//------------------------------//
// Chapter 36: Blake 
// Story: Forbidden Places 
// by Starscribe 
//------------------------------//

Blake sat up, shaking off a few stray bits of ice. He took in his surroundings in a few moments, trying to remember how he had gotten there. He was at the helm, which had changed quite a bit since the last time he'd seen it. Great gouges were ripped right into the wood in various places, with the wood compressed from the tight grip of hooves.

His own. 

The flight came rushing back to him, the sight of a gigantic flying fortress bearing down on them from behind. The pirates they had defeated weren't quite ready to give up, after all. They had come to take their revenge on him and his friends.

He looked up, clawing himself suddenly to all fours. Was the pirate ship still following them? How long had he been unconscious? He looked, spinning in a slow circle around the deck. He settled quickly on the single other airship in the sky with them—it was heading closer, though not from the direction he would've expected.

Either the pirates were far faster than they were, or they'd gotten completely turned around. 

Yet the ship had already come in close enough to make out some details, and it looked nothing like the one that had been following them. Instead of several corpses all glued together, this ship was sleek, with white and gold trim down the sides and a deck thronging with uniformed ponies.

Ponies, every single one of them.

There were canons along both sides, though none had crews. They were tied off and covered, with only their shapes to suggest how well-armed this ship actually was.

As he watched, Galena stumbled up towards him, eyes slightly glazed. She managed to keep herself on her feet, though it looked like a struggle for her. She followed his gaze, though it took her several seconds to manage to say anything. "We are... that's an Equestrian ship. Coming to inspect."

Blake nodded. "Are you... going to be alright, Galena?"

She nodded. It was hard to believe her, watching her struggle that way. "Air is thicker here. Will be fine."

Someone moved on the stairs below. Blake didn't turn to look down—probably Jordan was on her way back. Or Vesper, now. Should he try to think of her by a different name as well as a different sex? 

He was adjusting well enough—but the real test wouldn't come until they made it back to Earth.

"I don't really understand why this is harder on you than me. Where I come from, there are birds that go... way up. Way higher than horses do."

Galena laughed bitterly. "Horses and birds—horses do worse than birds by far. But this isn't Saddle Arabia. In both of us is magic, Blake. But ponies always had more. Look at us together. You are smaller, you have no claws, no beak. Pony wings are short and stubby. Why does Equestria hold the fertile farms, while griffons live on the outskirts?"

She leaned in close, speaking low and dangerous. "Magic. I have seen ponies survive what should kill. Smashed, crashed, stabbed, broken... yet you survive, when I would not. You cheat."

The pony made it up the stairs, and Blake's reply died on his lips. He lifted one hoof, pointing shakily up at... Kaelynn?

This form was not entirely new to him. She had been able to walk among the crew on four legs while they docked in Mount Aris, after all. But there were subtle differences. She had fin-ridges running up her tail and along her back, and a ruffled transparent mane around her neck. Her skin was entirely furless, but instead sleek and scaly like a fish, not flat and smooth like sea mammals.

Kaelynn grinned smugly at them both as she approached, apparently enjoying their shock. She practically skipped the last little distance. "Reporting for duty," she said, with an exaggerated salute. "If we're fighting, I'm not spending the battle in a tank."

Blake nodded. "You, uh... wait, are you Ryan? Did he copy what you looked like even though you weren't here?" Even as he said it, his confidence faltered. Ryan had shown he could copy people he had only seen once before, even if they weren't around. But he hadn't yet managed to make something new. This version of Kaelynn didn't match any he'd seen before, not precisely.

"No battle today, thanks to that maneuver," Galena said. "The seapony joins us as Equestria comes about for an inspection. Should cooperate. The benefit of having nothing to hide, yes?"

Blake ignored the question. "How? I thought you'd been trying that for weeks, Kaelynn. Since you got the songbook."

She nodded. "I have been. You think I was just going to keep failing forever? That's not very nice."

"Ahoy!" called a distant voice—but not nearly as far away as Blake might've expected. He looked up, and found a pegasus pony hovering alongside the railing.

She wore a fine white and gold uniform, though it was open at the back for her wings and trailed short enough it didn't even reach her rear legs. Clothing purely for show then, not modesty. Like everything in Equestria so far.

"May I have permission to come aboard?" she asked, looking between them. "The Guardian sent me to make official inspection of your vessel."

They must really not be afraid of us, if they sent a single unarmed pony to talk. In a way, that was the most comforting thing he'd seen so far. The coast guard didn't need to send an army to inspect friendly ships. We're back in civilization.

The pony didn't seem to be asking any one of them specifically. Unlike the hippogriffs, she wasn't assuming the identity of their captain. Even with a seapony right on the deck...

"Of course," Blake said, extending a hoof towards the stranger. "My name is Captain Blake. My crew is... recovering, to be honest. There is a pirate vessel somewhere behind us. It may still be following."

The pony flew over to him, keeping a wide berth from Galena, before finally landing just across from him. She took the offered hoof, albeit briefly. "Is that what that was? My captain will be interested in any information you can give. But first..." 

She fished around in her uniform, emerging with a tiny clipboard. "My name is Vanilla Sky. I need to take the name of your vessel, its armaments, and purpose in Equestrian airspace."

