The Elements of Harmony have been returned to the tree from whence they came, but in their absence, what is left to stand between Ponyville and the heartless crew of pegasi airship pirates? Intent of stealing and destroying, the pirates close in.
Set between the season four premere and finale, this story follows the account of one of the most advanced assaults upon Ponyville. Pegasi pirates, from the war-torn northern territories, know that the only real peace in this world is that of superior firepower. Now, starving and desperate for their next target, stories reach their ears that the wealthy and peaceful town of Ponyville has surrendered the Elements of Harmony. Armed with the most powerful airship ever constructed by pegasi, Captain Meyers sets his sites on the little town. Yet, perhaps even his years of war and strategy cannot prepare him for what he finds waiting for him and soon, a game of shadows and backstabbers threaten to consume him and blot Ponyville from the map.
Only one thin pane of glass away, the air was writhing with lighting. Only a transparent veil prevented the howling winds from reaching into this sanctuary. Only the hide of the mighty airship stood between the captain and the storm outside.
The pegasus breathed quietly as if he might disturb the sacred air around him. On every side of where he stood, through every glass wall of the observation deck, dark thunderclouds ran by on their endless circuit through the sky. But here, in the heart of the ship, was quiet. The eye of the storm.
The stillness was abruptly broken as a dark wooden door behind the captain was knocked open.
“Good evening, Captain Meyer.” A lean pegasi and his clear voice invaded the room.
Captain Meyer looked up toward the newcomer with his one good eye. Even in the dim light, punctuated by the lightning, his first mate, Black Spot, was an impressive pegasi specimen. With his dark blue hide and coal grey mane, Black Spot was an airship veteran with a long muzzle and a short temper. However, the captain couldn't help but notice,
“You look weary.” He smiled at the bags under the first mate’s eyes.
“Lack of decent food will do that to you.” Black Spot said curtly. “And I won’t comment on how you’re looking. You haven’t slept since we first started riding this ocean storm.” The captain looked like a well-worn flag; proud and full of history, but even his noble posture and well-groomed brass hide couldn't hide the fatigue in his eye.
“Yes, well, someone has to keep an eye on things.” Captain Meyer’s voice sounded dry.”Even if I only have one to spare.” He lifted an orange hoof and pointed to the table he had been leaning over. “And we’re almost to our destination.”
Black Spot strode over to join his captain by the table in the center of the room, his hooves tapping on the glass floor. Whoever designed the observation deck must have thought themselves pretty artistic to allow the viewer to see all of Equestria under their hooves. However, only an abyss of storms whirled beneath the two pegasi for now.
“And what, exactly, is our destination?” Black Spot peered at a navigation map.
“That’s why I summoned you.” The captain explained. “This storm has given us an excellent tailwind, it has brought us down the western coast and now it’s time for us to return east into this region.”
“Right up the Unicorn Range.”
“Indeed.”
“But where do you have in mind?” The first mate was growing impatient.
“The way I see it, we have two possibilities; we can swoop down upon Ponyville or we can bypass them altogether and continue into Appleloosa.”
“It seems like a no-win scenario to me, Captain.” Black Spot looked up with a huff. “Appleloosa is nothing but a spot where someone sneezed on a map. They don’t have anything of value, let alone copious amounts of farmland to take advantage of!”
“And Ponyville?”
“Ah, yes! Ponyville... I've always wanted to visit a famous tourist attraction. I hear it’s quite the pilgrimage nowadays, what with their recent claim to fame. Tell me, do the terms “Wielders” and “of” and “the Elements of Harmony” not jog your memory, sir?”
“Just answer the question, Black.” The captain narrowed his eye and the first mate could feel its weight like a physical presence. Grinding his teeth, he sighed,
“Even such legends as Nightmare Moon and Discord, once considered to be the stuff of fables, were turned back before the six Wielders. Those villains of old, thought to be unmatched by even Celestia were quenched when they dared to touch little Ponyville. To go there would be to invite a thousand-year-curse to the face.” Strangely, Captain Meyer smiled at this.
“I understand your concern, Black. And what if I told you that the elements no longer exist in Ponyville?” There was a heartbeat of silence while the weight of these words sunk into the first mate’s ears.
“The Wielders left!?” Black Spot thought the captain was playing him for a fool.
“Not exactly… I have it on good authority that the Elements were surrendered to undo an ancient poison in the land. A group of gypsy griffons were caught in the cataclysm and reported the whole fiasco when they moved north. Though the Wielders still live there, Ponyville is once again nothing more than a helpless town full of complacent denizens.” Even as he spoke, the captain’s wings ruffled in excitement; one with the silky whisper of feathers, the other with a metallic click.
“This… seems too good to be true.” Suddenly, a thought hit the first mate, “Shall we try to steal the Elements for ourselves?”
“Fie! Do you not think that every other pickpocket and petty thief in Equestria hasn't thought the same thing?” Captain Meyer snapped. “Those terrible and ancient artifacts... Dormant for a thousand years! Now wielded by only a chosen six! Now returned from whence they came… Nay, we will leave the Elements alone….”
“But it’s worth a knock.” Black Spot’s eyes glimmered greedily.
“Indeed… Ponyville is still a fertile land surrounded by rich mountains and fueled by every road going through Canterlot. This surely merits investigation. Like you said, we need to restock our rations and our options are waning few.”
“I’ll inform the rest of the crew, sir.” With the clicking of a few retreating hooffalls, the first mate left the way he came. Captain Meyer was left in the quiet eye of the storm once again.
“So,” He whispered, “Set course for Ponyville…”
Soon, the airship’s engines roared to life like the swelling of the tide. Her glimmering metallic hide shed waves of rainwater like curtains. She lifted her prow like a dragon aroused from slumber and she soared through the storm around her, cutting black clouds like spider webs.
She was the last of the pegasi’s greatest technological victories. The sole survivor of three aurora-class sister airships. Her name was emblazoned proudly on her hull,
“… Thirty! Thirty one! Thirty two!” At regular intervals, the percussion of a ball being bounced on the orange filly’s head could be heard.
“Fillies and gentlecolts, a new Crusaders record!” The little pegasus bounced the soaring ball back to her two friends, smiling as brightly as the clear sun above Ponyville. The three fillies, a unicorn, a pegasus and an earth pony, ran back and forth on the glistening grass, desperately keeping the toy from touching the ground. Their musical laughter sounded out across the hills.
“I think we’re getting better!” The pale white unicorn cheered.
“Like a pro!”
“Oh! That means- Do y’all think?” The cream-colored earth pony suddenly whirled around to peer at her flank. Her two friends did the same, but a shadow soon passed over their previously sunny faces.
“Blank…” The orange pegasus grunted. As if to actuate their disappointment, the ball landed softly on the grass behind her.
“Don’t worry, Scootaloo,” The unicorn was always ready to break into a big smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anypony getting a volleyball cutie mark.”
“But it shore as sunrise is fun anyway!” Even the earth pony was quick to drop her frown.
“Right!” Scootaloo beamed at her friends. On a day like this, with the gentle icy breeze and the crystal clear mountains all around, it was impossible to stay disappointed for long. Even if this was the fifth failed cutie mark quest this morning.
“Rainbow Dash always said ball volley was her favorite sport, too!” The orange pegasus swept up the ball and began juggling it on her head. “Did you know that she got up to 349 bounces once?”
“You may have mentioned it.” The earth filly rolled her eyes.
“Once.” The unicorn nodded.
“Or twice.”
“A minute.”
“All summer.” The pony and unicorn laughed together.
“Actually, I thought it was 348.” A curl of pink mane bounced lightly as the unicorn cocked her head to the side.
“Rainbow Dash didn’t count the last one because she was interrupted, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo kept her eyes locked on the ball.
“Sure…” The earth filly snickered.
“You two should listen to Rainbow Dash, Apple Bloom!” The orange pegasus continued, “She says ball bouncing exercises your endurance, your focus, your skill and…” With a mighty lunge, Scootaloo leapt into the air to meet the ball before it even had a chance to start falling. “Your strength!” A mighty hoof struck the ball, sending it soaring over the other two filly’s heads. They both ducked in surprise.
“Eep!”
“Whoa, Nelly!”
Like a rabbit, the ball skipped across the grass to freedom. For a moment, all three fillies exchanged glances. Then, as one, the Cutie Mark Crusaders bolted after their quarry, cheering and laughing at the chase.
“Ball round-up cutie marks!” Apple Bloom whooped.
“Yeah!” Scootaloo joined in the cheer.
“Wait, what would that even look like?” Sweetie Belle hesitated.
The toy, it’s pink starry hide bouncing merrily, began fleeing down the side of a steep hill, picking up speed until it left its pursuers far behind.
“Not so fast, ball!” The orange pegasus narrowed her pink eyes and licked her lips expectantly. “You’re not getting away that easily!” Her tiny wings hummed to life and beat the air mercilessly, preparing for one final dash of speed. Next to her, Apple Bloom suddenly gasped,
“Hold your horses, Scootaloo!” She shrieked, tackling the pegasus to the ground. The two of them tumbled together in a heap and Sweetie Belle almost tripped on them.
“What gives!?” The pegasus grunted at the friend on top of her.
“Look!” The unicorn filly answered by pointing a hoof at the ball. For an instant, it continued running, skipping as if taunting the crusaders, but it suddenly fell and vanished. Their eyes wide, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom untangled themselves and cautiously crept forward.
One of the vices of being a short filly is that you can’t see a cliff until you’re right on top of it, and all three crusaders soon found themselves tentatively peering over the edge of a rocky gorge. Scootaloo’s heart was beating quickly, but she didn’t know if it was because of her running or because she and her friends almost ran head long over this precipice.
“Thanks.” She whispered to Apple Bloom. “I guess this means we’ve lost the ball, huh?”
“No, it’s right there!” Sweetie Belle pointed a dainty hoof at a tangle of branches; a thorny bush that desperately clung to the rocky cliff wall. Within its greedy wooden fingers, a pink ball with white stars could be seen.
“Like I said…” The little pegasus muttered dryly.
“I didn’t bring any rope…” Apple bloom paced back and forth, judging how far away the ball was and how best to get it back. Her conclusion: Scootaloo couldn’t have picked a worse place to knock the toy even if she had meant to.
“I think I can do this.” Brushing aside her pink and purple mane, the unicorn filly uncovered her horn and leveled it like an arrow at the ball. At first, nothing happened except a little grunting and perspiration coming from Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo had to stifle a laugh as she looked at the twisted face and comical expression that her friend wore, but she knew better than to interrupt a novice unicorn when magic was involved. Finally, sputtering like Spitty Pie, sparks of light began to dance upon the ivory horn.
Sweetie Belle pooled all her concentration, all her training into this one spell, but even her best efforts weren’t enough. Instead of the ball, the entire bush lit up with the unicorn’s magic aura.
“I got it!” She cheered.
“No, you don’t.” Apple Bloom winced as the ragged bush began swaying to and fro. Still clutched in the thorny branches, the ball began squeaking painfully as its endurance was put to the test. It sounded as if it would pop at any moment.
“Put it out! Put it out!” Scootaloo waved frantically at Sweetie Belle’s horn as if it were a candle. Reluctantly, the unicorn relented and the bush returned to normal. The Cutie Mark Crusaders stared hopelessly at their goal. The bush, in turn, seemed to leer back.
“Sorry.” Sweetie Belle whispered.
“It’s alright.” Scootaloo sighed. “This ball had a good run.”
“I was just starting to take a liking to it after Twilight teleported inside our last one.” Apple Bloom moped. “I could ask Apple Jack for her rope, but I don’t think it would help any better than magic. What this calls for is a-”
“Pegasus?” Sweetie Belle’s eyes lit up.
“Hey, yeah!” Scootaloo smiled and sprang into motion, dashing back across the grass. “That gives me an awesome idea!” The other two fillies watched her run across the meadow and up onto the hill they had just been playing on.
“Where is she going in such a hurry?” Sweetie Belle wondered.
“Isn’t it obvious? This looks like a job for our friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash! And you know how excited Scootaloo gets when she’s about to see her mentor in action!” Just as the earth pony and the unicorn began to run after their friend, a strange noise pulsed through the air. It was high-pitched, but breathy, like a motor, or a-
“Scootaloo!?” Up and over the hill, her pink mane fluttering from her own speed, the orange pegasus sped down the hill astride her trusty scooter. Her wings beat the air like a humming bird, singing like a lawnmower. In a gamboge blur, she sped past her two awe-struck friends and veered toward the cliff.
Once again, Scootaloo’s eyes narrowed and she pulled her helmet snugly over her ears. This was going to be awesome! Rainbow Dash would be proud! She was going to swoop in on her scooter, snatch the ball from the villainous shrub and use her wings to slow down just before hitting the canyon floor.
This. Would. Be. Aweso-
“Bad idea!” Apple Bloom’s voice was nothing more than a loud squeak. Beside her, Sweetie Belle stood in shivering silence. The sound of beating wings continued to reach their ears, and then the pegasus plunged into the abyss. Silence filled the open air.
“Scootaloo!”
Immediately, a feeling of vertigo seized Scootaloo’s stomach as she left the ground. Her angle was off; she was veering too close to the rock wall. Her speed was off; she was falling short of the bush. Her judgment was off; she couldn’t lift herself and the scooter at the same time. There was an instant where the vertigo in her stomach turned to nauseating fear, when the world seemed to stand still. And then everything was over in an instant.
She clipped the rock wall, spinning headlong into the bush’s brambles before returning to the void of the canyon. Scootaloo beat her wings as hard as she could force them, but she didn’t even know which way was up. She was tumbling, saw the canyon, then the sky, then the canyon then the sky. The pegasus filly closed her eyes and prayed that her scooter wouldn’t land on her when she hit the ground. Every limb tensed for the inevitable.
When the moment of impact came, she felt nothing. Scootaloo remained as a tense ball of muscle, not daring to look at the ground, but the feeling of falling left her stomach. Grimacing, she forced one eye open. There was a moment of panic as she glimpsed the dark canyon floor, but in the very next instant, she realized that it was growing smaller. She was rising. She was flying.
A single piece of metal gripped her around her stomach, lifting her with a smooth and gentle power.
Just as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle forced their rubbery legs to respond, just as they began running down to the canyon to see what had become of their friend, the strangest sight in Equestria revealed itself. Out of the canyon erupted the brass shape of a pegasus stallion.
He flew as if he was one with the air, moving in graceful motions and sternly commanding the very wind around him with his wings. Still, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had never seen a pegasus like this one. He looked as if he had been swallowed and spit out by Ponyville’s clock tower. His left wing was made of metal rods and bronze feathers and his left foreleg was replaced with a twisted puzzle of springs and gears. In this unusual leg, he clutched the shivering form of Scootaloo. In the next moment, the brass pegasus alighted tenderly on the grass and dropped Scootaloo to the earth.
The little pegasus filly was silent for a moment, still paralyzed from the fear that had consumed her only a moment ago. However, the soft grass beneath her hooves and the sound of her friends calling out to her brought Scootaloo to her senses and she dared to look up at her rescuer.
At first, she was startled by the stallion’s eye patch and metal leg, but his good eye smiled at her tenderly and the faintest reassuring grin peeked out from under his crisp mustache. His back was covered by a thick, finely crafted coat that swept behind him like a cape.
“Are you alright, little lady?”
“I… Think so…” The filly pried herself to her hooves in a wobbly stance.
“Scootaloo!!” A pair of voices cried out and two small shapes, an earth pony and a unicorn, crashed into the pegasus, trapping her in a knot of teary hugs.
“Y’re plumb crazy!” One sobbed.
“We were so worried!” The other wailed.
“I’m sorry guys… I thought…” Scootaloo felt her tight throat choke her words. The stallion watched the scene silently, his brow furrowing ever so slightly.
“What were you thinking?” Apple Bloom demanded, breaking away from her hug.
“Indeed, I was wondering the same thing.” The stallion spoke up in his commanding voice.
“I’m sorry, girls.” Scootaloo’s face fell. “I didn’t get the ball.”
“What the hay does that matter? You almost got a one-way ticket to the other side of the grass!” The earth filly scolded, but she still looked like she could burst into tears at any moment. Sweetie Belle didn’t say anything; her face was still buried in her friend’s neck.
“I see… You mean this ball, my dear?” Turning slightly, the pegasus savior revealed a pink starry ball tucked securely under his feathery wing. As one, the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ eyes filled with wonder, then joy.
“You got it back! You got the ball!”
“My pleasure.” The toy dropped into Scootaloo’s waiting hooves.
“Thank you so much, mister! Thank you!” The little pegasus filly was beside herself. Quickly, she gestured around at her friends, “I’m Scootaloo and these are my friends, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Scootaloo… And your friends.”
“The pleasure is ours, sir.” Sweetie Belle curtsied. “And what is your name?” The stallion hesitated, but complied,
“My name is Drossel Meyer. I was just on my way to town when I saw your unfortunate incident.
“Completely preventable if "Block Head" here wasn’t trying to get her daredevil cutie mark!” Apple Bloom smiled weakly. Subconsciously, Scootaloo glanced back at her flank. Still blank.
“My confusion is why you chose such a risky maneuver instead of simply flying there yourself.” Mister Meyer frowned. “Your scooter would have been better off for it.”
“My scooter!” The orange filly suddenly dashed to the edge of the canyon and peered in. Sure enough, the blue vehicle was lying on the rock floor, snapped in two pieces.
“Inferior to wings, if I may say.” Meyer followed Scootaloo’s gaze.
“You don’t understand.” Sweetie Belle put a hoof on her orange friend’s shoulder. “Scootaloo can’t fly. That scooter IS her wings.” This caught Drossel Meyer’s attention,
“Is that so?”
