//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Adventures Aboard the R.E.S. Rising Moon // by LunaDeluxe //------------------------------// Chapter 1 Departure Afternoon Twilight attempted to swallow down the knot of nervous excitement that had formed in her throat as she trotted toward the docks. Never having been on an airship, nor having passed Equestria's borders, did nothing to quell her rising anxiety. She had been ecstatic at first, finally having a royal duty that didn't involve the endless reading of tax reports and the management of budgets. Twilight had never once thought that she could get bored of managing things, but after three straight weeks of stack after stack of paper, she was overjoyed at the notion of getting out of the castle. Then she thought about it. She had only ever met a griffon on two occasions and other than what she learned in history class, she knew next to nothing about the country; so she had spent the last month learning everything she could possibly find about the country and its leaders. She had even found several fascinating books in the Canterlot Library of Magic that described the types of magic griffons were able to manipulate. After a month of study, the time to travel to the Griffon Commonwealth had arrived, and now Twilight was stepping onto the docks where she saw the ship she would be travelling on: the R.E.S. Rising Moon. From the middle of the hull downward, the ship was a dark brown, the beams curving gently from the base to form the hull. Along the middle of the ship, a few more than a dozen open portholes dotted the Rising Moon's sides, outlined by a long white stripe. Her eyes followed the stripe to the bow, where a delicately carved figurehead rested below the bowsprit. The ornament was a depiction of an alicorn, wings outstretched, bringing a small wooden moon into the sky. She craned her neck to see the top of the tall masts running up towards the giant balloon hovering above the ship. Between each mast, ropes criss-crossed through the air like a spider's web. Several birds were perched on the yard beams of the three masts. Pegasi drifted through the air around the balloon and sails, securing braces and halyards. Twilight turned her attention forward as she approached the Rising Moon and caught a glimpse of Captain Cloud, who was easily recognizable by his bright pink mane and tail standing out in stark contrast to his green fur. She was barely able to see him through the groups of sailors hustling among the piles of stacked up crates and barrels that littered the dock. Cloud was standing next to a light brown unicorn wearing a wide blue hat with whom Twilight was unfamiliar. Twilight began to make her way towards the ship, weaving through the hills of crates and dodging around the ponies moving cargo around the dock. As she drew near the Rising Moon, through the din of the sailors calling to each other and the groans of ponies hefting cargo around the port, Twilight was also able to catch the softer sound of Luna's voice from somewhere ahead of her. She lifted herself onto the tips of her hooves, still barely able to see over the heads of the crowd. After a few moments, she spotted Celestia's long horn and sparkling mane standing out above everyone. She and Luna were standing by the ramp talking quietly, wearing their characteristic smile and frown respectively. While Celestia was dressed normally, Luna wasn't wearing her crown or any of the royal vestments she typically wore, and her mane was pulled back into a ponytail. Twilight swivelled her ears forward and attempted to tune out the rest of the chaos as she came closer to the princesses, and she was able to make out what Luna was saying. “Are you sure Twilight is ready for this? She has been a princess for less than a year and has never taken part in any diplomatic missions.” Twilight stopped, folding her ears down; she had thought Luna wanted her to come. Twilight ducked behind some nearby barrels and peaked her head over to hear Celestia's reply. “Yes, I'm quite sure. Twilight has never failed me before and I have faith that she will succeed in this as well. Do you have reason to doubt her?” “No, of course not, it’s just that maybe her first mission shouldn't be something so critical.” Celestia put a hoof on Luna’s shoulder, “I understand your concern, but Twilight is ready. I’m sure of that. Besides, you'll be there each step of the way to help her.” Luna gave her sister a small smile and a short hug, and then she headed towards the boarding ramp. As Luna trotted away Twilight stood up from behind the barrels, startling a passing earth pony. She apologized quickly and then made her way over to Celestia, who was now reading the envelope of a letter that she was holding in her shiny golden aura. She didn't notice Twilight approach until she stopped next to her and spoke. “Good morning, Princess Celestia,” Twilight said, grinning broadly at her mentor. Celestia set the letter down on a crate next to her and then turned to Twilight. “And to you as well, Twilight. Are you ready to begin your journey?” “Well almost; I had my things brought down to the docks earlier but I don't see them here. Were they put on board?” Twilight asked, trying to look nonchalant as she scanned the docks for her luggage. Somepony tell me they didn't get lost! she thought. “Yes, everything was taken to your cabin. Now before you go, I have two things for you. First, here’s a letter from Shining Armor and Cadence; they weren’t able to come here to see you off, so they sent this,” Celestia floated the letter from the barrel over to Twilight. She took it with her magic and inspected it for a moment. The envelope was still sealed, the wax was stamped down with the Crystal