//------------------------------//
// Harbinger 
// Story: Dan Vs. The Magic of Friendship(Season 1) 
// by Barrobroadcaster 
//------------------------------//

Gust raised the ramp as the group reentered his damaged flagship. "Yeah, well, while we wait, I'm gonna make a phone call."

"Order some takeout, might be a while," Dan called back over his shoulder.

"Heh, not a bad idea." Gust made his way to the bridge, making sure to notice his crew repairing his ship. They were doing a good job, in spite of their circumstances. In many ways, this was their first real combat mission. Up until now, they had been pirates, not an actual air force. Dan beating them and joining forces with them was in many ways a second start for them, a chance for something new and one they were... one that he was, doing his best to make the best of.

The United Griffon Coalition- the government of the griffons' towns to the far northwest of the Crystal Empire, was one that did its best to balance the nature of its people and the diplomacy of the world. Griffons were a mostly ambitious and greedy species by nature but those weren't always bad qualities. Unfortunately, they were, in fact, difficult to accommodate. Gust's fleet, the First Expeditionary Armada had been created to serve essentially as government-endorsed pirates that raided small towns and stole things to satisfy the griffons' urges for great riches. That is, until most of Gust's fleet was sunk by a few ponies and humans and bigass'd gun mounted on a freaking tree. They had met their match in Dan's security system.

Now, Gust Grasp faced the reality that his fleet would actually have to do the job their titles were meant for, not the one they signed up for. And for that, he was going to need help. Although his fleet was a glorified pirate armada, it was not the only one the griffons' possessed. They had other groups, other fleets and flotillas that served other purposes and one specifically dedicated for defense. It was that one they needed right now... even if it was the one Gust hadn't been planning on speaking to, at least not like this. Not to ask for a favor.




UGC Priority Transmission
All of My Rage sending private message[CLASSIFIED]
Received: Perchbay Minister's Office, UGC HQ
Transmitting...
...
....
Warning! Channel is not secure! Broadcasting unencrypted transmission is not[REDACTED]
[REDACTED][REDACTED][REDACTED[REDACTED]
...
Playback beginning...

"Hi honey."

"Hello, Gust, what is it?"

"Awww, what's wrong? What's with the tone?"

"Gust, cut the crap, what do you want?"

"What did I do to deserve this? Can't I just call the love of my life because I feel like talking to her?"

"Sure. Does she work at this office?"

"That's cold, Gale. Seriously, baby, I know I've been away for a while..."

"You were overdo eight months ago."

"...I know. I'm sorry, Gale, it's just... you know how it is, being out here. Things have, well, they've changed. A lot, and I can't really leave now."

"I know. I watch the news. We both knew the job when you took it and there's not really anything we can do now. I guess asking you to walk that fine a line was a bit too much."

"..."

"Maybe I'm being a bit... unfair. I don't even know any more. Whether you were bad at it, or too good at it, you still did it. I guess what I'm saying is, I understand. We asked you to be a pirate, we couldn't expect you to be much of anything else. Even a husband... or a father."

".......How is she?"

"Good. Half expected her to join you but I don't think she's quite come to terms with your "occupation." She actually takes after you, in a lot of ways."

"That's not really a compliment."

"I know."

"Look, I know I haven't been there for you or for her... ever, really. I don't want to blame the job on that. I'm sorry... both of you, I really am. I never meant for any of this to hurt either of you."

"It's okay."

"I'm giving it up, Gale. After this, I'll be coming home, I promise. But I have to do this. Right here, if we don't stop these zebras, it'll be the Empire next and then us. And I need all the help I can get. We need all the help we can get."

"Yeah... yeah, I noticed. I don't blame you for any of this. And even if I did, I'd still help because you're right about this. That's why I'm coming with the big guns."

"The big guns? Oh! You really mean it?"

"Yes, Gust, we're bringing in the Defense Fleet. This has full council support and I'll be bringing the formalities myself so Princess Twilight can sign them. For now, we're choosing to sanction your "extensive operation" in Equestria... and to be honest, we're kind of proud of you, too."

