“Left to right, we have Fallen leaf, Cookie Crumble, and Butterscotch.

“My time with the Pegasus of the cloud temple was unfortunately short, but it was an experience that I would find hard to forget.

They offered me food and supplies, despite my many attempts to politely decline, and explain to them I was a famed explorer and writer.

The Pegasus here spent almost all their entire early life inside the cloudy walls of this massive temple that hung far above a waterfall in the secluded northern foot-hills of Cobble Mountain. They meditated, sang, ate, wrote, painted… and trained in what I believed to be martial arts.

I gained more information from a kindly brown Pegasus with a red necktie, with an odd question mark upon it. Looking just little worse for wear that day, I asked him of what had happened… and the fluffy pegaus replied that he had been ‘beating up big scary bats.’ He claimed to be trained in deception, stealth, and also sandwich making. I quickly concluded he was at least a little bit insane.

Accompanying him was a somewhat quieter yellow winged pony, with white mark adorning his body… as well as a green female Pegasus with a distinct scar upon her left eye, though she declined to explain where it came from. I was later told the three formed one of the cloud temples finest warriors, and they were often sent on missions to aid those in need, who either had no income to purchase their own help… or were simply too far from the aid of others, such as city guard.

They had recently returned from battling shadowy winged creatures that lived in caves, whom had been threatening the farmlands of a far southern village. I was told, by one of masters of the temple, that the three had met each-other when they were very young… and were nearly inseparable.

I wished more time, to sit down with the warriors and speak with them. It would have made for a great book. However, when I went to grab my supplies from the caravan not too far from the temple… I returned but a few minutes later to find it was gone… vanished without trace.

I wondered to myself, how many humble ponies like myself had ever had the chance to see inside those walls?”

• Excerpt from the mountain expeditions notes of Skipping Stone.”