Past Actions, Future Consequences

by Rill

Ch. 19 Fight and Flight

Suppressing a yawn, Shadow glanced at the spotlessly clean metal door in front of him. In the door, he could see Princess Luna’s reflection as the larger alicorn stood silently next to him. Letting his gaze fall over the princess for a moment, the colt’s eyes wandered to the other two passengers in the elevator. The two thestrals stood silently at attention, as if they had been carved from stone and then trained by the Royal Guard. To Luna’s right, a dark grey stallion nearly as big a Shining Armor stood, his eyes resolutely focused on the closed doors ahead of them. From where he stood, the young alicorn had a more than generous view of the older pony and the numerous scars that crisscrossed his body. Though the stallion had only glanced at him once before taking his place by his princess’s side, Shadow couldn’t help but feel utterly intimidated by him.

Next to the silent stallion was another thestral. If anything, she was about as different from her companion as a pony could be. Where the stallion stood rigidly, the mare’s stance was more relaxed, though no less on guard. From where he stood, Shadow could see how her armor seemed just a hair too loose, the straps just a bit too long. Letting his gaze drift up, Shadow felt his heart stop for a brief moment as he locked eyes with her reflection in the doors. His heart started beating a second later as she winked at him before quickly sticking her tongue out at him. Blushing, the colt’s eyes snapped back to focusing on the metal before him like it was the most interesting thing in Equestria. If my family could see me now…

Looking above the doors, Shadow watched the dial’s hand slowly reach the two o’clock position. When Princess Luna had told him that Cadance and Shining Armor had arrived, he had thought that they’d be heading for the train station. Instead, he had followed her and the two thestrals down a couple flights of stairs to an elevator. An elevator that the colt was hard pressed to prove was even moving at all. Despite his admittedly small experience when it came to these small moving rooms, Shadow was pretty sure that one should be able to tell that the room was actually moving. As it was, whoever had designed this thing had done their job so well that the only way the colt could tell that they were moving at all was the slow pace of the dial above the door and the change in pressure that messed with his hearing.

As the silence around them continued, Shadow’s mind slowly turned to what faced him. While his friends back in Ponyville hadn’t been wrong about his fears about what ponies back home might try if they saw him, they were only half right. In truth, he wasn’t too worried about his safety while Princess Luna was nearby. Only a completely suicidal idiot would try to hurt him while she was around. What scared the young colt the most was what might happen after their business with the mayor was concluded. Would he be returning to Equestria with Luna and the others or would he be left behind once his usefulness had come to an end? That last scenario seemed even more possible to the young alicorn if they found out about his grandparents. If he was left behind in their care… Shadow shook his head. There was no way in Tartarus that he would voluntarily stay with those asses. If he had to, he’d grab a passing cloud and ride it all the way back to Equestria. The colt was under no illusions about how low his chances of survival were if he tried to leave the island on his own, but he’d likely live longer trying to cross the Great Ocean than if he stayed with his grandparents.

Luna sighed to herself as her gaze fell on the young alicorn. She could see in his reflection that his mind was elsewhere. Where was anypony’s guess, though if she was a betting mare, the youngest Royal Sister would have bet that it wasn’t on anything pleasant. Glancing to her right, she caught her two guards’ eyes reflecting back at her. They had noticed too and were wondering what to do. Before she could do anything, the princess felt the elevator come to an almost imperceptible stop, the polished doors opening silently a heartbeat later. Glancing at the two thestrals, the larger alicorn simply tilted her head toward the waiting train. Watching as they left, Luna turned to look down at the colt next to her. Despite the doors being wide open, Shadow hadn’t made a single move, as if he had yet to notice that they had even opened. Smiling slightly, the princess extended a wing, letting it gently drape over the entranced colt. The simple move had its intended effect, as Shadow jumped slightly at the sudden contact. Luna felt her smile grow as the colt looked around before looking up at her “Come” she said, tilting her head toward the open doors “we have finally arrived.”

Nodding silently, Shadow trotted out of the elevator alongside his princess. Falling slightly behind the larger alicorn as he took in his surroundings, Shadow could barely hide how underwhelmed he felt. Unlike the regular train station in Canterlot, which was covered in white marble and large murals, this private station, if it could even be called that, didn’t even begin to compete with the other station far above them. Instead of the white marble that he had come to see as Canterlot’s signature look, the walls around them were the same rock that made up the mountain the city was perched on, though, if he was being fair, the polished swirling pink and black patterns of the stone was more interesting than blank white walls.

