15 - Infiltration
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The waves of the Celestial Sea lapped softly against the sand under Twilight’s hooves as she looked out over the darkened expanse, almost trying to look for a ship that she knew was out there, waiting to strike, but hidden under the cloak of Luna’s night. The illumination of Fillydelphia behind her sent little glittering ripples over the caps of the waves rolling just offshore, but the alicorn’s mood was too grim to enjoy the tranquility of the scene.
A single pegasus scout from the nearby base had accompanied her onto the beach, although the smaller mare looked more terrified than anything standing on the same shores as the waters where their enemy lay hidden. Twilight hadn’t even learned the mare’s name, such was the preoccupied state of her mind, her feathers ruffling slightly against the blackened faux-leather armor she had covering her barrel and neck. A dulled metal helm sat on her withers for once she departed, and she had dyed her mane, tail and wings with a midnight blue to hide herself in the darkness. Gryphons were notorious for their sharp eyesight both in daylight and nighttime, so any small advantages she could get were necessary for the success of her mission.
Twilight turned to face the slightly shaking mare next to her, “Where was the ship last spotted?”
Snapping to attention, the scout's eyes locked with Twilight’s as she replied, “Last reports stated that the ship was headed south, back towards the battle in Manehattan after destroying the prototype ironclads. If the speed and direction haven’t changed then it should be waiting for you off the coast when you get there, Princess.”
Twilight nodded, the small collection of daggers hidden in her armor adding an uncomfortable weight to her body in addition to the heavy burden on her mind. She hated the idea that she might have to hurt another creature to complete her mission, but self-defense overruled any reservations she might have had about the subject. She was a princess of Equestria, and as such needed to ensure that she came back in one piece.
Twilight turned back to face the endless body of water before her, wings flaring as she pumped them once, twice, three times to get herself airborne. The scout stayed aground as Twilight flew off into the darkness, her horn remaining unlit to avoid detection as well as to preserve her own night vision. For the moment she would stay close to shore, and then branch further out to sea as she approached Manehattan to begin her sweep of the sea itself. She knew that she had to complete her task before the sun rose, or else any real chance of success quickly disappeared. Her helm floated up and settled over her head, leaving only her ears and horn uncovered as she narrowed her eyes in concentration. Tonight, would define her ability to lead as a princess, as well as protect those that she cared about back in Ponyville. Failure was not an option.
The flight to Manehattan had been a rather tense one; the water and darkness seemed to jump and shift beneath her hooves, threatening her with unseen dangers as she traveled overhead. It took a little over an hour to fly from Fillydelphia to Manehattan, but in her nervous state the trip seemed to take three times that time. Only when the lights, and smoke towers, of Manehattan came into view over the rolling hills did Twilight’s mind snap into clarity. Her eyes narrowed, her muscles tensed, and she banked out away from the city to begin her search of the sea itself.
Her horn lit only the bare minimum necessary for the spell she was using, sending out low-pitched sound bursts that were too far below pony or gryphon hearing to be sensed, but loud enough to travel for miles. It was a plan that Twilight had thought up when she was worried about how she was going to find the ship out in the open ocean. The answer was an overpowered version of sonar used by whales and dolphins. The return sounds would help her find the ship but would be far enough outside the hearing of those aboard the vessel to avoid detection.
After a few minutes of combing the sea, Twilight got a return signal, a big one. Turning towards the source of the return, she pumped her wings and flew as quickly yet quietly as she could. Hearing was another sharp sense that gryphons had, and it wouldn’t make her mission fail because she couldn’t fly quietly.
The ship soon appeared over the horizon like a dark phantom of doom, the sheer size of the thing only becoming apparent to Twilight as she neared the vessel. Her mouth fell agape at the truly titanic proportions of the ship before her, her mind trying and failing to comprehend the true stature of the ship as she started flying alongside the hull. A quick shake of the head helped to get her mind back on mission, and Twilight flew upwards until she crossed the railing of the deck. Her hooves clicked softly against the hard surface upon landing, and she quickly muffled her hoofsteps with a spell before she began creeping along the outer decking, looking for a way inside.
Her focus was so singular that she nearly ran into a gryphon soldier that was posted next to a doorway, her stifled gasp catching in her throat as she realized that she had nearly been spotted. Yet, the soldier seemed to be asleep at his post, if the soft rise and fall of his chest were any indication as he slumped slightly against the wall. Twilight sighed silently in relief before sneaking past the sentry and up to the metal mass of a door that sat beside him. With a last glance towards the soldier, Twilight lit her horn with another soft chime and rotated the giant wheel that secured the opening. The metal squeaked a few times, each sound ringing in Twilight’s ears like a drum, but at last the portal opened with barely a sound. One last check showed that the soldier was still asleep, and Twilight slipped into the hallway before her, being careful to close the door quietly behind her.
