Defender's Note: This is Amethyst's second adventure, and it takes place at the same time as "Rescue at Midnight Castle." This story is my reason Amethyst wasn't in that episode.
Also, Sundogs and the Skyland and all related concepts are (c) me, Violet Whirlwind. They may later be given a story of their own. Since this was written, they have been moved to a world of entirely my own creation, though nothing has been written of it yet.
Amethyst's Adventures #2: The Ogres' Tower
By Amethyst, Defender of Dreams
I sat alone in the cramped quarters of a dreary tower gazing sadly out the barred window at the forest below. Plum-colored mane falling limply across my violet shoulders, I recalled the events that had lead to my present predicament . . .
The day was bright and sunny as my friends and I relaxed under a great, spreading oak in the middle of Dream Valley. It had been exactly one year since our daring escape from the Chaoticals' subterranean realm of slavery. We were resting after a morning of exploring in the Emerald Forest that surrounded the valley on three sides. The pink castle, aptly named Dream Castle, rose cheerily before us.
"Ah this is the life!" Applejack said, sprawling on her back in the soft grass.
"Uh huh!" Firefly, Moondancer, and I agreed.
Suddenly, I stood up. "What in the name of the Rainbow is that!" I exclaimed as a strange animal came toward us. I squinted as I tried to make out what it was. The creature put forth a dazzling light; a light almost brighter than the sun. I had to look away to protect my eyes.
"Oh, here!" said Moondancer. Suddenly, I saw a pair of sunglasses resting on the grass before me. Moondancer apparently had the power to pull objects out of thin air. I put on the sunglasses and looked up.
The strange animal was much closer. While I still had to squint to see the beast, the sunglasses cut down on the glare so that I could at least look at it without going blind. The creature looked somewhat like a dog, with wild, yellow-white, flame-like fur sticking straight out all over its body. Its petite head was held high and proud with small, pointed ears that stood straight up. The animal had a ring-shaped stripe of bright green hair that curved around its neck and down along its front legs to meet at the center of its chest. I caught my breath as it turned its head in our direction. The dog-like animal's bright blue-white eyes burned with an intensity that exceeded by far that of the brightest shooting star in the sky!
"What is that?" I said again to Moondancer, who somehow seemed to know the beast who stood tall and proud before us.
Before she could answer, the strange creature spoke. His voice was like a crackling campfire. The creature spoke directly to the white unicorn beside me; he appeared not to notice the rest of us.
"I am called Suncrakl, ambassador of the Sundogs. We are in desparate need of your help, Moondancer."
"When I was but a small Sunpup, I chanced a Skyleap and landed on this island. When I tried to Skyleap back across the ocean, I lost control. I would have tumbled to my death in the watery ocean, but you rescued me with your magic. You sheltered me until I had regained enough strength to Skyleap home. You wouldn't remember rescuing me, for when I got home to the Skyland, the adult Sundogs sent a Memory Sprite to take that memory from you so that we would not be discovered and disturbed.
"Someone else discovered us, however. Several years ago, ogres invaded our Skyland. They pushed us out of our homes and built a powerful fortress where our Sunpups once frolicked in freedom. They tried to enslave us, but we hid in the deep pine forests where the ogres couldn't find us. We have continued to search for a way to rid the Skyland of its oppressors with little success.
"The Elders tried to stop me from seeking your help, but I came anyway. I knew that the only way to save our land was to ask for your help. Will you help us, Moondancer?" the Sundog asked my friend, despair showing in his beseeching blue eyes.
Moondancer looked uncomfortable. After several long minutes, she replied, "There have been rumors about a new threat to our own home. As much as I would like to help you, I must stay here and prepare for the worst. I am truly sorry."
Suncrakl looked so downcast that I was moved almost to tears. As he walked away dejectedly, I could barely here him mutter, "The Elders were right, it was wrong of me to come here."
Almost before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "Hey, wait! Suncrakl, I'll help you!"
The Sundog visibly grew brighter. He turned to me, apparently seeing me for the first time. "You will?" he asked, overjoyed.
"Sure!" I said, shooting Moondancer an icy look that to this day I'm not sure she saw.
"Oh thank you! Thank you!" Suncrakl yipped gleefully, "You won't regret it, I assure you!"
Later though, I did regret my hasty decision.
Panting heavily, I landed beside Suncrakl on the shores of the Skyland. It had been quite a chore keeping up with the energetic young Sundog as he leapt from cloud to cloud on the long trip to his island home in the clouds. I had never flown so far before. I looked around in wonder. This land of Sundogs was almost identical to my own home, except that it rested on a huge gray cloud high above the sparkling Endless Ocean. A strange magic kept the large island floating in the sky, hence the name Skyland.
