Zee next part of the adventure!

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“-And thus, the Manticore pack dispersed from the outskirts of Vanhoover, never to set paw in the region again!” Luna finished, only seeing it fitting to strike a pose with her sword in mid-swing, severing another vine out of her way.

“Agent Flint Jaguar wishes she could have lived to see such a display of bloodshed!” Flurry Heart piped up, striking a pose much like her favorite Aunt.

“Oh my, I never took you for being so bloodthirsty, Flint!” Luna spoke with unnerved fervor.

“I only learn from the best, M’lady!”

“You make me blush, Flint!” Luna shooed Flurry with a wave of her hand. “But alas, while I may have slain twenty-seven Manticores that day, my platoon of brave warriors who voluntarily risked life and limb slayed twice the number deserve as much credit as I!”

“I would have been just as loyal in the heat of battle, M’lady!”

“Are you so sure of that, Flint? A Manticore is an untamable beast of unfathomable strength! I doubt even somepony such as yourself could stand in the way of such a brute!”

“Agent Flint Jaguar, Mare of Mystery always starts her day with a well-rounded nutritious breakfast! Something only the flesh of a mighty Manticore can provide!”

Luna laughed alongside her favorite Niece as Celestia’s sun rose further into the sky, the two having spent the last hours or so traversing the thick vegetation of the island. Many of her loyal subjects have had a tough time enduring Flurry Heart’s often prolonged role-playing charades, but for somepony like Luna, the prospect of putting on a clichéd and stereotypical guise was a welcome change to politics and long, often tense meetings with ambassadors or military officials.

Flinging her mane aside with a flick of her neck, Luna marched over moss-laden rocks and fallen logs as signs of civilization began to emerge from the thickets. Building supports for wooden homes long since burned to the ground, columns of stone standing tall alongside evergreen trees, cobblestone roads that peaked beneath the forest floor. Such sights picked up Flurry Heart’s interest as she carefully traversed the terrain behind her Auntie’s long strides.

Luna straightened her broad shoulders and leveled her blade once more at a tangle of vines in their path. With one swing of her cutlass, the vines dispersed, revealing an inner sanctum of pillars, overgrown gardens and ancient statues of warriors, nobleponies and even a distant monolith resembling Faust Almighty herself.

“Welcome to Sierra Arcadia, little one!” Luna waved her hand at the ruins with mirth in her tone. Flurry Heart’s jaw fell slack for a brief moment as she broke out of character to take in the surreal wonder of the remnants of a once bustling city. “She may not be up to Canterlot standards, but I do believe she has done a fine job battling the elements of time and nature.” Stepping onto the hard cobblestone with a spring in her step, Luna relaxed her stance, silently enjoying the sturdy footing of the ruins compared to the humid grass and soft debris of the forest floor as Flurry Heart followed. “Many fine soldiers perished on these grounds, defending both inhabitants and treasures alike until the final hour-” Luna waved her hand to the scattered remnants of rusty helmets, broadswords and spears that have now become one with nature. “-But unlike the endless jungle of wooden homes, the stonework of Sierra Arcadia was immune to the flames that consumed the common dwellings and even the heaviest of cannon fire from the cowards at sea!”

“The fiends! No doubt afraid to look their enemy in the eye before the final blow!” Flurry pouted, folding her arms and spitting to the side out of spite.

“Attacking a civilian port first, no less!” Luna stoically threw her head to the side, lifting her chin high as she too frowned out of spite. “They knew very well my best fleet would have been hours away and were hasty in their razing of this fine city! But they underestimated the speed of my own wings! I charged the brigade of pirates as they squabbled among themselves over how they should divide their ill-gotten gains. Of course, I was a noblemare by heart, I gave them a stern warning before my first strike!”

“Giving the enemy a chance to retreat? Quite a fair play of the cards if I do say so myself!” Flurry giggled.

