As I trotted through the streets of New, heading for The Hub, my mind wrestled with the question of how to escape the Outer World. I definitely couldn’t stay in it. I didn’t belong in it. It was a land of murderers and despots and, despite my efforts to the contrary, I felt like I was turning into one of them, too.

I stopped in front of the tavern, still preserving the presence of mind to remember the disguise sewn into my cloak. Walking a few steps to a nearby alley, I pulled the black cloak off and tossed it into the ever-present mud. With a quick burst of magic, I ripped the badge and nametag away from my barding, dropping them with disgust.

Returning to the door, I raised a hoof and pushed my way through into the loud main room of the inn. This early, the usual din was somewhat subdued, but it was still far from quiet. As I walked, searching for an empty table, I overheard the patron’s gossip.

“You hear about that fire in Red?”

“Yeah, heard it was some kinda theft. Killed thirty guards!”

“No, that’s not it. The Baron’s mercs launched a raid. Whole forty griffons attacked that warehouse.”

“Either way, the Jackal’s furious. Heard he’s callin’ up a team to get revenge.”

Stopping at an unoccupied table against the wall, I pulled up a chair and sat down heavily. I ran a shaky hoof through my mane and untied my bandanna. Spreading it out on the table, I looked over the makeshift map of my homeland. I want to go home.

A zebra waitress walked by. I waved her down.

“Get me a drink. Triple-S.”

“Sure thing, hun.”

She returned a few minutes later, a tray carefully balanced on her back. With practiced ease, she grabbed one of the bottles she was carrying and placed it on the table. Stalliongrad Swan Song. Cleaver’s drink. She walked away without another word.

I eyed the bottle. Cleaver drank the stuff every day, and he always seemed fine. He always seemed happy. I levitated the bottle up for a closer look. I’m going to drink you for real this time.

“Finding yourself at a loss, Equestrian?”

I turned, glaring at the uninvited newcomer to my table. “What do you want, gargoyle?”

He drew back, eyes wide with mock shock. “Me? Gargoyle? Pleasse!” he scoffed. “I am no ssuch rabble!”

I narrowed my eyes. “What are you, then?”

He stroked one of his long, pointed ears with a clawed hand. “I am a tsergoyle. The mosst noble and intelligent of the goyle casstess.”

I grunted noncommittally. I returned to my bottle, raising it to drink, but the tsergoyle swiftly reached out a hand and held it down. I fixed him with a menacing stare, furious at the interference.

He smiled, displaying an array of sharp, carnivorous teeth. “I assk again. What’s wrong, Equesstrian?”

I wrenched the bottle from his grasp. “What do you care?”

“Try me.”

Putting the bottle down, I sat back in the chair resignedly. “I’m just... not sure what to do with myself. I don’t belong here. I want to get home, but I’m not sure how to... and I don’t know if I’ll still be me when I do.”

The goyle nodded sagely, stroking his chin with one claw. “I think I may know what you need, pony. Advice. But not jusst any.”

With a flick of his wrist, a folded piece of parchment appeared in his hand. “I have in my possession a map. On the map iss directionss to find the hideout of a certain well-reputed sseer. Though sshe doessn’t ussually take requestss, I think that, conssidering your... position, sshe might make an exception.”

I considered his offer suspiciously. From what I knew, the Outer World wasn’t the type of place where one was simply approached with free opportunities like this.

“What’s in it for you?” I asked.

“Nothing, for now. I assk only that, sshould you be ssatissfied with what the sseer tells you, you agree to aid me later, sshould I have need of your sservicess.” He waved the map about tantalizingly.

“That seems too easy.”

He chuckled. “Ah, sstarting to losse the old Equesstrian trust? Well, don’t you worry, pony. A tsergoyle ssuch as mysself would never lie over a matter of business, and I ssee this agreement to be as binding as a written contract. If you’re not ssatissfied, you’ll never have to talk to me again. If you are, and you jusst happen to be around when I need help, then I assk only that you return the favor.”

He stood up, leaving the map on the table. “I can ssee you ssusspect I am playing you. Don’t worry, pony, there iss no deception at play here. I am merely expanding my assetss. Tell me, what’ss your name?”

I kept my eyes fixed on the folded up map. “Dissero.”

