Darkened Shores

by Silver Flare

14: A Promise

The next morning, just after dawn, Twilight and Spike sat at the central table in the mess hall, Spike looking somewhat bleary-eyed. Twilight found herself gesturing telekinetically with her fork while she spoke. "Are you speaking of the team as a whole, or using the same terms to describe each of the Wonderbolts individually?"

Summer Reeds sat across from them, also gesturing. "Both! They're all a bunch of washouts and failures!"

"That sounds rather harsh, considering you've never met any of them face to face."

"Well, then, maybe not individually. But they're a sad bunch'a losers. It's all a matta' of who'se got the bits to get in. And those uniforms are just silly!"

Twilight shared a wary glance with Spike, and said, "I don't know if that's true or not, but I wouldn't say those things in front of Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah," Spike added, "She would really take that personally, since they're her childhood heroes and all." Spike set down his orange juice with a loud bang, for emphasis. He'd seen Applejack do that angrily one time while reading the Ponyville Confidential, and he'd been dying to try it out ever since.

"Yeah, well I don't care! I'll say it to whoever, wherever and whenever! There's no shame in calling out a sad sack. . ."

"Hey!" Twilight desperately tried changing the subject. "That's a nice necklace! Where'd you get it?"

"This?" Reeds looked down at her neckline. "Oh, Clear Sky made it for me."

"Wow, that was very sweet of him." It was a tiny silver wrench wrapped about with metal wire and attached to a simple cord. It was clearly an amateur project, and it was equally clear that his heart was in it. Twilight smiled. "Not everypony gets hoof-made jewelery from somepony else."

"Heh, yeah. . ." Reeds didn't blush, but Twilight figured that was only because Reeds wasn't the type to blush easily. "He's kind of sweet on me, and I'm sure I'll never understand just why. Actually, he made this last night to commemorate our little repair adventure!"

"The brush with the leviathan? See, now that's cool." Said Spike.

"Oh yah, see Pin Feather pulled this long sliver out of my fetlock, and he told me I should hang on to it. Now, I'm not usually a pony of sentiment, but. . ."

She trailed off as voices began to drift through the open hatchway, Pinkie Pie's being the easiest to recognize. "Maybe I'll order it with syrup! I love syrup!"

"Now, ya can't go an' bog down a toasted carnation sandwich in syrup!" Applejack replied.

"She's right, you know," That had to be Rarity. "Carnations are already alive with their own subtle sweetness. That would be like spreading, ugh," There was a shudder in her voice. "Frosting on pancakes."

"Ooooohh, now you're talkin' sister!" Pinkie Pie bounced into view. "That sounds delicious too! Morning Spike, Twilight, Reeds!"

Twilight smiled. Pinkie Pie had that effect on everyone at the table, it seemed. "Morning." She said. Spike's mouth was full, so he settled on a wave. Summer held up her coffee in a toast of welcome.

Applejack and Rarity followed, next to a hovering Rainbow Dash. "Hey Twilight, check me out!" Dash zipped over to hover above the breakfast table. "I'm flying while I'm flying! Ha-hah!" She pointed out at the sapphire ocean beyond the large portholes.

Twilight tapped a hoof to her chin as she thought. "Hey, you're right!" Her face lit up with wonder, her visible violet eye shining. Her exclamation caught her friends by surprise, and they glanced at one another knowingly. Twilight's brain couldn't resist latching onto problems and figuring them out. She spoke out loud to herself. "How can she hover at high speeds without fighting inertia? Shouldn't she have to propel herself forward too? Hmmmm. . . Oh, I see. The air is moving at the same rate of speed we all are, and inertial forces are exerted not with velocity but a change in velocity." She nodded to herself, satisfied. "Cool."

"Yeah." Dash rolled her eyes. "Cool."

Spike swallowed his bite of food and raised a claw. "Hey, after everypony grabs some breakfast, we should head to the bridge. Celestia's up."

This was greeted with general gasps and heartfelt cheers. "Oh, what a relief!" Rarity sighed. "Is she quite alright?"

Twilight nodded. "Pin Feather thinks she's made a full recovery. . ."

"Finally." Rainbow pumped a hoof in triumph.

"Not 'finally', Dash." Twilight grabbed her friend by the tail and yanked her down to floor level. "She should have been laid up for weeks with the injuries she suffered."

"So?" Rainbow folded her wings and shrugged. "Immortal alicorn powers, right?"

"Magic doesn't work like that!" Twilight said, flustered that she couldn't seem to impress upon her friends how strange this seemed. "At least, I don't think it does. She's not Wolveroan, for hoof's sake!"

Dash's eyes brightened. "So, you have been reading those comics I lent you!"

"Hey Dash!" Summer's voice held a note of challenge in it. Twilight held her breath, exchanging a worried glance with Spike. She wondered if Summer Reed's opinions on the Wonderbolts would lead to a fight. Twilight nervously itched her head where the band of her eye patch lay too close to her ear. Instead of anything else she could have said, Reeds went with, "What comics have you got?" Twilight sighed in relief as Rainbow Dash settled into a seat next to the unicorn, talking animatedly.

