//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: All that Glitters // by Starsong //------------------------------// The black flags of the pirate ship flapped wildly in the breeze, the sound bringing to Dusty's mind the old pegasus raiders of antiquity. Or maybe it was his imagination, but somehow he heard it over the now-screaming wind that rushed past as he and his friends broke north as hard as they could without ruining the ship. Ivory and Bruce had decided to remain above deck. His friends, his sword and shield, sworn to stay with him to the end. Which was the nice way of saying that his lives were now in his hooves, and he wasn't going to take it lightly. Something whistled past Dusty's ear and he felt a shear of air cut through the wind. Then something smacked into the balloon's plating and hit the deck. A smouldering stone, no larger than an acorn, rolled across the deck. “They've got unicorn slingers,” Dusty said. “I don't know if I can get enough distance before they hit us.” Bruce hefted the rock and tossed it overboard. “What are they going to do with a few pebbles? Why don't they have cannons or something?” Dusty glanced over his shoulder. “If they haul too much heavy artillery it'd be real easy to outrun them. Unicorns can fire a good stone hard enough to punch holes in solid walls...” Before he could explain the rest, another rock struck the wooden railing and exploded. Dust and splinters flew across the deck and the ponies ducked. “All they have to do is pierce the balloon and we're down,” Dusty said. “If it comes down to it... we're going to have to abandon ship.” “We won't be able to do this without our supplies.” Bruce snorted. “And I am not going back to Celestia having lost everything she's put upon us.” Dusty sighed and cranked the ship hard to port, just before a hail of stones rained upon the balloon. It wobbled and a bit of the plating hit the deck with a crash. “I know,” he said, “but if it's your honor or your life, I'm not letting you make that decision. Neither of you.” The ship lurched to the side and the three ponies clung to the edges for support. Ivory looked back at the ship which was now closing in. She could see the lines of unicorn standing at the side, preparing another volley. “They're using magic,” she said. “If I could get a barrier on that side of the ship...” Dusty flapped his wings. “It's too risky. You could go nova or lose control. If you so much as brush the engines or something, we won't have to worry about being overtaken because we'll fall right out of the sky.” “I can do this,” Ivory insisted. “It might not be proper magic but I can still keep it under control.” The pegasus reefed the wheel again. A section of the deck burst beneath them. “It won't be much longer before they remember how to aim,” said Bruce. “You're going to have to trust me.” Ivory bumped against Dusty's shoulder. He looked over at her. It wouldn't be the first time she'd bailed him out of a jam. And sure, it could go wrong in countless ways. But he trusted her. And that was all that really mattered. “Alright,” he said, gripping the wheel. “Do it.” Ivory grinned and cantered to one of the remaining rails. “You just keep focused on getting us out of here, fly boy. I've got this.” The next volley came, more violent than the last. They were losing breathing room. Then the projectiles struck the barrier, a sickly field of white that flickered with each impact. Ivory flinched and steeled herself. Once the stones passed through the field of magic, they took a sharp turn downward and clattered uselessly against the deck. “Not bad!” Dusty hooted. “Keep that up and we just might get out of this.” Bruce stamped his hooves. “They're going to board us.” Both ponies looked back. The shadow of the ship was starting to eclipse them, the whirr of a second set of engines starting to drown out the sound of the wind whipping by. Dusty couldn't hear the pirates but now they were close enough that he could see them. A trio of pegasi lined up. Laughing. About to take flight, and once they were on board, it'd be impossible to fend them off and keep control of their course. They were outnumbered. If only they could shake them... “Ivory.” Dusty locked the wheel and raced to the unicorn. The stress of holding the shield was bearing down against her, pushing her towards the ground. He propped her up. “Can you knock them out?” Three pirates took flight from the airship. She nodded and her horn crackled. “I'll do it.” There was no way they could have seen it coming. The twisted shield of light that had stopped their fire now flattened and distorted. A