//------------------------------// // 5: Arrivals (Sudden - Unexpected - Anticipated) // Story: Alchemical Empire // by NineOneThree //------------------------------// "HIMS Inner Truth, we read you. Complying with request for aid, guidance team is en route, please hold position. Over." Canterlot's airship docks had received a hailing beacon and a request from a vessel they'd never heard of before; due to the unfortunate but necessary high-riding fog scheduled that day, they couldn't even see the distant ship except for winking lights. Heading for those lights, a group of pegasi flew through the mist, working on clearing a navigable passage. Squinting through her goggles, Slipstream turned to the mare at her right. "Grape Soda, take over for me for a sec. I'm gonna board the ship and help them get through once the path is workable." As she drew nearer to the winking lights and vague shape, she blinked. This ship was way larger than the usual pleasure-yachts and such the airship docks usually dealt with; so far it looked more like something military, a battleship perhaps... well, she'd be able to see what it really was once they got the thing out of this fog. Raising her voice to be heard over the swooshing din of her team's fog-clearing efforts, she hovered in place before the hazy, shadowy hulk. "GUIDANCE PEGASUS SLIPSTREAM REQUESTING PERMISSION TO BOARD!" She hoped they could hear her, since the fog would make attempts at visual hailing nigh-useless. Thankfully, she got her answer promptly. "PERMISSION GRANTED, SETTING UP GUIDANCE LIGHTS FOR YOUR LANDING!" A stallion's voice rang out, and indeed she thought she saw a group of unicorns arranging themselves and lighting their horns as a sort of impromptu landing strip. Even in the mist, she thought their movements to be deliberate, precise, military perhaps. As she landed, she found herself marveling at more than just their drilling practice. She'd only been seeing the vague outlines of half the ship at first; now she saw the looming, huge-windowed observation deck and glimpses of the ship's stern extending far back. Glancing over the side of the pointed bow, she saw a huge wheel-like device turning slowly, lit with strange symbols. There seemed to be an even bigger one farther down the ship's strangely sleek but angular length... and now she looked at the unicorns who had so helpfully guided her. Four stallions, four mares, all the same dull slate blue color and with all the same muted indigo manes, the same grey-green eyes with no pupils, the same blank expressions. Slipstream had never felt so uneasy around another pony before, and the sound of hooves approaching made her jump. A nearly-black pegasus, navy mane swishing, blinked her strange red eyes. Looking past Slipstream at the team working away at the fog, she smirked a little. "Looks like your people could use some help." Without another word, she took off; from some unseen ports below, a squad of pegasi came out looking very much like her, perhaps duller in coloration. However, the unsettled green mare had no time to watch the strange ponies help her team, as three more trotted out toward her: a copper-brown earth stallion, a grey earth mare, and a blue unicorn filly. The grey mare smiled, jade eyes bright and teal mane bobbing. "Oh, another visitor! You're not going to run off like the last one, are you?" Fifteen minutes later, the observers at the dock towers saw their team returning... and the Inner Truth. The thing was comparable to a full supercarrier in size, but almost alien with its clean-cut angles and strange megadisk structures turning along its length. When the call came asking for permission to dock, it took a few heartbeats for them to react. "Er, er, Dock Five is open and ready for you, Inner Truth. Day Guard w-welcoming squad will arrive soon, do not allow anypony to exit until they have assembled. Er, over." "Affirmative, Traffic Control. Urgent notice, please transmit following encoded message to proper authorities. Approximated time of successful dock, ten minutes. Over." As the encoding machine churned out the paper, the hapless observers' eyes widened. --- Celestia looked out over the hills to the east, taking in a wondrous sunrise---her work, of course. She'd never been the type to toot her own horn, but when an entire kingdom (more or less) of subjects tells a goddess her sunrises are beautiful, what room does she have to argue? Unexpectedly, a green pegasus mare was flying up towards her with a courier tube in her saddlebag; she looked frazzled and jumpy as she came to a hovering stop and saluted, panting. "M-message for you, y-your Highness, ma'am..." Frowning, the goddess gently enfolded the pony in her horn's grasp and guided her to rest on the balcony. "Sit down, my little pony, catch your breath. Now if I may..." She took the message tube and opened it, unrolling the paper within to read it. "Let's see... The Alchemical Empire sends its warmest and most cordial greetings to Her Majesty of Life and Flames, Princess Celestia Amaterasu Solaris Equestria, and to all of her people. To better embody this spirit of friendship and honor, the Dynastic Empress Aleph IV has sent the airship HIMS Inner Truth with a standard crew and the Impirial Family, the Princesses and Prince of the Empire, to personally give adoration to the Mother Sun herself..." "Th-they're docking right now, Traffic Control cleared them and they checked out fine on all scans... they've got a Day Guard squad forming at Dock Five to make sure nothing go-goes wrong." Slipstream stammered, wings locked tight to her sides. She watched the goddess go still and quiet for several moments before a smile spread gently across Celestia's face. "Thank you, my little pony... now, if you'll excuse me, I have a sister to wake and a welcoming party to lead." She departed from the balcony toward her sister's chambers. Behind her smile, Celestia's mind was still churning over that message. An empire she'd heard only vague hints and rumors of sending four fifths of its royal family seemingly apropos of nothing was one thing, but there were details that just seemed... unsettling. That name, the 'Alchemical Empire', and being called the 'Mother Sun'... "Luna, wake up." She nuzzled her sleeping sister, brushing aside the hooves that tried to nudge her away. "There's a whole airship of ponies we need to welcome." --- The huge airship hung there at Dock Five as ponies stared, trying to see into its windows from afar as nopony was coming on deck yet. When the Day Guard arrived with the Royal Sisters themselves, their murmuring rose to a confused chatter, then fell silent. Everypony watched as strange, near-identical sets of golem ponies trooped out onto the deck, the boarding ramp yet untrod and the path toward it left open. In what must have been perfect synchronization, they saluted the twenty Day Guard pegasi that stared impassively out at them, the two Princesses watching. Celestia finally broke the silence, wings opening. "Equestria welcomes the Imperial Family of the Alchemical Empire, the vessel Inner Truth, and all its crew!" A bit grand, but not an extravagent greeting. She'd given similar ones to other ambassadors (usually ones that were actually expected). The response, however... "Hail the Mother Sun!" A mare's voice rang out; a group of four golem ponies stepped toward the boarding ramp, clearly different from the crew with their hints of silvery finery. It was the grey mare at the head of the four who had spoken. "HAIL THE MOTHER SUN!" The crew called back in perfect chorus. "Hail her sister the Moon!" "HAIL HER SISTER THE MOON!" "Hail to Cadence, the preserver of hearts!" "HAIL TO CADENCE, THE PRESERVER OF HEARTS!" "Hail to Twilight, the new-risen star of magic!" "HAIL TO TWILIGHT, THE NEW-RISEN STAR OF MAGIC! HAIL! HAIL! HAIL!" The four Imperials walked down the boarding ramp, the mare in front walking right up to the goddesses before bowing low; her white-gold circlet, hooflets, and collar glinted, as did the silver collar and hooflets of her siblings. Every golem on the decks bowed with her, still in perfect synchronization, as Celestia stared. It took her half a heartbeat to recompose herself, to bolster her trademark calm smile. Bowing her head in return, she looked into the pupil-less jade eyes, golem eyes, of the grey mare. "You do me more honor than I deserve, Princess...?" "Template, Crown Princess Template. It's a blessing to finally meet you, Mother."