Applejack took a seat next to Twilight. "Well now, why's it so important to you figurin' this out, Twi'? What is it about Celestia healin' up that's not to be happy about?"

"I am happy!" Twilight replied. "I'm really really relieved. . . I guess I just don't like feeling confused." She concluded lamely.

"I hear ya'. Ain't no shame in that." Applejack started piling food onto a plate. "Still an' all, I ain't one to look a gift horse in the mouth."

Twilight mused. "Now there's a phrase I don't know the origin of."

Pinkie Pie sprang up behind Twilight with her hooves outstretched. "That's because it was first said by monkeys!"

"Monkeys can't talk, Pinkie."

"Of course not, Twilight! I'm talking about alien monkeys. Anyways, I'm gonna go find out where the syrup is hiding! La la laaa!" She bounced away.

Rarity finished arranging a variety of foodstuffs onto a plate. "Do express to The Princess of the Sun my heartfelt joy for her recovery, but I must join you all later."

Twilight nodded her understanding. "I'd like to come with you." She stood up from the table. "Where is Fluttershy, anyway? She left the infirmary sometime during the night, and I haven't seen her since."

Dash was clearly filling up a plate for herself. She ignored Twilight and addressed Rarity. "Hey, you heard her. She just wants to be left alone."

"Hmmmm," Rarity sniffed. "Perhaps I don't listen well. She will simply have to tell me again. Are you coming, Twilight?"

Rarity led Twilight down a set of stairs and through another corridor, one that ran along the hull, with periodic portholes offering a view of the pristine sunrise. Huh. Twilight thought. I haven't even seen a proper bunk yet, have I? Let alone slept in one. She yawned involuntarily.

Rarity stopped at a closed door, lightly tapped a hoof on it and paused for a polite count of five before gently pushing the door open. Twilight glimpsed a pair of bunks on either side of a room which might best be described as 'cosy' rather than 'cramped,' likely due to effective use of storage space and tasteful lighting. And every bulb in the room burned brightly. A familiar yellow pegasus lay curled upon a bottom bunk, blinking wide, bloodshot eyes at the intruding pair.

"Oh," Fluttershy's soft voice was as unconsciously melodic as ever. "Rarity, Twilight." She sniffled. "What. . . um. . . How are you?"

"Smashing, darling." Rarity set the laden tray she'd been levitating atop a compact bureau by the bed. "Just relocating some of the decadent breakfast fare being served this beautiful morning."

Fluttershy's eyes drifted to the floor. "I'm so sorry you went to the trouble, but I did say I wasn't hungry. . ."

"My dear!" Rarity affected shock at the mere thought. "Such nonsense! 'The trouble,' indeed. It is as much in my nature to bring breakfast to a friend as it is in your nature to apologize for it." Rarity shrugged in a playfully nonchalant manner. "For the moment, it would seem, you have no choice but to suffer our friendship." Fluttershy didn't smile, but the corners of her eyes scrunched a bit as though part of her wanted to smile.

Twilight trotted forward, settling herself on the bed beside her friend. "Fluttershy, how are you? I've been so worried about you. We all have."

Fluttershy immediately deflated. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry."

Drat! That's not the question I asked. Twilight wondered how to tactfully skirt the apology without hurting her friend's feelings. Hmmmm. . . "I know you don't mean to make anypony worry, Fluttershy. That's because you're so considerate." Okay, that seemed to work. "But I think I would worry less if I knew more about what you're going through. Please tell me what you're feeling. Help me understand." Oh, I hope that's what a good friend would say!

Rarity smiled her approval from the other side of Fluttershy's mane. But Fluttershy didn't respond or move. Twilight wondered if she should say something more, or if she should keep her muzzle shut and not push too hard. She decided to trust her instincts and wait.

Eventually, Fluttershy answered. "I'm. . . I'm just. . . just scared, that's all."

Twilight put a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "Oh, well that's perfectly logical." Twilight said. "I think, deep down, we're all kinda scared."

Fluttershy looked for a moment as though she might not reply. But then she shrugged off the sympathetic hoof. "No. You're not scared. Not yet." She began shaking a little. "If you were scared you would be screaming at somepony to turn this ship around."

Twilight recoiled from her friend's vehemence. She glanced towards Rarity for help, but Rarity only shrugged. Twilight ventured, "Is this about the other night, when we were running through the woods. . .?"

"It just shut us off. All of us." Fluttershy whimpered. "It shut us all off like a collection of foal toys. And it didn't even know we were there!" Her beautiful sea-green eyes looked hollow. "I don't know what's going to happen next," She turned her haunted gaze fully upon Twilight. "But if we don't turn back some of us are going to die." She turned away. Her shaking had spread from her wings to her hooves, and tears threaded down her cheeks. "And I don't know which would be worse. . . dying, or having to lose. . ."

Twilight reached out her hoof again. "That's not going to happen. Fluttershy, listen to me." She lifted her Fluttershy's chin up to meet her gaze. Twilight put as much steel into her voice as she could manage. "Nopony's going to die. I wont let that happen." It was Twilight's turn to sound vehement, even angry. And in that moment she knew how far she would be willing to go to protect her friends. She would smash the world around her to pieces if need be.

