The meadow was shrouded in mist, the light diffuse and grey. A creature would have to get quite close to spot the brown pegasus, her blue mane tied back as usual with a green kerchief, just standing there with her axe. No, not that one: a fire axe that had been hanging on a wall in the ship. It wouldn't do to use her newly acquired battle axe for this mundane task.
The tree Blaze Trails had felled looked strange, but was as woody as any in Equestria, and if they were going to stick around for a while then they needed to get some firewood drying. Thus Set Sail was out at the edge of the meadow on her own, but she'd been made sure to inform the crew so they could find her in an emergency. As she sunk the utilitarian axe into the wood, splitting a log into halves, then quarters, she really hoped that there wouldn't be any emergencies today.
For Clashing Gale the last few days had been even harder. Sure, he was glad to have woken up from that coma; after the harrowing magic overload in the heart of the storm, he'd been lucky to survive. But... his feathers were gone, his wings turned to strange skeletal appendages, covered in skin that tickled with alien sensation. His blue and green colours gone, replaced with the same purple as the rest of his team.
By all accounts they were stranded in a strange and hostile land, and now a squad would have to risk the attentions of an island full of shark creatures. He'd heard Summer Scribe would be among them and... Clashing couldn't let the cute little unicorn go alone. He needed to be on that team, and there was one pony who could make that happen. A few questions to the deckhands, and he'd known where to go... but to find their captain out chopping wood? Hmm.
"Captain, could I have a word with you?" Clashing asked, approaching slowly so as not to startle her.
Set Sail sank the axe into the wood and left it there, her sides still heaving from the exertion as she returned to all fours. "Whew that's..." she said to herself a bit breathlessly, turning to look Clashing's way with a smile. "Sure, what can I do for you?" Her smile turned into a wince as she added, "It's not an emergency is it?"
The new batpony sighed at the sight of the captain, tiring herself out on firewood. A pegasus was hardly ideal for such a task, and though he granted that it was noble of her to pitch in with the crew, wouldn't an earth pony have been better suited for such? Shaking his head, he concentrated on the task at hoof. "What is this that I'm hearing about the next scouting party?" he asked, with a curious tilt of his head.
"Not sure," Set Sail replied, looking at the stallion with concern, "You heard something about them? Summer's not making trouble, is she?" She didn't seem exhausted - after all she was rather large and solidly built for a pegasus mare. It was definitely a workout though, and doubtless an earth pony would have been more effective. As such her motivations remained a mystery to Clashing, though it didn't look like she would mind him asking. "She always says whatever comes to her mind, so don't take it too seriously. Or is it something else?"
"When there's a team about ready to head out into the unknown, Captain, that tends to set the crew talking." Clashing explained. "No, Summer's not making trouble; you don't have to worry about that. I'm more concerned about them getting into trouble... and if they do, who's going to get them out of it." he admitted. "Do you have a list of ponies that are going?"
"Well sure, they'll have Grenelda to back them up," Set Sail said, feeling like she was making another rookie mistake here, "...and Nutmeg is bringing along Static Signal, so they can both fly Summer Scribe and Nutmeg out if things go seriously bad. I'd like it if Cloud Cutter could come along, but she's... busy with something important. Everypon— I mean the gillmen said the dirt sharks drive a hard bargain, but they aren't especially hostile, despite the name 'shark'." She gave the handsome fellow a puzzled look, who despite his transformation was well, very easy on the eyes.
"Grenelda's going... but not the designated guard pony?" Clashing Gale seemed even more concerned at that. "And you wanted Cloud Cutter to go, but..." Just as he'd suspected... clearly it was time for a suggestion. "Let me go with them. If you need one of the Storm Piercer crew to go, and our sole guard pony is unavailable... I need to be out there with them." The thought of Summer Scribe out there, defended only by a griffon deckhand? No. That wouldn't do.
"Oh no," Set Sail tried to shut him down, "You just woke up from a coma. And—and changed. Azure's not going because she's not used to her new wings yet, and neither are you. It's dangerous out there, and you need to learn more about this place before even thinking of going anywhere. I don't want to lose you just as you came back from um... near death. Cloud Cutter is a good fighter, with some... abilities, so that's why I wanted her to go, not because she was a good weatherpony. You need some time to... understand your new abilities before you can go."
Clashing's wings stiffened at the dismissal. "So you think it's a good idea to send three mares into potentially hostile territory, with a sole bodyguard?" he protested. "Only two flyers, so if they do have to bail out they'll be defenceless? Yes, I just woke up from a coma, but I'm willing to go if it means our crew has an extra guard, somepony who can actually fight! Either that or delay the mission, we can't just... send them like that, right?" The batpony looked worried, emoting in a way that Set Sail hadn't seen from Cloud Cutter or the other 'spooky' ponies.