Suncrakl followed my gaze to where the sandy beach met cloud. "Many centuries ago, our ancestors used their magic to lift this island from the ocean into the sky to protect us from harm. That cloud they placed it on was once as white as new-fallen snow. The ogres' evil presence has since tarnished it. Needless to say, our ancestors' attempt to keep us safe from harm has failed miserably." I heard the hopeless tone in his voice. Then he brightened. Literally. "But now that you're here, things are sure to get better!"
Somehow I doubted that.
"Come," Suncrakl said after an eerie pause. "We must move on. It is not safe to stay in the open for long. Ogres could be out patrolling this field at this very moment, looking for unsuspecting travelers like us."
Suncrakl led me through a deep, dark pine forest. The daylight hardly penetrated the thick foliage of the tall pine trees. I would easily have gotten lost were it not for Suncrakl, whose body shone like a lantern, leading me through the unfamiliar woodland. I had long since lost the sunglasses Moondancer had given me. The Skyland's magic somehow made it possible to look unaided at the Sundog without going blind. Or maybe it's because the ogres' evil presence dims the Sundogs' light, I thought darkly to myself.
Suddenly, Suncrakl stopped, almost causing me to crash into him. He motioned for silence, and whispered to me, "Stay here. The Elders don't usually like strangers in the Skyland."
"But I'm here to help!"
"I know, but they won't like you here anyway, I need to persuade them that you are harmless."
Before I could say anything, Suncrakl had disappeared into the forest underbrush. As soon as he did so, I was left in complete darkness. This part of the forest was much more dense and wet than the forest we had been passing through. The canopy of the trees was so dense, in fact, that not a single patch of sunlight filtered through. The forest was dark, but strangely peaceful. There was a hush about the place, almost as if all the creatures that lived there were hiding, waiting for the Sundog elders' decision. How long I sat there in the dark, I do not know, for Iwas soonasleep.
I awoke to Suncrakl gently nudging me. "Come, quickly, before the Elders have a chance to change their minds."
Wordlessly, I followed him through thick bushes and vines. When we finally came to a sunny clearing, I was scratched and cut from the thick briars we had passed through. I stared, open-mouthed, at the unexpected clearing. Suncrakl grinned at my astounded expression.
"This is the only safe place left for us. We need the sunlight to survive, and this is the only safe place that we can get that sunlight. This meadow is virtually impossible to see from the forest. The thick thorn bushes that we just passed through completely encircle the clearing, making it invisible to most travelers. Even the most determined ogre search teams have been successfully turned away by the formidable jungle surrounding this clearing." Suncrakl glowed with triumph at the ingenuity of the Sundogs' secret hideaway.
I looked around. There were about thirty or so Sundogs, each with its own colored ring of neck fur, lounging in the bright sunlight of the clearing. A group of five Sundogs sat, proud and aloof, in the very center of the small meadow. They were surrounded by ten Sunpups, who, in turn, were surrounded by the rest of the Sundogs. At first, they did not appear to notice me.
Suncrakl nudged me into the open, and, almost at once, every adult Sundog became alert. I became very frightened as I looked from one set of bared teeth and angry, burning eyes to the next. They looked as though they would charge me at any moment. I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable. Nothing happened. I opened first one eye, then the other. Suncrakl stood in front of me, protecting me. The other Sundogs relaxed as one of the five in the center muttered a chastisement.
"Can't you see that's no ogre?" the Sundog Elder snapped at the young adults, who still regarded me with suspicion. To me she said, "Come forward young pony, I hear you have come to help us." Her voice was soft and gentle, yet held strength and authority.
I nodded nervously, unsure of what I should say, lest I offend the obviously powerful female Sundog. As I walked slowly forward, even though Suncrakl was walking right beside me, I felt extremely aprehensive. I could feel the distrustful eyes of the other Sundogs on me as I made my way up to their leaders.
As I stood shakily before the Five Elders, I could feel them silently judging me. After a few minutes of this, one of the Elders snorted and looked at Suncrakl, who was fidgeting nervously beside me. In a derisory tone, he criticized my companion. "This is the help you left to find? One small horse can't help us defeat ogres! You should know that by now!"
Nervous as I was, I drew myself up indignantly. "Sir, I mean no disrespect, but do I look like a horse to you?" I said, spreading my wings wide and looking the scarlet-ringed Sundog square in the face. I lowered my head so that my horn pointed directly at him.
Just as it looked like I was in for a nasty run-in with the snooty Elder, the female Elder stepped regally between us. Her violet neck-ring shone in the sun; the same color as my own body. She glared at the one with the scarlet ring. "Sollarl, you have no right to talk in such a manner. I hear that this young pony was born into slavery, but that she found the courage within herself to escape when she was not even full-grown. You expect everyone to bow before you just because you are an Elder. Sollarl, you are the youngest of the elders here. I am the oldest. My decisions take precedence over yours. It is my decision that we give our visitor a fair chance before making any more decisions."
