Chapter 18: And then Darkness
Chapter 18
And then Darkness
Click, click, click . . .
I pulled the trigger, spinning the cylinder.
“Stupid piece of-”
Click, click, click . . .
“-shit!”
I inhaled deeply and then, trying to calm myself.
It’s just a spell . . .
And it still doesn’t work!
It took great restraint not to throw the gun as far as I possibly could. The duplicated bullets disappeared in small puffs of smoke.
“You really aren’t going to let this go, are you?” Spike questioned behind me.
We were walking up an empty hill, the sun hung high in the cloudless sky above. Behind us, the daunting mountains bid us a silent farewell. We had covered the small stretch of the Dragon territories with relative ease after we left Ruby’s cave.
“It’s supposed to work. The spell should duplicate this bullet and the clones should perform like the original. Frankly I don’t care whether they last a minute or a day; I just need them to exist long enough to hit the target.”
I cast the spell again, creating a single copy. I held it floating in front of me and studied it carefully.
There are absolutely no differences on the outsi- ohh . . .
I slapped a hoof against my face as I realised the stupidity of my flawed logic: I was assuming the spell would make exact replicas of the original bullets. It did, but that was only ‘for show’.
“Spike, you have claws; try to scrape off the jacket of this one, please,” I asked, levitating the clone bullet to him.
He grabbed it and started running the tip of a claw over the meeting point between the bullet and the casing. His face scrunched in irritation as he failed to pry them apart.
“I- I can’t,” he gave up.
“Thought so. The damn clones are all solid inside. It makes sense actually, when I cast the spell I only think of how the object looks on the outside. I can’t see the inner primer and the powder . . .”
“Told you that gun was a bad buy,” he interrupted, gaining on and passing me.
Spotting that satisfied grin on his face with the corner of my eye didn’t exactly help my mood either. I returned my attention to my notebook, trying to figure out how to fully duplicate an item so that it preserved its properties both on the outside and the inside. However, the strong winds lashing from ahead of us made the task quite a difficult one.
“I think we’re here,” said Spike all of a sudden.
I raised my muzzle from the notebook and looked around quizzically. Barren grounds and a few trees were all there was to the local scenery. “Hmm . . . not quite, Spike. We still have-”
“Ahead of us, numbskull.”
I shifted my gaze, looking past Spike. Out in the distance, the massive ocean stretched towards the horizon, the sun’s light shimmering on its seemingly calm surface. A small gulf harbored on its edges a rather large port-like settlement, several building standing tall above the outlawed town. It was very similar to Dodge Junction, yet slightly bigger.
No more words were wasted between me and Spike as we headed towards the distant city. My stomach tightened and I wasn’t sure if it was due to nervousness or hunger. Or both. I tucked in my magical cloak, the cold wind picking at my fur.
Winter was coming.
*** *** ***
“Princess Luna?” the gray mare asked, her golden eyes focused more or less on the scroll gently floating in front of her.
“Yes. Spike’s not here to help me with it so I hoped you could do it for me this time. Is it okay? I mean, do you even deliver that far away from Ponyville?” Twilight inquired, unsure.
“Of course I do! I’ll get right to it, Twilight!”
The mailmare grabbed the scroll mid-air and stuffed it in a large bag hanging off her shoulder after which she returned Twilight a happy grin.
“Well, thank you then, Derpy.”
“No worries, happy I can help!” the pegasus exclaimed, flying out the library’s door, while waving a hoof at Twilight.
She closed the door and hurried to her room, where she hastily equipped a saddlebag and then teleported out, leaving a trail of small purple stars to fall on the wooden floor.
The Everfree forest looked as threatening and dark as any other day, yet Twilight paid little attention to the usual dangers of the forest. She looked up in the sky and made a note in her mind about the sun’s position before trekking ahead into the woods.
The tip of Twilight’s horn emitted a bright light, illuminating her surroundings as she went deeper and deeper into the forest. The night before was one without much sleep for the troubled mare, as she went over everything that happened during that particular day. Her eyes and senses couldn’t have misled her; the strange apparition resembling a powerful unicorn that lived over a thousand years ago was real, and Twilight intended to find her.
Eventually she reached the place where she had lost track of the ghost the day before. Twilight looked around and tried to notice anything strange other than the wild environment around her but failed to spot anything that might look like a thousand year-old specter.
She shut her eyes tightly for a few short moments. When she reopened them, a purple haze had replaced the white around her irises. In front of her an invisible magic field pooled all traces of energy around and focused them towards Twilight’s eyes. She continued walking, using her new vision to sense any kind of unusual energy fields from a great distance. Inside her head, the normal view on the world had changed completely as every animal, plant and tree around her streamed the basic essence of life that her spell immediately picked on and amplified greatly.
Twilight stopped after not even a couple of minutes of scouting and closed her eyes, a small tear escaping from the glow under her eyelids. She had never used that particular spell in such a crowded place and the toll on her physical body was beginning to show. Her eyes were not at all used to perceive the world through that prism. Determination however had its final word and so Twilight anxiously carried on in her search, trying to block the pain out through sheer focus and concentration.
*** *** ***
“Try not to get us into any more trouble this time; don’t really think these guys are like the ones from Dodge,” Spike whispered, leaning towards me.
“Are you kidding? This place makes Dodge look like Ponyville,” I said in an equally quiet voice, glancing at all the strange creatures around.
Port of Issac was bustling with ponies, gryphons and even minotaurs as the day was approaching to an end. The large beasts towered over everyone and not even the largest of stallions could reach their chests’ height. I tried not to stare too much at them as they didn’t seem the most sociable of individuals. The whole port-town itself was in a far worse shape than Dodge, houses built from flimsy wood planks barely keeping themselves together.
Caravans and heavily loaded carriages sped across the main road, heading to and from the shipping bay. The large port harbored numerous ships of all shapes and sizes, from small rafts to large full-rigged ships very similar to those of what I imagined pirates would have.
The sun was barely above the blue horizon so we went straight to the nearest ship we found anchored and searched for anyone that might be part of its crew. After a while, a white stallion with a leather eye patch got off the large wooden vessel, walked a few steps onto the dock to a pile of bags and started placing them onto his back.
“Uhh, hey there! Mind telling us if there are any ships sailing towards the Griffin Lands today?”
The stallion stared at us for a few moments, his only eye lingering more on Spike than me, before returning to his task. “Aye, but not today. I’m heading to Openbeak’s for a shipment tomorrow just before sunrise. I’ll take ya lot for fifty coins if you want,” he added with a small grunt, lifting the bags and heading back on board.
