Morning broke over the cove. A heavy fog hung on the water and flowed up the narrow streets above the dock. Twilight yawned as she watched the dock ponies hoist the last of the supplies aboard the ship. She hadn’t slept well—an unfamiliar bed paired with flashbacks of the night before saw to that. The thought of venturing out into the ocean had become preferable to staying where she was, and so she waited in the early dawn for their anticipated departure.
Starswirl approached her position at the mid-ship rail. “I trust you slept well.” He stretched his legs and gave a reciprocal yawn. “I’m afraid I’m getting a bit stiff in my old age.” His beard sagged to his knees and Twilight could detect a slight bowing to his back and belly. She brushed it off as having slept at an awkward angle in the cramped quarters aboard ship. Her chest ached more than anything—a dull reminder of her unwelcome greeting to the cove.
She turned her gaze back across the dock at the near twin black ship and the gnarled pirate captain shouting orders at his crew. Her words hung on the air like the heavy fog. “I’ll be glad to leave this place behind.” After the tavern fiasco, Twilight yearned to be free of the cove and the memory of Blackmane the pirate.
The tide was breaking and her own captain took to the helm, ready to cast off. Captain Seachelle called down, giving the order to cast off and the lines came free of their holds. The crew manned their posts and raised the sails as the ship floated out into the bay. Every crewman’s action orchestrated to perfection allowed the vessel to turn and sail into the gently breaking waves without any further command from the captain.
Twilight scaled the ladder and took up position on the afterdeck. She looked back on the shambles of the town shrouded in the early morning fog as they drifted away. Her heart felt a weight lift as another obstacle on her journey passed away behind the shroud of the foul mist. Her encounter with Blackmane would not so easily be forgotten. The terrifying experience burned into her chest with the subtle throbbing of the bruise he left as a reminder.
“Captain Seachelle,” Starswirl called out as he climbed to the bridge, “I trust you recall our destination.”
“Aye, Mister Starswirl. I am familiar with the route. I believe it was exactly for that reason that you sought my services in transporting your precious cargo.” Seachelle made a gesture over her shoulder toward Twilight. “Well—that and the matter of the contract.” Now in the open ocean, she swung the till clockwise and the boat responded by tacking south.
“I wouldn’t begin to suggest that we equate the princess on par with the rest of the cargo, but all the same, I appreciate your willingness to assist us in our journey.” Starswirl’s unwieldy beard flapped in the wind as Twilight descended from the afterdeck and approached him.
“So, where exactly are we headed? You’ve been pretty vague with me on that point.” Twilight’s mane danced in the breeze—her crown remained packed away with her bags in her quarters below deck.
“The Barrowlands.” Seachelle turned and addressed the princess while maintaining a hoof on the wheel. “A place no pony in their right mind would ever go, except, of course for this one here.” She reached over and knocked Starswirl’s pouch so it swung around his neck.
“Don’t forget the only captain willing to sail there.” Starswirl steadied the pouch and adjusted where it lay. “I trust we will remain on schedule—the cargo needs to arrive before week’s end.”
“Can’t say for certain, but we’ll do our best. Out on the sea, there’s more than just pirates we should try and avoid.” Seachelle turned and called out to her crew. “Trim the mainsail and make haste! We’ve got a deadline to meet!”
“I’ll leave it in your capable hooves, captain.” Starswirl bowed. “Twilight, if you would follow me, there are pressing matters we need to discuss.” He hopped over to the ladder and slid down to the main deck below. Twilight bowed her head to the captain and hesitantly followed.
The pair crossed the deck amidst the clatter and sway of the active crew. Ropes were pulled taut and tied off at the mast bringing the sails around to catch the northern air currents guiding them over the cresting waves. The spray of salt water crashed over the bow as the ship rose and fell with each swell. Starswirl led Twilight to the forecabin and held the door for her entry. She held her head high and walked past into the moderately lit room.
Once secured in the private chambers, Twilight couldn’t hold back any longer. She spun around and laid into Starswirl as soon as the door hit the frame. “I need to know everything. You’ve been holding back from me this entire trip and I think I deserve to know where we’re going and what’s going to happen when we get there.” She stomped her hoof and glared back at the wizard.
