//------------------------------//
// Through The Clouds 
// Story: The Elements of Chaos 
// by Mossbender 
//------------------------------//

Eldon watched Celestia and Luna grow smaller and smaller as the airship continued to make its ascent. When the ship passed through a layer of clouds at last, the princesses finally disappeared from his view. He could see his breath in front of him now due to how cold it had become, but fortunately it wasn't cold enough to bring out the winter clothing, not yet anyway.

"So... we are on our way at last," Eldon whispered to himself and he looked over at the others who were still busy looking over the side. And now we wait... I wonder if we'll ever see Canterlot again.

"Ooo just look how high we are!" Pinkie exclaimed in delight. "I bet everypony down below looks like teeny tiny ants to us!"

Fluttershy gulped and slowly backed away from the edge. "Y- yes, we are very high. It would be awful if somepony were to accidentally go overboard," she said.

"Eh, I wouldn't worry too much about that Fluttershy," Rainbow replied. She went over to Fluttershy and wrapped her leg around Fluttershy's shoulders. "Besides, even if somepony were to fall, remember that we have the fastest Pegasus in all of Equestria on board!"

"H- hey guys, this suitcase is pretty heavy and it's freezing out here, so could we perhaps go inside?" Spike asked. They looked at him to see that his little body was shaking from the cold and the weight of the suitcase.

"Of course Spike! We don't want you to catch a cold before we reach the Crystal Empire after all," Twilight replied. "Now where are our rooms located..."

A small cough was heard from behind Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and they all looked to see that Neighhab had returned from the bridge. "Did I hear somepony ask where the rooms are? I believe I did," he said. "Come along now everypony, I'll show you all to your rooms and perhaps give a complimentary tour of the ship afterwards. Would you like a tour?"

"I don't know about the others, but I believe a tour sounds like a lovely idea Mr. Neighhab," Rarity replied and looked at the others. "How about everypony else?"

She didn't have to wait long for an answer since they all nodded in agreement. "We'll accept your offer Neighhab," Eldon said. "It would be nice to know where everything is located in the event of an emergency."

"Excellent! Stick close now everypony, I don't want any of you to get lost on the way there," Neighhab replied and walked over to a nearby door that was to their left. "Through here is the way to the residential quarter of the ship, as well as the mess hall. Come! I would like to get to know my new passengers along the way."

Neighhab opened the door and disappeared within, soon followed by the others. Eldon was the last one to enter and closed the door behind him as he did so as to not let the cold in. Before him was a brightly lit hallway, the light coming from whatever was embedded in the ceiling. The walls were decorated with various types of paintings and an embroidered red rug stretched from the entrance and rounded the corner further down the hall, disappearing from view.

"Welcome aboard The Shooting Star everypony, this is the residential area," Neighhab said. "All of the doors on the left side of the hall leads to a room that is... how should I put this... decent enough to get a good night's sleep in. There aren't any living quarters on the right because that is where out mess hall is. The doors should be right... here!" Neighhab pointed at an open entrance and the group looked inside as they passed, seeing crew members and passengers alike enjoying their meals and chatting with each other. Another pair of doors were also open on the other side of the room.

"So what exactly is your job Mr. Neighhab?" Eldon asked. "Do you only shuttle ponies between places or...?"

Neighhab chuckled to himself and turned to face Eldon, causing the group to halt. "Well, let's just say that getting ponies where they need to go is more of a... a side job if you want to see it that way," he replied. "You see Mr. Eldon, we're mercenaries for hire, we make our living performing many different types of jobs."

"Are all the jobs you do... l- legal?" Fluttershy asked.

Neighhab smiled and patted Fluttershy on the head. "We are a dependable crew Miss... what was your name again?"

"F- Fluttershy..."

"Of course! You see? I still have to learn most of your names. Of course I know of your exploits with the Elements of Harmony and such, but her highness here is the only one I recognize," Neighhab said and pointed at Twilight.

"Ahem, you were saying Neighhab?" Eldon reminded him, still wanting to hear what else he did for a living.

"Right. As I was saying, we perform all types of jobs, but most of it involves transporting goods," Neighhab continued. "Hell, most of the bottom part of the ship is just the cargo bay!"

Holy crap! Did he just say hell? Eldon thought. He's the first pony I've heard to utter a curse that I recognize... I wonder what the others are thinking?

"I don't want to be a bother Mr. Neighhab, but..." Rarity began to say but she then thought better of it. She wanted to politely ask him to refrain from using such language, but then remembered that Eldon had also done the same in some situations. "Er... you don't happen to be in the... pirate business are you?"

Eldon saw Neighhab flare his nostrils and he began to breathe heavily. "No... neither I nor my crew would ever dare to tread that type of air," he replied, but his voice had grown somewhat hostile. "We transport goods, we transport ponies, that's all you need to know. If pirates were to ever attack our ship, we will be ready, for this baby has enough firepower to even send Tirek packing!"

"I- I deeply apologize, I never meant to insult you," Rarity said and Neighhab sighed, finally allowing himself to relax.

"I know you didn't mean any harm Miss...?"

"You may call me Rarity."

