//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 
// Story: Aurora Song 
// by MasterZadok 
//------------------------------//

	This little room aboard the Aurora Song was Captain Meyer’s special retreat. With walls lined in dark black wood and shelves adorned with glistening metal tools and scrap metal, it was a place where he felt at home. It was where he could relax and let his mind wander. It was the perfect place to be alone with one’s thoughts.
He heard the sound of hooffalls coming down the hallway behind him and soon Black Spot appeared at the doorway like a wayward shadow.
“You were absent during the crew’s meeting.” The first mate looked quizzically at his captain. Meyer continued to focus his attention on his tools and the project he had splayed out upon his work bench.
“By a strange twist of fate, when I lost my left wing my left leg and my left eye, my ears remained remarkably undamaged. Fear not, Black Spot, I heard every word. Despite your pessimism, I would also say that it appears you all had a very productive day.”
The first mate couldn’t stifle a harsh snort erupting from his nostrils.
“It was a waste of time, if you ask me!”
“I didn’t. However, your comment is noted.”
“The only thing of value was-”
“Your discovery, yes. You sounded very excited about that when you were explaining your plan.” From behind, Black Spot thought he saw his captain’s wings droop a little.
“And what do you think of it, sir?” The first mate shifted eagerly. Captain Meyer paused before answering, as if he were playing a game of chess.
“It has remarkable potential, and we will incorporate it into the plan, surely.”
“But?...”
“However, I do not think it is necessary.”
Black Spot bit his lip until it hurt, but he remained silent.
“I believe the threat of violence alone will cause Ponyville to surrender to us.” Captain Meyer explained. “They are not a warring town. With an overwhelming show of force and a tactical application of strategy, I believe we will crush their will to resist before it even ignites in the first place. Aye, only the threat of violence will be necessary.”
Now it was Black Spot’s turn to deflate. 
“… Then, shall we proceed with our preparations? We will attack at dawn.”
“No.”
“No!?”
“We are not ready.” The captain’s voice was low and rumbling like the base keys on a piano. He was deep in thought.
“… Enlighten me, if you would.” Black Spot was almost shivering from his confusion. The Aurora Song could decimate Canterlot and yet flee before anyone could blink twice. What could Captain Meyer possibly think they weren’t ready for?
“If I heard your conversation correctly, you, Lilly and Yeller only encountered three of the six Wielders. Yet three more remain and the whereabouts of Discord remain hidden to us.”
“I suppose that’s correct.” The first mate forced himself to be humble before his captain. But it was a struggle. “But I can almost certainly confirm that the Elements of Harmony will not be used against us. These ponies don’t have a single spine among them. If anything, I would recommend finishing this job before anypony suspects anything.”
“We will still have the element of surprise.” Captain Meyer pulled a small tool from the rack above him and his face was suddenly lit up by the glow of a storm torch. Sparks sputtered from his project and black spot leaned forward to see what his captain was working on. What he saw looked like the bronze skeleton of a limb, about the half the size of a pegasus’s wing.
“And for any further missions into Ponyville, I would recommend that only myself and Lilly venture out.” Meyer continued, “I think you and Yeller have already made quite an impression on some of the residents…”
“At least we were doing our job!” The first mate snapped. “Not gallivanting with little fillies, eating cupcakes and playing with toys!” Black Spot gestured at the captain’s workbench, but immediately regretted it.
“I’m sorry. That was foolish of me. Please forgive me, Captain.”
However, instead of shouting or even raising his voice, Captain Drossel Meyer had a more cutting way of showing his anger; he spoke more softly,
“Do you think, Black, that I was wasting my time this morning? Do you think I’ve accomplished nothing?” There was silence in the little room. “Do you not think that my disguise was the best out of this whole crew today? You see, Black Spot, by gaining the trust of a few fillies, the residents of Ponyville also trusted me. And the mouth of foals will let go of more secrets than a pony is willing to reveal. Do you question my methods?”
“No, sir.” The first mate lowered his head.
“Then get yourself to bed and rest up. Tomorrow, Lilly and I will return to Ponyville. There are yet many pegasi in Ponyville and I do not want them caught up in the chaos of our raid. They must be warned somehow without revealing our intentions. That is all, Black Spot.”
