//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: On the Trail Once More // Story: Spectrum of Lightning // by Seriff Pilcrow //------------------------------// A growl interrupted Spike’s train of thought. Setting Velvet’s journal aside, he put a claw on his tummy and patted it a couple of times. Time for a pit stop. Getting to the kitchen required more than the usual modicum of stealth. The doors and floorboards weren’t allowed to utter the slightest creak; at least prior experience taught Spike which floorboards were “chattier” than the rest. No light switches could be flicked, not that his draconic eyes needed them. He didn’t want to think about what Twilight’s parents would do if they caught him. Maybe Velvet would flash one of her weird magitech things on his face and maybe set him on fire again—for science. Or even worse, maybe she’d tell QP613 in the Daring Do forums that he shipped Ahuizotl with— “Pfft, okay that’s just silly. Keep it together, Spike.” He rubbed his shivering palms together. “Now’s not the time for...uhm…‘Twilighting.’” Upon arriving at the kitchen, Spike released a held breath, then put a stepping stool next to the counter. His stomach didn’t demand anything too fancy—some peanut butter and an extra thick layer of raspberry jelly on top of a single slice of bread.  Emerald sprinkles aren’t too fancy, right? Easing the kitchen cupboard shut with nary a sound, Spike crept back down from his perch on the counter and clambered down onto the stepping stool. With the open sandwich on top of a saucer, he then made his way to the nook, keeping his toes extended upwards so the tips of his claws wouldn’t clack across the polished floor.  It was hardly a candlelight dinner. The only illumination came from the moonlight shining through the windows. He shivered as a cold draft whispered through the room, temporarily tempting him to burn the foliage in a pair of nearby vases for warmth. Still, for once, he was glad to be alone. He didn’t need to be shaken down for secrets. A soft high-pitched rumble echoed from the living room. Spike’s arm froze, the sandwich halfway to his open mouth. Some raspberry jam made for an exit and splattered onto the saucer below. Spike’s gaze swept back and forth across the dark room, his teeth starting to chitter. “W-who’s that? Twilight? Dad? M-mom?” The high-pitched rumble returned, but it wasn’t coming from the living room anymore.  It came from behind Spike. Spike spun around in his seat. His heart skipped a massive beat. There was no one behind him—until he looked below his feet.  Two vertically slit hazel eyes peered up at him. Their owner sat on the floor, her yellowish brown coat not quite blending with the floorboards, and swished her tail from side to side. “Mmrow?”  “Oh my Celestia, Rose...it’s just you.” Spike shook his head and released his held breath. His eyes drifted away from the Sparkles’ Eastern Ticked Tabby and back at his sandwich. Plucking a little piece from the corner, he leaned closer to Rose and held out his claw. Maybe a small bribe would appease the spy? Rose cocked her head at the bread on Spike’s claw and sniffed at it for a few moments before finally turning up her nose.  “You…don’t want food?” Spike furrowed his eyebrows as the feline batted his claw away. “Then what—” Rose reared up. She propped her front paws on the legs of Spike’s chair, purred, and rubbed her face against his leg. Now it was Spike’s turn to cock his head. He pushed the saucer away and turned his claws over on his lap. “You…want upsies?” Rose’s reply came in the form of another leap. Spike wrapped one arm around Rose, while the other braced his body on the counter. Spike’s nose wrinkled from the dander now dancing in front of his face. Rose seemed content with the arrangement however, curling up on his lap and looking at him expectantly.  “Alright, your highness.” Spike rolled his eyes.  