Nighttide Star

by Vertigo-01

Chapter 8 - Unity

The scene that just took place in front of them seemed surreal to Nighttide. In a way, she found it comical to be bound up by some villain with good intentions. It was yet another situation right out of a story book.

But regardless of the absurdity of the situation which she and Fluttershy had walked into, or that their captor was a water-wielding magician, the fact remained: this was all real. And Twilight could really be in trouble.

Nighttide sighed as she sat down and lost herself in thought for a moment. It was one thing to contemplate the ridiculousness of everything that was taking place, and quite another to try to see the seriousness in it. She wasn't sure how things would play out next, but whatever happened, she would do her best to help the mare that had devoted so much of her time to make her feel welcome in an unfamiliar land.

“Nighttide?” A frail voice sounded from her side. “Are you alright?”

Nighttide turned to Fluttershy – yet another pony that had gone out of her way to make her unintended visit to Equestria an experience she would never forget. “Yes,” she finally managed to reply. “Sorry. Was just thinking…”

Obviously, being trapped in a cell was hard to ignore, but Fluttershy was curious what was holding back Nighttide. “What are you thinking about?”

“Just… hmm.” Nighttide shook her head with a smile. “It's been a crazy couple of days. Guess it's all finally starting to sink in.”

She stood back up. Coming back to her senses, she began to examine the cage around them. “Well, this shouldn't be too hard,” she said as she examined the bolt latch to one of the two doors. “Fluttershy, can you look away for a sec?”

“Sure,” the pegasus turned around obediently to face the door through which they came. “I'm guessing it's ‘classified?’”

“Nah, just bright.” Nighttide opened a flap in her chest, and out stuck a small rod with a beveled edge. She walked up carefully to the bolt and touched the rod to the metal, which immediately began to shoot sparks. “Kind of crude, but it'll work,” Nighttide remarked over the sound of the electrical fizzle.

Within seconds, the bolt was cut away, and the door swung open for them. Nighttide turned around, ready to coax Fluttershy into their next move. But to her surprise, she found the pegasus had already turned around and walked up to where she was.

“Shall we go find Twilight now?” Fluttershy asked, neither confident nor afraid – just ready.

With a smile, Nighttide nodded as she led the way up the stairs Riptide had taken Twilight.

__________

Nighttide's sensors seemed to be all but useless within the airship. Considering the reflective magic which cloaked the outside of the ship, she figured it must be permeating through the walls. But why a pony would want to line even the interior with such a magic seemed to make no sense. Unless…

Nighttide tilted her head back. “Hey Fluttershy, I know you don't know this Riptide guy, but have you ever seen him around town before?”

“Not that I know of.” She took a moment to think as she walked behind the mare. “Well, I do remember seeing a blue stallion talking with somepony on my way through town after dropping you off at the library. I think he had a red cutie mark though?”

Nighttide sighed again. “Seems like this guy's really been keeping tabs on Twilight. I wonder if he knows anything about me and just isn't letting on.” She thought more about it, but then said, “Nah. I've scanned stuff around you guys and talked about it before, but I've never actually said anything to anypony else. I dunno… it's just weird.” Her statement out of context, Fluttershy followed on in silence, a little more nervous now than before and preferring to keep as quiet as possible.

After a while, Nighttide's sensors finally detected some anomalous activity in a nearby room. “C'mon, something's down here.” Slowing her approach, she motioned for Fluttershy to keep her hoofsteps as quiet as possible. As the two sneaked forward, Nighttide stuck her head around the corner into the adjacent room.

‘Huh. What a careless guy,’ Nighttide thought to herself. In the room was Twilight and Riptide, with no visible defenses of any sort around them. Twilight sat on a circular pedestal as a nearby device cast a dark blue shade of magic over her body. She didn’t know what the magic was doing, but it didn't seem to be hurting Twilight. Regardless, she noticed her expression once again. Twilight stared down at the floor in front of her, her ears folded back against her head. ‘Why is she so down rather than trying to fight back?’

Nighttide motioned for Fluttershy to step back, which she did so gladly, proceeding to hunker down and cover her eyes. Nighttide then revealed another small opening just above her chest and proceeded to step quietly within the line-of-sight of Riptide.