Fluttershy seemed to sense exactly what Twilight was feeling. "You'll survive, Twilight. You'll be fine." Was that accusation in Fluttershy's voice? "After all, you're willing to burn, or destroy, or. . . or kill whatever might be in your way, aren't you?" Twilight's clear logic vanished, scattered to the winds by the deep sting of shame. Her mouth hung open. "The. . . the violence just radiated off of you down in that changeling hive. It was so dark and vile, it made me feel sick, Twilight." She flung the words with a bitterness that bespoke more hurt than anger. "We all felt it when we were connected by the Elements! But none of us said anything." Fluttershy glanced towards Rarity, who backed away a step. But when Rarity turned quavering eyes upon a stunned Twilight, she didn't refute it.

Fluttershy grimaced at the choker about her neck as though she'd found the one creature in all of Equestria that disgusted her. "I mean, that's what happened to Luna before she became Nightmare Moon, right? Nopony wants to talk about it, but there's a darkness inside of you, Twilight, and that scares me as much as anything."

Twilight Sparkle had pushed herself as far away as she could from the tiny pegasus. Her chest rose and fell heavily, as though she couldn't find enough air in the room to breathe. Fluttershy had curled up into herself, slipping her head under a wing and shaking like a leaf in a storm. Rarity bit her lip in consternation, unsure what to say or whom to comfort.

"You know what I miss most about Ponyville?" Pinkie Pie's voice entered the open doorway before she did. Her voice lacked all of its usual hectic energy, and instead it was bright and steady, like a candle in a dark room. "I miss the smell of Mr. Cake's chocolate chip and daisy muffins. We would open Sugarcube Corner every morning, and you could just see the moment ponies walked into that smell. You couldn't help but smile." Slowly and steadily, Pinkie walked up to the trembling Fluttershy. "Or maybe it was Ms. Cake's splendiferous butterchip scones. Matilda and Cranky would always come in on Thursdays and Sundays to get tea and scones, and just sit in the rear corner by the one odd vase and the windowsill with the chip in it and be all in love and stuff."

Fluttershy hadn't uncurled, but her shaking had slowed noticeably. The cadence of Pinkie Pie's voice didn't change or miss a beat, but she cast a sympathetic glance towards Twilight as she continued. "Hey, remember back when Bon Bon first moved to Ponyville from Germaneigh to set up a confectionery of her own, and the Cakes thought that baking her a bunch of welcome meringues was a good idea? But then I thought they might be trying to upstage her and make her feel bad, so I messed up the mailing address and had the mailmare drop them all off at the Mayor's house, except she dropped them from really high up. . ."

Pinkie Pie's voice had faded, because Twilight had fled the room. Pinkie Pie's halcyon memories of Ponyville had no effect on her, because Fluttershy's words bounded and rebounded in her head, and she couldn't escape the truth of them. Twilight ran down the gently curved corridor, coming to a split where stairs would take her back up to the upper deck, and a transverse hallway led towards the bowels of the airship. Unready to meet anyone else's eyes, she stopped.

She planted her hooves on a nearby bench and pressed her face against the cool glass of a porthole. Of course she's right. She thought. Everypony's right. I want to bring harmony to the world, not violence. She sighed deeply. Okay, if it happens again, if those feelings come back, I'll. . . I'll just ignore them. I'll remember this moment and remember what it is I want to stand for. she promised herself. She conjured up her memory of Princess Celestia as she had first seen her during the Summer Sun Celebration some fifteen years ago. She'd watched the Princess raise the sun, watched the pure radiant light fill every corner of Canterlot, and, it seemed, every corner of Twilight's young soul. I will be a source of light! Not darkness! She didn't realize she'd been stomping her hoof against the edge of a bench until the wood chipped beneath her.

Twilight heard dense little footsteps coming down the stairs, and she quickly composed herself before Spike trundled into view. "Hey Twilight! Is everything okay?"

For a moment, Twilight thought he meant her. Then she remembered. "Oh, Fluttershy? I don't. . . I don't really think so."

Spike's eyes grew very wide. "What's wrong with her? Is she going to get better?"

"I think she must have some form of PTSD. Whatever strange shockwave that hit us all back on the coast. . . I don't think she ever really shook it off, for some reason."

"Yeah," Spike nodded. "That was a really weird sensation. I figure that might have been what dying might feel like. No wonder she's still upset."

Twilight studied Spike's face, the concern mixed with determination. All of it underlaid with a fragile innocence. For a moment, she considered leaving it at that. Then she slumped, her shoulders and her ears drooping. "And. . . and she's worried about me. She's afraid that. . . that I might become violent if I'm pushed too far."

Spike's face grew wide-eyed and solemn. Then he laughed, long and loud. "Hah hah hah heh hehheh! You? You wouldn't hurt a fly! You're the sweetest pony in the whole wide world! Heh, next to Rarity of course. Honestly, what would make her say that?"

Twilight smiled fondly. "Thanks Spike. That means a lot." She swept him into a hug. "And whatever happens, I promise you that wont change."

"So, is there anything we can do for her?"

