//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Adventures Aboard the R.E.S. Rising Moon // by LunaDeluxe //------------------------------// Chapter 4 Day 5 Early Morning Twilight stepped into the great cabin. Early morning light streamed in through the windows. One of them was shattered from where the assassin had broken in. There were about a dozen ponies sitting around a table all dressed in blue officers' coats. Captain Cloud was seated at the head of the table, with Luna opposite him. The meeting was already underway, with Rolling Thunder just finishing a list of the damages the ship had sustained. Twilight walked up to the table quietly, trying not to interrupt, and Thunderlane pulled out a chair for her then took a seat beside her. "How in Tartarus did we get blindsided like that?” one of the midship-ponies asked, “How could they have known where to find us?” "We don't even know if they were waiting for us or just a defenseless target," Shake Spear said. "Well, if they were trying to take the ship, they did a very poor job. Only sending two dozen boarders?" Captain Cloud replied. "No, that was a distraction. For those of you who don't know, while the attack was taking place on the deck, a griffon broke in through there," he pointed to the shattered window, "and tried to assassinate Princess Twilight." A small clamor rose at his statement, along with a few worried inquiries as to Twilight’s well-being. After a few moment of Twilight assuring the officers that she was fine, they quieted back down. "So they were here with a purpose,” Thunderlane said. “But still, this attack would have had to have been planned months in advance. They also would have had to know when we meant to sail, unless they just floated there for weeks on end, waiting. None of that information should have been public knowledge, and they weren't part of any of the griffon royal houses; with no flags or markings on their ship, they must have been a privateer. Who in the their houses would have set up an attack like this?" Luna replied, "It may not have been a noble house. There are plenty of other parties who would like to see the war restarted. Weapons and armor manufacturers, shipwrights, any number of others could have sent them. The nobility has been very cooperative, er, mostly." Luna looked away and thought for a moment then turned back and said, "No, I don't that they would have ordered this attack. The ones that want war don’t have enough support, they’d be too scared to do this on their own. If Admiral Iron Beak didn’t respect his brother so much I’d suspect that he was behind this. He has always been on the traditionalist side, but he has too much honor to go behind King Eryk’s back." "We don't have enough information at the moment to make any sort of precise guess," Twilight said, drawing the group's attention. "The ship had no markings, so it could have been sent by anyone. The only lead we have is that the ship is crewed primarily by griffons, or at least that's all we saw, correct?" The captain nodded his agreement. "So it could be assumed that they were sent from the Griffon Commonwealth, but we don't know that for sure either. The only thing that we know is that they wanted me dead," she trailed off as that sank in. She gave an involuntary shudder as she remembered the cruel grin the griffon wore just before he tried to kill her. "Twilight's right, there's no use speculating," the captain concluded. "The Rising Moon is going to need mending and that ship is still out there. They could come upon us while we make repairs. If they are still looking for us then we need to get underway as soon as possible. Mids, get the repairs started; you all know your duties. Dismissed." The officers began leaving their seats and departing the room. Cloud drew Luna, Twilight, and Shake Spear to the side before they left and said, "One of our spies in the Commonwealth is going to meet us in Trotuga. He will hopefully have some more information for us regarding our pursuer." "Well that's some welcome news," Luna replied. "Yes, but we are still a long ways off from there," Cloud said. He led them out of the great cabin and through the mess hall. He continued speaking as they trotted into the hall. "If that ship is still looking for us, which I have no doubt that it is, we are going to be in for an eventful trip. Nopony was able to get an exact count, but we estimate the enemy ship had almost twice our guns; we would be no match in a head-to-head fight." "This is the fastest ship in the Equestrian fleet; can