Lowering his gaze from the platform’s ceiling, Shadow stopped in his tracks. Gleaming under the hidden ceiling lights was a locomotive like none he had ever seen before. It had become something of a habit back in Ponyville that anytime he wanted to be alone; he’d grab a cloud and lounge around on it. Sometimes he’d set it above Whitetail Woods, other times he’d spend his alone time over Sweet Apple Acres or the town’s small beach or one of the many farm fields around his adoptive home. For the past few months, he had been spending his time a couple hundred feet above Ponyville’s train station. He didn’t quite know what it was, but for whatever reason, he found watching the trains rumble by beneath him oddly relaxing. In all the time he spent watching the trains come and go, they all looked the same: a cylindrical boiler that would occasionally vary in length with a box-shaped cab in the back. The locomotive before him on the other hoof looked as if somepony with an art degree had taken one look at a regular locomotive and had taken it upon themselves to design something that a pony would stop to look at. In the magically created light, the long hood of the engine glistened; the light reflecting off the vehicle’s hundreds of facets. If he had to pick one word to describe what he was looking at, Shadow would have had to pick sleek. Along the side of the engine, a streak of purple started at the nose, following the length of the locomotive until it ended at the back of the cab. If anything, in Shadow’s estimation, the minor detail made it look like the engine was in motion, even though it was completely still. Letting his eyes wander over the rest of the train, the colt wasn’t surprised to see that the engine’s design had been applied to the cars as well. The cars were less boxy than usual, with the only interruptions in the cars’ rounded exterior being the numerous windows along the sides.

Near the back of the train, Shadow spotted Twilight chatting with Princess Celestia. Feeling himself hitch for a moment, the young alicorn forced himself to put one hoof in front of the other as he worked to catch up with Princess Luna. It had been months since he had given his presentation about his ancestor, and yet the eldest Royal Sister had done nothing, other than send him an unexpected letter detailing everything she remembered about Summer Breeze. The fact that she hadn’t stopped him from giving his report had surprised him, but the letter that had arrived two days later had caught him completely off guard. In fact, her whole attitude toward him had eventually given him pause. He had been so sure that he was as good as dead the moment she found out his connection to Summer Breeze and the fact that he would never blindly bow to her. He had been so sure that that night in her bedroom would be his last.

Yet he had walked out of the room alive.

When he began to think about it days later, he hadn’t known how to feel. At first he had been suspicious, wondering to himself if this was all part of her plan. Yet as the days turned into weeks, his thoughts slowly changed. Why would she wait so long to act? Everything he had been taught, everything he had known growing up, told him that the solar tyrant would brook no dissent, would not tolerate anypony who didn’t kiss her hoof. As the weeks dragged on and the weather slowly warmed, a single idea slowly took hold in his mind. It had started as a fleeting, traitorous thought: what if everything he thought he knew was wrong? At first he had dismissed it, yet it never truly disappeared. Every time his thoughts turned back to why she hadn’t done anything yet, that idea would always return; small and timid at first, with the voice of Fluttershy, before eventually changing to sound like Rainbow Dash when it seemed to notice that he wasn’t immediately dismissing it. Could he have been wrong? He wasn’t ready to accept such a conclusion just yet, but he knew it was a possibility.

“There you two are” Celestia said, turning to face the newly arrived alicorns. “What took you so long?”

“Our apologies, sister” Luna said, a smile playing across her face. “It took us some time to find our young friend here; then we had to take a couple minutes to deal with our dear nephew.”

“I hope he’s alright” Celestia replied, an eyebrow slowly rising as her gaze slowly shifted toward Shadow. “Last I saw him; he was running from a group of small thunderheads.” Next to her, Twilight looked confused while Shadow studiously observed the pink and black swirling stone beneath him.

“If he’s smart, our dear nephew will be more than alright by the time we return.”

Glancing up, Shadow noted that, while her raised eyebrow didn’t so much as twitch, a ghost of a smile flitted across the largest princess’s face. “Then I shall not keep you any longer” She said, stepping aside to allow the two newly arrived alicorns to pass. “I can’t wait for you to return.” She lowered her head as Shadow passed by. “That includes you too. I heard that Pinkie Pie is planning something big, and I’d hate for you to miss it.”

Shadow paused mid-step. He wasn’t sure how to feel about what she just said. While it could have been a line delivered by some two-bit hack villain, there had been more than a little genuine sincerity in her voice. Did she really want him to return for a reason other than finally dealing with him? Lowering his raised hoof, the colt took a step back before slowly lowering himself in a bow. “So would I, Princess.” Focused on what he was doing, the colt didn’t see the looks of shock and disbelief that Princess Luna and Twilight Sparkle traded.

