Evening Star Also Rises

by Starscribe

Chapter 26: Landing

The strange transport ship might’ve looked like a zeppelin, but it didn’t move like one. Hayden stood on the bridge, watching clouds whip past the window beyond with such speed that they blurred away to nothing. However these clouds might feel under her hooves, they did no better against their ship than Earth clouds.

“You didn’t think I could do it,” Hayden said, glancing over her shoulder at Star Swirl.

The pony sat at a little table against one wall that didn’t have any controls for him to accidentally bump. A copy of Avalon’s notes on the thing it had captured were open in front of him. “In many ways, we failed. We have not secured a factory to produce the rifles for thousands. Our troops will not have the decisive advantage you hoped for,” Star Swirl said. “Even so, I feel the need to remind myself that you are Luna’s daemon. When motivated by the desire to protect, she was… as decisive as you.” His eyes lingered on the sword, resting in its sheath on Hayden’s belt.

“She still is,” Hayden said, trying to sound confident.

Star Swirl raised an eyebrow. “Is that really what you feel from her now?”

Hayden closed her eyes. These days, she had tried to contact Luna as rarely as she could—the princess’s feelings were often far too intense for her to handle for more than a few seconds. Pulling out of reach was how she preserved her sanity.

Hayden’s eyes widened as she felt it—instead of the distant emotions, she felt suddenly like someone had joined them in the room. A ghostly figure of the princess, sensed beside them even though there was no one there.

Not just feelings anymore—Hayden could catch a few stray thoughts. They’re doomed… my fault… Celestia is right to want to rule Equestria on her own…

They’re not doomed! I’m going to save them! She wanted to scream, but if Luna could hear her thoughts in return, she didn’t react. Hayden opened her eyes.

She could hear its voice, like a person speaking on the other end of a large room.

The weight of that was only just sinking in. Every single bat he brought is infected. Hayden hadn’t felt any different—she hadn’t believed that her own mind and soul might be compromised.

She could still see that monstrous shape when she closed her eyes. She could imagine it, the moment before she swung Achelois and killed it. Assuming it even could be killed.

Every one of them.

Hayden gasped, jerking forward a few steps and shaking her head. “Th-that… never felt like that before,” she croaked, looking down towards where she had felt Luna standing. Her shadow.

Of course, there was no one there.

“What?” Star Swirl looked up at her with genuine interest, this time. “I’m surprised feelings as intense as hers haven’t worn you down before now.”

“Not that,” Hayden said. “They’re so much more intense than before. Earlier, I was feeling her through a wall, and now she’s right here.”

Star Swirl rose to his hooves, walking slowly to her. “We’re on an uncertain trail, Hayden. Goetica has never used a being with a spirit of their own before. All previous assumptions are based on a flawed premise. But who can say how this process will function for one like you?”

He stopped a foot away from her, horn glowing for a second. “You’re diverged so far from her current state of mind. One thing does seem certain, however—you cannot exist in this state indefinitely. Eventually, Luna’s grief will crush you, or…”

“Or I will help her out of it,” Hayden finished for him. “That’s what is going to happen. I know why she’s upset, but… I can’t let it get to me the way it gets to her. I might… I might’ve done what she did if I was locked away in a tower, far away from everything. But I have to live with the consequences. I have to watch. I wish we could bring her out here to see it too.”

Star Swirl returned to his notes—at least until they arrived in Icefalls.

An airship large enough to shade a significant part of the city was hardly something that would be common in a town that didn’t even have a dock.

Hayden crept up to the front windows with growing apprehension—given the trend in recent events, she was half expecting to see a city under siege, or else already burned to ashes. Fortunately, there was no war fleet hovering around the city. Only a flock of extremely nervous guards, hovering low to the city. She touched the glass near them, and the whole area zoomed in.

Just over two dozen of them, wearing their armor and holding weapons. They looked fearful, but most of the city seemed to be continuing as normal. They wouldn’t expect an invasion fleet to come from the south.

“You think you can bring us down outside the city?” she asked, looking back towards Star Swirl. “They aren’t expecting us. I don’t want anyone getting so close that they get hurt.

The unicorn sat up abruptly, a sheet of paper sticking to the side of his face. “What?” He yawned, cleared his throat, then stood. “Sorry about that. I was… distracted.”

“Yeah.” She looked away, giving him a few moments to compose himself without having her staring at him. Star Swirl might be a brilliant spellcaster, but in some ways his age seemed to bear him down. “I was just asking if you could bring the airship down in front of the city. You were listening while Avalon told us how to pilot this thing, right?”

He nodded, and this time it seemed like he had actually heard her. “Yes, well. Why do you ask?”

“I’m going to fly down and meet those soldiers. I don’t want the city thinking they’re already being invaded, months before the Stonebeaks get here.”

“Oh.” He nodded. “Yes, I can direct the airship there.” He nodded towards the door. “You should go before the city gets even more afraid than they already are. You will probably want a few carts to unload this ship. And an escort for the, uh… precious cargo. We won’t want a repeat of Lord Storm.”

We’re not going to have food from Avalon, I have to remember that.

Hayden galloped down to the end of the ship. There weren’t easy balconies as were standard practice on pony airships—the only way out was the loading ramp in back.

Hayden had left all her gear behind aboard the ship, except the necklace. The little RFID tag giving her root access to everything on the airship looked like a simple metal necklace, one made from brass but with a gold patina. Hopefully it looked cheap enough that it wouldn’t be worth trying to steal.

