Part 27 - Sticking To The Plan
The Friend Ship touched down with a thud on a grassy field on the outskirts of Fillydelphia, followed by another heavy thud as Spike landed and secured the balloon with a few quickly driven tethers tossed to him by Twilight and Apple Bloom. He stepped up to the forward platform and gently helped them disembark.
As the two mares cracked their necks and stretched their legs, a cheerful voice called out to them. "Hey there! Doc Sparkle! Apple Bloom! Spike! Am I ever glad to see you guys!" They looked over to see Soarin approaching with a wide grin on his face, with a pensive looking Pip in tow.
Behind them a loose arrangement of support balloons and unhitched wagons stood in the middle of the field. In their midst, Pegathalon athletes stretched their wings, chatted, and allowed their crews to see to their needs. At the edges of the field a herd of fans had gathered in what could only be called a festive atmosphere, with picnic lunches, pennants, and balloons.
The long, silvery shape of the Ambrosia hung overhead, only yards from the ground with a massive anchor holding it in place. A more high toned, sophisticated party was visible through the glass of the forward observation room. The gleaming white outline of Rarity could be seen, waving cheerfully to them from among a coterie of well dressed well wishers.
The sky blue pegasus' stomach rumbled loudly as he came up to them, causing him to blush slightly and give a wan shrug. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horseradish right now."
Twilight replied with a smile. "I'm hardly surprised, that was quite a gauntlet you colts had to run through this morning."
He chuckled. "You don't know the half of it. Hit a few more snags outside Trotnton. I'll tell you all about it while we break out the chow."
Apple Bloom gave the older ponies a nod as she stepped past them. "I'll help y'all out in a minute, but I better check over th' harness fer wear n' tear."
She stopped in front of Pip, neither of them making eye contact, as she spoke in a deliberately neutral tone. "Hello, Pip. How... how you doin'?"
The young stallion drew himself up to attention, only a slight hitch in his voice as he replied. "N-no complaints, Miss Apple. The Luna Moth has been performing quite satisfactorily."
She gave a perfunctory nod. "Good... Good t' hear. Now just gimme a minute t' see 'bout th' wing joints, then I'll help ya out of it and we can get some vittles."
Soarin fell into step beside Twilight as she turned and headed back to the balloon. He leaned in to speak privately. "So... looks like the cyclone's spun down a little..."
The lavender mare gave a guarded nod. "A little. How's Pip holding up?"
The pegasus stallion took a furtive glance over his folded wings and met her gaze. "I'm watchin' him. I don't have the best barometer for that sorta thing, but I'm feelin' a little rise in pressure that I'm gonna keep an eye on."
Twilight smiled at him as she reared up to put her hooves on the Friend Ship's ladder. "Have I told you lately how glad I am we have you with us on this trip?"
He gave a shrug and rubbed the back of his head as he hovered up to meet her on the platform and help her up the rest of the way. "Heh. I'd say I'm totally glad to be here, Doc, but I miss Applejack so much that that wouldn't be entirely true."
She gave a chuckle over her shoulder as she headed into the crew compartment. "Well, honesty is the best policy where Applejack is concerned. Now lets break out some of the apples she sent along. I think they'll help Apple Bloom's mood a little too."
Soarin rubbed his hooves together as he hovered expectantly over the platform. "Now we're talkin'! That'll keep me goin' all the way to Baltimare at least."
The scholarly mare craned her neck out of the hatch, a mesh bag full of apples clenched in her teeth, as Spike's excited voice called up from the ground. "Twilight? Hey Twilight!"
She released the bag's handle as it floated up to Soarin in a cloud of sparkling purple magic. "Yes, Spike? What is it?" She hooked her hooves over the railing and looked down to see the adolescent dragon almost hopping with excitement as he responded. A pegasus in a pink, rhinestone decorated flight suit stood a discreet distance behind him.
He jerked a clawed thumb past his shoulder. "Quillina invited me to lunch. She brought along some prime fire opals from her hoard, and wanted to share 'em with me. Would it be okay with you if I joined her?"
Twilight looked up to see the lithe, golden form of the young dragoness settling down beside a pink canopied covered wagon and a group of pink suited pegasi. She noticed Twilight looking over and gave a daintily poised wave.
The lavender unicorn's brow furrowed slightly as the precision wheels in her mind spun furiously, trying to think of a legitimate reason to say no. With none forthcoming, she pawed at the padded railing at her hooves and gave a diffident shrug. "That... that's fine Spike. It's very nice of her to offer. In fact... here."
She sparked up her horn, floating a trio of apples from the bag dangling from a happily munching Soarin's forehoof. She tossed them to Spike with a flick of her head. "Take her some genuine Sweet Apple Acres apples with our thanks. If she likes 'em maybe she'll want to move up to Ponyville."
She caught herself with a shake of her head. "I... I mean, visit Ponyville. Visit. Heh..."