Spike was hardly Mister Blow Field from that one spy movie. All he was lacking was some kind of high-backed chair…and the thermostat cranked up. Shrouded in darkness while the cool night air made his tail shiver, Spike stroked the thin-haired cat on his lap. Rose’s purrs vibrated down his thighs and up his spine. This wasn’t so bad after all. Heck, it was kinda therapeutic… Speaking of therapeutic, there was one thing he needed to get off his chest. Spike cleared his throat. “I wonder if you or the other cat know about all the horseapples Velvet got roped in. That is, if I haven’t just been reading a self-insert fanfic this whole time.” Spike paused to scratch at his own spines. “The only proof I have is Velvet’s scars, and heck, she could’ve gotten those anywhere—doesn’t have to be a Daring Do adventure. What do you think?” Rose exchanged a stare with Spike, then rolled onto her back and exposed her tummy.  “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Bet you don’t even know about the attic, huh?” Spike switched his claw to Rose’s belly. She “rewarded” him with a snag of her front paws and a playful bite. Not that such activities would even leave a scratch on his scales. “Oops, forgot you don’t like belly scratches.” He returned to the cat’s spine, eliciting more purrs from his captive—or maybe his captor—and soothing his troubled mind. Even if she could understand Spike, it seemed like she didn’t mind some venting from his end. She’d make a great secret keeper. “But let’s assume Velvet really did do all these crazy things. Just…well…” Spike sighed. “I dunno. I thought I’d be more excited. I thought I’d respect Velvet more after learning about her past. Right now, though? I’m scared of her. Scared of her catching me. Scared that if this all came out, it might fracture her fragile relationship with Twilight. It’s not that I think any less of her because of all of this, but…” Spike moved his hand from Rose’s back to the space between her ears. “I guess when you’re the assistant to the mare who blasted Chrysalis and Tirek with the Tactical Friendship Canon, it takes a lot to impress you.” Spike gave a self-deprecating chuckle. Granted, Velvet’s escapades were no small feat, and her writing tended to put the reader right in the moment.  Spike paused, glancing out the window.  “I wonder if this is how Velvet feels like sometimes—not being able to talk to anyone about her past except her pets. Spike’s claws paused in their ministrations. “Huh, in a way, it’s a lot like A.K. Yearling. She can’t tell others how she feels either.”  Rose shifted back and forth as she licked across her shoulder with her scratchy tongue. Spike watched her work with a flat look, before finally giving a sigh. “Anyways… I guess it’d be weird if Velvet told you and North, but not Twilight or Shining or, heck, even Night Light.” Spike snorted as he blew a little bit of extra dander away from his nostrils. “It’s like…your family ought to be the first to know about really important stuff like this, right? Not even Hum Drum keeps his superhero identity a secret from his parents.” “Mrowr?” Rose peered up at him. “Yeah, I take it you don’t know about him. I’ll start from the beginning, okay? By day, Hum Drum is a lowly school colt in the city of Maretropolis. But his alternate ego is the only member of the Power Ponies who—” Feeling a sudden push-off, Spike sat up as he watched the short yellow-hair scamper away. She paused at the entrance to a darkened hallway before tilting her nose in the air and slinking off. “Oh, I see how it is! Everyone’s a critic.” Spike took a big bite out of his open-faced sandwich before motioning with it at the vacated hallway. “You just don’t know what’s good! You haven’t lived life if you haven't been exposed to the Power Ponies!”  That last exclamation echoed around the living room. Spike cupped his hands on his mouth and cringed. Hopefully, nopony heard that. He slipped off of his chair and checked around to make sure nopony was disturbed. Finding them all still asleep, he washed his dish and made his way back to Twilight’s room. As soon as he touched the bathroom doorknob, though, he paused and looked back at Twilight’s sleeping form. It wasn’t too late to let her know… Something deep in his subconscious told him he wasn’t ready—and neither was Twilight. Whether or not that something was correct, Spike’s mind couldn’t say. In either case, it wouldn’t be polite to interrupt her sleep for something she’d groggily wave off as nonsense or Princess Luna trolling again. Spike shrugged before turning back to the bathroom, climbing back up and settling into the rug lining the sink.  Dear Journal, We haven’t had to kill anypony today. Thank Celestia.  