“Sure thing. Have any idea where we could spend the night?” I quickly asked while I still had his attention.
“Other side o’ town. Old Oily’s the inn; they got rooms,” he said before leaving our sight. “Don’t be late, I ain’t waiting for no-one!” came a last call from him, presumably from inside the ship.
“Well that was easy,” muttered Spike, turning around and peering at the town, in search of anything that might look like an inn. “Come on, he said the place is on the other side of this town.”
I stared at the ship and then out on the dock, where a few other heavy bags laid stacked on top of each other, waiting to be loaded.
“Gimme a sec, I’ll be right with you,” I told him, my horn starting to glow.
*** *** ***
The white sailor threw the last bag from his back on top of the others inside the ship’s hull. He ran a hoof over his forehead, wiping away a few drops of sweat. He scratched around the leather patch, relieving him of the irritating sweat.
The sailor took a deep breath and went back on deck, knowing there were still a lot more things left to be hauled on board. He didn’t despise his job; he only loathed the fact that he wasn’t sailing his ship through the troubled seas, fighting tall waves and angry storms. He hated the time spent on land, even if he was an earth pony.
He let out another sigh, nostalgically recalling the adventures he went through back in the army, flying his own zeppelin in exploration missions with his trusty crew. The seas and skies were his refuge and would always be.
His eyes widened as he noticed the rest of his shipment had all of a sudden found itself on deck. He looked towards the town and noticed that blue stallion returning him a glance and a nod. He watched him and his dragon friend as they faded out in the crowds, a smile forming on his salt-dried face.
*** *** ***
“Why are you here?”
Twilight flinched at the sudden voice and immediately turned around. There was no one there. She focused and continued scanning the area around her however she couldn’t pick anything up.
“Where is he?”
She turned back, but again, wildlife was everything that surrounded her. The spectacle of light and energy captured by her spell didn’t reveal anything pony-like. That is, until she spotted a faint pulse of magic that echoed in the dark forest. The outline and energy signature was clearly the one of a unicorn. She charged her horn and disappeared in a flash.
Once the daze of the teleporting spell faded away, she got a glimpse of a white creature that disappeared deep into the forest.
“Wait! Come back!” Twilight yelled, yet she received no answer.
She galloped into the woods, following the faint traces of magic left by the apparition. Tree branches and wild plants cut at her face and hooves yet almost involuntarily, the magic channeled around her healed the small cuts and bruises in mere seconds.
The ambient light became dimmer with every step she hastily took in her chase, yet all of a sudden the world around her exploded in an almost blinding light. Twilight shielded her eyes for a few moments until they adapted to the sun above. Looking around, she found herself in a clearing, with no trace whatsoever of the mysterious being she so desperately sought.
It took her a couple of head turns to notice the washed-out ruins of a castle nearby. She immediately recognized the place as the castle where the Elements of Harmony were previously kept. Her heart beat even faster, yet she headed towards the remnants in unspoken silence. Something, someone was drawing her to that place. She didn’t even need the vision spell anymore to sense the powerful energies emerging from that forsaken place in the middle of the wildest forest of the Equestrian land.
Every step forward on the forest’s cold ground brought her closer to that source of magic yet the moment she placed her hoof on the first stone step, the whole world plunged into silence. Her ears perked up at the sudden shift in the environment’s energies and she held her other hoof midair, hesitating for a moment. Overcoming that moment, she carried on, the taps of her hoofs placed one after another on the ancient stone melting together with the sound of the wilderness around.
The ruins stood tall around the unicorn, seemingly whispering their story to the unexpected guest. Twilight knew- no, she sensed that the place was tingling with some sort of an ephemeral presence. Remnants of the Element’s stone cases lay bare on the floor of what was once a great hall in the old castle.
Memories of the fall of her first foe flashed in front of her eyes, her ears picking up the ghostly sound of Nightmare Moon’s evil laugh from years ago. At the back of the broken room, near the bare mosaic windows stood a serene white pony, her equally white robe draped over an ancient royal armor bearing the marks of the alicorn Princesses.
“B- Bellona?” Twilight’s hushed words barely reached the white mare.
“That is right.” Her voice was calm and pleasant to hear, yet the walls around rustled with restless magic as those words left her cold lips.
“Wha- how are you still here? Are you really her?”
“We are still here because of what happened long ago,” came the eerie answer.
“Who else is here with you? I mean, you weren’t here when we fought Nightmare Moon.”
“But we were. We stood here and watched as you and your friends released our ruler from her dark self. We stood silent, like we did ever since that night one thousand years ago.”
Twilight took a few steps forward, gazing at the strange pony and her garments.
“Where is he, where is dator mortis?” she asked, Twilight recognizing it to be the ominous question heard earlier in the Everfree.
“Who?”
“The one that bares death; I gathered the bringer of life would have known about him living in such nearness of her home.”
“Blink? What do you want from him? And how do you know about us?” Twilight asked, shuffling uncomfortably in place.
“So you do know him. I need his help in an important matter. You wouldn’t know about it. He wouldn’t either, but he is the only one that can help me.”
“You died, y-you died a thousand years ago! How are you still here? H-how can you still roam around? This is unheard of, I can’t even . . .” Twilight stammered, pacing around while trying to calm the storm in her mind, ignoring Bellona’s initial question.
The implications of what she was going through were baffling. There was nothing like this that her studies had prepared her for, the only mentions of ghosts and spirits being in storybooks told to foals on stormy nights to give them a scare.
“Midnight Blink. Where is he?” Bellona asked again, unfazed by Twilight’s nervous pacing.
“He’s gone. He left over a week ago. What can he help you with that I couldn’t? I mean you clearly know about our . . . specific abilities, what is it that you require from them?”
“That is to be spoken only between us and him. Leave us now, and warn him of our existence once he’s back.”
“But- but I can’t just-” Twilight stammered, almost unable to contain the influx of questions her mind was throwing at her.
The white mare at the other end of the ruins simply broke into thousands of translucent, white tendrils of magic that lost themselves in the walls of the ancient remains. The frightening rustle of magic around Twilight faded in an instant, and the sounds of the nearby nature quickly replaced them, as if nothing had happened.
“Wait, don’t . . . don’t go,” she pleaded to no one, frantically turning her head around in search of the ghostly mare.
Her eyes shifted colorful glows as she scanned the area in all spectrums known to her, yet there was nothing there anymore save for the old stones. She hung her head low, but didn’t lose her determination. She would come back the following days, and the days after those until she would get in touch with Bellona again.