“Yeah…” Even though she was trying her best to be thankful that she was even alive right now, Scootaloo peered into the canyon with a broken heart. Indeed, the one thing that made her special in lieu of her inability to fly was broken to bits like so much blue firewood. She was now more grounded than any pegasi in the history of winged horses.
Meyer watched Scootaloo’s expression in silence for a moment. Then, with the nonchalant air of someone explaining that the sun it bright, he stepped off the edge of the cliff and plunged to the canyon floor. Before the crusaders could lift their eyebrows in surprise, Meyer was back, carrying the shattered scooter in his hooves. Up close, Scootaloo felt a pain in her chest as she saw how completely the handle axle was torn from the vehicle’s body. She was just about to say, “thanks anyway” when Meyer said,
“A simple fix, really.”
“What!?” The look on the little pegasus filly’s face was enough to coax another warm smile from the stallion. His eye glimmered,
“Yes, I believe I can fix this problem.”
“Oh? Oh! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!” Scootaloo burbled as she hugged the stallion’s leg, her tiny wings humming to keep her six inches from the ground. The orange filly didn’t see, but Sweetie Belle had the distinct impression that Meyer’s smile vanished as he watched the useless wings.
“I’m glad to see you happy, my dear. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to be on my way.” The stallion tucked the scooter under his wing and began walking toward Ponyville.
“Hey! You’re new here, right? Why not let us show you around! We’ll give you the Grand Tour of Ponyville!” Scootaloo trotted merrily beside her new friend.
“I couldn’t impose…” He laughed.
“Impose!? After all you’ve helped us with? It’s the least we could do!”
Meyer seemed to consider Scootaloo’s offer carefully, his metallic wing clicked thoughtfully. Finally, he nodded,
“That might actually be very helpful, thank you my dear.” The orange filly beamed at her friends.
“Let’s go, girls! Cutie Mark Crusaders Tour Guides!!” The three fillies rushed over the grass toward town. Now it was Drossel Meyer’s turn to trot in order to keep up. He wore a smile for the sake of his new friend, Scootaloo, but his mind was far from cheerful.
“Perhaps,” He thought to himself, “Yes… Perhaps this is the perfect way to learn about Ponyville.”
“Scout the town. He said. Don’t draw attention to yourself. He said. Get in, gather as much information as you can and then vanish before anyone notices you. He said.” The first mate’s eyes swept disdainfully over the scene before him.
“I don’t think our dear captain knew much about this town.”
Ponyville was sparkling with activity. The cobblestone streets were filled with candy-colored ponies, all wearing smiles and greeting each other cheerfully. They carried baskets of groceries from the market, or played outdoor games, or chatted with their neighbors. They greeted one another from the windows of their humble cottages and helped one another in the tiny gardens they took so much pride in. It was awful.
Black Spot and the other two crewmembers that flanked him stuck out like a sore thumb. Or, in this case, a dark cloud on a sunny day. Aside from the first mate and the captain, Lilly Liver and Yeller Belly were the only other crewmembers of the Aurora Song. Each and every one of them looked at their bright pastel surroundings with disgust.
“I hate our mission already.” Lilly Liver spat. “If the captain orders me to wear cake frosting as a disguise, I promise you I’ll quit my job!” Her own hide, a dark purple, shivered as a radiant blue unicorn brushed past her.
“MmHmm…” Yeller Belly grunted in agreement. If there was ever a pegasus that should have been born an Earth pony, it was Yeller. His size and muscular viridian limbs made him look like a whale when he flew, but the Aurora needed muscle like his. Right now, he was trying to hide from the citizens of Ponyville under a brown cloak, but being head and shoulders taller than everyone else on the street was sure to attract attention.
“Be quiet and keep walking.” Black Spot hissed. “Remember, act natural.” He said the word, but in this world of Easter hues and rainbows, he didn’t know what normal was supposed to look like. In the north land that his crew used to haunt, everyone wore a cloak or a hat to hide their piercing eyes and everyone tucked a blade or two behind their hoof. Here, the residents looked strangely naked under the bright white sun.
“I should be happy.” The first mate commented. “They’re all a bunch of complacent fools. I bet they sleep with their doors unlocked and drink milk for dinner.”
Lilly snorted,
“But?”
“But instead of filling my mind with all their weaknesses and how easily we’ll be able to finish this job, I can’t shake a feeling of…”
“Bleah!” Yeller coughed.
“Exactly!” Black Spot stamped a hoof. “This is the town we’ve heard so much about? This is the legendary Ponyville? This little hamlet is full of nothing but smiles and ponies without a care in the world. Yet this was the home of the Elements of Harmony! You’d think that after Nightmare Moon threatened to overthrow Celestia and establish her dark regime they would at least take some precautions for their safety.”
The first mate watched as a unicorn wasted her vast amounts of magical potential in order to pluck and sniff a nearby flower.
“But no...”
“Can’t you just enjoy yourself?” Lilly cooed. “This is a plush job and afterwards, we never have to look at these plump little faces again.”
“I would have liked not having to see them in the first place.” Black’s voice rumbled like a storm. “Were this up to me, we would have reduced half this town to rubble by now, taken what we needed and vanished like a breath on the wind.” The trio walked quietly for a while.
“The captain has never let us down...” Lilly cautiously spoke up. “He has proven to be a master strategist up until now and if he thinks there would be a danger or a glitch in a gun-and-run operation then it’s not our place to question his orders.”
Although he didn’t raise his head, Black Spot shot a warning look at his crew-lady from the corner of his eye. He released the frustration building within him with a sigh and reviewed the plan,
“Very well. Let’s not stay here any longer than we must. Our orders are simple; gain any and all information on the layout of the town with a focus on how best to seize its produce and monetary currency. Specifically, look for foods that will restock our travel rations and gems that these unicorn types are so fond of. Also…” Black Spot let his voice drop, “find out all you can about the whereabouts and habits of the Wielders, the Elements of Harmony, and/ or the entity known as Discord.”
“Aye, aye, sir!” Lilly tossed her mane smartly.
“Hmm.” Yeller agreed.
“Then let’s split up. Lilly, I saw an apple farm to the southwest of the town. Let’s meet there and see how their harvest is coming along. And Yeller…” Black Spot huffed angrily, “Try not to look like an ursa major.”
Yeller shrugged. With that, each pegasus began walking in their own direction. Hopefully, they looked less like a mob and more like tourists.
Black Spot trotted down his path with a little more speed than was normal. Everything set him on edge. This town, with its gaudy unicorns and mud-sucking earth ponies was bad enough, but they were living side-by-side! It just wasn’t natural. Where Black came from, nopony stooped to give another species the time of day. It was too good for these filthy earth-dwellers that Black Spot even consented to walk on their silly roads.
He shook his head. He shouldn’t be getting so worked up about this. They were all beneath him; pegasi were the superior species after all. Physically, mentally, technologically, nothing could match the proud history and military strength of the pegasi. This thought brought Black Spot a little bit of comfort. At least now he could walk with his head high as if he were simply walking over a town of ants.
However, one ant popped up right in his path. An ant with bright blue eyes and an alarmingly pink coat.
“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie and I want to be your best friend! How are you doing, best buddy?” The ambush happened so suddenly, that Black Spot had to skid on his hooves to avoid crashing into the earth pony.
“Augh!” He couldn’t help releasing a little cry of surprise.
“Augh! Yourself, but you didn’t answer my question.” The mare gave a little squeaking sound as she flashed a massive smile.
“Excuse me.” Black snarled threateningly. The pink blockade didn’t take a hint.
“Oh! I get it! You’re stuck in, like, four seconds ago before we were best friends and you just met me! We get to meet all over again! How cool is that?”
“Joy.” The pegasus rolled his eyes.
“I’m guessing you’re an exercise buff! Know how I can tell? ‘Cause it takes more muscles to frown than smile! You exercise your face? THAT’S dedication!”
“I like to stay fit.” Black Spot was just about to walk over this annoying little insect when a sudden thought struck him,
“Wait, you said your name was Pinkie Pie?” Now it was the mare’s turn to frown.
“Whoa! Now you’re, like, ten seconds ago! Somepony hasn’t had their coffee this morning. Oh, wait, that’s me! I’m not allowed to have coffee, but nopony will tell me why.”
“YOU’RE the wielder of the so-called Element of Laughter!?”
“The one and only! Except for that time there were, like, twenty-something of me. Then I was the one-in-twenty-something-ith.”
Black Spot’s hooves froze in place and he stood motionless. Here, he was face-to-face with one of the most powerful beings in Equestria, but instead of being the warrior sorceress he always imagined, all she was was a hyperactive ball of cotton candy. Words failed him.
“Hmm… I think I broke him…” Pinkie leaned forward until her eyeballs were almost touching Black’s cornea. He winced,
“Get away from me!” This dust-chewing earth pony was the epitome of everything he hated about this town and it was sticking to him like gum on the bottom of his hoof.
“But you still haven’t heard the welcome song I wrote for you! It goes like-”
“That’s really not necessary…”
“♪ Welcome to our happy town,
And if you’ll take a look around, ♫”
“Please stop…”
“You’ll find a lot of fun to found, ♪
If you’ll just flip that droopy frown!”
“Ponies are staring.” Black Spot winced as passersby ponies pleasantly peered at his predicament.
“♫ So break a smile, don’t look ill,
‘Cause you’ll have fun in Ponyville! ♪
We’ll play all day and have some fun,
♪ I’ll introduce you to everyone!
Hit it, Gummy!” Suddenly, the earth pony was wearing a bright costume, dancing a jig, and “la-la”-ing to the sound of a street organ. She even had a baby alligator, dressed in a tiny bellhop suit, accompany her.
“I’m begging you, on hooves and knees-”
“Laaa-laa la-la-la! ♫
La-la-la-laa la-la-la!”
The dark pegasus suddenly bolted for the cover of a shadowy alley; anything to escape the public humiliation and active destruction of his incognito. The sounds of the street organ died behind him and he dared to stop for a moment and catch his breath. He hid behind a rain barrel and cautiously peeked back down the path he came on. Thankfully, there was no sign of the pink pony.
"♪ La-la-laaa la la-la-la! Hey!” The rain barrel exploded with confetti and out popped a radiant pink jack-in-the-box. Black’s heart almost leapt out of his throat.
“Holy-!?” He almost cursed.
“You mean Boneless?” The pony held up a limp rubber chicken.
“What!?”
“You said holey. And cheese is holey. And Cheese Sandwich gave me Boneless, so it all works together!” Black Spot could feel his brain crumbling under this little mare’s mental onslaught to all things intelligent.
“Why... Are... You... Talking to me!?” Black spot was never one to keep his cool, but this pony had boiled away his patience as soon as he had met her.
“Because that’s what I do! I meet a random stranger, talk really fast, sing them a song and then we’re best friends forever!” Pinkie’s hooves wrapped around Black Spot’s neck in an asphyxiating hug.
“We’re… not… friends!” The pegasus gasped. “An earth pony like you could never associate with a pegasus! I wouldn’t even allow myself the humiliation of talking to you!” Black made his words as sharp as he could, but they seemed to bounce like rubber off the pink mare’s ears.
“Silly! I talk to pegasuses all the time! Like, there’s Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and Derpy Hooves.” A pause, “Actually, Derpy doesn’t really talk back much…”
“Goodbye!” Black Spot spun on his hoof and marched off. The sound of a spring could be heard behind him and he somehow knew that Pinky was following closely behind.
“… And Bulk Biceps and Daring Do and Twilight Sparkle. Actually, Twilight itsn’t a pegasuses, she’s an alicorn so she’s like an earth pony and a pegasus and a unicorn. It’s, like, she has all the corns! That’s why she’s all-i-corn! Gasp!” Pinky froze like a deer in the headlights. “I suddenly need popcorn!” In a flash of pink, the mare vanished down the alley.
The dark pegasus dared to look behind him as her fluffy pink tail disappeared around the corner of a cottage. He paused, craning his neck all the way around for any sign of the so-called “Wielder”. Was she gone? Was the nightmare over?
Nope.
His heart skipped a beat as the smell of salt and butter reached his nose.
“Did I miss anything?” Pinkie Pie asked, sitting right in front of Black Spot’s hooves. She tossed a kernel of popcorn into her mouth.
“Augh!” In an explosion of wind, the pegasus unfurled his wings and shot straight up into the sky.
Pinkie Pie frowned thoughtfully and shoved more puffed grain into her mouth. Her eyes narrowed like a certain futuristic cartoon and she said,
“Not sure if Cranky Doodle Donkey grumpy or Glinda grumpy…”
About five seconds later, Black Spot landed heavily on the outskirts of town. Lilly, who was standing in the shade of a nearby tree, smiled coyly at her officer.
“You sure took your time. Whatever happened to maintaining a low profile?” She giggled. Her smile soon turned to alarm as she noticed Black Spot’s flaming eyes and heavy breathing.
“What in Tartarus happened to you!?”
“I… will… burn… this town!” Black gasped. “I promise you… this abomination to all things noble doesn’t deserve to live!”
“Here, we have Sweet Apple Acres! Ain’t no place more beautiful in Ponyville and the perfect place to start out tour!” Apple Bloom indicated the surrounding hills as her pink bow fluttered in the breeze. Waves upon waves of green hills, flecked with apple trees, surrounded the Crusaders and their new pegasus friend. The air smelled like sweet honey from the thousands of glistening red apples all around.
“Lovely.” Drossel Meyer sucked up a deep breath of the scented air.
“Our homestead was the first place that put Ponyville on the map and we’ve been living here ever since.” The little earth pony gestured to a bright red barn planted in the middle of the forest of fruit trees.
“It seems that you’ve had a very successful year.” The older pegasus complimented, his eye scanning over the taut skin of the apples.
“You betcha! Apple Jack and Big Mack have been haulin’ in the harvest for days now!”
“Apple Jack?” Drossel Meyer’s ear twitched at the name.
“My big sis!”
“Do you know her, sir?” Sweetie Belle spoke up.
“Ah… No, not really.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you knew who she was.” Scootaloo skipped over a little rock in the path. “She’s one of the strongest ponies in Ponyville and she’s helped just about everyone in town at one point or another.”
“Oh? Is that what makes her so famous?” Meyer lifted an eyebrow critically.
“One of?” Apple Bloom turned her head. “She’s THE strongest pony!”
“But she’s not the Iron Pony champion.” Scootaloo giggled.
“Would you like to meet her mister Meyer?” Sweetie Belle quickly spoke up before the “Apple Jack vs. Rainbow Dash” war erupted again. Drossel Meyer didn’t answer immediately; his eye seemed to be peering at a couple of ponies across the farm.
“Thank you, but I don’t think I can.” He graciously refused. “It seems she has a lot of work ahead of her and she already has some visitors.” The pegasus stallion turned swiftly and guided his tour guides toward Ponyville.
Confused, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked back toward the farm. Sure enough, the golden orange pony and her massive red brother were standing in front of the barn. They weren’t alone. A couple other ponies, one dark purple and the other a dull blue, were speaking with them. It was impossible to tell that they were talking about, but Sweetie Belle made a mental note that the blue stallion wore a sweeping frock coat like Mister Meyer’s. Perhaps it was a new fashion that Rarity would be interested in.
***
“Perhaps you had better do the talking.” Black Spot huffed as he walked alongside his crewmember. Around him, the birds were whistling to each other and the wind was whispering through the endless acres of apple trees, but all the first mate could hear was the squeaky voice of an annoying pink pony.
“You know, if you keep whining about that Pinkie Pie like this, the captain will declare this town too dangerous to attack. She really did a number on you.” Lilly couldn’t hide a small smile as she looked at her commander’s rage.
“She’s not dangerous!” Black Spot snapped, “Not unless she can unveil a sword as quickly as she can make popcorn.”
“Um… I don’t know how to respond to that…”
“Don’t ask, but suffice to say that she’s just the kind of ignorant whelp I’d have rather bombed in the first place.”
“Whatever.” Lilly looked back up to where a couple of earth ponies were pulling a cartful of apples. “You just stand there silently, then, while I interview these mud-suckers.”
At that, a dry chuckle escaped from Black Spot.
Up ahead, an orange earth pony with a dirty yellow mane looked up and saw the two pegasi approaching. She waved a hoof and trotted forward to meet them.
“Well, howdy y’all! Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! I’m Apple Jack, and this here is my big brother, Big Macintosh!”
Black Spot didn’t know if he tensed up because of the name “Apple Jack” or because the young mare was followed by a titanic red horse. He was yet again in the presence of a Wielder and her muscular mountain that she called a brother didn’t do anything to put him at ease. At least Lilly was able to hide her emotions,
“Nice to meet you, Miss Jack.”
“Aw shucks, ma’am. You can just call me AJ.”
“Very well,” Lilly smiled easily, “I’m Cessna, and this is my fiancé, Puddle Jumper.”
“Nice to meet ya!” AJ tipped her hat.
“Eeyup!” The red titan smiled. Black Spot marveled at how Big Macintosh shared the same loquacious vernacular with Yeller Belly.
“Our caravan was passing by and we heard that you were having a very successful apple harvest right about now. Of course, we couldn’t resist seeing for ourselves and I’m glad we came, right?” Lilly hung on Black Spot’s neck and it was only then that he realized she had called him her “fiancé”.
“Hurk!? Um… yes… that’s right!” He sputtered. Oh, Lilly was going to pay for this later.
“A caravan, huh? My Granny Smith used to be a wanderin’ pony, too, so we’d love to help 'yall!”
“Honestly, we’re looking to buy in bulk. Food that travels well and whatnot.” Lilly cocked her head to the side.
“Bulk, huh?” Apple Jack glanced up at Big Macintosh. “What kind of bulk were you reconin’?”
“Well, it’s a big caravan… As many as you can spare, I suppose?” The purple pegasus glanced at the ground and faked a blush. She was talented, Black Spot had to admit.