"Ah! That's a lovely name Miss Rarity," Neighhab said, causing Rarity to blush and her cheeks to slightly turn pink. "But as I was saying, everything is alright. Ah! What do you know, here are your rooms everypony. They are rooms eighty to eighty-four. Please take your time to move in, I'll be waiting here to lead all of you on the rest of the tour."

The group made a single file line across from the rooms while Neighhab stood to the side. "So Neighhab, how many ponies can fit into each room?" Applejack asked.

"About two ponies a room," Neighhab replied. "So all of you will have to split up into pairs, but it'll be up to all of you to decide who will be going with who."

"Ooo! I volunteer to go with Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie exclaimed with glee. "We can stay up all night and tell each other spoooky stories and do all kinds of fun things!"

All eyes focused on Rainbow Dash as they waited for her answer. "Well... aw what the heck, sure Pinkie Pie, I'll bunk with ya for the night," she answered. "Wanna go in room eighty-two?"

"Any room is fine for Pinkie!" Pinkie replied. Neighhab opened the door to room eighty-two, allowing Pinkie Pie to hop inside with her board games and Rainbow Dash followed her shortly after. Neighhab closed the door behind them and returned to his former position.

"Say... Fluttershy, how would you like to spend the evening with me?" Rarity asked. "I promise you that everything will be nice and quiet."

Eldon saw Spike muttering some words but he wasn't quite able to make them out from where he was.

Fluttershy quickly nodded her head in agreement. "Oh, I would like that very much Rarity, which room do you want to have?" she asked.

Rarity brought a hoof to her chin, quickly trying to decide which room to take. "I think we will go with room eighty. Yes, room eighty it is!"

Neighhab walked over to the door and opened it yet again, allowing Rarity and Fluttershy to walk into their new temporary home. "Oh Spike!" Rarity called out, just as Neighhab was beginning to close the door. "Could you be a dear and bring the clothing in here? I think Fluttershy and I will do some minor alterations as they still aren't the way I wanted them."

"Yeah... sure thing Rarity," Spike replied and he walked into the room.

"Just place it right there darling," they heard Rarity say from within. "No, not there, ah, there you go! Thank you so much Spikey! See you in a few minutes!"

Spike walked out shortly after, appearing a bit happier than before, but not by a lot. "Alright, we are now down to two rooms," Neighhab said. "Please hurry everypony, I dearly want to give all of you a tour, but as Captain I still have duties to attend to."

"Here, I'll finish pairing us up," Twilight said. "Eldon, since I'll be teaching you about magic I want you to go with me, which leaves Applejack and Spike. Are you two okay bunking with each other?" Spike and Applejack both looked at each other before looking back at Twilight and nodding. "Wonderful! Come on Eldon, let's drop your books off so we can continue the tour. I think we'll take room eighty-one."

"Which means Spike and I here will be takin room eighty-four!" Applejack exclaimed. "Let's go Spike, fortunately for us I'm the one with all the food!" She gently shook the bag, causing the food within to bounce against each other.

Twilight and Eldon went into their room and took a good look at it. The room was fairly small, but definitely large enough to accommodate the both of them. Two beds were placed on the walls opposite from each other with a nightstand in between them at the far wall. A small round window sat just above it giving a view to the outside. On top of the nightstand was a candle which Eldon assumed was for when darkness had fallen.

"Alright Eldon, just take the books from the library out and place them on the left bed, because I've already claimed this one," she said and hopped onto the right bed. "Hmm... mattress is soft, blanket is soft, pillow is soft... I have to say, this isn't as bad as I thought it would have been!"

Eldon reached behind him and took off the bag of holding. He quickly searched through it and brought out anything that was a book, gently placing them on the bed one after the other. In total there were six books. The four that Twilight brought and the two that he brought.

"So what do we have here?" Eldon asked and picked up the first book. "Basic Magic for Beginners. Eh... are you sure I should begin with this? Because you know... I did kind of save Canterlot."

"I'm the teacher Eldon. What happened at Canterlot was nothing more but a release of whatever magic that had been built up in you," Twilight replied. "So that's why we'll be starting with the basics. The other two books are higher levels of magic while the fourth book contains a very descriptive collection of Equestria's history."

"But I-" Eldon began to say when they heard a loud crash come from outside their room. They both quickly rush out to find Applejack and Pinkie Pie in a tangled heap and one of the paintings had fallen off of the wall.

"What happened here?" Twilight asked. Not being able to contain it anymore, Neighhab began to laugh uncontrollably. "Captain, I'll ask again, what happened here?"

The Captain did his best to suppress his laughter, but small bursts came here and there. "They... hang on." Neighhab took a deep breath before he continued. "They left their rooms at the same time and collided into each other, causing them to crash into the wall. Hehe, what are the odds eh?"

"Yeah, what are the odds..." Applejack grumbled. She gently pushed Pinkie Pie off of her and quickly got back on her hooves just as Rainbow, Spike, Fluttershy and Rarity came out of their rooms.

"We heard a loud noise and decided to investigate," Rarity said. "Is everypony alright?"