As the evening drew close, she returned to the library. Her mind was trying to wrap around what she had seen that day, and the prospect of coming up with a letter to send to the Princess didn’t make things easier either. She had one important task for the next day however, and that was to find out as much as possible about Bellona before going back into the Everfree.
*** *** ***
The powerful belch pushed the flames dancing on the candles, one of which was on the table between Spike and I. “That was good,” he said with a satisfied smile, gently patting his belly with a claw.
“Sure was, the inn’s cook can sure make a hell of a stew.”
I levitated my mug to my mouth and took another sip of cider, my face puckering from the alcohol’s bitterness. I wasn’t a drinker, not even a social one, however that night I decided I would get something mild to celebrate ‘safely’ reaching the middle point of our journey (which was actually a quarter of the trip altogether).
“Don’t be a foal, it can’t be that bad,” Spike teased, smirking at my non-existent experience in the art of drinking.
“Don’t make me tell Twilight when we get back that you had two of those. I don’t think I’ve ever seen alcohol stored in the library,” I told him, returning the defying smirk.
“I’m an adult dragon now, at least by pony standards,” he was quick to remind me. “Also, I’ve been drinking before. Pinkie usually slips me some of the rum she’s using on her deserts and AJ and I’ve been having a pint of young cider every time I help around at her farm ever since last year or so.”
“Still a bigger drinker that I ever was,” I admitted, raising my mug and clinging it with his. We both took a long sip of our drinks, however I was the first one to rest mine on the table, as Spike gulped down the rest of his drink in one go. “A confident drinker and a ladies man I see,” I added with a smile.
However, there was a slight frown on Spike’s face at that last part and his looks dropped into the table. Apparently some things were harder to forget than others.
“Cheer up, bud. Hey, we’ll still visit Ruby on our way back after this whole thing.”
His raised his head at that, eyes glistening in the faded candle light.
Heh, he’s easy . . .
“You know, you can even ask her to come in Ponyville for a visit, I bet she’s never seen any pony settlements. She might like it,” I dared to continue.
“You think?” He asked, hopingly.
“Yeah, you could even –you know– maybe show her your hoard and stuff? I bet dragon chicks dig that.”
“I don’t even have a hoard,” he said, his fins and scales flopping down in dismay.
“You got time. Hell, I could even help you get started. Anyway, tomorrow before sunrise we’ll be on a boat on who-knows what kind of seas so we better get some rest,” I urged, packing up the map I had laid on the table and opening the door to our sleeping room with my magic. Spike charged past me and practically jumped on the top bunk, boosting himself up with a couple of flaps of his wings.
“I got tops!” he cheered, wasting no time to make himself comfortable on the dirty sheets.
Peewee was sleeping sound on a nightstand, irradiating a soft, golden glow around her. As for my pet Raven, she was out into the night for some reason. She did that every now and then but I was hardly worried about it, although I had no idea what that bird would do at nights, considering they aren’t nocturnal. But Raven wasn’t an ordinary bird for that matter either.
The ‘room’ we rented for the night was basically made up of a wider hallway with a table and a couple of chairs, a sink, a small room with a bunk bed and a tiny restroom. The price was however affordable and the food and drinks we got from downstairs were pretty good, despite the unsanitary conditions around. I didn’t make a fuss about that and Spike didn’t seem to care that much either, however I reckoned a few ponies from back home in Ponyville would have been quite vocal regarding the conditions.
I settled in my bed, and despite the lack of heating in the cold room, sleep overtook me in a matter of minutes.
*** *** ***
The scruff pegasus silently pushed the door open. He checked the number again, verifying that it was the room given to that stallion with the odd cutie mark and his dragon.
The trace of alcohol in his breath was a hint to how many drinks he had before deciding to pay those two travelers a visit. His keen eye, trained and with years of experience in catching the sight of valuable things, spotted the silver revolver around the blue stallion’s waist. Seeing the heavy-looking bag of bits he had pulled out to pay for the room was all it took for him and his partner in crime to make the decision.
It was late into the cold, early winter night when he entered the inn’s small room; so late in fact that the sun’s foretelling blue had started to bleed into the black, nighttime sky. The sleeping room’s door was cracked open and he tiptoed inside.
After taking a glance at the sleeping forms of the two travelers, he gently made his way towards the opposite corner of the room, where a few saddlebags and a holster were resting. The room was unusually chilly and a weird sensation racked at a corner of his mind.
He disregarded it completely. His ‘reward’ was right there in front of him. Step after breath-holding step, he eventually got to the bags and reached for the shiny revolver. However, as soon as the tip of his wing touched the weapon, it silently puffed into a dark, blue smoke.
“What the-”
*** *** ***
I stood watchfully, slowly pacing behind him. The darkness of the room carried my hooves in utter silence, the spell Luna had taught me finally put to good use. Inside the shadows there was no cold, no fear or worries, only me and pitch darkness, yet the world around was brightly lit by even the smallest source of light.
The cloned pistol dissipated at the intruder’s touch.
“What the-”
“Don’t even move,” I warned him, stepping out of the shadows behind, the real revolver floating to his side, its hammer cocked back.
He wasted absolutely no moment and dashed towards me, ramming me into the door, closing it. A loud cry left my lips as the air in my lungs was quickly evicted. The temporary lack of concentration made the gun fall against the floor, but I didn’t give up and threw the attacker off of me.
As soon as he restored his balance, he spun around in place to buck me straight in the face, yet he forgot about the sleeping dragon in the room, which wasn’t asleep anymore. Spike jumped down from his top bunk, pummeling him into the wooden floor, cracking a few boards with the force of the impact. Smoke gushed out of his nostrils and he was ready to use his fire if needed.
“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re good at that?”
Before Spike could even sketch an answer, the door behind me burst open, a brown unicorn standing in it. I was just about to freeze when I saw his rusty revolver floating by his side, however something pushed me into reacting in a split second: the thief’s accomplice flew across the tiny hallway and smashed against the wall with a dull sound.
My reaction was so quick that a burst of sparks had gushed from the area around my horn as pure magic channeled itself into the spell way faster than it should have, resulting in large quantities of residue and a throbbing pain in the top of my head. I closed my eyes from the sudden agony and one of my front knees gave in, almost causing me to bite the floor’s wood.
“Damn! Used . . . too much,” I hissed between fast breaths, trying to get up.
“NO!” Spike’s loud scream filled my right ear.
As I turned my head to the nearby dragon, I was instantly put face to face with a knife. The sharp-looking blade was pointed right at me and I realised that Spike’s grip on the first stallion’s wing was the only thing that kept it from plunging into my face. I hit the ground and backed away as fast as I could, trying to focus and bring my magic up.