“A reasonable request that won’t go unanswered. Please, take a seat and I will tell you what I can.” Starswirl pointed her toward the prow and a pair of chairs that sat near the back of the room. Large portholes to the port and starboard provided the only light in their cozy confinement. Settling into his chair, the long calculated dialogue started in ambiguity. “Where do I begin?”
“Start from the beginning—it’s usually the best place to start.” Twilight’s demeanor bristled with irritation from lack of sleep and remaining so long in the dark. She wanted answers and she wanted them now.
“You know most everything already.” Starswirl plopped himself down in the chair opposite Twilight and began to stroke his beard. “I came to Ponyville to act as your escort and bring you to face the Trials of the Master. The Guardian awaits your arrival in the Barrowlands where you will answer his call and prove yourself worthy of claiming your destiny. What else would you like to know that hasn’t already been explained?”
“You call that an explanation?” Twilight was livid. “I’ve nearly been killed, drowned, lectured on my use of magic and flight, only to be accosted by pirates and that’s all you can say?” She shot up from her chair and shoved a hoof up in Starswirl’s face. “Who is this Guardian and why do I have to submit to his test?”
“I’m afraid I am not at liberty to say, princess.” Starswirl hung his head. The look of regret was plain on his soured expression. Twilight could tell there was more he wanted to divulge, but for some reason he was still holding back. “I cannot travel your path for you. There are many things that you will need to discover on your own.” His head shot up and he stared Twilight in the eye. “But know this—I would never have recommended you had I any doubts about your ability to overcome the Trials. There is a great deal more at stake here than you know. This task was meant for you and you alone. It is your destiny, Twilight Sparkle.”
“I’m having a hard time trusting you.” Returning to her seat, Twilight crossed her forelegs in front of her chest and laid back in her chair. “You said I would come to see what a good friend you were and that I would grow to trust you as we went. You’ve demonstrated your power on multiple occasions, so I know that in some way you are who you say you are, but I’m still having trouble trusting what you say when you continue to keep things from me. That’s just not something friends do to one another.”
“Spoken like the true Princess of Friendship that you are. Speaking of which, where is your crown?” Starswirl offhandedly questioned the continued lack of royal headgear.
“It’s in my bag. I’ve had a lot on my mind and I don’t need that thing adding to the load.” Exasperated, Twilight tossed her hooves in the air and stood up again to pace the floor. “So, this is my destiny—to be marenapped by a long lost wizard and dragged across the kingdom to face a set of Trials that will, I can only guess, decide the fate of all of Equestria. We can’t have an adventure without the fate of the world hanging in the balance—right?”
“Twilight, as I said, this is important and I know you will succeed. Please bear with me and all your questions will be answered in due course. The Guardian would not be so careless as to leave you unprepared to face the Trials.” Starswirl got up and walked over to Twilight. He swung his forelegs around her neck and unexpectedly embraced her with a tender hug. “I know you can do this.” His muzzle nuzzled deep into Twilight’s mane.
Twilight’s shock and anger melted away in the comfortingly warm embrace. Her tail twitched and her mane stood on end. The animosity and doubt that filled her mind washed away with the sudden tears that escaped her eyes. Her pent up frustration came to a head and she yielded to the flow. “I wish I had my friends here with me. I don’t know if I can keep going on my own.”
Starswirl pulled back from the embrace and held her head in his hooves. “You’re friends are always with you.” A single hoof dropped down to her chest and hovered gently above her aching bruise. “You carry them in your heart. Your strength and determination made all the stronger with your love and friendship that you hold in their regard.” He pulled away and turned aside. “I know I’m a poor substitute for their presence, but I hope you can see that I trust in you completely and consider you to be my friend. I wouldn’t be here now if I didn’t.”
Twilight grit her teeth and struggled to hold it together. “Starswirl, I’m sorry.” She lowered her head and sank to the floor. “I don’t know if I can be everything you want me to be. Everything I’ve ever done, I’ve done with my friends. Saving the world, becoming a princess, bearing the Element of Magic—none of that would mean anything without them. I can’t even bring myself to wear my own crown—I’m just not cut out for this. I can’t be the Princess of Friendship without my friends.”
