The Voyage of the Polar Star

[Trilobite]

Chapter 1: The Tower

The trees were bent, dark, and gnarled, ancient evergreens curved with the relentless wind. They clung tenaciously to upthrusts of rock, sheltering lichen and shrubs in their roots as ice-laden wind hissed through their stout boughs. Water, dark as tarnished silver, lapped against the shores of their rocky islands, and under the howling of the wind was the constant creaking of ice floes and the occasional sharp crack of a calving sheet.

The low clouds were cut by a strange shape that moved against the wind, trailing a wake of falling mist behind it. The Polar Star struggled northward, her pegasus-built keel finding tenuous purchase on the icy stormclouds. Her hot air envelope's bright colors were dulled by the ice that formed over every surface, weighing her down, and crews of stalwart ponies in bulky cold-weather clothing were visible everywhere, tirelessly clearing the ice.

“Tower ho!” Salt Spray's call was nearly lost in the wind.

Cleverboots looked up from her work on the wings, one hoof going instinctively to her safety line. Behind the slit snow-goggles, her eyes narrowed as they peered into the mist.

There! Looming out of the icy grayness! A tall, slender tower, projecting up above the clouds on which the ship sailed. Ancient decorations of beautiful, but strange design could be faintly seen, along with winged forms circling the distant shape. Cleverboots began hauling herself back up to the deck. She took the time to be careful. After three weeks with the crew she knew she could trust them to handle things properly until she arrived, and they knew she would be there shortly.

[tacobob]

Pocket Change slowly drank from a coffee cup marked with the famous logo of the 'Canterlot University'. As he surveyed the control deck he wondered how Cleverboots and the others were faring on the wing. Oh how he pretended to be interesting in helping, but after trying it out the first time, he realized he was no fan of heights, and even more so of the horrible weather that was currently attacking their ship. And with her outside, the first mate had to remain on hoof to watch the others as they operated the ship to make sure they knew what they were doing. Thankfully they did, as the unicorn still hadn't figured out how half of the devices on ship had worked. They were filled with gizmos and gadgets and even a few thing-a-mabobs.

He sighed ever so dramatically as he watched out of the viewing window. He watched yet another cloud pass by, or as the Pegasus refereed to them as the 'Soil Of The Sky'. Had he been stuck on this ship for three whole weeks now? He found it hard, but somehow he was starting to get cabin fever and he was starting to really miss Canterlot.

He nearly spit out his drink the moment Salt Spray let out the shout for 'Tower Ho' and knew his captain would be popping in very soon for a visit.

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Expedition Journal: Entry 21.

I have only a few moments to compose my thoughts. A non-trivial portion of the crew -myself included in that tally- have remained awake since sometime the day prior. Although, I must admit my knowledge of astronomy is insufficient to accurately judge the passage of time -an irony that has not been lost on me- the days appear to be significantly shorter in this part of the world, and I shall endeavor to investigate the phenomenon upon my return to Equestria. I'm getting beside myself though, as I am afraid the reason for our extended period of consciousness is more pressing than the peculiar passage of time.

The weather took a turn for worse yesterday, and I will be required to ascend once again to the top of our lifting envelope to clear away ice until we vacate the storm's perimeter or find some safe harbor. The hot air ought to have melted the ice automatically, and while I can attest that the Polar Star has exceeded expectations, the conditions we are already facing have exceeded expectations as well. I do hope our circumstance changes soon, as I have had little time to advance my own studies.

----

Ember Spark nearly dropped her hammer when she heard Salt Spray's call, throwing herself off balance to keep it from slipping out of her momentarily agape mouth. As she lost her hoofing completely and started slipping down the side of the balloon, she briefly considered how unpleasant it would be when she ran out of slack on the safety line, but she wasn't about to lose her faithful little assistant like that.

She let out a little squeak when she came to a halt, dangling upside down over the deck. Before she bothered righting her own predicament, she carefully slipped her ice clearing implement back into her tool belt."There you go, all safe and sound."

Switching safety lines and dropping to the deck gracefully required a feat of agility that wasn't quite within her ability, and by the time she had pulled herself back on her hooves, most of the other ponies were already clamoring forward to catch sight of some distant landmark that was obscured by her frost rimmed goggles. She did, however, see Captain Cleverboots making her way towards the control deck and trotted herself up alongside. She didn't know what everypony was so excited about, but they were definitely excited and it brought a smile to her face.

"Hiya Captain, what's going on? I haven't heard anypony yell 'Tower ho' before. Is that a metaphor? it seems odd to intersect a tower with these clouds, unless maybe there is a mountain or maybe the pegasi built a tower on the clouds themselves. Did pegasi build cloud towers in the pre-classical era? Ooh! Do you suppose there might be a harbor nearby where we can set down? We may have an easier time conducting proper maintenance in less adverse conditions..."

Ember Spark didn't really give Cleverboots a chance to respond until she caught sight of a winged silhouette of a slightly darker grey against grey clouds, at which point she stopped to stare in wonder.

Could it be? Civilization in a place like this? I bet they have some interesting stories to tell...

Ember Spark's train of thought picked up steam, and although she was still walking right next to Captain Cleverboots, her words were now directed to nopony in particular. "Ooh! We should ask them for directions."

[Emerath]

Emerath had been at the wheel for three weeks now, only having rest when somepony had told him he needed to sleep, seeing as he had been too focused at the task at hand, which was piloting this ship through this heavy weather. The ship was easy to sail for the beginning of the trip, but it increasingly got more difficult as they went farther north. Emerath had expected this, but he hadn't expected it to get this difficult. There were times where he had to have two ponies assist him in holding the wheel steady, seeing as his strength wasn't all that great, and the weather really wanted them to go the wrong way at times.