"...Baby, wow, that is... wow. Thank you... thank you so much. I love you, Gale."

"I love you too, Gust. I... we, could've done a lot worse."

"I always left you wanting more, didn't I?"

"Oh, go fuck yourself. *Click*"


Transmission Complete...
....
Transmission intercepted, redirecting to source: [REDACTED]





Since the beginning of their history as a species, griffons had insatiable desire. Desire for the best, the shiniest, the next level, more so than any other species in Equestria. They were greedy, they all knew it and they had generations to come to terms with it. Defense Minister Gale Grasp was very aware of those terms as she walked from the access hall to the bridge of her flagship. Unlike her husband's vessels, the ships of the Home Defense Fleet were spotlessly shiny, kept immaculate and beautiful at all times. The golden-bronze hallway reflected her emerald feathers, even in a corridor few would ever see, things were absolutely immaculate, luxurious and lavish in every essence of the word. Because griffons realized that greed could be something of value, too, so they decided a long time ago to treat it like any other resource.

Meaning they didn't waste a single bit.

The double doors opened from the hallway to the bridge of the flagship. The All of My Yes, Gust's flagship was a carrier roughly the size of Cloudsdale. Gale's flagship was the size of Canterlot- more than three times bigger.




UGC Next-Generation Ascension-Class Supercarrier
All The Way Baby
The Investment of One Wise Wife





Gust Grasp was made Sky Marshal of the griffons' air forces because he was a successful pirate; he knows how to get treasure. Gale Grasp, the wife and mother of their children, was made the Defense Minister of the griffons' entire military, including Gust's air forces, because she knew what to do with treasure. Many griffons loved collecting wealth and valuable things and stockpiling them, Gale was one of the few griffons that actually knew what to do with them. She invested them, turning the massive hordes of gold, jewels and other valuables into riches that could earn more and enormous projects that could further griffon development. Her ship, the All The Way Baby, was a testament to the griffons' future desires and goals. The first and only one of its kind, the All The Way Baby was meant to be a platform and testbed for griffon spacecraft.

A select few far-sighted griffons realized that future desires were just as important as current ones. Griffons like Gale looked beyond the sky and realized their future was in the stars. The All The Way Baby was the answer to the question, "How far do you want to go?" It was the griffons' collective answer, the secret desires of their race to reach for the stars. Unbeknownst to most others in Equestria, the griffons were conducting experiments to be the first of the planet's species to make it to space. Without being banished to the moon, of course.

The Defense Minister walked around the bridge's spherical chamber. The viewport outside offered an unparalleled view of the sky, almost made golden itself by the light reflected off the enormous vehicles' hull, an intention of the vessel's design. The All The Way Baby was constructed like the Expunger-class carriers Gust favored; they were built so griffons could easily fly in and out of them, carrying things to enormous cargo bays built around the ship's ring-shaped hull. 

Being far larger than the others, the All The Way Baby was composed of three "rings": the first two were overlapped on top of each other with just a little space in-between. These two rings fit inside a third ring that was the ship's primary hull, a massive golden ring that looked like an enormous wedding band. The bridge of the ship was a pyramidal structure that fit on the back of the rings, elevated and armored to offer optimum view and protection. The ship was powered by nine massive jet engines on the aft section and on the bow section, to complete the wedding ring analogy was a giant gemstone made of every type of jewel known to griffons, even a few stolen from the Crystal Empire. This gargantuan rock was also the ship's main battery, a weapon that fired a magnetic-sonic-energy capable of piercing the crust of a planet. It was officially called the Aurora Cannon, and was nicknamed "Gale's Eye" by the troops.

Every single griffon saluted Gale as she stepped through the doors. "At ease, at ease, at ease," she said, smiling. "There'll be enough time for the formalities when we reach our dear stranded sky marshal," she said with a light chuckle. "We're already underway?"

The captain's chair spun around. In it was Gale's talon-picked commanding officer for both the ship and the mission, a griffon she trusted very much. "'course, mum. We're on the way to be saving the arse 'o that pigeon-pirate ya call an 'usband."

"Heh, glad to hear it. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you're the one doing the saving."