Spike was struggling to control the scum, even though the dragon was bigger than him. The thief thrashed furiously, flailing his hooves around and desperately trying to get his wing free. He started smashing his left hoof into Spike’s face and that pushed him over the edge. With a deep growl, he smacked the teeth out of the stallion’s mouth, took a gulp of air and spat burning hot liquid onto the thief’s wing, releasing his grip on it.
“You want it so bad, take it!” he snarled at him, pushing the aggressor away.
The pegasus instantly started screaming his lungs out, the foul smell of burning feathers and skin quickly filling the small room as he flailed around in pain. Considering that wasn’t a punishment fit for the crime, I grabbed him with my magic and smashed him through the room’s only window, sending him crashing to the ground from the first floor of the inn.
The sounds of hooves against the wooden floor made us turn our heads and notice his accomplice dashing out the main door.
“You must be fucking kidding me if you think I’ll let you get away,” I said to myself, teleporting away in a cloud of blue smoke.
When I returned to the normal plane of existence, I found myself in the middle of the floor’s hallway, scaring the hell out of the brown unicorn and stopping him in his tracks. I felt that my head was about to explode from the pain, and I realised I couldn’t risk using too much magic anymore. Unfortunately the crook somehow noticed my winch and decided to charge at me. For the second time that night my air got smashed out of my lungs as the thief and I fell to the ground in a heap of limbs.
His horn started glowing and the same rusty revolver emerged near him, ready to be discharged at me.
“Again with the gun?” I yelled, desperately throwing ‘punches’ at his face as he pinned me down, his weapon menacingly pointing itself at me.
I tried to ram my head into his in hope of stabbing him with my horn however I was way too immobilized to afford such freedom of movement. I flopped back to the ground and trying to block the imminent pain, I focused on the nearby stairway’s wooden rail and yanked it out, smashing it into his head.
That dazed my aggressor long enough for me to overcome him and flung him off of me. I then wasted no time and started smashing him with my hooves. Sadly, hooves are not hands and my front limb’s mechanics didn’t allow for very powerful punches. A moment of inspiration struck me so I tried to imitate his friend from earlier and spun around in place, pushing my hips –and by extension, my back legs– towards him.
My first buck ever failed miserably, hooves landing more than a few inches off their target. The result however was impressive, the kick managing to send numerous splinters flying off from the smashed wall. Just as I was about to try again, Spike came from behind my opponent and grabbed him by the horn, stopping his second charge. He swung his head against the nearby staircase and the resulting impact knocked the guy straight out.
We stared at each other in a very awkward moment of silence.
“Dude, we need to go,” he eventually said between ragged breaths, staring at the stallion he had just sent to sleep.
“I- I agree, let’s get the hell out of here.”
We went in our room, grabbed our stuff and hurried outside. On the way out I noticed the pegasus that tried to rob us laying in the cold mud, shards of glass surrounding him on the edge of the road. His right wing was just a mere remnant of what it used to be, some parts of it showing off bare bone, smoke still rising from the burnt flesh. His agonizing swaying and dull moans told me that he was still alive, which was strangely reassuring. Even though my anger at him was completely justified, I just wasn’t ready to have the life of another pony on my consciousness.
Spike silently watched the stallion wallowing in pain as we passed him, his eyes betraying no emotion whatsoever, which at the time I found quite worrying. That however wasn’t a time to reflect on our actions as we had to make our way towards the docks before we got into more trouble. Knowing that Port of Issac answered to no other jurisdiction other than their own, I didn’t want to stay there for long.
We reached the docks and head straight for the first ship, recognizing the white stallion with the eye patch who was hanging off a ratline, pulling at a nod from the mainsail with his teeth.
“Morning!” I shouted to him, walking up on the flimsy board that led to the ship’s deck.
He threw us a quick glance and went back to his work, finally releasing some thick binds that probably kept the sail wrapped together. With surprising agility, he jumped off from the ratlines and landed on deck, quickly regaining his balance from the hard fall.
“Thought you wouldn’t show up. Just ‘bout in time as well.”
He went to the side of the ship and kicked the boarding plank away, which splashed in the dock’s calm waters. Scared seagulls flew off the foremast and into the morning sky, scared by the sudden sharp noise in the otherwise early calm atmosphere of the dock.
“Well don’t just stand there, tell that lil pet o’ yers to fly up and get that there’s sail bind and free it.”
“Uhh what did you call me?” Spike asked, his eyes slitting narrowly at the ‘captain’.
“Whoa there, he’s not my pet. His name is Spike, and he’s a very free dragon, okay?” I warned, placing my hoof around Spike’s arm and gently tugging it back. The last thing I wanted was another fight.
The stallion eyed my friend carefully with a mixture of surprise and wonder on his face. “Aye, apologies then. Would you please help me with the sail, dragon Spike?” he asked in a surprisingly respectful tone.
Spike puffed a round of smoke through his nostrils and then took a deep breath. “I can’t reach it,” he answered in a calm voice, his eyes no longer threatening.
“It’s okay; I got it.”
I focused on the mast’s top end and tugged at the binds, freeing them. The dirty sail unraveled and fell into place, inflating in the breeze. The ship jolted out of place, and started to float gently away from the dock. Our captain was feverishly working on the side of the ship, untying all the ropes that kept the ship attached to the dock’s wooden pylons.
“Don’t you have an anchor?” I asked as he finished the job and made his way to the ship’s wheel.
“Didn’t use it; one-pony crew journey, hard to pull the anchor up alone from the bay’s muddy floor bed.”
I approached him, leaving Spike behind to stare at the sea ahead from the ship’s rear side. The white stallion was on his hind legs, using his front hooves to direct the ship out of the packed harbor.
“But why alone? Don’t you usually have a crew?”
“This be a shipment vessel. It’s light and fast, I use it to carry supplies from our lands to griffin’s; haven’t had a stable crew ever since I left the exploration battalion back in ol’ Canterlot.”
“You were in the army?”
“Sure was, up till the day the last zeppelin parked in the capital’s mountains for the last time. My crew and I went on our separate ways. Some remained in the army; me, I came here and have been doing shipments ever since. Couldn’t really do anything but wheel-spinning, be that in the air or at sea.”
The sun’s shafts started filtering through the dirty sail, casting dancing glows on the ship’s deck. We started picking up speed, the splashes of the waves against the hull growing louder and more frequent. A bright spark caught my eye and as I looked up, I found our two pets gliding in the gentle breeze side by side. Peewee was burning bright, probably having ignited herself as the sun started rising in the sky behind us.
“Well ain’t that something, that there’s a phoenix!” the captain exclaimed, looking at the beautiful bird above, his eyes wide with amazement.