The female Elder then turned to me, "So, you came to help us. I commend your bravery. My name is Solinari, leader and First Elder of the realm of the Sundogs." she said, then, after a pause, "What used to be the realm of the Sundogs." She waved a paw indicating the thirty Sundogs gathered in the small meadow. "We are all that is left of a great civilization. We are now virtually prisoners in our own land." Solinari whispered, her voice and eyes full of pain.
Solinari told me that when the ogres had first appeared in a mysterious air-contraption, her people were in the middle of a Celebration of the Sun. The ogres had used their evil magic to cloud over the Sun, destroying at least three-fourths of the Sundog population. They had been involved in an all-important ceremony that, when interrupted, caused the death of those Sundogs who had been participating in it.
Solinari gave me an anguished look and whispered, "My daughter was -" she stopped.
"I understand." I said softly.
"Now all I have left is Suncrakl."
Suddenly, I knew why she had allowed Suncrakl to go for help. He was her son! Solinari appointed Suncrakl and another young Sundog, Solaflare as my bodyguards. I was allowed to stay the night in the clearing. The next day, before dawn, I was to begin my mission, which was to dethrone the Ogre Queen, Varula and drive the rest of the ogres out of the Skyland.
I had no idea how I would do it. How could one adolescent pony drive the Ogre Queen and her minions out without any help?
Great Rainbow, help me.
Suncrakl and Solaflare woke me an hour before dawn. The three of us made our way silently through the darkened forest. Suncrakl and I left Solaflare at the edge of the forest. She waved goodbye, wishing me luck on my mission. Suncrakl and I continued in silence through the thickest, tallest grasses of the meadow. As we walked, I noticed that Suncrakl had flattened himself to the ground in order to hide our progress. Suddenly Suncrakl stopped, and I quickly followed suit.
"I must leave you now. It wouldn't be safe for me to accompany you further. My light would surely be seen. We would most definitely be captured, and then your mission would be in vain." He motioned toward the grasses in front of me, saying, and "The ogres' fortress lies just beyond these grasses. We will anxiously await your victorious return. You will be able to find Solaflare and me just inside the safety of the forest. Good luck and Sunny Skies to you, Amethyst."
With that, he crept silently back the way we had come. I watched him until his light had completely disappeared in the tall grasses. I was left alone in the moonlit meadow. Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the protection of the tall plants. I gasped. The ogres' fortress loomed large and dark before me, an evil blemish on the otherwise beautiful landscape. I gulped.
Oh Great Rainbow, I thought, what have I gotten myself into?
With a shudder, I shook myself out of my daze and took my first hesitant steps toward the dark, imposing castle. I thought about my home in Dream Valley, and remembered the beautiful Dream Castle. This castle was completely different. I gulped again as I approached the imposing structure. I wondered how I, with my bright purple coloration, would be able to get inside without being noticed and captured.
Actually, I got in quite easily. To my good fortune the two ogre sentries at the gate were fast asleep when I arrived. I was able to slip inside the fortress without being discovered. I looked around. The entry hall was completely deserted. As Igazed at the eerie gothic interior, a creepy feeling that I was being watchedcrept over me. I ventured into a side passage, trying to think of a plan to drive the ogres out of the Skyland. I stepped into the cold, torch-lit, cobblestone passageway lost in thought.
That's when my luck ran out. A light appeared farther down the hallway, and I heard voices. Ogre voices. Coming toward me.
"Duh, did you see dat?"
"Garr, see what?"
"I thought I saw somting in da hall dere!"
"I dinnant see notin. What you talkin 'bout?"
"I know I saw dit. It was purpul."
Suddenly fear gripped me. They'd seen me. I hesitated, panicking. What should I do? Should I run? Stay put? My mind raced as I tried to control my panic and figure out what to do. The voices came closer. Suddenly, I bolted. I hid behind a grotesque sculpture, hoping the ogres would walk right past my hiding place without seeing me. No such luck.
"I know I saw dit dis time! Dit's o'er dere, be'ind dat sculpchur!"
"Darr, yer right! I saw dit! Let's git it! Won't da queen be pleased!"
"Ya, mebbe dit's one o' dem Sunny-doggies we's 'posed to catch!"
"If'n it is, we be rewarded!"
"Ya, mebbe we's even be promoted to capi-tancy!"
"YAH! LET'S GIT IT!" both ogres shouted as they thundered down the hall, heading right for my hiding place.