they even catch us?" Twilight asked. She glanced at the spot where the griffon assassin's body had been as they passed the private quarters, where one of the crew members was scrubbing the blood-soaked floor. "That is a distinct possibility, their ship was clearly built for speed. While the Rising Moon is certainly no laggard mare-of-war, with the damage we sustained during the fight, we’ll be going significantly less than full speed." Cloud pushed open the door to the deck and held it open for the two mares, and they trotted out onto the deck, followed by Shake Spear, and their coterie of guards. The deck was littered with piles of debris and the ponies that were cleaning them up. The repairs were already well underway. Pegasi drifted around the ship, patching the hull and sails and repairing the yards and masts. Ponies on the deck were scrubbing up bloodstains and removing wreckage. Long shadows lined the deck, cast from stem to stern by the early morning sun. "You have the deck, Lieutenant," the captain said to Shake Spear. "Very good sir," the lieutenant replied with a salute, and then he trotted off amidships. Twilight and Luna followed the captain to the bridge, where Twilight asked, "What are the repairs that need to be made?" "Well, the hull got the worst of it," Cloud responded, waving his hoof in the air as he rattled off the ship's wounds from a list in his head, "Cannons five through nine are all now sharing one large porthole; that should be able to be patched with little difficulty. There were also some other smaller holes in the hull. I believe we lost a crate or two of cornmeal and oats that fell from the cargo hold when some shot penetrated the lower decks. There are also some minor issues with the sails and rigging; several lines were cut and needed to be replaced, and the sails are being mended as we speak. The main and mizzen masts went mostly undamaged, but the foremast was nearly taken off it’s base, so we will have to sail without it until it can be replaced. Unless of course the carpenter performs some miracle upon it." He trotted over to the intricately carved railing at the stern and picked at some chipped wood with his hoof. "I suppose the taffrail endured some minor scoring as well. But have no doubt, the Rising Moon will be back in shape in no time," he said with a grin, then, sighing, he added, "I still need to go get the casualty report from the good doctor. If you’ll excuse me.” Captain Cloud trotted off towards the companionway. ~~~~~ Thunderlane picked his head up from where it was resting on the side of Morning Star's bed when Star stirred and rolled over. Star lifted his head up and looked around the dimly lit room. He brushed his blue mane out of his eyes. There were still several wounded ponies lying on the operating table/recovery beds, some moaning quietly, others suffering in silence. "Hey, how do you feel?" Thunderlane asked as he stood up. "Like a cannonball tore my leg off..." Morning Star replied, churlish. He lifted up his right foreleg, or what was left of it, and examined his stump. The wound had been closed and was wrapped in bloodstained gauze. He sighed, "It's not like I was using that or a anything. Is everypony else alright?" "On the weather team, yeah. A few others weren't so lucky," Thunderlane answered. "What happened?" he asked as he tried to pick himself up. Daisy Petal rushed over and gently, but firmly, planted the white pegasus back down on the bed. "Take it easy, you've lost a lot of blood and we amputated your leg. You are not going anywhere for several days," she said. "Thunderlane, make sure he doesn't overexert himself." "Will do," Thunderlane said as she went back over to another patient. "So what happened?" Morning Star reiterated. "A griffon-crewed ship attacked us. We don't know what their affiliation is but we know that they were here for Princess Twilight. A small boarding party created a distraction on the deck while an assassin snuck in through the rear of the ship." "Is she alright?" "Yeah, she's fine. Her friend there killed the griffon, but she got it pretty bad," Thunderlane said, turning to point to where Rainbow Dash lay. "It hasn't been long; you've only been out for a few hours. After the battle, we had a meeting in the great cabin; then I came back down here to check on your lazy flank." He chuckled and nudged Star's ribs. "I appreciate it." He kicked at Thunderlane's prodding hoof with his back right leg. "What happened to your leg?" he said with a nod towards Thunderlane's bandaged foreleg. "I