“That’s Peewee, Spike’s pet. The other one is Raven; she’s my bud.”
“I’ll tell ya, haven’t seen anything like them in a while. Actually, I don’t remember seeing anything like that black one of yours.”
“Raven’s special, let’s leave it at that,” I said knowingly.
“Well, by the way I’m Pearl. Found out about your friend over there, how bout’ you?”
“I’m Blink. Thanks for having us.”
“What are you two doing over at Openbeak’s?” Pearl asked.
“I need to reach the Griffin capital city, there’re some matters I need to straighten out. We’ve been on this damn road for some time, can’t wait to get this whole thing over with and get back . . . home” I said with a sigh, heading over to the side to watch the blue sea passing under us.
“Missing friends and family I see. Ehh, some days I think about my older cousin back in good ol’ Ponyville. Haven't seen the guy in a while, last I heard his filly was born," Pearl sighed, his eyes flicking off into the distant north. "Didn't even get a chance to see her."
My eyebrow rose a little. Back in Ponyville?
“Are there unicorn soldiers?” I asked, slightly excited by the prospect of actually being in the army, a thing I admired back home.
“Hehe, you sure seem to have forgotten a lot about things around here,” Kazooie started. “There’s a whole regiment of them in Canterlot. It’s quite nice from what I’ve heard from mah cousin. He’s been serving for years now but they mostly do expeditions to the North Plains.”
“Your cousin . . . Kazooie?”
Pearl turned his head at me, a rather happy-shocked look on his face. “You know Kaz? Well I’ll be damned!”
“He helped me a lot when I got to Ponyville; gave me a job and a roof over my head. He mentioned a cousin of his doing expeditions to the North Plains, but you said your crew was decommissioned years ago.”
“That’s when I last heard of him, and him of me. When I moved to Issac, the letters between us thinned out. I never told him about me leaving the army.”
“You should write him. He seemed very proud when he mentioned you.”
“I will. Thanks kid.”
Silence fell on board, the only sound being made by the waves splashing against the front of the ship and the sail’s flutter in the wind. Looking back, Issac’s Port was behind us, the mainland getting smaller and smaller, fading into a thin line in the ocean’s massive blue.
*** *** ***
Twilight let out a groan, resting her head and messy mane against the table. The spell she had been trying to comprehend all day long proved to be harder than she had previously thought. Although keen on finding more about Bellona and how she reached her mysterious state, she felt overcome by the desire to write to her assistant and dear friend.
Celestia’s spell that sent messages to Spike through his magical fire was on a level of complexity higher than she had ever attempted. The factors weighing in its success depended on too many variables to leave any room for error. Not only did Twilight have to understand Spike’s entire fire breathing system, but she also had to work on understanding the magical link between them. Every time an object would be sent through that method, the sender would have to tap into the emotional link between him and the recipient.
Twilight learned that way how amazingly complicated Celestia’s use of magic actually was. She didn’t base her spells on their scientific explanation like Twilight did when experimenting. Celestia’s way of using magic was on a much higher level; Twilight considered that the Princess was either above the ‘common’ laws of physics, or she was at a level where all the science bits just fell together in her favor effortlessly. Her desires were followed by the rules, not the other way around.
Twilight’s eyes widened a bit at a sudden realization. It was exactly like the time she pulled Blink from the darkest of realms and back into the land of the living. She never tried to explain that feat other than through pinning it on the whole Lifebringer status. However, it reassured her that it would be only a matter of time before she would master the spell and send messages to Spike.
A knock on the library’s door broke the silence of the moment. Twilight raised her head from the table, staring at the door. It was Saturday after all, who could it be? She opened it from across the room with her magic, revealing Ponyville’s pearl-white fashionista, carrying a cautious smile on her face.
“Twilight?” she asked, stepping in slowly. “Are you okay, dear?”
“Just a moment,” Twilight responded, trying to straighten out the mess on her desk.
Rarity approached her, her hesitant steps betraying concern. “How long has it been since you left this place?” she asked, looking around the disordered room. She then went straight into the kitchen, the only thing Twilight could hear afterwards being the sound of cupboards opening and closing. She returned a few moments after, her face turned into a huge frown.
“You can’t just live off noodles and hayfries, dear. We are going out to have a proper meal and then shop for some healthy groceries,” Rarity stated, determined.
“Those are healthy things,” Twilight retorted, shopping being the last thing on her mind.
“I won’t take no for an answer. I know it’s been hard without Spike and Blink around, but that doesn’t mean that a lady should stop taking care of herself properly.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, but then tucked her hooves under her, not wanting to let Rarity see-
“Dear Celestia, how could you!?” the fashionista’s high-pitch voice filled the room.
Too late.
Rarity came to her friend and yanked a hoof, exposing it as if it were the most gruesome thing she had ever seen. “You hooves! How long ago did you file them? I can’t stand to this, I absolutely can’t! We’re going to the spa right now to take care of you and then we’re going to eat.”
Ashamed, Twilight lowered her head, mumbling something in acceptance of her fate. Being in no mood to argue with her friend, the two of them went out in town. While not being the most preoccupied mare about her aspect, Twilight however kept herself presentable and as clean as possible at all times, having spent most of her childhood in the presence of the Princess herself.
The spa ponies gave them a warm welcome and soon enough the two mares were enjoying a full treatment, courtesy of Rarity.
“So dear, have you heard the news?”
“Hmm?” was all Twilight could muster under Aloe’s skilled hooves running over her back.
“Our dear Fluttershy is finally dating her special somepony.”
“Mmmhhh- what?” Twilight sputtered, taken aback.
Rarity gave a soft giggle behind her hoof, amusing herself with her friend’s expected reaction.
“Fluttershy?” Twilight asked again, unconvinced.
“Her indeed. It was quite the news for me when I found out as well. I’m just happy for them, it’s such a great thing that she finally opened up to someone of the opposite gender. Not that doing the same with a mare would have been bad in any way,” Rarity quickly added.
“So I assume you are referring to AJ”s brother, Big Mac?” Twilight verified.
“But of course dear, those two were bound to bump into each other’s lives at one point or another. Took them quite some time as it is. However, I don’t think Applejack is very happy about it.”
“How so?”
The massage having ended, the two of them proceeded into the invigorating hot bath.
“Well, uhh!” Rarity jolted slightly, the water a bit too hot and her descend into it too fast. She eventually made herself comfortable and Aloe came over and applied a mud mask to both mares’ faces. “Well, Applejack loves Fluttershy dearly, as we all do; I guess she’s just worried in case something might happen between the two of them.”
