"There's a ship on the horizon," Shinespark murmured, seated at the Immortal Dream's controls.
Slipstream looked up from the book held in her wing, relaxing in the copilot's seat. "Oh? Hmm... I think you're right! That does look like a ship... Do we have a spyglass?"
"There should be one around here," Shinespark muttered, searching the room with her telekinesis. "I'm kind of surprised this is the first ship we've seen, actually."
"Really?" Slipstream put her book down, opening tiny cabinets and joining in the search. "How come?"
Shinespark grunted, locating a spyglass and passing it to Slipstream. "How come I'm surprised? Ships from Ironridge should still be arriving in the Empire now, so they wouldn't know to stop sending any yet. Right?"
Slipstream shook her head, extending and holding up the glass. "It's a very long trip directly from Ironridge to the Empire. Since the Empire relies a lot on rented Varsidelian ships to make the journey overseas, they typically have a shorter range, because Varsidel's cities are closer together and they don't need to develop longer-range technology. So the primary route is to go northwest from the Empire and make a stop at the Varsidel coast before going on to Ironridge. Nonstop express voyages like ours are much less common, because there are fewer ships that can manage them. Yakyakistan would have a similar problem, but they've committed more to air travel and have more long-range ships and a refueling station in the mountains."
"Huh." Shinespark shaded her vision with a hoof, though the morning sun was already high enough not to get in her eyes. "So this is a direct flight? They probably have no idea anything's happened in Ironridge, then. I wonder if we should warn them to turn back."
"We could..." Slipstream held her chin with a feather. "We're less than halfway to the Empire, still, so they might not be able to make it all the way back and have to continue anyway. But they should be able to make it to a port city if they turn straight north and follow the coast, and maybe they could warn Varsidel not to send any more ships to Ironridge?"
"I'd imagine Varsidel already knows," Shinespark replied. "They'd know ships have stopped coming, at least. I think? How far away is the nearest Varsidel city, again? A week or two?"
Slipstream nodded. "Depending on the ship's speed. They may have noticed ships have stopped arriving, or maybe not. They might not know why, though."
"Then we should parlay." Shinespark tightened her focus on the controls, slightly altering their trajectory. "Go find out who wants to fly across and who wants to stay to pilot this ship. Unless they want to come to us."
Valey, Shinespark and Gerardo stood on the Dream's deck as the other ship drew nearer, the mountainous shore a distant line on the horizon behind them. Slipstream was piloting; Shinespark held the spyglass to her eye, studying the boat they were about to intersect with.
Large and zeppelin-based, it looked like a freighter, with a bulky, windowless hold and gigantic propellers on the back and sides pushing it forward. There was no deck between the gondola and balloon, and a tiny box on the front that looked to be for crew and controls. 'STRATUS' was emblazoned on its side in wide, burnt-brown lettering.
"Who was it who was on about airships needing epic, non-generic names, again?" Valey teased, elbowing Shinespark with a wing.
"I believe that was you," Gerardo remarked with a subtly-raised eyebrow.
"Nahhh. And nyaaah." Valey stuck her tongue out. "So are we going over there, or are they coming over here, or what?"
Slipstream had cut the acceleration, and it looked like the other ship was slowing too. "Flying unicorns are unusual," Shinespark muttered. "Let's let them come so I don't put them on edge."
"Or I could carry you..." Valey hummed, a mischievous grin forming on her face.
Shinespark took an uncertain step away.
"Before you two engage in any shenanigans," Gerardo quietly interrupted, "it seems they are, indeed, intending to board us. Behold."
A wing of three fliers had left the Stratus and were quickly soaring toward the Dream, and in a matter of minutes they were alighting on the deck. All three were decked out in clean white suits with blue stripes around the collars, and the leader, a tall brown stallion, raised an interested brow. "Greetings," he offered, a reserved, dignified tone in his voice. "We noticed your unusual ship from afar. Are you friend or foe?" He glanced suspiciously at Valey.
"Friends of civilization, I assure you," Gerardo announced, stepping forward and offering a talon even though Shinespark was the captain. "Are you, perchance, bound for Ironridge?"
"We are," one of the leader's companions, a grape-colored mare, replied, looking slightly more at ease. "And you for the Empire?"
