring it back intact." The hippogriff spread his wide pinions, preparing to take to the air. "Ready to fly?"

"Ready!" Nutmeg called out, and with that they take to the air, soaring over the woods and heading back to the damaged vessel and the beleaguered crew. Approaching from the air, things did look a lot better than when they first came out of the storm. The balloon had mostly been repaired, all its cells gas-tight and full. In the adjacent meadow the array of tents, tables, and fire pit for cooking are looking pretty solid, though camped out on a wild island isn't exactly a permanent shelter.

Extra fluffy from the blow-drying on the flight back, the kirin again thanked the hippogriff doctor, and retreated nervously back into her beloved/hated engine room. And somewhere far across the island, something ancient and lost awaited, ready to change her future and the fate of them all.

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself, Ferret, Patashu, Spearmint and Steelclaw, based on an online RP.

This chapter covers the second part of a 1:1 between myself and Ferret, finally getting some of Nutmeg's backstory. Reef Skimmer pulls that absolutely stereotypical hippogriff trick of luring a pony into the water with promises of unspecified undersea delights (he likes to show off the one bit of magic he does have) and perhaps got more than he bargained for. The 3:1 pony sex ratio is from Ferret; his stories all (?) use that convention. I prefer 1:1 so that's what the griffs have in this setting.

Back to the main RP in the next chapter, with the most dramatic action scene since crossing the storm wall.

Exterminators

The fourth day dawned, and most of the crew were again gathered on the upper deck for a meeting, led by a weary eyed Set Sail. “We’ve been really lucky, so far,” she said to the crowd, “We have a solid landing without anything directly menacing us, even if those... “chompies” are out there in the forest. We haven’t started a war or anything, and we haven’t lost anyone... else. But we’re low on supplies and stranded here, so if there are talking creatures living here, we’re gonna need their help. So uh, Summer you want to say what this troll you met wants us to do?”

Summer Scribe nodded eagerly. "Of course, it's nothing we can't handle: we just need to take care of the chompies in the pit while he's watching, to get his friendship. It's practically a Win-Win!" In a more bashful tone the unicorn added "...oh, and rebuild the roof of his house. I Figure that's pretty much a given: not too hard, and we'd be making a good impression on our first contact!"

"Or at least, a better impression on our first responsive contact... at least, better than what I did..." Azure Feather said, shaking her head slightly. She was still struggling to recover from magical exhaustion, but judging by the wings still attached to the unicorn... she was at least able to cast spells again. "Chompies?" She asked, tilting her head. "Awfully simplistic, but we're talking about the type of creature that sent me to the injured list three days ago?" She looks less than pleased as she concluded "They were only dangerous because of the pit and the ambush. Are those things causing trouble elsewhere now?"

Reef Skimmer was standing at the edge of the group, staring up at the rigging and seemingly a bit distracted, but the mention of chompies was enough to draw him into the conversation. "A dozen of the beasts put two ponies in the infirmary, and from all accounts might easily have done worse. Now granted, they had the element of surprise, but the troll mentioned 'chompy pods'. We don't know what those are or how many chompies there are on the island. In short... caution is advisable."

“The doctor’s right,” Set Sail said grimly to Azure, “If they sent you to the injured list, then they’re a problem. They’re blocking the path anyway, and not all of us have wings.” Turning to Summer Scribe, she added, “And maybe if we ask the troll, then he’ll tell us what a chompy pod is. It seems pretty reasonable that we could help him out." The pegasus sighed. "Plus we do kind of owe him for wrecking his roof.”

Summer Scribe nodded in agreement. "Exactly: he helps us, we help him. And yeah, I don't think we should get too hung up on our first encounter; sure, the Chompies absolutely demand our fear and respect, but we were ambushed in un-co-operative terrain. With a proper fighting force and plan things will go MUCH easier."

The captain turned back to Azure and asked “Anyway, how’s your magic doing? You’re casting spells alright again, I guess. Any more surges?”

Azure shook her head. "No surges since the incident in that creature's house... my magic's fine, which is a relief... but for all the times I didn't want to use such a destructive spell, I do want to use something just like that on those darn things. I have my pride as one of the Lavender Blades... and they won't get the best of me twice." Never mind the fact that she still hasn't figured out why these surges are happening: it's become a case of making the best out of a bad situation at this point.

Reef hung his head, looking a little sheepish "Now, I can't claim to be an expert on unicorn magic; far from it in fact; but I do know that horn surges can be triggered by certain workings." He'd read it last night in fact, in the one relevant book he had with him. Looking at Azure, he continued "So I can only suggest Azure Feather refrains from casting the spell she used on the previous occasions, at least until we can explain this. Perhaps your telekinesis alone would suffice to squash the beasts, or at least fling them away?" he suggested, not really sure what Azure's magic was capable of. "In any case I must say her physical wounds are healing up nicely... very nicely. Faster than anyone else on the crew even, by some margin! You're sure you, or indeed another unicorn, didn't cast anything to help that along?"

Azure paused for a second, before nodding slowly. "Likely best, Doctor... apologies. I still do want another fight with the creatures. I've got my pride." she repeated, before turning her attention to the other point. "Magical exhaustion... I'll admit I feel better than I should considering it was just yesterday? Physically, though, you're right... I'm feeling pretty good, but I didn't cast a spell to speed up the healing. Did any other creature here...?" she asked, curious.

“Maybe it was that spell that made her pass out?” a certain griffon hen called from the ranks, “But I don’t want to drag some dipsy unicorn’s unconscious body out of the middle of a battle!”

“That dipsy unicorn is a member of the Royal Guard, Grennie,” Set Sail said, sending a stare her way, “She’s the best fighter we have, and the most powerful magic user. So please try not to antagonise her, okay?”

Grenelda just folded her scaly forelegs.

Another enthusiastic nod from Summer Scribe: "Yeah, we can't not take Azure. She knows what she's doing, and she's the best guardpony we've got here! She knows her own limits better than anyone else will, I'm sure."

The hippogriff had been muttered something; to Azure, standing closest, it sounded like "Oh wonderful, another magical medical mystery." At Set Sail's words though his head comes up and he grinned (or at least, beak-gaped) cheerfully at her. "Quite, would be foolish to keep our only combat caster on the bench wouldn't it! Now, perhaps if we could swing past the troll's house on the way, as you say lend him a pony or two to help with the roof situation, he might let slip a little more detail on this pod business? One would be glad to assist with taking the thing down, erm..." Reef's gaze fell to the deck again "...if the Captain desires that is."

“Yeah, anyone who thinks they can take a few bitey monsters,” Set Sail said with a glance to Reef Skimmer, “But before we fix his roof, we have to at least clear the path, so that’s what we’re gonna do.” To the crew at large, she announced, “The flyers are going to rendezvous with the troll, then our ground uh... creatures are going to approach the pit from the other side. Once we’re all together, we can... y’ know... see what he has to say.”

Spreading her brown wings, and looking off toward the forest, the green kerchiefed temporary captain concluded, “I know we didn’t come here to fight things, but there might be even more danger on other islands. If we can’t teach these chompy creatures a lesson, only a matter of time before we run into something worse. But if we can kick their tails,” she looked around at the crew again, “Then nothing is gonna be able to stop us! That sound good?”

A cheer went up from the crowd.

“Then let’s get to work!” Set Sail declared, and the meeting was unofficially over, with most of the crew heading off immediately to continue repairs on the ship, or to prepare for the coming fight.

A tall green troll named Abernathy walked with a purple pegasus named Cloud Cutter, the lady gryphon Grenelda, Azure Feather the butterfly-winged unicorn, a second pegasus, and the hippogriff doctor, Reef Skimmer. The only weapon the troll bore was an unwieldy looking club, but he seemed confident, when he said “Okay the first thing you gotta understand is that once a chompy pit has formed, it’s going to be making pods all along the edge of it."

"Best strategy is to have someone or uh... a sheep in the pit, so you can see where the chompies are popping out from." he explained. "That’s what you flyers are gonna do so you can fly out quick. The rest of your crew can go along the sides, clearing away the brush and eliminating any pods. Once you’ve gotten all the pods...” he smacks his club into his hand, “Then I can take it from there. Sound good?”

Reef Skimmer frowned. "And the creatures gestate inside the pods, you say? Do you have an idea of how big the population can get, for the one pit I mean?"

"Alpha team draws out the enemy, delta and gamma teams fan out to take down the side threats, while you've got the main one once the sides are clear?" Azure Feather said to herself, apparently to make sure she's got the objectives of each squad clear. Hearing the doctor's question, she looked over and added "Doc's got a point. How many hostiles are we looking at?" The blue unicorn was stomping and pacing a little as they approached. Time for a second round with those creatures...

“I’ve never counted, to be honest." Abernathy said. "Dozens, at least. Not nearly as bad when it’s just the one pod. But it’s easy to let things get this bad, when you’re the only one around to take care of it. They take a while to pop out though, and they’re slow, so if you keep on top of it, they won’t overwhelm you. It’s more them trying to wear you out. But that won’t happen, since we’re also taking them out at the source. Won’t take more than a half hour with you guys to help.”

They approached the pit from the west, while on the east side a force had already gathered: Summer Scribe, Melonwater, two more tough-looking sailor-mares, and certainly not even the slightest sign of any creature able to set fire to anything and everything around them. “How did you guys get all the way over there?” Abernathy called out curiously across the pit, “You didn't cross the pit, did you?”

"We jumped good!" Summer Scribe shouted... then giggled. "Just kidding! We walked here from our ship." She gestured behind her with a hoof. "It's YOUR team that flew over to you!" The little unicorn studied the terrain: indeed, there were no signs of anything hostile yet. But if she heard it right, the moment something sacrificial entered the pit, that's when the game would be on!

“What are you... ugh, never mind. Let's get started!” Abernathy loudly declared. “Anyone who can fly get down there and start acting sick and vulnerable. But don’t hesitate to destroy them before they can leap at you. Everyone else up top, when you spot a place the chompies are popping out of, start clearing the brush towards it, and be ready for chompies to come at you too, when you get close. Pods are big... green and red ugly gourd looking things. Just cut ‘em to pieces or blow them up and the rest of their chompies will go with them. OK, go!”

Reef Skimmer had just finished fiddling with the straps of his wing blades; not that he was confident they'd do more harm to the creatures than himself, but he couldn't disappoint Set Sail, now that she had set the expectation. "Perhaps one will be bait enough!" the hippogriff shouted, leaping forward, wings half spread. "No sense wasting fighters down here when they could be sweeping the forest!" He landed heavily in the dirt and stared upwards expectantly.

Summer Scribe smiled and turned to her contingent. "Alright, you heard them: there'll be pods to bust all around the pit, as soon as the fight starts. Keep your eyes peeled and call 'em out when you see them!" The other ponies nodded (or in one case, saluted), and spread out to cover as much of this side of the pit as they can. Summer Scribe kept her eyes on Reef Skimmer, her horn charged up, ready to give covering fire for the chaotic start of the fight!

Azure immediately prepared to follow Summer's lead, charging up a full-fledged blast, but stopped as she recalled what happened the previous afternoon. She wasn't keen on putting any friendly near the line of fire; especially not when the first creature in the Alpha team is the doctor himself! Instead, she thought about what Summer had said; something about her having... some windy element? The unicorn decided to try and channel a more restrained spell, perhaps a blade of wind, ready to fire when the fight broke out in earnest.

For a long moment everything stayed silent and still, then a small green creature with two prominent eyestalks popped out of the undergrowth on one side of the pit, descending in a long slow arc into the pit in front of Reef Skimmer.

"Chompies out!" Summer Scribe called out, keeping her focus on the imminent fight down below. 'It looks like the chompy is following a predictable arc,' she thought, 'so it should be a simple matter of geometry to aim a magical blast at the spot where it will land... and fire it off with just the right timing!' She aimed her horn and prepared to release her magic. Meanwhile, her three companions stayed alert for pods to smash!

Down in the pit, Reef stared at the small green creature, fascinated. "Those really do look like modified thorns-" His musing was cut off as the creature dashes forward, coming directly at him. Forewarned of the threat, the griff took a step backwards, wings still spread and claws tensed, then pounced. The chompy's dim awareness seemed to register its entire vision filling with giant predatory bird, just as Summer lets loose with her bolt of magic. The hippogriff's talons struck the chompy, making it explode into green chunks, just as the unicorn's precise shot burned a neat hole through his pink crest feathers.

Flush with adrenalin, the griff noticed the shot strike the ground nearby, but not the tragic damage it had wrought on his prized crest. Looking up at Summer, he shouted "Got it! And, erm, thanks for the assist. Do you see the pod?" Much as he wanted to see one for himself, Reef resolved to stay down in the pit for now, until all the pods had been located or he was faced with more chompies than he could handle. Sure enough as he waited for a reply, two more chompies popped out of different locations in the jungle, both landing behind him.

Up on the rim, Summer saw the smoking hole in the doctor's mane-feathers and winced. Well, at least her aim was on point. She was about to apologise when she noticed the new wave of creatures, instead calling out: "Behind you! Take the one on your left, I'll get the other one!" With that division of labour established, she charged her horn for a second shot as quickly as she could.

Meanwhile Azure Feather had found her horn could slice the air more like a blade than a cannon, its magic producing a sickle-shaped shockwave of compressed air which shot forward away from her, thin enough cut through the underbrush like a hot knife through butter. A broad swath of the jungle was cut down where it stood, clearing the ground between her and the now-revealed chompy pod. The attempts of the two sailor-ponies to clear it out just got a whole lot more efficient, leaves flying everywhere as they cantered forward and began to buck it.

Azure couldn't help but smile a bit at the effectiveness of the new spell. Not only did it do exactly what she wanted it to, it didn't knock her out this time, either! Heck of a bonus, that one. But her attention soon shifted to her allies: particularly the doctor, and his predicament in the pit. "Doc, two on your six, watch it!" Much as she wanted to help, she had to leave that to Summer: every creature's got their role to play, and it was clear her magic was best employed helping to find and destroy the chompy-spewing pods.

Hearing the thumps but not certain exactly where they landed, the hippogriff took heed of the calls from above, flapping hard and taking to the air. He hovered in the exact centre of the pit and twisted around to see two chompies staring up at him. Would they leap up at him, a couple of metres off the ground? Was one of the unicorns going to blast them or should he pounce on them? Should he just clear out of the pit? Reef hesitated for a second, as he realised his crest feathers felt funny and wondered exactly what Summer had done, before her instruction clarified the situation.

The chompies leapt up at him just as Reef folded his wings for a dive; his claws now too low, he lunged with his beak and slices into the one on the left, the unwanted morsel exploding into green slime. The big griff slammed into the ground, knocking lose the second chompy which had latched onto his right side: it tears away along with a mouthful of grey contour feathers. Reef squawked loudly, spitting out gunk that tastes of rotten cabbage, and whirled on the remaining chompy, glaring at it with murderous eyes.

His revenge was forestalled by Summer's magic bolt zipping down and striking home: the beast exploded in a brilliant burst of glimmering blue. There are already three more chompies inbound though, and one on the edge of the pit that hasn’t quite made it in yet. Meanwhile Azure’s efforts at clearing the jungle have revealed a second pod: like a weird spikey gourd twice the height of a pony, flexing oddly as a chompy rockets out of the orifice on its top. This one arced upwards on a trajectory away from the pit... and directly at the winged unicorn.

Summer Scribe's eyes dart around between waves, as the rest of her team continue their mission with newfound ease, thanks to Azure! She notices the new chompy pod disgorging another combatant: ech! "Second pod's over here! Let's smash it good!" she shouted. The unicorn refocused her efforts, treating the plant creature to a full-power magic blast, thinking 'let's see how well it holds up to THAT!'

Seeing the pit filling up and their doctor at risk of being surrounded, the griffon Grenelda leapt into the pit, landing with her back to Reef Skimmer as she shouted "Here they come!"

Azure's fight was going much better than her first encounter, but it was far from over, and to see the Chompy rocket out of the pod, heading straight for her... she nodded. If there was a time to see what her new spells could do, it was now. Focusing her magic into more of a bullet than a cannon shot, she planted her hooves, aimed carefully, then released the energy. Sure enough, the spell did just as she asked, forming into a swift bullet that blasted the Chompy apart in mid-air, leaving only a few fragments to rain down just short of her position.

"Not sure even a stew would help with these blighters!" Reef shouted back at Grenelda, his beak open in a grin. "Looks like I ended up taking the first bite after all." His ear tufts pricked up as the two griffs heard the distinctive spurt-whistle sound of more chompies incoming. "Good, good, the more we draw down here, the less there are to mob the ponies!"

As far as anyone could tell, Cloud Cutter had disappeared; certainly she began the fight standing near Azure and the troll, Abernathy, but in the first few seconds of the engagement no one saw her. That changed as a trio of chompies burst from the undergrowth and charged straight towards Summer, distracted by first the pit and now the pods. The purple pegasus materialised out of nowhere; perhaps not literally, but it certainly seemed that way to Summer Scribe; and made two quick, precise slashes with her wing blades. Chompies burst, splattering her with green goo, but her expression remained blank and unfazed as she effortlessly dodged the clumsy lunge of the third creature before stabbing it with a blade, turning it into another pile of plant entrails.

The chompy pods proved tougher than their progeny by far. Summer’s magic blast definitely made the thing burble violently, but it continues to extrude chompies like clockwork. Azure has somewhat better luck: her new magic technique keeps going after destroying the chompy and thumped right into its parent pod, while the two other ponies on her team ran up and bucked they thing for all they were worth. Seemingly trying to defend itself, it spat out another chompy to land right next to them, but a quick kick from one of the pegasi exploded it like a watermelon.

Azure fired off another air-infused blast at the nearest pod, then glanced over to see how Summer's team was doing, just in time to see Cloud Cutter's display of fighting skills first-hoof. "Not bad! Scratch three more, let's see what else is hiding in there!" Charging her magic, she shot several more cutting beams into the jungle, looking for more pods.

More chompies were descending in lazy arcs, but a quick, silent pass by Cloud Cutter slashed two apart while they were still in mid-air. The one-and-a-half predators in the pit handled the rest: Reef pouncing two more to bits, while Grenelda tore through five of the mindless green monsters in a flurry of beak and claws. Meanwhile Melonwater had been watching Summer's attempt to take out the pod and had an alternative suggestion, shouting “Here, use this!” as he hefted a sizeable rock into the air.

Summer had been totally focused on the effect her magic was having on the pod;. much to her detriment, as she was caught totally off guard by the chompies! When Cloud Cutter burst into action and dismantled her attackers, she could only gape, both at her own lapse of attention and at the swiftness of it all. "Thanks for the assist, Cloud Cutter!" Summer whirled around, anxious to spot any further assailants... before her frown turned to a grin as she saw her team members were are already on it! Turning back to the pod, she grabbed Melonwater's offering in her field and telekinetically hurled it at the source of her frustration, grunting with the effort. The rock smashed into the already-damaged plant, bursting it into tatters and scraps of vegetable matter.

“Nicely done! It looks like there are five pods left!” Abernathy called out from where he stood, up on the edge of the chompy pit.

"Five targets left..." Azure muttered under her breath as she noticed, much to her disappointment, a single decent spell won't do the trick on its own today. Or at least, not without risking severe magic drain and unconsciousness again. She spread her wings and flapped into the air, getting a better look of the battlefield from above. With the locations of the remaining hostiles scoped out, she selected a target and began unleashing a steady stream of wind blades, cutting deeply into the pod. 'A decent bucking, or for that matter magically accelerated boulder, should finish it off,' Azure thought. "Next target!" she shouted, hoping some creature would follow her lead while she concentrated on softening up another enemy.

His body still pumping with adrenalin, Reef Skimmers's gaze flicked rapidly from one moving target to another. Ambush tactics, swarming, surrounding their prey, targeting weak points... it seemed like there was a real danger of being overwhelmed. The hippogriff leapt into the air and brought his wings down as hard as possible, deliberately avoiding the usual mass-lightening. Instead of the usual gentle breeze of a hovering flyer, the full force of his six metre wingspan drove air down into the centre of the pit, blasting the chompies back and causing Grenelda to crouch and flinch, her feathers tossing about in the wind.

Foes thus incapacitated, however temporarily, Reef closed his wings and dropped with a thud, smashing an overturned chompy under a claw and instinctively grabbing another in his beak... before realising too late what he was doing. The thing burst, and once again the hippogriff was gacking and spitting out foul green goo.

Heeding Azure's call, the Summer-Melonwater Large Rock Collider sprang into action, smashing the weakened pod with one well-placed shot. And so it continued, with Azure's wind blades softening each target up for a telekinetic boulder to smash, All the while Cloud Cutter’s eerily silent death on four hooves mopped up the chompies spat out by the pod's futile attempts to defend themselves. Soon the ponies had cut a swath all around the edge of the pit, and only one pod remained, battered and bruised. Feeling playful at this point, Summer swung the last rock in a high arc and stuffed it into the orifice at the top of the pod. The thing strained and convulsed, trying to push out one last chompy, before exploding into pulp. She shared a high-hoof with Melonwater, delighted at their success.

Down in the pit, Reef Skimmer and Grenelda were similarly elated, having ripped apart the last of their adversaries, but were soon squawking in alarm as they felt a tremor in the ground beneath them.

“OK! Everybody out of the pit! Now!” Abernathy shouted from the overlook. The two griffs immediately lifted off, pumping their wings and climbing out of the pit.

Summer started into the pit, wondering what would happen. Turning to Cloud Cutter, she began "Do you think..." but the purple mare had vanished, apparently swallowed by the earth oh no wait there she was, alighting calmly next to Azure Feather. How did she do that?

Azure would indeed follow the green creature's order: keeping back from the pit, rounding up the other ponies and leading them over to regroup with Summer and Melonwater. Professional as she was, she couldn't keep a smile off her face. Watching the entire team just fight as one true unit... oh, this felt like home again...

As progressively stronger tremors shook the ground, the floor of the pit seemed to be rising, no, bulging upward, until the dirt bursts open and showers down all around it. A quivering green column of eyes and teeth thrusts upward and towers over the Equestrians, its side dotted with swollen blisters that burst to reveal yet more chompies. From its many mouths issued a deafening, discordant roar.

Calmly, Abernathy pointed his club at the horror, and with a deafening boom and flash of light half the abomination sheared off in an explosion of green gore. With another explosion from the troll’s club, the central section shattered into mulch, and the infernal column toppled over, deflating like a wilted vine.

Club now held over his shoulder, he looked over the edge of the pit, at the dirt sifting off the walls like falling sand, already softening the sheer edge of the cliff. A single surviving chompy leapt at him, and he just kicked it back into the pit, declaring, “That’ll do it, I think. Nice job, everyone! Just clean up the last few chompies, make sure they have no chance to root, and this road will be passable again.”

Summer Scribe's eyes widened as she falls back in a panic, terrified by the huge, monstrous thing that had emerged from the pit! This kind of eldritch horror would take a whole army to fig- aaand it's gone. What? What? She came to, shaking her head and looking around, as if worried that her senses were deceiving her. "D... Did Abernathy just take that thing out in a single hit?? Why did he even need help if he can do..." She looked down at her own hooves, briefly feeling like a very small and meaningless pony. "Huh? I mean, uhh... H-happy to help!" she said, sweat foaming on her coat.

“It took two hits,” Abernathy clarified for Summer, “And I only have two shots before I have to reload. Not so great against chompies. I always save the shotgun for last. You just saved me a heck of a lot of time, trouble, and chompy bites.”

Still airborne, Reef Skimmer hovered over the remains of the pit for several seconds, stunned by the sight of the huge animate plant. "Some variant of Tatzlwurm?" he muttered, before coming to his senses and realising there are hardly any chompies left. "Good show every... creature! Good show all around... And bravo, Abernathy, bravo there!" he shouted down. "Now, would one of you unicorns mind bagging me a specimen or two? If you can pick it up without popping, that is."

Azure Feather actually seemed afraid for a moment as she saw the gigantic animate plant rise from the pit... only to see it absolutely torn to shreds by Abernathy himself. Wind seemingly completely out of her sails, she stood there for several seconds, as it starting to dawn on her that maybe... maybe she's not as good as she thinks she is? Legs trembling for a moment, she finally came to her senses as the doctor asked his question, and she shook her head clear of her previous train of thought. "Can give it a fair shot, Doctor." she admitted, as she started to look around for any more of the darned creatures.

Summer Scribe, still gobsmacked, was roused into a sense of purpose by Reef. Brought back from the brink by a newfound connection to life! "Oh, sure, getting on it now!" She paused, as the hippogriff landed next to her and her eyes went to the still-smoking hole. "Apologies for nailing your crest!" she quickly added, lowering her head. "Tactical mis-co-ordination. I'll be better prepared for your fighting style next time now that I've seen it!" She saluted, then trotted off to help Azure capture and/or splat the remaining chompies.

Azure managed to levitate one chompy without too much trouble, though the other ponies seem very intent on squashing all the rest for some reason. It sort of pinwheeled its little limbs in the air, gnashing its teeth mindlessly in her general direction.

Reef frowned, raising a claw to feel his pink-striped crest feathers; in the commotion he'd almost forgotten. Instinctively he glanced at Grenelda, who'd just landed next to him, before remembering that griffons didn't have crests to speak of, and she probably wouldn't care. He did note that she looked rather attractive, eyes still ablaze with wild intensity and claws glistening with chompy juice. Shaking his head, he glanced over at the ponies and spotted Azure's floating catch. "Ah, a fine specimen, thank you." the hippogriff congratulated her as he trotted over. "In here, if you wouldn't mind." he said, taking a collapsible cage from a saddlebag.

Azure didn't waste any time, shoving the plant creature into the cage with... some restraint? It's clear from the frown on her face as she places her enemy in the cage... still alive... that she has no love for the beasts. "There. I hope that's the last we see of these things." she concludes, before looking back to Abernathy... hmm. Maybe she'll figure all this out at some point. Reef snapped the cage shut and wrapped it in a sheet, causing the creature inside to fall dormant as it was left in darkness. He tied the bundle to his saddlebags and that was that.

Meanwhile Summer had spotted a single chompy, half-buried in the dirt and struggling to free itself, and picked it off with a precise bolt of magic. With no more enemies to be found, she trotted back over to Azure. "Reload...? Shotgun...?" Clearly some kind of heavily weaponized native tech... She'll have to investigate this lead further later! "You saw that weapon Abby used, right Azure? Imagine if we had something like that." She grinned!

Azure, still reviewing the battle in her mind, was somewhat surprised by Summer's approach. She turned to her friend, saying "I saw what it did; not so much what it was. Hmm." To Summer it looked like something was bothering the other mare, but as Azure shook her head slightly, it seemed like it a discussion that would have to wait for another time.

“I don’t even want to know how many of these things are on the island,” Abernathy was lamenting, with a frustrated sigh. “It’s so hard to get rid of them once there’s an infestation. You think you got ‘em all, and then the ground’s collapsing under you into another chompy pit. But at least we got the one blocking the path."

"I know what you mean..." Azure replied, echoing his sigh. "They seem just like a species from back home... except meaner. And lots of teeth." She gave a weak chuckle. "We'll see if there's more, though. Goodness knows we're not headed back home for some time yet." she noted, but managed a smile. "Now that I've figured out a little more of this place, though... I think we can hold our own here. At least for now."

Abernathy looked thoughtfully at the winged unicorn, then her smaller wingless friend. "Though... I’m still curious why some of you went all the way onto the other side of the chompy pit." he asked. "Didn’t you come from your ship, down at the docks?”

Summer nod nodded, gesturing again for reference. "Yep! Like I said, we unicorns and earth ponies walked to the near side and Azure and the others flew to the far side. You've not got wings to fall back on, so I can see why you'd have a problem."

"The docks are that way," Abernathy informed Summer, flinging a thumb over his shoulder. "And your ship is that way?" he pointed forward, down the trail toward the meadow and crippled airship.

Summer nodded again. "Yeah: it's not going anywhere any time soon, it's not flightworthy for the time being. Why?"

Meanwhile Reef had been studying the caged chompy intently. "Fascinating, a new class certainly, possible a whole new phylum." he said to nocreature in particular. Confident now that it was safely contained to be studied at leisure, he flapped over to the remains of a pod and started picking it apart, teasing out the various vegetable structures.

“You’re not supposed to park on this island!” the troll said, stomping a clawed foot in aggravation, “It’s private property! Don’t you know you’re supposed to use the docks to... wait-a-sec. You didn’t come from the lower island?”

At that Grenelda stopped preening the green goop out of her feathers and stared at the spindly biped. It seems to be angry at the unicorns; she wondered if this was going to get ugly again. If so she'd have to get that miniature cannon away from him...

"Nuh-uh." Summer gestures way off into the distance, waving her hoof. "We're from Equestria: far down below! We had to pierce the Storm Wall surrounding the Cloudbreak Islands to even be able to get in here. This is first contact for us!" She beamed! So proud to be ponykind's representative to a new species!

“Then that means you didn’t bypass my bridge. Oh, this is wonderful!” Abernathy said, instantly cheering up and flashing a big, gap-toothed smile, “I thought you bypassed it because you didn’t want to pay the toll. Have you even been to the lower island?”

Sweat began to form on Summer's brow again. "No, we haven't..." she said uncertainly, looking down the path behind Abernathy. Hopefully he wasn't going to demand they pay the toll for real now? She didn't know how long it would take to dig up 'thirty gold' in the village ruins or if it was even there to be found.

“Come on, let me show you around!” the troll said, excited, “I’ll give you the grand tour!” Then he went jogging off back towards the tree-bridge.

At that, Summer perked up. Apparently he was making good on his promise and more. "This could be a source of vital information about this land!" she exclaimed, turning around and cantering after Abby. "Coming!" she shouted, not seeming concerned about whether anypony else will follow or not.

It was right then that Reef Skimmer trotted up to Azure, saddlebags bulging with gelatinous lumps of plant creature. "You know, this orange part really is quite pleasant! Would've even have realised if I hadn't got distracted and licked my claw there, and... erm, where are they off to then?"

Azure lifted her head; she'd fallen into silent reflection again. Shrugging, she replied "I think Summer's really become our diplomat... she seems to have made friends with the green creature. That's a good thing for all of us. As for where they're off to... I think I heard them talking about a tour?" She slowly turned to look at the two forms, disappearing down the path into the forest, before nodding quietly in approval.

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Nutmeg Inferno), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

This chapter is based on the twelth session (excluding unscheduled one on ones), narrated / GMed by Ferret. Our most dramatic action scene since the crossing and first real battle, against the weakest but possibly most iconic enemies in the Skylanders games. Time for some scores!

After 12 sessions and about 90k words. Azure Feather has finally made it to Level One. Level 1 Skylander that is; everyone else (except possibly Cloud Cutter) is still level 0. She is also far ahead on Cubic Metres of Shrubbery Destroyed. However Summer Scribe is the clear leader in the most important metric for pony roleplaying, Number of Creatures Befriended (not to mention the diplomacy bonus stat, Number of Species Befriended).Reef Skimmer is winning on Bottled Slug Count, and just possibly, Mares Induced to Blush (it's a combined quantative/qualitative measurement)Nutmeg Inferno is currently stuck in Engineering with limited scoring opportunities, but aside from Crazy Gadgets Constructed she's eyeing Azure's Volume of Shrubbery Destroyed score; one good forest fire and she might pull ahead...Clashing Gale has an unassailable lead on Total Nap Time Accrued

Enigma

The alien forest seemed less dangerous, less menacing, with the chompies reduced to a manageable threat. A procession of creatures made their way down the path to the bridge, untroubled by the alien birdsong and strange cries from the jungle around them. Leading the group was the tall green figure of Abernathy the troll, followed by an assortment of colourful ponies and a pair of griffs. Melonwater and Cloud Cutter, the distinguished senior researcher unicorn Summer Scribe, the wary winged unicorn Azure and the burly sailponies who helped her with the chompies, the hippogriff doctor Reef Skimmer, still wearning ornate wing-blades, and the gryphon hen Grenelda.

It was not long before the group emerged into the cathedral-like space at the edge of the island, where the undergrowth thinned out and the trees grew even taller, their great boughs twisting high overhead, while tap roots plunged off the edge in their endless quest to grow from one island to another. Their guide headed straight for the iron gate at the entrance to the enormous hollow log, flourishing an oversize brass key. A swift turn, a click and the barrier swung open; Abernathy stood aside, giving a dramatic bow. “After you, little ponyzandas,” he said, gesturing at the open passageway. The tunnel sloped steeply downward, though the ridges carved into the floor prevented the travellers from sliding.

Summer Scribe had been enjoying another opportunity to take in the amazing view; clear blue sky, dotted with the hazy shapes of distant floating islands hiding among drifting clouds, all framed by the thick trunks of the giant trees. At Abernathy's prompt she returned the bow, smiling appreciatively at the troll: "Thank you very much, Abby!" Hmm, accuracy aside, 'ponyzandas' did sound pretty cute... Anyway! The little blue unicorn stepped confidently into the wooden tunnel.

Reef Skimmer was not as comfortable entering the confined space, particularly when he could easily fly down; glancing at Grenelda, it looked like the griffon shared his sentiment. He didn't want to be rude and anger the troll, but he hung back, letting the ponies enter first.

Azure nodded calmly to the troll as Summer entered the passage. "While that battle removed the obvious hostiles, that doesn't mean we're can drop our guard." She folded her butterfly wings tightly as she ventured into the toll bridge herself, keeping her eyes open. Goodness knows they couldn't afford her spending another spell on the injured list.

To begin with the wooden walls practically glowed from reflected sunlight, the air filled with twinkling motes of dust loosened by their passage, but as they continued the ambience shifted to a warm, quiet twilight. The only sound was the soft, echoing clopping of hooves on wood, emanating from everyone except Abernathy and Grenelda. It took several minutes to traverse the tunnel, the two griffs looking steadily more unhappy as they did so, but they persevered and came to the lower gate.

“Don’t worry, it takes the same key,” Abernathy said, his mood jovial as he opened the barrier from the inside. Soon he was leading his new associates out onto the mysterious second island. The area holding the bridge was a continuation of the forest above, with trees that grew even taller, their upper boughs joining to the roots that trailed down from above in a frozen arboreal waterfall. The upper island loomed over them, its rocky, mossy underside impossibly free of visible support, while the earth here was covered in ferns and shot through with exposed roots.

Near the entrance to the hollow log was a sign similar to the one above, with two rows of unknown runes above a series of pictograms. The key and coins were the same, but the house symbol was replaced by a bell and the arrow pointed to a dangling pull cord. Sure enough, looking up the ponies could see a large brass bell mounted one of the huge branches snaking overhead. “This’s what you pull to get the toll collector’s attention,” Abernathy explained, giving the rope a good yank and filling the air with a deep, sonorous tone. Demonstration complete, he shuffled to the front of the group and began heading down the trail; as with the upper island, the twists and turns of gravel path were soon hidden by dense jungle.

Happy to be outside again, Reef Skimmer had already moved away from the tunnel exit and found himself following close behind. At the mention of the toll, he asked "I was wondering, erm... Mister Troll, what entices travellers to pay 30 'gold' to visit your island, if the village is long fallen to ruin? I heard there's a quarry on the far side of the lake, is it still worked?"

Abernathy’s ears flopped even more and his shoulders sank at the hippogriff's comment. “30 gold used to be nothing,” he said morosely, “It was 30 for three, but still. I haven’t had a customer in... well, almost a year, but I think Jolene is just doing it to make me feel better.”

Azure was looking around, taking in the layout and checking for movement. The giant trees forming a living bridge between the floating islands... it was impressive, enough for her to say out loud "I can think of quite a few ponies back home who would love this place." Yet she still seemed tense at the issue of the toll, and the open question of what further threats might be lurking in the jungle. "What about hostiles?" she asked Abernathy, "I take it there's still going to be some creatures here that won't be too happy to see us."

The troll shook his head, saying, “There really isn’t much that goes on around here. Chompies, the occasional bush crawler. I think I’ve seen a leozard before, but they stay away from paths. Most of the dangerous critters are only active at night anyways.” He certainly seemed relaxed, clearly confident that this path wouldn't collapse into another chompy pit.

Frowning at the idea he might have undermined the pony's diplomatic proceedings by further depressing the troll, Reef remained silent. He focused instead of the surrounding forest, noting various new species of undergrowth he hadn't seen on his previous outings.

Bushcrawler? Leozard? More terms Summer Scribe didn't know, but she made a mental note to check them out later. Hopefully her first encounter wouldn't be another life or death situation! As long as they avoided wandering around the woods at night... Shaking her head, the little unicorn looked all around, eyes wide open in awe and interest. There's nothing immediately new to see, as such, but her mind churned with all the possibilities. The first island was exciting enough: surely there would be even more finds to come. "What's there to see down here?" she asked.

Smiling at Summer’s enthusiastic query, Abernathy responded “Oh, it's not far to the docks. I can show you those, and maybe a special little secret beyond them.” He gave the unicorn a little wink.

Summer returned the wink: "Ooh, I love secrets! I can't wait!"

As Azure spent more time with her crewmates it had become clear that for one, Summer Scribe was far and away the team's best diplomat, and thus, it was best to let her do the talking. Secondly, Azure was not the only one who could be trusted with the safety of a team. Nodding softly at Abernathy in thanks for the information, Azure adjusted her pace to draw alongside Reef Skimmer. The hippogriff had dropped back to the middle of the group and seemed more interested in the foliage around them than the path ahead.

In fact the griff was so absorbed in the frond structure of the colourful giant ferns, he didn't notice the winged unicorn's approach until she was right next to him. "Azure! How are you holding up? I confess I missed most of the battle back there, not much of a view down in that pit you see, but I trust you avoided further magical mishap?"

Azure couldn't help but smile at Reef's inquiry. "Not going to lie...." she started, before staring ahead, choosing her words carefully. "Haven't felt this good since we landed on the island. The battle was a good one: all hostiles defeated, no casualties, no magical mishaps to report, and... I'll admit, you definitely showed promise. I suppose it comes with the territory, being part-eagle and all, but still..." She trailed off, still smiling before adding a quick note. "Remind me not to get into a fight with the resident doctor, hmm?"

"Oh, not at all, don't mention it..." Reef said, looking away. "One has a basic proficiency of course, which is to say we hippos might not be quite the hunters griffons are, but any officer of the Queen's Navy must demonstrate and maintain a certain level of martial prowess..." Feeling suddenly self-conscious, the big griff pulled his wings in right, as if to try and hide the still-unused wing blades strapped there. Looking back to Azure, he said "...which is to say, I appreciate the compliment, coming as it does from a true expert in the field of combat."

Was that a hint of a blush around Azure's muzzle? "You're too kind, doctor." was all she said, as they made their way deeper into the jungle.

The troll led them around another bend and the group found themselves skirting the southern edge of the island, the trail offering glimpses of the sudden drop-off and open sky beyond through the trees. Soon enough they were at the promised docks, which were what one might expect to find on a lake or coastal village, not bordering a headlong plunge into the abyss. Weathered hardwood planks, nailed to rough wooden posts, driven deep into the island’s soil or pinned to the exposed rock.

“This is where ships are supposed to dock,” Abernathy said, walking onto the creaky structure, “So you probably should move yours down here. Can’t be easy docking your ship to the side of an island. It’s free for anyone to dock, just glide right up and hitch your ship at these dock hooks here. And uh...”

Rubbing the back of his head, Abernathy added, “I did say you guys paid your toll by helping me with those chompies. So you won’t have any trouble getting back to the upper island. Not that I could imagine anyone wants to these days. But you know the drill. Dock here, come up to the uh... ‘Blissful Pastures’, and you can hunt your weight in sheep.”

Summer Scribe peered at the docks, before tentatively trotting onto them and looking out into the open, cloud-spotted sky. It was a moment of serenity, the homely feel of the old docks and the warm wood underhoof combined with the still amazing vista of the Cloudbreak Islands all around them. Floating rock after floating rock, separated by many kilometres of open air, going on for who knew how far!

At Abernathy's suggestions she... had to bashfully rub a hoof behind her head. "I don't know if we can do that so easily, just now... We'll have to check in with Nutmeg. To be honest our ship is not exactly airworthy at the moment!" At the mention of hunting sheep, she pulled a face, before noticing and hiding her disgust. "Well, we don't... err, we MOSTLY don't..." glancing at Reef and Grenelda for a moment,"...eat other animals! But if there's good grazing material here too, that'll be more than enough for the bulk of us!"

“Oh, sorry if I scared you,” Abernathy replied, his face showing concern for the little unicorn, “You definitely don’t see anyone docking here who isn’t interested in anything but sheep. My father used to say, at any rate.”

Reef vaguely heard the pony being squeamish about something, as he poked around at the so-called 'docks'. Was this really it, just a couple of rotting jetties? He spread his wings and rose up into the air to get a better view, but nothing further could be seen; no warehouse, no dockmaster's office, not even coal bunkers, just a couple of piles of rotting boards that might have once been crates. Folding his wings, he landed and walked up to Abernathy, trying not to stare at him too intensely lest he have another emotional breakdown. "Must confess, can't quite see why one would build this out here, what with the lack of facilities and all. If it was built by the villagers, or by your family for the benefit of griffs taking on, erm, provisions... why not just build it on the same island to start with?"

Looking at Reef, the troll asked sceptically, “If you put the docks on the upper island, then where would you put the bridge?"

It was Azure's turn to look towards the ground and away a bit. Yeah, some creatures really had no idea how to drive an airship, and she was the first name on that list. Too bad she didn't tell anyone. At least she knew where the ship should be instead of... well, wherever it was now. Not that Reef didn't have a point...

“Anyway,” Abernathy said, shaking his head with a bemused expression, “My father guarded this island for most of his life, and so did my father’s father. It’s been in the family a long time, but they say we, err... acquired it when the villagers left. Without them to tend to the sheep and cut back the forest, it was... pretty inevitable it was gonna get like this. I do my best, but the rest of my brothers could care less.” He sighed, saying in conclusion, “Sometimes I wonder if they’re right.”

Reef snorted and huffed at this nonsense: these creatures clearly had no idea of how to construct proper dock facilities to the standards of the Queen's Navy. He left Summer to continue with her diplomacy, idly poking at one of the ruined crates with a claw.

As it became clear there were no new hostiles to be found here, Azure Feather gradually relaxed, idly looking at the surroundings for anything of interest other than the docks. She supposed with a few days and a lot of sweat the pegasi could tow the Harmony down here, but there didn't seem to be anything that warranted the effort. Though Abernathy did say he had a secret to show them...

Summer Scribe pondered: this sounded like a good opportunity to figure out some of the history of the place. She turned to Abby and asked: "Guarding it against what, exactly? Is there some threat in particular you're worried about? And more to the point, why DID the villagers leave? Did something change?" ... ... Uh, oh! "...and you mentioned a secret??"

"Well, uh..." Abernathy's eyes were downcast, as he thought over his sad predicament. He'd rather talk about something more positive: "Yes I did, didn't I! Follow me..." He beckoned with a finger and headed for a second trail leading from the far end of the docks, choked with undergrowth and almost invisible until the troll pointed it out. Without hesitating Summer trotted cheerfully after him.

Reef Skimmer and Melonwater shared a knowing look, before following themselves. Grenelda and Azure Feather brought up the rear, still wary of any beasts that might try to attack the researchers. Not wanting to spend the afternoon watching Summer dig up more ruins, the three sailponies who'd helped with the chompy fight took their leave, heading back to the Harmony.

Despite the jungle's enthusiastic efforts to reclaim the path, Abernathy knew exactly where to go, leading the ponies slowly upwards until the trees began to thin out again. The path ended at a pair of substantial stone pillars, each twice the height of the troll, curving to form a circular aperture through which the group could enter. Though weathered and half-obscured by vines and leaf litter, it was clear the pillars were intricately carved and inlaid with a complex pattern of glass and crystal. Brass forms emerged from their outer surface, circular and toothed like stylised gears. Perhaps there was once a gate barring the portal, though if so all that remained now was a few shattered pieces of crystal that crunched underhoof as the group entered.

Inside was a sizeable clearing, once again positioned on the edge of the island such that it was bordered on three sides by dense undergrowth and one side by open sky. A few trees had managed to penetrate the space, their canopies dappling the ground with alternating light and shade. Abernathy made his way right to the edge, ducking and weaving around strange metallic shapes poking out of the earth. “This is the best view on the island,” he said fondly, gazing out at a whole sea of islands of all sorts of strange shapes and colours, quietly drifting to and fro in the distance. “We're looking directly west: you can see the sun set over all of the Skylands.”

"Oooh..." Summer Scribe gaped, in awe. She took a little spyglass from a saddlebag, floating it in front of one eye and peering out into the distance. "It does look awfully pretty from here! Thank you!"

In truth though she was more interested in the clearing itself. Packing the scope away again, she trotted around the strange artefacts, peering at the engraved metal-work. In many areas the dirt had washed away to reveal a regular surface of gleaming ceramic tiles. Over here was a row of giant metal discs, half-embedded in the ground, over there was a forest of fluted pipes, reminding her of oversized speaking tubes. A little further and she found what seemed to be two halves of a stepped pyramid, knocked over and out of place, and beyond that was a haphazard pile of gleaming golden rods and mismatched gears, half-hidden by ferns growing up between the parts.

Summer's voice was uncharacteristically quiet with wonder: "Say, what's all this..." She looked at Abernathy with an infectious smile. "Ruins? Some kind of ancient device? I bet Nutmeg would love to see it, whatever it is!""

“Oh that? That’s just some junk that’s been lying around here for ages,” the troll said with a shrug, looking over to the unicorn heading over there, “It doesn’t even work. You find a lot of those here and there on the islands, all broken. Just more of those ruins left behind from the old days.”

Summer Scribe shook her head. "Ruins aren't trash, they're important archaeological discoveries! Who knows what they were for or what they do or why they were put here..." she had to stop to catch her breath "...until someone investigates, right?" She stroked her hoof over a pipe, gave a cylinder a gentle tap, and peered at the pile of parts to see if they might fit together.

Following Summer's lead, Reef Skimmer wandered among the mysterious machinery, stopping to peer inside the open-ended tubes. Their original function remained a mystery, though they now seemed to make a fine home for nesting birds; fascinating birds indeed, those curious structures on their heads were almost like...

With a loud SQUAWK! a plump bird popped out of the tube, cream underneath and dark blue on its wings and back. The hard, shiny crest on its head really did resemble a propeller, particularly once it started to spin. Reef Skimmer jumped back, claws tense and wings spread as the bird dived at him. SQUAWK! the hippogriff's call was even louder, and momentarily stunned the odd bird. Squawk? it said. Squawk! Reef replied enthusiastically. The bird flapped about for a bit before settling onto the top of the pipe, warily eyeing the colourful quadrupeds now surrounding its nest.

Azure performed her customary scan for threats; predators could be hiding in the ruins, even the machinery itself might pose a threat... but everything seemed quiet and still, at least for now. "Nutmeg... yes, this looks like it would completely be of interest to her..." she began saying, before being caught off guard by the sudden bird noises. It seemed they were actually nesting in the pipes; she supposed they made a fine home, from a bird's point of view. It was an interesting specimen, with that odd spinning crest, and the winged unicorn was rather curious, though readied her magic just in case it did prove hostile... before being completely startled at the even louder noise from the hippogriff.

Azure shook her head at the display. Was this one of those 'screeching contests', supposedly a cherished cultural tradition among griffs of both species? Ouch. She backed up a few steps, subconsciously putting some distance between herself and the annoying sounds, and as she did so a ceramic tile under her left hind hoof sank down with a distinct click. Everycreature's eye was drawn to the centre of the clearing, where with a faint hum and a soft glow, a large golden disc rose from a socket in the ground and hovered passively in pace, a metre above the ground.

“Oh, you figured it out!” Abernathy declared, walking up to the ponies combing through the ruins. “That’s the only part that works. You can read it if you walk up close to it. You have to hold down the switch though.” the troll said to Azure, glancing at her hoof still on the pressure plate.

Summer immediately cantered over to the thing, her eyes as big as saucers, arriving just in time to see a holographic display spring into existence atop the plate. It showed a glowing red square surrounded by more of the native runes. "Awesome! What does it..." Summer began to ask, but as she stared at the runes they seemed to shift and reform, becoming Equestrian letters that clearly spelled out the enigmatic phrase, "SYSTEM ERROR". Through all this the propeller bird remained completely and entirely unimpressed.

Summer Scribe huhed and squinted at the message. "It's in Ponish! I mean... the letters, they're Equestrian now. It must be translation magic! But... Sees-teem Error? Does that mean... it's not working?" She grinned from ear to ear: if this site was even partially functional, that still made it the most exciting thing they'd found so far. "But that means it did work once... and perhaps it still COULD? Probably take a long time to figure out, but... I bet for Nutmeg it'd be a cinch." At this point her tail was swishing briskly back and forth.

"Why would adding a spice make it work better?" Abernathy asked in honest confusion.

"No, no, Nutmeg Inferno! She's our chief mechanic, and... she's pretty overqualified for her position," Summer Scribe admitted. "I bet this is exactly the kind of thing she'd love to sink teeth into!"

“Oh, there are even more of you?” Abernathy asked curiously, “with even stranger names. But yeah, she sure can try... though this thing has been broken, like forever. If these ruins could be fixed, you’d think someone woulda fixed them by now.”

Reef Skimmer looked over at the floating artefact. Curious, but... nothing further seemed to be happening. Well, as least Summer was happy; in any case the unicorn was much better qualified to investigate such things than him, and if she couldn't divine its purpose maybe the chief engineer could help. He returned his attention to the bird. "Aren't you a pretty one?" The griff stuck a claw into a saddlebag; it came back out with a slice of something juicy stuck to a talon "Could I interest you in some jungle apple?"

The bird tilted its head left, then right, before suspiciously hopping closer to the hippogriff's proffered gift. He was so engrossed in his ornithology that he didn't notice Summer trotting up behind him, and she had to nudge him to get his attention."Hey, you know, why don't we bring Nutmeg here... right now? It's not like we have anything more pressing to investigate: this is about as interesting as it gets!"

Reef stared at Summer for a second. This was his first chance to observe a native vertebrate up close and... well, he did owe the mare for her help in the mess yesterday. His expression softened from annoyance to a smile. "Capital idea, happy to help, if you wouldn't mind just taking over here? Now here's another apple..." he said, tossing it at Summer for her to catch in her magic, "...and here's a sketch book: dorsal, ventral and a naturalistic pose would be ideal... best of luck!" the griff concluded, taking a few running steps and launching into the air before she can respond.

A befuddled Summer watched Reef fly out of sight, off the edge and back around over the trees, before realising that a much smaller avian is staring at her with a rather less friendly manner than before. SQUAWK! Hurriedly she set the apple down and fumbled with the sketchbook a few times before laying it out. "Guess I'm on birdwatching duty then!" she said, chuckling nervously.

A slightly longer flight this time, covering the length of both islands as the hippogriff made his way back to the moored airship, but within half an hour he was gliding down to land on the main deck. First order of business was to update the Captain on the results of the chompy fight; he was happy to report complete success with no casualties; then brief her on what they'd found on the second island.

“Are you kidding?” was Set Sail's immediate and eager reply, “We have to get her over there, right away! She’ll be thrilled!”

She accompanied Reef Skimmer, hurrying up into the engine room, finding Nutmeg right in the middle, tinkering with some kind of crane or mechanical grabber. “You won’t believe it," the pegasus enthused, "Doctor Skimmer says they found some kind of incredible machine! And it’s way too big to move. He wants you to come take a look at it! Right, doc?”

"Oh certainly," Reef said, "Which is to say, Summer Scribe is doing her level best, but it seems this find requires more in the way of mechanical insight." He concluded with a slight grin "Not to mention, to expedite the investigation, a hippogriff skilled at pulling carts."

“Oh. Um...” Nutmeg began, anxiety creeping into her expression as she turned this over in her mind. The kirin stood up, shook out her crimson tail and said, “Yeah, that’d be... fine. It’d probably make the crew feel better if... somepony came with me. Is that okay? They get kind of nervous, if I just vanish on them, you know? Plus two heads is better than one.”

Reef stared at the kirin, his head turned to one side and beak half-open. "Oh I do understand, my renditions of traditional hippogriff sea shanties are an acquired taste after all. The cart fits two so feel free to bring somecreature else to entertain you, perhaps with a more up-to-date singing repertoire!"

"Yeah, erm, well..." Nutmeg stammered, not sure how to respond to that. Eventually she settled for a relieved "Thanks! Hold on just one sec, okay?” Traipsing off, she hurried across the engine room, to exchange some quiet words with a certain purple-maned orange stallion, the one with three gears on his hindquarters. Then some less quiet words, in which Reef made out “C’mon! It’s just across the island.”

Finally the two of them came trotting back to the hippogriff. “I don’t know if I introduced Gearshift?” Nutmeg said, gesturing to the earth pony, “He’s as sharp as I am. So let’s go do this thing.”

“Hi, I uh...” Gearshift said with an awkward smile and a hoof wave, faltering a little under Reef's disapproving gaze. “Just need to get some um, supplies, yeah. Be right back.”

As he scurried away, Nutmeg smiled sheepishly saying, “Sorry, he’s a little shy. But when hoof comes to shove he’s one of my best ponies. Is your cart ready?”

"Cleared for take off, but you'll have to share the centre of gravity this time." Reef said, still frowning.

The return flight took a bit longer: true, there was the heavy cart with its two passengers, but perhaps it hadn't been strictly necessary to swoop down through the gap between the islands and perform an aerial slalom through the waterfall of trunks and roots. Be that as it may, the trio passed the rickety wooden piers of the docks and were making their final approach to the drop-off near the artefacts. A number of sounds filled the air... lots of high-pitched squawking, punctuated by the occasional much louder screech, along with zapping and thumping. Flashes of coloured light briefly shone through the trees, as Reef's apprehension grew. Finally the landing site came into view; occupied by a dozen ponies, one griffon, one troll and about sixty highly agitated plump little birds.

The entire clearing at the island's edge had been invaded by the pinwheel-crested menace. Well, considering that they've been living here longer than the ponies have, it's probably the other way around. Regardless, these bitter birds were earnest in their determination to drive everyone out of the area, or off the edge of the island, or both. They hopped and darted everywhere, sharp crests a spinning blur as they tried to drive off the equines, buffeting, biting or clawing every creature in sight.

Enmeshed in confusing combat were Azure, Summer Scribe, Abernathy the troll, Melonwater, Cloud Cutter, and the griffon hen Grenelda. The birds were giving the griff more space than the others, probably because of her own sharp beak and claws, but they still dove at her from every direction and the hen looked about ready to take flight. Cloud Cutter was having a harder time of it, flapping around trying to buck off the two birds on her back. Melonwater had scurried off to hide behind a skewed stone plate sticking out of the ground, peering over its edge to see if any birds come his way. Abernathy was running around waving his hands over his head to ineffectively shoo the birds away.

"By Novo, a whole colony!" Reef Skimmer exclaimed. Looking back over his shoulder at Nutmeg and her buddy Gearshift - both looking shocked by the chaos below - he shouted "Can't land in that! I'll take you back to the dock, such as it is, it's a short trot." He began a banking turn away from the island, as hard as he could without risking somepony falling from the cart.

'Gaah!' thought Summer, 'worst of all, I didn't even get my sketches finished before they attacked!' Said sketchbook now hastily stuffed back into her saddlebag, she was doing her best to take the birds on a wild chase around the ruins! Diving and leaping under and over branches and bits of machinery, occasionally hefting up a rock or chunk of something and tossing it behind her! "Shoo, birds! You won't be chasing off THIS pony!"

The angry avians back-winged and squawked in their pursuit of the agile unicorn, attacks disrupted by the flying debris. Summer managed to get far enough away to turn and face the things coming at her, but they weren’t even slowing down in their approach, save for one unfortunate specimen who was wobbling towards her with a bent propeller. Still, she perked up as she saw sees Reef and Nutmeg fly past: perhaps reinforcements would turn the tide! "I'm coming!" she yelled out, whipping a quick burst of magic behind her to keep the birds at bay as she began galloping towards the gateway, heading for the docks.

Trying to defend a group of ponies and creatures from a small pack of Chompies was one thing. This was entirely another. Initially driving the first few birds off with minor wind spells, Azure Feather shook her head. There were dozens of hostiles already and yet more seemed to be arriving from the jungle. She needed cover if she was going to do anything good in this fight. Quickly searching for something such as a rock outcropping, or anything she could use for ten, or fifteen seconds of focus... there!

She blasted her attackers away with a sudden burst of wind blowing out all around her. Path cleared, she galloped to the skewed stone plate jutting out of the ground, only to find a young stallion crouched behind it. “Hey! Get your own hiding spot!” Melonwater hissed.

"Tell you what," Azure quickly replied, "You stay behind me and I'll get us both out of trouble. You kick me out and we're both in this terrible situation together. Your pick." She surveyed the battlefield: too many friendlies around to risk a major spell. If she tried to clear the entire flock with one blast... there's no way it wouldn't hit her own team and that went directly against her primary objective. Giving it a few more seconds thought, she instead continued on her last course of action: sniping unsuspecting hostiles with a stream of rapid-fire spells.

An ear-splitting screech cut through the air, momentarily stunning the hostile avians. Distraction achieved, Grenelda leapt into the air, straight towards one of the buzzing birds. Seeing its doom approaching with outstretched talons, it desperately tried to get its bearings and escape, but it was too slow and the griffon snagged the plump creature in her claws. Seconds later she was back on the ground and had finished it off with her beak. This time she'd definitely be trying something new for lunch.

By this point Cloud Cutter had managed to eject her attackers, though the fact that both birds were lying stiff and motionless to either side of her didn’t bode well for any others that would get that close. She didn’t press her advantage though, just standing there with a distraught expression as more birds flocked to attack, heedless of the fate of their comrades.

"Must be nesting 'round here, or they'd be gone by now." Grenelda shouted angrily. The purple pegasus was fine of course, she was competent, it was the unicorns she was worried about, either they were going to get pecked to bits or they'd start firing off freaky magic and do more harm than good. Maybe both. The smaller one was galloping around... oh she was retreating, back down the path. Sensible, but that still left three ponies enduring the feathery assault. Maybe a different strategy was needed.

Reef flew the cart back to the docks as quickly as he could; a quick emergency landing and Nutmeg and Gearshift were scrambling out. Following behind Nutmeg was her trusty giant wrench, hovering in her magic as she scanned the area for usable materials. “We need live branches, bendable!” she called out to her orange companion.

“Got it!” Gearshift called back, galloping across the dock while Reef uncoupled himself from the cart. Gearshift went to shimmy up the nearest tree, breaking off branches that tumbled downward. Nutmeg in the meantime went and started pulling down long vines with her wrench, breaking them off with her teeth to drape at her feet.

Reef Skimmer watched Nutmeg doing... something, for a second, wondering if he could be of assistance. Most likely not, he thought: the kirin mare and pony stallion seemed to be working seamlessly together and stopping to explain to him would only slow things down. "Straight down there, can't miss it." he shouted as he shook the last strap off, gesturing towards the overgrown eastern path. "Do take care!" With that he leapt back into the air and headed back around the edge of the island towards the clearing, flying faster now the cart is sitting parked at the dock.

The directions proved redundant as a few minutes later Summer Scribe appeared, barrelling in out of the jungle. Smiling in relief as she saw Nutmeg and Gearshift, she skidded to a stop next to the kirin. "Hey, nice to have you out here!" the unicorn said, curious as to what they were up to but glancing anxiously back into the forest in case any of the birds had followed her to the docks.

“Just help me tie these up,” Nutmeg said curtly to Summer, not even looking the unicorn’s way as the kirin stepped around the branches, dragging them into position.

"You got it, boss!" Summer was quick to help out and good at following directions. With her magic added to the effort, the rickety device was soon lashed together, and they were ready to move out: she lead the two engineers back down the path, racing through the woods with their hastily assembled contraption in tow. Though once they were in motion, Summer couldn't help but ask: "So, uhh, what exactly is this thing?"

Azure’s blasts were effective at knocking the birds right out of the air, once, twice, and then the rest of the flock regrouped and swarmed her, closing in on the stone slab she was crouching behind, which offered no protection from flanking attacks. “Oh no!” Melonwater shouted in alarm; the stallion was still cowering next to Azure, though now he was looking desperately for somewhere else to bolt to. Cloud Cutter had vanished again and for some reason the griffon was stalking around the perimeter of the forest instead of coming to their assistance.

Shaking her head and sighing, Azure called out "Should've guessed these birds were smart... stick close, I'll clear them out!" She channelled more power into her horn, muttering "This might not be a great idea, but it's better than nothing..." With a decisive nod, she shouted "Let's see if the wind answers now!", shaping the magic into a whirlwind with Melonwater and herself in the eye of the storm. Melonwater grabbed Azure in a bear hug, screaming like a little filly as the birds dove for the kill. Azure’s airburst went off, sucking up the birds and whirling them around as for a few seconds a tornado ravaged the clearing, bouncing feathery bodies off tree trunks and metal pipes. Stunned and confused, the propeller birds milled about but showed no sign of leaving.

Reef Skimmer came in hot for a landing near the edge, trotting to a stop. His first impression was chaos, even more complete than what he'd seen earlier: a mass of avians flapping and spinning around, half-concealed by billowing clouds of dust whipped up by the miniature cyclone, branches strewn everywhere, with Azure and her friend hunkered down in the middle. He could try to pick the birds off one by one, but he wasn't exactly an agile or experienced hunter and in any case it would take too long. Instead he tried something they might understand; hunkering his chest down, hindquarters in the air, wings spread to full span and tilted to face the birds. His tail feathers stuck up in the air to complete the threat display, before an even louder screech filled the air. 'If that doesn't spook them' he thought, 'maybe it will get them focused on me at least.'

Indeed, every propeller bird was drawn to the sound of Reef’s mighty squawk. They had no idea what was going on, but they beheld his resplendent display of fearsome aggression and dominance, and collectively decided what had to be done. The threat was clear. Ignoring the other creatures now, every last one took to the air and flew straight at the monstrously large bird of prey that had just invaded their territory, claws outstretched.

'It worked!' Azure thought '...but it isn't going to be enough... far from it in fact.' Cursing under her breath at the stubborn persistence of the little hunters, she returned her focus to defending Melonwater, even if it meant getting herself scratched and clawed multiple times... before an ear-splitting screech filled the air and the two were suddenly left alone. They'd all flown off... to attack the doctor, of all creatures! "For a medical worker... he sure as heck can fight." she muttered. "Stay safe!" Azure called out, before spreading her wings and preparing for aerial combat. No way was she leaving the medic to fend for himself against these birds! "On my way, Doc!"

While some part of Reef's mind had allowed for the possibility of complete success, the sight of a hundred or so little feathery bundles of pure rage heading straight for him did stun him for just a second. The plan (or wild notion, to be honest) had been to turn around, fly away from the island and outrun them, but by the time he'd done that they'd be on him. Instead he galloped forward, directly towards the path to the docks, taking two flaps back into the air before pulling his wings in and trying to dive under the onrushing wave of beaks and sharp crests. He could only hope they wouldn't react in time and fly over him.

Azure found herself in the enviable position of being behind a bunch of birds who did not know that she could fly. They squawked in complete surprise as she started knocking birds out of the air left and right, hitting them from behind. Having dived down and covered his head with his claws, Reef didn’t have the opportunity to see this precisely, but he did see hear the squawking, and he did glimpse, peeking through his talons, the hooves of two ponies and a kirin trotting into view.

“Herd them all together!” Nutmeg called out, as she, Summer Scribe, Gearshift galloped through the pillars that formed the entrance to the clearing. Trailing behind was an odd, spiderwebby ball of leaves and vines, held in Nutmeg’s glowing green magic. Summer was grinning; it seemed the purpose of the odd device was about to be revealed. Seeing Reef barrelling towards her with most of the birds in tow, she grabbed a couple of stragglers with her telekinesis, pulling them back into the centre of the flock. Between her efforts and Azure firing wind blasts to each side, the hostiles were pretty tightly bunched together near the centre of the clearing.

Having ploughed rather clumsily into the earth, Reef struggled back up, looking behind him to see a literal ball of birds tumbling and squawking and bouncing off each other, small wings buzzing as they regrouped to come at him again. Lacking any further plan at this point, he galloped towards the exit. Distracted by the birds, he saw Nutmeg Inferno and Summer Scribe just in time to avoid running them over, twisting sideways and crashing into the undergrowth near the entrance pillars.

As much as Azure was liking her sneak attack revenge bird after bird, it was time to finish this off. The hippogriff was out of the picture, but the propeller birds were corralled and Nutmeg seemed ready to launch her... giant ball o’ sticks? Azure banked to the side, flapping clear as the kirin hurled her device towards the flock. It had no trouble beaning one right in the beak, which triggered an explosion of motion, the tightly bound mass springing into a frenzy of whip-like branches that closed around the whole bunch of birds, inverting and expanding the sphere into a misshapen but tightly tangled cage.

The whole mess crashed to the ground; unfortunately a few lucky birds had escaped the trap and they seemed even more incensed, spinning around it enraged, dive-bombing every creature in the vicinity even though they were woefully outnumbered at this point. That was when Grenelda returned, shouting something like “Hey bean-heads!” as she flew in. Her exact words didn’t really matter, so much as getting the enemy's attention, because she held in her claws a thickly woven nest of brown sticks and twigs, in which several large, blue eggs were nestled.

Every propeller bird still free to do so made a beeline for the griffon, squawking and screeching, but she easily flew to the edge of the island, and just... tossed the nest over the edge. “Have fun with that,” she said in amusement, as the last of the birds dove over the edge in pursuit of the falling nest. At last, there was silence. At least until Abernathy ran in with a fishing net, shouting, “Hold on, ponyzandas, I’m coming!”

Summer Scribe was left gawking at the kirin's ingenuity. You could make something that precise out of just a bunch of twigs and vines? She didn't even know what they'd been working on! She offered Nutmeg a high hoof. "That was AWESOME! I'm speechless!"

“Well uh, thanks it’s... I mean it worked, so... yay?” Nutmeg said to the unicorn mare in her face, backing up as Summer raised her hoof as if to strike. Looking nervously between Summer and the cage of angry birds, she added, “I don’t know how long it’ll hold.”

Abernathy addressed that by throwing his net over the bird cage, securing it a lot better, before saying, “Thanks for that. I didn’t even know the buzzer beaks were nesting around here. They get very territorial when they feel their eggs are threated.” Folding his arms, he added, “Which is a shame because their eggs are really tasty.”

Having seen Nutmeg's trap neutralise most of the hostiles, and Grenelda finish the job by throwing what Azure assumed was these birds' last nest off the island, the unicorn closed her wings and landed heavily. Sighing, she remarked "You creatures can fight better than some of the Blades..." A weak chuckle followed before she looked around at the rest of her team. "Every creature alright? That was rougher than I thought it would be..."

Grenelda was still looking over the edge, seeming satisfied with what she saw down there. Melonwater was crawling out from behind a rock. And Cloud Cutter was still nowhere to be found. “I’m alright Azure,” Melonwater said, walking up, “But your Blades must be pretty terrible at fighting if I can do it better.”

After a fair amount of rustling and cursing Reef Skimmer pushed his way back into the clearing. To say his feathers were ruffled would be an understatement: they were pointing in every possible direction. His wings were trailing bits of vine and his crest and tail were completely tangled with leaves and twigs. Still full of adrenalin, he was panting with break wide open. Staring at the instant cage of squawking birds, then Nutmeg, Summer and Azure in turn, he could only say weakly "...good show... everycreature." before sitting down heavily and staring into space.

Summer Scribe tilted her head... and then shook it. "No, no, this isn't an attack! This is, uhh, how to demonstrate it..." She waved Azure over to help. "Like this! See?" Summer giggled as Azure gave her a slightly stiff hoof-bump. Now, since things seemed to be calming down... she remembered what was happening before the avian assault. She turned to the two engineers, looking positively giddy. "Oh! And you know why you're out here, right?" she said, waving a hoof towards... The Machine.

Nutmeg gave an excited squeal, and bounded over to the strange artefacts they’ve discovered. Gearshift followed after, saddlebag full of tools in tow, as the red-ruffed kirin darted about the ruin, saying “This is... but what’s this? And is this really a... what is this? Oh wow, this is actually a...”

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Nutmeg Inferno), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

This chapter is based on the thirteenth session (which was rather short) and the first half of the fourteenth session. These were narrated / GMed by Ferret although I sprung the buzzer beaks and subsequent fight on everyone (as Patashu said, random hostile avian attacks are always fun to RP). Looks like Azure may actually be a level five Skylander, since she's got the basic wind blade attack, the super limit break blast of doom, and now apparently mini-tornado summoning as well. :)

Connection

“So... this must be what you wanted us to come take a look at?” the stallion known as Gearshift said, watching as Nutmeg poked around in the half-buried ancient machinery, the exposed components gleaming quietly in the afternoon sun.

"Yes indeed..." Summer replied, "but the best bit is over here! Follow me!" Brimming with excitement, the little unicorn over to the centre of the clearing, then waited for the others to join her.

“Ok... let’s see what you got?" Nutmeg said, wondering what else there was to see. She and Gearshift followed Summer over to stand near the flat golden disc, nestled in its socket in the ground.

"Now how did it go..." Summer mumbled, tapping her hooves for a moment, before the location of the pressure plate came back to her. "Yeah, you just put your hoof here, and... presto!" Once again the disc floated up to head height and the magical lettering flickered into existence above it, showing the same mysterious message as before.

"You can read that right? It was native runes to start with, but then it changed to that: 'System Error', in Ponish no less!" Summer stated. "It's clearly trying to communicate something, but I'm not qualified to know what this thing does or how it works!" She tilted her head, looking at Nutmeg imploringly.

Gearshift startled back as the artefact began to move, then stared at the magical display above it. “What... what is this?” he declared faintly, “I’ve never seen anything—”

“I’ve never seen anything like it!” Nutmeg declared with unbridled excitement, rushing up to rear up onto the plate and staring all over and under it, “How is it still active? How does it even work? Are there buttons? There must be an engine underground! What are these materials??” She barely gave the display a second glance before feeling around the disk, then the recess it had risen out of, searching for crevices, panels or controls. With a slight hesitation, Gearshift is right there with her, the two creatures utterly taken with a pillar that’s just sitting there being a pillar with an error message projected atop it. It looks like they might be at it for a while.

