"HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO WORK THESE?" Stern Wing asks about their new hook harness after she and Feather emerged back into the stormy rain. As before, Feather creates a protective bubble force field around them. However, since the Doctor and his sonic screwdriver are not among them this time, they once again have to shout to have any chance to be heard by each other.
Feather closely examines what they are wearing and then notices a bunch of clip hooks extending from the ship at various points, each of which looks about twenty feet long. Concentrating on his magic, he levitates one of the clip hooks attached to a twenty-foot rope and brings it toward them. The object in question has to pass through a small hole opening in the field that he created for it. Once it is up close, he examines the clip hook and how to open it. Then he examines their vests and notices several rings that he could attach the clip hook to. Then he thinks about it for a while before nodding in satisfaction when he reaches a conclusion.
"THESE THINGS CLIP TO OUR VESTS TO TETHER US TO THE SHIP," Feather explains as he leans forward and shouts this near Stern's ear. "BUT WE'RE STILL SUPPOSED TO GRIP SOMETHING AS WE MAKE OUR WAY ACROSS THE SHIP. THIS IS JUST AN EXTRA SAFETY PRECAUTION. ONCE WE MAKE OUR WAY ABOUT TWENTY FEET OR SO, WE'RE SUPPOSED TO TAKE ANOTHER ONE OF THESE, CLIP IT TO OUR VESTS, THEN UNCLIP THE LAST ONE. WE JUST CONTINUE THAT PATTERN UNTIL WE GET TO WHERE WE ARE GOING."
Stern Wing appears to realize something, then she shouts, “WAIT A SECOND. I GOT A BETTER IDEA! FEATHER, UNCLIP US FROM THE SHIP FOR A MOMENT.”
Puzzled but also curious, Feather tilts his head at her questioningly but then proceeds to do so. With a little bit of trepidation, he unclips them both from being tethered to the ship. After that, he looks at Stern Wing and nods to silently communicate his compliance with her request.
As a test, Stern Wing spreads her wings on both sides to see how far she can stretch them within this force field. Upon doing so, she notices she can almost stretch her wings to her maximum length, but can't. The bubble is just a bit too small. Feather did that on purpose so they would not have to squeeze through any narrow openings across this ship.
"FEATHER, EXPAND THE BUBBLE A LITTLE MORE," Stern Wing requests.
Still confused, Feather complies anyway. Dipping just a little further into his magic, he expands the bubble. Stern Wing tests her wing room again and discovers it satisfactory this time.
“EXCELLENT!” Stern Wing cheers. “IN HERE, WE'RE NOT BEING AFFECTED BY EITHER THE RAIN OR WINDS AT ALL, NO MATTER HOW STRONG IT IS RAGING OUTSIDE THE BUBBLE. SINCE IT COMPLETELY CANCELS THAT INERTIA, IT LEAVES THE AIR WITHIN THE BUBBLE PERFECTLY CALM. SINCE THAT IS THE CASE, I MIGHT AS WELL FLY UP TO RESCUE OUR STALLION.”
Realizing what Stern Wing is up to in alarm, Feather cries out to her desperately, “NO! STERN, WAIT!”
Too late. Stern Wing hops off the ground and then flaps her wings as she usually does to fly. The problem with that in this situation is each thrust she makes on the air within the bubble reflects back at her. Since the calm air within the bubble is just as trapped, it bounces off the interior of the force field and reflects right back at them. Since Stern Wing is flapping using both wings, as pegasi are aught to do, the wind ripples back at them from both directions almost simultaneously. That ends up pushing them back and forth in mid-air and ultimately she cannot get any true useful thrust out of each flap, thus she inadvertently creates a whirling cyclone within the force bubble.