“I’m sure everything’s going to be all right. When did all this happen, anyway?” Twilight asked, relaxing in the hot water.
“Most likely while you were keeping yourself locked in that library. We were starting to get worried, you know.”
Twilight initially remained silent and closed her eyes and enjoyed the hot water. It had been a while. ”I know. I’m sorry about that. And thank you for this, Rarity; I really needed the time off.”
“We all do every once in awhile, dear. Plus, what would have Blink thought if he had seen you like that?”
Twilight blushed under her mud-mask, embarrassed by the prospect. “He hasn’t even reached the Griffin capital by now . . .”
“But he will, and he will also return soon enough.”
“I know, I just-” Twilight took a heavy, deep breath, “I miss them so much. I can’t stop thinking about him and what they are going through. And I miss my dear Spike as well.”
She then felt the gentle touch of a reassuring hoof over her shoulder. “I know dear, I miss them too. We all do.”
Twilight thanked her with a warm smile and then the two resumed their comfortable therapeutic bath. Eventually Twilight mentioned to Rarity the encounter she had with Bellona’s spirit in the Everfree Forest yet the fashionista reacted mildly, seemingly more interested in the ghost’s choice of fashion with the white robe over the royal armor. After all, stranger things had happened in her life ever since she and Twilight became friends.
After finishing the relaxing treatment at the spa, the two of them made their way to a restaurant at the edge of town. Rarity was having an exotic tea while Twilight ate a ‘healthy’ daisy sandwich. She kept staring at the forest in the distance, occasionally throwing a glance at her friend, who was enjoying her drink undisturbed by the recent news.
“Are you really not troubled by the fact that there’s a ghost in the Everfree?” Twilight asked all of a sudden. Her question had caught the attention of some of the ponies nearby, but Twilight just returned them a sheepish grin.
Rarity continued sipping from her tea while directing her gaze at said forest. “I don’t know what to say, dear; it seems like a lot of nasty, dirty things reside in that awful place, but this is different. I think it would be better if the girls and I accompany you next time you go there.”
“That’s a great idea! And with the Elements on our side I think we could handle anything, even though she didn’t seem threatening at all. We’ll meet up in two days at the library and start out from there. Could you please tell the others? I need to prepare, thanks again for today!”
“Uhh, of course!” Rarity nodded, watching the now energetic mare rush back to the library.
She then took another sip from her lukewarm tea, glancing occasionally at the sun setting over the dark forest.
*** *** ***
I flicked my tail against my sides out of reflex, sending off the annoying fly. What was more irritating was that the damn thing would eventually come back. Doing my best to ignore it, I continued to quietly eat out of my food can.
Pearl, Spike and I were all gathered around a low, round table below the main deck, eating out from the captain’s own rations.
“Thanks again for the food. Sorry about not bringing that much with us, we had to leave Issac in a hurry,” I said, wiping my muzzle with a hoof, comfortable with having something warm in my belly.
“It’s all right, kid. As long as the two of you help me steer this here lady to Openbeak’s safely, you’re all part of the crew; and the crew gets free grub.”
“If we’re your only crew, who’s steering the ship?” Spike asked all of a sudden.
I turned my eyes to Pearl, realising my friend was dead right. The white stallion casually waved a hoof, mumbling something with his mouth full of food.
“What?”
“I said: it’s all taken care of, don’t fret,” he spoke after swallowing his food.
“How?” I asked, thinking about how he could possibly solve the problem without some sort of an auto-pilot.
“Simple, I tied the wheel to the mast with some rope.”
I stared at him, starting to rethink whether going with him was a good idea after all. Then I remembered getting a glimpse of his cutie mark earlier and noticing it was actually a steering wheel.
“So your special talent is driving ships-”
“And zeppelins!” he added with a self-pleased grin.
“- and zeppelins, yet you tied the ship’s wheel with a rope,” I finished with a deadpan expression of my face.
“Aye. One-man crew needs to do what a one-man crew needs to do! And don’t you think that because there’s three of us I’d let you sail this here’s ship o’ mine. I trust that rope more than I trust two lifelong land walkers.”
After a few silent moments, Spike burst into a hearty laugh followed by me and eventually by captain Pearl. The casual moment ended shortly after our sides started hurting from the chronic laugh. The white earth pony got up and headed towards the deck, leaving me and Spike alone.
“So, are you okay?” I asked him, having noticed he was quite retreated ever since we boarded that ship early in the morning.
“I’m fine, why you ask?”
“Not talking about now, but I’ve seen you were keeping to yourself all day. Is there something on your mind?”
His smile slowly faded from his lips, replaced by a somber look, eyes empty and dull. “This journey-” he started, sighing, “-it was awful.”
“Yes it was,” I approved, absently nodding my head. “I told you it would be hard. And it’s not even over.”
“I mean we almost died; both of us; twice!”
The gentle sway of the ship and the creaking of the hull’s structure were the only things animating the gloomy scene of our conversation.
“When I saw you walking broken-hearted into that train compartment back in Ponyville, and that look in your eyes . . . I knew that you had set in your mind to do this; with me. And I appreciate it, I would have been dead without you by now. But I still think you should have turned around at Dodge.”
Spike shook his head. “You know I couldn’t do that. I needed this journey. I needed it to learn how much better my life in Ponyville was. But I have never hurt anypony before in my life before that night in Dodge,” he muttered, looking at the palms of his hands. “I’m afraid I became something awful.”
“No you haven’t. You’ve done what was right. You saved my life, so I owe that to you. You’re a good dragon Spike. Don’t let anyone else tell you different, not even yourself. Come now, let’s watch the twilight.”
His face brightened up at that so we joined Pearl on deck and watched together as the sun sunk into the ocean’s distant horizon.
“It’s so beautiful, I’ve never seen anything like that,” Spike said, admiring his first sunset at sea.
“It’s something. But it still does little justice to our Twilight,” it somehow slipped my lips.
“Dude, I’m not even gonna tell you how cheesy and lame that was,” the dragon said with a patronizing chuckle.
*** *** ***
“Ready, girls?”
“Ready!” came the all-around answers from the rest of the group.
The six ponies thus entered the Everfree Forest, ready to meet the spirit of a long gone unicorn. They had gathered at Twilight’s the day before, where the unicorn told them about everything. Most of her friends were surprised to hear about a restless spirit residing in the ruins where the Elements of Harmony themselves were originally kept, yet they didn’t hesitate to come forth and help Twilight in her research.
The trip was short and eventless, Twilight knowing exactly where to go that time. The colorful line of ponies came to a halt as the tall remnants of the ancient castle stood gravely before them.
