CRISIS: New World Order

by GanonFLCL

Chapter Fourteen: Enmity

Rarity rather enjoyed the vast differences in the offerings Hope’s Point seemed to have on hoof when once had free range of the place rather than being escorted around everywhere by Briarthorn, as it had been on her last visit. Besides being allowed to walk the streets wherever and whenever she wanted—which allowed her to scope out the city’s fashion scene—she also had her own choices of where she would eat each meal, who she’d spend her time with, and basically anything else she wanted to do, see, or experience.

At the moment, she was making her way towards a delightful little Baroque restaurant called Bella Serata that came highly recommended by Symphony, and she trusted the mare’s opinion seeing as she had Baroque heritage. Symphony had suggested Rarity order the sweet crespelles for breakfast and Rarity was indeed eager to try them, particularly if they offered blueberries and cream. Apparently the restaurant was also something of a couple’s paradise as it specialized in its romantic atmosphere and pastas, as was typical of the Baroque culture.

But that was beside the point. At the moment, Rarity’s mind was on fashion. After a few days in the city, she’d noticed a number of trends as far as the populace’s fashion sense was concerned. Sure, the average pony wore relatively average clothes, but she could pick out the ponies that specifically paid attention to their appearances. There was nothing so extravagant as the fancy dresses that she designed for the upper class back in Canterlot, but there was still an interesting offering to be seen.

Since it was the beginning of the northern spring, most of the outfits on display were just warm enough to get through the last of the winter cold passing through but relaxed enough to be comfortable. Thus, the clothing consisted mostly of lightweight jackets, long skirts, and decorative hats. Even the city’s stallions seemed to get in on the fashion game around here, which Rarity noted was rare even back in Canterlot. The stallions didn’t wear skirts, of course—at least from what Rarity had seen—but she wouldn’t judge if any did.

Rarity felt a little out of place wearing her winter coat, but couldn’t exactly part with it—it would be autumn down south, and snowy and cold once they got to zebra territory—so she just kept the coat open enough to keep her covered, but not too warm. It still fit a spring aesthetic well enough to get by.

The main way to tell who was or wasn’t fashion conscious was easy, too, because such ponies groomed themselves in a particular way. Manes and tails were treated with precision and care, perfectly coiffed, combed, primped, brushed, parted, tied, braided, or curled into exquisite, luxurious styles not out of place in a fashion show back home. The average pony just seemed to comb their manes and tails briefly before they left the house, nothing quite so attentive.

Rarity was so distracted with the fashion culture of the citizens that she nearly walked right past her restaurant stop. Bella Serata wasn’t particularly crowded this morning, just a few pleasant-looking ponies here and there eating breakfast before a day of work or shopping or whatever they were off to do. Rarity was seated at a table in the corner by herself, took a brief moment to look over the menu and place her order—the sweet crespelles with blueberries and cream, natch—then sat, waited, and began eating the moment her food arrived.

The crespelles, incidentally, were simply divine. The best she’d ever tasted, in fact, and she was quite a connoisseur of the finer dining back in Canterlot.

Unfortunately, she’d hardly gotten started when she noticed a pony coming towards her table, a pegasus mare with an orange coat and a pink mane, wearing a crisp jacket bearing the Hope’s Point insignia: a black lighthouse over a red and gold backdrop.

“Miss Rarity?” the mare asked as she reached Rarity’s table, giving a polite bow.

Rarity dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “Yes, that’s me. How may I help you?”

“I’ve been sent to retrieve you and escort you immediately for an audience with Her and His Majesty.”

Rarity tilted her head. “Whatever for, dear?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know, but the matter sounded urgent. If you’d come with me, please?” She noticed Rarity’s mostly full plate. “Um, after you’ve finished your meal, of course.”

“Oh dear,” Rarity muttered, “this doesn’t sound good.”

*****

Rarity entered into the royal throne room a short while later, finding it exactly as she remembered it from her last visit—she hadn’t gotten to see it since arriving in the city this time around. It wasn’t so much a throne room as it was an observation chamber, really, and she knew that was just because Blackburn didn’t see the need for a “royal” atmosphere. Blackburn would rather have her throne room be useful as her personal information center, and she definitely made sure that was the case.

As such, the room was incredibly dark and amounted to little more than a long hallway. Its most prominent feature was a large, circular hub in the middle of the room, covered with dozens of small monitors. Additional, smaller monitoring stations adorned the sides of the room, though they were currently unoccupied. Mounted above the hub on a mantle and plaque was… nothing, not now at least. Rarity figured that it would be tacky these days to have a Gargantuan skull there as there once was, all things considered, but wondered if Blackburn just didn’t care about replacing it.

Queen Blackburn and King Lockwood stood at the hub station, and from their expressions they did not seem too pleased—Blackburn rarely looked pleased, and in fact had been on edge for the past day or so waiting for an attack that for some reason hadn’t come yet, but seeing Lockwood like this was rather odd. Also present were Bluebolt, Symphony, Sundial, Bloom, Flurry, and Weaver. The gang was all here, so to say—minus Venture, if she could be considered part of the “gang”—and Rarity wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

“Good, we can begin,” Blackburn said as soon as Rarity was within earshot. “Will make this relatively brief: we are moving your flight arrangements up by a few days. To this afternoon, actually.”

Rarity brightened immediately, her anxiety gone. “Really? My goodness, that’s wonderful news. I take it Newhaven was able… to…” She noticed the sour expressions still on the royal couple’s faces, and her anxiety returned as fast as it had gone. “Oh. Oh dear, this is bad news, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” Lockwood grunted. “Quite bad, actually.”

“What’s going on, Mom? Dad?” Bluebolt asked, looking quite worried herself now.

Blackburn snorted. “Received word this morning, only an hour ago: Newhaven is currently under siege.”

Bluebolt’s eyes widened in shock. “What?!”

“What do you mean, ‘under siege’?” Symphony asked, equally wide-eyed.

“Houses Waters and Green have declared war on House Sky,” Lockwood said, shaking his head. “Since House Sky rules over and makes its home in Newhaven, that means that Newhaven is their target. The report says that the city is surrounded by a detachment of the House Green army and the House Waters navy.”

Symphony was clearly barely keeping calm. “Is everypony there okay? Is my family safe?”

“Is Fireglow safe?!” Bluebolt blurted. “You said he was in Newhaven too! What about Gleaming Dawn? And Uncle Shorthoof and—”

Blackburn let out a breath, though not exactly of relief. “All evacuated into Newhaven’s port, which is officially Hope’s Point territory. They will be safe for now.”

“What do you mean ‘for now’?!”

“Sieging forces might march on Newhaven proper any moment. Whether they can differentiate between port and town, unknown.”

“It’s not a risk we’re willing to take, of course,” Lockwood added. “We wouldn’t allow it to happen anyway, since Newhaven is as much ours as it is House Sky’s, but naturally there are a lot of factors that make this a high, high priority.”

Blackburn clenched her teeth. “Crossfire’s birthplace. Family still lives there. Insulting to his memory.”

“I thought you said that this House Sky was a neutral House in all of this southern conflict?” Rarity asked, nervous and concerned for the well-being of the friends and loved ones of her friends and loved ones. “Why would these other Houses attack Newhaven?”

Blackburn took a deep breath. “Because they are enemies of House Silver. Current head of House Silver, Lady Silverluck, was taking refuge at House Sky’s estate, hoping to persuade Lord Skycatcher in some unknown matter. Evidence reported suggests she followed neutral terms and came with only a private entourage, including her husband.”

“They’re gonna attack a whole town an’ risk hurtin’ lots o’ innocent ponies just ta get ta one mare?” Bloom asked, wide-eyed. “What kind o’ jerks are these Green 'n' Waters folk?”

“Lord Green Fields of House Green, a hot-headed narcissist lech with a chip on his shoulder. Lord Deepwater of House Waters, greedy, arrogant, has intense trade rivalry with Hope’s Point. Former likely sees opportunity for fame and fortune; latter sees opportunity to cripple our trade route.”

“How deplorable!” Rarity snorted. “Putting innocent lives at risk for such frivolous things.”

“That’s war for you, Rarity,” Lockwood mumbled, shaking his head. “But if it’s a war that these Houses want, it’s a war that they’re gonna get.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Blackburn cracked her neck. “Authorized your departure for as soon as preparations are made to relevant ships. Only have one opportunity to send you off, must do so via military vessels; civilian transports will not be safe to move there, need to respond to threat anyway. Matter of convenience.”

“You don’t have to go now, if you don’t want to,” Lockwood said with a slight smile. “Once we clear this up, we’ll be able to get a civilian transport prepped up for you to go, but we can’t promise when we’ll be able to do so without risking an incident. Or needing to take a major detour. Or needing to wait for a long while. Basically, a lot of unknowns.”

“Wouldn’t sending military vessels to Newhaven start an ‘incident’?” Flurry asked.

Lockwood shook his head. “Not exactly. There are a lot of complications to it that I’ve been looking into since we got the news, but rest assured, if there is an incident brewing here it won’t be because of our response, it’ll be because of their response.”

“How soon do we leave?” Bluebolt asked. “You said by the afternoon, right?”

“You aren’t going anywhere, young lady,” Lockwood said. “Your brother’s already in an awful position as it is, not to mention all of our other friends and family down there, and we’re not risking anything happening to you, too.”

Bluebolt’s eyes widened, and she was clearly very, very angry. “What?! You can’t just leave me here! I promised Sundial and Rarity—”

“The south is at war, Bluebolt!” Blackburn snapped. “You will stay here, where it is safe.”

“‘Safe’?! The damn NPAF is making their way down towards us any day now! Are you even ready to repel—”

“Preparations have been made, NPAF will not threaten our city.”

“We’re bringing everypony in Newhaven that we can back with us,” Lockwood said with a nod. “They’ll be safer here than there in case the other noble Houses get any more bright ideas about attacking the town.”

Symphony set her hoof on Bluebolt’s shoulder. “It’s alright, pecha, your mom and dad are right. It’s not safe there.”

Bluebolt turned to Symphony in shock. “Symphony, c’mon, don’t you start—”

“Bolt, trust me. Just listen to them, okay?” She nuzzled against Bluebolt’s neck. “I’m worried too. Mia famiglia is there, and they’re in just as much danger as yours. But if your mom and dad want us to stay here, then we should. Non ti preoccupare, andrà bene. Fidati di me.”