Looking at him wide-eyed, the brown feathered mare said "Oh, I didn't know you could... fight? I thought you were just a scientist. I—I mean not that a scientist is just a scientist. I mean you look really um... good... at fighting, but have you ever been in a battle? It's um..." She wasn't one to be flustered the moment a colt spread his wings at her but this guy...
"Sorry if we seem like we're rushing things. It's just we're gonna be in big trouble the moment the drow find out where we are! We need allies against them before that happens, if we want to survive." She straightened her ears a little, adding, "And they do have a guard: her name is Grenelda. She's a good fighter. And... so is Summer Scribe actually. Not sure about Nutmeg and Static. Nutmeg's a really quick thinker though, so I trust her in a pinch."
Clashing Gale shrugged. "I do have some basic self-defence training. Nothing particularly amazing, but I know how to handle myself if trouble arises, and uh..." He looked away for a second: she had him there. "Never... really seen an actual fight, no. But... I know the basics. Better than nothing, right?" The batpony covered it with a grin, but in truth his confidence had taken a hit there. "I just... look, we've... already lost so many ponies, I've been out since the landing, it's about time I do something, and if I can start here, that's better than... sitting on my tail and doing nothing for weeks, right?" Despite the captain's reassurance, he still seemed worried.
"I understand if you're frustrated," Set Sail said with a frown, "But you won't be sitting on your tail for weeks. There's plenty to do around here, and stuff for you to learn. I'll consider you for the next expedition, but this one is already taken care of. It wouldn't be responsible of me to send you out with no weather magic and no other current abilities. We are under a lot of pressure, but if we move too hastily, without taking proper care, then we might lose everything!"
The bat-pony had seemed ready to concede defeat, but that last sentence woke him up, offering some hope of changing the captain's mind. "And you think you're not moving hastily by deploying a squad with only one of three guards actually available and ready?" he pressed. A hint of desperation crept into his voice: "I mean, I get it, I'm not the best, I'm not even fully ready, but for Celestia's sake, when there's safety of our main crew on the line, whether I'm ready or not, I'm willing to fight!" Part of him wanted to tell her that he needed to go for Summer Scribe's sake, but likely admitting such feelings would scupper his chances.
"Oh, well, heh heh," Set Sail said with a blush, a warm, confident feeling rising in her as she told him, "You are a very handsome and competent guard. It's so wonderful that you're ready to fight. I wish you could go because you really are a... light of hope. When your feathers started to crumble we all despaired, but with your new... strong, powerful wings, you... you... ...sorry what was I saying?" She smiled at him, hopeful of his answer, kind of fuzzy-headed for some reason. It probably wasn't important. With her tail bobbing up, she really felt like doing something with him. She wondered if he liked her. How to get him to like her. How to get him what he wanted.
Clashing Gale blinked. A sudden change of heart? He couldn't quite explain it: Set Sail was the captain, she'd held firm to her position until... now, apparently? "You... um... we were talking about the mission? How I wanted to go and... you seem okay with it?" Suddenly, inexplicably, but still... it seemed settled. Even the mare's tail was behaving strangely... what the heck had happened to her? Nevertheless, he seemed to have what he wanted. "I won't let the crew down, and I won't let you down either." He nodded. "Thank you, Captain."
"Oh yes, the mission," Set Sail said distantly, "Yes I am okay with it. I don't know what I was thinking before. Of course you won't let the crew down. You're Clashing Gale! I should be ...thanking you, really." The pegasus mare giggled shyly at that amusing thought, blushing and looking sideways at him in adoration. "Be there in the morning and we'll... we'll do things your way. The right way."
Clashing Gale nodded softly and smiled as she confirmed that he'd be on of the mission. "Understood, Captain, I'll be there first thing in the morning. Thank you again, and um... Captain? Feel better, okay? You seem... a bit under the weather." he commented. The stallion looked around, making sure everything was okay before setting off back to the ship. He needed to prepare for the mission ahead... though he couldn't help but wonder, what had gotten into the captain.
"Oh, no I feel wonderful!" Set Sail said very genuinely with a warm smile, leaving her logs and axe lying there behind her and wandering along after him as he headed off.
A new day dawned and with it a new adventure for the rebuilt and rechristened copter Second Chance. With the chocolate-brown kirin Nutmeg Inferno at the helm, the aircraft whirred north from Blissful Pastures. It was heading for the arid island Melonwater had spotted through his scope: the one the gillfolk had called 'Triskelion Mine', supposedly home of a sizable colony of dirt sharks.
Beside her in the cockpit was the excitable Summer Scribe; the unicorn spent the whole flight speculating about what the enigmatic creatures would be like and how they might negotiate for new propellors. Out on the foredeck the grey-feathered, gold-furred griffoness Grenelda kept a claw on the harpoon launcher, while the bat-winged Clashing Gale stood alongside, scanning the sky for threats. Finally in the cramped engine space below, the pegasus engineer Static Signal was watching the dials.