"Tooright, tooright, ya are," Ozzy said. Admiral Ozzy Osbarn originally had been tasked with conferring with Princess Luna about specialized weapons as part of her Perfect Defense project. Unfortunately, the donkeys had beat them to the punch, and then Vice Grip beat them all, spearheading the production of Magic Gear. Since the train episode, Ozzy had been keeping a low profile and an eye on things in Equestria. Now that things had reached a boiling point, the time for observation was over and he had donned his naval officer's uniform again.

"How's our newest sensor officer?"

"Ah, yeah. That's a bit of a different story," he said, rotating his chair and gesturing over his shoulder. "Believe the term's "acclimating" to the position, mum."

"I see. Well, maybe I can help," Gale said. She flew across the bridge as the others went back to their stations. She came up to the the sensor officer's chair and tapped the shoulder of who was in it.

"Hi honey."

A heavy sigh before she answered. "Hi mom." She held her head in her talons, staring at the sensor terminal's screen. It displayed both interior and exterior sensor scans and was backed up by other terminals that were monitoring different systems. Everything was built as a backup on a ship this valuable. One of the reasons she found it so boring.

"You can call me "mom", that's fine, but I do hope you understand the importance of everything here. Your salute's a bit sloppy but otherwise, you're doing a good job, Gilda."

"Thanks," Gilda said, somewhere between genuine and sarcastic.

Gale put a claw on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "I know it's not easy being here."

"Ya think?"

"You'll do well, Gilda. Give it a chance."

She turned around to her mother. "Are you asking me to give this job a chance? Or did you mean you and dad?"

Gale looked down for a moment. "I know your father and I didn't do the best job of raising you. We both have... our careers."

Gilda just stared at her. "He's not my father, he's a pirate. And you let him go off and steal from other countries so you could build... these things. I never wanted any part of this or of him. That's why I left."

"I know," Gale said, still fixating on the floor. "I don't blame you. I know he could've gotten a job closer to home, he could've given it up-"

"He didn't," Gilda interrupted. "Because he's not an adult. He's not really your husband or my dad."

Finally, Gale looked up. She met her daughter's eyes. "He never missed a single child support payment or alimony check. He never missed your birthday or mine. He visited when he could, Gilda and dammit... that counts for something."

Gilda looked away. "I guess."

She put her claw on her shoulder again. "We all need a second chance sometimes. And sometimes... multiple second chances."

"Which one is dad on?"

"I don't know, but I do know this isn't your first either," she said, knowingly. Gale gently turned her daughter to face her. "He's getting a second chance, you're getting a second chance... maybe you should give both of us one?"

Gilda nodded. "Okay... ma'am. I will."

She smiled. "Again, mom is fine. And don't think your father's getting off easy," she said, her smile turning into a devious grin. "When that flyboy sees what I'm bringing in to play with, I think he might just molt on the spot."

"Ahh but mum, bigger ship's only a bigger prize fer a pirate," Ozzy reminded her. "After all, he did steal yer heart, din't he?"

"Only because I let him, Admiral. Only because I let him."

Ozzy stared back at her, knowing more about their history than the average griffon.

Gale rolled her eyes. "Fine, he got to me. But WE'RE going to get to him and give his little griff-hens a feather ruffling. You have the bridge."

"Aye, mum, aye."

She turned and walked out of the bridge, continuing with her inspection. It was no secret that Gale and Gust "cheated" on each other as many griffons did. There weren't as many monogamous relationships among griffons, though marriage was still common. But, when griffons liked each other in an intimate sense, they usually indulged and Gale and Gust were no exceptions. It's just that in griffon society, an intimate connection wasn't as reliant on a romantic one as it was with ponies. Still, they did get jealous when not enough time was spent with themselves, so problems with such relationships were common as well.

Gale liked to think she was a bit more choosy than her husband when it came to partners. Ozzy was a definite fan of hers while Gale could only brush breasts with birds like Becky and Chelsea. She and Gust were competitive a little bit and Gale also liked to think she won more often. But even then, Gust had a way of smiling that turned defeat into victory... and made him absolutely irresistible. And hawt. She'd spend so much time and effort outmaneuvering him at every turn and then he'd just smile at her and make her wonder if it was his plan all along. After all, he was a pirate.