Out of the opening shot a small, nearly invisible something that hit Riptide squarely in the neck. He flinched, rubbing at his neck as if a flea had bit him. Then, after a few seconds, he realized something was wrong. Only managing to stumble a couple hooves behind him, he then fell to the floor, out cold. Nighttide called back to Fluttershy and walked into the room.

“Your Highness, your mare in shining armor is here to save the day!” Nighttide bowed in a most exaggerated fashion as she shot a huge grin at Twilight.

“You guys! You got out! But…” Twilight looked over at Riptide, then back at Nighttide with a concerned expression. “I thought you said you wouldn't—”

“And I didn't,” Nighttide interjected as she held up a hoof. “Sleep agent. Won't do him a bit of harm… so long as you guys have the same blood as us.” She hoofed at her mane as she realized her lack of discretion.

“Thanks, you two. Um, could you…?” Twilight nodded in the direction of the device that was still casting magic around her. Nighttide examined the device and shifted it a little from its position, which seemed to be all that was necessary – instantly, the magic stopped with an audible pop, and Twilight was free to move again.

As Twilight stepped off the pedestal, Nighttide scanned the device. Given her scant knowledge of magic, all her scanning revealed was crude metals and a little bit of unknown ore-based substances.

“Well, I guess this is the part where we get the hay out of here?” Twilight suggested to the two, trying to feign a spark in her voice. But Nighttide wasn't buying.

“Twilight? Maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions here, but something seemed off after Riptide gave his little speech. Is there something up?”

Twilight didn't want to lie to Nighttide or Fluttershy, but she had no interest in touching on the subject just yet. “Let's get out of here first, then we can talk.”

“Hey, wait a sec,” Nighttide stopped Twilight once more. “If this guy is serious about developing a magic capable of mass destruction, shouldn't we do something about him and this ship?”

“The way I see it, this thing is headed somewhere important. I don't know where or for what, but I'd rather find out what its destination is than destroy everything here – or hurt Riptide.” The three looked back at the stallion lying on the ground. “Are you sure he's gonna be fine?”

Nighttide shrugged. “Pretty sure… Well, this isn't my native land, so if this is the strategy you have in mind, that's fine. But wouldn't it be better for us to ride the ship and see where it goes?”

“We need to contact the Princesses so that they can alert the Royal Guard, just in case this escalates in any way.”

“Fair enough,” Nighttide said with a nod. “Lead the way, m'lady.”

The three walked out into the hall and found their way back to the deck. As they opened the door, the wind threatened to suck them into the freezing air. All three ponies hunkered against the floor and proceeded to crawl out, one by one.

“Hey,” Nighttide shouted from the back of the line, “who's flying this thing anyway?”

“It's some sort of preset magic, I think,” Twilight shouted back. “It's been flying on its own ever since Riptide captured me.”

“Oh yeah,” Nighttide remembered something important. “Ain't got no wings no more, Princess. Think you could lend one?”

Not filled in on the back-story, Twilight looked at her with a little confusion, but then nodded to Fluttershy to crawl back with her to either side of Nighttide. The two grabbed hold of her barrel, and as she examined the horizon, Twilight shouted, “On three, spread your wings, Fluttershy! All the way!”

“Yeah, I'm good at this!” she shouted back. Nighttide’s ensuing chuckle was masked by the sound of the wind whipping around them.

With a “one, two, three!” the pegasus and alicorn spread their wings to their full span and were lifted high off the deck, hoisting Nighttide along with them. Even with all her unsprung weight, Nighttide didn't seem to inhibit their ever increasing altitude.

“Twilight, how high are we anyway!?” Nighttide shouted up.

As the three looked down beneath them, they realized that they were thousands of hooves above the ground – so high that the air was beginning to thin. The ship they were traveling in had apparently been working tirelessly to reach the top peak of a mountain range nearby, surrounded by a canopy of snow-filled clouds. “I think that's the Appaloosan mountains below us!” Twilight shouted. “How long has this thing been flying?”

“For about an hour,” Nighttide shouted from below.