"This is so awesome!" Nutmeg declared, beside herself with excitement, "This thing is so fast we're gonna be at the island in no time! Just look at it just zooming up! If we cut the engines to idle we'll probably glide right to the island just like a glove! Is this place like a desert? Why is the climate so different between islands? It's all sparkly in the sun! I didn't know it would be sparkly!"
Summer Scribe grinned and kept herself steady, feeling the little airship soar and shudder around them. "Yeah! Now this is a hell of a way to fly. You do great work, Nutmeg! And I guess we have something to thank our drow 'friends' for, hahah." She looked out over the surrounding sky, taking in the island they were approaching. "Yeah, the water cycle strikes again, huh? I don't know much about the weather and climate patterns around here - why would rain fall elsewhere but not here? I'd need a flock of pegasi to sus it out, and it's not exactly a priority task."
So! A new species to make contact with... and if she was grokking it right, the most industrious they'd met so far. They were here to negotiate for new propellers, and with luck the sharks would be amenable to the deal! Just a matter of figuring out what they wanted in return. "Something about the way the fish folk talked about them, it makes me think they're sharp and savvy... I dunno if just being friendly and cute will cut it. You think maybe your services could work as payment, Nutmeg?"
Grenelda had a twitchy trigger claw and a firm grip on the harpoon launcher. When you're making first contact, it never hurt to carry a big stick, after all! Plus if any drow came by, she'd be the first to give them a welcoming package. Heheh! They'd regret screwing with her and her crew. "Anythin', Clashing Gale? If you're lucky you'll have fresh prey to feed on, heheh." It seemed the vampire jokes had begun in earnest!
"Well, for starters there's no lack of striking scenery..." he began, nodding as he quietly scanned the horizon. The griffon's remark did draw a light chuckle. "You joke about that, Grenelda, but in all honesty... I wouldn't mind at all if I had to fight right now. I guess this is just par for the course now." He shrugged, returning to his vigil.
"If my services can't work for payment, then I'll eat my hat!" Nutmeg crowed, "It'll be hard work, but this is the first time we've had a hope of getting back our mobility! We're just here to scope out the situation though. Learn what kind of place this is and how things work around here. So no deal making until we know exactly what we're dealing with. Bunch of innocent tourists, that's what we are!"
Summer Scribe seemed a bit flustered. "Ahaha! Yeah, I want to go a step beyond just being blundering tourists. I want to feel like I'm standing on the same stage as the people we're, well, going to be reliant on for defence and repairs. And if you can be our star export, then we have a shot!"
Nutmeg smiled back, then added somewhat uncertainly, "You know, I don't actually have a hat."
A polite giggle from Summer, at the kirin's two-part joke. "I think that means you have to go to having negative one hats. I'll explore the philosophical ramifications at home later."
"Huh. Guess I should slow down before we really do crash into the island," Nutmeg remarked thoughtfully.
As the Second Chance flew closer the source of the name became clear; their target was composed of three major islands, spiralling around and over each other like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. The terrain was all reddish cliffs, sweeping natural stone arches, precarious rock pillars and orange sand flats. Signs of habitation were everywhere: clusters of corrugated steel shacks and warehouses, complete with tall smoking chimneys and storage tanks for unknown chemicals. Mine entrances dotted the cliffs, with piles of tailings and abandoned carts outside.
Towers and blockhouses of the native sandstone guarded the other buildings, many with substantial-looking weapons emplaced on the roof or cannon barrels poking out of gunports. Finally and most dramatically, a double set of gleaming rails swept around, over and through the landscape, soaring over voids on elaborate trestle bridges and through cliffs in cuttings blasted from the rock. From this vantage point it wasn't clear where the rails went from or to, nor were there any trains visible.
"Woah, it looks even cooler up close..." Summer Scribe said, pressing her muzzle to the glass, "And these sharks look like they have life figured out. Imagine all the stuff we could trade for with a friendly relationship! Propellers first, of course. Hmmm! They're well defended, too... but given they have drow for neighbours, I don't blame them. Doesn't necessarily mean they're xenophobic if it's just common sense. And how did they make those... train tracks?"
"Tempered steel, no doubt," Nutmeg replied, "Just the thing we need to make propellers out of ."
"Mmhmm, good observation..." Summer mused "....if they built all this, they definitely have the industrial capability."
"That'd be a start." Clashing Gale remarked. "But we'll see what they think of us first. I mean, the place looks interesting, and this group's obviously well-defended against threats... but will they see us as one?" The batpony fell silent, studying the fortifications.