Cleverboots and others had caught him falling asleep at the wheel a few times, and told him to get his rest. But usually all that amounted to was him going and taking inventory of their remaining supplies and then falling asleep somewhere in the inventory room. One crew member found him on top of a pile of crates once, completely baffled as to how he got there. Emerath's experience on this voyage hadn't been fun. He wouldn't call it that. It had been tiresome, and long. But he had duties to fulfill, and he would do so.

When the "Tower ho!" was called out, Emerath strained to see the tower that Salt Spray had seen. It wasn't much longer that it came into view, as Emerath began to bark orders to other ponies helping him control the ship. "Slow us down!" he turned and called to one pony. "You, go outside and tell me the wind direction and speed!" he called to another. "You... help me steer this wheel!" he said to another. The resistance of the clouds had made it nearly impossible to turn without help lately, and so the crew member he called out to came over to help, as they both grunted in effort to turn the wheel, changing the ship direction just enough that they were heading to go around the tower rather than straight into it. "We're going to go alongside it!" he called out over the excitement of finally finding something. He was excited himself, but he had to do his job before he could celebrate. Being excited would do no good if they crashed into the tower.

He looked over at the pony controlling the speed of the ship, "We need to get this just right, the ship needs to stop alongside it! If we miss, there's no way we'll turn this ship around without taking a day or so to do so, what with all this resistance. We need to get it right the first time!" He watched the tower as they slowly got closer to it, making sure to make adjustments to the wheel (with the help of the crew) as necessary to make sure they stayed on track.

[Trilobite]

Cleverboots trotted in, letting in a howling blast of ice before shutting and dogging the hatch behind her. The orange-eyed earth pony surveyed the situation on the control deck, then accepted telescope from one of the crew. "No, Ember Spark, it's not a metaphor. That's a real tower. And very real griffons." Their images swam in the spyglass, blurred and fast-moving; huge, dappled and banded in whites, grays, and blacks. "Very real griffons who are coming this way. Let's hope they're friendly..." She handed the spyglass to Ember Spark. "You grew up in Breakbeak--have you ever seen griffons like these?"

Coming to the wheel, Cleverboots dismissed the pony assisting Emerath and took hoof of it herself, helping the unicorn steer the on the tenous ice clouds. "Excellent work, Helmspony. We'll come alongside and ask for shelter from this storm. First Mate!" She shouted toward Pocket Change. "We may be having visitors. Get out on the foredeck to greet them. Treat them with all due deference--remember we are the visitors here, and strange ones at that. Don't be afraid to offer the trade goods we brought as a gesture of goodwill. While you're out there get a look at the inscriptions on the tower, see what you can determine."

"These winds are so deucedly erratic! I can help with the wheel, but I must commend the ship to your capable hooves, Emerath."

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Ember Spark rubbed her goggles with the side of her foreleg, clearing away the little drops of water that had started to melt as soon as they entered the Polar Star's warmer interior. Cleverboot's spyglass clinked harmlessly against the goggle lenses a couple of times before Ember Spark realized what was going on. With a sheepish "Oops," she pushed her goggles away from her eyes and tried again, peering into the distance and getting a first hoof look at the approaching griffins.

She seemed lost in thought as she tried to get the flight of griffins in better focus. "Hmm... Yes, I have definitely seen griffins like this before. Griffins are always flying about BeakBreak, and when they're flying exceptionally fast like this, it usually means they're going somewhere exciting. You're not very likely to see anygriffin rushing to work in the morning, I can assure you of that, but on the way home or when it is time for a lunch break... Ooh! Lunch! I would wager they're hungry. No doubt this inclement climate makes gathering food more challenging. Perhaps we should offer them lunch, sharing a meal is a great way to make new friends."

Ember Spark turned around to follow Pocket Change, but as she was returning the spyglass to its original crewpony, she stopped in her tracks, transfixed by the movements at the helm. Bending close to the wheel for a better look, her head swayed ever so slightly back and fourth with each turn. She wasn't sure exactly why, but something in her heart told her that it was important, that it meant something.

The constant motion -correcting one way then correcting back the other as the winds changed- began to sink into her own swaying motion, moving in time with the rocking deck. She spoke to herself, mulling the experience over in her mind. "Timing... its not a pattern, its a plethora of patterns being played on top of each other."

Her enthusiasm was a little bit muted by uncertainty. Although she had been living the constant rocking motion for the past three weeks, she had only just now stopped to truly consider it. Uncertainty didn't stop her from rushing over to Emerath's side and pushing it enthusiastically.

"You're good at timing things, right?" it was a painfully rhetorical question that everypony present knew the answer to already, "Look, look, see? Two big waves and a bunch of little ones, all at the same time. Do you think..." her train of thought hit the brakes when she looked up and saw Emerath's look of concentration, "Oh, you probably already noticed. Darn. I was sure that was important."

Ember Spark furrowed her brow and started heading back towards the hatch and the foredeck, lost in thought by the unexpected conundrum and musing to herself. "I wonder which is the appropriate course, waiting until the peak or waiting until they cancel out in the middle... Ooh! We'd better get somepony ready to tie the ship down once we stop, that is undoubtedly important."

And with that, she perked right back up and picked up her pace.