I can’t exactly say I’m high spirits right now. I finally get the chance to try to contact Night Light and I fuck it up. At least Daring sympathizes, but that doesn’t get me any closer to talking to him again. Now I don’t even know if he’s going to want to see my face after everything I’ve had to do just to get to this point.  To think this day started off well... “Daring! Daring, wake up!” Inside one of the buffalo teepees, Daring Do stirred and mumbled incoherent attempts at profanities. Each shake Velvet delivered to her body elicited a different species of utterance. Mounting over Daring’s body like a predator, Velvet resisted the urge to play with her wings, but it was a losing battle. Daring had to see what Velvet and Thunderhooves had in store for her, and now. Velvet landed a critical blow on the side of Daring’s head. Daring screamed. “Crap, sorry! Sorry!” Velvet fell on her bottom and scooted away as Daring thrashed around in her blanket. Daring then sat up, her eyes blazing in the spiciness of the buffalo teepee while the silhouette of her folded right wing spasmed in its bandage. “All right, all right! I’m up, Mom!” Daring’s voice enunciated the last word in a mix of sarcasm, drowsiness, and pain that sounded even raspier than usual. “Do you even realize what time it is?!” “11:30 pm?” Velvet couldn’t help the deadpan snark that crept into her voice. Daring reached forward and tapped Velvet’s horn with her hoof. “You know what, if that thing comes with a built-in clock, I understand why Canterlot ponies are so damn entitled.” “You’re impossible.” Velvet jabbed her hoof at the exit behind her. “Thunderhooves needs to talk to you...” “So why are you here, and not one of his buffalo underlings?” Daring raised an eyebrow. “I don’t bite.” “Unfortunately.” Velvet turned and coughed into her hoof. “Anyway, something about going into a strange mare’s tent, uninvited.” “All right, fine. I’m going out…” The tattered blanket slipped off Daring’s body as she stood. Her legs briefly trembled, the moonlight from outside illuminating her bruises and bandages. As she made her way to the exit, not even stopping to retrieve her clothes, one of Daring’s hooves clutched the reddish feathery burns on her chest, prompting Velvet to help her out of the tent. Despite the effects of her injuries encroaching onto Daring, though, she found the strength to narrow her eyes at Velvet. “…if only for him.” When Daring followed Velvet’s lead and hobbled out of the tent, however, the grogginess and pain melted from her eyes. Dancing before her on the night sky, a long, thin arc extended from the jeep’s antenna, up into the air, and beyond the horizon. Like the thunderbolts in the cave, it pulsed in a multitude of colors, although in this case, there seemed to be a bias towards purple, sparkly hues. It wasn’t too hard to figure out why, what with the purple cloud connected to the antenna via several wires and chambers fashioned out of what seemed like metal and rock. Multicolored light leaked from tiny cracks on one of the chambers, no doubt belonging to the fulgurite. “I’ll be damned…” mouthed Daring. “How did you do this?” The smirk that had materialized into Velvet’s face when Daring gaped at the lightning softened into a warm smile. “Had some help.” She gestured to a heavy-set figure near the broad stone. The buffalo inclined his head to Daring as she rubbed her eyes. “More specifically,” continued Velvet, “Thunderhooves fashioned an RF cavity by mixing silica, quartz, arcanite, and various other minerals in a bowl. You should have seen him work, Daring. I had no idea nomadic creatures like him knew so much about advanced aetheric electronics! Someday, I’m going to have to return to this village and write an article about these guys.” Daring raised a hoof. “Actually, Velvet, I take–” “But that wasn’t enough.” Velvet gesticulated with her front hooves. “Turns out we had to focus the EM wave to specific directions—up, down, east, west—to further extend the range. Heh, thank Celestia the chief had a solution for that as well: he furnished a waveguide out of–” “Velvet!” Daring stomped her hoof. “I may have a degree in Linguistic Ponthropology, but I don’t speak Mad Scientistese. Get to the point.” “Always skipping the foreplay.” Velvet snorted, then smiled. “No wonder that old problem of yours left you.” Daring returned Velvet’s smirk. “No