Crashing back to the ground, Stern Wing ends up directly on the ground with her belly touching the wet floor and her legs spread about her in an x pattern. Since Feather Wind manages to maintain the force bubble, the outside wind, rain, and even huge crashing waves continue to not affect them. However, since they are not grabbing or tethered to anything, they have no defense against sliding across the upper deck as the ship tilts back and forth. When that starts to happen, Feather reacts fast by floating a nearby hook clip on a rope within the force field and clips it to Stern Wings vest. That, in turn, prevents them both from sliding too much since he is still on her back.
When Stern Wing recovers, she coils a hoof around the rope they are now attached to and then uses it to pull herself back to the wall where there are many things to grip such as a rope net attached to many parts of the wall.
"I ADMIT IT; BAD IDEA," Stern Wing confesses. "I GUESS I DIDN'T THINK THAT ONE THROUGH. I'M NOT USED TO FLYING WITHIN A FORCE BUBBLE." She looks back at her companion on her back. "BUT I SUPPOSE YOU WOULD KNOW. YOU CONTROL THE WINDS AND GUIDE THEM INTO YOUR MIST CLOAK SO YOU CAN GLIDE IN THE AIR. HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DO THAT IF YOU'RE WITHIN A FORCE BUBBLE THAT CANCELS MOMENTUM BOTH WAYS?"
Feather Wind releases a sigh then shouts, “I ASSUME THERE WILL BE NO OBJECTION IF I ATTACH AND DETACH THE HOOKS TO OUR HARNESSES WHILE YOU CLIMB YOUR WAY TO THE RADIO TOWER?”
Stern Wing nods in agreement as she shouts, “GOOD IDEA.”
Feather Wind looks at the wall as he shouts, “I'LL DO US ONE BETTER. I'LL TAKE SOME OF THIS ROPE WITH US. THAT WAY WE CAN USE IT TO ATTACH THE STALLION TO US ONCE WE GET UP TO HIM. IT'LL BE ANOTHER WAY WE CAN SECURE HIM.”
Stern Wing repeats her nod and shouts, “ONCE AGAIN, GOOD IDEA. I'LL LEAVE ALL THE BRAIN WORK TO YOU WHILE I DO ALL THE BRAWN WORK.”
“THAT OFTEN WORKED BEFORE,” Feather agrees.
It's quite unnerving up here on the ladder of the radio tower, to say the least. Even without the storm, this thing is still on a ship. It would normally sway back and forth because the ship itself is not on a stable platform. Add to that, any degree of wind up a tall tower like this makes it so they can feel the sway even more, especially as they climb higher. That's ten times worse during a severe, hurricane-force storm. Both Feather and Stern can feel themselves being tilted by the wind and dips in the ocean which cause this tower to sway quite drastically back and forth. Feather Wind's force bubble is protecting them in about a three-foot diameter sphere around them, but it is not protecting the tower itself much. The tower continues to be pummeled by the winds and the waves. As that continues, they are additionally unnerved by hearing the stress and groan of the metal bars of the tower as they continue to cling for dear life.
Up here they have a better perspective of the storm all around them. It's actually hard to tell if it's day or night at all since the storm clouds are so thick. It seems so pitch black most of the time except for the brief illumination across the sky due to lightning flashes. Stern Wing and Feather Wind both privately assume that it is a dark and stormy night to nearly the greatest possible extreme while still not being instantly and totally fatal. It feels like the only reason they are alive right now is because of the precautions they took, and even then they are struggling.
Especially Stern Wing. Feather Wind isn't usually challenged too much up here to hold up the force field because any inertia of the wind and rain is canceled by the force field. Only the greater force of the waves stresses him for a moment as he briefly reinforces the force field enough to make sure it does not crack and shatter against the many tons of weight that crashes upon them. Meanwhile Stern Wing has to struggle to hold onto the ladder while the tower is being heavily swayed back and forth for multiple reasons. It's hard enough to just cling to the ladder itself under these conditions let alone try to climb it.