snap of wind echoed through the sky as she let it go in a single shot. They didn't see anything. Then there was an odd quiet. Their engines sputtered and stopped as the strange magic rushed through them, and the lift of the balloon kept them from more than a rough descent as they fell towards the earth. The three pegasi that had gone into flight turned around immediately, chasing their falling companions. Then they hit the ground in a cloud of dust. Every moment they flew brought them further away from danger. Well, thought Dusty, one danger, at least. For a while all they could hear was the hum of engines. And then the three ponies laughed and fell to the floor. “That was amazing,” Bruce howled. “Right out of the sky!” “It never gets old.” Dusty folded his wings and sighed. “Knowing her handiwork it'll take them at least an hour to get that thing flying again. If they didn't manage to break anything.” Ivory just smiled. A bit weary, but a smile nonetheless. “I could use some water,” she said. “And maybe a corn cake.” Bruce gave a salute. “Anything at all, ma'am.” The bulk of a pony tromped below deck to oblige. Hero of the hour. Dusty gave her shoulder a brush and then began to sweep the scatterings of rock and debris from the deck. He'd patch the ship up once they were in the clear. His first flight, first ship, and already it was seeing some battle scars. But it kept them flying without complaint. “Did you think I'd be able to get us out of that one?” asked Ivory. Dusty startled, dropped a piece of railing with a clatter. “Yeah.” Dusty shrugged. “You've always bailed me out like that. I didn't worry about it for a second.” “I wish I could get there myself.” The unicorn touched her horn against the planks and dragged it in a small circle. “You've always believed in me and I never really got why.” Dusty looked across the ship. They were far from the Equestrian heartland now, where even the summer winds come with occasional chills and frost dots the landscape. Rows of mountains building to a forest of rocks and trees that seemed to daunt them even from the air. And a mist that persisted in crawling about their hooves like little tendrils of light. “You've never let me down. Besides, that's what friends do. If I started worrying about what we can and can't do all the time, we may as well just stay home under the covers. Now I think I hear some corncakes on the way, and you'd better share...” * * * By the time night had settled, the mist had come. And once they all had slept and gone on their way again, it was there still, more persistent and thick than before. The white-blue landscape was fading quickly into the distance like a painting, the fair roads of Equestria giving way to hills and then mountains like porcupine spines. Dusty kicked at the puffs of moisture and they simply dissipated before soaking into the air again. The warmth of the sun was gone and only a bleak echo of daylight chased them through the impenetrable fog. “The patrols never said it was this thick,” Bruce said. “I wonder what's making it worse.” “Nothing that we'll want to deal with,” said Dusty. “We get in, get the Princess' treasure, and get out.” He peered over the edge of the ship. He couldn't see the ground. Just a sea of mist that seemed to stretch down forever. As their flight was passing he was losing a sense of where the top of the sky was, where the ground was. Even hours and minutes seemed to be obscured by the land, tricking even his most innate of pegasenses. “If we're not careful, we're going to smack right into the mountains.” He rubbed his temples. “Or we'll fly too high and suffocate ourselves. I'm not even sure if we're going straight anymore. This is ridiculous. We can't even try to land without the possibility of crashing.” Ivory shoved him upward with her snout. “At least we know we're not being followed. You think you can fly down there find us a place to set down?” Dusty shivered and felt his wings tightening. Why did the notion of free-flight scare him, suddenly? All pegasi had a little experience with low visibility. But something about it was off. No. He flared his feathers out. The last thing I want to be known for is crashing my friends face first into a mountain. “I'm going to take a look around,” he said. “Light the sky lanterns so I can find my way back. We'll find our way out of this.” One by one they lit the lanterns along the side of the ship. Because of Ivory's condition, Dusty had gotten used to picking up special burning oils from an apothecary near Ponyville. A bit of sunflower, tangleroot, something Dusty couldn't even comprehend, let alone