My heart was pounding in my head. If I were captured, what would happen to the Sundogs? I was their last hope! I couldn't afford to be caught! Yet, there was one thing I might be able to do. It was a long shot, and I was likely to get captured if I attempted it. But, hey, I would get caught anyway if I stayed in my hiding place. What the heck I told myself, they already know where I'm hiding. It's better to go down fighting than cowering.
I charged from behind the statue, yelling at the top of my lungs,
"I am Amethyyyyyssst! I am the Defennnnderrrrr!"
There it was again, I thought as I rammed right into the two ogres, that bit about being the Defender. I landed with a thump on my rear. I hadn't realized how massively burly the ogres were. Their sheer bulk alone had stopped my charge for freedom. I wondered why my horn hadn't done them any harm. Then I looked up at the ogres as they surrounded me, and my question was answered. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was the heavily armored ogres staring down at me with ugly, stupid eyes.
The next thing I knew, I was standing in chains before the Ogre Queen, Varula. Hmm, I thought, This feels familiar. Déja vu. Varula looked down at me with amused, evil eyes.
"What's this? A pony? In the Skyland? I thought they only lived on that big island down on the surface." I heard the scornful tone in her voice. "Oh well, I suppose you're here to help those cowards, the Sundogs. Hmm, you could be useful. I know! I will use you to lure those peace-loving wimps here so that I can enslave them! Ha ha ha!"
"You fiend! That will never work! I refuse to help you lure the Sundogs here!" I shouted, turning my back on the Ogre Queen.
"Then you shall languish in the tower until you change your mind. Guards, take this pony to the tower and make sure she doesn't escape!"
"You won't get away with this!" I shouted as a final challenge to the evil Varula. The guards led me to the tallest tower in the fortress. They yanked and pushed me up the spiral staircase, and shoved me roughly into the tiny room at the top. The ogres clapped the shackles of a heavy iron ball and chain on my hind legs.
"You won't get away with this Varula!" I screamed again, defiant. The Ogre Queen laughed cruelly and slammed and bolted the massive iron door in my face. I stood there fuming for a few minutes, then, realizing that wasn't going to get me anywhere, I moved slowly to the barred window. I could barely make out something moving in the forest.
"SUNCRAKL!" I yelled at the top of my voice, "I have been captured! I cannot help you now! Go back to the hideout! The ogres will be out in force trying to capture you! You must not let them!" then, in a quieter voice, "I am sorry, I have failed you."
I felt terrible. I was a failure. I had failed in my mission. I had failed Suncrakl and his mother. I had failed the Sundogs, and I would probably never see home again. I flopped down and cried myself to sleep.
Bang! Bang!
I was startled out of my reverie. I turned in the direction the sound had come from. The voice of an ogre called to me from behind the iron door.
"Hey, you in there! Here's food." The door opened a crack, and a tall ogre entered. He was surprisingly thin for an ogre, and moved around the room with movements that were almost . . . regal? I stared in shock as he bent to place a tray full of glop in front of me. I looked up at him, unable to believe what I was seeing. His eyes were the strangest eyes I had ever seen in an ogre. I almost couldn't believe they belonged to such a creature! Those eyes held a high degree of intelligence, and . . . something else. It appeared to me that they held . . . kindness? No, it couldn't be. But it was! The tall ogre's eyes were kind and sympathetic. But...how could that be?
Unnerved, I looked down at the disgusting glop. I made a face. "I'm sorry, that's all they let me give you." whispered the strange ogre. My jaw dropped to the floor. Could it be? Did that ogre just apologize to me? I shook my head.
This is a dream. It has to be a dream. I'm going to wake up now and find a cruel brute standing over me gloating, I told myself. I poked myself with my horn, thinking I'd wake up.
"Oww!" I exclaimed. I looked up . . . and nearly fainted. That strange ogre was still there. Only now he was kneeling before me. He reached out a hand toward me. I shrank back, terrified.
"I'm not going to hurt you. Not all of us ogres are mean and nasty, you know." he said softly.
"But, but . . ." I stammered.
"Varula put me in charge of you so that she could keep an eye on me. My name is Darpayo. I am the son of the previous ogre king, who was kind-hearted. Varula killed him and took over the rule. I was just a small ogrechild then. When she took over the throne, Varula enslaved me. I worked in the kitchens for many years. When she took over the Sundog's Skyland, I decided that enough was enough. I vowed to regain the throne. Many of the kitchen slaves were formerly friends of my father, and we banded together and began planning to overthrow Varula. However, she found out about the plan. She crushed the rebellion before it could start, and separated me from my friends so that we couldn't rise up again. When you were discovered, she put me in charge of guarding you, so that I couldn't even visit with my friends, thus preventing any more rebellions on my part.
