"Jade Snakestrike." The red and black alicorn greeted, extending a hoof.

Eclipse glanced up from his salad. It was a small miracle that it didn't make him vomit from its taste, making it better than both train and airline food back on Earth. His eyebrows knitted in confusion. "I didn't ask."

"You were thinking it." The alicorn responded, shrugging. "Yeah, I can read minds. It's not a big thing."

Eclipse sighed. "This is the last time I buy the cheapest train ticket."

The alicorn ignored the comment, simply sitting in silence, watching Eclipse eat.

Finally, the earth pony couldn't ignore him any longer. "What?"

"It's just so rare." Jade said, staring at Eclipse with some curiosity. "Most of the other sues and stus I meet are alicorns, like me. But here you are, without wings or a--"

He was interrupted by a sudden case of being blasted through the side of the train.

Eclipse sighed and ate another bite of his salad, the large hole opposite him paling in comparison to his empty box of givable damns. "The last time."

"Oh, so you're one of the cool antihero types?"" A voice asked.

Eclipse didn't even turn to look at the new voice, instead turning his eyes toward the heavens above. "For the last time. Not. A. Stu."

"You just took out a mind-reading alicorn with your chaos magic."

"Would you like to be next!?"

"Fuck fuck fuckity fuck." Eclipse muttered as he slipped down the slope several dozen feet. "They maintain the track to a kingdom that disappeared a thousand years ago, but not so much as a station anywhere near this village. Because of course they don't." He summoned a pickaxe, using it to keep himself from slipping any further. "I had to jump off a moving train to get this close, nearly breaking my neck in the process. And then they didn't even bother to put in stairs. Stairs! I could ask for an elevator but I'd settle for stairs!"

He had stopped halfway between the northern and southern borders of the mountain range and was now at least two hours east of the tracks, translating to around three mountains between him and transportation.

It sucked.

He knew roughly where the town was, but wasn't given an exact location, leaving him to scout the area on his own. Climbing further, he came upon a feathery form sunbathing on a rock. "Hey! Hey you!" He called. "I'm looking for a town called Vangar! Could you maybe give me some directions?"

The form shifted, revealing a griffin with a body of red and orange, the two colors blending in a way that was reminiscent of fire, as well as a white head with several large yellow feathers forming a crown on the top and down the back of her neck. She blinked at him, taking a moment to register him through her apparent sleep daze.

When she plopped down and sighed, Eclipse realized that it had simply been a state of silent disbelief. "We said changelings. Plural. We expected an army to come running and they send one earth pony?" She pinched the bridge of her beak. "Vangar isn't even accessible without flying! It's a pegasus and griffin town!"

Eclipse quirked an eyebrow. "This is information that would have been useful in that letter." Still, he smiled. "Ah, well. Cloud walking it is." Adjusting his cloak and HUD unit so they sat comfortable and securely, he jumped onto one of his black clouds, now officially trademarked. Seriously, don't copy that shit.

Forming a bridge over to the griffin's rock, he couldn't help but smirk at her disbelieving expression. She shook her head to make sure she wasn't hallucinating, then took a moment to point a talon back the way he had come.

Eclipse, not understanding, gazed back as well. "What? Is there something I--" he paused when he realized that she was asking why he hadn't just rode his clouds the entire way. He blushed, the red mixing with his gray coat to form an even darker red. "Shut up."

The griffin rolled her eyes, but took spread her wings and took flight. "I'll show you to town, just don't expect a red carpet entrance."

Eclipse shrugged and followed, allowed to move at the speed of a leisurely but still mobile trot courtesy of the griffin circling him.

"Would you mind not making me feel like a deer surrounded by rednecks?" He asked as she continued to circle him every now and then, simply flying slightly ahead once in a while to indicate the direction the village was in.

"Would you mind explaining the ugly glasses?"

He immediately obliged, eager to get the explanation out of the way. "Experimental HUD unit designed by the Canterlot department of--"

She raised a talon to stop him. "If you didn't want to explain it, you could've just said so. They were a gift from your mother or something."

Eclipse shook his head, following the griffin as she glided to their destination.

About twenty minutes passed, most of which Eclipse spent humming a peaceful tune to himself. After that twenty minutes, they spotted the village of Vangar.