"Couldn't be better Rarity!" Pinkie replied and she quickly bounced up from the ground and landed on her hooves. "Applejack and I just had a little tumble was all!"

"Well, at least it's not anything too serious," Rarity replied. "But since we are all here, perhaps we can continue the tour now?"

Neighhab adjusted his hat and nodded. "Of course, there are only a few more parts of the ship to show and then all of you may do whatever you please," he replied. "Let's go."

Neighhab went around the corner and continued down the hall, closely followed by the others. "As you may have already noticed, the residential area only consists of doors on the left side. Up ahead is the hall that leads to my quarters, and it's right here," he said. He pointed at a hall that extended to the left, leading to a door that was designed differently from the others. "If any of you can't find me on the ship, then that room is your best bet."

They reached the end of the hall and turned at the corner into another hall with a door at the far end. "This area is the same as the first hall we were in," Neighhab said. "Another pair of doors on the right leads to the mess hall that I'm sure all of you saw when we were on the other side. Let's head to the deck."

They got to the door in no time and Neighhab opened the door to the deck of the ship. It was still cold when they all gathered on the deck and they stayed close together for warmth, except for Neighhab who was already leading them to their next destination. "The middle of the ship is of course where our crow's nest is. If you ever want to get up there though ya have to climb the ladder or fly up if you're a Pegasus, or an Alicorn which we hardly ever have on board," he said. "The way down to the lower level and the cargo bay is located through these two grates on the other side of the pole, but I'm sure you won't be seeing it anytime soon."

Past the pole they began to hear hisses and clangs coming from the one door in the middle. Two sets of stairs sat on opposite sides which led to the area above it "Here is the engine room," Neighhab said. "Without this baby we wouldn't have any power or the means to move fast. It is off limits to passengers however unless you're my crew or have skill in the field of machinery."

"Why is the engine room here and not located closer to the propellers?" Twilight asked. "This doesn't seem to be a very efficient place to put an engine."

"It's the way the ship was built your highness," Neighhab replied. "Sure we aren't the fastest because of it, but it certainly does wonders with the cannons we have on board on the floor below us. Anyways, there is one last place I wish to show all of you."

Neighhab walked past them back towards where they came from, except he climbed the set of stairs which led to the bridge. "Come on everypony! What are you waiting for?" he asked. The group didn't hesitate to follow him and Neighhab went inside the bridge as they climbed the stairs. When they reached the bridge at last, they were greeted by a whole bunch of blinking lights and devices that hardly any of them recognized. A wooden steering wheel was located in the center, which was currently being controlled by a pony they hadn't seen before.

"Everypony, this is my first mate Silver Eye, Silver Eye, these are our new passengers," Neighhab said. Silver Eye simply nodded towards the group in response. Like Neighhab, Silver Eye was also an Earth pony. His coat was a mint green and like his name his eyes were silver. His mane was black and his cutie mark was that of a pocket watch. "Here is where we control the ship, however you aren't allowed up here unless Silver Eye or myself request it. Ah! I almost forgot! We had a PA system installed recently throughout the rest of the ship instead of just having it on the main deck, so if there is anything that you need to be notified about, it'll come through the speakers."

Eldon looked around the room, still fascinated by all the devices, but he had a feeling that something wasn't right. The gem began to glow softly as his eyes fell upon Silver Eye, who had resumed staring out the window and turning the wheel slightly here and there. "That's the end of the tour everypony," Neighhab said, causing Eldon to snap back to attention. "You may do whatever you please now as I have some duties I need to attend to, such as getting my lazy crew back to work!"

"Well, thank you Mr. Neighhab for that very informative tour," Rarity replied. "I think I'll head back to my room now and see what I can do about the winter clothing."

"Yes, I thank you Neighhab on the behalf of the rest of us," Twilight said and turned to face Eldon. "How about we begin your teachings Eldon? The earlier the better!"

Eldon looked at Silver Eye and then back at Twilight and nodded. "Sure thing Twilight, it's about time I started putting my... power to use," he replied. The two turned around and left the bridge and were soon followed by the others shortly after.

"Enjoy your stay on The Shooting Star everypony!" Neighhab called after them. "And have a pleasant evening!" Spike was the last one to leave the bridge and closed the door as he left, leaving Silver Eye and Neighhab alone. "Ah... what a curious group they are huh Silver Eye?" Silver Eye simply nodded in response. "Especially that Eldon fellow... I wonder what he actually looks like, he has yet to show it."



"Ahhh... it's good to be my old self again," Eldon said. He and Twilight had returned to their room where he had transformed back into his human self in peace. "So what book should we start with teacher?"

Twilight slightly blushed. She was the one who was used to saying teacher, but now she was being called one herself. Where did the time go? She walked over to his bed and after briefly looking over the books, she levitated one into Eldon's hands.

"Here, we'll be starting with Magic for Beginners," Twilight said, much to Eldon's disappointment. He wanted to get started on the more advanced magic... but Twilight was the teacher after all, not to mention she had been using magic for her whole life. "As soon as I begin to see progression, we can move on to the more advanced spells, but I doubt that will be happening anytime soon."