At the edge of the clearing, Reef sighed and began the long task of preening his flight feathers back into working order, glancing over every so often to watch the ponies (and kirin) fiddle with the artefact. On the plus side, there were plenty of specimens to study now: the mass of propeller birds still trapped under the net.

With her task of guarding her team complete for now, Azure took the opportunity to sit quietly and rest. Between the chompies and the birds she'd fired off more magic today than she had in the last month. Keeping a wary eye on the machine, she seemed at least somewhat pleased that every creature made it through the battle okay. Though she took a look at the preening hippogriff... well, mostly okay, anyway.

Summer Scribe looked amused by Nutmeg's antics, but at a loss to answer the flood of questions. "Afraid I don't have anything else to suggest: I've poked all over this place with everyone and it just looks like a bunch of mechanical stuff, to me. I can sense some sort of weird magic in there, but... I think this'll be your treat!" Smiling, she turned away and trotted over towards Azure Feather: Summer wouldn't mind a chance to cool off and breathe a little herself. "So... Azure!" Striking up conversation, no problem: "I saw that spinny-windy thing you did back there. Is that new for you?"

Azure stood at attention as Summer spoke to her and inquired about what she could only assume were the new air-based spells. Stretching her wings a little, the unicorn guard quickly responded, "I had to try something to get those birds away from... Melonwater, I think it was?" Something like that. She'd studied the crew roster, really, she had. "As for the 'windy nature' of the spells, it's true that the... highly-powered spells, as I'll refer to them..." She paused, shaking her head slowly before continuing. "They had shown distinct air-elemental properties, and since forcing my other spells to form from the same element, I haven't had any other casting mishaps... quite the opposite in fact. So I'd best just stick with that strategy, I think."

Reef paused his preening for a moment to listen in on the unicorns, cocking his head. 'Forcing spells to an element' was caster jargon he didn't understand, but he was glad to hear Azure's magic was working better: the horrible possibility of horn damage now seemed unlikely. Even as he watched them his claws continued to run nervously over his primaries: no griff liked to be grounded. Meanwhile Melonwater was mumbling about unidentified ceramics and poking at the tiled surface exposed in some areas of the clearing.

Summer Scribe nodded to Azure: "Oh, that's really interesting! Because Abby over here was telling me about how your blast from earlier looked like a 'windy thing'. Like, they seem to have a totally different system of magic around here, and whatever you do is wind-affine. So I think we're onto something with that... and it makes me wonder if it maps onto everycreature who come here, though..." she glanced at Melonwater, who seemed oblivious "...perhaps it takes longer for some than others."

"It's... entirely possible." Azure replied. "As far as who would align with which element, I really couldn't say... but if that temple we came across the other day is any indication, we may have a couple of creatures who have already shown some signs of elemental affinity other than myself... hmm. Now I wish I'd paid more attention to the carvings while we were there, instead of being on guard all the time..." Another of her soft sighs.

"It'd be nice if you knew someone who knew all about the elements," Abernathy suggested, walking over to (and towering above) the two unicorns. "You could just ask him."

Summer Scribe was all ready to pull out her notes and go over them with Azure... when the troll's approach made her chuckle. "Oh, of course! Well Abby, you've been around us for a bit, now: what are your thoughts? Could you assign us pretty confidently?"

Azure gave a curt nod. "Sorry... figured you'd be a little more... unfriendly towards somepony who destroyed your roof yesterday..." Her head lowered and her ears flattened at the thought. "I have to apologise again for that... but I admit I am curious, what could you tell us, having seen us in action now?"

Now that his wings were more or less flight capable, if still untidy, and with the adrenalin gone from his system, Reef Skimmer's sense of duty resurfaced. There had been no howls of pain or shouts for assistance, but there might still be minor injuries that needed his attention. Or... had anyone taken a headcount? Somecreature might have been knocked unconscious, unable to call for help. Rising quickly to his feet, the hippogriff trotted around the clearing.

Nearby were the unicorns and the troll, talking about magic, and over there were Nutmeg and Rear Shift, poking at an engraved panel, then Melonwater over by those gears, Grenelda reaching into a pipe pulling out a clawful of eggs... somepony was missing... the purple one? "Cloud Flutter?" Reef asked, thinking she might be sitting behind a bush or a rock. With no immediate response he flapped clumsily into the air for a better view. "Cloud Fl... Cutter?" he shouted, getting everyone's attention. Looking down at Summer, he said "Has anyone seen her?"

Summer Scribe perked up! "Cloud Cutter, umm..." She looked around. In all the confusion and excitement, she had to admit she hadn't exactly taken a head count! "Sorry, I can't say I know where she is. Do you need help looking?" she asked.

Azure was way ahead of her. "Ah, Cloud Cutter... you know, I haven't seen her either. I'll scout from above!" So much for rest, as she sprang to her feet and fluttered into the air again, ready to look for the purple pegasus...

Reef hovered over to Azure. "Then... she may have gone back to the ship... or she might be lying unconscious in the jungle! One does think a search is warranted." He turned away, moving to cover the opposite side of the clearing from Azure.

The search grew in numbers, area and urgency as the Equestrians combed the ruins then the surrounding forest, without any sight of Cloud Cutter. Flying carefully between the tree branches, Azure was the one who at last spied the very purple pegasus, just sitting there in the woods with her back against a tree. She wasn’t moving.

Azure drifted down to a landing nearby, looking quite alarmed. "Cloud Cutter, are you alright?" she asked, worried that the pegasus might be concealing a serious injury. Why had her ally run off? Did she fail in protecting a team member after all?

The purple mare was sprawled out vaguely on her haunches, with a foreleg resting on her knee. She didn’t have any visible injuries, and there was no blood to be found where she'd crashed through the foliage. “You know, I can’t even cry,” Cloud Cutter remarked without looking at Azure, just staring forward with those empty eyes, “I wonder if I’m even a pony anymore.”

To Azure Feather it was a rather unsettling sight, but she'd seen far worse in her years in the guard. Still... Cloud Cutter's wounds didn't seem nearly as physical as they are emotional... "You still are." Azure said, as reassuringly as she could. "Goodness, believe me, I've struggled with this place myself... all we can do at this point is keep going. Equestria needs all of us..." She thought over the last part, staring into the distance. It was only a week since they'd left Vanhoover, but Ponyville and Manehattan seemed like they were on a completely different planet than this place. But Cloud Cutter, even if they looked different, was still a pony, like her. That had to mean something, right?

Cloud Cutter closed those solid white eyes; at least that was something she could still do. A long pause, then she opened them again, standing up and preparing to return to the group. “Keep going...” she mused, looking through the trees at the golden glints from the ruins. “Yeah, you’re right. All we can do is keep going.” Azure felt a chill go up her spine, as the purple pegasus strode past her, and without another word, rejoined the expedition.

Summer Scribe perked up as the two ponies returned, waving a hoof in their general direction. "Oh, there she is! You found her, Azure! Thanks a bunch!" She trotted over, though her enthusiasm was muted as she saw Cloud Cutter's... well, 'neutral' expression. Even as stiff as the 'spooky' ponies were, you could still get a bit of a vibe off of them. Summer nodded her head solemnly, assuming Cloud would speak out if there was a problem.

Reef flew over next, looking concerned as he dropped to the ground. "Cloud Cutter! Good to see you whole and..." He quickly assessed the pegasus; no obvious cuts, moving unhindered if somewhat stiffly, didn't appear to be in pain "...uninjured, one hopes?". Cloud Cutter nodded back; she didn't seem eager to converse.

Azure had been following just behind, still looking concerned as she returned to the rest of the squad without a single word herself. She'd been thinking things over, and it was clear that this place had given some ponies wounds other than physical: she had seen that first-hoof now. The winged unicorn returned to Abernathy's side, quietly hoping the troll would explain this... elemental puzzle. That would have to wait for another time though, as now that the group was reassembled, Nutmeg took the opportunity to call them all to the central hollow.

“Alright, I think I can fix it,” the kirin informed everyone, as she paced back and forth in front of the quiescent console. “That’s the good news. The bad news is I have no idea how it works, no idea how it’s powered, and it doesn’t channel magic in any way I’ve ever seen before. Almost as if there are conduits... but the point is this is a machine. A broken machine, but if we put all the parts back into place, it should work again.”

“T-the facility is mostly composed of some sort of ceramic,” Melonwater said, stepping forward, “The outer casings at least. There are some stainless gold alloy parts to it, but most of it we can’t get at, because...” The green and pink earth pony stallion held up one of the tiles in his hoof, saying, “I managed to pull up one of the tiles from the floor, but it’s tougher than any ceramic I’ve seen before. I can’t break it at least, so that makes it a little harder to get inside these things.”

“The question is if we should fix it,” Gearshift said grimly, “We don’t know anything about what it does." the orange stallion stated bluntly. "It could be a weapon.”

“If we can repair it, then we’ll know,” Nutmeg said encouragingly, “We’ll find out in the process of fixing it, I just know it.”

“Yeah, I suppose... if it is a weapon, we don’t want somepony else fixing it, without us even knowing what it does,” Gearshift reluctantly admitted. “So... that’s what we’re going to tell the captain.”

“Sound like a plan?” Nutmeg asked hopefully.

Summer Scribe had been sitting politely, but she was positively giddy at the thought of reproducing some who-knows-how-ancient-or-important native machine! "Absolutely!" She gave a little whinny of elation. "Just let me know if there's anything any of us can help with... just think of what an incredible discover this will end up being, Nutmeg!"

Reef Skimmer, on the other claw, looked confused. "Fix it? I must say I assumed this was a ruin. Are you saying all the pieces are still here? Just... disassembled?" He suddenly thought of the innards of the radio, taken apart and reassembled into a clock on Sprocket's table.

“These other pillar thingies are jammed in their sockets, but the mechanism to lift them is still working underneath,” the red-ruffed kirin says, “There’s no sign of internal damage. The thing has a freaking magical projector screen that’s been functional for who knows how long. Why not the rest of it? It looks partially complete even. Some of the pieces are just piled up around here. I need to get a look under the surface, to see how this stuff works. But... yeah, basically?” She seemed more focused on the details of the repair than what an incredible discovery the whole thing was.

"Well, erm, that does sound exciting then!" Reef said jovially, beak-gape smiling at Nutmeg, glad to see her engaged and enthusiastic. Then he leaned his head down to Summer Scribe, and whispered in a more concerned tone "Any leads on the subject of who built the thing, why, or where they might be now?"

Summer Scribe paused, squinted... then shook her head. "With all due respect, I don't know if this is troll stuff." She tried to keep her voice to a whisper: this was sensitive! "But we already know there's at least two civilized species in the Cloudbreak Islands: who's to say we won't find a third or more later?"

"Indeed; one certainly hopes the native griffons are civilised." Reef whispered back to Summer, glancing over at Grenelda, who was having one of the bird she'd caught as a late lunch. Looking back to Nutmeg (and ignoring the stallion next to her), the hippogriff cleared his throat and asked "Shall we return to the ship then, and see what Sails, I mean, Set Sail, err, the Captain! ...has to say?"

Azure Feather was still focused on Cloud Cutter, concerned but not sure how to help. She'd just started to come to terms with her own air-elemental nature; the pegasus had been aligned longer, having been transformed by the crossing, but whether she'd truly figured out her element... Azure didn't know, and the purple mare didn't seem inclined to talk about it right now. Keeping her own counsel for now, she listened in to the other creatures talking happily about the alien machine, but to her... it's not like it meant all that much. After all, she was just here to keep them safe, then it would be back to the Lavender Blades... assuming any of them made it back to Equestria.

As for Cloud Cutter, she was pensive as ever. Who knew what her fate would be, after the expedition? Who knew much about her at all, in fact? Who she is, who she was. She wore wing-blades, but had yet to use them. Was she unskilled, or was she just restrained? Or... something else?

In any case it was getting late, and the Equestrians would soon return to their ship, where the captain was delighted to hear she hasn’t been kept out of the loop this time. Nutmeg and Gearshift would be back first thing the next morning to resume their studies of the mechanical anomaly, bringing more of their engineering crew to come and fiddle with it.

Meanwhile with earth ponies to harvest, pegasi to lift, and unicorns to bind together, the rest of the crew had enough ponypower to repair Abernathy’s cottage in a single day, much to his delight. He had not yet been invited to the ship of course, but any bad blood between him and the little ponyzandas seemed to be smoothed out. That night everycreature slept easily for the first time in a long while.

It seemed like the whole engineering team had come to take apart the mysterious device. Ponies levitating, lifting, and prying at the various inner workings. The chief engineer, a red-ruffed brown and gold kirin named Nutmeg Inferno, kept disappearing underground and then popping out again from various access points shouting things like, “The left conduit still has power! This is incredible! Oh wow, look at that! You gotta see the tooling on this! I just found a squiggly thing that makes a whomp noise! Where’s my wrench?”

She wasn't the only one plying the machine’s inner workings, but she was certainly the most enthusiastic. A team of ponies carried the golden fluted pipes, to crudely but carefully weld them back into place, forming a sort of symmetrical bow shape. Other ponies cleaned and oiled gears, connected cables, realigned crystals and reassembled linkages. It took several days, but the work went surprisingly swiftly, with Nutmeg's almost supernatural insights into what needs to be done. Finally the machine was rendered functional, and the engineers were ready to report back to the Captain.

Once again the crew were gathered on the upper deck of the EAS Harmony, this time just as sunset was casting a warm glow over Blissful Pastures and the sky beyond. The acting captain was presiding as usual, but it was Nutmeg who stepped forward and announced seriously: "I think we’ve figured out the purpose of this mechanical anomaly. It’s some out of this world stuff, but from what we can tell, it seems to be some sort of long range transmitter.”

“That’s... oh, so not a weapon?” Set Sail replied, looking genuinely caught off guard by the kirin’s words. “Even though it makes a sorta bow shape?”

“That's just the focusing system,” the orange stallion named Gearshift said, stepping up to Nutmeg’s side, “The beam itself isn't even powerful enough to give you a sunburn.”

With a small smile to the earth pony, Nutmeg added, “We’re thinking of... turning it on. Just to see if it can pick up anything. It uses some—”

“Super cool gears that turn themselves!” declared a cream-furred unicorn, pulling a few interlocking metal gears out of her saddlebag and holding them on an upstretched hoof: they quietly sat there, spinning away. “See? No magic!”

“It’s gotta be some kind of magic, but nothing anypony has ever seen,” Nutmeg said, gazing with fascination at the smoothly twirling gears, “I wonder who built all this stuff?”

“So anyway, we’re asking uh, the captain, and now the whole crew I guess,” Gearshift said, looking around at the ponies and other creatures Set Sail had insisted on assembling for the meeting. “Because maybe whoever’s on the other end could come assist us... or destroy us. But we’re already good as wrecked if we can’t make real repairs to the Harmony. So we want to make sure that it’s... okay.”

He backed off then, as Set Sail replied, “Sounds fine to me. We were trying to transmit a signal anyway, to try to locate the Friendship." She turned to the crew "But I don’t want to just tell everypony what to do. What do you all think of the idea?”

Summer Scribe had been having a blast since they found the device! While it wasn't exactly in her wheelhouse to figure out that kind of techno-contraption, she'd been taking notes all day, translating the various runes they'd found, sketching things out and trying to fit together the puzzle pieces for herself. After all, this was just the first island; if they were going to keep finding devices like this, then it was just preparing for the future! She'd been starting to suspect it was build to shoot some sort of beam, and was surprised to find out it was actually a communication device.

The little unicorn smiled from ear to ear. "Well, we can hardly say no to turning it on! Not only are we here to explore and learn, we're also stuck here unless we get a LOT of help with our ship, so why not try to get the attention of the more technologically advanced natives and see what we're dealing with here?"

Azure frowned; she was one of the few ponies not terribly enthused by the entire idea of turning on an alien machine, so she focused on the raw facts of the matter. "So this is a communication device, and if we don't turn it on, we're stuck here with little hope of fixing the ship, and if we do turn it on, there's a chance we might draw hostile attention, but a much better chance of finding a way to go home. The question answers itself."

After a few days of casual zoology, and no more wildlife attacks, Reef Skimmer was looking more rested than he'd been since the crossing. He stared at the gears for a while, transfixed as the unicorn fiddled with them, making them mesh together then separate again. He winked at Sprocket before turning to Nutmeg. "Did you say 'beam'? That sounds like... something along the lines of a very bright signal lamp? Now with a lamp, standard issue I mean with the lens and shutters and so on, you have to aim them at the other ship... Do you know where to aim? Or am I barking down the wrong tunnel and it is more in the manner of a radio transmission?"

“It’s more like some sort of virtual dish-shaped etheric projection,” Nutmeg explains easily for Reef's benefit, “We should be able to tell where the signal is stronger, if there is one. It does make a, uh, beam though, but collects parabolically, so we should be able to align it.”

Cloud Cutter seemed unusually enthusiastic as she stepped forward from the tight group of purple pegasi assembled at the edge of the deck. “If there’s any chance that they would know what happened to our storm piercers back there, it’s really ...important!” she said.

“This really affected you four more than any of us,” Set Sail replied with a sympathetic look her way. “Clashing hasn’t woken up yet, then?”

Glancing down, the purple mare replied wanly, “N-no. His condition is stable at least.”

Azure listened with concern, tilting her head: much as she was happy that relations with Abernathy had been smoothed out, Cloud Cutter's situation still worried her.

“Anypony at all have any objections then?” Set Sail asks, looking around.

“Just turn it on already!” the two griffons among the crew declared simultaneously. Then blush, and look at each other, quietly cooing giggles.

“Okay then, how’s it gonna work, Nutmeg?” Set Sail asked, “You just turn it on?”

“Well, everything’s pretty much together, but it could just fizzle out for all I know. But basically, yeah,” the kirin replied.

“If it works though, I think we the crew should have a chance to be present,” Set Sail says hopefully, “So, anyone up for a trip over there? I hear the path has been totally cleared of monsters, so it should be safe.”

Reef Skimmer flew Nutmeg and Gearshift ahead to set up, accompanied by Azure and the griffons, while the rest of the group make the trek on foot. Crossing the chompy pit is simple thanks to the sturdy wooden bridge, assembled by the crew both for their own convenience and as an extra thank-you to Abernathy. By the time they make it past the docks and up the newly-cleared path to the artefact, the sunlight had all but faded away. Oil-fuelled lanterns and magical light sources glowed softly, scattered over the various parts of the machine.

“Okay, here goes,” Nutmeg says, “you two on the pressure plates, it has to be both at once.”

Two engineer ponies stepped onto the plates as one, and the lights on the structure grew brighter as it began to emit a low hum. A swirling, sparkling light converged between the golden arms of the bow-shaped collimator, and a translucent purple dish shimmered into existence. For a moment, its energy hung serenely over the bow, until the growing ball of brilliant white light at the centre erupted into a shining beam, firing out into the heavens.

Summer Scribe was a ball of curious energy, eager to see this unprecedented alien machine in action! The lights flashing, the machinery thrumming... and it seems to be working! She watched in tense anticipation for a response to their transmission.

Nothing happened at first, then as she watched the control console, Nutmeg declared triumphantly “We’re getting a signal! Rotate the aligners three degrees left! One more... just a little to the right... there! We’re getting... it.”

The pronounced dip in her enthusiasm was due to the change in the holographic message above the central control plate, which had changed from red to yellow, now proclaiming “HUB CONNECTION FAILED. MALFORMED SIGNAL. PLEASE DISPATCH A MAINTENANCE TEAM IMMEDIATELY.”

Summer Scribe squinted at the disappointing message. "Hub connection failed... Malformed signal?" The unicorn rubbed at her forehead with a hoof, frustration replacing her earlier enthusiasm. "Does it mean the signal we sent? Did we get it wrong?" 'Do we have any options here? Can we send something more specific?' she thought, looking around for more controls to adjust. As for a maintenance team... - well, it seemed they were the maintenance team, with the machinery abandoned for so long. Summer bit her lip; they had to figure something out!

Reef Skimmer sat back on his haunches, impressed by the light show. It sounded like the machine found... something? Somewhere? It seemed there's still some sort of technical problem though, so the hippogriff waited patiently for the unicorns to fix it, or failing that, explain what just happened.

The display of technology did catch Azure's attention: for all the times she's read magic books, machines like this weren't exactly common in Equestria. When the beam shot skyward, she looked as interested as any other creature there... until Summer's reaction said it all. Given time the engineers might be able to fix this, but in the mean time Azure occupied herself making a quiet sweep of the perimeter, checking for the hundredth time that no creatures are sneaking up to ambush the team. Sure, the captain told everypony it would be a safe trip, but she couldn't be absolutely certain. Especially since half the crew had turned out, and Azure knew many of them were no use in a fight...

The night wasn’t entirely quiet, with hoots and chirps coming from the surrounding jungle, but thankfully the propeller birds seemed to be staying well away since their involuntary relocation. If any creature out there was of a mind to mess with the Equestrians, it’s was keeping well away for now. In fact the greatest threat out here that night seemed to be the ponies themselves.

“No we’re signalling right." Nutmeg said softly to Summer. "That..." she gestured at the display, her features illuminated by its glow "...is a signal coming from the other side. The machine must be broken over there too. Wherever that is. See, they want us to dispatch a maintenance team...”

Summer Scribe tilted her head and ooohed. "Okay, thanks for the clarification..." she began, before being pushed out of the way by... Set Sail? She stumbled and huffed, wondering why the captain felt the need to push in.

“Well that proves it!” Set Sail declared earnestly, ignoring Summer in her eagerness to approach the kirin. “The expedition team DOES need an engineer! There could be dozens of these, all over the place! Or even more things for you to fix! You don’t have to keep moping around the ship all the time. We’re gonna need your help!”

Nutmeg looked at Set Sail like a drowning pony in the ocean, who'd seen a life preserver hurled her way. She opened her mouth to speak, but then Gearshift stepped forward, saying firmly “I’ll do it.”

“What?” the kirin and the captain both squeaked in surprise, turning to the junior engineer.

Summer was still grumpy about the shove, but it seemed it was for a good cause: Nutmeg was gonna get to come along on their field trips! "Yeah, that's right! Your expertise is going to be invaluable..." she began, trailing off as she realised what Gearshift had said. "Okay, sure, but... This isn't to say Nutmeg ISN'T going, right?" she asked the stallion.

“No. Just... just me.” he said with tortured determination, “I’ll fix whatever it is, and find parts for the engine. The chief needs to stay on the ship, where it’s safe.”

“But why?” Set Sail protested, facing off against the unmoving stallion, “She can make her own decisions! Why are you so worried about her?”

"Yeah!" said Summer, confused. She tilted her head; didn't Gearshift understand how upset Nutmeg was, stuck in the engine room? How could she convince him? "Sure, it's dangerous out here... but ponyfolk are resilient, versatile and we lean on each other! Nutmeg's got us all, she won't be going it alone!"

Battered by the torrent of enthusiasm, Gearshift took a step back. “I-it’s complicated,” he stammered, “Look... it’s not my place to say. I have to be the one to go, though.”

Hearing the raised voices, Reef Skimmer rose to his feet and trotted up to the conversation, head tilted down and wide wings half spread. He glared at the stallion for a few seconds before asking coldly "And where do you imagine you'll be going, exactly?"

Gearshift found himself staring up into the hard eyes and sharp beak of the hippogriff, and took another step back. “On the expedition team!” came his angry reply, “To the other islands, with probably have monsters, and booby traps, and... and worse!”

Azure had quietly joined the group at the central hollow; her expression showed some enthusiasm over the idea of the Chief Engineer joining the field party, then became a frown as Gearshift started to argue. It was time for her to step in: "Sure, somepony needs to watch the engines, but... I really don't see how the Chief staying back is going to help anypony... those on the ship, or us out here. What happens if we need her expertise with another of these machines? You're skilled, Gearshift, but you and the Chief together? I think it'd be the best course of action... but that's just my opinion." Azure ended her contribution to the argument rather lamely as she took a step back.

As more of the crew piled onto him, Gearshift only got more desperate: his legs began to shake and flecks of foam began to form on his flanks. “And what happens if the... if the ship has a problem or, you know, they need her back there! What good is the engineering team without our chief?” His eyes darted around to see if anypony was buying this, as he desperately tried to think of some way to convince them.

“Look, we can’t both come, because... it’s just too dangerous,” he said, looking unhappily from Summer to Set Sail, avoiding eye contact with the frightening griff. “The chief is a one of a kind... there aren’t any other kirin here! She’s... I’m sorry but she needs to...”

Nutmeg suddenly spoke up. “Please Gearshift, don’t do this to me,” she begged, her voice hollow, staring at Gearshift with fear for the first time. “Please, I need this! Just this once! It’ll be fine I–I promise! I need to know what’s out there!”

The earth pony locked eyes with Nutmeg Inferno for a few solid seconds, before turning tail and galloping away.

In the ensuing silence, Nutmeg tried to reassure the group: “I swear it’s... it’s fine. I don’t know what got into him. He knows how I feel about this. M-maybe he could fix those machines. But doesn’t it mean anything if I just really... want to? I just... feel so useless.” She stomped a hoof in frustration, but not even a hint of flame danced up her fetlocks.

Reef Skimmer placed a claw on Nutmeg, saying in a soothing tone "Nutmeg Inferno, you are the chief engineer, and you enjoy the full support of the Captain..." The griff gave a little deferential nod to Set Sail, beak opening in a smile "...and you fellow officers." He removed the claw, gesturing to himself then Summer and Azure. "You can tell Gear Grift you've taken his opinion under advisement, which is to say, he can button his beak and do what he's told." he finished, frowning.

Summer Scribe sighed; the griff was always so formal. She trotted up to Nutmeg and nuzzled gently against her chocolate-coloured flank. "You don't have to go along with Gearshift's wishes! You're you, and you get your own say. It's not like he's right, you know: there really isn't much for you to do on the ship. It's grounded, so that kind of goes without saying, you know?" A little chuckle escaped the unicorn's muzzle. "You need to be out here with us: you need to help us figure this place out! This is where you belong, not just because you've got the skills we need, but because your heart yearns for it, and who can deny you that?"

“Yeah, I just... I’ll have a talk with him,” Nutmeg said, looking folornly at the newly cleared path the stallion had disappeared down. “He’s gotta understand that you can’t just be sheltered all the time. A little risk is just part of life.” She leaned into Summer's cuddle, snuggling her with with a very soft and fluffy ruff, laughing with the unicorn and saying, “Yeah, you get it!”

Azure was all set to continue the argument, but after the stallion's rapid departure... she just sighed softly. "I'll keep her safe..." she vowed quietly, beneath her breath, before she turned to the kirin. "She has quite the point," Azure said, gesturing to Summer, "The ship is grounded, and to have our best minds stuck in there instead of working out here... would be less than optimal. The fact that you've so eager for this, by the sounds of things... is only going to help us further." Certain of her argument, the winged unicorn nodded for emphasis.

Quirking an eyebrow at Azure’s choice of words, Nutmeg replied, “You’re right, you know. And Gearshift totally underselling himself as well. If we had the parts, my team could get that ship running at three times the speed of awesome, without my help at all. Just keeping it afloat? Easy peasy.”

“So... you’ll do it then?” Set Sail asks hopefully, glancing apologetically at Summer before meekly creeping up to the kirin, “You won’t be moping around the ship all day? The rest of us can see how much it hurts you to deny yourself, and that hurts us too.”

“Yeah, I’ll do it,” Nutmeg confirmed, flashing a sheepish smile. “Can’t pass up an opportunity like this. I’m just glad I’m so... weirdly appropriate for this sort of adventure thing. Or else you all might not have tried so hard to keep me from getting left... behind.”

Summer Scribe nod-nodded! "You can't live life without raiding a few ancient tombs and triggering a curse or two. That's just what makes you feel alive!" She laughed; it seemed like her personal philosophy worked for the kirin as well! Pulling back from Nutmeg, she smiled and said "Ok, go sort your differences out with Gearshift. Welcome to the adventure, in an official capacity this time!"

Azure Feather nodded slowly, happy that the issue was resolved. She wasn't sure if she'd helped or hindered; in her opinion, her social skills were... well, less than adequate it seemed. Her wings drooped slightly; maybe she'd overdone it as far as guard training went? Either way... staying quiet and only speaking when addressed was starting to look like an option... She drifted away from the group and began a fresh sweep of the perimeter, falling into her comfortable role of keeping watch for hostiles.

Relaxing now the obnoxious stallion had fled the field, Reef Skimmer had a question for the kirin before she retired: "Speaking of this 'hub'... It seems you have a bearing, but do we know how far away? At least, is it somewhere we could take a quick cart trip to or clear across the other side of the archipelago?"

“Hmm... as for how far to the other side, well I can’t tell you for sure, but I'm pretty sure there can't be any islands in the way, or we wouldn't get a response” Nutmeg said. She turned back to the control console, tapping an unseen pressure plate with her hind leg to switch it to some sort of complicated diagram. “We could roughly measure the round-trip time it took a signal to get there and back, if we had a kind of photographic shadow-exposure-thingy propelled at high speeds. So... maybe?”

Summer Scribe squinted at the new display. "Sorry, do a what, now?... Techy stuff! I got it. Something you can handle, if we need to do it, I guess!" She bashfully rubbed around the base of her horn with a hoof. "But we can't exactly GET there if it's too far to fly, right? Are we gonna have to find what islands lead where and explore on hoof?"

Reef was staring out into the twilight sky. "We can certainly do a little scouting, survey flights along the general axis, assess the terrain and make camp as necessary." He turned to Set Sail, "If you agree, Captain. One assumes moving the ship is still out of the question."

“It's as good a direction to start as any,” Set Sail said, shrugging. “It’s away from the storm wall, so it’s pretty much the direction we’d be going anyway.”

Nutmeg grimaced at Reef’s casual assumption. “Yeah. The ship’s not moving,” she told him him flatly, “Not until we get, or make the parts that got bent, melted, or blown up.” She looked down, scratching at the ground with a hoof. “I still don’t know much about this weird machine...” she continued cautiously, “But I do know that I’d like to see if there’s still any actual industry in these islands. If we could get our horns on some decent-sized propellers, that’d do a world of good for getting the ship moving again."

"And... if anyone messes with us, I’ll just whack ‘em with my wrench.” she finished brightly, before blushing. Looking Azure’s way, the kirin added loudly, “Or y’know, let the actual guard deal with it.”

Azure shrugged as she looked back. "It's what I'm here for. This place, as we've already seen, does have its share of hostiles, and I'm pretty sure they'll get worse than the garden variety of teeth we've seen so far." Never mind the fact that she'd already been put on the injured list by their first encounter with hostile wildlife. "I'll do what I can."

“Well if you ever have trouble in a fight, I won’t hesitate to fix it for you through blunt force trauma,” Nutmeg replied with a smile, “You seem pretty good though. From what I heard, those chompers could get just about anyone if they caught you by surprise.”

Summer Scribe was nod-nodding in agreement again. "We do know airships exist here - the docks made that pretty obvious - so it's just a matter of time before we see something like that sitting around, yeah?" She grinned, before adding "...and raid it for parts, I guess? Well. Hopefully we can find a workshop or wreckage or something. Thriving industry, here we come!"

Nutmeg smiled back, her enthusiasm returning: “Yeah, those docks wouldn’t be there if they didn’t have any ships to dock at them! I’m just so curious what we’ll be looking at.”

Summer Scribe trotted over and snuggled the kirin some more (to be fair, that mane was irresistibly soft and fluffy). "I can't wait to find out either! I wonder if they'll be like ours or totally new - all we know right now is that they DO dock."

Backing off from the emotional ponies, who seemed dangerously close to collapsing into a pile of hugs and friendship, Reef Skimmer made his way over to Grenelda and Gustus: the two griffons were sitting together near the edge of the island. "Some serious flying ahead, it seems." he said conversationally. "Ponies have a notion to head that way but no idea how far or what we'll find on the route. I do like a good flap about, not so keen on that bloody cart but at least it's a real workout for the wing muscles!"

The hen and tiercel both looked at him in puzzlement, before Grenelda asked curiously, "At night?"

"Oh no need, I imagine it'll be a few more hours of hugs and apologies and friendship bracelets at the very least!" the hippogriff said jokingly, before frowning "In all seriousness, this will be a tricky business what with our vessel immobilised and half the crew non-flyers. It'll be days if not weeks, we'll have to take it carefully, no telling what other dangerous creatures are out there. At least, not until we catch them and dissect them." Reef's beak smile faded as he realises that might not have come out right.

A bit more silence, then it was Gustus who spoke up, saying "You know what? You're okay, doc."

Meanwhile Azure Feather was looking curiously at the oversized wrench strapped to Nutmeg's back. "Sometimes you just have to use whatever weapon you've got on hoof... a wrench suits quite well, I'd say." She chuckles at that, but her mirth died away as she thought back to the chompy encounter. "First contact on the island... I hate to say I wasn't appropriately prepared, but there it is." Everypony's had their share of mistakes... admitting to them wasn't exactly a bad thing. Goodness knows she'd made more tactical mistakes than she could count.

“This... oh, it’s actually custom made. I forged it myself!” Nutmeg said, levitating the giant tool out of its holster and over her head, to float in front of her and Azure. “Best tool I ever had. See? It’s adjustable!” Nutmeg twirled it once before planting it on the ground and leaning on it like a cane.

Azure had seen her share of crazy stuff: after all, she was part of the Twilight Guard, and Ponyville had more than its fair share of weirdness. The chompers? New, unsettling, but she's handled it. A kirin casually swinging around a freakin' wrench as long as a pony?! Azure instinctively took a couple of steps back at the sight of the monstrosity of a weapon, before muttering under her breath "The buck did this thing come from..." Regaining her composure... well mostly... she said "Remind me not to anger the engineers then... angry kirin plus giant wrench equals bad day..." Now she was looking at the details of the weapon, which did seem to have mechanisms built into it... hmm, the Princess would find this one interesting...

Summer Scribe couldn't help but stare at the huge wrench, gaping while Nutmeg flourished it. "Yeah, that looks like a hell of a bruiser... Making me wonder if I've not been going underequipped in comparison!" She gave a nervous, though impressed, chuckle.

"Well, I can't shoot explodey beams out of my horn like you unicorns, so it's like the mare said, I use what I've got," Nutmeg replied, with a playful roll of her eyes.

Summer grinned back, sharing the mood: "What, you can't just set yourself on fire or something like that? Weird!"

"Fire has this nasty way of getting out of control," Nutmeg replied uneasily, "It's kind of... weird feeling. Anyway this wrench isn't just a weapon it's a tool. See, if you turn it like this, it's got a blade on the side I can saw stuff with, for instance. Good for cutting through pipes... amongst other things..."

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Nutmeg Inferno), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

This chapter is based on the second half of the fourteenth session and the entire fifteenth session (which started with the now-customary Set Sail meeting). These were the last ones narrated / GMed by Ferret (for now), completing an eleven-session run and the introduction to the 'main plot' of the campaign.

Web

The Equestrians had now spent a week in the Cloudbreak Islands, and while they were still stranded in a strange and uncharted part of Equs (if this even was really part of Equs), the initial shock of the crossing had worn off. As had become customary, an hour after sunrise most of the crew could be found assembled on the upper deck of the EAS Friendship, attending an informal meeting lead by the acting Captain, Set Sail.

"Okay... we've had a little bit of a rough start, but we're doing okay-ish," Set Sail said to the surrounding creatures, "The balloon isn't leaking anymore. We have a good source of food and water. There's not a lot of attention on this island, and the stallion who owns it is on our side, mostly. The bad news is our engine is barely functioning, but... if there's a toll bridge here, then there must be a lot more civilization than we expected. We should be able to get supplies, and make repairs, but on the other hoof you might have to deal with the natives."

"I know we're not a diplomatic team but we should try not to piss anyone off too bad. If they need work to pay for repairs or supplies, then we work. If they come after us, well... we still need a better idea what kind of pon— creatures live around here. So I think we're at the point we can start sending out scouting parties. There are islands past this one that need to be surveyed, before we drop everything and try to drag the ship over there. We need to know who's friendly, and who's... hostile, and what sort of challenges we're up against. So, anyone interested in taking a long flight?"

She raised a brown feathery wing, adding, "Oh you have to be a flyer though. As I said the ship's not going anywhere fast."

Summer Scribe listened intently, nodding her head and then chipping in: "We know that there's at least two different sapient species around the Cloudbreak Islands - it's likely there are even more! - and that the capability to build airships and technology hereby unknown to us exists here. Or existed until fairly recently, at least." she conceded. "Given that we're just one ship's worth of ponies, our contact should always start with peaceful diplomacy! We're here to learn and explore, and the better the terms we can be on, well, the better!" She nodded her head again and smiled at the crew.

"I'm not a flyer, so... I guess I won't be going on aerial scouting team... but I trust that whoever goes in my stead can carry out the principles of Friendship and Harmony!" the little unicorn said emphatically, before blushing and pushing a hoof into her mane nervously. "Uh, yeah, and in the mean time I'll be continuing my explorations of the machine and the surrounding locale..."

Azure Feather stood silent and motionless while the captain and the senior researcher made their speeches. So it was finally time to shine some light on the uncharted regions of the Skylands, hmm? Goodness knows there was a lot of sky to cover... The butterfly-winged unicorn gave a curt little nod: "Well, I can help with two things... first and foremost, I can be a part of the expedition, and if there's a creature that wants to be a part of this and can't fly, there's always these..." She half-spread her wings for emphasis; despite being a unicorn, she could certainly fly, and with some effort, she could bestow that gift on another.

Concern flashed across Summer Scribe's face; she waved a hoof at Azure, as though she needed to be given binding advice in her absence. "Now, remember: no blasting people unless diplomatic negotiations have already broken down! We don't want to get a reputation for blowing up critters at the slightest provocation!"

"Now Summer, one would be a fool not to bring our only combat-trained spellcaster on such an expedition, no telling what creatures we'll run into..." Reef Skimmer said, looking approvingly at Azure. Then the hippogriff frowned "...awfully generous of you with the wings spell, but I have to ask, isn't that rather exhausting? We need you in top form if we're going into unknown skies."

Azure looked fairly pleased at the compliment, but slumped a little when her proposal to cast the wings spell was pretty easily shot down. "Call it me just trying to see if any creature wanted in despite not being a flier." She knew from years of personal experience how badly a grounded pony might want to join her fellows soaring above. "The spell is a bit tiring, though, Doctor, and you're right in the end..." Well, that was that option done; turning to Summer, she admitted: "As much as I hate to say it, my diplomacy is only slightly better than that wooden plank here." She gestured at the deck with a hoof for emphasis. "Reconnaissance is a thing I'm decent at, but diplomacy, not so much."

“Well fantastic, I was gonna ask if you didn’t volunteer,” Set Sail said to Azure with a smile, “We need skilled ponies like out there, where it’s gonna be dangerous.” Her smile dipped a bit as she added, “We don’t want too large a scouting party though. But thanks for offering to use that amazing magic of yours on somepony else. Let’s see how many natural fliers want to go first.”

Nutmeg Inferno stayed back in the crowd; the kirin looked thoughtful rather than dismayed, thinking intently about what was the scouting party was likely to find out there. Her train of thought was interrupted by a green earth pony clumsily bumping her as he maneuvered through the crowd. The young stallion trotted up to Set Sail, looking a little shy, a roll of paper held carefully in his mouth. Melonwater gave the pegasus a bashful look, before enthusiastically thrusting the paper forwards: "Here. It's a new map, just what I could see through the telescope, but.. better than nothing right?"

Summer Scribe steps closer, peering at the map and giving a quick smile and nod to her, well, underling... she still wasn't exactly used to having ponies to boss around rather than the other way around! "Oooh, excellent work, Melonwater!" Summer said, grinning at the teenager, "Seems like we'll be relying on your map making expertise for the rest of the expedition! Were you thinking of going with or staying here, by the way?"

A certain griffon hen squawked and looked less enthusiastic about the prospect. "Didn't you hear the captain? It's bad enough babysitting one unicorn, at least she's got some practice with the wings." Grenelda was scowling, but nodded curtly to Azure: after the chompy pit she had a certain respect for the mare. "I'll go but I'm not waiting around for any newbies getting their first taste of magic flippy-flaps."

Reef Skimmer's ear tufts perked up. "Good show, Grenelda." he said, "One is keen to assist of course, no doubt there are many more novel species waiting for us out there."

Meanwhile Azure's curiosity had drawn her closer as well, examining the map carefully and then giving a slight nod and smile to Melonwater. "Useful thing, especially for us."

The young stallion beamed at the praise, though he glanced nervously at the griffon. "Thanks Summer, err, Senior Researcher I mean... yeah yeah I was trying to survey with my theodolite, it didn't have enough magnification, then..." The earth pony looks over his shoulder into the crowd, where a blue pegasus mare is smiling and giving him an encouraging look. "Bluebell saw me on the deck; she took me up to the crow's nest, let me use the spotting scope. Then, um, we... erm, we went on a little trip, to the far end of the island? I hope that's ok." he concludes nervously, looking at Set Sail.

"...wait, ...going did you say? Oh no, I'm not trying that spell, those things look horribly fragile and how do you even steer I'd just crash!" he said, eyes wide and backing away from the mares. "Look maybe if the scouts make sure there are no, uh... giant flying monsters..." he gulped "...then I could go, uh, in the cart. You know, to make another map. Yep."

Summer giggled: "It's ok Melonwater, yeah, you can come with me in the cart, once it's safe."

Cloud Cutter probably should have volunteered. If only she wasn't standing there silently looking at Set Sail with an unblinking stare, along with another of the pegasus storm piercer crew, now as purple as she, by her side. Could the spooky mare be asleep with her eyes open?

Reef Skimmer had joined the circle of creatures staring at the map, which was now unrolled on the deck, cocking his head before looking at Summer Scribe, then Azure Feather. "Any particular destination? Or just out and back, in the general direction of that arrow there?" He gestured with a claw. "I must say that 'floating water' sounds like an interesting biome. Now those small islands, if those really are chains that suggests large-scale construction... did anyone ask the troll, erm, Abernacky?"

Summer Scribe shook her head. "Abernathy. ...and no, it didn't come up. I'd suggest that we prioritize signs of civilization, past or present; as good as impressive terrain is, we'll have plenty of time for that after we get the critical repairs done!"

“Worst comes to worst, we can dismantle those chains and use the metal to fix the engine,” Nutmeg pointed out cautiously, “Assuming there isn't a huge monster guarding it or something. We'd need to build a forge too, to reforge them, but I have some ideas there.”

“If they even are chains,” Melonwater said, rolling his eyes at the engineer, “I couldn't see what they are in detail. They looked like chains, with what might have been links, and they were drooping down between the islands like chains. But... for all I know they're made out of papier-mâché.”

Summer Scribe considered the interesting notion of dismantling the (hypothetical) chains. "Well, assuming we should be doing that at all? Maybe they do something structurally important and we should leave them be? I guess that should be part of the survey, huh?"

Meanwhile Azure was taking stock of the creatures who had volunteered. The doctor seemed very interested, the griffon Grenelda was ready to fly, yet there was one pony Azure was kind of hoping would speak up, and with a quick look around the meeting room, there she was, seemingly staring blankly: Cloud Cutter. For now she held off on pushing the other mare to volunteer, instead getting a better look at the map.

"How about this: we split up into smaller units; two, three creatures at most per unit, then do a scouting flight over each island, without landing. While we've got no shortage of combat-capable creatures, diplomats are in far shorter supply." Leaning in for a closer look at the map, she began muttering a little. "One... two... that's it." Moments later, she would look around at the group. "There are two islands within easy flight, potentially four if we really have a good number of creatures joining..."

“No dismantling the chains!” Set Sail said nervously, “That’s right, not until we know what we’re dealing with. We don’t want to bring whatever can chain whole islands together down on our heads.” Tilting her head at Azure, she said leerily, “We can’t spare too many pon-creatures. We’re still barely enough crew to maintain this ship. We could have a couple of survey teams I guess, but there’s no hurry or anything.”

"So we'll check it out, maybe take down a giant monster, the doctor can haul you over once it's safe, right?" Grenelda broke in, pulling her head out from under her wing where she'd been giving it a quick pre-flight preen. "Let's just go already."

"You know I'd come, 'cept that somegriff has to stay and stop the ponies crashing the ship." a male griffon replied to Grenelda, beak open in a grin.

"Ya lazy bastard," Grenelda growled playfully at him, elbowing Gustus in the side.

"Alright, alright, look, enough with the hypothetical talk, let's get some proper numbers, okay?" Azure said. "I'm in, that's for certain, I..." She trailed off, looking back to Cloud Cutter. "Hang on..." She clearly looked at least a little torn as she headed over to the purple pegasus' side. "Hey, Cloud Cutter... you alright there?" She asked, sounding concerned...

Summer Scribe perks an ear, looking over at... oh, one of the spooky pegasi. She had to admit she'd been so busy that she hasn't spent much time looking into the creepier side of the ship's crew. If Azure was taking the initiative to handle that, she'd leave her to it!

“I’m fine, why?” Cloud Cutter asked without missing a beat, tilting her head to give the winged unicorn a curious look. “Do I not seem fine?”

"You'd look like you'd fallen asleep, that's all. You've been here the whole time without saying anything..." Azure replied, looking a little unsure of herself. "So what do you think? Heck, I'd trust you to either lead one of the scouting teams, or hay... you and I scouting one of the more dangerous islands? Maybe that desert one to the north? Don't trust these wings in a volcanic environment, but..." She suddenly blinked, sighing. "Though I don't want to leave a team without a top fighter..."

“Oh, sure I would love to,” Cloud Cutter replied with an empty smile, “It would be kind of silly if I just stayed here.” She looked off to the distance, saying, “Plus we might find somepony who knows more about my... our... condition.” At Azure’s praise, the purple pegasus revealed that she could close those eyes, saying frankly, “I’m not a top fighter. I’m just a scientist with some wing-blade training for self-defence. But I might be very effective at killing anything we encounter.”

Azure couldn't help but chuckle. "Just a scientist with some wing-blade training? You could have fooled anyone seeing you against those chompies." With a nod, she spoke up again. "Alright, last call, who's in the expedition team?" She turned back to Cloud Cutter. "Come on. Let's go see just where we can go, hmm?"

“Well I am curious about those chains,” Cloud Cutter said with a shy smile, “As much as I'd like to explore a desert, focusing on the places we can get assistance... does seem like a good idea, doesn't it?”

Reef Skimmer half-spread his wings, eager to get out of the sickbay again. "I trust you can handle things for a few hours Bluebell?" Seeing the pegasus nod, he smiles and begins "Righty-o then, let's... erm..." seeing Set Sail looking his way, he finished "...just go get our wing-blades, then."

Gustus watched the hippogriff disappear down the ramp into the belly of the ship then discreetly padded over to Set Sail. "Captain, I don't like it. The doctor and Grennie on their own. What if... he gets hurt or something. Grennie can't haul his big hippo ass back on her own."

"Oh so now you're the one thinking about hippo ass?" the hen retorted, teasing her mate. Several crewponies blushed at this.

“You know, I hadn’t considered that,” Set Sail says with notable concern, “We certainly wouldn’t want anything untoward happening. Maybe Dr. Skimmer should stay here, instead of going out on his own...”

“What?” squawked Grenelda angrily, getting in the captain’s face, “You saying I can’t take care of myself?”

“No no, I!” Set Sail stammered, backing up at the griffon’s sudden fury, “I just... think maybe it’s better if you s-stick together with Cloud Cutter and Azure. We’re not fighting a... a war here. We don’t have to sneak around like this is some kind of... like we’re doing anything wrong!”

Set Sail stomped a hoof at that... then blushed, adding, “We don’t have to be foolish, but... I think we don’t have to keep scouting parties to only two ponies, especially a male and a... I mean, it’s just... um...”

"Are you saying she needs three ponies to take care of her??" Gustus demands coming up beside Grenelda. Blinking, he added angrily, "Two and a half ponies?" Set Sail found herself facing two angry eagle faces and flinched. "Or are you saying males can't be trusted?" Gustus accused.

Just then Reef Skimmer re-emerged onto the deck. "Very well then, let's get..." He frowned as he saw his fellow griffs apparently trying to intimidate the captain. "Now what's all this? Back off there, show some discipline! That's Captain Set Sail and we're going to follow her orders." he says angrigly, coming up to stand beside Set Sail, spreading his wings (one right over her) and ducking his head, glaring at Gustus then Grenelda.

Azure couldn't help but shake her head a little at what's going on. One minute she's trying to get scout teams together, the next, everything seems to be going as well as things did when Azure tried flying this blasted ship. Taking a step back to ensure she wouldn't get a screeching gryphon in her face, she decided to stay quiet and wait for things to calm down...

Summer Scribe helpfully facehooves on Azure's behalf, standing near her. "Need any help getting this under control?" She said, hopeful that she doesn't actually have to do anything... but it was only polite to offer!

Set Sail quivered there under Reef's wing, and as Gustus looked her way his expression softened. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean any harm in saying," he says.

Grenelda doesn’t look as mollified, but said in a more even tone, “If Azure doesn’t want us to go with her, then I don’t wanna go with her, reasonable or not. I don’t see what the big deal is though. The... the captain’s right. This ain’t a war zone.”

Azure just looked to Summer Scribe after her offer and couldn't help but facehoof as well. "I've got nothing against any creature in here or on the ship. I initially thought that we could cover two islands at once, but... the captain has a point... maybe there is safety in numbers after all. One squad of four members, and Cloud Cutter mentioned possibly looking at the chain island. Every creature all right with that?"

Reef's stare softened as he he drew his wings in, snorting. Looking at Azure, he said "Very good. We'll follow your lead then," before fixing his gaze on Grenelda again, waiting for her confirmation.

"I'm fine with whatever you want," Cloud Cutter said neutrally. "Safety in numbers is a good idea."

"If you want it, fine. I just want a decision already. Nobody made me captain," Grenelda states, scuffing her hind leg on the ground.

Set Sail looked between them all before confirming, "Okay then... you four will go take a look at those chains. Once you come back with more information, then we can think about splitting up and searching around further islands. Is that a good enough decision?"

"Fine by me," Grenelda grumbles, folding her scaly forelegs.

"As you say, Captain." Reef acknowledged, impassively.

Summer Scribe tried to ease the tension, saluting the brave volunteers and saying cheerfully "Best of luck to the flyer team!"

"Let's take the first step then and figure out what's on the chain island. Then we can re-assess the situation, once we have an idea what we're dealing with." Azure seemed... a little frustrated, but able to keep it in check.

The quartet of flyers is soon airborne and climbing over the first island: a griffon hen out in front, a hippogriff stallion flying just behind her, then a blue butterfly-winged unicorn with a purple pegasus flying along side. Their wings beat slowly as the group pace themselves for a long flight; save for Azure, whose wings are flapping fast to keep up, though she has the benefit of magic to mitigate the strain.

The team soon passed over the linked islands the troll called 'Blissful Pastures' and headed on into open sky; looking down they see only roiling cloud and mist, far below. It's another beautiful sunny day with only scattered clouds to obscure the view.

Ahead the curious structure on Melonwater's map can be seen as a massive array of floating rocks: a scattering of larger ones nestled within a vast cloud of smaller specks. Thin arcs join the larger islands, segmented in places and irregular in others. As the group closes the distance the details become clearer; the dozen or so larger rocks are the size of Canterlot Castle, roughly spherical and each crowned with a modest copse of trees and an array of spindly, metallic spikes. They are surrounded by hundreds of house-sized islets, each of a more flattened pancake shape. Each appears to feature a pool of water ringed by a few low bushes. The arcs linking the large islands are revealed to be huge chains, apparently of bronze, largely covered in moss and vines. They appear to lead to a central landmass, peanut-shaped and perhaps three kilometres long.

Now she was getting a closer look, Azure's seemed a little surprised at the state of the place. "It's like someone decided to fire a shattering beam at a huge floating boulder and this is the result..." she mused out loud. Her wingbeats slowed as she surveyed the scene, weighing her options before speaking up. "Alright, logically, we're starting out, maybe going to the heart of this island... yes, the largest landmass is the best option, then we can work our way outwards, perhaps splitting up, but safety in numbers to start..." It had just occurred to her that she was actually leading this unit; a troubling thought.

Grenelda stilled her wings, dropping back a bit to fly parallel with Azure. "Didn't quite make that out. You wanna head for that big rock in the middle?" She peered into the distance; they're about five kilometres out now so the features are beginning to resolve. "Looks like some buildings on there, various sizes, and something jutting out, might be more docks."

"It's our best option. If we find friendlies there, we can learn more about this if some creature can... sound friendly?" Azure began, shaking her head. "On the other hoof, if there are hostiles... this is going to be a long day... but if it looks inhabited, then... definitely start with the heart of the formation. Thank you for the information, Grenelda."

The flyers banked slightly, adjusting their flight path to head straight for the central landmass. From their current position this would entail passing a couple of the mid-sized rocks and flying through the outer layer of smaller, flattened islets.

Cloud Cutter sensed it first; an unseen force pulling her off-course. She tried to correct, flapping hard to pull away, but the effect pulled her sideways through the air. The two griffs were caught in it seconds later, screeching in alarm as they tumbled and skidded sideways through the air. Azure Feather had a few more seconds to watch her crewmates being dragged away before the force grabbed onto her as well, reeling her in like an invisible fishing line. She was still heading down, but now on a definite slant away from the central island.

Surprise turned to confusion and then alarm, as Azure watched Cloud Cutter banking off course, followed by the screeching griffs. Of course she did her best to fight the pull as well, but sure enough... it was far too strong, and goodness knew where it was coming from. It felt a lot like telekinesis; not that many unicorns had the capacity to lift another pony, but she'd met a couple in her adventures. If so there was no coloured aura, and... she looked around frantically... no sign of any creature that might be casting it. All she could do was try to avoid being pulled too far away from the rest of her squad.

Their destination soon became clear; each flyer was being pulled towards one of the smaller rocks, heading straight for the centre of the upper surface. The two griffs flapped and struggled but had no more luck breaking away than Azure; once it became clear they weren't getting away, they held their wings in a gliding position and let the unknown magic run its course. Cloud Cutter seemed strangely resigned to it, holding perfectly still and letting the force pull her down.

"Ponies, any bucking idea what's going on?" came a panicked shout from Grenelda.

"It's almost like telekinesis, but not quite! Something's got a hold of us and it's dragging us down! Don't fight it, we're not getting out of this quite yet!" Azure cried out, at least she knew where the other members were, but... it was clear the four would be separated... Celestia knew what was pulling them down, though.

As the flyers approached their landing sites their courses diverged slightly, each being pulled down to their own islet. Up close it's clear that the rocks are topped with shallow crystalline bowls, several metres in diameter and holding a hoof-depth of rainwater. With thuds, clops and splashes the two griffs are each forced to land, separated but within shouting distance. Cloud Cutter and Azure Feather followed a little way behind.

"What in Tartarus..." Reef Skimmer bellowed angrily. "More inexplicable magical nonsense, no doubt."

"Now the first question is... can any of us travel between islands..." Azure mused, before trying to spread her wings and fly to Cloud Cutter's little island. At least, if they could get to the same island, it'd be a start, right? Alas, as she spread her wings, the unseen force intensified, pushing her down until she can barely stand... instinctively she closes them again, and the force slackened off. Her hooves still felt kind of... sticky? ...but she was able to walk around the little pond with minimal difficulty. On their own islands the two griffs had resumed their flapping and struggling, Reef forced down to his knees, while Cloud Cutter is just standing there, wings folded, staring at their surroundings.

Azure shook her head, calling out "No good, we're stuck!" Way to state the obvious, guard... and way to make another stumble. There was nothing else left to do other than study the island and the water they'd landed in; perhaps that had an answer for her?

There was little to see on her rocky prison; a smooth shallow bowl of light grey... crystal of some sort? embedded in a flattened lump of stone. Rainwater had pooled in the depression, and a few weathered bushes and tufts of grass clung to the cracks around the perimeter. Floating around her group were many similar rocks... and a few hundred metres away, the rounded shape of one of the larger masses. An oversized brass chain emerged from one rock face, arcing away to connect the larger rock to one of its fellows, a kilometre or so in the direction of the central island. Not a lot to see... closing her eyes for a moment, Azure concentrated on the invisible. The magical force was definitely coming from the crystal bowl, but it did not itself seem like a source of power; more like a passive conduit, or perhaps a reflector.

If only Azure Feather had continued her studies, she thought, she would have been in a better position to figure out what this place was... "This entire structure seems to be a network of prison cells... but the magic that pulled us down has a source..." She then turned her attention to the giant brass chain, trying to feel for power flowing through it. "...one I'm going to bet is on that central island, perhaps distributed through the chains... now as far as getting out of here goes..."

The unicorn pointed her horn one way, then the other, trying to sense the flow of the unseen magic powering their imprisonment. A stream of energy was definitely coming from the larger rock, energising the crystal pad she was standing on and presumably those of her fellows as well. Without specialist training she couldn't be more specific, but there did seem to be a new shine to the giant brass chain, despite its weathered and overgrown surface; not to mention a flicker of light around the metallic spikes projecting from the top of the mass.

"Can you feel it?" shouted Cloud Cutter. "An elaborate trap, it seems."

"Well figure it out, ponies!" Grenelda yelled out, "because we've got incoming!" Now that she'd folded her wings away the griffon was able to point a claw in the direction of the central island, where she'd spotted movement. Something mobile had detached itself from the side of the mass and was heading their way, a flickering dot at this range but making a distinct whirring sound.

"Incoming?!" Azure turned towards the sound, nodding. "Remember the captain's orders! Diplomacy first!" she cried out, recalling Summer's advice... not like they really had much of a choice. Best case scenario was that they could actually talk to someone and possibly get out. Worse case scenario was, well... they wouldn't get out at all...

"Diplomacy!" squawked Grenelda. "How about you shut down this magic junk and then we can talk about diplomacy. We're totally exposed here!"

"Much as I support your sentiment," Reef shouted back "...Grenelda does have a point. If it comes to a negotiation, our position is hardly enviable."

"Then I can employ the fruits of my studies and hope for the best!" Azure replied swiftly before beginning to charge up a wind blade spell, levelling her horn at that chain. She didn't like the idea of blasting an unknown artefact, but she didn't feel she had much of a choice, with potential hostiles on the way. Magical force gathered and focused around her horn, before leaping forward as a bolt of condensed elemental energy. Unfortunately while devastating at short to medium range, the shot steadily lost cohesion as it travelled to the distant rock. By the time it reached the giant chain, made of forged links each bigger than a pony, it had defocused into a blast of gale-force wind that merely stripped away the vegetation. The chain itself creaked and gently swayed, its structural integrity unaffected.

Meanwhile the whirring dot had become the shape of a small ship, supported by a pair of rotors spinning above it and driven forward by smaller propellers to the sides. The hull was a patchwork of weathered wood and ugly iron plates, festooned with assorted spikes and blades that did nothing to suggest peaceful intent. Green shapes could be seen moving about on the deck, the details still indistinct.

Grenelda tried raking her claws across the crystal bowl, which produced nothing but scratches and a nasty screeching, oddly muffled by the shallow water. Following her lead, Reef Skimmer kicked at it with his hooves, which produced cracks and a lot of splashing but no apparent reduction in the force preventing him from taking off.

'Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Great.' Azure thought. She looked at the struggling griffs, then sighed; she couldn't fix any other creature's problem without first fixing her own; the tried pounding a hoof on the crystal bowl. It seemed thin enough, and maybe with a little force, say, another wind blade, she could shatter the thing; that would be a start, wouldn't it?

Summoning her magic again, Azure slammed an ethereal blade into the crystal just in front of her. Immediately she was doused in blinding spray as the intense wind blew the bowl dry of water. A sizeable crack snaked across the structure, which started to emit a wavering humming sound. The sticky feeling in her hooves was still there, but now pulsing and fluctuating. Meanwhile the flying vessel continued to approach, the crew now clearly bipeds but much shorter than Abernathy, perhaps half his height with even more prominent pointed ears. Several of the creatures are visible, wearing helmets of some sort.

Blinking away the spray, Azure snorted in frustration as her attempt cames up empty again, her anger rising at the builders of the trap. A few cracks wasn't good enough; she spotted a heavy rock nearby, a makeshift weapon at best, but grabbing it with her telekinesis, she's soon hurling it directly at the cracks. If she can shatter this, it should break the spell...

Swinging the boulder with her magic, Azure smashed in into the crystal bowl again and again until her projectile shatters, only to be immediately replaced by another rock as she continued her assault. The relatively thin crystal disintegrated under the pounding, giving off a weird oscillating warble as it starts to vibrate and shakes apart. Chunks of stone split away from the sides of the islet as the whole thing threatened to fall apart under Azure. The restraining force surged, flickered and disappeared, while in the distance Azure spotted a flash and crackle of energy around the metal spires crowning the large, chain-linked islet.

Her eyes soon lit up as the force was released... and Azure finally knew what she had to do! "That's it, shatter the crystal! That'll release the prison!" It only took her... way too long to figure it out, but she did... although elation was immediately replaced by a sinking feeling as she realised there was nothing to stop another of the bowls grabbing her if she tried to fly away. Still, it was better than nothing; Azure spread her wings, intending to fly over and release Cloud Cutter. Unlike the griffs, the pegasus had neither grasping claws nor telekinesis; the unicorn was her only hope of getting free...

In a small cluttered office, tucked away in a corner of the EAS Harmony's engine room, Nutmeg Inferno pored over a schematic. It was mostly just scribbles on top of some geometric shapes, growing more complex as she worked on it, lit by the warm incandescent lights still running on the old backup generator. The kirin was sitting at her drafting table, scritching around with ink and quill; next to her hovered one of the strange rocks they'd found at the edge of the island, floating serenely above the table despite the lack of visible support. The mare sneezed; dust was a constant irritant in the engineering spaces.

Summer Scribe was preparing to do some exploration of her own around the lower island; she'd been all over the machine, but perhaps further secrets lurked in the surrounding forest. After rounding up Melonwater and Blue Type... the former wanted to spend the day helping out in the sickbay for some reason... she gave her own little pep talk and got her team down the gangplank, ready for another day of exploration.

She'd trotted as far as the stone bridge, considering whether to head up towards the mountain lake and investigate the water cycle or sweep the rest of the second island (and trying to avoid thinking about the sheep incident, at this very spot), when Blue Type suddenly spoke up. "Erm, that doesn't look like a... a pegasus. Or a griffon." the older mare said.

Summer followed her gaze upwards and sure enough, a lithe bat-winged shape was gliding over their heads, with a triangular head and long tail. It fell to Melonwater to state the obvious: "That's a dragon!"

"Woah! There are dragons, here?" Summer Scribe gaped as she turned in a circle to follow it overhead, whipping out her sketchbook, trying to hastily get something down! "Do you think it noticed us?"

It was hard to tell for sure from the quick overflight, but the dragon seemed relatively small, bigger than the average pony but not by much. It headed straight for the ship, getting within a couple of hundred metres then... disappearing! In a literal puff of purple smoke no less. None of the crew seemed to notice.

"Hmm, seems relatively close, not huge and far away, looks like it's heading towards the... bwuh?" Summer's quill dropped from her telekinesis, as her jaw dropped in shock! "I believe we just witnessed a draconic vanishing act!" She thought for a moment... then stared at her sketchbook, that mystery left hanging in the air. "Say, the dragon looked an awful lot like some of those statues we saw in the village... I wonder what significance they have to the locals?"

"In ancient Equestria, there's evidence some of the largest dragons were actually worshipped as..." Blue Type began, only for Melonwater to interrupt "There it is! Look, it's on the ship..." Sure enough, the purple dragon could be seen crouching on the deck of the ship. A thin, barely visible trail of purple smoke connected the point where it had disappeared to its current position. As Summer watched, it waited for a moment (possibly until it was sure the crew weren't watching) then slipped inside the door to the engine room.

Summer Scribe gawked! "Woah, good spot! I thought it disappeared out of sight, but it actually just teleported forward!" She watched closely to see what it does next... "It's on the ship! We need to get back and warn them; who knows what it's planning! Come on!"

"Maybe... huff it's just... huff curious?" said Blue Type hopefully, galloping behind Summer.

Melonwater was less optimistic, wailing "Dragons! Why did it have to be dragons!"

"Oh, it can be curious all it wants to! But dragon curiosity often ends in the subject on fire, and we've only got the one ship!" Summer Scribe forced out between breaths as she headed for the gang-plank.

The intruder managed to spend several minutes undetected in the engine room, demonstrating an uncanny awareness of where ponies were and where they were not looking as the dragon snuck from one hiding spot to the next. Ultimately it was Sprocket, emerging from a service crawlway, who caught the creature unawares. Intending to trot back to Nutmeg and ask about a pressure reading, she was greeted by the sight of a scaly tail lashing back and forth, as the intruder sat on a catwalk, apparently watching the kirin work. "Du.. Dra... Dragon!" the unicorn shouted.

In her office, Nutmeg was redrawing a wing shaped protrusion on her design, subtly changing the geometry. Hearing the shout, she bolted upright, leaping over the table and out the door. "What? What's going on?!" she asked, hooves planted against the metal floor as she looks wildly about.

Meanwhile Summer Scribe, with Melonwater and Blue Type in tow, had reached the ship and rushed into the engine room. "Dragon intruder! Show yourself!" she shouted dramatically, flourishing a hoof out as her eyes scanned around to look for anything out of place... only to hear Sprocket's cry out "Help! Up here!"

Looking in the direction of Sprocket's shout, Nutmeg's gaze immediately went to the creature sitting on the catwalk, its intense blue eyes looking directly at her. The dragon was the size of an adolescent, but with the fully quadrupedal stance and wide wingspan of a mature specimen. It stood a little taller than a pony, covered in smooth, dark purple scales which contrasted with magenta belly plates. Its physique was thin and lithe, its movement fast and fluid. The head was adorned with numerous horns of various sizes, all tapering to sharp points, while the tail ended in a razor-edged blade. In the centre of its forehead was a strange marking of four grey triangles; similar detail could be seen on the shoulders and hips. Combined with the prominent claws and spiked silver collar and bracelets, the creature projected an aggressive, combative appearance.

"Dragon?!" Nutmeg squawked, "Where's the dragon? I don't see a... dragon?" She squinted up at the catwalk, saying, "Oh. Huh. Dragon. Why is there a dragon in the engine room?!"

The dragon whirled around, glaring at Sprocket (who squeaked and forced herself backwards into the crawlspace), and then at Summer Scribe on the lower level. "You're responsible, aren't you." she said, in a distinctly female voice with just a trace of crackle and hiss as she pronounces the words. "You interferred with the nexus, made it send that signal." Not a threat exactly, but her tone was not reassuring.

"We saw it flying towards the ship!" Summer Scribe panted out, as she ran over to Nutmeg. "And we came back as fast as we could. We don't know anything about its intentions or desires, so hopefully we can establish a friendly rapport! But if not, I'm ready to do what I must!"

Turning back to the dragoness, she narrowed her eyes and stood firm. "So what if we are? It's not a weapon, it just sends a signal! What's the big deal about that?"

The purple dragoness stared at Summer Scribe for a moment, before responding "Do you even know what you did?" She takes a few paces along the catwalk, looking at Nutmeg again, then back to Summer. "There have been no unicorns in Skylands, since... ages past. Where did you come from?

Ah! Time to establish interspecies contact! ... Again! Summer made a wide gesture with her hoof, pointing in various direction, pantomiming. "We came here, from Equestria, far down below past the Storm Barrier, on a mission of scientific discovery and exploration! We are ponies: earth, unicorn, pegasi, even kirin and hippogriffs... and we come here peacefully!" She nod nodded! "And, I mean, we fixed a machine that was broken for goodness knows how long! Where's the crime in that? We put together old things all the time: it's what archaeologists do!" She gave Nutmeg another tentative hoof-bump. "And engineers, in this case!"

Another long silence. "Nothing can get through the barrier. Everyone who tried, died." The dragon snorted in contempt... no hint of flame or smoke, Summer wasn't sure whether to be reassured by that. "Equestria? Is that part of the Outlands? The whole region was thought lost in the calamity, but perhaps a part survived. Perhaps... yes, you tried to get through the barrier, and your ship was carried along the wall until it was thrown out here. Foolish. You're lucky to be alive."

Summer Scribe squinted and gestured at herself like 'hello, I'm right here?!'. Man, no one understands the ingenuity of Equestrian science and engineering around here! "The Out Lands... The Calamity? Are you saying that the Storm Barrier came into existence in your living history? Huh." Something to look into the records for later... "Anyway, we didn't come here escaping anything! Our land; it's called Equestria, not the Outlands; has everything we could ever want! We're here just to explore, like I said!"

"So uh, what have we done?" Nutmeg asked the purple dragon, walking up with a glance Summer's way. "Don't worry, she's just being an archaeologist. You said something about do we even know what we did. Because all I did was try to fix a broken machine, and fail, since the receiver is also broken, and we're nowhere near that thing. Do you know something about that machine? What do you need us to do about it?"

Again, several seconds of silence as the dragon seemed to consider the situation. "You fixed a tech nexus, disused and ruined. You could only do that if..." She stared at Nutmeg. "You're a tech elemental, aren't you. Fully aligned, or... a natural talent." Her lips curled upwards in a smile. "That's just what we need."

Summer Scribe perked up. "A tech elemental... Huh, of course! That must be the gear thingy, one of the ten elements..." She still didn't know if she represented anything, but Azure seemed to be Wind. Curious! She tilted her head, regarding Nutmeg curiously. Looks like it's the kirin's time to shine!

"A what now? Gear thingy?" Nutmeg asked, tilting her head in confusion, "If you mean an engineer, yeah. Everybody who works in here is an engineer. I wasn't the one who fixed it. My team was! You saying you have some misaligned gears you need fixed? We're not too busy here, but we're kind of land locked at the moment. You... wouldn't happen to know where we can get some engine parts do you? Because if so, then I'll do whatever you want."

The dragoness looked confused by this. Another pause, then she said "You don't even know... An elemental that doesn't understand elements! You're right though, you will do what I want." In a deadpan, emotionless voice she stated "You're coming with me. For... the good of Skylands. One way or another." The dragoness stared at Nutmeg, body tensed and ready to leap from the catwalk.

