//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: An Accomplishment of Aerial Atrocities // Story: Contributions to The Quill // by Necro Atom //------------------------------// The world around me shook violently, as if a large quake cast a tremor through Equus. A blinding light flaring before my eyes as I hear a million voices of strong stallions around me crying out in anguish. I felt my hooves lift from the ground and joined in the screams of my bretheren. The light died down and my eyesight returned to a vast grey wasteland, accompanied by stallions of the Lunar Republic. I heard one cry out in fear, "Where are we!?" that question was soon answered as I turned my eyes to the sky and saw Equus floating in space. An utter escaped my lips that quieted everyone around me and in turn the entire battalion. "We're on the moon.." I awoke to a tap on my shoulder, jumping a bit from the initial contact and I looked towards my assaulter. Which luckily was just the Conductor, he looked down at me with a mix of concern and annoyance. "Sir, we've reached your stop. Also you were... Talking in your sleep. Something about.. Being trapped on the moon?" He looked me in my eyes and I gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Mr. Conductor!" I reached up and patted his head with my hoof, which caused him to back up a bit in surprise. I rose from my seat and nommed down upon my Suitcase's handle. I give the confused stallion a muffled 'Farewell!' and exited from the train. I show the Messenger pony at the train station my I.D since I am from a different empire. I then turn my attention to the depressingly long path that leads to the actual empire it's self since the train station is like, 2 miles out of town. But haha! F*ck you I have wings, which I spread and promptly take off. I head the way the pegasus flies and right in the direction of the Crystal Castle. My suitcase's handle is starting to get uncomfortably slobbery. I think I nodded off at some point in my flight since I don't remember some of it but as I looked down I could see I was above the city potion of the Crystal Empire, as I looked back up I could see a building. Wow, that's a really big building! Oh wait... THUD I flutter backwards, little Alarm Clocks flying around my head as my suitcase fell from my mouth and I slowly drifted to the ground. The thought comes to my head, 'Wait, Roosters can't fly..' just as my hooves made contact with the ground. I stumble my butt into a wall which causes me to sit down. I grab my head in a fruitless attempt to stop the spinning as a crystal pony trots into the alley way. "Oh my gosh, are you alright sir? I saw you fly into the building and I think you dented the wall!" The mare seems concerned for me and trots over, I shake my head a bit to clear it and look at her, feeling my tender forehead. Pulling my hoof away I see some red liquid on it, cool! That's my blood! That's not supposed to be outside of my body. "Oh, oh please ma'am i'm much more concerned by the fact I think I dented my skull." It's clear she's unsure if that was a joke or not. I then point at my hopefully noticeable wound. "Can you get me some Gauze or something?" Her head quickly bobs up and down and she spins around, trotting away. I pull my suitcase over as I wait for her return and open it, checking inside. Luckily, everything looks fine. I close the suitcase back up and lean my head back, now having a RAGING headache. I hear the hoof steps of the mare before she comes into my sight, next to her is a levitating piece of Gauze. I lift my wing and take it, rubbing up some blood on my forehead and firmly planting the Gauze on my wound. I stand up and grab my suitcase with my other wing. "What direction is the Crystal Castle?" "Oh, right that way sir. It'll be.. Hard to miss." She nods softly and a hesitant smile and points me left out of the alley way. Hard to miss was the truth since I crashed right next to main street. It was a straight shot down to the castle and I didn't plan on hanging around staring. I started my way down the side walk, unable to fly due to my wing holding the Gauze but I still made good time. This is the tough part, convincing the Crystal Guards to let me through. Alright.. I have one more Platinum Bit but there are two guards, maybe I could do something for them--and they both moved their spears away? I looked at them both in obvious confusion. "Really, you two are just going to let me in?" The two guards looked at each other and one looked at me as the other turned to his stoic position. "Professor Velveteen sent a letter via dragon. We were expecting you even if not pleased that you were coming." He then turned back forward, I'm not too keen on.. You know... Starting a fight or anything. So I left it and trotted through, entering the castle. Rubbing the Gauze against my