"Varula is greedy and power hungry . . . and conceited. That's why she wanted the Skyland, so she could look down on the rest of the world. She intends on someday ruling it all, I know it. I can't let that happen." he finished.
I looked at the tall ogre in amazement. There were tears in his non-ogre like eyes. "Why did you tell me this?" I asked quietly.
"I needed to tell somebody, and since you were sent here to save the Sundogs, I knew you wouldn't betray me. If you help me avenge my father by defeating Varula, I will help you escape. When I regain the throne, I will take the other ogres with me back to our own island. They will probably like it there better anyway. The Sundogs will again be free to frolic in their Skyland. Will you help me?"
"I will do the best I can. The reason I came here was to defeat Varula and set the Sundogs free anyway."
"Thank you, Amethyst. You don't know how much this means to me." Suddenly, a bell rang in the distance. Darpayo stood up. "I must go now, Varula will be suspicious if I'm not in the slave's mess hall by the time the second bell rings. I'm sorry about the . . . um . . . stuff you have to eat. I must keep you locked in here, this is not the time for rebellion. I will try to meet with the other rebels and tell them of the plan. Farewell." with that he left, and I was alone again in the tower. I sighed as I returned to the barred window.
At least I have a good view of the sunset.
"Psst, Amethyst, can you hear me?"
Startled out of a troubled sleep, I stuck my head through the bars of the tower window and gazed down to where I had heard the familiar crackling voice. There, standing in plain view at the base of the tower, was Suncrakl.
"Suncrakl! You shouldn't be here! It's the middle of the night; you'll becaught for sure!" I exclaimed.
"I don't care! Are you all right? I heard your warning a few nights ago, and I couldn't just let you rot in there. I've come to break you out! Here, grab the end of the rope I'm going to throw to you!"
"Suncrakl, I can't! I have a mission, I . . ." I trailed off, thinking of my agreement with Darpayo.
"Forget the mission! You're my friend! I have to get you out! We can think of something else when you're free!"
"Wait, you don't understand . . ." I trailed off as I heard a commotion in the fortress. I withdrew from the window and turned to listen to the excited ogres. My eyes grew wide with fright. I turned back to Suncrakl. "You have to get out of here! They've seen you! They're going to catch you if you don't go now!"
Too late. Suncrakl fought with all his strength, but was soon subdued. I withdrew, unable to watch him being dragged away in chains. I hung my head in shame. Not only had I failed in my mission, but I also had unwittingly done what I had refused to do for Varula. I had, by my very imprisonment, lured Suncrakl to a life of slavery. I sank to the floor, weeping.
I had not wept long however, when my friend was shoved, snarling and snapping at ogres, into the tiny tower room with me. The ogres slammed the iron door just as Suncrakl lunged at them. He crashed against the door and went sprawling. Concerned, I shuffled my way -as quickly as I could manage with my ball and chain - over to him. Luckily he wasn't hurt. He got right back up and lunged at the door again. He did this repeatedly until, finally worn out, he collapsed panting on the cold stone floor.
"I'm sorry I got you into this mess." I whispered when he had recovered some.
"Why? It was my choice. I just couldn't sit indolently byin the hideaway while you were imprisoned here in this lonely tower. You're my friend; I had to try to help you. Besides, it was my mess in the first place. I got you into it, and I felt I had to get you out.
"That miserable Varula! How she gloated when I was dragged into her throne room! She said that when the others were captured, she would put us all to work cleaning the dungeons. And to top it off, she told me that that's where we would live our lives! The nerve! She just wants to wipe us all out, I'm sure of it. Imagine! Sundogs living in the darkness of a dungeon! The very idea! That has to be the worst torture she could think up for us! We need the sunlight to survive! We would slowly weaken and die in the darkness of the dungeon!" Suncrakl fumed as he paced restlessly around the tower.
Like, well, a caged animal, Suncrakl paced about the small room for most of the day. He only calmed down at sunset, when the light of the setting sun came streaming into the tower. The light was radiant, and brightened my heart like the rays of hope. Suncrakl sat there, soaking up the light like nourishment, until the sun finally disappeared completely behind the mountains.
The next morning, I was awakened by a warning growl from Suncrakl. The iron door opened a crack, and the tall ogre stepped in. He exited hastily as Suncrakl snarled menacingly. Quickly, I stepped in front of Suncrakl and whispered to him, "Hey, its okay, he's a friend."
"But he's an Ogrrrrre!" growled Suncrakl.
"I know, but he's on our side."
I motioned the nervous Darpayo in. "Its okay, Suncrakl won't hurt you. Will you?" I said, turning to the apprehensive Sundog.
"No ogre is a good ogre." muttered Suncrakl, but he relaxed a bit.