Still, as Sky Marshal of the UGC, he had overstepped his bounds. Sometimes, a reminder was necessary and Gale's ship was nothing if not a reminder of Gust's obligations. The moment he saw it, he would remember his place... both in the ranks and in the nest. Gale continued her tour of the enormous vessel, flying most of the way to make it shorter.




3 days later
Northern Equestria, Crystal Imperial-Griffon Borderlands Airspace
UGC Supercarrier All The Way Baby en route to Fort Jerk

Gale and Gilda walked to the bridge together, chatting all the way that morning.

"-so he tells me stole it when Celestia wasn't looking."

"He stole it?" Gilda asked. "He actually stole a necklace from Princess Celestia?"

Gale smiled. "Well, it turns out, he traded her something for it. But then he just smiled and said that "the deal was a steal" and we both laughed."

"What did he trade her for it?"

"Some territory west of Appleloosa, a few gold mines."

Gilda stopped. "Wait, he traded her GOLD MINES? For a necklace? How is that not the dumbest idea ever?"

"Ah, you're forgetting what kind of a griffon your dad is. See, to him, and most other griffons, gold and gems and stuff lying in the ground isn't that interesting to us. He figured it was too much work trying to dig it out, so he traded it to Celestia for some of her royal jewels and let the ponies mine out all the treasure. Then, we can steal it from them later," Gale explained, grinning.

"Wow... but wait, aren't we supposed to be allies with the ponies?"

Gale nodded. "Yep. So, we wait for the ponies to sell to the donkeys or some other group and we steal it from them instead. We call it trickle down economics."

Gilda shook her head. "That is... wow, that's just amazingly underhanded." The doors to the bridge opened and they both entered.

Gale patted her on the shoulder. "This is how you pirate, sweetie. It's not all movies and songs online or boats in the ocean; there's a lot of work involved. Your dad gets this shit done."

"Yeah... I'm beginning to see that."

"How are things, Ozzy? What's our ETA now?"

Ozzy spun around in the chair. "Bad weather crossin' our path, mum, had to divert course."

Gale looked out the viewport in front of her. Dark storm clouds were directly in front of them, disorganized but concentrated. "I thought the pegasi had rejoined Equestria in the war. This is their territory, why aren't they dealing with this weather?"

"Dunno, mum. I don't have an estimate now, but we're still on our way. Jus makin' a slight detour, s'all."

"Ah, good, good. Excellent work, Admiral," she added under her breath, "this trip just got longer," and turned to her daughter. "Gilda honey, go down to the bar on B Deck and get mommy a gin and a cream soda from the vending machines."

"What? You're gonna start drinking this early."

She nodded, turning her daughter towards the door. "Sweetie, I'm not flying, I'm not driving and I'm certainly not going to spending any more time on this trip without a little buzz to get me through it. B Deck for ginny, vending machines by elevator for creamy soda...y. Get one for yourself if you want."

"I don't drink," Gilda declined. "Not gin, anyway," she said, recoiling at the thought.

"That's great dear, start taking after your father just now. I meant a soda. You can get one of those for yourself," she said, pushing her out the door.

"Does B Deck mean Bar Deck?"

"It damn well should- that's what the B stands for." The doors closed behind her. Gale turned back to the crew. "Ozzy! Get this golden symbol of my failed marriage going faster, I wanna piss off my ex while it's still daylight out so I can see his face!"

"Workin' on it, mum," Ozzy replied.

The communications officer stood, holding her headphones with both claws. "Ma'am? I'm picking up some kind of broadcast."

"All the way out here?" Ozzy asked. "Probly jus a local radio station err whatnot."

The officer shook her head. "I don't think so. I think it's a distress signal."

"Distress signal?" Gilda repeated. "Let's hear it, put it over the speakers." The officer stood over her station and keyed in the controls. For a moment, they heard only silence, then a humming, then static. Finally, a voice.

"-ayday mayday mayday, this is flagship Lunar Force One broadcasting on open channel to any in range, we need assistance!"