[Emerath]

Emerath took the help of Cleverboots with gratitude as he continued to adjust the wheel as necessary to combat the changing winds. He was having difficulty, his concentration and all the excitement around him causing him to lose a bit more control than was intended. It also wasn't helping that when Emerath would make an adjustment, Cleverboots, not realizing that Emerath was making the adjustment, resisted the wheel for a moment before realizing that the adjustment was being made.

In the midst of his heavy concentration, Ember Spark slid up next to Emerath excitedly, talking about timing. Then she mentioned waves and small waves. Emerath blinked as he looked at the clouds. "E-Ember! You're a genius!" he looked over at the pony, but she was already gone. Emerath looked back at the clouds. He had been going about this wrong the whole time. He was so focused on the wind, he forgot the key thing. This was a cloud sailing ship. The ship was literally sailing through the clouds. The clouds were like water!

He thought back to his studies of how to pilot a ship. There wasn't as many details about ships that sailed through water, but when sailing through water, wind was mostly only important for ensuring that the ship was going at proper speed and that the ship didn't flip over. But when dealing with actual steering, it was about the motion of the water! Ember was talking about the motion of the clouds as if it was water!

He blinked again, staring closely at the clouds. He began to see the waves she was talking about, and that was what was causing the swaying of the ship. He watched the timing, noticing how the pattern formed and how each wave hit the ship and caused its direction to change.

"Cleverboots!" he shouted over the din around them, "I'm going to count to 10. When I reach 10, turn the wheel to match my movements! When I count to 10 again, the wheel will go in the opposite direction. This will keep us on track!"

And with that, he began to count and turn the wheel as necessary, hoping Cleverboots could keep up with his plan.

[tacobob]

"I'm sure they're quite excited to see our little ship. I hope they're friendly.", the unicorn muttered. While he spoke of the griffons, he was clearly more interested in the tower, and as his horn started to glow a faint emerald shine, his coffee cup found a secure spot back in one of the cabinets and a quill and notebook floated to his side. "The tower looks to be ancient. It's almost like they carved it out of an mountain!", his quill started to sketch a few doodles as he spoke, "It was built to last, through the strong winds and the shifting of the earth, ala earthquakes. It might have been used for defense as I believe I can see some arrow-slits, but I could be wrong. Still, this was not made to win any beauty contests, it was made to survive the tests of time. I do hope we get to study such a find!", he continued to study the tall grey stone tower before his eyes shifted to the griffons, and as he did, his quill and notebook changed subjects.

What did they appear to be doing? Just flying? Did they appear to be angry? Were their claws out? Did they wear armor? Were their any females in the group? "Griffons are some of the finest of blacksmiths in Equestria, along with their own countries, and I could see these fine feathered friend's ancestors being the creators of these towers. I do not believe our own ancient peoples would have lived through the dragons without their aid."

While Pocket Change did have his camera on hoof, he was worried that the constant discharging of his flash-bulb would distract the crew, and if the Griffons were watching them, they might also confuse the flashes with pre-combat magic and assume that they were about to get attacked. Not a good first impression! The pony kept his eyes on the griffons while the crew went about their business.

[Trilobite]

“9...10!” The Polar Star slid across the icy clouds as though dancing on them, moving gracefully with the currents of the storm. “9...10!” The ship turned, drifting to the tower, her port side coming to rest gently on the stone just as the wind shifted, bringing her to a perfect halt.

Above and around the ship the griffons circled, looking at one another in surprise as this strange craft sailed so effortlessly across the storm-tossed clouds. A trio of them, larger than the rest, seperated themselves and swooped down to the deck. Ponies scrambled everywhere, tossing and tying off lines under Ember Spark's direction, securing the vessel to the great spire of living rock. Several griffons landed on large projections and, catching the lines, began to assist.

The three larger griffons landed before Pocket Change. Two of them wore beautifully wrought breastplates of strange design, clearly ancient but lovingly maintained. They carried long polearms with curling, hooked blades. The third, larger than her companions, was unadorned save for circlet of intertwining silver and gold around her head. She spread her huge, snowy wings against the wind and gazed down haughtily at Pocket Change with eyes the blue of ice.

“Gale I am, commander of the Iceguard, daughter of Katabat, who Queen of Stormfast is. Why do you to Stormfast come, ponyfolk?”

[tacobob]

Once the ship was properly secure, the unicorn dashed over to his locker, snatched out his heavy jacket and goggles and quickly threw them on before leaving with the others. As he left the ship, he could not help but be amazed at what he had seen so far.

"Oh dear.", Pocket thought to himself as he managed to stifle a gasp as the majestic and beautiful creature stood before him. He silently wished Sky was nearby, since he did hang around a griffon during his school days and he might have been able to handle this situation better than he. Sky's Griffon friend was pretty, but nowhere near as gorgeous as a creature that was standing before him. Realizing she was in fact a princess, he gave a quick and polite bow before responding, "I do apologize for our irruption of your daily activities. We are but simple and humble explorers from Canterlot who are seeking our former lands, the original lands we once walked upon before the Windigos and before the arrival of the two Princesses. I also wish to thank you and your comrades for assisting our lines.", he smiled warmly at the griffon and hoped she was well aware of the (generally) friendly relationship her species had with the ponyfolk.

(Pocket is using his special charm score of 2. Iceguard...Would Pocket know of this land? Or its peoples?)

* While the show has only shown two Griffons so far, Gustave Le Grand was permitted to be well within speaking distance between Princess Celestia during episode 50, so we can only assume they are permitted to roam Equestria freely without interference..So I'm guessing the ponyfolk and the griffons are sharing some sort of peace between each other.