“Then you better get going” Celestia replied, hiding her surprise with a polite chuckle.

Taking the hint, Shadow stood back up before trotting for the nearby car’s open door. Stepping inside, he wasn’t disappointed. Just like the outside, whoever had designed the train had paid attention to the inside as well. Whereas he was used to rows of half-padded benches filled with ponies and barely cleaned walls, the inside of the car glistened as light bounced off the crystal and polished steel interior.

“Nice isn’t it?”

Shadow turned around, a smile already on his face as the stallion strode up to him. “I’m not going to complain.”

Shining Armor chuckled. “I will admit; being married to a Princess has its perks. It definitely beats the alternative.”

“Indeed it does” Luna said as she followed Twilight into the car, the door silently sliding shut behind her. “Even though it is less direct, it is much more comfortable.”

Shadow slowly walked around the car, his attention focused on everything around him. Catching something in the corner of his eye, the colt turned to find the crystalline version of himself staring back from the wall. I wasn’t expecting that. Hearing nothing but silence, the young alicorn turned to find everypony else staring at him. “Where’s Spike?”

The question seemed to do the trick as the three princesses and Shining Armor blinked, as if finally realizing that they had been staring. “He’s in the next car forward helping the chef prepare dinner” Shining Armor said a moment later. “I think he mentioned something about daisy burgers and hay fries.”

Turning to look out the window, Shadow watched as the train pulled out into the fading light. I have got to meet whoever designed this thing Shadow thought as Canterlot shrank in the distance. Despite seeing the landscape whipping by outside, if he closed his eyes, the colt would have been hard pressed to even tell that they were moving at all.

Ignoring those around him, Shadow settled down on a padded bench next to a window. Placing his saddlebags and his vest next to him, the colt stared silently out the window, letting his mind go blank as the train carried them into the night. Outside, the sun was a blazing fire slowly sinking in the sky, its fading light bathing the land in oranges and reds. As the last light of the day vanished behind the horizon, the young alicorn could feel a buildup of magic behind him. On the other side of the window, the dark sky blazed to life as countless numbers of stars burst into view while a bone white circle started to peak above the horizon. Despite everything he had been thinking and feeling, the young orphan couldn’t keep himself from smiling a little.

“I thought you might like that.” Turning his head, Shadow watched as his favorite princess took a seat next to him. How could he not? Celestia just had the sun, while the princess next to him had the moon and thousands of stars. Sighing slightly, the colt returned to looking out the window, the two alicorns falling into a mostly comfortable silence. Sitting next to the young colt who she hoped would be her student one day, a single glance told Luna that his mind was elsewhere. She couldn’t blame him. After everything he had been through, if she was in his shoes, the last place she’d want to go would be back home. Smiling gently, the lunar princess slowly extended a wing, laying it across the young orphan’s back. To her surprise, not only did Shadow not flinch at the sudden contact, he shifted himself so that he could be closer to her. Luna’s smile grew.

---

Luna couldn’t help but smile as the wind played with her mane. Far below her, the ocean crashed against the ancient granite that formed the walls of the fjord. Angling her wings, the princess rolled over onto her back before plunging toward the water below. All she could hear was the whistling of the wind in her ears as the ocean raced up to meet her. At the last moment, the dark blue alicorn pulled up, her barrel just barely skimming the water’s surface. Letting out an extremely un-princess-like laugh, the lone alicorn kept her wings in place as she glided above the water. Feeling her momentum finally slow, Luna flapped her wings as she began to run. If there had been anypony watching, it would have looked like she was running on the ocean’s surface in an attempt to take off. Yet there was no pony to watch her, and she was perfectly fine with that.

In the distance, she could see the end of the fjord and the decent sized town that lay along the shore. As she neared the town, the tempo of Luna’s wings changed. Gone were the carefree strokes of a mare enjoying herself. In their place, the wings carved through the air as their owner pushed them for all they were worth.

Something was wrong.