“Ahh, interessting. Dissero. Well, Dissero, my name is Drizlyn.” He bent down into a quick bow. “I think I’ll leave my map with you. If we cross pathss again, I do hope you’ll be willing to help me out.”

He turned on his heel and walked away, giving me no opportunity to respond. I watched in silence as he pushed his way through the crowd and out of the building, disconcerted by his strange bipedal gait.

It didn’t take me long to grab the map and pull it over to my side of the table. I unfolded it, scanning its contents with the trained eye of a pony who, several years ago, was the best student in his cartography class at the Academy.

Unfortunately, the map didn’t cover a very large region. Worse yet, I couldn’t find any sort of compass on it. It was centered on a large city, built just to the side of a mountain range and a large lake. In the mountains there was a thick black X, which I figured marked the location of this supposed seer.

“Harvest City.” I mumbled the name under my breath as I read. If I got to Harvest City, I could find the seer and ask her what to do. If she was as good as that tsergoyle had said, then I might actually have a chance at finding my crew and getting back to Equestria. I didn’t like the idea of striking out on an adventure to some unknown city so I could pin all my hopes on some mysterious seer, especially in a world where everyone has some ulterior motive, but it was all I had. It was better than nothing. I couldn’t just mope around and drink vodka.

I glanced at the bottle before me. The map had spurred the explorer within me, and the sense of being so absolutely lost was starting to fade now that I had a more concrete goal.

Still, I didn’t feel any better about all the killing I had done last night.

Grabbing the bottle in my magic, I took a shallow sip as I rose from my chair. It burned as it went down, but the gentle warmth it brought on did wonders for my anxiety. I felt myself relax as my worries started to slip away, and I raised it to my lips for another, longer drink. I smiled. Yeah, that feels good.

I tucked the map into the collar on my barding and headed for the stairs, resolved to enjoy the drink in the relative solitude of my room. I would feel better after a good nap.

“Ah, Dissero. Welcome. Please, take a seat.”

I take a few steps forwards, nervously sitting in the expensive wooden chair before me. Through the wall I hear the quiet ambience of the administrative building. I squint briefly as bright sunlight leaks through the tall window on the far side of the room, eyeing the banner above it that dominates the room.

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

He leans forwards, pushing a few papers around with his hooves. “Yes. Now, Dissero, I’m sure you know that the Royal Aerial Academy is the most prestigious aerial college in Equestria, yes?”

I gulp. I know where this conversation is going, but I don’t want to admit it to myself. “Yes, sir.”

“And you know that we keep that reputation by enforcing only the most stringent of performance requirements amongst our students, yes?”

I feel myself starting to tremble. My life is falling down around me. “Yes, sir.”

“And you’re aware of the current... state... of your grades? Of your academic probation which started last semester?”

I hang my head and try to hold back the tears. “Yes, sir.”

“Well, Dissero... how can I say this? You simply aren’t holding up to the standards which the Academy sets for its students. I’ve been looking over your scores, and you just don’t seem to be up to it. I’m sorry, son, but... it’s just not working out.”

A choked sob escapes my mouth, and I struggle to keep it all in. “I can do it, sir. I swear. I know I can. If you’ll just give me another chance, I can—”

He shakes his head somberly. “I’m sorry, son. I’ve given you all the chances I can. This school has rules, and I have to enforce them.”

My vision blurs as my dreams begin to shrivel up. The future before me fades away. “But sir, you don’t understand, you have to let me stay! M-my father, and my grandfather, t-they both—they both—”

“There’s nothing I can do for you anymore, Dissero. Every lineage has to end somewhere. You just aren’t cut out for this school.”

He takes his stamp and pushes it onto one of the papers before him. He hoofs it to me, and I force myself to take it. I hold the letter that spells my failure and fight the urge to crumple it up. To tear it apart. To shout and scream and cry until I get my way. I had known it was coming. I had known, I just hadn’t wanted to admit it.

I stumble out of the chair and run out of the office, leaving the administration building at a half-gallop, half-trot pace. The double doors of the Royal Aerial Academy close behind me, and I break out into a full gallop, racing across the green surface of the floating island. Wide shadows cross my path as the Academy’s airships fly above me. The tears flow freely now.