With a shallow bow to his captain’s back, the first mate solemnly left the room and strode down the hallway. His hooffalls echoed down the empty corridor until he reached his own quarters. He stopped abruptly as he noticed a shadowy figure waiting for him there.
“Well, that went well.” Lilly was wearing her iconic, taunting, smile.
“You heard?”
“Oh, I didn’t hear much. Only the part where the captain didn’t listen to anything you had to say.” The purple pegasus had heard everything.
“He plans to return to Ponyville tomorrow, claiming that more vital information needs to be gathered. I think he just wants to eat more cupcakes.” Black Spot rumbled.
“Is that why his teeth were blue?” Lilly cocked her head.
“That, and I think he’s working on a favor for his new filly friends. Yeller Belly saw him in a bakery with a mixed group of little girls.”
“I… Am having a hard time imagining that.” The crewmember forced her imagination to the limit, squinting at the ceiling.
“Strangely, I’m not.”
“What do you mean?”
Black Spot glanced back down the hallway. Once he was sure it was empty, he lowered his voice and looked at Lilly through his eyebrows,
“I’m not sure Captain Meyer is the strongest member of this crew.”
“Ha!” Lilly’s laugh almost hurt with how loud it was. “You DO realize who you’re talking about, right? The “Mastermind of Glacier Falls”? The one who Admiral Pinion called “The Greatest Strategist of the Modern Skies”? The one who seized Airport Royal without ever firing a shot?”
“And that’s what worries me.” Black Spot gestured to Lilly to keep her voice down. “I think his heart bleeds more than he lets on.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ever think that the reason why he is such a great strategist, why his casualty record is so low is because he can’t stand to see ponies get hurt?”
“I’m going to laugh in your face again, because I’ve seen him order the Aurora Song to bomb fields of unicorn magi until all that’s left is a field of molten glass.” Lilly opened her mouth to guffaw, but it was suddenly sealed by Black Spot’s hoof.
“CIVILIAN ponies.” The first mate corrected.
Lilly hesitated. She couldn’t say that she had noticed this about the captain because there were rarely any times he had even been near civilians.
“That’s right…” Black Spot continued. “Tomorrow, you’re going to be given the mission to meet with and subtly warn any pegasi in Ponyville that the sky is about to fall. Captain Meyer wants to make sure that his fellow flyers won’t get caught up in the violence. But he doesn’t even know that they’re all the same; there’s no pride among the pegasi here. No difference between them and the earth-dwellers.”
“I see…” Lilly’s voice finally dropped too. “And what do you think?” Black Spot took a couple deep breaths before answering,
“I don’t think the Aurora Song can survive if her captain isn’t strong…”


***


Ponyville’s pegasi had outdone themselves once again with their arrangement of the weather. As the moon descended and the sun began spreading its molten white rays upon the earth, the clouds lit up like bright orange flames and the mountains glowed with pink light. The sky was a painting of illumination wrought just for the joy of the peaceful town below.
Scootaloo was up before the roosters and she skipped through the sleepy morning streets toward the outskirts of town. She and her friends had loved their time yesterday, both during and after Mister Meyer had come, but as she happily trotted to where Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were waiting for her, she saw that their faces weren’t smiling.
“Hey, girls! What’s up?” The orange filly greeted. “Why the long faces?”
“Our faces aren’t long.” Sweetie Belle felt her cheeks suspiciously.
“We were just waiting for y’all to arrive.” Apple Bloom explained.
“Talking about what? Something serious?”
“About Mister Meyer.” The earth filly explained.
“I know! Isn’t he great? I hope he gets here soon!” Scootaloo bounced, but her friends didn’t join in.
“Great for you,” Apple Bloom continued, “He really likes you, but…”
“But…?”
“But we’re not sure if he liked us as much.” Sweetie Belle finished. “He kept on talking about pegasus this and pegasus that and only answered your questions.”
“That’s silly! Of course he liked you guys. Don’t you remember how happy he looked in Sugar Cube Corner?”
“I suppose…” The unicorn filly prodded the dirt with her hoof.