Meanwhile Summer Scribe had a look like 'wait wait wait' on her head, shaking her head and stepping in front of Nutmeg. "Now hang on, dragon! You can't just sneak on board our ship and kidnap our head engineer! We're willing to help out, but you gotta ask first! What's this 'good of Skylands' stuff, anyway?"

Nutmeg peered warily around Summer, staying put to keep the dragon talking, but also keeping in mind how sturdy the door to her office was. Might give her enough time to put together a counterattack.

The dragon's gaze went back to Summer, noting the other ponies now beginning to crowd around her. "I'm a Skylander. That's what we do, defend Skylands from... Darkness. Invaders. Barbarians. Threats of all sorts." Her eyes narrowed. "Including mutant unicorns, if necessary." Seeing Summer's confused look, she lamented. "You don't know about us either, do you? I can't say I'm surprised. So many have forgotten."

Summer blink blinked. "How could I forget about you? We don't have 'skylanders' back where we came from, and you've never seen us before either." She tilted her head. "We must LOOK like something you've seen before, I guess... hmm. But... we have seen statues celebrating your type! You're a hero in the flesh, huh?"

Another stare, then the dragoness actually gave a dry, throaty chuckle. "Yeah, that's me, a hero in the flesh." Then the humour was gone and she turned away from Summer, leaping off the catwalk and landing on the metal deck directly in front of Nutmeg with a loud 'clang'. "You will be... rewarded. You'll have all the parts you want. After you come with me."

Oh gosh, she got a chuckle from a living legend! Squee! Ahem. Summer Scribe consoled herself... before blinking as the purple creature leaps past her mighty bodyguard positioning, turning to watch with a gape! What will Nutmeg say?

“I’d like some assurance of that,” Nutmeg said warily, backing slowly away from the dragon towards a steam pipe behind her, “A second ago you looked like you were just going to grab me in the name of... whatever it is you think rules these sky lands.”

"It's for the greater good!" the dragon said, advancing towards Nutmeg with slow paces. "Not that you have a choice. Any true Skylander can out-fight a hundred trolls, you think a few unicorns can stop me?"

"You bet they can!" Summer Scribe objected, grinning! The dragon had been given a chance to listen to reason, but now was the time to protect her friends! She assessed her surroundings, quietly picking up a loose wrench in her magic and preparing to bringing it down on the dragon's head from behind!

“You still haven’t told me what we did by fixing that machine,” Nutmeg told the dragon sceptically, half hiding behind the narrow pipe with her forelegs curled around it, “If your greater good is so great and good, then why don’t I have a choice? Not like I would choose the poorer bad, right? Also-think-fast” With that she yanked the pipe free of its very weak and unsound patch job coupling, blasting hot steam in the dragon’s face, before high-tailing it for the relative safety of her office.

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Nutmeg Inferno and Set Sail), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

This chapter is based on the sixteenth session; I returned as GM for a while. The requirement for the scouting party to be all flyers (and all at least moderately capable in a fight) resulted in a split party; the two narrative streams here were simultaneous in the original RP. Also our first actual Skylander makes a dramatic appearance, with Cynder apparently much less friendly than when we last saw her in the games (Imaginators).

Dramatic illustration by Chibionpu; map by me.

Escape

Azure Feather took to the air, wings almost buzzing, flying towards the still-imprisoned Cloud Cutter as fast as she could manage. As she feared, the unicorn only made it half way before the alien force returned, pulling at her wings and dragging her down to land heavily next to the purple pegasus. Cloud Cutter's expression was hard to read; a hint of relief, shaded by annoyance? "We can't break them all." she said, unnaturally calm given the circumstances, "We have to find a way to disable the magic."

Perhaps thirty metres away, Grenelda continued to score lines into her trap with her claws, while Reef Skimmer was making only slightly more progress smashing at the crystal with his hooves. The alien flying machine loomed behind them, seconds away now. Much smaller than the EAS Harmony, it was nonetheless menacing, sporting what Azure recognised as a ballista at the front, manned by a little green biped that seemed eager to shoot. The wooden hull was scarred and patched, covered in a patchwork of irregular steel plates and rusty spikes. Two propellers whirred at the sides, driving the thing forwards, while much larger rotors intermeshed overhead, keeping it aloft.

Azure stared at the oncoming ship before stomping a hoof in frustration. "I know that thing over there is the core now, it's the real problem, but... it's too far, my magic isn't enough to break the chains!" The unicorn grunted and tossed her head. "I can't figure it out! And now we've got these... creatures aiming a ballista at us... I'll try and deflect it!" 'Heck of a leader I'm turning out to be...' she thought unhappily, trying to focus on where they were aiming the weapon, her magic charged and ready...

Cloud Cutter shook her head at the desperate unicorn, now trapped in the same enchanted crystal bowl as her. All she could do was continue trying to break the trap; backing up to the edge, she reared up on her hind legs and brought down a pair of ironshod hooves, driving them into the smooth surface as hard as she could. Tiny cracks crazed outward from the impact points; another five minutes of this should destroy the trap, but it didn't look like they had five minutes. "Thank you for defending me!" she called out to Azure, "..but maybe we could use their own weapon against them? If I dodge at the last moment, and the bolt hits the crystal..."

In the time it took Cloud Cutter to say this, the native craft had flown right past the rock they were trapped on, turning to circle the group. Another ballista was revealed on the stern, manned by a second biped, while two more crouched on the central deck. The pony's sensitive ears could actually hear the crew over the whup-whup-whup of the rotors; "Not one but two griffons, full-grown and a young one! And two sheep! What a catch." came one voice. "Those aren't sheep, you idiot! Sheep are white with no wings. They must be goats!" came another. "I saw a black one once." came a muffled voice from the stern. "I don't care!" shouted the first voice "Take down the griffons first, we can collect the lunches later."

Azure had a stunned look on her face after Cloud Cutter's suggestion. Was the purple pegasus really offering herself as live bait? Either Cloud Cutter knew something about her powers that Azure wasn't aware of... or she was betting on these creatures being as stupid as they sounded; never a safe bet in combat with a novel enemy.

"Wait, it's too dangerous..." she began, "...I did see something when I broke my bowl... let me try one more thing first..." That glowing structure on the top of the core... was that the power source for the traps? Too far for simple telekinesis, but perhaps if she combined it with her newfound command over the air... With no time to lose, Azure hefted a sizable rock out of its mossy resting place, holding it in her magic as she prepared another blast of elemental energy. In seconds her horn was stinging hot with as much energy as it could hold, and with another grunt she released, flinging the stone as hard as she could at the distant spires.

Azure's hurled rock glided in a long flat arc, quickly exceeding the range of her telekinesis but sustained by the focused blast of air it was riding in. The projectile smashed into one of the delicate metal spires projecting from the top of the larger mass with a loud 'sprang!', causing it to vibrate faster and faster in a rising metallic howl before literally shaking apart into a rain of steel shrapnel. The remaining two spires warbled and flash as well, overtaxed and battered by debris. The force binding the pony's hooves weakens, while the battered crystal under Reef Skimmers hooves shatters completely.

He enjoyed a few seconds of freedom, spreading his wings joyfully, before the first voice shouted "The big one is getting free! Shoot it, noooow!" With a clatter the forward ballista fired, flinging out a tough rope net ringed by heavy weights. The big grey griff instinctively screeched as he was covered and entangled by the net. "Got it!" the forward gunner shouted, while the one at the rear of the craft was more interested in Azure's activities. "It's breaking the trap! The flying goats are breaking the trap!" she screamed.

As much as Azure was overjoyed to finally do some real damage to the core, her joy was quickly cut short as she watched her hippogriff squad-mate entangled under the heavy net. She shot the creature responsible an angry look as her horn began glowing brightly again. "No more games." she muttered, aiming a wind blade directly at the gangly biped struggling to aim the second ballista at the pool she was sharing with Cloud Cutter. They wouldn't get off another shot if she could help it.

Giving up on destroying the bowl while they were under attack, Cloud Cutter instead hunkered down and hooked her forelegs over the edge. Even if it resulted in her being dragged back down a few seconds later, hurling herself off the edge seemed like the surest way to evade an incoming net... or harpoon.

It was a tricky shot at the circling, bobbing copter, but Azure's magical projectile managed to clip the drow's shoulder, knocking her back to slam into the railing at the edge of the deck. The gunner crumpled down, bleeding, while the shock of her fall triggered the mechanism, launching the second weighted net into empty space. "What in the underworld was that?! I didn't see a weapon?" came a surprised shout from the foredeck, as the first gunner struggled to reload his weapon while the other two bipeds just stared at the ponies. "Killer chaos goats!" the smaller one shouted hysterically, before the larger one clouted him around the head. "Bows out! Take them down!"

Meanwhile Reef Skimmer continued to struggle and squawk under the net, while Grenelda just glared at the enemy, still stuck in her crystal bowl and shouting "Get me loose so I can take these jerks down!"

"You ask, I deliver..." Azure smirked; with the trap weakened, she should able to fly closer to the central spires and give them a much more direct application of "rock meets stupid mechanical thing that doesn't like rocks". Now she understood the mechanism, it should be easy to get another ally... a very angry ally at that... up in the skies and ready to destroy the enemy. Struggling and straining her butterfly wings, the blue unicorn managed to lift off, coming into telekinesis range of the larger island just as the drow flying machine finished wheeling about. A swift application of magic and the over-stressed, under-maintained magical transmitter was reduced to sparking junk. Finally, things were looking up, she thought.

"No!" shouted the lead drow, "Kill it! Kiiilll it!" Arrows leapt from two drawn bows, flying straight at Cloud Cutter, but with the trap deactivated she simply jumped over the edge of the bowl, falling into open air and spreading her wings as the arrows clattered into the shattered crystal plate above her. Finding herself free to maneouvre, she pulled out of her tumble and shot forward, wings blurred with rapid beats, streaking towards the drow ship in total, eerie silence.

As the spire flickers and flails, Grenelda gave a malicious gape of her beak. "Oh, you are all going to FEEL it now. You're gonna wish you never built this junk!" With a powerful beat of her wings she leapt into the air, an incarnation of rage rendered in tawny fur and grey feathers rising from a now-deactivated trap. After soaring practically vertically she nosed over and put on a burst of speed, heading straight for the copter with claws and beak brandished.

"Hey, hey guys!" came a muffled shout from inside the cabin, as in their haste to take down the 'chaos goats' none of the drow on deck had been watching the griffons. Meanwhile the remaining gunner managed to fire the forward ballista at Azure. This time the weapon spat out a harpoon, which trailed a thin rope in its wake as the projectile streaked towards the butterfly-winged menace.

Azure Feather knew all too well that an angry gryphon can be worse than any pony in a fight, and knew all too well that Grenelda was not just angry she was furious. What she didn't account for, however, was her conjured wings exploding into puffs of magic as the harpoon passed straight through them, sending her plummeting down. "Ah... you can't take me down that easily..." Closing her eyes and ignoring the spinning horizon, she focused and recast the very spell that granted her the mark on her flank. "Time to go Skyborn!" With that her wings reformed, good as new, and the unicorn pulled out of her dive and headed straight toward the enemy copter. "Hey Grenelda, leave some for me, huh?!" she called out, thinking 'Oh, this will be glorious...'

Grenelda's eagle eyes darted around as she keep an eye on the ballistae and the enemy crew as she closes on the copter, pitching over and converting altitude into momentum for the final approach. She had one of the archers in her sights, and simply slammed into him with claws outstretched, smacking the unfortunate creature down hard onto the deck. Her claws tore deep gouges in his flesh before she leapt away, looking for her next victim. She gave a harsh laugh at Azure's call out; "Alright, you get the captain! You deserve it!"

Meanwhile Cloud Cutter was taking advantage of the distraction; while the creatures focused on Grenelda and Azure, she flew silently under the ship before wheeling around and landing on the stern. Crawling up over the railing, she passed over the fallen drow by the spent ballista and made straight for the hatch, quiet as a mouse. With a quick, empty-eyed glance to reassure herself that her friends had the situation in had, she eased open the cover and descended into the hull, seeking any reinforcements that might be lurking within.

Some way behind now, Reef Skimmer had finally found a use for his ornate wing blades: the hippogriff's struggles had sliced at the net around him to the point that it began to disintegrate. He strained to open his wings until the restraint burst apart into falling fragments of rope, then the enraged eagle-horse took to the skies, flapping after the fleeing copter.

Two of the small green bipeds were left on the forward deck, clad in mismatched pieces of armour, faces half-concealed by the black clothes wrapped around their heads. The male had been operating the ballista and looked frightened out of his wits at the sudden appearance of the eagle-lion chimera, while the female who'd been giving orders seemed to be made of sterner stuff. "Surrender or die, griffon!" she spat, as both of them drew long curved blades.

Azure Feather was now close enough to hear the enemy leader threatening her ally, along with Grenelda's response: a cocky chuckle, followed by "Your cluelessness amuses me, biped!", her down feathers bristling up as she taunted the drow. Before the creature could make a move, she had another wind blade charged up and ready to fire. It shot forward and smashed into the scrappy armour covering the creature's chest, hurling her back into the craft's hull. Her helmet cracked as as it bounced off the wooden planks below the cockpit and she slumped to the deck, leaving just the dagger-wielding male facing the angry griffon. Azure was pretty sure who was going to win that fight.

Grenelda let out an exultant screech at Azure's swift takedown of the enemy captain, before turning to face down the last drow still standing on the forward deck, showing no signs of fear at the long dagger he was brandishing. Though she wasn't used to this kind of fighting, her instincts were sound, and her plan was simple: charge in, bait out a swipe, leap over it and take him down from behind. With her powerful limbs and wingbeats, she can change direction on a dime, like the terrifying rampaging raptor she was, and attack from any angle!

The griffon's plan seemed to unfold perfectly, the inexperienced drow reacting just as she expected; a wild lunge, easily dodged by a wing-assisted leap, then the younger drown was down on the deck, armour torn asunder, chest covered in gashes that bled out onto the deck. Grenelda stood over him, crowing at her victory, oblivious to the figure creeping out of the cockpit, dagger raised as she lunged at the hen's flank. It seemed the rear gunner had come around and managed to sneak into the cockpit, waiting for an opening to strike the boarders. The griffon let out a pained screech as the blade stabbed into her wing muscle, before skidding sideways as the whole copter lurched and turned about. The pilot opened up the throttle, pointing the small vessel back towards the central island and accelerating as hard as she could.

Intense pain filled her breast and shot through her wing every time she tried to move it, but Grenelda paid it little heed. She was angry before, but now she was fury incarnate, leaping at her attacker in a blind rage! The drow's dagger was no defence against the ravaging claws and beak, and the poor creature was torn apart in a frenzy of vicious swipes and bites. Even Azure, coming in to land just behind Grenelda, was shocked by the violence of it. Grimly she regarded the three drow bodies; one clearly dead, one severely wounded, with the leader knocked unconscious. "That doesn't look good, Grenelda..." she muttered, seeing the blood dripping from the griffon's wound.

"I've had worse," Grenelda spat through her clenched beak. Her injured wing drooped down to the deck while the other remained firm and strong. The hen's adrenalin was still pumping and she kept herself in an aggressive posture, ready to spring and unleash havoc, watching to see if any more of the creatures would come out of the hatch. Azure shook her head, though her mood improved a little when she caught sight of Reef Skimmer, flying like the wind and about to catch up with the copter.

Below deck, Cloud Cutter found an engine room barely merited the name: cramped and dark and extremely noisy with the clatter of poorly maintained gears and drive shafts. The pegasus advanced into the narrow space, only come to come face to face with a spindly green creature, clad in only a loincloth and head wrap. "Argh! Get out, uh, I mean, stay back! Help, some help down here!" he shouted desperately, looking out of the forward hatch only to see the fallen, bleeding bodies of his comrades.

Eerie light limned Cloud Cutter, as she advanced silently forward. The spindly drow backpedalled away from the engine, tripping over a pipe and falling on his ass, yet still trying to push himself away from the purple death goat. "No! No don't take me, it's not my time! I can pay, I mean my clan, they'll pay my ransom... look I can get you anything you want, anything, JUST PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!"

Something heavy hit the back of the ship, making it buck and toss in the air. The pilot was fixated on the scene of carnage on the deck in front of her, so it came as a total shock when the aft cockpit door burst from its hinges and a giant eagle head thrust through the splintered frame. Puffed out grey feathers framed the huge, sharp, gaping open beak. "This vessel is taken! Land on the large rock, or meet your end right here!" the creature bellowed, right in her face. Shaking and scared out of her wits, the drow could barely keep the copter steady as she complied.

The sudden buck of the ship startled Azure, before she chuckled. "Oh... I think that puts the ship under our control... let's see if we can find any supplies, to try and patch up that wound..." she muttered, looking around the deck for anything suitable. Seeing no further adversaries, Grenelda managed to relax a bit: "Alright, do what you can." she says gruffly, keeping a close eye on the downed drow while Azure searched.

Meanwhile Cloud Cutter found herself sitting in the belly of the engine room, staring at the floor, alone.

The drow copter came in for a rough landing next to the sparking remains of the magical transmitters, bouncing and skidding as its terrified pilot tried to keep it under control. No sooner had the vessel come to a stop than Reef pulled his head out of the cabin and clambered around to the foredeck, eager to inspect Grenelda. "Straight into the pectoral, looks like the tip hit the keel..." he muttered. "It's ok Grenelda, you'll be fine, just... don't move your wing, and try to stay awake." The hippogriff began taking first aid supplies from his saddle bag, focused entirely on his patient.

Grenelda beak gaped! "Oh, Reef Skimmer! You're a sight for sore eyes, right now." She tried to extend her limp wing, wincing a bit before seeing the folly of her ways and letting it hang limp. "Sorry, doc." She tilts to one side to give the hippogriff a good view of the wound, trying to breathe more slowly and relax. "Do what you have to."

Reassured to see the squad's medic taking care of the injured griffon, Azure nodded softly. "Thanks, Reef Skimmer. I'm going to go find Cloud Cutter..." She must be on the ship, not on the fore deck or in the cockpit... that didn't leave many other places on the small vessel. Azure decided to check below before proceeding to the aft deck, and sure enough she found the pegasus down in the cramped, smoky engine room, sitting on her haunches beside an unmoving enemy.

A raggedly dressed and conspicuously unarmed enemy, slumped against a wall and staring off into infinity. "I didn't mean to," Cloud Cutter said without turning around, "There's something... wrong with me."

"Wrong?" Azure quickly came up to Cloud Cutter's side, for one moment forgetting about the dead drow. "What do you mean, wrong?" She tilted her head, worry on her face; her closest ally had a problem...

Cloud Cutter continued to turn away from Azure as she approached, refusing to make eye contact and saying quietly, "I never killed anything before, and... now I do. It just keeps happening. It... came out of me, and took his life away. Something strange. All I could tell him was to run. But there was nowhere to run. From me." Azure turned to look at the fallen form of the mysterious biped, and one thing she could see was that it had no wounds, abrasions, or apparent injuries of any kind. Just a death-mask of fear, frozen on its face.

And Azure tilted her head, staying by her ally's side and thinking for a moment before speaking up: "Listen, Cloud Cutter... you and I have similar problems, in a way, but I'm sorry... we don't have time to compare notes right now. We have to fly this thing back to the Harmony: we've neutralized the enemy, but with their home base nearby, and Grenelda injured... We've got to get out of her, right now, and this ship is our best and fastest way back. But.. I'm up for a chat once we get back?" she suggested, smiling and trying to reassure her ally.

Cloud Cutter had been hanging her head, but she responds to Azure's urgent need, turning to face the unicorn at last. "Fly the ship?" she said. "I... might be able to do that. You're right. We need to hurry." She stood up and unceremoniously strode up the stairs, before pausing just outside, framed by the hatch opening. "That chat would be nice too," the empty eyed pegasus said, smiling weakly before continuing on, without waiting for a reply.

Just as Azure started to follow, a male voice came from the deck outside: "Azure! It seems we have a new problem, if you'd care to take a look..." Reef Skimmer shouted.

"A big bucking problem coming right at us!" Grenelda cut in.

The unicorn trotted out onto the deck and sure enough, the two griffs were staring into the distance at a flicker of motion, over by the central island. Azure's gaze wasn't as keen as theirs, but she could see something pulling away from the island; something much bigger than the craft they'd brought down, more on the scale of the airship they'd come from. "Blighters must've noticed the disruption to their traps." Reef muttered; he was glaring fiercely at one of the fallen drow even as he bandaged the creature's wounds. "This one should live; those two... not looking good... and that one... already gone."

"Cloud Cutter! Get this thing off the ground, we got pursuers!" Azure ordered, staring at the incoming airship. "I've got one thing that might work on something that size... but last time I tried it, it left me... well..."

The enemy pilot took that moment to make her move, nervously biting her lip and looking between the larger griffon and the butterfly-goat, trying to work out who was in charge. She settled on Reef Skimmer. "Look, my clan is on the way, and your daughter can't fly can she? The Manticore will blast us all to bits, unless... you let me negotiate. If you fight in the arena, willingly... then we'll keep her alive, I mean, look after her. And your pets... friends... whatever, we'll let them go. How does that sound?"

Grenelda had been inspecting Reef's patch job on her injury. "

"Daughter?!" Grenelda squawked, before clicking her beak and smirking, looking at the bandages Reef had placed over her injury. "Arena combat, is it?" she said eagerly "I get to pick on more of these weaklings? I'm down. Even down a wing... you have no idea what you're signing onto."

"Arena combat..." Azure sighed; under other circumstances, she might relish the practice, but this proposal was basically slavery, and with one of her team already injured... "I really hope not. Cloud Cutter, it's up to you."

Back on the EAS Harmony, it seemed like the time for negotiation was over. The purple draconic intruder had made her intentions clear: kidnap the chief engineer, for 'the greater good', whatever that entailed. Nutmeg Inferno had declined the offer, lodging her objection in the form of a blast of scalding steam from a loose pipe. The dragoness vanished in the billowing cloud, which didn't seem to cause her any trouble breathing (she was a dragon after all) but did disorient her and gave the kirin a chance to bolt into her office, slamming the heavy door behind her.

Meanwhile Summer Scribe was already in the process of bringing a wrench down on the intruder's head; the sudden cloud of steam prevented her from seeing the blow connect, but she could feel the impact through her magic. The dragon's limbs seemed to spasm as she fell flat on her belly. For a second there was a blurry vision of flapping bat-wings and half-concealed lizard, before she'd scrambled back to her paws, rage written on her face. The jet of steam died down as the pressure fell, the cloud the steam rapidly dispersing into the rest of the compartment. The dragon's eyes were wild, searching the space for any sign of the kirin; finding no sign of her quarry, her gaze settled on Summer Scribe. "How dare you!" she hissed, with rather more electric crackle to her voice than before.

"That's for not asking nicely!" Summer Scribe smirked! "We might look cute, but we're not going to be bossed around by any dragon, including you!" She took a defensive stance, backing up a step, wrench still held in her telekinesis and ready to parry any counterattack. "If you want Nutmeg so badly, then you'll have to get through me, first!"

Enraged, the dragoness opened her mouth, revealing a bright blue-white glow in her throat. Her answer came as a fan of crackling electricity... which was immediately drawn to the iron deck plates. The lightning flashed down and grounded out just in front of Summer, flowing into and through the deck, the pipes, the machinery and pretty much everything else in the engine room. Everypony within the space was treated to a stinging sensation in their hooves and involuntary spasms in their legs, as the energy arced from pipe to railing to lever. Gauges surged, fuses blew and light bulbs shattered as the Harmony's already abused electrical system took another blow. The madly flickering light, combined with the clouds of steam, treated Summer to a series of flash bulb images of screaming ponies dashing about and desperately trying to get out of the engine room.

Summer Scribe winced, her ears flattened as the lightning surged and crackled all around her. She felt the tingle in her hooves, her fur standing on end, her legs twitching involuntarily as she staggered in place. The wrench slipped from her magical grasp and clattered to the floor as she closed her eyes and fought to remain calm. Overwhelmed though she was, she barely managed to avoid panic and register what just happened.

After a few seconds of chaos the blue unicorn had regained her footing and opened her eyes, levitating the wrench again and growling at where she thought the dragoness might be. "OK, now you're going to get it!" she cried out, leaping forward and swinging the wrench wildly in the general direction of the she-dragon's face. Summer's dazed mind had a vague notion of smashing her in the snout then bearing her down to the floor, heedless of the difference in size, armour and natural weaponry.

The purple dragon's face went from snarling to... an odd expression, not fear, frustration perhaps? She looked genuinely concerned by the screaming ponies, as if this wasn't supposed to happen. Now that she was facing Summer, the unicorn's shouted threats and lingering dizziness gave her ample time to dodge the incoming wrench. The dragoness stared at the little unicorn, cocks her head in incredulity at the boldness of the attack, before... vanishing. All that remained was a fresh cloud of purple smoke that mixed with the steam and further reduced the already minimal visibility in the engine room.

Summer screeched to a stop where the dragon had been standing and clumsily turned around, coughing and waving the wrench in front of her, futilely trying to disperse the smoke. "Okay, okay, I know she teleports when she does that... so where is she now?!" But with the poor visibility, all she could do was spin in a circle and look around desperately... Realising she was a sitting duck for another lightning strike, Summer made a dash for cover instead, leaping over a couple of supply crates and hunkering down to peer around the side. Sweat foamed on her flanks as she waited tensely for the intruder to make a move.

For a few seconds... which felt like an eternity to the unicorn... Summer could see no sign of the dragon. Then her position became apparent, as the hatch swung open and she was briefly silhouetted in the doorway, surrounded by sunlight streaming in from outside and steam flowing out. The scaly creature emerged on to the upper deck, just as Set Sail fluttered down, crewmates in tow. The brown pegasus found herself face to face with a sizable, on-edge dragoness, sparks still crackling around her muzzle.

Summer Scribe perked up, scrabbling around the crates and heading for the hatch, seeing the dragoness and Set Sail staring at each other. "Look out: she breathes lightning and she's pissed!" Summer called out, galloping clumsily and groggily towards the opening, legs still protesting from the electric shock.

Out on the deck, Set Sail emitted a bleating noise and toppled over while her crew advanced forward, glaring menacingly at the intruder. "Why don't you see how many of us you can beat, before we take you down?" growled the griffon, Gustus. A hefty earth mare beside him effortlessly shouldered an iron anchor.

The dragoness screamed in frustration, took two steps forward and disappeared again, leaving the ponies coughing and blinking in yet another burst of purple smoke. Summer dashed out from the engine room just in time to see the intruder reappear in mid-air, now some way from the ship and dropping rapidly, pink wings folded tightly against her serpentine body. Within seconds she is lost to view, sight line blocked by the bulk of the ship.

Following just behind Summer a red, brown and gold kirin came charging out, with some sort of jury-rigged contraption crackling with electricity strapped to her back. Looking around wildly, Nutmeg shouted triumphantly, "Okay, where's the dragon??"

Summer Scribe perked up as the creature teleported again! "Where is she now?" she called out, racing over to the railing, hoping the dragoness is in full retreat by this point... Her suspicions were confirmed when she caught sight of the flyer, still dropping rapidly. "Well, this is no good; our would-be kirin-napper's still on the loose, and we haven't settled the score!" She thumped a hoof against the deck, thinking dark thoughts, glancing back at Nutmeg and noticing that... imposing looking makeshift weapon.

Summer's jaw dropped, as she pointed a hoof into the sky. "If you think you can make THAT shot, go for it!" Maybe it's not over yet after all! She watches with bated breath...

...but before Nutmeg has any chance of making the shot, they watched as the dragon's dive flattened and carried it out of sight, beneath the nearby island. "Shoot! I mean, don't shoot, the other kind of shoot." Summer facehooved and laughed, the nervous energy getting to her.

Nutmeg peered over the side, saying "Yeah, it's not a homing missile or anything, needs line of sight." She sounding remarkably casual for a mare who'd just avoided being kidnapped, with a heavy and dangerous looking device strapped to her back.

"Okay, so we might have a little bit of a persistent dragon problem." Summer said, between deep breaths. "Nutmeg... think your new weapon can take her down? I'm sure she'll be back, probably when we least expect it." The unicorn researcher continued to admire the device, a puzzled expression on her face, as if to say 'what does it do, exactly'.

Looking to Summer, she lifts a hoof, saying "It's just that this lightning gun wasn't going to cut it against a freaky dragon that breathes lightning, so then I rigged it to use the lightning to accelerate these uh... these biscuits I had lying around. Don't worry they're pretty much inedible."

"Ooh!" said Summer, nodding. "Yeah, if Plan A for surprise dragon attack was the lightning gun, I guess a proverbial wrench got thrown in your plans!" She chuckled "But this looks super cool, too!"

Nutmeg's piece starts beeping then, causing the kirin to blush and say sheepishly, "Sorry, I gotta go unplug this thing before it, uh... explodes." With that she backed into the engine room and disappeared leaving the ponies on deck to wonder whether it would have exploded after she fired.

Summer just stood there blinking for a moment, saying "Please do not explode that thing around me, Nutmeg." to empty air, before shaking her head and trotting after the kirin. She wanted to head back into the engine room anyway, to check on everypony caught in the dragon's lightning... then she should debrief Set Sail (once the pegasus came around) and check that she was ok too!

Trailing behind Nutmeg was a cord, which she followed back into her office; it ended at a power socket, plugged in next to a lamp now missing its own power cord. The kirin pulled the plug out and the whirring, crackling hum of the apparatus on her back slowly died down. "Okay, so far so good," she said distractedly, looking back at it as the hardtack vibrating in the centre ceased to be surrounded in blue glowing energy, and settled to the bottom of the tube which has been duct taped to the rest of the thing. At last satisfied, Nutmeg turned back to Summer, saying "No it is pretty cool! I had the idea when... well uh... I've been having a lot of ideas lately. It's kind of weird actually. But this's one of those things we could defend the ship with, and uh... wasn't intended to be mounted on me, to be honest."

Summer Scribe clopped her forehooves in giddy excitement. "Oooh, that's awesome! Yeah, we can mount this on the railing! Shoot it at that dragon if and when she comes flying back? Now we're talking! I guess even if this ship can't fly, we can at least make it into our fort, huh?" The excited unicorn grinned with enthusiasm. "Though, I guess we'll need to figure out what to do while you're out and about, too. That dragon's not gonna be easy to take down, even with your super-electric-hardtack-launcher!"

Smiling at Summer's enthusiastic appraisal of her work, Nutmeg replied "Thanks! It'll probably be more helpful than that uh... self-actuating automatic toaster I threw together. But would you like to come look at this other idea I had, for a ship that floats without a balloon?"

Summer Scribe gaped! "Without a balloon?" She thought for a moment. Maybe you just magically propel... no, wait, this is Nutmeg who came up with it. She somehow looked even more excited! "How? I wanna see!"

Unshouldering her device and leaning it against the wall, Nutmeg said eagerly, "C'mon! I'll show you the prototype! It uses virtual momentum to..." and still explaining, the kirin lead Summer to look at the little toy ship on the kirin's workbench, hovering serenely right by a detailed schematic of it.

Summer's ears perked: "Wooaahh! You already have a scale model?" She had to gloss over the technobabble; this was definitely not her field; but to see it in action was amazing! "So, we gonna try to make full scale ships out of this?"

"Well I dunno about that," Nutmeg replied cheerfully, "You need more than just scrap parts to make a full sized ship. But it's a super neat idea. See how the propellers... they're just prop propellers but they'd propel it forward, while..."

Summer Scribe nod nodded, peering closer. "I see, I see!" Alas, she missed the extremely beautiful underlying theory that no one present but Nutmeg was qualified to understand. "Yeah, it sounds like it'd be a lot of work, but maybe we could make a little one, just for a couple of ponies?" she pondered out loud.

In the cockpit of the commandeered drow vessel, Cloud Cutter found herself staring at the controls. The copter was a whole different deal to a full-size airship, but there wasn't that much to see. Two control sticks, and a throttle lever. Not a lot different than a pony helicopter, but no pedals... and no tail rotor, so yaw must be controlled by one of the sticks, she thought. She'd only had basic training, enough to take the odd unicorn or earth pony researcher up to the cloud observatory, but...she pulls the lever, and the rotors begin to turn. Left control stick back... nothing, must be the pitch for the propellers, right stick back... the ship quivered and began to lift off, that must be the collective.

A twitch of the left stick and everything tilted as the ship wheeled around. Simple! Assuming nopony had fallen off at that little flight test, that is. Out of time for further experimentation, Cloud Cutter opened up the throttle and ship surged forward, rapidly gaining speed and altitude as it pulled away from the wrecked magical trap.

Azure seemed nervous, standing on the lurching deck and watching the massive enemy airship following behind. She couldn't help but think of the rest of the crew; the civilians, back at the Harmony; leading this battlewagon to them would be... awful. There was a good chance she'd lose a lot of friends if that thing got their ship in its sights. Not that being thrown in a fighting arena wasn't just as dangerous... but if they couldn't get away... she was a fighter. The drow didn't know about the Harmony, they could just pretend they were on their own. There was a chance she could survive and escape... as could the rest of her squad. But what if the creatures forced them to fight each other?

Reef staggered and spreads his wings for balance as the ship lifts off. Glaring daggers at the conniving drow pilot, he turned to Azure and pushes his head close to hers. "We need to get Grenelda back to the Harmony as fast as we can, one has done what one can in the field, but without proper treatment there's a risk she could lose use of the wing." he said, his pink crest feathers tossing wildly in the downwash from the rotors. "What about these creatures though?" he asked, gesturing with a wing at the three injured drow.

"Their best hope is probably with their kin, but..." He looked at the distant airship, which was ponderously picking up speed. The distinctive shapes of cannon muzzles poked out of each side and a giant barrel extended from a superstructure on the bow. "...one hopes we have enough of a head start to outrun tha battlewagon, but do we have time to stop and drop the enemy casualties on one of the platforms?"

"On the one hoof, we could drop them off and risk the fight... but the amount of armour on that thing, my strongest blast might just bounce off. Even if they don't catch us, once in range of that central gun... I can't see this flimsy little ship surving even one direct hit." Azure's voice hardened, her decision made: "If we run now and don't stop, we stand a much better chance of living through this. It's their lives or ours, doc. That's what it boils down to, if you ask me."

Reef gave the winged unicorn a hard stare, locking eyes for a long moment, before ducking his head. "Very well, if you insist. I'll... tie them up then. I won't have any killing in cold blood."

Azure nodded to the doctor. "In the long run, more lives are saved this way." she concluded, before dashing up into the cockpit, where the purple pegasus was still piloting the copter. "Cloud Cutter. This ship's a little fish compared to that behemoth behind us. Looks like we're faster, so we can get away... but if that thing finds the Harmony, it's a lot more trouble for everyone. Our only advantage is, they don't know we came in a bigger ship, for all they know we came from one of the islands. So do you think you can outrun them without giving away the Harmony's position?"

"Oh, I hadn't considered returning to the Harmony," Cloud Cutter said in surprise, turning away from her forward vigil to regard Azure, "We shouldn't lead them to it, you're right. But what direction should we go? Aside from towards the galleon, of course."

Remembering the map, Azure nodded. "We could circle around, head north and lead them on a goose chase... if you think we need more time to get out of sight... but if you think we might run out of fuel... then south. The Harmony's to the east by south-east." Azure froze for a moment, unsure what to do, before her gaze settled on the injured griffon sitting just outside the windows. "Take the south route. It's faster and with Grenelda injured, time's not on our side." she said firmly, before placing a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "You got this, Cloud Cutter."

"South it is," Cloud Cutter says in relief, not changing course since they were already heading more or less directly south. "I don't know how much the ship can take," she admitted, fiddling with the throttle, "But pulling this lever up seems to make it go faster. Unfortunately I've only had a few trips in helicopters and... had to rescue ponies from them on a couple of occasions.... so this is a bit new to me." Nonetheless, she managed to guide the alien craft with increasing confidence as it whirred away from the shattered island and its murderous inhabitants.

The Wyvern's Sting (as the pilot had called the copter) easily pulled away from the ponderous air galleon, heading south with the throttle wide open. It was a mere twenty kilometres to the nearest landmass, a collection of sheer, broken rocks taller than they were wide. They formed a maze of aerial canyons, swept bare on the outer faces but with the sheltered interiors covered in hanging greenery and filled with flocks of colourful birds. Cloud Cutter carefully maneuvered the drow copter between the cliffs, threading through until they passed out the far side, now thoroughly out of range of the enemy.

Cloud Cutter brought the little ship around in a slow arc, drifting further south before flying east, skirting another more contiguous island formed of dark grey basalt. Jets of flame shot up from the hundreds of pools of lava dotting the landscape; there was a glimpse of crumbling stone towers and impossible floating platforms, shrouded in heat haze, but right now nocreature felt like getting closer to check them out. All the time Reef Skimmer did his best to keep the strange bipeds, or 'drow' as the pilot called herself, alive. Despite his efforts one passed away before they even reached the cliffs, and another, his chest crushed by griffon claws, breathed his last as they pulled away from the volcanic island.

By this point Cloud Cutter was starting to have serious trouble with the controls; the craft felt sluggish and was losing speed despite the throttle being firmly in the wide open position. Yanking the collective, she struggled to keep their altitude up as the copter made the final leg north towards the twinned masses of Blissful Pastures and the stranded Equestrian airship. It was late afternoon by the time they finally made it back to their home ship, with the copter's engine spluttering and the craft lurching heavily through the air. The drow pilot begged to take the helm, but the two griffs stared at her coldly while Azure encouraged Cloud Cutter one final time (although, in all honesty, Reef's wings were tensed in case he had to haul Grenelda out of an imminent crash).

Pony head poked out of tents and over the ship's rail, drawn by the sound of the rotors while sheep scattered in every direction to get out of the way. The copter came down hard but intact in the meadow, skidding to a stop near the pony encampment. With a crack and wheeze, clouds of smoke blew out of the lower deck, as the over-stressed engine gave up the ghost. Deep in the Harmony's engine room, Nutmeg and Summer lifted their heads up at the muffled impact of the crash, abandoning their discussion on autolevitation and galloping out to see what had happened.

"Just enough to get us back to base and in the fastest way we could. Cloud Cutter... that was amazing. Thank you." Azure seemed absolutely pleased with how things went in the cockpit, even if she had no idea what was going on outside. "Now how about that little chat?" she said, smiling to her friend.

"I um..." Cloud Cutter looks down at her hooves, kicking a foreleg shyly as she watches its very important motion. "I suppose so..."

"Azure, wait... what about them?" said Grenelda, gesturing at the two surviving drow, sitting tied up and blindfolded in the shallow cargo hold under the forward deck. "Over the edge or... you feel like asking some questions first?"

"Good idea. The questions, I mean." Azure said, though in truth after the various threats the horrid creatures had made she wouldn't mind tossing them over the edge of the island. A long silence, then "I suppose we can start with figuring out a little more about the islands surrounding their home base... right? Some information on the general area would be a good start."

At that point Set Sail came trotting down the Harmony's gangplank, staring at the new arrival in the meadow before shouting up at the creatures on its deck: "What the hay was that?! What the hay is this?!"

"Sails!" Reef Skimmer shouted down. "I mean, Captain. Oh, the heart warms at the sight of you. Safe and sound, I mean. So... yes, erm, I realise this must be a bit of a shock, but I want to start by saying everycreature performed above and beyond the call of duty, commendations warranted all round, and truly... they started it!"

A few flaps of her wings and the green-kerchiefed captain had swooped up onto the copter's deck, landing and looking around with eyes wide. "Is this... is this a ship?" she said incredulously. "Where's the balloon? Where did you get this?" Behind her the rest of the Harmony's crew was approaching the little ship, their expressions showing varying degrees of curiosity and dread.

"Would love to explain, but I regret to say, I do have a casualty here needing immediate treatment, so..." Reef said, gesturing to Grenelda. The griffoness had a substantial dressing sitting behind her shoulder and her left wing tightly bound up to her side with rope; she was carefully climbing out of the ship, annoyed at being unable to fly. "...if you wouldn't mind postponing that discussion until after I've gotten her to the sick bay?"

"No, no not you," Set Sail cautioned, holding a hoof to Reef Skimmer's chest, "You don't explain anything. Just go do your thing. I'll ask somepony else."

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Nutmeg Inferno, Set Sail and in this session, Cloud Cutter), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe and in this session, Grenelda) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

This chapter is based on the seventeenth session, with me as the GM. A significant escalation of the stakes; the combat and aftermath here was enough to move the story from 'everyone' to 'teen' rating. The drow were prepared to capture a couple of griffons, but a bit of pony magic was enough to completely ruin their day. Next time likely won't be so easy though. As for Cynder, she wasn't joking when she implied that the whole crew combined would have a hard time taking her down, but fortunately she decided not to chance it.

Undaunted

A brown winged pegasus with a green kerchief holding back her blue mane hovered anxiously at the threshold of a very dark place. There were noises within, but her ears were turned away, afraid to hear what terrible things that frightfully intimidating hippogriff and that somehow more intimidating royal guard must be doing to those poor creatures. She never was a fan of going below deck in the first place, and now that the starboard quartermaster's stores had been converted to an impromptu prison... it certainly was not what she signed up for.

Set Sail should have been fixing the balloon while the real captain made decisions over life and death. In fact there shouldn't have been decisions over life and death in the first place. The storm was the only obstacle to some nice, abandoned, empty islands in the sky, for the sciencey ponies to crawl all over, with Set Sail there just to make sure they had a boat ready to carry them when it was time to return to Equestria.

The words were indistinct, muffled by the ship's thick wood structure and confused by the echoes from the hard steel plating. She could make out three distinct voices in this conversation. One was high-pitched with a trace of sibilance, and she seemed to do most of the talking, alternating between arrogant and ingratiating, then eventually between wheedling and begging. A deeper, almost monotone one was recognisable as the unicorn battle mage, at least at first, before it became harsh with rising anger and contempt. Finally there was the stallion: controlled, clipped, more concise than she remembered him being. Professional even; as if he'd done this before.

At last the heavy door banged open and Azure Feather stalked out, ears flattened and eyes ablaze. Her extravagant butterfly wings were pressed tight against her back, and motes of light continued to shed from her horn even after she'd released her telekinesis; the sign of a unicorn who wished they could express their frustration by blasting something. Faced with an angry combat-trained unicorn in tight quarters, Set Sail instinctively sank back into the corner. Azure didn't even notice the pegasus as she trotted over to the ramp and headed back up to the main deck, her mind already examining possible strategies for putting an end to the pirate base.

It would be another minute before Reef Skimmer followed, having secured the prisoner and checked provision of water and basic sanitation. The huge eagle face looked even fiercer than usual, brows furrowed and beak clicking as he closed and locked the door, but his feathers were still smooth and his manner didn't radiate the anger that Azure's had. At first the grey hippogriff didn't notice Set Sail either, but as he turned towards the ramp he saw a pony face staring up at him. "Captain." he said formally, "Eager to hear my report, I take it? We've done what we can, within the bounds of reason and decency."

"Report! Yes!" Set Sail squeaked, unable to escape further into the corner. "That's what I was! Um! Here for!" the flustered pegasus blurts out, eyes darting nervously, "I wasn't. Listening or anything but. Is it... are they still a-alive?"

Reef Skimmer cocked his head, trying to discern the captain's intent. He'd asked if she wanted to be present and she declined; had she changed her mind? "The older female, or 'Jagged Blade' as she called herself..." The griff snorted at the name. "...two fractured ribs but no significant internal bleeding, symptoms of concussion seem to have cleared up. She should be fine; physically that is. Mentally, well... all we got out of her were threats and insults. When she wasn't sobbing."

Reef sighed. "It seems Grenelda fatally wounded her mate in the altercation; self-defence of course, but Miss Blade doesn't see it that way. I did what I could, but..." The griff looked away, then ducked his head. "...I couldn't save either of the injured males, they died on the flight back. I did beseech Azure to leave them for their kin to find, but... unless these 'drow' possess undisclosed and powerful healing magic, I doubt that would have made a difference."

Reef stared into space, saying vaguely "And let's not even speak of the poor soul in the engine room, if he even had a soul after whatever Loud Cutter did." Blinking a couple of times, the griff realised this might not be what the Captain was interested in: after flubbing his last two reports he needed to do better. Reef shook out and refolded his large wings then caught Set Sail's eye again. "But of course you mean the two we have here. So yes one lightly wounded, while the younger one is in perfect health. And very talkative, if not entirely cooperative."

Set Sail's wide green eyes stared back in stared back in paralyzed panic, before the mare said, "Good! That's... g-good. Self defence, alright. B-b-but the younger one, Loud Cutter, why did she d-destroy the engine room? Engineer! Why did she destroy the... h-her own crew?" Wings half spread, still backed into the corner by the obtuse hippogriff, things weren't looking too good for the little pegasus's self confidence.

Reef's head tilted again as he tried to make sense of that. 'Destroy her own crew?' Cloud Cutter wasn't... oh, of course. "Do forgive me Captain, still not immune to hitting the wrong note on these reports, hah!" The barest imitation of a laugh. "To be clear, the younger specimen... drow that is, erm... says her name is 'Silent Arrow'. She was the pilot of the enemy vessel, had to, err, persuade her to land the thing before...' Reef enunciated carefully "...Cloud... Cutter... could take over and fly us home. That was right after the, erm... incident in the engine bay, no witnesses so all I can tell you is Cloud Cutter went in there, there was a deceased drow in there after she came out, body still warm... and not a mark on either of them..."

As he looked at the captain, Reef got the impression something was wrong with her. Eyes dilated, ears twitching, wings drawn in but not properly folded, muscles tensed... perhaps this was triggering some kind of anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder? "Captain... Set Sail, that is, are you alright? Correct me if I'm wrong but you do seem rather... uneasy... with all this."

"Oh me? I'm fine!" she loudly replied with a forced smile, "Could we just... how about shall we... let's just continue this, um... discussion. Up on the... um, outside." She cast a hoof in the general direction of the ramp.

Keeping his eyes on the pegasus mare, Reef began slowly walking up towards the upper deck. "As you wish, Captain."

She remained frozen until he was out of line of sight, then sagged in something like relief. Horrified relief. "I am not ready for this," she muttered to herself. Then taking a deep breath, she followed the good doctor up and out into the sunlight. "What did Cloud Cutter do?" Set Sail asked quietly, as she trotted up behind the hippogriff, "She didn't say anything about k-killing anything. She didn't say anything, in fact. She hasn't spoken much at all. Not that any of them ever do anymore, but... what happened in that ship?"

Reef Skimmer looked at the little brown pegasus, trotting out onto the open deck with evident relief, then around at the assorted ponies moving supplies around or working on repairs. Keen as ponies were to share everything, this did seem like a matter of some sensitivity. Normally he would suggest the chart room, or the officer's mess, but if Set Sail did in fact have claustrophobia... "Of course, Captain," he began "...but perhaps you'd prefer to hear this in private?" He looked up at the balloon above their heads. "Bluebell mentioned that the crow's nest has a splendid view of the sunset?"

"Oh, that's a good id—" she says, looking upwards with bright eyes, then blushes, repeating seriously, "I mean, yes that seems like a good idea, doctor. Shall we uh... meet you there?" The mare immediately flapped into the air and headed out into the sky.

Nodding, Reef Skimmer launched himself off the deck and flew in a wide, ascending circle, climbing up above the balloon. Sure enough the little hollow in the ship's plated upper surface was empty; not much call for lookouts with the vessel firmly moored to the island. The hippogriff drew up to a hover then touched down gently in the crow's nest.

Fluttering down alongside him, Set Sail didn't seem immediately eager to interrogate him for details. Torn between looking his way and rearing up on the edge of the hollow, to gaze out across the forest, she finally confessed to Reef Skimmer, "I think there's something... really wrong with the ponies. Who were in the Storm Piercer when it failed."

The relentless informality of these ponies still didn't sit well with the hippogriff officer, but in the hope that it would put the captain at ease he sat down, barely fitting into the available space. "Indeed; unknown magical energy, creating and maintaining a medically impossible condition, quite unprecedented... why, if I didn't know better I'd say they were zombies!" Again, the attempt at levity didn't really work.

"In all honesty, Captain, you'd be better asking Summer or even Azure. I... recall your encouragement, that unicorns aren't the answer to everything, but when it comes to strange magical phenomena, well..." He gestured above his forehead with a claw "...neither of us are equipped to analyse it. All I can tell you is that above and beyond moving and talking without the aid of breathing or heartbeat, Cloud Cutter in particular has demonstrated... some form of ability, to terminate the life processes of organisms in close contact with her. It does seem to be voluntary but exactly how much control she has..." Reef looked away, pausing for a moment "...or how it feels, I don't know."

"She what?!" Set Sail exclaimed, turning to stare at Reef in shock, "You didn't say that she... she used her wing blades! Didn't she? Close contact?! She could be touching anypony right now!"

The griff looked back impassively at the pegasus, eagle face unreadable again. "As I said," he repeated in a neutral tone, "there were no injuries, no signs of trauma on either Cloud Cutter or the drow engineer. Close proximity and, one can only hope, intent, were sufficient." He looked away, staring into the sky. "I didn't see it happen, but from the... remains... left behind, I believe something similar happened during the 'buzzer beak' attack; that's what Abersathy calls the propeller-crested birds."

"T-that's terrible!" Set Sail declared, sinking to her haunches, "We have to stop her! We have to i-isolate them or something. We can't even throw them in the brig because they'll kill those other creatures though! What are we gonna do?!"

Without thinking, Reef Skimmer extends a wing to comfort the Captain: it completely covers her body, leaving just her head peaking out, before he realised what he was doing and snapped it back to his flank. He had to remember, this was the captain, not a scared hippogriff chick that needed comforting; no matter how much the size difference made her seem like one.

"Captain, I understand your desire to protect the crew, by all means. If I thought they were contagious, or that this... effect was happening at random, I'd be the first to insist on quarantine. But we've only seen it twice, both in a life-or-death, or should I say death or undeath, ahem... situation. And so far only Cloud Flutter... Cutter rather, has been placed in such circumstances. So before insisting on isolation of four ponies, one of whom is our only combat-trained pegasus, perhaps we should discuss the matter with her?"

"Right, right, we can talk to them. I can just talk to her. And you'd know if she was gonna... if she was contagious or s-something." Set Sail says in a fright, forelegs wrapped around her head, "I just need to... but can we talk with them? They're just so... different! They're not getting... excited over anything anymore, and they never laugh okay they do laugh but not really not like, really. How do you talk with somepony who just... stares right through you? They'd just ask me what I want them to do. Go jump off the ship, anything, because I'm the captain or... or something. What if they don't even care if they're killing anypony?"

Reef couldn't help himself: captain or not, it seemed like the pony needed some support. Slowly, he extended his wing again and gently folded it around Set Sail. "I must confess, I was so focused on their physical condition, I didn't give much thought to the psychological impact." Perhaps he should have been focusing on Cloud Cutter instead of Nutmeg Inferno? Was he really expected to be doctor and psychiatrist and cart puller and zoologist? Surely someone else...

"I did get the impression... well, she did seem somewhat distressed, after the skirmish. Not that she had much chance to ruminate as Azure immediately recruited her to fly the ship. Some amount of dissociation might be inevitable, but... look, Sails, this speculation is getting us nowhere. You could try asking the unicorns, or we could just interview Cloud Cutter."

At the touch of his feathers she tensed for just a moment, then leaned against him letting his wing snug tight. "I'm just not cut out for this," she said softly, "The captain would know what to do. I'm just a ballast engineer. All I know is balloons. Don't tell anypony, but I... I really screw things up sometimes. I don't know why everypony seems to like me being captain. This new ship lands with d-dead creatures and actual prisoners, and... Azure said you needed to question them or something, but I wouldn't even know what to ask, if I had to do it."

"Am I to understand that you're transferring command to Grenelda?" Reef suggested, finally managing some genuine levity. "If you insist, Captain; I'll prepare the necessary paperwork post haste."

"Grenelda?" the mare squawked in indignation, twisting to look up at him under his wing, "Are you insane? She'd probably send us on an all out attack against those pirates! She'd probably question them on what kind of meat they eat or something like that, or how tough they were. A-actually those might be kind of good questions, but... the point is she doesn't... want to be captain. And I don't either but I can at least... save her from the trouble? Save us from the trouble of her being captain."

A dry chuckle escaped Reef's beak, startling Set Sail as it seemed she hadn't yet worked out griff smiles. "So you admit that you are the best mare for the job. The crew is, of course, in agreement. I've served under my fair share of captains and most of them would envy such regard from their crews." He looked away for a moment, before fixing Set Sail with an intense gaze. "Speaking of the interrogation, do you wish to hear my report?"

She thankfully didn't notice his intense gaze, instead sighing and staring forward beyond and through the wall of the crow's nest, before saying shortly, "Yeah. Tell me everything you know. Then maybe we can figure out what to do to make the best of this."

Reef couldn't help resuming a somewhat formal attitude; he withdrew his wing and sat up straighter before explaining. "As mentioned, the older captive called herself 'Jagged Blade' and was generally hostile and uncooperative. The only thing she confirmed was that one of the males, who died on the trip here..." Reef couldn't help sighing again at that, "...was her mate. The younger one, on the other claw..." The hippogriff cocked his head, considering his words. "She was very talkative, seemed to treat everything as a negotiation. Wouldn't tell us anything outright, save that her name is 'Silent Arrow', other than that it had to be 'trading information'. Oh she demanded various other things, some of them ridiculous of course, though we did let her have nicer food." He frowned. "She wanted to go on up deck for a bit, but Azure wasn't going to allow that, not after... what she'd let slip."

Set Sail doesn't immediately ask, looking forward quietly, but then says, "What did she let slip? It sounded like you two were pretty angry in there."

"Well to summarise, these 'drow' are a kind of 'elf', as you saw a bipedal sapient species similar to but somewhat smaller than our troll friend. 'Drow' seems to be a cultural distinction though that wasn't entirely clear. This group... well in short they're pirates, they raid nearby islands, attack civilian airships, rather like the kind we hippos had to deal with back home... except for that magical trap business. It seems to be partly a defence mechanism and partly a source of meat... or slaves, on the rare occasion that a griffon flies too close."

Seeing the pegasus's shocked look, Reef said softly. "Oh yes, they're slavers all right. It seems they make the stronger specimens, of which griffons are particularly prized, fight in their 'arena'. Apparently it's some kind of barbaric, violent entertainment that other ruffians actually pay to come and see. The rest, like the 'gill-men' they like to raid... they end up with whatever menial and dangerous work the drow don't feel like doing, unless they can find a buyer."

Reef snorts. "One must note Miss 'Silent Arrow' seems to be a canny little creature. She rattled off a list of her people's crimes as if she was proud of them, then when she noticed our reaction, immediately began informing us that she 'just follows orders' and 'doesn't approve of any of that, but has no say in how things are run'."

Conflicting emotions run across her face, probably inscrutable to the poor hippogriff. At last hanging her head, Set Sail sighs, hunching forward and saying, "It's like the Storm King all over again..."

Anger flashed in Reef Skimmer's eyes at the mention of the tyrant, before his expression softened as he attemted to console the pegasus. "Oh, it's not all that, Captain. We aren't dealing with a massive military force bent on conquest. If they're really like the Lucia Sea pirates back home, then I'd would guess more of a lazy, amoral, opportunistic rabble. Violent, certainly, dangerous, in our current situation no doubt. But it does seem we've had one stroke of luck: the captive made is clear they used to be a much bigger operation."

"An assault on their base, she wouldn't give us the details, but it clearly left them with a much diminished force, likely just the one capital ship. Apparently they used to use their device to pull in ships from long distances and collected tribute from several towns, now they're reduced to just local raiding." The griff snorted again. "Whoever it was, we may be in their debt but I wish they'd finished the job. Do you know she actually tried to barter for our 'help' to repair their magical devices? The gall of it, after trying to kill or enslave our scouting party!"

"Sounds like she didn't know any better," Set Sail said frankly, shaking her head, "Some creatures teach their young to be very cruel." Her grim tone turned excited though, when she said, "Better than a stroke of luck though, if we could find out who assaulted their base, maybe they could... well—" she blushed, "I know they could be just as bad, but that makes it even more important to find out about them. If they can... aid us, and aren't also pirate slavers, then we might be able to get back on our hooves again. Did they say which island the assault came from?"

"I'm afraid not." Reef said, looking away from Set Sail and staring into the sky as if trying to find the island in question. "No, Miss Arrow wanted a high price for that information, and at that point neither Azure nor myself were in a mind to entertain further 'negotiation'." After a moment he looked back at the little pegasus, and said encouragingly "Oh but we did find out a little about the local vicinity! They've been raiding a community of 'gill-men', fish-like bipeds it seems, for food and wood. Poor fellows don't seem able to put up much of a fight, but when the pirates come for them they hide in a 'force field'; the drow seemed to think it was a pre-existing feature rather than crediting them with any magical ability."

"Anyway, the place is over by that impossible floating river Melonjuice spotted. Then there's yet another sapient biped species, she called them 'Land Sharks'..." the hippogriff was clearly excited by the prospect of all these new species to investigate "...now they live on an arid island not too far north of here. Tough customers though, at least for the pirates; the drow said they'd been stealing parts from there to repair their fleet, but they had to sneak in at night because of the 'land ship' which is 'covered in cannons'. Oh and that they used do well in their 'arena', but it's hard to kidnap one as they 'travel in shoals'. Make of that what you will."

"Seems like we should at least check them out," Set Sail remarked, adding with a wince, "but maybe those gill-men first, before we try approaching something called a land shark with a ship covered in cannons. Maybe they'll know who's friendly around here." Standing, the pegasus said with a smile to the excitable hippogriff, "Thanks for your report. I know things look bad now, but... if we know what we're up against, we might even stand a chance."

"Indeed, start with the least threatening, sound strategy, not that we can be sure Miss Arrow is telling the truth, but... well..." Reef Skimmer closed his eyes and ducked his head for a few seconds, before looking at Set Sail and cocking his head. "As you say Captain, one is sure all aboard will rise to the occasion." His beak gapes open a touch. "The fresh air up here does seem to be doing you some good at least. Though..." Reef frowned again, trying to recall the chatter between Gustus and Grenelda as he'd treated the latter. "...I did hear about a, erm, dragon incident? No injuries, at least nothing serious I understand, but I imagine... it must have been a bit of a shock?" Probably best not to outright say 'So Captain, I understand you fainted in front of the crew', he thought.

Blushing hotly, Set Sail said in a furious fuss, "Of course it was a shock! It was a freakish mutant dragon that breathes lightning instead of fire! A-and it managed to knock me out while it was escaping. D-don't let anypony tell you differently." She totally didn't scrunch her muzzle at that whatsoever. Then without another word, she spread her wings and leapt out of the crow's nest, soaring off into the sky.

Reef muttered something to himself, watching the pony fly away; she might not be a fighter herself, but pegasi were proud in their own way, and made a big deal of bravery in the face of adversity. If the monster encounters and magical weirdness kept up the hippogriff was at risk of spending as much time playing psychiatrist as doctor, a role which despite Summer's encouragement he found himself ill-suited too. He shook his head, trying to dismiss the prospect, then took flight and headed back to the deck.

It had been two days since the recon team set out on their ill-fated mission to investigate the skies in the direction of the mysterious signal. Two days since the escape from the magical grip of the shattered islands and their unfriendly inhabitants. Nutmeg had been happily disassembling, reassembling, adjusting, criticising and improving the captured drow copter. Their two 'guests' had been kept away from the crew, in a lower storeroom hastily converted to a makeshift brig. Azure Feather and Reef Skimmer had spent hours in there, only to emerge with angry eyes and clenched teeth (or in the latter case, grinding beak). Summer Scribe had recounted the incident with the purple dragoness to the flyers, and they in turn had given a full account of their near escape.

It was time to decide on their next course of action; once again the bulk of the crew was assembled under the balloon, on the top deck of the EAS Harmony, where it fell to the acting captain to summarise their predicament.

"I would just like to say," the ersatz captain Set Sail states nervously, pacing before the rest of the crew, "That it is PROBABLY not a safer option to just fly back into the storm. We don't know that all the sky islands are full of meat-eating pirates and killer sharks with guns, and those uh... gill men seem... nice? I think we need an uh, an alliance, or something. With someone. It's not safe to explore without knowing anything about what we're getting into. So, we uh, I can't believe we had to take PRISONERS but here we are. We're pretty much sitting ducks out here if those pirates find out where we are. So... that's the situation, and I know it looks bad but... well we're doing okay so far, and Nutmeg tells me she can get that smaller ship back in order."

"If we find some place with supplies, we can use it to transport them. Or we could... take everypony somewhere safe, a few at a time, and just... abandon this ship. I don't want to do that though. The Storm Piercer's irreplaceable, and we already put so much work into saving her. Does anypony else have any more ideas? I'm for trying to... get supplies, hopefully not by s-stealing them, but... I don't want to die out here. So we might have to... do some... things."

"Things like stealing them!" Gustus shouted supportively from the peanut gallery.

For the past few days, meanwhile, Azure hadn't been resting much. Irritation was clear on her face as her ship now held a couple of slavers; she paced slowly up and down the deck as she listened to the captain. Sighing lightly at the mention of prisoners, she shook her head to try and clear out her regrets; Set Sail needed her to focus on making a plan of action.

"Option one, land sharks. Lots of guns on that landship and as good as ponies and griffons are at flying evasively, one mistake there and we're done. So no." She paused for a second before continuing. "Option two, the volcanic island, we're still flying blind there, no." She just shakes her head to emphasize before moving on. "Option three, fight back against these slavers: someday! Someday... but it won't be now. By Celestia, I'm not going to let that stand for much longer though..." she trailed off before sighing again. More sleep would have been nice. "Finally, option four..." Azure looked into the distance. "The gillmen are our best shot. And when 'best shot' means 'not openly hostile' - that's saying something..." The unicorn fell silent, continuing to think about possible strategies.

Reef Skimmer had also been staring into space, with a haunted or perhaps conflicted look. Now he addressed the crew, looking from one face to another, trying to judge their mood. "It should go without saying, that as creatures of honour and resolve, we have a moral duty to rescue those poor creatures enslaved in that floating pit. Nor can any right-thinking griff, or pony, abide the existence of this nest of slavers and murderers. The Queen's Navy made a point of eliminating every trace of such malfeasance... where feasible."

The big griff hung his head. "I must confess though, we hippogriffs lacked the means to do anything about the Storm King, nor the flesh traders of Kludgetown, and now this crew finds itself in a similar situation. One ship, damaged, unarmed, against a tribe of warriors and criminals, diminutive though they are." He sighed. "Azure is right; for now we can only hope to find allies, gather strength, bide our time, and..." he glances at Nutmeg "keep our engineer away from curious dragons, I suppose."

Summer Scribe furrowed her brow, considering the possibilities. With everything she'd seen and heard, it seemed they might be surrounded by folks and factions that might try to blow their ship to smithereens; it was so much easier when it was just chompies, ruins and Abby! "As much as I'd like to see the best in everyone and make friends with everycritter..." she gave Azure a quick nod, "It seems we'll need to make strategic alliances in a hostile, cutthroat place like this."

"Running and hiding won't work: the Storm Piercer's our only ticket out," she countinued, "and we don't have anywhere else to make shelter. Our best bet is to go with 'the enemy of our enemy is our friend' and show the firepower we bring to the table. We'll have to build up a reputation as peacekeepers, springboarding off of what we've done this week."

The purple pegasi, those ponies first touched by the magic of this strange place, were again huddled in a group apart from the others, with Cloud Cutter at the front as their spokespony. "The last thing I want to see is more death..." she said, her tone hollow, "but... some things deserve to be ended. Like forcing innocent creatures to fight and die in a pit for the amusement of savages." She took a deep breath. "When you need us, we'll be there, to do what has to be done." The other pegasi stood behind her, staring with their empty white eyes and silently supporting her position.

Azure nodded slowly as everyone seemed to agree with her point of view, but as Cloud Cutter voiced the purple pegasi's opinion as a whole... her ears flattened with shame and regret. With all the interrogation and stress from it, she'd completely forgotten to go and support her allies... with even just a talk. It was at that moment that Azure did the only thing she could think of at the moment, walking over to Cloud Cutter to stand by her side... just trying to make sure they weren't forgotten. Or at least... trying to get that message across.

"Yeah! Put me down for clearing out those little assholes as well, just as soon as this wing's healed up." Grenelda blurted out. The griffon's left wing was still tightly bound up to her side. "They aren't so tough really, they just caught us by surprise with that freaky magic." She turned to her mate, Gustus, and crowed enthusiastically "Which the butterfly pony smashed to bits, you should'a seen it, it was glorious!" She looked at Azure appreciatively: "I bet if we came in for a surprise attack, you blasting away their defences, me and the doctor swooping down, Cloud Cutter doing... whatever she does... yeah we could take 'em"

"Come on Grennie, this isn't your fight." Gustus said, looking at the hen with concern. "Sounds like there could be hundreds of them, with guns and harpoons and who knows what else. Let's just leave it well alone."

Grenelda just snorted at that, but did shift closer to Gustus, prompting him to extend a wing over her back. "You know I could never keep out of other griff's business..." she muttered quietly.

If Azure's face showed disappointment before, Grenelda's speech got her right back on track, as she chuckled. "Thanks for the praise, Grenelda. Every creature in the attack squad was incredible, that's really why we did as well as we did." She paused, remembering the details. "Just remember... our captive said most of their warriors were out on a raid. Best case scenario still has us fighting one huge ship, worst case, five or more. We need to build up strength before even thinking we can win."

Nutmeg does make a point to step stiffly forward then, the red-ruffed kirin saying tightly, "I don't know what... slavery or pirates or anything like that is. But I can get the ship working once I figure out how those... crystally things in the engines generate heat. I hope none of this stuff is as bad as you're all acting like, but... I think we can make it, if we just... try to keep each other safe. So um, no problems here."

"The little ship was such shoddy construction it was practically falling apart once you go it here, and that's actually a good thing, because once we put it back together right, I bet she'll fly twice as fast. Only minor damage from when the engines overheated, and no missing parts. We could... scrap it for parts to repair our big ship, but the propellers aren't strong enough to replace our old ones, and I think a working little ship is just what we need, even if it means all my designs are totally ruined and... uh..." She blushed and retreated, "...yeah..."

"I confess to no small amount of unease regarding this dragon." Reef said, looking at Nutmeg and trying to gauge if she seemed worried or stressed by the kidnapping attempt. "These 'drow', well we have at least some intelligence, dubious though the source might be, but..." his gaze shifted to Summer "...do we have any idea where that draconid came from, or if we're likely to encounter more of her kind?"

Summer Scribe thought back to their conversation, before shaking her head. "No, she wasn't exactly forthcoming with information, and readily escaped our grasp... She definitely wanted Nutmeg because she's a 'tech elemental', in this world's understanding of magic." Or actual functioning of magic, she thought to herself. "Claiming it was for the greater good and all... but it was basically a kidnapping since she wasn't offering a choice about it."

Azure Feather turned her attention to the other tactical concern, from the engagement she hadn't been a part of. "I'd love to see that dragon face to face... at the very least make that thing know that we aren't just harmless creatures, we can defend ourselves... even if we're not from around here, it doesn't mean every creature has a right to walk all over us..." She finished by muttering something incomprehensible...

"What I want to know is how did the dragon breathe lightning!" called out a voice from the engineering team. It was Sprocket, the unicorn mare who'd turned the ancient radio into a makeshift clock. "That was out of this world!" she declared, "and then she just teleported? There's only one dragon in Equestria who ever teleported anything. Do you think she was hatched with pony magic too?"

"Hmm, interesting theory..." a long pause as Reef strained to remember the young mare's name... "Sprocket!" He smiled, partly at her and partly at finally managing to get a pony's name right. "Yes, well Summer did mention she seemed familiar with unicorns, though more in a historical context, so perhaps not exactly but... possibly an analogous process with similar magic? It does seem like there's plenty to go around, in this place."

Summer Scribe nod-nodded! "We're still looking for more data points, of course, but it looks like Azure is 'Wind' and Nutmeg is 'Tech'. Something about how our Equestrian magic manifests differently in this place?" Of course she was still quietly wondering to herself about what kind of 'elemental connection' she might manifest...

"I dunno, but we're gonna need some rubber boots if we ever wanna tangle with her again," the young unicorn said to Reef, ducking her head and swishing her tail playfully in a pose she probably thought made her look badass.

"Wait wait hold on," Nutmeg exclaimed, pushing her way through the jabbering crowd toward Summer...

Reef Skimmer winked back at Sprocket. "In any case, I do concur with Azure..." He nods to the winged unicorn. "...that our best option does seem to be attempting to contact the species least likely to attack us, which is to say, these semi-aquatic bipeds. Assuming miss 'Silent Arrow' was telling the truth. Any chance of some confirmation from that Aberwacky fellow?" he asked Summer hopefully.

Summer Scribe nodded again. "Yeah, I ran everything the drow talked about past our, well, only other contact." Best to be thorough, she thought. "He's heard of them and he agreed that the fishmen are likely to be sympathetic allies, since we've got an enemy in common: they don't like the pirates any more than we do."

"What do you mean Azure is wind, and I'm tech?" Nutmeg asked Summer, flouncing up in frustrated confusion, "You mean tech, like technology? All my magic can do is levitate things, and I guess set them on fire. It helps a little with technology, but mostly it's just... having good ideas, you know? Everyone keeps acting like it's some special thing. Are you saying you have some idea why that dragon wanted to kidnap m—the lead engineer?"

Summer regarded Nutmeg with a startled expression, a little flustered by the kirin's semi-hostile opening, before trying to compensate. "Yeah, I do, actually: everything I've seen and read so far indicates that the Cloudbreak Islands have their own special system of magic. The interference when we passed the storm barrier, the spookified pegasi, Azure's trouble with her magic... it seems to be because Equestrian magic is being mashed into this new system of 10 elements: Wind is one of them, Undead is another, and so is Tech." Nodding to Nutmeg, she continued "It's reasonable to assume that if Azure's skillset is changing, so is yours, or at least manifesting in a new way! As for what it can do that it couldn't before, that I'm not sure of yet, but our would-be captor seems to have ideas!"

Raising a hoof, Nutmeg declared irritably, "That can't be right, because that would mean..." She fell silent then, forehoof still upraised, staring off into space.

Summer Scribe rolls a hoof, "It would mean...?" she asked encouragingly, but the kirin didn't respond. It looked like Nutmeg would be standing there for a while.