"I'm not really sure, aside from just trying to be there for her. Maybe one of the Princesses will be able to tell us if there's more we can do."

"Oh, good. We can ask them at the meeting."

"Meeting?"

"Yeah, that's why I came down to find you guys. Celestia wants to get everypony together up on the flight deck. C'mon!"

The morning sun shone full in the sky, reflecting off of the burnished rails and the majestic ocean far below. Twilight emerged from the hatch, squinting her eye and blinking in the harsh glare. She was followed by Spike, Pinkie Pie and Rarity.

It looked as though Princess Celestia was having a conversation with a windblown Rainbow Dash, but if Celestia's furrowed brow was any indication, it wasn't going as she expected. Applejack had covered her face with her stetson, and Princess Luna stood by with Thistle Down and Sun Shade.

Dash had the floor. "So. . .? You're telling me there's a special metal that resists magic? Why didn't you make us all armor out of it?"

Celestia's eyebrows shot skyward. "Well, there's several reasons. . . even ignoring the time constraints, such armor would severely hamper our own magic use. . ."

"So what?" Rainbow Dash interrupted. Sun Shade gasped. Clearly such informal speech offended her sensibilities. Dash continued. "I told you, the whole magic is thing total crud. I don't need it." Applejack grumbled something under her breath.

Celestia looked as though she didn't know quite what to say. "But. . . But I did hear what you told me, young Rainbow Dash. You told me that you conjured a full shield on the wing. Don't. . . I mean, you're the first pegasus in the recorded history of Equestria to touch magic! Doesn't that mean something to you?"

"Pffftt." Dash rolled her eyes from one horizon to the other. "Maybe if it didn't crumble like a soggy cookie the moment I needed it."

"Yet, that's what I'm trying to explain. There are many factors which can affect a shield's strength and stability, including the properties of the object or force you're trying to repel. Perhaps your shield was stronger than you realize."

"Yeah right." Thick, heavy layers of sarcasm. Twilight wondered if she should interject on Rainbow's behalf, or if she should just let Dash dig herself a nice little hole. Dash threw her hooves dramatically into the sky. "I'm probably fast enough that I wont even need to learn this stuff! Maybe your magic is all effective and junk, but mine isn't! It's about as effective as what comes out of my pegasus device!"

Rarity looked as though she might faint. Sun Shade actually did, although she managed to collapse in such a way that she landed somewhat comfortably. Luna closed her eyes and looked for all the world as though she might burst out laughing at any moment.

"O-kay, hah hah!" Twilight interjected on Rainbow's behalf. "I think that's enough from you, Rainbow Dash!" Dash tried to say something, but it didn't make it out past Twilight's hoof. "If we're going to forget that she's our liege and ruler for this trip, at least remember she has thousands of years of experience. Maybe do a little less talking and a little more listening?" Dash scowled and grumbled incoherently.

Thistle Down looked dazed as he helped Sun Shade back to her hooves. "Pegasus device. . . Oh sweet Tartarus, I'm going to have to have grandchicks just so I can tell them this story. . ." He said to no one in particular. Luna appeared to be losing ground to the laughter she so valiantly fought, but she refused to give in entirely, resorting to placing a hoof over her mouth as her eyes began to water.

Twilight spun to face her mentor, blushing furiously and radiating chagrin. "So. . . what's, ah. . . what was, um. . . You wanted to see us?" She concluded lamely.

Celestia's vexation gave way to a reassuring smile. "Yes, I did. I would like to continue instructing your friends in basic magic defense. I fear we may need it by the time we cross the ocean." She glanced towards the open hatch behind them. "Where is Fluttershy? I had hoped to replicate her success from the train."

Rarity glared daggers at Rainbow Dash, still clearly mortified at her friend's behavior. Yet she answered first. "Our Fluttershy isn't feeling quite well, your Highness." She said. "Perhaps after this little meeting you wouldn't mind paying her a visit?"

Soft concern was evident in Celestia's smile. "Of course. But first there are a few things I think we need to go over, and time is of the essence."

"Ah don't mean to ta be 'that pony,' but ah ain't gettin' a word of this." Applejack said.

Luna squinted in the harsh glare of the sun. "Then we shall begin anew. The art and practice of grounding thyself magically is akin settling oneself in such a way that thouart braced. Mages we may be, but magic and physics are yet kin. Shoulds't thou lift or push an external object with magic, thou woulds't feel thy effects enacted upon. . . Rainbow Dash, pay attention!"

Dash had been picking something out of her hoof. "Oh, sorry Princess."

Applejack still looked lost. Rarity offered a raised hoof and spoke up. "I think I see. Anytime I have levitated something with my magic, I've felt the weight of it." Rarity said. "Applejack, what would happen if you were to buck an apple tree without properly setting your front hooves?"

Applejack chuckled. "Like that time a couple years back when Big Macintosh tried bringing in the west field? He took no notice of some spilt gravel when he bucked the first tree. Wound up bucking himself halfway down the far hill. Heh, big lout sprained an ankle an' torqued a knee. Wound up havin' to pull in the harvest on mah lonesome. I think it was around the time y'all gave me the pony pony pony award, or somethin'."

