If anybody had been watching from nearby, the scene that lay in front of them ten minutes later would have been one of the oddest ones to ever be seen. A freshly made campfire which was illuminating three miscellaneous figures sitting around it. A purple Dragon barely reaching puberty with green fins and spines, a Lara Croft/Indiana Jones knockoff Pegasus who could easily be mistaken for a recolored Rainbow Dash, and a human with large pair of silvery gold Alicorn wings with streaks of Phoenix red through them. All three of us sat there in silence, me sizing the author turned adventurer up, Spike just gaping in stunned silence, and Daring Do matching my gaze with a hard one of her own.

She was the first to speak. "Why are you here, Jethro Bethridge?" she asked in an angry tone.

"I believe I'm the one who asked first, A.K. Yearling," I replied evenly, keeping the pirate saber close in my hand. "You're normally exploring a jungle and fighting off that weird looking blue guy and the Pony with the perpetual five o'clock shadow."

"Ahuizotl and Dr. Caballeron," Daring replied quickly.

"Yeah, them," I said. "Now come on, out with it. I can't have you jeopardizing my mission for the Princesses of Equestria."

That got a reaction out of her. She looked very briefly concerned, but that concern quickly vanished into more suspicion. This was the sort of reaction I had expected to see more of after Eris' damned reveal to the whole world. "And why should I believe you?" she asked.

She had a point. It wasn't as if there was an official letter written by the Princesses explaining myself. "I suppose we'll just have to go on trust, now won't we?" I asked.

"He's a knight, now!" Spike said quickly.

Daring looked at the young drake with a confused look, then looked back at me. She narrowed her eyes, searching. "…Yes, I did hear about that," she said. "The Princesses made an announcement across all of Equestria declaring you their personal knight. But how do I know you're the real Jethro?"

"You see any other winged bipedal beings that look like me?" I asked.

"Not with those streaks in your wings," she said, tensing up.

I sighed. "These are the result of my death and rebirth thanks to the help of two Phoenixes."

That got her attention. She gaped at me, eyes wide in astonishment as she digested this piece of information. Spike, too, looked at me with fear and concern. "Z-Zombie?" he asked, trembling.

It hurt to see him so scared, so I quickly shook my head. "No, Spike. I'm not a Zombie. I'm perfectly alive, I promise."

"You…experienced a Phoenix Rebirth?" Daring asked in shock. "I…I've never heard of that happening in my lifetime!"

"What's a Phoenix Rebirth?" Spike asked.

Daring cleared her throat, her tone taking on a professorial tone. "A Phoenix Rebirth is an ancient ritual that the Phoenixes once would use to bring someone from the brink of death back to life," she explained. "It requires the feathers of a Phoenix who is on the verge of rebirth and the feathers of the same Phoenix who has just undergone rebirth. When placed on the body of somepony who is about to die, they experience the death and rebirth of a Phoenix as well as gaining some of the Phoenix's natural abilities. That's all."

"You're forgetting the fact that I can now talk to all animals," I said.

Daring Do then grinned. "Good catch, Sir Bethridge. If you hadn't pointed that out, I'd have known you were a Fae."

I raised an eyebrow. "You know their true name, do you?"

"Of course I do," she said. "Didn't you read Daring Do and the Forest of Lost Souls?"

"Reading for pleasure hasn't exactly been the forefront on my mind, especially when Equestria has been recently invaded by both Fae and Dragons," I said, "but we're getting off topic." I leaned forward, gripping my sword defensively. "What are you searching for in that ship?"

The two of us stared at each other, neither daring to give in. Narrowing her eyes, Daring Do finally said, "That ship belonged to a deadly and legendary pirate called Goldfeather," she said. "He and his crew were ruthless in their pursuit of treasure. They disappeared over twenty years ago after leaving the Tenochtitlan Basin. They were last spotted heading in this direction according to my sources."

"And just what would they be searching for in this ruin?" I asked, praying against hope that it wasn't what I was searching for.

"That's just it. I have no idea," she said. "I was looking for the captain's journal or log book or something that could help, but nothing. At least not yet." She frowned again, then leaned forward. "Now, what's this about your mission for the Princesses?"