Initially, the dream had been pleasant; idyllic even. A warm sun overhead, combined with a gentle breeze off the ocean would have made it the envy of any creature with wings, but something had changed. It wasn’t a change that she could see, but the lunar princess could sense that something was dangerously off. She could feel an overwhelming sense of fear and dread coming from the town before her. Pulling into a sharp climb as she reached the docks, it didn’t take the alicorn long to spot the trouble. In the center of the town was a large plaza, its bricks carved from the same rock that formed the fjord’s walls. Around the edges, hundreds, if not thousands, of ponies had gathered; their colorful coats and manes contrasting brightly against the grey stone. In the center of the plaza, a lone colt stood. Even if she couldn’t see him, Luna knew that it was Shadow. As one, the crowd slowly started to move in, the open area around the colt shrinking rapidly. Slowly gliding down as she watched everything unfold, Luna could tell that the young colt was on the verge of panicking and was completely unable to end the dream himself. Nearing the ground, she began to hear the voices of the crowd as they hurled insults and slurs at the lone colt. Before she could react, a large stallion burst from the crowd. Shadow had barely turned to look before the stallion’s front hoof connected solidly with the colt’s face, sending the youngalicorn tumbling into the legs of the crowd. Before he could move, a faceless mare spun on her hooves, bucking the colt in the gut and sending him flying into the open area before the crowd. Below her, the gathered ponies cheered as the insults grew.

Slowly, one pony, a rather well-groomed mare slowly stepped out of the crowd, her eyes locked on Shadow. Out of thin air, the mare pulled out a coil of rope, before tossing it before the downed colt. On the end of the rope, a noose had been expertly tied.

Oh, like hell.

Before anypony could make a move, Luna’s horn glowed as she banished the spell that kept her from being spotted by the dreamer or anypony in their dreams. Coming to a stop above Shadow, the princess dropped the last twenty feet to the ground, the plaza’s stones cracking as she landed. Around her, no pony moved. Igniting her horn again, the smile on Luna’s face caused everypony nearby to scramble backwards as the pile of rope burst into flames. “He’s. Mine.” The two words came out as a growl.

To her left, a rough-hewn door appeared out of thin air, before opening to reveal the dream realm on the other side. Luna didn’t say a thing. She didn’t need to. Hearing the young colt scramble for the door, the princess waited until he was out of sight before releasing a final spell that sent everypony fleeing in panic.

Slamming the door shut on the terrified screams of the dream ponies behind her, it took the princess little effort to find her companion. Shadow had parked himself next to a pink door with a crystal heart on it. Even from a distance, Luna could tell that he was barely holding back the tears that were trying to escape. Settling herself next to him, she gently embraced him with her wing, happily ignoring the feeling of her coat getting wet as the last shreds of the young orphan’s self-control evaporated.

As her horn glowed, the world around them dissolved, the stars beneath them slowly disappearing as a grass covered hill took their place. Feeling a gentle breeze blow through her mane as the leaves of the tree next to her rustled, Luna pondered what she had seen. While she had seen more than a few dreams where their owners were killed, she had never seen one so detailed or in a pony so young. Why had he been all alone? Luna didn’t know, and felt a sneaking suspicion that she didn’t want to know, but she did know one thing: she would gladly fall back into her madness before she let anything happen to him.

---

From where he sat in the observation car, Shadow had a perfect view of Manehattan. On the other side of the large glass dome, the city’s buildings grew, going from small single family homes, to apartments to finally the large skyscrapers that had left him in stunned silence when he had first set hoof in Equestria. Not far from the tracks, concrete walls began to grow out of the ground as the train began to sink below street level. The new day had barely been a smear on the horizon when he had found this car. As the sky had lightened, the scenery around the train had ensured that nothing short of food or a bathroom break would tear him away from his seat. The train had continued non-stop on its journey. By the time the sun had risen enough for anypony to see, they were well into the Unicorn Range. Around the train, the world was one idyllic scene after another. One moment they were rolling through a large meadow of wildflowers. The next, they were roaring out of a tunnel, a waterfall on one side, while on the other, a thousand foot drop that offered breathtaking views of tree filled valleys surrounded by the imposing snow-capped mountains that made the range world famous.

Sighing, the young colt returned to reality. Around him, the streets had risen until they were at the same level as him. Along the fence line that kept ponies from falling onto the tracks, ponies stopped to stare as the crystalline line of cars rolled past. Overhead, more than a few ponies lined the sides of the bridges that straddled the artificial canyon, some with their cameras flashing, while most were simply content to watch or wave. Waving back, Shadow felt his ears swivel as somepony almost silently climbed the stairs behind him. “I take it you approve of this car.”

“I can’t complain much” Shadow replied, smiling weakly as the lunar princess settled down next to him “though I preferred the mountain scenery to here.” The smile faded from his face. “I guess it reminded me of home.”