complaints from me. She was a problem, in more ways than one. Better to cut straight to the meat of things, as I always say.” “Uncultured swine.” Velvet turned her nose up and trotted towards the broad stone with a huff, briefly checking behind to see Daring regarding her with a bemused expression before following after. “How goes the war, Thunder?” Velvet said to the chief. “Anything blow up in our faces yet?” Daring jerked her head towards Thunderhooves. “Wait, what?” A rumbling chuckle came from Thunderhooves. “Nothing is out of tune yet, Lady Velvet. Your graceful visage is not yet threatened by anything exploding.” Velvet sighed. “Shame. Love me a good snap, crackle, and pop.” She then sat next to the Jeep’s cannibalized antenna and lit her horn a deep cerise. Not too elaborate of a spell, compared to the mind-wringing incantations she had to cast minutes ago: just a simple one to measure the distance between the two charges. “Map.” Upon Velvet’s command—though not without rolling her eyes a bit—Daring hoofed over a map lying on the makeshift table. The tip of Velvet’s right hoof then pointed to a crumpled region southwest of Dodge Junction. “You said this village is roughly here, right?” Thunderhooves nodded. “All right.” Velvet muttered to herself. “So the scale of this map is roughly one inch for every 2.3 miles. Now, the waveguide’s pointing westward, so…” Her left hoof ran from right to left the same way her mind ran through various calculations in her head. From the corners of her vision, Thunderhooves' and Daring’s snouts came into view, their owners leaning in to get a closer look at Velvet’s hoofwork. “There.” Velvet’s left hoof thumped on a dot on the map, catching Daring’s attention. “Applewood.” “Velvet, can’t you zoom in a little bit?” said Daring. “Applewood’s land area is almost as big as Vanhoover.” “What, like a computer?” A small chuckle seeped into Velvet’s voice. “I’m sorry, Daring, but I’m afraid I can’t do that.” However, the smile on Velvet’s face faded after a few seconds. Unless… She shut her eyes tightly and attempted to recalibrate her spells. “Let’s see… Maybe I could try…” Her horn strobed alternately between cerise and purple. Clouds of magic materialized on the antenna and followed the lightning’s course—up into the air and down the horizon. Meanwhile, there was a buzz in Velvet’s mind—not an adrenaline buzz this time, but something of a more sensory nature. “Stop fantasizing about Night Light and concentrate!” teased Daring. “Sorry, love, but he’s taken.” Velvet briefly opened her eyes to face Daring, then returned to having them closed. “Get your own bed buddy! Okay, no, but seriously, I’m trying to get a feel for the artifact’s surroundings.” As Velvet fed magic into the antenna, she could feel sparks of magic bouncing around whatever container housed Indra’s Bow—like a mare feeling around in the dark. Some kind of leather bag, maybe? Anyway, maybe it'd be good to expand the magical field a notch. Her teeth gritted the same time another surge of magic surged from her horn and into the antenna. The vessels in her forehead throbbed, and the vibrations rattled down her facial bones and into her teeth. “Okay…” Velvet seethed, then breathed out. She smacked her lips at the acrid scent of ionized magical energy entering her nose and swirling inside her pharynx. “...think I’ve expanded the field wide enough to cover the whole room.” Her front legs instinctively waved around as she felt the sides of the room, even pounding a wall in sync with her magic. The poundings resounded into her brain through her magic like a gong. Her mouth hung open. Her body spasmed, then froze. “Holy shit…” “What is it?!” Thunderhooves said. “Velvet, what’s going on?” There was a tinge of fear in Daring’s voice. “Metal,” breathed out Velvet as her eyes returned to normal size. “The wall’s made of metal. Glad I opted to use the non-electric version of this sensory spell.” Daring’s and Thunderhooves’ lungs immediately released both their held breaths, tickling the sides of Velvet’s ears. “Celestia damn it, Vel. Don’t do that!” Daring groaned. “Do…what?” Velvet faced Daring. “For a second there, I thought your cover had been blown and someone was trying to take control of your mind with magic.” “Your kink, not mine…” Velvet cooed, then closed her eyes and