took some shrapnel from the first broadside. A few days with a bandage and I'll be fine. Is there anything I can get you?" He pulled his hoof away and placed it back on the deck. "Yeah, me, out of here," Morning Star fidgeted and turned over, trying to get his stump in a comfortable position. "My existing limbs are sore and cramped from laying on this wooden slab." "Not much I can do about that. Just sit tight; you'll be out of here soon enough." Morning Star rolled over onto his back and sighed, closing his eyes, "Yeah, right. Thanks." ~~~~~ Rainbow Dash flew dizzying circles around a large cloud. The wind whipped her mane and tail in various directions and the cool wind perfectly countered the heat from the sun. She closed her eyes and folded her wings shut, curling her legs into her body. She rose through the air and then hung suspended for a just a moment, free from gravity. Then she fell. She plummeted through the empty space, falling end over end towards the shining blue expanse laid out beneath her. She let herself fall for a minute, then opened her eyes and snapped her wings open. The ocean seemed to be even farther away than before. She laughed with the gaiety of a dragon coming across an abandoned hoard of gems. She angled her wings and then bolted for a nearby bank of clouds. She closed her eyes again as she burst through the cloud, cold droplets of water condensed onto her coat and feathers, sending ticklish shivers up her back. Then she slammed into something hard. She felt her wings become pinned to her sides and her forehooves to a ground that hadn't been there moments before. She jerked back and forth trying to free herself; her breath came in short gasps. She was trapped and completely immobile. She looked up, into two, cruel, yellow eyes. The light of the sun was gone and there was no clear blue sky above them. Dark shadows danced across the wicked face. She tried to shy away from her attacker, but there was nowhere to go. A the glint of steel flashed across her vision then slammed down on her head. She screamed. And woke up. She jerked upright, panting, with sweat dripping from her brow. She looked around the dark room; several ponies lay on the other beds in the sickbay, the doctor and his apprentice shuffling between the beds, checking on the patients. Lightning Dust was asleep in the corner near her bed, using her helmet as a pillow and snoring quietly. She became aware of the throbbing pain in her neck. She rubbed her hoof gingerly over the bandage. Her armor had been removed and her clumsily applied bandage replaced with a fresh one. She took a deep breath and then coughed, her dry throat cracking. "Excuse me," she said. The doctor trotted over to her, smiling. "Ah, good to see you're awake. How do you feel?" He picked up a little clipboard from a bin on Rainbow's bed. "My neck hurts and my head feels like a manticore used it as a set of bongos," she rasped. "Could I get some water?" "Yes, of course," the doctor replied with a chuckle. "I'll bring you something in a moment. Now, you've lost a lot of blood so you're going to have to stay in here for a few days." He scribbled down something on the chart then looked back up. "Don't worry about your wound; it isn't infected and it stitched up beautifully. Actually, speaking of that, I'm going to need to change that dressing soon. I'll get you some water then I'll be back to swap that." "Thanks." Rainbow laid her head back down and fidgeted, trying to get comfortable, agitating her neck. She looked at Lightning Dust, still wearing all her armor, sleeping peacefully and drooling all over her helmet. "Lightning," she whispered, trying not to disturb the other sleeping patients. Lightning didn't move. "Lightning!" she whispered a bit louder. Lightning snorted and rolled over. Rainbow sighed and rolled her eyes. She grabbed her chart out of the bin and tossed it at her, landing it flat on her head. Lightning yelped and scrambled to her hooves, like a startled cat. Rainbow chuckled at her friend as she walked over. "Hey! You're awake! How do you feel?" Lightning asked excitedly. "I'll live," she replied dryly. "What happened after I passed out?" "The griffons ran off just before I came to check on you, and the Captain had us hide in a cloud bank. We lost the other ship and are making repairs now." Lightning began to recount the battle to her, becoming increasingly excited as she told the story. The doctor approached the bed and set a mug of water next to Rainbow. "I'm going to change that dressing