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"Shit." Kira cursed as she peeked out the door of Zandria's chambers, seeing an assembled mass of irate ponies at the end of the hall, which opened into a larger living space. We had managed, through team effort, to exhaust and incapacitate Zandria but still needed to make our escape.

"Is that green dushicorn out there?" I asked.

"Yeah, along with about fifteen others... We kicked some major flank on the way up." Kira looked over to me, her face a little flushed. I couldn't quite tell if it was from the kiss we had just shared or the heated activity beforehoof.

"He has the key." I touched my horn for emphasis.

"Oh... Knowing that earlier could have saved some trouble. Guess I'll just have to kick his sorry flank again."

"Well, let's get this over with." Sentry seemed a little downtrodden at being taken advantage of once again but we didn't have time to address it.

I swung open the door charging out with my metal clad horn lowered, daring anypony to stay in the way. I caught a glimpse of several ponies moving away as I neared the end of the hall; Kira and Sentry following close behind.

I sensed a surge of magic coming from ahead, something I had become surprisingly good at lately as long as I wasn't too distracted. A web of magical chains shot up milliseconds later at the exit to the hall, forcing me to come to a dead stop to avoid a painful collision.

Kira leapt over me, a near invisible blade of wind cutting the chains right down the middle. She dove through the gap and sprinted towards the green unicorn as he attempted to flee, a disheartened cringe upon his face at seeing Kira once again.

Sentry and I brushed past the dangling links, exiting the hall to join the fray.

Kira dove upon and grappled with the verdant unicorn, stopping his magic from ensnaring her at every tumble while attempting to subdue him once again to retrieve the key.

Regaining the use of magic was a top priority so I tried to move over to help but found my path quickly blocked by the two foreign ponies I had met earlier. The colt spoke up, "We must insist zat you return to Zandria."

The masseuse gave her little giggle, which sounded disturbingly threatening compared to her earlier demeanor, procuring a satchel of acupuncture needles. "Ze misses would not appreciate it if we had to damage her goods, no?" She flicked one out with alarming accuracy, my front leg going completely numb.

I forced myself to remain upright, pulling the pin with my teeth. I looked back to her as the feeling seeped back into to my limb, watching as she threateningly grabbed at another needle.

I took a single step back before diving to the side, this time feeling a painful prick as the needle missed its intended target but still managed to find its way into my flesh. I grabbed a pony about to sneak up on Sentry, dragging them along as a body shield as I advanced towards the mare.

The mare threw two more needles and my pony hostage went completely limp in my grasp. I pushed the paralyzed weight into her before trying to run past to help Kira get the key.

Somehow I had forgotten about the other pony that now stood over me as I shook my head in a daze. What were these two, Zandria's personal Prancian hit squad? I hadn't even seen him or the blow coming.

I fake swept at his leg before pushing off the ground with my back hooves, sliding out from under him. As I moved this time I felt a needle bounce off my skull.

If only she would cut that out, I briefly wondered how many of the needles she had as I regained my hoofing. My thoughts were quickly interrupted as I dove to the side again, this time to avoid the attack of her counterpart. They seemed so much nicer before... When they weren't trying to incapacitate me.

But it made even more sense now that one of them had been with me nearly every step I had taken through the mansion. Another pin struck my side, leaving one wing entirely numb. She really wasn't pulling any shots but thinking of my wings gave me an idea. I unfurled my good wing, curving it as a shield between the next dart and me. My plan worked, her needles needing to strike critical spots to be effective.

Trapped between the two I opted to rush the mare, my wing unfurled to take the brunt of her needles. When I was close enough I lowered my quilled up wing, several needles falling to the floor as I swung out to strike her throwing arm.

As expected she blocked my swing so I grabbed hold of her hoof, twisting it roughly. I cringed as I heard her cry out but continued twisting, knocking her hooves out from under her to finish the job as I heard her limb give a sickening snap.

I suddenly felt woozy, not from what I had just done but something different. Looking down to her satchel and unused needles I could see several of them in a side pouch were tinted orange, having been dipped in some sort of drug. Great, just what I needed, more mental haziness.

I felt a hoof wrap around my neck from behind, cutting off my air as its owner attempted to pacify me. I kicked at my attacker and desperately struggled unable to break the steely grasp. The drugs and lack of oxygen were quickly getting to me, my vision starting to pulse with darkness.

My hooves scrambled around for anything I could use, anything that could help me break free. Bumping into the satchel I reached in, grabbing a hoof full of needles. I could barely tell how many I had grabbed with my rapidly worsening vision but it was a quite a few of the tiny things. I took the bundle of pointed metal and jabbed it sharply into the limb restricting my airflow, giving an extra push for good measure before snapping the tips off inside of him.