Starswirl turned to face Twilight once again. “The wisdom of the Scion comes first from being honest with herself. She cannot be true to the world around her without being first true at her core. I suggest you take some time and come to terms with your royal headgear. Once you learn to accept your role as the Princess of Friendship, you’ll be ready to face the Trials.”
Twilight lifted her head and tried to focus through her tears. “You keep using that word—Scion. What does it mean?” She held up her hooves, pleading for some semblance of substance in the response.
“The Scion is you, princess. You are the Scion of Harmony. It is your destiny to face the Trials of the Master and overcome them so that the world may continue on in blissful ignorance of your sacrifice and silent service. I suggest you prepare yourself now for the coming storm. Let me retrieve your crown and help you start the reconciliation process.” Starswirl opened the door and stepped outside. Twilight collapsed in mental exhaustion as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks. The waves lapped against the portholes as the boat rocked more jarringly from side to side. There was a real storm brewing outside, and Twilight was sure that the weather wasn’t what Starswirl was talking about.
After what seemed like an eternity, Starswirl returned to the forward cabin, saddle bags in tow. Twilight remained in her prone position on the floor. He placed the packs to the side and produced the crown setting it gently on a cushioned bench beneath the starboard porthole. “I’ll leave the two of you alone to spend some quality time together. Let me know when you’re ready to continue with our discussion.” He spun on his heels and ducked out of the room closing the door behind him.
Twilight’s emotions ran the gamut. She felt homesick and alone. She felt betrayed, yet surprisingly supported by her traveling companion. Even so, her decision to take that very first step onto the train platform in Ponyville came back to haunt her. How am I ever going to live up to the responsibilities of being a princess? I can’t even bring myself to wear my own crown. She stared over at the golden accessory, so tiny against the frame of the bench and the porthole above.
Twilight’s head sunk to the floor. She couldn’t bring herself to any structured form of thought. The trip so far sapped everything from her both physically and mentally. She didn’t sleep much the night before, tossing and turning with dreams of Blackmane haunting her thoughts. In that moment of utter exhaustion, she drifted off to sleep while staring at the object of her worst nightmares, her own crown.
The somewhat gentle rocking motion of the rise and fall of the boat helped Twilight sleep. In her dream, she conjured up images of her friends and the most memorable moments they shared over the past few years. The passage of memories flowed along like the gentle coursing of water down the great Filly River. Those memories turned into scenes from her recent travels. The scene of a great train wreck and magical restoration jarred her from the easy flow. A harrowing trip in a canoe with a magical lecture narrating the journey followed. The final portrait materialized and she faced the pirate once again—Blackmane’s toothy sneer stared down at her from above.
With a yelp and a sudden fall of the boat beneath her, Twilight woke. She stood and looked out the porthole catching sight of a rainbow cresting along the shore in the distance. The spray off the bow added a sparkle to the majesty of the view. Each color of the arching display reminded her of the friends she left behind. Each one held a special place in her heart. The five points of the crown in front of her held a gem that glinted in the sunlight that streamed down from the porthole—she noted that either the boat had turned, or it was already mid-afternoon.
She regarded each sparkling gem in turn. For Applejack, and her honesty beyond reproach. For Fluttershy, and her kindness toward every creature great and small. For Rainbow Dash, and her loyalty without end. For Pinkie Pie, and her laughter in the face of imposing danger. For Rarity, and her generosity shown to anypony in need. That’s who this is for. That’s why I’m a princess. That’s why I will wear this crown. For my friends.
She reached out and took hold of the crown placing it on her head. A rainbow of color burst from her horn and escaped through the porthole. The arc stretched over the distance between ship and shore coming to rest in the same place as the terminus of the rainbow from afar. Colors joined together and bounced off into the clouds continuing a journey toward home with one giant hop after the next.
Twilight took a deep breath. Satisfied that she was ready to face whatever challenge awaited, she grabbed her bags and headed for the door. Her short trip was suddenly cut shorter by the entrance of the first mate.