An elated grin spread across Spike's face as he clutched the apples to his leathery chest plates. "Thanks, Twilight. You're the best! See you later." With that, he spun on his heel and took to the air with a sweep of his wings, gliding effortlessly over the grassy field.
Twilight extended a hoof as she called out after him. "Be back here in a half hour, Spike!"
The scholarly mare raised the hoof to her mouth as she watched him touch down beside Quillina and proffer her an apple with a flourish. She noticed a simliar shade of lustrous red in her peripheral vision, and looked over to see Soarin holding out an apple to her on the cup of a hoof.
He gave her a lopsided grin. "You look like you might need a little cheering up too, Doctor Sparkle."
Twilight took it in her magic with a fragile smile on her face. "It's been an... interesting day."
She let out a sigh as she rested her chin on her hooves and slowly rotated the fruit in the air before her eyes. "I suppose as a pegasus you're not the best pony to be asking this, but do you ever feel like things come at you too fast?"
He gave her a shrug, bobbing a bit as he hovered at her side and fished another apple out of the bag. "All the time, but we pegasi tend to believe that as long as it ain't the ground coming at you fast then you can usually get through it okay. It all comes down to how maneuverable you are."
She nodded pensively, and watched the young dragons chatting and sharing morsels of food, and then looked down to see Apple Bloom helping Pip out of the Luna Moth, their youthful faces straining to remain impassive against flashes closely guarded pain. With a flick of her pink and purple streaked mane, a few strands of white still largely hidden among the deep violet, she shook her head, and took a bite out of her apple.
***
A unicorn stallion in a white cap and blue uniform jacket with lieutenant's bars opened the hatch with his magic and clicked his fore hooves together in a sharp bow as he allowed Spitfire to enter. Beyond, a pair of unicorn mares in similar royal blue tunics looked up expectantly from their seats at the switchboard in the Ambrosia's radio room.
One sat with a clipboard and pencil hovering in front of her, while the other's horn was encased in a brass cone with winding masses of wire trailing from it to the board like spaghetti from a pasta maker. A vacuum tube at its tip winked and flickered with light as she dictated to her companion with a slightly glazed look in her eyes, as similar lights on the board blinked on and off in random patterns.
The stallion gave a bob of his horn toward the radio operators. "Here you are, Captain. Ensigns Dot and Ditto will be happy to assist you in transmitting your message."
The blaze yellow pegasus mare replied with a curt nod. "Thanks, Lieutenant Lanyard. This is a lot more convenient than winging into downtown Fillydelphia and getting somepony on the horn at the courthouse."
She met the gaze of the operator with the clipboard. "I've got an urgent message I'd like to see transmitted to the Pegathalon Organizational Committee in Cloudsdale, with copies sent to the Cloudsdale Athletic Council, also in Cloudsdale, and to the Royal Guard in Canterlot."
Ensign Dot flipped the page on her clipboard and poised her pencil over it in a cloud of pale pink sparkles. "Of course, ma'am. Whenever you're ready."
Spitfire cleared her throat. "All right. Message begins. Professor Destiny and Doctor Insanity strongly suspected of rocket attack on other racers. Lulong the kirin uninjured, but unable to fly and out of the race. I recommend summary disqualification for cheating, and immediate arrest and detention at nearest opportunity for reckless endangerment and illegal use of explosives. Signed Captain Ember Imogen Spitfire, RAC WB. Message ends." She cocked an eyebrow at the ensign as she hastily scribbled on her hovering clipboard. "You got all that?"
The unicorn mare gave a distracted nod. "...explosives. Signed Captain Spitfire, RAC WB. Got it, Captain. We'll send it as soon as Ditto has a clear line."
She gave a little bow. "And I think I speak for both of us in saying it's an honor to meet you!"
Spitfire gave her a smile as she turned to leave. "Hey, thanks! I really appreciate you helping me out here. How about I send you guys some passes for a show sometime. Just drop a line to our promotions office and tell 'em I said it's on me."
The young mare's eyes lit up. "Oh, it's our pleasure, but that would be wonderful! Thanks so much!"
The blaze yellow stunt flyer chuckled. "No problemo. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my teammates before they hit the horizon. Keep up the good work, and tell your partner thanks once you get her unplugged."
With that she turned and headed out the hatchway as the Lieutenant gave her another brisk bow. He paused at the door and met Ensign Dot's eyes, giving a bob of his horn toward a pneumatic tube unit next to the clipboard. The radio operator gave a dutiful nod in reply.
As the hatch closed with a gentle hiss of air and a clank, the ensign jotted a couple of extra notes on the page. She then pulled it free of the clipboard, rolled it up, placed it in a pneumatic delivery tube, and sent it on its way.