I matched her glare for a bit, then nodded. "Okay, fair's fair. Here's the bullet points: Fae infiltrated an extremely important council to try and bring all of us against the Dragons. I exposed their plot and we all helped not only to defeat them, but begin their reformation. However, the Dragons are threatening to invade Equestria. Dragon Lord Torch, however, said he wouldn't invade if I find a certain relic and bring it to him three days-no, it's actually two days-from now."

"A relic? What kind of relic?" Daring asked.

"An ancient half of a broadsword called the Sunsword," I explained. "Spike and I have a possible lead on its location, and when the morning comes, we'll be heading there."

Daring sat up, a look of contemplation on her face as she scratched her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm…I've never heard of the Sunsword," she said.

"Neither have I, and I've watched the show," I replied. "This whole life of mine is turning into some sort of life endangering adventure after another."

Daring chuckled a little bit in sympathy. "I know how that goes," she said. She then turned to me. "You said you had two days, right?"

"Yeah, two days to get this sword to him," I said.

Daring's eyes then seemed to brighten, like she was experiencing the call of adventure. Adrenaline junkies are all the same, I thought as she said, "Now, I normally work alone, but I'm willing to make an exception."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? And you don't want anything in return?" I asked.

She shook her head. "As long as you let me write this into my next story, I'll be a happy camper."

I smirked. "Me in a story, huh? Eh, I doubt anyone would be interested in someone as boring as I am. How many chapters can you write about my life story before people get bored?"

Daring laughed. "Sir Bethridge, I live in a house alone. I normally wear my hair differently and have a long purple robe I wear when I'm A.K. Yearling. That's boring."

"Nah, that sounds completely relaxing," I replied. I felt a rant coming on, but I was too exhausted to stop it. "Honestly, I'd love to have the A.K. Yearling lifestyle. Living in a nice quiet house, writing stories to help entertain people, or Ponies I guess, with my loved ones by my side. But since I got here it's been one inadvertent adventure after another. International incidents with the Lycans, Eris exposing the secret of this world, and now this? I didn't ask for this, Daring. I really didn't. Not that I'm unhappy living here. I have an amazing marefriend who's been there for me practically since Day One. I'm friends with the Bearers of Harmony and the Princesses, the Ponies in my hometown have been friendly with me and accepting, with only a few exceptions, and I love being in this world. You seek out adventure, and I don't blame you. Adventure seeks me out. I'm a magnet for trouble."

I'd said all this with a straight face, looking down into the campfire's flames. Maybe it was because I was tired. Maybe it was because I was cranky and upset after having woken up from a welcoming dreamless sleep. Maybe it was my anxiety at the current situation, or maybe it was a combination of all of them. Nevertheless, I felt like I needed to vent to someone. I wasn't sure why it was Daring and Spike, but if I had to guess, it was just because they were there. I took a deep breath. "Yeah…that went waaaay off topic. Sorry. Anyway, back to the matter at hand." I turned to Daring. "You said you'd be willing to help me find the Sunsword?"

"Well, it sounds like there's a lot riding on it," she said. "Nopony wants a war."

"Trust me, you really don't," I said. "Back on Earth, wars are more commonplace, and there are no winners in war. The innocent and the guilty both suffer."

Daring and Spike both shuddered, before Daring straightened. "I'll put my adventure on hold, then."

I smiled slightly. "Heh, I can't wait to make Rainbow Dash a Daring Do fan before she did in the show."

Daring smirked. "It's never too late to have a new fan," she said before she brought out her bag. "Well, I'll see you in the morning. It's been a long flight here, and these wings are beat. I'll find another place to sleep."

I shook my head. "We stay together, alright?" I pointed to an empty spot near the fire. "Just rest, okay? I'd actually feel a bit better with someone else here to keep an eye on the camp. And Spike here."

"Hey!" he shouted, glaring at me.

"You're my responsibility, Spike," I said. "Until we get back to Ponyville and this is all settled, I've been entrusted with making sure you're safe. I'd never be able to forgive myself if you were hurt. Or worse."

His glare turned into concern, and he looked at the sleeping bag, then back at me. "Um…then, can we sleep together?" he asked nervously.

"It'd make you feel safer, right?" I asked. When Spike nodded, I smiled. "Okay, I'm sure I can squeeze in with you," I added, poking his stomach playfully.

When he huffed at me, Daring Do simply chuckled a bit. "You two act a lot like a father and son," she said.