It was built into a large indent of a mountain, with buildings sitting comfortably at the bottom and others that had been built into the walls and even ceiling of the cavity. Outside the solid walls, there were several cloud houses as well, though these were small and stayed huddled close to the rest of the town. Due to its partially vertical nature, Vangar took up less space than Ponyville but was still very much in the same league as the town, albeit in a roundabout manner.

Eclipse let out a low whistle. "Now that's an interesting town. I like the artistic value." He grinned at the griffin, who had introduced herself as Aranna.

She frowned at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

He shrugged, giving her an expression of 'what? is there a big deal?'.

"Just come with me to the town center." Aranna ordered, gliding towards a large building huddled at the back of the town's ground level.

There was a group of griffin and pegasi guarding the building, keeping out a small crowd of other pegasi and griffins, but they parted their spears when Aranna approached. Eclipse jumped down from his cloud mount, opting to stay within several feet of the griffin. He took note of how only Aranna had the red and yellow color scheme, as most of the other griffins in the town simply had the classic brown and white coloration. The pegasi were simply the same sea of colors they were in the rest of Equestria.

The guards were wearing metal armor, covering similar parts of their bodies as the Solar and Lunar guards of Equestria. However, this armor was much simpler, and most bore scratches or minor dents here and there.

The guards gave him curious looks, likely deriving from his odd means of arrival as well as who he was arriving with. Aranna waved them off, gesturing for Eclipse to continue walking with her.

When they entered the building, they were greeted with the sight of at least several dozen faces, both griffin and pegasi. Some were clearly prominent figures in the town, judging by their noble demeanor. Eclipse had to bite his lip to keep himself from turning and leaving right there. Nobles were not his forte.

Scattered among the nobles were several guards wearing slightly more decorated versions of the armor seen on the guards outside, but similar traits of use remained. Whether the scuffs were recent or if Vangar's guard corp simply bore the signs of their past on with them, Eclipse couldn't tell.

One such ranking officer was currently pleading with a griffin who sat atop a simple throne made of wood with some padding on the seat and back. He was a red pegasus with a green mane, speaking to who Eclipse could only guess was the leader of the town, possibly mayor or even king.

The griffin rose slightly when he saw Aranna approach, Eclipse in tow. Perking up, he raised a claw for the pegasus to cease. He obliged, turning to face the newcomers along with most of others in the room.

The griffin waved Eclipse forward. Eclipse, being unsure, pointed at himself while the rest of the room stared in silence. The griffin nodded, beckoning him forward again.

Once Eclipse was standing a mere few feet away from him, the griffin frowned to himself. "Is the rest of your group waiting outside?" he asked, all the while sizing the earth pony up.

"No." Eclipse responded. "It's only me."

"Ridiculous!" The pegasus said, stomping his hoof. He turned to the griffin on the throne. "Sachem Finnis, we ask for reinforcements and they send one pony who can't even easily navigate the area? What kind of joke are these Equestrians playing?"

Aranna stepped forward. "He can navigate just fine, though it may take him a while to remember how." She smirked, casting a glance at Eclipse.

He snorted, smirking back. "Coming from she who was caught napping."

The pegasus took a step forward. "Treat the sachem's daughter with respect due her station."

Eclipse shifted his gaze to Aranna, who simply remained quiet and awaited his reaction, though the edges of her mouth did twinge at the pegasi's remark. He quickly shifted back to the pegasus. "I believe that if she" He enunciated the last word, smiling when the pegasus scowled at him. "had a problem with how I treated her, she would have told me herself. I only just met her and I, at least, hold that much faith in her ability."

Even though his eyes weren't on her, he could tell that Aranna was smiling, if only on the inside. The sachem's smile, on the other hand, was clearly outward bound.

The pegasus took two steps forward. "And you continue to mock us! I should drag you into a cage myself."

Eclipse raised a hoof. "One. I was only mocking you. Two. Just you try."

The pegasus spread his wings, revealing two wing blades that, judging from the reflection, were freshly sharpened.

"Cyclone!" Finnis barked, his voice deep and booming. "Stand down. We know nothing of this newcomer beyond his appearance. He could be the most powerful being we have ever had direct encounters with, for all we know."

"And besides," Eclipse added, moving a hoof in a circular pattern. "I was sent here because of a changeling problem. I couldn't care less about politics and diplomacy if I tried. Just point me at what needs to go up in smoke."