“Princess, the capt’n needs to see you right away.” Buckaneer’s antlers and head poked around the door and scanned the room. “Secure your gear and head up to the bridge.”
Twilight nodded. “I’ll be right there.” She stowed her bags under the porthole bench and adjusted her crown before stepping through the door. Keeping her wings tight to her back, she fought the strong tailwind as she made her way down the gangway to the bridge. Twilight looked over her shoulder at the mass of dark clouds on the horizon. There was a storm brewing, and they were heading straight for it.
The crew dashed about, each one secured to the mast by a safety rope. Twilight darted around them keeping a close eye out to dodge the tangles of rigging as she went. The captain stood alone at the wheel, and she figured that Starswirl must have gone below decks. She thought, perhaps, the captain wanted her to lay low as well.
“I see you found a place for your crown, princess.” Seachelle chuckled as Twilight wobbled up the steps to the bridge. “You sure picked an amazing day to go sailing. Hold on!” Twilight steadied herself as the ship dove down the back side of a twenty foot swell. She grabbed the railing as her stomach turned upside down. Seachelle adjusted their heading and signaled to the crew to take in the foresail.
“Is it always this pleasant?” Twilight held her hoof to her mouth and fought the urge to see her breakfast again. The moment passed and she regained her footing. “I was told you wanted to see me?”
“Right you are—I wanted to give you a few words of advice and warning. Can’t say too much with the wizard around…” She peaked around the wheel to take a headcount of the crew. Starswirl was nowhere to be seen. Seachelle leaned over and spoke in a low whisper. “Whatever he’s promising you, it ain’t worth it.”
“What do you mean? He hasn’t promised me anything other than to answer my questions when we get to where we’re going.” Twilight moved closer to Seachelle and found a clear line of sight to survey the storm ahead.
“My ancestors made the mistake of making a deal with that Guardian fellow he works for. We got a boat and a promise of safe passage on the high seas. What we gave up was our freedom. I don’t want to see you making the same mistake.” Seachelle grabbed hold of her hat and cranked the wheel hard to port as the ship rolled over the crest of another wave.
Twilight could feel her weight shift upwards as her legs lifted off the deck slightly. “What do you mean you lost your freedom?” She grabbed a hold of the railing in front of the till to steady herself.
“Every time there’s something that needs to get transported to or from the Barrowlands, it’s us that’s gotta do it. This trip ain’t a safe one, and I don’t take kindly to being forced to risk the lives of my crew at the whim of some stange Guardian fellow.” Seachelle smiled and shook her head at the upside down and backwards state of her passenger. “I’d just as soon cancel the deal, but there’d be consequences.”
Twilight held tight to the rail with both forelegs as she worked to get her hindquarters back under her. “So you’ve met the Guardian? What’s he like?”
“Never said that—wasn’t me that made the deal. Going back centuries, I figure, some crazy great ancestor of mine must have thought it was a good idea. At least we’ve got the Flying Dutchmare to show for it.” Seachelle reached down and offered Twilight a hoof to help get her standing upright. “My advice, take what’s offered with a grain of salt. Your colts and fillies’ll thank you.”
Twilight finally made it up and shook out her wings. “I really have no idea what you mean. I was summoned to take some sort of test—I’m not looking to make any kind of deal out of this.”
“Well then, you can forget everything I said—except the part where I don’t like risking my crew serving as some kind of errand pony. These sailors are the best around, and they deserve more than this.” Seachelle cupped a hoof to her mouth and called out over the railing. “Easy as she goes lads. Keep an eye on that forestay.” The chorus of aye aye floated back to her ears.
Twilight peered over the railing at the happily engaged crew. Each pony, or buck, knew exactly what to do and performed without question. The first mate joined in the work as well. Twilight tossed her mane aside and turned back to the captain. “Your crew certainly looks up to you, Captain Seachelle. I can’t imagine how Captain Blackmane’s crew respects him with how poorly he treats them.”