Spike blushed a bit, and I smiled, putting a hand on Spike's back. "I do see him as family."

Daring smiled a bit as she undid a sleeping bag that reminded me a bit of the ones from Skyrim (Man, everything here was reminding me of that game), and crawled into it. "Well, rest up you two. We have a long day, and I like to start early."

"Fair point," I replied as I unzipped the sleeping bag, crawling in then making room for Spike, who nervously walked over and lay beside me. I zipped the bag back up, then put an arm around the young drake. I could feel him relax. "Try and get as much sleep as you can, Dragon-boy," I said softly.

He nodded and closed his eyes. "Night…monkey-man…" and with that, the young drake was asleep, and was soon snoring prodigiously.

For the next few minutes, I lay my head on part of the small pillow I'd brought from my camping supplies, staring at the fire. Daring already had fallen asleep, and had turned herself towards the fire. She had removed her pith helmet and her shirt, which was folded neatly next to her sleeping bag. I couldn't help but smile. Ponies were always so cute when they slept. And so was Zecora.

My thoughts filled with images of my loving marefriend. I could see her deep blue eyes sparkling with the lovely look she only reserved for me. I heard her tender, deeper voice whispering how much she loved me. I could almost feel her soft fur pressed against my body, her warmth spreading through me despite not being there.

I resolved right then and there that, once this adventure was over, I'd ask Zecora to embark on one of the biggest adventures I could think of: marriage. And with that comforting and simultaneously nerve-wracking thought, I fell into a comforting dreamless sleep.

Daring Do woke me and Spike up early the next morning, having already prepared a small breakfast for us. She had some kind of berries, nuts and a small platter of dark red leaves that she claimed were actually good for helping wake up. Spike took some of each while I took a few berries and took out some of my jerky from before. I almost offered some to Spike, seeing as I now knew Dragons were at least omnivorous, but decided that he had enough on his plate, metaphorically speaking.

When we finished our meal and packed everything up, Daring grabbed one of the torches on the ground with her wing. "Well, where are we going?" she asked.

"There are, or were, two massive towers on eastern and western sides of the castle," I explained as I stood, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. Spike, having offered to lighten my load a bit, took some of my lighter belongings like toiletries and some of the lighter bread. I strapped the saber to my side once more and slung the ancient Dragon blade over my back while Spike did the same with his own smaller blade.

Daring looked at us and frowned. "You should really preserve those," she said.

"I'd rather be alive, thanks," I said. "Besides, I know how to handle a sword somewhat well. And I can use magic and fly now."

Daring shrugged and put her pith helmet back on, using her wings to strap it down with a satisfying click. "Well, can't believe I'm saying this, but lead the way."

I nodded, then looked up at the hole in the ceiling. Through it, I could see a morning blue sky just beyond as well as a small wisp of haze just crossing it. I turned to Spike, then quickly lifted him in my arms, ignoring his shocked gasp as I turned to Daring and spread my wings. "We're going out that way. You able to fly, or are your wings still tired?"

She scoffed. "One flight across the ocean isn't enough to get these wings all bent out of shape," she said in a manner that reminded me a bit of Rainbow Dash as she spread her wings and jumped up, leaving me in the dust.

I held Spike closer to me, almost protectively, then launched into the air. After a few seconds, I reached the hole and moved my wings back so I could fit through the hole. Once I was through, I spread my wings wide and looked over the landscape.

Unlike the night before, the entire barren land before me was blanketed by an unusually thick fog, most of which stopped right at some sort of barrier surrounding the palace. The sun was just beginning to pierce the horizon, shining its ruddy glow over the fog. Spike, who had been clinging to me in fear, now looked around in awe at the land before us and the ruins of the castle. Looking at it from the air, I noticed that there was apparently more damage than I'd seen earlier. Aside from the hole in the front of the castle ruins, I saw large scorch marks on many of the towers, most centered on a cylindrical building that had to have been the old keep. The eastern tower was not the only structure that had fallen, as I saw a few breaches in the inner walls, which struck me as odd considering the fact that Dragons and Fae were both flying creatures. However, when I looked closer, I saw that there were fallen statues of Dragons right near the ruins, which seemed to make a bit more sense. Destroying morale, or spite. Either way, it made sense.