pronounce, bask in firefly light... if they were magic it was a kind that wasn't bothered by Ivory's presence, and the faint blues and greens could flare as bright as the sun and last almost as long. They set a dozen alight in the windows and along the deck, and Dusty took one between his teeth before taking the plunge. His friends didn't look worried at all. They looked expectant. And why not? He was a pegasus in his prime. See you on the other side, he thought, seizing the lantern tight as he flew up and then out, off of the ship, into the mist. The mist left a coat of wetness around him but even if it could get into the lamp glass, it wouldn't be able to extinguish his light. His one and only lifeline, should something go wrong. Arguably, it was wrong from the start. A few solid flaps and he'd lost sight of all but the lamps along the airship. And he constantly looked back, up, to make sure he could still find it as he descended. Down and down with only gentle wafts of wind and cold wetness sticking to his coat. He went slowly, never sure if he'd be met with a sudden smash against rocks and trees. It seemed to go forever. How high up were they? The Old Kingdoms were in a valley. But before that was the mountains, and he never remembered passing through them. The twists of miasma-like fog were dizzying. He couldn't tell north, and the shadow of the sun barely met him. And from all angles. He felt as if there were not a right way to go. No east, or west, no left or right. Each stroke of his wings seem to leave him in the same place, or worse, back the way he'd came. And still no ground. This isn't natural. He swallowed, gripped his lantern tighter. Not unicorn magic, either. Older than that... He looked up again to search for the reassuring dots of the airship. Then he wasn't sure he was looking up, and he couldn't see anything but mist. Oh Celestia, no. Where are they? I can't leave them... Dusty began to flap his wings and as soon as he determined the pull of gravity he launched himself in the opposite direction. He trembled, teeth grinding on the handle of the lantern. The cold was starting to penetrate even his pegasus hide and he shivered to the bones. Higher, and higher, and still he could see nothing. No ground. No clouds. No ship. I don't want to die out here... I don't want to fall forever. And he did the only thing he could think of. He flew. He let his instincts take over, and hoped whatever made him a pegasus would also be what saved him. He flew for what felt like hours until his wings were aching. The wind was beginning to pick up and bite at his feathers. Snowflakes. Little bits dapping on him like cold frosting, and melting away to join his now slick sheen of a coat. Ivory... Bruce... I hope that you're okay. Even if I get lost... maybe you can make it home. The old loudmouth is a soldier. She'll be fine. They'll be fine... His wings were starting to fail him, and the worst thing he could do was fall. There was probably a ground, somewhere, and he would probably hit it very, very hard if he gave up. The skies, however, were endless. And they were winning. He let his wings rest for just a moment, limp at his sides. The lamp jangled and he closed his eyes as he fell, cold and sore, into freefall. For one second he thought it was over. Then a second passed and he hit a thick layer of snow with a resounding shoomp, going to the tips of his ears in the crater. The walls of snow kept out a bit of the mist and the cold, and he let a sigh of relief. Guess the world isn't crazy after all. When he opened his eyes again he didn't know how long it had been or where his lamp was. All he knew was that the mist had thinned, just a little, with the increasing gales. And he could see two bright fires flickering in the distance like eyes. Then whirring. He looked overhead and saw the line of lanterns on the airship still shining bright. He stood up. Even if his wings were broken, he'd somehow have flown back there. With a few wingbeats he came back over the top of the railing, causing both Ivory and Bruce to leap back in alarm. Dusty laughed. “Who did you think I was?” “I don't know!” Ivory scowled. “You just came out of nowhere.” Then she did something that surprised him. She tackled him and pinned him to the deck in the most uncomfortable hug that Dusty had ever experienced, up to and including the horn that kept poking him at impossible angles. “Was I gone that long?” Dusty murmured. Ivory squeezed him so hard it hurt. “It felt like days.” Bruce gently cleared his throat. “I don't think it was that long.” “Doesn't matter,” Ivory muttered. “It was too