With Fluttershy's lack of strength and Twilight's lack of wing dexterity, the two drifted lazily in the air as they slowly began to lose altitude. A clearing in the clouds off in the horizon directed them toward Ponyville, now an almost unidentifiable plot of land in the distance. It would be a few minutes before they could even consider where to land. Twilight just hoped that their wings could hold out for that long, as Nighttide's weight now began to reveal itself.

With little to say or think about other than their current predicament, the motley crew of airborne mares glided forward. As the ground grew closer, they saw a colorful blur begin to head their way. “Twilight! Fluttershy!” A raspy voice shouted from the distance.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight shouted with as much volume as she could under her current strain.

As Rainbow Dash closed in, she noticed the two carrying Nighttide below them. “What in Equestria are you guys doing up here?!”

“Oh, you know, enjoying the view,” Nighttide remarked to the cerulean pegasus. “Care to lend a hoof?”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head. “Can't you fly?”

“Of course,” Nighttide nodded dramatically, “I just prefer being carried… Seriously, one of my wings is broken. Help?”

Rainbow Dash positioned herself beneath Nighttide and let some of her weight rest on her back. “Dang, you really are heavy,” she shouted to the pony overhead.

“Well excuse me for being as thick as your skull.”

“It's no prob— HEY!”

Now a group of four, the Y-shaped ensemble eventually made their landing in a clearing just outside of Sweet Apple Acres. As three of the ponies relished contact with the ground, Rainbow Dash continued hovering overhead.

“So, again, what the hay were you guys doing way up there? I saw this weird burst of light a while back, then a few minutes later, you guys were falling from the sky!”

“It's a long story,” Twilight replied. “We should round up the others first, and I need to send a letter off to the Princess immediately. Let's all meet at the library. Rainbow Dash, can you gather the others?”

“Uh, sure.” Noticing the urgency in Twilight's tone, she decided not to ask any further questions. With a solid flap of her wings, Rainbow Dash sped off to gather their friends as the other three galloped toward Ponyville, thankful to be earth-bound once again.

__________

“Spike! Spike, where are you?!” Twilight frantically called around the library as her, Fluttershy, and Nighttide stormed inside.

“Whoa, calm down Twilight, I'm right here,” the baby dragon called up from the balcony floor, a scattered pile of comic books all around him.

“Spike, get ready to send a letter to the Princess. It's an emergency.”

Without another word, Spike bolted down the stairs to grab a blank scroll and quill from a desk. Fluttershy took a seat while Nighttide began to pace slowly around the room, reviewing on her retinal display some of the material she had scanned earlier. “Ready,” Spike called from the desk.

Twilight cleared her throat before beginning. “Princess Celestia. Today, while Nighttide and I were visiting the old castle, I was kidnapped by a stallion named Riptide – a former member of the Royal Guard. During my capture, I learned that he is developing what he called ‘negative magic’ that is capable of widespread damage… and possibly death.” Twilight hesitated only for a moment as Spike stared straight at the scroll, ready to continue. “Riptide explained that he is working on this magic to present to you and your sister as a means of defense in the event of a crisis, but considering his actions today, I believe that he may be a danger to Equestria. His last known location was above a mountain range beyond the Everfree Forest. Please respond ASAP with instructions on how to proceed.”

“Hey Twilight,” Nighttide said, “let her know that I placed a tracking device on his ship a while back. If we can get to the area again, I should be able to locate it pretty quick.”

“Get that, Spike?”

“Got it.” One puff of Spike's green fire, and the message was on its way. Twilight took a seat of her own near Fluttershy, while Nighttide continued pacing.

“What's up, Nighttide?” Twilight asked as she sat down to calm her nerves.

“Nothing, actually. I'm reviewing the material I scanned from that thing that was casting magic on you, but there's really nothing of importance that I can see. Metals, plants, crude construction… there's nothing of significance here.”

Twilight tilted her head. “Hey, is there any way you could use that ‘hologram’ to show us what you're looking at?”

Nighttide's head perked up. “Yeah, actually!” She opened the door on her back, and the hologram projector hummed to life. “Maybe you can figure some of this stuff out.” She walked up to where Twilight sat so she wouldn't have to stand again, her exhaustion from the flight down now evident in her labored breathing. Fluttershy watched curiously from aside as the hologram gained definition.