One of the tactical officers on the other side of the bridge looked up. "Did they say Lunar Force One?"

"Lunar Force One," Gale said, her voice serious. "That was Luna's ship that went to Saddle Arabia to help them fight the zebras. Luna was on it."

"Tha's not Luna squawking, tho," Ozzy pointed out.

"Comms, open hails," Gale ordered.

The officer gave her a clawed thumbs-up. "You're on, ma'am."

"Lunar Force One, this is the All The Way Baby responding to your distress call. What is your status, over?"

"Mayday mayday mayday, this is Lunar Force One broadcasting on open channel to any in range, we need assistance! Our ship has sustained heavy damage, we've got wounded onboard! Coordinates enclosed on wide-band frequency, please, we need help!"

"It's automated, ma'am, set to repeat."

Gale rubbed her forehead. "Yes, I gathered that much, thank you," she flew over to the comms station and hit a switch herself. "Gilda honey? Tell them to make it a double gin," she said, her voice broadcasting over the ship's intercom. "Ozzy, move us to intercept them. Best speed."

"Aye, ma'am."

She flipped the switch again. "You know what? Forget the gin, sweetie, just come back to the bridge." Somewhere aboard her vessel, her daughter was likely embarrassed.

They actually had to fly into the edge of the storm to find Princess Luna's ship. It wasn't that far from them, though; they likely would've seen it trying to fly around it on their present course. It only took them a few minutes to get there and before long, they spotted the distressed vessel.

Gilda arrived back on the bridge with a cream soda just in time to see it out the viewport. When it did, the sight of it unnerved her in more than one way.

"Woah... that's Princess Luna's ship?"

"Yeah," Gale said, not taking her eyes off the other vessel. "Was kind of expecting something more... I dunno."





Equestrian Royal Guard Airship
Lunar Force One
Last seen over Saddle Arabia, officially overdue 6 months ago





The Lunar Force One, as its name suggested, was Luna's personal airship. Its sister ship, the Solar Force One was Celestia's and the more regal of the two. Because Equestria wasn't a militant nation, both vessels weren't armed and functioned as high-class luxury yachts for the Canterlot elite and royal family, using part of the money from cruises to remain in service. The Lunar Force One had only recently been relaunched after Luna's return to Equestria, a very happy thing for those maintaining the vessel. They were the largest airships Equestria had produced, though they were still only slightly longer than the standard griffon cruiser and not built for combat. They were outfitted with luxurious quarters and amenities, spa facilities, beautiful viewing decks, lounges and casinos.

The last time they had been seen, they were being used to deliver the royal guard armies to Saddle Arabia to help the Equestrian allies fight off the zebras. According to the news, the Solar Force One had been destroyed in combat while the Lunar Force One had retreated. That had been six months ago. The ship had just now returned... apparently.

"Comms, are you picking up any more transmissions?"

The comms officer held her headset again. "No, ma'am. Just the same distress signal."

"This doesn't feel right," Gilda said. She looked at the dark ship, hovering in the storm. It wasn't moving but it hadn't landed or crashed either so something was keeping it in the air.

Both Gale and Gilda felt a cold on their spines as they watched the ship. The Lunar Force one wasn't military- it was a cruise ship. The vessel was a big blimp, additional engines on the side and the back and painted jet-black, purple and gold. The name Nightmare Force One might've been more appropriate, considering its appearance.

"Lunar Force One off the starboard bow," Ozzy said, turning to Gale. "Feels like a trap if I ever smelled one. Orders, mum?"

Gale swallowed. Yes, something was very wrong about all of this. The ship's running lights were still on but not the interior. "Keep your distance, Ozzy. Do we have a squad we can send to check it out?"

"Aye, I can get Bravo Squad over there."

"Do it, and tell them to be careful. Full hazmat gear, watch for anything biological."

"Aye, mum."

The golden ship stopped at a close distance to the dark one. The storm raged outside the viewport, a grim and grey curtain that covered both ships. Occasionally, the sound of thunder was heard but no one saw any lightning. Well, almost no one.