Twilight advanced slowly, climbing up the bare stone steps, the clicking of their hooves echoing against the old ruins. They stopped in the middle of the large, half exposed room where the battle between them and Nightmare Moon took place years ago, and where Twilight had seen Bellona the last time.
“Bellona?” Twilight said loudly, “We want to talk to you! Can you please show yourself?”
Nothing happened. A gust of the early winter’s cold wind was the only response. Fluttershy hurdled close into Rainbow Dash, shaking madly, however not because of the cold.
“Are you sure this ghost of yours is real?” Dash rolled her eyes, bored.
Twilight didn’t respond, yet as she was about to open her mouth again, she started feeling that strange sensation she felt the last time she was there. The walls themselves ringed with a distinct background-noise of pure magic, easily felt by the skilled mare.
“Twilight dear, are you . . . feeling that?” Rarity asked, taking a few steps closer to her friends, her eyes betraying a hint of fear.
“I’m feeling something in my bones as well,” uttered Applejack, eyeing the surroundings cautiously. “This here’s bigger than a Zap Apple night.”
Dash bolted straight into the air, leaving shaking Fluttershy to seek refuge at someone else’s side. “Finally, some action!” she puffed her chest out smugly.
“Where is he?”
The ominous voice echoed throughout the ruins, making several of the ponies jump in fright.
“Bellona, it’s us, the bearers of the Elements. We just want to talk to you. Can you please show yourself?” Twilight asked again with confidence.
In front of them, swirls of white tendrils formed into the tall mare that was Bellona the Wise. Her translucent form allowed the sun’s light to filter through, casting a glassy shadow behind her.
“The Elements themselves have come back to their resting place. What is thy occasion, Lifebringer?”
“We want to talk about what happened to you and how we could help. If there is anyone that could do it, it is us. We just want to help.”
Bellona stepped forward, eying the five mares behind -and above- Twilight. All of a sudden, a pink blur dashed from behind the spirit, stopping in an inch. Pinkie struck a hoof through her then waved it frantically up and down.
“Girls, she really is a ghost!” she happily exclaimed, bobbing her head from behind Bellona’s side, even though it wasn’t necessary due to her transparent body.
Fluttershy almost fainted, AJ’s eyes went wider than dishes, Twilight facehoofed and Dash barely held a snicker. Rarity immediately rushed to her pink friend, pulling her away.
“Pinkie Pie! You can’t just invade this here mare’s personal space like that, it’s uncouth!” She then turned to the spirit, her face a large, uncomfortable smile, “I’m sorry for that, Pinkie sometimes goes a little bit overboard with her silliness.”
Bellona sketched the faintest of smiles and then turned back to Twilight. “I appreciate the thought, however you cannot help me. Not even the Elements themselves can.”
“But- the Elements can restore harmony in everything, isn’t that something you could benefit from?” Twilight asked, not willing to give up so easily.
As the sun started going down, the magical resonance of the place intensified. Twilight immediately felt it, and realised there was more to that place than she had thought. The walls started bleeding the same white shadows that Bellona came from, flooding the room in soft, dancing glows. The rest of the girls huddled close to each other, watching the spectacle with gaping mouths.
Ponies started forming from the mystical wisps. Tens of armored stallions and the occasional mares stepped forward in their transparent forms, heads held high. Their empty eyes were locked on the only six living creatures around. There was no trace of hate or anger on their faces yet their stern looks betrayed sadness and hope.
Their armors were shiny and their weapons looked as sharp as the day they were forged. All of them proudly bared the mark of the Royal Sisters, the two alicorns they had sworn to protect until the day they died and apparently, beyond that.
“Harmony is not what we need, Twilight Sparkle,” Bellona spoke softly, glancing at her subordinates.
“It’s peace that we wish for . . .”
*** *** ***
Spike threw up his lunch over board, clutching to the side rail. I was also holding on to a ratline, focusing as best as I could to keep a tear in the forward sail closed with my magic. The violent swaying of the ship under the huge waves did little to help me however.
“This’s a big one, boys! Hold on if you want to see Celestia’s sun again!” Yelled Pearl from the front deck, somehow still managing to steer the ship in that huge storm.
A bolt of lightning ripped through the darkness, hitting the ship’s main mast. The crow’s nest snapped right off and caught fire, crashing in the waves behind us.
“Is this what you call a ‘mild drizzle’, god-damn it?” I yelled out, trying to maintain my focus.
It was the third and hopefully last day at sea, however we had entered under a dark patch of clouds just before we could even get a glimpse of the coastline. Pearl somehow misinterpreted the currents and we ended up in the middle of the biggest storm of the year, if we were to believe him. Fifteen-foot high waves kept coming at us however thanks to the captain’s skillful steering we always managed to cut right through them.
“Spike! Hold on to something!” I yelled at the seasick dragon.
A strong gust of wind hit us from the front, and somehow that poor bastard’s wings snapped open, lifting him in the air.
“Spike!” I screamed, desperately trying to reach him with a dark tendril of magic.
With the biggest of luck, I managed to wrap it around his leg just in time, pulling him back on deck before he could fly off into the storm. The moment of panic distracted me from keeping one of the sails together and as a result, we were facing the storm with just the mainsail, which was barely keeping itself together.
“Blink, you better get your flank here right now!” came Pearl’s shout from the front deck.
I stumbled onto the slippery wooden floor, making sure first that Spike was tightly holding a ratline. I crawled my way forward, being drenched every couple of seconds by large splashes of cold salt water. The storm was merciless and there was absolutely no sign of clear skies ahead of us.
Eventually, I reached the captain’s wheel, tugging at his hoof to get his attention. He turned to me, his eyes filled with terror. “Kid, I hope you can magic our asses out of this one or we’ll all sleep on the ocean floor tonight.” He then pointed his hoof into the blackness of the storm ahead of us.
At first I couldn’t see a damn thing because of the darkness, yet after a few lightning bolts flashed upon the waters in front of us, my heart stopped as soon as I realised what I was looking at. A huge wall of water headed straight towards us, the biggest wave I had seen in my life. It slowly rolled the ocean’s water upon itself, a deathly last sight for any pony, sailor or not.
“This ship can’t make it over that, boy,” Pearl said in a disheartened, yet firm voice.
I swallowed hard, bitterly tasting the saltiness of the water. My thoughts went out to Twilight and my heart broke as I hadn’t even managed to send her one last letter.
The thought of her and never seeing her again managed to give me strength however. I found it in me to stand up, drag my soaked body to the front rail against heavy rain and wind, and clutch my hooves around it.