Luna smiled. "Just so, Applejack. Our intent is to help thee brace thyself."

Rarity nodded. "So that's why Twilight can lift a train car without throwing out her back."

"Twilight likely grounded herself in the bedrock beneath her. . . RAINBOW DASH!"

Dash had been staring at the distant horizon. "Gah! What?"

"What indeed!" Luna paced back and forth in front of the line of ponies. "This information might save thy cerulean hide! Now, close thine eyes and breathe deeply. Still thy thoughts, and settle all four of your hooves evenly upon the deck beneath thee. Now, push thy awareness into the deck beneath thee. Ah, quite good, Rarity. Applejack, we believe thouart doing it correctly!"

"R--Really?" Applejack asked. "'Cause i don't feel no different."

"Commendable, actually. Hmmmmmm. . ." Luna paused. "Pinkamena?"

"Sorry Princess!" Pinkie Pie chirruped. "I was thinking about cake frosting! I'll try again." Her brow furrowed in thought, and her tongue stuck out the corner of her mouth in concentration.

"Wait." Luna held up a hoof. "We. . . Thouart grounded, and quite solidly we might add."

"Oh!" Pinkie Pie bounced in place. "'We weren't awareth it would be-ith so easy-ith!'"

Rarity hip-checked Pinkie to the deck. "Don't make fun of the Princess, Pinkie. The royal 'we' is a time-honored tradition."

Pinkie Pie looked offended. "We would never make fun of a Princess, especially one as cool as Luna! I. . . Waugh!" Pinkie twitched as a deep blue aura of magic closed around her.

Luna circled the pink earth pony, peering at her critically. "Thouart grounded, but we can't say for certain where. How curious. Sister! A moment, please?"

"Gate magic?" Twilight's good eye widened with disbelief. "Um, we don't have the correct facilities for me to learn to open gateways, do we? Wont this be dangerous?"

Celestia only looked faintly worried. "Well, we will be careful. Believe it or not, I have taught gate magics on a large sailing vessel before. Arbor Mist was both sharp and studious, and we were traveling to the Minotaur homelands during the Goblin invasions. I thought that teaching him advanced magic would prove helpful."

"Oh, Clover's grandcolt? That's interesting." Twilight looked relieved. "So, opening gateways while moving isn't quite as dangerous as it sounds?"

"Well, danger does exist." Celestia's gaze grew distant and worried. "But we should be fine this time."

"Why, what happened last time?"

"Nothing terrible. We managed to salvage most of the ship and complete our journey without any fatalities." Celestia explained. Twilight's pupils shrank to pinpoints and she gulped. "We'll just take extra precautions. Now, are you familiar with the theory?"

Twilight brushed a hoof through her mane. "Um, yes. It involves a pair of linked objects, ones which used to be connected in some way, and establishing one as a nexus for reaching out towards the other."

"Good. And the establishing of the nexus?"

"Well, you start by reinforcing the object with stabilizing spells, and grounding yourself within the object, if possible." Celestia nodded, motioning her student to continue. "It's also a good idea to shield yourself, in case the gateway opens somewhere unexpected. Then you focus magic externally, compress it into a small space above the object in question, and then strike it with energy. If you've done it correctly, a gateway will open, and the other side should be located where the linked object exists."

Celestia nodded again. "A pair of linked objects are only required to direct and stabilize the gateway. Of course this prevents serious disasters, like opening a gateway into the center of the planet."

Twilight's jaw dropped and her ears wilted. "That. . . I don't think any shield ever conjured would save your life if that happened."

"And that's why we ground ourselves within the object being used. We can direct the gate at will, ensuring we aren't simply floundering about the universe for an exit."

"And that's equally horrifying." Twilight shook her head. "Can't we try something less dangerous?"

"Nonsense. Now, Sun Shade has been generous enough to offer up this saucer for us to work with. I'd like you to work on setting up and holding the preparations to my satisfaction before I break it in two. In. . . What was that, sister?" Luna was waving them over towards the other ponies. "Hm, maybe we'll try it later. I wonder what's the matter?"

"That certainly is strange." Celestia's perplexed expression matched Luna's. "Remember Starswirl's dissertation on alternate grounding techniques?"

"Yes, sister mine, yet recall it was all theoretical. Not to mention painfully unfeasible."

"Hmmmm. . . Yes it was." Celestia agreed.

"Wait," Pinkie Pie looked worried. "So, am I doing something wrong?"

"Not at all, young one." Celestia reassured her. "Just something. . . different."

"Different good? Or different bad?"

"Just. . . different. Special, even."

"Well then, yay!" Pinkie Pie wrapped her arms about herself. "I'm different-special!"

Twilight was wide-eyed with curiosity. "She's not grounded locally? Are you certain she's grounded at all?"

"See for thyself, Twilight Sparkle." Luna gestured with a hoof.

"Oh, this again?" Pinkie bounced to her hooves and bowed her head low, braced as though she intended to charge Twilight and tackle her to the ground. "I like this game!"

