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// A Flight Unfancy 
// Story: Royal Duties 
// by biasedeyes 
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    Boarding the vessel, Twilight became aware of a heated discussion.
“What do you mean, no flying!? That’s ridiculous! No way am I following that rule!” exclaimed a rough voice Twilight knew to be Rainbow’s.
“Pardon me, princess, but this fine vessel will be doing a mean clip, without stopping.” replied a gasping voice which varied in intensity from a stage whisper to a bellow, as if the speaker were trying to blow bubbles with volume. “Many pegasi have gotten it into their heads to go flying, only to find that the ship won’t stop, inevitably falling behind! At best five hours lost for everypony, at worst shark food!” As Twilight rounded the deck to the fore of the craft to find that the speaker was an old dun stallion of Equestrian stature. The captain literally rocked back and forth in delivering his bellows, and had his face set in an almost malicious scowl, bushy white beard growing beneath.
Rainbow was unimpressed, hovering vertically above the captain with her forehooves crossed. “Oh yeah? This old clunker? I’ll believe it when I see it, which I won’t! I could fly to Arabia on my own just like that! I’m only here to keep my friends company. I’ll fly when I want, loops around this thing!”
The captain grimaced. “Well I can’t stop you from flinging yourself off the craft, but I’m not stopping! So I hope you’re prepared to make it to Arabia yourself if you do!” With that he gave a snort and turned to Twilight.
“Princess Twilight, an honor to meet you.” he said, seeming quite sincere, though he accented ‘you’ just a bit. His voice was nowhere near as guttery when he wasn’t yelling, and he didn’t rock on his hooves, though Twilight now had a full view of the deep bags wrinkling the skin under his brown eyes. “If you follow me, I’ll show you to your quarters.”
He led Twilight to a small cabin, which nevertheless had enough room for her bags, and, as she noted with some pleasure, a bedside table that could be used as a writing desk. Then he ran through the ship’s rules, which did include ‘no flying’. He seemed relieved that Twilight nodded throughout, and left her there after estimating that they would arrive in Barbdhad the morning of the third day. Twilight figured that she should see how her friends were settling in, but she wanted to see how uncomfortable the bed was first. She had read several books which complained about the bed quality in airships. She pulled off the covers and settled on the bed. It was surprisingly comfortable.

Twilight woke in the dark. A faint humming sounded, and after a few moments Twilight realized it must be the engines of the airship she was on. Disoriented from the unexpected nap, she lit her horn and turned to her desk. She was shocked at the sight of a couple books, a page placed on top of them, next to her inkwell and quill. Somepony had been through her saddlebags! Recovering, she realized that written on the page was a letter, addressed to her. She quickly read it in the violet-tinted light of her horn.

Dearest Twilight,
Celestia and I were surprised to find you already in dreamless sleep before the vessel embarked, though the past few days have not been a picnicing voyage for you. We bid your friends fair tidings, and you farewell the best we could. Celly went so far as to kiss you upon the forehead, and would like you to know of it, and also asks you remember what will now be her parting words to you. For myself, know that you may call upon the night, wakeful or not, and I will be there. Both Celestia and I bend our will to aid you. As parting gift or course of study I leave you these books on Arabian religion. ‘Tis is a subject which both my sister and myself prefer to avoid, but I believe you will find the knowledge both interesting and necessary.
Regards,
Luna

Twilight realized muzzily that the books below the letter were not from her saddlebags, and quickly confirmed that they were indeed on religion. Then she flopped back on her bed, mentally picturing Celestia’s kiss as she drifted back to sleep.