I closed my eyes and blocked the outer world for a few moments. Magic gathered around me as I prepared the only spell I thought could save us. Energy rippled around in its purest form, disintegrating raindrops before they could even hit me. The ship started ascending the huge wave and I held the rails tighter in my grip. Feeling that I was finally ready to face our doom, I opened my eyes and focused on the top of the wave we were riding, targeting it.
With a large grunt, I triggered the spell.
The air blast ripped through the sound barrier, pushing away all the rain in an expanding sphere around. The large, directed displacement of air hit the top of the wave, blasting tons of water clean off. The resulting force was so powerful that the tip of the ship wasn’t there when I opened my eyes to watch the effects of the spell. Hope lingered as the cut in the wave seemed large enough for the ship to pass through it.
Pearl’s joyous shouting however was short lived, because right as we went over the wave, we started dropping off of it into the threatening ocean. I turned around and grabbed the base of the wheel, trying to brace for the inevitable impact. Pearl dived to the ground behind it as well, reaching me out with his hoof. The angle the ship was descending on the wave was so steep that it was almost impossible to reach it.
I threw my hoof towards him, our limbs inches apart. Just as the tip of our hooves tapped, the ship hit the waters behind the wave head on. I remember flying through the air, smashing through the front rails. The impact must have been huge, because the ship’s main mast snapped like a twig.
Time slowed to a crawl as I saw my own hooves desperately flailing, trying to hold on to nothingness. Lighting brazed the dark skies above, the pure white illuminating the millions of tiny droplets of rain and their beautiful patterns shaped by the winds of the storm.
My back was stabbed by the cold blade of the ocean’s waters. They quickly engulfed me, desperately pulling me into the dark abyss. The last thing I remember seeing was the outline of the ships broken mast, coming right at me.
And then darkness.
End of chapter 18
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Many thanks to Cosmic, SparkLight and IBrainedMyDamage for all the help with the editing!
Again, I hope you'll enjoy it and I appreciate all your comments and messages, so don't hesitate to speak your mind.
Next chapter will be released even sooner (hopefully).
I know I wasn't there to finish the edits, but come on man, you know not to capitalize letters like that. (Read: third click).
Uuuuurg.
~Cosmic
2422070
Thanks, got it
2422086
And again, sincerest apologies I wasn't there to go through it in its entirety. The Writer's Group is/was going through some forum stuff and I am/will be needed. One day I'll figure out something to make it up to you for all of my shortcomings, promise.
Amazing chapter man!
Even though there is a bigger gap between your releases i find it is much easier to remember where i left off on this story so that's good.
Wow, I'm loving the action
And then they were all raped by the seaponies.
it's always good to see an update to this story
. looking forward to the next chapter
AW SHIT!
2423318
your profile pic matches your comment xD
2423535
Always the classics...
>insert hipster joke here<
2423535 2428052
A railgun isn't even a conventional cannon.
It's a group of metallic rails (hence the name railgun) that have a magnetic current applied to them. This begins accellerating a metal sphere/bullet to very, very intense speeds. Usually the heat of the railgun causes the projectile to superheat, and so the weapon only has a certain range before the projectile melts into slag and breaks apart. It requires electricity, but no gunpowder, which makes it different from conventional cannons.
I've done some research on the subject, but wouldn't consider myself an expert.
2428795
Mother of God.......
Who in all things awesome came up with such a destructive weapon!?!?
Sounds awesome...
2433407
Uhh nope. Events in Stairway to Equestria take place 4-5 years after Nigthtmare Moon (season 1). Spike is pretty grown and has wings by now.
2435053 awwww
oh well
2436216
don't tell me you didn't notice the fact that Spike had wings or that the action takes place years after the current timeline ?
2436563 Ugh, I hate it when I overlook things.
2437481
Yeah, just pay attention to the small bits, the story is filled with foreshadowing and little details that I don't go over a lot of times.
2437499 I still feel stupid for over looking things, like spikes wings.
2428837
Good, good. Soon I shall be ready to initiate phase three of my sinister plan muhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
Story so far is amazing. one of the best fanfics I have ever read keep up the good work
2475060
Yes they are. Have I derped a pronoun ?
Can't wait for another chapter..... no I mean I literally can't wait!!
And now my mind is like
I must admit that I really enjoyed reading your story. It had a certain feel to it that kept me interested throughout the whole experience
Although, if I had to point out one thing that I didn't like in the story, it would be the very reason the main character has to travel to the distant lands of the gryphons. It just seems too far-fetched and forced for my taste; but nothing can be perfect I guess, I forgive you
Anyway, I'm eagerly looking forward to reading more
2505974
Glad you're enjoying it. And about the travel bit, there have been numerous discussions in the comments about the whole thing, but it basically boils down to: either permanent exile from Equestria or be tried by the rules of the state the 'assaulted' party resides in. I really don't think that is a flawed way of handling things.
2506330
I am well aware of the possibilities that Blink had. It's just that I find the reason he went on this whole dangerous journey very unlikely in the first place.
Firstly, if Equestria and the Gryphon Kingdom had any political contacts between them, then the gryphons should have an embassy somewhere in Equestria, thus making Blink's expedition to their faraway country unnecessary. The gryphons could just judge him right there by their own laws.
Secondly, why was an official ambassador from a royal family roaming alone in some small, backwater town? And without any form of escort in addition? She was clearly visiting the town not as an ambassador of a foreign country, but as a normal citizen. Therefore, Blink can't really be charged with an assault on an official dignitary
Oh and if there really is no griffin embassy in Equestria, and the gryphons are really uncommon sight there... then why bother with enforcing that form of punishment in the first place? Who is going to ensure that he stays outside the borders? It would be simply a waste of resources.
Lastly, I don't think that Gilda, being the conceited person that you portray her as, would be content with simply exiling her attacker. As you said, he could simply start living in the crystal city (I refuse to call a single town an empire) and nothing much would really change in his life. Personally, I think that she would demand some form of satisfaction from the stallion that attacked her.
That must be a lot of luck!
I thought you had to cast the spell around 27 times to work on dragons?
Or is that just for non-physical spells?
On other notes...
He can't swim...sooo...I guess he's dead or... sea ponies?
bore
3304986
And it would be 'their armor was,' not 'their armors were' Armor is both plural and singular, like sheep. or deer.
Dude, blink has the shittiest luck.
3840044 ahh but funny shittest luck
well that sucks
3840044 that, or he needs a helmet
#captain goes down with ship
Well, now i know two ponies who've had ships dropped on them.
6820717
Who is the first one?
7333094
Blackjack, from Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons😉.