My throat was released in a hiss of pain, the stab enough to distract the damned pony from task. I dropped the bundle of shattered metal, the needles cascading to the floor as I gasped for air. I barely registered Kira as she rushed over and levitated my key to its latch, tearing away the metal sheath and allowing me the ability to use magic once again... If only I could focus my mind enough for the task.

My world was in a fog as I blasted the injured Prancian away and roughly into the wall, preventing an attack on Kira. I looked around the room in a single blurry motion, sending an entire group sprawling with an uncontrolled blast, one jumping out of the way just in time.

My horn glowed out as I prepared to finish the job of taking the last of our foes down, a voice interrupting. "Ike, wait!" Kira gave my horn a thump to stop my magic from incapacitating Sentry, looking into my hazy eyes. "Ah great," she spoke pulling out a needle from my side and examining it "Just what we need, a drugged up Alicorn... Sentry, we have to move quick, any plan to get off this island?"

"This was your mission, I thought you would have the plan?"

"Boat... Out back..." I barely managed the words as Kira kept me from slumping over.

"Ike, you sure?" She asked, to which I gave a short nod.

Kira began to descend the nearest staircase, taking the lead should we run into anypony else. As I neared the steps I stumbled and fell, the mind and body numbing drugs taking their toll.

Sentry took notice, looking at me with concern before helping me back to my hooves. He helped me down each step one at a time as Kira looked back impatiently. "Can we speed that up? We don't have all night."

As we reached the bottom Sentry hoisted me up over his back, laying me sideways across it. "Sorry about this..." He apologized as he took off after Kira at a trot; the jolting motions the only thing keeping me awake.

Being carried with such relative ease gave me an appreciation of Sentry's strength; one side of his family must have been earth pony. I don't think Kira could have managed this pace had she been the one carrying me.

Having taken out nearly every combat capable servant in the mansion during the last fight our progress went uninterrupted, only a barebones crew of ponies that didn't give us any more than a questioning stare or startled shouts were there to greet us.

Kira thrust open a set of doors, entering into the silvery moonlight. I couldn't see much from my position but I could tell by the yells throughout the mansion that some ponies had recovered enough to give chase.

"There's the ship!" Exclaimed Kira, running the remaining distance and up the gangplank. She immediately ran to the anchor and started hauling it up, Sentry setting me down to help. Looking back to the mansion I could see several ponies exit the door, running full sprint towards the ship.

I stumbled hazily back over to the gangplank and lifted it with magic, attempting to drag it on board before anypony could reach it. I got it halfway up before I lost focus, my magic sputtering out. The plank tipped back over the edge, splashing into the water below. One pony immediately dove in, working to pull it back to the shore where they could set it up.

Kira finished with the anchor, running over to unfurl the sails. As she did she seemed to notice something. "Ike, you didn't tell me the ship was on a lake! How are we supposed to escape on this?"

"It's supposed to be able to fly." I spoke as I tried to walk over, my legs failing.

"Supposed to be? That isn't very assuring." She came over and dragged me back to my hooves again. The ship slowly pulled away from the assembled ponies attempting to re-set the boarding ramp, causing then to give up. A few of them jumped into the water in an attempt to climb the ship instead.

"I heard it did..."

"So you based our escape plan on rumors?" Kira looked to the opposing bank, " All right, change of plans, we sail to the other bank, fight off any climbers, and make a run for it."

"Wait." Sentry spoke, standing at the helm. "He may be right. I say we give it a try, if we can't figure it out by the time we reach the other shore we abandon ship." Sentry stared at the complex bank of levers to both sides of the wheel, trying to move one but finding it locked in place. "I don't exactly know what I'm doing though..."

"Need some help?" A voice spoke from behind me, Kira dropping me to wheel around to see the speaker.

"Xane?" She spoke to the gryphon who seemed to have a penchant for showing up without being noticed. "When did you get here?"

"When I woke up to find Ike had been taken hostage I put things together and headed here, I can't afford to shirk my duties."

"But you were unconscious from injuries!"

"I can handle," Xane spoke, removing a clawed hand from an evidently bloodied bandage. "Now, move aside." He lightly pushed Sentry to the side, inserting his claws into some sort of lock at the very center of the wheel and twisting. A solid click was heard as the ship gave a minor lurch, the same lever Sentry had been unable to move kicking into position. "Sister won't be happy..." He mumbled under his breath, adjusting several other levers.

The waters around the hull slowly receded as the ship began to lift, a magical furnace somewhere below decks kicking into full gear as a giant internal air bladder expanded. The ponies clambering up the sides of the vessel let go in fright as the ship began to lift from the water.

"You know how to fly this?" Sentry asked a little surprised.

"It is a one of a kind vessel, a prototype stolen by Zandria about a century ago. But to my people it is a well known vessel."

"A century? Why haven't we ever seen something like this then?"