"Alright... so the last time I guess I really used what I should call my magic was in the Everfree Forest, since the transformations are more of a on the spot thing," Eldon said. "Do I need to be a Unicorn for this or should I just stay as myself teacher?"

"I think... I think you should use whatever form you feel most comfortable in Eldon," Twilight replied. "You've used magic in both forms now, so it's up to you."

I think I'll stay in my own form, Eldon thought. If that encounter with the Changeling in Canterlot taught me anything, it's that having hands is definitely an advantage, as well as size. He flipped the book open to the first page and sat down on his bed. He quickly glanced over the book to see that Twilight was watching him. He quickly looked back at the book and he began to read.

Chapter One: What is Magic?

Magic is a natural ability that has been associated with all ponies for as long as we can remember. It varies greatly from pony to pony, with some having either a large amount, a small amount, or somewhere in between where most ponies alive today are located. So how does magic today work in our current society? Let us begin with the Earth ponies. Their magic is connected to the very land itself, which is why most tend to become farmers or caregivers. However, not all Earth ponies wish to pursue this lifestyle and would rather do something else associated with the land, such as being an explorer or an architect, or perhaps not have anything to do with the land at all! The same can be said for Pegasi and Unicorns who also wish to pursue something out of the ordinary. There is no doubt that Earth ponies are a strong and hardy folk, but sometimes they can be quite stubborn. That doesn't stop them from coming to a pony's aid in a time of need though.

"How is it coming along my student?" Twilight said and stifled a giggle. It was still very weird and new to her to be saying that. "What have you learned so far?"

Eldon took a moment to look up from the book and looked right at Twilight. "So far Twilight, I've learned that magic is represented in different forms among the races," he replied. "For example, Earth ponies have a special connection to the land, but can also choose to pursue something that doesn't relate to the land at all, which apparently applies to the Pegasi and Unicorns as well for whatever type of magic they have."

"Very good Eldon, please, continue reading," Twilight said.

"With pleasure."

A Pegasus' magic is in fact associated with that of flight. Without it, they would simply become a grounded pony, not an Earth pony however because they would not have a connection to the land. It has been said that the stronger the magic is within a Pegasus, the faster they would be able to fly, but this has yet to be proven. Most Pegasi tend to perform tasks associated with travelling long distances or being stunt performers due to their speed and agility that surpasses the other two. Unicorn magic has been said for the longest time to be magic in its purest form, but that statement has been met with much controversy. It is true that Unicorns can perform a huge range of tasks using their magic, which can be as simple as levitating objects to much harder tasks, such as making a pony younger or older. To this day a Unicorn's magic is still sought after for the wonders it can perform.

"I've reached the end of the chapter Twilight, but it never mentioned anything about Alicorn magic. It just jumps right to chapter two which is the beginning of basic spells. Why is that?" Eldon asked.

Twilight hesitated to respond. She had been an Alicorn for about a year now, but even she had yet to discover what Alicorns were still capable of. Celestia and Luna had not told her much. "I probably picked up an outdated book," she said and quickly decided to change the topic. "What are the spells on the next page Eldon? Do you feel confident enough to try the first one?"

Eldon looked at the next chapter and found the first spell to be a basic levitation spell. "Are you kidding me? This spell sounds way too easy!" he exclaimed and laughed. "Are you sure I shouldn't be on advanced Twilight? This is going to be a piece of cake."

"Even if you think the spell is easy for you Eldon, you still have to learn control, which is by far the most important skill a magic user can have," Twilight replied. "Show me. Lift the spell book up to your eye level using your magic."

"Alright, if you say so Twilight," Eldon said and shook his head, chuckling as he did so. "This shouldn't be a problem at all..." He held out his right hand and put the spell book on top. He slowly closed his eyes and began to concentrate, creating an image if the book rising inside his mind. When Eldon opened his eyes again, a white glow had enveloped the book and he grinned.

"Rise..." Eldon whispered, but the book remained still. "Rise!" The book began to spin around on his hand, causing Eldon to frown. "Rise book! Rise!" The book only continued to spin faster and faster and Eldon had grown rather frustrated at this point.

"Eldon, you should probably stop now," Twilight said but Eldon shook his head.

"No! I know I can do this!" The white glow surrounding the book slowly turned to that of crimson. "I command you... to RISE!" Suddenly the book burst into flame and Eldon let the book fall to the ground. Twilight quickly grabbed a blanket and tossed it on top of the book, dousing the flames before any irreparable damage was done.

Eldon felt his power slowly ebb away and he covered his face with his hands. "And so the student refuses to listen to the teacher," Twilight said and shook her head in disappointment. "I know you have power Eldon, but what good will that power be if you end up destroying yourself and hurting others around you in the process? You must learn control."

Eldon removed his hands from his face and nodded. "I understand Twilight, I promise that whatever just happened there won't happen again."

"Good, now read this instead." Twilight levitated another book over to Eldon and he grabbed it out of the air.

"The History of Equestria? Why do you want me to read this?" Eldon asked. "Shouldn't magic training be our top priority right now?"