Set Sail had been looking from creature to creature, eyes wide as she watched her crew apparently planning a military operation against a pirate base and/or a nest of dragons, before digressing into unicorn shop talk that was lost on the majority of those present. "Alright, friendly fish, that sounds great! Umm, so we'll need to get our... chief diplomat?" she says, smiling unevenly at Summer Scribe "...over to their island. Which I guess is this twisting river thing on the far side of Melonwater's map." She stared at the chart: at least it made sense. "That's 100 kay-em each way, you think you can manage the cart for that long Doctor? Or... do we risk the little ship..." she looks uncertainly at the spaced-out chief engineer.

Summer Scribe gave a cheerful nod and smile at Set Sail's recognition of her talents: 'senior distinguished researcher' and now 'chief diplomat'! Sure it's a lot of responsibility for her, but really it's gone remarkably smoothly so far, and why would that change anytime soon! "Yep, that sounds good! And hopefully it'll be an uneventful negotiation." She turned to Nutmeg and beamed, but the kirin was murmuring something about line integrals and still standing there on three legs, staring forward into space. 'Hmm! Well, maybe she'll be talkative later. Alright!' Summer thought.

"Hey the doc isn't the only one who can fly!" Grenelda declared, "I'll go help kick some fish man tail any day."

"Absolutely not." Reef Skimmer says firmly. "You need to rest that wing, Grenelda, or there could be complications. Why, if there was another fight it could become torn, infected, form an abscess... you might be grounded."

"Yeah... and woah, wait, calm down. We're not kicking fish man tail!" Summer Scribe shook her head for emphasis. "We're trying to make them our friends!" she said cheerfully, before murmuring "...and if they don't want to be our friends, I don't actually know what our plan is..."

"So either a ride in the ship we captured, provided we can repair the thing... or we use the cart and go from there..." Azure mutters as she turns to Grenelda. "Summer is right, admittedly... if talks of an alliance fail, future plans don't look nearly as bright."

Grenelda grumbled at that, but didn't object. "If we need to make up the numbers, then... perhaps Gustus could join us instead?" Reef suggested.

"If she ain't flyin' then I'm not flyin'" Gustus says stubbornly, "You think I can just leave her to be grounded like this?"

"To be fair, this is more of a diplomatic mission, and if that dragon comes back for Nutmeg, I'd feel a lot better personally, if some of our battle unit stayed here to protect her. That being said, I could stay behind with that purpose in mind as well..." Azure mentioned, unsure where she fitted into this 'diplomacy' strategy.

Sprocket grimaced before trotting up to the chief engineer. She'd seen this a lot in the last few days. "Psst, boss, Captain's asking you..." she whispered, bumping her shoulder into Nutmeg.

"Wh-huh?" Nutmeg asked the universe, looking Sprocket's way. "Galvanized!" she declared in triumph about an inch away from the filly's nose, then without another word the kirin went bounding off into the engine room, heading for her work table.

Summer Scribe squinted after her. 'Just what is that kirin up to? Well, that can be worried about later!' she thought.

"Understandable..." Reef says vaguely, watching Nutmeg disappear. What was she up to, ignoring the Captain like that. He turns to Sprocket: "Well my dear, perhaps you could enlighten us, on the condition and viability of that drow craft? Are we to understand the chief engineer has delegated its operation and navigation to you?" he suggests, in a playful tone.

"Didn't the chief say just a minute ago?" Sprocket replies in confusion, turning from watching the chief charge away, "It was built busted, but all the parts are there. It'll take a few more days, but we'll fix it, and it'll work better than before. Long as nopony goes full throttle all day."

Set Sail trotted over to Reef Skimmer, standing at his feet. "Doctor, we can't wait any longer... not with slavers out there. I believe you can make it all the way on wing, with just Summer in the cart. Somepony else can escort you, like Cloud Cutter, and maybe take the cart for a bit so you don't have to fly it the whole way."

"Very well then." Reef says, a little disappointed. He glares at the cart, sitting on the side of the deck. "My old friend, time to do battle again..." he mutters, before looking at Set Sail "One will give it one's best of course, but that is a two pony cart, so it would be prudent to have a pair of pegasi ready to take over, in case of injury, exhaustion and so on."

Set Sail looked away at that. Then she gave Reef a conflicted look, before turning away again. Finall the green kerchiefed mare looked squarely up at the hippogriff and said firmly, "...okay. I'll go."

"I get what you're saying," Set Sail continued, ruffling her wings nervously, "I know I'm the... captain, and if we're going to go ask these gill men for help, I should be there asking them. It's... important for me to be there, for the crew. How else would they ever take us seriously?"

"Captain!?" Reef retorted, his ear tufts flicking up in shock. "General Order 15 clearly states that the commanding officer shall not lead a shore party into enemy territory unless... erm... unless... well, perhaps we aren't operating under that rulebook here, but..." he looked at the deck, before catching Set Sail's eye "Sails, are you sure you want to risk it?"

Azure seemed unsure already, and now to hear that the captain herself was coming on the diplomatic mission just made the issue even worse, as her eyes went wide for a moment. Oh, for Celestia's sake... "Just... be safe, okay? I know this is only a diplomatic mission, but..." If only there weren't two parts of the equation that needed defending...

"What should I do, send somepony else out there?" the pegasus asked hopelessly, "If it's not safe for me, I can't just go sending them out there. It's like Azure says. Just a diplomatic mission... right? I just don't wanna be the last one...left. After everypony else has... I don't want anypony to— ...just for my sake just because I'm the captain, I don't want anypony else to... die."

For several seconds, nopony spoke. Then came a solitary hoof stop, followed by another, then another... and then the deck was reverberating as dozens of ponies stomped their hooves, or clapped their paws. "Go captain!" somepony cheered, followed by whoops and shouts as the tension is released and the crew shows their appreciation.

Preparations went swiftly, as saddlebags are packed and laced shut, and a few provisions are placed in the cart and safely tied down. Soon enough the two pegasi were flexing their wings and ready to depart, while the hippogriff was hitched up and ready to take off.

Nutmeg ceased using her wrench as a welding torch, and galumped onto the deck of the captured ship, her ticket to adventure, to see the others off.

Summer Scribe hopped into the cart, and waved a hoof to everyone watching. "I'll do you proud, everyone! I'll make us the allies we need, on behalf of all of the expedition!" Even more than her expedition to the first island, this was a journey into the unknown, and she had no idea what to expect; she was hoping that they'd be able to earn the trust of the fish creatures, but that's a hurdle she'd pass when she got to it!

Azure had stayed quiet, though, assisting the departing crew in securing everything as well as reminding every creature to come back safely. Her squad had been lucky to get through the last mission with just one injury, she didn't want to see any more of the crew hurt. Staying behind while others went off into dangerous skies didn't come easy to her.

Reef Skimmer galloped down the deck, wings spread wide, lifting into the air and soaring out over the bow in a now well-practiced motion. Wheeling around, he headed south; Set Sail had laid out a route that kept them well away from the shattered island, heading for the volcanic island and then passing the south side of the floating cliffs before the final leg to the sky river. It would be two hours flight at a measured pace; they needed to save their energy in case a sprint to escape pursuers became necessary.

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Nutmeg Inferno, Set Sail and occassionally other crew members), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

This chapter is based on the eighteenth session, with me as the GM. We were all feeling off for one reason or another so it was a short session consisting of just a crew meeting; the initial 1:1 with Reef Skimmer & Set Sail was added later. Back to exploring next time as we split the party again (gotta get that captured ship working so we can all go).

River

It had been a long journey for the three flyers, as they kept clear of the smaller islands and well south of the shattered rocks where the drow lurked. The two pegasus mares were out in front, Set Sail leading with Cloud Cutter close behind. Trailing behind was Reef Skimmer, the larger hippogriff pulling the two-pony wooden cart on his own. In the back of the modest conveyance sat Summer Scribe, with nothing to do but check her notes and watch the slowly drifting clouds.

A few curious birds paced them for a while as they passed the aerial cliffs, but other than that there was no sign of another creature. Ahead, their destination appeared as an impossible twisting ribbon of water, suspended in mid-air, connecting four major islands and weaving through or brushing past several smaller islets. Slowly it grew larger until at last, nearly two hours since leaving the Harmony, the impossible waterway filled the sky in front of them.

The blue and brown Set Sail tried not to let her lack of endurance show, but all those weeks of keeping close to the ship and only flying up to the balloon and back had taken their toll. She stubbornly flew on, determined not to be the one to drag them down, distracting herself from the impinging soreness by worrying about the future, and thinking on what her grandfather told her about fights.

Cloud Cutter continued onward, occasionally glancing back at Summer; she admired the unicorn's courage, coming this far without wings. The little mare seemed unfazed by the prospect of a long fall down into the clouds below so far away that they almost faded into the blue of the sky. It was easy to fly ahead of her, for though she didn’t tire, she didn’t feel very energetic either. Just cruising along, not really feeling like doing anything else, or doing anything for that matter, unless someone here wanted her to.

The highest and most distant island appeared as a great massing of grey rock, capped with flecks of white, from which the river emerged in rushing rapids. Winding past a few small rocks, one sporting a protrusion that definitely looked artificial, the water made its way down to a much larger, flatter island, where it broke up into a myriad of small streams winding through a broad swamp, ringed by woodland. A scattering of structures nestled in the trees at the edge of the marsh, though the details were hard to see at this distance. The water gathered back together to exit the marsh in a slower, lazier section that wended its way to the third island, flanked by oxbow lakes that like their parent hung impossibly in the air.

The third landmass was as large as the second but split into two levels, prominent cliffs dividing the forest and creating a series of dramatic waterfalls as the river made its way from an upper pool to a lower one. A tight group of large buildings could be seen in the upper regions, while the lower sported a scattering of ponds and odd unidentifiable structures, hard to see under a kind of misty haze that covered a wide roughly circular area. Finally the river made its way down, past a few more secondary islands to end at the fouth major massing, dominated by a central lake. This final island was ringed by waterfalls where the river ended its journey by plunging into the void, the water turning to spray and disappearing entirely a hundred metres or so below the edge.

The remains of what had clearly been a castle could be seen in the jungle bordering the lake, broken towers anchoring tumbled-down walls ringing a relatively intact central keep, while a few isolated huts could be seen in the rest of the swamp and on islands in the central lake.

Despite the relaxed pace, Reef Skimmer's wing muscles were starting to cramp from the exertion, and the cart's weight felt like it was slowly but steadily increasing. Panting through wide-open beak, he struggled to pull ahead and close the gap with the pegasi. "Where.... to... Captain?" he shouted.

"Okay, first order of business is to find a landing point!” Set Sail calls back over her spread brown fletched wings, eager to be done with this flight, “Preferably somewhere secluded and out of sight!”

Summer Scribe barely heard; she was gaping at the floating, forking, weaving, defying gravity rivers. 'How interesting!' she thought, 'I mean, the islands themselves float somehow, but these aren't even pretending to have any kind of physical coherency or gravity defying mineral in them! What kind of magic could cause this?' As far as she could tell from her squinting, it didn't seem like the water really came from anywhere. Was it a closed circuit, or was it condensing from the air somehow? "Fascinating..." She twirled her quill in absent thought and squinted again before calling out "I think I can see structures, too. Plenty of them!"

"Very... well... but... which island... do we... start with?" Reef panted back. All except the mountain had visible structures, and for all they knew that had buildings as well, hidden from their current position. He had no idea which the ponies would find most enticing.

Set Sail scanned around the nearest, lowest island, declaring, “That looks like a castle! With all that jungle around it’s gotta be abandoned, but there might be jungle creatures living in there! You think we should give it a shot?”

Summer Scribe gave it a few seconds thought, then nodded. "Yeah, that should be good! It'll give at least makeshift shelter and maybe even grazing in the courtyard." 'As for the carnivores amongst us,' she thought, 'they usually sort themselves out!'

Cloud Cutter descended without a word, but Set Sail for the first time let her go ahead, drifting back towards Reef Skimmer. The sailmare was breathing hard, but she still wanted to help out the doctor, who'd pulled Summer and their supplies all the way from the ship. Pulling alongside the cart, she realised there was no way to fit into the hitch; the hippogriff was centred between the shafts and in any case his huge wings precluded fitting a pegasus alongside. Instead she went to the rear, hooking her forehooves over the back panel and taking some of the burden.

There was that vague feel of being connected to the vehicle, that meant that her own wing magic was helping to lighten it. Sensing the change behind him, the hippogriff looked back over his shoulder, his beaked face as inscrutable as ever to Set Sail. “You... doing alright?” she asked, a bit breathlessly, tired wings straining to push the cart forward towards the castle.

Reef Skimmer appreciated the Captain's choice of destination: as the lowest point, it would be the least strenuous to reach. "I was... starting to think... of this cart... as my personal nemesis" he said "...but perhaps... it just wants... to be my personal... trainer. In any... case... my thanks... for the... assistance." Soon they were close enough to just stretch out their wings and glide the rest.

The three flyers, plus one passenger, drifted down towards the bottom island, all alert for any sign of life. Waterfowl were present in abundance, along with larger four-legged shapes moving in the trees; from the pointed snouts, most likely pigs. Scaled, fishy bipeds were nowhere to be seen, but there was some of the clutter and detritus of sapient inhabitants; trails wound through the marshy jungle adorned with marker posts and the occasional wooden bridge or jetty, drums and boxes lay scattered on the shoreline, a discarded fishing net here, the remnants of a cooking fire there.

The jungle grew right up to the castle ruins, vines crawling up the walls and slowly pulling down the stone, but the courtyard inside was relatively clear. "One will do one's best, but... best brace yourself, Summer." Reef aimed for a cleft in the curtain wall and glanced at Set Sail; she nodded back and they came down to land in front of the keep, the cart pushing noisily into the long grass and coming to a rapid stop.

"Got it, bracing!" Summer Scribe tucked her head down and body low, making a curled shape, hooves pushing hard against the jostling as the cart stops. As soon as the immediate danger passed, she hopped down and streeetched her legs! "Whew! That was a long trip. I hope we find a better travel solution than 'cart' soon; I'm sure you agree, Reef!" She chuckled at the hippogriff, as she looked around, just basking in being on land again for the moment, but that ruined castle soon got her attention...

Cloud Cutter was already down and standing in the courtyard. Once the cart had settled to a stop, she trotted up to it, ignoring Summer to stick her nose into the piled up supplies, lifting a canteen of water up by its neck strap and hurrying over to the two hardest hit fliers. Not sure whether she needed to say it or not, she sloshed the water canteen suggestively before them.

"Ah, the soul of courtesy, embodied as a pegasus." Reef remarked, grabbing the canteen in a claw. He took a quick swig, before looking guiltily at Set Sail and thrusting the container over to her. "Apologies, Captain first?" She waved him off with a hoof, uncomfortable with the idea of special privileges just for being the notional leader.

At one point, the castle was some combination of serious fortification and symbol of authority, with a few crenelations still visible, the fallen lumps of gargoyles under the grass in the courtyard and the weathered remains of what were once complex carvings all around the main gate. That must have been many centuries ago though. Now the rusted remnants of a portcullis made a last stand against the encroaching jungle, looking like they might crumble to dust with one good kick. The door to the keep looked in somewhat better shape, the wood almost fossilised.

Summer Scribe's attention was glued on the fortifications. "Now this is cool. Biggest native structure I've seen yet!" She beamed, tail flicking from side to side as she paced around the keep, studying every detail. "Looks centuries old, too. No sign of a town around it. I wonder what geopolitical plays it was a part of!"

“Yeah it is... cool. Not well defended of course, but it kept the jungle back,” Set Sail said, stretching like a cat to work her wings out, if cats had wings that is. “How about we rest here for a bit, then we can start searching around for those gill men?” Her eyes fell on Cloud Cutter a moment, before turning away in an unsettled quiet, while the curiously serene Cloud Cutter herself frowned and stared at her hooves.

"Gill men, right." Summer Scribe realised that she couldn't just distract herself with archaeology indefinitely, and looked around. "Hmm... they're meant to be behind a forcefield, right?" She looked into the distance, spotting something shimmery on the next island upriver. "So probably on that landmass over there. Course, they could be all over the place if they venture over their own island chain."

Reef Skimmer sat down heavily, flattening another patch of long grass under his rump. Nodding to Summer, he confirmed: "Miss Barrow... Arrow... the drow that is... said that the gill-men hid in the 'force field' when the pirates came to raid them. Which implied that they don't live under it all the time. One does wonder why; if it's so safe, must be some drawback... or perhaps a cultural factor?"

Summer Scribe nodded in agreement to Reef. "Right, makes sense; maybe it feels stuffy under there. I mean, if you have all this island space to work with, you'd want to use it all, right? And it might not be self-sufficient in the dome itself, and so on. It's basically the same reason why you build castles: they're your line of defence." she said, gesturing at the ruins.

“This castle sure didn’t succeed as a line of defence,” Cloud Cutter remarked, looking around at the shattered stone: ancient, preserved evidence of the castle’s fall. “I wonder what destroyed it.”

Summer Scribe nodded again. "I am curious, but it'd take a while to figure out, and we have more pressing matters." They couldn't just indulge her curiosity; she felt dutiful now that there was an actual goal besides 'look at ruins'.

"We might never know, after all this time." Reef said, looking around as if more interested in the vines than the walls underneath. "Unless you have a spell for that, of course." Reef said, looking at Summer Scribe and cocking his head.

Summer chuckled at Reef's suggestion; he had a very high opinion of unicorn magic, it seemed. "Well, there's spells that enhance fine details so you can better make out engravings and faded writing and stuff, and I can do that just fine. But I don't have any serious past-scrying or truth-determining magic..." She chuckled: "If I did, I'd probably be on top of the world! Anyways..."

Having drunk his fill from the canteen, Reef stowed in back in the cart. He'd managed to get out of bringing his wing blades, suggesting that they should avoid scaring the natives and also they could ill-afford extra weight. Meanwhile Set Sail was busy testing the tall grass for edibility, head buried in it as she nosed around. It had a sharp, unique tang to it that would probably make it a trendy side dish at an overpriced Canterlot restaurant. Edible albeit an acquired taste.

As she chewed on the grass, the pegasus spotted movement through the rusted portcullis... something was out there, something pony-sized and curious with two beady eyes, large curling horns and a flat pink snout that nosed through a gap in the bushes. Hunkering down in the grass, Set Sail scurried backwards until she bumped into Reef Skimmer. “There’s a pig!” she hissed to him urgently, staring through the obscuring, odd tasting fronds, “What do we do? There’s a pig!”

Summer Scribe perked up as she saw Set Sail's panicked look. "Hang on, I'll handle this, as the Lead Diplomat." She trotted forward, cleared her throat and locked gazes with the pig's beady eyes!

"Greetings! We are ponies, from Equestria, here on a scientific mission of exploration and discovery, and we come in peace, hoping to make friends wherever possible!" ...Squint. "I don't think the pig can understand us." Eardroop. Well, it was worth a shot, she thought.

It did look like a tasty bit of meat, Reef thought; not that the ponies would appreciate the sentiment but perhaps Grenelda would be cheered up by the prospect of fresh bacon. "Oh, I don't think it can get through that gate, just curious I suppose." he said. "Rather ordinary compared to the plant life, which is to say, it's bright green, but other than it could be a South Equestrian wild hog."

Summer Scribe gave a kind of nervous chuckle, trying to deflect from her error. It didn't really matter, right? "Yeah! I guess we should leave it be, right?"

“Well, yeah, but...” Set Sail said, standing up in the grass sheepishly, still looking the pig’s way, “He can’t get in, that’s okay then. I just thought he was gonna attack.”

The pig replied with a string of grunts and snorts. It pressed forward against the portcullis, making it creak and then crack as a sizable lump of metal, more rust than iron, broke off. The scrap clonked the pig on the neck, causing it to squeal loudly and run off into the jungle. Birds started cawing and several took flight at the commotion.

Set Sail squeaked in fear at that, flapping up into the air. The pig retreated though, so she ended up just hovering there, wings gently buoying her up, feeling very silly.

Summer Scribe watched with interest and rising concern as the pig began to infiltrate the castle grounds... only to pause and snicker-giggle at the slapstick that follows. "Oh dear, I hope he'll be OK." Clearly this was not the impenetrable fortress they might have been led to believe!

Reef Skimmer beak-gaped at the retreating pig, before spotting Set Sail's nervous take-off and frowning. "Are you all right up there Captain?"

The blue and brown pegasus let out a long breath, descending to the ground saying, “Just a little... jumpy. I just don’t want us to get attacked by pirates, or worse, or stuck in a griffon trap, or... y'know.”

Summer Scribe wiped her brow with a hoof as she watched Set Sail descend. "I think we'll be relatively OK here? Like, this is Gill-Man occupied, and they presumably have to deal with raids a lot, yet they're still standing strong. So as long as no airships suddenly descend on us, we should be fine..."

Cloud Cutter was still sitting a little way back from the group, her gaze slowly roaming around their surroundings. "It's all right Set Sail. If it had gotten in, I would have... stopped it." She looked down, as if guilty, but then her glowing white eyes settled on Summer Scribe. "So, where shall we attempt first contact with the fish creatures?" she asked neutrally.

The unicorn tilted her head. "That's a good question. We don't have a confirmed location except the forcefield dome, and they might only go there during attacks. We could search for them across the island chain; there were buildings scattered all over, but they might be as abandoned as this one seems to be? Maybe we should just head for the nearest cluster and hope there's someone to say hi? We should look distinctive enough that we don't pattern match as a typical threat."

“The troll was not afraid of us, though perhaps he should have been,” Cloud Cutter said thoughtfully, still looking at Summer Scribe. “So there’s no reason to think the gill-men would cut our heads off or anything. Would you like me to do some aerial scouting, before we head off again? I think I saw some places which may have been their home.”

Summer Scribe smiled at the suggestion: "Sure thing; would you like to check around the island with the forcefield? I think I saw some bigger buildings on the upper part: perhaps they're still inhabited?"

Nodding once, Cloud Cutter took off, casually making her way up into the air. Apparently immune to the fatigue experienced by the rest of the team, the purple pegasus gained speed quickly and was soon out over the lake. There were a few huts down there, on the far shore, and... yes, there was a blue biped, covered in shining scales and adorned with translucent fins, just sitting by the lakeside, watching the water.

Passing over that possibility for now, she flapped harder and rose higher, ascending towards the next major island upriver. Spread out before her was a gently sloping woodland perhaps three kilometres across, dominated by the shimmering dome of the 'force field', like an impossibly huge soap bubble.

Such a thing was hardly unprecedented in Equestria; particularly powerful unicorns could cover whole towns in such fields, albeit for a few most days before becoming exhausted. Within the dome is a sprawling collection of pools, buildings, paved areas, and... aqueducts, painted in bright colours? The shifting optical distortion makes it impossible to distinguish motion, but no fishy bipeds or indeed creatures of any kind are apparent. The bubble of magic was interrupted at only one point; a rounded structure, possibly a gate, on the side facing the river.

Having peered into the bubble as best she could without risking landing on it, Cloud Cutter continued her ascent, up the face of the cliffs to the higher part of the island. Here there was a tight group of rectangular buildings, surrounded by lesser sheds and a jumble of mysterious cylinders and pipes, the complex bounded by substantial stone walls. As with the castle: time, weather and vegetation were doing their best to overtake the structure, but with much less success; yes there were many missing tiles and grass sprouting through the tiles, but someone was clearly cutting back the branches and clearing away the vines. Again though no sign of motion with or habitation. Indeed as the pegasus continued her flight up to the top edge of the island, she flew over the crumbling remains of a village in no better shape than the ruins back on Blissful Pastures, the expedition's first find.

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” Cloud Cutter said upon returning to the castle, with an ironic tilt in her ear. With her glowing white eyes, nopony could see them rolling. “Gill-men have gills. So they are all by the water,” she explained as Reef, Summer and Set Sail gather around, “We won’t find any inland here. But what’s interesting is they definitely live here, and there are more ancient ruins all about, that the gill men don’t seem to have anything to do with."

"The force field was... well, it looked like a... a water park." she continued. "With slides even! I couldn’t see very clearly through the dome, which is large enough that trying to maintain it would kill the average unicorn in short order. I don’t know what the source of the magic could be sustaining it, but there appeared to be... some sort of entrance. That might be how the gill-men get in.”

The purple pegasus looked off the way she came saying, “There are some tall cliffs that I passed, and another sort of castle beyond them, bigger than this one, also in ruins. It didn’t look entirely abandoned though.” Report complete, she stood there silently, having nothing more to relate.

Reef Skimmer looks up from preening his secondaries to listen to Cloud Cutter's report. "You're putting us to shame, my dear, flying around like a Wonderbolt while we all laze about in here!" he says jovially, hoping to cheer up the pegasus. When that doesn't get a response he looks from Summer to Set Sail, asking "So... over to the water then?"

"Sure, it sounds like we have a few gillmen to talk to on this island." Summer said. "Why don't we start local and get a feel for the mood around here? If it seems fine to head straight to the force field after that, we can." The unicorn peered out through the rusty portcullis. "So is there a path, or... you know I'd love to get a better view first?" she smiled at Reef Skimmer.

Happy to oblige, as Summer on her own was a lot lighter than the cart, the hippogriff lifted into a hover and carefully grabbed the little unicorn's shoulders with his claws. With a few flaps he rose to the top of the ruined battlements, depositing Summer on an intact section before landing alongside. Dislodged by the sudden weight, a few pebbles clattered down into the courtyard below, but otherwise the structure seemed solid.

Set Sail and Cloud Cutter hovered just behind, giving four creatures a good view of the nearby lake. The castle was set on a low hill rising out of the swamp; it looks like perhaps 15 minutes trot to the nearest shore. A cluster of rough wooden buildings could be made out a bit further around the lake, perhaps another half hour away, but with all the weeping willows and other vegetation it was hard to pick out any details.

Summer Scribe peered out from the ruined castle walls, spying a few gillmen fishing on the shore of the lake. "Yeah, there they are! Let's go!"

"Jolly good then. Can just glide down there or... would you prefer to trot?" The hippogriff glanced over his shoulder. "One supposes the cart will be safe enough here."

Summer considered the proposal, but felt a bit bad about making Reef Skimmer have to carry her again, after such a gruelling flight! "How about we let your wings rest and trot over?" She nodded; it would be a nice change of pace anyway, after all that time in the air.

Set Sail looked at the hippogriff easily holding up the little unicorn in his claws, with those broad glorious wings. "We should approach them by land, don't you think?" she asked thoughtfully, "Wouldn't want them to think we were swooping down on them like a— uh like a fish eating..."

Reef looked at Summer sceptically, then dubiously at the steaming swamp down below, but his expression softened when he hears Set Sail's concern. "Ah, good point, Captain." The griff looked at the glinting waters of the lake itself - he wouldn't mind a quick dip to cool off, perhaps later - then sighs. "Very well then." And with that he took off, grabbed Summer again and glided down to the only open space near the castle walls; the remains of the causeway leading to the front gate, a short stretch of weed-choked cobbles in the final stages of disintegrating under the assault of encroaching tree roots.

Set Sail gave a grateful sigh and followed after, hoping she wouldn't keep sticking her hoof in her mouth like that around him. For her part, Summer Scribe stretched a bit after being dropped off by Reef, ready to have a pleasant walk through a nice new environment! A whole new island chain, no doubt there would be wonderous sights to see!

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Set Sail here), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

This chapter is based on the first half of nineteenth session and a little bit from the twentieth session, with me as the GM. When the party is split like this we often do concurrent scenes in both locations; I've split them to separate chapters since it was a long session. This was something of a breather; the next part is more action oriented.

Another striking illustration from Chibionpu.

Saboteur

A hundred kilometres east, the stranded EAS Harmony still floated alongside the pleasant meadow at the edge of Blissful Pastures. Azure Feather had spent most of the morning making sure their kirin engineer stayed safe, but she was also concerned about the rest of the group's morale. Grenelda and Gustus especially, given the former's injury; she knew most winged creatures were badly affected by losing their ability to fly, even temporarily. She was worried about the research team too: staying behind hadn't been an easy decision, but with the looming threat of the dragon's return... she couldn't afford to have Nutmeg fall into hostile hands.

And so the blue and purple unicorn stood on the forward deck of the drow copter, scanning ground and sky for any sign of sneaky teleporting draconids. The artificial butterfly wings were on her back of course; she just wished they weren't so fragile, one touch of dragon breath and they'd be dust. Meanwhile, in the belly of the little ship, Nutmeg had disconnected the electrodes from one of the reddish crystals at the heart of the engine. Tilting her head in puzzlement, she tried just tapping the crystal to see if it provoked a reaction. All it did was make a faint 'tink tink' sound against her hoof.

Content that they weren't being observed, the guardpony gave a quick glance at the Harmony to check that all was well; things looked fine, crew on deck making minor repairs while other ponies continued to work on the meadow camp. Satisfied, she ducked into the engine room and nodded to Nutmeg. "Nothing to report outside. Likely going to be a quiet day, but we still need to keep our guard up." She wouldn't say it out loud, but a confrontation with even a lone dragon wasn't something to take lightly, especially one with magic... but she'd cross that bridge once she came to it. For now... "You need anything?" she asked the engineer, while staring at that red crystal the kirin had unearthed.

“Do you have a clue about this?” Nutmeg asked distantly; the kirin was still staring in puzzlement at the crystals set into the engine, “I could really use one of those. I repaired the engine damage, but these crystal thingies are where the firebox of the engine should be. I can’t figure out how to get ‘em to... do whatever it is they do.”

Azure stared at the crystal, considering Nutmeg's question. "I'm not an engineer by any extent of the imagination. I do work with magic, and... my best guess is that magic powers these. It seems magic works differently here than back in Equestria... from what Summer said... it's divided into 'elements'. And since this is an airship... it would only make sense that air magic powers this? Now I know my magic's more attuned to that element here, so... I could run a test for you?" She suggested, stepping forward, but then frowning and looking away. "This is only a guard's best guess."

Looking away from the crystal for the first time, Nutmeg regarded Azure with a thoughtful appreciation in her warm, green eyes. “Huh,” she said casually, “That’s not a bad idea. Lemme climb out of this and you can give her a shot.” Leaving the crystalline apparatus open and exposed, the kirin climbed out of the innards of the engine with a minimal amount of wiggling, catching herself against Azure’s side as she stumbled out. “Sorry, heh,” Nutmeg says, a little worn out it seemed as she took her hoof back to herself.

Concern flashed across Azure's face for a moment as Nutmeg seemed about to face-plant. Then she demonstrated her inexperience working inside engines by taking a minute to squirm and shove her way through the pipework; her larger frame also made it tougher than it had been for the kirin. She ended up having to dispel the Skyborn spell to get into a good position: sometimes - very rarely - wings would just get in the way. Finally she got where she needed to go, nodding with determination as her spiralled horn began to glow. First, to confirm that this engine was indeed powered by magic; if so, was it air magic...

Azure Feather closed her eyes and dipped her head, channelling a flicker of power into her horn and letting it diffuse out into the surrounding space, concentrating on the resulting sensations. The cramped space hardly warranted the name 'engine room', compared to the cavernous machinery of the Harmony; with her and Nutmeg in there it already felt full. There was some sort of magic in the surrounding hull, reminiscent of pegasus cloud techniques. There was the kirin, hot and bright and... fuzzy, somehow, flickers or filaments of something... coming out from her. Almost like mind magic, except that it didn't connect to anything. Strange, but not what she was looking for.

“Ehhh you sure about that?” Nutmeg said, coming up to the open iron boiler, looking worriedly after the unicorn making her way in. “Just get out of there if it starts turning on,” she added, “Remember you’re not fireproof. And wow, your magic is... crazy good. What does that even...?” She watched Azure work with the vague understanding of a unicorn foal watching a professional casting their complex spells.

Concentrating on the engine itself, Azure felt... something dark, something terribly unsettling that made her want to bolt out of there right now, a hollowness... but it was just an echo. Something... grim had had happened here, and Azure couldn't help but wonder what exactly it had felt like for Cloud Cutter... but no, this wasn't what she was looking for either. Steeling herself and trying to ignore the traces left by a soul being forced from its shell, she felt for the crystals. There... that must be it. Magical, but not like her own techniques... more akin to the kirin perhaps, but it felt like... a sponge? Like it wanted to suck energy in, and hold it inside, presumably to release when the time was right. A magical crystal sponge? Azure opened her eyes and blinked, wondering if her horn was playing tricks on her.

Her scan completed, the unicorn turned back towards Nutmeg, her expression troubled. "Oh, it's a magical power source, all right, it's... hungry... for something. The crystals themselves don't feel 'airy', for lack of a better word, though perhaps the hull benefits from some workings along those lines. But... those creatures seemed to have love for slavery, battle... and death. Part of me wonders if... are these creatures insane enough to use life force, even living sacrifice, to power their engines...?!"

“But... that can't be... this is a steam engine, it runs on coal, not... souls! You don’t really think they love death, do you?” Nutmeg asked uneasily. "Ok... so maybe not coal, but this part of the engine is definitely supposed to get hot, and there's no tanks of air or oil or chemicals around here, just these crystals. So I thought, they must be able to produce heat, but I haven’t been able to figure out how to get them to start doing their thing." She looked at Azure's horn, pondering. "Do you think if you feed enough air magic into them, it'll... light ‘em up?”

"That I can't say. My initial thought was just that this place is full of magic, airships fly, air magic, two plus two, you know?" Azure started, before her brows furrowed in thought. "You know, the traps my unit fell into were designed to catch birds... griffons... flying creatures of all kinds, all with wing magic. Maybe it takes a particular kind of life energy..." Azure looked even less comfortable at this notion, and part of her just reaffirmed her wish to get the heck off this ship...

Nutmeg's big round-cornered ears went flat at that, and she sent an unappreciative look Azure’s way, the kirin saying dryly, “I’m not gonna stuff a bird into it. I don’t think they’d do something like that, even if it did work. Maybe you... maybe you are being a little too hard on these creatures. Yeah slavery is... is bad, I guess. But they had like an arena or something, so that’s pretty cool right?”

"Cool if you win, yes, cool if you keep winning, but these monsters won't let you stop until you lose! And if you lose, it's lights out!" Azure said angrily, getting worked up.

“They wouldn’t do that!” Nutmeg retorts at Azure in confusion and disbelief, “They’d run out of creatures to battle then! Why wouldn’t they take care of them? You can't know that!"

"She boasted about it!" Azure said, almost shouting. "That horrible drow told us... ah..." Seeing Nutmeg's horrified face, the unicorn closed her eyes and tried to calm herself with a few deep breaths. Finally, she continued in a more level tone. "Maybe you're right. It might just be what happened here, whatever Cloud Cutter did, if it left traces on the engine somehow. Something just feels wrong with this place. But as for the crystal itself, my main impression was of a kind of magical sponge. A kind of fuel tank, in short..."

"R-r-right." the kirin stammered nervously. "M-maybe this crystal just needs a bit of magic to sponge up. It’s not a blood crystal, even though it’s red. Those are actually black! So why don’t you try zapping it?”

Azure paused... and nodded a bit, sighing. "Sorry. Got carried away. Always hated slavery." The fear and rage had dimmed in her eyes, enough for her to focus on the task at hand. Summoning up her magic once again, this time, she wouldn't give it a form, simply trying to feed it to the crystal. A slow trickle at first, as Nutmeg's warning about the engine bursting into flames lingered in her mind. The gentle stream of unformed, almost raw magic flowed out from Azure, surrounding the red crystals... which just sit there, unresponsive. She tried a few tricks, varying the frequencies in the stream, but no dice. The crystals felt hungry, but they didn't want her magic.

After a few seconds of trying to fuel the machine up, Azure soon shook her head and stopped the flow. "Wrong analysis... it's designed to absorb something, I'm pretty sure, but not magic." she concluded, soon starting to make her way out of the engine's vicinity, leaving the area once more accessible to Nutmeg. "It was a valid train of thought, just... not what we needed to get this thing off the ground."

“Aw, well it was worth a shot,” Nutmeg said, her muscles relaxing after several tense minutes preparing to tackle the unicorn at the slightest sign of danger. “Maybe we should take a break on it for now. See if any ideas pop into my head. I’m the one who’s supposed to figure it out, but... y’know it’s not mechanical or anything. It absorbs... something, then releases heat... huh, do you think it could just be a thermal battery? Like... a ridiculously high specific heat capacity? Maybe if I tossed it in the Harmony's firebox for a while..."

The engineer carefully levitated the crystal out and stowed it in her saddlebag. Now that she wasn't completely focused on the problem, she suddenly realised how hungry she was. "Uh, yeah, you want to go get some food first?”

"Sounds like a heck of a plan, Nutmeg." Azure said with a smile. She had no idea what a 'thermal battery' was, but was liking the prospect of getting some lunch. "I'd happily take a field ration right now." she admitted, giving the engine one more look before trotting back out onto the deck. The unicorn wondered if there was any cider left, it'd been a while since she'd had a chance to partake.

“You’re a pony, aren’t you?” Nutmeg asked the unicorn in clueless if bemused curiosity, “I thought you were all happy eating grass and stuff.” Just a few tools to tidy away and she'd follow.

"Grass is most of the pony diet, yes. But you'd be surprised what some ponies can do with it!" Azure mentioned with a chuckle... before she quickly added "Just don't expect any culinary magic from me..." Her voice trailed off as she spotted movement near the stern of the Harmony. Billowing black drifting movement. Smoke in fact, pouring out of the portholes at the back of the ship.

Without another word, Azure recast the Skyborn spell and sprang into the air, heading straight for the smoking stern of the giant airship. To her, it's was clear that this was enemy action, and she mentally prepared for a fight; but was it another dragon, or the drow, or another threat entirely? She'd been so keen to assist the engineer... that'll teach her to let her guard down!

Nutmeg came outside in short order, saying amiably, "I'm sure you could make something I never tried before. It—" Where had the unicorn was gone... her gaze settled to the billowing black smoke and the kirin immediately dashed forward, hardly noticing Azure soaring up over her head as she bounded straight for the ship.

The smoke was definitely coming from the galley, at the back of the middle deck... right below the coal bunkers. As Azure flew over to the Harmony the air filled with the shouts of crew members rushing to assist, pierced by the distinct sound of a screaming mare. Without their first, second or even third mate to direct them, the firefighting response seemed enthusiastic but disorganised.

"Some creature's stuck down there..." Azure muttered as she arrived, casting about for options and seeing Nutmeg charging up the gangplank. "Nutmeg, could you...” and Nutmeg went on charging wordlessly past her, heading down the ramp to the lower decks, where ponies with buckets were frantically and all too infrequently carrying them down into the ship. “Well okay then,” Azure concluded, glad that somepony seemed to know what she was doing. Nutmeg was fireproof, so she’d probably be fine. But still, with all that smoke... Azure was torn between trying to get down there herself and try to do something about the smoke with her new skill at air magic, and helping out on deck. It looked like the crew could use some direction as well. This was one fight she didn't expect to be in today...

The smoky main deck was full of activity, but no one was trapped down here. Her huge ears perked for the pony in trouble, Nutmeg winced as she heard the cries coming muffled from further below. Ponies weren’t going down there, from all the thick smoke billowing out of the entrance to the tween deck. The pony down there was worse off than Nutmeg though, and the first thing the kirin had been taught in dealing with fires she hopefully hadn’t caused was to forget about the fire, about the burning things, and make sure everyone was out of the smoke first. Scurrying down the second ramp, it was hard to see clearly. The smoke was already making Nutmeg’s breath come short and her eyes water. Nopony at all was going in from where it was billowing out of the galley into the mess hall, but Nutmeg was sure that’s where she heard those weak cries.

A chill going through her as she realized that the pony had stopped crying out for help, Nutmeg lit up her horn and pushed as much of the smoke away from her face as she could before venturing in, fearing the worst. She was never all that good with magic though, and shielding from an amorphous expanding cloud of smoke particles was not something that was easy to do, so she just tried to keep her breath shallow and pressed forward.

With Nutmeg already rushing into the ship, it was down to Azure to coordinate the firefighting, and while she's not very good at it... "We need more water, or we'll lose the ship! Rainwater would help, but the clouds are too far. Do we have any water supply nearby..." she muttered. Her eyes settled on river, at the far end of the meadow. "Okay... okay, we've got water in the river, gotta get it back"

A crowd of pegasi, earth ponies, unicorns, they were all flying above or running around the deck now. Trying a bit of a trick, Azure cast a weak, but visible walls of shimmering wind all around the deck, trapping the crew inside. Another touch of air magic amplified her voice to Royal Canterlot proportions. "Unicorns! You're on bucket duty, grab all the containers you can find, gallop to that stream and bring more water! Pegasi! Clouds, get them down here now, once we've got rain I can use my magic to blow it inside! Earth ponies... you're on the front line, dump all the water we've got into the mess, then get everything flammable out of the nearby corridors! Come on, no time to waste!

The stunned crewponies (and one crewdonkey) looked at each other, and collectively decided not to argue with the winged battle mage casually tossing around powerful magic. As soon as the wind walls dropped, they streaked off, the small herd of unicorns heading for the water with levitating buckets in tow, while the larger flock of pegasi sped off seeking clouds to corral. Azure herself automatically went with the unicorns, flying over their heads towards the river as well: water was the highest priority, and perhaps a couple more buckets made the difference... but immediately she started questioning her plan. Was this really the most efficient way she could help? Her Lieutenant would kick her flank for this such a simplistic plan... but in the heat of the moment it was the best she could think of.

In the mess hall, ruddy light flickered beyond the doorway of the galley, as the flames licked up from the dried hay locker to catch on the tables and cupboards. The door was hanging askew like it had been forced open, and about two steps out the door, a blue pegasus mare with a cutie mark of heart-shaped flowers lay there collapsed on the floor. Nutmeg gave the flickering flames a helpless look, then rushed to the blue mare’s side, murmuring, “Don’t breathe. Short breaths only,” in case she was still conscious. As it so happens, the flower-rumped pegasus was completely unconscious, making it easy to shoulder her upper body onto Nutmeg’s back. Unfortunately, the flower rumped pegasus was a larger mare, and Nutmeg was not, so her upper body was about all the kirin could shoulder. With her horn holding the smoke back from both of their heads, Nutmeg draped the pony’s foreleg over her shoulder and hung onto it firmly with her teeth. Slowly, the kirin dragged her away from the fire and the heat, out the door to the mess hall and back toward the ramp.

Fortunately Nutmeg didn't have to go far before help was at hand. Standing nervously at the base of the main ramp she found Winter Hope, the unicorn nickering and stamping his hooves, apparently scared half witless by the prospect of the ship catching fire. "Who's that... oh, oh it's Bluebell, oh no..." he said, kneeling down beside the mare and checking her over. "She's unconscious... still breathing, thank Celestia. Did you... you saved her?" the unicorn added, looking at Nutmeg as if seeing the kirin for the first time. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

“We need—” Nutmeg coughed at her burning lungs, “—out of the smoke!”

The stallion's eyes widened, and his horn lit, adding his much more powerful telekinetic push to Nutmeg’s efforts. The two backed up in the corridor and up the ramp with the heavy mare, until they were all out of the ship and clear of the smoke.

“You know how to—you know about the poison in smoke,” a panting Nutmeg asked the white unicorn stallion, afraid to leave the mare like this, “The poison that takes away your breath even after it’s gone, right?”

Blinking at her in confusion, the stallion said, “Carbon monoxide? Y-yes. I can—”

“Do that!” Nutmeg shouted with a push of her hoof against his chest. Then the sooty kirin mare leapt straight for the engine room, bounding across the deck in two shakes of a kirin’s tail.

In a cabin at the far end of the ship, two griffons had been carrying on a spirited argument about just how long one should rest an injured wing before flying again, when the muffled shouts of "Fire, it's a fire!" started echoing up the corridor. Gustus sprang to his feet and was already half-way out the door, before he turned to his mate and beseeched her, "Grennie, sounds like they need help... just, stay here, alright, I don't want anything else happening to..."

"Shove it in your cloc, Gusty!" the hen shouted back, her feathers puffing up. "I'm not sitting here while..." Focused as he was on his mate, the griffon's keen eyes picked up motion behind Grenelda... something green, creeping across the floor in front of a porthole that had been closed a minute ago, light glinting on the knife raised high in one hand, ready to be plunged into the back of his beloved Grennie...

Gustus's eyes narrowed in a sharp and horrified look at the creeping figure! "Grennie, look out!" he squawked, leaping forward to try and intercept the intruder. That weapon was small but no less dangerous for that; he went for a grab, trying to wrestle it out of the small biped's grip before it was too late!

His mate's eyes went wide: she started to twist and look over her shoulder but was body-checked sideways as Gustus lunged forward. The griffon's claw reached out to grab the drow's arm, but he was off balance and facing a bloodthirsty, battle-hardened enemy. The drow didn't fare much better, instinctively adjusting her aim as Grenelda shifted sideways before realising she'd over extended. Both parties missed their mark, but Gustus found himself with a slashed and bleeding claw while the tips of his own talons scored deep red gouges in the attacker's forearm. She screamed and nearly dropped the butcher's knife, before managing to transfer it to her other hand. "Die, just die, like the animals you are!" she raged, stress and her bizarre accent making the insult barely understandable.

The griffon let out a screech of pain, as this hostile creature drew blood! He might be panicing, he might not be an experienced fighter, but he was an apex predator and the adrenalin was flowing. He grabbed again for the drow's wounded arm, while his other foreclaw reached for the first place his instinct said to strike: the attacker's face!

Jagged Blade's first instinct was to parry, but the knife was in her off hand and the griffon was much stronger. Instead she flinched back, just fast enough to avoid getting her face ripped off but not enough to avoid losing most of her left ear to Gustus's claw. The drow screamed again, desperately twisting and managing to slip out of the griffon's grip thanks to the lubricating effect of her own blood. She pulled back, preparing to make another slash at her tormentor... but now the female griffon had managed to turn around in the cramped cabin, and was glaring murder at her.

However full of grief and rage she might be, the sight of a pair of giant eagle faces intend on ending her forced the drow to the realisation that her plan to assassinate her mate's killer had failed. Desperately she scrambled back out the open porthole, climbing onto the hull where the much larger griffons could not immediately pursue.

By now Azure had made it back from the stream. A pair of sloshing buckets held in her magic, but that didn't stop her pounding a hoof into her face. "I have air magic now... I should be choking out the fire, cutting off the oxygen, dealing with the smoke..." Why couldn't the Lieutenant be chosen for this mission? "Take them!" she shouted to one of the earth ponies, dropping the buckets at his feet, before flapping down into the ship. If she could push the smoke and stale air back into the galley, then block the doorway with an air curtain, perhaps that would stop it spreading...

“You blooming idiots!” Nutmeg shouted as she ran full tilt into the engine room, “Why haven’t you—?” The kirin cut off as Sprocket and Gearshift ran up with a grey hose carried between the both of them. “Oh you guys are awesome,” Nutmeg declared with a rough smile, turning around as the other two made haste to strap the hose tightly to their chief engineer. With it in tow, Nutmeg went mincing out of the engineering room, hoping to all heck that there’s enough spool on this hose to reach the galley.

Her ears went down at how dizzy she was already feeling, but Nutmeg led her crew downstairs anyway, and promptly ran into Azure’s fire suppression squad. They had already closed all the internal hatches, cutting the fire off from the draft and choking it in its own smoke, and yet the mess hall was mostly clear of smoke. Ponies rushed up and down the ramp carrying away tables, chairs, anything wooden or flammable. Nutmeg pressed on into mess hall itself, where she saw Azure standing there in the middle, horn aglow, holding back the black smoke with a wall of air.

“Azure! Head’s up we got water incoming!” Nutmeg called out, biting the handle on the spigot to send a short blast of very hot water at what the fire she could see licking at the edges of Azure’s wind wall, steam bursting from the spot with a furious hiss.

In the griffon's cabin, Gustus glared with a deathly gaze at the retreating drow, breathing heavy, muscles tensed, feathers flared, ready to pounce. When the biped disappeared through the window, it seemed the immediate threat is gone. Gustus lets out a sigh of relief, turning first to hug Grenelda protectively, then checking on his own wounds. "What in Equestria is going on around here? I hardly feel safe anymore! I mean, we knew that we were heading into danger, passing through the storm barrier and all, but now we have assassins crawling over the ship! Where does this malice come from?"

"Shoulda killed that little bitch when we had the chance." Grenelda spat, taking Gustus's claw in her own and checking it over. "You gotta get that bandaged." The hen pressed her beak against her mate's neck. "Gusty, oh Gusty, ya did great just there, she had me cold."

Gustus flattened his feathers. "It went so fast - I hardly had a moment to think. Next time." He seems obliging with his choice of words, but he's scared on the inside.

"Yeah, but... look, we gotta take her down. Before she does any more damage." Pulling out of the hug, the griffoness pushed out into the corridor, heading for the upper deck.

Gustus looked down, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, I do... Ah, where are you going, Grennie?! You need to rest!" He perked up, and hurried after her.

As he padded after his mate, Gustus spotted another of the creatures, crouching inside a darkened cabin. The furless green biped seemed smaller than the first one and less sure of herself, with no obvious weapon. In her haste to get topside, Grenelda swept straight past the doorway and disappeared up the ramp. The little drow watched the griffon go and seems to sag with relief, before turning and seeing Gustus staring at her. Her face contorted in shock and fear.

Gustus put on a scary face (an easy feat for a natural predator) and approached the drow, claws brandished. "Are you feeling remorseful for your horrendous actions yet, little green creature?" He clicked his beak and stared.

"W-What? What do you mean? Look, I didn't do anything, I swear" Silent Arrow squeaked. "It was all Jaggers, she's the one you want. And... I can help you find her! I know how she thinks! You're a smart griffon, r-right, so d-don't eat me, 'cause that would be dumb!" The little drow nervously glanced around, avoiding Gustus's gaze and considering whether to make a break for it.

Gustus thought for a moment. Well, the little thing does seem to be missing its knife... suddenly he remembered his mate mentioning that two of her would-be slavemasters had survived. "You would lead me to your brethren? I swear if you're trying to set a trap for me, you're gonna find your guts all-"

Up on the deck, Grenelda was leaning over the rail, one wing extended and squawking with frustration. "Azure!" she shouts. "Gustus? Someone! That little elf bitch is crawling on the hull!" If only she could fly right now, it was like her enemy was mocking her.

His ears perk up at Grenelda's shrill voice! "Nevermind. Coming, Grennie!" Gustus gives the smaller drow one last glance as he scampers onto the top deck. "Point me and I'll take flight, dear!"

Down in the mess, Azure's kept her spell stable, keeping the mess clear of smoke while Nutmeg fought the flames in the galley. The bucket brigade had cleared and were in the process of slowly drenching anything flammable left in the room, while outside the ship, the first drops of rain began to patter on the portholes as the pegasi worked their weather magic. A little more and the ship would be saved... but who could have started this? Little that she knew, they weren't the only ones having problems...

Nutmeg's supply of pressurized water from the boiler ran out quickly, but she used it in targeted blasts to kill the worst flames first, so by the time her hose went dry, there were just a few smouldering timbers for the bucket brigade to deal with. Azure pushed her air wall forward, blowing the rest of the smoke out the portholes, while the earth ponies rushed in, stomping on the embers. The terrible smell of fresh charcoal and burned provisions filled the air.

At the cry from Grenelda, Azure looked up. "...The drow escaped?! Damn it..." she cursed, flapping back out of the ship in short order, looking for the enemy. "Guess we need to go hunt, then..." The winged unicorn looks less than happy. "If they caused that fire, I don't care how much they plead..." She shook her head, starting to look...

Far away, in some abandoned castle, a cold chill went down Set Sail's spine.

Jagged Blade had expertly climbed her way around to one of the mooring lines attaching the ship to the nearby cliff. Wincing with pain as she forced her wounded arm to carry her weight, the drow managed to get on top of the rope and balanced on it like a tightrope with catlike grace. Clearly visible to all on deck, she didn't stop to look back, just ran for the relative freedom of the meadow, hoping to reach the treeline and lose her pursuers in the jungle.

Gustus peered into the meadow as Grenelda pointed the way! "I see them: I'm in pursuit!" He leapt off of the deck railing, wings spreading as he arcs up before diving down, claws spread, in a swoop towards the drow. She might be a fast runner but there was no way she was getting away from an airborne griffon!

The predator slammed into the drow warrior, his claws bearing her to the ground and pinning her there. The shock of the impact had stunned her beyond any prospect of immediate counterattack, and he easily pulled the knife from her belt and tossed it away while keeping the other claw on her back. A shrill screech of triumph escaped his beak before he leaned down to the enemy's face. "You're going to regret what you've done today." He held off on the killing blow though, hesitant to take a sapient life no matter what the crime.

Pursuit? "Not alone!" Azure cried out before launching into the air herself, her face grim and resolute as she flapped after the griffon (though the effect was slightly diluted by her glittering butterfly wings). The eagle-lion chimera was far faster though, and it looked like he'd have first choice on the drow's fate; a fact that's further driven home as she spots the gryphon pinning his prey. A few seconds later and the unicorn was right next to him, her disgust evident. "Lit the ship on fire and hoped to get away, huh?" She's jumping to conclusions, but judging by the race's track record...

Jagged Blade let out a frustrated scream. "Nearly took all of you down, didn't I?" Then between ragged sobs: "Do it! Just do it! You killed my crew, you killed my mate, I'm an... exile.... now, because... of you... stupid. freakish. beasts!"

Azure regarded the drow stonily for a few moments, then flapped back into the sky. The mare's voice was devoid of emotion as she said "Bring her, Gustus." The griffon followed behind, the biped held in his claws; her struggles subsided as she realised what escape now would mean. Azure flew over the island's jungle until they were out of sight of the ship, then veered off over the edge, until they were hovering in open sky.

"By your own confession, you are a slaver, a thief and a murderer." Azure's voice was like an icy gale worthy of the windigoes themselves. "Despite this you were granted prisoner of war status, and you responded by trying to burn down a civilian ship and assassinate the crew. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Knowing the game was up, the drow leader still managed to muster a cruel, coughing laugh. "I'd do it all again. You think you've won? My kin will come, every single one of you will be a slave or a meal! I just wish I could see it."

A final dismissive snort from Azure, then a nod to Gustus. Jagged Blade's last scream quickly faded away as she became a dwindling dot, eventually disappearing into the bowl of clouds far below. Gustus's claws were trembling; Azure took them in her hooves. "It's ok, Gustus. Two days on the ship was enough for her to nearly kill Bluebell-"

"And Grennie." he whispered. "If I hadn't been there-"

"And Grenelda." Azure stated. "One way or another, it was us or her. Remember that."

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Grenelda here), Ferret (playing Nutmeg Inferno), Patashu (playing Gustus here) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

This chapter is based on the second half of the nineteenth session, with me as the GM: originally done concurrently with the previous scene but I've separated it here. It started with a puzzle for Nutmeg, but I have a tendency to set fire to something / have a dragon fly in / possibly both at once if things are getting slow. Things got a little intense, even grimdark at the end there, but don't worry, the next three sessions are all cheerful stuff focused on exploring the sky river.

Edge

Traversing the exciting new environment of the swamp island turned out to entail a lot of pushing through wet bushes, hooves suddenly disappearing through the moss into the sucking, cloying mud underneath, jumping over streams only to have the far bank collapse into yet more mud, detours around smelly stagnant ponds and thickets of dense spiky plants, and the flyers repeatedly having to force their way through the branches overhead to pop up and get a bearing after three of said detours in a row.

All the while the explorers marinated in the scent of rotting vegetation and freshly turned mud, while the hissing croaking rustling sounds of the verdant swamp came from all around. Every few minutes there would be a sudden, loud 'oink!', each time causing Set Sail to flutter into the air and scan the trees for their pursuer, though they never spotted it. Reef's offer to 'put down that specimen if it's bothering you Captain, need a dissection anyway, to confirm its anatomical similarity to the swine back home...' only made her look like she was going to lose her lunch.

The explorers made it to the lake shore, only to find abandoned fishing rods and in one case a row of gutted and cleaned fish, which Reef Skimmer eyed hungrily but politely kept away from. It seemed the fish creatures had little trouble detecting the pony's approach and chose to avoid the encounter, leaving only ripples on the surface of the lake in their passing. Declining Reef's offer to turn everyone into seaponies so they could follow underwater (which Set Sail seemed to think was a joke), Summer Scribe did her best to rally her troops, telling them that the village was 'right around the corner, and sure to be friendly!'

"Well great. And after all that, they're still scared of us," Set Sail groaned. Most of the discoloration from all those times she fell in the mud was hidden by the brown colour of her fur, but she was nursing a sore hoof. "I didn't even think bugs got that big," she grumbled, looking back with a baleful eye at the jungle they'd emerged from.

Huuuuffff! The unicorn mare pushed out of a clump of bushes and collapsed, muddy and panting. "Okay, I admit, that trip was a lot more pleasant in my head." she said, her tone exasperated. "I miss Blissful Pastures already." She gave herself a quick look over, decided that her coat was unpresentably dirty, and hazarded a dip in the lake to try and clean off at least a little. "Okay! Village right up ahead!" she said, enthusiasm returning as she shook the water out of her fur. "This is our first contact, so let's be on our friendliest behaviour!" With that Summer trotted ahead, refocused and determined to reach the cluster of buildings they'd spotted from the castle.

After an interminably long time trudging up and down the shores of inlets, and getting excited about stumbling onto a path only to find it twisting through the swamp and seemingly ended in the middle of nowhere, the tired, scratched and very muddy party finally reached said settlement. Perhaps a dozen shacks formed a loose circle, built on stilts to cut down on rising damp, walls of weathered planks and rooves of thatch or rusty mismatched metal sheeting. This time, the fish creatures decided to stand their ground.

Cloud Cutter looked a little irritated at the jungle, yet other than the momentary look of frustration, still followed with little more than a thoughtful look as she spotted the fish creatures. "I don't think they want to run this time..."

Summer Scribe took a deep breath and let it out again. 'Okay' she thought, 'perhaps they're a bit skittish, but they don't seem to be outright hostile. Let's make some new friends!' She raised a hoof, gently waving it. "Greetings! We are ponies from Equestria, here on an expedition of scientific discovery and exploration! We come in peace, and wish to build new friendships!"

Set Sail started to say something, but then blushed, glad that she had Summer to think of how to introduce themselves. The trip through the swamp had left her so flustered, she hadn't even thought to try approaching the village secretly and scoping it out first, instead just walking along with the others right up to it.

Six of them stood in the middle of the clearing, staring nervously at the approaching creatures. They did indeed look like bipedal fish, scaled in various shades of green and blue with great staring eyes and oversized paws ending in squishy looking 'fingers'. Fins poked out from various bits of their body, with the membranes tattered and decayed. They were wearing simple shirts of rough canvas and in one case a hat. Two of them were holding three-tined tridents while one was clutching what looked like an oversized butterfly net. All of them stared warily at Reef Skimmer as they approached, before Summer's words took them by surprise.

Summer Scribe paused, watching the biped's faces carefully, trying to gauge their reactions. She waited a moment for a response, before continuing, waving her hoof a bit: "Can you hear me? Can you understand me? Can you talk? Is there another way you'd prefer to communicate?" How did fish communicate anyway? Perhaps this was all in vain...

The gill-man with the hat took one step forward from the rest of the group before freezing, staring from Summer to Reef and back again. "Well I'll be, whadda we have here, can't say I ever saw no talking deer not with a griffon nor otherwise, cute little things you got here haven't you say are these your pets or, uh..." The rough male voice trailed off as the creature looked worriedly at Reef Skimmer's impassive visage.

Before the hippogriff could respond the biped bent down on one knee, beamed at Summer and continued. "You talk real good, little deer, uh, not making a whole lotta sense there but you got those words down pat, uh, darned cute if I do say so myself." He glanced nervously at Reef again. "Are you selling 'em? Or I don't suppose, just thinking out loud here, maybe you can train otters to talk instead? Cause my cousin would just love it if, uh, well..." he trailed off. Behind him the other fish-creatures seem to relax a little but haven't let go of their improvised weapons.

Summer Scribe pulled a face. "Uhh, they think we're Reef's pets?!" she scoffed, feeling suddenly humiliated by the interaction! She, hied behind Reef, nudging him a bit to continue the conversation, since it seemed he was the de facto Figure of Authority here. "Can you, uhh, tell them we're not for sale, please...?"

Set Sail's wary stance lasted long enough for her to stare dumbly at the gill-man just trotting up and giving Summer a big old eyeball. "W-we're not for sale!" she called out bravely from a few pony-lengths away, ready to take off at the first approach of any of those slavers, "And buying and selling pon— crea— people is bad!"

Cloud Cutter was still looking on with those empty eyes, but took a slight step back at the first speech from the gillmen. She was soon quietly mouthing the word "Deer?" These things thought they were deer now?

"Now see here," Reef began, huffing with annoyance, "these are ponies, not deer, completely different order, I mean look at their hooves..." Giving a kind of frustrated caw at the blank, glassy stares he tried again. "Look, that one is the Senior Researcher and this one is Captain Set Sail" he declared, gesturing from pony to pony, his larger size and wings spreading protectively over them not doing much to dispel the notion that they actually were his pets "...and you would do well to treat them with respect!"

Summer Scribe smiled, feeling bolstered by her friend's support... and now that the immediate annoyance has passed, worried that perhaps these gillfolk aren't as rational as she was hoping for. "Mhmm-mmm... yes! I'm my own pony and perfectly capable of holding my own conversations, here!"

The fish creature with the hat took a step back, seeking safety in his group. "Oh sure whatever you say mister griffon, you gotta re-search po-knee, a captain po-knee, uh, a purple... birdie... po-knee, you got all the po-knees!" He looked helplessly from one brightly coloured quadruped to another. "Uh... so... uh... what brings you cute little po-knees... and griffon! uh, yeah, what made ya wanna drop in on us folks down here in Rushreed Hollow?"

Summer Scribe let out a sigh of relief. Progress! She waved a hoof, pointing at the eastern sky, roughly to where Azure's scouting team had their first run-in with the drow. "We have a common threat: the drow. Since we began to explore, they've also raided us and attempted to capture and wound our people. And we know that you too live in fear of them: hence the forcefield dome. We were wondering if you'd be interested in a strategic alliance: to seek shelter against the Drow together and fight back!"

At the word 'drow' the whole group of fish creatures broke out in an agitated babble of "They know about..." "You don't suppose..." "It's a bad omen..." "Shoulda just..." "Wait wait..." that died away as Summer continues. All of them listened intently as she continues to speak, before looking back to their apparent leader.

"You don't capture and raid people too, do you?" Set Sail added warily, "Because we need to find p-people who don't do that! And wait-a-sec what do you mean fight back, Summer?? We're gonna fight the drow?!"

Summer Scribe blinked at Set Sail. "Well, we kind of don't have a choice: if they just attack us all the time, we're not getting anywhere. Plus, they have airships and we're inside the Storm Barrier, so we can't run or hide!" At this point she noticed that the gillmen were having quite the cautious reaction to her speech, so she improvised, directing her conclusion to the gillmen as well: "Our only choice is to teach them a lesson they won't forget!"

Cloud Cutter turned to Set Sail before nodding a little. "To be fair, Captain, hostilities are already underway. And I don't think the creatures back at the ship will take too kindly at being told to run from every fight."

"Yeah but... if these guys couldn't beat them," the acting captain whispered harshly to the cool purple pegasus, looking around at the gathered fishfolk all with weapons ready, "We're just a bunch of science ponies and sailors!"

"Now how did you get that idea, captain po-knee, we don't do no raiding nor slaving nor killing or stealing of any kind..." The gill-man's eyes shifted to Summer "...and you'd be a-feared too little deer, uh, po-knee, if you'd been about when those creatures 'o evil did come looking to steal away your fish, your tools, your, uh..." his voice choked up "...your daughter. The worst kinda bad news, those drow, we ain't in no position to fight 'em and if you think you're gonna do better..." He trailed off, confused by the po-knees seemingly arguing among themselves.

Summer Scribe picked up on that, trying to not shed a tear herself as she looked sad. Pony empathy powers go! "We don't want you to live in fear of an oppressor, either! We can stand together and fight against those bullies! Before they can do anything worse!" She thumped a hoof down and gave a resolute nod! "We're ponies! We don't stand down when folks are in need!"

Cloud Cutter turned away from Set Sail to listen to what she assumed was the gillmen's leader had said... before nodding slightly in response, then looking pleased with Summer Scribe's assertion, though she staying quiet for the time being.

"That's mighty touching of you, uh, 'search po-knee', spreading around your concern like that, but you see those drow, they got copters, they got cannon, they got a whole load o' archers and pikers and sneaky little buggers who descend on an unsuspecting village in the middle of the night like... uh... it's like... uh" The older gill-man stared into space, seemingly trapped in the recollection.

Set Sail looked ready to stridently object to Summer digging them even deeper, but instead her frustration broke, at the fish guy's words. She gave him (at least) a heartbroken look, saying, "Oh no! Your daughter?"

Behind him a younger, female voice piped up "Like the worst nightmare you ever did have, little po-knees! Now I'm thinking, not to be ungrateful here but I'm thinking, why would some strangers who never seen these parts before go sticking their necks out for us nobodies, and then I'm asking, yeah I'm asking how ya came to know about some 'force field' hereabouts. 'Cause I'm not saying you're spies for no drow, but..." The aquatic creature looked down. "...it's just mighty peculiar ya know?"

Summer Scribe pondered that, looking around the rest of the group as she huddled in. "Hmm, that's a good point... How can we prove that we're not Drow spies?" Not something that occurred to her earlier.

"My dear... fish lady..." Reef began.

"Sliptail, that's the name my mamma gave me, and you just done upset uncle Scalesbook there." she cut in.

Meanwhile Set Sail was whispering to Summer: "Do we need to prove we're not Drow spies? They can have their force field. We just need some friends around here, and help fixing our ship!"

Sweat was beading on Summer Scribe's brow, but she deferred to Set Sail's judgement. "You're right: we don't need full-blown sharing, everything-together-as-one relations, we just need to help each other out. Okay, I'll go down that road." She looks over to see if Reef is still talking, before butting in.

Cloud Cutter nodded again. "I'll side with the Captain as well on this one." She tossed in her two cents on the argument, even if it seemed over.

"...indeed. One does offer the most sincere apologies for that." Reef continued, ignoring the ponies whispering to each other in front of him. "In any case, please accept my assurance that we are explorers, conducting a survey of the Cloudbreaks, with particular attention to the biological and magical anomalies to be found here. And I must say that giant magical bubble over there, well it sticks out like a sore talon, so to speak. One would hardly have to be a spy to be drawn to such a sight."

"We're not looking for any trouble or anything. We're just really... really new to these lands, and we want to know if you... capture creatures and sell them," Set Sail offered, coming out of the impromptu huddle, ears down. "I-i-it's fine if you do I don't judge we'll just... go elsewhere nice and peacefully. We just don't know who's friendly around these parts."

"Yeah, umm, I do hear tell it's the grandest water nexus to be found in these parts, that's to be sure, but, ummm, you know about the pirates, and you know something about us, so someone done gone told you a whole lot, uh..." Slipscale tailed off, not sure what she's trying to say.

"I told you po-knee, we ain't no slaving stealing despicable little drow!" the older male cut in angrily, staring at Set Sail. "And I ain't too happy with anyone making the comparison!"

Summer Scribe bumped Set Sail, leaning in for a sharp whisper! "They're not slavers: drop it." Uncharacteristically angry for her! Then she settled herself in, and addressed Slipscale: "So, when it comes down to it... It's totally fair if you don't trust us yet. And that's fine! What we need the most is more transactional: we need help fixing our currently grounded airship. Are there any among your people who know their way around an airship, or even just good carpenters? I think once you see what we have, you'll agree it's unlike any Drow ship you've seen - and we'd be happy to show you around! And perhaps there's something we can do for you in return? We have capable fighters, magic..." She thought about offering supplies, but they were a little short on, uhh, everything really.

"I capture creatures and sell them!" another gill-man shouted unhelpfully from the back of the group. "I got me some gold-fish, red-fish, blue-fish, speckled-fish... uh... toads, coupla' snakes... all bottled up, ready ta take home... and good prices on each and every one, Burbleweed won't rip ya off, if ya got... gold for spending?" he pattered with a hopeful look. The rest of the fish creatures stared at him, rolling their eyes.

Reef Skimmer looked startled at this, then leaned his head down to Summer, stage-whispering "One doesn't suppose you brought those antique coins along? Live specimens already bottled up, did you hear?"

Summer Scribe blink-blinked, and opened her saddle bag, levitating out a few coins that jingled in front of her. "I mean, if any of this counts as 'gold'..." She looked sheepish.

Cloud Cutter finally decided to speak up, stepped forward with eyes showing no sign of emotion, but her voice made up for it. "We're not here to fight you... Summer is correct." Maybe she could stop this conversation from getting any worse. "The Drow have already caused us some problems, and some of us are very unhappy about what they've done... and most will be even less happy to hear what they've done to you." she concluded.

"Found yourselves on the wrong end of a dark elf pike, did ya now?" Scalesbrook said, taking a close look at Cloud Cutter for the first time. "Say, you got the way about you don't you, like you, uh, you... you been to the other side, and come back somehow." Eyes wide open, the fish man shivered, taking a step back from the pegasus.

Slipscale steps closer to her uncle and puts a clammy hand on his shoulder. "And that one done got some Magic in her." she said, pointing at Summer's glowing horn. "You suppose they all got elements on their side? Can't see no other way they'd get away, if the drow came a calling on their camp."

"Make no mistake, we defeated the drow on our encounter, my allies and I..." Cloud Cutter began, but as Scalesbrook continued... the pegasus took a step back as well. It was clear that the gillman had mentioned something she wasn't comfortable with. It took some time for her to even look back to the creature, though, and as Slipscale spoke... there was a sense of hope to the purple mare's words: "...I'm afraid I'm not quite understanding it myself. Could you help me there?"

"Unicorn ponies are uh, magic, yes," Set Sail clarified uncertainly, "We've still been trying to figure out what happened to Clashing Gale's team though, like Cloud Cutter here. If we did have these... element things on our side, we'd never use them to harm you, but we're kind of in the dark here, to be honest."