“I see…” Now it was Apple Jack’s turn to glance at the ground. “In that case, I wish y’all would have come yesterday. See, we just gave our estimates to Filthy Rich and he bought our entire surplus for a big deal in Canterlot. I’m afraid we don’t have very much to spare…”
“We can negotiate with Filthy.” There was some hesitation in Lilly’s voice.
Apple Jack and Big Mac snickered at the nickname.
“But that’s just it; Rich sealed the deal and left for Canterlot himself. He's not here anymore.”
A shadow passed over Lilly’s face. If living in the north had taught her something, it was to never take a salespony’s word for truth. For all she knew, "Filthy Rich" could be a fictitious pony they conjured up so that these two earth ponies could raise the price of apples to whatever they wanted. But Lilly wasn’t going to let that fool her.
“What are you asking, then?” Her eyes drifted to the mountains of apple barrels stocked in the big red barn behind AJ. The orange pony blinked,
“Beg pardon?”
“Your apples, we’ll just have to buy them from Filthy Rich.”
“But they’re not ours to give no more.”
“Come now. You could take our money and simply pay back your absent friend, couldn’t you?” A harsher tone snuck into Lilly’s voice.
“Pardon me sayin’ so, miss, but ‘twouldn’t be honest to do that to Filthy Rich. Not after promising to get his order on the train in two days.”
Two days? A time limit? This little dust-eater was a shrewder business pony than Lilly had first thought.
“Clever.” The purple pegasus leaned forward. “But I can’t shake the feeling that you’re not being completely honest with us.”
For a moment, Apple Jack and Big Mac exchanged glances. Then they broke into a hearty laughter. Lilly didn’t back down,
“You find something amusing?”
“Sorry, miss, but you must not be from around here.” Apple Jack brushed some of her blond mane out of her eyes. “Just so ya know, we Apples don’t lie and when I say that I wish I could help y’all, I really mean it. But we’re not going to leave Rich hanging like that.”
“I… See…” Lilly forced herself to breathe slowly. “Then, thank you for your time. I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.” The two dark pegasi abruptly left, leaving the two earth ponies to stare after them.
“Carrot harvest is next week!” Apple Jack called out, trying to be helpful, but the two pegasi continued walking. The orange mare sighed and furrowed her brow.
“Y’know, Big Mac? I hate to see anypony leave our farm with their feathers ruffled, especially a sweet new couple, but I can’t shake the feeling that they just didn’t trust us…”
The big red horse copied his sister and furrowed his brow.
“Nnope!”
Further down the road, Black Spot cleared his throat threateningly,
“Fiancé? Really?”
“I was trying to make us blend in,” Lilly sing-songed, “You know, to make us look less threatening.”
The first mate spat on the ground.
“So… what do you think about those earth-scrubbers?”
“I suppose some things never change.” Lilly huffed, “Leave it to an earth pony to try and cheat a pegasus out of house and home.”
“So, they WERE lying about Filthy.”
“Absolutely! They invented a convenient way to make their bountiful harvest more scarce and valuable than it was. I think they were trying to get me to make an offer, but I didn’t even give them the satisfaction.”
“Besides, we don’t have any money.” Black Spot reminded his crewmate.
“Right… But those ponies are in for a surprise when we come back. They thought they could push us? Well, they pushed the wrong crew!”
“Let’s finish scouting Ponyville.” Black Spot finished. “You try and find Yeller Belly and meet me back at the ship.”
“He shouldn’t be too hard to find. Where are you going?”
“I’m going to take one last look around and see if there are any banks or even a plump little unicorn district.” The dark blue pegasus explained. “Perhaps we can start building a little nest egg, fiancé.”
“You wish!” Lilly trotted ahead, leaving Black Spot to silently slink around the outskirts of town.
***
Drossel Meyer kept his posture immaculate. He kept his eyes expressionless and he kept his mouth smiling at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. However, as he stepped into Ponyville, he realized it was not what he expected at all. He had anticipated the klutzy earth houses, he thought the roads of rock and dirt were to be expected, and he even projected that these ponies would be technologically inferior to his pegasus technology. However, what he hadn’t expected was the harmony.
The stereotype back home was that all earth ponies were selfish and all unicorns were sickening snobs, but here, in a little place called Ponyville, the lines between species were so blurred, it was hard to tell where one creature ended and another began. It was as if horns, wings or sturdy legs were unnoticed. Even the pegasi, so superior to all ponies that were forced to walk, consorted and laughed and played with their earthbound friends.
“And over there is the library!”
“And over here is the town square!”
“That’s Quills and Sofas! Their name says it all, except for when they’re out of quills.” The three little fillies dashed around in a random dance, greeting everyone they saw and pointing out anything that came into their minds.
Drossel Meyer didn’t know whether to be disgusted by the lack of pony status and pride in this town, or admiring of it. Such a peace like this didn’t exist; there was no way under heaven that this could be a real culture. Yet, here he was. He walked on in silence until his thoughts were interrupted,
“So, what brings you to town, Mister Meyer?” Scootaloo trotted alongside the larger pegasus.
“Well… You could say that I’m a jack-of-all-trades. I wander, mostly. Exploring, buying, selling, inventing… looking for rare items…”
“Cool!” The orange filly skipped excitedly.
“He didn’t really narrow anything down.” Apple Bloom mumbled to Sweetie Belle.
“Though, right now I’m interested in finding something to eat.” Meyer watched as three pairs of eyes lit up.
“Sugar Cube Corner!” They all voted at once and sped off down the street, dragging the stallion behind them. It wasn’t long before they skidded to a stop in front of a large, ornate building. At least, ornate was one word for it… Meyer found himself wondering if the building was a place where people worked or a giant pastry that should be eaten.
“Come on!” The endless energy of the Crusaders swept Meyer through the double doors and into a bright wooden room. A bell chimed and a plump blue earth mare with thick eyelashes looked up from behind the counter.
“Welcome! Oh! Hi, girls!”
“Morning, Ms. Cake!” Scootaloo hopped forward.
“And who’s your friend?” The mare turned a cautious eye on the imposing pegasus who strode in, scanning every inch of the sugary building with his eye.
“That’s Mister Meyer! He’s an awesome pegasus who helped us out earlier today and now we’re giving him a tour of Ponyville!”
“A pleasure to visit your little hamlet, ma’m.” Drossel Meyer swept off his three-cornered hat and nodded slightly at his host. The plump mare blushed a little and her smile returned,
“Well, what can I get you today?”
“Three green apple cupcakes and a blackberry treat for my friend!” Scootaloo tossed a couple bits onto the counter.
“Coming right up! Actually, I was just about to frost some if you want them fresh.”
“Yes! Please!” Scootaloo sat down expectantly while Ms. Cup Cake began applying radiant icing onto the pastries. Meyer, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle seated themselves at a round table. The pegasus kept quiet.
“So… How do y’all like Ponyville so far?” Apple Bloom ventured.
“It’s… Nice.” For lack of a better word.
“Uh-oh.” Sweetie Belle cautiously glanced up. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“No! You misunderstand. It’s not that I don’t like it, but words fail me. It’s… as if I never thought such a place could exist.”
“That still doesn’t tell us much.” The little earth filly sighed.
“Perhaps I’m just used to the grace and culture of pegasus society.” Drossel Meyer glanced down to see what effect his words would have on the non-flyers.
“Grace?” The unicorn cocked her head.
“Culture?” The earth pony echoed. “You don’t like it here because you miss your pegasus home that badly?”
There was a long moment of silence before the rugged stallion answered. When he did, it was almost a whisper,
“Yes…”
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom exchanged glances.
“It sounds like ya miss it badly.” The earth filly ventured.
Meyer’s eye flashed and he locked it on the little red-headed filly. He stared at her as if he was daring her to say more.
“You’re quite perceptive for one so young…” His stern voice was a whisper so Scootaloo couldn’t hear.
“Not really. I overheard Princess Luna talking to Twilight once and she had the same look as y’all just did.” Apple Bloom seemed to shrink under the cyclopean gaze.
“Princess Luna?”
“She was goin’ on about her memories from a thousand years ago and something about how she can never go back…”
“And you know this because…?”
“…Paparazzi cutie marks?” Apple Bloom squeaked.
“Cupcakes!” Scootaloo suddenly appeared, taking a sledgehammer to the tension in the air. The towering, imposing, frowning Meyer disappeared and the genteel stallion returned.
“Thank you, my dear.” He graciously accepted his cupcake while Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom exchanged thankful glances.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders attacked their green pastries with abandon while Drossel Meyer scrutinized his meal cautiously.
“Something wrong?” Scootaloo asked through a mouthful of bright frosting.
“It’s just… impractical…” Meyer frowned. “Why do they make it just tall enough so that you can’t fit your whole mouth upon it? It seems impossible to eat this without coating one’s face in frosting.”
“That’s the fun of it!” The orange filly smacked her lips. “Cupcakes aren’t supposed to be practical, they’re supposed to be fun!”
“Fun food?”
“The funnest! ♫ All you gotta do is take a cup of flower! ♪” Scootaloo suddenly began singing.
“Add it to the mix! ♪” Apple Bloom joined in, a radiant smile on her face.
“Then just take a little something sweet, not sour!”
“A bit of salt, just a pinch! ♫” Even the unicorn lifted her voice like a clear bell.
“Making these treats is such a cinch!
♪ Add a teaspoon of vanilla!
Add a little more,
Then you count to four! ♫
And you’ll never
Get your
Fill-aaaa!
“♫ Cupcakes!!”
As the girls sang, a strange feeling crept up inside Drossel Meyer. Seeing the smiles of the three little fillies, listening to their nonsensical song, eating impractically sweet food, everything worked together to kindle a little flame, a small beacon of warmth within the rugged pegasus’s chest. These ponies were… happy… for no other reason than to be happy. They were in harmony for the sake of harmony. They were peaceful for the sake of peace itself. Drossel Meyer’s face broke into a tender smile; not a mask, but an honest reflection of the warmth in his chest.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had experienced this sensation.
“Look at Mister Meyer!” Scootaloo suddenly pointed a hoof at the stallion and laughed. The other fillies suddenly broke into peals of laughter of their own.
“What’s so amusing?” Meyer asked cautiously.
“You’ve got blue teeth!” Sweetie Belle squealed.
“So that’s why you got him a blackberry treat!” Apple Bloom held her aching sides. “No one escapes the curse of the blue frosting!”
In spite of himself, Drossel Meyer found himself laughing at Scootaloo’s little prank. It was a strange feeling to be outfoxed by a filly, but not entirely unpleasant. The stallion cocked his head and smiled even wider,
“I say, do I not look dashing?” He grinned and the Cutie Mark Crusaders renewed their laughter.
The joke was cut short as the bell above the door opened and an ursa major walked in. Drossel Meyer’s eye lost its spark and gained a cold gleam as it recognized the giant viridian pegasus that entered the room. What was Yeller Belly doing in a place like this? He didn’t have to wait long to find out as the giant marched straight toward Ms. Cake’s counter.
“What can I get ya?” She greeted.
“Flour.” The new pegasus huffed.
“Excuse me?”
“Hmph!... Flour.”
“You’ll have to be more specific, hon.”
The towering pegasus leaned over the bar.
“Flour. Bags.” Ms. Cake blinked.
“You just want the flour? I’m sorry, but we don’t really sell that in bulk.”
The pegasus frowned and looked like he was about to press the matter, but Drossel Meyer couldn’t let this continue any longer.
“If you’re looking to buy flower in bulk, friend, you’ve wandered into the wrong place.” Meyer’s voice might as well have been a physical arm, reaching across the room and seizing the newcommer’s attention. Yeller Belly’s eyes went wide as if he had just noticed his captain watching him and his mouth fell open.
“Yes, we only buy our flour as we need it.” Ms. Cake smiled nervously.
“There you have it.” Meyer sighed, “I suggest you don’t hassle the poor lady any further.”
With a silent nod, Yeller slowly stepped back out of the bakery, still keeping his eyes locked on the one-eyed pegasus. Drossel Meyer, in turn, watched his crewmember leave with an expression of disappointment. This meeting could have gone very poorly if he wasn’t there to diffuse it before it exploded. As soon as the lumbering ursa major exited the door, Meyer looked down at his filly friends.
“Thank you, girls, for a wonderful time, but I’m afraid that I must be going.” He stood up and was immediately peppered with protests,
“Aww!”
“But you haven’t even tried some of Granny’s apple pie!”
“And I wanted you to meet Rarity.”
“Don’t worry, my little ponies, I’ll be back tomorrow.” Meyer soothed.
“Really?” Scootaloo grinned with delight. “And you’ll fix my scooter?”
“I told you I would. Rest assured, Scootaloo, I will fix the problem.”
“Then we’ll be looking for you!” The little orange filly stretched her forelegs around Drossel Meyer’s neck as far as they would go in a massive hug.
“See you then.” Politely excusing himself, the pegasus stallion dashed out of the bakery in pursuit of his crewmember. He had to catch up with him before the great behemoth made an even bigger fool of himself than he already had.
***
What a surprise! Little Ponyville didn’t have any banks. No place for ponies to store their money, no deposit boxes to store their valuables in, not even a single storehouse for gems. The closest thing Black Spot had found to a cache of valuables were the decorative crystals in a gaudy unicorn store called the Carrousel Boutique.
But he had found something far more interesting. Something that promised to turn this crummy day around. The dark pegasus stood silently under the shade of an old oak, watching the sky as a little speck of blue far above him swooped to and fro, shepherding the clouds and shredding the rainstorms. Rainbow Dash herself.
If anypony was worth their salt in this backwater little town, it was her. The light blue pegasus was the strongest flyer Black Spot had seen yet, maybe even strong enough to fly with the rough pegasi of the north. Perhaps, at least, she would be a pegasi of pride among a village of insects.
Strong as an eagle and swift as a swallow, Rainbow Dash sped to the east, circled an icy mountain’s head and lanced like an arrow toward a flock of small thunder clouds. She was moving so quickly that her multicolored mane and tail cast off light like a rainbow. One, two, three dark clouds vaporized before her onslaught. She set her sights on a fourth cloud, closed in on her prey and,
Poof! The grey vapors shattered and a dark blue pegasi sat in its place, smiling at her.
“Wah!?” Rainbow Dash spread her wings wide and grabbed at the thin air to slow down her flight. She stopped only inches from the mysterious newcomer.
“Rainbow Dash, I presume?” Black Spot hovered effortlessly.
“You know it! But who are you?” Dash lifted an eyebrow.
“A fellow pegasus athlete. My name is Black Spot, and may I say it is inspiring to see you work?”
“Oh, sure, I’ll let you say that.” The sky blue pegasus smiled coyly.
“Do you tend this whole sky? It looks very well-guarded.”
“Me and a couple other pegasi, but I’m the strongest flyer in Ponyville. And thanks for the compliment! I’ve been working my feathers to the rachis all day because a bunch of stray thunder cells wandered in here. I think they may have branched off of a sea storm.”
“Nicely taken care of. What do they pay you for all your hard work?” Black Spot lifted his eyebrows expectantly.
“Pay?”
“Don’t tell me you do this for free?”
“I get to live in Ponyville! I’d do it for free if they asked me to, but I also get a little spending money as well.” Rainbow Dash frowned, trying to find out where this conversation was going.
Black Spot looked at the little buildings beneath his hooves.
“I’m not impressed.”
“Yeah? Well, who are you to say that anyway?” The pink eyes flashed dangerously.
“Just a concerned pegasus. I hate to see potential being squandered! I mean, think about it. Aren’t you like a bird living in a world of rocks? Don’t you think your gift of flight makes you special?” Black Spot held his hooves up defensively. The fire left the pink eyes and Rainbow Dash smiled at a sudden thought.
“Well, I was the town hero once… Everypony looked up to me...”
“Oh?” The dark pegasus leaned forward; perhaps he could learn about the Elements of Harmony from this mare.
“Yeah! I was the friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash! Foals rescued and disasters averted!” The pegasus mare puffed out her chest proudly. “I had a fan club and everything! They stuck my face on flags!”
“That’s more like it.” Black Spot smiled, but underneath, he was analyzing this colorful pony. If anything, she could be his greatest ally or the most dangerous of the Wielders in the coming days. It all depended on who she was at the core.
“I even saved the town from being completely destroyed!”
“Really!?” The dark pegasus’s mind suddenly focused like a laser. “Do tell!”
Fortunately, Rainbow Dash loved to talk about herself and consented,
“Well, there I was, patrolling the skies. When all of a sudden, I noticed a fissure in the Hoofer Dam. So the friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash swooped down and blocked off the fissure with a single hoof! And disaster was averted...”
“… That’s all?...” Black Spot lifted a critical eyebrow. All his excitement dissipated like mist.
“Well… the dam was fixed soon after that by somepony else.” Rainbow Dash scratched her mane absentmindedly. She suddenly changed the subject. “But what about you? What brings you to Ponyville?”
“Well, I’m scouting for a strong pair of wings and a reliable pegasus to share in an adventure. There’s always more room on my team and I think you might just be the mare for the job.”
“Were would this job be?” Rainbow Dash asked cautiously. Black Spot shrugged,
“A little bit of everywhere. I said adventure, after all.”
“Well, thanks guy, but I’ve got a lot of friends who need me here. So until you’re ready to give me more information,...”
The end of the mare’s sentence was cut off by somepony calling her name from far below. Looking down, Black Spot and Rainbow Dash saw an orange earth pony, Apple Jack, calling up to them.
“Right! I’ll be down in a flash, AJ!” Dash glanced back up at her new acquaintance, “That’s my friend, Apple Jack. We made plans today, so I’ll guess I’ll smell ya later! You know where to find me!” With that and a curt wave, Rainbow Dash dove toward the ground and alighted next to her earth pony friend.
