//------------------------------// // Incoming Turbulence II // Story: Sunset Imperishable // by EldritchNexus //------------------------------// Princess Luna paced around the throne room. Accompanying her was Lieutenant Flash Sentry. "Princess, are you okay?" asked Flash. "Of course." said Luna, frowning. "Are you sure, ma'am?" "No..." admitted Luna. "I've been so restless lately. I worry about Sunset Shimmer and her friends. I can't help but feel they should have returned by now." "I'm sure they'll be back tomorrow." said Flash, yawning. "And then I can get back to my post at the Crystal Empire." "I would love to go there, too." said Luna. "To see my niece again." "Princess Cadence, right?" asked Flash. "Naturally, Flash." said Luna. "Did you know that they're...expecting?" "Expecting what?" asked Flash Sentry. "I've haven't been there in a while." Princess Luna looked around, as if to make sure nobody was spying on them. "They're expecting a--" Suddenly, the doors swung open, and another Flash Sentry went inside. "Sorry I'm late, Princess Luna--" said the second Flash, who stopped in mid-sentence. "What the heck is going on?" The first Flash started to cringe and whimper. "Uh...uh..." he said, starting to speak with a scratchy, high-pitched voice. "I can explain." The first Flash burst into green flames, and started to shrink significantly. A tiny Changeling crept out of the flame, and started cowering before Princess Luna. "D-don't hurt me!" stammered the tiny Changeling. "Prince Naurius, I presume?" Luna said, remembering the young Changeling. "Uh-huh." nodded Naurius. "Just...be nice, will ya?" "What is the matter with you?" asked Luna, concerned. "I'm not going to hurt you. But I am going to question why you felt the need to disguise yourself as Flash Sentry here." "Yeah, you better have a good explanation, little guy." said Flash Sentry, staring Naurius down. "You can get in a lot of trouble trespassing in Canterlot Castle." "It's quite all right." said Luna. "I'm sure Naurius meant no harm." "Of course I don't!" said Naurius. "Naurius, why don't you sit with me for a moment?" "Sit with you?" repeated Naurius, tilting his head in confusion. Luna nodded, then sat down on the floor. Naurius crept to her side and sat down. "Now, would you care to explain--" "WWAAAAAHHHHHH-HAAA-HAAAAAAAAAA!!" Naurius started to bawl wildly, clasping to Luna's front-left hoof and sobbing into her saddle-plate. "Sssshhhhh..." Luna put her other hoof over him to relax. "I'm sorry." said Naurius. "I just...can't control myself sometimes." "Take a deep breath, Naurius, and tell me what's gotten into you?" said Luna. "What are you doing all the way in Canterlot away from your family" "My...family." grumbled Naurius. "My...stupid...mean... disrespectful, lollygagging lackadaisy--I mean, I've got problems with my sister...you know, as usual." "Princess Dana?" asked Luna. "Yep, that's her." Naurius rolled his eyes. "She's been riding me harder than usual all month long. She blames me for every mistake she makes, and she's a big jerk about it, and...I just wanna get away from it all. Princess Luna?" "Yes?" "Is it okay if I stay here with you...at the castle?" asked Naurius. "What?" Luna and Flash both said at once. "I mean, just for a couple of days." said Naurius, agitated. "Until that wannabe Queenie stops being a meanie...to me!" "I'm not too sure if that would be a wise decision." said Luna. "Aw, come on!" whined Naurius. "I promise I won't get in your way. I swear it!" His eyes dilated. "You...don't mind if I don't really swear do you?" asked Naurius. "I did that once, and Dana left me stranded in a cave for five days." He shuddered. "But what about the rest of your family?" asked Luna. "Wouldn't this cause an incident if the Changelings found out one of their royal family was--" "Eh....I'm sure father wouldn't mind." said Naurius, shaking one of his hooves dismissively. "He barely pays that much attention to me anyway. And my own mom can barely stand to be around me and father. Says I'm too high-strung or something. Could you imagine?" "I'm sure I could." "So what do you say, Princess Luna?" Naurius bent down on his back hooves. "Can I stay for a while?" His mouth started to quiver and his yellowish-green eyes became even larger than before. Teddy and Trixie were playing cards in the lounge. "Full house!" said Trixie, laying her cards on the table. "Just like my magic shows. I win, Teddy." "You sure did, Trixie." said Teddy. "And now that Trixie has beaten you twenty times in a row, you must tell her the truth..." Trixie leaned towards Teddy, narrowing her eyes. Teddy started to sweat. "Does the Timid and Inferior Teddy recall that moment, last month, in Canterlot..." Trixie said in a low tone. "When he dared lock lips and tongue with the face of Trixie?" "Oh...the kiss?" stammered Teddy. "Yes. That." Trixie whispered intensely. "And I want to get to the bottom of this once and for all." The whole world seem to grind to a halt as the two stared into each other's eyes. Suddenly, there was a rumble of thunder, the door was slowly opened, and two merc-ponies entered the room. They both raised their bladed hooves. Sunset Shimmer went into her bedroom with Bathilda, who was screeching her head off over the loud thunder outside. "Don't worry, sweetie." said Sunset. "We'll be out of this storm before you know it." There was a flash of lightning, and Bathilda flew up and latched onto a light on the wall, and hid herself beneath her wings. "It's just a little lightning, Bathilda." said Sunset, chuckling. "Don't worry. We've got lightning rods installed on the airship, so it won't hit us as long as we keep our course. It's nothing to be afraid of." Bathilda started to shudder, tightening herself in her wings even harder than before. Sunset smiled. "I'm positive that you'll be okay." Bathilda poked her head out with an unsure