I come to a stop under a lonely tree, falling to my knees and curling up into a little ball. All those years of hard work. An entire foalhood dreaming of getting into the Academy. The pride in my father’s eyes when I brought my acceptance letter into our home. A lifetime planning out my future in the Princess’s Royal Air Force.

What had it all come out to?

Failure.

Perhaps drinking a bottle of vodka and then falling asleep hadn’t been the wisest of decisions.

My head was pounding. My tongue retained all the humidity of dry sand. My bladder was bursting. My bed was not nearly as comfortable as it had been when I fell asleep. The alcohol may have helped me with some of my problems, but one of the unwelcome side effects was the addition of new ones.

I groaned, opening my eyes as I rolled over. Thankfully, it was nighttime. I was greeted by not the harsh white glare of the sun, but instead the gentle yellow glow of candles. My head hung limply off the side of the bed, and I focused in on a bucket on the floor beneath me.

Water.

I fell off the bed, somehow managing to not tip the bucket over and spill its precious contents. I climbed to my hooves, stopping momentarily to rest on the edge of the bed before dunking my muzzle into the bucket and drinking the warm water within in one long sip.

The bucket tipped over as I lifted my head, scanning the room like a starving stallion stumbling into an oasis. Exe was sitting before the window calmly, looking out into the street. His axe was lying on his bed where it had been before, and my saddlebags lay haphazardly at the foot of my own bed, contents strewn about chaotically.

“How long was I asleep?” I asked. I didn’t want to miss my meeting with the recusants. I had helped them, and I was expecting to get some kind of share for my efforts.

“About seven hours,” the bear said.

I relaxed, falling back onto the bed. My stomach rumbled, but I wasn’t in the mood for eating anything. Half an hour passed in silence.

“Aren’t you gonna ask where I was?”

“I’m not your mate, pony. Where you spend your nights is of no concern to me.”

I cocked an eyebrow at the ceiling. “But aren’t you my guide, or something?”

"I said I would help you find your crew. I have no advice as to how.”

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “Do you know where Harvest City is?”

“Of course,” he scoffed. “Is that where you intend to go?”

I nodded, even though I doubted he was looking at me. “Yes. But first I need to take care of some business in New. Would you be ready to travel with me in a couple days?”

He grunted. “I think we may need to leave sooner than that.”“Why?”

“Didn’t you say you used to be a slave for the Baron?”

“Yes…”

He narrowed his eyes at something in the street, a soft growl rising from his throat. “Let’s go downstairs.” He grabbed his axe, slipping it into his sheath before walking out the door.

I hesitated, confused, and followed him down the stairs to the main room. It was unusually quiet, despite being just as full as it always was. Exe paused to raise his hood before taking a silent position at the bottom of the stairs, and I stopped behind him.

Straining to see over his sizeable girth, I saw the patrons all focused on a group of three ponies standing in the center of the room. They weren’t like any ponies I had seen before, in Equestria or the Outer World. They each wore heavy steel barding, stained with the marks of several battles. Rune guns were strapped onto their backs, with packs of bullets hanging beneath the swords and shields on their sides.

“Have I got your attention yet?” one of them roared. He kicked a small pile of guts by his hooves, and I noticed the five griffon corpses lying in puddles of blood around him.

Nobody in the inn dared to challenge him. He had a single grey wing extended, the blade attached to his feathers dripping blood. Silence filled the room, broken only by the sound of the red drops breaking against the wood as he scanned the crowd with hard bronze eyes.

“Listen up this time! I’m here to spread news, not kill you.”

“My name is Ashfall,” the pegasus said. “I am here as the direct representative of the Baron. Anything I do is done with his blessing. If you question me, you are questioning the Baron, and I will strike you down just as quickly as he would.”

He paused, daring any brave souls present to challenge him. Exe locked eyes with Sinnel, who was trying to remain unnoticed behind the bar, and they exchanged a brief nod.

“The Baron has recently had something stolen from him. Something precious. It was taken by a group of escaped slaves, and I am here to bring it back. My search begins here. You’re going to help me.”

I heard a small noise by my side, and glanced down to see Sinnel standing with his back to the stairs. He was holding a key in an upturned palm, shaking it gently to get my attention.