***
Diamond Tiara flicked one of her pastel pink ears as the brass tube appeared in its receptacle with a muffled "Thoomp". She glanced away from her binocular station in the forward viewing room at the Ambrosia's prow and pressed a button on a nearby control panel with her hoof. The tube was tipped onto a conveyor belt, where it was whisked to an ornate apparatus that resembled the carriage of a typewriter. With a faint whir of motors the message inside was scrolled out into a bracket that held it flat under a tiny reading light.
The pink pony princess pursed her lips as she dragged the apparatus closer on its adjustable arm and quickly glanced over the note with her cold, calculating eyes. She sat back in her cushioned command chair, stroking her chin with her hoof thoughtfully for a moment.
She let out a chuckle and leaned forward to pluck the note off of the brackets in her teeth. She then proceeded to crumple the paper up in her mouth, spitting the wadded note out into a waste basket with a grimace of distase. "Guh... I need to spring for some better tasting memo paper."
With a smug smile curling the corners of her mouth, she plucked a sheet of foolscap from a tray and took a pen in her lips, jotting down a quick note. She carefully placed this in the brackets of her memo reader, then pressed a button on the control panel that caused the paper to roll up into the brass case, which slid down the conveyor to the pneumatic tube and vanished back to the radio room with another "Thoomp".
Diamond Tiara steepled her hooves and sat back in her chair, her low, throaty chuckle making a seamless transition into a sinister laugh. "Seems like I was a little hasty about arranging an accident for those colts. They're already an accident waiting to happen to anypony around them. Ah well, whoever gets there first, I still win in the end."
She frowned as she glanced around the glass lined room. "I also need an audience if I'm gonna gloat properly, otherwise I'm just talking to myself here…"
***
Ensign Dot levitated the message tube over to her seat and looked over the contents, letting out a sigh as she did. Her horn flared as the note crumpled into a tight ball and bounced into the wastebasket with a clunk.
She turned as Ensign Ditto disengaged the apparatus on her horn and floated it down to the counter. The unicorn mare rubbed her eyes with her hooves and gave her partner a bleary smile. "I gotta take a break for a second. There's a lot of chatter about the race right now."
Dot nodded sympathetically. "I'll take over 'til next break. No problem."
Ditto cocked her head. "Did I hear something about sending away for free Wonderbolts tickets?"
Ensign Dot let out another small sigh as she glanced at the wastebasket. "I'm afraid that message is gonna get lost in transmission too..."
***
The Harmony Aeronautics crew were packing up the remains of their lunch when Spike returned, a furrow creasing his ridged brow and a faint frown on his face.
Twilight looked him over with a mixture of concern and relief swirling in her heart like oil poured into water. "Something the matter, Spike?"
He gave a flick of his tail back toward the pink wagon and its attendants. "It's those ponies Quillina's got flying as escorts. I dunno if I like 'em very much."
The scholarly mare gave an uncertain shrug. "Well... We've all learned that sometimes you don't like a friend's friends, but that doesn't mean..."
He cut her off with a frown and a shake of his head. "They're not her friends, Twilight. They're just in it for the money she's paying them."
The young dragon cast a glance over his shoulder. "And they were hinting at lunch that it might not be enough, what with everything that happened so far today. There was a lot of talk about that smoke trail, and what happened outside Trotnton."
He pursed his lips for a moment, then looked back at her with concern in his emerald eyes. "But I don't know. I don't think they're scared. I think they're trying to coax more bits out of her."
Twilight let out a sigh and reached up a hoof to pat him on the knee. "She's a dragon, Spike. She's a fifty hoof long, flying, fire breathing, indestructible, magical creature who can bite through diamonds. I'm sure she can take care of herself..."
The young dragon gave her a pleading look. "But... but she's so sheltered and... well... naive. What if they..."
The lavender mare huffed. "Spike, your concern is commendable, but you've got your own team to look out for."
He flicked his tail sullenly. "I know that, Twilight, but..."
Her expression softened and she patted him on the knee again. "Look, unlike some of the other teams in this race, we're good sports. I promise you, if Quillina, or any other racer, got in real trouble, we'd be the first to stop and help them out any way we can. Okay?"
He gave her a grateful smile. "Okay."
She held her hoof on his faintly glossy, purple scales for a moment, and then gave him a playful shove. "Okay. Now come on, my Number One Assistant, we need to get battened down for launch."
Spike gave her a sly grin. "I'm all for that, but didn't we just have lunch?"
Twilight rolled her eyes and let out a chortle. "I said 'launch', not 'lunch'. Now shake that tail, Pun-der Dragon…"
***
The bells of Fillydelphia rang jubilantly as the pack of racing flyers threaded between the city's towers, eliciting cheers from crowds of equally jubilant ponies.
Soarin glanced over at Pip with a grin on his face as he saw the young earth pony crack a smile and wave to the fans as they rocketed past. The spotted stallion's teeth didn't quite glimmer to their usual level of brightness, but there was a little of the old spirit there that put the veteran flyer's mind at ease for the moment. He gave his partner a confident nod as the young test pilot caught him looking.