expression on her face as she looked into Sunset's eyes. "I promise." Sunset nodded. "Now will you come back down here?" Bathilda cautiously looked out the window, and then swooped down into Sunset's mane, squeaking happily. "You're such a good little bat." said Sunset, smiling. "You know that?" Bathilda nodded. Sunset levitated a pear out of a nearby fruit bowl, and held it in front of her face. "Chow down." said Sunset, adding as the fruit bat started to nibble. "Not too fast now, okay? Just wait here a minute while I check with Nose Nip about finding a faster way out of the storm." Bathilda flew off to a table to continue eating the pear, while Sunset looked at her with a warm, loving grin. The she turned around to open her door. She telekinetically opened it, only to reveal three stallions in dark armor and gas masks standing in her doorway. Sunset stared blankly at the trio, who stood silently, staring at her ominously. Sunset telekinetically shut the door on them slowly and calmly. Suddenly, the door burst open, and the three stallions dove into the room, surrounding Sunset. "Can I help you guys with anything?!" Sunset said frantically. The stallions each held up a front hoof, each with a weapon attached. One of them tackled Sunset, pinning her to the ground. "I don't know...who...you guys are..." grunted Sunset. "But you just messed with the wrong unicorn!" Her horn shone brightly, and the three stallions were levitated into the air, and shot back out the door. But this didn't stop them for long, since they all got back up in a matter of seconds. Sunset engaged them. She swung her front hoof into the head of one of the mercenaries, then blasted another away with a concussive blast from her horn. Then she stood upright on her back legs to face the third. posing like a human martial artist. The mercenary complied, and made the same pose, but with axe-blades protruding from his hoof-braces. "Let's go." Sunset told the mercenary. They leapt at each other, the mercenary swinging his blades wildly at his opponent. Golden Sun was reading a book on the History of Saddle Arabia, when suddenly the door to the library was knocked down, and Frosty crashed through, grappling a pegasus mercenary. "What in Equestria is going on here?!" shouted Golden Sun, alarmed. "What'zit look like t'yah?!" Frosty blurted out as he hoof-punched his in the face. "We're undah attack!" "Not again!" sighed Golden Sun, hopping off his stool. "Don't worry, I'll help ya!" He hesitated, and then grabbed another wooden stool, holding it up in his hooves. He ran hollering towards the two, and swung the stool to whack the mercenary on the head. But the mercenary dodged, picked up Frosty, and placed him in the stool's path. "Yow!" shrieked Frosty. "Sorry!" winced Golden Sun. "Just use yo' magic, ya looney!" Frosty shouted. Golden Sun's horn glowed, and he blasted both Frosty and the mercenary out the door. The mercenary hit the wall first, absorbing Frosty's collision. "Thanks!" said Frosty, dazed. "But if ya do that again..." Another mercenary leapt down from the ceiling. But Frosty was ready this time, and blasted him away. "Ya might end up like that guy!" Frosty shook himself awake. "Just sayin'." Golden Sun went out into the corridor, and the two unicorn stallions regrouped. "We've gotta find the others." said Frosty and Golden Sun at the same time. "Exactly what I was thinking...stop it! You stop it." More mercenaries emerged from the shadowy corners of the corridor. "Enough talk!" they both shouted at the same time. "Just fight them!" The two stood themselves back-to-back, and started blasting spells at the mercs. "What in blazes is that noise?!" groaned Pressure Point, who was in the infirmary. The door opened, and a pegasus stallion in black armor entered the room. "Halt!" said the stallion. "Stop what you're doing!" "You mean trying to take you seriously?" snarked Pressure Point as he looked at the reflection. "You're not exactly the first stallion to try threatening me on this airship. Just look the stallion over there." He nudged his head towards the far end. "Over where--" Pressure Point used his telekinesis to levitate the stallion and smashed him into the far end of the infirmary, where he landed on a table. Pressure then levitated a mirror up to the stallion's masked face. "Right there." said Pressure. "See him?" "Yeah, I sure see him." said the mercenary, pointing towards the doorway. Another merc was there, armed with bladed hooves. Pressure telekinetically flicked his head, and the mirror struck the second merc on the head. While he was staggering, Pressure used his magic to shoot him back into the corridor. "Thank you for being so helpful to the good doctor." said Pressure. "Have a lollipop." Then he opened a closet, grabbed a giant lollipop the size of a stop sign, and whacked the mercenary over the head with it, knocking him out cold. "Now stay where you are like a good little colt, and I'll give you a free check-up as soon as all your pesky friends are dealt wi--" Phip! Pressure felt a dart hit him on the neck. He felt a strange sensation going through his mind. A sensation that he was all to familiar with. "Anesthetics..." said Pressure, groggily as he turned around and saw a third mercenary pony in the doorway wielding a blowgun. "That all you got?" Another dart was fired into his neck. "Go ahead." said Pressure, laughing dryly. "Keep shooting that stuff at me. I'm a doctor. I probably patented whatever you're..." Suddenly, four more darts struck him from behind the third stallion. Then Pressure's eyes rolled, and he blacked out, just as he was about to cast a spell. The last thing he could see was a blurry image of a half dozen other armored stallions looming over him in the darkness. There were voices talking to each other. "What should we do?" "Bring him down to the cargo bay with the others." said a distorted voice.