Very few things in life made Princess Twilight’s anxiety run rampant, even when compared to the seemingly endless string of villains that sought to take over Equestria in some form or another. Yet one thing that never ceased to raise her blood pressure was receiving a summons from her mentor, especially when it called for her presence in Canterlot. Ordinarily, Twilight would have been delighted to see Princess Celestia for any reason, even the dreaded tests the older mare was sometimes prone to pull on the younger alicorn. But something about this trip up Mount Canterhorn seemed different, the specific request that her friends and even Spike remain in Ponyville only adding to the stress that was provoking a growing headache behind her horn.
The train station and even the streets of her former home city passed by in a blur, so preoccupied was Twilight’s mind with what could have warranted her presence in the capital so soon after the defeat of Tirek and her ascension as Princess of Friendship. Part of her hoped that this was just formal duties required of her now that she had taken up a domain as princess, but the rest of her mind knew better. That, combined with the tense and agitated state of the palace staff, stirred up any number of possible worst-case scenarios in the young scholar’s mind.
The ponies around her moved in hurried paces, never stopping to greet her or even to acknowledge her presence, save for the few palace guards that were still on post who were kind enough to direct her towards the throne room. Twilight could hear the rising din of many ponies speaking from behind the throne room doors ahead of her and her anxiety climbed higher with each step as she neared the colossal barriers. The announcer smiled at her for a brief moment, the first she had received after leaving the train station and lit his horn to admit her into the throne room proper. Twilight nodded her thanks and stepped through the opening, the cacophony of raised voices thundering against her ears as she plunged into what felt like a warzone.
Nobles of every house, guards from every branch of service, and even some of the general citizens of Canterlot were crowded before the twin thrones, crying over one another in an attempt to be heard. Princess Celestia sat upon her throne before them, her face a calm mask against the tide of voices aimed at her, and yet, Twilight could see the edges of her mentor’s mouth starting to curl into a frown, such was the power of her former teacher’s ire at the ponies demanding answers from her.
Twilight used her wings to propel herself into the air over the ponies in front of her, Celestia’s eyes immediately catching her own as the frown curled instead into a soft smile.
With a mighty gust of air, Celestia spread her wings while Twilight flew up and landed at her senior Princess’s side, the crowd falling silent as they waited for the words of their ruler.
“My little ponies,” Celestia’s voice was a calm and soothing balm against the agitated ponies before her, “have faith that your rulers are working on a solution to the challenges we face and are doing the absolute best we can to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.” Celestia raised her hoof to silence the protests that were about to leave several pony’s mouths, “I will not hear any further protests on this matter. For the foreseeable future Day Court will be canceled while your Princesses work on a solution to the threat we face.” The alabaster mare’s gaze shifted to the sergeant-at-arms beside the dais, “Court is adjourned until further notice, please escort our guests out of the castle so that I may speak with my former student.”
The unicorn nodded as he and several other Solar Guard began herding the petitioners out of the room, most going without any fuss but a select few grumbling and muttering under their breath. Within a few moments the throne room was empty save for Twilight and Celestia, the latter of which turned to face the younger mare with a warm yet strained smile.
“Twilight, thank you for answering my summons.” A large wing fell over Twilight’s withers as they shared a short nuzzle, “I wish I could say that this is for a friendly visit, but as you may have noticed, we have a bit of a problem on our hooves.”
“What kind of problem, Princess?” Twilight’s mind was abuzz with questions but held her tongue for the moment as her former mentor stood and began walking around the dais towards a smaller set of doors.
“We face a threat far greater than any other you have seen.” Were the ominous words that answered her query. “A force that threatens to take over Equestria and shatter the peace we have worked so hard to create.”
Twilight’s eyes widened in shock, “What are we up against, Princess? Has Tirek broken out of Tartarus again? Another megalomaniac villain trying to take over the nation?”
“No. It is something far worse than that.” Celestia entered her private study with Twilight close behind as the larger mare closed the door with her magic, “We face an invasion of Equestria, from the shores of the Gryphon Empire.”
Twilight’s rump landed hard on the floor of the room, “Invasion?! But why?! What could we have done that could have warranted such an action?!”
“That is something I do not know at this time, but we have a bigger problem on our hooves than the invasion itself.” Celestia’s calm mask broke slightly, and Twilight saw for the first time just how angry and afraid her fellow Princess truly was, “They have new weapons, far stronger than what our last intelligence reports said they were capable of creating. The speed and the strange direction their advancement has taken has led Luna and I to believe that they are receiving aid from an outside source, potentially a small group or an individual that is supplying them with these new technologies.”
“What can I do to help solve this problem, Princess?” Twilight asked after a moment’s hesitation, “Do you want me and the girls to try and find this outside influence? Perhaps we could–”
“No, Twilight.” Celestia’s firm tone shut down the lavender mare’s questions before they could get too out of control. “I need you to stay here in Canterlot to help me plan our next moves against this enemy. Your friends will be asked to help in their own ways, but this is not an enemy that can be dealt with by using the Elements of Harmony. I’m afraid this is a battle that will need to be won using more conventional methods.”