The next day, Twilight woke early, and ate a bland breakfast in the small airship mess hall. Lumen and Applejack were there, but both seemed preoccupied, so she left them alone except for a quick hello. Returning to her room, Twilight hopped back in bed and eagerly cracked the books Luna had given her on Arabian religion, happily (and somewhat guiltily) noting that they were written in Equestrian. Religion was a fairly small and ill-reputed field of magic in Equestria, dating from the days when ponies thought that magic and philosophy were one and the same. Twilight was surprised to find from the introduction of the first book, Arabian Religion Through the Ages, that this view still prevailed in Arabia and surrounding areas. She began to understand what exactly Cadance had meant when she said that Zebrican religion was Zero Sum. They practiced a form of Shamanism which taught that every being and landscape in the world had an attendant spirit god or gods, whose power and manifestation varied depending on the amount and quality of worship they received. There was a limited amount of this power available, so a deity receiving more worship could diminish the amount available to others. It was in this way (said the book) that the Zebras believed they had tamed the deserts and savannahs of Zebrica. By worshipping their twin gods, of light and darkness, the Zebras had tamed the continent.
It was at around this point that Twilight became aware of some yelling outside, to the front of the ship. A few moments later she heard the humming from the engines to which she had grown accustomed increase to a high whine. She tore herself away from her book, suddenly nervous.
She hoped there would be no problems with the ship. She remembered the tornado rushing toward the balloon she and her friends had taken up to the craggy spire which served as the Wonderbolts Academy to visit Rainbow. On that occasion, she had simply fallen for a few moments before Rainbow could rescue her, but she felt the cool damp of sweat under her fur as she realized that this time, she might have to help save her friends. She relaxed a bit as she realized that everypony but Rarity and Applejack could fly. If the ship was going down, she could get Applejack and have Rainbow get Rarity.
She opened the door, and was relieved to see that everything was okay for the moment. Wind whipped the deck, but the craft was level, and nothing seemed to be wrong. Twilight looked to the bow, and saw Rainbow, flying backwards in midair right in front of the ship. She seemed focused on something at the front of the ship, staring through the multicolored strands of her mane as they whipped back across her face. Twilight opened her wings to fly up to meet her, and was almost swept off the back of the ship. Instead, she walked up to the front of the ship, and yelled to Rainbow over the breeze.
“Rainbow! What’s happening?” she hollered.
Rainbow glanced at her, looking slightly embarrassed. “Oh, Twilight. Just showing Mr. Hot Air that these measly engines aren’t enough to faze me!” She returned to staring at the front of the ship.
Twilight followed her gaze, and found herself looking into the face of the captain, hunched over the tiller, eyes boring back into Rainbow’s. He glanced quickly at Twilight then turned and spat on the ground beside him before locking eyes with Rainbow once again. Twilight glanced back and forth between the two parties in the staring contest before sighing and walking back to her cabin. She trusted both of them not to fall out of the sky, and figured it would be pointless to get between them.

The Zebra tradition held that dual gods, such as their own, were the mark of an advanced, moral culture. Lesser races, such as the Antelope, had only one god. It was a view which depressed the equines who crowded the edges of Zebrica’s desert; they had no god at all. A few things happened to these ponies in the course of the next millenia, slow, complex societal change. Twilight had to guess at most of it, since all the book really cared to say was that just at the point where the previously nomadic ponies settled down and founded Saddle Arabia, they began to hear that across the world there were two winged, horned ponies who raised the sun and moon. It was their chance to counter the smugness of their zebra neighbors.
The alicorns, managing a country half a world away, became a fixture in Saddle Arabian culture almost overnight. Temples, small and tasteful in what was otherwise an age of reason, began popping up, worshipping Saddle Arabia’s new twin gods.
Twilight quickly skimmed the rest of the book, looking for confirmation that Celestia and Luna were not, in fact, gods. Gods were abstract, ineffable, conceptual tools given life through partitioning of magic, like the Zebrican gods of light and dark. But the book didn’t provide, instead describing how the Arabian ponies prayed, worshipped and based their magical theories and practice on the sisters. Twilight sighed and closed it on the last few chapters, moving on to The Sisters: Modern Religion and Magic in Saddle Arabia.
The Sisters picked up more or less where Arabian Religion had left off; describing a vibrant culture in which worship of the alicorns was a constant, quiet presence. It expanded on the difference in worship of the two 'goddesses'; those who worshipped Celestia tended to be more realistic and satisfied with their lives, those who worshipped Luna were artists and dreamers. There were also social side effects of worship. Gold was no longer commonly used as currency; due to its association with Celestia, it was preferred for religious idols. The night became safer as well, as the nightlife of Luna worshippers pushed the petty crime generally associated with darkness into the last few hours before dawn.
Then the author started to go on a tangent about Arabian politics, and Twilight yawned, covering her mouth. She shifted and stretched, noting that the cabin was completely dark without the light of her horn. Turning over, she slipped under the covers and fell fast asleep.