The older gillman looked perplexed. "Po-knee, now I can't say we had no spooky gillmen here no not in living memory but if I do recall they say those who've been to the other side, don't shed no light on the mysteries, now I always thought that was 'cause they just like being mysterious, but, uh..." He stared at Cloud Cutter again "...look we're just simple gillfolk here, fishing and cooking and a little of the farming and smithing on the side. We ain't got much in the way of elementals, mostly just the chief's line who got the way of the waters oww!"

Slipscale had elbowed her uncle in the ribs, glaring at him for revealing that to the strangers.

"You sent them drow packing?" Burbleweed said from behind. Turning to a fellow gillman he asked "You believe that? Those cute little things fought off a whole crew o' pirates? Unless..." he looked warily at Reef, still standing just behind the ponies with wings half-spread "...they got a whole lot more griffons back at their camp."

Cloud Cutter looked torn for a moment on how to respond, but then decided it would be better to seek a second opinion. She sidled over to Set Sail and whispered: "Should we tell them we captured their ship? Maybe then they'd believe we're on their side..."

Summer Scribe oohs. Their chief was all magical too? "...Don't suppose we could get a meeting with the chief? Friendly chat, exchange powers?" she said, with a smirk on her muzzle.

Harshly elbowing Summer, Set Sail said out loud, "We're not asking for miracles," with a sympathetic look to Slipscale. "We're just a group of explorers who got... a little waylaid, and we want to help however we can, so we can get a little... help in return. And mostly we just wanted to see if you were a friendly folk or not, since the only talking creatures we've run into so far are the Drow, and one creature who calls himself a 'troll'."

Summer Scribe oofs! But okay, that was fair. She rolled her leg a bit, nursing it. "Abby was pretty nice, though! Just a bit hermity." She perked a bit at Cloud Cutter and Set Sail's whispering, but missed the content.

"You wanna talk to the chieftess?" Slipscale said. "Yeah that'd be about right I guess, what with this talk of helping each other out, and she'll know, yeah she'll know if you're spies, or... umm, yeah, old Smoothfin 'll know if you folks are on the level. Friendly like. She looked around at her fellows. "Cause we're real friendly when you get to know us, right?" The gill-men all nodded, as if this was a point of pride.

"You won't go finding nowhere more welcoming than Witchway Marsh, not if you done hate those dark elf bastards nearly as much as we do!" Burbleweed said enthusiastically. "And we got the best selection of fresh, uh..." Seeing Set Sail's muzzle scrunch up he adjusted his pitch on the fly, "...pet! Yeah pet fish you'll find this side of Syklands!" he finished.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Set Sail replied, "We'd be happy to talk with her, if she's available! Where can she— I mean, if you could point us to where we might speak with her? We're not..." she eyed the giant floating islands and rivers all around them above, "...a very large group, but I think she might want to hear of us, and what good we can do together."

Summer Scribe nodded in agreement! It seemed like the conversation was heading in a productive direction. Hopefully the elder could be relied upon to be reasonable! Cloud Cutter also nodded and quieted down as she trotted back to her previous position. Perhaps now was not the best time to boast about how badly the drow had fared in their first encounter.

"Oh you'll be wanting to get up to the village then." Scalesbrook said, reaching up to adjust his broad-rimmed hat. "It's on the big island up there..." he waves at the sky "...just down the way from the source. Seeing as you're so polite and all I can offer ya all a ride on ma raft, ain't no better way to take in the sights downriver." He looked at the ponies for a moment. "'less you'd prefer to fly, I guess, say did you carry that little one all the way here?" he asked Reef Skimmer.

Summer Scribe looked up at the hippogriff. "Taking the raft does sound nice! But if we want to be expedient, Reef here can carry me, yes."

"Most of us are flyers, but a chance to see your magnificent river doesn't sound like such a bad idea," Set Sail sort of agreed, "We're not in a huge hurry, as long as it won't take days. Not like the ship'll burn down without us, right? H-how much... gold does it cost to ride?"

"Oh, one has gotten used to carting ponies around, so to speak." Reef said vaguely. "But one certainly wouldn't say no to a... raft..." he continued, "...assuming you have some magical means of propulsion? Wouldn't want to tire you good fellows out, pushing us all the way upriver!" He supposed he could transform and assist, would that startle them or reassure them seeing a fellow aquatic creature?

"Well you don't say, for the full tour it's just four gold ea- ow!" Burbleweed's pitch was cut off by another well-placed elbow from Sliptail.

"Can't be seeing to charge you folks what with offering to help us with the drow and all." Scalesbrook said. "Maybe you can even help us man the turret, if those sharks ever get it working! Uh." His niece was glaring at him again. "Uh. Never mind that. Yeah, so it's this way to the landing, if y'all will just follow me."

Summer Scribe nodded enthusiastically: "Lead the way, please!"

The older gillman lead the ponies through the cluster of huts and down a winding boardwalk into the swamp. It was just a couple of planks wide and creaked ominously under Reef's weight. "Uh, mind that one there, gotta replace that rotten plank some day, heh." he said. The hippogriff frowned and kept his wings open as much as possible, as another dunking in the smelly mud didn't appeal. Slipscale followed at the rear of the group, wanting to keep an eye on her uncle, who seemed far to willing to spill the tribe's secrets to these strange creatures. The trip went much faster than the pony's journey from the castle, and soon enough the party was at the bank of a small river, flowing out from the central lake to the edge of the island.

Cloud Cutter didn't seem too keen on the idea of raft riding, but she didn't want to be that one creature that wouldn't join in with the group activity. Thankfully, the trip wasn't long... at least, not nearly as long as the flight there, or the trek through the jungle to the village...

Floating in a small cove was the raft, consisting of a rubber donut perhaps four metres in diameter, covered in patches sewn over many past punctures and topped with a platform of weathered, creaking brown planks. The cove itself had a nice sandy shore and clear water, contrasting with the muddy pools in the swamp behind them.

Fed up with the mud caking his feathers, Reef couldn't contain himself; with a quick flap he was in the air and over the water. Ribbons of golden light appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around his form; within a second they'd obscured it completely, and with a bright flash the hippogriff was gone, replaced by a seapony with grey scales and hot pink fins. Reef fell into the cove with an enormous splash, spraying droplets over the ponies and gillmen on the shore, and making the raft bob up and down vigorously. He swam around underwater for a few seconds before his head popped up above the surface.

Summer Scribe was approaching the raft to board it - hopefully this would be far more pleasant of a trip than our, uhh, unrecommendable one! She perked at the sight of Reef transmuting, and a big smile formed on her face. "Looking good!" she shouted, "How's the water here?"

"Much better, if I do say so!" Reef replied eagerly. "Now, erm, would you like me to help push? One wouldn't mind a good swim you know, not that flying isn't enjoyable. but one hasn't had many chances to get the fins out recently..." He trailed off, seeing everyone staring at him. "Ah, yes, I suppose it was just Nutmeg last time wasn't it."

Set Sail is having some second thoughts at the state of that raft, but she figured everyone else really wanted to go on a ride too, so who was she to object? She paused at the sight of Reef's transformation, smiling fondly at the magic there. She'll never get used to seeing hippogriffs doing that, but it sure will keep him safe from any raft related shenanigans.

Even Cloud Cutter can't help but stare at the doctor's transformation into a seapony. She'd rarely seen it herself, but it was quite different from the unicorn magic most ponies were familiar with. Nodding softly in understanding: at least there was one additional safety measure, if it came to that.

Still grinning, Summer Scribe continued the banter: "Well, if you want to get in the exercise, I'll hardly say no. Sounds like a plan!"

"Uh, you're... you're... you turned into... a fish..." Scalesbrook boggled, before Sliptail cut him off.

"I told you!" she said excitedly. "That one's got the power of water in 'im. A griffon water elemental, now who woulda imagined that one? In the stories, all they was interested in was air, like you'd think."

Reef Skimmer stared at the gill.. woman? wondering if it was worth trying to explain that the magic had come from his pearl amulet, much less the difference between griffons and hippogriffs. It didn't seem like this was the right audience for that lecture. "Quite, erm, yes. Water you say?"

"He's not a griffon actually, he's a hippogriff," Set Sail pointed out cluelessly for Scalesbrook, "They hail from a kingdom under the sea, or... half under the sea, so they live in both worlds." Looking down to Reef, she called over, "I think they call you a hippo...something else, when you're a fishy type creature?"

"Well I'll be, Mr Fish... Griffon... wait what'ya say your name was? That's a mighty fine trick you've got there, the chieftess'll wanna see for sure, but don't you worry now there's no pushing to be done, not with old Nessie here. You just, um... hop... back on there and sit back, and let ol' Scalesbook handle all the rafting."

"Hippocampus, yes, erm... well said, well said there Captain." Reef said, looking at Set Sail and... blushing? Maybe? It was hard to tell. Frowning, he thrashed his tail and stood up in the water, another flash of light returning him to hippogriff form so that he could flap up onto the raft, which settled noticeably in the water as he sat down. "Reef Skimmer, junior surgeon in Queen Novo's Royal Navy, erm... on secondment to the Equestrian Expedition to the Cloudbreaks. At your service." he informed the gillman formally, with a dipping bow of his head.

"Not that the navy is here!" Set Sail yelped nervously, "Strictly 100% civilian operation!"

Summer Scribe settled calmly in the centre of the raft, ready for 'Clueless Tourist' mode, enjoying the scenic trail and all the sights! The blissful smile was still plastered on her face... wait, 'Nessie'?

"Don't look like no hippo to me." Sliptail muttered, stepping onto the rear of the raft.

"Err, the etymology of the hippo- prefix is... you know, nevermind." Summer Scribe trailed off, still basking in the river trip and not feeling like an academic debate right then.

Set Sail fluttered down on the raft, testing the boards underhoof, then standing firm against them. She was set! ...and not at all as excited as a little schoolfilly!

Scalesbook was utterly bemused by all this. He stares at Reef's amulet; now that it was out of the water, the blue glow and humming was obvious, like a struck tuning fork, the sound and light slowly dying away. Thinking better of asking about it, lest he be confused by another upwelling of unfamiliar words and concepts, the old gill-man shook his head. "Yeah, well good for you, Mister Hippo-griffon, that all sounds great. Now all of you just grab onto the ropes there and hold tight, I gotta get us moving here."

He picked up a long pole and shoved it into the bank, grunting as he pushed the raft out into the river. Said ropes turned out to be some loops of rough, fraying hemp rope sitting on the platform, tied into the rickety structure of the raft. The raft was immediately caught by the current and carried downstream, heading towards the edge of the island. Scalesbrook works his pole, navigating the fragile vessel to the right as they come up on a fork in the river.

Set Sail winced at the state of the ropes, wrapping one around a foreleg, but mostly relying on her hoofing on the boards. Meanwhile Cloud Cutter, for once, wasn't buying the gillman's advice. Her wings were folded but held tense, and it was fairly clear to any creature on her squad that she would fly at the first sign of trouble...

A rushing roar of falling water became louder and louder as the raft continued downriver, picking up speed and jostling from side to side as the watercourse narrowed further. "Erm, not to criticise your navigation there, old fellow, but, erm... aren't we going the wrong way?" Reef Skimmer asked, speaking loudly over the rushing water.

"Now y'all just hold on tight there, maybe close those eyes if you're feeling squeemish, old Scalesbrook has done this a million times now, here about, and we'll be just fine, ya hear?" The raft surged forward and it became clear that it was heading directly for the head of the waterfall, where the river plunges off the edge of the island and disappears into the void below.

"It's fine, Reef. We don't know our way around the area," Set Sail remarked in amusement with a look back to the nervous hippogriff, "I'm sure he knows where he's going better than we do."

Summer Scribe nodded in agreement! "The rivers in this place go all over: could have missed something on our way in."

"But... we're going straight over that waterfall!" Reef said, gripping the raft tightly with his claws. His wings were already half open as he prepared to leap off and grab Summer... he wasn't sure if he could manage to grab one of the fish creatures as well, certainly not both of them...

"W-wait, Waterfall?!" Summer gawked! Her ears perked, trying to hear the rushing of water up ahead. The unicorn tensed in case she needed to jump off and swim, but the water was flowing fast and it seems like she'd need a rescue from Reef if it came to it!

"Oh yeah, we gonna go straight over the top, this is always the best bit!" Sliptail shouted from behind, startling Reef who gave a loud squawk. Cloud Cutter had already taken off and pulled away by this point: falling off a waterfall wasn't on her list of plans going into this voyage!

"Waterfall? What are you talking about?" Set Sail asked Reef with a look of complete puzzlement as the roar of water grows around them, "The only waterfall is the one right off the edge of the—"

"Bail!" Summer Scribe cried out, as she desperately made a jump for it, leaping off of the raft and immediately being carried away by the rushing current, far too strong for her to reach the bank before...

And with that the raft plunged over the edge of the island and fell into space, tipping forward as it plummeted down amidst the falling rain and spray of the dissolving waterfall. Everyone on board was soaked to the bone. Reef let out a loud screech as they fall, his claws still gripping the raft tightly, at least until they emerge from the spray and he can see who he needs to rescue.

Set Sail's wings snapped out as she turned forward, and the pegasus rose off the boards as they drop out from under her... before the rope she'd tied around her fetlock dragged her screaming into the abyss with the rest of them.

Cloud Cutter's wings were stretched wide as she flew out over the lip of the waterfall, staring down at the doomed raft with its screaming passengers falling into the void below. At least... until the raft, and a small equine body that had just separated from it, disappear in a brilliant flash of light, leaving a cloud of glowing, drifting motes that slowly wink out as the water itself vanishes, a hundred metres or so below the edge of the island. There was no trace of the raft, the ponies or the fish creatures.

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Set Sail here), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) and Spearmint (who normally plays Azure Feather, but took on the role of Cloud Cutter for this scene), based on an online RP.

This chapter is based on the twentieth session, with me as the GM: we finally get to meet the Gillmen, and Summer gets to try her 'diplomacy' in earnest. This session went over 10K words despite not being particularly long as we were all apparently on fire with the descriptions, so I bumped the last part to the next chapter.

Marsh

Cloud Cutter found herself alone, beating her wings to hover in the sky just above the edge of the floating swamp. Beneath her water from the central lake poured over the cliff, dissipated into spray and disappeared, in defiance of everything she knew about metrology and hydrology. She wasted no time pondering how this was possible; soon she was diving down through the mist, hoping to locate her team-mates flying below or perhaps clinging to the cliff.

Instead she found no trace; not even falling pieces of the rickety raft. Her expression became more and more concerned as she widened her search pattern to the surrounding area. What kind of game were those fish creatures playing? After ten minutes searching for any clue to what had happened, the purple pegasus flapped back up over the rim of the island. She decided to head straight back for the hamlet, where some creature would have to explain... and fast.

Elsewhere, a raft, two screaming (or in Reef's case screeching) passengers, two gillfolk wondering what all the fuss is about, and one unicorn now finding herself overboard and trying to swim in churning water, all appeared in a dark, gloomy, echoing underground space.

Set Sail landed cheek-first against the boards as the raft abruptly bobbed up and ceased to be in freefall about 10 centimetres from her face. With a grumbling moan, she moved her hoof against her other hoof, until the rope fells off of it.

"-...waaah!" Summer Scribe yelped out as she was teleported, gasping for air as she surfaced again. She paddled desperately in the general direction of the raft, looking a bit sheepish as she managed to get her front hooves onto the deck. "OK, so we're not dead. What just happened?!"

"Summer!" Reef shouted, relieved to see the unicorn. He offered her a claw and pulled her up onto the platform; her fur was sopping wet. "Teleportation, at a guess? In all honesty you're better equipped to speculate than I." he said morosely, gesturing with a claw at Summer's horn. The two gillfolk were just staring at them, apparently wondering what all the fuss was about.

Summer took the claw thankfully, hauled up with his help then shaking to clear some of the water from her coat. "Yeah, I guess we teleported here." She squinted around at the damp, underground environment. "Teleportation... Do all the waterfalls-into-nothingness do this? It'd explain the water cycle..." Oh no, she was thinking about the water cycle again; something had better happen to distract her! She peered around again, focusing on the rapidly growing light of the approaching cave mouth. "So where ARE we now? Is this where the elder lives?"

Presently the raft emerged out of the natural tunnel into bright sunlight, which streamed down on the rocky, mountainous surroundings. It seemed they were in the bowl of a large crater, heading rapidly for a lake filling its centre, considerably smaller than the placid swamp-fringed body of water they'd seen earlier. Despite the mid-day sun there was a chill in the air here, but at least it smelled fresh and invigorating after the musk of the swamp.

"I gotta say I'm sorry if I gave you folks a shock there," Scalesbrook said sheepishly, "guess I gone done this business so many times it couldn't occur to an old gilly that some folks might not be so comfortable with the trip back to the source and all. But, uh, you seem fine, uh... weren't there four of ya?"

"..." Summer Scribe glanced around the raft. "Cloud Cutter got left behind." Her eyes narrowed. "Umm. So worst case scenario, she thinks we're dead and she's going to seek revenge," the unicorn thought out loud. "That sounds slightly bad. Can we get in touch with her?"

"The spooky one did jump off right before the lip." Sliptail piped up. "Saw her flyin' with those birdie wings, she must've missed the falls and be still flapping around down near Rushweed Hollow!"

Set Sail struggled to a standing position, stammering "S-she can k-ki—" before falling silent and giving the fishy biped a panicked look, then just saying, "We have to find her!"

"Uh, say that's the case, we ain't got no fancy radios nor nothing like that here in the marsh." the older gillman said uncomfortably. "She ain't gonna steal no one's soul is she?"

"Of course not! Haha no of course she can't do anything like that, ha ha," Set Sail replied with a very broad, toothy smile.

With a few splashes and jostles the raft emerged from the rushing stream and started drifting placidly across the crystal-clear waters of the crater-lake, heading slowly but inexorably for the source of the main river.

"Uh, well then, that's good," Scalesbrook began. "Don't want no more zombies causing trouble 'round these parts, last time it took-" Sliptail wasn't able to employ her eblows this time because the big hippogriff was in the way, but her glare was enough to make her uncle shut up.

Summer Scribe blink-blinked. "Anyway, more importantly... we'd like to speed up this conversation, if we can, since we need to let Cloud Cutter know we're not disintegrated somehow!"

"I'm sure your friend is fine, she got those wings after all, wish I had wings..." Sliptail said wistfully. "Eh heh, yeah now if you folks'll look to the right, that there is Granite Peak Croft, where Splashway does tend the only flock 'o sheep we got in these isles." The 'croft' was a cluster of rough stone, thatched roof cottages near the mouth of the river. "Now we'll be heading down the river proper in just a minute."

"Wish you had wings too, miss," Set Sail said honestly. "I didn't want anyone coming on this expedition who couldn't fly. But I'm not the uh... wasn't the captain. Still, you seem to be doing okay for a creature without wings who just fell off the edge of one of these islands. There must be other ways you get along."

"Look little po-knee, it's too bad your friend didn't come with y'all, but we ain't got no quicker way to get back there than ride the river to the bottom." Scalesbrook explained, nervously adjusting his hat again. "'less you feel like taking off I 'spose." he added, looking at Reef Skimmer's wings.

Reef followed the gillman's gaze and opened his wing a bit, staring at it for a second before looking to Set Sail. "What say you, Captain, shall one go round up our missing pegasus?"

Blinking, Set Sail blurted out, "O-of course! You're the fastest, Reef. Go find her, and hurry!"

Reef dipped his head to the brown pegasus. "No sooner said than done. Do take care, Sails... err, Captain." With that faux-pas he looked away and awkwardly rose to his feet, before leaping up into the air and flapping away.

The raft bounced and bobbed as his weight was removed, and the strong downdraft rustled the manes of the two mares left onboard. The rickety vessel was speeding up again now as it was drawn into the first part of the river proper, once again rushing towards the edge of the island. This time though there was no waterfall; the river simply continued, an impossible ribbon of water flowing through space, suspended in the air by some unknown force.

"He's heavy, but he's fast," Set Sail said with nervous relief, staring fondly up after the departing hippogriff, "He'll get there before..." She winced and looked nervously at the gillfolk. "...she uh, gets too worried. About us. Wouldn't want her to worry."

"You don't suppose that hippo-griffon'd let me ride on his back, do you? Ya know, just for a quick fly around the neighbourhood." Sliptail asked, watching Reef flying away before glancing at Set Sail.

"Oh, well you'd have to ask but I don't think he'd mind," Set Sail said curiously to the female fish-creature, "You like flying, huh?"

"Can't say I've ever had the chance." Sliptail looked down. "None-na the traders would take me on their ship, not like we see many of them these days ya know, and those who do come a calling wanna just get business done and clear out, 'fore the drow have a chance to rumble 'em." She stared at Set Sail's folded pinions. "Always thought it must be nice, though."

"Well it's..." Set Sail briefly spread a brown wing, looking back at it, "It's like walking for me. Or swimming for you, I suppose. It can be fun when you get into a good dive, but mostly it's just..." she blushed self-consciously, "N-not to sound ungrateful or anything. You have um..." Set Sail took a long look at the gillman's forelegs, "...hends I think they're called. Do you think a lot about how nice they are?"

"Uh." Sliptail spread her webbed fingers and stared at them. The webbing was as decayed and sickly as her fins: spotted with tears, holes and discolouration. "They're just hands. For holding stuff. I guess we gill folk got hands suited for swimming, maybe trolls have an easier time with the holding, but... they're just hands right? Haven't just been a might sore though, these last few years."

"Now don't go complaining to our guests, Slippy." Scalesbrook said. "We're coming up here on one of the greatest sights to see on our river, the statue of the greatest hero that ever did come out of the marsh, Gill Grunt!" he proclaimed in a reverent tone.

Sure enough, the river widened out into another fair-sized lake, this one mostly suspended in mid-air with only one side abutting a strip of land. A huge stone plinth rose out of the trees there, topped with an enormous statue about the size of the EAS Harmony's balloon. The details were weathered away and covered in moss and lichen, but it was unmistakably one of the fish creatures, holding a barrel with a trident sticking out of it.

"Oh no, it's fine!" Set Sail said to Scalesbrook, "Doesn't bother me a bit." Back to Sliptail, she says, "I'm just saying I feel like you could appreciate flying more than somepony who's born this way. Maybe you can get a ship someday, or a... companion to help get you up in the air. But for now let's just... oh my." She fell silent at the sight of the statue, looking up at the amazing sculpture, of such a heroic looking creature, and practically the size of a small town!

Down on the lower island, Cloud Cutter closed rapidly on the gillfolk village, if the cluster of rusty shacks merited the term. With no sign of her team, the raft or their fishy hosts, along with no answers... a decent day had turned sour for the purple pegasus. She spied the would-be merchant Burbleweed still standing in the clearing, having an animated discussion with another of the gillmen, who kept gesturing with his trident. The other two are nowhere to be seen, presumably inside one of the buildings or returning to fishing.

Cloud Cutter quickly and silently swooped down to a landing. Realising her obvious anger wasn't going to lend itself to asking for help, she tried to reign in her emotions as she trotted up to the pair of gillmen...

"Oh hey, it's, uh... that spooky po-knee," Burbleweed said, stepping backwards and looking around as if about to make a run for it. "G-Guess you done worked out Burble's deals are just too good to pass up, right?" he stammered, "What can I get'cha?"

Cloud Cutter shook her head at Burbleweed's ridiculous sales patter, frustration boiling just under the surface. "Now, I'm sure there's a reason behind this.... but I just watched my entire team and two of your people just... vanish at the bottom of a waterfall just now. There's... there's a reason for that... right? ...Right?!" The mix of anger and fear for the loss of her friends was stronger than any emotion she'd had since the crossing, stronger even than during the drow attack. As much as she was trying to hold it back, the sheer thought of having to go back to the Harmony and announce that she was the sole survivor of the diplomatic trip... it was too much for anypony to bear.

"Uh, vanish.. well yeah, that's what happens... when you fall! Over the falls!" Burbleweed was shaking now as he backed away from Cloud Cutter, before his back came up against one of the huts with a thump. "Please po-knee, they're fine! They're at the source! That's what happens... you go back to the source!"

The anger seemed to be replaced by absolute confusion: Cloud Cutter just sat down and shook her head. "...To the source? What... what do you mean?! I-I don't get it... I don't get much here." The hostility had evaporated, replaced by an absolutely confused pegasus that only seemed increasingly lost in a world she barely understood.

"Ya know, the source! The source... of the river. You don't know? Well, you need Burbleweed's All-Inclusive Guide to Witchway Marsh, only... ten... gold... for-you-only-five!" the gillman finished, suddenly realising he might be pushing his luck... and there was no sign of his companion. And all the doors had been slammed shut and bolted. And he was unlikely to make it to the lake before the flying zombie deer swooped down and...

"...Pass." Cloud Cutter said flatly, shaking her head. "They... they aren't dead, right? That's all I need to know..." she concluded, standing up again. At least she got half of her answer, the most important part, right?

"Dead!?" the gillman gargled hysterically, misinterpreting her advance as a renewed attack. "Why would they be dead?! Of course they're not dead?! They just went to the source! You know, on the top island."

"On the top- got it, thank you!" Cloud Cutter didn't waste another second feeling sorry for herself. She knew one of the advantages of her state was that she was nearly tireless in flight... and if she didn't waste time, she should be able to catch up and maybe even get the answers she wanted!

Meanwhile Reef Skimmer had been flapping steadily down towards the team's initial landing site, crossing over the river again as it twisted and turned through a cluster of serpentine, floating ponds. Perhaps half way down, he spotted a tiny purple shape making its way up towards him; it had to be the pegasus, looking for them. He headed straight for her, then turned aside; Cloud had spotted him in turn and adjusted her own course until the big hippogriff stallion and smaller pegasus mare were gliding parallel to each other, a couple of wingspans apart. "Cloud Flutter! Cutter! Good to see you! On the way up to look for us, I see. I trust... everycreature is ok down here?" he called out uncertainly.

Even if Cloud Cutter's eyes were unable to show emotion, the smile at seeing the hippogriff doctor flying right at her and coming alongside spoke volumes. "I'm glad to see you too, doctor... goodness, I'd feared the worst!" she admitted, as the two flew back towards the top island. "I'd looked for you at the bottom of the waterfall, the village, and when that merchant... gillman told me you were at the top island, I started flying immediately!"

It took her a moment before the mare could reply to the other half of the question. "Every creature is fine. Scared, but fine. I didn't hurt any creature... at least, I don't think I did..." she reassured him.

"Indeed, well, glad to hear it, glad to hear it." Reef said, relieved. "Some kind of teleportation, you'd have to ask Summer about the specifics, but yes... we all reappeared in a cave! Came out in a crater, up on that top island, that's where the river flows from. Sails and Summer are enjoying a lazy ride downriver right now in fact. Captain Sails, I mean. Captain Set Sail! So... if you'd like to follow me, we can join them?"

Cloud Cutter chuckled a bit at Reef's fumbling of the Captain's name, but the response was immediate. "No questions asked, doctor, let's go find them! Lead the way!" It had been some time since Cloud Cutter had been this enthusiastic about anything. Then again, finding out your entire team isn't dead, and instead is fully healthy, well and concerned enough to send out somecreature to look for you, did tend to raise the spirits.

Back on the raft, Summer Scribe gawked up at the statue. "Woaaah, cool. Is this a statue of a hero of yore? A 'Skylander', I think they're called? Perhaps even water elemental, descended from here...?"

"Mayhaps you've heard the legend?" Scalesbook said. "Just like you said, he went away to join some big old army of creatures of all sorts, called themselves the Sky Landers. And Gill Grunt fought with the best of them, against all kinds o' vicious monsters and infernal machines and frightly spooks and... the worst o' the lot, the master of darkness, The Chaos Master! They say he was twenty feet tall and could kill a warrior just by glaring at them!"

"Oooh..." Set Sail said appreciatively, her haunches planted as she gazed upward.

Summer was enraptured. "The Chaos Master? Huh, that sounds kind of like..." She blink-blinked: Discord? Though killing people wasn't his style! Maybe this was a different Chaos Master...

"So ya heard that one did ya?" Sliptail pipes up. "Bet ya haven't heard it two hundred times over, 'round each and every campfire plus when we gotta hide in the nexus, like old Scales here can't shut up about the one gilly who had the guts and gumption to break right out of this dump and make a real name for himself." She sighed, looking up at the statue adoringly.

Summer Scribe waved her hoof dismissively. "Pfff, sorry, we're like, really new around here. And I'm still wide-eyed and taking everything in! So apologies if I'm all nosey about your lore. It's still exciting to me!" But it was clearly a bit of a sore spot to them: everyone else was stuck here living in fear of the drow, huh?

The two flyers headed back up, catching up with the raft just as it was passing through a section of aerial rapids, the river splitting and winding and churning around a series of floating rocks. They paced the modest vessel, listening to Summer scream and 'woo-hoo' with excitement while Set Sail looked upward and gave a little wave of her wing at the sight of them, otherwise unwilling to extract her hooves from their tight grip on the platform.

Soon enough the raft was out of the rapids and floating smoothly down the next part of the river; a long sweeping turn leading to the edge of the second island. Reef landed as gently as he could, the raft still bobbing and splashing as he settled onto it, while Cloud Cutter drifted down to a silent landing as if weightless.

Summer Scribe waved over to Cloud Cutter and Reef as they returned. "That was fun! I mean, uhh, hey, welcome back! Sorry for the scare, Cloud Cutter; I had no idea any of that was going to happen. Everything is ok!" She nodded over to Reef as well, as thanks for the 'rescue', then steadied herself on the raft, looking downriver with anticipation.

"You weren't lyin', that was fast." Sliptail said to Set Sail, assuming the hippogriff had been all the way to the Rushweed Hollow and back.

The brown pegasus was too relieved to see her crewmate back to reply. "Oh thank Celestia, are you alright Cloud Cutter?" she asked, prying her hooves from their death grip as the river calmed, but hesitating before hugging the purple pegasus. "I should have noticed the raft was gonna fall sooner. I can't believe that rope dragged... but you were smart and flew free, and all you got for it was us making you worry."

"It-it's fine, really... I'm sorry if I scared you..." Cloud Cutter replied, as she settled onto the boards before shaking her head. "Apologies to all of you and especially to, um... Sliptail? And... your uncle, forgive me for forgetting your name... I should have trusted more." She bowed her head. "I... may have scared your merchant, too, he was the one that told me where you were... and I have to apologize to him too."

Summer Scribe chuckled! "Hey, no sweat: you didn't scare us, we scared you! I'm just glad everyone's on solid ground, so to speak."

"Didn't steal no souls then? Heh." Scalesbrook said wryly."At least you won't be worrin' 'bout your friend and such when you get to meet the chieftess. Witchway Marsh is just ahead there."

"You mean I didn't miss that?!" Cloud Cutter exclaimed. "Oh, thank Celestia..." Glowing blank eyes aside, the relief was absolutely clear from her posture. "Not doubting you gillmen again after that, I really do apologize!"

"Don't think nothing of it Miss Po-knee." the gillman said, making a dismissive gesture with the hand that wasn't holding the punting pole.

"Yeah, one of us shoulda warned ya." Sliptail added. "It's just... we don't get so many visitors these days, and like I said, those that come, they don't wanna stick around, much less take a tour down the river."

"I can see why," Set Sail said with a stomp in frustration, "Those drow are a menace! I don't know what we can do against them that powerful creatures like you cannot, but if that's what it takes to deal with all this... then maybe ponies can find a way."

"We've fought them, we've won against them. I'm sure Azure and Grenelda will want another round against them if asked... as will I." Cloud Cutter stated. "Even more so if I can figure out just... just what the heck is going on with me. It's not wrong, it's not right... it's just weird. Like... why can I fly two hours to this island, up to see this island, back to the village, up to the top island, and back on the raft and... not even feel tired? It just doesn't make any sense."

Suspended in the sky, the impossible river twisted and turned its way down from a floating mountain to a swamp-fringed lake, its course passing through two more sizable islands as it descended. On the lazy curve of water approaching the largest island could be seen a makeshift, tube-based raft, laden with a cargo of two fishy humanoids, three colourful ponies and one grey and pink hippogriff.

The ominous drop to each side gave way to muddy banks, choked with bright green plants. The terrain was a little drier than the swamp they'd fought through earlier by virtue of being less flat, with numerous hillocks poking up through the marsh. Scalesbrook worked his pole to keep the raft near the left bank, where signs of habitation began to show up; a pier, then a hut, then a mill with an undershot waterwheel.

Set Sail was busily working her wings out, making sure every feather was sleek and presentable as possible, from their formerly flustered and bedraggled state. She didn't spend a lot of time looking at the burgeoning signs of civilization.

Summer Scribe rubbed a hoof behind her horn. "Okay, here we are! After a bit of a teleporter fright - gonna have to remember that one for next time." She sweat-dropped, studying the village ahead. Looked a lot more impressive and built up than that first cluster of shacks, and unlike the castle, populated and in use! You didn't need to do any archaeology when you could just ask a local specimen about their customs and what they're up to! Of course, first things first, they had their hooves full with meeting the elder and asking for help!

Cloud Cutter had remained quiet for the rest of the trip downriver, calming herself after getting so worried about losing the rest of her team. As civilization presented itself, she gave a quiet nod to Summer Scribe. Help for the ship was definitely top priority. She could only wish for answers about what happened to her in the crossing.

Soon enough the river began to fork, splitting once, twice, thrice into smaller and smaller streams. The visitors found themselves watched by more and more scaly faces, as gillmen stopped their tasks and came out of their huts to regard the newcomers. A few more minutes downriver and the craft came to an actual dock, a sizable pool boarded by a wooden wharf with projected piers. Here were a couple more rafts, several rowboats and a modestly sized paddle-wheel steamer, all patched and worn and looking like they might sink at any moment.

Indeed the prows of several wrecks stuck out of the water just outside the pool. Scalesbrook guided the raft up to the wharf, where Sliptail jumped ashore and fussed with a rope, securing it against the current. Behind her were a full-blown crowd of gillmen, a muted commotion going up as they speculated about the unfamiliar creatures that had suddenly appeared among them. Behind the crowd the village itself could be seen, several dozen ramshackle buildings of weathered wood broken by the odd bit of corrugated metal.

Summer Scribe waited patiently for docking to complete before hopping off, tail flicking as she takes the village in in more detail; it definitely looked jury-rigged and thrown together from the scraps of civilisation. Given that airships are also about, she thought it likely that there's a variety of technology levels and things filtered down! She perked up as gillmen crowded around her field of view, giving a sheepish hoof wave. "Hi! We're not from around here," she correctly and helpfully pointed out. "Nice to meet you all!"

The volume of the crowd increased, with the predictable "talking deer?" "no... sheep?" as well as "haven't seen a griffon since... "ya think they're here for..." "maybe they want..." A shoal of little fish-children ran out and skidded to a stop a few body lengths away from Summer, before pushing one of their number forward to go and pet her.

"So here it be, Witchway Marsh, most substantial community you'll find about these parts, just the place for tradin' or eatin' or talkin' or whatever other foolin' around ya might wanna do, if I do say so." Scalesbrook said. Turning to the crowd, he shouted "Now see here, I know you be thinking, here's a griffon with some funny little pet deer, that be what we all assumed down in the hollow. But no these be po-knees, seem friendly like and smart as you or me, come to see our town and jaw with the chieftess."

Summer Scribe... flushed a bit? Then accepted the pettings. This was a bit surprising, but her tail was flicking? It felt nice?? But at the chance to be dignified, she shook her head out and nod-nodded agreeably! "Yes indeed: we are Ponies, from Equestria, and we hope to forge good relations with you all!"

Cloud Cutter seemed a little uneasy at first, then slumped again at the mention of sheep and deer. Again? What the heck was with every creature here? Thankfully, Scalesbrook put that confusion to rest quickly as Summer Scribe spoke again, and the winged purple pony regained her composure.

Set Sail smiled at the enthusiastic unicorn, so helpful at making them known, which is nice when it's a good idea. "Thank you Scalesbrook!" she declared, fluttering up into the air, facing the crowd and adding, "Hope you all don't mind! We're just some travellers in a bit of trouble, and we could really use her advice."

Most of the gillmen hung back, staring up at Set Sail and saying things like "would you look at that", "think that griff dyes 'em those colours" "never hearda no Quest-ria" and so on, while the more nervous individuals shot furtive looks at the eagle-faced hippogriff following behind the ponies. One did step forward, a dark green specimen wearing an apron.

"Mayhap you folks will be wanting to park your butts in Pebbleskip Tavern, where good ol' Pebbleksip is serving up the most tastiest stew, the craziest moonshine an' the cosiest conversation you'll find hereabouts." he said hopefully.

"Oh there you go again." Scalesbrook groaned. "I know you be hankering for fresh travellers ever since those ents stopped a-stopping 'round here 'Splish, but these po-knees wanna talk ta Smoothfin, and I'm betting she'll be burstin' to talk to them too, soon as she hears all this commotion."

Summer Scribe chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I think we'll save the moonshine for later when we're not on business..." Lacking experience with moonshine in general and fish-folk brewing skills in particular, she wasn't sure how hard it would smash her. "But thank you for letting us know! We can check it out later!"

Cloud Cutter, on the other hoof, quietly made a note. Moonshine? Sounded like a darn plan if ever there was one. Princess Luna would no doubt approve. After all... this trip has been far from fun and games, she wouldn't mind the opportunity to unwind a little.

Reef Skimmer trotted behind, wings tightly folded, expression neutral, taking in the sights but letting the ponies do the talking. True to form, he was making mental notes about the anatomical variety on display and the development indicated by the juveniles; would have to confirm egg laying later. Seeing a whole crowd of the creatures it did strike him how bad the condition of their fins was, each and every one ragged and disintegrating.

The little gill-girl had backed away from Summer as soon as the pony started talking. Not wanting to interfere with an adult conversation, she made for the other grounded pony: Cloud Cutter. "Um... can I pet you... um... miss... um... pony..." The little fish girl stood transfixed, staring into Cloud Cutter's featureless white eyes.

Cloud Cutter couldn't help but tilt her head. Petting? Her? Far be it from her to decline such a thing, but... why her, she wondered idly, before snapping back to reality. "Petting? Um... sure?" She sounded a little dazed, as if surprised any creature would even ask her that.

The girl slowly stretched out her hand, her arm shaking as she managed to break away from those eyes and look the other way. There was something... off, something terribly unsettling about this purple creature, cute as it had looked from a distance, but all her friends were watching, and... now her hand was in its mane, and it was incredibly soft and silky. "Oh, um, that's some lovely hair you got, miss pony."

"Hope you do grace us with the pleasure o' your business, you won't be regretting it!" Pebbleskip managed before Scalesbrook shoed him away. Set Sail had to hide a giggle under a forehoof at the enthusiastic seller. She certainly didn't mind the attention, or the distraction from the task at hand.

"Now you be followin' me close, I'll be taking ya straight up to ol' Smoothfin before she starts frettin' about what ya'll are up to here." he said to Summer, waving an arm at Set Sail in a 'come on' gesture before turning away and stomping deeper into the village, the crowd parting around him.

Summer Scribe looked over at Cloud Cutter with a pleasant smile on her face. How adorable! But yes, they had work to do - she turned her head to follow Scalesbrook. For her part, Cloud Cutter chuckled slightly at the attention, but part of her is thankful for Scalesbrook bringing the group to the chieftess. At least... at least she won't be hurting this little fish creature. Bowing her head to the gill-girl, she turned away without a word and was soon following along behind Summer Scribe.

"That'd be great. Sorry to drop in on you all like this," Set Sail told Scalesbrook, walking along behind him with much lighter more staccato clops of her hooves, falling in line behind Summer and Cloud Cutter, alongside the hippogriff doctor who saved everyone from a huge incident just earlier.

The group made their way through the village, constructed as a series of boardwalks linking the buildings, some on raised stone foundations and others on stilts. On closer inspection it was clear that the general disrepair of the place was not so much through neglect, as from having to make constant repairs with improvised materials. Some of the patches were old and weathered, while here and there were freshly broken planks in a wall, or scorch marks on the shingles yet to be softened by rain.

All the way more and more fishy faces could be seen watching through windows and standing in doorways; there must be at least a couple of hundred of the creatures living here, Reef thought. Eventually the group came to a round stone building, older and more substantial than the others, with a door of thick carved wood that looked like it had been made from a section of salvaged hull. Two burly gillmen stood to each side, bearing sizable bronze tridents and looking suspiciously at the newcomers; particularly the hippogriff.

Summer Scribe peered around, taking note of the constant repairs the villagers must have to do in the wake of the drow attacks; it certainly meant they had some skill at building and crafts. She perked up at the standing guards, looking towards their tour guide and assuming they'd be given a pass once they talk.

"Now these here visitors need to see the chief." Scalesbrook began "All o' them, these little ones be talking po-knees and they do got a lot to talk about, now I know what you'll be saying so I'll just go ahead and vouch for their good behaviour."

Set Sail shrunk against Reef at the sight of the burly fish men and their unfriendly demeanour. Alas, she was not exactly the picture of an inspiring leader. Cloud Cutter, on the other hoof, didn't seem surprised to see the guards. After all, if they've got to deal with the Drow on a regular basis - this was the type of creature that could fight them off. If fact she gave them a little nod, standing against superior weapons and numbers deserved at least some respect...

The guards looked from the gillman to the strange creatures and back again, trying to judge if these newcomers posed a threat. "You be known for some strange catches in yer time Scaly, 'corse half o' more o' them were tall tales an' all, but I do say this time you outdone yourself." said one of the guards. Turning to Summer, while still keeping a wary eye on the griff, he said "Alright little pokey, do your talkin', but we'll be watching close like with these here tridents a-ready so don't thinka trying no crazy magic nor nothin'."

Summer Scribe sweat-dropped, but nodded her head. "You got it! We're just here to talk." She wasn't planning on trying anything fancy, but if she was, this would be an excellent deterrent!

At the touch of Set Sail against his flank Reef Skimmer instinctively extends a wing over her, though catches himself before actually giving her a hug. He didn't want her to seem undignified, after all. The pegasus was subtly but frantically making cutting gestures with a forehoof under her chin, not that Summer seemed to notice.

With that the other guard pushed the heavy door open and headed inside, her voice echoing back out "Chieftess! Four... creatures, they wanna talk, yeah they're... oh you heard, yeah... of course Chieftess, right away." That was apparently sufficient confirmation for Scalesbrook, who strode up the steps and into the dimly lit hall inside.

Summer Scribe finally caught Set Sail's look and gave a bashful nod of understanding, saying no more. The brown pegasus didn't hesitate to leave Reef's protection in order to scurry up to Summer and be ready to elbow the little unicorn, on the off chance that she made any more efforts to chat with the guards on the way in.

As usual, Cloud Cutter followed silently behind as the group made their way through a short hallway into the building proper. She could only hope answers were to be found here...

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Nutmeg Inferno and Set Sail), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) and Spearmint (who normally plays Azure Feather, but took on the role of Cloud Cutter for this scene), based on an online RP.

This chapter is based on the last third of the twentieth session and the first third of the twenty-first session, with me as the GM. With commendable restraint, Cloud Cutter manages to avoid stealing anyone's soul. Next up : the first serious test of Summer Scribe, Pony Diplomat Extrodinaire. Map of the sky river by me.

Diplomacy

The interior of the building was a roughly semi-circular space, big enough for perhaps forty creatures to gather. The side walls were lined with shelves full of books and jars and a jumble of weird knick-knacks, while the far wall was dominated by a huge and elaborate wooden chair, seemingly made from salvaged ribs of ships, adorned with bits of net and carvings of various strange creatures that might once have been figureheads. A spiral of stairs off to one side lead up to the attic, while a sizable pool in the opposite corner hinted at a flooded, underground escape tunnel.

In the giant seat ('throne' might have been overstating the case) sat a tiny, ancient-looking fish woman, sprawled on a mass of mismatched cushions, bright eyes peering at her visitors. Before she could speak there is commotion to one side as a gangly gillman came barrelling down the staircase; a teenager perhaps, shouting "I found it, I got it!" presumably referring to the heavy book he was carrying.

'Cool throne room, by the way' thought Summer Scribe, as she lifted a hoof and opened her mouth, as though ready to speak, but her train of thought is interrupted by this book business. She paused to see what this could be about; could it just be a coincidence?

Rolling her eyes and ignoring the young gillman for now, the chieftess proclaimed in a slow, reedy voice "Strangers, you be finding yourself before Smoothfin, leader of the Witchway tribe, and she's mighty curious about what manner o' creatures be visiting her today, and what purpose they do have coming to the Marsh."

Scalesbook stepped forward and got his word in first: "Smoothfin, this be Search Po-knee, and her friend Captain Po-knee, and that one back there is... uh... Spooky Po-knee? And by all appearances they be friendly and smart as you or I."

At the back, Sliptail leaned around the hippogriff and shouted "And this is Reef Skimmer and he's a hippo-griffon and that means when he's in the mind to he does turn into the biggest fish you ever did see!"

Reef Skimmer 's ear tufts flicked out in surprise, before he stared at the ceiling with a sheepish expression.

Okay, she was up! Summer Scribe bowed low to show her deference, before speaking with a smile: "Thank you so much for your time, Smoothfin! We are ponies, from Equestria - beyond the Storm Barrier, far below. We arrived on an airship which crash landed, and we find ourselves in a strange and unfamiliar world, on a mission of exploration and scientific discovery."

Boilerplate so far, but now came the important bit: "And so, we find ourselves looking for new allies, friends who can help each other out! We offer our services as fliers, as engineers and our magic and combat capabilities, and wish to extend the olive branch of friendship to you. Our biggest priorities right now are to get repairs for our airship so it can take flight again, and to find shelter and common ground against those who would do us harm here." She bowed again and awaited the fish creature's reply.

As much as Cloud Cutter wanted to be involved in formal first contact with a new civilisation, Summer Scribe... pretty much set the stage perfectly, as she saw it. And so, the purple pegasus held her tongue for now...

Smoothfin blinked, digesting the unicorn's little speech. "Beyond the storm? Now Smoothfin, she always did hear tell the great storm is the edge 'o the world, that there be nothing beyond, just an howling wind an' rain so hard it'd flay the skin from any creature who be so foolish as to fly into it. Not that us folk think much of it, not anymore. So you be saying, you got a ship that did crash, now would that be in these isles of ours?" she asked, peering closer at the mare. "Sure I did see something just like you, Smoothfin knows she did." she muttered.

Summer Scribe shook her head. "It's a fair ways off: way outside of this island chain. So you'd have to get transport by flier, assuming we can't get any other airships working. We've already commandeered one of the Drow's and Nutmeg's been taking a peek at how it works..." ...just casually dropping that in like it was the easiest thing to do in the world. In truth it had been a lot of work, but maybe the feat would impress Smoothfin!

At that the old gillwoman jerked upright, staring from Summer to Set Sail and back in horror. "You did what? Smoothfin just did hear these po-knees saying they stole a ship from under the drow, but she's having a hard time believin' it!? You folks saying you took away their galleon?"

"We didn't commandeer it!" Set Sail yelped, stepping forward. "We... were forced to board one of their smaller ships during an attack, and are in the process of recovering it from when it... crashed." Meanwhile the teenage gillman had set the heavy tome down and was paging through it furiously, adding more must to the already dusty air in the room, while shooting furtive glances at each visitor in turn.

Now that they were talking about Azure's ill-fated scouting trip, Cloud Cutter felt she had to step in. "I was in the squad that took over the ship. We travelled to an island chain and were trapped when the creatures found us, and attacked first. We fought back, won, and took the ship." Short, sweet, to the point, she thought.

"If you'd stolen their 'copter you wouldn't have crashed it into the island," Set Sail insisted to Cloud Cutter, "It's okay to admit if you had trouble. Those creatures were mean!"

Summer Scribe nodded to Cloud Cutter. "Purely in self-defence! Before that attack we didn't know there were critters so bloodthirsty and relentless in the Cloudbreak Islands! If we're going to survive them, then we need to get ahead of them or we're sitting ducks."

"I wouldn't have crashed it if it was more than a poorly maintained, flimsy piece of dragon dung!" Cloud Cutter defended herself. "That engine was... well let's just say Nutmeg wouldn't have been happy!" The usually calm purple pegasus seemed uncharacteristically agitated.

"So lemme get this straight, you... you... went to the isle o' misery and stole one o' the demons' 'copters? And then gone done smash it into the ground?" the chieftess said. "Oh, Smoothfin ain't liking what she's hearing here, you tangled with those drow and riled 'em up no doubt, they'll be chasin' you to the end 'o Skylands now. You best be hid good, po-knees, 'cause the demons 'll not never forgive ya for that. Smoothfin's wondering, you done got any elementals among ya, 'cause the bubble 'round a nexus is the safest place to hide, been working for us folks for generations."

"Yeah they done got some elements, they do..." Scalesbrook broke in "...Search Pony got magic and Spooky pony... she's spoooky and hippo-griffon, he must be real friendly with Water to turn fish the way he did..." The old gillman stared at Set Sail before muttering "...not sure 'bout Captain Pony."

Summer Scribe looked curiously at Set Sail. She doesn't say anything, but she's also not sure. ...What's her element? She looked down at her hooves, thoughtfully. Does everyone get one? Maybe not? If so it was no big deal, right?

"Elementals? Well..." Cloud Cutter started. "I think another one of the squad I was in might be one." She looked over to the hippogriff. "Azure's pretty clearly attuned to the Air element, isn't she?"

"What happened was the demons came to... enslave and eat one of our exploration teams," Set Sail explained, feeling very small right then. "Reef Skimmer here managed to figure out how to destroy their trap, but they were too close by then and opened fire. They hadn't expected that flyers would escape their trap, so... it was possible to engage them. Once Cloud Cutter had control of the ship, she took it out of the sight of their... galleon, and managed to land it... relatively intact. We had to... borrow it. If we just flew away from a ship like that, then they would know where we are!"

"One can't take credit for disabling the trap device, my dear... erm, Captain, that was quick thinking and yes..." he nodded in acknowledgement to Cloud Cutter "...an impressive display of magic from Azure Feather." Reef corrected. "Indeed one must confess, my main contribution to the engagement was, erm, 'persuading' Silent Arrow to put the copter down post haste... and in one piece. That gave Cloud Cutter the chance to take the prize, and one must say it was a damned fine piece of flying, getting a strange craft in poor condition all the way back to the Harmony."

Cloud Cutter bowed her head to the griff in thanks for the credit and backup. She'd tried to defend herself, but... yeah, it always helped to have a witness back you up, right?

Summer Scribe gave a firm nod to that. "Ultimately, if the drow are going to play dirty, we're not going to hesitate to do so either!" She grinned. "They're the aggressors, and we have an important lesson about friendship to teach them! Should we, uhh, be able to do so safely, first."

"Oh Smoothfin be' liking this less and less, she can't be blaming you folks for defendin' yourselves, but you shoulda let that 'copter alone and run for yer lives, 'cause now..." The chieftess was interrupted by the teenage gillman, who seemed very excited about something in the book: "Gran, I found 'em, I found 'em, well one of 'em at least. See here, this be her, don't ya think?" He brought the ancient book over to the chieftess, who peered at the indicated page. "Uney Corn. Good likeness ain't it. Yes indeed, Smoothfin thinks you've found the measure of our guests. You done good Brightfin."

Set Sail sagged in relief saying, "Thank you chieftess. We would never do anyone harm except in self-defence. Creatures like you are just the sort of people we hoped to find, so we can work together, and perhaps do something about those demons who... steal our children away." At the teenage gillman's words, she tilted an ear, saying, "You mean Summer here?" looking over to the sprightly speaking unicorn archaeologist.

"So I'm hearing Summer's your name, Miss Uney Corn?" the younger Brightfin said cheefully. "Says here right in this ol' book, Uney Corns did live in Rainbow Valley, not been seen since long ago and seems like they were reclusive folk even back then. You decide to go on a grand trip all of a sudden?"

Smoothfin waved the young gillman away. "Never mind that, can't ya see we got more pressing concerns here?" Peering at Set Sail she said "Now you just tell old Smoothfin what your notion o' 'doing something' about the demon drow does entail. 'Cause the Uney Corn there sounds half-daft with her notions o' friendship and such, which ain't something no drow is gonna understand not in a million seasons."

"Hold on, may I see that book?" Summer Scribe waved it over to take a look, squinting. "Huh... ooooold. These are your runes, but... fascinating! That illustration looks just like Princess Luna, if she didn't have wings..." She perks her brow, smiling in surprise! "So it seems you do know of us after all! Fascinating!" Diversion over for now, she tilted her head at the mention of drow. "Well, we can't not try." Summer informed the chieftess. "And we certainly can't let them trample all over us! Friendship also means standing with your friends!"

Closing her eyes a moment, Set Sail looked up at the chieftess on her creative and impressive throne. "We came through the Storm Wall as explorers, in a ship that managed to survive the trip, but barely. On the other side is a big ocean, then Equestria, the land we call home. We need safe harbor and repairs for our ship, so we could hardly say no to sharing it with you, and giving you defense in the air against these pirates. There are not... many of us. No more than 50. But we're able bodied ponies who do have uhm... elemental magic."

The acting captain took a moment to compose her thoughts before continuing. "We can manage your weather, and help with anything you need built. And we CAN fight. We're not fighters, not all of us, but we have defeated those... Drow before. Between them and defeating chompy pits, I think ponies may be... helpful. At least some of us can join your defense, to give the others time to get to safety."

Giving a troubled huff, the brown pegasus concluded, "It's absolutely inexcusable that those creatures are taking slaves. Ponies are not warlike or anything, but... we have some... unfortunate experience with slavery in the past. If there is anything we can do to rescue your people, we'll fight as if they were our own, because if we don't, then one day it'll be us in those cages."

Several seconds of silence followed Set Sail's speech as all present absorb it. Brightfin's eyes were shining with eagerness at the prospect of fighting the drow, but Smoothfin looked aghast. "So you're the captain of a crashed ship, now? Smoothfin can understand, that'd be hard to live with. Don't think she's ungrateful now, for such brave folks offering to fight the demons, even if it is in trade for helping with your ship."

"You folks just don't see the truth of it though. Mayhap you got lucky in your first scrap with the 'em, surprised those drow with the grace of the elements while they're a wonderin' what to make o' these strange creatures come a-calling on their isle. But you got one ship, one ship and one stolen copter, both crashed you say."

In a bitter, weary tone she explained: "Smoothfin's seen a whole armada o' ships, crammed to the gills with a mess of vicious trolls, they all went a-fighting the demons with our some of our finest to show 'em the way. And what did happen? So they did put down a few demons, even sink a couple-a ships, but of the eight gillfolk who did go with 'em, we saw only two return to us. A victory you say? Not for us it weren't, not a half season later when the demons did come back twice as angry as a-fore. Darned near burned down the whole marsh they did, such was the spite of 'em. Weren't no sign nor sight of the trolls then, promises to help turned to ash and went a-drifting away on the wind."

"Smoothfin can't see you pony-corns doing no better than a whole army, no matter how many elements you befriended. So there won't be no more fighting, that's for sure; she don't even want no drow to see hair nor hide of you here, 'cause it'll be us that bear the brunt of their rage 'gain should they think we be harbouring their enemies."

Cloud Cutter remained quiet through the entire exchange. She wasn't anything close to a diplomat, and this wasn't a time to be asking what happened to her. But after Smoothfin's latest response... their situation wasn't looking great. Far from it, in fact.

"Hmmmm...." thought Summer Scribe, falling back on her rear as she swished her tail and considered the gillwoman's words. These creatures had clearly suffered through a lot more in Cloudbreak Islands than the ponies had imagined... and likely learned the lesson to live a secluded life and not mess with powers beyond your reckoning. "Smoothfin, we understand; if your kind are done fighting, then we won't ask you to help out in battle. But, we still want you to know that should you find yourself embroiled in conflict not of your choosing, we're willing to lend a hoof."

"Hmph. Easy to say, pony-corn, harder to do, harder still to see an end to the fightin' once a feud gets started. Demons don't forget, they don't just let things slide, and Smoothfin don't either, you folks keep that in mind now." The old gill-woman was leaning foward, perched on the edge of her seat; her now expression softened as she relaxed back into the cusions.

"Now here's what I'm saying, you folks are free to visit the marsh, 'long as you don't come near 'fore sun-up and get well clear before sun-down, you hear? I hear tell of you sleepin' over or sneaking around in the dark, you ain't coming back here, not on friendly terms that is. Smoothfin knows we don't see a lot of trade these days so she won't say no to you folks doing some honest custom where you can find it, but she don't want to hear her folk upset with more talk o' fighting demons, that clear?"

Fair enough, thought Cloud Cutter. No allies to be made here, not yet. Judging by Smoothfin's reaction, any further answers will have to wait until another day: the spooky pegasus realised they'd be pushing their luck to ask for more here. Looked like they were on their own against the drow.

Summer Scribe nodded sadly at that: well, maybe it had always been a reach to hope for anything more? The gill folk seemed pretty much battered and beaten into a corner, after all. Hiding her disappointment, she said brightly: "OK, loud and clear. Thank you for your hospitality!" The unicorn did wonder what the rule on being out past dark was about... most likely it was to do with high profile gillkidnapping.

Set Sail sank to her haunches, but wasn't about to give up so easily. "What you've told us... it's awful... and... you're right that there's probably not much we can do to stop them, but they don't know we're their enemies yet. I don't think we can turn the tide or anything like that, but I don't think those Drow are as unstoppable as they seem. They may have been angrier, but... how many ships do they really have left? I have ponies who might be willing to find out." The brown mare stood up again, saying, "You're their enemy as much as we are. Everyone is their enemy, since they attack everyone. Your children are—" Her voice choked off.

With a shake of her head, the pegasus concluded more calmly, "They'll attack you no matter what advantage you have. Ponies, weapons, prosperity, you can't gain anything without getting their attention. Does that mean you should just give up and let them take away your..." She sighed, bowed her head and admitted, "But I can understand why they'd be afraid of a few ponies, who just sort of... defeated one of their smaller ships, without knowing who they were. We did come here to ask for help, but all we really wanted to know was if you were as awful as they were. If you think leaving us to them is the safest thing for your people, then we'll do what we can alone, and be glad to call you friends. Thank you chieftess."

Almost as an afterthought, the mare lifted her head, and looked up to the old fish creature, adding, "But ponies can be very helpful, even as slaves, so if they do take us, just... watch out for what they might make us do. We're not just colourful deer."

Smoothfin looked thoughtfully at Set Sail. "You don't look like much, but you be a smart little thing, ain't you Captain Pony-corn? Just like Smoothfin here, maybe." She gave a dry chuckle. "Now see, we gillmen aren't what we once were. Us folks been in a rough patch for a long time, that's to be sure. Lost our chief, lost our heroes, such as they were. Smoothfin ain't saying it'll always be that way, not at all, no she hopes that when she's gone and Brightfin here steps up to chief, someday we'll be all set to face down the drow, beat 'em back so hard they don't dare set foot here again."

"You see Smoothfin's doing what she can, but we fell so low that climbin' back'll take a lot more seasons yet. We go pickin' a fight 'fore we're ready, we'll be knocked down again, maybe even lower. So, mean times, you folks can help with the climbin' up, Smoothfin'll be glad to see it. Somethin' she can do to keep the drow off yer tails, she'll do it, 'long as it don't involve more of her people dyin'. But she ain't gonna live to see the end of the demons, that's for sure."

"Now... you folks go run along while there's daylight to spare. If you wanna get any business done, Smoothfin is saying. You come visit her once ya got more sense in your heads."

"Thank you chieftess. We'll do our best not to make any more trouble with them," Set Sail said, turning to leave. Over her shoulder she looked at the others and says, "Uh, p-permission for everypony else to leave, granted?" Then she kind of awkwardly headed for the door alone.

Reef Skimmer closed his eyes and gave a little bow, dipping his head and half-spreading his wings. "On behalf of Queen Novo and the hippogriffs of Mount Aris, thank you Chieftess Groovefin; one does hope you succeed in your quest to regain your freedom and past glory." With that he did a formal about-turn and trotted out after Set Sail, heedless of the giggling Brightfin and his grandmother's annoyed glare.

A quiet nod from Cloud Cutter in thanks for hearing them out and she was heading for the exit as well. Had this gone any better, this might have been a chance to find out more about her condition, and what the 'elements' had to do with it, but... looked like that would be a question for another day. For now it seemed they'd be heading back to the Harmony.

Summer Scribe nodded her head in understanding to Smoothfin. "We wish you the best of luck in flourishing as a people, and we'll always be open to further discussion in future - thank you again for having us!" With that she was slowly trotting over to join Set Sail and the others at the door. Well, all things considered, it went about as well as it ought to have been.

The visitors began to make their way back through the town, whispering to each other about what had just happened and what to do next, but they didn't get far before the sound of webbed feet flapping rapidly on timber came from behind: looking back they see the gangly young gillman, Brightfin, running after them. "Hey! Hey wait a minute! Mister Griffon! Pony corns!" He caught up, putting webbed hands on his knees and panting. "Uh, Mister Scalesbrook, will you give us a moment here?" he asked.

"Hhph!" the old gillman replied, "Come on Sliptail, I've a-feelin' we don't wanna be a-witness to whatever mischief this one's plannin'." The two wander off, leaving Summer Scribe, Cloud Cutter and Reef Skimmer alone with Brightfin. Set Sail was nowhere to be seen; as soon as the doors opened, she'd spread her wings and leaped into the air, shooting up into the sky and making a beeline for the nearest cloud.

"You folks wanna fight the drow!?" the young gillman said eagerly. "That's so cool? You know my pa, he almost finished them off! Took down a couple-a giant galleys all on his own, so everyone says! Would'a taken 'em all down if those sneaky trolls hadn't betrayed him, I'm sure of it! Ha-ha, yeah, hey... wasn't there another flying pony-corn?" he concluded, looking cluelessly around.

Cloud Cutter gave Brightfin and odd look, tilting her head again. She's not the leader here, far from it, but listening to him speak... she decided it was best to stay silent. For his part Reef Skimmer looked around, alarmed, then caught sight of the brown pegasus, a dwindling brown dot heading up to the nearest cumulus. He glanced at Summer Scribe, wondering if she could handle this kid.

Summer Scribe huhs, listening to Brightfin's tale ... Say, where did Set Sail get to? Well, anyway. She grinned! "Well, it's not so much that we WANT to, so much that we won't go down without a fight if it's what it takes!" She made a proud, thrusting motion with her cute little unicorn horn. "Right, Cloud Cutter?" The little mare pondered that for a moment, before asking "Huh, so what did those trolls do, specifically?" She suddenly thought that it might be a good thing they didn't have Abby along with them...

Cloud Cutter finally spoke up. "I'm not the most enthusiastic creature when it comes to conflict, that's more Azure's and Grenelda's opinion and... I'm sure Reef agrees with them, too, but I'm willing to fight." She sighed. "Just wish I knew what happened when I became... this." A gesture with her wings, indicating her own body.

"Well...." Brightfin said nervously "...see I was just a kid back then, wasn't in the ne-goat-ee-ations and such, but the way gran does tell it, trolls don't care a lick about other creatues 'cept how you're useful to them. Not so in-your-face outright evil as the drow, but maybe that just makes 'em more of a danger, 'cause you won't see it coming when they decide you're no longer of a use to 'em and leave you twistin' in the wind."

"So yeah, my dad, 'course they asked him to lead the attack 'cause he was just so brave and strong and knew all about takin' down drow, but... I guess..." His voice cracked, and he continued unevenly "see they were mad that the drow was pulling their ships in, but once my dad did smash the machine that did that, those trolls, they got what they wanted and packed up and left. So I hear it tell, they left him there, and didn't give a hoot what happened to him nor us folks left behind." The kid seemed about to break out in tears, but he choked it back. "You ain't like that though, are you??"

Summer Scribe pondered that for a moment. Abby wasn't like that, was he? She guessed that for the most part, Abby lacked the resources to get anything out of double crossing them. Well, it was something to consider in the future: for now it was just an anecdote to think about. The cyan unicorn perked up, feeling the tremble of empathy behind her face as she listens to the kid's sad tale and nodded along. "Of course not! We ponies believe in the fundamental values of friendship: we help each other out, because that's what friends do!" She emphasised her declaration with a cheery nod!

"Well that's great, Miss Summer Pony-corn! So, uh, do you really have elementals and a battleship and griffons and, uh, stuff that can smash all those drow done good? Like their whole isle o' misery and everything? Cause..." His voice dropped to a loud whisper "...there might be some folks round here itching for a rematch no matter what the chieftess does say, if you and me were real convincing, you hear what I'm saying?"

Reef Skimmer had meanwhile taken a step back and was also whispering, though in Cloud Cutter's ear. "Do you think you can keep her out of trouble? One is rather concerned about Sails, on her own up there."

At that Cloud Cutter shot the hippogriff an understanding glance, tilting her head and lowering her own voice to a whisper. "Keep Summer out of trouble? I could, yeah. Go ahead and find the Captain." She quickly turned her attention back to Summer and Brightfin: she had an assigned task now.

Summer made a hoof-circling gesture. "Weeellll... I won't make any guarantees like that. We don't even know how strong they are in total! But..." She tilted her head at his proposal. "...I shall have to keep that in mind, for the future! I think it's too early right now, but certainly the Drow are in need of being taught their lesson! Thank you, kind one."

"Yeah! We gotta get some, uh, recons!" Brightfin enthused "Like how many did my dad kill, three quarters or maybe only two thirds?" The teenage gillman smiled at the thought. "Look we gotta convince every gilly round here, so they be knowing you ponycorns are the real deal, the real hope we been waiting for. Any other cool things you can do? Fix our turret? Put a bubble 'round the village, like at the nexus? Heh, even if you got more cure for fin-rot..." the teen's webbed fingers went to the fins on his head, full of holes and frayed at the edges "...cause we all got that real bad since the ents don't come no more."

Reef nodded in thanks to the pegasus. "Thank you.... and do take care, Summer." he said, before spreading his pinions and flapping up into the sky.

"...what's with your griffon?" a surprised Brightfin said, watching the hippogriff's sudden ascension.

Summer Scribe tapped her hoof in thought. The shield: they'd likely have no clue how it works, so it was a wash on whether they could do anything with that - but the 'turret' sounded like a machine, and Summer was confident Nutmeg could take on any challenge in that domain. Perhaps tit-for-tat was the way to go here? "...I believe we could fix your turret, but the pony best suited for that job isn't with us. I'll ask about it, and perhaps you'll have your wish!"

Suddenly registering the griff's sudden departure, she blinked. "Err, well, he's technically a Hippogriff..."

"Oh yeah! Sliptail said somethin' 'bout that, hippo-griffons who turn into giant fish, right? Yeah she's cute and smart ain't she." he said, staring off into space with a smile at the thought of the gillwoman.

Meanwhile Reef Skimmer was climbing steadily, just a slight twinge in his wings after the long flight in the morning, heading for the last place he'd seen Set Sail disappear into the clouds.

"...Anyway," Summer Scribe continued. "What's this fin rot thing you're talking about? We do have a medic who's interested in novel species, so maybe there's something for us to do there too?"

Brightfin's mind snapped back to the present. "Uh, well, it's just, uh, you know, like your fins are sore all the time, and they get holes and tears and sting when you're swimming and it just sucks, ya know? The ents... uh you folks know 'bout ents right, tree people with flowers and leaves and such growing outta them? Yeah they used to come by, traded a potion to fix yer fins right up for a good load o' peat, but we ain't seen them no not for years now."

Summer Scribe tilted her head. "Ents? Tree people?" Her first thought was of timberwolves, but... these 'ents' sounded nicer and more reputable. "Okay! So, if I see any ents, ask them about your fin problems. Can remember, thank you!" Levitating out her notebook, she jotted a new entry. Perhaps this was a good deed in waiting!

"You ponycorns can't make potions? Oh, I was thinking potions be magic, and Scalesbrook said you be the magic elemental, but, uh, never mind then." Brightfin said sheepishly.

"Mmmm, well, we can make potions, yes." Summer explained. "But we didn't exactly come prepared for alchemy, especially not after crash landing. That and not knowing the recipe makes it unlikely we'll figure it out on our own, with apologies!"

Hmm, Brightfin seemed to be rather talkative, Summer thought, so why not ask try and satisfy her curiosity? "Your magic shield: if I may ask, how does it work? Is it a spell, an artifact, a natural occurrence?" She thought it unlikely that the effect was reproducible, but on the off chance it was... imagine the new possibilities for fortifications back home!

"Magic shield?" Brightfin asked cluelessly. "Us folk don't really carry shields, prolly 'cause it's too hard to swim with 'em."

"No, uhh, the..." The unicorn gestured with a hoof into the distance, where she remembered seeing the shimmering magic earlier, on the next island downriver. "The forcefield? The big bubble shield around one of your homes?"

Brightfin's face lit up with realisation. "Oh, yeah! The great bubble, 'course that's the power of Water, but it must've been ancient gillies that built the gate and the made bubble itself! You can tell 'cause who else woulda made all the slides and fountains and pools and stuff! And yeah, you see it's like... only water elementals like me and gran and... pa..." he looked down for a second "...yeah we be the only ones who the gate will open for, but it's a long trip downriver to the bubble, gotta do it every time the demons come and..." he looked imploringly at Summer Scribe "...sometimes, not everyone makes it."

Cloud Cutter was just sticking to what she's asked to do at this point. Summer didn't seem to be getting into trouble, but the talk about elements seemed promising, even if she couldn't quite grasp all of it... so she was just listening in and quietly keeping an eye on the comings and goings of the surrounding village.

Summer Scribe nodded her head in low, sad understanding. "Thank you for letting me know, Brightfin." She wondered: if Reef Skimmer was water elemental, maybe he could just... open the bubble? It'd be even better if he could change it or even make a new one on top of that, but that seemed a bit of a stretch, surely?

Brightfin was looking nervously back over his shoulder at the chief's hall; the guards had returned to their stations outside and were giving him curious looks. "No problem at all, Miss Summer Pony-corn, you be taking care now, Brightfin'll see ya around, to be sure!" With that he waved and padded off towards the river.

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Nutmeg Inferno and Set Sail), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) and Spearmint (who normally plays Azure Feather, but took on the role of Cloud Cutter for this scene), based on an online RP.

This chapter is based on the main part of the twenty-first session, with me as the GM. Summer's definition of 'diplomacy' doesn't seem to match Set Sail's... Another neat illustration from ValyceNegative!