continued to wave her forelegs in front of her face. “The wall feels jagged, though—like corrugated cardboard. Whole room feels long. Hallway, maybe? And there’s boxes on top of boxes blocking the path…” “That sounds like a shipping container…” said Daring. “Why, of course! Velvet, I’ve got it! I know where the first piece of Indra’s Bow is!” Velvet canceled the spell and allowed her magic to fizzle into the aether as she turned to Daring. Keeping her eyebrows folded, Daring kept staring at Velvet as she nodded. “There’s an airship port at the Applewood seaside.” Daring tapped the ground with her hoof. “That’s probably where Indra’s Bow is.” Velvet stood up and extended a hoof towards the jeep. “So what’s the plan? We hop onto Jonathan and ride into the sunset?” Her eyes drifted to the Mare on the Moon. “…Or moonlight, in this case.” “Jonathan?” Thunderhooves raised an eyebrow. “When did you name your car–” “It’s…something she does with vehicles that spend more than a few hours with her.” Daring explained with a wave of her hoof, then stretched her legs and looked at Velvet. “Nah, let’s head out first thing tomorrow.” “Huh?” Velvet raised an eyebrow, then pointed at Daring while turning to the bison chief. “Thunderhooves, can you believe this pony? I thought you said she was itching to get out of here!” “No, I said that she did not want to sleep, not that she wanted to leave.” “Don’t forget the injured pony in distress here! Agh…” Daring clutched a portion of the feathery burn on her shoulder. “Besides—” A yawn interrupted Thunderhooves as he turned towards his teepee. “Your friend has a point. Surely you do not want to fall asleep behind the wheel and end up crashing your car?” Velvet huffed. “Oh, please. Driving while sleepy would be the least dangerous thing we’ve done so far. Besides, Volt’s posse couldn’t have missed the big fat lightning rainbow extending through the sky. What if they track us down? What if they leave port along with the artifact? We’ll miss the boat…or airship, as it were.” “They won’t leave port. Trust me.” Daring turned around and headed back to the medical tent. “Applewood’s timetables don’t allow any ships to leave the harbor at this hour. Celestia’s allowed us to have some rest.” As Daring began to leave Velvet behind, the latter hurriedly dissipated the cloud of electric magic powering the fulgurite and trotted behind Daring, Thunderhooves tailing her as well. “And you know that how?” “This isn’t the first time I’ve stowed away on a ship, air or otherwise.” “And the tracking down bit?” “Remember what Volt said through the radio? ‘No need. I got what I came for?’” Daring replied, the last few words spoken with an impression of Volt’s alto, as if Daring’s already low-pitched, guttural voice couldn’t get any lower. “They’re looking to ship the artifact off, not to hunt us down.” “Still,” interjected Thunderhooves as he turned to retire to a teepee that seemed larger than the rest, “it would not hurt to take precautions. Once you two leave, I will direct my tribe to move the village to another location.” “Good idea.” Daring lifted the flap on the the entrance of her teepee to allow Velvet inside. “By the way, Vel: one more question before lights out…” “Uh huh?” “What kind of name is ‘Jonathan?!’” Twilight Velvet was no stranger to Applewood, having gone to the city at least twice to interview for her paper. That said, she never had a reason to get close to the harbor, much less dump a jeep into a pond at a nearby city park. It was sad to see Jonathan go like that; he didn’t even get to die gloriously in battle like Evy. “It’s attracting too much attention.” Daring’s words echoed in Velvet’s mind. “Besides, the Applewood Port Authority’s dirtier than Manehattan’s police department. We need to keep as low a profile as possible.” Sneaking into the airship port was surprisingly—and perhaps worryingly—a breeze. A simple heating spell defeated the chain-link fence lining the perimeter. Not only could Velvet cut through with a simple heating spell, but apparently, the higher-ups didn’t see the need to install magical wards to prevent pegasi from flying over them, even if said pegasus in this case had only been allowed to take the bandage off her wing several minutes before. Getting into the harbor was easy. Looking for Indra’s Bow, however, was