[Emerath]

Emerath saw as the ship pulled up next to the tower, his plan working flawlessly as it came to rest against the stone. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and found his hind legs buckle out from under him, and he sat heavily upon the wood floor of the observation deck. "That was... that was amazing!" he said, after a long silence of staring at the sky outside. "I can't believe after three weeks of piloting this ship I didn't even realize that we were sailing on clouds!" He burst out into an involuntary fit of giggles, as he often did when solving a stressful problem successfully. He sat there like this for a solid few minutes, not caring how insane the rest of the crew thought him. He had just piloted this huge ship in a very dangerous maneuver. He had to be insane!

After his giggling had died down, he cleared his throat and looked at Cleverboots. "So, captain, I suppose we should go see how the others are faring with the griffons." he said, standing up. "Besides," he continued, "We can't have our quartermaster not there when Pocket decides to start handing out gifts to them. I can't let him give away all of our things, or else we'll be starved on the trip home. Nopony wants that." He smiled and gave a wink to Cleverboots, doing what he thought was a good job at hiding his excitement and his true reason for wanting to go on deck, which was to see the tower up close and the griffons first hand. He'd only ever heard about griffons, never having actually met any in his life, and the thought of doing so now made him practically jump for joy.

He turned and walked over to the pony who had been controlling the speed of the ship, and put a hoof on his shoulder. "Good job," he said, smiling, "couldn't have done that without you." And with that, he walked to his locker, grabbed his goggles and snow jacket, put them on, and walked out to the deck to join Pocket, taking the approach slow, so as not to interrupt or upset the griffons who he was talking to.

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Genius.

Emerath had called her a genius. It wasn't simply flattery either, as far as she could tell, he had been entirely sincere, and for a moment she felt like her smile might grow too big for he face to hold. She was even about to pump a forehoof in midair when she stepped through the doorway and onto the icy deck. Walking on ice with only three hooves, it turned out, was even harder than walking on ice normally. With a barely audible squeak, she disappeared through the doorway and slid all the way across the deck until she slammed into the bulwark.

Whoa, I guess I should be more careful. If the clouds had been more tumultuous, I could have stumbled overboard...

Her moment of introspection didn't last long though, because as soon as she had shaken the stars out from in front of her eyes, she noticed the mooring lines dangling right in front of her face. "Ooh! Just what I was looking for. Can somepony give me a hoof with these?"

Slipping her goggles back over her eyes, she tied herself back up to the safety line and got right to work directing a few deck-hooves to their places. She had intended to fly a pegasus all away around the tower in a big loop, but when the griffins started catching and tying off knots onto the tower itself, she steadied herself and waved a hoof in thanks. She even managed to keep from slipping and falling that time.

Ember Spark briefly considered climbing across the ropes to go thank the griffins in person, but she noticed Pocket Change was already talking to a group of them over on the foredeck. After a quick hoofbump and a "Thank you," to one of the sailors who had helped her secure the ship, she casually walked over to where Emerath was watching Gale and Pocket Change converse.

She leaned over conspiratorially and whispered, "Ooh, I think that crown means she's a princess, what do you think?" completely unaware of what had already been discussed, and since she was trying to whisper over the wind, it was really less of a whisper and more of a shout that anyone with two ears was likely to hear.

Genius.

[Trilobite]

Princess Gale laughed, and the two guards with her smile approvingly. "Oh-ho! Glib and humble you are, though mighty the deed of reaching this place from your distant lands is. And courteous, though great too the tribulations of your journey must have been. True, the legends of the ponyfolk must be!" She laid a talon gently on Pocket Changer's shoulder, then on that of Emeber Spark and the Captain as Cleverboots arrived.

"Welcome you are, scions of the Sun Princess, and guests of Stormfast you shall be!" She called up to one of the higher griffons, her voice carrying despite the storm. "The feasting hall prepare and my mother, the Queen, inform. Guests once more Stormfast has!"

A great section of the tower, looking like no more than another of the vast, weathered decorations, split with a rumble and a cascade of dust. It opened wider and wider, revealing a deep, broad hall with great pillars and an arched ceiling. Griffons bustled to and fro within, lighting huge braziers whose flames whipped and whickered in the icy wind. Finally the doors were open, level with the deck of the ship and the projections to which she was tied. Flickering gold-orange light and palapable heat poured out, and griffons stood to either side, resplendent in jeweled breatplates and winged helms, holding their polearms aloft.

Cleverboots bowed deeply. "I am Cleverboots, captain of this vessel. On behalf of my crew, I thank you, Princess Gale, and Queen Katabat, for the hospitality of Stormfast." She turned. "Officers, with me. Salt Spray, you have command of the Star until I return. See to it that the crew are in their finest and bring over every pony we can spare. Organize a detail to bring appropriate gifts to thank our hosts."

With a salute the blue earth pony was off. He passed Emerath on the way. "That was brilliant, that was!" He slapped Emerath on the shoulder. "Amazing work, Emerath, I mean amazing. Even the griffons were impressed. They're gonna let us tide over at their port. Cap'n wants you to join the shore party."

[Emerath]

Emerath had actually stopped short of fully approaching the griffons. He was a bit nervous being in the presence of these regal creatures, and as such found his feet (almost literally) frozen to the deck, his mouth agape as he stared at the creatures. He was snapped back to reality by Ember whispering (shouting) at him over the wind about the one with the crown being a princess. A chill ran down Emerath's spine and he grew even more nervous. It wasn't enough that they were regal creatures to begin with, but royalty!

