The bridge was a large room, about the size of a standard Ponyville home with about ten people in it, not counting the four new arrivals. The walls were made of several massive windows that allowed the entire bridge to see outside: both the sky and the ground clearly as well as most of the ship itself. Several desks with glowing holograms dotted the area; no doubt they were used to control the massive Gluhwurmchen. In the room’s center sat a large table with a hologram of the entirety of Equestria, Discordia, and the Crystal Empire; it had accurate topography as well as real-time weather.
Just behind the table stood a man dressed in robes similar to Jolterix’s and Tennerac’s, only there were some extra pieces. An inch or so above his shoulders were four metal bars and a rounded triangular piece that extended just off his shoulder. All ten metal pieces hovered above his shoulders, and there was no visible thing keeping the bars in place. The man looked up at the new entities on the ship and grinned. “Hello,” he said with a moderately thick accent.
“Hello, Konkan Vernerasche,” Tennerac said.
“Selkor Tennerac, and Selkor Yolterix,” Vernerasche replied with, using their military ranks as well.
“Not anymore,” Jolterix said quickly as he approached the table, “Neither Tenner or I are in the military now, as you should know.” He was joined by Tennerac and they stood opposite of Vernerasche
“Well, Dezler wants you both reinstated,” Vernerasche smiled deviously. He knew Jolterix especially didn’t want to be reinstated.
“How do we know you’re not lying?” Jolterix asked him with traces of distrust in his voice. It was obvious just how much he hated reinstatement.
“Because I had a note for you both,” Dezler’s voice came from a circular pad nearby. A blue hologram of Dezler appeared over it. “I’ll be on my way to the Gluhwurmchen within a day. I have several very important things that must be done here first; otherwise I’d be there now.”
“Kaiser Dezler,” Vernerasche said, “I can assure you, I’ve got everything under control here.”
“I don’t doubt your abilities, Vernerasche,” Dezler’s hologram replied, “I just that find it improper for a leader to not be present and ready to fight with his country should the need arise.”
“Good old Dezler,” Jolterix muttered with a smile.
“Anyway I have ordered your reinstatements, but I am also placing you both under my direct order since I think both of you will do better as serving as the Equestrian Princesses’ bodyguards,” Dezler told them. “I will see you both tomorrow,” and with that, the hologram went dark.
“Well you heard the man, Yolterix,” Vernerasche said as he waved two small discs in his hands. Jolterix and Tennerac both took them and placed them on their normal discs. The lights on their clothes shifted from yellow to red indicating their active service. “And don’t forget your epaulettes,” Vernerasche said as he shut the hologram off on the table and placed two boxes on it.
Jolterix took the box he was given and opened it on the table. He could feel Luna’s presence as she walked up to him, to see what was inside; he couldn’t blame her curiosity, but he hoped she was a fair distance from him. He stretched his right arm towards the box and three metal bars and a rounded triangular piece emerged from the box, floating up his arm and “locking” into place over his shoulder much like Vernerasche’s epaulettes. Jolterix did this again with his left arm and now the eight bars of metal floated above his shoulders as though they were under the influence of magic. The only problem was that Florians could not use magic like that, so it had to be technology-based. Jolterix turned around to face Luna and several plates of metal emerged from the box and found their places on his back in the shape of folded wings.
Tennerac also had eight pieces of metal over his shoulders but he had no wings. Instead he had two blade-like pieces just off his forearms, much like gauntlets and large pauldrons floating over his shoulders instead of triangular pieces. He also had pieces of plates around his torso much like armor.
“Perhaps it was that where the metal plates were on a Florian’s body meant what he was supposed to do?” Luna thought to herself. She knew Jolterix flew crafts for a living, so wings seemed appropriate. She also hypothesized that the same science that kept the ships aloft also kept those metal plates suspended in the air.
“Well I hope you’re ready for your first assignment, Yolterix,” Vernerasche said with his devious grin. It was clear the hate between them was mutual.
“I’m under Dezler’s command, not yours,” Jolterix told him with a taunting smile.
“I’m still your superior regardless,” Vernerasche told him, “Now I need you to go fetch me my breakfast.”
“Forget it.”
“Lamera would,” Vernerasche appealed.
“Then she can do it,” Jolterix replied, “But I’ve got orders of my own.” He quickly turned around and to walk out of the room when suddenly one of the crewmembers spoke up.
“Sir, we’ve got a large fleet of unknowns,” he said looking away from his hologram.
“Send them to me,” Vernerasche said. He waved his hand over the table and the holographic map of the region came up. A large fleet of ships was over Discordia and headed towards Equestria. Several ships seemed to appear on the map, indicating that they had just taken off from the ground. Vernerasche turned around and stared out the windows as they were pointed at Discordia; either by coincidence or on purpose it didn’t matter. He raised his helmet and stared into the distance for about a minute before dropping his helmet and turning around. “Well it’s no radar glitch,” he said,
“Better get ready. They look interesting.”
“Interesting, how?” Tennerac asked him.
“They’re not of Discorian tech and they’re certainly no airships like Equestria’s got,” Vernerasche told him.
“What does that mean?” Luna asked Jolterix next to him.
“That’s a good question,” he told her, “Just a few days ago they had muskets and now…those,” he looked at the holographic map and saw the ships looked somewhat like Florian ships, but only to the untrained eye of an Equestrian.
“Also,” Luna asked him, “Why’s everyone speaking Equestrian?”