Twilight stepped forward, her horn wreathed in light. An answering glow sprang up around Pinkie, but she didn't move. Twilight's brow creased in concentration. After a moment, the steady breeze flowing across the deck from the flight of the airship was disrupted by air currents blowing outwards from the empty space between the two. Twilight leaned forward, her horn glowing brighter and brighter. Pinkie Pie leaned forward too, smiling and straining to push back. The glow intensified. The winds doubled. Applejack reached up and shoved her hat more firmly onto her head.

Celestia placed a golden-shod hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Easy, young one." The glow dissipated, and Twilight glanced up at her mentor. When she followed Celestia's gaze downward, Twilight noticed that her hooves had scraped a few inches back across the deck.

Rainbow Dash rocketed into the air. "That was awesome!"

"Observe, Rainbow Dash. This is why we implored thee to focus upon our instruction." Luna reminded her.

Pinkie Pie resumed pronking in place, springing up and down. "Thanks Twilight! That was fun!"

"Celestia, where was all of the energy going? How in Equestria is she doing that?"

"I don't know, my student." Celestia said. "But I'd like to know." She looked about the airship deck. "There are other opportunities to take advantage of out here while we study this. Twilight?"

"Yes, Princess?"

"Please take Rainbow Dash back towards the aft section of the deck and see if you can convince her to give magic shields another shot."

Twilight saluted. "You can count on me!"

Celestia continued, "Sister? Would you prefer to continue examining Pinkamena's. . . talents? Or would you prefer to continue instruction?"

"By all means," Luna gestured towards Pinkie Pie. "We would prefer your input. We are vexed."

"Gladly. Would you consent then to continuing the basics with the others?"

"Certainly."

"But how did it feel, doing it for the first time? Wasn't it exhilarating?"

"Honestly Twilight? It was just way more work than it should have been. I don't know if I'm ready for all of this."

"Well, that's what the first time usually feels like according to the books. But the more you practice with magic the easier it gets. You spend less energy wrestling with your leylines and you can just let the magic do the work."

"See, I didn't even hear everything you said because I was thinking about Batmare."

Twilight pulled at her mane in frustration. "Look, Dash. . . I. . . Ugh, okay. How about this. . . Just draw up your shield one more time. Try to do whatever it was you did before, just to show me you can. Then we'll drop it and go do something else."

Rainbow Dash was silent for a few moments. Then she rolled her eyes. "Fine. But just once." She looked down at the choker clasped about her neck, considering it with a rare expression on her face; wary respect. Then she closed her eyes. A few heartbeats later, she peeked one eye open. "Can you, like, look the other way or something for a minute? I can't focus with you staring at me like that."

Twilight had to stifle laughter, "Sure, no problem." She turned away, pretending to study the polished wood of the deck. At the same time, she tried to feel what was happening behind her. Even though a full minute passed, and then two, Dash hadn't moved. Twilight knew she would wait all day if she had to, so long as Dash was willing to keep trying. The hardest part was fighting the urge to give her advice.

Twilight felt it the moment Rainbow Dash succeeded, like a warm, subtle glow behind her. She spun around and gasped with delight. A translucent, red bubble had formed around the pegasus, and the choker at her neck was aglow. Within her shield, Dash shook with the strain, but she gave Twilight a triumphant grin. From across the deck, Applejack and Rarity cheered, while Pinkie Pie threw a hug around the closest thing to her, which happened to be Princess Celestia.

Twilight studied the shield avidly. It wasn't half-bad, as beginner defenses went. As an idea hit her, a sly smile slid across her features. Dash had seen that expression before and suddenly became very alarmed. "Twi, don't even. . ."

Twilight's horn burst into light, and a bolt of purple force slammed into the sphere, splashing across it even as it flung the bubble and its contents halfway across the deck of the airship. Dash's shield flickered and blinked out as she collapsed in a heap.

"That was amazing!" Twilight called out as she cantered up. "You completely dispersed my spell! See, now if you had grounded yourself, you probably wouldn't have moved at all!"

Dash's voice was soft with exasperation and disbelief. "Someday Twilight, someday in the far and distant future, when you're content and happy with your life, and when you absolutely least expect it. . . I'll get you back for that."

"But it worked! Your shield was both stable and functional!"

"When you least. Expect. It."

"Come on, I bet it didn't even hurt!"

"I want you to remember this day, Twilight."

"Let's try this again!"

"No bucking way!"

Twilight's horn lit up once more, illuminating Dash's face as she launched another telekinetic slap at her friend. But her spell flew harmlessly into the distance, because Rainbow Dash was suddenly hovering above the airship deck, flapping her wings to keep pace.

Twilight's brow furrowed. A scientist at heart, she couldn't help but repeat her experiment, firing more mostly-harmless magical attacks into the air. But as often as she tried, Rainbow Dash was faster. She slipped effortlessly out of the way of each attack, rolling and spinning and diving. A twitch of a wing was enough to catch a stray draft of turbulent air and nudge her out of harm's way. Several graceful dodges later, Dash slipped aside from another spell and folded her wings, flipping through the air and landing on Twilight's back, knocking the wind out of her.

"See Twilight?" Dash remarked, giving Twilight a playful noogie, "That was so much easier! I think I should just stick to what I'm best at, don't you?"