Ember trotted off with the captain, and they were greeted in turn upon their approach. Emerath couldn't find the power to move to approach himself, standing where he was and continuing to stare at the griffons with wide eyes. They were nothing like his books. Nothing like the stories his dad told him when he was a young colt. They were so much more than a fairytale or a legend. They were... simply magnificent. He found that his nervousness didn't come from fear, but from sheer awe of the creatures. He wanted to know more! He wanted to know everything! There were so many things he couldn't learn in his home or from books! So many things in this world he had missed out on!

He didn't think he was still cut out for this adventuring business, but he found that his craving for knowledge had grown tenfold and if adventuring meant he got to learn more, then he could live with that.

His thoughts were once again broken by Salt Spray, who slapped him on the shoulder and woke him from his stupor. He blinked as he looked at Salt Spray, having zoned out for the entire conversation that the captain had with the griffons, and only being alerted to the fact that they were now walking away by Salt Spray telling him that he was to be a part of the shore party. He wasn't exactly in a hurry to join them, as nervous as he was, so he stopped Salt Spray before he could run off, and pulled a small book out of his jacket pocket. He handed the book to Salt Spray and explained to him a few details about the notes inside.

"Alright Salt Spray, I know that we're giving the griffons gifts. I need you to make sure that you give no more than a quarter of any item listed in this book. Also, don't lose this book. If I have to count everything in the supplies again, I'm going to be a very upset pony." He took his inventory seriously, and he was trusting a lot to Salt Spray, since he couldn't be there to take inventory of the gifts himself. Trusting that Salt Spray understood, he turned and began to follow the griffons and his fellow officers and captain, purposefully lagging behind and taking in the scenery around them.

As he passed the armored griffons with their polearms and glimmering breastplates, he found himself only growing more and more nervous. They hardly moved, and reminded him so much of the Canterlot guard. Their stonefaced demeanor and constant focus on the task at hand was always a sight to behold in a pony, but in a griffon, it was almost beautiful. Their already magnificent selves took such pride in their job. There wasn't a ton of difference between ponies and griffons it seemed, aside from the obvious. At least not in the soldiers there wasn't.

The warmth was soothing though, after spending time in that biting wind, and he found that the braziers and their warm fires calmed him down. Oh how he loved warm fires. He began to miss home a bit. He saw his father and the actors dancing as silhouettes in the flames, and he hoped that they were ok. It would be a long time yet before he got home to his own warm fire.

He found himself lollygagging a bit and falling much farther behind as he stared into the flames. He blinked and looked ahead at the shore party he was supposed to be a part of. They were quite a ways ahead. He galloped to catch up, but still stopped a few hooves short, purposely still lagging behind, not wanting to get too close to the princess lest he get far too nervous and do something stupid.

[tacobob]

"Thank you, your highness!", the grateful pony bowed his head once more and let the regal creature go about on her business. As he followed the others, something seemed to click inside of him, "Oh right..'High and wild places.", he muttered to himself before shuffling over to Emerath, Ember Spark and the other members of the crew, "I remember now. These Griffons.", he lowered he voice, "These are the ones, or at least it's their ancestors were the ones who stayed behind to watch over the 'Land Of Storms'. They are keeping an eye out for the north. Something rather dangerous sleeps in the north that they. My books never mentioned what the sleeper was, but I have a very good idea what they are keeping an eye out for, and I really really hope it stays sleeping."

He smiled when the princess mentioned the 'feasting hall' and once more he pondered, this time he wondered what they ate. Noticing his old friend Sky behind his thick protective coat and goggles, he waved the pony off, 'Hey Skies, I remember you used to to date a Griffon back in Canterlot. What did she eat?", the Pegasus would have blushed red in normal conditions, but could only nod his head, "Z-Zelda and I never dated, we were r-really good friends! As for what she ate, she was generally happy with most pony food, with the exception of any hay-based foods, and she was also ate fish. Mostly on her pizzas. Nasty smelly little fishies she would toss on her slices.", the younger pony was obviously not too keen about the weather, "Pocket.. Next time you and I go on adventure, could we go somewhere a bit more tropical?"

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Ember Spark knew the captain had told her to follow along, but the little group of ponies gathered on the foredeck were talking about something, and she just had to make sure it wasn't something important first.

Land of Storms, uhuh... Dangerous sleeping something or another, check... Ooh, food! Food is good, I know we've got to have something they'll like. Maybe salted peanuts or maybe barbecued beans will be a... fish? Nasty fish?

Her train of thought was squeaking to a halt while Pocket Change's pegasus pal moved on to talk about the weather. She couldn't help but interject, sounding the teensiest little bit hurt.

"Hey! Food fish aren't nasty, why, they're positively generous. Equestria could undoubtedly benefit from additional charitable critters the likes of that." The edge in her voice didn't take long to fade away though, and by the end of her little speech, she had one hoof resting reassuringly on Skies' shoulder, "Now, the temperature here might be several degrees below tropical, but consider for a moment the difficulties involved in getting a little fish to sign a donor card. Now that... is a challenge. Or at least, I surmise it would be. I haven't ever worked as an animal caretaker myself."

Ember Spark did feel a twinge of remorse for being so curt with the poor pegasus who was obviously already not enjoying himself, but at the same time, she had been awake for a long while and was beginning to get a little bit punchy. She might have even stayed around for an actual apology, but it was right about that moment that she realized Captain Cleverboots was already about to disembark, so she had to settle for a simple "Oh, sorry..." before she scrambled off across the mist frozen deck.