She had only made it two steps into the hall when a duo of gryphon soldiers passed the intersection ahead of her, all three freezing in place as they stared down one another. Twilight’s mind raced as she realized that she had to do something, the weight of her daggers resting heavily on her thoughts. She debated killing the soldiers, but she was unable to bring herself to do it, her horn failing to light even as both soldiers cried out with shrill screeches.
“Alarm! Alarm! Eindringling auf dem schiff! Alarm!” One soldier called while the second pulled out a short sword.
Both charged Twilight with hostility brewing in their eyes, her first instinct being to teleport to the other side of the hallway behind the two soldiers. Her hooves were already in motion as she barreled through the corridors, the blaring siren of a Klaxon sounding from small speakers that hung from the walls.
“Alarm! Ein Pony hat das schiff infiltriert und steuert auf das Achterschiff zu. Gefangen nehmen oder töten nach Möglichkeit.” The harsh language made Twilight wish she had taken the time to learn the gryphon’s native language before she took this mission. It would have made understanding what her opponents were doing much easier.
Kepler jolted awake as the klaxon sounded around him, his thoughts immediately jumping to possible situations why the ship would be on high alert. He pulled himself out of Gloria’s grip as the hen struggled to a sitting position as well, Kepler’s sensitive hearing making his head ache from the volume of the alarms sounding through the speakers. Kepler threw open the door to his bunk and spotted Whiteclaw headed in his direction, hopefully with a report on the situation. He motioned for Gloria to stay put as he stepped into the corridor, hoping that the problem could be solved without too much damage to the ship or crew.
“Report Kapitänleutnant!” Kepler had to almost strain his voice to be heard over the alarms, “What is the situation?”
Whiteclaw snapped a quick salute before replying, “Sir, we have an Equestrian on the ship. So far we’ve not spotted any additional troops, but unfortunately we’ve been unable to pin down the one pony that has managed to slip on board.”
Kepler’s fear gave way to understanding, “An assassin.”
Whiteclaw’s head tilted slightly, “Sir?”
“That pony might be an assassin,” Kepler repeated, “come to take out the high ranking officers or commanding crew members onboard. Where are they headed?”
“Last sightings reported that they were heading towards the aft mid-decks, though it seems the ship's layout is confusing the pony now that their cover has been blown.” Whiteclaw seemed nervous as he said the next words, “Reports have it that the equine is an alicorn, sir. Which can only mean one thing.”
Kepler nodded, “A princess.” Kepler had heard of the raw magical powers of the alicorn sisters who ruled Equestria, although from the sounds of things it was neither of them or the ship would be in a full-blown panic instead of on alert. “Tell the crew to go in certain directions to misguide them towards the bridge. I have an idea of whom we're dealing with. If I’m right, we can gain leverage over our adversaries with the capture of one of their precious princesses.”
Whiteclaw nodded and then saluted, “At once, sir!”
As the tercel went off to pass on his orders, Kepler saw Gloria peeking out of the bulkhead that led to their room, “What’s going on?”
Kepler strode over and gave her a peck on the cheek, “It will be alright, my love. I just have to deal with this little problem and then we can go back to bed.” He hushed her with a hoof against her beak before smiling up at her, “I promise.”
She nodded, reluctantly, leaving Kepler to fly up the hallway before making a sharp turn into the central elevator shaft. He had a feeling that this assassin wasn’t actually the killer he had first thought but could still be a valuable hostage if his hunch was correct about the identity of the alicorn.
Time to spring a little trap.
Twilight’s heart pounded in her chest, the thundering beat running counterpoint to the droning alarm and distant clamor that surrounded her. She had lost track of where she was and how she had gotten there. All she knew was that she needed to keep moving or risk letting the gryphons behind her catch up. Twice now a swift teleport had saved her from close calls, but even then it had been chillingly close.
Her eyes shot left and right as she came to a stop at an intersection, the directions written in a foreign language on the wall did nothing to help ease the tensions. Stomping her hoof in frustration, she tried to conjure a solution to circumvent the situation she found herself in, but with everything else going on around her simultaneously, she was having a bit of difficulty concentrating.
"Make way!" Her head snapped up and she hid behind an open door as another group of gryphons rushed by the intersection adjacent to hers, shouting in Equestrian as they bypassed her hallway. “Make for the bridge! We can't let them get to the captain!”