As Nighttide kneeled to a comfortable position, Twilight asked, “Can you pull up an image of the device Riptide was using on me just before we escaped?”

“Sure thing.” Nighttide switched to a spectral image as it appeared in real life. The actual image displayed to one side, while finer details displayed on the other, such as size, density, and identified substances.

“Can you focus on the top part of the device?” Twilight asked. “There's a pattern of some sort on it.”

Nighttide digitally zoomed in on the top portion and enhanced the image. Twilight was amazed for a moment at the amount of clarity Nighttide was able to capture. And then, she noticed something significant.

“That pattern…” She squinted at the image as she leaned forward. “I think I've seen it in a reference guide for Star Swirl somewhere.”

Suddenly, the front door burst open again, and in came the rest of the crew. “Twilight, what's going on?” shouted Applejack as she ran inside below Rainbow Dash, with Rarity and Pinkie Pie in close pursuit.

“Oh, thank goodness you girls are here,” Twilight sighed as she motioned for Nighttide to turn off the display. “It's a long story, so have a seat.”

Twilight filled everyone in on what had taken place since the morning, most of them responding with shocked expressions or, in the case of Pinkie Pie, confusion. “So you're telling us there's this pony who likes water that kidnapped you from the castle and made you float in the air and took you on his flying ship to use you to make bad magic?”

Everyone blinked at Pinkie Pie. “Y-yes, actually. All of that,” Twilight answered.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let's GO GET 'EM!” As Pinkie proceeded to spring back outside, Applejack caught her by the tail.

“Nuffin doin',” Applejack retorted with a mouth full of pink fluff. “Gi' bach in hurr.” With a fling of her head, she tossed Pinkie back into the room, whose returned a frown.

“Girls, this is serious,” Twilight reaffirmed to everyone. “If what Riptide said is true, then we could all be in danger.”

“Hold on, dear,” Rarity interjected, “I'm confused about one little point. You said that Riptide was trying to make this magic to help Equestria, not hurt us.”

“I know that, but what I'm concerned most about is the magic itself, not necessarily his intentions. If he finishes his work, if the knowledge of this magic falls into anypony's hooves, who knows what kind of damage could be done in the future?”

A murmur of agreement sounded between everypony as Nighttide and Fluttershy watched quietly from the corner.

“Well then, what do you propose we do?” Applejack asked.

“I'll tell ya what we do,” Rainbow Dash shouted from above. “We go find that airship thing and kick it out of the sky! Teach that Riptide who's boss!”

“I just sent a letter off to Princess Celestia,” Twilight added, “so let's try to wait until she replies back.”

With perfect timing, Spike belched up a sealed scroll and began to unfurl it. Clearing his throat, he read the message aloud. “Twilight, thank you for informing me about this incident. I have forwarded the information to the Royal Guard, and they are deploying pegasi to the area around the Appaloosan mountains. I will let you know as soon as I hear back from them. While I cannot suggest you use the Elements of Harmony any further, I would recommend that you work together with your friends, as well as Nighttide, to develop a solution.”

“Hey, wait a sec,” Nighttide interrupted. “What's this about the Elements?”

“Well, there's one thing we left out when visiting with the Princess,” Twilight said. “We had to return the Elements back to the Tree of Harmony when Discord's plunderseeds began to grow and spread vines all across Equestria.”

Nighttide gave a stern look at Fluttershy. “Your Discord, I take it?” Fluttershy gave a weak smile and nodded with a blush.

Spike continued reading off the message. “I will speak with Luna to see how we should proceed next, and until we locate Riptide, your brother Shining Armor will be re-stationed here in Canterlot. I have sent a message to Princess Cadance asking her to send him this way now, and for her to be on the lookout for Riptide anywhere near the Crystal Empire.” Spike then rolled the message back up and placed it on a nearby table.

Everypony looked at each other for a moment in silence, not sure of what to say or do next. After a moment, it was Nighttide who decided to make the first move.

“Okay, so, we've got a unicorn on the loose who is developing a dangerous form of magic. A few of us can fly, a few can't…” She turned to Twilight. “Didn't you mention something about a balloon of some sort as means of transportation?”