Bluebolt stayed silent for a moment, then nodded, and hugged Symphony tight. “I’ll always trust you, songbird. Thank you…”

Rarity cleared her throat. “So, if I’m understanding this correctly, we’re to depart on one of these military vessels of yours? This afternoon?’

“Correct,” Blackburn said with a nod. “Have already made arrangements with Fleet Master Highwind, as fleet preparations are well underway and this takes priority. Will not be a ‘good enough’ situation, either: top-class ships are available. You will be aboard Highwind’s own Blue Lightning—a troop deployment and command vessel—and escorted by the Thunder Two—our top gunship.”

“Briarthorn would be proud of what his successor ship is capable of, let me tell you,” Lockwood added with a little grin. “At any rate, I should get a move on if we’re going to be ready in time. Still a few things to oversee before we depart, you understand.”

Rarity tilted her head. “Hmm? ‘We’?”

“Well, obviously I’ll be accompanying you to Newhaven aboard the Blue Lightning, seeing as I’m going to need to engage in some negotiations, diplomacy, and other assorted leadership duties in my role as King.”

“I must remain here to continue defense preparations,” Blackburn added. “Otherwise, it would be me.”

“It’s probably better this way,” Lockwood added with a grin. “I’ve always been the more negotiable one, eh? Blackburn would be better suited here with the fleet organization, you know that.”

Rarity shook her head, dismayed by this entire situation. “Thank you for including us in this whole arrangement, both of you. I’m terribly sorry to hear about all of this, and my thoughts are with your friends and family. I can only hope nothing happens in the meanwhile.”

“Sometimes, hope is all we have,” Flurry said. She let out a breath. “I don’t like this at all.”

Bloom set her hoof on Flurry’s shoulder. “Don’t you worry now, Flurry. Lockwood’ll take care o’ everythin’ just fine, yeah?”

Sundial, who’d stayed silent until now, took a breath of her own. “This whole situation is a bunch o’ shite, aye? I know you lot got word about these rising tensions and all that once winter was over, but I was just down south back in summer—their winter—and I didn’t get the feeling that a bloody war was about ta break out, aye? It’s madness, is what this is.”

“Agreed,” Blackburn said with a nod. “News has not been good so far, will not bore you with details. But this affects us in the north.” She grunted. “Recent discussions brought up concept of rising Darkness up north. Worthy thought, however, evidence suggests Darkness is also rising down south.

“Utopian continent peaceful since before Beacons were constructed. Harmonia maintained peace via Wardens—Silvertongue included—after banishing Nihila cultists. Peace lasted until Beacons fell twenty-one years ago. An entire continent starting a war within twenty-one years, after more than one thousand years of peace?” Blackburn shook her head. “Improbable, but not impossible.”

Sundial paused, then nodded. “Ye think there’s something else at play here, aye?”

“Difficult to tell, but tensions rose too fast. Somepony or something is responsible.”

“We just can’t believe that an entire continent of peace-loving ponies would throw themselves into war so quickly over such petty issues as they’re claiming,” Lockwood agreed. “It’s definitely odd, but that information you brought certainly helps us in figuring something out.”

“Also, timing is suspicious,” Blackburn continued. “War starts in the south around the time NPAF fleet is set to attack Hope’s Point? Again, improbable, but not impossible.”

Rarity gasped. “You don’t think that they had something to do with this?” She turned to Sundial and Weaver. “That Conclave you mentioned, could they be responsible?”

Weaver shook his head. “Unknown. Overseer Pedigree never hinted at anything of this sort, however, I agree that it sounds suspicious.”

Lockwood cleared his throat. “At any rate, enough chit-chat everypony. I’ve got to get things settled with Highwind to get our two ships moving as soon as possible, hmm? I’ll send out a summons when we’re ready.”

Rarity nodded. “Thank you again, Lockwood, Blackburn. I wish the circumstances were different, but I appreciate you considering our situation as well, and how it fits into all of this.”

Blackburn nodded. “You are a good friend, Rarity. I, too, regret the circumstances, but rest assured, I will do everything in my power to help you.” She turned to Sundial. “And you as well. Mission to southern Beacon sounds more important than ever.”

Sundial let out a breath and nodded. “Aye, and more complicated.”

Rarity shook her head. “That is how things always seem to go.”

*****

Rarity had never been one to judge the various techno-magic constructions that this world seemed to love, at least as far as appearances were concerned. Much of it just wasn’t her style, she could admit that, in the same way that Rainbow Dash could gush over how “cool” an outfit looked while Rarity was more concerned with “class”. She supposed that there were likely plenty of ponies out there that would appreciate the sight of the Blue Lightning as it finished getting prepped for launch, it just wasn’t her.

The airship was not too much larger than Rarity remembered Briarthorn’s old Thunder ship being, though it had a sleeker shape and more sophisticated aesthetic. As its namesake suggested, the ship was mostly a brilliant electric blue, accented with silver and black to give it a sporty sort of look that Rainbow Dash would’ve surely appreciated. It was shaped rather oddly, almost like the head of a dragon, and she could see the ports where its wings would eventually deploy near the top and bottom.

It was certainly different seeing a crew getting prepared to take the ship out. Rarity recalled that Briarthorn’s Thunder was designed to operate with only one pegasus, and that he and his ship were unique in that aspect. The Blue Lightning had an honest-to-goodness crew: Fleet Master Highwind would be the pilot, as it was his personal ship; his cockpit operator was a unicorn mare named Terra Rose; his engineer was an earth pony stallion named Drill Bit; and he had two ensigns to operate minor systems, a unicorn stallion named Cloudhopper, and a pegasus mare named Yoyo. All of them wore formal flight jackets that matched the color of the ship, with Highwind himself wearing a flight suit under his.

The ship seemed state-of-the-art, so far as Rarity could tell. Its innards were sleek, clean, shiny, smooth, and bright, almost like everything was brand-new, and Rarity was sure to compliment Highwind on the condition his ship was in.

“Ha ha! Thank you, Miss Rarity,” Highwind laughed. “Truth be told, my darling’s been in hibernation for more than two months, and we use that time to perform thorough maintenance and cleaning that should last the rest of the year.”

It was all a rather welcome change, actually, from the dirty, run-down piece-of-junk Thunder that she’d last had the opportunity to ride in. She’d never tell Briarthorn how much she’d loathed being on board that ship and would have rather ridden on Queen Blackburn’s Wyvern even without knowing a thing about it. The way Bluebolt described the fleet these days, she was certain any ship would’ve made better transportation.

There wasn’t much to say, really, as the ship’s crew finished their checks and everypony boarded and made ready for launch. The ship was large enough and, since the journey south would be smooth, steady enough that everypony on board could freely walk around and explore the ship without taking seats.

Rarity was content to stay on the bridge, where Lockwood, Gunpowder, Highwind, and Terra Rose were. The latter, incidentally, was a pretty young thing, with a lovely red coat and a long green mane streaked with white-blonde that she wore in a ponytail.

Highwind himself was in a cylindrical chamber on the bridge, which was explained to be a piloting mechanism that allowed pegasi to maneuver the ship exactly as they maneuvered themselves via some strange coating that covered their wings and a visor over his eyes—Rarity didn’t know how it worked but it sounded fascinating.

Rarity hadn’t been sure exactly how this whole launch procedure went the last time she’d gone through it, what with being essentially locked in a cargo hold for most of the process, so she was rather eager to see the magic happen, so to say. The ship’s view screens gave a total view of the exterior of the ship in a variety of angles and followed Highwind’s head as he turned, as if there was something atop the ship somehow mimicking his movements. The ship was him and he was the ship, or at least that was how he explained it.

As Highwind gave the orders to launch, the hangar it was in—which was located at the bottom of the cliff the city sat on, below the ocean surface—was flooded with seawater via a large doorway which led out into an underwater tunnel. Rarity could feel the Blue Lightning’s engines spring to life, pushing the ship forward underwater as it traveled up through the tunnel and into the open ocean, where it quickly surfaced.

The ship then deployed its wings at the same time that Highwind flexed his own. For Rarity’s benefit, Highwind even looked left and right to show off the ship in its full glory, at least as best he could from this angle. The wings spread out into a wide fan shape, giving the ship—at least from Rarity’s perspective—the appearance of a frilled lizard.

The Thunder Two pulled up alongside the Blue Lightning a moment later. Rarity hadn’t seen this ship until now, but knew its namesake as the successor to Briarthorn’s old Thunder, but she felt that the appearance it had wasn’t nearly the same. The Thunder Two was a disc-shaped ship that deployed long wings at its sides, giving it the appearance of a boomerang of sorts. She didn’t see any weapons on the supposed “gunship”, however, and assumed they were kept hidden until needed.

One thing Rarity was thankful for was the lack of the old Belt of Tranquility, which had been an equator-spanning magical storm that effectively made travel from one hemisphere to the other impossible without extremely durable magical barriers, which—according to Blackburn—hadn’t been developed until roughly fifty years or so before Rarity and her friends had first arrived. In other words, the north and south had been completely separated from one another for hundreds of years because of that storm, which was created by the energies of the Beacons clashing along the equator.

Incidentally, that reminded Rarity of an important question: “Lockwood, darling, I just realized, without that dreadful storm about, it seemed to me that you didn’t have anypony making use of that… what was it called…?”

“Oh, the Diffusion system?” Lockwood asked. “Yeah, we don’t use it anymore, obviously. No more pegasi have to suffer like Briarthorn and his family did, or so many others. It was first thing Blackburn put into effect when the Belt collapsed.”

“All of our shields are onboard and fully powered by traditional techno-magic these days,” Highwind added. “They’re not as powerful as the old Diffusion models, of course, but since they don’t need to withstand the old Belt, they get the job done just fine.”

“Would that Diffusion system have allowed your ships to fly in those thunderblizzards?” Rarity asked.

Lockwood tilted his head, clearly mulling that over. “Huh… I dunno, actually. I’ll pose that question to our Chief Science Officer, Lucky Star. Not that it means we’ll start using them again—Blackburn would never allow it—but it’d be interesting conversation.”

Rarity looked out through the view screens onto the beautiful ocean below as they soared through the sky at a blistering speed. “Your world really is amazing now that things have changed, isn’t it? I remember how the ocean here looked until you got further south: just blackish-green water, not even suitable for fish. Now it has the lovely blue color it should.”

“Yeah, it really is beautiful, isn’t it?” Lockwood said with a grin. “Though from how you described things, it’s still nothing compared to your home. Even with everything that’s happened, your world still seems so much more bright and colorful. At least that’s how I picture it in my mind.”