“The captain?” Twilight’s eyes widened in realization, “Of course, the captain! Who else could I be looking for? Hopefully they might have information on who this mysterious benefactor is!”
Twilight’s sprint no longer a desperate escape, she shifted focus to trying to find the bridge, which even with the newer design of the ship around her, was most likely near the top of the ship to provide the best vantage point of the surrounding area. With her task finally set in mind, Twilight charged forward, knowing that she could still complete her mission and make her mentor proud.
She snuck past patrol after patrol, finding a central shaft that seemed to act as the passage between levels, and used that to quickly climb the ship’s interior before coming to the base of a set of stairs. Two gryphon guards stood at either side of the entranceway, cluing Twilight into the importance of the staircase’s destination. Two stun spells later and she raced past the twitching guards, using her magic to push the bulkhead open before racing inside, slamming the door behind her, and sealing it with a flare of her horn.
The klaxon had finally shut off, much to Twilight’s ears’ relief, leaving the space in a deathly silence. Twilight looked around the bridge, marveling at the advanced stations and technology she saw at every turn. Yet, her attention was soon captured by the single chair that rested in the center of the room, a commander’s position if she ever saw one. She had only begun to walk forward when a voice called out from behind the chair’s high back, forcing her to pause in trepidation.
“I see that the reports of an alicorn sneaking aboard my ship were not mere fiction.” Twilight’s jaw dropped open in shock as the chair turned around to reveal a pony! Yet unlike any pony she had ever seen.
Even with her slightly increased stature as an alicorn, the stallion was a good head taller than her. Thick tufts of fur tipped both ears with slit pupils and bat-like wings against his sides instead of the usual feathers of a pegasus' wings. His menacing grin showed tips of razor-sharp fangs, sending shivers down her spine at the sight.
“Welcome aboard the Tyr, your highness.” The stallion stated in a smooth voice as he lounged back in the command chair, “How can I be of service?”
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Honestly Twilight, you didn't dig up a translation spell before coming out here?
Yes, the second german sentence is slighty wrong. It translated with the german word for conquer, instead of capture. Would be "gefangen nehmen oder töten nach Möglichkeit"
DRAMATIC
I love it :D
*sigh* The Equetrians could really use one of the post treaty allied battleships.
The twilight in this story seems a little out of touch. She didn't even really plan for what she was stepping into
You know Twilight, that they suddenly switch to equestrian should have really made you suspicious of them.
11525874
Thank you so much for your help!! I KNEW using Google would backfire on me, but I had no other options for translation so here we are. Much appreciated for the assist and let me know in the future if you spot any other mistakes of similar type.
Hope the chapter was a smashing success otherwise, and I'll see you next time,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.
11526294
sure thing, always happy to help! your story really makes me wonder about something
11526296
Oh? What was it that caught your mind? Also, was this what you meant by the correct sentence? Just making sure.
11526024
Yeah she did mot plan well. At least study griffon language before going.
Oooo can’t wait to see what goes on with twilight and thus Equestria from here. Keep up the amazing work mate!
11526176
Funny thing bout twi, she doesn’t think enough or over thinks things there is no in between for her lol
Twi you really need to get a handle with your compulsive need to please your mentor...you came into this situation with a plan that is not even half baked...a quarter baked at best!
Nice touch with his 'guest of honor'
Also, I'm glad this story is back!
11526321
Yes, that was what I meant with the sentence.
And well, i wondered if griffons and ship crew could have a german speaking pony as ally. Sort of a collaborator or something
11525977
Keep in mind... They just said that the prototype Ironclads were destroyed. That puts Equestrian naval technology at American Civil War era! This type of ship was made in the mid to late 1800s. Battleships like the Tyr were made after the start of the 1900s. this is at least a 50 year difference in ship building technology alone!
And this isn't including the fact that it'll take ponies a while to even grasp the idea of a non-magical base of technology.
The entire time twilight was on the ship I couldn't shake the thought of metal gear solid. Fun chapter
I wonder if this event might lead to a stand off between Kepler and Twilight.
Luger vs knife if that can happen
Okay, a South Dakota then.
Twilight, you are suffering from a bad case of the Stupids.
I love to see a Twilight who shows resolve, intelligence, and seriousness.
German is an AWESOME language! Nice to see it used here.
I was wondering how you were gonna make the gryphons win this war. Seeing how utterly stupid Twilight is in this book, that question has been answered. Convenient.
Btw I don't mean this a complaint, well done.
Nothing suspicious here