She certainly didn't want to miss out on any of the undoubtedly interesting stuff Captain Cleverboots and Commander Gale would be talking about. She smiled as she passed by the statuesque guards at the massive entryway and was comforted by the fact that they had a little bit more mirth in their expressions than the guards at Canterlot did. A little bit. Just for a moment, anyway. They weren't saying anything though, in fact, nobody was saying much of anything. The sound of hoofsteps clip-clopping upon stone echoed against the far wall before being swallowed up by the howling wind outside. If the clouds had been listening, the grand chamber might have made for an impressive concert hall.

Without anyone to listen to, she felt her mind starting to wander. The intricate engravings in the floor and on the pillars must have required a great deal of effort, but if there was any meaning to be found hidden in their esoteric imagery, it was lost on Ember Spark. She was just about to try striking up a conversation with one of the griffin guards when she noticed a spot of lichen. It was growing in a little crevice in the stone, near the gently curving spiral staircase they were about to start climbing up. She craned her neck to get a closer look while her hooves unconsciously kept moving forward.

"Oh, hello little friends. Getting along well I see? Thats great, I..." She interrupted herself when she couldn't bend her neck any farther and had to stop walking, "Ooh, I gotta go. Take care!"

She didn't, however, try to catch back up to the front of the group. Being turned around as she was, she couldn't help but see Emerath falling behind. When waving her hoof for the unicorn to hurry up didn't produce any results, she non-chalantly trotted back and fell in alongside before putting on her "getting down to business face."

"So..." she whispered, in an actual whispering tone this time, though it still echoed off the stone walls magnificently, "What do you think? Is a subsequent entrance better timing?"

[Trilobite]

A shallow, winding staricase led toward the top of the tower. From here, numerous side passages and ledges were visible, and griffons flew busily back and forth, many of them carrying food and other supplies. Others were peering out from huge doorways or down from high perches, and an excited murmuring filled the air, quieting only briefly as the Princess passed and the nearest griffons bowed.

The way was lit by great lamps, open flame burning in bowls surrounded by elaborate brass cages. The stairs themselves were lined with images of earth ponies, unicorns, and small, deer-like creatures with dimunitive wings marching happily along. The designs were worn, as were the steps, as though thousands upon thousands of hooves had passed this way over many, many years.

"Stormfast is quite impressive, Princess Gale," Cleverboots said, taking in the sights.

"Pleased I am that this you think," the griffon replied. "Our fortress it is, and our home. Built in the time of legends it was, before even the rise of your Sun Princess and her lost sister. In the depths of the mountain our homes, our forges, and farms lie, and from its peak Queen Katabat the land observes. From here the Iceguard flies, the animals to aid, the plants to tend, the storms to guide and harvest."

Behind, Emerath and Ember Spark found themselves with a pair of tenders, two armored griffons who kept a few paces back and moved at the ponies' pace. They somehow gave the impression of being blind and deaf to the ponies' presence, taking polite discretion to a completely new level.

[Emerath]

Emerath was a bit surprised that Ember would join him instead of staying with the captain. He wasn't doing anything particularly interesting except for glancing nervously over his shoulder at the tenders behind them and staring at the pictures on the wall, gears in his head turning. He even got so interested in a couple of the pictures that he almost tripped on the stairs a couple times. He managed to catch himself, though he was sure, despite how oblivious they acted to his presence, that should he go tumbling down, he'd be caught by the tenders. Not that he wanted to test that, mind you.

As Ember trotted over to him and began to speak, part of it went in one ear and out the other, and part of it just sounded like gibberish. He had so many things running through his head, and her echoing whispers only added to that. He turned to the pony as they walked along, breaking through the cloudiness of his thoughts momentarily to form a complete response. "I'm sorry, Ember. I don't think I quite understand. Subsequent entrance to what?"

He was worried that he had missed something she had said in his daydreaming, and would look like an idiot for asking her that question, but better to ask and be sure, than look like a fool answering the question stupidly.

[tacobob]

Ember Spark could see that the young Pegasus started to blush under his goggles the moment she placed her hoof on his shoulder. It was either that, or he was already starting to show signs of frostbite. He nodded his head politely until she mentioned 'fish donor cards', which caused him to shake his head, "Wait..what?", he could not look even more confused, "I don't think...", he was quickly silenced by Pocket Change who simply shook his head as the mare wandered off. "You think she's a bit of a nutter, eh?", the young stallion whispered as they cantered on. This caused his older companion to glare back, "Don't be rude. She's just quirky. We geniuses tend to act that way at times as our ever-so creative and brilliant minds gives us full permission to point out the idiosyncratic nature of our very universe." Sky Walker was not impressed as he snorted, "Uh-Hu, you just like her cause she has a cute...", he was quickly silenced once again by another glare by his old friend. "I'll just keep an eye out for danger. Right.". The unicorn smiled back at the pony as he followed the group towards the tower.

The unicorn's eyes quickly fell upon the ancient art as they walked up the stairs, "Flying deer?", he had seen similar art before in the archives back at the university and had heard rumors that such creatures had existed in greater numbers at one time, but had now mostly scattered to the far reaches of the world. Deciding it would be wise to keep his eyes in front of him and not spend the next few seconds falling down the impressive set of stairs, Pocket make a mental note to take a few sketches of the art and surrounding area when he got the chance to do so. He had so many questions he wanted to ask of the princess, but decided to keep quiet for the moment, as there would be more than enough time for such a thing during the meal.

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

To what? To where? Good Question... Ember Spark looked straight up at the vaulted ceiling as though it might contain the answer to Emerath's riddle.