"Okay, Sir Knight," Daring's words pulled me out of my reverie. I turned and saw her hovering, her forelegs crossed in a remarkably humanlike gesture, something that I knew a lot of Ponies did, "which tower?"

I looked around, then spotted the one at the far end of the castle ruins. Unlike the rest, it looked a lot older despite having been constructed last, if the history lesson I'd interpreted from the mural was to be believed. "That half white tower," I said before pressing Spike closer against my chest and flying directly towards it.

In that moment, I was grateful for Rainbow's strict lessons, because as the two of us flew closer to the tower, a strong wind, almost like a whirlwind, sprang up, centering around the tower itself. We both tried our best to move closer, but even with Rainbow's lessons I was still somewhat uncertain about my flying abilities. Daring and myself had a very hard time maintaining air altitude. Finally moving back, Daring flew closer to me, and shouted, "So what now?"

"I've no idea!" I called back as the speed of the wind died down, leaving nothing but falling dust around the tower itself. "You're the expert here, but if I had to guess, it's like a magical security system that prevents anyone from approaching unless some condition is met!"

Daring nodded. "That sounds about right!" she called back. "Do you think it's because we're not Dragons? Or maybe because we're flying towards it?"

I shrugged. "Maybe! Only one way to find out! Hang on!" And with that, I began making my way downwards towards a large street that led up towards the tower. Daring followed, and soon we landed on the ancient stone street. I put a nervous Spike down, then looked up at the tower. "Hopefully it's the latter," I said. "Maybe there's a few trials you need to pass in order to earn the sword. God…just like some sort of Indiana Jones shit." I muttered the last part to myself.

"Well, you'll never know unless we try," Daring said, and with that she walked towards the tower.

As Spike and I followed, I paid close attention to the cityscape around me. This part of the castle looked like it had seen the most damage out of any of the places I'd seen. What must have once been houses were smashed to pieces, furniture inside long ago turned to dust or faded remnants of what they must have been. I saw pieces of shattered glass, whether from windows or glass covered portraits I couldn't really tell. Not that it mattered in the long run.

And then the wind began picking up.

Ahead of me, I heard Daring curse as she pushed against the wind, doing her best to dig into the ground, but since it was made of stone that was hard to do. Beside me, Spike clung to my pants leg as the wind became strong enough to blow him away with ease.

The only one not affected, strangely enough, was me.

Oh sure, I could see the dust forming around me as the whirlwind returned. I could smell it in the air, the smell of decay and dust. But the wind seemed to avoid me altogether. Not even my hair was rustled, unlike before. Quickly, I took Daring in my telekinetic magical grasp and pulled her back while at the same time picking Spike up, holding him under my arm as I got out of range. The farther I got, the calmer the wind seemed to get until it stopped altogether.

We found a street corner against one of the inner walls to the city and I waited as Daring and Spike caught their breaths. After a while, Daring stood and looked up at the tower. "Well…it doesn't look like we're gonna be getting in there anytime soon."

I frowned. "Or maybe there is a way…"

Daring turned to me with a curious expression on her face. "How?" she asked.

"That wind didn't affect me, just you two," I said.

"Huh…can you show me?" Daring asked.

Nodding, I walked back up the street. When I reached a certain spot, the one where I'd been when the winds had started up the second time, I turned back. "See? Nothing!" I moved backwards, up the street even further then stopped again. "Absolutely nothing!"

As I made my way back down, Daring was once more looking thoughtful. "But it affected you when we were in the air," she was saying when I returned.

"Well, maybe it was because I was holding Spike, or maybe it was because this magic security system doesn't want anything flying towards it."

"Then why is it allowing those to fly?" Daring asked, pointing up with her wings. I looked, and saw about two red birds circling right above the tower itself.

I frowned. "Maybe because they're birds? Do you have binoculars?"

"What good treasure hunting archaeologist doesn't have binoculars?" she snorted as she took off her bag, rummaging quickly through it before pulling out a pair of Pony sized binoculars. She put them to her eyes and looked up. "Huh…two Phoenixes," she said.

"Phoenixes, huh…?" I turned back to my wings and spread them quickly. This time, a wave of flames erupted from the back of them before vanishing.

"Whoa! Careful with those things!" Daring shouted.

"Yeah, sorry," I said. "Can I see those binoculars for a second?"