"Suncrakl, this is Darpayo. He is here to help us." The tall ogre knelt as before and proffered his hand. He quickly withdrew as Suncrakl bared his teeth.
"I still don't trust him."
"I don't blame you. I wouldn't trust me either if I was in your position. But I really am here to help." said Darpayo. He then told Suncrakl the story of Varula's rise to power, and his own enslavement. After hearing the tale, Suncrakl finally began to trust the good ogre. The Sundog agreed to help him regain the throne, as long as Darpayo promised to leave the Skyland when Varula was defeated. Darpayo assured him that that was exactly what he had in mind.
After that, Darpayo, Suncrakl, and I would spend an hour or so each day visiting and trying to think of a plan for our escape and overthrow of Varula. However, each plan we came up with would be flawed in some major way, and we would have to start again. Darpayo would come in to check on us several times a day so that we could plan. He could only stay an hour or less each time, however, or Varula might think something was up.
In between visits, Suncrakl and I would talk wistfully about better days. However, as time went on, we began to get antsy. I would pace about randomly, stopping to stare longingly out the barred window for several minutes before continuing my restless pacing. I often found myself reminiscing about my days in the mines of the Chaoticals. I would find myself thinking that even that slavery was better than being cooped up in this tower night and day with nothing to do. To make matters worse, Suncrakl, too, had taken up pacing, and we would often bump into each other in our restless wanderings.
I sighed. Would I ever see home again?
One day, the three of us were sitting together brainstorming, as usual. Suncrakl was becoming impatient with the whole thing.
"Why don't we just take the place by storm one night while they are asleep? I'm tired of waiting! I want to go home!"
"Suncrakl, have you gone crazy! That will never work! If we did that, we'd be right back where we started, locked in here. And worse, Darpayo would be locked in here as well." I said, appalled at the stupidity and lack of forethought of the Sundog's desperate plan.
"Suncrakl, Amethyst's right. That plan would only get us in more trouble than we already are in."
"You're right, of course. I just wish I was back in the clearing and could forget this whole thing. It's no use, we'll never be free from Varula's evil rule." Suncrakl said resignedly.
"Wait a minute!" I said, "I just had an idea! Suncrakl, you once said something about a Memory Sprite. What exactly is that?"
"Well," he said, taken by surprise, "I not really allowed to tell anyone, especially not ogresbut . . ." Suncrakl looked at Darpayo for a time before continuing. "Memory Sprites are tiny pixie-like creatures that have the ability to make creatures forget things. We Sundogs have an alliance with them; we can Call them and bid them make a target forget something. Hmm . . ." the Sundog looked thoughtful. "I think I understand now . . ."
"THAT'S IT!" I shouted, jumping to my feet and fluttering my wings excitedly. "We'll use the Memory Sprites to make the guards forget whom they are serving! Then they can help us overthrow Varula! They want to return to their own home anyway, right Darpayo?" He nodded. "It's perfect . . . Suncrakl, you can call the Memory Sprites, right?"
"I think so. I mean, I've never done it before, but every Sundog learns to Call them; I think we're born with the ability. Anyway, what have we got to lose?"
Suncrakl spent the rest of the day, and all night, sitting silently at the window, Calling.
The next morning, I was awakened by a tiny whispering tickle that danced across my wing. I sat up. Suncrakl sat by the window while tiny pinpricks of light danced around him. He sat stone-still with eyes closed for what felt like hours as the tiny motes swirled about his shoulders. I gazed at him in wonder.
Finally, he turned to me. "The Memory Sprites have agreed to help us! Since Darpayo and the other ogreslaves are already on our side, the Memory Sprites have agreed to leave them alone. Now, as soon as Darpayo gets here, we can begin the escape!"
"Suncrakl, wait. We will need to wait until the ogres are asleep. The Memory Sprites won't be able to affect the ogres who are out searching the meadow and forest for Sundogs." I warned him.
"Oh, yeah. I forgot." he said grinning. We looked at each other and burst out laughing.
When Darpayo came in later that day, Suncrakl told him the good news.
"That's great! So the escape is on for tonight?"
"That's right." I said. "As soon as Varula is asleep, come up here and wait while Suncrakl releases the Memory Sprites to their task. You will have the kitchen slaves ready?" I asked.
Darpayo nodded and hurried off when the far-off bell tolled.
I sighed and made my way over to the window. All that remained to do was to wait for nightfall.
Great Rainbow I thought, Let us be successful tonight and I will be eternally grateful.
Suncrakl and I waited anxiously as the sun set outside the tower window. The minutes crawled by as we waited for Darpayo to return with his followers. As the night wore on, the Memory Sprites became impatient. It was all the Sundog could do to keep them from giving up and leaving.