Panic

Reef Skimmer's wings thrummed as he climbed higher and higher above the marshy home of the fish people. Finally he caught sight of Set Sail; a brown dot sitting motionless on the upper surface of a cloud bank, slowly drifting on the light breeze. He stretched his pinions out and glided gently down, preparing to join her. Cloudwalking was mostly instinctive for the flyers of Equs, but there was a certain knack to it, and the hippogriff hadn't had many opportunities to practice in the last few years.

Curled in a tight ball there on that fluffy white expanse, the ragged looking pegasus didn't even notice his approach. Ears flat against her head, hidden in those wavy lavender and blue tresses, Set Sail seemed to be trying to scream, if she weren't hyperventilating too much to manage it.

Reef landed heavily on the cloud, embedding his legs about a foot into it, which proceeded to kick up swirls of vapor as he clumsily cantered towards the stricken pegasus. "Captain! Sails!? What's the matter, can't you breathe?!" She must be having some kind of attack, he thought. Reef tried to remember her initial physical, summoning a vague mental image of the mare standing nervously on his examination table, but he didn't recall her mentioning any conditions that cause a seizure.

Set Sail jerked around to face the hippogriff, her eyes staring wide, but whether she saw him was unclear. There were pupils somewhere in those green irises, but they were narrowed to pinpricks. Breathing too quickly to speak, she flailed against the cloud, twisting about and flapping her wings randomly, pulling herself up and desperately trying to get away from him.

Reef Skimmer rapidly assessed the situation; probably not epilepsy, the movements were still somewhat co-ordinated and the hyper-ventilation was more typical of... panic? He quickly surveyed the surroundings but there was nothing obvious that could have frightened her, just blue skies and puffy white cloud. Her flanks were starting to spot with foam but her mouth seemed clear; though it was hard to tell with all the snorting. For a second he considered giving her space and letting the attack run its course, but there was too much risk of her flinging herself off the edge or even through the cloud; in her current condition there was no guarantee the pegasus would recover her composure before she hit the ground.

Instead, Reef opened his wings, sprang forward and with a few flaps was on top of the much smaller pegasus; she screamed and flapped ineffectually but had no chance of escape. The big griff wrapped his forelegs around the base of her wings and then grabbed her front hooves in his claws, holding her tightly to his chest as he sank back down to the cloud. She squirmed and struggled but couldn't break free; Reef kept his head up and clear of her tossing mane, wondering if she was going to bite him. "Set Sail, please, calm down. It's ok, you're safe, you're safe." he said, doing his level best to be calming and authoritative with the patient, and hoping this wouldn't result in a court martial.

Set Sail refused to look or listen, single-mindedly struggling to get away, but she couldn't last long. He'd barely grabbed her before panicked squeals faded in strength and she stopped fighting to escape his grasp, until at last the captain relaxed in his arms, then slumped in his arms, her upper body sagging to dangle down limply over his arms. "There now, see? You're safe here," he said gently.

Reef brought his catch firmly down onto the cloud, then lay down on the cloud next to her, keeping one arm around her shoulders and folding one wing tightly over her body, his weight and strength keeping her own wings from doing anything but twitch back and forth. "Sails. Sails! Look at me. Focus on my face. You're safe now." The sight of a giant eagle face would no doubt have been reassuring to a lost griff chick, perhaps not so much for a pony.

She didn't respond, so he gingerly turned her limp body around to face him, holding her head up with a wing. With her eyes closed, her mouth slightly hanging open, the soft little pony seemed like she was sleeping peacefully in his embrace. He pulled open one of her eyelids to reveal an unfocused and much more dilated pupil. "Hmm. Unconscious," he muttered to himself, letting her eye close again.

Reef sighed; there was no pressing need to wake her up, but they would need to set off for the Harmony well before sunset, as no one wanted to risk a night flight. He shuddered at the thought of flying tired with even more weight in the cart, but he supposed that he could always ask Cloud Cutter for help; she never seemed to be tired. In any case he wouldn't mind a rest himself, after all the exertions and excitements of the day, so he lay the pegasus mare down back down on the cloud, draped one wing loosely over her and sunk back down to his belly.

The hippogriff had forgotten just how soft and comfortable a nice cumulus could be, as long as you spread your weight out and didn't have to concentrate on keeping your claws from sinking in. Reef's eyes closed as he slowly relaxed, not in need of sleep yet but appreciating a moment of calm.

It wasn't that long before the mare stirred against him. "Where...?" she murmured, eyes sliding open as she looked at the grey wing draped over her, then followed it back to the restful hippogriff, half sunk into the clouds with her. Set Sail immediately tensed against him, biting her lower lip. Was he asleep? She'd never been this close to the... creature before. Creature was the right word, right?

Reef slowly opens his eyes and turns his head to stare at the pegasus, trying to avoid startling her.

Set Sail had the calmest possible reaction which is to say she blushed hotly, stammering, "Uh I um I uh I uh—" scooting out from under his wing like it was on fire, leaping back to perch on the cloud like a startled cat, staring back at him saying shamefully, "I wasn't—um, I didn't mean to uh, w-w-w-what happened?"

The hippogriff continued to lie on his belly, scaled forelegs stretched out in front of him, nonchalantly drawing in and folding his wing. "Captain, I regret to inform you, that you appeared to suffer... some sort of mental episode." He continued to stare at Set Sail, trying to judge her reaction and mental state. The ears twitching back and forth probably meant something, hopefully not the severe head trauma it would indicate for a hippogriff's feather tufts. "No sooner had we emerged from the chieftess's abode, when you took off up here on your own. One caught up as soon as one could, but... well, do you have any pre-existing conditions that might cause, erm, loss of composure?"

With an outraged scrunch, she declared, "Episode? I didn't suffer an ep—I was scared, okay?" Sitting her butt down with a huff, she wasn't looking at him, still blushing as she explained "Not everything's a medical episode or whatever you call it. I just needed some time to myself to... I was just gonna freak out a little at how we're all doomed and it's my fault and it just c-c-caught up to me all at once." Staring down at the very important puff of cloud beside her, Set Sail asked, "H-how much did you see? I mean I must've passed out before you found me. I was just having a little... trouble that's all."

Reef sighs, wondering how it was that he of all creatures had ended up playing equine psychiatrist, first to the chief engineer and now the captain. He considered sugar coating things, but aside from his fundamental distaste for mis-stating the facts, it seemed best to just get whatever this was in the open and deal with it. "Captain, it seems you were having a panic attack. I confess, my judgement may not be... impartial, right now, but you did seem at genuine risk of doing yourself injury. So I found it necessary and prudent to subdue you, after which you were unconscious for oh, I don't know, a quarter of an hour or so."

The griff had started off in a calm and professional manner but was starting to get flustered. "One does apologise for any improprietary, after all you are the commanding officer, and, erm, well... if you feel it necessary to lodge a formal complaint to the admiralty, one will understand..." He broke eye contact, starting down at his claws as the implications of griffhandling the captain began to sink in.

Set Sail glared at him and started to shout but was too conflicted to have a voice, so she just angrily turned away again, then looked back at him after a pause. "I'm not the captain," she told him bluntly, "There's no admiralty here... there's just clouds, and... us. I don't want to be this... this thing you're afraid of, who tells you what to do. I'm not your commanding officer now. I'm just a pony. Just a... creature. Like you."

Reef sat up abruptly, now looking down on the pegasus again, his expression shocked. "You are the captain!" he said emphatically, as if affirming that water was wet or the sky was blue, before tilting his head and relenting "...but, erm, one supposes, you don't have to be the captain... all the time? Nothing wrong with taking a break." Ducking his head, he added "Oh and of course I won't mention a word of this to the crew, medical confidentiality and all that, not to mention... common decency, for a friend." He looked away.

Blushing the lost-looking mare glanced aside saying, "R-right. A friend. Well as a friend I'm telling you that ponies are... you might not know this but ponies can be kind of... skittish sometimes. It's no big deal. I've always been kind of a scaredy cat, well you know, after the Storm King. And I've been under a lot of stress w-with ponies—with creatures expecting me to make the right decision. So it's nothing serious. I just really... scared because I messed up and I wasn't gonna let the chieftess see me freaking out so I had to hold it in a little bit."

Reef stared into space, his eyes fierce. "Oh believe me when I say, we hippogriffs are quite familiar with the damage wrought by that mad tyrant; physical and psychological. Can't count the number of griffs I grew up with who had one hang-up or another, from the invasion itself or being unable to go home for so long." He sighed, then regarded the little brown pegasus, his gaze softening. "One does understand, you're in an impossible position here. Novo knows the burdens of command are hard enough under the best of conditions, for experienced captains with a full crew and undamaged ship."

He tilted his head, and said in the most reassuring tone he can "All I can say is, the crew are behind you, and we all think you're doing a damned fine job, under the circumstances." He hadn't actually asked the whole crew but the mood in the last few crew meetings seemed quite clear. "I mean none of us are diplomats, but how do you think today would have gone if you hadn't come along? Or if we'd brought Azure and Grenelda instead." Reef's beak slipped open a bit; much as he liked the rough-and-tumble pair, the thought of them conducting delicate negotiations couldn't fail to elicit amusement.

A grateful smile graced Set Sail's face, and she guessed that beak thing must be him smiling too. "Thanks for your support," she said, walking lightly along the cloud to him, "I don't know what I could've done better, but you heard the chieftess. We lost our chance the moment we s-stole that ship." Her ears dipped down as she tells him increasingly mournfully, "Nopony would doom themselves by allying with us anymore. It's only a matter of time before the drow... p-put us all in cages, and they'll never give up and they'll never let us go—" She choked on her words, stopping just short of leaping into his embrace. Trembling there, trying not to cry, still trying to be the captain he kept telling her to be.

Reef lifts a claw and places it lightly on her shoulder, looking into her eyes. "Sails. Now it's true, none of this has gone as planned. Far from it. But... remember what happened to the Storm King? A vast army of monsters, backed up an armada of battleships... all defeated and passed into history, through the efforts of a mere clawful of ponies... with a little help from their allies." He winked, then gazed into the sky, beak opening wider. "Summer Scribe would probably call it the 'power of friendship' or some such, but whatever it is, it's undeniably effective." His eyes met Set Sail's and his tone became serious again. "No doubt all this will takes a little while to figure out, but when we do... well, I don't think that miserable gang of outlaws will know what's hit them."

"Yeah, well why couldn't they stop him first why couldn't they—" Set Sail's tear laden eyes are angry as she glares back at him. "You just don't get it," she huffs, turning to stalk away from him, "There's no heroes coming to save us. We're all alone here, and when we're all captured, there's nopony who can rescue us! They'll never let us go and—" she sinks to her belly, still facing away from him, repeating, "They'll never let us go. It'll never end I just..."

For a long moment Reef just watched the pegasus walk away, wondering if he'd be doing more harm than good if he tried to uncover whatever trauma she'd suffered. After all, it wasn't as if they were in the relative safety of the sickbay, having a proper counselling session (not that Reef was in the habit of doing those, but he'd dealt with more than a few anxious ensigns in his time). They were on an away mission in unexplored territory where hostiles could appear at any moment.

Still... the hippogriff felt like he had to do something to help the captain, and he might not have another opportunity any time soon. He followed Set Sail and lay down beside her, refraining from the wing-hug this time. He looks straight ahead, and in as calm and neutral a tone as possible, suggested "Perhaps you could tell me, what it was like for you... what happened, that is to say, in those days when darkness fell over Canterlot. You don't have to, but... if you feel it would help.... I'm listening."

"It was... nothing special really," she replied unconvincingly, hunched forward without turning around, "I don't remember much I was p-pretty young at the time. They separated me from my family so I didn't know what to do or what happened to them, or if I'd ever... I–I think they were... training us for something? They would have us run in circles, all the foals I mean. And they'd... they'd let me go sometimes, just one of us at a time, and then chase me until they caught me again, and then put me back in the cage. I think it was a... a game, or something. I didn't know what was going on; I only knew the monsters wouldn't let me escape, but I tried anyway because I just... just wanted it to work that time, every time."

Trailing a hoof in the cloud before her, Set Sail casually related, "Lots of foals were there, but I don't know why it stuck with me so much. I've just been a little shier than before, and not really comfortable around cages, or... b-bipeds." Turning to look at Reef at last, she finished in tearful anger, "And now we're all gonna have to go through that, because I couldn't convince the fish creatures to help us, and I sent you out to explore the chained islands not even thinking you'd get attacked. So sorry if I'm a little u-upset about all this. I'm not crazy just... I don't know what to do. What can we do? I don't want to go in a cage again..."

Reef stared at Set Sail again. His tone this time was hard, unrelenting. "You won't. I won't let it happen, and neither will Azure or Grenelda or any of the others. Does that sound like bravado? What do you think the pirates are feeling now, with one of their few remaining ships overcome and commandeered by four strange creatures they thought were trapped and helpless? Perhaps they have these fish creatures cowed, but it's clear they aren't the threat they once were and... I think they're the ones who should be afraid." He sighed, realising this kind of military outlook might not do anything to reassure the civilian pegasus, but unable to think of anything else to say. In a gentler tone, he concluded "No need to apologise, Cap... I mean, Set Sail. This is hard on all of us... but we'll get through it, together."

"But you heard what the fish lady said!" she protested, "I couldn't get her help, because I'm a terrible captain and can't talk to anypony, and what are we gonna do without their help?"

"Sails! Enough!" Reef said loudly and angrily, finally losing his cool. "You're holding yourself to an insane standard! Not that I know much about statecraft, but... I do know alliances aren't made in an afternoon! Imagine you were in her... fins, oppressed for your whole life, and the last time you believed some strangers who said they'd help you fight back... you lost your son! Would you commit your people to an alliance with a clawful of weird little aliens who just turn up on your doorstep one day?"

He snorted, then closed his eyes and shook his head, before saying wearily "Really I think we were doing rather well... you did rather well, that is... not to be thrown out on our ear. At least she's willing to watch and give us a chance..." He realised the captain had missed Summer's little encounter afterwards; "...oh, and it seems her grandson is rather more keen on the notion of an alliance. Summer was wrapping the kid around her hoof when I left."

Shrinking back, Set Sail stammered in confusion, "Yea but she—I mean you're right that—but... I–I guess an alliance could be... but then... I mean... I can't see why not? Her grandson? Really?" Blinking, the flustered pegasus blurts out, "Summer? Really?!"

"Really. You know her enthusiasm can be infectious... with the right audience." Reef said, his beak hanging open again. "Oh it's all right, Cloud Cutter promised to keep her out of trouble, and you know how seriously she takes her promises."

"Gosh I guess she would be more effective against pon— creatures who are less um... cranky," Set Sail admitted, rubbing her chin with a hoof, "I just thought, because the fish lady said... but I mean, what does she know?" Scrunching, she added, "O-of course she knows way more than us, but her grandson does too, and... maybe the pirates aren't as... tough as she says they are? E-even the pirates weren't saying they're as tough as she said they were!"

"Indeed. And there's no reason to think the rest of the Cloudbreaks are so bad. Of the three islands we've seen to far, two were inhabited by friendly creatures. And look at this place..." Reef gestured with a claw at the miraculous sky river, a ribbon of shining water winding its way through the various floating masses, each covered in verdant greenery and begging to be explored. "...it is rather amazing, isn't it? Perhaps it was just part of our bad luck, making landfall so close to the drow base." Reef hoped she won't think of the dragon, which honestly concerned him more than the pirates; they had no idea where it had come from, how many more there were or why they wanted Nutmeg Inferno.

"It is awfully pretty," Set Sails said, not even remembering her ill-fated dragon encounter as she gazed over the cloud's edge at the impossible rivers tying together the great levitating islands all around them, sparkling in the sun. "Never thought I'd be seeing this when I signed on with an airship crew." Tail swishing, she looked up at the larger hippogriff, saying, "I hope it was bad luck. It would've been awful if every creature here was as bad as they are."

"Indeed." Reef said, taking a measure of contentment in the implication that the current situation was not awful, or at least not as awful as it might be. They should head back to the cart soon, but... he supposes Summer might appreciate a little more time to chat up the townsfolk without the captain looking over her shoulder. "So... how are you feeling now? If you're still tense, perhaps I could provide some relief." the griff said, looking at her back.

It might not mean much to a hippogriff that her face flushed, as subtle as it is to see beneath her brown fur, but her eyes did widen, and her irises briefly narrow, before returning to normal. "I... I wouldn't say no," she said faintly, not losing his gaze, "But how do you... I mean I don't even know how you..."

"Ah yes, you'd be used to hooves..." Reef held up a claw "...but I assure you are quite effective, moreso even. Now this isn't my speciality, but I do have some experience..." His voice trailed off and he cocked his head, trying to make sense of the weird look the pegasus is giving him "...at spinal massage, that is... Sails are you alright?"

Well, her tail was somewhat between her legs and her blush only deepened at his words. Her scent might be a trifle stronger than it ought to be, and she stated less than calmly, "O-oh I-I-I'm fine. I am kind of... s-stiff I suppose. You don't mind uh... you mean right here?" Other than that, the blue-and-lavender-haired mare seemed completely normal. There was no hint of the panic which plagued her earlier...

"Good, very well then, erm..." Reef said, suddenly feeling less sure of himself, "...just lie back down there then, and... try to relax?" The brown pegasus sank down to her belly again, still watching owlishly as Reef positioned himself next to her flank. Starting with one claw, he began applying pressure to the muscles around each vertebra, taking care not to press too hard as the little mare was rather less substantial than the average griff.

Laid there amid the white fluff, Set Sail watched with interest, then leans on her forehooves as he works his way up her spine. Her hide is supple yet strong, and oddly she doesn't seem to have all that many knotted muscles under his probing talons. "Mmm, this's nice," she purrs, her eyes slipping closed. "You do this for mares often?"

"Well, erm, on occasion, as per medical necessity and so forth..." Reef says, distracted. The pegasus didn't have as many fused vertebrae as a griff, just three at the wing roots. He worked his way up her neck, claws running through her mane, then used both claws to massage her scalp and behind her ears, which kept flopping back and forth for some reason. Next he went to spread her wings, but apparently she'd anticipated that part of the treatment as she'd already spread them on her own. Quite forcefully it seemed.

Reef's claws worked their way up from her wing roots to the wings themselves, massaging the muscles under her (super fluffy and terribly cute) coverts. He's rather tempted to preen them, but wasn't sure how she'd react; though it always looked funny to him to watch pegasi trying to preen themselves with lips rather than a proper beak. Huh. It seemed his own wings had spread out of their own accord as well.

The mare was putty under the hippogriff's talons, objecting little to anything he needs her to do in his ministrations. Eventually he finished checking her over, and working everything out, and ran out of polite excuses to continue. Set Sail stood a bit woozily, a grateful smile on her muzzle. A few more words between them, before they both leapt off the cloud, the pegasus cutting through the air with her smaller but still effective wings. They didn't look nearly as ridiculous in action, Reef thought. Presently his own broad-winged glide caught up with her, and the two soar together down to the gillmen village, seeking out the others.

Following the teenage gillman's departure, Summer Scribe busied herself accosting one bipedal fish after another, overflowing with questions about their history, culture, surroundings and present situation. The general experience had been superficial friendliness, but reluctance to give too much detail or talk for too long; it seemed the gillmen took pride in their hospitality but remained guarded around strangers, particularly colourful little quadrupeds claiming they'd won a fight with the dark elves.

For Cloud Cutter, the hopes of getting answers to her questions had come and gone, and Reef mentioned that she had to watch over Summer Scribe to ensure she doesn't get into trouble. With these gillmen, it seemed unlikely, but Azure did have one thing right, you never knew where hostility lurked. Staying a fair distance away from Summer but never out of eye contact, the purple Pegasus kept true to her word. After all, the last creature you wanted to upset was the one that would keep you alive if you got hurt.

Eventually Summer had hit her personal jackpot, a general store that was for the most part filled with pickled fish, fishing hooks and sundries, but boasted a tiny shelf at the back filled with second-hand books for sale. The little unicorn had immediately sat down to sample the wares, notebook out, painstakingly translating sections of runes and agonising over which ones she might be able to afford with her small collection of excavated coins. She seemed to be completely oblivious to the increasingly annoyed looks from the proprietor and would likely be here until the rest of the team dragged her away.

Cloud Cutter could only smile and sigh lightly at her ally. Always wanting to learn more and more about other races. After a quick check with the shopkeeper to ensure Summer's safety, Cloud Cutter looked to another building: 'Pebblesplish Tavern'. The mention of moonshine earlier had definitely caught her interest. Most likely Princess Luna's drink of choice, she thought, as she approached and soon entered the establishment, looking around at the area before her. Nothing like a drink from another species to make things interesting, right?!

The tavern was one of the largest buildings in the village, as ramshackle and patched as any of them, with its roof of rusty corrugated iron and walls bearing the cracks and scorch marks of many drow raids. Still the interior had a certain undeniable charm, with dozens of bottles and jars of different coloured glass lining one wall, and various strange looking aquatic creatures squirming around in fish tanks or hanging preserved from the ceiling.

It was late afternoon so the establishment was quiet, but a few of the fish creatures were sitting around the rough wooden tables, nursing drinks or playing card games with each other (the cards themselves bore pictures of more strange creatures and machines, all different). All of them looked up as the purple pegasus entered and the conversation died away to silence, only broken when Pebblesplish himself called out from behind the bar: "Well how do you do there Miss Po-knee, we sure are glad you found time to come sample the leg-en-dar-ee hos-pee-tal-ity of Peeblesplish Tavern!"

The more things change, the more they stay the same, hmm? Cloud Cutter didn't seem one bit surprised to see drinks and card games populate what action there was in the tavern, it wasn't any different from pony taverns, and there was a faint smile as the aquatic theme of the tavern gave the place a nice charm to it. The greeting was soon responded to in kind: "Glad to be here, place looks pretty nice."

Never mind the old look of the place and the obvious marks of drow attacks. But one thing caught Cloud Cutter's mind, and currency wasn't in large supply. In fact... she had none. This place was a business, they needed to turn a profit, she knew. A shame... some moonshine would be nice right about now after the diplomacy with the chieftess went nowhere as well as she'd hoped.

"So what would be your please, uh, Miss... it ain't actually Miss Spooky Po-knee is it? 'Cause I can't for the life of me recall ol' Scalesbrook attaching any other name to your person, but that ain't to say the old gilly weren't talking outta his cloc, if you do pardon my language." the gillman rambled, ending with an embarrassed look.

"Cloud Cutter." She started, with a bit of a smile. "Don't worry... no need to apologise. I'm not the prettiest pegasus in the world at this point," she finished with a rough chuckle. "Truth be told, there's a lot I don't understand going on right now." She looked away for a moment at an aquatic creature attached to the wall. "Currency's one of those things I don't have." She concluded with a slightly embarrassed tone herself.

"Oh I wasn't thinking you'd be carrying cloud dollars, but we here do pride ourselves on accepting troll silver gears or old mabu golden circlets or even fairy sparkles, if you've soaked them overnight in vinegar that is, or... uh..." Desperation crept in as the gillman wilted under the blank stare of Cloud Cutter's unblinking white eyes. "uh... gold nuggets... uncut gems... old sports day trophies... any kind of negotiable goods at all?" He seemed ready to cry as the prospect of a new customer was slipping away.

Cloud Cutter's eyes showed no emotion, but it was clear at the mention of all these... exotic currencies that the gillman was hoping to sell Cloud Cutter a drink... just as she was hoping to get one. Disappointment, however, seemed to be creeping onto her face as she had absolutely none of the currencies he mentioned, as simple and as silly as they got. At the end, she couldn't help but sigh.

"Tell you what, best I've got is maybe cleaning a sink or... or something." She slumped. "You want to sell a drink, I want to get a drink, it's only fair I at least do something for the drink, right?"

"Uh, that's a sad situation to be, to be sure, Miss Cloud Cutter. I wouldn't be wanting you to go away thinking Peeblesplish here isn't a generous soul, but you do understand I'm running a business here and if it got out that we were giving out free drinks, well..." Pebblesplish stared into space, apparently not sure exactly what calamity this would result in, but possessed of some deep-seated moral objection to giving away his product.

"Of course, of course." Cloud Cutter nodded, thinking back. "Well, is there anything you think this place could use?" She started to think back on her travels; had they found anything that might be of interest to a tavern owner?

"See here missy, I can set you up with a tankard of whatever takes your fancy..." came a voice from behind "...if you'd be willing to listen to a little proposition, that is." Cloud Cutter turned to see a dark green gill man standing behind her, waving one webbed hand at the table where he'd been sitting.

"Hey now Gargle, you know I said you weren't to go bothering the other customers again, 'specially not cute little deer uh I mean po-knees who aren't wise to the ways of the marsh just yet..." Pebblesplish said, with a mixture of annoyance and anxiety.

Cloud Cutter had been deep in thought until the second gillman came up from behind and spoke directly to her, startling the 'spooky pony'. "A deal for a drink, hmm?" she began, as she turned around to look at the creature. "Heard better beginnings for things like these, but I can hear what you've got to say. You have my attention."

"Just what I wanted to hear, Miss Cutter..." He face filled with an uneven smile, revealing several sharp teeth and a lot more gaps where teeth had once been. "...now can your chatter it 'Splish and serve up a double shot of moonshine each for me and the po-knee here." He continued to smile at Cloud Cutter while the bartender fussed with glasses and bottles, Pebblesplish mumbling and griping to himself the whole time.

"Here you are, Miss Cloud" he said to the pegasus, grinning, before looking at the other gillman and saying "...and don't think I'll be giving you a tab this time, Gargle, it's cash only from now on."

"Wouldn't expect nothing less." the green fish man said, idly tossing a few worn silver coins with serrated edges onto the ancient wooden counter.

"And just what I wanted to have, too... you know how to get my attention." Cloud Cutter replied with a nod. "Thank you... now, to business, shall we? I believe we've got something... important to discuss?" She did look to the coins, though, taking note of what the place's currency looked like. At least now she knew what to look for!

The gillman picked up both glasses and took them to the table, apparently assuming the pony had no way to carry one. Now ensconed in a cosy little nook formed by shelves and an internal wall, the two were free to converse in relative privacy. "The name's Gargegill, trader and purveyor of salvage, scrap and, on occasion, items of unique and wonderous nature. Fully half the buildings round these parts were built of materials from the Gargle & Son yard." The creature seemed quite proud of this, though his unkempt appearance and extra strong fishy smell didn't scream 'successful businesspony' to Cloud Cutter.

Cloud Cutter's attention wasn't on the drink but rather the business at hand. Gargegill was a trader: by the sounds of things, one that occasionally hit the jackpot, but was only getting by on most days. He was unlikely to have anything close to resembling the answers she was really looking for, but that was secondary on her mind now to what this 'deal' might entail. All she wanted was to hear what they needed, so she could do it, get the drink and move on...

Garglegill pushed one of the glasses over to the pegasus; it was filled with an amber, slightly oily liquid. "I heard them gillies out there calling you the 'spooky po-knee', and if ma eyes ain't lying, not to mention the quiver in ma dorsal fin, I do believe that's just what you are. Sitting close, looking into those... eyes of yours, it's clear to me you're a creature with more than a passing familiarity with the other side, if you know what I mean." Perhaps he hoped the drink would make her more agreeable.

And Cloud Cutter's initial reaction to this wasn't a word, but rather, a front hoof tapping square on her forehead as she sighed lightly. "Do I really look like this... this death-loving creature to every creature now?" There was a disappointed sigh as she returned to fully sitting. "Look, I don't understand exactly what's happened to me, okay? I wasn't like this two weeks ago," she concluded, not yet taking a sip of the drink. That would mean agreeing to their deal, whatever it was.

"Uh... I ain't saying that... uh... two weeks? Really?" Garglegill said. "Was that when the spirits came calling, or was that when ya took a trip to the underlands and, uh.. you know it don't matter. I know you lot ain't supposed to tell us fully livin' folks about none of that stuff. What's important is... huh, say did anyone tell you what put the Witch in Witchway Marsh yet, or was that superstitious old Scalesbrook too a-feared of the curse to give it the least mention?"

A shake of her head was how Cloud Cutter's response began. "Two weeks is when the ship I was on crossed the Storm Wall. Haven't been the same ever since. I know it sounds crazy, but we're not from around here." All these questions, no mention of the deal... and now talk of a curse. "Never heard of this curse." she stated. Whether it was ignorance or fact, the untouched drink in front of her told the story.

"The Everlasting Endless Storm o' Certain Doom For All Who Enter? Pull the other one." Gargegill said "Oh ho I know your game, didn't I just say you spooky folk never give a straight answer 'bout how a creature gets stuck half way to the underlands." He lets out a ragged laugh that turns into a chesty cough. After the coughing subsided, he continued "So, let me tell you 'bout the witches, if all of these sods are too scared to speak of it. They say it started with a coven and a single giant cauldron, deep in the marsh in the days o' yore, brewing up potions that could cure a dying gilly just as soon as curse a healthy one to waste away to nothin', change a mabu into a troll as easily as they could make a brew that'd grow an elf into a giant or make a cyclops float through the air like a balloon."

"'course soon as they got bored foolin' around one of 'em saw how much gold they could make sellin' the fruits o' their labours and that's how it got started. Soon enough there were a whole convent of witches, built up on the high cliffs, brewing huge quantities of potions of every kind to sell to the Skylands of old. Must've been a sight." He sighed, in a manner that suggested he was thinking more of the huge quantities of gold the legendary witches must have been raking in rather than the wonderous effects of their potions.

A clear look of irritation crossed Cloud Cutter's face at the fact that Garglegill wasn't taking her seriously. The story of the witches was one she listened to, but part of her couldn't take his story seriously either. All this talk sounded so incredibly special to these creatures... while half of the unicorns back home could do at least one of these things. The Princesses? With their eyes closed. Nothing to it. And Princess Twilight? Haha... she could do all of these. Easily. A chuckle escaped her lips as she continued to listened. Maybe someday they could finally get to business. And if Reef found her first, well... Garglegill could have both shots. The more time passed, the less the Pegasus seemed inclined to even drink.

"So... 'course they ain't round here no more. Don't see any mabu nor trolls ridin' 'round on brooms and coming down to sample the smoked fish, do you? Whole lot of 'em vanished, done been gone ten generations at least, but their convent's still up there, you can see it clear enough from the Whistleway Lake, that's at the head of Grand Cascade if you ain't been there yet." He licked his lips. "Now you might be thinking, if you're a smart creature, well old Gargle if them witches been gone hundreds of years then there can't be anything left but some tumbled down ruins all picked clean o' anything o' use or value, right?"

Finally: down to the actual bloody talk of the deal. "So looking for another jackpot, you want me and my allies to go there and get you something in particular or just something valuable? If there's anything left?" At this point, after the gillman seemed to think she was some death-loving pony and hadn't taken what happened to her seriously, it was getting pretty clear that the purple pegasus wasn't a happy pony. Definitely not that idealised stereotype so many of the creatures back home had of her entire race.

"A jackpot, yeah, a jackpot for sure!" the fish creature smiled, first earnestly before his grin turned vicious. Either he didn't recognise the pony's contempt, or he didn't care. "But if it were just a case o' hiking up there and grabbing whatever takes a gilly's fancy, well, there wouldn't be nothing left would there? 'Cause Gargegill could pick that place down to rubble in a month, and his pa or his grandpa would've done it years ago, if it weren't for the spooks hauntin' the place."

"So I got most of it right... except there's a fight to be had to get 'em. Alright." Cloud Cutter nodded. "I'll see what I can do to get some allies together and give this a shot. But risking my life and my allies' life all for a simple drink... it's a high price, don't you think? How about a little bargain so we can see eye to eye here." She started, with a slight smile. Heck, if she could do something like this and get the crew of the Harmony a decent amount of currency so they don't have to do charity work for every creature, bonus, right? "So let's get this done. You got me a drink, so I'm willing to slant this in your favour. Slightly. If we find something, 55-45 profit. You get the larger cut."

"Fight? You wanna fight 'em?" The gill man sat back, looking sceptical "Uh, I was thinking you'd just, uh, you know, as a fellow creature of the underlands and all, you'd just convince them to go haunt somewhere else? But, hey, you think you can take them down, Garglegill here won't be the one to stop you!" Another uneven grin. "Don't you worry 'bout no shares, it ain't like I got a deed and title to the place, no gilly does. Bound to be treasure in a place like that, the four of you flyers can take away whatever you can stuff in your packs. Then once you've flapped off Gargle & Sons'll be free to roll in and salvage the place, like I said, down to the foundations, and I might be fixing a deal on those too. That sound fair to you, Miss Cutter?"

There was a part of her that wondered if unicorn magic could affect spirits. Whether her team would even be willing to fight these creatures. Whether her team would even be willing to go to those cliffs in the first place. But... she was in too deep in this to say no at this point. At worst... she'd go alone. It'd be only fitting. "So to confirm, you want us to go to the cliffs and convince the spirits to leave it alone. Any profits we can get from the place are ours to keep?"

"That's a fair summary, so it is, Miss Cutter. See this is the legend, those witches were working on their greatest potion, 'course it was for immortality, always is in these bedtime stories ain't it? So a bunch of them brew it up, but things don't go like they want, the ones who try it get turned into spirits, worse they end up making a giant monster that chased their sisters right off the island. They do say the Skylanders themselves had to come put the beast thing down, but they overlooked the spirits, cursed to wander the halls of their old convent 'til the end of time." Another laugh, this one a deep and lengthy.

"Course you can't put too much stock in old fishwive's tales. There sure are some spooks still up there though, chasin' out any young gilly foolish 'nough to ignore the warnings." He leaned forward and whispered into Cloud Cutter's ear "I'd know 'cause I thought I'd make my first big pot o' riches just that way, would be livin' in the lap o' luxury in the core, not stuck in this dump till I grow old!" With that he threw himself back into the chair and resumed laughing, slamming his glass down on the table. It was empty.

Cloud Cutter listened carefully to the idea of a spirit monster wandering the halls. Of course, if that was the case... this would be a pain in the neck to take care of. She would have to see what her folly had gotten herself into this time. With one last sigh, she concluded: "Well, let this be your answer, Garglegill." Cloud Cutter wasn't an alcoholic, far from it, but she knew how to seal a deal when she saw once. Grabbing the double shot of moonshine, she would treat it as it deserved: downing the entire thing in one go, only to pause... blinking at the empty shot glass and wonder out loud. "Is this stuff supposed to be strong?"

Garglegill's laughter died away. "Hey careful there Miss Cutter. That stuff's near on hundred-ten-proof!" He looked over to the bar "'less 'Splish has confused the still with the laundry tub again!" he shouted, apparently finding this hilarious, though the gill man behind the bar just glared back at him. The salvage merchant looked at the purple pony again, trying to recover his train of thought. "So that's a deal then, good to hear it." Leaning forward for another whisper, he added "And let's just keep it between you and me, alright? Too many superstitious fools 'round here, don't want to spook 'em. Hah. You hear what I said there? Spook 'em! Hah hah!" And with that he was collapsing in his chair again for another round of ragged laughter.

It was at this point that a giant grey eagle poked through the entrance to the tavern, the hindquarters of a stallion following closely behind after a moment's pause on the threshold. "Cloud Cutter?" Reef Skimmer said uncertainly. "Are you in here? Erm, has anyone seen a purple pegasus... pony?"

"Felt mild to me. Hmm." Cloud Cutter shrugged as she got back on her hooves. "Yeah, it's a deal. I'll gather my allies and see what we can do." Hearing a familiar voice, she turned happily to the entrance. "Ah, speaking of them, there's one now... guess that's my cue. I'll see you again." She finished with a soft bow before heading towards where she'd heard the hippogriff's voice.

"Yeah, Reef, I'm on my way. Sorry. Had some business to take care of."

Author's Notes:

This chapter is based on a couple of extra 1:1 RPs we did between the twenty-first and twenty-second sessions. The first one has myself + Ferret playing Reef Skimmer and Set Sail, and the second has Spearmint playing Cloud Cutter with me GMing. Of course we had to have a quest handed out in a tavern over some drinks, what kind of RP would it be without that. It seems Set Sail wants the story to have a 'Romance' tag but Reef Skimmer's still worried about fratenisation within the chain of command, or something.

Doggy

The copter whirred steadily across the sky; repaired, repainted (from black and red to electric cyan with purple highlights) and no longer the 'Wyvern's Sting'. It was now the 'Second Chance'; Nutmeg had proposed 'The Propeller Thingy', but Summer managed to overrule her before she could paint it on the hull. The weather was warm and dry again, although it seemed like it wouldn't be for much longer: the wind had picked up, intermittent gusts driving increasing numbers of clouds across the sky. It had been two days since the scouting party had visited Witchway Marsh and established contact with the gillman tribe there. Now the Equestrians were eager to return, each for a different reason.

Out on the front deck of the ship, manes tossing in the wind, were...

Summer Scribe, a young pale blue unicorn mare with a mane and tail in stripes of white and stronger blue, and a cutie mark of a stylus writing on a scroll. Originally a rising star in the Canterlot University history department, with her career only moderately encumbered by persistent rumours of risky and unprofessional methods behind the acquisition of the many new pieces she'd discovered. Since the crossing she'd been given a field promotion to both 'senior distinguished researcher' and 'senior diplomat', roles she was overjoyed to fill. Between mysterious ruined settlements, first contact with multiple new species, giant alien machines and whole new system of magic to investigate she was brimming with excitement and enthusiasm for their mission. Today she was focused on the promise of a ruined apothecary - what new magical secrets awaited them there? - though the notions of investigating the giant force field bubble and continuing to make friends among the fish creatures appealed as well.Melonwater, an earth pony stallion in his late teens, with green fur and a pink mane and tail, and a cutie mark of a sliced open geode. An undergrad geology student, he didn't let his love of rock formations stop him from helping out in other areas, such as filling in as the expedition's cartographer. It had been a tough crossing for the research team, with the loss of several of their fellows and all of their leaders on the other airship still unaccounted for. Although initially horrified at the idea of Summer Scribe taking over, Melonwater had begun to warm to her leadership, even if it was still somewhat scatter-brained. His desire to see the impossible 'sky river' had trumped his fear of flying; he certainly wasn't taking the dangerous mission to impress a blue pegasus mare back at the ship, or so he told himself.Set Sail, a brown pegasus mare with a blue and purple streaked mane and a cutie mark of three stylised hot-air balloons, usually found wearing a purple kerchief around her head. Formerly third mate and ballast engineer, Set Sail had found herself promoted to Captain after Polar Sky and the first mate Pearl Gleam were lost in the crossing, with the second mate still in the sickbay with multiple fractures. The sudden rise to command had been the last thing she'd wanted, but she was popular with the crew and had managed to struggle through despite the ponies finding the Cloudbreak Islands far from the peaceful deserted ruins they'd expected. After the drow incident she'd refused to send more creatures into harm's way without taking at least some risk herself, and had shared the negotiation with the fish creature's chieftess with Summer, at the cost of a panic attack afterwards. Content to leave the magical convent and its mysterious spirits to the unicorns, she would accompany Reef Skimmer and the engineers to continue improving relations with the gill men.

Crates of jungle apples, a recommendation for trade goods from the troll Abernathy, were stowed in the cargo well beneath their feet, along with some basic supplies. Sheltering in the enclosed cockpit amidships were...

Cloud Cutter, a purple pegasus mare with glowing white eyes and a cutie mark of a trisected cloud. This was her second time flying the commandeered craft, under more relaxed conditions this time than that first desperate escape from the pursuing drow. Originally a meteorological researcher, she'd become fascinated by the natural flow of magic through Equs's ground and sky, travelled to the badlands and beyond chasing her theories. She'd joined the Storm Piercer team as a way of getting on the Expedition, eager to find out if the Cloudbreak Islands were real and what kept them aloft and veiled behind an impossible permanent storm. She'd gotten more than she'd bargained for when the Harmony had hit the mysterious barrier at the centre of the storm wall: it still wasn't clear if she'd truly survived the incident. Now she had to grapple with the physical and metaphysical implications of being an unliving entity, while doing her best to help defend and support her fellow ponies. Today she would follow Summer Scribe to the 'haunted convent', and if she was lucky there might be answers there for her.

Azure Feather, a deep blue unicorn mare with a magenta mane and a cutie mark of a flying wand. As usual, she sported a double pair of butterfly wings, created by her signature spell. A member of the Twilight Guard, who'd served with distinction in the Lavender Blades, a unit well known for popping up in every corner of Equestria, ready to deal with unique threats and strange situations that the regular guard or local constabulary couldn't handle. Azure had worked her way up from private to sergeant before being quietly reassigned to the Cloudsbreak Expedition by Captain Gallus. Though a full squad of regular guards had been loaned to the expedition by Princess Twilight, the captain had reviewed the proposal and found it prudent to add some extra magical backup. Now with the lead airship gone, Azure found herself as the only representative of Equestria's military in the expedition, not to mention the first to demonstrate strange changes in her abilities due to the alien magic of the Cloudbreaks. She worried constantly about her ability to keep the crew safe; particularly on this latest mission with twice as many bodies to protect as before.

Below them, in the cramped and noisy engine bay in the centre of the hull, worked...

Nutmeg Inferno, a brown-furred, gold-scaled kirin mare. Chief Engineer of the EAS Harmony and leader of her own engineering company, it seemed she'd been somewhat surprised to find herself on an expedition to a near-mythical region in the furthest reaches of Equestria, rather than Klugetown. She'd been even more surprised to find herself venturing off the ship to repair fantastic, alien devices, and to be the subject of an attempted kidnapping by a purple dragoness that spewed lightning from her maw. The interloper had accused her of being a 'tech elemental', which might well have something to do with the torrent of new insights and ideas for inventions she'd been having recently, though the specifics remained elusive. For now Nutmeg was content to take the refurbished craft on its first real shakedown, after a quick test flight around Blissful Pastures. She'd heard that there were friendly creatures at their destination with a 'gun turret' that needed fixing, and that definitely sounded promising.Gearshift, an earth pony stallion with a tan coat, a deep blue mane and a cutie mark of intermeshing gears. Second-in-command of the engineering team, he and Nutmeg went to school together, and he left his own job at a machine shop to join her when she set out to form her own company. He worries about her safety perhaps a little more than is called for, but ultimately respects her too much to hold back her free spirit. When Nutmeg was unable to back out of the contract to pony the expedition through the storm, he was more than happy to follow, and it helped that she insisted on hiring his sweethearts so they didn't have to leave each other. Standing at the side of his exotic friend, he had a nervous eye on the engines, still unsure about these burning crystals that powered the vessel, or the alien magic that flowed through them.

Lashed down on the fantail was the expedition's sole remaining two-pony cart, ready for use when they arrived. This left no room or payload allowance for a certain hippogriff, who was after all nearly twice Gearshift's height and about as heavy as the four mares combined, but he was content fly under his own power, pacing the ship fifty metres or so off the starboard bow:

Reef Skimmer, a chimeric combination of giant sea eagle and arabian horse, light grey save for his vivid pink crest and tail feathers. Junior surgeon in the hippogriff navy, on assignment to the Cloudsbreak Expedition via the officer exchange program. An amateur naturalist who was keen to study the unknown species of the floating archipelago, he's had to deal with mass injuries in the crossing, medically impossible purple pegasi, his oversize wings landing him the job of designated cart-pony and having to play equine psychiatrist despite being consistently baffled by pony body language. He was keen to return to Witchway Marsh, hopeful that he might have a treatment for the 'fin rot' the gill men all seemed to be suffering from.

Before them, the sky river slowly emerged from the drifting clouds, an impossible ribbon of water winding its way down from a floating mountain to end in a swamp-fringed lake, passing through two large islands and several smaller ones on the way. Cloud Cutter began to fly the copter in a sweeping arc around to the top of the third large island, hoping to avoid the notice of any gillmen below. From what they'd heard, the creatures rarely travelled to the third island save for when they had to hide from a drow raid in the 'water nexus'.

Down in the engine bay, a certain red-ruffed kirin said jovially to her partner in crime, “C’mon, we’ll be two seconds away from the engine,” poking his side with a golden yellow two toed hoof, “Don’t you wanna see what this place looks like already? I’m heading up top to take a looksee.” She stepped away from where they shared the one-pony monitoring station for the engine, crewed by two because good engineers never settle for merely adequate, and went trotting spryly away, her red tufted ropey tail the last thing to be seen as she climbed up the rickety steps and out into the sunlit sky.

As she exited onto the front deck she brushed up against Melonwater, who paid no notice, as he was staring transfixed at the scenery. "But that's impossible..." he mumbled, over and over "...the amount of mana it would take, just for this one river... uh gotta try that calculation again..."

Gearshift rubbed the back of his head with a nervous chuckle. "OK, ok. You're right, it won't blow up the moment I turn away from it." He just... wanted everything to go right on their maiden voyage! Well, okay, it was only a maiden voyage under the ship's new name. But he was still nervous and it was comforting to tend to the engine! He followed briskly in Nutmeg's wake, flincing and shielding his eyes briefly, before they adjusted to the outside light.

"You know, I still can't get over the fact that everything here flies. How much energy would you need just to defy the pull of gravity day in and day out? It keeps me up at night, you know..." He peered back over his shoulder - ok, engine still fine. whew! - and tried to keep himself distracted.

“I know... look how far away it is!” Nutmeg declared at the river flowing from the upper island, a glimmering ribbon of water high overhead, “And that’s a place where you can go? It’s like we’re looking up through the inside of a mountain, that a river was flowing around, except only the river and a few chunks of uh... mountain are left. You know?”

Gearshift chuckled at that! "It's so, well... My mind can't make heads or tails of it. It's pretty , how inscrutable it is. Like it defies your understanding on purpose to make you feel humbled." He gives a bit sigh at that, chuckling lightly.

That snapped Melonwater out of his trance, albeit briefly. "Huh! Now there's a theory." he smiled at the kirin "...removal of the physical matter of the original terrain, yet leaving behind an electromagnetic field that... hmm..." and he was spaced out again.

“You’re way too modest, Gear,” Nutmeg said with a laugh, “I bet you could whip up one of these in no time flat. Just get your old... floaty riverifier, and your mountain disapperifier and bam!” Her bountiful ears went down though, as she concluded gazing upwards, “There’s so much we don’t know... things we just have to accept because they’re right there in front of us. But you know, maybe we don’t have to understand it. I think we should just... live with crazy floating rivers and focus on what we can understand. Like massively endothermic fire crystals.”

Gearshift laughed: okay, that's some good engineer humour. "Yep! If it's part of a closed system of energy, then I can reason about that all day long. Thanks, Nutmeg."

Azure was in the cockpit with Cloud Cutter, doing her best to help and relieved that the aircraft seemed to be functioning better than on their first desperate flight. "Tell you what, this is a heck of a better ship after Nutmeg's worked on it, hmm? Also helps a lot we've actually taken care of it and especially that I'm not driving..."

“It’s definitely something,” Cloud Cutter replied, her hooves on the controls, her glowing white eyes staring into the distance. “The copter feels like it handles better than before. We studied them in aeronautics of course, but I’ve never actually piloted one before. Honestly I am mystified why the others think I should be the one to pilot.”

Summer Scribe pumped a hoof in a response to Azure! "Isn't this super cool? Like, we can just have a mini-airship now!" She grinned broadly! "I don't know how long this would have taken to make from scratch! It's more than just a silver lining, it's practically glowing incandescent! My compliments to the chief engineer, for sure!" She chuckled as she peered between Cloud Cutter and Azure, feeling a bit relieved that she missed out on the whole commandeering an enemy ship adventure. Hmm!

The peanut-shaped island was about eight kilometres on the long axis, split into two levels separated by dramatic cliffs and rock screes with a combined drop of nearly a kilometre. Along one side flowed the river, cascading through a vast series of rapids and waterfalls, with a series of locks cut alongside to allow the gillman boats to navigate down. Through the cliffs themselves a narrow track wended its way through a dozen switchbacks to provide a land route between the two plateaus.

Both plateaus were covered in dense forest, the upper one broken by the regular forms of huge rectangular buildings placed in a tight group in the middle of the woods, while the lower was dominated by the shimmering surface of the bubble, over a kilometre in diameter. There were hints of smaller structures, in a group some way from the main complex, but they were barely visible through the branches.

In any case Cloud Cutter's target was clear; a substantial set of air docks build on the far edge of the upper plateau, out of sight of the rest of the sky river. The wooden piers that had once jutted out into the sky had rotted and crumbled away, but there was more than enough room on the stone quay for the relatively small copter. The purple pegasus brought the copter down with a moderate 'thump' and closed the throttle, leaving the rotors to slowly wind down. As the ponies began to disembark, Reef Skimmer the hippogriff glided down to hover over the stern and began unloading the cart, which would ferry Nutmeg and Gearshift to the gillman village.

Set Sail helped unload the cart, heaving it off the edge of the ship so Reef could drag it down to the ground. The wheels landed with a soft crump, begging the question why does this cart have wheels at all? She didn't concern herself much with it, conferring with Nutmeg to make sure they had everything as Gearshift tossed the tools they'd need into the cart, including a certain kirin's favourite six foot long adjustable wrench. “Yes I'm sure I remembered everything,” Nutmeg said with a roll of her eyes, “We won't know what supplies we're gonna need until we take a look at it.”

"Yes yes," Gearshift said absently as tools went flying in neat arcs, landing in a remarkably neat pile. "So that's why we need to take everything."

"One is certainly glad it's a short flight to the village." Reef said, eyeing the growing heap. "Nutmeg, is there something you can do to preclude the possibility of some random fish creature flying off with our ship? Jigger the engines in some way only we can unjigger, or some such." he suggested, making a vague gesture with one claw.

“Oh, good idea, I’ll go take care of that,” Nutmeg said, toppling Gearshift’s neat pile of stuff as she levitated her wrench out of it. Then she bounced down into the engine room.

Reef Skimmer stared at the pile, sighing. "Steady on there Steer Shift, not sure what's going to break first, my back or the cart. You do realise we can always make another trip if you find yourself missing something?" He began strapping himself into the harness with a resigned air.

Gearshift looked horrified as his perfectly organised pile was ruining: now they’d never find the number 37 hex driver, just when they need it most! He hung his head and groaned. He managed to ignore his instinct to reorganise it from scratch: he really needed accompany Nutmeg and make sure she didn't do anything too drastic.

Melonwater was, as expected, wandering around examining the construction of the docks, staying as far away from the edge and the yawning drop into the sky as he could. They were a grander affair than the one back on Abernathy's island; rectangles of stone outlined where small warehouses might have stood, though the structures themselves had long since gone.

Summer Scribe trotted over to accompany the earth pony while they waited to set off, curious as to his observations. "It sure looks like everything here's built on ancient history, doesn't it? Like different folks used the islands over the years. Do you think maybe the positions island shift in comparison to each other over time?"

Melonwater jumped up and stared wildly around before realising that it was just Summer; it seemed the long trip in the noisy copter had left him on edge. "Oh, Summer, uh... yeah! Yeah that seems likely doesn't it, do you think they ever collide? I suppose we could ask the natives..." he said, his expression implying that it would be best if somepony else did the asking.

Summer Scribe chuckled lightly. "Yeah, sure, when I get time! It is a bit more esoteric, and we have more pressing concerns right now: like making good on our promises to the gillmen! If we can't make friends with them, then it's a poor tiding!"

Nutmeg and Gearshift eventually re-emerged, and Gearshift assured Set Sail that the ship was most certainly not rigged to explode. Then with Reef Skimmer hitched to the cart loaded up with Nutmeg, Gearshift, and way too many tools for the job, they went soaring off into the sky, heading for the gillman village on the second island. They could only assume repairing the 'turret' would put the fishy bipeds in a better defensive position against the drow, and win them some favour in the process.

Watching them flap away, Cloud Cutter remarked unappreciatively, "They don't have a ghost of a chance." Then she looked back at the four ponies remaining, saying, "Fortunately, we do."

Azure chuckles a little at Cloud Cutter's attempts at levity - it was good to see her lighten up a bit. "With Summer and Melonwater here, yeah, we'll be fine. Not to mention we're pretty good in a fight, you and I."

The way forwards was obvious; a wide avenue paved with worn stone flags, leading away from the dock and winding lazily through the forest. The weeds poking up through the cracks between the stones made it clear it no longer saw traffic, but something had prevented nature from completely reclaiming the road despite supposedly being abandoned for centuries. This was emphasised when, perhaps half way from the dock to the main compound, Summer spotted a stone archway to one side of the road.

Beyond was a side path leading away into the woods, thoroughly overgrown and barely visible in the undergrowth, while the arch itself was crowned with a petrified wooden sign carved with several native runes. Summer couldn't translate them, but it very much reminded her of the entrance to the ruined mabu village, back on Blissful Pastures. On the opposite side another trail lead off towards the cliffs and presumably the water nexus, marked only by a couple of fossilised wooden posts.

Summer Scribe perked up, waving the party over. "This looks like it's worth a quick check-out!" She sweatdropped, having big ambitions as always, but admitting: "Obviously not a full archaeological dig right now. But I'd love to get the lay of the land and figure out if it's worth a second look later!"

"It's strange though," Cloud Cutter said, peering at the wooden sign with even less understanding than Summer. "They didn't say anything about this. Only that there had been a potion operation of some sort, up on the high cliffs. I assume said cliffs would be that way," She briefly pointed one purple wing at the trail heading toward the drop off, then looked at the archway again. "I wonder what this place could be. Could it be part of the convent, somehow? Or maybe this is one of the warning signs he talked about."

Melonwater tapped one of the causway's flagstones with a hoof. "Must be a solid sub-base on this, to resist subsidence for so long." Glancing over to the spooky pegasus and trying not to shiver, he said "Somepony built this road to move heavy things from the big buildings to the docks, no other reason to go to all the trouble. Those side trails, they look like they've only seen hoof traffic."

"One thing's for darn sure up here." Azure remarked, giving a wary look at the sign. "Short of that drow island? This is probably the most hostile place we've been yet. Keep your guard up."

Summer Scribe nodded in agreement to Azure: "I hope we don't get attacked here, but the possibility's on the table." She looked at Cloud Cutter. "Hmm, can you clear the foilage out? Path's a bit overgrown."

“Stay clear of me, just in case,” Cloud Cutter said with worry at Azure’s warning, taking a few steps from the others, “I don’t know what happens exactly, but the last time I was attacked I... just don’t get close to me.”

"Understood, Cloud Cutter... as far as clearing the foliage, leave that to me... air blades should care of this stuff in quick order." Azure nodded, stepping up. "So the village first, then the cliffs?" she confirmed, not wanting to spend more of her magic than she immediately had to. A tired mage in a fight, not so much use...

Summer Scribe, for her part, was very ready to give Cloud Cutter all the space she needed. "You got it!"

Azure nodded, trying to go a step further with her casting... could she maybe create a solid blade of wind to use multiple times instead of just casting the same spell over and over again? Seemed like it would be a heck of a lot more efficient...

The winged unicorn lowered her head, pointing her horn at the space beyond the stone archway. Energy swirled around her horn, surrounding her with gusts that stir up leaves from the path, before shooting forward as a now-familiar blade of air elemental magic. This time though it flew 10 metres forward then froze in mid air, shifting and shimmering, twisting in Azure's magical grip. She was trying to hold the thing as if it was a conventional blade she would wield telekinetically, but the phantom construct felt insubstantial and slippery in her grasp. Furrowing her brows in concentration, she was able to slash it once, twice, three times up and down the path, scything down ferns and bracken, before with a loud pop the wind blade shattered, creating a tiny tornado amongst the trees for a few seconds before the energy dissipated.

Summer Scribe gaped, as her mane flowed around from the incidental breeze, watching that wind cutter just... freeze in mid air, like it was held telekinetically. "Cooool..." She gawked, wide eyed and open mouthed, as it gets wielded as though a melee weapon in a dance of destruction. "I hope that wasn't too much effort for you, Azure, but that was awesome! Have you been practicing?"

Unlike the previous times she'd used the 'wind blade' spell as an attack, this seemed to actually take significant effort, to the point that after that first cast, she shook her head. "Okay... no idea how far we're going here, but there's no way that I can keep that up for miles. I'll go standard from here." Taking a few seconds to regain her composure, she continued at a slower pace, firing off the lightest blasts she could that would still clear the way. "My old Lieutenant would have loved that wind sword, though..." she mused.

Not to say Cloud Cutter was envious or anything, but she watched enviously at the unicorn's skilful mastery of magic. If only. "You know what you're doing," she said following placidly along behind, "Just lead the way. Unless Summer knows better spells for clearing a path."

Melonwater trotted along behind the unicorn, flinching only slightly each time she fired off a blast to clear the next section of path. "That's so cool, Azure! This is gonna go so much faster than last time."

Indeed, it was only ten minutes and two dozen air blades before the four ponies reached their destination: what had once been a large clearing in the woods, now just a less dense section dotted with the tumbled down remains of small buildings. The settlement was of a similar size to its twin on Blissful Pastures, but in even worse shape. The houses had used more wood and less stone in their construction, and in many cases just the outline of the foundations remained.

In one corner stood a stone plinth or altar, smaller and simpler than the shrine Summer had seen before, but carved with the same ten elemental symbols around its perimeter. The tiled roof over the little structure was bowed and splintered and looked ready to collapse any moment.

By the end of the trail, though, Azure looked a little fatigued, chuckling as she looked to Summer. "I haven't really practiced outside of the fights with the chompies and the drow. I really should though if my skill's going to keep up with my creativity... oof, that first spell wasn't a good idea in retrospect." she muttered. "Best if Cloud Cutter or somepony else takes the next clearing. Gotta be ready for a fight."

“Just another ruined village, it figures,” Cloud Cutter said dismissively, her fluffy ears expressing irritation. “With another one of those strange altars in it. Does anything jump out at you, Summer? If not, we probably should get on our way. You’ll want to gather a team to go over the site more carefully later, I assume.”

Summer Scribe peered around: as the stone altar was the most sturdy thing around, it got her initial attention. "Looks like another shrine to the ten elements," she nodded her head. "Seems to have about the same stuff as the last village, but let me do a quick check first..." She closed her eyes, her horn shimmering before releasing a wave of magical energy, searching for the tingle of any latent magic nearby, or just the way metals interact with magical fields when pinged.

Tiny chiming tones emanated from several places around the ruins, as the blue unicorn's arcane pulse reveals... something, small and buried in the dirt amidst the remains of the houses.

"Uh, Summer, you know I heard that spell can set off any unstable magic-leaking artefacts that somepony might've left lying around? You know that, right?" Melonwater said nervously, before wandering over to one of the houses and poking at the dirt with a hoof.

That one didn't sit too well with Azure, who looked to Summer. "Um... you have any idea what you're finding there? I know a scanning spell when I see one, but uh..." she glanced at Melonwater. If there was any proof to what was just said...

Summer Scribe nodded her head. "Yeah, I know! This is my area of expertise! You gotta give it the long, medium and short range scans first to see if it's about to blow up before unearthing it." She summarily trotted over to a house, like she knew what she was doing. Scanning again: ping. Stepping to the doorway of the house: ping. Then delicately pulling the dirt aside to unearth...

It was a small, rectangular brass plaque, the size of a library card, embossed with a line of native runes. A faint magic clung to the metal, but there was no immediate clue as to its function. Melonwater's find was similar, hidden under a rotten wooden ladle, and a quick trot round the village turned up several more of the artefacts, along with a fair amount of loose change.

Cloud Cutter found herself distinctly out of place here. She did however stand aside and smile a bit at the enthusiastic archaeology ponies going about their trade.

Azure looked quite impressed at the description of the scans and their nature, even more so with the finds! "Goodness, I'll sleep less stupid tonight after learning this..." She looked even happier as she noticed some currency among the finds. "You three are pretty darn good ponies to be around, you know that?"

If there was anything else of interest to find in the ruined houses, it would require a full-on dig site. Summer decided to give the little shrine another quick look before moving on. She was trotting over to it when, from somewhere not too far away, came a loud, canine "Arroooo!" followed by barking, panting and the distinctive sound of undergrowth being smashed to splinters as something large and heavy barrelled through the forest. Melonwater leapt clear off the ground, staring into the trees and shouting "What... what's that?!"

His question was answered seconds later when a huge bulky creature burst into view, a clumsy lump of grey and green as big as a grizzly bear. The creature had a vaguely canine body-plan, but its flesh was green and smooth like a chompy, in the few places where it showed between the thick stone plates covering the beast's body. Tufts of grass poked out of its head and neck, giving the impression of a mane, while a single flower grew out of the top of its head. The thing skidded to a stop, boulder-like paws digging furrows in the earth, and stared at the ponies. Then it opened its oversized jaws, slobber dripping out between its thorn-like teeth, and let out a low growl.

"Alright, nice find! We'll have to figure out what these are for later..." Summer had stowed the plaque in her saddlebag, before freezing at the howls and the heavy movements. One look at the monster and she was dashing for cover, quick as she could... which meant Azure! "Umm, help!" the little unicorn pleaded, turning back to gawk at what, to her, looked like an advanced cousin of the regular Chompy! "Ugh, they come in extra large too!"

For her part, Azure stumbled back seeing the massive creature before them. "Big, canine, and covered in stone plates... oof, this is not a good fight for me..." she muttered, before looking over to Cloud Cutter. "Best I can do is a distraction, fly around and hope this thing is as stupid as it looks. Think you can take this thing?" she asked, looking quite concerned.

Cloud Cutter had leapt back into the air the moment the huge creature... thing charged into the cleared area. Then she noticed Azure's more level-headed response and replies, a little shaken: "I really don't know. There isn't enough room to pick up speed under the trees here. My blade instructor said never get in close if you can't get enough speed. That thing could eat me in one bite!"

"Mine!" bellowed the creature. "Mine!" It looked at the startled Summer, then at Cloud Cutter hovering above, rocky brows furrowing as if confused. "Deer? Bird?" Focusing on the unicorn, it shouted "Tasty tasty!" in a gleeful tone before lumbering forward, mouth open.

"Mine? WHAT'S yours? And we are NOT food!" Summer yelled back. That's pretty much all it took for her to not be on good terms, of course! She backed off, turning to flee and reaching a full gallop in no time. The moment she slowed down she was chompy chow, but she could at least be a distraction for the two better fighters - if she didn't come up with anything herself!

Azure nodded to the purple pegasus, then looked up... only to hear the creature actually speak. Oh, hay: it wasn't quite as dumb as it looked. "You've got the sky... and you've got... your other powers! I still don't know exactly what they are, but they gotta do something...! We'll distract the thing - you do what you have to!" Significantly less confidence and calmness there. Uh oh.

The creature had the agility of a rolling boulder, but its stumpy legs carried it surprisingly quickly, and it just crashed through bushes and wreckage that Summer had to twist around. With no clear space to gallop in, it seemed like only a matter of time before the snapping jaws of the beast caught up with the little mare.

"A little help, here!" Summer Scribe called out nervously! The way it crashed through anything in its path, there was nothing to put between her and her pursuer to gain ground with, so it was just a matter of time! Gulp...

"They— they— alright!" Cloud Cutter called out, watching helplessly as the unicorn fled the savage beast. Why wasn’t she doing the... whatever it is she does? For a few seconds all she could do was hover in place, as if she was frozen with fear. Then she dove at the creature, taking advantage of its fixation in the unicorn to land on its back. The beast reared up as the pegasus squeezed her eyes shut and a little flash of purple light just burst out from her in all directions. It was enough to get the beast to roar in pain and devote all its attention to the pegasus pony, who crashed to the ground on her side, trying to rise quickly enough to spread her wings as the thing opened its yawning maw and lunged at her.

Azure Feather recalled all those times Cloud Cutter had told the squad about staying clear when it came time for her to attack... but seeing her ally injured, seconds away from being monster-chow, she had to act. She took aim at the creature's face and let fly with another wind blade: anything she could do to just distract the darn thing from its prey!

Summer Scribe was thinking along the same lines; she probably couldn't do much to really hurt the beast, but now that she'd escaped mortal peril (however temporarily), she could at least aspire to being annoying! The unicorn levitated a nice chunk of rock from the ground and lobbed it at the super-chompy! "Take that, you brute!" Without waiting to gauge its reaction, she went right back to galloping away as fast as she could.

The wind blade sprang from Azure's horn and nailed the plant beast right in the snout. It yelped and recoiled, head swinging around as it searched for the source of the attack, ignoring its prey for a moment. That left it unprepared for the rock that clouted it in the side of the head, resounding with a sharp crack against the creature's own sandstone plating. Unfortunately it seemed more enraged and confused than injured.

That gave Cloud Cutter a moment to get away at least; she launched back into the air and flew up out of its reach; assuming the beast didn't have projectile attacks. "I'm so sorry!" she called down, looking between her two saviours, once again wracked with uncertainty.

The slobbering plant-canine let out another blood-curdling howl. "Hurt! Not Fair! Bad Food!" it shouted, turning clumsily in place until it spotted Melonwater, who'd frozen in horror as he watched Cloud Cutter nearly being devoured.

"Do what you can!" Azure called out to her ally before casting another wind blade at the creature's face, trying to blind it, before looking to Summer Scribe. "Are you alright Summer?" she shouted, before noticing the stunned Melonwater... oh goodness... "Move!!"

“Just a sec!” Cloud Cutter called back in frustration, staring forward intently with those blank white eyes, "It... it takes a while!”

"Yeah, no problem..." Summer reassured her, looking back to see... "Oh, shoot! Melonwater, look out!" The little unicorn changed course, looping around to rush past Melonwater, giving him a little bump to help coax him onto his feet! "Hurry, follow me!"

Melonwater stared, wide-eyed, at Azure for just a second before Summer literally knocked some sense into him. He turned tail and galloped after Summer, his short legs and lower agility making it hard to keep up with her.

Azure facehooved. The chompy-dog-thing was after them again, and there was no way Melonwater would escape... wait... of course. Her favourite spell wasn't just for her... he'd never tried it before, but there was no choice. Trusting her friend could keep running at least for a short time, she soon focused on the stallion... "Time to greet the skies, Melonwater!" She cried out, trying to give her ally wings... that would get him into the clear, right?

"What?" yelled Melonwater hysterically, looking over his shoulder just in time to see a burst of light from Azure's horn form into swirling ribbons that leap to his back and solidify into butterfly wings. In an utter, bleating panic, the stallion buzzed his new appendages in an uncoordinated frenzy. With the slobber beast only a body length away from chomping him, the earth pony lifted off into the air and went tumbling wildly across the clearing, veering drunkenly through the trees before crashing into the branches overhead. His wings immediately popped into twinkling motes of light, leaving the green earth pony clinging desperately to one of the sturdier branches, high above the ground.

The plant creature stared at its prey's strange transformation, fascinated even as it kept running blindly ahead. "Uh? Fly? What? Come down!" Distracted, it didn't see the oncoming tree; it slammed head first into the trunk, coming to a halt and dropping to its haunches, a dazed expression on its face. The impact was too much for the tree, which cracked, creaked and split, falling down in a crash of broken branches.

Summer Scribe gawked as Melonwater took flight! "Yeah! Nice save, Azure - wait, look out for that tree!" - Crash, wince, "Oh no, Melonwater!" Her eyes widened as the big dog-Chompy crashed nearby! "Oh no, Melonwater!!" Deep in concern, she rushed over: he probably needed rescuing! ... Again!

Overhead, Cloud Cutter wasn't just flying now. Eerie white motes swirled around her as her form began to glow with a foreboding violet light, crawling over her body like tongues of ethereal flame. Her eyes had transformed into gateways to the everlasting nothing.

Azure had already charged up another Skyborn spell for Summer Scribe which she soon released, but she couldn't keep her eyes away from Cloud Cutter and her strange magic. By Celestia... that must be her element, and it was unlike anything she'd seen before. Spooky pony? Right in this second, yeah, Cloud Cutter was looking like quite the threat to anything that lived.

Concern for her friend overriding all other concerns, Azure Feather cast the magic wings spell again; the first time she'd ever tried to cast it three times in one morning. The ribbons of light appeared again, this time homing in on Summer Scribe and granting her the gift of flight for the first time since their mad dash to catch up with the departing Harmony, back in Vanhoover. Azure smiled at the success of her spell, before immediately grimacing. Her horn felt like it was ice cold and burning hot at the same time, while her brain pounded in her skull as the magic drain gave her a splitting headache.

Meanwhile the slobbering plant beast had struggled back to its feet. The plating on its snout was cracked and its eyes stared in random directions as its tiny confused brain tried to work out what was going on.

Summer Scribe perked up as she's bewinged. "Thanks, Azure!" she called out... but she was concerned for Azure's magical wellbeing. She thought the other unicorn would know her limits! But there was no time to check on that right now. Summer floated up, as gracefully as she could given her panicked state, and grabbed Melonwater, ready to descend as soon as the beast was dealt with.

Even the sight Cloud Cutter's lightshow made her eyes hurt. Grunting in pain, Azure nodded weakly to Summer before trying to ignore the pain and pay close attention to Cloud Cutter's strike. She'd definitely overdone it with the magic this time.

Cloud Cutter was not even flapping her wings anymore. She descended to the earth in front the creature, tendrils of purple light licking up her hooves as they touched the soil. The slobbering beast faced her, and... did not charge. Its tiny brain tried to understand what it was feeling, this desire to somehow run backwards. Cloud Cutter scraped a hoof, then charged, galloping at the big bulky creature which just stared at her with dull eyes. Its assumption that its armour would never fail left it an easy target; it opened its mouth to devour her, the only thing it knew, as she leaped directly to her doom and then-

A flash. Not so much a flash: a break. As if the world around her itself was shattering into a coursing violet light. Hard to watch, hard to even see, it burst out from her almost faster than the eye could follow, and then the pegasus was gone. Well, half gone. The front half of her was entirely in the creature’s gullet. It didn’t chomp her though. It didn’t do anything anymore. The red and yellow flower atop its head had shriveled, the verdant greenery brown and dead. It looked more like a pile of packed mud in the shape of a creature, cracked and ready to crumble away.

Cloud Cutter wiggled her hind legs ineffectually.

Seeing the threat neutralised, Summer was finally able to bring her research assistant back to the earth. Melonwater's eyes were screwed tight shut as he clung to the branch, all four legs wrapped around it, body quivering. Summer had to touch a hoof gently to his shoulder and spend some time reassuring him before he'd consider letting go. "How... how... do you... make that... look so... easy?" he asked, still hyperventilating.