Cyclone took the opportunity to raise his voice. "And he even admits to disrespecting us, without even a hint of shame!" Eclipse felt his eye begin twitching. "You surely must see that he cannot be allowed to simply treat you or your kin in such a way!" Eclipse snarled, his eyes beginning to glow red. Aranna waved a set of talons in front of his face, but he didn't notice. "Sachem, if nothing else, demand that he show proper respect from now on!" Finnis was a bit busy watching Eclipse's annoyance reach new heights, something Cyclone was still unaware of. "I would also recommend that he apologize for his--"

"Would you kindly shut up before I kick you in the face!?" Eclipse shouted, drawing the attention of all in the room, though he already had the attention of most. It probably helped that his mane was suddenly on fire.

A white pegasus with a blue mane quickly blew out the flames.

Eclipse immediately felt the top of his head. "Whoa, is my hair out?"

Finnis glared at Cyclone. "You may be one of my highest ranking officers, but your arrogance has kept you held back for many years. I pray you see why soon." He straightened up, his gaze running over the crowd. "I would like a private audience with the Equestrian." When none moved, his eyes narrowed. "Now."

The room almost instantly vacated, leaving only Eclipse and Finnis.

The griffin rose from his throne, walking around Eclipse. "There is something I failed to mention in my correspondence to the princesses. I have personally visited the changeling hive most of my people blame for the attacks, but I know it is not they."

"So, you said changeling attack, but they aren't attacking?" Eclipse asked. "You seem to follow a strange sort of logic."

"And you follow none, chaos user." Finnis returned, still circling the pony. "But it is changelings that attack us. Just not the one hive we know of."

"You think there is a second hive somewhere nearby."

"I know." The griffin held up a talon. "I also have a request. My daughter, whom you've met, will journey with you to the hive I know of, in order to find this second hive. She holds a special place in her heart for all changelings. But not the kind of special place you want to hold."

Eclipse 'tsk'ed. "The kill on sight spot?"

"The annihilate on sight spot."

"That could be a problem. Especially if she's coming with me."

Finnis sighed. "This may be the one changeling hive that doesn't feast on the love of others. They've lived in seclusion for a long time, with only minor interaction. I know several of them personally. And I want you to show Aranna the truth."

"And if you're wrong?" Eclipse asked.

"Destroy the hive if they are the ones attacking us."

"Can Aranna handle herself in a fight?"

A side door opened, revealing Aranna with a metal helm covering her head, with the exception of her face. A kite shield was strapped to her left talon, the point scraping the ground at certain parts of her step. It widened as it went up her arm, until it reached the halfway mark between her elbow and shoulder. The shield was attached to two straps around her wrist and elbow, meaning that several inches of shield went beyond the uppermost strap. A shoulder plate rested on the same leg as the shield, attached to a breastplate that protected her chest.

On her back was the scabbard for a longsword. The sword itself was grasped firmly in her right talon, shaped like a simple sword, the blade of which was bright and untarnished. The leather around the handle was worn, but still in very good condition. Around her right arm was a simple bracer, rather than another thick shield like her left arm. She had no right shoulder plate, likely sacrificed for mobility and easy swings.

She had guards on her hind legs, but little defense around her thighs or hips. It was clear that she had intended to have allies to group with, meaning that whatever weight was back there would have been useless. Even alone, it still gave her a better mobility than a warrior in full plate-mail.

Metal claws had been placed over her talons, meaning that if she were ever disarmed, she was still more dangerous than most other opponents in close quarters. Shield bashing and protected charges were also viable methods of assault if she ever lost her sword but kept her shield.

She spread her wings, the fire-like pattern of her body making a return in the bright red and yellow feathers, unhindered by wing blades or armor.

She grinned, putting the tip of her sword under Eclipse's chin and using it to close his mouth, which had fallen open somewhere along the line.

"Yep." The pony said, nodding. "I can make this work."

"Ah, but before you go..." Finnis said, stroking his chin. "If you ever run into my friend Fateweaver again, tell him I said hello."

Author's Notes:

sa·chem
ˈsāCHəm
noun
1. (among some American Indian peoples) a chief or leader.

The more you know!

(But other than that, there is absolutely no native american influence in Vangar or its inhabitants. Any similarities [doubtful there are any] are purely coincidental.)

Also, four paragraphs just to describe some armor and weapons. Damn. Aranna is one of few characters I had wanted to bring into this from close to the beginning and my wishes have finally come true!