“I can’t say I blame you. If what I’ve seen in your dreams is any indication” Luna said as she rubbed a hoof against the colt’s back “I can’t wait to see your home for myself.” Her heart lifted slightly as the ghost of a smile flitted across his face. “Once we get everything wrapped up, perhaps you can show an old princess where she can stretch her wings?” The smile on her face mirrored the one on her companion.

“Oh, I might know a place or two…”

“That’s what I thought” Luna replied, patting the young orphan’s shoulder before standing. “For now though, you should get ready. We’ll be arriving at the docks in a few minutes.”

Following his princess’s lead, the lone colt slowly stood, taking a moment to stretch his wings before following her down the stairs. If he was honest, he wasn’t sure how he felt about going back to sea again. Sure he was going to be on what was probably the safest ship in the world, but while there were a number of things he enjoyed about his time on the Tranquility, any good memory he had about that time was tainted by that thing and what it had done. Trotting behind Princess Luna, Shadow wasn’t surprised to quickly find himself in the car he had spent most of the previous evening in. Along one wall, Twilight and Princess Cadance were chatting, about what he didn’t know, but judging by the amount of giggling going on, he figured he didn’t want to know. On the other side of the car, Spike and Shining Armor were engrossed in some role playing game that had taken over every square inch of the table’s surface. They had tried to get him to join them as a member of their party, but nothing about the game appealed to the colt, who had eventually decided to continue reading his ancestor’s original journal.

Leaving Luna, who had gone over to see how Spike and Shining Armor’s quest was faring, Shadow walked over to the seat he had set all of his stuff under. Igniting his horn, the colt set the vest over his back, slipping his wings into the hidden pockets before zipping the front shut. Beneath it, his saddlebags lay exactly where he had left them. Picking them up, the young pony had barely tightened the strap around his barrel when a glance out the window left his jaw on the floor. Outside the window, the mid-afternoon light glistened off the glass windows of the skyscrapers in the distance. While that in and of itself was a spectacular sight in most pony’s opinions, what had caught the colt’s attention was much closer.

Outside the window, the docks were a hive of activity, but these were not the docks the colt had been expecting. While he could see the open ocean less than a mile away, there were no ocean-going vessels in sight. Instead, the entire area was a sea of concrete. Every couple of hundred feet, a faintly ship-like wood and metal structure sat, surrounded by temporary scaffolds and frames as ponies worked on them. Distantly noting that the train was slowing down, Shadow’s attention was absorbed by the two strange objects sitting at the end of the dock. Both had the same wood and metal structurehe had seen along the dock, but what held his attention above all else were the large metallic structures hovering above the strange objects like balloons that were being denied their freedom.

“Quite the sight isn’t it” Luna said, as she joined the colt next to the window. “Take in the view; not many ponies get to see things this close.” From where he sat, Shadow took in everything as the train slowed to a crawl before stopping altogether at what he suspected was a platform meant to be used to unload cargo. Waiting for them were a half dozen ponies. Shadow smiled as he recognized one of the four ponies in armor. Standing up, the colt waited a few moments before falling into step next to Shining Armor. In front of them, Princess Luna led the way, followed by Cadance and Twilight. “Captain, it is good to see you again.”

“Thank you Princess, though I think the pleasure is all mine.” Shadow couldn’t help but smile as Captain Steel Gaze’s eyes locked on him and widened slightly in recognition. “Forgive us Princess, but your arrival caught us a little off guard. We weren’t expecting you for a couple more hours.”

“There is no need to apologize, Captain. We made better time than we expected.”

“Of course, your Highness. I’d like to introduce to you my Executive Officer, Commander Sure Shot.” Next to him, a pegasus mare in polished armor took a step forward, raising a hoof to salute the largest Princess. Seeing the dark alicorn nod in approval, the mare stepped back in line as the captain introduced the two unarmored ponies.

Feeling his attention slipping, the disguised alicorn looked to his right. Next to him, Shining Armor leaned down, whispering as everypony else talked “I remember hearing about the plans for these, but I never thought I’d actually get to see them.” Seeing his young companion’s lack of understanding, the older stallion nodded to the two ships at the very end of the docks. “First of a new class of airships” he said, the pride in his voice not even remotely concealed. “They remind me of the first ship I ever served on, though they’re better built and more heavily armed than the Endurance ever was.”

Shadow didn’t know what to say. He had read about the Endurance and the disaster that was named after the ill-fated ship, but he had never suspected that Shining Armor had been on board when the horseapples had hit the fan. Fortunately for him, he didn’t have the chance to say anything as Princess Luna turned back to Captain Steel Gaze “Where are we when it comes to preparations?”