“Yes,” she said with a nod. “In fact, we have a hot air balloon that we use for select events here in Ponyville.”

“Perfect.” Nighttide hesitated for a moment. “I know I'm not formally a part of the group here, but… is it alright if I make a suggestion?” Everyone nodded in response, a few of them casting small smiles. “Alright then. Here's my, uh… professional opinion.

“In Roanne, the first order of business in a crisis like this would be reconnaissance – to scout out and locate the enemy, which as Princess Celestia mentioned, the Royal Guard is now attempting to do. While that's fine, there's no reason we can't pitch in as well. But we need to come up with a plan, and I think I may have a few strategies that could help out here – especially given you ponies don't have the Elements to use anymore.”

Twilight smirked as she watched her new friend take the lead, allowing her a chance to observe for once.

“As I understand it, you ponies don't use telecommunications here. Spike, are you able to send and receive letters from the Princess wherever you are in Equestria?” He nodded. “Then this is my suggestion: All of us who can't fly should take the hot-air balloon, provided it can carry our weight.” Nighttide glanced at Twilight, who gave an affirming nod. “We’ll take Spike with us as messenger for the Princess. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy can fly ahead of the balloon and scout out the mountain range along with the Royal Guard.” Nighttide gave a firm but sweet look to Fluttershy, who did her best to put on a face of confidence. “In the event that anypony locates Riptide, one pony or another will meet with the other group and inform them. Twilight will fly with us in the balloon and act as our messenger, so she can stay near Spike in case she needs to correspond with the Princess.

“In the event we do locate Riptide, and provided it’s accessible, we'll set a course for the ship or its target destination and proceed with caution. We don't know what kind of magic he may use in self-defense, but he seemed very serious about completing this ‘negative magic’ stuff. The sleep agent I used on him will only last about two hours. However, the goal will be his capture, not to bring any harm to him. And…” Nighttide inhaled. “That's it. What do you girls think?”

Everypony looked at each other for a moment, mulling it over. After a moment, they all agreed unanimously to give it a shot.

“There's just one thing I'm concerned about,” Nighttide closed off, “and it's ironic, given Riptide's intentions: we need to be ready to defend ourselves in the event that Riptide acts out in a violent manner. If he decides to use this magic he's developing, then we could all be in serious danger.” Nighttide paused to gauge everyone's expression. “I need to know you girls are ready to defend yourselves if it comes down to it.”

“What do you mean by ‘defend,’ exactly?” Twilight asked.

Nighttide sighed. “I honestly can't say. This magic he's talking about, I don't have any idea how it works or if there's even anything we could do against it. And, for all intents and purposes, I don't have a clue how magic works period. You ponies here are the experts. In any case, what I guess I'm trying to say is… if any one or the other of us is put in danger, we need to be ready to protect ourselves, no matter what.”

While her inflection may have not suggested the mortal point Nighttide was trying to convey, everypony let out an understanding sigh, and Twilight spoke for the group. “Don't worry, Nighttide. This isn't the first time we've had to do something dangerous.”

“Yeah, I know.” Nighttide hoofed at the ground a little, worried she had taken her lead too far. “I just don't want anything bad to happen. And, for those ponies who didn't know already…” Nighttide revealed her in-tact right wing and engine, to Applejack and Pinkie Pie's surprise. “I was actually able to fly up until just a few hours ago. So, if something happens out there, I'm not going to be able to come to anypony's rescue.”

Still a little surprised at the sight, Applejack collected herself and spoke up. “Now Nighttide, I hope you're not thinkin' you're responsible for any of this? The way you're talkin', it's almost like you're tryin' to make up for somethin'.”

“No, everypony, it's just…” Nighttide drew a breath and looked off to the side. “If this was even just a few days ago, I probably would’ve charged head-first into a situation like this with guns blazing – barely a thought given to the welfare of anypony. It’s the way I’ve been trained. I follow DIRE's rules and regulations to a fault, and even though I’m still a pony with emotions of my own, they’ve been made to be the last priority. To fulfill the duties assigned to me, to act according to protocol. That's how I've been raised for so many years. And those protocols don’t highlight any importance on the welfare of ponies other than our own.”