Grenelda was still manning the ballistae; the griffoness warily eyed the elaborate defences. "Shit: what if they shoot first? Hopefully a coat of prissy pink paint is enough of a hint that we're not drow scumbags." She narrowed her gaze... know way of knowing, without reading their shark brains! Suddenly her harpoon launcher seemed like a toy, staring down a thicket of cannons - the hen's feathers unconsciously flared up.
It was right then that the siren started: a modified steam whistle, howling up three octaves before starting again in a repeating cycle. Some creature down there had spotted their approach. Tiny bipedal shapes, low and heavy-set, began to stream out of the industrial buildings and pile into the fortifications.
Terror flashed across Summer Scribe's face and her throat tightened as if she was drowning. "...I guess they're not taking any chances. Eep!" She looked over to Nutmeg, her expression pleading, "Pleeease don't fly us straight into those guns!"
"I'm not! I'm not!" Nutmeg Inferno said frantically, staring down at the suddenly very dangerous island before them, "What should I do though?"
"I dunno, back off!" Summer panicked. "We can, I dunno, send Grenelda in to beg for mercy or something." Even as she brought it up, she realised how bad an idea this was, but... "Every other option seems even worse!"
"We just have to tell them we're peaceful and not Drow," Nutmeg asserted confidently, "They'll let us approach then. Does anybody see any sort of a landing area? That's where our fliers should go to ask." She eased off on the throttle and slewed the copter around to the right, coasting gently around the island rather than toward it.
Summer Scribe figured they'd be dead by now, or at least dodging cannonballs, if the sharks were truly hostile. Breathing a sight of relief, she said "Ok, so far not shot at. Hopefully it stays that way..." The little unicorn slumped as her adrenalin drained away: the negotiations were meant to be the scary part, not the landing!
Grenelda was equally tense as she clung onto her ballistae for dear life. "Damnit! We need to use a girlier pink next time! I'm putting in a complaint!"
"How can you get pinker than hot pink?" Nutmeg asked in confusion, "Maybe if we added some bows and lace."
The griffon rolled her eyes at that. "If it keeps us from being turned to swiss cheese, sure, I'll accept bows and lace. Now shut your trap and fly!" she griped.
The copter pulled upwards and away from the island, keeping a respectful distance between the ponies and the defences below. As they circled around the east side, a further settlement came into view, built on a series of cliffside terraces. Two airships floated there, intermediate in size between the Second Chance and the Harmony. The craft were of similar design, with a pointed, plated balloon and sleek hull below - one seemed older, patched and worn with no visible weapons, while the other was newer and sported a cluster of prominent cannon barrels. Unfortunately it was the later craft that had just started its engines, coughing smoke as the propellors began to spin up.
Summer Scribe eyed the airships warily... of dirt shark make, presumably? So they clearly had decent propellers, but... "Okay, I dunno if we should get close to those either... Do we send a flyer to say hello now?"
Clashing Gale had stayed quiet as the alarm went up and the others panicked. Seeing the two airships down there, he just shook his head as the prospects for a quick escape evaporated. Poking his head into the little cockpit, he said "Well, so much for finding a landing zone and diving down there to talk... lovely." Considering Summer's suggestion for a moment, he nodded: "If that's the way you think we should go, I'll try and glide over."
Summer Scribe regarded the batpony nervously. "It's not how I pictured it, but right now I think it's our best shot! Good luck?"
"Well I think you should talk to them," Nutmeg said, looking at the distant ship revving up its engines, "Those barges are slow as beans though, I can tell just from looking at them. Problem is if we outrun them now, they'll be even harder to approach in the future. How good are you at dodging cannon balls? You two think you can risk it?"
"It's not like we really have any choice, really. It's this now or we likely don't come back for... too long. So it's a risk we have to take." Clashing Gale noted, until he spotted... what on Equus was that?
As the copter continued to round the island, something else came into view, on the far side of a rocky projection. Something with a thousand steel parts that glinted brightly in the sun, that spread itself over both rail tracks and required a pair of steam engines to draw it. Something hulking and segmented, snaking its way around the island, masts and gun barrels poking out of its back like spines. If it was the land ship the gillfolk spoke of, it certainly deserved the name; the thing was the size of a half-dozen Harmonies joined end to end. On an oversized flatbed at the very back of the monstrous train, lay an aircraft of an entirely different kind; sleek and sharp with no balloon at all, driven only by a multitude of propellers, trimmed with gold and encrusted with gems.
"Gosh..." Summer Scribe turned her head to watch the chuffing and chugging and gleaming steel behemoth pull itself across the rails. "Amazing... It's bigger than anything back home! And it's carrying an airship too... Nutmeg, take a look! Whatcha think?"
"It's so big, I never thought it'd be that big," the kirin said, looking at the enormous train with wide eyes, "Just look at it. That's unreal! The gold gleams in the sun. I never thought... I mean wow. How much work have they put into that thing?"