Twilight sputtered for a moment, “B-But don’t you have advisors to help you plan and coordinate troops? What about Princess Luna? Isn’t she one of the best tacticians in both the modern and ancient eras?”
Celestia’s face darkened and Twilight realized that something must be truly wrong to make her fellow Princess look like she had just bit into a lemon, “My sister is indisposed right now. She was sure she could find the source of the gryphon’s advancements in the Dream Realm where conventional intelligence had failed, but she has yet to awaken from her trance. Even worse, going off the expressions she has been making and the small wounds that appear on her body at random times, I believe that our enemy has somehow managed to capture her in the Dream Realm and is holding her hostage for an unknown purpose.”
Whatever arguments Twilight could have made died a swift death on her lips. Luna was hurt, and even worse, being held against her will in the Dream Realm? The smaller mare’s resolve grew stronger with each passing second, her drive to protect her friend pushing her to act.
“Then send me alone.” The words shocked her fellow ruler for a moment as Twilight continued, “Send me against the enemy and I’ll find the outside influence. I’ll bring them back to Canterlot to face justice and force them to release Luna.”
“No!” The force and desperation that escaped Celestia’s mouth nearly broke Twilight’s resolve, but she held firm even as her mentor stood up and embraced the smaller mare. “I can’t lose you too! I won’t let you get hurt when there are better ways to do this!”
Twilight sighed, gently but firmly pushing the larger mare away, “I must try, Princess. I can’t sit by and do nothing when Luna is in danger and my friends are unable to help.” She lifted her head and smiled at the now tear-streaked face of her mentor, “I’ll be fine. Trust me.”
Celestia opened her mouth to retort, to argue and say, something. But the look in her former student’s eyes, she knew what that look meant. Twilight had made up her mind and was going to go no matter what she said or did. The older mare battled with her inner self for several moments as Twilight waited patiently, a gusty sigh escaping her lips as she pulled Twilight into a tight hug with both forelegs and wings.
“Promise me you will be safe.” The words were spoken only a hair above a whisper but carried the weight of a thousand suns onto Twilight’s shoulders.
Twilight hugged Celestia back with all her might, “I promise.”
Kepler breathed a sigh of relief, watching the hulk of the battlecruiser finally sink beneath the waves. The Tyr had suffered only moderate damage from the battle, but she had faced her first true test at sea and come out victorious. Three of the four frigates had been sunk as well, with the remaining vessel slowly limping back the way it had come, leaving its sister ships to join the battlecruiser on the seafloor unavenged.
Kepler could have ordered the destruction of the final ship, the Tyr’s cannons already aimed and armed with more than enough power to destroy the retreating vessel. Yet, Kepler ordered the gunner crews to stand down, to allow the ship to continue on its way and over the horizon while listing badly and trailing a thick cloud of smoke.
“Why did you let it go, sir?” Kapitänleutnant Whiteclaw asked as Kepler turned to face his second in command, “We had the perfect opportunity to destroy the ship and wipe out the fleet entirely.”
“Because they will serve a far greater purpose than martyrs.” Kepler replied, “They will be our messengers.”
“Messengers, sir?” The confused tercel echoed.
“They will carry a message to the rest of their people that the gryphon navy has a ship so powerful that it destroyed an entire battle group by itself, thus enabling us to sail the seas without fear or opposition." Kepler’s voice was filled with pride as he pointed towards where the crippled ship had disappeared over the horizon, “Yes, they managed to cause some damage to the ship, but overall, the losses were minimal compared to the destruction of the enemy ships. They will carry that report back to their superiors and the fear that message will cause will enable us to dictate the terms of battle. Ships will flee in terror at the sight of the Tyr instead of standing to fight. Task groups will be delayed going around our last reported location instead of going through dangerous waters. That, my friend, is why I chose to let them go.”
Whiteclaw whistled approvingly, his beak curling into a grin as his gaze traveled to the ocean’s horizon, “Brilliant, sir. Absolutely brilliant.”
Kepler felt the adrenaline of the battle starting to wear off, his heart rate slowing as he climbed out of his captain’s chair, “Bring us down from red alert status to yellow, Kapitänleutnant. Report anything that arises the instant I need to be aware and make sure repair crews are sent to the areas we had reports of damage. I need nourishment before my hunger eats my stomach.”
Whiteclaw saluted Kepler as he stepped into the hallway, the laughter that followed him out of the bridge making a smile emerge on Kepler’s face. His steps carried him down the stairs to the central shaft and down several levels on his wings before he entered the ship’s mess hall, his stomach roaring in agreement to his current plan of action. Very few crew members were present now because of the battle the ship had just endured, but there was enough food in the kitchen’s refrigerator section to grab some easy food for the moment. Kepler devoured several heads of lettuce and a half dozen cucumbers before other members of the crew began to filter in behind him.
Several snickered at seeing the pony demolishing the vegetables in storage, although most had the presence of mind not to laugh at their commanding officer. Kitchen staff soon followed and kindly but firmly told Kepler to remove his person from their workstations so they could do their jobs. This resulted in several more snickers and even a few smothered laughs as Kepler was effectively ejected from behind the kitchen counter.