"Ahhh... I think you need a little break for now," Twilight replied. "Besides, our history is a long and brutal one, it's like an adventure story if you want to see it that way, but with actual events instead of fictional ones."

"Yes I'm aware of the difference between fiction and non-fiction," Eldon said and opened the history book. Although I'm currently talking to a lavender pony... people at home would think I'm nuts if I told them that... if I ever see home again.

Eldon began to read the history book, learning about major events in even more detail than what he once thought. The Chaos War... it occurred right after the founding of Equestria!? That must have been nuts! Eldon thought. The leaders at the time were General Brownie Puddinghead, alongside his wife Chancellor Puddinghead... that's strange, it says his wife went M.I.A during the war. The other leaders were Commander Hurricane and King Bullion... wow...

He flipped through a couple of pages when his eye caught a familiar sight. It was the Tree of Harmony with all of the gems in their old forms. Hmm... the Tree of Harmony was found during the final days of the Chaos War by Clover the Clever, then apprentice of Star Swirl the Bearded! The elements were used to defeat The Endbringer and restore Harmony to Equestria... but then went missing for hundreds of years until Celestia and Luna arrived. The elements have been said to have been the final gift from an ancient race known only as The Ancients, but any evidence that proved it has long since disappeared.

Eldon closed his eyes, his mind quickly going over what he had just read. The Ancients... I don't know why... but the name feels somewhat familiar, Eldon thought and the gem in his necklace began to glow softly.

"What's the matter Eldon? Are you alright?" Twilight asked from her bed and Eldon opened his eyes.

"Yes I'm quite alright Twilight, just resting my eyes for a moment," Eldon replied and went back to reading his book, but something was wrong...

"Hey Twilight? Were you aware that a page has been ripped from this?"

Curious, Twilight hopped off of her bed and went to investigate. When she neared Eldon, he showed her where the rip had been made. "Just right after this page about the Tree of Harmony, it skips from one hundred forty-nine to one hundred fifty-two," he said. "Do you happen to know what that page was?"

"I honestly don't know myself Eldon. I've read this book many times, but I think I may have just missed it by accident," Twilight replied. "But that does worry me... who in their right mind would rip a page out from something this priceless? Who would be crazy enough to-"

A sudden knocking at their door interrupted her rant. "Yes? Who is it?" Twilight called out and the door opened, revealing Applejack and the rest of their friends alongside her.

"Hey Twilight! I ain't interruptin anythin am I?" Applejack asked.

"Oh no not at all Applejack! What brings you and the others here?"

"Well... it's the evenin and the others and I want to check out the mess hall and see if we can get anythin for supper. We stopped by to see if you and Eldon wanna come along with the rest of us."

Eldon felt his stomach answer for him and he hopped up from his bed. "Absolutely! I'm starving!" he exclaimed and tossed the history book onto his bed. "Come on Twilight, the more the merrier!"

"Yes I'll go as well," Twilight replied. Applejack stepped to the side to make some space for Twilight and Eldon as they exited their room and closed the door behind them.

The mess hall was fortunately a short walk away from their rooms, but on their way there they bumped into one of the crew members. "Oi! Thanks fer findin and bringin a stowaway," he said. "We get too many of them these days, I can't blame them though..."

"Wait a minute here sir, I'm not a..." Eldon began to say when he remembered that he wasn't in his Unicorn form. "I'm not a stowaway! I swear!"

"Yeah yeah that's what they all say, I wonder what the Captain will do with you?"

"Eldon is telling the truth!" Pinkie exclaimed. "He's with us! Don't you know that he's the One from the prophecy? He helped save Canterlot for crying out loud!"

The others began to vouch for Eldon as well, trying to change the crew member's mind, but he simply shook his head. "Now listen here everypony, as far as I'm concerned I saw a group of ponies and a dragon come on board this afternoon, not whatever... this thing is," he said.

"I'm a human thank you very much."

"A what now? A who-man? Never heard of 'em," the crew member replied when he heard a small cough come from behind him. They all looked over to see that it was none other than Neighhab who was performing his hourly walk around the ship.

"Now I don't often ask questions, but don't you have somewhere else to be matey?" Neighhab asked. "Other than pestering our passengers with trivial questions of course."

The crew member quickly looked down at the floor. "Sorry Captain, it won't happen again," he replied. He walked past Neighhab and out the door that led to the deck, grumbling to himself as he did so.

"Sorry about that everypony. Although my crew is loyal, they've been acting rather strange lately," Neighhab said. "But don't let that stop you from enjoying the trip. Actually, this event just reminded me that I still have to inform everypony that you aren't a threat Eldon. By the way it's a pleasure to actually see you as your real self this time, hero of Canterlot."

Eldon looked at the ground in silence and stepped to the side, allowing Neighhab to pass. "Have a good evening now everypony!" Neighhab called out and he soon disappeared around the corner.

"Well that sure was a close one," Applejack said. "Fortunately it looked like the Captain knows a bit about you Eldon."

Gee, I wonder who could have told him all about me, Eldon thought sarcastically. "Yeah, but for now I think I'll just be my Unicorn self until Neighhab makes the announcement." With a flash Eldon had taken on his other form once again, although he was quite reluctant to do it. "Let's keep going."