Seeing the two together turned Black Spot’s stomach. Rainbow Dash wasn’t different from anypony else in this town after all! She was a weak-minded foal with no discretion between the transcendent pegasi and the common mud-bloods. Snorting steam from his nostrils, Black Spot turned to the west and sped off toward his crew’s rendezvous point. His mind was a writhing mass of anger and confusion, but at least one thought floated to the surface with crystal clarity.
For as crummy of a day he had had, at least Black Spot had discovered something useful.
This little room aboard the Aurora Song was Captain Meyer’s special retreat. With walls lined in dark black wood and shelves adorned with glistening metal tools and scrap metal, it was a place where he felt at home. It was where he could relax and let his mind wander. It was the perfect place to be alone with one’s thoughts.
He heard the sound of hooffalls coming down the hallway behind him and soon Black Spot appeared at the doorway like a wayward shadow.
“You were absent during the crew’s meeting.” The first mate looked quizzically at his captain. Meyer continued to focus his attention on his tools and the project he had splayed out upon his work bench.
“By a strange twist of fate, when I lost my left wing my left leg and my left eye, my ears remained remarkably undamaged. Fear not, Black Spot, I heard every word. Despite your pessimism, I would also say that it appears you all had a very productive day.”
The first mate couldn’t stifle a harsh snort erupting from his nostrils.
“It was a waste of time, if you ask me!”
“I didn’t. However, your comment is noted.”
“The only thing of value was-”
“Your discovery, yes. You sounded very excited about that when you were explaining your plan.” From behind, Black Spot thought he saw his captain’s wings droop a little.
“And what do you think of it, sir?” The first mate shifted eagerly. Captain Meyer paused before answering, as if he were playing a game of chess.
“It has remarkable potential, and we will incorporate it into the plan, surely.”
“But?...”
“However, I do not think it is necessary.”
Black Spot bit his lip until it hurt, but he remained silent.
“I believe the threat of violence alone will cause Ponyville to surrender to us.” Captain Meyer explained. “They are not a warring town. With an overwhelming show of force and a tactical application of strategy, I believe we will crush their will to resist before it even ignites in the first place. Aye, only the threat of violence will be necessary.”
Now it was Black Spot’s turn to deflate.
“… Then, shall we proceed with our preparations? We will attack at dawn.”
“No.”
“No!?”
“We are not ready.” The captain’s voice was low and rumbling like the base keys on a piano. He was deep in thought.
“… Enlighten me, if you would.” Black Spot was almost shivering from his confusion. The Aurora Song could decimate Canterlot and yet flee before anyone could blink twice. What could Captain Meyer possibly think they weren’t ready for?
“If I heard your conversation correctly, you, Lilly and Yeller only encountered three of the six Wielders. Yet three more remain and the whereabouts of Discord remain hidden to us.”
“I suppose that’s correct.” The first mate forced himself to be humble before his captain. But it was a struggle. “But I can almost certainly confirm that the Elements of Harmony will not be used against us. These ponies don’t have a single spine among them. If anything, I would recommend finishing this job before anypony suspects anything.”
“We will still have the element of surprise.” Captain Meyer pulled a small tool from the rack above him and his face was suddenly lit up by the glow of a storm torch. Sparks sputtered from his project and black spot leaned forward to see what his captain was working on. What he saw looked like the bronze skeleton of a limb, about the half the size of a pegasus’s wing.
“And for any further missions into Ponyville, I would recommend that only myself and Lilly venture out.” Meyer continued, “I think you and Yeller have already made quite an impression on some of the residents…”
“At least we were doing our job!” The first mate snapped. “Not gallivanting with little fillies, eating cupcakes and playing with toys!” Black Spot gestured at the captain’s workbench, but immediately regretted it.
“I’m sorry. That was foolish of me. Please forgive me, Captain.”
However, instead of shouting or even raising his voice, Captain Drossel Meyer had a more cutting way of showing his anger; he spoke more softly,
“Do you think, Black, that I was wasting my time this morning? Do you think I’ve accomplished nothing?” There was silence in the little room. “Do you not think that my disguise was the best out of this whole crew today? You see, Black Spot, by gaining the trust of a few fillies, the residents of Ponyville also trusted me. And the mouth of foals will let go of more secrets than a pony is willing to reveal. Do you question my methods?”
“No, sir.” The first mate lowered his head.
“Then get yourself to bed and rest up. Tomorrow, Lilly and I will return to Ponyville. There are yet many pegasi in Ponyville and I do not want them caught up in the chaos of our raid. They must be warned somehow without revealing our intentions. That is all, Black Spot.”
With a shallow bow to his captain’s back, the first mate solemnly left the room and strode down the hallway. His hooffalls echoed down the empty corridor until he reached his own quarters. He stopped abruptly as he noticed a shadowy figure waiting for him there.
“Well, that went well.” Lilly was wearing her iconic, taunting, smile.
“You heard?”
“Oh, I didn’t hear much. Only the part where the captain didn’t listen to anything you had to say.” The purple pegasus had heard everything.
“He plans to return to Ponyville tomorrow, claiming that more vital information needs to be gathered. I think he just wants to eat more cupcakes.” Black Spot rumbled.
“Is that why his teeth were blue?” Lilly cocked her head.
“That, and I think he’s working on a favor for his new filly friends. Yeller Belly saw him in a bakery with a mixed group of little girls.”
“I… Am having a hard time imagining that.” The crewmember forced her imagination to the limit, squinting at the ceiling.
“Strangely, I’m not.”
“What do you mean?”
Black Spot glanced back down the hallway. Once he was sure it was empty, he lowered his voice and looked at Lilly through his eyebrows,
“I’m not sure Captain Meyer is the strongest member of this crew.”
“Ha!” Lilly’s laugh almost hurt with how loud it was. “You DO realize who you’re talking about, right? The “Mastermind of Glacier Falls”? The one who Admiral Pinion called “The Greatest Strategist of the Modern Skies”? The one who seized Airport Royal without ever firing a shot?”
“And that’s what worries me.” Black Spot gestured to Lilly to keep her voice down. “I think his heart bleeds more than he lets on.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ever think that the reason why he is such a great strategist, why his casualty record is so low is because he can’t stand to see ponies get hurt?”
“I’m going to laugh in your face again, because I’ve seen him order the Aurora Song to bomb fields of unicorn magi until all that’s left is a field of molten glass.” Lilly opened her mouth to guffaw, but it was suddenly sealed by Black Spot’s hoof.
“CIVILIAN ponies.” The first mate corrected.
Lilly hesitated. She couldn’t say that she had noticed this about the captain because there were rarely any times he had even been near civilians.
“That’s right…” Black Spot continued. “Tomorrow, you’re going to be given the mission to meet with and subtly warn any pegasi in Ponyville that the sky is about to fall. Captain Meyer wants to make sure that his fellow flyers won’t get caught up in the violence. But he doesn’t even know that they’re all the same; there’s no pride among the pegasi here. No difference between them and the earth-dwellers.”
“I see…” Lilly’s voice finally dropped too. “And what do you think?” Black Spot took a couple deep breaths before answering,
“I don’t think the Aurora Song can survive if her captain isn’t strong…”
***
Ponyville’s pegasi had outdone themselves once again with their arrangement of the weather. As the moon descended and the sun began spreading its molten white rays upon the earth, the clouds lit up like bright orange flames and the mountains glowed with pink light. The sky was a painting of illumination wrought just for the joy of the peaceful town below.
Scootaloo was up before the roosters and she skipped through the sleepy morning streets toward the outskirts of town. She and her friends had loved their time yesterday, both during and after Mister Meyer had come, but as she happily trotted to where Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were waiting for her, she saw that their faces weren’t smiling.
“Hey, girls! What’s up?” The orange filly greeted. “Why the long faces?”
“Our faces aren’t long.” Sweetie Belle felt her cheeks suspiciously.
“We were just waiting for y’all to arrive.” Apple Bloom explained.
“Talking about what? Something serious?”
“About Mister Meyer.” The earth filly explained.
“I know! Isn’t he great? I hope he gets here soon!” Scootaloo bounced, but her friends didn’t join in.
“Great for you,” Apple Bloom continued, “He really likes you, but…”
“But…?”
“But we’re not sure if he liked us as much.” Sweetie Belle finished. “He kept on talking about pegasus this and pegasus that and only answered your questions.”
“That’s silly! Of course he liked you guys. Don’t you remember how happy he looked in Sugar Cube Corner?”
“I suppose…” The unicorn filly prodded the dirt with her hoof.
“But we still don’t know a lot about him.” Apple Bloom pressed the matter. “I mean, unless ponies really go wandering around the world for no reason a’tall, I think he’s looking for something.”
Scootaloo puckered her lips and looked from Apple Bloom to Sweetie Belle.
“Did something happen that I don’t know about?” She demanded.
“We don’t know...” The unicorn still didn’t look up.
“All we know is that Apple Jack mentioned that a couple unfamiliar faces showed up at Sweet Apple Acres and left in a huff.” Apple Bloom held out a hoof helplessly.
“And Rarity said she thought she saw someone she didn’t recognize hanging out by Carrousel Boutique.” Sweetie Belle added.
“But what’s THAT got to do with Mister Meyer?” Scootaloo kept her stern look.
“Well… the big pegasus who came into Sugar Cube Corner was wearing an emblem under his cloak that looked just like Mister Meyer’s cutie mark; a metal wing. Same thing with the strangers we saw talking to Apple Jack and Big Mac.” Sweetie Belle blushed.
“You noticed that!?” Scootaloo was in awe.
“It's all about fashion. I guess Rarity’s wearing off on me…”
“An if they’re all together, how come Mister Meyer didn’t mention them?” Apple Bloom demanded. Scootaloo shrugged.
“That’s hardly a crime. And there’s not enough evidence to report them to somepony, but… maybe they are here for a reason.” The orange pegasus relented.
“That’s as far as Sweetie Belle and I got.” The earth filly explained. “Why are they all here?”
“We could ask Mister Meyer.”
“That. Or...” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle pulled out matching notebooks, “Cutie Mark Crusaders detectives!”
“Hey, yeah!” Scootaloo was just about to join her friends in their next cutie mark adventure when a shadow suddenly appeared above her and landed in a flurry of wind and dust.
“Good morning, my dear.” Drossel Meyer smiled at Scootaloo, folding his clanking wing to his side.
“Mister Meyer!” the young pegasus ran forward, her eyes all alight. “Did you fix the scooter?”
The pegasus stallion winked his eye knowingly,
“Yes, my dear, as promised,” He pulled something out from behind his shoulder, “I’ve repaired your wings.”
At first, Scootaloo didn’t understand. This device wasn’t her blue scooter; it looked more like a backpack covered in gears and pistons. Meyer pulled on a metal limb and it unfolded like a bird preparing to soar.
“They're wings!” The orange filly gasped. Meyer held a pair of small artificial wings in his hooves. The polished metal arms glistened in the morning light, casting beams of bronze fire off their surface. Meyer chuckled in his deep rich voice.
“What do you think?” He laughed. Scootaloo was awestruck and couldn’t answer.
“How do they work?” Apple Bloom wondered.
“Come over here, Scootaloo, and I’ll show you.” Still dazed, the young pegasus floated forward and let the stallion strap the metal wings onto her back.
“Just put your forelegs through here. This attaches in front of your chest. And your wings go into these slots here.” The harness was connected and adjusted around the little filly like a metallic hug. When Drossel Meyer stood back, Scootaloo dared to look at the appendage attached to her. She slowly moved her own wing. The metallic extension moved with her.
“Ah!” Sweetie Belle squeaked with joy for her friend. The prosthetic wings increased Scootaloo’s wingspan more than double and they moved with a fluid and silky motion.
“Goll-ly!” Apple Bloom’s mouth fell open.
“They’re gorgeous!”
“How did you make them so quickly?” Scootaloo finally found her voice.
“Just an old project I had lying around.” Meyer shrugged. “I had to adjust them for your size, but I seem to have an eye for this sort of thing… Even if I only have one.”
Scootaloo folded and unfolded her new limbs. Even though they looked like heavy bronze and brass, they were as light as aluminum. Since she didn’t say anything else, Drossel Meyer spoke up,
“I believe you have a mild case of phocomelia, where your wings are slightly underdeveloped for your age. You still have an amazing amount of strength, being able to hover like you did yesterday, but you simply lacked the surface area. These should help.”
“If that’s the case, then what in Equestria does Bulk Biceps suffer from?” Apple Bloom whispered sideways at Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo looked up at Drossel Meyer with tears in her big eyes.
“This is…”
“Would you like to try them out?” Perhaps it was a trick of the sunrise light, but Drossel Meyer’s eye also seemed to be glistening.
“Would I?” The young pegasus lifted her wings and crouched low to the ground like she had seen Rainbow Dash do a hundred times. She was finally going to fly! However, a thought stopped her.
“If it’s OK with you girls?” She looked back at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They stared at her dumbfounded.
“Why the hay are you askin’ us for?”
“This is your dream, Scootaloo! Enjoy it for us!” Sweetie Belle held a hoof to her smiling cheeks.
“Thanks, girls! I’ll catch up with you later!” With that, Scootaloo leapt off the ground.
At first, she faltered. She tried to flap her wings like a humming bird as she had always done, but this threw her off balance and she lurched to one side. She started falling back toward the ground. Instantly, a large hoof caught her and held her aloft.
“Start off with slow, powerful strokes. Relax.” Drossel Meyer flew just below his little student, welcoming her to the world of flight. The two steadily climbed higher and higher into the cool morning air.
“That’s so amazing! I’m so happy for her!” Sweetie Belle sniffed tenderly.
“Yeah, but what are we all supposed to do?” Apple Bloom brought her gaze back down toward the ground.
“Still got your notebook?”
“Oh, right! Cutie Mark Crusaders detectives!” Flashing big smiles, the earth filly and the unicorn trotted back to town. They were on a mission and they had to interview everypony who had seen the strangers yesterday and find out what the newcomers wanted in Ponyville. Suddenly, their excitement turned to urgency and their trotting turned to galloping.
If those strangers who had visited yesterday were friends of Mister Meyer’s, then they had to find out who they were; especially now that their fellow Crusader was alone with one!
***
Sure enough, just as Black Spot had predicted, Lilly found herself in Ponyville once again. She was ordered to spy on the last of the Wielders and drop rumors that pegasi should leave the town. But she wasn’t ordered to like it.
The deep mauve pegasus thought she could save some time and salvage her dignity by killing two birds with one stone. Since Rainbow Dash had already been sighted, the only other pegasus Wielder who might be sympathetic to the Aurora’s crew was Fluttershy. It didn’t take long for Lilly to find where the Wielder lived. What took longer was comprehending what she saw.
“You’ve GOT to be kidding me!” Lilly stared wide-eyed at the extravagant abode of one of the town’s six legendary heroes. And, by "extravagant", she meant something that looked like a pile of mud that an earth pony had bucked together and stuck a door on.
With effort, the dark pegasus sighed and forced herself to trot forward. This was a mistake, a wrong address, and would soon be sorted out. No self-respecting pegasus would live in a place like this. Lilly glanced nervously at the multitude of bird houses around her. Just as she lifted a hoof to clop on the door, it swung open on its own and Lilly Liver’s worse fears were realized.
Before her was a yellow flank with a flowing pink tail slowly backing up toward her. The Wielder of Kindness.
“All right now, little wood ducklings, follow me for swimming lessons. Carefully now.” Fluttershy cautiously walked backwards, leading a string of little speckled birds that followed her. Stunned, Lilly stepped off to one side and watched the strange procession slowly exit the little cottage.
“Willie, no cutting. Oh, don’t trip, Warren. Are you all right?” The yellow pegasus cooed encouragingly. They were just passing Lilly without even noticing her.
“A-HEM!” The dark pegasus stamped a hoof.
Instantly, the line was broken and the ducklings ran in every which way, peeping frantically to each other. Even Fluttershy was startled, instinctively ducking into a tiny ball. This shivering yellow pony was a savior to the village?
“Oh. You startled me.” Fluttershy whispered.
“No kidding?”
“And the ducklings…”
Lilly lifted an eyebrow and glanced around her.
“They’ll live.” She mumbled. “May we speak in private?”
Fluttershy slowly untangled herself from her position on the ground, but kept her eyes down.
“Um… I guess? I mean, we can’t really go inside the house. Right now, there’s a family of frogs with sore throats that I’m taking care of and everything looks like a mess…” Somehow, the pegasus was able to make her voice softer and softer until it was barely audible by the end of her sentence.
“Fine, but I wanted to ask you something important.” The dark pegasus tried to hide her surprise that a pegasus would waste her time on sick animals.
“Oh, I don’t know…” It was as if this little yellow mare was incapable of making eye contact.
“It’s about all your pegasus friends!” Lilly raised her voice, gently trying to coax this wimp to at least look at her when she spoke.
“Oh… my… What’s wrong?” The plan worked and Fluttershy managed to look up at her visitor.
“Please listen. I’m from the next town over and I wanted to warn you guys about a terrible plague that’s affecting all pegasi.”
“Next town? Plague-”
“A swarm of little wing mites; little red devils, are spreading from house-to-house and eating the tender vane right off our feathers. It only affects wings, but all the pegasi are in danger.” It was a complete lie, but Lilly had seen a beetle eating a feather once, so it was worth a knock. Her words might as well have turned Fluttershy to stone.
“… Oh… my…” Was all she could whisper. The seconds ticked by as Lilly waited for the yellow pegasus to digest this information. However, she seemed to have shut down. Only the appearance of a little white rabbit from the house brought her out of her trance.