not. After swatting away a fly, Velvet’s eyes focused on the padlock of a shipping container. In her magic was one of the few things Jonathan had left to remember him by: a pair of retractable bolt cutters. Before Velvet set to work, she glanced at Daring from her sitting position. Daring was peeking through the edge of the shipping container and scanned for any nearby mercenary patrols. From a distance, airships and sea-ships idled along the shoreline, their mouths swallowing container vans and crew members alike. The hustle and bustle would have made for an awe-inspiring sight. But sightseeing would have to wait. “Remind me again why you can’t use your sensory magic thing?” Daring gestured her hoof at the endless row of shipping containers. “There’s probably a hundred or so of these lying around, and we’ve only checked…what…six?” So much for working better alone, huh? However, Velvet resisted the urge to grin and simply shook her head. “Thunderhooves and I used up the last of the fulgurites trying to build that setup from last night.” A crunch, then metal clanging on the ground, was nearly drowned out by Daring’s huff. “Don’t you have a degree in magic science or something? Use it!”  “Well, my master’s in magic tech is telling me that even though I know the electrical properties of the artifact’s lightning”—Velvet and Daring stepped aside, the former taking the container’s door with her telekinesis and facing her friend—“I can’t make lightning that’s attracted to the artifact itself. It’s one thing to know what Magic A looks like; it’s another thing to know how to create Magic A.”  Before Velvet opened the door, she glanced to the side and into the distant hustle and bustle. Aside from the usual workers, ponies wearing Equestrian military uniforms patrolled the shipyard. These weren’t legitimate soldiers, though—or so Daring claimed earlier. There was the occasional security guard milling around, but they didn’t seem too bothered with the mercs around.  Velvet shook her head. Task at hoof, Twilight... The door creaked as Velvet levitated it open. It only swung a few inches before the duo’s noses wrinkled. The hint of a miasma seeped out the container, sending their front hooves to their noses. “Ugh, what are they keeping in here?” Velvet turned away, suppressing a gag and squeezing her eyes shut. “Leftover stinky cheese?” The sound of Daring walking to the door and creaking it open reached Velvet’s ears. Just as Velvet wiped her nose and took a deep breath, Daring stood at the corner of her vision, frozen in place while gazing at the bowels of the container. “Not stinky cheese, but leftovers, all right.” Velvet gazed into the container, and the container gazed back… …or to be more precise, the bloodied corpse of a unicorn stallion inside gazed back.  The stench wasted no time wafting into Velvet’s agape mouth and up her nose, but it barely registered in her mind. Scarlet was splattered on the white walls and pooling on the floor. A couple of flies buzzed over the stump on the stallion’s forehead: the only evidence left that he was a unicorn. On his blue, bloodstained uniform, the word “SNITCH” was smeared in red. “Ho-oly shit…” Velvet mouthed.  “Still think going in through the front gate was a good idea?” Daring tipped her pith helmet. “This isn’t even the worst thing I’ve seen the Applewood Port Authority do.” Velvet rubbed her nose, a vain attempt to rid her nasal cavity of the stench, then narrowed her eyes at the container door. “Shouldn’t we call the police or something?” she said, taking the door with her magic. “Is Volt coming with us?” A third voice—one belonging to a mare—echoed from the distance, somehow sneaking its way through the ambient din of boat horns. Velvet’s hair stood. Daring darted her head around. “Crap, think the police will have to wait. Hurry up, Vel!” Velvet’s concentration—and magic—slipped. The door bashed into the container and unleashed an unholy bellow. As Velvet’s ears folded backwards along with her body, her fur stood on end, still rustling from the shockwave. “Oh crap! That’s bad!” Velvet put her hooves to her head. “That’s really really bad! “Shush!” Daring’s hoof catapulted into Velvet’s mouth. The flavor of Fresh, Steaming Hot Certified Organic Asphalt reaching her brain; Velvet furrowed her eyebrows as Daring looked behind, ears