Diverting his attention down the course, he spotted a cloud sitting ahead of them in the distance. His brow furrowed. That was a number four, maybe a five.
He muttered bitterly under his breath. "Okay, what sleet head thought it would be a good idea to park a skybucket in a controlled flight path."
As he focused on it, calculating his approach and considering whether to waste energy evading or just smash through it and let whatever careless city worker explain the hole to his supervisor, his green eyes narrowed. Something wasn't quite right about the color. A spent rain cloud was usually anywhere from snowy white to a faint dove grey, but this cloud was kind of yellowish tan, more like a dust cloud than coalesced vapor.
As they approached, a pegasus in a bright orange vest hurried skyward to push it out of the way. Soarin gave a nod of grim satisfaction. "Yeah, coffee break's over, bucko..."
He drew in a gasp of air as the weather worker made contact with the cloud and almost immediately started to thrash and flail, his hooves stuck fast to the billowy tan substance as it formed long, ropey strands that wrapped him more tightly the more he struggled, until he was stuck wriggling like a butterfly in a spider's web.
Soarin's eyes went wide and white as he screamed to his partner. "PIP! CRASH DIVE NOW!"
The young stallion's coltish face whipped around in sudden panic. "What!?"
The sky blue pegasus let out a bellow as he rolled into a tight corkscrew flight path that brought him directly underneath Pip, hooking his fore hooves into the straps of the harness and pulling the spotted stallion downward at a sharp angle. Soarin struck like a snake, grasping the handle on the young earth pony's lapel in his teeth and giving it a savage tug, folding the purple and white wings shut with a snap as he tucked his own wings tightly to his sides.
They sailed beneath the dun colored cloud, a long, quavering wail sounding from the depths of Pip's throat as the crowds below gasped in shock and alarm. With a grunt of effort, Soarin spun them so that he was upright with his partner hanging beneath him, unfurling his feathered wings scant seconds before they crashed into the street and sending them skyward with a powerful beat as parasols and fancy hats were scattered into the air like panicked pigeons in their wake.
Soarin's ears laid back as the tone of the crowd's dismay changed to horror, accompanied by a rain like patter of gooey splats coming from the other side of the cloud. This was closely followed by shouts of anger and distress as several of his fellow racers met the fate he'd narrowly avoided.
He let out a sigh and looked down into his companion's coltish face as he realized the young pony was still screaming, curled up into a trembling fetal position in his hooves. He called to him urgently and gave him a slight shake. "Pip! PIP!"
A pair of slightly glazed brown eyes snapped open and met his. "WHAT in Luna's... perfect... face was THAT about?"
Soarin's face settled into a scowl as he scanned the flight path ahead of them. "More trouble with a capital D."
He cast a glance backwards at the receding obstacle, nodding in satisfaction as he saw other flyers evading it. He looked back down into Pip's face. "Lets take a minute, grab a puff, and then go back and see if we can help."
***
A few streets over, Otto Bomb peered out of the window of a black dirigible's gondola through a battered telescope and let out a throaty, gravelly chuckle as he watched a series of winged blurs collide with the tan tinted cloud and become ensnared.
The dwarfish earth pony lowered the glass and gave a gloating, snaggle toothed grin to a small cask marked with a skull and crossbones and stenciled with the words "SOVEREIGN GLUE POWDER". He reached up with a stubby hoof and patted it on the lid, his grin becoming a grimace as the container lifted up off of the floor, stuck fast to the end of his foreleg. A stream of sotto voce curses issued from between gritted teeth as he struggled to shake it loose.
He let out a rattling sigh, allowing the cask to drag on the floor as he turned and engaged the dirigible's phlogiston turbines with his remaining free hoof. The skull and bat festooned airship floated steadily out from behind its concealing billboard and sailed away over the rooftops of Fillydelphia.
***
Soarin coasted to a stop next to Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, and Shootin' Star. Pip followed on close behind, his legs still shaking a bit as he settled into a hover at his teammate's side. The blaze yellow mare was scowling angrily as she surveyed the sticky mess before them, and the rookie stallion seemed a bit on edge as well.
The rainbow maned mare gave her captain a nudge. "See, Cap. I told ya Soarin wouldn't like the color of that cloud anymore than I did." She gave her sky blue former teammate a wink. "Chalk another one up for the weather ponies."
Soarin nodded to her with a smirk, then looked to Spitfire with a serious expression settling on his face. "Is there anything we can do to help?"
She pursed her lips and gave a bitter shake of her head. "Nah. Let emergency services handle this."
She gave a nod downward toward the red wagons gathering below to the sound of wailing sirens beneath a shoal of red jacketed pegasi adorned with white crosses, then looked back at her former teammate and gave a rueful shrug. "No point in any more racers gettin' stuck in this cloud of goop. That's at least two more pegasi teams totally out of the race. Thank Celestia and Luna none of the griffins got caught, or we'd probably pulling somepony loose in pieces."
