//------------------------------// // Preperations // Story: Equus: Divided We Stand // by Shocks //------------------------------// "Easy, easy! Bring it in!" The slightly heavy set stallion bellowed out, his voice ringing across the docks of New Oatleans, the prized shipping hub of the Lunar Empire. Across the wooden walkways, many ponies continued about their workday, pulling or moving various items to their destinations, creating a bustling hive of activity for the cities upper docks. "Thats it! Steady! Looking good!" The earth pony called out again, motioning with a forehoof. His loud calls garnering some attention from the various pony species across the docks. Now, if they decided to actually pay the stallion some attention, their eyes would immediately spot the large airship slowly entering its way to dock in section 21A, a large amount of pegasi flying near to secure the docking clamps. Inside the massive airship, a thestral pony sat silently in her chair, confident in her crew to guide the powerful vessel with precision and accuracy. The muffled yells of the dock foreman disrupted the calm serenity of the Nightshade's bridge, the captain's right ear flickering slightly in annoyance. Her crew wasn't a bunch of foals, they didn't need a hoof to guide them. Each crew member continued their work calmly, a few glancing out the massive windows of the bridge, double checking their progress from a visual angle. A few small statements from various crew members motioned the helmspony to adjust the wheel ever so slightly, a move that would normally be disregarded by lesser experienced airponies. However, they were no rookies. They were the elite, the core of the Lunar Republic's air power. The captain, attempting to distract herself from the forepony's growing shouts, lazily looked out the port side windows, identifying two more identical airships entering their own docking stations, the Razorwing and the Everfree. She sighed blissfully. Another year had come and gone, bringing with it another year of memories. This was her only second trip here as captain of the Nightshade, during the busiest week of New Oatleans, where the already bustling east coast city of the Republic became a hub of military activity. Inspection Week. The name said it all. During this time, many of the Lunar Republic's navy and airforces docked in the port city to undergo various tuneups and, of course inspections. The city would soon have a mass of soldiers, sailors, and aircrew bustling through its already heavily trafficked streets, bringing more then welcomed business across the city. The cities unique location and large shipyards made it the perfect base for the various frigates and airships to mass with space to spare. The lower docks near the ocean supported the various boats of the republic, while farther into the city, the upper docks managed the airships. The captain shifted in her seat subconsciously, feeling the forward momentum of the ship slowly ending, a feeling of reverse for only a moment. Quick to act, the pegasi that had been flying near moved instantly to complete their jobs. Diving quickly, they grabbed the large tethers located across the particular section of the docks, moving to secure the Nightshade while the crew held her steady.With practiced precision, the ship was secured with in moments, the dock forepony nodding in satisfaction. "Ma'am. Were locked in" a pink unicorn with a two toned mane addressed her captain, swiveling in her chair to address her eye to eye. The captain nodded, repositioning her hat with a hoof, before hopping out of her chair. "Good. I was afraid any longer and I might have had to shut that forepony up myself". This comment earned a round of chuckles from the crew, all too aware of their young captain's wit. She smiled at the sight, her crew was definitely a unique bunch. Despite being part of the elite core of the Republic's airfleet, they were technically the 'rookies' of the group, as being the youngest, the captain a prime example. Ruffling her black wings, attempting to fix her uniform, the captain affixed her gaze outside, to where multiple groups of shipwrights were descending on the Nightshade. Taking a glance around the bridge, she made sure everything was in order. "Im going to head outside, stretch my wings. You guys think you can manage without me?" She smiled, splaying her wings to their full length. A bright silver coated mare answered her captain's witty remark with one of her own. "No problem at all captain, we might actually be able to get some work done now" Earning another round of laughter from the bridge crew. Finding all as it should, the captain exited the bridge, humming to herself as she appeared on the top deck of the airship, a large amount of shipwrights already busy with different pieces of the ship. Pegasi moved above and around the massive structure, calling out to ponies on the deck, many holding clipboards with unknown paperwork. Making her way around the bustling groups, she finally managed to step foot on to the docks. Turning around, she gazed happily at the large airship that hovered before her. The Nightshade was one of several sister ships, each one equally massive and powerful. They were the tip of the spear for the Lunar Republic's airfleets, sporting the latest in technology and weaponry, the ships thirty six powerful cannons a testament to that. In addition, the ships engines were the top of the line allowing the ship to move at speeds many would consider impossibly fast for its size. However, none of those things were what made the Nightshade unique, or in the captains case, beautiful. The ship's balloon was that of a brilliant dark purple, with a navy blue stripe crossing its side. Across most of the balloon was large amounts of beautifully adorned metal structures, each matching colors to the balloon itself. On each side of the balloon, large metal crests of the Lunar Republic shined brightly against the glare of the sun, proudly standing strong. The actual ship itself favored an entire navy blue look, with light blues here and there. Near the bow of the ship rested the bridge, its large windows allowing her to see her crew shuffling about. Across the expanse of the ship, various cannons could be spotted, inspection crews tinkering with them with gusto. The sight of the Nightshade tethered down with so many ponies brought a small frown to her muzzle. She was never a fan of inspection week. Mind you, she was well aware it was necessary, especially for what was coming up, and it was important to maintaining the fleet's power. Still, she didn't like the fact her ship