"The architect is a stubborn old bird... After the Haast was stolen he refused to craft another or give up his designs." As the ship finished leaving the water Xane slowly pulled back another lever.

The ship gave a groan as two compartments that ran lengthwise on the ship's sides opened up, two gigantic wings designed in the style of an eagle's slowly unfurled from the ship's innards. "Hmm, it sounds like this bird needs a little work herself."

"You seem to know an awful lot about this ship for, what was it, a private stationed on a regular vessel?" Kira questioned skeptically.

"Are those acupuncture needles sticking out of your Alicorn friend's wing?" Xane peered over to me, as I lay upon the deck nearly passed out. By now the ship has raised well above the height of Zandria's mansion, swiftly gliding along on the wind.

"I can tell a blatant evasion when I hear it..." Kira unfurled my wing looking it over and pulling out several of the metal quills before stabbing them into the deck

"Fine, but you must swear to treat me no differently when you learn the truth." Xane reluctantly agreed to give the full truth under one condition.

"As long as the truth does not make you an enemy I can agree." Kira finished combing through my wing and put it back down, slowly looking over the rest of my body for more.

"From our first meeting I wasn't very truthful..." Xane held his bandaged side and leaned against the wheel. "I was no private aboard the Archrest, I was captain. It is quite dishonorable for a gryphon to lose his ship, especially when his first has already been stolen... The Haast was my ship, commissioned as a gift by my father the Nestking. If I am even worthy enough to name him as my lineage..." Xane trailed off for a moment.

"So, that makes you prince?" Sentry asked.

"Yes, but I am a second child. Zandria is my sister."

Kira looked up from me as her hoof reached for a blade.

"Hold for moment while I clarify," Xane scolded. "I have no intentions of returning you to her."

Kira lowered her hoof and plucked the last needle from my coat, stopping any more of the drugs from entering my system.

"She was raised from birth to be successor, but became displaced by my hatching... I remind you that Gryphons are very long lived; when I was birthed she was nearly a century old. She always resented me, even though I did not desire my father's place. Had she waited until my coronation I would have abdicated to her but she had other plans...

Father wanted me to prove myself capable before I could take full command so he commissioned the Haast, a powerful vessel just for me. Zandria was always better than me at everything and her bitterness at being displaced had not faded over the years. She chose to publicly shame me by challenging me to a duel, taking my ship, my crew, and nearly my life before heading out to sea. When father sailed out and insisted she apologize and return my ship instead of giving into her demands for power granting she denied him, sinking his inferior vessel. Afterwards she fled from gryphon territory as traitor.

I've never blamed her for her hatred, I only wish things could have gone differently..."

I could almost swear upon hearing an angry gryphon's cry drifting along the air behind us, Zandria waking to find her captive and prized vessel gone.

I could see sadness in Xane's eyes; he still cared for his older sister, despite her apparent hatred for him or her criminal actions over the years. Xane also gave another pained wince and pulled his talons away from the bandage, which was soaked through with blood.

"Let me see that wound, I don't think its bound properly." Sentry walked over.

"Its fine... Accepting further help just emphasizes how much of a failure I already am."

There was a brief pause as Sentry thought out how to proceed. "You said you didn't want to be treated any differently that before, yes?" Sentry asked, receiving a nod from Xane. "Then let me re-bandage your wound, Private..." He paused to check if his statement had offended Xane before continuing. "As a member of hoof picked royal guard I outrank you." Sentry twisted the meaning of Xane's command, using it to ignore the fact he was royalty and a captain.

"Ha," Xane gave a pained laugh. "You pick your companions well, Ike. Very well Sentry, do your worst." He spoke, sitting down and allowing the Pegasus access to his side.

Sentry prepared another bandage while speaking with Xane. "Well at least one good thing has come out of this for you."

"And what is that?" He asked.

"You have your ship back."

"In a hardly honorable way. The gryphons are a very straightforward people, it would have been preferred that I destroy the Haast in open battle or redeem it through a second duel rather than steal it back. But as you can see I'm not exactly a capable commander, losing the Archrest to the depths.

"I'm sure somepony, some gryphon." Sentry corrected himself, "will be glad to see you return with the Haast."

"If you mean the architect, yes and no. He will be quite dismayed by its lack of proper maintenance."

"No, I'm sure your father will be glad to see you safe." Sentry finished rebinding Xane's wound, sufficiently tightening the cloth to keep pressure on the right areas.

"Thank you." Xane returned to the helm and lightly nudged a few levers before mildly adjusting their heading, the giant wings mimicking the majestic gliding turn of a bird of prey.