Feather Wind helps a little sometimes when it seems like she is struggling too much and he's doing it in multiple ways. In addition to the force field, he is lightening his body weight a little bit so she doesn't have to carry as much. He also summons a strong gust of wind to help deflect some of the weight of the incoming crashing waves. That not only spares him from using extra energy to reinforce his force field, but that action somewhat protects the tower as well. He doesn't need to see to do this either. Feather keenly feels the force of the weather around him since he's so much a part of it. All he has to do is listen to be aware of what is going on around him.
Lastly, Feather sometimes uses his telekinesis to grab her hook harness and then uses it to pull her in whichever direction that would cancel some of the momentum against her. The reason he doesn't use his magic to grab her flesh, though, is because unicorn magic stings and tickles which is why most of his race do not use it to lift themselves. They normally can't maintain their concentration with that kind of physical distraction. So, to avoid causing her any unnecessary distraction during this critical moment, he just uses his magic to grab and drag something she is wearing instead.
Feather Wind knows that Stern Wing has grown tired through her arduous climb up the tower. Despite everything he has done to aid her, this remains a severe challenge for her nonetheless, especially over time. Her muscles can't recover if she continuously uses them to hold on for dear life.
Due to the darkness of the stormy night, the only reason Feather Wind and Stern have any sort of continuous and soft light is due to Feather's horn. Having to concentrate on sometimes multiple spells at once, it is always glowing anyway. This provides very short ranged illumination within a small bubble of silvery light that barely covers their heads, shoulders, and the ladder they cling to. Still, it is enough for Feather to see Stern Wing wince in tight pain sometimes whenever the tower tilts severely which it keeps on doing at random. To help her cling on, she has hooked at least one of her forelegs around one of the bars of the ladder, particularly whenever the tower tilts quite a bit.
Noticing that tight wince of pain on her face hurts his heart to see, but he also lovingly admires her when he sees her fight through that haze of pain with overwhelming determination. He knows her well enough to know what her mind is locked onto during moments like these. Whenever anypony else is in danger and she perceives it, her talent within her instantly comes alive. Protecting others is exactly what her cutie mark is for. The reason she discovered it so late was that she had to wait for a moment of crisis to occur first before she could fully realize that, but those protective instincts were always a part of her even before that moment. Whether somepony is being verbally abused or physically pummeled, Stern Wing just cannot abide by the actions of a bully without doing something about it. Standing up for the little guy has always been a natural part of her, and this is exactly why she is so strong. Strong enough and endurant enough to be unusual for even most earth ponies. She's more like the rare example of the strongest and toughest version of the earth ponies. In addition to that, though, Stern Wing can also fly, walk on clouds, and potentially modify the weather if she has to.
But Stern Wing isn't just strong and tough physically. She also possesses mental fortitude enough to tough it out when things get rough. If she knows an innocent somepony is in danger, it doesn't matter how often or how hard any force tries to whack her down. Whatever it takes, she'll find the strength within herself necessary to struggle her way back on her hooves.
To Feather Wind, Stern Wing's giant wings always symbolically represented giant shields to him. He can't help but lovingly think that with the way she often uses them. That pained but determined look he keeps seeing on her face is always another reminder of why he loves her. She is just so strong and for all the right reasons. He knows she'd fight that hard to protect him too if she had to and she has proven that many times in the past including in social conflicts. As for nasty surprises, she usually catches them too because she often remains at least mildly alert at all times.
It's taken Stern Wing quite a while to fully realize how much she could trust Feather Wind in return. The little sky blue pony who is often timid, is physically weak due to unusually small size for his age, and had a typically pampered life of an aristocratic, scholarly lifestyle. Nonetheless, Feather has proven his worth to her enough to make her realize that she, too, has a strong ally at her back. Whatever shortcomings that he has, he makes up for with his magic, highly unusual ability to fly for his race, and a similar heroic instinct. Both inner and outer strength always comes more naturally for Stern Wing during times like these, but Feather Wind always manages to find just enough to fit their needs even if it is more of a personal struggle for him to do so.