With no solution forthcoming, however, Ember Spark turned back to Emerath with a sheepish look on her face. "I'm not entirely certain as to our destination, now that you mention it. Commander Gale did allude to preparations for a feasting hall, but it is also entirely possible that we might be traveling to a waiting room or some other form of intermediary chamber until the preparations are completed. Does it make a difference, with timing I mean, what sort of place you... Oooh, how do you arrive at the proper time when you don't know where you're going? That must require a great deal of talent.

Ember Spark hadn't really caught on to the fact that Emerath had been distracted earlier and so she might not have been correct about the nature of his confusion. She was just waiting expectantly for the confused unicorn to respond, and contemplating asking the guard behind her just exactly where they were going, but something from up at the front of the herd made her ear twitch and twist around to get better reception.

...Lost Sister? Could she mean Princess Luna?

The invisible lightbulb floating above Ember Spark's head blinked on and she made a little happy squeak. "Hold that thought Emerath," she put a hoof to her lips and pantomimed the sort of pose a librarian might make when a little filly is being too noisy, an expression she was very familiar with. However, when nopony else seemed to pick up on the turn of phrase, Ember Spark literally jumped at the chance to be the bearer of good news.

With a hop, skip and a jump, she bounded up to the head of the group as fast as her little hooves could carry her. She had at least enough tact not to barge on ahead of the Griffins, instead she pranced up alongside Cleverboots and leaned over as far as she could.

"Ooh! Good news for you, I have. Luna, Princess of the Night, sister of Celestia who Princess of the Sun you know, is lost no longer. In years not long past, returned she did. From the darkness that, in all directions besets and to danger blinds, was she freed; to the darkness that, for the weary soothes and gentle dreams provides, once again she governs."

She remembered how astounded she'd been when she first heard the news of Luna's return, or Luna's existence in the first place for that matter. What pony had even heard of Nightmare Moon before, outside of the occasional nursery rhyme? These griffins seemed to know something though, and Ember Spark waited to see their reaction like a little filly waiting for the cupcakes to come out of the oven.

[Trilobite]

The tower fell silent.

The group head reached a landing just outside the doors to the great feast hall. Within, an enormous stone table laden with food waited. At its head, flanked by a pair of Iceguard, sat the Queen. All eyes turned toward her. "The truth, do you speak?" Her voice was rusty with age, but still loud and firm. The Iceguard helped her rise from her chair, and she walked slowly toward the delegation. Despite the fraility of her limbs, she carried herself erect, and her eyes blazed as if with cold fire. Griffons backed out her way, bowing low. Even Princess Gale dipped her head, moving away from the ponies.

"Your words consider, Ember Spark of the Polar Star. A subject for jests, this is not."

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Now it was Ember Spark's turn to be confused about strange questions. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. Katabat had asked her to consider her own words, and so she figured it would be rude not to. However, it was the Queen's words that she found herself considering at length. She was pretty sure the elderly griffin hadn't just accused her of being a liar, though the griffins were all just a little bit different, so she wasn't entirely positive.

A memory from her youth came to mind. Once upon a time, though briefly, she had been afraid of the dark. Or more precisely, afraid that one of her griffin friends would sneak up on her and pounce from the shadows. On a trip to the bakery for some cookies, her grandmother noticed her shying away from the alleyways and overhangs.

---

'Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head about that,' She had said, once she found out what was wrong, 'All of that is play for young griffins, they're not trying to be mean. Why, I'm certain they do that to each other too, and they're probably wondering why you've never gotten the drop on them.'

'But how come aren't griffins afraid of the dark?' She recalled saying, thinking it terribly unfair.

Her grandmother just smiled and patted her on the head, 'There there, even griffins get afraid of what can't be seen, but its all in your point of view. When you go into the alleyway, the big scary thing hiding in the dark is you.'

---

Later, after her first successful pounce on her griffin friend, she found that many of the scary, unfamiliar places had lost their menace. Seeing things from a different point of view became an exciting game, and it got her into plenty of trouble when she would sneak into places she wasn't supposed to go.

So there she stood, having considered her words for a moment. She still wasn't sure what was going on though, and the notion that Luna's return might have been ill news never even crossed her mind.

"Apologize I must, if offense my words provoked. The darkness that blinds I know, an ally it can be, and to judge I would not presume. But some shadows on the heart and mind there are cast, that even brave ponies, in refuge should not hide. Her way from these places, our Princess has uncovered." Something in the old griffin's icy gaze blew a gust of wind across the fire in her heart, and for a moment it flickered. She wondered if perhaps she was on the wrong track, and without any proper consideration whatsoever, she added, "But, if my word you can not believe, to the sky look when next the moon rises. For yourself see, where the Mare in the Moon is."

[Emerath]

Emerath was a bit confused by what Ember had said, and was going to respond to her when he had managed to decipher what she meant. Which he was admittedly having issues with He had begun to respond and tell her how confused he was by her questions, and also that he had no idea where they were going, but Ember put a hoof to her lips to silence him before he even started. It wasn't much longer that she had hopped off excitedly about something.

Admittedly, despite his nervousness, he was intensely curious about what this pony was up to, so he followed behind her and caught up with the rest of the group, although while she bounded to the head of the group, he stayed behind the group, although now within better hearing range and within proper conversation range. Ember told them of Princess Luna's return, speaking the same way as the griffons, which he couldn't help but give a light chuckle to. As she talked, they found themselves arriving in the banquet hall, which was packed full of food and armed griffons. The griffon, a very old but also incredibly regal and still beautiful griffon, who Emerath found is their queen, stood with the help of her guards, and walked towards them.