“Oh, hello Angel Bunny. The carrot? Yes, I’ll peel that for you in just a moment…” Fluttershy turned back toward the other pegasus. “Is… Is there any way to stop them?” She squeaked. Lilly was grimacing at the rabbit.
“I don’t know. All we know is that they’re coming here and everypony is in danger!”
“And the birds… And Twilight… And Discord!” Alarm clouded the little mare’s face. Lilly applauded herself for being so clever.
“Well? What are you going to do?” She coaxed.
“I… I don’t know… this is so sudden… who’s going to protect all the birds?” Fluttershy’s voice was steadily getting higher pitched.
“Maybe you can use the Elements of Harmony to stop them!”
“Well, I… I don’t think so… Twilight said that she thought the Elements were locked in the tree for good and that we shouldn’t touch them… Besides… I don’t know how to use the Elements… They just happen when they’re needed…”
Score: Lilly 1, Ponyville 0
“What about your friend, Discord? Can’t he do something?”
“I haven’t seen him in a few days!... He… He grabbed a lawnmower and said something about his underwater garden and vanished. But… he has a feathered wing, so I’m glad he’s safe…” Fluttershy frowned in thought.
Score: Lilly 2, Ponyville 0
“But who’s going to warn all the birds?” The yellow mare whimpered.
“Forget the blasted birds! What about your pegasi friends! As long as they live in these stinkin’ ground-houses, they’re all in danger!” Lilly snapped, but Fluttershy only withered under her gaze. The dark pegasus sighed, “Look, just get out of town before something bad happens, alright?”
“Mmphshii…” Fluttershy nodded. Lilly felt a revulsion growing in her stomach; this little mare didn’t have a single vertebra in her spine.
A small, white dormouse appeared and sniffed cautiously at Fluttershy. She looked up and gave a weak smile.
“Oh, good morning Mr. Mousekewitz! Oh… yes, you needed a new string for your violin bow… Here you go.” The yellow pegasus reached behind her and daintily pulled a single hair from her flowing tail. “I hope you like it…”
Lilly was unaware, but her eye began to twitch. Now Fluttershy was giving pieces of her beautiful tail to rodents!? A pegasus hair was worth at least ten times its weight in gold and she was giving it to a mouse!? Lilly's disguise failed and all her emotions exploded on her.
“Oh! For crying out loud!! It’s a mouse! Who cares what it needs!? Grow a backbone, Fluttershy, and when you do, use it to drag your sorry flank away from here! Actually, I don’t care! Stay here and suffer with all the other foals! It’s too good a fate for you!” With the wrath of a shockwave, Lilly leapt up into the sky and vanished behind the mountains.
“Oh… my…” Fluttershy could barely speak. “I never even got her name…”
In the distance, Lilly Liver was really starting to sympathize with Black Spot’s frustration. Forget meeting Rarity and Twilight Sparkle, these foolish ponies will soon get some sense knocked into them. And it couldn’t come soon enough! Enough wasting time with these wimps, the plan would be executed tomorrow and all this will be over!
It was glorious! The feel of the soft wind beneath her wings, the gentle caress of the atmosphere in her mane, the view of the world splayed beneath her hooves. This was even better than Scootaloo had dreamed.
Guided by the careful watch of Mister Meyer, the little filly banked around trees, swept low over silky hills and soared up into the cloudy halls of the aether itself. This was what she was made for. She was finally a pegasus, finally able to see this world that she had only glimpsed from the basket of a balloon. Scootaloo even dissipated her first little thundercloud.
“Remember, use your eyes to direct your turns. Your wings will always follow where your muzzle is looking.” Mister Meyer’s eyes glinted with pride. His little student was taking to the air like a fish to water.
“Watch this, Mister Meyer!” The orange filly lanced straight up into the sky, paused for a moment and then slowly fell backwards in a sloppy back flip.
“Your first loop-the-loop!” The pegasus stallion cheered.
Scootaloo was amazed at how natural her prosthetic wings felt already. Pistons helped her raise her wings and a massive spring helped her pump them back down again. Hovering was difficult, but Mister Meyer said that would come in time. Right now, he directed her to a little white cloud for a break. As they alighted on the cool surface, the little filly shivered at how unbelievably soft the white vapors beneath her hooves felt; no wonder Rainbow Dash loved to nap on them!
“Well? What do you think?” Meyer smiled down at Scootaloo. She simply gave a little squeak as she flashed her biggest smile.
“Awesome!” Her heart was about to burst from excitement.
“A little better than a scooter?”
“Absolutely!” However, the little filly’s smile wavered. “But…”
“It still had sentimental value?” Drossel Meyer finished her sentence. Scootaloo nodded. “I understand. I keep a lot of things for sentimental value.”
“I’m just glad you had these lying around!” Scootaloo’s metal feathers rubbed together softly.
“I had first made them for somepony else; a filly who had the same small wings as you.” Mister Meyer’s eye drifted solemnly toward the horizon.
“Wouldn’t she still need these?” Scootaloo tried to catch her friend’s attention. The stallion only shrugged.
“No, she doesn’t need them anymore. She outgrew them.”
“I hope she got another pair as awesome as these!”
“Yes… She did. She flies all the time now…” The weathered pegasus looked toward the edge of the sky as if he could fall right into it. When he spoke again, his tone was one of solemnity.
“Scootaloo, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you ever since we’ve met, but I’m afraid I haven’t had the chance until now.”
“What’s up?” The filly’s eyes filled with caution.
“Your friends… Your fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders… Why do you play with them?”
“I don’t understand, sir.”
“Is it because you were forced to endure them; settling for their company because you couldn’t fly with the rest of the pegasi foals?” Mister Meyer continued to peer into the distance. “Because you were bound to the ground with them?”
“What!? No, that’s not it at all!”
“I ask, Scootaloo, because you come from a proud race. The pegasi are the most capable of all the pony species and I can’t understand why the various citizens of Ponyville consort so freely with each other. Now that you can fly, what will you do?” Meyer finally turned his eye back down toward the little filly sitting next to him.
“But… They’re my friends!” Scootaloo protested.
“Friends?”
“I don’t get how that’s a problem. Can’t we be friends?”
Drossel Meyer sighed,
“You and this land are so naïve. I and everypony with me learned long ago that there are no such things as "friends". There is no such thing as selflessness, nothing is given for free. Joy is for fools and there is no such thing as a "magic bond" tying us to those around us. It is as if all of Ponyville doesn’t realize that. They pretend that there is such a thing as peace.”
Scootaloo couldn’t believe her ears. Was this the same Mister Meyer she had met yesterday? The one who had given her a pair of wings for free?
Or were they free after all? What did Drossel Meyer want from her?
“There are no friends,” Meyer continued, “Only allies, and the only allies you can rely on are the ones who can relate to your troubles, your pain, and your fears.” The stallion turned his eye back towards Scootaloo, but it was dark and foreboding. “You can only trust your fellow pegasi. That’s why I don’t understand Ponyville, my dear. My land was burned by unicorns and crushed by earth poines. Their hatred for one another was deep-rooted and they destroyed each other with the fires of their ill will. I can’t see how your town can last.”
“Well, then I don’t understand you!” Scootaloo huffed.
“Excuse me?”
“You can’t see how we get along? Just look! Everypony is happy.”
“Yes, but how?”
“We don’t care.” The orange filly explained. “Everypony has something that makes them special, the wings and horns and legs don’t even matter! It’s not like we’re angry at each other or we’re forced to endure each other. We all just want to be happy, and so we love each other and forgive our shortcoming and enjoy our talents. We’re all ponies after all! Don’t you want to be happy Mister Meyer?”
“Of course I want to be happy, but not like this. This isn’t happiness… This isn’t peace… It’s an illusion, my dear and surely strife and differing philosophies will rip it to shreds one day.”
“Tell that to Rainbow Dash, who would never abandon her friends! Tell that to Rarity, who works her hooves to the bone for no reason other than to see everypony happy! Tell that to Apple Jack, who knows honesty is worth more than a mountain of gold! Tell that to Twilight Sparkle, who found that all the spells in Equestria can’t find you a purpose in life like your friends!”
Silence fell between the two pegasi.
“So, you’re adamant about this?” Drossel Meyer whispered.
“You think life is a competition, but it’s not, Mister Meyer. The winner isn’t the individual, it’s the team! And a horn or a wing isn’t going to get in the way of my friendships.”
“I see…” Meyer looked back toward the sky. Scootaloo thought that he was looking at the horizon again, but he was squinting, peering at something specific. The young filly followed his gaze to where a single purple pegasus could be seen disappearing into the northwest mountains of Ponyville.
“I’ll have to see you later.” Mister Meyer opened his wings and prepared to take off. “You take care of yourself, Scootaloo, and don’t overexert yourself too quickly.”
“Where are you goin’?” The filly protested.
“Something’s come up.” With nothing more than one last, nod, Drossel Meyer flew off toward the distant mountains. Scootaloo also stood and unfurled her wings.
“Cutie Mark Crusaders detectives!” She muttered to herself, dropping off the cloud and into the vast sky.
Beyond a shadow of doubt, Mister Meyer was up to something and it was up to Scootaloo to find out what. Her friends needed her now; she could fly and she could find out exactly why Mister Meyer had come to Ponyville. No matter what the stallion said about the divide between the species, the little filly would help her friends no matter what! As secretly as she could, Scootaloo guided her flight toward the dark mountains.
The air felt different once in the shadows of the icy megaliths. Winds ran like serpents between the mountains and cold drafts threatened to suck Scootaloo into dark canyons. But still, the little filly kept flying, always just out of sight behind the fleeing form of Mister Meyer. Her wings kept her aloft and safe, even as more and more leering thunder clouds began to choke the clear air.
Just up ahead, the brass shape of Drossel Meyer flew up toward the sky and then disappeared behind a jagged like of mountains. The orange filly followed cautiously, pumping her new wings as hard as she could to surmount the stone wall. Finally, she rose above the titanic stone teeth and settled her hooves on the snowy mountain top. What she saw made her catch her breath in surprise.
There, nestled in a valley in the middle of the mountain range, was a dark sea of black clouds. They churned and bubbled like a giant caldera, shivering with flashes of lightning from within. There was no sign of Mister Meyer anywhere, only this unbroken nest of storms. The pegasus stallion must have hidden in here.
Taking a deep breath to gather her strength and her courage, Scootaloo lifted off the mountain top and drifted into the valley below like a leaf on the wind.
Immediately, the strength of Celestia’s sun was blotted out. The world became a dark abyss, a landscape of grey mist and blue lightning. Everywhere around the young filly, clouds whispered in a rumbling voice and bolts of lightning hissed to one another. Scootaloo was almost afraid that she would forget which way was up in this labyrinth of shadows. There were no mountains, no sky, and nothing beneath her. She had been consumed by the storm.
Yet, she pressed on. Drossel Meyer’s secret was in here somewhere.
Suddenly, from the black chaos, a form took shape. It suddenly manifested and became clear; a giant metal wall with the words Aurora Song emblazoned on them.
Scootaloo winced and beat her wings rapidly so that she wouldn’t collide with the massive object. Her metal wings protested and the she began losing altitude. She was floundering in a sea of clouds.
“Scootaloo! Over here!” A deep voice, muffled by the shadows, reached the orange filly’s ears. Glancing over, she saw Mister Meyer soaring through the blazing clouds. Her first thought was to fly away, but there was something about the stallion’s face, a kind of concerned smile, that told her that he was there to help her.
“This way.” He flew up beside the little filly and guided her on his wing around the metal wall. Scootaloo’s heart almost faltered as she realized what she had almost collided with; it was the glistening hull of a massive building, and Mister Meyer was guiding her toward a large landing platform toward its aft section. From outside, it was impossible to tell how large the structure truly was, since clouds consumed its true shape.
Soon, the stallion and the filly landed upon a metal deck with the sound of clicking hooves and the rumbling of thunder behind them began to sound further away. A cavernous hanger opened before them, lit by blue glowing tubes. Mister Meyer began walking forward into the mysterious structure and Scootaloo silently followed, her eyes wide.
The two marched together down a pathway until the sound of voices could be heard coming from ahead. Turning a corner, Scootaloo could see three other pegasi deep in conversation; one blue, one purple and the green one who had stormed through Sugar Cube Corner. None of them looked happy.
“I’m sorry,” the purple one was saying, “but there was nothing else to be done. The warning was given and if they choose to stay seated on their plump flanks, that’s their problem!”
“You did your best, and that’s all we can ask under the circumstances.”
“A-hem!” Drossel Meyer cleared his throat. “We have a visitor.” Instantly, three pairs of eyes locked on to the little filly. Scootaloo didn’t think it was possible for three pegasi to spin and face her as quickly as this group did.
“Captain?” The purple one broke the silence, “Who is this?”
“One of the most talented novice flyers I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Though I fear her wings will be terribly sore tomorrow after following me through the mountains. This is young Scootaloo. My dear, these are my crew.” Drossel Meyer waved a foreleg at the assembled pegasi.
“Your… crew?”
“She followed you, Captain?” The blue pegasus’s eyes had narrowed to critical slits.
“Of her own accord.” Drossel Meyer defended, “And I saw no reason to turn back such a brave young pegasus.”
“What are you going to do to me?” Scootaloo felt very small and very helpless under the unrelenting gaze of the pegasi. She had found them all, had found their secret base, she knew that Mister Meyer was their captain. What would they do now? The blue one didn’t look happy at all.
“Do? My dear, do not think we are enemies!” Mister Meyer put a tender wing over Scootaloo.
“We’re not?” The dark blue pegasus coughed.
“We’re not!” Meyer snapped. “Actually, I’m overjoyed that you came, Scootaloo.”
“Huh?” The orange filly looked up, surprised.
“Indeed. I could not be more proud of you to see you brave the journey here all by yourself. You have a heart as strong as a horse. And so, since you were so kind as to show me where you live, it is only fair that I return the favor.” Captain Meyer tenderly guided Scootaloo off into the heart of the titanic structure. At this point, the green and purple pegasi were trying to smile at their little guest. Only the blue one continued leering as if he could burn the filly with just his eyes.
A million questions bubbled up within the little pegasus, but she forced herself to focus on the simplest ones first and work her way up,
“Where are we?” She asked in a guarded tone.
“We are in the main hangar of my airship, the Aurora Song.” Captain Meyer looked up at the vaulting ceiling and rows of pipes above.
“An airship!? You mean, we’re not on the ground?” Scootaloo suddenly thought that her hooffalls sounded very hollow beneath her. However, it would explain the swaying motion she felt.
“Most pegasus architecture isn’t.” The stallion grinned. “Behold, my dear, the pride of your kinsmen. At one point, this lovely lady was the apex of pegasi technology.”
Now that Scootaloo’s eyes were adjusted to the dim light, she could see just how big the hangar around her was. It felt like being swallowed in a bronze whale. There were bulbous pipes like stomachs, veins of tubes everywhere, a grey armored skin to keep the storm out, and bulky beams that looked like ribs.
“The Aurora Song.” Captain Meyer sighed. “A floating city, designed to be the end of all war… Built to be a true and everlasting peace through superior firepower. She is held aloft by no less than 128 raging thunder cells. Their combined might alone generates such a static build up on the hull that other thunderstorms follow us. Their lighting powers our lanterns and our propellers and even some of our machinery like our cranes.”
“Cranes? Like birds or…”
“Like construction cranes. It takes a strong mechanical arm to load and unload three battalions of pegasi and their equipment.”
The two went down a narrow hallway and past multiple wooden doors. They were for the crew, the officers, the mess hall and the engine rooms. Finally, at the end of the hallway, Scootaloo and Captain Meyer stepped into an expansive room.
It was completely lit by the shimmering storm clouds outside, for every wall and even the floor was made of transparent glass. Toward the front were numerous measuring stations and weather-tracking instruments while the center of the room had a small raised platform with a massive steering wheel planted in it.
“This is the control room, designed to see everything and command everything.” Meyer explained. “Right now, we’re just under the bow of the airship.”
“Doesn’t it get scary standing on glass?” Scootaloo wondered, peering warily at the angry clouds under her hooves.
“Not when you can fly. Perhaps I've simply become used to it.” Captain Meyer sighed. “Now, come, and I’ll show you what makes the Aurora Song truly special.”
The stallion led his guest back down the dark hall and up a flight of stairs into an armored chamber within the hangar. If this really was a whale, Scootaloo figured this place would be where its heart was. As soon as the filly had entered the room, she could feel her breath being sucked from her tiny lungs.
“It’s gorgeous…” She gasped. The two pegasi were standing in a room about as large as Twilight’s library. In front of them, a single device could be seen. Trapped in a massive glass vial, spinning like a hurricane, was a shining mass of light that rivaled even Celestia’s sun for radiance.
“The Aurora Core.” Captain Meyer squinted his eye as his face was lit with the flickering light of every color of the rainbow. The entire room was swimming in liquid color and Scootaloo looked down to see her orange coat rippling with waves of light.
“You see, my dear, the rainbows that you are so familiar with are mostly composed of light… but the pegasi of the north found something far more potent in their arctic skies. This is the harnessed power of the aurora borealis. This hurricane of plasma, unique in all of the world, is held in place by an invisible veil of magnetism. It, in turn, gives the ship enough might to enforce peace for all eternity. She will never run dry.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it.” Scootaloo whispered. The room was filled with a gentle hum, like the sound of thousands of voices singing from very far away.
“The Aurora Song had two sister ships; the Aurora Vow and the Aurora Prophesy…” Captain Meyer paused. “Only the Song is left.” He turned and led the way out of the chamber. Scootaloo followed and left the light and the humming behind her.
For a while, the two pegasi walked on the ships’ catwalks in silence, both lost in thought. All around her, Scootaloo could see the wonders of pegasi technology, yet something about it still filled her with dread. As if she were about to step on a sleeping dragon without knowing it.