“You’d enjoy it very much, I think. If it were possible, darling, I’d ask for every single pony I know in your world to come to mine.” Rarity sighed and shook her head. “But I know that’s not possible.”

“It’s a nice thought, though. But to be honest, this is still our home, and we still love it here. All we can hope for is a chance to make it better and better, until someday nopony ever has to worry about the things that they still do even now. No more war, no more dangerous storms, no more anger, or hate. Just peace, compassion, and harmony.”

Rarity smiled and nodded. “I certainly hope that your world achieves that goal someday.” She then frowned. “Though, that does ironically sound an awful lot like what Silvertongue wanted for you all, doesn’t it? For everypony in all the worlds, actually.”

Lockwood grunted. “Believe me, I’ve had this conversation with Blackburn more than once, and while she agrees absolutely with the end results he was seeking—peace, joy, and prosperity for all without fear, pain, or sorrow—she vehemently disagrees with his methods. The ends don’t justify the means.”

It only took a couple of hours for the Blue Lightning and Thunder Two to reach Newhaven, which sat upon the northernmost cliffs of the southern continent. Rarity had never been to the town, actually, as circumstances had made that unfeasible, but she knew that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had. In their brief descriptions it had sounded an awful lot like Ponyville: rustic, down-to-earth, and peaceful, surrounded by fertile farmland and filled with wonderfully nice ponies just like those back home.

All of that was certainly true, so far as Rarity could tell from up here. She could also see the great port that kept getting mentioned, which amounted to a number of round buildings with oddly designed roofs all surrounding a tall central structure, all of which had the more modern Hope’s Point aesthetic to them.

The town itself was fairly separate from the port, but the buildings were all made from materials that she recognized as more old-fashioned, such as stone and wood, rather than metal. And it was indeed surrounded by acre after acre of what she knew was farmland. There was also a large manor of sorts near the outskirts of the town that looked positively fancy.

However, Newhaven was anything but peaceful at the moment.

The southern side of the city was surrounded by an army of ponies clad in green armor. She didn’t dare attempt to count, but she made a quick estimate of one thousand strong. She couldn’t quite tell what they were armed with from here, but assumed they were armed. Said troops were already moving upon the town itself, but Rarity couldn’t see anypony down below fleeing from their approach.

The northern side of the city, which bordered the ocean, was occupied by about half a dozen large boats painted white, gold, and blue, complete with sails that depicted a black crashing wave. They were crewed by dozens of ponies each, all of them garbed in blue. These ships she could tell were armed for certain, with cannons, actually, the sort that used gunpowder and cannonballs. She understood that the southern continent had not progressed technologically like the north had, but she felt it rather odd to see nonetheless. The ships, unlike the army, were not currently doing much, perhaps because they were too close to the port?

Highwind brought the Blue Lightning into position directly over the port, and the Thunder Two took the same position, just at a much higher altitude. “We are in position, Your Majesty,” Highwind said.

“Is anypony in any immediate danger down there?” Lockwood asked.

“Not at the moment, Your Majesty, no. Evidence suggests the entire population of Newhaven—southern natives or not—have fled into the port and sealed the gates. However, House Green’s forces will be upon the port within the hour.”

Lockwood sighed. “Crossfire’s heart would break seeing things like this in his hometown. This isn’t right.” He shook his head. “Any sign of Lord Green Fields or Lord Deepwater?”

Highwind turned to Terra Rose. “Anything from the scanners yet, Terra?”

Terra examined her panels, then turned back to Highwind. “Yes, sir. There is a small detachment of troops from both House Green and House Waters situated at Sky Manor, House Sky’s family estate, which suggests there is some leadership presence there from both forces. Unknown if the Lords themselves are there.”

“I have no doubts they’re there,” Highwind grunted.

“Agreed. They’d likely have attempted to demand the town’s surrender from Lord Skycatcher,” Lockwood said with a nod. “Or at the very least Lady Silverluck. Well, at least that means they’re all in a central location.” He turned to Highwind. “Send out a communication buoy, and patch it through to the Blue Lightning’s broadcasting system.”

“Right away, Your Majesty,” Highwind said. “Terra, if you would?”

Terra nodded, turned to her panel, pressed a number of buttons, then began operating a small joystick. Another panel nearby flipped open to reveal a new view screen. From Rarity’s perspective, it was as if whatever this view screen was transmitting from was flying straight from the Blue Lightning’s bottom hull towards the manor on the far end of town.

“What are we seeing here, Lockwood?” she asked.

“One of our communication buoys,” Lockwood said. “It’s a piloted drone based off of the AMP models that utilizes a number of surveillance and communication features to allow our ship to interact directly with troops on the ground, or in this case, to do so with an enemy leader without entering the combat zone.

“Speaking of which, they’re most likely in the estate’s grand hall,” Lockwood noted, turning to Terra. “It offers a view of the town and the coastline from one of the windows on the southeast side.”

Terra nodded. “Of course, Your Majesty.”

The drone—piloted by Terra, apparently—flew towards the southeastern side of the manor and sought out an open window, which it was able to do after a brief search. As it flew inside, Rarity caught sight of a number of ponies present, some armed, some not, but all of them very tense. Some noticed the drone enter the room and reacted with surprise or curiosity.

First was a bright blue pegasus stallion with a purple mane and tail and a matching goatee. Rarity knew that the southern ponies typically didn’t wear clothes, and he was no exception, wearing only an ornate sash colored blue and gold and decorated with an orange pegasus rearing up. He was accompanied by only a single guard, another pegasus stallion, wearing light blue armor and armed with a lance.

Next was a light gray unicorn mare with a beautiful silver mane and tail which she wore in delicate waves. She wore a golden tiara studded with little blue gemstones that Rarity couldn’t identify from the video quality or from this distance. Nopony accompanied her at all. She wore a defiant expression on her face as she stared down the next two ponies, and their entourages.

The first of those was a green earth pony stallion with a golden mane, tall and somewhat muscular, but also a little pudgy. He wore a light suit of decorative armor not at all suited for battle, colored green with golden trim, with a heavy longsword strapped to his back. The three guards he had with him—all earth pony mares—wore armor of a similar color but of sturdier stuff, and were each armed with lances as well.

The last pony Rarity took note of was a dark blue unicorn stallion with a dark green mane that he wore in a style she could best describe as “seaweed caught in a net”. He wore a sash colored blue, silver, and gold, with a black wave etched across it as well as a matching tricorn hat, and carried a rapier at his side. He was accompanied by two guards—also unicorn stallions—dressed in light armor and carrying crossbows.

As the drone approached the collection, one of the unicorn guards fired his crossbow at it in shock. The bolt struck the drone in the side and bounced off harmlessly.

Lockwood cleared his throat, then spoke loudly and clearly into a small device next to the panel. “Lord Green Fields, Lord Deepwater, this is King Lockwood of Hope’s Point. Your forces here are in direct violation of quite a few treaties and agreements held between Newhaven and the other noble Houses, and I’m requesting that you order your forces to stand down immediately.”

The earth pony stallion spoke first. “Ah, the Flightless King has come to talk, has he? Sending your little toys to do the talking for you while you sit on your mechanical bird, hmm? Codardo.”

Rarity bristled with anger. “‘Flightless King’? How dare he mock your injury,” she said, gesturing towards Lockwood’s crippled wing. “You suffered that saving Fluttershy’s life! And besides that, it’s simply tactless—”

Lockwood put his hoof over the device he was speaking into. “It’s quite alright, Rarity, not all ponies are as tactful as you, hmm? Let them feel big if they want. I’m not bothered by it.”

Rarity grunted and said nothing further. She noticed that Highwind and Terra also bore looks of disdain, but they’d kept quiet.

“Lord Green Fields, I assure you, I am more than happy to speak face-to-face if that is what you wish,” Lockwood continued, speaking back into the device. “However, I would think it appropriate procedure to call off your forces in the meantime, while we discussed things.”

“Pah! You think you can come in here and boss us around, do you? That you can tell us what to do and expect us to do it just because you asked?”

“No, I expect you to do as I asked because it is customary and proper procedure in warfare. If you don’t wish to open up negotiations then by all means say so, and we can proceed from there.”

The unicorn stallion pushed the earth pony—Green Fields—out of the way slightly so that he was in frame. “Shut your stupid mouth, Fields, before you hurt yourself.” He turned to the camera and grinned. “Your Majesty, you must forgive Lord Fields, he is not accustomed to these sorts of dealings.”

Rarity didn’t like his tone. His words were somewhat polite but his tone was sarcastic and rude.

Lockwood sneered just slightly. “And I am well-acquainted with the way you are accustomed to handling these sorts of dealings, Lord Deepwater. But I will not repeat myself: call off your forces so that we can negotiate, or face the consequences.”

“Oh, is the Flightless King threatening us now—” interjected Green Fields.

“Shut up, imbécil,” the unicorn—Deepwater—snorted. “Just shut your mouth and send word out to your troops to stand down. The request for negotiations has been made official, and we cannot defy it without risking un ultraje.”

“If he wishes to issue the order, he can speak it directly into the communication buoy, as you have been so far,” Lockwood said. “It has been broadcasting our conversation in its entirety for all of Newhaven to hear.”

Deepwater nudged Green Fields, who merely grumbled. “Fine. House Green troops! This is Lord Green Fields speaking. Stand down for now while we negotiate with this…” He sneered at the camera. “Sporcizia più comune.”

Lockwood nodded. “Very good. I’ll be arriving within the next few moments.” He then turned away from the device he’d been speaking into and addressed Highwind. “Captain, deploy the shuttlecraft, if you would?”

“Right away, Your Majesty,” Highwind said with a nod. He turned to Terra and nodded, and Terra punched a few buttons on the console as she got that process started.

Lockwood, meanwhile, made his way towards the bridge exit, accompanied by Gunpowder.

Rarity stopped him with a hoof before he left the bridge. “Lockwood, darling, are you certain you can handle this alone? I don’t mean to sound as if I don’t trust your ability—far from it—but these two thugs—because that’s what they are, thugs—seem dead set on going through with this little siege of theirs regardless of what you say or do.”

Lockwood smiled at Rarity and shook his head. “I’ll be fine, Rarity, trust me. I was always skilled at making deals with others before I married Blackburn, and I’d like to think that I’ve gotten much better at it over the years. I’m in the big leagues nowadays, eh?”