Empire's royal seal. Twilight opened her saddlebag and did some quick rearrangements, moving her shimmering crown to the side for a moment to allow room to tuck the letter between two of her books. “I’ll read it as soon as I have a moment to myself,” Twilight promised, closing her saddlebag. “Of course, now the second thing, you-” “Twilight! There ya are. We looked all over Canterlot for ya!” Applejack called as she, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy tackled Twilight in a massive group hug. Twilight unfurled her wings and wrapped them around her friends. “You made it! I was worried you wouldn't be able to come,” Twilight said with a huge smile. “Of course we made it! There was simply no way we were going to miss such an important occasion,” Rarity said as the group hug dissolved. "Your first official task as a princess! It's all quite exciting." "Well it would have been a bit more exciting if you had been able to give a little more detail in your letter," Fluttershy added. "Yeah! We don't even know where you're going," Pinkie Pie said. She put her hooves on Twilight's cheeks and looked her, very seriously, in the eyes. "And if we don't know where you're going, how are we going to send you letters, and if we can't send you letters, then how will you know what we're doing?" She shook Twilight violently and yelled, "How will you remember us!?" Twilight rolled her eyes and gently pulled Pinkie's hooves off of her face. "Pinkie, we’ve been over this. I’m not going to forget you.” Then she looked back at Celestia and asked, “may I tell them where I’m going?" "I don't see the harm in it." "Thanks." Twilight turned back to her friends. "I couldn't say anything in the letter just in case it got into the wrong hooves. I'm going to the Griffon Commonwealth. While I'm there I'll be working out a peace treaty and trade agreements with the Griffon royalty. We'll also take a look at their colonies and hopefully remove the bars on their expansion." “Why would somepony build a pub on top of their colonies?" Pinkie asked, scratching her head. Rarity put a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder and smiled. "Not that kind of bar, darling. She means removing legal barriers." "Oh, well why didn't ya just say so?" Pinkie Pie smiled and sat back, resting contentedly on her haunches as they all shared a laugh. Twilight looked around at her friends, then frowned. “Wait, where’s Rainbow?” “Oh, she wasn't able to make it," Rarity answered. "She just got her orders a few days ago. She had to join the Wonderbolts for her first assignment.” "Yeah, after getting top marks on pretty much everything at the academy, she's gotta accompany them on some sorta mission so they can see her in real action and evaluate whether she is actually Wonderbolt material," Applejack said, waving her hoof in the air as she explained. "Oh, that's great!" Twilight said, then sighed, poking a hoof at the ground, “I just wish you had all been able to come..." Twilight felt a hoof prodding her shoulder and heard a familiar voice. “Why would I come to say goodbye if I’m coming with you?” Twilight spun around to see Rainbow Dash standing right behind her, head cocked and a satisfied smirk painted across her face. “Wh-what are you doing here?” Twilight managed to say. “I think I can explain,” Celestia cut in. She stepped next to Twilight and gestured towards the boarding ramp, where Spitfire and the Wonderbolts, along with their other trainee, Lightning Dust, were climbing onto the ship, “This is the second thing I had to tell you. Since you have yet to select your royal guard, I am sending the Wonderbolts to be your escort during this trip.” “This is wonderful news! Thank you Princess,” Twilight squeaked out. “You’re quite welcome. I couldn't think of a better guard than the most loyal pony in Equestria," Celestia said. "I've got to go, everypony else is already on board,” Rainbow said after glancing over to where the rest of her team had been a few moments ago. She grunted as she hefted her bulging saddlebag and slung it over her back. “We’ll be back before you know it, so… yeah, you know,” Rainbow fidgeted for a moment and then gave each one of her friends a quick hug, then trotted over to the ramp and started toward the deck. “See ya on the ship, Twilight!” Then she disappeared in the crowd. By this point, the docks had mostly cleared off, with only Captain Cloud, the brown unicorn, and a few other crew members were still on the dock. The two officers trotted over to the mares as the last few supplies were loaded onto the ship. Both ponies were the blue officers' overcoats and bicorn hats; the unicorn's horn protruding from the hole in the forward arm of the hat. They snapped salutes and then Captain Cloud spoke. “All crew and supplies are on board and stowed away; we are ready to depart on your word, Princess,” he said, addressing Twilight. “Thank you, Captain. May I have just a moment?” Twilight asked. “Of course your majesty, I will be on board. We will disembark as soon as you join us.” The captain saluted the princesses again, gave Twilight’s friends a respectful nod, and then trotted up the ramp and onto the ship, the unicorn close behind. Twilight turned to her friends, the best friends a pony could ask for. “I’m going to miss you all,” she said, her eyes welling with tears. She swept them all up in another hug, doing her best to capture everything about them that she could and lock it deep within her mind. “We'll miss you too,” Fluttershy said quietly. “Yeah, it’s like Rainbow said! You’ll be back before we know it, and then you will have all sorts of super-duper fun stories to tell us!” Pinkie Pie giggled and then reached behind her and, seemingly out of nowhere, pulled