They reached the mess hall without any further interruptions and they entered it to find that it wasn't as busy as before. A few of the passengers were still present, but the only crew members were the ones preparing the food. "Boy, it didn't take long for this place to turn into a ghost town," Applejack said and the others nodded in agreement.

"Come on slowpokes! Let's get in line!" Rainbow exclaimed. "I call being first!" She trotted over to the line and grabbed a nearby tray with her mouth. As the rest of the group made their way over to the line, the passengers that noticed them immediately knelt when they saw Twilight.

"Psst, Twilight!" Pinkie whispered.

"What is it Pinkie? What do you need?"

"It's not what I need, you need to address your subjects! Look!" Pinkie pointed a hoof over at the kneeling ponies.

"Well, they are more Celestia's and Luna's subjects then they are mine Pinkie, but I know what you're saying." Twilight raised a hoof and lowered it, signalling that the passengers were free to stand and they returned back to whatever they were doing. "I know that I've been a princess for a while now but it's going to take me a while to get used to that."

They grabbed their trays and waited patiently for their turn to arrive. There were only two crew members working though. One was wearing a greasy apron and a chef's hat that had seen better days, but the other cook was the exact opposite. They could only see the back of him or her, but a closer look at the cook's posture and size indicated that the cook was a mare.

"So, what's on the menu for this evening?" Rainbow asked. "Anything good?"

"Daffodil salad and hay fries," the greasy stallion replied without looking at her. "There's a sign right in front of you."

"Oh! So there is. How much longer then until I get my food?"

"Right now!" the other cook replied and the food levitated over to Rainbow and was carefully placed on her tray. Eldon was able to see the faint glowing outline of a horn underneath the mare's hat just as the glow faded away.

"Awesome! I'll go find us a spot," Rainbow said and she flew off to find a table. This process continued for the rest of them until it was at last Twilight's turn. Eldon had decided that he would go last and let her go before him.

The Unicorn who's face they hadn't seen yet began to laugh silently. "So... Twilight Sparkle has arrived at last," she whispered to herself, her voice low enough so Twilight or Eldon couldn't hear her. "Time to bring out my specialty dressing..." The Unicorn brought out a bottle from within her clothing and doused the daffodil salad with it before hiding it in her pocket once more. "And here you go!" the Unicorn said and levitated the food over to Twilight.

"Hey thanks! We'll see you at the table Eldon," Twilight said and walked away, levitating her tray as she did so.

"Oh, this is a shame," the Unicorn suddenly said. "The hours for serving food is over, I'm deeply sorry, uh, Eldon right?" Eldon nodded, although the Unicorn's voice began to sound familiar to him. "You'll just have to share with your friends I guess. Once again I'm deeply sorry."

Eldon simply nodded and left the line without uttering a single word. He quickly sat down in a spot across from Twilight and simply watched the others enjoy their meal. "Eldon, aren't you hungry dear?" Rarity asked.

"Well yes, but apparently they stopped serving food just as it was my turn. Just a stroke of bad luck I guess."

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't eat!" Twilight exclaimed and passed her salad over to Eldon. "Here, at least have my salad, you can't learn on an empty stomach, trust me."

"Hey... thanks Twilight," Eldon replied and began to eat the salad. It had a slightly sour taste to it, but he didn't mind as he continued to eat it. Meanwhile, the Unicorn cook was watching from a distance and shaking her head furiously.

"No... no! This wasn't supposed to happen!" she shouted. Many heads turned to see where the shouting was coming from and she quickly ducked behind the counter. "So Twillight yet again foiled my plan... no matter, I still have some of that knock out stuff left over, I just need to wait for the right moment..."

She peeked over the counter to find that the pony, Eldork or whatever, had his face in the salad and the others were busy trying to revive him. "At least the tonic still works..."

"Eldon! Wake up! Wake up!" Twilight shouted.

"Hang on, I got this!" Pinkie exclaimed. She trotted over to Eldon and lifted his head from the bowl of salad. "ELDON! WAKE UP!" No response. Eldon was still unconscious. "Hm, nopony has ever been able to resist the Pinkie Pie shout. I don't know what to do next!"

"Maybe a certain spell will work..." Twilight said. "Everypony, stand back, that means you as well Pinkie."

"Okie dokie!" Pinkie released Eldon's head and bounced over to join the others. Eldon's head continued to remain upright for a couple of seconds until he bent forward and fell face first back into the bowl of salad.

"Let's see here... unconsciousness, unconsciousness... ah ha! I think I might have a solution," Twilight said. Her horn began to glow and she closed her eyes, making sure she had the correct words ready to use in her mind. Let the mind return from the darkness... and no longer shall you be unconscious! She released the spell and it slowly worked its way over to Eldon. As soon as it was above his head, it descended and was absorbed by him shortly after.

"Did... did it work?" Spike asked.

Eldon's eyes suddenly opened and a small explosion came forth, covering him in a cloud of black smoke.

"Eldon! Say something!" Twilight cried. Her heart was racing and she feared for the worst. They waited for the cloud of smoke to disperse and they saw Eldon on the floor, his mane standing on end and his face covered in soot.