“I believe that, dear, sincerely I do, but would you like any help? I won’t pretend I’m the best negotiator there is—I think Twilight’s a lot better at it than I am—but I have a good history of it and might be able to lend you a hoof.”

“I can’t put that kind of pressure on you, Rarity. This is my duty as King. It is my responsibility to Hope’s Point and her citizens, not yours. Depending on how things go down there, things might be said or done that you don’t quite agree with, hmm? I don’t want anything like that on your conscience.”

Rarity paused, noting the seriousness in his voice. Gone was the playful, jovial Lockwood of yesteryear. There was something different about him right now, an intensity that she’d never seen before and that she couldn’t place a hoof on, but she felt it was better to let him do what he did best.

“Very well, I won’t argue it,” Rarity said, shaking her head. “May I stay here on the bridge, though, so that I might watch these proceedings? I’d very much like to see how you’ve grown in all these years. A bit different from negotiating with zebras, isn’t it?”

Lockwood nodded. “Be my guest.” He then turned to Highwind. “Keep the Blue Lightning steady here until I return, and follow protocols otherwise, Fleet Master.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Highwind replied with a nod.

Lockwood and Gunpowder then left the bridge. Rarity watched as, a moment later, a small ship, barely larger than the bridge she was standing on, departed from the Blue Lightning’s bottom hull—she’d seen the craft when she came on board but didn’t know what it was at the time—and flew out towards the manor.

More moments passed, and then she saw, on the view screen projected by the drone, Lockwood and Gunpowder enter into the manor’s grand hall, just the two of them. Terra operated the drone in order to get a good angle of the proceedings so that everypony present on the bridge could clearly see all of the players involved, Lockwood in particular. The two ponies that Rarity had yet to identify were the only ones who bowed—albeit briefly—as Lockwood approached.

“And there he is, the Flightless King himself in the flesh,” greeted Green Fields with a smirk. “Had to use one of your fancy flying contraptions to make it down to us, didn’t you?”

“Of course, Lord Green Fields,” Lockwood replied, calm and concise. “After all, my good friend Gunpowder here can’t fly either, and I can’t just leave the poor stallion to walk down here, hmm? It’s quite a fall.”

Rarity bristled again. “What an uncouth lout this Green Fields is. He has no respect for Lockwood whatsoever.”

“He’s a right bastard is what he is,” Highwind grunted. Rarity noted the sneer on his face that he hadn’t had while Lockwood had been present. “His Majesty has the patience of a saint to put up with it.”

Terra scoffed. “I hear the jackass treats his personal guards—those mares with him—like a private harem, too. And I’ve heard so many rumors about the bastards he’s sired over the years. Like, the legitimate term, ‘bastard’. He’s got no proper heir but something like two dozen kids running around out there somewhere.”

“I feel sorry for any mare that has to touch that slob,” Rarity snorted.

“Cut the bromas, Lockwood,” Deepwater said, notably without his former manners or Lockwood’s proper title—such a privilege was normally reserved for close friends and loved ones, of which Deepwater was certainly neither. “You’re here because you want to find a way to weasel your way out of this, just like you weaseled your way into a trade alliance with the seaponies.”

Lockwood shook his head. “I assure you, that’s not what this is. I’m here because you are laying siege to a neutral town ruled over by a neutral House which happens to have a close, friendly relationship with Hope’s Point. I merely want to ensure that things don’t get out of hoof.”

“‘Neutral’? Pah!” Green Fields laughed. “Lord Skycatcher likes to claim neutrality, and yet as you can clearly see, he is harboring an enemy of ours in his very home,” he grunted, gesturing towards the elegant unicorn mare. “If that is what you call ‘neutral’, then I am… a… hmm…”

Deepwater rolled his eyes. “Don’t hurt yourself thinking, Fields, it’s unbecoming of a southern Lord to look so atónito.”

The other pegasus, who Rarity now assumed was Lord Skycatcher, grunted. “As I already told ya, Lord Green Fields, Lady Silverluck arrived only a few days ago ta make a plea fer mah support wit’ a petition ta the Harmony Guard. It’s customary fer the heads o’ the Houses ta engage in these sorts o’ negotiations, an’ it was only polite 'n' proper o’ me ta offer her a room in mah home ta sleep in while we discussed matters.”

“No agreements were made, if you care,” added the mare, who Rarity assumed was Lady Silverluck. Rarity noted the anger and indignance in her voice. “I was in the midst of preparing for my departure when your troops surrounded the town. Convenient timing, actually. Almost as if I was being spied upon while under sacred hospitality.”

Lockwood raised an eyebrow. “If that’s the case, Lord Green Fields, Lord Deepwater, you’re already violating House Sky’s neutrality by bringing them into this conflict when they did not explicitly take a side in these matters.”

“Pah! You take their word against ours, then, do you?” Green Fields snorted, pointing angrily at Lockwood. “Your flagrant bias is showing, Flightless King.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” Deepwater noted with a smirk. “If you wish to take their side in this negotiation, then that shows a clear indication of allegiance with House Sky and House Silver, which makes you our enemies as well.”

Lockwood shook his head. “I merely made a statement, and preceded it with an ‘if’, Lord Deepwater, as you’ll surely notice. I am only here to moderate these proceedings as a third party and to make sure that innocent lives are not lost in any attempts to escalate this conflict further.”

Skycatcher nodded. “An’ House Sky an’ the ponies o’ Newhaven appreciate yer kindness 'n' observance o’ the neutrality agreements, King Lockwood.”

Silverluck snorted. “It sounds like you’re ready to throw me to the wolves if you need to, Your Majesty, if you’ll forgive my assumptions.”

Lockwood smiled. “Goodness no, Lady Silverluck, I have no intention of throwing anypony to anything. We’re all civilized ponies here, are we not? We can come to some sort of agreement that can keep all parties satisfied.”

“The only thing that will satisfy me is that puttana’s head on a spike where it belongs,” Green Fields spat.

Rarity snorted, clenching her teeth. “Not only does he disrespect Lockwood, but also Lady Silverluck’s dignity and honor as a mare. I think I know why Lockwood didn’t want me there, now.”

“If I were there, that bastard’s head would be the one on a spike,” Terra noted, giving Rarity a knowing nod. “But that’s why I’m not there, either, eh?”

“And I need you at your post,” Highwind noted with a grin. “I mean, obviously that’s a distant second reason.”

“May cooler heads than ours prevail, then,” Rarity huffed.

“Just be glad Her Majesty’s not here,” Terra chuckled. “He’d be dead already.”

Deepwater rolled his eyes. “Cállate, Fields, you’re embarrassing me. Let me handle this.” He cleared his throat. “Our terms, as I laid them out to Lord Skycatcher, are rather simple. First, we want the unconditional surrender of Lady Silverluck into our custody so that she can stand trial for the crimes of her House that have gone unanswered for hundreds of years—”

“Committed by a pony that had no descendants, was clearly mad, and who my father publicly chastised and disowned when the news was made apparent to the entire continent,” quipped Silverluck. “The actions of Silvertongue in centuries past have no impact on the honor, nobility, or reputation of the members of House Silver in present day—”

“Your House’s entire damned reputation was based on his contributions!” Green Fields snapped. “He deceived everypony! He deceived Harmonia and attempted to destroy her! He deceived the gryphons and wiped them out to the last! He deceived Lady Golden Heart and murdered her in cold blood to hide his betrayal!”

“Your House owes a great debt to our ally, House Golden,” Deepwater added. “That debt will be repaid in blood, as that is what is owed.”

“Then your damned Houses have the blood of my mother and father on their hooves already. That debt has been paid, and now I am owed a debt in turn!” Silverluck shouted.

Lockwood put a hoof to his forehead. “This whole situation is a lot more complicated than I was led to believe, it seems. Lords, Lady Silverluck, we are getting ahead of ourselves here. Whatever your motivations might be, save them for after we begin discussions.” He turned back to Deepwater. “Continue with your terms, Lord Deepwater.”

Deepwater snorted. “As said, our first term is the surrender of Lady Silverluck into our custody. Our second term is the surrender of Lady Gleaming Dawn into our custody. That’s it, really. Two fugitives from justice owed to the southern Houses.”

“Lady Gleaming Dawn?” Lockwood asked. “Why do you want my daughter-in-law?”

“House Dawn allied themselves with House Silver early in the conflict in an attempt to bring an end to it before it escalated into war,” Silverluck explained. “House Golden did as well, but they betrayed my father—”

“Your Lord Silvertongue betrayed his House long before—” Green Fields started to say.

“—betrayed! My! Father!” Silverluck shouted over him. “Murdered him and my mother at the negotiating table in cold blood, stabbed them in the back, violated sacred hospitality! Murdered House Dawn the same way, the same night! You vilify Silvertongue for his actions and then return them in kind! You and your Houses are nothing more than hypocrites.”

“Gleaming Dawn is all that’s left o’ House Dawn,” Skycatcher said, his tone a little somber.

“Not entirely true,” Lockwood noted, oddly calm. “House Dawn welcomed my son into their fold quite warmly.”

“Then he’s as much as member of House Dawn as she is, and he should be surrendered as well,” Green Fields, sneering. “Maybe then you’ll learn your lesson and keep your stupid brats out of our affairs, sciocco.”

“Precisely,” Deepwater noted with a smirk. “Our terms are simpler still, then: surrender the last remaining members of House Silver and House Dawn to us so that we may end these petty conflicts here and now, or we shall raze Newhaven and destroy them ourselves.”

Rarity noticed Highwind and Terra tense up. “The absolute balls on Lord Deepwater,” Highwind muttered. “He’s basically all but declaring war on Hope’s Point itself at this point.”

“And he’s an idiot for even hinting at it,” Terra snorted. “Does he not know what a vast difference in strength we are compared to him?”

“I don’t think he cares,” Rarity said, shaking her head. “He sounds as if he’s attempting to lure Lockwood into a trap of sorts. As if he’s goading him, really.”

“Our king won’t fall for his tricks,” Terra said proudly. “His Majesty is no thuggish buffoon. He’ll come out on top, you’ll see.”

Lockwood took a short breath. “Well, those are quite some terms, aren’t they?” He turned to Silverluck. “And your terms in these negotiations, Lady Silverluck?”