Shinespark nodded, also stepping forward. "You shouldn't go to Ironridge," she quickly advised, mane blowing in the wind. "There was a sudden war around two weeks ago. The skyport and power systems are currently destroyed, and every ship that arrives is stuck and has no way to refuel to get out. I'm Shinespark, and my crew is traveling to inform the other nations and seek aid in rebuilding."
"A war in Ironridge?" The third visitor, a griffon, spoke. "Did Varsidel invade, or something? Thought they were too busy with their own affairs! About time their conflict started drawing more attention! I've been saying the rest of the world ought to get involved since the Empress was killed..."
"Not Varsidel, Yakyakistan." Shinespark shook her head. "They played the districts against each other until they sparked a civil war. Things have calmed down now, but if you're going to Ironridge, make sure to have enough fuel to reach another city afterward without refueling there. If you can make it somewhere north along the coast, I strongly advise going there, first."
"A civil war in Ironridge? With Yakyakistan as outside aggressors?" The brown stallion leaned in closer. "I find that somewhat hard to believe. Are you sure?"
"Considering as we barely escaped with our lives, yeah." Valey gave him a serious look. "I mean, you can keep going if you want, but you're the ones who'll get stuck there."
The visiting griffon seemed to consider this. "I can't think of any reason they'd be lying, Cap'n. Don't seem like those pirates from earlier."
"Pirates?" Shinespark looked alarmed. "In the skies? I would have thought the short range of airships forces them to stick to the sea. How?"
The grape mare shook her head. "Sea ones. They sent up a plume of smoke from their boat to make them look like they were in distress. It's a common trick, but easy enough to see through if you drop them an emergency dinghy, follow them a while, and it doesn't appear to spread. Most pirates won't actually burn their boat down for a shot at getting yours."
Gerardo bowed. "The tip is appreciated. Though I don't believe we have any intentions of abandoning the sky, and hopefully should be safe from unwanted surprises." He grinned at Valey, who winked back.
"Anyway, we'll be cautious entering Ironridge in case there's any fighting," the mare assured them. "Thanks for the tip, but-"
"You're still going regardless?" Gerardo looked concerned. "You will get stuck, you know."
"Yeah..." The second griffon also looked uneasy. "Remember the last ship we crossed, Cap'n? Those passengers who insisted on telling us something big might be about to go down? There might actually have been trouble in Ironridge."
"...You're right," the captain acknowledged. "But even at maximum capacity, we lack the range to make it in and out of Ironridge reliably without at least one stop in Zanguel, and the situation in Varsidel changes too quickly for my comfort to count on. Unless you have more current news on the war there as well?"
Everyone on Shinespark's side grimaced. "We could go through Barbadar?" the other griffon offered helpfully, at which the grape mare made a face.
"Ironridge is safe, but has no way to refuel, and their economy is likely in shambles enough that you may not get paid for your delivery," Gerardo told them. "Whatever you decide, you would be safe there, if war areas are a concern."
"No, wartime Varsidel is..." The grape mare hung her head. "Not my favorite place. Up to you, Captain."
"Then I'll make my decision soon. Thank you for warning us," the leader said, and with a bow, all three took off, soaring back toward their ship.
For a moment, Shinespark, Valey and Gerardo stared as they left, then sighed. "I should get us moving again," Shinespark remarked, trotting back toward the bridge.
"Well, I suppose Varsidel's discovery of the fate of Ironridge may well hinge on the whims of this freighter captain," Gerardo declared, ruffling his feathers. "There's little we can do about it, as we are bound for the opposite corner of the map. Ah well."
Valey raised an eyebrow. "What is wartime Varsidel like? Nobody ever talks about it. Also, those sailor suits were nnngh classy." She wing-hugged herself and shivered.
"Ah ha ha..." Gerardo chuckled meekly. "Indeed they were. And wartime Varsidel is a mess of legendary proportions suitable only for hardy adventurers unafraid to answer their problems with guile, violence and running away. Granted, I say that as a hardy adventurer who would not live his life any other way, so take that with a grain of salt. I thrived there, though others might very much not."
"That's nice." Valey strolled toward the door belowdecks, tail flicking lazily. "I'm gonna go do whatever and not let us fall for pirate traps. Have funnn..."