"...Okay, we're not landing with that thing within a hundred metres of us." Clashing said. He emerged onto the foredeck and spread his strange new wings, mentally prepared himself for a likely treacherous flight. "Ready, Grenelda?"
"Good luck, you two!" Nutmeg Inferno called out to their intrepid emissaries. "If they start shooting and you can't get back, scramble for the nearest empty island to hide on. We'll pick you up in the cover of night!"
Summer Scribe waved a hoof as well: "Sorry this didn't go as planned - good luck! Do your best!" With that she went right back to squeeing about the Cool Train with Nutmeg. "Oh man, right?? I know it's total daydreaming, but imagine driving THAT right up to Drow Headquarters and unloading a full volley of cannons. Ehehehee..." The combination of stress and manic enthusiasm was too much; the mare's eyes rolled up and she collapsed.
"W-what's going on? Is something wrong?" Static Signal asked, popping her head out of the lower deck as Nutmeg jumped forward in alarm and caught the fainting unicorn in her arms, "Why's everypony flying—" As Nutmeg gently cradled Summer's unconscious body in her tender embrace, the red ruffed kirin looked over to meet Static's gaze with wide green eyes. "This isn't what it looks like!" she said nervously.
Clashing Gale just sighed, seeing poor delicate Summer faint like that... presumably due to stress. "Well... no more time to waste, this is just going to get worse..." With a few flaps he was off, heading straight towards the shark airship. He still didn't feel entirely comfortable with these new leathery wings, but he'd practiced enough to be confident with a simple flight like this.
Grenelda snorted. "Guess I gotta go convince some land-sharks to not blow us to hell. Well, can do." She cocked a beaky 'grin' and beat her wings, soon soaring alongside Clashing Gale. "Here's the plan: we won't be any nicer and friendlier than they are. We need to show that we won't put up with any shit. Got it?"
Clashing Gale turned his head to regard the griffoness, his companion on this high-risk mission. "Hey, diplomacy never was my forte. If you think the tough attitude and the like are going to give better results, then by all means..." Just so long as it didn't result in them getting shot at...
The griffon and the batpony glided down towards the air dock, where the armed airship had cast off but not yet given chase, just hovering there a little way off the pier. The pair approached the bow, staying out of the main firing arcs though as they got closer they saw creatures tracking them with crossbows and miniature cannons. The squat, powerful dirt sharks looked quite intimidating, with their rough, plated skin and enormous toothed maws, but they held their fire. Finally the pair alighted on the deck, landing in the middle of a rough circle of open space that the sharks had vacated.
Strange fish eyes stared at the newcomers. One of the creatures stepped forward: "You got a drow ship, but you ain't drow." he stated flatly. "So what'ya doing out here?"
Grenelda clicked her beak: looked like they'd got some tough customers! She was impressed for sure: more like dealing with other griffs, a relief after being around ponies for so long. "We got a Drow ship because we stole it from their sorry, grimy hands." she bragged playfully, finishing with a cackle. "'Then we came out here to do business. We're not going to lay a claw on you if you don't lay one on us either. Yeah? All good? You folks love to trade 'n all that, I just know you can't resist!"
To pony eyes the crowd of sharks seemed quite similar, scaled in shades of bluish or purplish grey with lighter underbellies, though they did have varying patterns of yellow spots. The shark who'd spoken stood out mainly due to his blue and white peaked hat trimmed in honestly excessive amounts of gold thread and clusters of gems. "Looking to fence your hoard, griffon? We ain't known for dealing in stolen goods, not that a broken-down, worn-out little elf runabout's worth an honest dollar in the first place." he told Grenelda.
Clashing Gale just shook his head. "Who said anything about trading our ship in? It's still functional, at least. Least you could do is hear us out, right? We're here for business, and you of all creatures should know not to judge a book by its cover, right?" He smiled a bit, trying to project confidence in his words.
Grenelda clicked her beak again. "Yeah, the ship's not for sale - cuz we got something better." Her beak gaped open, echoing Clashing's grin. "A real life Tech Elemental, that can solve all your problems - if we just get a couple of parts for the trouble."
"That's yer pitch? Hah!" The shark leader slapped his side, provoking several of the others to laugh. "'Cause I was thinking you were hiding some tidy little plunder in that thing, what with your crew hovering around all shy over there. But you just looking for an honest day's wage, yah say?"
Another of the sharks stepped forward, stating in a nasal voice "All new technicians gotta start at the lowest pay grade, whatever their experience. Union rules, no exceptions! Uh..." He looked at Clashing Gale "...and they gotta have hands. Or claws at least."
Grenelda squinted at Clashing Gale. What was with the sudden anti-hoof speciesism going on here? This'd never happen back at home! Geez. "Tch, fine. We can go along with it... but I'm thinkin' you'll change your tune real quick once Nutmeg solves all your problems for ya!" She fluffed her feathers, looking smug. "More to the point, we just need you to promise not to blow us or the Second Chance sky high, so we can get the rest of our party in. You game or is there gonna be a problem?"