Her expression darkened. "This is those two maniacs' hoofwork, no doubt about it. They better hope the guard gets their hooves on 'em before I do for what they've done to this race."
Shootin' Star jerked his head toward the course. "Speakin' o' which, can we git a move on? Or are we just gonna float here jawin' with this backbitin' has-been all day?"
A snarl creased Spitfire's face, her voice hissing like a rapidly diminishing fuse. "Rookie... I swear to Celestia if you don't clamp down that wind hole of yours I'm gonna..."
Soarin raised a hoof with a chuckle and cut her off. "Ease off, Cap. No need to get anymore steamed." He cast the younger stallion a pointed glare. "It's just wind, and hardly enough to ruffle my feathers."
Shootin' Star snorted a jet of steam from his nostrils. "I'll ruffle yer feathers, fatsack."
The sky blue veteran flyer rolled his eyes and wheeled away. "Save it for the race, fledgey. See ya in Baltimare, ladies. C'mon Pip."
The young earth pony gave Dash and Spitfire a halting bow and wheeled into formation with his wingpony. Dash threw them a salute, as Spitfire rounded on Shootin' Star, flying in close so her nose touched his, forcing him back slightly away.
Her amber eyes flashed like coals. "You can thank your stars that stallion has more class in his front right fetlock than you've got in your whole body, rookie. You keep opening up that big mouth of yours, one of these days somepony's gonna reach down your gullet and pull your tail out past your tonsils."
Dash was between them before either was aware, a smile on her face and a cheerful tone on her voice. "Hey there, team. I think everypony's gettin' kinda overheated here."
As they turned to face her, she tapped a hoof on her chin. "Y'know, I think I know a good way to cool off, a little airflow. Lets go!"
With that, she vanished, leaving a rainbow silhouette in her place that rapidly tapered into her trademark chromatic contrail. Spitfire and Shootin' Star growled at each other, and lit out after her.
***
Sir Champion was becoming tired and exasperated. He'd been diligently flying at top speed for hours to try and catch up with her solar highness' troublesome team of competing inventors. A moments briefing, some quick signatures on the Pegathalon entry forms countersigned by her highness, and he'd lit out like a shot from a cannon.
He was one of Celestia's top flyers, renowned for his speed and endurance, and to lighten his load he'd divested himself of his golden ceremonial armor in favor of a pair of goggles and the smallest whither pack nestled between his wings with a standard issue royal guard toothbrush, a watercress sandwich to keep his strength up, and a tri-fold gold locket that he never parted with, containing photos of his mother, his wife, and his princess. Normally he wore it over his heart beneath his peytral, but on his back was close enough.
Champion scanned the horizon ahead of him as the city of Fillydelphia loomed over the rolling farmland, hoping for any sign of the black smoke contrails of his newly appointed charges. He'd been hopeful passing over Trotnton, but it had only been some sort of conflagration in a corn field.
He'd had no time to stop and inquire, his goal focused like the tip of a sword on finding and sticking to Professor Destiny and Doctor Insanity like... Well, maybe that wasn't the best metaphor to use after what happened to his poor comrade Paragon.
The muscular white pegasus gave a grudging nod as his stomach rumbled. That and the ache in his wings finally compelled him to acknowledge that even his finely honed body had its needs. He'd stop for a brief rest and a bite to eat on the far side of the city, then wing on toward Baltimare and continue his search. Those pointy headed kooks would have to stop sometime.
The royal guard pony's musings were cut short by some sort of disturbance ahead of him as he sailed between the tall buildings. He squinted his deep blue eyes, trying to make sense of it all.
As he came closer, he realized it was a cloud of some sort, with winged shapes splayed across it and struggling in tangled strands of some sort of gummy substance that appeared to be of the same stuff as the vapors. Red vested pegasi and earth ponies and unicorns on fire wagon ladders were struggling to pull them free.
He drew up short, hovering a few hooves back from the cloud with an incredulously raised eyebrow. "What sort of underhoofed skullduggery is this?"
His ears perked up in alarm as a voice shouted out to him. "Look out!"
A deep, mooing bellow sounded behind him, and he looked over his shoulder to see a massive, shaggy, red furred shape approaching like the engine of a runaway train and sounding rather like one too.
Sir Champion's pupils shrank to pinpricks, and a single word escaped his throat. "Mommy!"
And then the whole world became adhesive.
***
Princess Celestia let out a weary sigh as she took a break from reading a pile of missives stacked high on the mahogany desk before her, and looked out the window at the wooded mountains rolling past outside.
Due to her faithful chariot team being so suddenly and lamentably short hoofed, a private railway car had been hastily arranged for her return to Canterlot rather than wait for a new team to be assembled and sent to Manehattan. While it was a stark departure from her traditional mode of transport, she was willing to admit that traveling by rail had its charms.
