“Ah lad, It’s good to see that ye be wakin’ up.”

The familiar voice pulled me from my dreams and I was met by the smiling face of Squibles. I was tied to a tree and a campfire roared behind the Gryphon.

“Hey Squibles,” I replied. “You’re not mad still? Are you?

“Nah, Harper, me boy. You did save our lives.” He pulled up a crate and sat down on it next to me. “But the Captain is still sore ‘bout the whole shenanigan.”

“Cannonball is here?”

“Been standing next to you the whole time,” the minotaur’s voice cut in.

I looked to my left and saw him looming over me.

I smiled. “Hey Cannonball, did I ever tell you how sorry I was for everything?”

“No, you didn,’t.” He walked over until he was directly in front of me. “But I accept your apology.”

“Soo.. we cool?”

He leaned over and looked me in the eye. “No.”

Cannonball slammed his fist against the side of my head and everything went hazy. A dousing of cold water brought me back from the brink of unconsciousness.

“That was just to make me feel a little better for the loss of my ship,” Cannonball spat. “I’ll think of a real punishment for you soon enough.”

“Dude!” I gasped. “Learn to forgive and forget! By the way, accepting an apology means that you forgive them!”

He leaned over me. “I accept it, I am going to stick your apology in my pocket and use it to wipe my ass later.”

My mouth hung open, primarily due to the badass response he had given me. If I was ever going to get out of this I had to use that sometime. Preferably to Valiant.

Wait. That bastard never apologizes for anything, so never mind.

“Want somethin’ to eat, me lad?” Squibles held up a some grass.

Grass was not on my list of foods I was willing to eat. But behind him, roasting over a fire with other creatures picking it clean, was a half eaten animal of some sorts. I didn’t know what it was but it smelled good!

“What cha cooking?” I asked.

Squibles looked back. “It’s not a pony, if that’s what ye is worried ‘bout.”

“I was kind of worried about that,” I replied. “But what I really want to know is, can I have a piece? I haven't had meat for ages and since there are no ponies here I don’t have to worry about them freaking out.”

“You eat meat?”

I nodded. “I use to, long ago. Back when I wasn’t a pony.”

“Ya weren't always a pony?” Squibles didn’t seem to believe me.

“Long story.” My stomach grumbled. “So can I have a piece?”

He looked at me critically for a moment before nodding his head. He grabbed a knife and retrieved a slice of meat.

“Just toss it in my mouth.”

He shrugged and complied. The meat was overcooked and slightly hard to chew with my herbivore teeth but the flavor itself brought back so many memories of human life. I chewed for a good three minutes before Squibles said anything.

“I can’t believe you actually enjoy the taste of meat. Very strange for a pony.” He quickly retrieved another piece. “I guess you weren't lying.”

My smile widened. “I try not to lie unless I need to.”

“Like ya lying ‘bout yer special talent being findin’’ treasure?”

“Exactly like that,” I retorted. “Though, it’s far from the truth. I’ve been searching for a magical can this entire time but with no luck.

“Magic can?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yeah. It brought me here to this world and I need it for... I need it for reasons.”

Squibles fell silent and thought to himself. “This can brought ye to a specific point in the world, right, lad?”

“Yeah,” I replied, slightly confused as to what he was trying to point out.

“And ye have been searching the world seeking to find it?” He continued.

“Been trying to search the world but things keep getting in my way.”

He nodded. “Have you looked where you entered the world at?”

My mouth dropped open. I couldn't believe how stupid I was.

“Logically, I say, the can should be where ye last had it.” He smiled at me.

If I wasn’t tied up I would have slapped my face with my hoof several times in a row. If Squibles was right, the can wasn’t somewhere lost in the world. It was at the bottom of a lake in Ponyville.

“Sometimes I question my own intelligence,” I growled. “Now this pointless adventure of mine had gotten me into so much trouble. Look at me now! Tied up and waiting to be killed by a unforgiving minotaur.”

All Squibles did was shrug. I sighed and looked up at the stars. It was a nice night at least. My mind started to fall into thought and a last ditch idea started to form.

“Squibles? Do you actually enjoy being a pirate?”

He nodded his head. “I loved nothin’ more than bein’ a pirate. But what I be now is not a pirate. We be nothin’ more than bandits on the run and I have no love for this life.”

“Do you want to be a pirate once again?”

“Oh, no.” He chuckled wholeheartedly. “I‘ve gotten too old for that life. I needed to retire long ago.”

“Well,” I began. I was weighing so much on this chance. “If you help me get free I will see to it that you can live a peaceful life in Ponyville.”

He smiled. “That is a temptin’ proposition, me boy. But one does not simply betray a friendship with Cannonball. You may have saved my life once but he has many times over.”

“Damn.”

“Get some rest, lad. Tomorrow is going to be a hard day.” he turned and walked away.

The morning horizon was just then growing lighter when the uneasy voices of Cannonball, Squibles and the other bandis woke me.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Shut it!” one of them hissed. The fire had been put out save for a few glowing embers so I couldn't see who had said it.

“Do you see anything?” another bandit whimpered.

“No,” Cannonball answered. “But I can hear them circling us. “

“Who’s circling us?” I asked again.

“Shut up!” Cannonball growled this time.

“I saw eyes!” the previous bandit yelped.

“Are they wolves?” I really wanted to know what was going on.

“Harper, me lad, please be quiet.” Squibles was the one who told me to shut up now.

That time I complied and resigned myself to listening. Something was indeed moving around in the foliage surrounding the campsite. Suddenly my ropes were cut. I had to quickly stop myself from falling over. The bandits didn’t seem to notice.

There was a terrifying howl from directly behind me. My hair stood on end as all hell broke loose barely visible in the growing light a dozen silhouette rushed out of the woods. Without a single bit of hesitation I leaped into the sky but stopped myself. I quickly looked around for Squibles and saw him with Cannonball against a tree and surrounded by five of the wolf like creatures.

I dropped down into the tree and stood on the thick limb hanging over them.

“Hey,” I called to them as I lowered the only part of me that could reach, my tail. “Climb up!”

When I look back on this event I regret using my tail. It’s like having your hair pulled yet it is on your ass. But with little effort and much pain I got Squibles up into the tree. I didn’t understand why he didn’t just fly up but I didn't question it at the time. Cannonball was next but before he could take my tail he was jumped by the five creatures. I didn’t really like him and he was an asshole but I don’t think he deserved to be torn apart like that.

Eventually everything became quiet and the wolf creatures stood at the base of out tree, looking at us. But as the sun raised and the light fell on them they no longer looked like horned wolves but now became, to me great surprise, more than a dozen equestalopes with their new Queen, Gold Bough. They smiled at me innocently but their blood covered bodies made me think anything but innocence. The bones of the bandits and Cannonball littered the clearing. I was happy that they were my friends.

“It didn’t take you long, my lord, to find trouble,” Gold Bough laughed. “And we apologise for scaring you. But when we discovered that you were in peril our anger helped us discover a long lost power of ours. So we came to your rescue in our forgotten formes! For that we thank you again, lord! Now we know nothing can stand in our way!”

“Tha-thats great,” I squeaked. “So-so happy for-for you guys.”

They bowed to me and disappeared into the woods. For some reason I had a feeling that I had royally fucked things up.

Author's Notes:

Sorry guys, but I was going to publish two chapters but I've been busy with work. Only one chapter this round. :(