"Presence of mind. Gotta be ready to do anything on the spot; even if it's use limbs you didn't know you had." She clutches Melonwater comfortingly, trying to take her down to the ground below in a gentle descent. The 'lowering gently' part proved a little harder than she expected, as Melonwater was surprisingly heavy. Fortunately her frantic fluttering mostly arrested their descent and neither of them were seriously injured in the ensuing crash, which left the bewinged Summer sprawled on top of the collapsed form of the young stallion, both panting and shaking with exhaustion as the adrenalin drained away.

"Geez, what in Celestia's name just happened? It's like everything around Cloud Cutter just... decided being alive wasn't such a good idea." Summer Scribe comfortingly cuddled with Melonwater after that near crash landing, lungs heavy in a sigh of exasperation and relief. It looked like the threat was gone; they were all exhausted, but no one was seriously injured! As long as Cloud Cutter wasn't, like... doubly spooky after doing that.

'The light just happens and... Cloud Cutter kills things' Azure thought. Something that looked so fearsome and... deadly and the purple pegasus just... literally took its life energy. Azure was left just shaking her head slowly after seeing that display, nodding at Summer's words. "I don't know about you, but that... that was special, what we just saw. That... now I understand why Cloud Cutter said to get away... I think... I think that energy doesn't care who it hits... come on, we gotta get her out of there..."

Cloud Cutter once again wiggled her hind legs, but didn't seem to be able to get enough purchase to pull herself out, then went limp again.

"Uh, wow... that was... that was terrifying." Melonwater said, still trembling. "I thought the chompies were bad, but.... I'm sorry, Summer. I should've stayed behind."

Summer Scribe huuuuged Melonwater. "It's scary for all of us. But ponies can do anything together!" She smiled... and peered over at Cloud Cutter. "...I think she needs help. Hang on." Summer was still feeling a bit exhausted, but she managed to trot over and brace herself against the ground, grabbing around Cloud Cutter's hindlegs and... yank!

Azure was darn well worn out too, judging from her slow pace as she headed over to the remains of the creature, but if Summer was taking care of getting Cloud Cutter out... then Azure would do what she could to help her friend afterwards...

As soon as Summer Scribe came into contact with Cloud Cutter's purple hind legs, absolutely nothing special or supernatural happened: they felt pretty much like ordinary pony hind legs. There wasn't much resistance to pulling her out, as it was more an issue of leverage than anything, and soon the pegasus was sliding out of the maw, while crumbling bits of... monster sifted off her. “Thank you,” she said, standing by the creature and shaking the dust out of her mane and wings. Regarding the crumbled shell of a creature, she said uncertainly, “Well, that... worked.”

"Sure did!" Summer Scribe nervously chuckled. "What exactly was... all that?" She tilted her head, puzzled. "Was that a... Spooky Element thing you can do?"

Azure was soon looking right at Cloud Cutter, and clearly is stopping herself from saying a few things. Awesome job, you saved us? No. Comments about her powers? No... hay, Summer Scribe's done that one. No... all Azure could do was to nod her approval and let the pegasus know that she'll stand by her no matter what.

"I don't know," the pegasus replied, looking at Summer inscrutably, then turning her nose down, repeating, "I don't know. It must be the Undead element they have here, but I don't know why it... happens that way for me. None of the others have... things happening to them." She gave Summer and Azure a hollow smile, before continuing, "Anyway the point is: it's dead, and you pulled me out, so we're all okay." Lifting a hoof to her chin to frown in thought, she added, "Though I suppose you could have left me in there. It would have saved a lot on funeral costs."

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer and Melonwater), Ferret (playing Nutmeg Inferno, Cloud Cutter and Set Sail), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe and Gearshift) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

This chapter is based on the twenty-second session, with me as the GM. The sad tale of a poor old plant-doggo, just looking for a bite to eat when four brightly-coloured equine monsters burst into its territorty and slay it with their terrible eldrich powers, leaving its five adorable plant-monster-puppies orphaned and alone... The 'Slobber Trap' is one of the early mini-bosses in 'Skylanders: Trap Team', so the ponies have definitely worked their way up from fighting chompies.

Awesome illustration by ValyceNegative.

MagiBubble

With Azure exhausted and Melonwater jumping at every shadow, the ten minute trot back to the Second Chance took half an hour. The four ponies climbed up to the deck and took a moment to recover and reflect. Azure was soon laying down on the foredeck, wings spread out in the warm sun and eyes closed, apparently deep in thought. Melonwater sat nearby, pulling out pen & paper and distracting himself by starting to make a map of the area. He kept opening his mouth as if he wanted to ask the guardpony something, but then closing it again without speaking.

It looked like the two would take a while to recover; in the mean time, Summer Scribe kept fluttering her new butterfly wings with excitement and looking at the sky. Perhaps a quick overflight of the 'ancient witches' convent' wouldn't be a bad idea, before they galloped in? Hmm, yes indeed! She still had energy for it, and while the rest of the party is resting, she may as well try out her wings: she barely got a chance to back in Vanhoover!

"Hey, I'm gonna do a fly-over of the convent..." she said, looking around, "Anyone coming with? Cloud Cutter, maybe?"

Melonwater looked up, startled, then shot nervous glances at Summer and Azure. "Heh yeah you go on ahead Summer, sounds great, have fun. I've gotta... gotta get this map done, very important, but, uh..." The earth pony stared into the sky. "Stay safe up there, ok?"

Summer Scribe nodded back. "Just gonna look around, not gonna do anything dangerous, promise!" The young stallion smiled weakly and went back to fiddling with his theodolite.

"Yes, I will depart with you," Cloud Cutter said amiably, the blank eyed pony not moving until that moment. Something like amusement did cross the purple mare's face as Summer fluttered up into the air, like a newborn foal who'd just discovered that she could fly. She takes off afterwards, keeping a steady pace just behind the unicorn, ready to swoop down and catch her, should the magic expire and leave Summer Scribe falling to her doom.

As they ascended into the blue, the ship and its two passengers grew tiny, until Summer and Cloud had achieved a dizzying height. Drifting south over the central cliffs, Cloud Cutter gazed downward, trying to make sense of the terrain they'd be facing, though she was far too high to spot any restless spectres that might be floating around.

Summer Scribe turned out to be a pretty confident flyer for somepony getting their first real practice! She already seemed to have a good sense of how to float, dive, glide and propel her body around, and didn't need much in the way of assistance, but the unicorn seemed awed by the vista spread out below. "Goodness..." Taking a look around as she beats her wings, seeing the three-dimensional puzzle of the floating river winding through the scattered islands, it was like she was her own airship! "Okay... let's check out the convent, Cloud Cutter. Must be those big buildings, over there."

From their vantage point above the highest point of the third island, the two ponies could see the full length of the sky river, save for the topmost lake, still hidden within the rocky peaks and misty interior of the mountain source. The upper plateau was covered in a forest several kilometres across, bordered on two sides by open sky and the others by cliffs and rapids. Down below, at the far end of the island, was the impossible shimmering dome of the enormous magic 'bubble'. The flickering and distorted forms of pools, buildings and some kind of elevated structures could be seen within.

Tearing their eyes away from the fantastic view for the moment, the mares focused on what was immediately below them. The forest was broken by various small hills and clearings; in one they could make out the outlines of the ruined village they'd visited. By far the most obvious feature though was the huge complex of buildings, penned in by a rectangle of high stone walls. The structures were simple stone with tile roofs, like long barracks or warehouses surrounded by smaller sheds, chimneys and a tangle of pipes and tanks. Not exactly like a purpose-built factory, more like an older structure that had been steadily overtaken by a tangle of industrial technology.

'It's a really nice perspective seeing the islands from here!' Summer thought. Like looking down on the world's best map, and being able to just point yourself where you want to go. No reliance on carts or airships this time: sweet! She studied the building complex before swooping down to take a closer look.

From their elevated perspective it was clear the cobblestone road from the docks took an almost direct route to the complex, making only a few lazy turns that had obstructed their line of sight when grounded. The causeway ended in a set of enormous gates, set into the wall of the compound and flanked by ornamental-looking but still substantial towers. There was some kind of sign over the entrance, but the covering of moss and vines makes it impossible to decipher from the air.

Circling around, it seemed like the structures might have been abandoned a few years ago, not a few centuries ago; there were broken tiles, missing panes of glass, rusted steel rails and grass poking up through flagstones, but everything seemed basically intact: no gaping holes in the walls or collapsed sections of roof. None big enough to fit a pony through at least. Circling around to the far side, the ponies saw a particularly thick tangle of pipes extending through the stone perimeter wall and snaking down to a nearby lake, where the river pooled before feeding into the cascade of rapids and waterfalls along the south side of the island.

"Be careful not to fly too low!" Cloud Cutter called after that eager hummingbird of an archaeologist, still trailing behind. A flicker of confusion crossed her face as she looked beyond Summer to what they are approaching. This was a far cry from the ancient stone cathedrals she'd seen as a foal. In fact it looked more like a factory one might spot alongside the train tracks in Southstock. "Does this look like a convent to you?" she asks uneasily as the two ponies watched from above.

"Huh, it's still in PRETTY good condition. I wonder... Oh! Sorry, Cloud Cutter." Summer shied away from diving any lower, admiring from a distance. "Well, a convent for witches, certainly! It looks hooked up to the local water supply: I bet you could use it to brew all kinds of potions. Still could, possibly even? And it's definitely a delight to see facilities like this in the Cloudbreak Islands! Makes me wonder where these airships come from, you know, where they're made and what that might look like..." Whoops: she caught herself rambling again.

"You could use it to brew potions alright..." Cloud Cutter replied, coasting in a circle as she stared pensively at the warehouses, tanks and pipes below. "A whole lot of potions."

Summer Scribe grinned at that, circling lazily with Cloud Cutter to get a look of the ley of the land... but given that it looked like what they were after and doesn't seem obviously dangerous or a waste of time, that seemed to conclude the scouting trip. "OK, shall we head back? Next time we'll come on hoof."

Nodding, Cloud Cutter said, "Anything further we could do here, the others could do with us on the ground. You fly very well by the way, though I don't know how much of that is the magic of the spell."

"I'm a natural, spell or no spell! Nutmeg could whip me up a wing-pack, I bet I'd handle it no problem." The little unicorn grinned, self-assured.

"I don't think she has the tools for crafting artificial wings," Cloud Cutter said, giving the other mare a sceptical look, "But given what that creature has done with the ships, I wouldn't be surprised if she somehow managed it."

"I'm learning to raise my expectations: she's already surprised me enough times!" chuckled Summer.

Cloud Cutter gave the desolate site a final look as they swung around to begin the return flight to the docks. The only motion was the rustling of leaves in the wind and a few small birds perched on the gantries, although... was that a flicker of light in the windows? Might have just been the sun glinting off the glass. The two ponies covered the few kilometres back to the ship in no time and are soon gliding down to the deck, where Azure stood watching their approach.

Seeing both fliers make a safe approach to the ship, Azure nodded softly. She'd needed time to recover after her magical exhaustion, and while an hour was enough to stop the headache, her magic hadn't fully come back. She'd have to be careful to conserve it for the rest of the day.

Cloud Cutter landed lightly, folding her wings, looking to Summer and saying, "Well, what would your assessment be of the facility ahead?"

"Looks like it's what we're after! A relatively recently abandoned alchemical facility." the cyan unicorn replied. She looked excited to go check it out! "It's not like anything we've seen before!"

Azure tilted her head at that. "So that's what we're looking for? Hmm. Sounds like a plan, but again... I won't be of too much help if we have to fight again. Just... a fair warning." she reminded her squad, although she was ready to travel at least.

Summer Scribe grinned back. "Well, we're looking for a LOT of things: we're basically just looking to help out our new Gillmen friends in any way we can, and seeing if we can brew potions to fix their fin-rot is one of those!"

Melonwater trotted over to Summer, uncharacteristically eager to rub his flank against hers, as if to reassure himself she was still physically present. "Abandoned?" he said hopefully. "You're sure?"

Cloud Cutter was about to give her assessment, but at Melonwater's question, she said with an uncharacteristic smile, "I'm fairly sure one of the ghosts made themselves known before we left. Whether it was a ghost, or just somepony with a light in the window, will not be revealed until we creep in and investigate."

"G-g-ghost? You're not... serious?" the stallion said, looking at Cloud Cutter with wide eyes. She certainly seemed serious. "Ghosts aren't real! Not in Equestria..." he trails off. Zombies weren't real either, but here he was staring at one.

Summer tried to reassure him: "It sure looked abandoned..." She couldn't outright dismiss the possibility of ghosts. I mean, you can't just assume every cool abandoned place is haunted! Most of them weren't.

Cloud Cutter was quick to lose her smile, given the way Melonwater was looking at her. "It's probably nothing," she said neutrally, turning her gaze away from his sight, "Just be ready for company, and if nopony is there, then I'll say it was nothing more than a trick of the light."

Summer Scribe thought out loud: "So if there hypothetically is a ghost, is your spooky skillset any good at dealing with that, Cloud Cutter...?" Might be a rhetorical question, given their lack of knowledge!

Azure chuckled a little. "Just keep your guard up. They might not even be hostile. Then again..." she trailed off as she started to think. Most of their encounters had been hostile up to this point, precious few were actually friendly. She suspected this wouldn't be one of the friendly cases. That plant creature had put them all on edge...

"Uh... ok. Ok." Melonwater repeated, breathing out and trying to psych himself up. "We can just leave if there's... something unfriendly... in there, right?"

Summer Scribe nodded, reassuring Melonwater. "Yep! No problem there, we're not in a hurry. We can take this at our own pace."

The four ponies made their way onto the docks and down the track, trotting through the forest to the mysterious complex. Without further excitement they arrived at the gates Summer had spotted from the air; huge, solid, made of ancient oak bound with iron, flanked by stone towers and surmounted by a decayed, half-collapsed sign the height of a pony. It was adorned with the painted outline of what might be a potion bottle, along with fragments of runes once outlined in golden paint. The gate was solidly secured by several extremely rusty chains, meeting at the centre in an elaborate looking lock of weathered brass. Instead of a keyhole it had several dials and levers.

Cloud Cutter walked up to the gate, stopping short of attempting to walk through it, and peered at the apparatus that looked something like a lock. Then she shrugged, trying to peer through the cracks and get a glimpse of the courtyard beyond.

Summer Scribe inspected the locking mechanism, and got straight to the safecracking! She sent out a gentle feeler pulse with her horn, getting a sense for what mechanisms are hidden inside, before sticking her ear close and twisting the dials and levers back and forth, listening to the faint clicks and clacks and chacks. "Easy! I have to solve puzzles like this for my day job." She grinned, taking a bow of satisfaction as the lock clicked open... then realised that they could have just flown over, and briefly reflected on her life choices that lead up to the point.

The lock seemed to involve two glass sliders that move through a series of one-way channels to unlock the tumblers, in a manner equivalent to but more elaborate than a standard combination lock. Whoever designed it obviously wasn't counting on the unicorn's divining magic or lockpicking experience, and the device was soon crashing to the ground, rust flakes going everywhere as the disused chains fell away.

"Well, at least we're 'knocking' on the door and announcing ourselves instead of breaking in. You know, the proper way in and all." Azure noted, as she smiled to Summer. "Seriously, nice work there."

"Heheh, thanks!" Summer Scribe bashfully rubbed the back of her head. It's nice to just... Do something normal and get praised for it, for once!

The courtyard beyond was filled with empty carts, much more substantial than the one the expedition's hippogriff had been pulling around for the last two weeks, probably for moving heavy goods to and from the dock. One of the main buildings loomed ahead, the double doors facing the main gate, while a ramshackle collection of outbuildings, cranes, scaffolding and pipework surrounded the courtyard. Small doors to the side led into the towers next to the gate. The sense of stillness was even stronger here; it was obvious that the place had been a bustling hub of industry at some point.

"That was unexpectedly easy," Cloud Cutter said, poking a hoof at one of the crumbling chains, "Are you sure these things didn't just fall off on their own?" She stood up straighter, unsure of how to feel about this place as she continued to gaze within. "It's a lot less spooky, and more dangerous than I imagined," she remarked, "No ghosts trying to scare us off yet. We should be careful though. Those chains were either meant to keep us out, or to keep something in."

Summer Scribe waved a hoof dismissively. "I mean, in some cultures you use locks to keep people out of your private property, just because it's important enough... It doesn't necessarily indicate anything bad, just a cultural difference." She hmmmed and looked around: it looked even more vast and impressive from down below! Like an alchemical factory and shipping yard. "Alright, shall we start poking around inside the buildings? Get a feel for what makes what."

"I'll bet on the former, Cloud Cutter. So far so good, but... uh, this place has definitely seen better days..." Azure admitted with a sigh. She wasn't leading the pack, either, keeping her eyes open for anything valuable while keeping the fact that she wasn't at 100% in mind.

Melonwater trotted in behind the others, staring around, taking in the details of the architecture and the machinery. "Somepony is doing basic maintenance, at least. Keeping the plants back and... look, see that section of wall?" He gestured with a hoof. "It's been repointed, quite recently, the mortar is fresh. Clumsy job though, look how crude it is compared to the original stonework."

Summer Scribe perked. "Good spot, Melonwater!" She stroked her chin: "That increases the odds we'll find someone inside. I'll have to look lively."

And so far, nothing to report on the profit side, Azure thought. She glanced at the repairs, but she had no experience to let her discern good work from bad. She was keeping an eye on Cloud Cutter though, making sure the Pegasus wasn't heading into danger.

Cloud Cutter looked too, but she was hardly an expert at stonework. She glanced at the clouds overhead with a tactical eye, gauging what weather could be made useful around here, but if her new powers included a spook detector, it certainly wasn't going off at the moment. Trotting past Melonwater, she looked around the courtyard, checking for ways through the clutter and access routes to the interior.

Cloud Cutter confirmed that the facility goes on for some distance, rows of larger buildings looming over the smaller sheds and offices. There was junk piled everywhere; crates of empty bottles, barrels of unknown substances, engine parts, but they were all shoved to the sides and stacked up against walls, keeping the throughfares clear. Summer Scribe, however, wasn't interested in the smaller buildings and assorted industrial detritus; she trotted straight up to the largest building and wrapped her magic around the doorhandle... then furrowed her brows and strained to move the heavy, swollen doors.

They slowly opened with a series of loud cracks and creaks, exposing the interior beyond. The pony's first impression was of an endless series of vats and pipes; giant house-sized ones, pony sized ones, scattered about the stone floor of the huge open area, lit by shafts of sunlight coming in through the dusty skylights. Catwalks criss-crossed the upper areas, providing access to the higher pipes and lip of the bigger vats. More barrels and crates were stacked around the floor, along with creaky tables covered in centuries of dust, and the collapsed remains of chairs, filing cabinets and other furniture.

Summer Scribe peered about, catching her breath after the exertion of the door opening: the place won her over pretty much immediately! Quite inactive, of course, but a sizeable and serviceable potion distillery operating at massive scale! "Cooool." She grinned, trotting around and inspecting every bit and bob and loose end, skimming over the detail but concentrating on making out the overall process and functions.

Two things caught Summer's eye as she peered about the dusty, quiet space. Firstly; the largest, house-sized vats formed a line down the middle of the facility, and everything else seemed to feed into or out of them. Moving to one side to peer around the first mixing vat, she saw the remains of a second one further inside; it looked like it had exploded, the copper shell torn apart and the adjacent pipes ruptured and bent. Even the roof above was crudely patched with scrap steel from where an enormous hole had once been carved out.

Two more of the giant vats could be seen further down inside the building. Secondly: what looked like a control centre of some sort, half way up one wall. Many of the pipes and catwalks converged there, and the windows granted a commanding view of the rest of the factory. Melonwater's voice broke her concentration: "Do you... uh, do you, hear something?" he asked. He was probably talking about the distant, regular "clang... clang.. clang...". The confused mass of echoes in the huge cluttered space make the sound difficult to pinpoint, but it was definitely getting louder.

'Alchemical explosion in the past! Duly noted.' Summer thought. She wondered if that was why the place had been abandoned, or if it was just the cost of doing business! The unicorn's eyes were on the control center when Melonwater got her attention. "Yeah, I hear it too. We should probably check that out...?" Where had Cloud Cutter gone?

Still outside, Cloud Cutter trotted past the piles of rusting engine parts, tsking and thinking maybe the ship's engineers should have been here, not a zombie weatherpony. She stopped near one of the smaller buildings; a lean-to, built into the side of the main structure. The pegasus peered through the windows, wary for any movement within. It looked like it was once an office; a mass of spiderwebs covering the tumbled down remains of what probably had been filing cabinets. Many of the documents within had slipped out and rotted into mulch, but some survived in the less damaged areas. To the rear of the office was a small door, probably a side door into the main factory floor.

With a grimace of a smile, Cloud Cutter moved around to the door, testing it with a wing to see if it was locked. She didn't know what was in there, but it certainly wasn't large enough for anything monstrously gigantic to be laying in wait. Her companions were probably checking the other small buildings right now too, for that very reason. Not like anypony would just walk into the center of whatever disaster befell this place in that central factory, opening themselves up to attack on all sides.

Melonwater's warning prompted Azure to pay close attention. "Maybe now we'll find some creature here. Because right now it's just ruins and little else..." she admitted, trotting in close to her two companions and staring ahead, trying to spot the creatures. "Guards up. No idea if this thing's friendly. Seeing how the place is, in any case, gives me even less of a clue..."

Flickering red light was now visible, reflecting off the bits of metal not covered in dust or a patina of corrosion, as the unseen entity approached. Quietly slipping into a defensive stance, Azure Feather was soon on full guard, her eyes constantly scanning the labyrinthine mass of machines and catwalks for oncoming threats. Whatever was making that noise, it couldn't be more than a few seconds away: she had no idea what it was, but she knew this could get ugly fast.

Summer stood her ground, flanked by Azure and Melonwater, as the entity clanked into view. Their first impression was of a giant metal humanoid; a collection of steel plates, as if it was an enormous suit of armour, made for the biggest minotaur anypony had ever seen. There were great gaps between the plates though, and in those gaps was nothing but pulsing orange light and flickering flames. The eyeholes in the great domed helmet glowed bright yellow, but showed nothing but emptiness within. The thing marched forward with regular, thunderous steps, leaving steaming footprints behind, until it spotted the ponies and clanked to a stop. "INTRUDERS." it intoned in a booming, hollow monotone. "UNCLASSIFIED QUADRUPEDS. BEGINNING WILDLIFE EXTERMINATION PROTOCOL."

"Oh, shoot! They have magical guards here?!" Summer Scribe gaped. She wasn't liking the idea of a 'wildlife extermination protocol'! The unicorn backed up, thankful for Azure's protection. "What's the play, Azure? What are the chances of just blowing it apart right now?"

The construct took a step forward, its arms snapping up to point at the ponies, ready to unleash fiery energies at them. Then it stopped and stood motionless for a second. "REQUEST NOT UNDERSTOOD. INTRUDERS. UNCLASSIFIED TALKING QUADRUPEDS. BEGINNING FACILITY DEFENCE PROTOCOL." A shrieking, whooping sound assaulted the pony's ears, coming from all around them. "LEAVE NOW OR HOSTILITIES WILL COMMENCE. YOU HAVE TWENTY SECONDS TO COMPLY." the thing thundered. Melonwater didn't even need that long, immediately turning tail and galloping for the main gate.

Cloud Cutter heard the thundering footsteps and that amplified voice, her ears going flat as she moved away from the office, looking at the main factory with disapproval. She reluctantly headed back towards the entrance, moving with a leisurely gait.

Azure's eyes were wide open. Wildlife extermination protocol. Commence hostilities. Yeah, okay, if that's not Hostile with a capital H, Azure's been an earth pony this entire time and hasn't told a soul. "Cloud Cutter!!" she called out. "Full retreat! We've got a hostile and I don't think we're anywhere close to being able to take it!" She hoped to Celestia her friend heard the cry. Looking to Summer, she said "No way I'm taking that. Run for it! I'll go find Cloud Cutter..." There was no time to plan. She had to go with what she thought was right...

"Yep, running!" Summer Scribe didn't need to be told twice; ponies are excellent at galloping in straight lines, and there wasn't much in her path, so she should be able to make it out in time. Once she'd had a moment to catch her breath outside, something occurred to her... She clicked her saddlebag open and took out the brass plaques found at the village earlier today. A single row of mysterious runes... "Azure, you don't think these are like..." she waved one with a chuckle, "ID badges for this place or something, do you?"

The ponies collected in the courtyard, pausing just inside the archway of the gate, as the golem clank-clank-clanked its ponderous way to the main doors. "EXECUTING DEFENCE PROTOCOL" it bellowed "YOU HAVE THREE SECONDS..." then its deafening voice wound down, getting lower and lower pitched like a grammophone running out of power. The internal flames died down to a simmer and the infernal screeching finally stopped. "WELCOME FOREMAN FIZZO. CONFIRM PROTOCOL FOR THREE UNKNOWN QUADRUPEDS. DO YOU WISH TO REGISTER GUESTS?"

Summer Scribe sweated nervously as the golem was about to totally obliterate her! ...but it seemed her hunch was right. Whew! She nervously held the card up: "Uhh, y-yeah... Foreman Fizzo would like to register three guests. Melonwater, Cloud Cutter and Azure Feather." Indicating them one by one!

Cloud Cutter ceased trying to lift Melonwater bodily into the air and let him drop, looking up at the constrosity in disbelief.

"GUEST PROTOCOL ENGAGED." the thing declared, before stomping backwards into the building again, apparently as happy to move in reverse as forwards. Then it just stood there motionless, just in front of the first vat.

Azure looked stunned as the huge golem that was about ready to incinerate everypony just falls into an almost-friendly... no, actively helpful state within a few seconds. She turned to Summer and face-hoofed. Did that really just happen? With just a bunch of... ruined pieces of brass... oh, what the hay...

"... Okay! Back to exploring?" Summer Scribe looked about as shaken as everyone else, but that wasn't going to stop her! "Ha-ha, so I'll be honest, that was just a hunch."

"Aaah no no let go zombie, put me down..." Melonwater shouted "...ah, what? What?!" He collapsed to his knees, hysterical giggles escaping from his muzzle. "Oh awesome, Senior Researcher Fizzo, that's... that's perfect!" He continued laughing his head off.

"I think Melonwater needs some time to rest," Cloud Cutter said, lifting a hoof at the hysterical stallion, "...in peace. Perhaps he can keep watch here while we... dig around in there?"

"Hey I'm fine, it's fine..." the green stallion said, alternating between giggling and gasping for air. "I'm... yeah, just give me a minute here."

Summer Scribe smiled and shook her head, before walking back straight back into the factory. "Ok, Senior Researcher Fizzo is on the clock!" She had the rest of the main building to poke through still!

Azure just followed "Fizzo" inside, still muttering to herself. It had only been a couple of weeks and she'd already seen a lot of crazy things here in the Cloudbreak Islands; this may just beat all of them...

Back inside, another of the animated constructs was now visible. Similar in size and general design, this one was lit up with blue energy instead of orange, and crusted with sparkling ice crystals instead of licking flames. It clanked along some way behind the first, which was still standing like a statue near the entrance, glowing eyes fixed on Summer. "FOREMAN FIZZO. PRODUCTION HAS BEEN HALTED FOR ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTEEN... THOUSAND... TWO-HUNDRED-THIRTY-FOUR... DAYS. DO YOU WISH TO RESUME PRODUCTION?" the fiery golem asked her, in its halting, booming monotone.

One hundred sixteen... thousand days. Give or take 320 years. Azure just shakes her head at the realization. Yeah, this place has been... well, dead. Shaking her head and shrugging at the decision, it seemed like every creature's eyes were on "Fizzo" now.

Cloud Cutter lifted her hoof to Summer, opening her mouth to shout as if moving in slow motion.

Summer Scribe perked. "Oh, you mean this place still works? Then I'd absolutely love to resume production!" Just look at the big grin on her face! And is the place really as old as the golem said? Because wow is that old if so. It must be getting maintenance non-stop!

"RESUME CONFIRMED." the golem boomed. Was there a hint of satisfaction to is scratchy voice or was that Summer's imagination? "EXECUTING STARTUP PROTOCOL FOR MAGIBUBBLE COLA PRODUCTION LINES ONE... THREE... AND FOUR. LINE TWO REMAINS UNAVAILABLE PENDING SERVICE." It clanked over to a set of huge wheel valves and began to turn them, while the second blue-coloured construct began climbing the stairs to the control room, the whole system of catwalks shaking and spilling dust into the air with the vibrations from its steps. Yet another of the golems, this one with no distinctive glow but with turning gears visible through its joints, started moving around at the back of the building.

"Magibubble Cola?" What kind of a potion is that? It sounded like a soft drink, almost... or did it give you magical powers? "Who dibs taste testing... wait, silly me, we can just ask. Hey, golem! What is Magibubble Cola?" Summer asked. She gazed around happily at the majesty of the factory re-activating around her! Well... Give it a moment, first!

The golem's head spun round a hundred and eighty degrees to face the little unicorn, while its body continued to work at the valves. Instead of the previous monotone, a catchy jingle played, still at deafening volume "Refresh and amaze, transform your world, it's MagiiiiBubbbble Cooooola! Fly through the sky, grow up so high, flame at your command or the cool ice your drink demands, it's all just a ring-pull away, with Maaaagiiii.... Bubbbbllle.... Cooooooola!" The jingle ended, replaced by the sound of creaking, groaning pipes, the thump-thump of pumps and the whine of turbines starting up.

Melonwater, not wanting to be left alone outside, trotted into the doorway. He stared wildly around before focusing on Summer Scribe: "What's going on? What... what did you do?"

"... I think I jump-started a magical soda company entirely automated by golems." Summer enthused. "And the jingle is REALLY catchy." She was nodding her head to it as she imagined it again! Earworm time! "And I've DEFINITELY gotta try some once it's poured out! You in?"

"So... unicorn without being unicorn." Azure Feather stated, shrugging again. "Trust me, I know how that feeling is." Never mind the whole fact that she was a unicorn trying to be a pegasus, sort of. Turning to Melonwater, she explained: "Long story short? Researcher Fizzo here restarted production in a three-twenty-year-old factory. With one sentence."

"...what?" Melonwater boggled at Azure. "A factory? Over three centuries? How could that possibly work?" If in answer to his question, a pipe some way behind Summer split open, spraying a continuous stream of reddish-brown goop out onto the floor.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Summer," Cloud Cutter said warily, "Actually I'm almost certain you don't know what you're doing."

Summer Scribe nodded to Cloud Cutter, still grinning: "I EXTREMELY have no idea what I'm doing, but that's what I'm good at!" She was trying to sound reassuring, but... she started sweating after the pipe burst. "Uhh, lemme just..." levitating a piece of scrap metal into the air, "Paaaatch that up real quick..."

"PRESSURE ON FEED THREE ABOVE TOLERANCE." the golem boomed "PRESSURE ON FEED EIGHT ABOVE TOLERANCE. PRESSURE ON FEED ELEVEN ABOVE TOLERANCE..." Its monologue was interrupted by the sharp pings of rivets popping out of pipe fittings overhead and bouncing about in the catwalks, before dropping to the floor with a gentle patter of thuds.

"Um... y'know, maybe we should try and reduce the pressure before-" There were already a few bolts scattered around her. "...before this entire place comes down on our heads?" Azure ventured a guess, looking a bit nervous. "Else we may be forced to try that Cola... and not in the way I was hoping..."

Cloud Cutter backed up at the rising volume of malfunctions, bumping into Melonwater who startled and skittered away. "Maybe you should shut this thing down, Foreman Fizzo!" she suggested.

Summer Scribe was sweating profusely now! "Okay, yeah, looks like this is more than a quick fixer-upper!" She called out to the golem: "Shut down all feeds immediately! Foreman Fizzo says so!"

With a resounding clang, a joint on one of the large pipes was forced open. Water, or something close to it, sprayed out and splashed around the pipework, turning inches of accumulated dust to mud, but not with anywhere near the force or volume the ponies were expected. After a pregnant pause, something... else slithered out of the pipe and dropped to the floor with a splat. A thick rope of translucent blue goo, perhaps three metres long, that began to writhe and slither like a snake. "INTRUDER. ANIMATE MAGICAL WASTE. EXECUTING CONTAINMENT PROTOCOL" the golem declared, staring down the animate slime, before its head snapped around to regard Summer again. "PRIORITY CONFLICT." it intoned. "CONFIRM PROTOCOL, CONTAINMENT OR SHUTDOWN?"

Summer Scribe's ears were flicking nervously. "Great, we have magical goo outbreaks too?! Well, cola at least we can swim in, but we don't know what this thing does. Containment!" If the fire golem was strong as it looked, it should be a cinch!

Cloud Cutter took wing just in case, not sure of where to fly or what to do, so she just hovered there near the ceiling.

Well this wasn't looking good, Azure thought. The cola being about ready to explode out of the pipes was one thing. Animate magical waste? Entirely another. At Summer's command of containment, though, Azure decided it might be better to stand back and let this golem take care of it... if it could. If not, though, this could be a headache...

"CONTAINMENT PROTOCOL ENGAGED." it confirmed, but the time it took to converse with Summer was more than enough for the goo-creature to coil and strike. The thing leapt forward, wrapping itself around the golem's head and body. The construct's arms snapped up and began to flail about wildly, as the golem stomped forward, body rotating. "ERROR! VISION IMPAIRED! ERROR! VISION IMPARIED!" it bellowed, before tongues of flame shot out from its arms, torching random bits of machinery and setting fire to decayed desks and paperwork. Steam hisses and rises as the flames from the golem's body eat away at the goo creature, but it seems to be taking some damage as well as its metalwork begins to warp and soften. Meanwhile more of the characteristic cracks of pipes being forced open and thump-slither of the goo worms emerging into the factory could be heard.

"Augh! These golems are total idiots at fighting!" Summer exclaims, her tone exasperated. It was breaking more of the factory and itself than its actual opponent. She looked around nervously as more and more goo-creatures emerged. "Shoot, they're probably going to overwhelm the golems running this place! What do we do?" She didn't want to abandon the facility, but it might be a sad necessity!

Cloud Cutter could have tried to do her spooky thing, but she was hearing sounds of these creature waste things coming from all over the place. "We could we could draw them out, so they only damage the surrounding woods?" she suggested frantically.

"If this thing can't fight, at least make sure the factory's shut down before it keeps running with no pipes and a flood of cola running through this island! I'm sure the gillmen don't want to drink that stuff instead of water!" Azure suggested, seeming more nervous about the cola than the worms. With her fighting ability impaired... this could be a bad day.

Melonwater was backing away from the flailing golem, flinching at the flames, but shaking his head. "If they get into the river? With that teleportation effect you described? They'll be all over the place in days." Turning to Summer he asked nervously "Do you... do you suppose... can they reproduce? Outside the factory?"

Summer Scribe looks distraught at the thought! "I hope not! We have to pray that they only get made here and..." She yelled at a nearby golem, "Shut down production, now!" Nodding to everyone else, "We'll just have to figure out the rest on our own! Somehow..."

"I-I can't do this very fast! Just give me a sec!" Cloud called out, already starting to look more purple than usual.

The fire-powered golem didn't seem able to respond any more; it continued to flail wildly at its gooey assailant, smashing through and then setting fire to a pile of crates. Of the other two golems, one was last seen in the control room and the other at the rear of the factory floor; neither had line of sight to Summer or could hear her over the din.

"Shoot, hang on, I need to escalate this request to a higher-up..." Summer Scribe raced off, heading deeper into the factory before anypony could object. "Shut down production! Shut down production!" she cried out, to anyone who'd listen!

Cloud Cutter, on the other hoof, could see straight into the control room from her vantage point flapping up near the ceiling. The icy blue golem was in there, engaging two of the worms. It seemed to be going better than the fire golem's engagement; as Cloud Cutter watched it shot out a blast of ice crystals that froze an attacking worm solid. However three more had picked up on the noise and vibrations and were converging on the control room, oozing their way along the catwalks.

It seemed like all the fun was happening in the control room, so Summer Scribe started scaling the stairway and cantering along the catwalk, hoping to meet up with Cloud Cutter. "OK, maybe we can shut down production from here?" She could see ooze monsters heading the same way, so she'd have to burst in and figure this stuff out quick!

With a snort of frustration at her tortuously slow magic, Cloud Cutter shouted, "It's not working Summer! There has to be a- a manual break lever around here somewhere!" She headed for the control room, flying with the difficulty of somepony really trying hard to concentrate right now. She ignored the ice golem to land near the controls, arriving ahead of Summer. If she couldn't get things stabilized fast, she'd be trapped in there by three of those things! Though maybe that was her plan...

Azure's was still trying to make heads or tails of the situation... She took off, ready to assist wherever needed, her eye soon drawn to the control room. She should be able to catch any worms with wind blades, magical exhaustion be damned...

The little unicorn bounded up the metal stairway, only to be faced with one of the goo worms, about to slither through the open door into the control room. Detecting her hoofsteps on the metal, its eyeless head swung around and began weaving in her direction.

Summer thought for a moment. Maybe these things can't actually see, only hear sound? Her horn flared with magic as she wrenched off a loose piece of railing and hurled it off to the side. Clank! The worm outside the door coils up then springs at the noise, slithering off to consume the annoying piece of scrap. Success! Summer Scribe snuck by the distracted worm, heading into the control room to join Cloud Cutter. Hoof raised, she made a 'keep your voice down' gesture!

The ice golem is covered in frozen and half-frozen bits of worm, its armour melted and pitted. It moved jerkily forward toward Cloud Cutter, staggering off balance. Unable to comprehend Summer's gesture, it bellowed "GUESTS MUST VACATE THE AREA. CONTAINMENT PROTOCOL IS IN EFFECT."

Summer Scribe found herself looking at a massive bank of gauges, dials and levers, with wide windows overlooking machinery now clanking and shuddering, spraying different coloured fluids. Worse, the third of the great vats was beginning to bulge out noticeably, at risk of bursting the same way its neighbour did, long ago. The rear wall was covered in diagrams, charts and noticeboards, all yellowed, dusty and written in the native runes.

The unicorn huffed. "Shoot, I can't believe I was so excited that I let this place fall to pieces!" Well, what to do? Maybe one of these levers was an emergency stop lever or something? She couldn't read the local language yet, so it'd be too long to parse through labels! Just look for something big and imposing!

Cloud Cutter had backed away as Summer trotted in; she looked dishevelled and... glowing wrong. The pegasus backed up hastily all the way against the golem bellowing at her, declaring to Summer, "Just do something! It- I can't read any of this!" She looked for a way out of the room without going near the other pony.

"Working on it!" Summer Scribe huffed back! OK, it was worth a shot... "Hey, Golem! How do I shut this thing down?"

"REQUEST UNCLEAR" the construct intoned, voice cracking and warping. "DOES FOREMAN FIZZO REQUEST SHUTDOWN PROTOCOL?" Meanwhile the next three worms were converging on the control room. Azure zeroed in and fired off a flurry of wind blades, slicing one into a blue goo approximation of salami, the pieces splattering on the factory floor below. A second reared up and smashed its way through one of the windows, its featureless head weaving back and forth in front of Summer Scribe as it searches for prey... before Azure's horn finished charging and released a powerful blast, blowing the thing clear off the catwalk.

The worm tumbled end over end through the air before the gale dashes it against a staircase, splattering its body into harmless globs. "Aah!" Azure cried out as pain stabbed through her horn; that last blast was a little too much after the earlier exertions. She watched helplessly as the third worm slithered through the broken windows, into the control room.

Cloud Cutter couldn't risk doing the spooky thing, not with Summer in there with her, but she could still kick the offending worm in the nose. Her hoof connected, but had little effect on the goopy mass. "Yes! Say yes!" she urged her companion, as she tried to use her body to block the way in.

"Yes, yes!" Summer Scribe told the golem, as goo critters ran havoc all around her! "Shut it down! And hurry, please!"

"SHUTDOWN CONFIRMED." the golem confirmed. It took a step forward, one arm reaching towards a small cluster of controls in the corner of the room... but the invading goo worm had already wrapped around its waist. With a crack and then clunk the construct's torso separated from its legs, pitching forward and crashing to the floor. "ERROR! MOBILITY IMPAIRED! ERROR!" it warbled, jerking back and forth uselessly.

"Uurgh! Dang it, it's so close!" Summer stomped her hoof in frustration. "What do I do now?" She looked over to the rune-lined board. Maybe knowing where the golem is trying to initiate shutdown could be cross-referenced with the instructions for a good guess at which control to pull?

Summer tried to recall the translations Blue Type had managed from the old shrine, along with what she'd picked up in an hour or so of speed reading on the last visit. There was a valve wheel with 'somthing flow', a button with 'something energy', a large red lever with "bad event something empty'...

Cloud Cutter was still trying to stop more worms getting into the control room, without releasing the deadly purple energy. She wasn't having much success...

"Okay, here goes an educated heat-of-the-moment guess!" The unicorn's horn lit up... and a one, a two, a three! Grab the wheel, squeeze it shut! Hit the button nice and firmly! Grab the lever and ppuuullll! And if we did the dance right...

In the main part of the factory, worm creatures continued to squeeze their way out of pipes. As Azure watched the last golem stomped about, zapping the goo with bursts of lighting, which made them crackle and explosively vaporise where the electricity touched them... yet more emerged faster than it could zap them. With the cracks and crashes and pops and clangs, the spraying fluids and hissing steam, the scene was a chaotic mess of noise and motion, yet when the deep, resonant rumble starts up it still managed to overpower all of that and fill her perception.

The rumble became a rushing, swirling sound, as if the plughole had been pulled on an enormous bath. Overhead the lights blinked on, the lamps flickering and surging brightly before popping like firecrackers, adding sprays of sparks to the general confusion below.

Summer Scribe stares out of the windows, heart in her mouth! "Seems like I guess right... huh, better get ready to run with me if not, Cloud Cutter!" She winced and shielded her gaze as the lights blow out: woah, this place had been out of commission for a while!

"Get out!" Cloud Cutter shouted desperately, back to her state of inverting existence that's hard to even look at, "Get away from me!"

That sudden, overpowering rumble was enough to make anypony uneasy, never mind Azure in her current frazzled state. Hearing lightbulbs suddenly popping all around her? The final straw. She was soon down on the ground, struggling to deal with the chaotic situation. "Melonwater! Out, now!" she shouted; she couldn't see him and could only hope he'd heard her. Then with Cloud Cutter's warning.... she was soon dashing out herself.

Summer had forgotten just how profoundly disturbing Cloud Cutter's new ability was. "Right, getting out as fast as I can!" Cantering out the door, she made a hard right and leapt through one of the exterior windows!

The unicorn fell one story to land hard in a disused cart, which creaked in protest before shuddering forwards and rolling through the yard. It picked up speed, bouncing off walls as it barrelled down a passageway, heading towards the main gate. Melonwater was already outside, standing just beyond the threshold on the track to the docks, staring at the factory with a horrified expression.

'Totally planned!' Summer told herself. She grabbed Melonwater with her magic as the makeshift getaway vehicle rushed past the stunned stallion! "We're getting out of here: Cloud Cutter's doing the spooky thing again!" A combination of levitation and momentum managed to scoop the dazed Melonwater up into the cart just before it slams into him; the vehicle rattled out onto the causeway, shedding bolts and chunks of rotten wood as it went, while Azure flapped straight over the wall and flies above them.

Following after Summer, Cloud Cutter shakily made her way to the door, before the worm she was kicking recovered enough to tackle her, sending her falling to the factory floor below. She got up in a mess of wings and hooves, wincing at a pain she shouldn't have been able to feel. Limping over to a girder, Cloud kicked it again and again, making loud clangs until every last goo creature was heading her way. A bright blue slimy worm the size of a pony wrapped around her and started crushing her, with more piling on in a blinding rush of impacts as she crashed to the ground.

The purple light filled the entire factory, if not its effects, reflecting eerily off of every surface as the wave of eldritch energy burst out from her form. The mass of writhing, snaking blue tendrils around her was instantly dehydrated into sparkling sapphire dust by the violet magic; the remains collapsed and spilled onto the floor like sand.

Slowly, gradually, calm returned to the abandoned factory as turbines spun down, pumps ceased pumping, and another of the ice golems puts out the various small fires started by the original golem. Cloud Cutter slumped, drained in a way beyond normal exhaustion, as she listened to the drip-drip of spilled fluids, the creaking of cooling boilers, and the clank-clank-zap of the tech golem exterminating the last few worms.

In the courtyard, Summer Scribe was looking back at the factory; she'd let out a sigh of relief as a brilliant purple flash erupted through everything, and the noise seemed to be dying down. "That was, uhhh, something." She gave Melonwater an apologetic look. "I guess I should have known better, huh?"

The stallion was still speechless, but Azure was quick to reply. "You don't have to worry. Honestly, in your shoes... I'd have probably done the same thing, really..." She sighed, looking back to the factory. "Crazy day. And two headaches, too."

Inside, Cloud Cutter was still sprawled on the floor near the control room. After a while the zapping sound stopped, but the clanking continued and got louder as the construct approached the purple pegasus. Hearing the thing approach, she lifted her head weakly, not even trying to get away, just remaining perfectly still.

"UNKNOWN QUADRUPED GUEST." the construct declared, "MAGIBUBBLE COLA COMPANY HOPES YOUR TOUR OF OUR FACILITY WAS PLEASANT AND EDUCATIONAL." The thing's arms extended jerkily forwards, presenting its offering for Cloud Cutter's consideration: a small crate of bottles, all full of brightly coloured carbonated liquids. "PLEASE ENJOY YOUR FREE SAMPLES."

Cloud Cutter heaved herself to her hooves, standing unsteadily for a moment before the golem. Then she bit the cap off one of the bottles and tilted her head back, chugging the contents of the little thing all in one go.

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Melonwater in this scene), Ferret (playing Cloud Cutter), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

This chapter is based on the twenty-third session, with me as the GM. Apologies for any dissapointment regarding the lack of witches, ghosts, or any combinations thereof. I wasn't sure if the players would just attack the golems or bother trying to restart the factory, but fortunately Patashu tends to chose the option that sounds like the most fun to play, and I responded with an appropriate amount of chaos.

Tinkernut

A mismatched group of creatures soared through the sky, high over the impossible floating river. A grey hippogriff stallion, hitched to a small cart completely full of fiery kirin mare, earth pony stallion and their tools, with a brown pegasus flying close behind. The village group (or 'beta squad', as no one other than Azure Feather called them) had left their ship and their friends on the seemingly uninhabited third island, and were making their way up to the second island, which held the gillman village of Witchway Marsh.

Reef Skimmer's wings thrummed as they slowly climbed, passing over a series of floating rocks and oxbow lakes, just hanging in the air next to the snaking river. The river actually crossed over itself in front of them, one twisting rushing ribbon of water sailing clear over the other. The flyers headed up over the top section and then settled into a glide, descending toward the marsh. There the river split again and again into a maze of little channels and ponds, stretching for several kilometres across the bulk of the island.

At one edge of the marsh proper the village was visible as a tight cluster of shacks and cottages, all stone and weathered wood and salvaged sheet metal, linked by boardwalks and surrounded by bits of salvage and wreckage. Further out individual dwellings could be seen in the surrounding woods, many with little fields or at least vegetable gardens. Where the village abutted the marsh was the harbour, a muddy pool where a few boats, tube-rafts and one rusty paddle-wheel steamer were tied up.

Gearshift's hooves are fidgety, as he looked out from the cart over the levitating surroundings far below, less taking it in and more giving himself visual noise for distraction. "Kinda anxious to work," he admitted, "...but being anxious won't get us there any faster. Should be a quick fixer upper, right Nutmeg?"

Nutmeg peered obliviously over the edge of the cart as Gearshift spoke, laying a hoof along her scaly shoulders, the fluffy red tip of her tail switching madly. With her branching horn, her thick red furry ruff, and her back covered in scales as golden yellow as her hooves, she was very much certainly something other than a pony. Her adjustable wrench was leaning on the cart beside her, leaving her free to stare wide-eyed. "Yeah it shouldn't be too— oh look, buildings!" she declared. "Wow that forest has a weird shape! I wonder why rivers are all wiggly? Is that a rope bridge? Is that a mill wheel?? Wow!"

Gearshift let out a gentle sigh at Nutmeg's... well... enthusiasm was the right way to put it. The kirin clearly needed to get out more! This should be a good experience for her.

Reef Skimmer brought the cart down slowly, aiming for the track connecting the village proper to the water mill, some way upstream. It seemed well maintained and currently clear of traffic, and less likely to cause a commotion than landing in the middle of the settlement. With just a slight bump - he'd had a fair amount of practice at this point - the little cart's wheels settled down onto the track and the hippogriff fell into a trot, continuing towards the village on foot. "Thought it best not to spook them, Captain." he said, looking back to regard Set Sail, who was still hovering a little way behind.

"Very good idea, Reef!" the brown pegasus said gratefully, reaching down and beating her wings to help Nutmeg and Gearshift vault over the side of the cart. "Anything we can do, to help you get ready?" she asked the pair. Although he didn't admit it, Reef was grateful for the sudden reduction in weight behind him. They hadn't flown far, but by Novo those tools were heavy.

"We probably shouldn't unpack until we see what we need to fix," Nutmeg said, from within the cart where she was standing on tip-toes to pull stuff out of it, "I'll just bring a tool saddle and my wrench."

Gearshift nodded in agreement, lifting a few things out of the cart and setting them on his back. "Yes, thank you! We have no idea what kind of a job this is. We didn't have anyone technically minded to talk to, so this'll be our own assessment."

The four made their way into the village: Nutmeg took the lead and dashing about, looking at the various bits of junked machinery sitting half-buried in the muck while the gill creatures stopped and stared. Here were rusted barrels that once held oil, implying refining, there was an incandescent lamp up on a building, implying electrical power. Gearshift trotted behind, trying to share her enthusiasm but stopping every few metres to return the stare of one of the strange fish creatures. "Really feeling out of my element here..." he mumbled, gazing at the fish creatures. "And what a shame it is for this place to fall apart like this..."

"Cheer up Gears," Nutmeg chirped, skipping along lightly beside him, "The more that's broke, the more there that we have to fix!" She gazed up and around at the fishy things watching them, waving a hoof at them in general and saying, "Hello!"

Gearshift chuckled at that. "Well, work is work, I suppose. It just gets me down when I see things fall to pieces." He didn't share Nutmeg's enthusiasm for conversing with the locals.

At the back of the group was the hippogriff, drawing the cart which clicked over the planks of the boardwalk, while Set Sail hovered overhead trying to keep everyone in sight. "Any sign of that Lightgrin character, Captain?" Reef called up to the pegasus.

"The who what now?" she called down to Reef, "I'm just looking for Brightfin right now!"

Soon enough the gillman in question made an appearance, charging into sight with his webbed feet making a loud flap-thump-flap-thump on the wood. "Oh wow you're back!" he said "...and ya'll gone brought more po-knees. A... uh... unicorn and a... no-corn?"

Gearshift lifted a hoof to his face to snicker. "My favourite kind of joke; thank you. No, you can call me an earth pony."

"Uh... ok." The fish boy stared at Nutmeg and Gearshift for a second, before latching onto Reef Skimmer, ignoring the little pegasus overhead. "Uh, hi there Mister Hippo-griff, I see you done brought..." he stood on tip-toes, trying to get a look into the cart "...lotsa tools? Oh, oh, you're gonna fix the turret, right?"

Gearshift nodded at that! "That's the plan. Can we take a look?"

Nutmeg blinked cluelessly a moment, then touched a two toed hoof to her own horn saying, "Oh, right!" returning to all fours with a laugh, "Yeah whatever. They say some creatures helped you with some kind of cannon, but it was broken? So yes that's what we're here for." Looking around, she asked eagerly, "So where is it?"

"Uh, yeah, so..." Brightfin stared at Nutmeg, then looked around at all the gillmen oggling the visitors, remarking on their strange appearance and asking each other what it meant. "...if y'all could just follow me over here, uh, I'll tell ya what's going on... soon's we get a little privacy, y'know what I mean?" He gestured with one arm and headed through the village, out onto a track leading into the woods.

Gearshift tilted his head. What about this cannon could need so much privacy? It didn't sound like he had a choice though, so he followed along, whispering to Nutmeg "This is safe, right?"

"Heck if I know," the kirin replied, frowned at the gillman. Looking to the hippogriff, she asked, "Reef, could you keep an eye on the cart? I don't want take a bunch of equipment into an ambush."

That drew the ire of Set Sail, who immediately landed between them and objected: "No. Reef goes with you. I'll watch the cart."

Gearshift nodded, "Sure, works for me," giving a polite nod to Reef Skimmer.

Brightfin looked shocked. "Uh... Captain Sail? It ain't nothin' like that! No gilly doing no ambushing 'round here 'less the drow turn up, and they most always come at night." He looked around; the crowd hadn't followed them to the edge of the village, save for a couple of fish children who trailed behind the cart, watching the strange creatures.

Beckoning the visitors in close, the young gillman continued "See it's like this. My gran, that's Smoothfin, she done made a deal with the dirt sharks to fix up our turret like a year ago. They been on the job ever since, supposedly, couple of 'em up there right now. But I ain't seeing no progress, sure at first they did clean it up, but it's lookin' just the same today as it was lookin' a season ago." he said conspiratorially.

"So either those sharks ain't got a clue how to fix it, or they're seeing how much we're gonna pay 'fore they finally get 'round to it. I did tell my gran we's being ripped off but she was just 'Brightfin, these things take time, so they do.' But I ain't buying it."

Gearshift frowned. "Sounds like you got scammed good... but we'll give you a fully informed opinion once we take a look at it. Sound good?"

Nutmeg's gaze hardened as she listened to the fish-creature's tale. "Oh I've run into creatures like that before," she growled, "The first thing they do is try to lock legitimate companies out. This just got a lot harder. If they even think we can fix it, they'll keep us from getting close. If I'd have known that I'd have brought Sprocket. She's super good at that whole sneaking around thingy."

"Uh, well, it's our turret, and I'm the son of the chief, so... they'd better let us in or... you saying sneak around? Yeah, that's it, let's just sneak up and mosey, surprise 'em like. And ya know, if it comes to it, there's just two of 'em and..." he looked at Reef Skimmer, then Nutmeg Inferno "...we got a griffon and a magic elemental! 'Cause unicorns all got Magic, right?"

"My dear fellow, we can't just go attacking creatures without good reason. Aside from breach of first contact protocol," Reef said, in a tone that suggested there was nothing worse than breach of protocol, "what would that do to the prospect of diplomatic relations with these 'dirt sharks', not to mention your 'gran'?"

Gearshift nodded in agreement. "As cathartic as it is to give liars a smack over the head, we can't just shoot first and ask questions - we need to be certain of what's going on here first."

Nutmeg face-hooved, groaning, "I gotta learn to stop thinking out loud." Walking up to the fish kid and poking him in the chest, she said, "If you aren't kidding about these sharks, you need to fool them, not sneak up on them. You..." She stomped away, a flicker of flame going up her hooves as she grumbled, "I didn't ask for any of that. I fix things, not... creatures!"

The kirin stopped and took a deep breath. Turning around and marching back, she said in a calmer tone, "We don't even know these shark things are rotten like that. I'm just jumping right to... well, you remember the Manehattan Machining Company, right Gearshift?"

Gearshift nodded: "Mmmm, yeah, true. Sometimes the job really IS that hard, and it can be hard for non technical folks to tell the difference. Hence why I wanna retain judgement until I've seen it with my own eyes."

"Uh, so, uh, what y'all wanna do?" Brightfin asked, staring at his chest where Nutmeg has poked him as if it might catch fire. "Turret's up in the old barn, on Wickerwish Spit, over the rope bridge. If the sharks are inside, they ain't seeing us comin', lest they're outside taking lunch... but that's be alright, 'cause then y'all could just sneak in the back!"

"All we need to do is get a decent assessment of the repairs needed," Nutmeg said thoughtfully, sinking to her fluffy haunches, "If the sharks are legit, that'll let us know. And if not, then we can make a plan to repair it, to present to the chieftess so she knows what they're doing to rip her off."

"If our destination is on the small outlying island, I would think it best I fly over." Reef Skimmer pointed out. "I doubt this cart will fit down a rope bridge."

"We're not going to... we can't just sneak in," Set Sail said with a frustrated snort, "That would be wrong!"

"But... it's our barn! And our turret!" Brightfin said, uncertainly. "Ain't it wrong that some sharks can take our coin, not that we got a lot to spare mind, and don't even fix our gun?" he finished, indignantly.

Gearshift grinned at the captain. "It's also wrong to filch out on repairs duly invested in you. If they're legit... they'll understand and laugh it off. If not... they might never let us to the turret if we ask." He shrugged. "I think the calculus makes sense, but what do I know?"

"Yes but...!" Set Sail fidgeted wordlessly on her hooves, trying to figure out how he was wrong. "If we get caught, then the chieftess and the land sharks will hate us!"

"Caught doing what?" Gearshift insisted. "We won't have broken or stolen or lied about anything. If they're good mannered folks they can laugh it off; just like I said. If they're real good mannered folks they'll talk tech and we'll solve it together!"

"Uh, don't worry 'bout gran, I'll just tell her it was all my idea..." Brightfin whispered, looking less and less sure of himself. "but yeah I don't know 'bout the sharks, the 'Chief Exec-you-tiff', well he came on all charming and gran thought he was the best thing since fileted fish, but I didn't like him, not one bit." The fish boy sighed. "I... don't wanna get you folks in more trouble, not when you already got a bunch of drow to fight."

"Okay, so suppose we're going to sneak in, when the sharks are out," Nutmeg said, "Gears and I will need some paper for schematics, and a lookout to say when they're coming back. You said they left for... lunch?"

Brightfin perked up at Nutmeg's enthusiasm. "I dunno exactly when, but... yeah, every time I saw them eatin' it was out on the hillside, usually they get a little fire goin'. Guess I could chat 'em up... say, if Captain Sails comes maybe they'd wanna chat to her for a bit? 'Cause they've never seen a po-knee before, ya know?"

"I don't want any part in this..." Set Sails groaned, going down on her belly to bury her head in her arms.

"Ooh, hey," Nutmeg said, perking up, "They have an airship too, don't they?"

"Uh... yeah, yeah they got at least two." Brightfin confirmed. "There's a real shiny one that Firesteel, uh, that's the 'chief exec-you-tiff officer', so he said, anyway yeah he came on the shiny one then there's a scruffy one, it comes to trade, and change out the mechanics they got over here every once in a while. Most times, it's us trading fish and vegetables for parts and repairs, we ain't so good at smithin' here."

Trotting over to Reef Skimmer, the red brown and gold kirin sized him up before saying, "What if one of us got spotted snooping around on their ship, right around their lunch break? They'd have to check to make sure nothing was stolen. Maybe a creature they're familiar with, like someone who looks like a griffon sort of?"

Shrugging, she added, "Alternatively we could set off a smoke bomb, make them think their ship's on fire," before elbowing Gearshift: "Heh, remember the Manehatten Machining Company?"

Reef frowned and clicked his beak. "Perhaps that would work, but I must confess I didn't see any sign of an airship on the flight in." Looking at Brightfin, he asked "Is their ship here now? Hidden, perhaps?"

"Oh there we go. Of course they just got dropped off instead of parking here." Nutmeg sighs, shaking her head bleakly and eliciting a snicker from Gearshift.

"Uh, no don't think so, it was here, uh... three weeks back?" Brightfin said uncertainly. "Comes 'bout every four weeks, shouldn't be long 'til we see it again. But..." he glanced at Nutmeg excitedly "...you got smoke bombs? Like in the Secret Ninja Commando Comics? That's so cool!"

Gearshift chuckled. "Well, smoke bombs aren't so..." he began, but trailed off knowing Nutmeg would be eager to explain.

"Smoke bombs are easy to make," she told the kid amiably, "They're basically just failed bombs that don't blow up and just burn in their case. Anyway, it's probably for the best. They might have a little more of a case against us if we're actively sabatoging their stuff. That only worked when I uh..." Nutmeg looked to her companions, in particular Set Sail, before saying quickly, "...didn't get caught... and on that note Tinkernut Enterprises had no involvement with the incident at the Manehattan Machining Company."

Reef stared at the kirin. "Sabotage? I thought we were here to fix the device, not sabotage it?" He looked over his shoulder at the cart. "I suppose you won't be wanting these then, if you're going to sneak about."

Gearshift shook his head. "No no no, the sabotage is wholly hypothetical! And yes, no tools for the time being, thank-you."

Nutmeg was shaking her head as well. "We came prepared for the wrong job, you know? Maybe we should go back and get Sprocket and stuff. And yeah I meant like they'd be mad if there were soot stains and lots could go wrong."

"You're not going to fix it?" Brightfin said sadly. "Alright, can't blame a gilly for trying can ya? Guess since you've got your tools here an' all, mayhap you could take a look at the Goldy's generator? Been out since the last drow attack. Oh and the steamer's not workin' right, if y'all are used to fixin' airships a normal ship shouldn't be much trouble, right?"

"Have some patience, guy!" Nutmeg told the much taller fish creature, "We just need to meet again a few days later, then we'll have a better idea what to do. Plus it's nice to have something to look forward to. You don't want to rush it when you got scam artists lurking about. Tell you what, if we can't get to the turret by next week, I'll have the whole crew over here setting up shop."

"Now y'all sound just like grandma." the gill boy said, kicking at the ground and sulking.

"Huh, wish my grandma had gotten into corporate espionage," Nutmeg murmured, staring into space with a thoughtful expression.

"There's a difference here," Set Sail told the boy, stepping up to him seriously, " Whatever we do, I know my crew'll do it right. You don't have to agree, but pay attention and see if we don't follow up on our promises. No offense to your grandmother, but... the difference is we haven't given up."

All this political nonsense was too much for Gearshift. Couldn't they just fix stuff AND not have to worry about predicting the possible inner minds of a third party? "Broken generator? That sounds like a walk in the park. May we see it?" he asked with a grin.

"Yes... just... don't let anyone know we were here," Nutmeg cautioned, "If the sharks are good guys, then it won't matter, but if not... I don't want to have to deal with paranoid scam artists.'

"Uh, yeah, yeah sure, uh, Goldripple's shop's just over there." Brightfin said, cheering up a bit. "Her generator runs all the street lights, 'least when it was working it did. Uh, I'm sure she'll keep her mouth shut, she's sick o' paying through the gills for them sharks to fix stuff, she'll be right pleased to find folks who'll give her a fair price, for sure."

Nutmeg gave Gearshift a cloven-hoof bump, "Awesome, looks like we didn't waste this trip after all!"

Gearshift clumsily bumped back. "Hah, yeah! Man, nothing like interpersonal affairs getting in the way of a perfectly normal job, right?"

"Indeed." Reef Skimmer broke in "...and perhaps while the engineers are looking at that, we could address the issue of this 'fin rot' condition? I took a look at that sample you gave me, and one may have an effective treatment, if we could consult your local doctor?"

"Treatment?" Brightfin asked, uncertain. "Uh, I can take you over to see Reedsalve, she's the only full-time healer 'round these parts, knows more than any other gilly 'bout fin rot and such, that's for sure."

"Capital. Lead on then, my good fellow." Reef said, carefully manoeuvring himself and the cart around to head back into the village.

"Hey! Reef!" Nutmeg protested, running after him. "You're taking our equipment with you!" she whined, "Let's at least keep this cart outta sight, okay?" She reared up onto the back, trying to stop the hippogriff wandering off with their tools.

"Uh, don't fret there, miss unicorn." Brightfin said. "Goldie's got a stock yard round the back, with a good strong fence, she's sure to let you tie up in there, once she hears you're gonna fix her generator!"

"Oh, uh, capital!" Nutmeg said, sheepishly releasing the vehicle.

With the cart parked and the engineers happily dismantling the old generator, Reef Skimmer was free to investigate the gill people's medical issue; Set Sail followed along, preferring to learn more about the natives than watch Nutmeg clean a commutator. Brightfin lead the mismatched pair to a building on the edge of the village, which looked like two small stone cottages joined together and extended by a ramshackle collection of salvaged wood and corrugated iron. Dense forest surrounded and seemed on the brink of enveloping the scarred, worn structure.

The young gillman headed in through the open door and the group soon found themselves in a consulting room of sorts, lined with jars, bottles and strange charms and statuettes, a few of which gleamed with a dim glow. In the centre of the space was a low wooden table; decades of vigorous scrubbing had failed to prevent the wood taking on the stains of thousands of injured patients. Against one wall was a workbench, where a gill woman had been grinding away with a mortar and pestle.

As soon as she caught side of the new arrivals she dropped it, started at Reef and Set Sail in turn, then clapped her hands. "And what's this you've brought old Reedsalve today, Brightfin? A griffin, it is! And one of those po-knees, it must be! Oh such a treat, such a treat." She shuffled over, apparently fearless, and began peering closely at Reef's beak, then wings, then hooves. "Big as a southern griffon, but what's this? Hooves, these are!"

Set Sail kept back, staying close to the door... just in case. She shot a furtive glance at Brightfin, then watched the gill-woman doctor poking and prodding at Reef Skimmer before saying, "Pleased to make your acquaintance. I'm c...aaptain Set Sail and this is Reef Skimmer. He's actually a hippogriff, but I don't know if you have those in your lands."

Brightfin looked embarrassed. "Yeah, uh, Reedy look they just arrived and see, they're guests and they're from a big ship full of creatures that're gonna help us fight the..."

"Hippo-griff?" The old gillwoman's gaze settled on the brown pegasus. "Never heard of a hippo-griff, is that being the third breed besides northern and southern griffon, is it?" She advanced on Set Sail, eyes bright. "And aren't you a cute little thing, yes you are." Reedsalve said, looking like she might pinch the pony's cheek.

Set Sail unfortunately only managed to make herself look more adorable, fluffing out her wings in distress and shrinking back with big green eyes stammering, "Y-y-yes b-be that as it may..."

"Ahem" Reef cleared his throat loudly, casually half-spreading his wings in a way that just happened to place one between the gill woman and her specimen. "Junior Surgeon Reef Skimmer, officer in Queen Novo's Navy, hippogriff of Mount Aris, at your service." he said formally, his initial amusement at being on the receiving end of the examination for once evaporating when he saw Set Sail's discomfort. Making a mental note to ask about the native griffon subspecies later, he continued with "So one understands you've been having some trouble with this 'fin rot' condition."

"Oh yes, it's a terrible thing, so it is." Reedslave said, trying in vain to find a way around Reef's wing. After a few seconds she gave up and turned back to the hippogriff. "Resists every cure old Reedsalve knows, so it does. Now you'd think some undine paste would clean it right up, wouldn't you. Takes an age to make, but works like a charm on cuts and burns and bruises of every sort." Her webbed hand went to her head, touching the fin there and showing the same tears and holes as all the other fish creatures they'd seen. "Not so for the fin rot though, no not at all."

Set Sail peered around Reef's wing at the older biped's fins, her face fully of worry, saying, "Oh no, that's terrible! Have you ever seen anything like this, Reef? You learned medicine under the sea, right?"

Reef Skimmer looked back to the pegasus: "Not exactly like this no, but one did manage to acquire a specimen on our last visit, and let's just say I'm glad I brought a decent microscope on this trip because... ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself." Turning to the gillwoman healer, he explained "As the captain said, one is something of a 'healer' oneself, and I might be of some assistance in this matter." His ear tufts pricked up with curiosity, "Just so we're on the same page though, could you describe this 'undine paste' treatment?"

"You haven't heard of the paste?" Reedsalve sighed. "Not too surprising, that isn't, 'cause it takes nine separate herbs to make. Six of 'em only grow in the marsh, they do, and three of those only sprout for two months o' the year. Ain't no undines involved, that's just what they call it, they do." She snorted. "Guess on account of the magic, folks thought we healers must be boiling down spirits or something."

"Magic you say?" Reef frowned, before staring off into space. "If it promotes dermal regeneration in normal injuries, but fails for this condition... ah, I believe I have a theory as to why! Would you mind demonstrating, to establish a control before we try my proposal?"

Set Sail stepped back as the two started engaging in some fancy medical terminology that she only half understood, but the brown and blue pegasus smiled in satisfaction because she knew she could count on Reef to solve this aquatic conundrum.

"Control?" Reedsalve said, confused. "No controls round here, this ain't no steamship, it isn't." She grunted. "You want to see what happens when undine paste goes on a rotted fin? 'spose there ain't no harm giving it another try. Brightfin!" The young gillman jumped; he'd been fiddling with one of the glowing carvings. "Get up on that table there, Mister Griffon wants to see something."

Meanwhile, a soft filly's voice came from just behind Set Sail: "They say you're a po-knee but you're sort of like a deer with a bit of marsh rail aren't you?" The pegasus glanced behind her to see a little gill child staring at her with wide eyes, a worn-looking stuffed otter held tightly in one webbed hand.

Looking over her shoulder, Set Sail turned to the much less tall and imposing filly. "I'm not sure what a marsh rail is," she said amiably, "But deer have two toed hooves, so that's how you can tell the difference, see?" Holding up a hoof for the child to look at, Set Sail asked, "Do you know what a zebra is? They're probably our closest relatives. Or maybe you have changelings?"

The gill girl looked down shly. "Uh, no I don't know zee-bra, or, uh, change-thing, maybe it's a kind of goblin? 'cause it sounds like a kind of goblin." Her gaze travelled up to Set Sail's hoof and then to her mane. "I like your hoof. And you have pretty... stuff, on your head. I love blue and I love purple and I love it." She beamed.

"My mane you mean?" Set Sail replied, lifting that hoof to touch what she thought was a rather dishevelled blue and purple mess, "Well thank you!" Giving the girl a grateful smile, Set Sail asked, "What's your name? My name's Set Sail. Like a sailboat."

"Uh, I'm Lakeshine, and this is Sij..." the girl holds up her stuffed toy. "Sij-gill the otter, he's a good otter, aren't you Sij?" she said, nuzzling the toy's button nose. "What you saying Sij?" She gave Set Sail another shy look. "Uh... Sij wants to know, do you live in the cliffs with the griffons? Or do you fly up and visit them or do they fly down and visit you?"

"Oh, well I'm pleased to meet you too, Sij," Set Sail said politely, "Reef Skimmer left the cliffs where his people live, to live with us. On a different um... island. So you noticed my wings, did you?" she continued, briefly spreading a wing in demonstration, "They're what make me a pegasus pony. Other ponies live on the land like you, but pegasus ponies mostly just live in the clouds."