Struck by the novelty of it, Princess Luna had joined her, and was currently fast asleep in the curtained off sleeper suite at the end of the car. Celestia often envied her younger sister's ability to fall asleep when and wherever she wished. The steady click clack of the wheels on the tracks was soothing, however, and the sun princess was sorely tempted to doze off herself rather than pore over another trade agreement's fine print. She was a light enough sleeper that it wouldn't take much to wake her. Yes. A cat nap would do her some good.
Just as her eyelids began to drift closed, a silvery bell sounded in the compartment. Drawing herself upright and shaking off the drowsiness, she glanced at the gilded, box like contraption mounted on the desk beside her as its ornate bells chimed again. She smiled to herself, more modern marvels to play with.
There were several similar devices in the palace, but usually one of her unicorn servants was responsible for answering and conveying the message to her in a more traditional fashion. She often found it slightly annoying having a conversation through an intermediary, but protocols were protocols. Here was another tiny silver lining to todays complications.
The golden cone floated off of its carriage before the third ring had completed and settled on the tip of the princess' long, tapering horn. She cocked her head, her rose colored eyes going a bit unfocused. "Greetings, my faithful subject. This is Princess Celestia speaking… No, really, it is..."
***
Princess Luna sat bolt upright, burying the tip of her horn in the mattress above her as she was galvanized by a thunderous exclamation from beyond the velvet curtain dividing the train car. "WHAT!?"
She fluttered her wings and extracted her horn with difficulty, haphazardly shoving her moon embroidered sleep mask off of her eyes with bare hoof. The princess of the night was normally a very deep sleeper, but when she heard her big sister's voice raised that loudly with that particular inflection, she was instantly, urgently awake, and wondering how quickly the Elements of Harmony might be gathered.
Luna rolled out of bed and staggered to the curtain, flinging it aside and blinking in the torrent of sunlight that confronted her. She stood unsteadily, her nebulous, star speckled mane drifting in disheveled whirls around her face and shoulders as she stared at her elder sibling. "Sis! What e'er doth thy stridency betoken?"
Celestia sat stiff backed like an ivory chess queen, a blank expression on her face as the cone drifted back to its cradle, snapping the gilded tines off as it flattened on the desktop and started to dig its outline into the mahogany. She turned her head to face her younger sister, a distant look in her eyes. "That... That was Sir Champion, calling from Fillydelphia."
The dusky princess of the night rubbed an eye with her hoof. "Oh? Dids't... um... did he catch up to your creeps... er... I mean your team?"
The sun's regent shook her head slowly, like the dome of the royal observatory rolling back and forth on its gimbals. "No... He's currently... glued to a buffalo."
Luna's ears laid back as she nodded just as slowly. "Oh..." She cleared her throat. "Shall... shall I have a servant summon Sir Charger?"
Celestia let out a long, shuddering sigh as she raised her hooves and covered her eyes with them, slouching forward over the desk. "I... I'm going to need a moment before you do that."
The princess of the night winced and swallowed hard as flames began to lick out of her elder sister's ears.
***
The unicorn nurse's hooves click clacked on the linoleum as she walked away with the hospital 'phone hovering on a tray. The orderlies went back to swabbing universal solvent solution on a massive, bulky shape that resembled a butterscotch frosted cake gone horribly awry.
Flies Like Thunder rolled his eyes upward to address the pegasus currently adhered atop his head between his curving horns. "Hey paleface! How did She Who Tells The Sun take the news?"
Sir Champion stared past his hooves at the skylight, noting the definite shade of red the sunlight had taken despite it being early afternoon. He tried to shake his head, wincing as his mane held it firmly immobile against the buffalo shaman's scalp. "Not well..."
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Dem late-night updates.
EDIT: Oh, and I appear to be first...
What am I supposed to do with this, again? Why do people get all excited over this? Uuuuuuuuuh...
Woo?
yeah thats about right for those poor guards.
Glue cloud? Interesting. I need to test some stuffs.
If the doctors don't get disqualified for cheating, I can see them getting arrested for endangering the lives of however many guardsponies you're gonna throw at them.
Thank Celestia for weatherponies who can see this sort of thing. I must say it's interesting how large a support group Destiny and Insanity can have while still being inept and missing their marks. It's just so bad it's good.
"No... He's currently... glued to a buffalo."
Oh sweet Celestia I lost it at that sentence.
This is great, keep it up!
Wooooooot! First!!!!!! Very nice chapter, good story development,
, but what the hell is with all of the guards falling for Destiny's and Insanity's traps?!
He's currently... glued to a buffalo.
That line just made a really frustrating day worthwhile. Thank you.
1228128
These things happen for a reason.
1228152
Glad to be of service.
Doctor and Professor of engineering somehow used chemistry to create a glue cloud and explained it to their less than dumb minion so he could put it up in the middle of a city?
Well Insanity is certainly living up to his name.
whoa
good one
enjoyable.