“But we still don’t know a lot about him.” Apple Bloom pressed the matter. “I mean, unless ponies really go wandering around the world for no reason a’tall, I think he’s looking for something.”
Scootaloo puckered her lips and looked from Apple Bloom to Sweetie Belle.
“Did something happen that I don’t know about?” She demanded.
“We don’t know...” The unicorn still didn’t look up.
“All we know is that Apple Jack mentioned that a couple unfamiliar faces showed up at Sweet Apple Acres and left in a huff.” Apple Bloom held out a hoof helplessly.
“And Rarity said she thought she saw someone she didn’t recognize hanging out by Carrousel Boutique.” Sweetie Belle added.
“But what’s THAT got to do with Mister Meyer?” Scootaloo kept her stern look.
“Well… the big pegasus who came into Sugar Cube Corner was wearing an emblem under his cloak that looked just like Mister Meyer’s cutie mark; a metal wing. Same thing with the strangers we saw talking to Apple Jack and Big Mac.” Sweetie Belle blushed.
“You noticed that!?” Scootaloo was in awe.
“It's all about fashion. I guess Rarity’s wearing off on me…”
“An if they’re all together, how come Mister Meyer didn’t mention them?” Apple Bloom demanded. Scootaloo shrugged.
“That’s hardly a crime. And there’s not enough evidence to report them to somepony, but… maybe they are here for a reason.” The orange pegasus relented.
“That’s as far as Sweetie Belle and I got.” The earth filly explained. “Why are they all here?”
“We could ask Mister Meyer.”
“That. Or...” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle pulled out matching notebooks, “Cutie Mark Crusaders detectives!”
“Hey, yeah!” Scootaloo was just about to join her friends in their next cutie mark adventure when a shadow suddenly appeared above her and landed in a flurry of wind and dust.
“Good morning, my dear.” Drossel Meyer smiled at Scootaloo, folding his clanking wing to his side.
“Mister Meyer!” the young pegasus ran forward, her eyes all alight. “Did you fix the scooter?”
The pegasus stallion winked his eye knowingly,
“Yes, my dear, as promised,” He pulled something out from behind his shoulder, “I’ve repaired your wings.”
At first, Scootaloo didn’t understand. This device wasn’t her blue scooter; it looked more like a backpack covered in gears and pistons. Meyer pulled on a metal limb and it unfolded like a bird preparing to soar.
“They're wings!” The orange filly gasped. Meyer held a pair of small artificial wings in his hooves. The polished metal arms glistened in the morning light, casting beams of bronze fire off their surface. Meyer chuckled in his deep rich voice.
“What do you think?” He laughed. Scootaloo was awestruck and couldn’t answer.
“How do they work?” Apple Bloom wondered.
“Come over here, Scootaloo, and I’ll show you.” Still dazed, the young pegasus floated forward and let the stallion strap the metal wings onto her back.
“Just put your forelegs through here. This attaches in front of your chest. And your wings go into these slots here.” The harness was connected and adjusted around the little filly like a metallic hug. When Drossel Meyer stood back, Scootaloo dared to look at the appendage attached to her. She slowly moved her own wing. The metallic extension moved with her.
“Ah!” Sweetie Belle squeaked with joy for her friend. The prosthetic wings increased Scootaloo’s wingspan more than double and they moved with a fluid and silky motion.
“Goll-ly!” Apple Bloom’s mouth fell open.
“They’re gorgeous!”
“How did you make them so quickly?” Scootaloo finally found her voice.
“Just an old project I had lying around.” Meyer shrugged. “I had to adjust them for your size, but I seem to have an eye for this sort of thing… Even if I only have one.”
Scootaloo folded and unfolded her new limbs. Even though they looked like heavy bronze and brass, they were as light as aluminum. Since she didn’t say anything else, Drossel Meyer spoke up,
“I believe you have a mild case of phocomelia, where your wings are slightly underdeveloped for your age. You still have an amazing amount of strength, being able to hover like you did yesterday, but you simply lacked the surface area. These should help.”
“If that’s the case, then what in Equestria does Bulk Biceps suffer from?” Apple Bloom whispered sideways at Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo looked up at Drossel Meyer with tears in her big eyes.