now." "Yeah, thanks, Doc." She sat up to give the doctor access to the bandage. He carefully removed the blood soaked rag and began to replace it. Lightning clapped her hoof over her forehead. "I forgot! Spitfire wanted me to tell her when you woke up! I will be back in a minute; I gotta go find her." Lightning spun on her heels and galloped out of the infirmary, slapping her helmet back on as she galloped away. Rainbow watched her leave, frowning. "She's a good friend. She stayed by your side from the moment she brought you down here," Sarge said as he finished up. "Yeah," Rainbow agreed. She laid her head down and stared at the door, ears drooping as she wondered why Twilight hadn't been there too. She took a sip of the water, the cool liquid soothing her dry throat. The doctor finished re-applying the bandage and then moved on to his other patients. ~~~~~ Luna and Twilight left the bridge and headed down to their private rooms. After having been awake most of the night, sleep was trying to catch up to Twilight, and her eyelids kept threatening to close on her. She walked into her room and turned around. Spitfire took up a place next to her door, and Dusk Mail did the same as Luna went into her own room. "Good ni, er, morning, I suppose," Twilight said as she closed the door. "You too Twilight. Oh, I almost forgot. Congratulations on surviving your first assassination attempt." Luna replied. Twilight looked at her quizzically for a moment. Luna grinned and continued. "Don't worry, they get more interesting over time." “What do you mean by ‘interesting’?” Twilight asked. “Remind me to tell you about the time the Black Hoof used a shrinking spell to smuggle a hydra under my bed.” Twilight chuckled and shook her head, then shut the door. She trotted over to her bed, exhausted. She slid under the covers and laid her head down on the pillow, sleep drifting over her in a slow wave. Lightning Dust's excited voice from in the hall, however, kept her from the sleep she so desperately needed. Wasn't she supposed to be below with Rainbow Dash? In her drowsy state, it took a few moments for it to click in her mind that Rainbow was probably awake. She lept back out of bed, weariness now evacuating her body. She rushed back over to the door and swung it open. Lightning Dust had just finished speaking and Spitfire turned to face Twilight. "Princess, Rainbow has just woken up and I'm about to head down to check on her. I'm sure you'd like to see how she's doing." "Yes, I'd like to come too." Twilight rushed back into her room and grabbed a book off the shelf with her magic, then followed Spitfire and Lightning Dust down to the medical bay. Twilight entered the room smiling but her mood quickly soured as she saw how many had been hurt or killed during the attack. Ponies with grievous wounds sat around the med bay. A couple were missing limbs and there were several filled body bags laying on the opposite end of the room. Captain Cloud was speaking to Sergeant Stethoscope next to the bodies. She couldn't hear what they were saying; Cloud's head was lowered, ears laid back, with his eyes closed as the doctor spoke. Sarge put a hoof to the captain's shoulder before turning around and heading back to his patients. Captain Cloud lingered for a moment then turned and made for the door. Twilight stopped him just before he left and asked, "Are you alright, Captain?" She lowered her head to try to look into his eyes. He turned his head to the side, not allowing her to make eye contact. He spoke clearly but quietly, grief edging his voice. "No, but thank you for asking. I just got the casualty report from the Sergeant. Thirteen dead and twenty-two wounded." He hesitated for a moment and looked back at the floor. "Zealous Sword was killed. He was my second lieutenant, and a good friend." Twilight was taken aback for a moment. "I'm sorry," she looked away from the Captain and at the body bags in the back of the room. Her chest tightened up as grief welled up inside her. She didn't know any of those ponies, but they were her subjects and her responsibility. If I hadn't been on the ship, it wouldn't have been attacked and... she looked down at the floor. "I'm so sorry," she said again. Captain Cloud straightened his jacket and stood tall, clearing his throat. He spoke louder now, forcing a chipper tone into his words. "It's alright. There is no need to worry for me, Princess. The Rising Moon will not be without her captain. I will do my duty, as we all must." "Of course," was all Twilight could come up with in reply. The