I spotted a typo, but I forget where it required a "u" i think and the word started with a "p" po something i think...
celestia should just wing for the DD's
to bad Spitfire's letter is "lost", and darn you Diamond Tiara.
1228180
He just seeded a normal cloud with glue powder. It's pretty much like putting parmesan cheese on spaghetti, only less delicious and more annoying to pegasi.
You can get Sovereign Glue from chemical suppliers across Equestria. Just add water!
1228200
I find this explanation acceptable.
Except that to touch the cloud their minion would have to have a cloud walking spell or be a Pegasus. I already know that he's not a Pegasus and it seems like the good doctor and professor wouldn't have time to put the spell on him.
I have no idea why I'm trying to poke holes. I should just enjoy it.
The brothers formerly know as Flim and Flam are gonna be lucky to be banished to the sun in one piece by the time Celestia's through with them.
Forty bits says Spitfire kicks Shooting Star's ass before the race resumes.
One nitpick I have is Flies like Thunder's dialogue, in "Over a Barrel" the buffalo spoke pretty good English, not the stereotypical broken English here and in a lot of cowboy and indianian films.
Highway Star - Steve Vai, Glenn Hughes, and Chad Smith
I think I might actually run out of relevant speed metal before you finish this.
Sovereign Glue, huh? That stuff's nasty, though I kind of question how he managed to get it into a cloud.
1228211
I'm not really seeing any particular grammar breaks in Flies Like Thunder's dialogue here.
He calls Celestia by her buffalo honorific, and he calls Champion "paleface" because that's all he can see of him right now. (Plus he's a white pegasus, like all of the princess' guards.)
1228211 I didn't notice anything wrong with his dialog; it's perfect English. What might be throwing you off is the way he described Celestia. I would have put dashes in between the words, but meh.
1228188 Indeed. It would be interesting how they would "off" Celestia.
1228229
So Diamond Tiara's influence stretches far indeed, although I'm curious how she plans to come out the victor in this despite whoever the victor of the race will be. As for poor Twilight having to cope with the reality that her little number one assistant is growing up and has found a legitimate romantic interest is both sad and humorous to read.
Finally, I feel bad for Celestia's royal guard, I fear she won't have much of a military by the end of this race, and with Flies Like Thunder out this race is quickly being depleted of its competitors.
1228039 - They are already under arrest, just on temporary release for effectively launching an attack upon the Princesses + company at the demonstration. They are going for broke at this point... but yea, seriously? No officiation whatsoever?
Most excellent chapter, though I'm saddened that you didn't go for a P name for Celestia's final 2 guards... unless she's going to run through a few more before this is done... can't be that many good P names.
1228263
Well, DT figures between Destiny and Insanity and other deals she's done, something unfortunate will happen to Harmony Aeronautics. She's got it in for the Former FlimFlams too after the ambrosia salad incident, and wouldn't mind them taking a faceful of something worse. In other words, they'll either blow themselves up, or Harmony Aeronautics, and her other contractors will clean up the rest.
As for the Royal Guard, she's running out of charioteers, who are her best of the best, but there are plenty of pegasi troops in the Royal Sky Cavalry.
Celestia's gonna have a lot to talk to the brothers about when all's said and done...
1228198
I get the feeling this will come back to bite her.
Spike still has it bad for Quillina. And Twilight is conflicted on her little brother/foster child growing up.
And Celestia's guards ran out of the Ps, and started on the Cs
1228312
Oh yes her Griffon Mercs (INB4 Destiny and Insanity unintentionally save Harmony Aeronautics and take out the mercs)
I do so hope we get to see what Celestia does once she gets her hooves on them when this race is over
Finally, I forgot to mention I enjoyed seeing Apple Bloom calm down and get her head back in the game (or at least trying to) this leaves hope for her and Pip once this whole thing is over.
1228295
This is essentially a road rally that runs along the entirety of Equestria's border. Any race officials will be in the cities. Since Spitfire's on the committee, she's doing her part in reporting the BAT Bro's and recommending they be arrested in the next town they land in, but that message got kinda "lost".
Until word of their disqualification reaches somewhere central and gets transmitted back out to the border towns, a lot can go on.
Also, they're supposed to be under royal guard escort, but somehow they seem to keep losing those to... misadventure.
Finally, as I said to another commenter elsewhere, the royal guard were never intended to be all P names, they're paired like Santa's reindeer.
1228207
True enough. If you try to poke holes in a cloud seeded with Sovereign Glue, you tend to come away with sticky hooves. (Well, not "come away" so much as "adhere tightly to", but you catch my drift.)
If holes I must patch, remember that Otto is riding in a dirigible. He sprinkled the powdered glue out the window onto a random cloud, and then dangled a rope that stuck in the now adhesive cloud, allowing him to tow it behind his craft into the race flight path, cutting the rope with a chisel, or perhaps his trusty adze. Conversely, he could back the airship up to it and just blow it into place with the turbines. Either is possible.