“This is…”
“Would you like to try them out?” Perhaps it was a trick of the sunrise light, but Drossel Meyer’s eye also seemed to be glistening.
“Would I?” The young pegasus lifted her wings and crouched low to the ground like she had seen Rainbow Dash do a hundred times. She was finally going to fly! However, a thought stopped her.
“If it’s OK with you girls?” She looked back at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They stared at her dumbfounded.
“Why the hay are you askin’ us for?”
“This is your dream, Scootaloo! Enjoy it for us!” Sweetie Belle held a hoof to her smiling cheeks.
“Thanks, girls! I’ll catch up with you later!” With that, Scootaloo leapt off the ground.
At first, she faltered. She tried to flap her wings like a humming bird as she had always done, but this threw her off balance and she lurched to one side. She started falling back toward the ground. Instantly, a large hoof caught her and held her aloft.
“Start off with slow, powerful strokes. Relax.” Drossel Meyer flew just below his little student, welcoming her to the world of flight. The two steadily climbed higher and higher into the cool morning air.
“That’s so amazing! I’m so happy for her!” Sweetie Belle sniffed tenderly.
“Yeah, but what are we all supposed to do?” Apple Bloom brought her gaze back down toward the ground.
“Still got your notebook?”
“Oh, right! Cutie Mark Crusaders detectives!” Flashing big smiles, the earth filly and the unicorn trotted back to town. They were on a mission and they had to interview everypony who had seen the strangers yesterday and find out what the newcomers wanted in Ponyville. Suddenly, their excitement turned to urgency and their trotting turned to galloping.
If those strangers who had visited yesterday were friends of Mister Meyer’s, then they had to find out who they were; especially now that their fellow Crusader was alone with one!


***


Sure enough, just as Black Spot had predicted, Lilly found herself in Ponyville once again. She was ordered to spy on the last of the Wielders and drop rumors that pegasi should leave the town. But she wasn’t ordered to like it.
The deep mauve pegasus thought she could save some time and salvage her dignity by killing two birds with one stone. Since Rainbow Dash had already been sighted, the only other pegasus Wielder who might be sympathetic to the Aurora’s crew was Fluttershy. It didn’t take long for Lilly to find where the Wielder lived. What took longer was comprehending what she saw.
“You’ve GOT to be kidding me!” Lilly stared wide-eyed at the extravagant abode of one of the town’s six legendary heroes. And, by "extravagant", she meant something that looked like a pile of mud that an earth pony had bucked together and stuck a door on.
With effort, the dark pegasus sighed and forced herself to trot forward. This was a mistake, a wrong address, and would soon be sorted out. No self-respecting pegasus would live in a place like this. Lilly glanced nervously at the multitude of bird houses around her. Just as she lifted a hoof to clop on the door, it swung open on its own and Lilly Liver’s worse fears were realized.
Before her was a yellow flank with a flowing pink tail slowly backing up toward her. The Wielder of Kindness.
“All right now, little wood ducklings, follow me for swimming lessons. Carefully now.” Fluttershy cautiously walked backwards, leading a string of little speckled birds that followed her. Stunned, Lilly stepped off to one side and watched the strange procession slowly exit the little cottage.
“Willie, no cutting. Oh, don’t trip, Warren. Are you all right?” The yellow pegasus cooed encouragingly. They were just passing Lilly without even noticing her.
“A-HEM!” The dark pegasus stamped a hoof.
Instantly, the line was broken and the ducklings ran in every which way, peeping frantically to each other. Even Fluttershy was startled, instinctively ducking into a tiny ball. This shivering yellow pony was a savior to the village?
“Oh. You startled me.” Fluttershy whispered.
“No kidding?”
“And the ducklings…”
Lilly lifted an eyebrow and glanced around her.
“They’ll live.” She mumbled. “May we speak in private?”
Fluttershy slowly untangled herself from her position on the ground, but kept her eyes down.
“Um… I guess? I mean, we can’t really go inside the house. Right now, there’s a family of frogs with sore throats that I’m taking care of and everything looks like a mess…” Somehow, the pegasus was able to make her voice softer and softer until it was barely audible by the end of her sentence.