“They don’t. Blackmane leads by fear and intimidation. Any sailor worth his salt would have none of that, but that’s the way it is with pirates. I respect my crew like they were my captains. They trust me and I trust them. It’s the way any good boat should run. We’ll be needing every ounce of trust we can muster if we’re to make it past the twin terrors intact.” Seachelle extended a spyglass and handed it to Twilight. She pointed at the dark horizon.
Twilight brought the smaller lens to her eye and directed the far end toward her target. Magnifying the distance, she could make out a sheer cliff wall that dropped a few hundred feet into the crashing waves below. Seachelle pushed the lens further out and down. A single pillar of rock stood out from the cliff another six hundred feet into the ocean. Around the rock stand, a giant whirlpool raged in the open sea.
“The twin terrors of Scylla and Charybdis—can’t get too close to the Cliff of Scylla or the monster that lives in the wall will drag the boat against the rock—maybe even eat a crewpony or two. Can’t get too far the other way, or the serpent, Charybdis, will suck you down in his whirlpool.” Seachelle pulled the spyglass away. “No use trying to go around, the ocean currents will draw you right back in no matter how strong a wind you got pumping the sails.”
“I thought Scylla and Charybdis were an old-mares-tale. They actually exist?” Twilight looked back at the horizon without the aid of the spyglass.
“Sure as you seen em with your own eyes. We’ll haul in the sails and put down anchor up ahead a ways. No way am I going to dive into that maelstrom and face the triple wrath of two monsters plus a storm. Hopefully tomorrow will bring better terms.” Seachelle shouted down to her crew and they flew into action. “You should probably go see what that old wizard is up to and grab a bite to eat—you did skip lunch you know.”
“Thank you, captain. I’ll go have another chat with Starswirl and see if I can’t get to the bottom of all this.” Twilight gave a quick curtsy and spun down the ladder to the maindeck before diving into the trap leading to the cabins below.
The wind howled over the entrance to the hold as Twilight scanned the space for her stallion escort. Near the back, just before the passage to the aft cabins, Starswirl lay on a bench clutching a glowing green orb.
“What’s that you got there?” Twilight waltzed over as Starswirl hurriedly packed the small orb away in his pouch. His beard seemed trimmer with more grey than white while his back seemed stronger and fuller without the recent sway.
“Nothing to concern yourself with.” Starswirl tied off the pouch and slung it back around his neck while getting to his hooves.
“Either you just had the most amazing beauty rest ever, or there’s some kind of magic at work here. I think I know the answer, but I’d like to hear it straight from the pony’s mouth. Have you been using that orb to maintain your youthful appearance?” Twilight walked over and stared down the wizard. “Remember our little chat about being true to yourself?”
“You got me, although I never lied about using magic to hide my age. If you recall, I told you right from the start that magic played a part. Even so, there are consequences and given recent expenditures, I need to make sure I keep enough magic in reserve to reach our destination.” Starswirl sat back on his haunches, ready to accept the backlash from his actions.
“You don’t mean to say that your orb is what’s been keeping you alive all these years?” Twilight got excited. The prospect of studying a new form of magic, however strange, piqued her curiosity. “Could you show me how it works?”
“Absolutely not.” Starswirl put his hoof down. “I would answer any of your other questions that I am at liberty to divulge, but the magic of the orb goes too far. One day, perhaps, when the time is right—just not today.”
Twilight’s smile faded away and she hung her head. “Sorry I asked. I guess I’ll get something to eat and call it a night then. Seachelle’s about to put down anchor and wait out the storm before trying to avoid killing us all tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry too, princess.” Starswirl gave out a sigh. “My apologies for the outburst, I did not intend to offend. The magic of the orb is a touchy subject, and I prefer to wait for the proper moment to get into the details. The Guardian will be able to explain everything in due time.” He looked up into the sour face of Twilight. “On a brighter note, I see you’ve come to terms with your crown.”
Twilight blushed. “We have an understanding.” She reached up and adjusted the tilt of her headgear. “My friends helped me see what really mattered and how being a princess makes it all come together.”
“You really are one of a kind, Princess Twilight Sparkle. I know your friends would be proud of you, just as I am.” Starswirl held out a foreleg. “Shall we find a bite to eat then?” Twilight reached out and took his arm following his lead as they made their way to the galley.