out a bright pink box with a sparkly purple ribbon, “OH! And I almost forgot; here are some cupcakes for you to enjoy on the trip!” “Thank you, Pinkie. This is perfect,” Twilight responded, trying to keep the hint of sadness out of her voice as she picked up the box with her magic. “I guess I shouldn't keep them waiting any longer.” She looked at her friends one last time and then turned towards the ramp. "Twilight, wait!" Twilight cringed as Spike dashed out from behind a crate and latched his claws tightly around her back leg. "I almost couldn't bring myself to say goodbye, but please don't go. Somepony else can take care of it, right?" Spike pleaded. "I'm sorry, Spike. I have to do this." Twilight looked at him with a comforting smile. " And besides. It's not really goodbye, I'll be back in a few months. There's nothing to worry about. "I know, but why can't I come with you?" Spike released his grip on her leg and took a step back. "Oh, Spike, I wish you could, but this might be dangerous. And besides, you don't want to sit there while I talk to a bunch of silly old griffons do you?" "Yes, I do! I can take notes for you, I could, uh, I could carry your saddlebag!" He scrambled to take Twilight's bag from her back. She gently put him back in front of her with her magic. "And you'd be a great help too." "See, even you can’t deny it. You’d be a wreck without my help,” Spike said matter-of-factly, crossing his arms in victory. "Well, I guess if you really want to come I’ll just tell Rarity that you don’t want to take up her offer..." Twilight said as a sly grin spread across her face. "What’s that now?" "Oh, you know. Rarity said that you could stay with her while I was gone, but if you’d rather come with me..." "Really?!" Spike's face lit up. "Yes, really. Oh, well. If you’re coming with me then I guess we should get going. C’mon, Spike.” “Actually, I think it would be better if I stay here!” he said quickly. “I mean, it’s such a generous offer, it’d be rude not to accept, right?” "Alright, if you’re sure." Twilight said with a smile, then looked back over to the Rising Moon. "I need to get going, alright?" "Alright.” “I’ll miss you,” she said, giving him short hug, then she got to her hooves and made her way towards the ship and met Celestia by the boarding ramp. “Don’t worry, Twilight. Your friends will be here waiting for your return, as will I. This is going to be unlike any other adventure you've been on before, but I have complete confidence that you will succeed.” Twilight's heart soared with pride. Celestia leaned down and embraced Twilight, holding her tight for a moment. Then she stepped back, smiled and said, "Good luck, Twilight." "Thank you, Princess." Twilight turned and picked up her hoof to step onto the ramp but she hesitated. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, the let it out and set her hoof onto the ramp. The gangplank creaked a little as she trotted across to the ship. She stepped onto the crowded deck and looked around while a couple of ponies retracted the gangplank. All across the deck ponies began to move to their stations. Twilight carefully made her way between the crew and the cannons resting at the railings, moving towards to the aft castle where Luna and Captain Cloud were speaking, next to the helm of the ship. She trotted up the short staircase and then across to where they stood. “Are you ready to go?” Luna asked. Twilight nodded, then moved to the starboard railing, and gazed over towards her friends and mentor. The captain signaled to the dockworkers to release the mooring lines and locks keeping the ship in place. Several lines were connected to pegs in the rear and several teams of pegasi were secured to tow ropes to drag the ship, backwards, out of the port. “Hold on,” Luna’s voice came from right beside Twilight, who hadn't noticed that the blue mare had followed her to the rail. “What do you-?” The ship lurched forward as the pegasi tugged on the lines, cutting off the rest of Twilight’s question and yanking her hooves out from under her, sending her spinning towards the ground, cupcakes flying off her back and legs scrambling for purchase on the deck. She closed her eyes as the deck came rushing up towards her. She abruptly stopped tumbling and opened her eyes. Wreathed in Luna’s dark blue aura, Twilight was rotated right side up and she placed her hooves on the deck and the pink box returned to her back. The ship slowed and leveled out as the balloon caught it, suspending it in the air. The towing teams began the process of dragging the Rising Moon to a position where the crew could take control of it's movement. “Are you okay?” Luna asked, trying —and failing— to stifle a giggle, a smile slowly creeping its way across her face. She hadn't released the aura surrounding Twilight yet. “It may take awhile to acquire your 'air' legs; until then, I suggest staying close to a railing.” “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” Her face flushed as she looked down, trying to avoid he amused glances of the crew. “Could you show me to my cabin?” “Of course, follow me.” Luna stepped past her and towards the stairs. “Captain, if you have need of us, we will be in our quarters.” “Very well; I will send somepony down later to make sure you are settling in properly,” Captain Cloud responded. “Thank you, Captain,” Luna said as she started down the steps. Twilight turned to follow Luna and then stopped. She took one last look at the docks where her friends still stood, shrinking into the distance, as the unfurled sails caught the wind and pulled them out into the open sky. “Are you coming, Twilight?” Luna asked from the top of the stairs. Twilight tore her gaze away from Canterlot and nodded.