The massive loading bay could easily have fit several tanks arranged in a line, though there were none inside. I wonder if this airship was ever full.

“Open the loading door,” she said, holding her neck close to a control panel.

“I do as you command, honored knight,” a voice responded, and the metal ramp descended. Air began to rush around her, though they had slowed dramatically. She could still feel its fury outside, threatening to rip her away if she wasn’t careful. She would have to be prepared.

Hayden galloped off as quickly as she could, wings flapping as she ran. She didn’t need the time to build up anymore, but it still felt like more speed would help in this situation. There were systems producing thrust down here, and she wanted to get as far away from them as possible when she jumped.

Hayden took to the air, and was blasted with an enormously warm wave that sent her tumbling away for several seconds. She let the wind take her away from the airship, before spreading her wings and letting them slow her like a parachute. She knew what she was doing, though she couldn’t pinpoint the moment she had learned any of it. Hayden had long since learned to passively master Luna’s knowledge—so long as she didn’t try to micromanage how she did anything, her body knew what to do.

As she approached, the soldier ponies seemed to stiffen, organizing into squad groups in the air around her. Plenty of these ponies recognized her—and she them. Honed Edge was there, leading one of the squads, though she didn’t know the officer commanding these by name.

Not that she didn’t expect them to recognize her. She was commander in the north, after all. Either they would be looking to her with hope, or resentment.

“Hello!” she shouted, stopping to hover about a dozen feet away. “Soldiers of Icefalls—I have returned.”

“With that?” Honed Edge wasn’t the most senior officer here, but he was one of the few that didn’t seem to be staring. “I’ve never seen anything like it, Ma’am. Did you help the poor thing pull a thorn out of its wing, then it followed you home?”

Avalon was the one who did that to me, she thought, though she didn’t say. The infection—the Outsiders, whatever they were, were not going to be made public knowledge. She had no intention of creating a panic, or giving the Equestrians more reason to hate them.

“Sort of. It’s our weapons shipment. Turns out Avalon had things ready for us before we even got there.” Hayden eyed the officer with the highest rank visible on his uniform. “First Lieutenant…”

“Forethought,” the pegasus said. “Ma’am.”

“Forethought…” She pointed towards the airship. “That ship is going to land in front of the city. I need you to mobilize every able body in every Icefalls barracks to get her unloaded as quickly as possible. I need scouts in the air, the route protected, every quartermaster notified… everything. You can do that for me, can’t you?”

“Aye, ma’am!” He saluted with a foreleg. “I can.” He turned away and started shouting orders.

Hayden followed the guards back to the ground, which was packed with ponies even though it was afternoon and most were asleep at this hour.

It was a good thing the Excellus could largely drive itself, since none of them (including Avalon) actually knew how to steer it. Some relief it would be to bring a measly shipment of arms and use them to squash the city’s buildings.

Hayden landed out in front of the city before the ship did. Thankfully it didn’t need a mooring in the same way pony airships did—there were no lift crystals inside, and its frame was rigid, resistant to being blown about by winds. The gates opened before her, and Icefalls soldiers began making their way out in ordered columns. She recognized Lodestone out in front, looking a little bleary-eyed for the hour. Hayden walked up to meet him at about the time the airship was extending legs to support itself on the road, its ramp descending down to ground level behind her.

“You caused quite the panic,” Lodestone said, though he didn’t sound upset. Only impressed. “What vessel is that? I’ve never seen anything like it. The lift-crystal to keep it airborne must be bigger than a barn.”

It didn’t have one, of course. But she didn’t say that. “Avalon agrees our cause is just. He is going to be directly intervening on our behalf.”

“Sweet Celestia,” Lodestone swore, eyes widening as he looked up at the airship. “He sent us that?”

“It is not a warship,” Hayden said. “Not yet. But I think we may be able to make some alterations. If we make cannons for the wall, why not put them on an airship?”

Lodestone took a few cautious steps towards her, glancing up the ramp. “You could fit an awful lot of armor and weapons into a ship that size.”

“You could,” Hayden said. “But most of what’s in there is going to the vault, not the armory. As a matter of fact, you might as well send it all there. Four carts worth should be enough.”

Lodestone saluted, then turned around. “Labor teams, form a line!”

It was time to save a city.

Comments

[TitaniumTao]

OK now I'm needing to ask a two question that Hayden hasn't, how did they drive off the Griffons before and what new magic is now left when then outsides are gone? Cause she's still drastically under using what the ponies know.

[bonberjean]

overkill much?

[djthomp]

I'd have expected more industrial knowledge than we've seen so far from this Equestria if they have enough airship tech to have standard design features. I suppose there's not necessarily any accounting for how such things would develop when you have the all present magic that Equestria does.

[AyanamiRei]

8676040
When you have as much magic as Equestria does, it DOES tend to lend itself to less of a need for Industry. Not only that, but there's the fact that with the Military so underfunded, there's a lot less of military development that could lead to certain breakthroughs.

[Zanec]

Considering it's strength, speed and size, wouldnt it be easier to just use the 'Excellus' to ram the opposing ships?

[Starscribe]

8684967
That is an excellent idea.

[Zanec]

8687134
derpicdn.net/img/2015/7/7/931860/full.png

[Gravity012]

8684967
That’s what I was thinking! XD!!! Full speed ahead!!

[blue skys]

8786831
same it's the first thing that came to mine when Avalon said it didn't have weapons.