“Almost completely loaded ma’am. We had to make a few repairs after our final series of air trials last week, which cost us a few days, but we should be ready to take off in an hour or so.”

“Good.”

“While we wait, I’d be more than happy to give you a tour.”

“Lead the way, Captain.” Though he couldn’t see the smile on her face, Shadow doubted that anypony missed the barely concealed glee in the royal alicorn’s voice.

Breaking into a trot to keep up with the adults, Shadow could barely keep his chin from dragging on the pavement as they neared the only complete ship in the dock yard. The ship in question was positively huge, easily twice as long as Twilight’s castle was tall. “Your Highnesses, I present to you the Lunar Diarch.” Shadow couldn’t help but smirk as he trotted up a ramp and onto the ship. No wonder Princess Luna is so giddy. “As you could see from the ground, the Diarch class is an improvement on the previous Celestial class of airships. At half again the length of its predecessor class, the Diarch class has a wider beam, thicker armor, better engines and is much more customizable for a given mission. Take for example the differences between this ship and its sister ship in the next berth over, the CelestialDiarch. Both follow the same design, but whereas the Celestia is lighter and faster, the Luna is much more heavily armed and armored.”

“How heavily armed are we?”

“Each of the three main gun decks contains thirty twenty pounders for a total of ninety guns, with an additional six located on the bow and four on the stern for rear action if required, making it a total of one hundred guns, which is twice the firepower of the Celestia. All of the main guns have a range of five kilometers, while the bow and stern guns have a range of eight klicks.”

“What about protection?”

The captain smiled at Shadow. “This ship has the latest type of armor installed across the main body as well as the balloon. On top of that, we have the latest shield spells installed.” Following the group, the captain led them to one of the three gun decks. Breaking off slightly, the colt walked over to one of the cannons. The gun currently sat in its traveling position, with wooden blocks in front of and behind its wheels. Looking at his reflection in the weapon’s polished bronze, the colt walked to the front, pulling out the wooden cap that blocked the front of the cannon’s barrel. Igniting his horn, he looked down the barrel, noting the lines that rotated around the inside of the barrel.

Returning to the group, the young alicorn followed everypony up a narrow set of stairs onto what could only be the bridge. Around the relatively large room, a couple of ponies stopped what they were doing as they bowed to the trio of princesses. Ignoring the captain for the most part, the colt’s gaze wandered about the room, eventually settling on a large globe floating in the center of the room. “… and finally we have this little beauty” Captain Steel Gaze said, patting the globe affectionately “which lets us pinpoint our exact position anywhere in the world.”

“I must say Captain, I am impressed.” Luna replied, gazing about the room.

As she spoke, a number of armored ponies walked onto the bridge, their conversations dying at the sight of their guests. Taking a step forward, Commander Sure Shot snapped to attention, saluting the princesses and her Captain. “Your Highnesses, Sir. It’s my pleasure to report that all crew and provisions are aboard and stowed. We are ready to take off at your command.”

Princess Luna looked over at the captain, who read the alicorn’s desire in a single glance at her eyes. Smiling, the stallion swept a hoof around the room “The Lunar Diarch is all yours, Princess.”

Struggling to contain her smile, the princess looked at the assembled crew members. “Take your stations.”

“I may be mistaken” Shadow said, whispering to Shining Armor who stood next to him, “but I think the princess has been looking forward to this.” The larger stallion simply snorted.

“Bring engines online” Luna said; the note of authority in her voice unquestionable. Seconds later, a low rumble sounded throughout the ship as a slight tremor could be felt underhoof. “Release all mooring lines.”

“Mooring lines released, ma’am.”

“Helm, take us out of here, nice and steady” Luna looked over at the stallion standing at the helm “and try not to scratch the paint.”

“Aye, ma’am” the stallion replied, smiling.

Stepping outside onto the walkway surrounding the bridge, Shadow leaned over the railing, watching as the berth and the ground slowly fell away. Stepping back onto the bridge a few minutes later, the colt couldn’t help but smile at Princess Luna’s barely contained giddiness, especially as she gave her final orders “Helm, set course to two-seven-zero degrees. Increase to half speed and take us to one thousand meters.”

“Two-seven-zero degrees at one triple-zero meters, half speed aye, ma’am.”

“Yeah, she’s enjoying herself” Shining Armor said as they watched from the sidelines.