“What do you think?” It was the same question that Captain Meyer had asked Scootaloo about her wings. Now, it felt like the same question, but on a more severe scale.
“It’s gorgeous… But… Why?”
“Why indeed. We had little choice, my dear… It’s the age-old struggle.” Drossel Meyer sighed. “The biggest stick makes the rules. We must fight to keep the peace.”
“Sounds counter-productive.” Scootaloo laughed. She suddenly paused mid-stride. Is that what this was all about? This ship was designed to fight? All those times the captain had hinted at having “superior firepower”; was that all this was? This ship was just a big stick? The biggest stick in the world? A stick so big that no pony would be able to fight back? A stick large enough that everypony would have to play by your rules?
But… How did this all relate to Ponyville?
The orange filly glanced down at the crewmembers below her. Now that she thought about it, they looked pretty thin. Pretty hungry. Suddenly, an image of Sweet Apple Acres and Sugar Cube Corner flashed through the little pegasus’s mind. If Captain Meyer was the guy with the big stick, then Ponyville was the pony with something that he wanted.
The captain watched as all this went through Scootaloo’s mind. He could see what she was thinking. He leaned down and tenderly whispered,
“My dear, we don’t want to hurt anypony…”
Scootaloo recoiled as if she had been struck. She stared at the captain with wide eyes, slowly backing up. He didn’t stop her. All her thoughts turned to her friends, about Ponyville, about everypony. Everything was in danger and Mister Meyer was looking at her as if this was perfectly natural.
“I’ve… I’ve got to go home!” The little filly awkwardly stumbled off the catwalk and fluttered toward the gangplank leading into the storm outside.
“Would you like me for accompany you?” Captain Meyer called out, following his little guest to the ramp.
“No! Thanks! Bye!” Scootaloo frantically leapt out into the raging storm and quickly vanished.
Captain Meyer watched her go, a strange pain in his chest. This was the way the world was, and as painful as it was to see his little friend realize that, it was a necessary fact of life. Slowly, three shadowy pegasus approached the captain from behind.
“Well, that went well.” Lilly coughed.
“It’s a cold world.” Drossel Meyer lowered his head. “Innocence is one of the fragile gems of childhood, and it’s always a shame to see it broken.”
“Everyone, to your posts!” Black Spot spoke up. “We’re not waiting any longer! Set a course for Ponyville!”
“Belay that order!” The captain looked up suddenly. “The plan was to strike tomorrow morning.”
“And thanks to you, Captain, we can’t wait any longer!” Black Spot gritted his teeth. “You think that little foal will keep her mouth shut any longer because she’s your friend!? Fie! She’s seen us all together and if she has half a brain in that freakishly big head of hers, she’s going to put two and two and two together and realize that we’re all bloody pirates!”
“And what about…” Captain Meyer’s words drifted into silence. As he turned, he could see the verdict in each of his crewmembers’ eyes. “You are all in agreement with this?”
“MmHmm.”
“Sorry, Captain, but there’s nothing more we can prepare for.”
“We’re losing the element of surprise as we speak! No more waiting. We strike Ponyville tonight.” A gleam lit up Black Spot’s eyes. Captain Meyer’s eye turned to ice and he nodded.
“Then warm up the engines. Arm yourselves for a raid... Set course for Ponyville.” The captain marched solemnly to the bridge.
“I appreciate your help, girls, but there’s nothing we can do. I know it’s a shame, but being a grump isn’t a crime.” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were standing in front of the Golden Oak Library talking with their friend, a deep purple alicorn with a dark mane. Despite their reports on Mister Meyer, Cessna and Puddle Jumper, Twilight Sparkle remained unconvinced that Princess Celestia should be made aware of their short, albeit rude, visit.
“But what if they’re some kind of gang! Doesn’t a gang of grumps sound suspicious to you?” The earth filly held up her notebook. On it were sketches of pegasi with pointy teeth and all wearing the same frock coat.
“Sweetie Belle, darling, we know you want to help, but you can’t call someone dangerous just because they look scary.” A pale white unicorn stood beside Twilight Sparkle.
“But-”
“Look, if it makes you feel any better, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and I will have a chat with them the next time they come to town, alright?” Twilight lifted a reassuring smile at the two Crusaders. “Does that sound alright with you, Pinkie?” Nearby, the flaming pink earth mare was frowning to herself while pouring over a long scroll she had written.
“I dunno. It looks like I’ll need more party cannons to pull mister Feathers McGrump-Grump from Grumpston, Grumpyland out of his grumpiness. I’ll need, like, an artillery of cannons. All the cannons!” Pinkie suddenly glanced at Twilight and Rarity, “You DO know that these pegasi aren’t cannon, right?”
“She’ll be fine.” Rarity whispered to Twilight.
“In the meantime,” The alicorn looked back at the two fillies, “We’ll be counting on you to keep an eye out for them if they ever come back. Sound like a plan?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle saluted. They were just about to dash back off to their investigation, when something above them suddenly caught everypony’s attention.
Fluttershy always looked a little timid and worried, but as she fluttered around the Golden Oak library, she seemed a bit more… fluttery… than normal. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity watched as their yellow friend drifted from branch to branch, whispering to each and every bird she could find.
“Um… Fluttershy? Are you alright?” Twilight spoke up.
“Eep! Oh! Twilight! I’m so glad I’ve found you!” The yellow pegasus slowly let herself down onto the ground. She was surrounded by a small swarm of frantic songbirds.
“Uh, I’m always here at the library.”
“Yes, well, but… I had almost forgot. I’ve been so busy trying to warn all the birds…”
“My dear, is something the matter?” Rarity flicked away a stray floating feather.
“Well… Yes… Well, I don’t know.” Fluttershy looked sick to her stomach. Twilight Sparkle put a calming hoof around the pegasus’s neck.
“It’s alright. You can tell us.”
“…Well… It’s just… I heard that something terrible is going to happen in Ponyville.” Everypony exchanged glances. “Something just awful!”
“What is it?” Twilight tried to calm her friend, but there was a note of urgency in her voice.
“Some plague? A bug? Oh, I don’t know… She was talking so fast… But all the birds and things with feathers are in danger!” Fluttershy fought to catch her breath.
“Doesn’t that include you and the other pegasi?” Rarity offered.
“Who’s “Her”? Who are you talking about, Fluttershy? Who told you this?” Twilight asked.
“I… I don’t know. I didn’t catch her name… I’d never seen her before. She was tall, and thin… and had a purple coat… and she frightened all the ducklings!” Fluttershy started crying. She buried her head in Twilight’s shoulder. The yellow pegasus was never one to handle stress very well.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell stared at each other and began flipping through their notes. Sure enough, they found a match. One of their sketches had the word “mare” pointing at it and a grumpy face drawn on it.
“Cessna?” Sweetie Belle asked. Rarity looked up.
“We’re not sure about that, Sweetie. And if it is her, what purpose could she possibly have for scaring poor Fluttershy?” The unicorn queried.
“She was telling me that all the pegasi had to-” Fluttershy was cut off by a distant yelling,
“Get out of Ponyville! Everyone! Run!” A tiny orange comet with wings glistening in the evening sunlight fell like a star and landed heavily among all the ponies. Scootaloo shook herself off and continued yelling, “We have to warn everypony! We have to run!”
“Scootaloo!?” Twilight felt her jaw dropping. “What…? You were flying?”
“Where did you get such fabulous wings?” Rarity bubbled at the sight of the metal prosthetics on the filly’s back.
“Ooh! Ooh! I tried making some of these out of cardboard once! But that idea was a flop. Literally!” Pinkie Pie ran up and began working Scootaloo’s wings up and down.
“There’s no time to explain!” The filly’s eyes were wide with fear and her breathing was ragged and forced.
“Where have you been all day?” Sweetie Belle demanded, stepping forward.
“I followed Captain Meyer into the mountains!”
“Captain Meyer?” Apple Bloom put away her notebook and stared at her friend. “A captain?”
“Yes! He’s their captain! And they’re pirates! And there’s this ship with a glowing heart! And it’s the size of the Sweet Apple Homestead! And-”
“Scootaloo! Calm down!” Twilight pleaded. “You’re hysteric. What’s going on? Start from the beginning.” The alicorn held a hoof to Scootaloo’s mouth until the young filly got her breathing under control. When she could finally speak clearly, the little pegasus’s eyes were still wide with fear.
“Mister Meyer and all those other pegasi that came to town are a part of the same crew! They were looking for anything anypony has of value! Mister Meyer gave me these wings and I followed him back to his ship! He’s a bully and he’s going to use his ship to take anything he wants by force! He hates unicorns and earth ponies! He’s…” Scootaloo found herself talking faster and faster until she was gasping for breath at the end.
Twilight Sparkle and Rarity stared at the little filly with wide eyes. They didn’t understand everything, there were a lot of questions that they still had, but if Scootaloo’s fear and the fear shared by the other Crusaders was anything, they knew that something terrible was happening.
“Right…” Twilight stood up straight and collected her thoughts. She looked around as if there were dozens of invisible flashcards around her head. Finally, as if she were playing a game of chess, she made her move,
“First of all, we need to warn everypony that something dangerous might be going on. I need to find Spike and send a letter to Celestia. Fluttershy, can you find Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack? Scootaloo, do you know when this Meyer pony will arrive?”
“I don’t know about Meyer, but Rainbow sure is slacking off on her duties!” Pinkie Pie pointed a hoof toward the western mountains. “Just look at that sky!” Scootaloo felt her stomach drop.
A titanic army of black clouds was pouring over the crowns of the mountains. Their dark vapors bubbled like tar and veins of mist tricked down the mountainsides like fingers. Inside their flickering and flashing bodies, Scootaloo knew Captain Meyer was at the helm of his ship.
“He’s here…”
With the roar of a dozen propellers and the sigh of the aurora core, the bow of the Aurora Song tore through the mass of thunder clouds and shed its cloak of storms. Poor Scootaloo had misjudged; the airship was bigger than the Sweet Apple Homestead. It could eat the homestead. Casting a shadow that stretched halfway across Ponyville, the Aurora Song swept low over the grassy fields and hovered like a solar eclipse above the rooftops.
Ponies everywhere froze where their hooves fell. Their wide eyes turned up at the flying city above them. Their mouths hung open and their breath stopped as they wondered what this apparition meant. What would it do to them?
For a moment, the distant call of the aurora core fell silent. And then, all at once, numerous cannons along the airship’s hull flared to life.
Rays of dazzling rainbows lanced from heaven to the ground, shattering buildings and torching streets wherever they fell. Within moments, Ponyville’s clock tower, town square and town hall were alive with rainbow-colored flames.
“Now THAT’S what I call a party cannon!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
Twilight Sparkle shook herself from the daze she was in. Everywhere, ponies galloped randomly, screaming, crying, pleading. The town was working itself into a frenzy. She lifted Fluttershy under her foreleg and shouted,
“Everypony, we need to find the mayor! Rarity! Pinkie! Tell everypony to stay get inside!” She gestured to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “You too, girls! Inside the library.”
“But-”
“Now!” Twilght ran off toward the town square, leaving Fluttershy to corral the three fillies into the Golden Oak library. Scootaloo glanced back over her shoulder desperately. It was happening! Her worst fears were coming true. And there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Twilight Sparkle leapt into the air and unfurled her purple wings. As she streaked toward the town square, she could see dozens of ponies running aimlessly beneath her. Soon, she could see the open square before her and the burning gazebo therein. Fortunately, Mayor Mare was there waiting for her.
“Twilight!” The brown earth mare called out as the alicorn landed next to her.
“I’m here!”
“What is the meaning of this? Who would attack Ponyville? Can you put a shield over the town?” A sudden flash of aurora light lit up a nearby tree and instantly reduced it to black and white ashes. Twilight Sparkle swallowed hard.
“I’ll try!”’ The alicorn gritted her teeth and planted her hooves firmly on the ground. At first, her horn lit with a wavy pink light but it quickly intensified to a radiant magical blaze. Above her, three small shapes fell from the airship and began flying toward her.
With a final cry of effort, Twilight released her spell and a wave of magic shot up into the sky. It spread out like an umbrella and billowed outward until it completely arced around and formed a bubbly dome of light over most of Ponyville.
“Thank you, Shining Armor.” Twilight allowed herself a smile. It was short lived, however. The three shapes that had fallen from the airship were approaching rapidly and were flying right toward her. The largest, Yeller Belly, landed on a rooftop and hefted what looked like a large tube on his shoulder. A cannon. The leanest, Lilly Liver, swooped low over the streets, a pair of twin blades fastened to her forelimbs. The third, Captain Drossel Meyer, his coat billowing behind him, unfurled his wings and landed heavily in front of Twilight Sparkle and Mayor Mare.
“Are you… Mister Meyer?” Twilight asked cautiously. The imposing pegasus looked at her with an eye as cold as steel.
“An honor to meet you… Twilight Sparkle.” His voice rumbled as if the burning town around him was his native territory. As he walked forward, his metallic foreleg clicked menacingly.
“What do you want?” Mayor Mare demanded.
“I want peace…” Captain Meyer sighed, but a light began to shine in his eyes. “You have been given a taste of our power. Now surrender peacefully and you have my word that nopony will get hurt.”
“You think you can bully us into submission!?” Twilight Sparkle demanded. “If you think that we’re afraid of your weapons, then you have no idea how strong we are as citizens of Ponyville!” At this, Meyer’s dark face broke into a sinister smile.
“Our cannons? Yes, I can see how you would make that mistake. You believe that my only weapon is my ship…” The captain gestured around him. “Can you not see, princess, that I wield a weapon far more powerful than an airship?” From every window surrounding the square, the terrified and fear-filled eyes of ponies watched the captain, the princess and the mayor. Their hearts were quaking as they held their family and friends tightly.
“I wield fear, my dear.” The pegasus continued. “I fully understand that a single pony might not find me intimidating, but ponies… ponies are the perfect field to sow fear in and right now your town stands ready to destroy itself. Behold, Twilight Sparkle, my ship hasn’t hurt a single hair of anypony. We have only attacked empty buildings to show our strength. Surrender your valuables and your produce and it will remain that way.”
“And if we don’t?” Mayor Mare demanded.
“Then I will throw this town into a panic and let sires trample their foals in the streets.”
A cold feeling grew in Twilight’s stomach. Try as she might, she could find so sign of a bluff in this pegasus’s face; he would burn this town if it suited him. His heart was as stone cold as his metal foreleg.
“And what if we stop you first!!” A cry rang out and a light blue blur, laced with rainbows, shot toward Captain Meyer like an arrow. Rainbow Dash pumped her wings as hard as she could; she held her hooves in front of her like a battering ram and the air around her screamed with her speed. Captain Meyer didn’t flinch.
Just before Rainbow’s attack landed, just before she reached her target, the captain of the Aurora Song turned in a single motion. As fluid as the wind, Captain Meyer sidestepped the charging mare and swung his metal arm. Crack! The limb smote Rainbow Dash across her jaw and sent her careening in another direction. The blue pegasus skid across the ground before smashing into a barrel of hay. Slowly, Rainbow Dash tried to stand up again, but an orange earth pony, Apple Jack, appeared and held her back.
“Foolish.” Captain Meyer whispered. He plucked a glass vial from his coat and flung it at Twilight Sparkle.
“Aah!” The purple alicorn winced, instinctively catching the vial in mid-air with her magic. It floated there for a quiet moment.
“And what is this?” She demanded. The captain nodded.
“It’s designed to defeat you, my dear.”
“How-” At that instant, the vial exploded, releasing a wave of orange gas that consumed the alicorn. She sputtered and coughed for a moment before falling silent.
“Tell me,” Captain Meyer asked, “Does that smell like ether to you?” When the cloud of gas finally drifted away, Twilight Sparkle was left helpless on the ground. Asleep.
Above the town, the bubble of the princess’s magic shield wavered and then vanished. Captain Meyer looked around at all the faces that were locked on him. He had removed their hero, their leader, and their shield in ten seconds flat.
“You see, Ponyville? Resistance is futile. Do not think you are safe from my ship; do not put stock in your heroes or your princess. I do not have to even exert myself to wipe you from the map!”
“You monster!” Mayor Mare crouched over Twilight.
“Madam Mayor,” The captain began.
“Actually, it’s “Madam Mare”.” A high-pitched voice cried out. Captain Meyer glanced over to see a shockingly pink pony with an even pinker mane behind him.
“What is the difference?” He asked.
“You were spelling it wrong. Oh! Also, party cannon!” Faster than thought, the earth pony pulled out a scout little cannon and released a barrage of confetti at the captain. His rigid form disappeared for a moment in a wave of color, but soon reappeared. Unfazed.
“I... and my ship can show a great deal of restraint,” Captain Meyers huffed a flake of paper off his nose. “But if anypony gets any more bright ideas, I promise you, we will destroy Hoofer Dam and there will be no more Ponyville!”
Silence fell over the town square.
It was an empty threat. The Aurora Song had all the firepower she needed to eliminate this town, but the idea of complete obliteration, by their own dam, held such an emotional weight that everypony’s heart failed them and their will to fight was shattered. Their gasps of unbelief and quiet sobs told Captain Meyer all he needed to know; he had won.
Now, it was only a simple matter of picking up every gem and crumb of bread this little town had to offer. Nopony would fight anymore. Nopony could. They were broken. The Aurora Song’s engines flared to life once again and the airship began positioning itself to pillage anything and everything of value.
“Mister Meyer?” A choked whisper came from behind the captain. He turned and saw Scootaloo standing beside the limp form of Twilight Sparkle. The young pegasus’s eyes were shimmering with tears and her throat was tight.
“You should be inside, where it’s safe.” Captain Meyer commanded his young student. She didn’t move.