Ashfall nodded to the unicorn standing beside him, and he levitated a rolled up sheet of parchment above the crowd. With a flourish of magic, the scroll opened itself, revealing a carefully sketched picture of an airship.

Ah, fuck.

“If any of you have any knowledge of this ship, you will come to me immediately. If your tip proves fruitful, you shall be rewarded! Whether you want for gold, trade, or power, the Baron will deliver!”

The unicorn walked up to the message board hanging near one of the hearths, grabbing a nearby hammer and some nails. The room watched in silence as he pounded the nails into the cork, pinning the image of the Omega up for all to see.

I bent down, using the banging of the hammer as cover while I fumbled for the key with a hoof, afraid that magic would give me away. He probably knows all the unicorns that are supposed to be outside Equestria. Each strike of the hammer felt like another nail in my coffin.

With another swipe, I grabbed the key, quickly tucking it away in my mane. I nudged Exe with a hoof, and he glanced back to nod his acknowledgement.

The crowd was pushing closer to the message board now, muttering amongst themselves. Exe and I were beginning up the stairs, quietly slipping away, when one of the patron’s rose his voice.

“Hey, I know that ship!”

I froze, looking back.

A wolf had stepped forwards. “I recognize that ship. It docks in New, at the Jackal’s tower.”

Ashfall smiled, and I felt a chill. The expression didn’t reach his eyes. “Is it there now?” he asked.

The wolf shrugged. “I’m not sure. If not, it will be!”

The grey pegasus nodded, putting a wing on the wolf’s shoulder and guiding him to the door. They began to speak, and the wolf’s tail started wagging happily.

I slid closer to Exe. “We need to get to that tower, now!” I hissed.

“I presume you think your crew to be there?”

“Yes! We have to get to them before the Baron!” I levitated the key before my eyes. “What does this key do?”

“It leads to the Out Tunnels,” he said. “Meet me out back.”

I nodded, trotting for the door. Exe headed for the bar, and I overheard him exchanging a few words with Sinnel.

“How much for the room?” he asked.

“Half off for you, old friend. Go redeem yourself,” the innkeeper replied.

The door closed behind me. I paced nervously in the streets, looking up to the Baron’s skydock. There were a few more ships than usual floating around it, silhouetted by the moonlight. I switched my gaze to the Jackal’s district, searching for a familiar shape under its red flag. There!

I wasn’t sure how to feel about the sight of the Omega tied to one of the piers. I had found my crew, but so had the Baron. How have I not seen that ship until now?

Exe emerged from the inn, beckoning to me with his head as he made for the alleys. I sighed. I hate the alleys.

“So what are these Out Tunnels?” I asked, coming up to his side.

He pointed at a heavy metal door built into the side of The Hub. “It’s dangerous owning an inn or tavern in New. They’re burnt down often, and innkeepers are often subject to interrogation by the factions in this city. They’ve all built a system of tunnels under the city, to flee to other inns when they’re in danger.” He smirked. “I hear they also play cards there.”

I slipped the key into its slot, triggering a loud click. I pushed, and the door creaked open to reveal a staircase, descending down into shadow.

Exe pushed me forwards, closing the door behind us and engulfing us in darkness. Lighting the way with my horn, I led us down the stairs.

“Why are they called the Out Tunnels? Do they lead out of the city?”

He snorted. “No, unicorn. They lead to other inns and taverns across New. They call it the Out Tunnels because they thought it would be too obvious if they called them the Inn Tunnels.”

I spent a few seconds working that out.

We arrived at the bottom of the staircase, coming out onto a circular room with crude stone halls stretched off in every direction. There were signs nailed to each path, but the writing on them appeared to be in some kind of code.

I looked to Exe hopefully. “Can you read these?”

“Don’t worry,” Exe said. “I know how to read Sinnel’s atrocious scribblings.”

He started down one of the tunnels, and I followed. With the exception of my horn, there weren’t any light sources to be seen. It was pitch-black ahead of us, and pitch-black behind us. I found myself walking close to Exe, eyeing the shadows nervously. The only sound was the scrape of claws and clop of hooves. Nothing to see and nothing to hear. It was enough to make one doubt their very existence.

We came out to another crossroads. The signs here were written in the same code as the last ones. After a quick glance at the signs, we plunged back into the dark.