twitching for some unfathomable reason. Not unfathomable for long, however. “Bridge, this is Baker-One” a stallion’s voice, audibly roughened from age, bounced off the containers. “Sounds like an Ursa Minor’s running loose at the southern cargo hold. We’re gonna go check it out.” There was a pause. Daring’s wings fluttered in reflex. “Well, I would if you didn’t call all our flyers into the airship!” The stallion snapped. “What the hell were you thinking?! Just…I know, I know. You’re not the only one who saw that lightning get inside the cargo hold…” Velvet didn’t hear the next transmission. It was drowned out by a “C’mon, up there!” from Daring. Her hoof pointed at a row of tall crates to the right, perched on top of two shipping containers that were stacked on top of each other. The pegasus flew up to the tall crates in a single fluid motion, while Velvet had to settle with clambering over another pile of crates on the ground. “What are you waiting for? Hearth’s Warming?!” whisper-shouted Daring. Velvet panted, her foreleg muscles screaming as they dragged her up a green ammo crate. “You…you couldn’t have thought of a more…accessible hiding spot—one that didn’t need wings?” “Not unless you know any invisibility spells!” “The only thing invisible here is your brain!” By the time Velvet got her front hooves to Daring’s level, a stallion’s snout was peeking from one of the containers below. Velvet’s hind legs kicked in the air. “Pull me up! Pull me up!” Velvet whispered urgently. Without another word, Daring obliged. “Good great Celestia, what is your fiancé feeding you?!” She grunted through clenched teeth. “No more eclairs when you get back to him, all right?” Velvet blushed as she clambered up. “What? He likes curvy mares.” As Velvet hunkered down behind the left side of the row of crates, Daring set her helmet down and peeked through the right edge. Velvet was just about to open her mouth to speak when the stallion’s voice resonated from the containers and into Velvet’s ears. “Looks clear. C’mon, River.” Velvet’s eyes widened at the stallion’s last word. Lying on her stomach, she peeked from the top of the shipping container, her hooves gripping its edge. Hopefully by “River,” he meant something like “Summer River,” or “River Song,” or... Tailing behind the stallion, a grayish-brown, heavyset figure with two horns adopted a three-legged gait, one cloven hoof perched on the stock of her battle rifle. A turquoise necklace, almost hidden under her girth, fur, and tan camouflaged shirt, all but confirmed her identity. Velvet grimaced. The stallion in front of River Rapids stopped, then looked back. “Pull yourself together, Private.” “I ap…apologize…” Rapids’s voice trembled despite the grin on her face. “It’s just…I have never been to the Orient before! Shame Volt couldn’t come with us, though.” From the top of the container, Velvet scuttled back and tapped Daring’s wing. “Hey, quit looking at those ships,” she whispered. “This, you gotta see.” By the time Daring joined in on the eavesdropping, Rapids and her commander were now scoping the back of the shipping container Daring had invaded minutes ago. “Yeah well, from what I heard,” the commander continued, “Volt had to leave early—take care of the MBT in the sea-ship that left a few hours ago.” Velvet and Daring exchanged shocked glances. Did they miss the boat? Meanwhile, Rapids raised an eyebrow. “The MBT? Isn’t that overkill?” “Not to mention tactically unsound.” A third mercenary walked in from the side. The earth pony stallion leaned against one of the shipping containers and casually scratched his front hoof, the grenade launcher slung on his chest shifting slightly. “Jungles, mountains, and cities aren’t very friendly to those things.” “Yes, well, employer’s wishes.” The commander shrugged. “We don’t do what he wants, then Volt doesn’t get a share of the Spectrum. No share of the Spectrum means no lightning powers for Her Best.” “But of course.” The earth pony grenadier rolled his eyes. “The elites get the cool toys first.” The commander shook his head. “Don’t listen to him, River. Think of it like this: they were selected for a reason. One day, if you prove your worth to Volt, you too can join their ranks.” “So… how are the kids?” Velvet and Daring continued to watch Rapids’ team scan the area. The conversations