“Stop this, Mister Meyer. You don’t have to do this…”
“I’m sorry, my dear, but you have been mistaken about a lot of things. I may not be a murderer, but I am a pirate and I have a duty to my crew and to my ship.”
“No… You can stop this… it doesn’t have to be this way…” Glistening drops of water streamed from Scootaloo’s eyes. “You don’t have to be a bad guy…”
Captain Meyer turned his eyes up to his ship. Partly, to keep his steely image for his crew, but also partly so that he didn’t have to look at the distraught face of his little friend. He didn’t know why, but he could feel a tight pain in his chest. If he was so devoted to making sure nopony got hurt, then why did Scootaloo’s pain effect him so much?
C-Clank!
The pegasus stallion turned his eye back to the little filly. She was standing with teary eyes; the prosthetic wings lay abandoned on the ground in front of her.
“I have friends, Mister Meyer. No matter what you say, they are my true friends and you’re hurting them.” All around, the sound of panicked poinies echoed through the still air. “And… And if these wings separate me from them, then… I don’t want them. I’m not like you. I’ll stay with my friends.”
Drossel Meyer wanted to look away again, wanted to hide the surprise in his eye, but he found that he couldn’t. He couldn’t turn from the teary gaze of the little filly. She, in turn, stood her ground even as her vision blurred from the water in her eyes.
“Captain, we have to move.” Lilly alighted next to her captain. The swords on her forelegs folded up neatly beside her hooves.
“Give me a moment.” Meyer whispered.
“There’s no time.” The pirate pegasus sounded anxious.
"What do you mean?"
“Uh-oh! Does anypony have an umbrella?” The pink earth mare spoke up suddenly. “My tail’s twitching!”
“What!?” Mayor Mare looked up in alarm.
“What do you mean, Pinkie Pie?” Drossel Meyer finally broke his gaze from Scootaloo.
“It means something about to fall!” Pinkie ran off into the cover of a nearby building. She sat there, her fluffy tail vibrating like a cricket's leg.
“Fall?” The brass begasus looked back up into the sky. His brow immediately furrowed in confusion. The Aurora Song was way off course. It should be above Sweet Apple Acres by now, but it was far too north. It was flying toward… the Hoofer Dam!
“What does Black Spot think he’s doing?” Captain Meyer hissed. Lilly swallowed hard before answering.
“It’s for the best, Captain…”
As every eye in Ponyville watched, the Aurora Song hovered above the distant mountains. Silently, bay doors opened in its belly and a half dozen glass barrels fell to the earth. Each barrel was filled with a glowing rainbow aura. Each barrel was a plasma bomb. Each barrel was a direct violation of Captain Drossel Meyer’s orders.
For the first time in her life, Lilly saw a wave of uncertainty cloud her captain’s face.
“What is the meaning of this!?” He demanded, turning sharply at his crewmember. Lilly shrank back.
“Black Spot is just doing what you couldn’t. This is the final stage of the plan.”
“This was never a part of the plan!” Drossel Meyer’s breathing was becoming deeper and faster.
“What’s going on?” Scootaloo asked. The captain whirled about to face her, fear in his eye.
“Scootaloo, put your wings on. We’re leaving. Now!”
“What? No! I’m not!” The young filly frowned and backed away.
“Scootaloo! Do what I tell you!”
“Listen up, citizens of Ponyville!” Lilly Liver shouted, “Black Spot has been generous enough to give you a long fuse on those bombs! You have ten minutes to run for your lives!!”
Like a powder keg with a torch dropped on it, all of Ponyville exploded into a frenzy. Doors opened and streets filled with frantic citizens, grabbing their families and running as fast as they could through town. Neighbors ran into one another and those who stumbled were left behind. It was everything that Drossel Meyer had threatened Twilight with: panic, and it had come to full-bloom in an instant.
“Everypony! Please! Stay calm!” Mayor Mare ran off into the crowd, desperately trying to restore order.
“What have you done?” Drossel Meyer roared. Lilly backed away slowly.
“Black Spot made a good point, that this town could give us something more than food. He wanted something that would bring the full potential of the Aurora Song to light. He wanted fame. Just think, Captain, our crew has been starving and dwindling for over a year now! This is our big break into a new land! We’re going to be the terror of the skies once again! Ponies will be lining up to hand us gold and riches! Isn’t it great?” The look on Meyer’s face told Lilly that he didn’t agree.
“And these lives are worth it to you?”
“Captain, they’re not pegasi like us! This isn’t murder, this is justice! Or have you forgotten what their kind did to us? To our families!?”
“It’s not your call!”
“No… It’s Black Spot’s call now…” Lilly and Yeller looked at their former captain, wondering what he would do next. When he finally spoke, Drossel Meyer’s voice was dangerously soft.
“So… It’s mutiny?”
The two crew members exchanged glances.
“Drossel Meyer-”
“Leave!”
“What?” Lilly frowned in surprise.
“Leave Ponyville and never come back…” With a flick of his mechanical hoof, the former captain unveiled a folding saber. “Unlike you, I’m not a murderer. Leave now, and I’ll let you live.” Lilly tried to laugh nervously.
“It’s over, sir, Ponyville’s doomed. We’ve won. We’ll make an example of them all… Starting with their princess!” The purple pegasus nodded to Yeller and the later crewmember lifted his cannon and took aim at the helpless form of Twilight Sparkle.
There was a boom like thunder and a flash like starlight and the weapon vomited a ball of radiance that sped like a rocket toward the alicorn and Scootaloo.
Without thinking, Drossel Meyer flung himself at the young filly. His wings opened wide and his hooves beat the ground with all their strength in one massive lunge. Just before the glowing projectile found its mark, the pegasus stallion seized Twilight and Scootaloo and leapt out harm’s way. He fell to the dusty cobblestones on top of the filly and the alicorn just as a flash of light and an explosion of billowing air blossomed behind him.
Meyer quickly stood to his hooves and looked for Lilly and Yeller, but their small shapes could already be seen flying away over the rooftops.
“Cowards!” The former captain spat. The hem of his frock coat was smoldering from the explosion and he threw it aside in a rage.
“What’s going on?” Scootaloo looked around her. Where she had been standing only a moment ago was now only a charred circle of dirt. There, still steaming from the cannon’s heat, was a pair of melted metal wings. Drossel Meyer was staring at the prosthetic wings, a visible pain on his face.
“We have to stop this! Isn’t there anything you can do, Mister Meyer?” The young filly pleaded.
“There’s nothing that can be done…” Drossel Meyer spoke like someone in a dream. “Those bombs will destroy the dam and wash away over three quarters of Ponyville… And there’s nothing I can do to stop it…”
“Can’t you untrigger the bombs?” Scootaloo asked.
“They’re set on a decaying fuse. Ponyville was doomed the moment they left the ship.” The former captain looked back at the young filly. At her small wings. She was just like her friends now, bound to the ground like hundreds of other innocent ponies, all running for their lives. She was bound to share their fate just like she wanted. She still looked at Drossel Meyer, still silently begged him for his help. Not only for herself, but for everypony else.
“Isn’t there anything you can do?” She cried. Meyer had seen pain like hers before. He had seen the wound of despair clawing at her heart before. He had seen it among his fellow pegasi. In his own home. In the eyes of his own family…
But that didn’t mean he had to stand by and do nothing.
“You… Haven’t given up on Ponyville?” He asked.
Scootaloo shook her head silently. Suddenly, she felt a tender hoof wipe a tear off her cheek. She looked up to see Drossel Meyer smiling down at her.
“Then neither will I.”
“Mister Meyer!”
“After all, it’s what friends are for.” Through the tears that welled up in the old pegasus’s eye, a new flame began to shine. As long as he had breath in his lungs, then he would use it to undo the damage that he had done.
The captain looked around, taking in all of Ponyville with a single glance.
“Alright! We need to get Twilight on her hooves! Does anypony have any smelling salts?”
“I do!” Pinkie Pie appeared in a blur, holding a small vial. “I keep secret smelling salt stashes all over Ponyville in case Rarity has a fainting spell. She wouldn’t admit it, but all it takes is a wink from Flim and she goes weak at the knees!”
“Perfect! Stop talking!” Meyer pointed a hoof at Twilight Sparkle. For a moment, the pink Mare cradled her friend’s head and held the salts to her nose, in the next, Twilight’s eyes snapped open.
“Gasp!” The princess coughed and shook her head. “What happened?”
“Twilight Sparkle, there’s no time to explain, but we need you to help the mayor to restore order in the town. They need to evacuate to higher ground.”
“Rainbow Dash, you, Pinkie Pie and Apple Jack need to make sure nopony is left behind. Spread word of the danger and tend to any injured you find.” Meyer continued.
“So, what? Now you’re suddenly our buddy?” Rainbow dash lifted an eyebrow critically. “What about all your speech about wiping us off the map.”
“Hold your horses, Dash,” Apple Jack walked forward cautiously, “Just a guess, but I’d say that the best pony to get us out of this mess is the one who got us into it in the first place.”
“There’s not much time before the dam explodes. Twilight, I’ll leave the evacuation to you since you know your friends better than I do.” The former captain continued peering at the Aurora Song.
“The dam!?” Twilight shook her head to clear it. “Can’t I just repair it with magic?”
“The Aurora Song wouldn’t let you. I imagine Black Spot would shoot you down as soon as he sees your magic.” The brass pegasus’s wings rustled eagerly. “And that’s where I come in.”
“Why? What are you going to do?” Scootaloo asked.
“I’m going to take back my ship!” With a blast of wind, Drossel Meyer shot up into the air and curved toward the lumbering shape of the airship.
“Can we really trust him?” Rainbow Dash asked critically.
“Way I see it; we don’t have much of a choice.” Apple Jack seated her hat more firmly on her head.
The sky was beginning to turn blood-red with the light of the sunset and the air felt icy cold on Drossel Meyer’s face. His wings beat against the deepening purple sky as Ponyville rapidly shrank beneath his hooves. Ahead of him, the lumbering silhouette of the airship gradually grew in size. Somewhere on board, in the glass observation deck, Black Spot was watching as the town beneath him fell apart into chaos and confusion.
Meyer continued gaining altitude like a rocket, scanning the sky every which way for Lilly and Yeller. Fortunately, the crewmembers were nowhere to be seen. The cowards were probably plundering the Carrousel Boutique or raiding bit boxes in the market place. Either way, so long as they didn’t stand between Drossel Meyer and the mutineer aboard the Aurora Song, they didn’t matter. Soon, the former captain soared above the dull metallic hull of his airship and sped toward the aft section.
Designed to decimate towns and tear through armies of unicorns and earth ponies from above, the Aurora Song had only one blind spot, its dorsal ridge. Even still, Meyer prayed that Black Spot hadn’t seen his approach. Though unparalleled with his folding saber, the brass pegasus stallion only had his one weapon. Black Spot would surely be armed with a repeating rifle.
And he would be expecting Meyer to arrive at any moment.
Softly, Drossel Meyer dropped onto the ramp leading into the hangar of the airship. Aside from the humming of the aurora core, everything seemed quiet and empty. The former captain extended his saber and crept forward.
Bang!
There was a flash of white light up in the catwalks and the metal deck beside Drossel Meyer flashed with a shower of sparks. Meyer’s muscles erupted like a loaded spring and he instantly vanished behind a thick pipe.
“Yes… I suppose that would have been anti-climatic for the "Mastermind of Glacier Falls" to die like that!” Black Spot’s taunting voice floated down from the shadows above.
“You dastard! You seek to doom hundreds of innocent ponies!” Meyer shouted back.
“Look at yourself, Meyer! You’re just like this ship! Slowly wearing away without any dream or any passion!” The mutineer laughed. “You bleeding-heart foal! I always wondered why Admiral Pinion gave this ship to you and not to me.”
“Perhaps because he knew that true power doesn’t come from a show of force, but from an abstinence of it!” Drossel Meyer galloped out of his hiding spot and dashed for a crate. Instantly, a volley of plasma-fueled pieces of led followed him. Black Spot had positioned himself way up high toward the middle of the hangar. There was no way to get to the bridge of the ship without enduring a volley of rifle shots.
“Listen to you! And here I thought you were a warrior!” Black Spot spat. “You’re no better than those sniffling idiots down on the ground! You honestly came to this little town for the food!? You honestly organized a raid to steal a couple bits and a bite to eat!? You don’t even know the first thing about being a pirate! By the time the sun rises tomorrow, every ear is going to be filled with the name of Captain Black Spot and every eye will be watching out for the Aurora Song! I will be a legend! I will finally restore this ship and her crew to the pegasus glory they deserve! I-”
“Hey! Mister Meyer! Are you in here?” The yelling of an angry mare echoed through the hangar. Drossel Meyer looked behind him to glimpse the small form of a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane tentatively looking into the ship. This was the brave little wielder that had attacked him earlier.
“Rainbow Dash! Get out! Hide!” Meyer shouted.
“What!?”
Black Spot turned his gun on the intruder and the loud clapping of his rifle rang out. The blue mare jumped ten feet into the air and frantically looked for cover as the air around her hissed with bullets.
Drossel Meyer threw himself into action, leaping out from behind his crate and hurling an ether grenade at the mutineer. Black Spot saw the attack and vanished further into the hangar as his catwalk was consumed by a burst of gas. The bronze pegasus galloped over to where Rainbow Dash was hiding.
“What are you doing here?” He demanded, looking around frantically for any sign of Black Spot.
“Don’t think it was my choice, pirate! Scootaloo begged me to help you.”
“Scootaloo? You’re supposed to be helping her get to a safe place!”
“She wouldn’t let me! She was frantic. Kept yelling something about how you needed help and how you weren’t a bad guy.” Rainbow Dash folded her forelegs angrily. “Well, you fooled me!”
Drossel Meyer caught a glimpse of a silver rifle further down the hangar. Black Spot was right above the hallway leading to the bridge.
“And don’t think I’ve forgiven you, but I’m here to help.” The bright blue pegasus huffed an angry cloud of steam from her nostrils. Meyer didn’t expect her to forgive him, but he found himself admiring this little mare’s loyalty to Scootaloo and her bravery in the face of danger. Perhaps these ponies of Ponyville were made of sterner stuff than he thought.
“Thank you… Rainbow Dash.”
“So… What are we up against?” Rainbow Dash cautiously looked around the hangar; her eyes wide at the sheer scale of it.
“An automatic rifle and a mutineer who’s willing to use it.” Drossel Meyer growled.
“A who, now?”
“It’s a weapon that throws small rods of metal.”
“… Ok.”
The former captain looked around his ship. He was running out of time and he needed to gain control of the bridge.
“Listen to me, are you a strong bucker?”
“The strongest in Ponyville!” Rainbow puffed out her chest before deflating again, “Well… second strongest.”
“Then I pray you’re up to the task. You see these large chambers?” Drossel Meyer indicated the large metallic intestines above the pegasi’s heads. “They’re full of storm clouds. I need to get to the bridge, but as soon as Black Spot follows me, I need you to destroy those red valves!” On each side of the hangar, red wheels with warning symbol on them could be seen stretching into the recesses of the ship.
“How are you so sure he’ll follow you?”
“I’m going to the bridge. There’s no way Black Spot will give up his power and his control. His attention will be focused on me. Besides, he thinks you’re nothing more than a weak coward. I need you to prove him wrong.”
“Is that all?” Rainbow Dash popped her neck from side to side and grinned. “And what about you?” She saw Mister Meyer’s eye narrow as it peered toward the bridge.
“I have a mistake that I need to fix.” With a terrific crash, Drossel Meyer pulled the lid off the wooden crate he was hiding behind and lifted it in front of him with his metal wing. With time rapidly running out, the brass stallion charged out of his cover, holding his wings and the box lid in front of him.
Instantly, the distant rifle flared to life, shining like a flickering beacon and peppering the wooden shield with holes, but Drossel Meyer didn’t slow down at all. His hooves beat the ground faster and faster while Black Spot’s bullets became harsher and more rushed.
“Blast you!” Black Spot cursed as Meyer disappeared beneath his hiding spot and vanished into the ship’s main hallway.
Behind him, the brass pegasus heard the crash of hooves hitting the deck as his former first mate pursued him. Two more shots rang out and there was a sharp pain in Drossel Meyer’s good wing. He glanced over just in time to see a small wound blossoming with blood appear, but he kept running. Behind him, the rifle clicked once more, but nothing happened. Black Spot was out of bullets. An inarticulate scream of rage filled the whole ship.
Suddenly, the hallway vomited Drossel Meyer onto the glistening bridge of his ship. Beneath him, the town of Ponyville was just beginning to darken with the shadows of night. The dam, however, could be seen in the distance, flecked with the glowing plasma bombs.
“It's beautiful, isn’t it.” Black Spot slowly walked up behind Drossel Meyer. “Almost poetic, how the former captain should die at his former post.” The mutineer looked at the droplets of red that fell beside Meyer’s hoof. “At least glass is easier to clean than wood.” There was a click and the rifle was reloaded with a new belt of bullets. Meyer didn’t flinch.
“At least now I can look in your eyes, traitor!” He frowned. “Instead of you hiding like a coward.” Meyer drew his folding saber and locked his eye on his opponent.
Black Spot’s lip twitched and his nostrils flared with rage. The dark blue pegasus reached behind him and drew a saber with his mouth. For a second, the two pegasi stood motionless, each waiting for the next to move first. Fittingly, it was the ship that signaled their fight to begin.
A distant crash could be heard down the hallway and the ship shivered as if in pain. Black Spot glanced up fearfully at his vessel and Drossel Meyer instantly flew forward, reaching to plunge his saber into his foe.