Captain left the room, freeing Twilight to find Rainbow Dash. ~~~~~ Rainbow looked back at the door as Lightning Dust led Spitfire and Twilight into the medical bay. Lightning and Spitfire trotted directly over to her but Twilight stopped in the doorway, carrying a book in her horn's aura. Rainbow smiled upon seeing her friends enter the room and then she sat up as Spitfire stopped next to her bed. "How do ya feel, newbie?" Spitfire asked with a grin. "Pretty good, considering." "Yeah, 'considering' that you took on a trained griffon assassin by yourself and won," Lightning Dust chimed in. "Well not all by myself. Twilight saved my life as much as I did hers. The griffon had me pinned and she knocked him off," Rainbow said, nodding in Twilight's direction. The image of the knife flashed across her vision as she remembered how helpless she felt when the griffon had her at his mercy. She shuddered. "In any case, good job. I'm sorry we left you defending the princess alone; we had to help the weather team. A guard getting left alone like that in combat is unusual and shouldn't happen again," Spitfire said, matter of factly. Rainbow raised her hoof and waved away the apology. "There's no need to explain to me, I understand. Anyway it all turned out alright." "That it did. Well this isn't just a social call." Spitfire's demeanor quickly transformed from "friendly teammate" to "down-to-business captain" in an instant, "I'm here to debrief you too." "Alright." "Did the griffon say anything to you that could give some sort of indication as to his affiliation?" "No ma'am." "Did he have any sort of special markings on his weapons or clothing that could help us identify him?" "Not that I saw." "Well, I guess it was too much to hope for some new information," Spitfire sighed, Twilight approached now, and stood next to Lightning Dust, patiently waiting for Spitfire to finish. "And how is your wound? When will you be able to go back on duty?" "The Sarge says that I have to stay in bed for several days," Rainbow replied, rolling her eyes. She recited what the doctor told her with disdain, thinking of the long days she would be spending down here. "The knife cut a couple sorta important things, I don't remember what they're called; no arteries, though I did lose a lot of blood, and I have to stay in bed until it's healed, and I can't perform any sort of strenuous activities." Lightning snickered at Rainbow's tone while she spoke; then Spitfire continued, sounding like a mother scolding her filly for picking at a band aid. "And you are going to do just that. I don't need a mare on my team who keeps going down because of an improperly healed wound." "Yes mom. Ma'am! Yes ma'am!" Twilight and Lightning tumbled over each other laughing while Spitfire glared menacingly at Rainbow. "Good. Lightning, have you gotten any rest yet?" Lightning crossed her eyes to look up at the strand of drool dripping down her nose guard. "Yes ma'am, a little bit," she replied. "Are you rested enough to take this shift?" Spitfire asked. "Yeah, I should be fine." she replied. Good, then I'm heading to my bunk to get some shut-eye." Spitfire turned and trotted out of the infirmary. Twilight walked to the side of the table and set her book down next to Rainbow. "Hey. I figured you would be stuck down here for a couple days so I brought you something to read in the meantime." Rainbow picked the book up in her hooves and read the cover, "Walther Colt: The Mare with the Golden Gun." "It's about a suave secret agent. I thought it might be your kind of book," Twilight said. She smiled worriedly at Rainbow as she turned the book over and read the back. Rainbow grinned, "Thanks Twilight, this is great." Twilight grabbed Rainbow and hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad that you're alright." "Yeah, me too," Rainbow said. She squeezed back, ignoring the pain in her neck and shoulder. She thought back to her dream. Maybe I should tell Twilight about it, she thought. But the moment passed and they let go. "You're sure you're okay?" Twilight asked through a yawn. "Yeah Twi, I'm fine," she smiled to reassure her, feeling far less confident than she looked. "Well, let me know if you need anything. I'm going to head back to my cabin and try to get some sleep." Twilight turned around and and started towards the door. "I will, and thanks again for the book." Rainbow sighed as she watched them go. She laid back down and closed her eyes. They don’t need to know, she thought. Only little fillies are scared of bad dreams.