Galena moved subtly, backing away from the visiting pony until she was on the edge of the railing. Maybe it was that she didn't want her weakness to be visible to a pony, or maybe she thought that being nearby would get them a less favorable reaction from the inspector.

"We're the Bright Hawk," Blake said. “We have only a handful of small personal tools that could be used as weapons—knives and so on. Our purpose in Equestria is... maybe a little hard to explain." He nodded towards Kaelynn. "Call it scientific. We're hunting for Worldgates."

Vanilla Sky stopped scribbling after a few seconds, looking up again. "Well all that seems simple enough. If I could just take a brief stroll below your deck to verify what you've said, we can be done. If your ship isn't armed, there's no special concerns while visiting Equestria. Though I would not personally recommend a trip below the border without defenses."

"We know," Blake said. "Believe me, we all feel lucky that we made it this far. And you might want to... are you going to do anything about the evil ship following us?"

Vanilla Sky offered the clipboard towards him, and he signed on the line. "We spotted two vessels heading north about a day ago, and we've been flying to investigate. You're an Equestrian design, the other looked like it should crumble right out of the air with a single unsteady breeze. The Guardian is already on full alert, in case the other vessel decides to come north."

She glanced once at Galena, then lowered her voice. "We've had trouble with griffon pirates along this border in the last few years. But they don't fight us directly. The further away from the border you get, the less you have to worry about. Where are you flying, anyway?"

Blake hesitated. Maybe he shouldn't be revealing their mission to just anyone they met. But they'd been honest with the hippogriffs in the south, and that had worked out fine. Equestria had been willing to pay them to save their people. Why would it suddenly turn hostile?

"I think it was called... Canter Creek," Kaelynn said. Just like the last time she'd walked around on four legs, being up here meant a change to the way she sounded. She didn't sing.

"Well that's a little close to the border..." Vanilla began. "Less than a day north from here, even with sails. But a small town should be big enough not to attract the pirates, hopefully. Would be bold of them to attack you while in an Equestrian city."

They proceeded with a brief tour of the ship. Vanilla Sky followed along behind him, paying attention only when they reached the covered gun-ports on the second deck. Of course there was nothing there, and soon enough they were making their way back to the top.

As they walked, Blake kept an eye out for the other members of their little expedition. Technically speaking, he hadn't actually seen some of them since that particularly daring escape maneuver. 

He saw glimpses of some. Janet, flopped sideways on the couch in the mess hall. Jordan, resting in her quarters but with the door open. Ryan alone was absent, though he could hear occasional splashing sounds from the captain's quarters.

Kaelynn confirmed this as they passed the door. "That's where I usually stay," she said to Vanilla Sky, practically showing off her legs. "But this time I came out to help. I'm glad we found you instead."

"Me too," Vanilla Sky said. "You're... are you really a seapony, miss? I hope that doesn't sound rude. There are plenty on the Guardian who can't tell the difference between your kind and hippogriffs. But you shouldn't blame them. They don't know what happened to you all, when the Storm King..."

She trailed off, looking suddenly embarrassed. "Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned him. I should be more sensitive."

Of course Kaelynn showed no sign of offense. Ancient or recent tragedy, it made no difference to them. "I am actually a seapony. I'm still learning what that means." She offered nothing else, and Vanilla Sky didn't pester her.

A few minutes later they'd found their way back to the deck. Galena was gone by the time they arrived, though Blake saw her hanging high in the rigging, making a few subtle adjustments to the sails. The Guardian had come almost alongside, and now kept pace with the Bright Hawk, matching their course and speed.

He might've been worried, if the ponies aboard looked like they were interested in anything hostile. These ponies hadn't even removed the guns from their protective covers. They weren't lined up for a fight.

"What can you tell me about the ones following you?" Vanilla Sky finally asked. She hopped up onto the railing, spreading her wings to hold herself there with only her hindlegs on the wood. "I'm not making any promises, but Equestria needs to know what dangers are on her borders. We may head south to confront them, or at least drive them away from the border."

"They're called the Eagle’s Talon," Blake explained. "They aren't here on some random attack, Vanilla. They want revenge against my crew specifically. This was once their vessel, which we liberated. We returned the pony slaves they had captured to their homes, and drove them off."

"Oh." Vanilla Sky deflated, hopping back off the railing. She walked up to him, speaking directly in his ear. "Captain Blake, I have some advice for you."

He nodded.

"Abandon Canter Creek. Sail to Manehattan, maybe even Canterlot. Sell this ship to scrappers, and never go near the border again. Equestria is a safe place, and no evil pirates will be able to follow you that far. But if you stay out here, a ship like the Guardian won't always be close by.

"Griffons are proud creatures, they can't help it. As long as they think they can catch you, those birds will be watching. I know exactly how the next two days will go—my captain will order a swift advance to the border, and we'll drive them off. But the princess commands we do not pursue beyond our skies, unless engaged. The pirates know this—they will sail away, and wait for us to be ordered elsewhere. Then they will return, looking for you. Do not be here when that happens."

She relaxed, taking off again. "Safe travels in Equestria, Captain Blake. I think you'll enjoy Manehattan."

She turned, spread her wings, and glided the short distance to her ship. Within minutes, her predictions came true, and the big ship turned south. It sped away, leaving the Bright Hawk alone on its original heading.