A few jokes and smart remarks followed the now satiated pony out of the mess, although he didn’t mind much as his thoughts were otherwise occupied. Gloria had been absent the entirety of the battle, much to his relief, but now that the fighting had come to a momentary halt, Kepler wanted to ensure that the hen was doing alright. He made his way towards his bunkroom, hoping that the young gryphoness wasn’t too shaken up by the past events.
The journey back through the corridors of the ship was much more active than his initial jaunt to the mess hall, now that the crew was no longer stuck at their battle stations fighting against the Equestrian ships. Several saluted him on his way, while a select few sent him veiled glares that were there and gone before he could be certain that he had truly seen them. Evidently word had started to travel through the crew about his decision concerning Gloria, and some of them weren’t happy about it. Kepler made a mental note to address the crew at some point soon so that he could squash any nasty rumors before they got out of hand. The last thing he needed now was his own crew questioning his ability to lead effectively.
The hatch to his bunk room opened with a mild groan on its heavy hinges, granting Kepler entrance before he closed it behind him, allowing a modicum of privacy in the space for him and Gloria. The hen was sitting next to his bed with a nervous expression on her beak, her eyes locking with his as she stood up and approached.
“Are we still under attack?” Her voice shook slightly as her eyes darted around the room, “Do we need to abandon ship?”
Kepler stepped up to her and gently pulled the shaking hen into a hug with both his forelegs and wings, “No, we don’t need to evacuate. We fended off the Equestrian ships that tried to sink us, destroying their fleet, and took minimal damage overall.”
Gloria sighed in relief upon hearing his words, “Oh thank goodness. I was sure with all of the explosions around us that something had happened, and we were in danger. I’m glad to know we won.” Her head tilted to the side in sudden curiosity, “So how come you are here instead of commanding above if the enemy ships have been destroyed?”
Kepler allowed a small smile to grace his lips, “I came to make sure you were alright. It wouldn’t do for me to abandon my new girlfriend when she needs me the most.”
“Girlfriend?” Gloria echoed, “What’s that?”
Kepler’s hoof made an unceremonious rendezvous with his forehead, “Of course the terms would be different here.” He lowered his limb and glanced up at Gloria with a smirk, “What is the term you use to refer to a romantic partner?”
Gloria rubbed her beak’s underside with a claw, “Umm, I guess we just call each other our mates. We don’t really have a term for each gender.” A smile appeared as her claws returned to the deck, “I like girlfriend though. What would I call you?”
“I would be your boyfriend,” Kepler replied, “which would change to fiancés if we were to become engaged, followed by husband and wife if we were to get married.”
Gloria’s feathers tinted bright red around her cheeks, “M-Married? B-But we only just started our relationship!”
Kepler couldn’t hold in the laugh that escaped his lips at her stupefied expression, “Not right now, schatz. We are in the middle of a war after all.”
Gloria’s startled frown slowly changed back into the smile that Kepler liked so much, her blush fading slightly as she cuffed him over the head with a wing, “Dummkopf, you had me in a panic there for a few seconds.” She surprised him by leaning in to give him a chaste peck on his lips before pulling back with an impish grin of her own, “There, now we’re even.”
Kepler could feel his own cheeks burning as he walked past her towards the bed, “Well, all teasing aside, I did come up to get some rest after the battle ended.” He glanced outside the small porthole and noted the setting sun as it began to sink beneath the ocean’s waves, “It would do us both some good to recover and get some sleep after all the excitement we just endured.”
Gloria giggled as Kepler hopped onto the bed, strutting around the other side before sliding in behind his smaller frame, “I never knew how soft pony fur could be until I met you. Your mane makes a perfect pillow.”
Kepler nodded as her talons wrapped around his midsection and pulled him close, his back against her belly, his head nestled perfectly into the large tuft of feathers that adorned her chest, “And your feathers feel softer than any cloud.”
He felt her beak run through his mane with a few measured strokes as her wing folded over both of them in a warm embrace, “I love you.” Her words whispered almost directly into his ear, meant for him and him alone.
He pushed her talons slightly away so he could roll over, his muzzle coming to a stop directly next to her beak as her wing shielded them from the outside world, “I love you too.”
He added to his declaration by pushing his lips against her beak, his tongue slipping in with her small, surprised gasp to play around with her thinner appendage. The heat under her feathers began to rise for a moment, only to cool as he pulled back with a soft ‘pop’ sound. Kepler knew what his body wanted, and from the sweet scent coming from Gloria she felt the same way, but now was not the time or place to engage in such activity. As much as he desperately wanted to show his little lovebird how much he cared for her, he would have to be patient. They had a war to win after all.
Kepler ducked his head under Gloria’s chin and nestled his face into her neck feathers, her soft trill of contentment music to his ears as he drifted off to sleep. The last thing he heard was his lover’s soft breaths in his ear, and the firm but gentle hold her talons had around his back as they drifted into the land of dreams.
Little did they know that this night was going to be much more eventful than either could have imagined.