Silverluck stared right at Lockwood, intensity in her eyes. “I merely wish to do what my father tried to do, and what I have been trying to do since this whole conflict began: gain an audience with the Harmony Guard. A fair trial by an unbiased, neutral party to prove that my House is loyal to Harmonia and to her ideals, and that we are not like Silvertongue.

“I have petitioned for aid from the other Houses not to gain allies in war, but to gain support to petition the Harmony Guard for an audience. I have been stymied at every turn. House Light occupies Utopia to prevent my bringing the request directly. House Golden stalks every corner of the land searching for me, for my son, for my husband. House Flower and House Night refused me outright. House Snow and Wind agreed to support my petition, and though House Sky has also refused, it was clearly with a heavy heart.

“Those that stand to gain from my death have proven that they would just as soon turn on those who merely wish for peace. They claim that I am the betrayer, that it is my House that has abused the peace of the south for generations. They are nothing more than violent fools.” Silverluck scoffed. “That is all I wish. Those are my terms: to be allowed to make peace.”

Rarity’s heart ached for this poor mare. Silvertongue, as much as a monster as he turned out to be in the end, had clearly once been a true paragon of good in the world, and his family had clearly taken strides to follow his example, even if he’d never had children of his own. That they were being punished for his turn to evil was, frankly, ludicrous. It would be like blaming the entirety of the changeling hive for the actions of Queen Chrysalis.

“Peace?! Silvertongue killed more creatures by himself in a single day than have died of natural causes for five hundred years in the south!” Green Fields spat. “He tortured countless ponies for generations in that damned city of his, and we’ll never know how many died because of it.”

“And he prevented contact with the south for generations, stagnating our trade and technological development while advancing the north with the clear intent to make war,” Deepwater added. “It wasn’t until Hope’s Point and their flying contraptions arrived that anypony even knew the north still existed.”

“Of course you’d focus on the monetary aspect of the matter,” Silverluck huffed.

Lockwood cleared his throat. “If I might interject, everypony?”

They turned to Lockwood in surprise, too caught up in their arguing to do much else.

“While I am but a mediator of these negotiations I am also technically a participant, for the Newhaven port is Hope’s Point’s territory and thus it is under threat here as well. So, since we’ve gone over your terms, Lord Deepwater, and yours, Lady Silverluck, allow me to present my own.

“Newhaven and Hope’s Point are neutral territory. This is part of the arrangement made by King Flashfire, father of King Stormchaser and grandfather of Queen Blackburn, with the Warden Éclairage, predecessor of Mémoire, as part of the Hope and Harmony Pact. In engaging in hostilities of any sort within its borders, Lord Green Fields, Lord Deepwater, you are in clear violation of said arrangement—”

“House Sky harboring this puttana is in violation of that arrangement as well,” Green Fields snorted.

“As she is not being harbored, but was merely offered hospitality while she negotiated terms of a petition for the Harmony Guard, Lord Skycatcher is not engaging in any such violation.”

“Lady Silverluck 'n' her husband came wit’out any o’ their own forces beyond a personal enotourage o’ stewards 'n' guards,” Skycatcher noted. “This is as per the tradition o’ the Hope 'n' Harmony Pact. Military forces are not permitted here in Newhaven, which is why House Sky maintains no army.”

Green Fields laughed. “Pah! Then explain your mechanical birds in their air, Lockwood.”

“As part of the Hope and Harmony Pact, Hope’s Point was given full authorization to protect the town and the port from any who would violate the arrangement,” Lockwood explained. “And that is what we’re doing: protecting it.”

“Technically, the Harmony Guard should be here as well ta do the same,” Skycatcher added. “As they haven’t sent a representative yet, I can only assume that either they’re turnin’ a blind eye ta these proceedin’s, or that word o’ this here transgression has been kept from 'em. I’m not sure which is more troublin’.”

Lockwood nodded in agreement. “So, with that in mind, it is up to Hope’s Point—up to me—to handle these matters. Now, as there has already been damage to the town, Houses Green and Waters are expected to pay reparations for the damages—”

“You can’t be serious,” Deepwater chuckled. “First of all, my navy did no damage—”

“Your navy and House Green’s army are part of an allied force, as told by your joint participation in these proceedings, thus, you are both responsible for the actions of the other.”

“This is preposterous! You go too far, Lockwood—”

“I will leave Lord Skycatcher to determine the extent of the damages and to send a bill to both of you,” Lockwood interjected. “But you have my terms as I have presented them. Leave. If you wish to pursue Lady Silverluck after she departs, for she will have to leave by tonight as part of the Pact’s terms, then that is your prerogative, and I cannot stop you.”

Silverluck nodded. “And I understand that you can’t, but I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to do something about it anyway.”

“But as for your other terms, Gleaming Dawn will not be surrendered, as she has officially moved to Hope’s Point’s territory, and we have no extradition pacts with the south. So, if we’re all in agreement—”

“Stai bluffando,” Green Fields snorted. “You’re bluffing.”

Rarity felt her breath catch in her throat. “Oh dear.”

She had to admit a rather sad truth: she had no idea whether or not Lockwood was bluffing right now. He hadn’t been the most stellar liar when they’d known each other on her previous visit, apart from his secret relationship with Blackburn—which he’d practiced for years at that point and had her help with—and he didn’t seem to be lying right now.

So either he was bluffing and she couldn’t tell, or he wasn’t bluffing one bit and Lord Green Fields was making a terrible, terrible mistake.

Lockwood raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me, Flightless King. You’re bluffing. I know your reputation. You’re just a piccola femminuccia—a little sissy that wouldn’t even hurt a fly—hiding behind the skirt of your drunkard wife. You’re not stallion enough to do a thing, not here, not anywhere. Your wife’s the one with the testicoli, not you. That she even sent you down here in her stead is insulting.”

“I’ll be the first to admit that my wife is the stronger and braver of the two of us,” Lockwood said, narrowing his eye, “but if you think for one moment that I’m bluffing, I assure you that that is not a safe assumption to make.”

“Yeah, you talk a big game. I heard your little speech there, and I bet if it had come from a pony with a pair I’d actually buy it. But I don’t buy it from you, not for a minute. I’d bet my life on it.”

Deepwater nodded in agreement. “While Lord Green Fields has a more colorful way of putting things, I, too, doubt your intentions here. If it was your wife speaking, she’d have already attempted to scare us off with a show of force. I can only assume one thing from her sending you here: she’s gone soft.”

Lockwood shook his head. “My wife trying to prevent a senseless loss of life is not ‘soft’, I assure you—”

“You said this little doohickey of yours can transmit my voice out to the field?” Green Fields asked, gesturing at the drone.

Lockwood nodded. “It’s been transmitting the entirety of our discussion here out into Newhaven. Everypony in the port or the town can hear you, including your forces and mine.”

“Good.” Green Fields turned to the drone and, in a clear and bold tone: “House Green! The Flightless King thinks he can intimidate us with his mechanical birds and his fancy words, but he doesn’t have the balls to follow through on a thing. Continue the siege! Brucia tutti!” He turned back to Lockwood and grinned. “Burn them all.”

As soon as he’d said so, Rarity saw on the larger view screens that the green-armored army had continued moving into Newhaven as it had been earlier, now setting fire to buildings as they went.

“He can’t be serious,” Rarity murmured, shaking his head. “He’s actually going through with it. He ignored Lockwood completely.”

“His funeral,” Terra muttered.

Deepwater scoffed. “You’re overeager, Fields. If my navy could reach the town itself, they would.” He turned to Lockwood and grinned. “I’m not stupid enough to take your bait of attacking the port itself, though. But I will if you so much as think about engaging House Green’s troops.”

Lockwood sighed and nodded. Then, with a simple motion, he removed his eyepatch, revealing the damaged eye underneath. Rarity had almost forgotten what it looked like, as it had been so long since she’d seen it last. The entirety of the eyeball was a fearsome red color all the way through; no iris, no pupil, no veins, nothing, just red. The only exception was a tiny speck of black that moved in tune with Lockwood’s other eye as he looked about.

It was a rather ghastly sight, as far as Rarity was concerned, and one she’d thought Lockwood and Blackburn hated to show for fear of frightening or discomforting ponies.

However, that was the exact effect it seemed to have on Green Fields and Deepwater, who were the only two ponies at the meeting that could see it. The former eyed it with disgust, the latter with apprehension.

“Merda! What is wrong with your eye? Is that contagious?” Green Fields asked.

“It’s not important,” Lockwood said, perfectly calm.

Despite how calm he was, though, Rarity could hear the change in his tone and see it in his body language. She’d seen the same intensity earlier, before he’d gone off on this meeting, but hadn’t been able to place it before. She could now, though. He was angry. She’d never once, in her entire time knowing him, seen him legitimately angry.

“What’s important is that I am repeating myself one last time: call off your troops immediately, or face the consequences.”

“What is this, some trick to intimidate us?” Deepwater asked, gesturing at his eye. “Because it is nauseabundo. You are a sick pony, Lockwood.”

“And it’s not worth much, either,” Green Fields scoffed. “You’re so desperate to try to frighten us off that you’re resorting to cheap tricks to do it because you know you don’t have the testicoli to do anything about it.”

Lockwood just stared him down. “I’m taking your refusal to call off your troops as an act of hostility. Last chance.”

“Take your last chance and ficcalo nel culo, Flightless King.” He then gave a rather rude gesture with his hoof, indicating exactly what he wanted Lockwood to do with his words.

Lockwood sighed again, then nodded. “Thunder Two, open fire. One volley.”

“Acknowledged, Your Majesty,” came the voice of the Thunder Two’s captain.

Rarity watched as the Thunder Two, hovering above the Blue Lightning some hundred feet, deployed a staggering array of cannons from the belly of its hull. Each one swiveled in place for half a second to take aim, some of them towards the army on the edge of the town, some at the navy down by the coast.

Each and every cannon fired off one single shot. Each shot exploded with the sound and fury of a volcano.

Rarity’s eyes widened as she saw the results.

The entire navy on the coastline was gone. All that was left of the ships that had once threatened the port was flaming debris.

The rear line of the army was gone. Where they once had been there was now a series of small, smoldering craters. The front of the army, which was still inside Newhaven proper, had been untouched, as had the many buildings nearby. An estimated one thousand troops reduced to a mere fifty or so.

All of it in less than five seconds.

Rarity, in shock, turned back to the view screen that was watching the meeting.

Green Fields and Deepwater were staring out the window, their faces heavy with sheer, stupefied disbelief. Lockwood shook his head dejectedly, as did Lord Skycatcher. Lady Silverluck merely stared at the two opposing lords with a calm smirk on her face.