"Uh, sure, no problem Reedy, uh... this won't hurt will it?" Brightfin asked as he parked his butt on the central table.

Not bothering to answer the young gillman, Reedsalve dug around in a cupboard and retrieved a large jar, mostly full of glittering green slime. "Now watch close here." Grabbing one of the young gillman's head fins with one hand, she scooped out a little glob of slime with the other and rubbed it into the tattered membrane. The whole appendage glowed with a soft green light, which slowly faded away over the course of the next minute. "See if that were a cut or a gaze it'd clear right up, but with fin rot, nothing does work, not undine paste nor gobblepod saliva, not even chompy worm extract, if you can believe that!" the gillwoman healer said, frustration evident in her gargling voice.

"Rubbing in some spirits, that's the drinking kind not the ghostly kind, well it seems to help a bit but it ain't no cure, it isn't. Only thing I ever did see cure the rot is some secret remedy the ents used to sell us, but we ain't had one of their ships visit not for near on a decade now, no we haven't." She snorted again. "Never could get 'em to tell old Reedsalve the secret, not for lack o' trying... or maybe they did and it just didn't make no sense, the way those ents talk!" Her chuckle sounded like a stream tricking over rocks.

Restraining his curiosity about the 'ents' for now, Reef Skimmer explained his theory. "Ah, well as I said I acquired a sample, prepared some slides last night and it took a 400 lens to get a good look at the hyphae..." Seeing Reedsalve's blank look he explained. "The mycelium, that is. Fungus?"

"Fungus? Like mushrooms? Don't see no toadstools growing outta Brightfin there..." the gill woman muttered.

"Ah well, you see those are just the fruiting bodies, and not all fungi have them..." Reef was explaining "Long story short, the tissue is shot through with... roots, let's say, too small to see, and my guess is they're soaking up the magic from your salve. You're healing the fungus as much as you're healing the patient, so to speak, and the result is a stalemate."

Reedsalve stared at Reef Skimmer, then the fin in question, as if trying to make out the 'roots'. "Now I'd call you mad 'cept that there's a lick of sense in the notion that tiny roots are to blame, that being that if anyone can deal with unruly roots, it'd be the ents. But say that's so, what are we gonna do about it? Anything I've got poisonous to kill roots is gonna put a gilly in a bad way as well, so it will."

"Indeed!" Reef Skimmer said enthusiastically. "This is where I may be able to render assistance; I did try it in a petri dish and cell damage seemed to be minimal, while the mycelium was..." the hippogriff said as he dug around in one of his saddle bags. His claw emerged holding a sizable bottle of dark brown glass. "Aha! Here we are: eight percent hydrogen peroxide. Ten minutes topical application of this, then why don't you give your 'undyne paste' another shot?" Brightfin gave a little yowl and grimace as the griff applied the clear fluid to his fin; tiny bubbles fizzed as it sterilised the membrane.

In the corner, Lakeshine was staring at the brown pony's pinions. "Oh I love your feathers. Uh, pig-asus... es.. us... uh, they're, uh, pigasus means 'poknee with wings'? So a poknee that isn't a pigasus is just a talking deer but with big hooves'?" She looked at her toy again. "That makes sense, doesn't it Sij."

"You're pretty clever, Lakeshine!" Set Sail said, trying not to blush at all the complements, "Yes a pegasus means a pony with wings. Other ponies are like deer, except with only one toe to each hoof. It has to be big so that I can stand on it without it tipping over." She tipped over a single hoof in demonstration.

"Uh, ok." Lakeshine said, staring at her own relatively huge webbed feet. "So..." she began, before grimacing at Brightfin's yowl. She stared at the two healers fussing over him for a while, before turning back to her new friend, trying to think of something else to talk about. "Uh, so, um... do you and your griffon have a flying party, 'cause you both have wings? 'cause when me and Chillwater get together we sometimes have a swimming party." the girl asked, before adding by way of explanation "Chillwater saw you down by the river, she told me and that's how I know you're called a po-knee."

Set Sail's enthusiasm dimmed a little bit, as she recalled the flying party that she and Reef had after their last visit. "Sometimes, yes," she said, "I haven't met Chillwater, but I'm glad she remembers us. Does she like purple and blue, too?"

"Chillwater likes red." the little gillgirl replied firmly, nodding. She held up the stuffed otter to her ear, pretending to listen. "Sij says he's never saw a pony or a griffon before and not me either. Mummy said the griffons used to come here on the way to the temple but now they just go straight to the temple. 'Cause there were some griffons in the tagern when the bad goblins attacks and they put nets on the griffons and the griffons didn't like that and... now they don't come any more." The little gillgirl looked ready to cry at the prospect, before cheering up suddenly. "But you came! Are you going to the temple or just your griffon?"

"His name is Reef Skimmer, and he's a hippogriff, not a griffon," Set Sail explained, with a look over to the excited doctors. "You can tell because he has hooves on his back legs. Griffons have cat paws." With a purse of her lips she added, "We're new here, so we don't know where the temple is yet. We might visit it, but I like this place too. So many friendly creatures here." Giving Lakeshine a serious look, she told the child, "The bad goblins tried to scare us away too, but we're not going to let them. We're going to do everything we can to make sure you're safe and... that creatures can visit you again."

"Hippo-griff has hooves at the back. That makes sense doesn't it Sij" Lakeshine said, nuzzling her toy's nose again. "Sij is really scared of the goblins but I told him they can't get us in the bubble. I like the bubble but sometimes the goblins come when I'm really tired and then it's not fun to swim there. And sometimes... I forget Sij-gill and mummy said I couldn't go back and get him... and that's why he's so scared now." The gillgirl looked on the point of tears again.

Eventually Reef gave the all clear; the fin was washed clean and Reedsalve applied her paste again. This time the effect was more dramatic; as the green glow spread over the fin, the holes and tears in the membrane slowly began to close. The two healers watched intently as the fin healed before their eyes, although it lost most of its colour in the process.

"Remarkable!" Reef exclaimed, referring to the paste rather than his own treatment. "And there we are, some bleaching but don't worry, that will grow out. I'd recommend topical alcohol for at least a week to keep the head disinfected, but otherwise... well, it seems sometimes medical science has to give magic a helping hand." he finished smugly.

"Oh praise the Skylanders, it's cured, it's really cured, it is!" Reedsalve clapped her hands for joy, before giving the hippogriff a shrewd look. "So... how much will you be wanting for this per-ox-hide?"

"Well, erm..." Reef glanced at Set Sail for guidance, but the pony seemed to be enthralled by one of the native children, and likely not listening to the conversation. "One is happy to donate that bottle to a worthy cause, of course. That said... one does have quite a few patients back in the infirmary and the expedition is running low on medical supplies so... could I convince you to part with that jar of 'undine paste'? Then perhaps... I could talk to our engineer about making enough peroxide for your whole population."

Set Sail was oblivious of any skilled negotiating Reef might be undertaking. Her attention was focused on the fish girl, who she regarded with drooping ears. "May I see Sij for a moment?" the mare asked, holding out a crooked foreleg to place the toy in.

Lakeshine stared wide eyed at the pony for a long moment, then hugged her toy tightly, before extending him towards Set Sail, her arm trembling.

The pegasus took the otter in her hoof and sat on her haunches, lifting a wing to nibble at, until with a wince she pulled out one of the smaller feathers. Combing her other hoof through her hair to draw out several loose strands, she twisted them together into a colourful little makeshift twine, which she used to tie the brown feather to the side of the otter's head. "Pegasus feathers can't do much," Set Sail said, holding out the doll for the girl, "But they are known for being able to protect otters. If he has that, then I don't think the bad goblins will be able to find him."

Lakeshine snatched her toy back. "Wow, that's amazing! I love what you made and now Sij isn't afraid no more. Uh..." the fish girl akwardly stepped close to the pegasus, looking at the floor, then put her arms around Set Sail's neck and hugged. "Thank you Set Sail Boat, thank you."

"You'd let go of this for free, you would?" Reedsalve was saying sceptically. "No it's a fair trade, so you say, old Reedy can always make more paste but we ain't got no other cure for the rot, so..." She handed over the jar. "Keeps for 'bout a year, loses potency after the first few months though. And don't go using it if you've already basted on the gobblepod saliva, 'cause that'll make a real mess o' things, so it does."

"Indeed. Do not combine with 'gobble pod saliva', I'll make a note." Reef said dubiously. "Well, please accept my thanks! I'm sure this will be of great use to the Expedition. I'll be sure to drop by and see how the treatment is going, and let you know when we can make more peroxide."

"Oh, thanks to you, mister hippo-griffon, thanks due to you." Reedsalve said, staring intently at her newly acquired brown bottle of peroxide.

For her part, Set Sail stiffened at the hug, but managed not to pull away. "No problem, Lakeshine," she said once she was free, with a smile on her muzzle, "If you'll excuse me, I think my friend might be um..." she looked over to Reef Skimmer, "...finished with his thing, and I need to check on him. You take care, okay?"

"Oh... uh, so... bye bye miss pony Set Sailboat! See you soon!" Lakeshine waved.

"Erm, are you ok down there Captain? Shall we go check on Nutmeg?" Reef asked.

"Yup, I'm just fine," Set Sail said as she trotted up to Reef's side, "That sounds like a good idea. Better make sure she isn't setting fire to the uh... heh heh," Set Sail's attempt at humour sputtered to a halt, and she just meekly added, "Better see if she and Gearshift need anything from us."

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Nutmeg and Set Sail), Patashu (usually playing Summer Scribe, but taking Gearshift here) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather - though absent from these scenes), based on an online RP.

This segments were extra RP we did outside of the usual schedule, with me as the GM. Spearmint didn't have a character in the village group, so the first one was myself + Ferret + Patashu and the last me was myself + Ferret 1:1. Sometimes things don't quite go as planned - the party unexpectedly bailed on confonting the dirt sharks - but that's part of the fun! The bit with the gill girl was just to provide some interaction for Ferret as I rattled off the pre-written gillwoman healer bit, but it turned out adorable.

The illustration here is a placeholder (my concept sketch) for a commission in progress with DomiDeLance. I do sometimes add art to existing chapters; chapter 9 didn't have an illustration when originally published but now has another piece by DomiDeLance.

Freak

Deep in the abandoned factory, surrounded by corroding machinery freshly traumatised by the ill-advised production run and efforts of the magical waste creatures, sat an exhausted purple pegasus. A few paces away stood a golem: a hollow steel shell in the form of a giant humanoid, animated by magical energy but currently standing motionless. Its steel hands held a crate filled with 23 bottles and one empty space.

The missing bottle lay empty on the floor, next to its discarded cap, the clear bubbly fluid inside just drained by Cloud Cutter. As she licked her lips and appreciated the zesty tang of citrus and lime, she didn't notice her body becoming more and more translucent. Within a minute the undead pegasus had vanished completely from mortal sight.

A little way outside the factory gates, Melonwater and Summer Scribe sat together in the broken down cart, which had finally splintered and crashed to a halt. The green earth stallion was shaking and breathing heavily, not eager to move any time soon. Just above, Azure Feather fluttered on butterfly wings.

Summer huddled close to Melonwater; she was coming down from the stress and excitement, herself and welcomed the closeness. In any case, comforting Melonwater seems the right thing to do. "Huff... That was a lot more tense than I expected! Not every day your archaeological findings create magical accidents in real time!"

"My archaeological findings don't create magical disasters..." he muttered, before shaking his head, trying to regain his composure. He looked up at Azure, then back at the gates. "Uh... where's Cloud Cutter? Is... is she ok?!"

Azure just shook her head, finally able to concentrate, after the renewed headache from firing off magic had receded to a dull ache. "Yeah, I've definitely been through calmer missions than this..." she muttered, before addressing the stallion's question. "Cloud Cutter? No idea where she went, though that flash should've cleared out the enemies... I'll go and look." Casting spells was a painful prospect, but flying? She welcomed the opportunity, as she flapped off to start a quick search - though a couple of minutes later it turned out to be unnecessary.

"I'm fine thank you very much," Cloud Cutter's voice said, right beside Melonwater. "That was a total disaster," she groaned, "At least we came out of it with something though. That soda didn't taste half bad, even if I don't get hungry anymore. I'm sure it's fine. Is everypony alright? Those golems took care of the last of those wormy things. You're welcome, by the way!" The cart moved a bit as if lifted by an invisible hoof, then dropped back down as Cloud Cutter's voice hisses to herself, "Atch... didn't think I even could get hurt anymore."

Melonwater leapt to his hooves and looked around wildly. "What? Where... Cloud Cutter? Is that you?" he yelped. Then he smiled with relief as he looked at Summer: "Oh right it's some sort of communication spell isn't it? You can hear her right?"

"Who else would it be?" Cloud Cutter asked in confusion, "I don't see any other weird purple ponies around here."

Wah! "A ghost!" Summer Scribe exclaimed! "...A ghost that sounds like Cloud Cutter?" She steadied herself in confusion, blinking, turning towards Cloud Cutter's voice and approaching... and bumping into Cloud Cutter! "Ack! Sorry, I didn't expect you to be tangible there!"

At Summer's inadvertent shoulder-barge the ghostly translucent image of the purple pegasus appeared for a few seconds, before fading into invisibility again. The unicorn gawked: "How'd you turn invisible? New spooky power, Cloud Cutter?"

"Tangible?! What are you...?" Summer briefly felt the chilling touch of Cloud's hoof pressed against her shoulder, before the pegasus shrieked "Aaah! My hoof!" A rush of wind and flapping wings, then she declared from somewhat higher up in the air: "Aaah, my everything! Why am I invisible?!"

Summer Scribe nuzzled at her shoulder for a moment; it really did feel like a brush with the void. Spooky! "Brrr! Wow, um... I don't know! Why ARE you invisible!" she yelled up to Cloud Cutter!

"I don't know! I can't do this! Can I do this?!" the panicking pegasus declared, flapping around erratically over the pair, her voice coming seeming to come out of thin air.

"Hang on! Just calm down! Being invisible isn't the worst thing in the world." Summer Scribe waved a hoof! "Slow down and try and recall everything you did recently!"

"Are you, uh, okay?" Melonwater added, staring up into the sky in what he hoped was the right direction. "We can't see if you're hurt or not." He shudders again. "It was like five kind of crazy in there. But it's all shut down now though, right, no more worms?" he asks.

By this time Azure Feather had completed her quick sweep of the main building and surrounding yards. "Well, bad news, everypony... haven't found Cloud Cutter, but what I did find... was a lot of cola bottles." she said, flying down to rejoin her squad. "And I mean a lot... could have drinks for the entire crew of the Harmony and then some, but finding Cloud Cutter is priority one..." Somepony truly had no idea...

Summer shook her head. "It's fine! Cloud Cutter's right here." She gestured with a hoof at the open sky! "She's just invisible right now, and we're trying to figure out why. You said you found cola?" What a relief: she'd hate for the fruits of their labours to have been lost!

"Okay, I... w-woah!" not realising the implications, Cloud Cutter didn't think to get out of the way, before Azure collided with her right in mid air to the sound of two coconuts, the pair going down in a tangle of wings and unfortunately popping butterfly wings. Cloud Cutter was briefly visible as she landed prone on her back, or maybe that was just her form displacing the dust kicked up by their landing. Summer winced; too late.

Azure found herself dazed and grounded, blinked in confusion... she'd definitely heard the all-too familiar pop of her wings disappearing, and her magical burnout meant that there was no recasting that one any time soon. Lesson learned: don't cast the spell on crazy ponies you've never teamed up with before, she thought. She slowly climbed back to her hooves and stood quietly, trying to regain her senses and understand what had happened to the pegasus.

Melonwater jumped out of the remains of the cart and trotted over to Azure, checking her over with a concerned look. "Oh no, Azure, not you too! I'm sorry, I didn't see... I should've warned you. You're not bleeding... does anything feel broken?"

Azure looked startled by the attention, before shaking her head. "It'll take a lot more than just a mid-air collision by mistake to cause an actual injury..."

"Sorry, sorry!" Cloud Cutter repeated, backing up until her butt thumped invisibly against the wrecked cart the others were inexplicably gathered around.

"Relax." Azure told her. "Nopony would expect that. It happens." She did a quick trot around the cart to reassure everypony that she wasn't seriously hurt.

"I didn't do anything, other than... than that thing I do." Cloud Cutter mused. "Maybe I did it too hard? Maybe it happens when I'm injured? The golems saw me just fine though, when they gave me a free sample of their stupid soda. Maybe I'm only visible to golems!"

Summer Scribe's first thought was also to check Azure, making sure she took the fall ok and assessing if she needed medical attention. Reassured that the unicorn was intact, she perked an ear, and ruminates on Cloud Cutter's words. "HmMMmm... You said you took a free sample of their 'stupid soda'?"

"I... yes, but it was... just... soda..." Cloud Cutter's barest outline became visible as the purple pegasus smacked her forehead with her own hoof, before she became invisible again. "Celestia, I'm an idiot."

With that Summer Scribe was galloping off, re-entering the factory and searching for intact bottles of cola. Each of the three intact vats has a pair of hoppers near it, filled with a small pile of glass bottles. The six hoppers each contained a different colour of mysterious carbonated beverage. Unfortunately the three century old labels are too decayed to read, so the unicorn touched her horn to them, closing her eyes and sending out a gentle pulse of detection.

Sure enough, she was able to feel magical energy of some kind in each of the bottles, slightly different for each colour. By the time she'd checked all of them, Cloud Cutter had begun to fade back into visibility. The whole time the remaining golems watched impassively, while Melonwater trotted nervously behind, unhappy to be back inside but unwilling to be left on his own.

Cloud Cutter had remained outside, for reasons that became progressively more obvious as she slowly began to return into view, just a transparent image of her normally visible self. She was favouring one hoof, with the foreleg kind of stuck at an odd angle. Her purple fur had been eaten away in patches around her torso as if consumed by some sort of neon blue acid. Though she didn't have any visible contusions, it was pretty safe to say that if her heart still beat normally, she probably would. The pegasus seemed remarkably unfazed by her condition.

Summer Scribe trotted back out, looking impressed! "Yep: this isn't just tasty cola, it's magicalcola. Different spellwork for each flavour, too!" She drummed her hooves in anticipation. "That means we'll have to experiment and try them all. What if one of them gives you flight or lasers? Think about how much of an edge we'd have!" Her excitement diminished somewhat as she caught sight of Cloud Cutter, wincing at her companion's ragged appearance. "...Reef Skimmer's taking a look at you as soon as we meet up." she resolved.

Azure was also inspecting her companion's condition, now that the pegasus was visible. She sighed and shook her head: these injures would likely put Cloud Cutter in the sickbay for some time. "That doesn't look too good; we need to get you back to the ship. With one exhausted and another injured... no more ventures into unknown territory, not today. We ought to bring back a few of these bottles, though. I'm... curious as to the effects myself. " she admitted.

"I think my shoulder's dislocated," Cloud Cutter said neutrally, "It doesn't hurt like it, but I think that's just me. Has anypony here set a dislocated shoulder before? I'm not sure Reef wants to... try to fix me at all. If I even can heal anymore."

Summer Scribe rubbed the back of her head. Much as she would have liked to wave her horn and fix Cloud Cutter's problems, magic like that was beyond her. "Anyway..." she started in to space, thinking back... "We were going to meet back at the magic bubble after this, right?" She gave the factory once last look; it seemed they were done here. "Should we set off?"

Cloud Cutter shrugged, then winced at the pain of the gesture. "I can fly," she said, "The doctor's going to be over there anyway. I should have known; those worms were tearing those golems apart..."

"Uh, that should be safe... right?" Melonwater asked nervously. "Isn't that where the fish creatures hide from the drow? But you said... no more exploration... maybe we should just wait back at the ship..."

Azure looked from the earth pony to the pegasus before saying "It's your call, Cloud Cutter... but even if the bubble is safe, the route down there is unknown territory." She nodded in agreement with Melonwater: "Staying with the ship is less risky. Though I'll like to load up some of that soda before we leave..."

"It's fine, I can wait there," Cloud Cutter said evenly, looking at her arm, "Maybe there's somepony back at base who can do something about this. Sorry I can't be of much further help."

"Hmm, yeah... we'll come with you, we can unload the bottles at the ship as well." Summer added. "It's important stuff to analyse, I agree, and no sense lugging it up and down the cliffs."

"Do you need me to—" Cloud Cutter moved to help, but then stopped and looked at her foreleg again. "...right, I'll be at the ship," she said, flat eared, "I'd walk with you, Melonwater, but... yeah." Then the pegasus made use of her functional limbs, to flap up into the sky above, then glide silently through the air in the direction of the commandeered drow copter.

Summer Scribe, Melonwater and the currently flightless Azure Feather all loaded up their saddlebags with as many of the mysterious bottles as they could carry, before trotting back down the causeway to the Second Chance, still parked at the abandoned air dock. There they left the young earth pony to stow their carbonated loot and keep the injured pegasus company. The two unicorn mares made their way on hoof to the southern path, which snaked its way down the cliffs towards the lower half of the island.

Elsewhere in the island chain, a mismatched quartet of creatures were back in the air again. Reef Skimmer the hippogriff pulled a cart holding Nutmeg Inferno the kirin, Gearshift the earth pony and a substantial pile of tools, while the pegasus Set Sail flapped along beside them. Despite the aborted attempt to repair the turret, they'd had a productive morning; Nutmeg had fixed a generator, a steamship engine and (despite no one asking her to) adjusted the tavern owner's still to produce even stronger moonshine. Reef had confirmed his cure for fin rot and acquired a jar of mysterious green healing goo, while Set Sail had overcome her fear of bipeds sufficiently to ferret out a little more information about the surrounding region.

Of course Gearshift had helped too! Though Nutmeg was a lot more... enthusiastic in suggesting additional improvements to make. 'Lady, that's how you get scope creep!' he thought.

"I'm telling you it's fine, probably even less likely to explode than before," Nutmeg said to Gearshift a little too casually, "They'll probably thank me for it when they turn out their next batch. You ponies get waay too uptight about alcohol."

Gearshift mumbled under his breath at that. Alcohol was how you made mistakes! Lose your inhibitions! But, whatever. Nutmeg had heard that conversation a dozen times by now: it wasn't worth his breath any more. "Well, I'm glad you got the explosion chance differential to be negative." he smirked.

"Oh, on the subject of ponies and alcohol, we are in accord." Reef said, looking over his shoulder at Nutmeg. "Though I can't say I appreciated the aftertaste, prefer something a little smoother myself. In any case, things went swimmingly on the medical front, I do believe we have an effective treatment for their 'fin rot'. And this herbal paste of theirs... well, I must say even if it is unknown magic, it does look like marvellous stuff, one is optimistic that it will accelerate Grenelda's recovery. Now if only we had a way to make more hydrogen peroxide..."

"I don't know how they make that stuff, to be honest," Nutmeg said thoughtfully, flumping against the windward side of the cart, closest to the hippogriff. "It's got to be some kind of alkaline thingy. Well, it's probably not something you can make in your kitchen, so whatever equipment it takes is going to be way beyond our ability to build out here."

Reef sighed. "Maybe these 'dirt sharks' know how, if they truly have some level of industrial infrastructure. Though even if they do, it sounds like it wouldn't come cheap."

"This place does have airships" Gearshift noted, "so it's just a matter of time before we discover their industrial base."

"Now there's something to look forward to," Nutmeg agreed heartily.

"All we have is one young gillman's word that these sharks are bad at all," Set Sail insisted, forelegs folded crossly, "He probably just doesn't know how hard their job is."

"Let's hope so..." Nutmeg agreed, though her expression was not optimistic.

The flight continued across the airy void in the centre of the island group, descending towards the lower end of the third island. There lay the enormous, shimmering, magical bubble, a little way from the shore of a lake where the river pooled and collected, after cascading down the numerous rapids and waterfalls in the central part of the island.

Reef Skimmer flew low over the lake, always eager to get a look at whatever aquatic life might be lurking beneath the waters, before reaching a boat dock built on the shore. While still worn and scarred it was solid and showed signs of recent use, though no vessels were present just then. Beyond the dock a short causeway ran between the ruins of small stone buildings, ending at a huge archway set into the wall of the bubble itself.

On the other side of the barrier the shifting, distorted forms of more buildings and elevated, aqueduct-like constructions could be seen. Reef easily landed the cart on the wide, cobbled road and trotted to a halt, a little way from the gateway. Close up the archway appeared as two curved pillars of ornately carved stone, inlaid with silvery metal that glowed with a soft blue light. The space between was blocked by an enormous circular metal disc, the size of the main gates at Canterlot, coloured blue and adorned with a huge white symbol resembling a water drop.

"Well that's... definitely a water droplet," Set Sail said, landing before the others in front of the disc and looking up at the gigantic and ostentatious thing.

"Huh, so this is what one looks like intact..." Nutmeg said, intrigued by the details and perching on the cart to gaze at the gate while Reef brought the rest of them in for a landing.

The hippogriff stared at the symbol as if entranced. Ignoring everything else, including the cart he was still hitched to, he trots slowly forward, reaching out with a claw towards the gate, eager to touch it... As the griff approached, jets of water started spraying out of the pillars, falling to each side of the entrance. He paid them no heed.

"Hmm, that symbol looks familiar..." Gearshift blinked as the water began to blast out. "Oh, it probably just means 'Water' in Cloudbreak-Islandese." Insensitive!

"You sure you want to get close to that thing, Reef?" Nutmeg asked a little nervously, "Looks like it's doing something."

The hippogriff didn't seem to hear her. A soft chiming sound could be heard as his claw approached the gate, while his pearl amulet started to shine with blue light. As soon as his talons touched the metal, it began to glow brighter and brighter, briefly turning brilliant white before fading away into nothingness.

Gearshift nodded in agreement. "It's folly to interact with an unknown device until it's fully described and understood... Reef? Oh." The stallion blinked again; what just happened exactly? "Well then. What kind of a place is this...?"

The barrier was gone, revealing that the road continued on into the interior. Beyond the gate everything was pristine and spotless, smooth grey flagstones flanked by rows of plants in elaborate carved marble pots. A variety of low stone buildings can be seen, looking like food stalls or rest areas, all completely deserted.

Reef gave a little squawk, then shook his head. "Erm, what just happened..." He looked back at the others "Oh, I... err... do apologise. I believe I sort of... lost my composure a little there. It just seemed like... the right thing to do." he finished sheepishly.

"Aaaand that's what they look like unintact. Great," Nutmeg grumbled, looking at the support struts with vague pouting interest, wondering if aligning the pillars on the broken gate at Blissful Pastures would do anything.

Reef trotted through the gateway, cart still in tow, and proceeds down the avenue of richly decorative buildings. Past the entrance area, the space opens out to reveal a wide array of pools, fountains, showers and waterfalls, all fringed with decorative plants and rest areas. Here was a bubbling hot tub, there was a lazy river with empty inner tubes endlessly circling.

Rising above it all were the snaking, colourful aqueducts on their tall support columns, something Gearshift and Set Sail easily recognised as water slides, though Reef Skimmer and Nutmeg had never had the pleasure of visiting an Equestrian water park. All of it was pristine, functional and apparently deserted.

Gearshift leapt down from the cart and followed behind; he hesitated on the threshold, but nothing was immediately falling down or blowing up. (What was up with that gate, though?) He peered up at the slides, "Hmm, a water-park, here? Guess some things are universal after all." He chuckled with amusement. "Well, I don't know; should we be taking a break right now? I imagine that's all a place like this is good for."

Nutmeg waited until they were inside then sprang out, wandering off on her own and looking up and around in puzzlement and wonder. "What are all those half-pipes up there for?" she asked uncertainly, "Doesn't seem a very efficient way to pipe water around. Looks like the water's just pouring out of that one?"

Gearshift took the opportunity to explain: "No, no, it's not like an aqueduct: it produces amusement." He gestured with a hoof, "See, the water propels you along the ride, and you experience fun."

Realization dawning, Nutmeg said, "Ohh, they're waterslides! Of course! They made artificial waterslides!" She runs up to one of the support structures, half climbing up it to gaze overhead, "These are a ton of fun. We should totally try it. But uh... why's this place enclosed in an impenetrable force field?"

Gearshift shrugged at that then grinned, "Beats me... But any ride you go on, I'm going on too."

Reef Skimmer unhitched himself from the cart and parked it under some palm trees. "Water... slides? Really? Hmm... it's all rather wonderful isn't it?" he said warmly. "Just feels so... invigorating in here. One supposes it must be the magic, but... one can hardly argue with the results. Perhaps the ancestors of the gillmen made all this, a sort of paradise for them? I'm sure not a few griffs would love to spend some time here too." he said, looking around happily with his beak hanging open. "What do you think Sails, like it?"

"I think it's lovely!" Set Sails declared, immediately flying up to look into the chutes full of rushing water, "I always wanted to go to one of these as a filly. Do you think we can ride any of them? I mean, would that be alright?"

Reef flew up to Set Sail and gestured at himself with a claw. "As the senior, erm, water-aligned magical creature on the scene, I hereby authorise unlimited free usage of this facility..." he said stuffily "...just as soon as I have performed an official safety test on the attractions!" he finished playfully. With that he flapped away up to the top of one of the slides and dove in, slooshing down the chute to splash out into one of the pools a minute later.

Nutmeg spent the next hour or so trying to figure out how they work of course, and then tried to find a way to get to the top. She was the first after Reef to try one of the slides, even though both he and Set Sail have cheating wings, because when she got up there, shortly followed by Gearshift, she found Set Sail still standing at the chutes, fraught with indecision.

The wise, experienced (with waterslides) kirin assured the pegasus mare that it was totally safe, then jumped down one of the slides to demonstrate. Kersplash! The kirin reached the bottom with a whoop, doggy paddling to the shore, shortly followed by a shrieking Set Sails and a slightly less shrieking Gearshift. So the hour passed, as Summer and Azure made their way to the bubble, a few ponies less and lot more harried than the revellers within.

The two ponies and one kirin were laughing and splashing each other in the shallows of the largest pool, when a large, predatory shape began to approach, silently swimming beneath the water. Gearshift's mouth opened wide as the sleek, grey creature came up behind the two oblivious mares.

He began to cry out in alarm, but instead of chowing down on the tasty mortals the huge fish creature surged forward and shot out of the water, drenching the three equines. In a flash Reef had turned back into a hippogriff and was chuckling merrily. "Oh, the look on your face!" he said to Gearshift. "So, anyone want to try it? Being a seapony I mean. You nearly had it last time, Nutmeg."

Gearshift gave a gasp of exasperation... and then giggled himself silly once he realised he'd been pranked. "Oh, good one! You know, it does seem like the perfect opportunity to try it: we're already messing about, may as well seize the moment!"

"Heck yeah!" Nutmeg declared, clumsily paddling over from the side, "You guys gotta try it! It's totally radical!"

Set Sail tilted her head in confusion, staying with a hoof on the edge of the pool, saying, "Try what? We're not hippogriffs. You're the only one with that magical ...pendant thing, Reef, in case you didn't notice."

By way of explanation, Reef put a claw on each of Nutmeg and Gearshift's flanks and activated the transformation. Another brief display of swirling white ribbons of magic, and the three had become seaponies; Nutmeg once again with the elongated tail and vertically aligned tail fin. Gearshift perked and looks over himself, his mertail slapping and flipping around as he admires it. "Hey, not bad! Need to study the physiology and locomotion of this... err, ahem, I mean, go on some rides."

"Wah!" Nutmeg yelped in surprise, splashing backwards and vanishing underwater, before sort of wiggling her way back to the surface, the long slinky creature taking in a breath and saying through dripping fluffyish fronds, "Oh right! Get ready if you start breathing water! It's kind of crazy weird."

"Breathing water? Oh, yeah, of course..." Gearshift said, before diving underwater with a 'sploosh'. A few seconds later he breached the surface with cheeks full of water and a mirthful chuckle. "What a way to relax! Can't believe I never tried this before."

"B-breathing water? You can... I mean of course you could, I mean... could I... maybe just a little, Reef?" Set Sail asked with big hopeful, plaintive eyes.

Meanwhile Nutmeg was swimming literal circles around Gearshift: she was just long enough to encircle him entirely. Gearshift smirked at Nutmeg's enthusiasm! "I won't let you get the upper hand on me so easily!" he said, pumping his tail to try and keep pace.

Reef shifted back to hippogriff form and swam smoothly over to Set Sail, not making a splash this time. Looking her in the eyes, he said "I understand most ponies get the hang of it quite quickly... and have no fear, I'll keep a close eye and if you run into any difficulties, I'll have you out again and changed back in a jiffy? Isn't that right Nutmeg?" he said, giving the sea-kirin a playful grin, before extending a claw to take Set Sail's hoof.

Set Sail did so with very little hesitation, but with a blush in her cheeks, as she gazed into his eyes and asked, "Would you kindly?"

The golden-white magic returned, wrapping around the hippogriff and pegasus then dissipating to reveal a large grey seapony and a much smaller brown one, both with a pair of big dorsal fins. The smaller had an adipose fin on her tail bearing her cutie mark of three hot air balloons. "Enchanting!" Reef exclaimed. "I mean, erm, that is to say, Captain... perhaps... you'd care to visit Seaquestria, if and when we make it back to Equestria?"

"Oh, oh my," Set Sail said, herself looking over: she was eerily similar to Reef now. "These are... scales! Fur gets
waterlogged! Oh Reef, I never even realised— woah!" and then her moment of amazement was lost, as with a great stroke of her tail fin she lost her balance, flopping into the water entirely.

It was an exciting trek down the crumbling cliffside path, featuring several close calls that made Azure wonder if she'd really fall unconscious if she cast the butterfly wings spell again (and if that was preferable to regular falling). She stayed quiet, sorely missing the option to defy gravity. Though given the circumstances of the day, she thought, they were doing well to be alive and moving at all.

Finally, the two unicorn mares made it to the entrance to the bubble. There was no sign of their companions, but the way inside seemed open, with a clear gap in the force field between the huge ornate pillars, still spraying water out to each side. Azure eyed the huge water jets cautiously... they didn't seem to be lethal, but it was probably best to steer clear. What were they for? Why was the gate wide open? Were the fish-creatures inside?

Summer Scribe studied the entrance. "Through here? I presume this water spraying isn't some kind of security mechanism..." She levitated a rock through to make sure it didn't get vaporised... nope. Tried to detect magic... didn't seem to be any anti-organic countermeasures. Reassured, she headed straight in; Azure followed some way behind.

Summer trotted through the entrance area, taking note of the elaborate carvings, well-tended foliage, the numerous empty buildings that could've come from a high-end theme park, and the weirdly pristine quality of everything, as if the place was due to open tomorrow. Eventually they emerged into the main part of the park, a vista of swimming pools, tasteful marble decorations and spraying, rushing, plunging water of every kind. "What kind of a facility is this?" she wondered out loud. "It's almost like it's a...?"

Azure was more interested in possible inhabitants, staying alert for signs of danger... there, was that... no, it was just a statue. A huge, brass statue of two strange creatures: something like a cross between a troll and an octopus, with tentacles for arms and legs, facing off against an enormous ugly blob, like a giant slug with arms. The smaller creature bore a sword and a miniature cousin of Abernathy's shot-gun, while the larger creature threatened to consume it with its gaping maw.

"Oh wow!" Summer exclaimed. "I think that's... I'm sure I saw that one on the shrine, in the ruin this morning! Do you think he's a Skylander? Look at that big blob thing he's fighting. Sure hope we don't meet one of..." her voice trailed off as she caught sight of movement out in the main pool.

There was Gearshift, only his head visible, with something... else under the water next to him, something brown and long and bedecked with fins. As Azure was trying to make that out there was a whoop and a scream as a pair of seaponies shot out of one of the water slides, a big grey one that Summer recognised as Reef Skimmer's alternate form (from her brief glimpse on their last visit) and a smaller brown one, both splashing into the pool before laughing and swimming towards Gearshift.

Summed perked up as she saw the happy commotion! It looked like her a weird, fishy version of her friends, but they seemed to be... having fun? There was Reef Skimmer... oh, he must have used his magic pearl! Wait a sec! "This... really is a water park!" she gasped, giggling and racing over to greet the others!

A water park? Azure chuckled quietly to herself as she followed Summer again, shaking her head. This was something she didn't expect... a chance at relaxing right in the middle of a mission, of all things. But all this felt way too... welcoming, in a foreign land... and that statue of creatures locked in mortal combat had definitely put her on edge. She was too busy worrying if anything like that was still around to climb onto some water slides... not to mention that headache still filling her skull. How would she fight back if something actually did attack?

Summer Scribe cantered forward into the shallows of the pool, but before she could call out she felt something through her hooves: a deep rumbling vibration. Around her the numerous fountains grew taller and taller, reaching high into the sky before starting to splutter and die, their water supply suddenly choked off. Strangely the sound of rushing water only grew louder. The two unicorns shuddered with a sudden foreboding feeling, as if the other horseshoe was about to drop.

Then with a sudden pfft and spurt of water, a bright blue ropey shape spurted out of one of the fountains, arcing through the air before landing with a splat on the poolside. The wormlike creature, or should we say agglomeration of magical waste, was stunned for a few seconds before pulling itself together and beginning to slither towards the ponies. More of its fellows began to blast out of the other fountains.

"Are you kidding me?!" Summer Scribe yelled in exasperation. She had to warn her friends; they probably had no idea how dangerous these things were, though the look on Azure's face should help sell it! "We gotta run! These magical slime worms track us by noise and they want us for dinner!"

Deep in the pool, Reef Skimmer and Set Sail broke off their conversation to smile at the newcomers. "Summer! Azure! Glad you could make it!" Reef shouted back. "It's really quite delightful in... erm, sorry what? Magical slime?" Behind him a whole mass of the wriggling blue creatures shot out of the waterslide to spash in the pool, startling Set Sail; more of them kept flying out of the other slides as the horrified unicorns watched.

'These things again!' Azure thought... and this time there were no helpful golems, not to mention her lack of wings! "Listen to summer," she shouted, "We just fought a bunch of these and even with some assistance, we barely made it out!" The renewed stress wasn't doing her headache any favours either; getting out without injuries would be even harder this time...

"They're in the pool! Get out of the water now!" Summer Scribe shouted in exasperation, stomping her hooves into the shallows and kicking up splashes. "Ask questions once we're safe!"

"Whatever you do, don't touch them!" Azure added. "They wrecked the magical constructs, and they can wreck you too!"

Nutmeg had surfaced to look around in concern when the whole pool began to rumble, so at least she heard Summer's warning. "Wha—?!" she started to shout, before slapping her foreleg fins over her mouth, and looking wide-eyed over at the wiggly goo-worms. The things were huge!

Gearshift gawked at the creatures, then shouted "Nutmeg, we need to run!" He beat his fish tail in a panic, not making much progress.

Nutmeg frantically tried to shush him, but she couldn't stop him from flailing around and attracting a bunch of unwanted attention. Instead she beckoned him to follow and tried to silently slink her way to the edge of the pool; if she could heave herself out, Reef could always shift her back later. Unfortunately he either didn't pick up on it, or was too panicked to realize how much noise he was making; the worms already had a bead on him...

Set Sail had no idea what to do or how to get out of the water or anything. She just got this fish tail! All she could do was try and cling to Reef Skimmer, hyperventilating, her mind racing to try and figure out what to do.

One of the worms had nearly reached the struggling Set Sail; Reef thrashed his body and smacked it away with his tail. The thing sailing through the air in a high arc, until it splatted against a rock wall, stunned. The griff hooked one fin around Set Sail and tried to swim over to Nutmeg and Gearshift, intending to transform the four of them back to their normal forms in one shot. Unfortunately before he could reach the others, another of the worms wrapped itself around Set Sail's tail fin, yanking her out of his grip. Reef was forced to about face and go on the offensive, easily grabbing it in his serrated jaws... only to cry out as stinging pain filled his mouth.

With her magic depleted, Azure could only stare in horror as the worms closed in on Set Sail, then Gearshift. She'd seen the kind of damage the creatures could do... and now all she could do was stare, shake her head... and hope her crewmates could make it out in time.

Gearshift turned his head to see the mess of worm closing in... and Reef turning away, no doubt to protect the captain. He gritted his teeth and positioned himself between them and Nutmeg, hoping to protect the kirin from the onslaught. The unnatural worms piled on, completely hiding the transformed stallion under a mass of writhing blue bodies.

Nutmeg stiffened as her companion vanished below the surface, swearing under her breath, "Dammit, Gearshift, no...." Then she dove underwater, leaving her stronger expletives unheard as her red-finned, golden-backed form streaked away from the edge, directly towards her destruction. She couldn't just leave him to be consumed by these horrible things!

Reef Skimmer managed to swim away from the worms, watching helplessly as the things piled onto Gearshift and Set Sail. There was no way he could pull all the wriggling things off both of them before they consumed his friends, and no doubt Nutmeg would be next. They were going to die and it was clearly his fault; if only he hadn't been so cavalier about coming into this nexus of alien magic, if only he hadn't wanted to show off his own little party trick, then they'd still be ponies able to gallop clear of this nightmare, not morsels for Novo-knows-what the creatures were. Desperately he closed his eyes and tried to think of something, anything he could do to save them.

Nutmeg had made it to Gearshift and tried to free him from the knot of worms, screaming as her forelegs burned with pain, as if the things were covered in acid. Gritting her teeth she tried to pry it away from the stallion, despite the pain, but another grabbed her tail. She was gonna be damned if she let it end like this, but against these monstrosities, how would she have stood a chance even on four legs? Her body dragged the worm along with it, wrapping around Gearshift too, something in her utterly unwilling to let these bucking things win.

Then in a rush of sudden horrible wonderful sensation, inky black lightning exploded all around her, hitting the entire cluster of worms, and... Gearshift. Not knowing what happened in that terrible moment, not knowing what she did, but knowing what it felt like, Nutmeg took advantage of their freedom as the worms disintegrated, to drag his limp form through the water to the edge, heaving the slightly charred looking seapony Gearshift out, and climbing out after him, dragging her whole long, weird body and tail all the way out of the water, just in case. She sat there helplessly on the side of the pool holding Gearshift's head in her forelegs murmuring, "Oh no, no no no come on..."

At the other end of the pool, Set Sail was suffering pain like she'd never experienced before. Those lovely scales Reef gave her were being cruelly eaten away by the worms, which were worsening the damage by crushing her like a vice. She couldn't even scream anymore, tears in her eyes as she reached for Reef, trying not to pass out!

The hippogriff's eyes snapped open; they were glowing bright blue, along with his pearl amulet, shining so brightly as to light up the entire pool with sapphire radiance. Beyond rational thought now, acting on some foreign instinct that had implanted itself in his mind, Reef threw his fins out wide, releasing a shining sphere of energy from his body.

Steam hissed and boiled from the now white-hot fragment of pearl around his neck, as the insubstantial golden sphere rushed outward, quickly growing to a size that encompassed the entire pool and much of the water park. In its wake every remaining worm was blasted away from the ponies and held squirming in a magical grip, while fins and scales dissolved away, leaving the ponies (and kirin) in their natural form again.

For three seconds of unnatural silence everything hung like that, every object outlined in a golden aura and lit by the coruscating blue glow emanating from the unseen hippogriff, before the magical sphere began to contract, rushing inwards and collapsing as fast as it had appeared. The gooey worms were sucked in with it, each and every drop of slime shooting towards Reef, splashing into the water and disappearing into the blue glow.

Then the magic was gone and all the worms with them. As for the hippogriff... something was floating down there at the bottom of the pool, something large, squirming in panic and fear.

Summer Scribe gawked at the scene. It felt like she was frozen, unable to do anything to intervene: first Nutmeg unleashed a blast of electricity into all of the worms, and then Reef Skimmer just... obliterated them with that magical artifact of his. So far so good... but clearly something happened to the doctor after that. She tried to get a closer look and suss it out. "Everyone still with us...? Reef? Hello?" She squints at the bottom of the pool.

With immense relief, Set Sail breathed the air she was born to breathe, staring forward with a distant expression, too close to the phenomenon to have any idea what had happened. Her brown fur was quickly growing waterlogged, as she just paddled there, wings unconsciously spreading to help keep her afloat.

The incredible display of magic from Reef Skimmer had Azure quietly wondering in the end if every creature would be alright. The worms were destroyed. Everyone that had been caught was free. But as if echoing Summer's worries, she's at the edge of the pool as well, looking down... before looking to Summer. "Should we get down there to rescue him?"

Nutmeg wasn't even looking until this golden light just yanked her tail up short and ropey again and restored her frondlike fins to their proper glorious floof. Gearshift was still lying there though, now a pony with his head cupped in her hooves. "S-see?" she said quaveringly, "The doctor'll... fix you up good. I didn't know it would do that. C'mon Gearshift, wake up!"

The creature that managed to struggle up to the surface and flop down in the shallows had Reef Skimmer's head, even if it did have fins now in the place of ear tufts. It had the hippogriffs abdomen as well, and his hindquarters, even if the later were now partly scaly. Unfortunately those three pieces looked like they'd been sliced apart, and strung back together by four of the wriggling worm creatures. His lower legs, claws and tail were gone as well, replaced by bunches of blue tentacles that twitched and thrashed in an uncoordinated manner.

The pearl amulet he'd bourn proudly around his neck was gone, though the smaller pearls it had been strung with were still present, now attached to spines on his head. Reef's expression showed total confusion giving way to horror. "What happened? What am I? Oh Novo, it can't be, what in the cruel dark seas is all this?" he sobbed, staring around fearfully at his companions, knowing they couldn't help hating the monster he'd just become.

Staring at what emerges from the pool, Nutmeg hardly noticed Gearshift's head falling from her limp arms to clonk on the ground. "Or... maybe not," she said faintly.

Summer Scribe gawked in shock! "R...Reef! It looks like you merged with the slime worms!" She looked him over, grimacing at the pain and distress he was exhibiting. "Do you feel OK? Can you move around? See if you can take control of yourself!"

Azure wasn't immune to the shock, either. She'd seen a lot of things, but this was well beyond any magical mishap she'd experienced. It was hard not to feel his distress though: she searched for the correct words, something she could say that would help, but... she just slumped and shook her head, unable to think of anything useful that Summer hadn't already said.

Set Sail paddled up to walk in the shallows, where she cautiously approached the sobbing Reef, touching his... middle part with a hoof trying not to touch any of those blue tentacles that hurt so much when she last did. "You're a... you're a freak," she said frankly, "But you're okay aren't you? You uh... got all those worms under control." She stood up straighter next to Reef, looking around and declaring, "Now does somepony want to tell me what the hay those things were?"

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer and Melonwater), Ferret (playing Set Sail, Nutmeg and Cloud Cutter), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe and Gearshift) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

This chapter is based on the twenty-fourth session, with me as the GM. As you can see, I couldn't resist turning poor old Reef into a horrible (and/or hilarious) slime monster. He'll get better. Eventually. Probably. :) Another cool illustration from ValyceNegative; done in advance so it doesn't quite match the scene, but close enough.

Standoff

The worm-like abominations were the product of a magical-industrial accident three centuries past, the toxic blue slime lying dormant in the ancient factory's vats until its ill-fated reactivation earlier that day. Now at last the threat had been laid to rest; calm returned to the strange water park, nestled in its dome of magic, still pristine and tidy despite the terror of moments ago. The only motion came from the pleasant babble of the fountains and the sloosh of water streaming from the slides.

Returning to a semblance of normality would not be so easy for the six creatures near the shallows of the central pool. The little unicorn mare, Summer Scribe, had the task of explaining how she had inadvertently released the worms, then how her group had fought to contain them, ending in their apparent defeat via the 'emergency flush'. However, the horrible creations were not so easily destroyed: the remaining 'animate magical waste' had merely been dumped into an underground stream, which ultimately fed into the labyrinthine pipework powering the water nexus.

“In retrospect,” Summer admitted with a nervous chuckle, “That’s probably why the original owners didn’t flush them out in the first place. Not one of my better decisions!”

A brown pegasus known by the name of Set Sail, her flanks now covered in burns from the touch of the worms, could only stammer with disbelief and rising anger, as she realised that the horrific surprise had not been merely dangerous wildlife. “You... set those things loose?!”

“All I did was turn on the factory, to see if it worked!” Summer Scribe protested, “There was no way to tell it was all full of... squirmy things!”

Further discussion was precluded by Nutmeg's desperate cry for help. The kirin lay out of the water, next to a stallion whose head still lay cradled in her lap. This earth pony Nutmeg held was a terrible sight, with the fur gone from fully half his body and huge patches of skin eaten away to expose muscles and tendons underneath, lying in a pool of red-tinted water as his life blood leaked out.

“I can’t stop the bleeding!” Nutmeg called out, ignoring her own contact burns, and missing scales for the sake of her gravely injured companion, “Please, I... don’t wanna kill any pony!”

That was enough to snap a most peculiar creature out of his shock and despair, if only for the moment. Reef Skimmer forced himself to move however he could, clumsily half-slithering, half-crawling over to Gearshift's side. With wriggling blue tentacles where the hippogriff’s dextrous claws had been, he had to talk Nutmeg through the process of retrieving his saddlebags, unpacking the jar of green paste, and applying it generously to Gearshift. Nutmeg's cloven hooves shook as she did her best to follow Reef's directions, too full of adrenalin to remember her magic.

The doctor's voice stayed remarkably calm as he told the kirin not to panic, it would be fine, dressing here, bandage around there, now the patient was stabilising: see, the dermis was quickly regenerating. Acting captain Set Sail could only watch, hooves in her mouth, as the stallion's life hung in the balance. Summer Scribe rushed in to assist with her levitation, while Azure Feather took the jar and silently applied the paste to the lesser but still painful lesions on Nutmeg and Set Sail. At last the burning pain faded away and the immediate crisis was over.

“Okay everypony, let’s just...” Set Sail pressed a weary hoof to her forehead, “Let’s just get back to the copter. We need to get out of here before something... else goes wrong.”

“That’s a... very good idea,” the guardsmare Azure said, the mysterious jar of healing paste held in her horn’s glow. “Reef, are you able to fly to the dock? Doesn’t look like you want to walk.”

This prompted the discovery that Reef Skimmer had lost the ability to fly; despite his seemingly intact wings and several vigorous attempts to take off, all he achieved was whipping up spray and brief leaps that ended in him splashing back down into the water. This was enough to break the mutated creature's fragile composure and reduce him to a tangled, writhing, sobbing, pile.

“It’s hopeless!” he sobbed, “I'll never fly again. Just leave me here! There's no sense in burdening yourselves with a hideous monster." The former hippogriff had gone back to staring in horror at the squirming tentacles emerging from the stumps of his forelegs. "How could I practice medicine now; even if I could control these... things... I'd just burn anygriff I touched!”

Set Sail knew she wasn’t a very good leader, but she didn’t know how to comfort the writhing mass of sorrow Reef Skimmer had become. And there was Summer Scribe just looking blithely at Reef as if she had no idea what her actions had wrought. Hovering above the group in less than a good mood, the pegasus explained in a very curt tone: “Everypony, please. Just wait here. Don’t move anypony who’s injured. I’m going to bring the ship in close. Then we’ll... figure out how to get everyone on board.” She gave a sharp look at Reef Skimmer, as if challenging him to contest the 'everyone', but he was too busy trying to hide from his own tentacles to pay attention.

“Captain, the ship can’t take the load!” Nutmeg said anxiously, “That copter was already struggling to hold seven of us, the cart and all our equipment. If Reef can’t fly, how are we going to...?”

“It'll be fine, we just need to take two trips!” Summer said, trying to reassure everyone. “Eh-heh, just so as long as those... gill-men don’t find us here, in their sanctuary... though it's not like we broke in, right?” she concluded, rubbing a nervous hoof behind her head.

The acting captain flew off without taking any more input, leaving Nutmeg still sticking close to Gearshift, doting over him worriedly, while Azure trotted to and fro, checking each nook and cranny to make sure no worms had survived. Reef Skimmer flopping messily into the water and began to moan about how trying to rescue him would only put the entire crew in dire peril and how it would be better if he lived in the bubble forever, while Summer Scribe tried desperately, and unsuccessfully, to think of a way to make things right again.

It was a short flight up to the high plateau at the other end of the island, and Set Sail was soon gliding down to land on the deck of the Second Chance, still parked on the cracked mossy, flagstones of the abandoned wharf. “Cloud Cutter, are you here?" she asked "I need you to pilot the ship somewhere.”

The empty-eyed purple pegasus crawled out from below deck, barely making it to her hooves, delicately keeping her weight off her messed-up leg. Seeing Set Sail’s look of horror and desperation, Cloud Cutter didn’t wait for the captain to respond before explaining. “I can’t stand on this leg,” she admitted, not wanting to look at the twisted thing. “It hurts,” she said, almost as if trying to convince herself of that, “I... there were worms. Monster at the convent. It was a factory not a convent. I had to get as many worms as I could, and they—I waited too long, and they... hurt me. I’m sorry.”

Set Sail ended up having to fly the former drow copter, following Cloud Cutter’s verbal instructions. Fortunately the purple pegasus’s basic knowledge of how to fly a ship now included not leaving the throttle fully open constantly. The aircraft buzzed over to the gleaming blue water domed mystery, and shakily, but without leaving too much of a mark, settled down right in front of the entrance.

The trip had given Set Sail plenty of time to think about the peculiar blue flesh that had attached itself to various pieces of Reef’s body, and what it might do to the wooden hull of their ship. She walked into the dome, announcing briefly “Cloud Cutter's hurt, she's in no state to pilot. I'll fly the copter: I need to take Reef Skimmer first, along with anypony who can fly, in case something... happens to the ship while we’re transporting him.”

This sent Reef Skimmer into another tirade, rolling around about how terrible this was, and how his miserable life wasn't worth risking the destruction of their only working aircraft, and so on. “Reef, please!” the captain said, flying over to the distressed... whatever he was, “I need you to calm down. We’ll get you back to the ship, and then... see what we can do, alright?”

Nutmeg still had tear streaks on her cheeks when Set Sail marched in, standing up from where she’d been sitting with the recently revived Gearshift, the poor stallion still slipping in and out of consciousness. “Are you going to be okay without anyone watching the engine?” Nutmeg asked critically, still not really willing to leave Gearshift’s side, but she has to try, “If it overheats again you could—”

“Do any engineers here know how to fly?” Set Sail cut back, startling Nutmeg to blushing silence. “I’ll be careful,” Set Sail assured the kirin, trying not to take her frustration out on innocent creatures, “Cloud Cutter already told me about the throttle. I got the ship here, didn’t I?”

Nutmeg frowned at that, but had to agree.

“Just leave me here!” Reef protested again, but Set Sail was having none of it.

“We’re not leaving you behind,” she said flatly, “Get on the copter, and don’t... do anything, and we’ll get you somewhere safer than this death trap.” A pause, before she added, “That’s, uh, an order.”

“And if I destroy the copter?” Reef Skimmer asked with unprecedented insubordination, though understandable given his situation.

“We’ll leave the cart here,” Set Sail assured him, “If something happens to the ship, I can bring a few pegasi back here to get everypony else to safety. Just... try not to be... acidy?”

“I can help fly the cart,” Azure said, coming up behind Set Sail.

Turning to blink at her, Set Sail blushed saying, “Oh yeah, you have that wing spell!”

“Yeah, 'that wing spell',” Azure said unamused, “I just need a rest, then I'll be able to cast it again.”

“I’ll remember that, thanks,” Set Sail said, then hurried over to Reef, still afraid to touch him, but telling the whatchamacalit, “Well? C’mon!”

After several attempts Reef managed to pull himself up onto the foredeck. Cloud Cutter never left the ship, but Melonwater was all too hasty to leap bodily off the side the moment he saw Reef’s gooey blue tentacles squirming up over the railing. Fortunately Reef didn’t see the earth pony's horrified face, though he certainly heard the panicked girly screams coming from somewhere off the bow.

As the rotors spun up, Nutmeg stood by the ship, mane tossing wildly in the downwash. “Wait," she called up to Set Sail, "we need to check out that factory before we leave, to make sure it’s safe!”

“Just don’t let Summer Scribe touch anything!” the captain shouted down to the kirin.

“Got it! No touchy!” Nutmeg called back, giving a two finger salute (the only kind she could make) as Set Sail pulled her head back and focused on steering the strange aircraft. Thanks to Cloud Cutter’s accurate and if vaguely spooky directions, the Second Chance wobbled only a little as it rose up into the air, before skittering off across the afternoon sky.

With Gearshift vaguely mobile, Nutmeg and Summer helped walk him out of the mysterious water park, before something silly happened like the door regenerating and trapping them inside. By this point Summer was big on the whole 'helping in any way at all remotely possible' thing. They left him in one of the small, abandoned buildings near the entrance, with Melonwater to watch over him. Then the three mares made the trek up the narrow cliff path, reaching the factory and once again making use of Summer’s shiny ancient ID card to convince its golem caretakers that the kirin was also a guest.

Of course Nutmeg Inferno was eager to see the factory, and Summer Scribe was happy to show her, both eager to forget the events of the water park if only for a moment. Azure stayed with Summer though, just in case. The blue and blue unicorn understood the need for somepony to be a wet blanket, contenting herself with watching the kirin’s journey of discovery.

Soon an amazed and overjoyed Nutmeg was dashing through the pipework, springing up stairs and dancing along the catwalks, inspecting every pump and valve, though she was careful not to activate anything. She was initially entranced by the golems, though they turned out to be something of a let-down; despite appearances they were powered by inscrutable alien magics rather than technology, only one of them having any mechanics at all and that only for secondary functions. The machine shop was a delight though; surely those drills and lathes would only need a quick overhaul and lube job to work again, and oh look at all these spare pipe fittings!

The other two tired of watching Nutmeg’s childlike glee after a half hour or so, and retreated out of the main factory entirely. “C’mon,” was all Azure said in explanation, as she led Summer over to the smaller buildings and shacks still standing all around the complex. Soon the two unicorns were turning the place upside down, methodically searching through the offices and back rooms for anything of use; coinage, interesting artifacts, intact paperwork that might shed light on what had happened here. Finally, something to do that Summer Scribe was trained in!

It was sunset by the time Set Sail arrived at the factory, flying straight in and demanding to know where Summer Scribe was 'right this instant'. The nearest gear golem informed her that guests did not have access to the employee roster. It also warned her that the control room was a restricted area to guests, for some reason. The pegasus just... folded her wings and backed up from the fiery thing, until she was outside of the main building, and noticed the other two still going over the rest of the complex with a fine toothed comb.

Gearshift and Melonwater were both back on the copter by the time Summer, Azure and Set Sail managed to pry Nutmeg out of the factory and the four of them headed back down the cliffs. They carried scraps and sheaves of delicate, ancient documents held firmly in Summer’s preservation spell, not to mention saddlebags holding a fair amount of native coinage. Azure and Nutmeg followed behind levitating several crates of the magical soda, and soon enough everything was loaded onto the Second Chance. The mood was light on the second trip back; everyone was concerned for Reef Skimmer of course, but Set Sail curtly informed them that the first trip had been 'fine' and there weren’t any huge holes melted in the ship, so it seemed like he was in no imminent danger.

The flight was uneventful: Melonwater and Gearshift sat quietly at the bow, watching the night sky, while Azure kept a hoof on the aft harpoon, and down at the engineer's station, Nutmeg and Summer chattered excitedly about the implications of discovering the factory. An hour or so later, Set Sail was guiding the whirring craft over Blissful Pastures, the larger island casting a moonlight shadow over the lower landmass. She was eager to see the comforting bulk of the EAS Harmony, the great airship still moored to the distant side of the upper island.

However as she brought the copter down for a landing in the meadow, Set Sail's relief turned to horror: standing on the deck of the Equestrian ship was a tall, humanoid shape. It was that lanky, two-legged troll - Abernathy - facing off against a small group of crewponies led by the expedition's two griffons. The creature was gesturing with one hand, while in the other he hefted his devastatingly effective 'shotgun'...

'What a day!' Summer Scribe thought. One incident after another: from the monster dog to the factory, then the water park. Poor Reef...! And Gearshift! And even Cloud Cutter... Plus Azure's magic burnout and Melonwater spooked out of his wits. And to think that she set this whole chain of events into action! I mean, you accepted a certain level of risk and consequences when you broke open an archaeological site... but when it happens to someone else, you couldn't help but feel responsible!

'Well, maybe it'll all turn out OK still.' she tried to reassure herself. It was inevitable they'd poke around in the factory, so they'd have to deal with it sooner or later, right? They would find a way to fix Reef... or failing that he could figure out how to use his new body. They had the magical soda to experiment with, and with Nutmeg's eager help she should be able to figure out what the factory was doing... So it's not like today was totally fruitleeee- wait why is Abby here why does he have his shotgun out

The little unicorn followed the captian's gaze and gawked with. "Why now? Why at all?" she cried out! "What's he doing? He's not going to hurt anypony, is he?"

In a panic, Set Sail left the copter without a word, flying straight for the troll before he opened fire on somepony! Nutmeg Inferno was forced to grab the yoke in one hoof and pul the throttle closed, shouting, "Go on, I got this! Stop him, before he hurts someone!" The aircraft cruised down towards the meadow, coming in fast but with less force than its first landing.

Azure Feather shook her head, just wanting the day to end. She knew she had to be ready at all times to fight, and there was Abernathy raising hell and... she was exhausted, with no wings and minimal magic. Racing off on hoof, she was silently cursing herself the entire way as she would be very late... just hoping she wouldn't be too late to rescue any creature in danger... but why did Abernathy seem so hostile suddenly?

Summer was also wishing for a pair of wings right now, as she galloped just behind Azure. "Couldn't wait one more day, huh?" she bantered, before sighing. From the bottom of the gangplank, she couldn't see what was going on with Abby, but it was the only way onto the ship.

"Thanks Gustus, but I couldn't have done it without your help." Abernathy was saying. "Now take care, all of you, I've gotta get back- woah! Hey little ponyzandas, what's got you spooked?" he cried out, ducking and covering his head with his arms as he saw a pegasus apparently flying straight at his head, while a unicorn charged up the gangplank, horn aglow.

"Captain, great to see... hey wait... oh yeah look it's not what you think!" Gustus shouted. Next to him Grenelda screeched with alarm, looking around to see if any enemies followed the ponies in, before realising they were talking about the troll.

Hanging onto his back, Set Sail grappled with Abernathy furiously, unable to get him in a headlock because her arm is too short, but hooking a hoof under his gun arm shouting, "Everypony get to cover! I can't hold him for long!" In the background, Nutmeg managed to pull the copter up into a landing flare; it coasted to a gentle halt.

Azure wasn't quite in a talking mood, there could have been creatures in danger, allies, and she had no idea exactly what was going on... that is, until they reached the ship... and the only sounds of battle was the captain wrestling with the troll. "...Did diplomacy win out or something?" she wondered out loud as she made her way up to the deck...

"Get it off, get it off!" shouted Abernathy, dropping his shotgun, which is fortunately not loaded, and twisting and turning ineffectively.

"Captain, hey, hey now, leave him alone! He's friendly!" Gustus said, grabbing at the pegasus's flailing hooves in his claws and trying to pry her off.

Summer Scribe was close behind Azure: "No weapon sounds... but shouting. They must be in a standoff!" She raced up the gangway and leapt onto the top deck, calling out "What do you want, Abby? There's no need to shoot anypony!"

It took both griffons to extract the captain; Abernathy sat there panting for a moment before Bluebell trotted over to him and asks "I'm sorry about that sir, are you ok?"

Set Sail stared at Abernathy in shocked realization for a second, before quickly turning away and attempting to hide behind her own wings, as her face turned beet red, the mare stammering, "I-I-I didn't uh i-it's uh b-b-been a..."

By this time Nutmeg Inferno had arrived, charging up the gangplank with her oversized wrench held in her green magic's aura, shouting, "Alright, who wants some??"

Sprocket's voice rang out from near the railing, where she'd been watching the copter land. "Hey Chief! Guess the Second Chance held together then! Where's Gearsh.... hey hey hey no you missed the action, Chief, no need to swing that thing around!"

Azure seemed calm, until... "Oh, sweet Luna... not the wrench! Nutmeg, we don't need to use that!" she cried out, and as brutal as that shotgun Abernathy was using looked, she knew the wrench could be even worse!

Abernathy's face brightened when he saw the cyan unicorn. "Oh, Summer, nice to see you again!" he said, still sitting on the deck. "You missed all the excitement. Or, well..." he looked at the pegasus, hiding behind Gustus, then at the giant wrench, floating in the air in front of his face "...almost all of it."

Summer Scribe blink-blinked, the tension draining out of her as she leaned back, looking flummoxed. "You're not here to fight us? Err, ohh, nice to see you too, by the way! Sorry, it's been one of those days." She bashfully rubbed behind her head with a hoof. "So, uhh, what is up? I feel out of the loop."

Realising they weren't being invaded, Nutmeg immediately floated the wrench behind her as if to hide it, blushing sheepishly and looking around at the others. "Eheheh... so you're uh... someone friendly." she said to the troll. "Great. Didn't know we had a giant... uh... you... around."

"I am so sorry, Mister Abernathy," Set Sail cut in, rubbing her hoof into her forehead. "I just saw you had that shot-gun staff and just... it's been a long day."

"This troll saved our sodding bacon, that's what's up!" Grenelda broke in. "The drow were here. A little while after the captain dropped Cloud and that monster off. Landed down at the dock, good thing Comet Tail was picking some gear up from the second island..." she gestured with a wing at one of the crew-pegasi "...or we might not have spotted 'em in time."

"Yeah, friendly, that's me..." Abernathy said, waving the kirin and pegasus off "...it's alright, you ponyzandas must be on edge, with the drow after you and all. Did you really have to steal their copter?"

Adrenalin rush over, Summer Scribe was sagging with exhaustion. "The drow came by again?" She fell into a heap on the deck. They couldn't be in two places at once... "Well, I can't thank you enough, Abby. Sorry for jumping to conclusions... So, umm, as you can see, the drow are a REAL problem for us, and we don't know how to deal with it yet. They won't listen to reason!"

She thought for a second. "Oh... this is about the copter?" Well, taking that wasn't her decision, not that the drow were likely to make a distinction. "I think we kinda had to, after they attacked... at least we've got a better way to get around now."

"If you think they gave us a choice, you're crazy!" Grenelda said, puffing up self consciously, "They came right at us! What were we supposed to do, let them put us on their dinner plate?"

Azure Feather sat on her rump, greatly relieved that there wasn't a fight brewing after all. She nodded to Abernathy, then tilted her head at Summer's assertion. "Seemed to be the best choice at the time. Justified, I think, by how the mission went today. Without that little ship, we never would have gotten everypony - everycreature - back home. I can't, uh, say things went perfectly over there, either, though we found some useful supplies..." She gave a quiet sigh, shaking her head. Reef's situation was preying on her mind, to say the least.

"What... did you say before, Grenela?" Set Sail asked uncertainly. "Who landed down at the dock?"

"Oh yeah, you should've seen it Captain." Gustus explained, clicking his beak in satisfaction. "There was a whole mess of those drow, not just the little buggers like the prisoners, they had a big one as well, size of a minotaur. Abernathy here faced them right down, standing proud all on his own, right in front of his bridge."

Summer beamed proudly as she imagined Abby courageously taking a stand in her head (the mental scene possibly a little embellished from reality). "Ooooh, wow, go Abby!"

"Oh it was no big deal, I couldn't let them cross without paying the toll could I?" Abernathy admitted sheepishly. "A thousand gold pieces each, special rate for angry drow."

"And then they were like 'stand aside, troll' and he was like 'it's just me and my three brothers in perfect sniping positions'," Grenelda enthused, "and that was when Gustus fired the crossbow bolt into the tree right next to the big one's head... great shot by the way Gusty..." the griffon stopped to take a breath, "...and Abernathy levelled his shot-gun and was like 'so what's it gonna be, scum' and that's when they backed down!"

"I'm pretty sure I didn't use the word 'scum'..." the troll muttered. Set Sail's mouth dropped open.

With the situation explained, Nutmeg calmed down and retreated back down the gangplank, heading to the copter to see about getting Gearshift aboard and in a nice comfy bed.

"And we've seen what that device can do... well fought, all of you." Azure congratulated them. "And thank you, Abernathy. Glad to see..." The wingless unicorn soon turned away, her fatigue made clear by a wide yawn. "Glad to see we have an ally like yourself. Apologies... few of us are in good shape after that mission..."

"Woo-hoo!" Summer Scribe cheered: at last some good news! "You guys are awesome, Abby, Grenny!" She trotted over to Abby. "Can we rely on you to lend out a hand should they attack again in the future?" Maybe that would help them all sleep a little more soundly, having a native who knew the terrain on their side. Her ear pricked at the sound of Azure's yawn: oh yeah, it was getting late. Without all the adrenalin to keep her going... she was about ready to fall over.

"Heh, yeah I guess I've picked a side now." Abernathy answered. "Look it's dark and I've gotta get back, but, uh... keep in touch, alright?"

"With a friend like you? Would never dream otherwise!" Summer Scribe managed a little bow, before eliding any further responsibility with "...Okay, I need to go fall over and sleep. Sleep and fall over." With that she excused herself.

"...aaaand that was pretty much it captain," Gustus concluded. "Comet Tail and Silver Frost snuck back round to the tech place while that was going on, hid all our stuff so the drow wouldn't know we were there... we watched those idiots stomp around the lower island for a bit before they took off in their copter. So how was your day?"

"..." was Set Sail's response to Gustus's question, as Nutmeg came up the gangplank hauling a very injured Gearshift, saying, "Hey now that the doctor's fused with those giant weirdo wiggle worms, who do I take Gearshift to? He almost got eaten alive by the things, then my weirdo reaction after Reef turned me into a fish really messed him up, so he needs a serious check-up. Oh and can someone go get all that cola we brought back?" Bluebell bustled over to help and the three disappeared below deck, leaving the captain to try and explain the situation to the crew.

Author's Notes:

This story is a collaboration between myself (playing Reef Skimmer), Ferret (playing Set Sail and Nutmeg), Patashu (playing Summer Scribe) and Spearmint (playing Azure Feather), based on an online RP.

Sometimes when it would kill the pace to RP something the GM (me in this case) just writes a linking segment and gets the other players to review / edit it, as we did here. The last part where the ponies return to the Harmony was RPed live, at the start of the twenty-fifth session.