"The winds are gentle, so it should be smooth flying from here. Go get some rest, it looks like you all need it."

~~~

Elsewhere:

A sinister light flickered upon archaic pillars, a guttural chant echoed from an assembly of creatures cloaked in black. A blood red sliver of moon shone down upon the open-air temple, casting an unholy light upon the altar at its apex.

"Welcome acolyte, are you prepared to join our order?" A voice snaked its way above the chant, its unicorn speaker pulling back his hood as the initiate finished climbing the ancient stone steps.

"Yes my lord, this is what I was born for." The Pegasus spoke, staring into the blood red eyes of his abyssal master.

"Good, the stronger your will the greater the power you shall be blessed with. Come forth."

The Pegasus walked forward onto a blood stained dais, standing in wait of his blessing.

The dark priest pulled out a dagger and sliced it across his own hoof, letting the blood begin to pool. Joining the acolyte he placed his hoof above the pony's maw, allowing a single drop to fall.

The guttural chant rose to new heights, the words indecipherable. The Pegasus went rigid; the blood in his very veins searing. Pain swept through him and he collapsed, unable to think of anything else while writhing on the altar.

After a minute his thrashing died down, a hush coming upon the assembly.

"Stand."

The Pegasus shakily stood, his eyes filled with bloodlust. A snarl rippled from his throat.

"Do you speak?"

The Pegasus lunged forward, magic enveloping him as his snarling maw came within inches of its target.

"Worthless beast." The robed priest plunged the dagger into the creature's heart casting it aside with ease. "Bring the next initiate, perhaps they will make for a more capable vessel." He spat upon the rapidly forming pile of corpses, only the strong would survive.

~

I don't know when I had drifted off, but the strange events sat at the forefront of my mind as I awoke in a cold sweat. I hadn't had a nightmare for a while now. Perhaps Luna's reach for guiding dreams did not span this far away from Equestria.

"You ok, Ike?" Kira walked over, feeling my head. " It feels like your body has cleared out the drugs, is it something else?"

"Yeah, it was just a bad dream."

"Oh... I've been getting them too, old memories of when Sombra was in power. It makes me realize that Luna must really have her hooves full at night, helping everypony dream peacefully back in Equestria, especially my people."

"I guess that's what you get for wielding a band of power... A boatload of responsibilities. She is the Keeper of Dreams, Celestia the Heavenly Sentinel, Twilight the Guardian of Knowledge.

All of their bands of power seem to emphasize traits already present in the bearer. It almost seems like each one of them was predestined to receive their specific band. But how is it possible that the shackle was truly meant for me? I came from another world. These bands of power have an importance to this land beyond what can be seen, what if my presence here has stolen it from the true bearer?

Bearing the Shackle of Dawn makes me Vanquisher of Darkness, a task that nearly undid me once before.

"You are wise to understand the weight of your responsibility." Xane spoke, appearing unannounced as normal. "The bands are part of a greater power entirely, one that makes up the very seam of this world. To disobey its calling, your calling, would be to pull at the very thread holding our reality together."

"How do you always do that?" I asked.

"Do what?" Xane replied.

"Show up randomly without anypony seeing you."

"I've been here five minutes, I was beginning to think Kira was ignoring me."

"What? No you weren't, I would have noticed you." Kira argued.

He shrugged dismissively. "Perhaps your senses are not as sharp as you believe?" Xane joked, mumbling to himself. "Or perhaps there's a certain magical artifact to blame..."

"What was that?" Kira questioned him.

"Nothing, just reminiscing."

"Don't you have some piloting to do?"

"Oh, yes, what was I thinking? We might crash into all of this nothing floating around up here."

"Go check our heading or something wiseass." Kira looked back to me and smirked, already pushing the boundaries of her station by mouthing off to foreign royalty.

"For what it is worth Ike, the things I have heard make me believe you indeed are the correct bearer." Xane got in a few last words before slipping off.

~

"So, um... How are you handling all the randomness going on?" Kira started talking to me again.

"Well, I'm doing the best I can to keep up, but I feel like I'm always one step behind."

"Yeah..." She trailed off, obviously distracted by something running through her head.

"Kira?"

"What is it?"

"What happened back at the mansion...That kiss meant something to you, didn't it?"

Kira shuffled her hooves and looked away. "I don't feel like its the right time for this conversation, I've got some fresh mistakes to live down first."

~~~

Author's Note:

Thanks For Reading!

Well crap, would have had this posted a week ago if not for the shitstorm that passed through my town. No joke baseball through softball sized hail and winds in excess of 90mph. Luckily no tornado but the other factors caused enough damage. When I say damage imagine having a window shatter so hard it embeds glass shards into the wall on the other side of the room. Cars, houses, trees... not much got spared, to add insult to injury it was 5 or so inches more of rain after all the hail... And I was on my shift the whole time, knowing my car sitting out in the lot would be utterly trashed. So, yeah, fun week.

As for the cryptic note last chapter... Digging up the poorly covered pain then casting it away appropriately seems to have worked, we will see how things go and if I can get back into the grove of things writing wise now.