“A senseless waste of life, as I said. My wife did send me here in hopes that it could be avoided, that much is true. I’m sorry it came to this. Now, I believe I can reopen terms for negotiating your departure—”

Green Fields snarled and drew the large sword from his back. “You bastard!”

He lunged at Lockwood.

Gunpowder was too quick. His armor came equipped with a hidden, shoulder-mounted rifle. The instant Green Fields moved on his king, Gunpowder acted.

Green Fields fell to the floor in an instant.

The three mares with him drew their lances.

Lockwood held up his hoof. “There doesn’t need to be anymore death today, ladies. Put your weapons away.”

The mares stared at Lockwood, then at Gunpowder—who was looking straight at them—then at the body of Green Fields. They then put their lances away, clearly seeing that that was the wiser decision.

Lockwood then turned to Deepwater, stepped over the body of Green Fields, and got right in the lord’s face. “I have new terms, Lord Deepwater: leave Newhaven immediately, and put out those fires on your way out. You’ll be expected to make reparations for the damage dealt to the farmland as well. Do you accept?”

“O-of course, Your Majesty,” Deepwater gulped as he nodded frantically. “House Green troops… this is Lord Deepwater. Lord Green Fields is dead, my navy is sunk, and your forces have been… devastated. As the commander of this coalition force, your orders are to stand down, put out any fires, and fall back.”

Lockwood nodded. “Thank you, Lord Deepwater, I’m glad we can finally see eye-to-eye on something.” He then replaced his eyepatch without a hint of humor and turned to Skycatcher and Silverluck. “Lord Skycatcher, Lady Silverluck, I will return to discuss further arrangements as to how we’ll proceed with the Pact’s bylines as soon as I finish ensuring the port and its denizens are safe and secure.”

“O’ course, Yer Majesty, an’ thanks fer yer timely arrival,” Lord Skycatcher said with a bow.

Silverluck bowed as well, but said nothing.

Lockwood then turned back to Gunpowder. “Come along Gunpowder, we’re finished here.”

Gunpowder bowed slightly, and his rifle slid back into its compartment. “Of course, Your Majesty.”

“Fleet Master Highwind, begin your landing procedures. I’ll meet you at the landing bay. Thunder Two, you are dismissed.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, right away,” Highwind replied, dipping his wings so that the Blue Lightning began its descent.

“Affirmative, Your Majesty, returning to Hope’s Point,” came the voice of the Thunder Two’s captain.

The two then walked out of frame, leaving the grand hall in quite a state.

*****

When the Blue Lightning landed, it did so in one of the many circular buildings at the port, which opened up its roof to allow it to do so. The ship barely fit in the landing hangar within, but it somehow managed it just fine. The Thunder Two, incidentally, had already started its journey home to Hope’s Point by now, as it simply didn’t have the space on board to do anything but fly, shoot, and shoot some more—apart from limited space for crew—so it wasn’t needed any longer.

As the airship finished its docking procedures, everypony on board was able to disembark and take a moment to relax and reflect on recent events. The general emotion in the air was, as far as Rarity could tell, a mix of relief and shock. Relief from the crew of the ship, naturally, as they’d accomplished their mission and done their duty well, serving king and city like professionals. Even Sundial and Weaver seemed rather relieved just to be done with the whole affair so that they could move on with their own business.

As for Apple Bloom and Flurry Heart, though, Rarity could sense their utter shock at the events that had just transpired, and she understood their feelings fully well. She said nothing as they came to her in the hangar, just kept them close as they tried to process things.

Lockwood’s shuttle craft landed shortly after everypony on the Blue Lightning had gotten off, and he and Gunpowder disembarked immediately. As he looked out into the hangar and saw Rarity giving him a sombre look, he shook his head, sighed, and trotted over to her with an easy gait.

“Look, let me just get this out of the way—” Lockwood started.

“You needn’t worry about explaining yourself, darling,” Rarity replied, shaking her head. “I know you well enough to know that you don’t enjoy anything about what just happened, not one bit. You did what you could to prevent it, but you had to do what you had to do.”

He paused, then nodded, then turned to Flurry and Bloom, who were still just staring at him, confused and concerned. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry you guys had to be here for this.”

Bloom took a breath and spoke first. “Yeah, I am too, but… I get it. I do. Ya couldn’t just let them ponies storm inta the town an’ wreck up other folks’ homes 'n' stuff, or come inta the port here an’ threaten innocent folks’ lives. Plus I know ya said yer friends 'n' family’re all here, so they made it personal.”

Flurry shook her head. “I won’t say that I like what you did, but I think Rarity’s right. You didn’t like it either. I know that sometimes, when you’re a leader, you have to make hard decisions. And sometimes you have to do things you don’t like in order to keep ponies safe.” She sighed. “Aunt Twilight says that she gave Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow a chance. They chose not to take it, and so now…”

“Exactly,” Bloom said with a nod. “Ya had ta do what ya had ta do, just like Princess Twilight did. But them two other ponies, them lords or whatever they were, they just spat in the face o’ everythin’ you were tryin’ ta do. All you were doin’ was tryin’ ta keep folks safe, but they wouldn’t have none o’ that.”

Rarity set her hoof on Lockwood’s shoulder. “We heard everything, darling. We did. You gave it everything you had to convince them to leave this little town in peace. Blame them for what happened—”

“Oh, I don’t blame myself,” Lockwood said with a sigh. “I know it was a hard choice, and I know they were at fault for pushing things that far. But like I said, I’m sorry you guys had to witness it. I’m having a little trouble processing it all, y’know? Just… that was the first time I’ve really had to go that far.”

Rarity nodded. “Look at it this way, darling: you probably handled it better than Blackburn would’ve. Those two lords were right. If she’d been here, there wouldn’t have been any negotiations. She would’ve told them to leave, they would’ve refused, and the exact same thing would’ve happened, only it might have gotten your whole city involved in this war down here. That’s not a knock against her—far from it—but she also would’ve been fine with accepting any judgement.”

Lockwood chuckled. “Yeah, still, I know that the last time you were here, I wasn’t quite this… bold, I suppose. Sorry if that seems weird, but I’m the King of Hope’s Point now, y’know? I’ve taken Blackburn’s mission and made it my own. I took a vow to those ponies to keep them safe, to see that they succeed in life, and to ensure that they’re happy.”

“Are ya gonna be okay?” Bloom asked, setting her hoof on his side.

“I’ll be fine. I’m eager to get home to try to sleep this off. Probably gonna talk with Blackburn about things to get a little assurance, but I’ll be okay otherwise.” He took a deep breath. “But first, I’ve got other business to attend to.”

First, he gestured to the Blue Lightning. “This baby here, as a deployment and command vessel, has enough cargo and passenger space to get a few dozen passengers home. It’s not everypony, but I can at least get the ponies that Blackburn and I want to get to safety.”

Then, he turned to Highwind and his crew, who were off to the side unloading cargo—relief supplies, Rarity was told—into the hangar. “Fleet Master! Will the ship be all set for departure by the time I speak with Lord Skycatcher and Lady Silverluck?”

Highwind stood at attention and saluted. “We will be, Your Majesty, no worries there. We’re set to be ready by the time everypony shows up, in fact. Also, I received word from Hope’s Point just as we were landing, after I informed them of what’s happened here. They’re sending the Pink Harpy down with a full militia detachment to keep the town and port under guard after we leave.”

“Good, good,” Lockwood muttered. “Blackburn probably lost all of her trust in most of the southern Houses to keep to their agreements with us, so she’s just taking precautions. Good.”

“What did he mean ‘everypony shows up’, dear?” Rarity asked.

“Ah, that would be our passengers, who should be arriving, well, now,” Lockwood said, looking towards the hangar’s ground entrance. Then, he grinned. “And there they are, right on time.”

Rarity turned too and saw a veritable swarm of ponies approaching, and was so lost in trying to figure out who was who in the commotion as they approached Lockwood that she just tried her best to watch and listen for any information she could parse together.

Prince Fireglow was the easiest to spot. He was a red pegasus stallion with a golden mane streaked with orange with he kept in a neat, medium-length style that was both casual and fancy. She could tell he was who he was because of how greeted Lockwood with a firm father-son hoofshake, one that reminded Rarity rather of how Flathoof used to greet ponies. The stallion even looked suspiciously like Flathoof, and if Rarity wasn’t absolutely certain that it was impossible she might actually have asked some questions.

“It was a regrettable action, Dad, but you did what you had to do,” Fireglow greeted his father, a small frown on his face. “I’m gonna be honest, I wasn’t sure how we were going to come out of this whole mess. I’m glad my messages got through at least.”

Lockwood smirked. “Ah, your mother failed to mention that it was you sending the messages over, sport. I guess that explains why the news was so focused around the goings-on in Newhaven. Been practicing that coded jargon she worked out with you, huh?”

Fireglow smiled. “Well, Mom didn’t raise a fool. I wish I could’ve gotten something to you sooner than I did, but with those thunderblizzards up and having to communicate via seapony merchants, it wasn’t as easy as I would’ve liked.”

“Yew got the word out in time at least, luv,” said the mare next to him, tucking her wing around Fireglow gently. “I’d been hopin’ that somethin’ would get through and we’d be right as rain, and now here we are.”

Rarity figured this was Gleaming Dawn, Fireglow’s wife. She was a gold-coated pegasus mare with a fiery red mane with blonde streaks, and Rarity had to blink a few times to make sure she wasn’t looking at Sunset Shimmer from back home, somehow twenty-something years younger and also somehow a pegasus.

Seeing the young couple together was, frankly, astounding. From Bluebolt’s descriptions of her brother, Rarity had expected somepony far less handsome and more scrawny. He was built much like his father, actually—so, yes, scrawny was just about appropriate—but she attributed it to sibling jabs now rather than honesty. And married so young, too. Rarity was a little—no, very—jealous.

Lockwood stepped forward and embraced the two of them. “I’m glad I could follow through on that hope, then, Dawny. I’m sorry to hear about what happened.”

The mare pressed her muzzle against Lockwood’s neck, clearly holding back some tears. “Thanks, Locky. I appreciate it, yew’ve got no idea. With all that’s been goin’ on, I haven’t had time ta mourn proper-like.”

“Go on then, Dawny, let it all out, okay? I’m here for you, Fireglow’s here for you, and Blackburn’s waiting for you to come home safe. We understand how you feel,” he said, tightening his hug.