was tethered, unable to soar the skies free and unheeded. Attempting to focus her attention elsewhere, the captain continued her way through the docks, passing many other crewman from their prospective ships, she took a few glances at the other docked ships. Along with the Nightshade, Razorwing, and Everfree, there was also the Concordia, Firestrike, and Comet. Each had similar appearances but had outstanding differences that made each stand out respectfully. She smiled happily at this, the Lunar Republic's glory was all around her, filling her heart with pride and joy. Bypassing a large squad a Lunar battalion troops, she finally managed to reach part of the city. In the time since she was small, the Lunar Republic had undergone many technological advancements, pushing forward in their quest for knowledge, earning many achievements of late. Recently, they had been able to construct buildings with much more strength and durability, switching from stone to more metal materials. New Oatleans proved this as large multistory buildings covered the expanse of the city, the upper docks some of the tallest. Switching from the wooden walkways to the sun warmed stone streets, the captain of the Nightshade continued her progress toward her destination. All around her, ponies went about their day, from small foals to full grown mares and stallion. From carriages pulled by pegasi above to those being pulled by earth ponies below, the city was a bustle with activity. It was always this busy, the influx of military personnel sent most of the city into a frenzy. She wondered what it was like normally. Perhaps she should visit sometime? Ignoring the thought, she was soon able to spot a familiar building in the distance. Sandwiched between multiple larger buildings, the mall one story looked ridiculously out of place. Displayed on top of the store was a large fake doughnut, the words 'Doughnut Joes' across its fake glazed surface. Finding the large crowd she was in suddenly uncomfortable, she spread her wings and took to the sky, mindful to avoid loosing her cap during takeoff. Flying the rest of the way there, she landed directly in front of the door, bypassing the bustling citizens of New Oatleans. Pushing the door opening, its bell jingling, alerting the owner of a potential customer. The buildings inside favored a bright white with a checkered tile floor. Unique pictures of different doughnuts adorned the walls , while rounded tables spread about gave the entire place a vary calm and quite feel. Approaching the counter, she smiled happily at the large unicorn stallion behind it. "Hey Joe, long time no see" the bat pony acknowledged happily. The stallion's eyes immediately filled with recognition, his own muzzle changing into a smile. "Well, its been too long! How's my favorite Lunar Captain been? " Joe asked already moving to get the thestral her usual, jelly doughnut, hold the sprinkles. The captain rested on a stool at the counter, content to wait for the stallion to acquire her food. Adjusting her cap once again, she let out a small yawn. Joe soon placed the delicacy before her, and without hesitation, she dived into it. A symphony of flavor exploded in her mouth, and she shivered slightly as her taste buds became overloaded. On one side, she was horrified that she could only taste such beauty once a year, on the other side she was glad, to many of these and she'd get fat. Finishing off the last of the delight, she sighed contently. Yes, cant have too much of that. The stallion smirked at the familiar dopey expression of the Lunar captain. "I take it was good as usual?" He prodded, removing the plate from the counter before wiping it down quickly. "Joe, you need to expand, to everywhere" She said in her doughnut fueled state. The stallion laughed heartily, recognizing the mare still under the doughnuts spell. Attempting to start their usual conversation, the stallion switched to a popular topic for the bat pony. "So, ready for the conference this year captain?" He asked, already seeing the glint in the thestral's eye. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she was more then ready to deliver an answer. "You got the right Joe, we may finally be able to show up the Solars yet" She stated, referencing the Solar Empire's nickname. Despite no open hostilities ever existing between the continent's most powerful nations, The Lunar Republic and The Solar Empire had a fierce standing rivalry, taking any chance to show up the other. Last year, the Empire had arrived to the conference of nations with a large fleet of their strongest frigates, making it look like they were going to war rather then a peace conference. Now, the Lunar Republic would arrive with the most powerful ariships in the fleet, trumping anything the Empire could produce. Joe smiled at the enthusiasm of the thestral, she looked like a kid in a candy store, or in this case, a doughnut shop. "So I take it we might finally be the talk of the conference eh? Bout time us republicans got some attention!" Joe proclaimed, satisfied at the efforts of the Lunar Republic as well as the captain. "Ya, I cant wait to see the looks on their faces. If only I had one of those new cameras!" The two laughed happily. All in all, it was easily becoming one of their regular talks, the only difference being the bat pony's rank. The two continued in small talk as the outside world continued on its business. However, things were not so well as everything appeared to be. A sudden shockwave rocked the diner, the captain and Pony Joe both bracing against the counter to avoid falling over. At the same time, a loud bang echoed across the city, all activity nearly stopping to divert their attention. Then came the screams. The captain knocked out of her sudden shock, dashed out of her seat, running toward the stores wide windowed front. Outside, ponies were retreating in the opposite direction of the bang, appearing to flee for their very lives. The thestral barely looked out the window before she saw it, the blood in her face all but vanishing. Thick, black, rising smoke. Coming from the docks. Her stomach lurched, and she felt hot bile in the back of her throat. Next to her, Joe was trying to pick his jaw off the floor, staring wide eyed at the climbing smoke clouds. Before the stallion could stop her, the bat mare had plowed through the doorway, the swinging door nearly hitting several fleeing pedestrians. Pony Joe was almost too stunned to tell her to stop, but he did manage one phrase before the mare disappeared into the crowd. "Be careful Captain Blossom!!" Seconds later, there was no trace of her.