"Lowest pay grade and hands or claws needed, hmm?" the batpony repeated, seemingly thinking things over. "What, you have a problem with hooves?" he queried, trying to get a feel for what the sharks were thinking. Lowest pay was better than no pay, but it didn't sound like that would cover the price of one propeller much less four...
"Look, Mister... uh, what sort of beastie are you exactly?"
Another voice called out, sounding like a mare gargling a mouth full of mixed gravel, "A spooky one looks like! Keep yer distance, sharks."
The leader waved the other sharks off. "So yer saying, you know all about Tech, but of all things you picked a ramshackle little drow copter to make off with. And now you wanna sign on for some work? Suppose yer gonna claim to be escaped slaves next."
Clashing Gale looked to Grenelda, shrugging a little as if to say 'Are they always like this?' Turning back to the shark captain, he vented his frustrations "Look, I won't claim to know the fully story - I wasn't there when my crew captured the copter. All I can say? You work with what you got available. If it's this damn thing, well it's this damn thing." He stared back at the hovering, buzzing copter, with its patched hull and hasty pink paint job... He had to admit, the sharks kind of had a point: despite Nutmeg's efforts it still looked pretty ramshackle.
Grenelda shrugged back, as if to say 'I know, right', before giving her own two bits worth. "Look, WE ain't the ones who know about tech. We're just the ones who can fly close enough without worrying about getting pelted with cannonballs right now. I keep sayin', if you wanna talk tech, we just need you to say we have free passage. Y'game or say you're not."
The bipedal shark in the gaudy hat exchanged a glance with the fellow who'd seemed so concerned with union rules, before flashing the widest and by far the toothiest grin the Equestrians had ever seen. "Yeah, why don't you just bring her in over there and we'll talk things over friendly like, get you set up with a deal like you wanted." He gestured at an area of flat ground near the base of the cliffs the airship had been docked at. "You got a solid promise from Captain Bellcrank that we ain't gonna charge you for parking."
"First four hours only! Then standard rates!" the second shark clarified in a shrill voice.
"Then we'll see what we can do with the time we've got, huh? Fine. Let's get back to the ship, then?" Clashing waved a hoof to Grenelda. He seemed reluctant to trust these creatures, but once Summer and Nutmeg got talking... they'd be okay. Right?
"Great, excellent." Grenelda tossed her head. Mission accomplished, just like that! A dramatic leap and flap of her wings and she was off, bringing the news back to the Second Chance alongside Clashing Gale. The way the hen figured, none of that arguing over jobs or whatever was her business. Nutmeg could just wow them with some gadget or other and get what she wanted. Easy peasy, as long as those sharks kept their claws off the triggers.
Back on the EAS Harmony a pegasus awoke in her bunk, surprised as always at the shift of feathers and the tug on her strange limbs as she rolled from her side onto her belly. She heard muffled hooves, ponies moving around on the deck overhead, but in her room she was alone. She still hadn’t cleaned up the top bunk, a part of her clinging on to the irrational hope that her bunkmate Cinnamon Swift might somehow emerged from that storm intact. Azure Feather had barely known the other mare, but her conspicuous absence was something most of the crew felt in some way, a grim reminder of the price they paid to reach this place.
Azure managed her breakfast as well as she ever had since the transformation, mostly just grazing out in the lush grass of the meadow. It wasn’t hay and bean casserole, but it was better than dropping plates. Bland fare feasted upon in a quiet broken only by gentle baahs from sheep around her.
Watching the Second Chance leave for the distant island was a bittersweet melancholy. It was unbearably frustrating to think that her friends might get in trouble out there, and she wouldn't be there to help. Sure, it left Azure free to train, to get good enough to accompany them next time, but she just didn’t know where to start. Her magical exercises only caused her to feel a curious absence in the smooth white diamond of fur on her forehead. At least physical exercises were possible.
The guardsmare's whole body felt different than before in inscrutable ways besides just the wings, but she could still practice her kicks, turns, gallops and stretching. Well, except for one part of her, which she wasn’t sure how to stretch. Her gorgeous if a little unkempt-looking feathery wings were a lot harder to figure out than simply letting the spell do the flying for her. She danced on that meadow, the open sky above her, trying to figure how to spread her wings, much less get them to behave as well as her butterfly wings from before.
Azure paused then, as she spotting a purple pony trotting up to her. The other mare moved with that eerie smoothness that now governed all of Cloud Cutter’s motions. “Azure!” the sleek purple pegasus called out, her face as expressionless as usual as she came to a halt nearby. “They said you were going to be training today,” Cloud Cutter said cautiously, as if it weren’t blatantly obvious that was exactly what Azure was doing.