We passed through several more crossroads, each time taking a path just as dark and silent as the one before it. I had no idea where we were relative to The Hub. I felt the paths sloping down and up, but in the infinite dark of the tunnels it was difficult to perceive any concept of direction at all. It was just walking.

We stopped in another of the dim underground chambers. I waited patiently for Exe to lead the way down another path, but he just stood in the center of the room, squinting at the signs.

“Are we lost?” I asked.

“No. We’re here.” He started up a rickety ladder leaning against the wall, and I followed. We came out in a small stone construct, with nothing in it but a single door.

I squinted against the light filtering through a large crack in the wall. After so long with nothing but hornlight to see by, my eyes were almost painfully sensitive. “Where are we?”

“The Jackal’s District. We should be close to his main tower,” Exe replied. He pushed through the door, and we found ourselves in the middle of a narrow street.

I peered up, raising a hoof to block the rising sun, and spotted the Omega. It was on one of the higher levels, floating between two larger airships. Merchant ships, no doubt.

“How do we get up?”

“We walk.” Exe pulled up his hood. “Stop fidgeting.”

I obeyed as best as I could, stifling my nervous energy while we turned a corner and headed down the street. The city was drastically different so close to a major skydock. Aging wood apartments and thrown-together shacks were replaced with stone palaces and marble statues. Tight alleyways draped in shadow had been forsaken for open plazas, the sun shining on the wealthy merchants who made their home here. The silky robes and elaborate dresses of the rich made a stark contrast against the worn leather armor and weaponry that was the norm in the rest of the city.

“I’ve never been close to one of the skydocks before,” I said. “It’s different from the rest of the city.”

Exe grunted. “Many people come to this city in search of quick riches off West Coast trade. Few of them succeed. These extravagant homes are displays of wealth from the rich, right under the towers that their gold flows through. Everyone else lives in their shadow.”

“Hrm.” I scanned the crowd. There wasn’t a blade in sight. “They seem more civilized here.”

“Don’t believe the show, unicorn. This place is just as dangerous as the wilderness. The only difference is the means of your death.”

He stopped, pausing to eye the tower ahead of us. A gargoyle and a zebra sat to either side of the gate, two additional guards on each side of it ensuring that nobody broke through without permission.

“Let me handle the talking,” Exe said. He took a step forwards.

Suddenly, a familiar grey pegasus landed a few feet away from the gate, a black cape now adorning his armor. He pulled a scroll out from under a wing, hailing the tower’s guards as several black-clad griffons landed behind him.

“Shit!” I hissed. “He got here first.”

Exe grunted. I looked up to him expectantly, but to no avail. He stood there silently, eyeing the griffons thoughtfully. He grinned.

“Luckily for us, unicorn, it seems the Baron’s pegasus has decided to try and take your crew by surprise.” He scraped a few claws against the road.

“How is that lucky for us?”

“It means that, should we warn you crew, we would be able to escape before that pegasus can get back to his own ship, which is no doubt tied to the Baron’s tower.”

“But they’re ahead of us.”

“Yes, they are, aren’t they?” He grinned. “I suppose we’ll just have to fight our way through, then.”

I blinked. “What?”

“To battle!” he roared. His claws scraped against the stone as he sprinted forwards, charging for the freshly alerted group of griffons scrambling to form a defensive line. They were too slow.

He slammed into the mercs, bowling them over as he tore at them with his claws. With a quick lunge of his teeth and a pull, a griffon’s head went soaring through the air to land at my feet.

My mouth fell open.

Exe stood, rising up to balance on his hind legs as he pulled his axe out of its sheath. Two of the griffons launched themselves at him, and he swept them both aside with a single swing. Blood spurted onto his face as he turned to face me.

“Go, unicorn! I will follow!”

I jumped into action, drawing my two swords as I galloped for the gate. Two of the gargoyles that had been guarding it stepped in front of me, brandishing their halberds. I narrowed my eyes.

I won’t let you stop me. Kill or be killed.

They weren’t used to fighting unicorns. They had their blades pointed at my chest, which made it easy for me to reach out and slit both of their necks. They grabbed at their wounds, dropping their weapons as they fell over, and I leapt over their squirming bodies.