Twilight's horn lit up again, and this time Dash found herself encased within a purple-colored shield, floating just above Twilight's head. Dash's hooves found no purchase on the inside of that magic bubble, and she wound up floundering her hooves about and sliding around into somewhat undignified positions. "And what happens if you can't just fly around?" Twilight asked, all of her playfulness gone. "How will you protect yourself then, Rainbow?"

Dash had just enough room to flap her wings, so she hovered inside her prison. She reared back and slammed a hoof into the side, producing a hollow ringing noise. She hit the side again, then again, then again, but she couldn't so much as scratch the inside of Twilight's shield. Twilight watched as the pegasus scratched her head, looking about the deck for inspiration. Her gaze eventually settled on Twilight's horn, aglow with an ethereal light. Dash drew in a deep breath, her shoulders relaxed and her eyes closed. Good, Twilight thought, Celestia's counting on me to convince Dash to practice. Once her shield is up, I'll drop mine and we can try again.

But no shield appeared. Instead, Rainbow Dash pushed both of her front hooves out to either side of her. Then she moved them both in over-sized circles and drew them into her chest. Twilight thought she looked ridiculous, and she started to ask just what she thought she was doing. But then the blood-red jewel at Dash's throat burst into light as she slammed both of her hooves against the side of the shield, which shattered instantly. Twilight cringed as a jolt of pain shot down her horn and into her skull.

Twilight opened her good eye to find an elated Rainbow Dash sitting on the deck and staring at her hooves as though she'd found the key to the Smithsoatsian Wonderbolt Museum. Glancing over her shoulder, Twilight noticed a small, smoking dent in the steel of the loading crane.

"Omigosh, that was the most awesomazing thing ever!" Dash's voice cracked on the last word. "In the history of absolutely everything EVER!"

Twilight noticed that both Princesses were strolling purposefully in their direction. "Rainbow! You've got to be careful with offensive magic! You could have hurt somepony!"

"Oh," Dash seemed breathless with wonder. "Oh, sorry Twilight. But this is just too awesome. . . Seriously, why aren't we learning this stuff?"

Celestia offered an answer. "Because it is dangerous. I had hoped you would at least learn the rough basics of defense before trying your hoof at magical sparring." While the Princess's disapproval wasn't entirely aimed at Twilight, she still felt responsible. She probably shouldn't have pushed Dash so hard. Her cheeks burned.

Celestia turned and considered the sun. "Perhaps we should all take a break. We can take a second look at what we've learned after lunch. In the meantime, I'd like to pay Fluttershy a visit."

While Celestia accompanied Rarity to see Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle waited slumped across a bench in the hallway. Part of her fervently hoped that Fluttershy would say nothing about her. She dreaded the look on Celestia's face if Fluttershy revealed her secret hunger for violence. Another part of her wanted Celestia to know, wanted to ask Celestia it she'd ever personally wrestled with hatred or rage at some point during her life. Although it stretched Twilight's imagination to picture Celestia as anything but benevolent, living through a hundred lifetimes must have provided ample opportunities. Through it all, she waited like a school filly in the Principal's Office.

Yet, when Celestia emerged looking drawn and sad, the first thought through Twilight's mind was, "How is she?"

Celestia hesitated before speaking. "I have placed a sleep spell upon her for the time being. She is a very sensitive soul. Her mind and her spirit have been hurt, and hurt deeply, by that creature's magic. It may be that rest is all I can offer her, but perhaps Luna can watch over her and ensure her dreams remain tranquil. Such rest may help the soul find strength."

"Princess, what in Equestria did attack you? That shockwave. . . I've never heard about some of the spells we saw that night, let alone have names for them."

"I doubt you would have come across them in your studies, my student." Celestia paced up to the nearest porthole and stared out to sea. "To toy with the very fabric of reality in such a way. . . Luna and I agree, the monster we fought must be a piece of the Darkness, some avatar or inheritor of the power we once tried to fight in our homeland. Not even the gnarled demons of Tartarus can shake the joining of time and space in such a way. It must have known we were coming, and moved to stop us."

Twilight joined Celestia in staring out at the ocean. "Could this creature have given the Element of Deception to the changelings?"

Celestia smiled at her student's cleverness. "We believe so, Twilight. The question that remains to us is simply this: What did a beta changeling have to offer an ancient evil in return for such a powerful artifact?"

"Or: What could such an ancient evil possibly want in the first place?"

Celestia's contemplative silence was agreement enough. Twilight glanced at Celestia out of the corner of her good eye, attempting to gauge whether or not she wanted to discuss something else. But Celestia gave no indication that Fluttershy had said anything at all. She merely gave her student a sad smile. "A mystery we will doubtless unravel together. In the meantime, what do you believe should be our next step with Rainbow Dash?"

Days and nights aboard Aether's Vigil fell into something of a routine. Twilight found herself sharing a room with Spike, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Mornings were spent upon the deck of the airship, practicing and training under the watchful eyes of Equestria's rulers. Pinkie Pie and Applejack made almost no progress at all, much to Applejack's frustration, and her poor stetson bore the brunt of that emotion. If Pinkie Pie felt any similar frustration, she never showed it. She gamely tried what she was told over and over and over, stopping periodically to cheer on an overly excited Rainbow Dash.