Daring handed them to me, and immediately I ran into a problem. The distance between the eyes, even at their longest adjustment, didn't fit me, so I just aimed at the birds in the sky and used one eye. After adjusting the focus, I closed one eye and looked at the birds. Daring wasn't wrong. They were Phoenixes. Older ones from the looks of it, but then again, I had absolutely no idea how to judge their ages save for their wings looking a bit worn and the smaller feathers on their heads looking slightly gray. Maybe they were about to be reborn, but it was, once again, hard to tell.

"When did they show up?" I asked as I handed the binoculars back.

Daring took them and shook her head. "I didn't see them when we tried to fly towards it or when we tried walking," she said.

"Same here," Spike said, probably in an attempt to be helpful.

"Huh…" I tried thinking about what this might mean.

To my surprise, it was Spike who spoke up first. "Hey, maybe it has to do with them being Phoenixes?"

Daring's eyes widened a bit. "Hey…hey yeah! You might be right, little Dragon!" She looked through her binoculars again. "But that just leaves one question: why isn't it affecting Sir Bethridge?"

"One, just call me Jethro," I began, "and two, that's a good point. Maybe because I just recently experienced a Phoenix rebirth?"

Daring nodded. "I don't know much about them apart from how to do one and what they do, so it's possible."

"Hmm…well, I don't like the idea of going in there alone," I admitted. "I'm no Lara Croft."

"Who?" Daring asked.

"A fictional female human who's a lot like you," I said. "Hmm…"

Daring looked up at me, then raised an eyebrow. "I know that look on anypony's face," she said. "What's your idea?"

Not responding right away, I spread my wings, then plucked two of the reddest feathers I could find before handing one to Spike and the other to Daring. "Maybe it has to do with the wings?" I asked.

Daring took my feather and examined it carefully. "Hmm…I don't know about this," she said, "but I guess it's worth a shot." She stuck the feather in her hat.

Spike, however, looked up at me. There was still nervousness in those bright green eyes of his. "Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"Not in the slightest," I admitted, "but if there's one things humans are good at, it's being inquisitive. Now come on, let's see if this works."

Daring had already gone on ahead, walking a bit more cautiously now, and I stayed by Spikes side as we caught up to her. When we passed the point where the winds normally started, I thought that maybe I'd gotten something right. However, only a few steps in, the winds returned, blowing the feathers away into the sky. Quickly retreating, we made our way back to the street corner and sat down. Daring once more had a thoughtful look on her face. I folded my wings back and watched her closely, then almost smirked. She looked so much like Rainbow Dash that it was a bit amusing to see any kind of thoughtful look on a face like hers. Spike sat near me, and I put a protective wing around him. After a few minutes of contemplative silence, I said, "So…any other ideas?"

"Now, this is indeed quite a sight, my dearest," a male voice said from above us.

"This creature is not like any I have seen, my love," a female voice replied.

Daring looked up at the source of the voices, or presumably the standard call of a Phoenix. "Whoa!" she jumped up, startled. When she got a better look at the birds, she relaxed. "Phew, those birds startled me."

"A bird, she says," the male said, sounding a bit offended, "That is no way to speak about us!"

"Do not take it to heard, dearest," the female said quickly, "None of them speak our language, and none know of our ancient history."

The Phoenix male made a small sighing sound, then nodded. "It bothers you not how far we have fallen?"

"Only you and I know this," the female said, "All the others have passed on."

I smirked a bit, deciding not to eavesdrop anymore. "You know, it's rude to talk about someone when they're right in earshot," I said, locking eyes with the two Phoenixes.

"Who are you talking to?" Daring asked.

I pointed at the two Phoenixes. "Those two."

"Wait, you can talk to animals now?" Spike asked. "Like Fluttershy?"

"Correct," I said.

They froze, staring at me with wide orange eyes. Finally, after a while, the female said, "You…understand our language?"

I finally spread my wings for them to see, letting a brief burst of flame loose from it. I was starting to grow used to being able to control my new Phoenix power, since it felt only slightly different to Unicorn magic. "And then some."

If their eyes could have gotten any wider, I was afraid they'd pop out of their skulls. "A Reborn…" the male said in a tone of shock.

"Come on down, you two," I said, pointing to the ground in front of us. "I have a feeling we've a lot to talk about."