The mutineer recovered quickly and parried his captain’s attack. Their sabers collided in a shower of sparks and the rifle flared to life, sending streams of bullets flying around the room. The pegasi beat against each other, striking and dodging. Drossel Meyer lifted his metal wing to shield himself from the bullets, but he could feel his makeshift shield falling apart with each projectile that struck. The distant sounds of thunder grew stronger and the ship began to list.
“What do you think you’re doing!?” Black Spot’s mouth was frothing with rage. “That blasted mare is releasing the storm clouds!”
“Perfect!” Meyer lanced forward again. The air turned into glistening arcs of metal and flashes of rifle fire. Another shot pierced Meyer’s wing. The song of blades clashing rang out above the Ponyville sky. Meyer fought desperately, but he couldn’t protect himself and land a fatal blow at once. Black Spot wielded his two weapons like a madman, slashing frantically and piercing the surrounding windows with his repeating rifle. Meyer’s saber cut a long gash across the gun and up Black Spot’s foreleg.
The battle paused. Meyer’s wings were falling apart and Black Spot’s rifle hung limply in front of him. Yet, their eyes still blazed with hate. One wrong move on anypony’s part and the battle would be over. The ship was almost completely listing now as Rainbow Dash released wave after wave of angry clouds. Drossel Meyer stood just uphill from his mutinous first mate.
“What? Is my bleeding-heart captain finally going to kill somepony with his own hooves?” Black Spot laughed madly.
“I’m not a murderer.” Drossel Meyer lowered his voice and tightened the straps on his prosthetic wing, “But I’m not going to refrain from sending you to the highest court!” Somewhere in the bowels of the ship, Rainbow Dash destroyed another valve and the Aurora Song lurched in turmoil. There was an instant of weightlessness between the two combatants and Drossel Meyer swung his wings in one last painful attack.
Black Spot tried to lift his rifle, but the captain seized it, pinning the weapon under one wing. Above their heads, the two sabers were locked together in an unmoving X.
“What now?” The mutineer taunted, struggling to move. The two warriors were at an impasse.
“This is the part where I defeat you.” Meyer lifted his chin and revealed the last of his ether grenades. Their fuses were active.
With an explosion that shook every window, the grenades detonated, consuming both pegasi and the entire bridge in a noxious orange gas. Meyer held his breath and his eye began to water painfully, but his plan worked. Black Spot fell limp in his hooves. With his lungs screaming for air, Drossel Meyer seized the rifle and released its remaining bullets into the glass window he was leaning against. There was the sound of crystal shattering, a sudden gust of air and the orange ether was rapidly sucked out into the open sky.
Drossel Meyer held onto his ship as the fresh air swirled around him. He had one last glimpse of Black Spot before the dark blue pegasus slid down the sloping deck and fell out of the gaping window. The Mutineer vanished into the sky below. Drossel Meyer was in charge of his ship once again.
At least, what was left of him was in charge of what was left of his ship.
“Meyer? Meyer! You’re alright! Er… You’re going to be all right.” Rainbow Dash appeared at the entrance of the bridge and looked around with a grimace. Her pink eyes rested on Drossel Meyer’s tattered wings.
“You’ve scuttled the ship?” Meyer shook himself from the window and walked slowly over to the ship’s steering wheel.
“All the valves are destroyed. The air in the hangar looks like tar!” The light blue pegasus reported. “What now?”
To answer, Drossel Meyer turned the wheel sharply and thrust a couple levers to their most extreme positions. The ship roared, her engines spun to life and the deck rolled. Creaking as her hull was pushed to its limit; the Aurora Song swung back around and began speeding toward the distant Hoofer Dam.
Rainbow Dash looked around her at all the instruments. The ones that weren’t broken or shot were filled with red bars. The ship was losing altitude and gaining speed at an alarming rate. The light blue mare crouched low on the glass deck to keep from slipping. The air around her poured in through the open window, trying to suck her back into the hangar. Captain Meyer was strangely silent.
“So, what’s the pla-?” Rainbow Dash’s words froze in her mouth. With six billowing explosions of white light, the bombs around the Hoofer Dam detonated. The concrete structure was reduced to a bright cloud of scattered dust and the river erupted in plumes of white steam. For a moment, Rainbow Dash felt her limbs freeze.
“The dam! We couldn’t stop it? We… Lost?” She gasped. Drossel Meyer didn’t budge, his eye focused like an arrow on the remains of the dam. When he spoke, his low voice cut through the howling air like a knife,
“Rainbow Dash… Thank you for your help. I’m honored to have met a pegasus as fearless and loyal to her friends as you were today… You proved yourself to be a mare of courage and I’m glad that the town of Ponyville has such a capable pony to watch over them…”
“Mister Meyer…” A sickening feeling rose in Rainbow Dash’s stomach.
“Now I only have one last favor to ask of you.” A tear fell to the glassy deck from the old stallion’s eye. “Watch over Scootaloo. And tell her I’m sorry…”
“What!? No! No… Tell her yourself! Turn the ship around! What are you doing!?” Below, the first surge of the river was now running freely toward Ponyville.
“Ponyville deserves to be safe.” Drossel Meyer whispered. “I’ll stop the river, but you need to promise me that you’ll tell Scootaloo…”
“You’re going to crash the ship… to save Ponyville?” Rainbow Dash’s voice dropped.
“Get out of here.”
“Mister Meyer, there has to be another way!”
“Go!” as if thrown back by the sheer force of the captain’s voice, Rainbow Dash lost her hold on the deck and was sucked backwards through the hall. All around her, the ship was creaking and the surface of every wall was alive with lightning. Darkness consumed her and the force of a hurricane tossed the young mare around like a ragdoll before finally spitting her into the open sky.
When the light blue pegasus stopped tumbling, she found herself far away from the rapidly falling airship. The Aurora Song charged into the mountains like a missile, casting a cape of shimmering clouds behind it as if it were on fire. Within moments, the ship sunk to her final resting place.
The dark metal hull scrapped both sides of the river gorge and the shriek of the airship’s bones pierced the air as the massive structure collapsed upon itself. Clouds of dust and water rose up and embraced the Aurora Song while a deep rumble filled the air above Ponyville.
Rainbow Dash floated motionlessly in the sky. Captain Meyer had sacrificed himself, had crashed his ship, in a desperate effort to replace the dam and stop the river from breaking free. The light blue pegasus looked at the wrecked ship. It was still mostly intact, perhaps Meyer had survived! However, just as the mare tilted her wings to investigate, the sound of every engine along the ship’s hull roared like an ocean and veins of aurora light spilled out in all directions.
In the next instant, the aurora core boiled free of its glass cage and a bubble of light enveloped the ship as if the sun itself were nesting in the mountains. It was a few seconds before the sound reached Rainbow Dash.
When she heard it, it sounded like a thousand voices singing for freedom.
The air was warm and smelled like pine. The only sound was the whispering of a tame fire in its little brick house. The soft orange glow it cast bathed the room in golden light, revealing a vaulted ceiling with polished wooden floors and ornate bookshelves.
He had been here before.
He sat in the arms of a large padded chair, looking out upon his library. Tiny scraps of metal and miniature toys cluttered the top of a nearby table. Outside the tall windows, the dark night was flecked with tiny snowflakes, each one a tiny star. The sound of little hooves tapped along the smooth floor.
He turned to see a small pegasus filly.
Her coat was white with a hint of blue in her mane and her bright purple eyes glimmered in the firelight. On her back, peeking through her tiny nightgown, was a pair of small wings too tiny for a pegasus of her age.
He had seen her before.
“Good morning, Porcelain. What are you doing up?” He asked in a whisper.
“I couldn’t sleep…” The little foal yawned.
“Come here.” He extended his warm wing and covered the little pegasus in a gentle hug.
“Did you stay up all night, daddy?” Porcelain looked up into his tired eyes.
“I had to…” He let a smile break across his face. “I had to finish your birthday present before you woke up.
“Ah?” The little pegasus gasped and her tiny mouth opened in as big of a smile as she could make.
“See?” He lifted Porcelain up and showed her the work bench.
There, glistening in the firelight, was a pair of metal wings.
“Oh…” The filly gasped. “They’re gorgeous!... For me?”
“Yes, my little doll. I made them for you…” A burning, even warmer than the flame in the fireplace, filled his chest as he saw the smiling face of his daughter. She looked up at him and he felt as if his heart would burst.
“I love them!” She whispered. The firelight darkened and the room began to be consumed by the night sky. Porcelain hugged her father and buried her little muzzle in his neck. “I think Scootaloo loved them, too.” The room had become very cold and now it was completely black.
Drossel Meyer woke with a start. He was laying on his back on a soft bed with smooth blankets pulled over him. But he still felt cold.
“And I love you, too, my little doll.” He whispered his final line. The memory was complete.
The room he found himself in was silent and bare, save for his bed and a nearby window. There were bags of water nearby and a chain binding his foreleg to a handle beside the bed. The window showed a tiny patch of radiant blue sky with the sun shining in it.
Where was he?
How long had he been asleep?
If he could stay in the realm of dreams, holding his little filly, he would have stayed asleep forever. Come to think of it, how many years had it been since he had created that memory? It felt like decades since he had looked upon his memories of Porcelain as anything other than a nightmare. But now, she seemed happy. He could still see her radiant eyes.
Drossel Meyer tried to move his foreleg to rub his eyes, but his entire body erupted in protest. His prosthetic foreleg was missing, and his other foreleg was chained down. His prosthetic wing was also missing and his good wing was bound in wads of gauze. His skin hurt like a crusty sunburn. Meyer decided not to try and move again. He closed his eye to sooth his throbbing headache. He didn’t know if a minute or an hour had passed when a nearby sound soon forced them open again.
“Ow!”
“Don’t move!”
“Shh! Guys, they’ll hear us!” Whispers came from under the small window. After a few moments of hushed conversation and the sound of a few bumps, a tiny orange face appeared at the window.
“Scootaloo?” Drossel Meyer tried to sit up again.
“Shh!” The filly held a hoof to her lips as she eased the window open. As silently as she could, the tiny pegasus let herself down onto the floor and walked over to Meyer’s bedside. She winced at the sight of the half-pegasus laying on the bed.
“I’m afraid I don’t look quite as dashing as before.” Drossel Meyer tried to smile.
“The doctors say that you’ll be ok as long as you don’t get sick from all your sores.” Scootaloo tried not to stare at Meyer’s stumpy wing and leg.
“So I’m in a hospital…”
“In Ponyville.” Scootaloo nodded. “It’s still here, thanks to you.”
Drossel Meyer’s last memories flashed through his mind. The screaming as his ship wedged itself in the river gorge, the sound of broken glass as the water pounded the bridge. A dull singing as an intense wave of heat washed over him.
“How am I still alive?” He asked himself as well as Scootaloo. “I was under the ship….”
“That’s where Rainbow Dash and Spitfire said they found you.” The orange filly looked up. “You were unconscious, down the hallway from the bridge.”
“Rainbow Dash?”
“She told us the whole story. Many times. Though it seems to get longer each time…”
“And the aurora core?”
“Burnt the ship to scrap metal. Though the rooms furthest from the core were almost untouched. Like the crew quarters.”
“I see…” Drossel Meyer looked up at the green ceiling. “And Spitfire… The captain of the Wonderbolts? Then I suppose Canterlot has been made aware of the situation?” He tugged ruefully at the chain attached to his leg. There were probably a couple of Celestia’s guards just outside the door. Thus, Scootaloo’s unorthodox entrance. “I imagine there are a lot of people who want to ask me questions.” He sighed helplessly. Scootaloo shifted on her hooves.
“Including me.” She whispered. “Mister Meyer, why did you give me those wings?” There was a long moment of silence. “You could have just walked away on that day when we first met. Why did you become my friend?”
“Maybe… Because I wanted to fix something that I knew could never be repaired.” Drossel Meyer turned to face his little friend. “Perhaps I was looking for redemption. Do you really want to know why I did what I did? Why I’m a pirate? Why I scorned your friends and attacked your town? Could you possibly let a wretch like me live after hearing all my sins?”
“Live? Mister Meyer, you saved the town! You almost died to save us. You deserve everypony’s and anypony's forgiveness.”
Drossel Meyer sighed. It may have been better for everypony if he had died in that crash.
“Far up north, on a continent beyond the north pole, is where I come from. There, the unicorns and earth ponies and pegasi have been fighting for centuries. Some historians recount the unrest all the way back to King Sombra, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that there wasn’t a single night when the glow of war couldn’t be seen on the horizon.
And I had a daughter.
A daughter much like you, with minor phocomelia. She was so innocent, so beautiful… But we had to live on the ground because of her. I was a representative of the pegasi, called by the honorific, "Her" Drossel Meyer, but even I wasn’t safe from the waves of violence that rippled across our land.
I… Made those metal wings for her…”
Scootaloo lowered her head.
“On her birthday, my manor was attacked by a militia of unicorns… They wanted to make a political statement and… they burned my house to the ground.” Drossel Meyer’s words caught in his throat. “They set off a bomb. I lost my wing, in the heat of that fire and my foreleg had to be amputated… The last thing I saw before losing my left eye was the sight of my daughter crying for me to help her.”
A tear trickled across the pegasus stallion’s cheek.
“That image was burned into my left eye no matter where I looked. She was always with me.
It was then that I made myself believe that the only way to earn peace was to end the war. And the only way to end it was to eliminate the opposition. I joined the pegasi air force, where I quickly became an officer despite my limitations. I was seen as a steely commander who wouldn’t hesitate to end a battle before it even began.
But I could never hurt civilians.
I thought I was protecting people, chasing away their fears before they even became a threat.” Drossel Meyer clenched his teeth and grimaced. “There’s no telling how many foals are without a father because of me! I never even thought of their pain. Only my own.”
Scootaloo put a reassuring hoof on Drossel Meyer’s shoulder.
“And you got a ship?”
“The pegasus’s last attempt to end the war. The three aurora-class airships. They worked well. Too well. The war ended within the year. Officially. But that didn’t mean that small militias of pegasi and earth ponies wouldn’t continue hate us. Without anything to loose, our foes became desperate and more dangerous. They destroyed the two other aurora ships and assassinated the heads of the pegasi government. I was suddenly a captain without orders. The world fell into chaos and the smoke of our land reached up to heaven. There was no law, only a motley crew preying on the weak so that we could fill our mouths with food.
And that’s where my story ends, as a pirate, seeking to burn a helpless town called Ponyville for a bite of bread!”
“But you didn’t!” Scootaloo insisted. “You stopped the attack! You saved us all! You’re not a bad guy, you’ve proven it!”
“My dear, your innocence is charming.” Drossel Meyer forced a dry laugh. “So charming… When I met you, I was instantly reminded of a time before I died inside. You touched something within me I thought I had lost forever. Peace.”
“I’m sure if you tell Celestia your story, she won’t put you in prison. She’ll see that… that you were mistaken, but you’re sorry.”
“I’d like to hear that.” Meyer chuckled. “Sorry for attacking your peaceful village. I won’t do it again.”
“You could write a letter, telling her that you don’t have to fight like you’re in a war anymore. That you want a real peace, now.” The little filly looked anxiously at her friend. “I believe you know that now.”
“Hmm… What have I learned over the past couple days?…” Drossel Meyer thought for a moment. He smiled weakly at the ceiling and began,
“Dear Princess Celestia,
I do not deserve your forgiveness, nor would it be proper to ask for it. Only know that I am sorry. I’m sorry because I was wrong. And I’ve hurt so many ponies because of it.
Today I learned that I was fighting for the wrong reasons. That the peace I was fighting for was the false peace all along. I fought as hard as I could, believing that superior firepower would bring peace to my home, believing that if I were powerful enough, that any opponent would never be brave or foolish enough to fight me and thus we would find peace.
But it’s a lie. That kind of peace is built on fear; the fear of mutually assured destruction. And fear is what tore my world apart in the first place. All the species were so afraid of the others that they invented more and more powerful weapons. In the end, we burned our kingdoms to ash.
The true peace is what was here in Ponyville all along. Forgiveness, loyalty, generosity, simple acts of kindness and little ideals like honesty and laughter. All to forge something as pure and simple as “friendship”.
I have tainted this land with the ash off my coat and there is nothing I can do to erase my mistakes. I can only hope that your peace will bleed into broken lands like my home, instead of our poison clouding yours instead.
-Your broken servant,
(Her) Drossel Meyer”
As the letter ended, Scootaloo continued to look up at her friend.
“I… Don’t know if it means anything… but I believe you. And I forgive you.”
“That actually means a lot to me right now… Thank you.” Drossel Meyer smiled at the little filly. Scootaloo glanced back down at the floor.
“You could stay in Ponyville, you know.” She whispered, “You can help us rebuild and keep us safe from any other pirates. You could even work in the clock tower! We need a new one!”
“My dear… I don’t think I’ll ever be useful again. The aurora core, my ship, my tools, my wings. They’re all gone. I’ll never be able to fly again, never be able to rebuild your wings. Even assuming Celestia doesn’t do what she has every right to and throw me into a dungeon until I rot… there’s no place for me here… There’s no room in Ponyville for a scarred old nag like me.”
Scootaloo finally flashed a smile.
“That’s just it, Mister Meyer! That’s what makes Ponyville special!” She gestured toward the window where Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were just peaking over the window sill. “There’s a place for everyone in Ponyville!”
***
Twilight Sparkle cautiously walked through the scorched and damp halls of the Aurora Song. Her eyes were filled with wonder that pegasi had been able to construct this monstrosity without any magic, but also pain that so much history had been lost when the aurora core had exploded. Her horn lit up the darkness as other ponies tentatively explored the sunken ship for any other crewmembers.
Up ahead, her path was blocked with water as the nose of the airship sloped down into the river. She was about to turn back when something caught her eye. A doorway stood open to her left, hanging limply on its hinges. Just inside the dark room, glowing in the purple light of her horn,