After several hours of tense waiting, Suncrakl asked in a worried tone, "Do you think he'll come? What if he was Varula's spy, sent to learn valuable information from her prisoners?"
"Suncrakl!" I admonished, "How could you think such a thing!" I shuddered, as I thought what might happen to us if that was the case. No! Amethyst, don't think like that! Darpayo would never betray us! I told myself. Still, the Sundog had got me worrying. "Thanks a lot, Suncrakl." I muttered under my breath.
"Well he is an ogre." shrugged Suncrakl.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of a key turning in a lock. The heavy, iron door opened wide as Darpayo entered, slightly out of breath. When he had recovered a bit, he motioned to someone outside the door. Several other ogres entered. Lean and gaunt, they were obviously slaves. When they were all inside the tower, Darpayo carefully made sure the door was left ajar, so we could escape at a moment's notice.
I looked at the reinforcements Darpayo had brought with him. Five weak-looking ogreslaves stood trembling before Suncrakl and me. Darpayo shrugged, "These five are the only ones that were willing to join. I'm sorry there aren't more of us."
"We can use all the help we can get." I said. "Besides, the Memory Sprites will help make more ogres change to our side."
Darpayo knelt to unchain Suncrakl, then did the same for me. As soon as we were free of the chains, I flew to the ceiling, stretching my wings. They were stiff from the many days of disuse in the cramped tower. Flying also relieved to some extent the congested feeling that came from eight creatures crammed in the tiny tower cell. "Suncrakl, release the Memory Sprites!" I called down to the Sundog below me.
The glittering cloud that had been slowly swirling around Suncrakl immediately dispersed and rushed down the steps, laughing and chittering excitedly. The rest of us waited only a few minutes before charging silently down the spiral staircase after them. When we reached the main hall, my heart leapt into my throat. There were thousands of ogres standing throughout the immense room. I almost bolted when Suncrakl tapped my shoulder with his paw.
"Amethyst, it's just me. They won't bother us. See?" he pointed to the closest ogre. Its eyes were closed, and its mouth hung open. Around its head darted a tiny point of light; a Memory Sprite. Heaving a great sigh of relief, I relaxed.
"Come on, we have to find the Ogre Queen." I whispered, not wanting to say Varula's name for fear that it would bring the ogres' memory back.
Darpayo led us down an ornate hallway that I suspected led to Varula's bed chamber. As we walked, the amnesiac ogres followed dumbly. The farther down the passage we went, the darker it became. Soon, Suncrakl's light was the only thing that kept us from crashing into the walls as the passage twisted and wound its way into deeper darkness.
Darpayo stopped outside the entrance to Varula's sleeping chamber. He placed his ear against the great double doors and waited for a sound from within. When none came, he slowly opened the huge, intricately carved wooden doors. We stepped inside, only to find Varula awake and staring at us. Darpayo, Suncrakl, and I dove for the door. When we reached it, however, Varula barred our escape route.
Evil eyes flashing, she laughed cruelly. "So you thought you could turn all my soldiers against me, huh? You were wrong."
Panicked, I looked at the other ogres. While they weren't advancing on us as I had feared, they weren't turning on Varula, either. The ogres just stood there dumbly, their mouths hanging open. Oh no! I thought, My plan isn't working! The Memory Sprites were supposed to make the ogres forget whose side they were on, not make them utterly useless!
Just when I thought the situation couldn't get any worse, it did. The Memory Sprites gave up on the ogres and disappeared. The ogres began closing in on my friends and me. At the door, Varula laughed insanely. "The gig is up. You are my prisoners, and you will remain my prisoners for the rest of your miserable little lives! Ha ha ha!"
"Suncrakl, Call back the Memory Sprites! It's our only hope!" I shouted.
"I'm trying, but they won't listen to me!"
Oh no! Great Rainbow save us! I silently begged.
Just as the ogres were about to throw the eight of us in chains again, the Great Rainbow sent us a miracle! A great howling was heard coming down the hallway. The Memory Sprites shot into the chamber and resumed their positions about the heads of the ogre guards. The guards again forgot where they were, and were once again dumb statues. Suddenly, Varula's ink-black bedchamber was flooded with light! Eighteen Sundogs burst into the room, teeth bared. Varula had retreated to the darkest corner of the room, but was soon discovered. Suncrakl and the others leapt at her throat. I had to look away from the gory scene.
When the evil Varula was no more than a pile of blackened ashes, Suncrakl rejoined me. He smiled apologetically. "Amethyst, I'm sorry you had to see that."
"That's okay. She had it coming to her."
"We have always been peaceful creatures, and Varula took advantage of that. I don't know how they did it, but the Memory Sprites must have somehow convinced the others to finally take a stand. We should have done that a long time ago!" my friend said ecstatically as we made our way out of the dark castle.