wound a bit I threw it in the trash and started walking towards the throne room, pulling a tie out of a jacket pocket and loosely putting it on just in time to reach the door. I put the suitcase down and flattened my hair back a bit with my wings then picked up the suitcase with my wing once more, pushing on through the door. Trotting into the Throne Room I looked around, the rug leading up to the throne was lined with guards, a guard spaced 5 metres apart up to Cadence sitting on the Throne with Shining Armor sitting next to her on her right and Sun Burst with Flurry Heart on her left. Wow, totally no pressure at all. I started to walk along the path, constantly looking over my shoulder in case this wasn't all for me. I stopped when I reached the Throne, looking up at Cadence. She looked down at me and I quickly bowed. "Your majest--" I started, before she quickly cut me off. "Oh don't start." She said, verbally waving it off even though she didn't even lift a hoof. My ears perked and I looked up. "Uh.. Beg my pardon?" I tried to hide the confusion in my voice, I think I failed. "Ms. Velveteen told me exactly why you came. You want magic power for some sort of Magical Reactor, right?" "Uh... Yeah, that's right." "Is it something for Silver?" I gave no response. "Why would I help Silver with his antics? He already broke in and invaded my privacy once..." "And look what you got in turn!" I motioned my hooves to Flurry Heart with a smile that probably says 'Please don't arrest me.' I at least got a chuckle out out the foal, her horn surging a bit. Cadence herself groaned in annoyance. "What would I get helping Silver other than more troublesome antics? A magical burnout?" That did make me pause for a thought... I mean Silver does abuse one of Cadence's Royal Guards, Invaded on sexy time with them, among other things, probably. My eyes then drifted over to the giggly filly with the horn arching bolts of magical power, and idea spurring in my head. "Flurry Heart looks like she needs to release some magical energy. Why don't you... Let her fill the magical generator? You don't have to do it yourself and you don't need to worry about Flurry Heart blowing up your castle!" Cadence pondered this, looking over to Shinning, who agreed not having the castle blown up would be a plus, then over to Sun Burst. He seemed on board with it, mainly because he doesn't like being electrocuted. "Fine. Where do we go?" A smile grows on my face. Later that same week i'm sitting outside of Silver's masterpiece. I glance back into the sky as Cadence comes down in a flying carriage with Sun Burst and Flurry Heart. Silver Quill himself was sitting next to me and he turned his head my way, a hard hat sitting on his. "How did you convince Cadence to fill up the Reactor?" I gave him a smooth smile. "I am very charismatic." He just chuckled a small bit, not saying a thing I point Cadence and her accomplices to one of my workers, who leads the way into the large caverns beneath the castle. "You ever actually expect to see this Fortress fly?" "Of course I did. I'm just happy today is finally the day I get to see it happen." I nod in agreement. Alarm Clock walks over to my and lays down in front of me, I start to pet the rooster. Silver and I sit silently, admiring all the work we've put into the castle already. 10 minutes later Cadence, Sun Burst, Flurry, and all of my underground crew exit the caverns. They all don sunglasses, I am the last to put a pair on. I mutter softly to my self. "T-minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... Lift off." The entire ground shakes, the entire Everfree seeming to awake. Cracks on the ground start to form as the Castle la Quille starts to lift from the ground, magical blue flame bursts from venting tunnels that were dug under ground as all the engines apply magical thrust. The castle starts to lift out of the ground and go airborne, hovering 50 metres above the ground. The entirety of my pegasus crew starts to crowd in and cover everything below the castle with cloud to give the illusion it's floating on only that. All the ponies gathered around, even myself, start to clap. Joyed that our months of work just entered a new stage or progression. As I learned when I originally returned from the Crystal Empire my Mechanic Crew already created each of the thrusters due to their down-time and not being the ones digging. Energized and ready to work they built the Magical Generator in the 2 days before Cadence and Flurry were set to arrive. I lifted a wing to my mouth an yawned. "Well Silver.." I said as I rose up, putting Alarm Clock on my back, "I'm tired as hell. I'll talk to you tomorrow." He nodded, still in slightly shocked awe of the flying fortress. I spread my wings and took off, flying up to the castle to get some what I think is well deserved sleep.