Fireglow rubbed her back with a hoof. “It’s been a rough couple of months, Dad. I’m just glad it’s finally over.”

Then more ponies started walking over, and Rarity’s eyes just couldn’t take all the almost-familiar faces in such quick succession. She had to practically tune out their conversations as she tried to process all of their appearances, and was only really able to get names and connections figured out during the little get-together or reunion of sorts that was happening here.

First there was Virtuoso—Rarity remembered he was Symphony’s father—who was an absolute dead ringer for Fancy Pants—unicorn, white coat, blue mane, thin mustache—only a little more heavy-set and with a different taste in elegant clothes. He also lacked the monocle, which she supposed actually made Virtuoso look a different sort of charming altogether. His eyes had a certain intensity to them that Rarity found similar to what she saw in Blackburn at times.

Ivory Charm, his wife and Symphony’s mother, was eerily similar in appearance to Fleur de Lis—unicorn, white coat, pink mane, thin figure—the supermodel companion of Fancy Pants. Incidentally, to this day nopony had ever figured out whether there was more to their relationship or even what their relationship was. If they were anything like this couple here, though they’d kept it more well-hidden than Lockwood and Blackburn, which was quite a feat.

Crown Jewel, Symphony’s older sister, was yet another dead ringer for somepony Rarity knew. This time, it was for Diamond Tiara, an old rival-turned-friend of the Cutie Mark Crusaders—pink coat, purple mane—with the only difference being that she was a unicorn, like her parents and her sister. Rarity could also spot a bombshell mare when she saw one, and Symphony had—unlike Bluebolt with her brother—been underexaggerating her sister’s good looks if anything. She got her looks from her mother, that was certain. If the mare was single, as Symphony claimed, Rarity considered it a crime.

Shining Steel, an apparent friend of Blackburn’s family from her grandfather’s time, was basically like looking into Shining Armor’s future and seeing that in another twenty years, he’d still be handsome and robust, even when he was older and gray in the mane. He was a unicorn with a white coat and a blue—though graying, natch—mane, though unlike the former trio he wasn’t wearing clothes. She guessed he’d lived here long enough to adapt fully to the southern lifestyle.

His wife, Paramour, wasn’t quite a dead ringer for Princess Cadence but she was similar enough—pink coat, golden mane—to make Rarity blink. The big difference, obviously, was that she wasn’t an alicorn, and so lacked Cadence’s horn, Cadence’s height, and Cadence’s wingspan. She was still gorgeous, though, and had aged well from what Rarity could tell, with nary a gray hair in sight.

Then came an actual familiar face, though twenty-one years definitely affected a pony’s appearance. Shorthoof, Flathoof’s youngest brother, was particularly amusing to see again considering Apple Bloom was mere feet away and they looked almost exactly alike—earth pony, yellow coat, red mane—minus the obvious anatomical differences and choices in clothing style. He’d grown up very well since Rarity had seen him last, looking much like Flathoof: well-built, handsome, and tall.

Lastly was Shining Steel and Paramour’s daughter, Crystal Heart. Like Shorthoof and Apple Bloom, Crystal Heart was an amusing sight considering Flurry Heart was just feet away, as they, too, were nearly identical: white coats, lilac-and-blue manes. Crystal was a unicorn, however, just like Flurry was pretending to be, but Flurry was naturally taller and younger. They were both very pretty, though. Rarity could see why Shorthoof married her, and why she married him.

There were so many conversations going on, though, that Rarity couldn’t focus on too many of them at a time, and could only really gather bits and pieces of detail here and there. It was a veritable information overload, but thankfully, she didn’t feel any need or want to be a part of any particular conversation—though she did want to ask Ivory Charm about the gorgeous blouse she was wearing.

Symphony’s family, for example, were busy chatting candidly with Lockwood about the state of affairs here and in Hope’s Point. Rarity recalled that Symphony’s father had served on Blackburn’s council for longer than Symphony had been alive, and apparently been a big player in how Blackburn and Lockwood first met. She remembered Blackburn and Lockwood telling that story a long, long time ago, about how they met at a party; it seemed that Virtuoso had been the host. The three of them had been close friends ever since, from what she could tell.

Also interesting was the conversation going on right now between Apple Bloom and Flurry Heart, alongside Shorthoof and Crystal Heart. The fact that the two pairs were so similar in appearance was already rather uncanny, and they certainly noticed it as well, but Rarity found it more amusing because the latter pair were married. More than once in the past two months, Bloom and Flurry had been mistaken for a couple because of their kinship. Seeing their alternate selves—Rarity had accepted that that’s what they were—in a healthy marriage was amusing.

Naturally, Bloom made her way around to Fireglow as well to introduce herself as his Aunt Apple Bloom. Apparently, two years—Bluebolt noted Fireglow was two years younger than her—constituted enough difference for Bloom to consider the A-word acceptable. Fireglow, who seemed the sort to be well-informed about a lot of things, was totally flabbergasted by the introduction, as was Gleaming Dawn. The latter drew some odd comments from Bloom as well, considering she looked like Bloom’s boss.

Suddenly, there was a commotion from the cargo containers near the Blue Lightning’s boarding ramp. One of the containers fell open as the crew moved it from the ship to the hangar, and some supplies tumbled out by accident. More than just supplies, actually. Bluebolt, Symphony, and Venture also tumbled out.

Bluebolt popped up in a hurry. “Fireglow!” she exclaimed, rushing towards the crowd towards her brother. She practically tackled him in a hug and lifted him off the ground. “Thank the stars you’re okay!”

“B-Bluebolt?” Fireglow blurted. “What in the world are you doing here?”

Lockwood narrowed his eyes. “I’d like to know the same thing, young lady.”

Bluebolt looked to Lockwood, a bizarre mix of confidence and nervousness on her face, like she wasn’t sure if she was in trouble or not. “I had to see that Fireglow was safe, Dad. I didn’t want to just hear it from some message or let you tell me when you got back to Hope’s Point.”

“We’re bringing him home with us, first of all,” Lockwood grunted, “so there was no need for you to come all this way—stowing away on the Blue Lightning, as it would seem—just to check up on your brother’s well-being.”

“I don’t need you checking up on me anyway, sis,” Fireglow said, shaking his head. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, as you can clearly see. It’s my messages that let Mom and Dad know what was happening, after all.”

“Second of all, your mother and I directly expressed that you were not to come south with me on this assignment. You deliberately disobeyed us.”

Bluebolt stood firm, though Rarity could see her legs shaking just a little. “I don’t care! You and Mom are always trying to keep me from doing anything! It took me four years to get you to agree to even let me leave the palace over the winter!” She gestured towards Fireglow. “But you let Fireglow get married and live down here in the south!”

“That’s different, Bluebolt, and you know it,” Lockwood huffed. “Your brother’s marriage isn’t just something we ‘let’ him do, it’s more complicated than that—”

“Bullshit! You and Mom treat me like a pampered little princess!”

Fireglow rolled his eyes. “You are a princess, sis—”

“You stay out of this,” she snorted at him. She turned back to Lockwood. “I’m twenty years old, Dad. Mom was younger than me when she went off on her own to the big city up north. She was younger than me when she started dating you. She was barely older than me when you guys got engaged!”

“Your mother also deliberately went against her father’s wishes to make all of that happen,” Lockwood noted drily. “She put herself at great, great risk doing so, not just at possibly upsetting her father, but at getting hurt, or worse, killed.”

“Yeah, and look at all the good that came of it! If she’d just stayed cooped up in the palace like you two expect of me, she’d have never even met you! I wouldn’t even exist!”

“You’ve already met your special somepony,” Fireglow pointed out, gesturing towards Symphony, who was busy interacting—happily—with her family off to the side. “So that’s not a valid excuse. As I remember it, I think Symphony rather enjoys being cooped up with you night after night.”

“I told you to stay out of this!” Bluebolt growled. “You don’t know what it’s like! You got to travel down south when you were twelve! Mom and Dad encouraged your interests!”

Lockwood sighed. “Honey—”

“Don’t give me that ‘honey’ crap, Dad. I’m so done with being treated like a little filly! I’m an adult! Treat me like one!”

Lockwood paused, then took a breath. “Very well then, Princess Bluebolt, what exactly is it that you want?”

Bluebolt took a moment to think, clearly thrown off by his sudden change in tone, then nodded. “I promised Rarity and Sundial and the others that I’d help them. I know that the job Sundial has is extremely important to the state of the world, and I want to do everything I can to help. Rarity, Bloom, and Flurry need to go home, and I want to do everything I can to help them, too. You and Mom did the same thing for them and Tick Tock back in the day, and I want to do my part now.”

“Have you taken any measures to make sure you can do this safely?”

Bluebolt nodded. “I brought Symphony with me, of course, and I have my power hoof attachment fully charged and with extra batteries and everything.”

“You do know that getting to the Beacon in Zeb’ra’den is going to require more than that, I hope? You’ll need to negotiate with some of these noble Houses. Do you know which ones? What their history is? How to best avoid getting Hope’s Point involved in a political fiasco?”

“I know that we have to at least deal with House Snow since they’re allies with the zebras,” she muttered. “I think I can help with some things. I remember enough about them—”

Lockwood raised an eyebrow. “You don’t seem that confident in yourself. Do you know anypony in your group that could be of use in that matter, perhaps?”

Bluebolt gulped. “I think Sundial, maybe… uh…” She turned to Rarity, eyes wide. “Rarity! Rarity knows about the zebras.”

Rarity nodded and smiled at Lockwood, though she did so carefully. She could almost—almost—feel him glaring at her with his other eye. “You know how well I was able to negotiate with the zebras as well as I do, Lockwood. I’ll be happy to help negotiations along on that front again, if necessary.”

“I’m sure you will,” Lockwood said, nodding back. He looked to Bluebolt again. “And the other noble Houses?”

“Uh…” Bluebolt’s eyes shifted to Venture briefly, then she brightened. “Oh! Miss Venture is a historian! She knows a lot about the Houses, don’t you Miss Venture? You recognized Symphony’s fighting styles and everything just by looking at her stance and how she held her sword.”

Venture grinned and puffed out her chest. “Well, I don’t mean to toot my own horn here, but I’m probably the world’s leading expert on the southern continent’s cultural, religious, and political history. I mean, I won’t say I’m the best, because I’m humble like that, but I know my stuff if that’s what you’re asking.”