Nighttide looked up to see that everypony was listening intently. As she looked at each mare individually, she continued. “There's some of you I still don't know well… Applejack. Rarity. Pinkie Pie. And there are a couple of you that I've gotten to know a little better recently, like you, Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy, of course. And,” she said with a slight smile, “your newest princess of Equestria, Twilight Sparkle. There's still a lot I have to learn in life – there's so much I want to accomplish that I haven't thought about in years. But in just the short amount of time I've got to know you all, I've been reminded of what it means to think for yourself, to feel for yourself, and how to respond to those feelings without completely losing yourself. I don't know what it is about you girls, but you've made me feel so welcome, so loved. Like I'm important because I'm a pony, and not a project. And, for what it's worth,” Nighttide stammered on, “i-it's been a great experience… I don't know really where I'm going with all of this,” she said, hoofing at the back of her mane, “but suffice it to say, if it hadn't been for you all, I could have become something much worse. I was meant to kill. But I want to mean so much more than that.”

Nighttide then looked out a nearby window with a stern expression. “And I want to handle this crisis the way you ponies would. I believe in your ways. There has to be a way we can solve this without anypony getting hurt.”

Each of the ponies in the room gathered around Nighttide, some of them a little teary-eyed, while others wore warm smiles. Twilight was the first to speak. “Nighttide, I think I can speak for us all when I say that we consider you to be our friend. Yes, some of us haven't got to know you real well yet.” Twilight looked over at Applejack and Rarity, both of whom sported eager grins. “But that doesn't really matter right now. As far as we’re concerned, inasmuch as we know you and all that we've got to share already, we proudly consider you a friend – and a very welcome guest to Equestria.”

Nighttide cocked her head in each pony's direction, blinking a little frantically. As she tried to formulate a response, Applejack spoke again.

“Twilight's right, Nighttide. We'd sure love to get to know ya better, and hopefully in the next few days, we can do just that! But from where we stand right now, you're a friend in our eyes.” Pinkie Pie could be seen bouncing nearby with a nod and smile.

Finally, Nighttide found her voice. “It's still so funny to me, how you ponies can be so welcoming.” She looked back out the window at the overcast sky, having been created by the weather patrol earlier. “Well, whatever happens next, I guess I should say… even if it is still new to me… I consider you all to be my friends as well.”

The ponies let out a round of “Awh's” and surrounded Nighttide in a group hug, which all but locked her in place. Each of them nuzzled against her, and as the warmth and softness of each pony's embrace sank in, Nighttide couldn't help but smile the biggest smile. ‘So, this is friendship.’

“Alright, everypony,” Twilight broke in the middle of their hug. “Let's go take care of this.”

As the group let out a round of cheers and headed outside, Nighttide followed closely beside Twilight. She remembered again her expression from earlier, and since nopony else was paying attention at the moment— “Twilight. About earlier, on Riptide's ship. Can you tell me what that was all about?”

“What? You mean— oh…” Twilight's confident expression was almost completely erased at the realization of what she meant. “Um… let's just say I have a few questions I need to ask the Princesses later.”

Nighttide’s ears folded back. “You mean about Equestria's history, right?”

“Yeah.” Twilight still couldn't figure out why the Princesses would have kept such information away from other pony's eyes. But, given all she had been through, she refused to let her trust in them be swayed that easily. With a weak smile, she looked over at Nighttide. “I'm sure it'll all be fine in the end. They always have a good reason for the choices they make.”

“I can easily see how you'd feel that way,” Nighttide replied. “But, speaking as an outsider without as much personal bias, I have to admit that's a significant decision on their part – to hide history – and one that certainly merits questioning.”

“I know,” Twilight affirmed, a little flustered. “That's why I'm going to speak with them about it.”

Nighttide nodded, and the two galloped ahead to catch up with the others.

Comments

[hmaf43]

I will be really dissapointed if Riptide didn't get a 'good' ending. Either having him burning down together with his dream or be locked away forever as mane6 failed to 'reform' him.

He deserved more than that cheap-ass ending.