“Thankfully for the benefit of this story, they were drunk with greed! Despite their cowardly actions prior, their vast haul of Equestria’s gold and some of our most extravagant bottles of Moon wine gave them the courage and fuel needed to dash their ill-conceived plans across the rocks! I charged straight in-!” Luna swung her sword straight down. “<del>I dodged left as the leading ship fired every gun</del>!” Luna dodged to the side, parrying an invisible broadside. “<del>And then I tore through their mast supports with one swing</del>!” Flurry Heart fell to her flank with glee, watching her Aunt do her best to mimic the battle, even going into great detail of the carnage that followed when her fleet of warships descended on the remaining survivors! Barely noticing the dirt and twigs that clung to her custom-made breeches that many of her Crystal Empire tailors worked tirelessly to design for her, Flurry clapped with glee as Luna finished her Adventure on a high note, besting the Pirate Captain at her own game and interrogating her on the location of the remaining treasure and many distressed Stallions!

“<del>And thus, with much of our gold reserves now restored, our ships sailed to the remains of Sierra Arcadia in hopes of rescuing anypony who may have survived such a horrific event.” Luna leveled her sword, having spent much of her story swinging it to and fro for dramatic effect. “The cost of life was high, many may even say our victory was bittersweet, but I knew in my gut that while our gold could be replenished, the loss of Sierra Arcadia and it’s many inhabitants was a mighty blow to all of Equestria. Regardless, we held our heads high, knowing that justice has been delivered to all those we had lost to the clutches of greed! Such as</del>
SHOOP

Luna blinked, peering over her shoulder at a statue that had just emerged from the overgrowth. Her swinging had unintentionally severed several branches and vines surrounding a finely carved sculpture of a familiar creature.

The Princess of the Night blinked profusely at the stone beast, her stoic face forming a gleeful smile.

“Turty!” She happily yelped. Breaking from her pose, Luna pounced at the statue, giving it a delighted hug, much to Flurry Heart’s surprise.

“Who the hay is Turty?” Flurry asked with intense curiosity, breaking character as she did so.

“The finest Turtle who ever surfed the high seas!” Luna giggled, patting the head of the weather-beaten statue with intense admiration. “When I was a young Filly, the biggest, most lovable Sea Turtle clambered out of the sea as I played on Sierra Arcadia’s most wondrous stretch of sand! Oh, you should have seen how your Aunty Celly pouted as I rode Turty through the surf-!”

Flurry Heart’s smile began to deflate as Luna continued her unending praise of Turty, who by and large, was tremendously far less interesting then high-pitched sea skirmishes with dastardly pirates or duels with ruthless, cutthroat murderers!

“<del>His show was such a riot, the richest noblemare in all of Sierra Arcadia commissioned a statue of Turty in honor of his tremendous display of</del>”

“-Aunty Luna!” Flurry Heart whine. “Go back to the story of how you avenged all of Sierra Arcadia’s inhabitaaaants!”

“<del>The Stallion did a tremendous job bringing out Turty’s features as I watched from afar, Mother Faust was keeping an eye on Celestia, who was trying in vain to find a loyal Sea-born Testudine of her own</del>”

Groaning loudly, but not loud enough to garner her nostalgic Aunt’s attention, Flurry dug her heels into the dirt and pushed herself up, pushing her free hand into the cobblestone floor as she continued to pout.

Only to feel the stone shift under her palm. Flurry Heart blinked and observed the stone sink further into the ground with intense curiosity. Suddenly, the vines and thicket behind her snapped and yanked and coiled as object pushed against them with the might of a dump truck. Standing in awe at the sight unfolding before her, Flurry Hearts cheerful demeanor returned as the vines crumpled, revealing a door slowly swinging open to expose a set of steps leading into a pitch-black tunnel.

“Princess Luna!” Flurry Heart happily announced, only to hear her Aunt continue her heart-felt retelling of the time Turty ran over Celestia’s sandcastle. Frowning slightly, Flurry Heart readjusted her hat and flattened out her perm-pressed uniform as a grin spread across her cheeks.

If what Auntie Luna said while the two were on the boat was true, then the discovery of a loose treasure chest in the bowls of this ruin would be a great day for the Equestrian treasury!

And oooh… It might even slightly stimulate the local economy! The dream of any young Filly her age!

With her head held high just like Sierra Arcadia’s ancient defenders, Flurry Heart stepped into the labyrinth with delight in every step. She wouldn’t gone for long, heck, she might even find the treasure before Luna even knows she’s gone!

A firmly constructed plan even Agent Flint Jaguar would be proud of!