"I don't have a choice." Azure Feather replied, staring into the sky as if she could see the Second Chance, forty kilometres away. "I already hate the fact that we have a group of mercenaries likely threatening our scout team, and I'm not there to make sure things go right. I'm not even injured, for Celestia's sake. Just... ineffective. I've spent so many years researching pegasus flight, every little detail, but... actually having the wings, well... it's not as easy as the books made it look." she muttered, frustration written all over her face.
"As much as I hate to admit it, I wasn't... the best student," Cloud Cutter told Azure with a self-conscious hoof lift, "I've studied everything there is to know about weather and air currents, but being a pegasus really is more of an art than a science. My team and I were selected because we were smart, and also because we put our passion into what we did. Being able to feel things out is crucial if you want to succeed. Like the philosopher Air Scholar once said, 'Unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies: to think, to be, to do.' You're in the second category now. Like, for instance... spread your wings for a sec."
Azure awkwardly unfurled her pinions; there were a lot more joints to worry about than with the butterfly wings, and actual muscles not just planes of magic. Still, they were spread... did Cloud Cutter want her to do something with them? The guardsmare shut her eyes for a few seconds, concentrating on her wings until the feathers shimmering slightly with Air energy. "Learned a few more tricks in the temple... but I'm still trying to perfect them." She still didn't quite understand what the other mare was getting at, feeling instead of thinking. Didn't you need both?
Cloud Cutter watched with worry as Azure struggled her wings open, saying, "That glimmer does seem... odd. Harmless enough though... Something left over from your training as a unicorn? You really seem to be struggling there."
"It takes some practice..." Azure Feather admitted, before tilting her head at her friend's comment about the shimmer. "Heh, I guess I should at least show you. Sunburn and I talked a little about how magic works here... without a horn, it seems an Air Elemental's magic comes from their wings... like a pegasus manipulating weather, perhaps?" By way of demonstration, the glow on her feathers brightened. Then with a slight flick of her wing Azure fired off a wind blade, cutting up a swath of grass nearby.
Cloud Cutter watched the other's wing, more than the air blade. Then she strode up and sat beside the pegasus on her haunches, curling her cool hooves around Azure's right wing, gently but firmly pushing on the fleshy-jointed limb from which Azure's feathers radiated. "Do you feel that?" she said, "That's your wing." Once again, captain of the obvious.
Instead of replying with frustration, Azure kept her cool; there must be meaning to this, Cloud Cutter was the experienced pegasus, she was still new to the whole thing. "Um... yeah?" she stated simply, trying to focus on the sensations. "Magical wings and these... they're not the same at all. Maybe... maybe if I could get my magic back... this insight may help me improve the Skyborn spell, but now..." she trailed off with a sigh. "Now's not the time for that." Azure concluded. "Alright, Cloud Cutter...?" she said, ready to absorb her advice.
"It's very important that you feel your wings," Cloud Cutter said simply, "These are not tools, or spells. They're wings. They're you. I'm going to move it around, so just pay attention to what that feels like. This is a wing." She proceeded to push at the joint, closing Azure's wing into a half fold, then gently extended it again, proceeding in slow movements, rotating it at each joint as much as it could easily turn, not even doing anything with the strange feeling feathers.
Azure kept her eyes closed, trying to focus on feeling her wings. "Sunburn also mentioned spell-casting with these is all about the movements, more than the thought pattern... There's potential for far more than just wind blades, I know it... I just need to figure things out. Not that it'll be easy..." She fell quiet again, trying to focus.
"Mmm," Cloud Cutter said neutrally, still manipulating Azure's wing, "Pegasi use their whole body to 'cast spells', so to speak. I say your wings are not tools because you are the tool, the... enactor of your intent." She paid a visit to both sides of the pegasus, moving her wings for her and saying, "Your wings empower you to... be the spell, I suppose. But you want a basic grasp of how to use your wings before you should jump to creating storms and spells. Now, I want you to try and resist me moving your wing. Not a lot. Just when I fold it like this, I want you to push back, gently stop me from folding it." She spread Azure's wing, waited a moment then tried folding it again.
"So it's not enough to simply use one's wings to cast the spell... you have to be the storm's heart, nothing less..." Azure stated, trying to wrap her mind around the concept. She would need to train physically as well, and not just with her wings. Cloud Cutter was right though: start with the basics. Listening carefully to her friend's directions, at first, she would struggle, still subconsciously treating the appendage like a butterfly wing. She'd spent years studying this anatomy though, and she quickly worked out how to stop her wing from folding. Things she should have learned years ago, really; she kicked herself mentally, no wonder she'd never managed to make the Skyborn spell more realistic...