long.” And beneath a pile of friendship, Dusty began to realize just how tired it was. How long it'd been since he'd gotten a good night's sleep, even before they'd reached the border of apparent madness. He would have gone to sleep right there if Bruce hadn't pulled him out from under Ivory. “More importantly, did you find us somewhere to land?” he asked. “The ship might be able to fly forever, but there's too many cliffs to be flying around like this.” “Yeah,” Ivory muttered. “We learned that the hard way when someone scraped a glacier.” Dusty frowned. More damage on his ship. He didn't know what bothered him most: that his friends were wrecking his beautiful boat or that he just couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. “We're about five hundred feet up,” he said. “Not as far away as we thought. But I saw something out there. It might be a settlement. I want to check it out.” There was no dissent. A settlement could mean unfathomable danger. But it could also mean warm beds and fresh food and a sense of where they were. “It was north of here,” Dusty continued, pointing the twin lights out. He could see them more clearly now. “There. Do you see it?” Bruce and Ivory stared into the distance. “Nope.” Dusty flared his wings. “Seriously? It's not that far away.” “Maybe it's a pegasus thing,” suggested Ivory. “Because all I see is fog and more fog.” “If you know where it is, just get us there,” said Bruce. “Don't matter what we see, after all.” The pegasus sighed. “Alright,” he said. They flew closer, and closer. The lights grew bigger and Dusty didn't ask whether or not they could see them again. It looked almost as if a pair of moons was hanging in the sky, on twin towers, somewhere, like a gateway or a harbor. Then they looked like flame, and then nothing more than falling snow. A gentle snow, for which he was thankful. The fog was still persistent but they found they could see further and further. And soon the slope of the mountains came out as if painted by a sudden stroke of a brush. Green pines and rolling waters and the sun still hanging over the horizon overhead. In front of them was a wide hillside, and Dusty set them down on the flattest part of it. Up in the hills, he could spy a number of small flags, some red, some dark blue, some so old he couldn't tell. Tents and quickly erected cabins sat gently puffing smoke into the sky. The northern country rose around them in welcome, the mountains on one side and a deep valley in the other. Clouds hung motionless over everything, chalk-white and mute. Wherever they had traveled, it was certainly in the right direction. Dusty snapped to attention as figures moved out of the settlement. First came a gryphon, with stained white feathers and a golden lion half. He was flanked on either side by a pair of pegasi, each looking equally weathered, cloaks across their backs. They landed on the front of the ship with such force that Dusty had to take a step back. His wings came up in automatic display. He wanted to be cordial, open things up in a friendly manner and hopefully win them some love and help. And food. A warm welcome, he thought, and yet all he could say was, “What do you want?” Their sudden intrusion made him edgy. The gryphon scowled. “This is our territory,” he said, not seeming to understand the irony of ponies and gryphons claiming territory together. “And you're trespassing.” A moment of silence passed. Then the large, white pegasus in a faded golden cloak stepped forward. “Bruce?” she asked, incredulous. The earth pony stepped forward and snorted. “Galebright? You're alive?” Dusty looked between them. The gryphon looked the other way. The sudden, strange reunion was taking them all for a loop. Yet why am I surprised. “I'd ask the same of you,” she said, raising an eyebrow, “right after 'what the hell are you doing here?'” Bruce chuckled and wandered across the deck, pushing between the gryphon and his cohorts with such a smile that they did not know how to react. “I'll explain everything, if you will,” he said. “Assuming of course we're welcome.” The gryphon stared at her. “You know these ponies, Gale?” “Just this one,” said Galebright, sighing. “But if he's here... they're not going to be causing any trouble. Let them stay, Char.” His tone changed immediately. The whole beast seemed, in that moment, far more regal and wild than anything Dusty had ever seen, his white feathers like iron even under the light filter of snow. “Then they can stay, for now.” He stepped aside and bid for them follow. “I am Tok the Charred-Tongue, and it is an honor to welcome you to Camp Firelight.”