“Fine, but I wanted to ask you something important.” The dark pegasus tried to hide her surprise that a pegasus would waste her time on sick animals.
“Oh, I don’t know…” It was as if this little yellow mare was incapable of making eye contact.
“It’s about all your pegasus friends!” Lilly raised her voice, gently trying to coax this wimp to at least look at her when she spoke.
“Oh… my… What’s wrong?” The plan worked and Fluttershy managed to look up at her visitor.
“Please listen. I’m from the next town over and I wanted to warn you guys about a terrible plague that’s affecting all pegasi.”
“Next town? Plague-”
“A swarm of little wing mites; little red devils, are spreading from house-to-house and eating the tender vane right off our feathers. It only affects wings, but all the pegasi are in danger.” It was a complete lie, but Lilly had seen a beetle eating a feather once, so it was worth a knock. Her words might as well have turned Fluttershy to stone.
“… Oh… my…” Was all she could whisper. The seconds ticked by as Lilly waited for the yellow pegasus to digest this information. However, she seemed to have shut down. Only the appearance of a little white rabbit from the house brought her out of her trance.
“Oh, hello Angel Bunny. The carrot? Yes, I’ll peel that for you in just a moment…” Fluttershy turned back toward the other pegasus. “Is… Is there any way to stop them?” She squeaked. Lilly was grimacing at the rabbit.
“I don’t know. All we know is that they’re coming here and everypony is in danger!”
“And the birds… And Twilight… And Discord!” Alarm clouded the little mare’s face. Lilly applauded herself for being so clever.
“Well? What are you going to do?” She coaxed.
“I… I don’t know… this is so sudden… who’s going to protect all the birds?” Fluttershy’s voice was steadily getting higher pitched.
“Maybe you can use the Elements of Harmony to stop them!”
“Well, I… I don’t think so… Twilight said that she thought the Elements were locked in the tree for good and that we shouldn’t touch them… Besides… I don’t know how to use the Elements… They just happen when they’re needed…”
Score: Lilly 1, Ponyville 0
“What about your friend, Discord? Can’t he do something?”
“I haven’t seen him in a few days!... He… He grabbed a lawnmower and said something about his underwater garden and vanished. But… he has a feathered wing, so I’m glad he’s safe…” Fluttershy frowned in thought.
Score: Lilly 2, Ponyville 0
“But who’s going to warn all the birds?” The yellow mare whimpered.
“Forget the blasted birds! What about your pegasi friends! As long as they live in these stinkin’ ground-houses, they’re all in danger!” Lilly snapped, but Fluttershy only withered under her gaze. The dark pegasus sighed, “Look, just get out of town before something bad happens, alright?”
“Mmphshii…” Fluttershy nodded. Lilly felt a revulsion growing in her stomach; this little mare didn’t have a single vertebra in her spine.
A small, white dormouse appeared and sniffed cautiously at Fluttershy. She looked up and gave a weak smile.
“Oh, good morning Mr. Mousekewitz! Oh… yes, you needed a new string for your violin bow… Here you go.” The yellow pegasus reached behind her and daintily pulled a single hair from her flowing tail. “I hope you like it…”
Lilly was unaware, but her eye began to twitch. Now Fluttershy was giving pieces of her beautiful tail to rodents!? A pegasus hair was worth at least ten times its weight in gold and she was giving it to a mouse!? Lilly's disguise failed and all her emotions exploded on her.
“Oh! For crying out loud!! It’s a mouse! Who cares what it needs!? Grow a backbone, Fluttershy, and when you do, use it to drag your sorry flank away from here! Actually, I don’t care! Stay here and suffer with all the other foals! It’s too good a fate for you!” With the wrath of a shockwave, Lilly leapt up into the sky and vanished behind the mountains.
“Oh… my…” Fluttershy could barely speak. “I never even got her name…”
In the distance, Lilly Liver was really starting to sympathize with Black Spot’s frustration. Forget meeting Rarity and Twilight Sparkle, these foolish ponies will soon get some sense knocked into them. And it couldn’t come soon enough! Enough wasting time with these wimps, the plan would be executed tomorrow and all this will be over!