"What... what the heck is going on?" he asked weakly.

Twilight trotted over and offered a hoof, which he gladly grabbed in return. She helped him up to his hooves before she began to explain. "When you ate the salad Eldon, you fell... unconscious."

"Sheesh... that seems to be happening a lot to me lately..."

"I have two explanations for this Eldon. One, you had some sort of reaction to it, or two, something was put in it that was obviously meant for me." She looked over at the others to see that they were watching, waiting to see what they would be doing next. "Do any of you feel strange? Spike? Fluttershy? Rarity?" When they shook their heads in response, Twilight levitated Spike's bowl of salad over to Eldon. "Here Eldon, take a bite so we can solve this mystery."

Eldon looked into the bowl and cringed, not really wanting to eat it. But... I'm curious as well, he thought and he took a small mouthful and began to chew slowly.

"Feel anything Eldon? Do you feel faint or dizzy?" Twilight asked and Eldon swallowed and shook his head.

"Not at all Twilight, in fact if I felt like it I would definitely eat more! ...But I think I'd rather not."

"Hm... I see. If Eldon is fine after eating a different salad..." Twilight said. "...Then whoever had my food last must be the culprit!"

The others gasped as thy realized who the culprit could be. "The mare cook!" they said in unison.

Uh oh... I think I've prolonged my stay! the Unicorn cook thought and began to sneak towards the nearest exit. If I can just make it to the exit, then I can wait and prepare a better revenge plan! This isn't over yet Twilight Sparkle!

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had hovered up as high as she could and was scanning the room, searching for any signs of the cook. She was just about to fly back down and tell the others that the cook wasn't there when she detected movement out of the corner of her eye. Rainbow turned her head to investigate and saw the cook crawling towards the door, obviously trying not to be detected. "Hey! There's the culprit!" she shouted and pointed at the cook. The cook suddenly got to her hooves and with a flash of light she disappeared.

"Come on everypony, we have a cook to catch!" Twilight exclaimed. Rainbow had already landed and galloped through the doors, determined to not let the cook get away.

"If you don't mind, I think I'm going to sit this one out Twilight," Eldon said. "I was just unconscious after all."

"I understand Eldon. Everypony else, with me!" Eldon watched Spike jump onto her back and the group rushed out of the mess hall, leaving Eldon with a few other passengers that had no idea what was going on. With a sigh he headed for the opposite exit, longing for some alone time since he hardly had any since he met all of them. He quickly made his way to the deck and looked out over the edge. The sun had already begun to set and was close to disappearing behind the horizon, turning the sky into a beautiful mixture of orange, yellow and red.

I see that Celestia is on time as usual, Eldon thought. It's strange how the cycle works here... before the ponies came along, who controlled this solar system's sun and moon? Has it actually ever been controlled? Ugh... the more I think about it the more confused I get. If we come back from this mission alive, I definitely have to ask them how they manage to perform such an extreme task.

"Hey there Eldon, mind if I join you for a moment?" a voice behind him asked and Neighhab appeared alongside him shortly after.

"Uh, no, not at all Neighhab, what brings you here at this time?"

Neighhab took off his hat and crossed his forelegs over the edge of the ship. "Ah nothing much lad, this is just my favourite time of the day is all," he replied. "By the way, I'll be making that announcement about you momentarily, plus those friends of yours caught a cook trying to break into my room. In fact, her highness should be appearing just about now." As if on queue, Twilight appeared through one of the doors and immediately began trotting over to Eldon. "I'll take my leave now, I better check out what's going on with the cook."

As Neighhab trotted away through the door that led to the residential area, Twilight approached Eldon. "Eldon! You won't believe who we just caught," she said.

"Oh really? You sound as if you know this pony."

Twilight nodded her head. "That's because I do Eldon. It turns out that our culprit is none other than Trixie!"

Eldon looked at her in surprise. "Wait, Trixie? You mean the Great and Powerful Trixie? That Trixie?" he asked.

"Yep, the one and only Eldon. She's currently being guarded in the mess hall for the time being though, so she shouldn't be going anywhere soon."

Eldon simply nodded in return and returned to looking out over the edge of the ship. A breeze from the south suddenly came through, ruffling his hair and slightly increasing the speed of the airship. "This view reminds me of the days I spent on the beach back home. It's... peaceful," he said. "It brings up happy memories of mine."

"Oh? Would you like to share some?" Twilight asked, his words having intrigued her.

"I don't see why not. There was this one time that my brother and I-"

"Wait, you have a brother!?" Twilight exclaimed and Eldon nodded.

"Yes Twilight I do, although he's more of a pain in the butt. Anyway, we were at the beach one day when-"

"Could you tell me some more about him?" Twilight asked, interrupting Eldon again.

"Uh... alright then. Like I said before he's a major pain in my side. He's about three years younger than I am and will always argue even though there isn't anything worth arguing over. His eyes are a couple shades lighter than mine, same with his hair, and that's about it."