Once we were outside, the Sundogs surrounded the dark castle. They closed their eyes, and the building began to glow brightly. I watched, amazed, as what was once Varula's fortress was transformed right before my eyes. Now it stood shining a brilliant white with yellow accents. It reminded me of our own Dream Castle back at home. Suddenly, I suffered a stab of homesickness. I was anxious to see how my friends were faring.
However, I couldn't go home quite yet. I had to see Darpayo and the other ogres off on their journey, and wish the tall ogre luck in his new life. The Sundogs and I waved farewell to them as they floated off in their mysterious flying machine. After they had vanished from sight, there was a moment of complete silence, then a great cheer arose from the amassed Sundogs. Suncrakl and I were hailed as heroes, and escorted to the clearing in the forest among a great deal of singing and cheering.
When we arrived at the clearing, the Sundogs began preparing a great festival in honor of Suncrakl and me. Though I was anxious to return home, (I remembered Moondancer mentioning something about a threat to Ponyland.) I knew I had to stay for the celebration. After all, I had played a major part in the liberation of the Skyland.
The festivities lasted long into the night. I was stuffed and nearly asleep when First Elder Solinari stood and silenced the rejoicing Sundogs. She motioned to Suncrakl and me. We stood and made our way up to where she stood in front of the other Elders. She looked down at me gratefully. When she spoke, her body shone with a radiance rivaled only by the sun itself!
"Amethyst, we are honored by your brave deeds. If it weren't for you, we might never have found the courage to fight for our Skyland's freedom. Your noble deeds have given us much more than our freedom. Peace is still preferable over war, but we Sundogs now know that when danger strikes, we must not be afraid to fight for our families and our freedom. You are a true hero, and we would be honored if you decided to stay as our hero and make our Skyland your home. We are forever in your debt!"
"Thank you for your generous offer, but tomorrow I must return to my home. Besides, I think you have a perfectly good hero here already! If it weren't for Suncrakl, I would never have come here, and you would all still be living under Varula's oppression." I said, looking at my blushing companion.
"Um, well, it was really nothing . . ."
Solaflare stood then. Dramatically, she leapt onto the table that was spread with food. Her bright blue neck ring glinted in the light put forth by the other Sundogs. "Amethyst's right, and I, for one, nominate Suncrakl to be our protector!"
Solinari called out in her most official voice, "All those in favor please stand!"
As I stood, I looked around. Not a single creature was still seated. I smiled as Suncrakl blushed even more. Solaflare leapt down and trotted over to where Suncrakl stood beside me. She nuzzled him as the assembled Sundogs cheered.
The next day, there were tears in my eyes as I prepared to leave for home. Though I was anxious to return to Ponyland, I had become good friends with Suncrakl and the other Sundogs, and I hated saying goodbye to them. But they now had a castle that they could call home and use as a defense against intruders, as well as their own hero to protect them from harm. I was no longer needed in the Skyland, and my friends were probably worried about me.
I approached the edge of the Skyland and looked back. All the Sundogs had followed to bid me farewell. Suncrakl stood in front of the others, a medallion around his neck. I ran to hug him one final time. After we had said our goodbyes, Solinari walked forward and bowed before me.
"We are eternally grateful to you for your brave and selfless act. In our gratitude, we present you with this." She held out a bright gold-colored stone. "It is called the Sun Agate. If you ever need us to come to your aid, just rub the stone, and we'll be there. Farewell, Amethyst, and thank you."
With that they sent me on my way. As I leapt off the cloud that held up the Skyland, I noticed that it had turned a brilliant white. I smiled as I flew gracefully down to the island my friends and I called home. I landed on the soft grass outside Dream Castle as my friends came running.
"Amethyst, what happened! You were gone more than a week!" exclaimed Applejack.
"Driving out ogres is harder than it sounds! I'll tell you about it later."
Suddenly, a young lavender earth pony ran up to me. I noticed she didn't have a symbol.
"I had an adventure too!" she said before running off again.
"Who's that?" I asked.
"That's Ember. She was born shortly after you left. Boy, you missed quite an adventure!" said Firefly.
She then told me all that had happened after I left to help the Sundogs.
"Wow!" I exclaimed, "I'd rather face ten Varulas than that Tirak character you described!"
"You didn't have to. I did." Firefly said grinning.
"Where's this human you were talking about?" I said, looking around.
"You mean Megan? I just returned from taking her home. I'm sure you'll get to meet her sooner or later, though." she said as we made our way into the castle.
I sighed. It was good to be home.
The End...for now...
Author's note: There is another chapter still in the works, and MUCH more somewhere in my head, but Sense of Serenity has been controling my mind recently, and thats a LONG one...Which I will get back to presently...