Dash, for her part, spent so much energy flinging mana bolts around the empty dome of the sky that first day that she overextended herself and passed out, spilling to the deck like a dropped bag of mail. She came to several hours later with a headache that felt as though a dozen Pinkie Pies with construction equipment were renovating the inside of her skull. At least, that's how she described it to anyone who would listen.

Twilight found her instruction both complicated and difficult. Even after Celestia deemed her preparations adequate and she split the dish she'd been using into two, it wasn't until her third day of trying that Twilight was able to open a stable gateway. Pinkie Pie, of course, flung herself through it, crossing the entirety of the deck in the blink of an eye and giggling hysterically. When Celestia casually remarked that it took Arbor a solid month to make that kind of progress, Twilight blushed with pride. Pride which lasted until Celestia began trying to teach her advanced shielding, anyway.

Eight days off of the coast, Pin Feather removed Twilight's eye patch, and determined that she'd healed up enough to leave it off. She was left with a faint trio of scars that she found herself staring at and tracing in a mirror. As promised, Rarity had given her a cream for smoothing blemishes and scars, but Twilight never brought herself to try it. She had the vague feeling that she wanted to be reminded of the consequences of her choices.

That same day Fluttershy left her bunk, joining everyone in the mess hall for lunch. Not one of her friends made a big fuss over her, knowing how little Fluttershy liked to be singled out on the best of days. They simply offered her a seat and tried their hardest to make her feel at home. Even Rainbow Dash was extra considerate. Yet Fluttershy still wasn't herself. She never appeared relaxed, her shoulders and wings always betraying the tension she felt. She even seemed a little snappish over inconsequential things, but no one seemed to take her odd outbursts personally. Her friends simply offered her friendship and kindness, and lots of patience.

On the fourteenth morning away from land, Twilight Sparkle was awoken by a loud voice. "Twi, Spike, you've got to see this!" Applejack's voice was urgent, intruding upon troubled dreams. As Twilight cracked her eyes open, her first thought was that she must still be asleep. She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times, but the light angling through the porthole was still a deep, blood red.

Applejack was busy waking up Dash, and a sleepy Spike mumbled, "Twilight, what's going on?" as Applejack flung the door open and leapt out of sight.

"I'm not sure." Twilight said. "Let's go find out." She teleported Spike onto her back and set off into the airship. A couple of bleary faces peeked out of doors, asking questions Twilight didn't have answers for. Rainbow Dash zipped past them flying recklessly, but expertly, ahead. Twilight felt no such sense of urgency, but she was deeply curious. Peeking out of a porthole, she could see the last of the stars fleeing from Celestia's sunrise. Yet it was clear that, where the sun was rising somewhere in front of the airship, there were some serious colors going on.

"Woah." Spike turned a grin full of innocent wonder upon Twilight. "Let's see what the sky looks like from the bridge!" Twilight reserved judgement on whether or not to feel excited, but she smiled at Spike's enthusiasm and cantered on.

When they burst onto the bridge Twilight pulled up short, gasped and felt her jaw go slack. From the looks of it, so had everyone else. The horizon was no longer a simple circle overlaid atop a rectangle of sky, set atop a rectangle of water. A dark, craggy mass lay across the horizon, and from behind it the sun lit the world with vibrant, glowing reds and yellows. The light of dawn cast upwards, but not evenly. Instead, it was broken into uncountable distinct beams of light, radiating upwards like a heartrendingly beautiful forest of sunshine. Beyond the core of the image, every imaginable shade and texture of blue provided a backdrop for odd, scattered clouds, throwing them into sharp relief. And all of this flowed seamlessly into violets and purples around the edges of the bridge's massive windows. Everyone present had been struck silent by the majesty of the sunrise.

Rainbow Dash had a hoof against the glass. "Wow. . ."

It was a challenge for Twilight to tear her gaze away from the natural spectacle, but a glance about the bridge revealed a somber Princess Celestia, her wide orchid-colored eyes studying every detail of the horizon. When Twilight found her voice, even a breathless and awestruck version of her voice, she asked, "So. . . we made it?"

Celestia gently shook her head no, but her sister at her side answered. "It is too soon. . ." Luna whispered.

Celestia drew in a long breath and slowly let it out. Applejack turned to the Princesses, her outstretched hat gesturing vaguely towards the window. "But, but there it is, right? Right there. Shouldn't we be shoutin' 'Land ho!' or somethin'?"

"That's not land, Applejack."

"That's not land?" Applejack replied. The same question was echoed by Dash from the window, and Clear Sky from the controls. "Oh, that's land." Applejack returned to studying the sky before her. "Ah mean, look at it. . ."

"Princess?" Twilight stepped in close, tucking herself under Celestia's wing. "What is it?"

The silence on the bridge was emphasized by the hum of the engines, not broken by it. Celestia's words dropped like bits into a well. "It's a hurricane."

Comments

[Lelouch Vi Britania]

here comes the shitstorm...literally. also, i have a hard time picturing an an aggravated fluttershy, but i guess trauma can get to the best of us.

[Dragon of Shadows]

pegasus device!"