among the mercenaries had since atrophied into sporadic small talk about the weather and Shadow Spade books. Velvet thought she saw Daring bite her lip at the mention of the latter, but decided not to pursue the thought further. Not when there were more pressing matters… …like Rapids climbing the pile of crates Velvet had used earlier to get to the top. Velvet and Daring backed away and out of sight from the mercs. Rapids was already one container height from the ground—closer than any of the other mercs were at that point. The commander and the grenadier had disappeared behind other containers, no doubt still looking for that “Ursa Minor.” The faint, familiar sound of Daring’s trowel sliding past leather reached Velvet’s ears. Its blade glistened under the sun while its owner’s eyes locked themselves onto Rapids. “Alone, back turned, and hidden behind those crates,” noted Daring. “Time to close in.” Daring stepped forward. “Wait!” Velvet grabbed Daring by the withers. “No, no, no, we can’t kill her!” “Why the hell not?” Daring frowned, then blew a puff of air to her mane. “She’s an easy target.” Velvet’s eyes darted. “Uh…um… if you kill her, you’re going to have to kill her squadmates, too.” She pointed at the grenadier and the commander. “If you don’t, they’ll smell a rat when they realize one of their number is missing.” “Velvet, we took down an entire platoon of troops in the San Palomino Desert. Three guys in an area with lots of cover is nothing.” “Yes, but ‘Bridge’ will also smell a rat if this squad doesn’t report back. Plus—” Velvet’s forehead creased as she raised her eyebrows “—I made a promise to Thunderhooves: bring River Rapids back alive. You wouldn’t want to let our only allies in this mess down, would you?” “But–” “Think about it this way.” Velvet ducked her head just as Rapids turned her head. “I’m sure Thunderhooves’ tribe would be real grateful to us if we brought Rapids back. Maybe they’d be even more willing to give you help in your next excursion!” Daring lowered her head, visibly ruminating on Velvet’s words. “Good point.” Velvet’s tensed chest allowed itself to relax when Daring put her trowel away. “Still…” Daring’s ears folded back while Rapids jumped down the container. “ …if what we heard is true, then maybe we arrived too late. They might have already left with Indra’s Bow.” Rapids’ team converged after a few minutes, so Daring and Velvet resumed their peeping. “Whelp, Fuze and I drew a blank,” the commander said. “How about you, River?” She shook her head. “Nothing on my end.” The commander put a hoof to his chin. “Probably just some cargo shifting in the wind then. Still, won’t hurt to take precautions. Let’s get back to the Sun Queen and tell Bridge to amp up security on the package.” “Package?” Velvet glanced aside. Do they mean… “Sweet!” The grenadier pulled the collar of his camouflage fatigues, allowing the sweat on his chest to dry. “Can’t wait to change to our normal fatigues. These knockoffs of the Equestrian military uniform sure get hot as Tartarus.” Rapids snickered. “‘Really, Fuze? Worse than Blizzard Blitz?” The grenadier’s eyes narrowed. “We do not talk about Blizzard Blitz.” Velvet’s eyes remained locked at the mercs walking away as Rapids continued to tease Fuze. “Sun Queen, huh?” muttered Velvet as she turned to Daring. “You think that means–” Daring’s foreleg took Velvet by the withers and pivoted her towards the right edge of the row of crates. “Wha– Hey! What are you–” “There, southwest. You might have to squint.” Velvet’s subconscious quickly deduced what Daring wanted her to see; still, she pretended to take her time as her struggling died down, allowing her eyes to bask upon the bulbous creamy white airship in the distance. The tips of its rear fins peeked out of its gas bags, while the propellers at its flanks spun leisurely. A UK-2642 Dynastat hybrid airship—if only she could interview the crazy bastard who built this… Her eyes directed themselves to a patch of gray near the airship’s nose. It was blurry at first, but there was nothing a little squinting couldn’t clear up. “Sun Queen…” Velvet muttered as the contours of the letters came into view. If that wasn’t enough to confirm the find, the three tan figures walking towards the airship certainly did the trick. “And I bet that is where our ‘package’ is.”