Emerath wanted to run. He wanted to hide. It wasn't that this griffon scared him, oh quite the opposite. Her eyes though. They pierced him like an arrow, sending shivers down his spine. He felt as if his soul was laid bare before this regal griffon, as if no secrets could be held in her court. It wasn't that Emerath really had any secrets, but the thought still frightened him when he realized that this griffon could easily see right through him should he slip up in the slightest. He was still polite though, and he found himself bowing with the other ponies and griffons as the queen approached. He was a bit shaky standing back up, but he managed to find his footing and hold his ground, deciding that running and hiding would be a decidedly bad idea right now.

Ember and the queen bantered for a moment, as Emerath found himself inching closer to her side in front of the queen. He was facing his nervousness head on, and pushing himself to get nearer to these griffons. He was never going to learn if he just watched from a distance. Besides, the queen was practically boring into Ember's soul with her piercing eyes. She didn't look angry. She didn't look upset. But she didn't look happy either. She was just serious, and her eyes made her being serious an almost frightening experience. Such cold fire in those eyes, the eyes of a ruler who has lived many long years in a harsh winter. The eyes of a ruler who probably had to know every secret of her kingdom to keep it from toppling over. They weren't untrusting, but they weren't exactly trusting either. They wanted to know exactly why they were here and what they would be doing. They were perceptive eyes, absorbing all the knowledge these fine ponies had to offer, drinking it in like a fine wine.

Emerath found himself staring so deeply into her eyes that he almost bumped into Ember as he inched closer to the queen. He blinked and caught himself, stepping away as Ember gave her response to the queen. Honestly, Emerath was confused by what Ember was saying, although this was most likely due to the way she was talking to the queen, which was in the same manner as the griffons talked. To Emerath, this almost seemed a bit insulting and mocking, although he knew Ember didn't mean it that way. When Ember had finished talking, the queen had not changed expression, and he couldn't decide if she was taking what Ember said as an insult, or if she was seriously considering what she had said. Emerath thought for a moment and decided to step into the conversation, giving his input so that maybe the queen didn't feel so insulted. Not only by the way she was speaking, but also with such news that she had suddenly been given.

"Y-your highness...." he started to speak, but it came out as a light squeak, and his voice failed him, his words barely audible in his nervousness. He coughed and took a moment to clear his throat, lightly stomping a hoof to shake away his nervousness, and looked into the queen's studious eyes. "Your highness," he began, looking deep into her eyes and focusing on what he wanted to say, "I believe what my colleague is trying to say is that the Princess of the Night, Princess Luna, has returned. But I wouldn't want your highness to misunderstand what this means. I know that when everyone thinks of Princess Luna, they immediately think of Nightmare Moon and the chaos that was caused by Nightmare Moon, causing Princess Luna's exile." He looked over at Ember and the rest of his party, before turning back to the queen and finishing his statement. "Nightmare Moon did return, but she was defeated by the Elements of Harmony, and now our second ruler, Princess Luna, is once again in charge of the night and rules over us alongside her sister, Princess Celestia. I sincerely apologize for any confusion this may have initially caused." He gave a slight bow to the queen to finish off, showing the respect she duly deserved.

As he stood with his head bowed, he was a bit surprised in himself for being able to get all of that out, but he supposed living in Canterlot and dealing with the princesses on a regular basis in his father's theater had to pay off somehow.

[tacobob]

"Oh pony-feathers.", Pocket Change thought to himself as the drama quickly unfolded before him. He wanted to say something, but he knew at this particular moment he probably would only add fuel to this fire. He wanted to smack himself for not simply throwing a quick 'shoosh' spell on the young mare the moment she started to babble, but he believed for all of Ember Spark's quirkiness and sense of theatrics, she deserved to be treated better than that. He also realized that even a hint of a spell going off probably would get him dogpiled by the queen's guards. So for the moment, he stood his ground and watched silently, hoping Emerath's words would at least have tamed the griffon queen's anger, for a least the moment. If not, the unicorn was not sure even the famous 'Pocky-Charm' would have any affect on the elder leader. "Oh heck, that food is really starting to smell good.", he though to himself as he waited.

OOC: Sorry, short post is short...

[Trilobite]

The Queen turned to Emerath, and listened closely as he spoke. When the unicorn finished, the Queen gave him a nod, as if to acknowledge the courage it had taken him to speak.

"My officers speak true," Cleverboots put in. "I would never allow a dishonest pony on the Polar Star."

Queen Katabat regarded the captain levelly for a moment. In the silence, flames snapped and crackled, and the fierce wind could be heard howling through the arrowslits in the thick stone walls. Somepony's stomach growled.

"Then good news to Stormfast has come, by the scions of both Princesses brought!" Griffons could be heard whispering excitedly, something about prophecies and returns and lost treasures. The Queen smiled down at the crew. "Come, brave ponies! Much there is to be said, and much to be eaten and drunk!" She laughed and, escorted by her Iceguard, was helped back into her chair at the head of the table, Cleverboots, Pocket Change, Emerath and Emeber Spark sitting at the chairs closest to her. The queen spoke quietly to her daughter, who nodded and departed quickly with a contingent of Iceguard falling in behind her.

Music skirled up, a trio of griffons playing curious bag-and-pipe instruments in a racuous, jaunty tune, accompanied by a harpist and a gaggle of downy griffon children who sung in high, clear voices. Laughter echoed through the great hall, and griffons spoke loudly and excitedly with one another.

"Tales you must have, and questions. Freely speak, and freely eat! In Stormfast an insult it is, at an offered feast restraint to show." As if to illustrate, the queen reached out and dragged a ham off its silver tray, tearing into it with abandon.