“It’s impolite in Florian culture to speak a language not everyone in the room speaks, if it can be helped,” he told her. Each Florian in the room knew Equestrian, but the Equestrians didn’t know any Florian language so their customs dictated we speak Equestrian.
“Alright,” Luna replied. “What are you gonna do about the Discordian ships?”
“We’ll see,” Jolterix said. The map showed the ships had now crossed into Equestrian airspace and that several airships were flying towards them. After several seconds, the airships disappeared off the map and the Discordian ships continued unfazed. Seeing the Equestrian airships beaten so easily, even on radar, was enough to both the princesses.
“Don’t worry,” Jolterix told Luna when he saw how bothered she was, “You and your people are under our care.”
After about half an hour, the gray Discordian ships were close to the Florian fleet. The Discordian ships were seemingly less advanced than the Florian fleet. Most were smaller and had massive engines on the backs supported by large beams and pillars. It was clear they did not run on light and magnets, but rather some dirty fuel, like nuclear or even fossil fuels. In the front of the ships was a large, circular canopy that held the bridge and most likely the rest of the inhabited sections. The Discordian fleet stopped and hovered before the Florian fleet. Everyone close enough to the Discordian ships could see that to achieve a hover, they needed to redirect their airflow, and the large engines on the back had rotated to point downwards.
“Well, look at this,” Tennerac said noting the huge advance Discordia had made from muskets to these ships in just a few days. “It’s like they’re challenging us. Should we comply?”
“No,” Jolterix told him, “Send them home. We don’t want bloodshed, do we?”
“You make a good point, as much as I’d hate to admit it. Though, I was already about to contact them,” Vernerasche assured him as he swiped his hand over his table until a line appeared that wavered and shook whenever he spoke. He pushed another button and everyone in the room silenced themselves. “Discordian ships in Equestrian airspace, this is the Florian fleet’s commander, Vernasche. We will give you one hour to completely leave Equestrian airspace and return home, otherwise we will take action,” he told the Discordians via the table’s radio. He then repeated what he said in Discordian so the ships would have no excuse for not complying. He turned off the radio when he was finished with his message.
“How does he know Discordian?” Luna asked Jolterix.
“Same reason I know Equestrian,” he replied.
“Because you lived here?”
“Exactly,” Jolterix said.
“Now we sit back and wait for them to clear Equestrian airspace,” Vernasche said triumphantly. “Selkor Lemera, prep our fleet to attack the Discordians if they do not comply.” The ship commander of the Gluhwurmchen nodded and she turned back to her hologram and spoke into her headset. The large windows in the front of the bridge became encased in tinted windows, no doubt much stronger than the simple glass that was already there. Energy signatures began appearing outside and soon the ship was encased in a protective shield, made completely from a magnetic field.
“So what’s next in your master plan?” Jolterix asked Vernasche.
“We wait until the hour is up. They might just tempt us to fire at them until then and then use some kind of portal to get back to Discordia,” Vernasche told him.
“What are they doing?” Celestia asked as she pointed out the window. The Discordian ships were beginning to open up sections of their undersides while still remaining in a hover mode. The table changed again to an image of a Discordian officer.
“Well, well,” he said in a taunting manner, “The Equestrians couldn’t protect themselves so they enlist the mythical Florians? Well unfortunately, we won’t allow you to be here and bully us. Instead you Florians leave and the Equestrians’ worst fate might be that of enslavement.”
“You drive a hard bagain, Discordian,” Vernasche said to the screen, “but I’m afraid our offer is the only one you’ll get. The clock is ticking.” He shut off the screen and turned his gaze outside along with everyone else in the bridge. Suddenly, the Discordian fleet began firing what looked like missiles into the ground of Equestria.
“Dammit, order a retaliation!” Jolterix yelled at Vernasche seconds after the missiles appeared.
Vernasche was already getting his radio ready and finally said, “All ships fire on the Discoridian fleet! Vaporize the flagship and target the others’ guns!” Suddenly, the Discordian ship erupted into flames and exploded. Shockwaves plowed through the air and the force fields around the Florian ships became visible as it passed over them. The Discordian ship was almost completely evaporated from the explosion and heat from the Florian weaponry, and small burning chunks of the broken ship fell to the ground. The other Discordian ships quickly turned around after realizing their weapons had been destroyed, and the Florians watched them retreat passed the border.
“We’d better get going, your country needs you two,” Tennerac said to Celestia and Luna.
“What of the third princess here?” Jolterix asked.
“Cadance?” Celestia tried to clarify, “She’s gone back to the Crystal Empire.”
“No, the other Equestrian one,” Jolterix told her.
“Twilight Sparkle will be summoned to the castle as well,” Celestia said, “I trust you two can help keep her and her friends safe as well?”
“We can try,” Jolterix said, “It’d be better than having her out in that town by herself.” He then thought to himself,
“Twilight Sparkle. Her name is a synonym for dusk light. Just remember that and you’ll do well.”
“One last thing,” Vernasche said, “Limit your airships. We don’t want any of them above ten thousand feet. Expect to see our craft mobilize around your country; we need to keep strict patrols.”
“Very well,” Celestia said, “I’ll inform the air teams of the news.” She turned and followed the rest of her group out of the bridge.
“Oh and Yolterix,” Vernasche called, “My breakfast?”
“Your problem, not mine,” Jolterix replied as the elevator doors shut.