"What does he do though?" Twilight asked. "Does he take part in anything? Does he enjoy reading? What about-"

"Eh... not to be rude or anything, but you know what Twilight, I think I should cram at least another hour of learning magic and such before bed. Do you want to come with?"

Twilight appeared to be disappointed for a split second before she quickly nodded. "Of course Eldon! Teaching you right now is my highest priority, so please, after you." Eldon took one last look at the sunset before turning and heading towards the door on the far left, closely followed by Twilight. Inside they walked side by side down the hall, when suddenly a door to their left opened and they were both pulled inside into the darkness.

"Hey! What's going on here!?" Eldon yelled and struggled to break free of whatever was holding him. "Twilight! Are you still here?"

"Yes, I am," Twilight replied when suddenly multiple candles were lit, revealing a group of ponies who were garbed in black suits. As Eldon's eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he was able to make out that they were in a room that was five times as big as theirs, with multiple doors behind him that led out into the hall. He watched one of them step forward, but the only thing he could see that wasn't black was the pony's eyes.

"Greetings your highness and the bearer of the seventh element, it is a pleasure to meet the both of you at last. You may release them now," he said. Eldon was able to tell that the pony was male due to his rather deep voice. The ponies that were holding Eldon and Twilight released them from their grasp and went to join the group.

"What is going on here exactly?" Eldon asked again when he suddenly realized it. "Wait... are you the...?"

"The Special Pony Operation Force? Yes, yes we are," the lead pony said, finishing Eldon's question and giving him an answer at the same time. "As you already know we have been assigned to accompany you on your mission to the Crystal Empire." Twilight opened her mouth to say something but the SPOF member continued. "We've already gathered intel on most if not all ponies on the ship. None of us are safe on this ship so do your best to avoid any unwanted attention. Stay away from the crew."

"Sir, permission to speak sir!" a different pony asked.

"Permission granted."

The pony held out a small slip of paper. "We found this piece of paper on the back of his necklace, apparently it's the number of somepony who calls himself Flim..." At the mention of the name, Eldon's blood began to boil.

"Is Flim on this ship?" the lead pony asked Eldon and Eldon shook his head.

"Not that I know of... but if he was he would be missing some teeth..."

The lead pony held the paper over one of the candles and it quickly incinerated. "Then he is not of importance right now," he said.

"There are still two members on this ship you are missing by the way. What about Neighhab and Silver Eye? Surely we can trust them right?" Eldon asked.

The pony shook his head. "We are still unsure about the status of those two, but for now you should do your best to not engage them. If you do, just tell them that you have somewhere to be, make something up. We shall soon meet again you two. SPOF, salute!"

The group of ponies before them saluted just as the candles were blown out, putting the room back into darkness. A few seconds later, Eldon and Twilight saw a flash of purple light and they found themselves back in their room. Eldon quickly turned to face Twilight. "That was the SPOF!?" he exclaimed. "I have to say, I'm pretty impressed at what they've been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time!"

"Yes, Celestia wasn't kidding when she said she would be sending her most elite... but their warning has also left me a bit troubled," Twilight replied. "Stay right here Eldon, I'm going to go and check on the others and tell them what happened." Eldon watched Twilight leave the room and he went over to his bed where the books were still. He quickly reverted back to human form and gathered them up, gently placing them on the nightstand afterwards.

Ten minutes slowly went by when Twilight appeared again and locked the door behind her. "There, the others are now aware and are safe in their rooms," she said.

"Wait a minute, what about Trixie? Where is she spending the night?" Eldon asked.

"Oh we just made her apologize and she reluctantly gave us some sort of knock-out tonic, which apparently was intended for me as some sort of petty revenge. She is currently in her own room so there is no need to worry about her."

Suddenly they heard the PA system crackle to life in their room. "Good evening passengers and crew, this is your Captain speaking," they heard Neighhab say. "Just want to let you know that if you see a creature walking on two legs, he is not a threat, I repeat, not a threat. You'll be able to tell who he is because he is about two, maybe three ponies tall, that is all."

The PA went silent and Eldon sat on his bed, a look of relief on his face. "That's better, now I won't have ponies wondering if I'm some sort of stowaway or monster in my human form."

"Well that's good to hear, but I think I'm going to call it a night Eldon," Twilight replied and she yawned. "We'll... we'll continue your studies first thing in the morning because we won't have time to once we are in Changeling territory."

"Yeah... I think I'll call it a night as well," Eldon said and he laid down on his bed, although his body was much too big and extended over the edge of the bed. "Good night Twilight."

"Good night to you as well Eldon." She quickly put the flickering candle out and rolled over. It wasn't long until the two finally fell asleep.



Deep in the darkest reaches of the cargo bay, a lone pony looked to be talking to nothing but the air. "Yes... everything is going according to plan," Silver Eye said. "The ship is on the course that'll lead every foul pony on this ship right to you."

Whatever he was talking to suddenly laughed. "Excellent work Silver Eye... you shall be greatly rewarded once you've delivered everypony on that ship to me, understand?"

Silver Eye nodded in return. "Of course... as you wish King Sombra..." The shadowy figure disappeared as the traitorous first mate made his way back to his quarters, eager for tomorrow to arrive.