“May I ask exactly what you’re doing here, Miss Venture?” Lockwood asked. “I’m sorry if I sound rude at the moment, but these are rather unique circumstances, so even though we haven’t formally met I’ve been told about who you are and what you do, and I’m not seeing a purpose for your being here.”

Venture brightened. “Oh! Right! We’ve never met before, have we? Shoot, I’m really sorry about that, no no, I’m the one who’s being rude here.” She gave a little bow. “A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty! I’m Venture, and I’m the world’s finest and foremost explorer, treasure hunter, archaeologist, and adventurer, yes sir, and that’s the truth.”

Lockwood just blinked. “Okay, well, I’m going to assume your credentials check out based on what I’ve heard about you, but why are you here?”

“Oh, that’s easy! I helped Bluebolt and Symphony sneak on board the ship!”

“You… you what?”

“Yeah!” Venture said tilting her head. “I mean, they were really sad about something earlier when I saw them in the palace—I was looking to visit with Rarity—”

Rarity blinked. “You were looking for me? Why?”

Venture looked at Rarity like she’d forgotten she was there. “Oh! I wanted to ask you a question, but uh… now I’ve forgotten what it was. Hmm.” She shrugged, then looked back to Lockwood. “So anyway! I saw Bluebolt and Symphony walking through the hall and they were really sad, and I thought ‘well shoot, those two look like they need cheering up’—”

Lockwood stared at Rarity. “Rarity, did you bring Pinkie Pie along and forget to tell me?”

Rarity shook her head. “No, darling,” she mumbled.

“Is this mare trustworthy? Reliable?”

“From everything I’ve seen, yes, she is. A bit eccentric, certainly, but trustworthy and reliable.”

“Yup!” Venture added, nodding quickly. “So, uh, should I finish my story, or…?”

“No, that’s okay, I think I got the gist,” Lockwood sighed. He tilted his head back towards Bluebolt. “Last question: can you keep yourself in check?”

“Huh?” Bluebolt asked.

“Can you handle yourself in a way that avoids putting lives at risk? Can you remain calm in the face of adversity and danger? Are you mature enough to wander out into the southern continent—which is at war as we speak—and handle situations with tact and, if needed, steel? Can you do what I had to do today?”

Bluebolt paused, then nodded. “I can handle anything the world throws at me—”

Lockwood flexed his crippled wing slightly. “The world can throw some curveballs if you try to handle everything it throws at you.”

“Then I won’t do it alone!” she snorted. “I have trusted friends and companions by my side, and I trust them as much as they trust me. We’ll work together to make the best of any situation.”

Lockwood paused for a long moment, then nodded. “Then there’s nothing more that I can say to you. You sound like you’ve done everything you can to prove you can do this, and I can’t rightly deny you. I mean, I could, but I won’t. Because you’re right: you deserve an opportunity to prove to me, and to your mother, that you can be your own mare.”

Bluebolt smiled. “You mean I can stay? You’ll let me help?”

“I’m going to be a nervous wreck the entire time, of course, but yes, I’ll allow it. Your mother’s probably going to have some very strong words with me when I get home, but I’ll tell her what you told me, so I think she’ll come around.” Lockwood set his hoof on her shoulder. “So go on, then. Make us proud, eh?”

“Thanks, Dad.” Bluebolt paused, then hugged her father tightly.

He returned it. “You’re welcome, Bluebolt.”

“Dad?”

“Yes?”

“I mean… I’m still your little filly, right?”

Lockwood paused, then smiled. “Of course, my little cookie-pilot. Always. Just be ready for when you come home from all of this, okay? Your mother’s going to give you a talking-to like you wouldn’t believe.” He turned his attention to Rarity. “Because you will be returning to us, of course.”

Rarity nodded. “Of course she will, darling. She’s the daughter of Queen Blackburn and King Lockwood of Hope’s Point. What makes you think anything is going to keep her down, hmm?”

Lockwood broke from the hug, sighed, then gestured towards the Blue Lightning. “Well, I’ve got to start getting these folks on board to get back to Hope’s Point. You take care of yourself, Bluebolt, you got that?”

Bluebolt nodded. “I will, Dad. You too. Stay safe.”

Lockwood then approached Rarity and gave her a little hug as well. “You too, Rarity. I don’t know if I’ll see you after this, so just in case I don’t, it’s been really good seeing you again.”

Rarity returned the hug. “As it has likewise been to see you and Blackburn, dear. Thank you for everything. My friends and I can never repay the help you gave us when we were first stuck in this world, and we’ll likely never be able to do it this time, either—”

“Just knowing you’re safe and happy is all the thanks I need. That, and finding your special someone and making things work out, hmm?” Lockwood said with a smile. “I think I know better than most how it feels to be separated from your true love for such a long time, but you’ve certainly got me beat.”

“It’s not a competition, darling,” Rarity said, playfully slapping his chest.

“And… say ‘hi’ to Fluttershy for me, okay?”

“I will.”

Lockwood turned to Bloom next—she and Flurry had finally come over to see what all the commotion with Bluebolt was about—and gave her a hug as well. “It was lovely meeting you, Apple Bloom.”

“Same, Lockwood,” Bloom said, returning the hug. “I never thought I’d have the chance ta ever meet the rest o’ mah family o’er here, but it was a real treat ta get that opportunity. You’ve got a real nice set o’ folks here, an’ it was an honor ta meet each 'n' every one o’ them.”

“They definitely feel the same, Bloom, I can promise you that. Say ‘hi’ to Applejack for me, huh?”

“I will.”

“And remind Flathoof that he still owes me ten bits, plus interest. I think it’s getting a little ridiculous at this rate, y’know?”

Bloom laughed. “Will do.”

Lockwood then looked to Flurry and bowed. “Princess Flurry Heart, it has been an honor to make your acquaintance.”

Flurry bowed back. “Likewise, King Lockwood. Thank you again for everything that you’ve done for my friends and family over the years, and for what you’ve done for me.”

“It was my pleasure. Just remember what I said, hmm?”

“I will.”

He then turned to Sundial and Weaver, and gave them a brief smile and a nod. “And you two, take care of each other, yeah?”

Sundial tilted her head. “Aye? Sure thing, Yer Majesty.

Weaver, meanwhile, just gave a crisp, firm salute.

“Well then, I’ve got work to do.” Lockwood then took a deep breath, and headed off to speak with Highwind.

As soon as he was gone, Sundial came over to the group proper and cleared her throat. “Well then, looks like I'm not the only pegasus in the group anymore, aye?” she said, clapping Bluebolt on the shoulder. “Are ye looking forward ta coming up ta the old Elysian Islands and helping me out with this blasted Key?”

Bluebolt’s eyes widened. “You want me to come with you?”

“O’ course I do, lass! I can’t rightly bring anypony else with me, aye? I need somepony ta complain and gripe at or I might go a wee bit nuts up there, and ye’re the only other one with wings.”

Bluebolt smiled and nodded. “I’d love to come along, then. I’ll help however I can.”

Flurry cleared her throat. “I mean, that’s not entirely true.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Aye? What isn’t—” She paused, then smirked. “Och, ye know what I meant, lass. We all know that ye’ve got, ye know…” She checked to see if anypony else was listening—nopony was. “Wings.”

“Exactly,” Flurry said with a nod. “So, can I come along and help, maybe?”

Sundial blinked. “Ye want ta come along with us?”

“Yes, I do. Like Bluebolt said, I want to do everything I can to help. I might not know a lot about this… techno-magic, or about the gryphons of your world compared to the griffins of mine, but I want to help.”

“I dunno…”

Rarity nodded. “I don’t see the harm in it myself. Rainbow and Fluttershy told me that old place was as abandoned as the ruins are up north. Nothing should be of any threat, and with the two of you there, she should be just fine, yes?”

Bluebolt looked to Sundial. “I mean, yeah, there’s no harm in it, right? She might be able to help too. I mean, the gryphons used magic to make things work, and neither of us have any magic. What if we need magic to do things?”

Sundial seemed to consider this, then nodded. “Alright, fine, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be much trouble, aye? But ye can’t go waving yer horn around if ye’re gonna go flying. We need ta cover that thing up.”

Rarity smiled, her eyes alight with sparkles. “Well, if all we need to do is cover up her horn, I have just the solution.”

Comments

[GearShift77]

Despite how calm he was, though, Rarity could hear the change in his tone and see it in his body language. She’d seen the same intensity earlier, before he’d gone off on this meeting, but hadn’t been able to place it before. She could now, though. He was angry . She’d never once, in her entire time knowing him, seen him legitimately angry.

They sure goofed up big.

I confess I was really nervous as to whether something was going to go horribly wrong in the meeting, but Lockwood handled it pretty well all things considered.

I do love how you described Lockwood when he revealed his eye. I hadn't thought too much about till it was pointed out here.

[RoboRed]

Man...how far Lockwood's come in twenty some years, from a small, somewhat meek guy in Pandemonium just trying to make a positive difference to a King managing a nation with the power to wipe out entire armies at a single command, and using his injury as a psychological tool. It's surreal.

“Oh, I don’t blame myself,” Lockwood said with a sigh. “I know it was a hard choice, and I know they were at fault for pushing things that far. But like I said, I’m sorry you guys had to witness it. I’m having a little trouble processing it all, y’know? Just… that was the first time I’ve really had to go that far.”

I could tell right off the bat he hated doing that. He's a good guy. I just wonder how much this is going to affect him psychologically in the future.

[My name is R]

Symphony set her hoof on Bluebolt’s shoulder. “It’s alright, pecha, your mom and dad are right. It’s not safe there.”
Bluebolt turned to Symphony in shock. “Symphony, c’mon, don’t you start—”
“Bolt, trust me. Just listen to them, okay?” She nuzzled against Bluebolt’s neck. “I’m worried too. Mia famiglia is there, and they’re in just as much danger as yours. But if your mom and dad want us to stay here, then we should. Non ti preoccupare, andrà bene. Fidati di me.”

I wonder if she's being straightforward, or if she wants to ease suspicion so they can sneak out? Neither would surprise me.

Well then. Lockwood handled that admirably. Did they really just not accept that Lockwood had it in 'em? That's a dangerous call ta make, and it clearly backfired on them here.
Also, it really is a tragedy what's happened ta house Silver. A cryin' shame, 'tis.
Also also, that went about how a belligerent medieval army going up against a slightly futuristic one can be expected ta go. Though I was expecting closer to 60% of tha casualties.