With all of these current challenges combined, it felt like a much longer climb than it actually was. They are indeed delayed many times because of the tilt, but that didn't actually increase the distance she has to climb. It only increased the challenge of the climb due to fatigue in pretty much all senses of the word. Nevertheless, because of her overwhelming determination, strength, and strong support she receives from Feather, they finally achieve their goal.
The stallion in question is downright unconscious by the time they get to him. For multiple reasons, his health is a concern too but they did ultimately determine he is alive and relatively stable under the circumstances. His health is stable enough to make it possible to move him without killing or injuring him much further.
Like Feather did for Stern Wing multiple times tonight, he grabs the stallion's hook harness with his magic and also uses the same spell to unhook the stallion from being secured on this narrow platform up here. He transfers a hook to both the stallion's harness and Stern Wing's. That, in turn, tethers them to each other so even if her grip on him slips later, they have a backup to keep their hold on him. Feather coils and then knots the rope more tightly around them too so that the stallion cannot dangle a distance greater than Feather Wind's own force bubble.
As for Stern Wing, she hugs the stallion close by her side using a single wing. It's pretty rare for a pegasi's wing to be so strong that it can hold up the dead weight of an entire adult stallion on its own but Stern Wing is just that good, hence her name. The coiled harness also removed some of the stallion's weight and Feather Wind also uses his magic to lighten the weight of the stallion even further, thus reducing muscle fatigue on Stern Wing's wing enough to make it possible to overcome the challenge of climbing back down with the extra added weight.
It isn't as much of a challenge for Stern Wing to descend, but she's got the extra weight this time and there is also the stress of the metal tower to consider. It has been battered the whole time during and before the initial climb. The entire reason this stallion was up here in the first place was to reinforce this tower with extra cables, but that mission failed so the tower continued to suffer damage this whole time. One full, head-on huge wave crashing down directly upon this tower would likely have the potential to knock it down.
There are times when significant waves have threatened to crash upon them along the way up and down, but fortunately for these intrepid adventurers, Feather Wind is unusually adept and connected with the weather. Not only does that mean he can sense weather elements coming, but he can do something to at least minimize it, even if it means forming a temporary cyclone around the tower. Changing the weather fully can't be done as long as whatever force that is causing it persists, but he can at least add his own magic to the weather which either reinforces what it's already doing or helps to cancel some of the inertia.
In the end, just as they are nearing the bottom, a huge enough wave that Feather Wind can't fully cancel does indeed crash upon them. Considering the strain the tower already suffered through, this is finally enough to knock the tower down.
Thanks to Feather Wind's weather senses, though, he receives enough forewarning to plan around it. He tells Stern Wing to let go at a crucial moment as he issues an intense telekinetic thrust to shoot them off the tower entirely and towards a safer cubbyhole in the ship sufficient to shelter them from the worst effects of that particular wave. They have no chance to hear each other as the huge wave crashes onto the ship enough to cause a severe tilt in its own right. The fact that this platform is attached to the others around it is the only reason this one doesn't capsize completely. The wave does, however, knock the radio tower off the ship this time.
They remain in that cubbyhole for several minutes as Feather and Stern breathe very hard. It takes a similar amount of time for the adrenaline pumping in their system to level off enough to restore any decent amount of cognitive thinking.
“WELL DONE, FEATHER,” Stern Wing eventually shouts in appreciation.
“WE'RE NOT DONE YET,” Feather replies seriously. “LET'S GET THIS STALLION INSIDE THE SHIP. WE'LL HAVE THE DOCTOR TAKE A LOOK AT HIM AND SEE WHAT HE CAN DO. KNOWING HIM, HE'LL PROBABLY HAVE A SOLUTION FOR THIS WITH THAT REMARKABLE NOISY DEVICE OF HIS.”
Stern Wing both laughs and scoffs with a shake of her head due to that comment. She then looks about her for something to grab before they make their way back to the shelter.