It would be a terrible idea for him to touch it, cloud walking spell or not, as he would then be stuck to it like a roach in a roach motel.
1228096
I'm not sure what you exactly mean by Destiny and Insanity having a support group. They pretty much just have Otto, and he only follows 'em 'cos they feed him.
Diamond Tiara isn't a fan, so much as she find them useful the way a vandal finds a crowbar and grocery bag full of spray cans useful.
I got confused about the whole vacuum tubes deliveries scene, I guess. Should really start sleeping before commenting...
1228411
Ah, I get ya. No, the Ensigns in the radio room aren't fans of the brothers, they just have standing orders from the head office to route any race related communications past her desk before sending them on. The Ambrosia has a captain, but DT is the one in charge on that ship.
I always feel so bad for Celestia's guard.
Friggin' D/I...
Kinda sad that it looks like Twilight's turning into an old maid....
what? I'm just an old romantic, and it makes me smile when boy meets girl.
1227954
Yeah, I don't get it either.
I guess some folks just relish the small victories, although getting "first" on a comment stream or forum post is more of a nano-victory. Perhaps even a pico-victory...
1228253
1228243
Ah, I think I get it now
yeah, somehow I think Spitfire is going to get REALLY PISSED OFF when she finds out that her Message to Disqualify and arrest the Brothers Flim Flam was stopped by Diamond Tiara. but probably the Only Ponies that will be EVEN ANGRIER than Spitfire will be the Royal Pony sisters themselves! at that point, DT might want to make herself VERY Scarce, because she will have a One Way Ticket to the Canterlot Dungeons! pretty much, DT is acting like a Modern Human CEO: Greedy, Corrupt, and is too stubborn in her Old Fashioned corrupt ways to realize that she's done screwed herself, and the Blue Airship Line into a Corner, and that Progress Waits for Nopony.
Uhhhhmmmm... Hm... yeah, I like, I like indeed
I can totally see Celestia just throwing up her hooves and going personally by the end of this cavalcade of failure that is her guards trying to reign those nutjobs in. I'd like to see how they get out of THAT, since most fanons say that she's basically tied for the fastest living being on the planet.
Also, I don't think anyone would object to her just taking them out of the race anymore. Their cheating is pretty blatant, and at least one instance (the rocket) is consistent with tech they're now known for so lack of evidence wouldn't be a major issue.
Was... was that a Far Out Space Nuts callout??
[youtube=rr_e1lk6Tnk]
...cause if it's not, IT SHOULD BE.
You know Celestia is pissed when the sun turns red
Red Sky AT Night, Flier's Delight
Red Sky in Morning, Flier's WArning
Celly's Sun Turning Red? You'll wish yourself dead
"No... He's currently... glued to a buffalo."
Not sure why DT thinks intercepting the message Spitfire sent has any sort of positive end game. There's no way the idiot twins won't eventually get kicked out, and any investigation about the missing letter could come back to bite her hard. I guess she is just hoping for as much Harmony Aeronautics collateral damage as possible before they go?
Nice to see Apple Bloom has started to work through her issues. Twilight and Spike and his reactions to the new dragon are great.
1228881
It was.
The references are deep with this one...
1228211 I'll take that bet. As much as that guy deserves it, I think Rainbow will defuse the situation before it happens. I do, however, bet 40 out of 100 bits that Shooting Star gets his butt kicked bad before the end of the race.
"And then the whole world became adhesive."
Glorious.
Also, Wild Mass Guessing time: The Flim Flam Brothers will cross the finish line first, but lose the race because their Royal Guard Escort hasn't arrived, so the team as a whole is lagging behind the others.
1230255
Pegathalon doesn't work that way. They're required to fly in teams for safety, but winning is still a matter of who individually crosses the finish line first.
And again, the bet between the FF Bros and Harmony Aeronautics merely states the first harness across the line is the winner and the other will not seek the Royal Charter (or pursue legal action regarding it). Winning the Pegathalon as a whole isn't at stake (although Professor Destiny intends to do so because of his out of control ego)
1229504
It's all about delaying their removal and allowing them free rein to cause as much damage as possible.
And since communication via unicorn horn is vaguely defined and magical, the explanation that the message failed to be properly transmitted is enough cover for DT to feel safe doing it and for my literary purposes.
1230261 Oh I know winning isn't the point. Most likely neither team will WIN (my bet is on the dragon because, you know, dragon), but it would be a fun setup. Oh well.
1227974
Braeburn walks warily down the woods,
with his brim pulled way down low
Ain't no sound but the sound of his hooves,
Pie guns ready to go
Are you ready, Are you ready for this
Are you hanging on the edge of your plot
Out of the doorway the pies rip
To the sound of the clop;
Another one bites the dust!
I'm going to call that Spike ends up being Quillina's wing man after her merc's do a runner. Also not sure if she's as sheltered as she claims to be