"That's about right," Cloud Cutter said agreeably, "Don't worry about what you have to do, just worry about... what this wing feels like. Try pulling to resist your wing from opening, just to feel it. Good, now the other wing." After ensuring Azure was familiar with pulling as well as pushing, Cloud Cutter said once again, "Okay now resist it closing..." but this time just before the purple pegasus fully folded Azure's wing, she released it entirely, letting it spring back swiftly and slide to full extension.
"Simple, see?" Cloud Cutter asked the new pegasus with an empty-eyed smile. Similarly, when Azure resisted her closing the wing, the purple mare unexpectedly released it when still fully extended, and it rebounded sliding up into a neat little package at Azure's side. At last, with both Azure's wings loosely folded like that, Cloud Cutter backed away, standing up before Azure and telling her, "Okay. Now spread your wings."
With a little more experience and a full appreciation of the range of motion of actual wings, spreading and flapping them was significantly easier. These exercises felt like... physical therapy, rehabilitation... they were just what Azure needed. "This is still rather basic stuff, but I needed this... so thank you, Cloud Cutter. Much appreciated..." she trailed off, still tilting and stretching her pinions "Didn't even realised what I was missing." she finished.
"It's a start," Cloud Cutter said, not blushing exactly, but looking aside with a bashful tilt of her forehoof. "I don't suppose... I could give you some more tips sometime?" she asked hopefully, meeting Azure's eyes again, well sort of. "It's just so beautiful what happened to you," she admitted fondly, "I know we haven't known each other long, but it seemed like you wanted so badly to experience... what you are now."
"I might not be able to feel it anymore, but it would just kill me if you couldn't either. I've been a pegasus for a long time, and I'd like to pass that on, if I could. So I've been meaning to ask. You've done so much to help me be this... creature I've become. I don't suppose I might try and return the favour?"
A warm smile crossed Azure's muzzle at the thought of more training with Cloud Cutter... but it faded as the other spoke of her transformation, her mind filling with memories of what she'd lost. The purple mare was right, she definitely wanted something like this, but to lose her horn was still a heavy blow she had yet to recover from. "I'd appreciate any tips you could give me, honestly. Already, with just one lesson, you've hit on three things I've had wrong all along. In every attempt to make the Skyborn spell more realistic. So thank you for that, and again... I'd really appreciate more lessons."
"Oh, well... thank you. I'm just glad to have the chance to help out," the other pegasus said coolly, caught a little off guard by the outpouring of gratitude. "I wouldn't think I'd be of much help with unicorn spells. But I'll do my best to make getting used to those wings a little easier, and used to yourself, I suppose. Keep um, practicing folding and spreading them. I know it seems silly but it really is an introductory exercise, in flight training. The smoother you can move your wings, the smoother you can fly, and control the world around you. Thank you for... letting me be a part of this a little bit, really."
"Basic exercise? I'll definitely keep this in mind... as I mentioned, I'm a week away from a major operation. I want to be as ready as I possibly can for that." Azure stated, tapping the ground with a hoof. She was a little curious why Cloud Cutter seemed so keen to help, but... it was good to have a friend. "I'd be a fool to decline help from a master weather-worker, especially after you poked holes in my years of research in your first hour. But I'm so thankful for the offer... even if I'm no longer what I was, I still have a job to do. We still need a guardsmare here, and thanks to you, I can be that guard and not just some liability. So it... really means a lot. Thank you."
"Just give me a sec to work together a lesson plan, I'm already thinking of like a million things to tell you," Cloud Cutter replied pleasantly, if not eagerly, "I'm not a qualified instructor but I had a lot of qualified instructors in my time on this earth. So just hold tight. I know it's dire; the drow, or something even more grave might soon come to haunt us. If there was any better pony, I'd be fetching them, but I hope I'll be good enough. You really are a natural at being a pegasus. The rest of us born pegasi all had to learn those lessons too, once."
Azure Feather nodded softly at the mention of a lesson plan, listening carefully at the rest of Cloud Cutter's words and blushing a bit at the praise. "Don't worry about it too much, but thank you... I guess the research is starting to pay off, even if a lot of it proved.... flawed. Sure, every pegasus had to learn these lessons, but really... let's hope it doesn't get worse than the Drow, right? They're already bad enough..."
"Right, no need to be morbid," Cloud Cutter admitted sheepishly.
"Not saying it couldn't happen. Just saying it's not worth thinking about right this moment." Azure concluded. "Listen, I'll keep practicing the wing movements, I'll get back to you... maybe at dawn tomorrow? That should give you some time to build that lesson plan, right? Although... maybe I should try to keep my energy up... goodness knows I haven't slept that much since the transformation." She trailed off again. "I should get back to it, though. I'll catch up with you tomorrow!" She was soon off, still practicing her wing movements.
Cloud Cutter smiled as Azure dove into her newfound knowledge of such simple things. Then she turned and hurried off. There were diagrams that needed drawing, and props to improvise. By hook or by crook, she was going to make sure Azure learned how to truly fly.