Now inside the gate, I sprinted for the lift built into the center of the tower. The zebra clerk occupying the desk in front of it drew a dagger, holding it shakily in his teeth. I easily shoved him aside, skidding to a stop on the lift.

“Exe!” I called.

“Patience, unicorn!” The bear tossed a griffon off his back, twisting around and chopping the merc in half before he hit the ground. Sliding his axe into its sheath, he fell back to all fours and ran for the lift.

“Up, mongrels!” Ashfall barked. “Kill them!”

I slammed the lift’s gate closed, smacking the lever on its control panel forwards. With a strained groan, the lift began climbing up the tower. I sighed in relief, leaning against one of the railings.

“Fool!” Exe snapped, causing me to jump. “What are you doing relaxing? They have wings!”

A trio of griffons swooped over us, wingblades extended as they wove through the skeletal structure of the tower. I ducked, and Exe reached up with a claw. One of the griffons squawked in pain, losing control and slamming into a steel beam with a sickening crunch.

Four more landed on the lift with us, accompanied by Ashfall. “You four get the bear! I’ll handle the pony!” he snarled.

My eyes widened as he pounced for me, and I just barely rolled out of the way of the claws strapped to his hooves. “You’re one of those slaves, aren’t you?”

I raised my swords, clumsily parrying the flurry of steel claws reaching for my face. “Leave my crew alone! We just want to be left alone!”

He spun, sweeping me off my hooves with an outstretched wing. “You stole my ship! That ship was supposed to be mine!”

My horn glowed as I grabbed one of his hooves in my magical grasp, desperately pushing it away as he strained to slide a claw into my face. “We needed that ship to escape!”

He roared as he put all his weight into the claw, and I just barely managed to shove it aside. I rolled away as he struggled to pull it out of the metal surface of the lift, bouncing back to my feet and grabbing my swords.

I took advantage of his temporary immobility, raising my swords to stab them into his spine. He twisted out of the way, using his wings to evade the attack and pull the claw out at the same time. Scowling, he glanced to the side.

Exe was standing on his hind legs, a single bloodied griffon held in his claws. Another griffon was crawling limply for the edge of the lift, axe buried in his back. The other two mercs were scattered around the lift in various states of dismemberment.

The griffon screeched as he was ripped apart.

I staggered, catching myself on the railing. So much… blood.

“Fuck!” I looked back to Ashfall, eyes wide. With one final scowl, he turned and leapt off the lift. With a few flaps of his wings, he swept through the tower’s structure and began flying for the Baron’s skydock.

Exe came to my side, offering a red paw. “You okay, unicorn?”

I grabbed it, allowing myself to be pulled to my hooves. “Just a… a lot of…” I trailed off, dazed.

He looked up and walked to the control panel, pulling the lever back into the neutral position. "I believe we’re here,” he said.

I turned around. A wide circular platform surrounded the lift, with thick metal piers jutting out into the sky. Twenty airships floated on this level, gently swaying in the wind, held in place only by the thick ropes tying them to the piers and the ship-sized balloons they rested upon. I focused in on one ship in particular. For a few seconds the bloody mess behind me faded away as the sight of the Omega, finally back within my hoof’s reach, brought a smile to my face.

The single wolf standing on the platform glanced over us idly. He looked away. He looked back, eyes wide as he took in the body parts scattered around the lift and the blood dripping from Exe’s fur.

I took a step off the lift, heading for the Omega. The wolf shrunk down, whining as he cowered in the shadow of a heavy trade ship.

Stopping before the hatch, I raised a hoof and knocked. Exe’s heavy steps came to a lumbering halt behind me as I waited. Looking down, I suddenly noticed the blood sticking to me and hastily tried to wipe it off with an equally bloodstained hoof.

I heard the hatch opening, and looked back up to offer a wide smile.

My face screwed up with surprise.

What the fu-

Author's Notes:

Remember how, earlier, I told someone that Ch. 14 was gonna be a doozy and I pointed out somebody who had made a comment that made me think and how it's contents were going to be all their fault?

Forget that. I had to scrap that version and do a total rewrite.

In other news, cliffhanger! I might've had a clever comment prepared for this space, but I'm afraid I've forgotten it. Oh me.

Check my blog for an important bit of news!