> The Cadenza Prophecies
>  by iisaw
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1 The Invasion Festival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Cadenza Prophecy


by iisaw



Sequel to The Celestia Code, The Luna Cypher, and The Twilight Enigma



= = =


Chapter One - The Invasion Festival

Canterlot is a remarkably beautiful city on any ordinary day, but lavishly decorated for the first International Friendship Festival, it was truly stunning. I flew a slow slalom course as I approached the palace, drinking in the wonderful sights. Colorful banners, flags, and bunting hung everywhere. I could smell the mass of flowers from over a furlong in the air. I felt a swell of pride at how much effort everypony had put into this celebration of peace and goodwill, and more than a little gleeful anticipation of how it would be received by all the foreign delegations and dignitaries who had been invited to attend. I could see the heraldic banners of over a dozen different nations around the edge of the Great Plaza.

To bolster the impression of multi-national participation, I was attending, not as Twilight Sparkle, Third-Tier Equestrian Princess, but as Queen Twilight, ruler of an independent trading nation. I wasn't wearing the nightmarish form that the folk of my city-state were accustomed to, but I did have so much barbaric regalia draped over me that I jangled like a dissonant windchime as I flew. 

I glided to a landing on a palace balcony with a clatter and nodded a greeting to the two heralds stationed there to welcome me. "Good morning sirs! Don't bother announcing—"

One flung the doors wide as the other cried out, "Her Royal Majesty, Queen Twilight Sparkle the Great, Princess of Friendship, Bearer of the Element of Magic, Countess of Hoofshire, Protector of..."

He went through the whole ridiculous list, including some titles I didn't even recognise. I sensed Luna's hoof in this ambush-by-protocol, and sure enough by the time I had walked the entire length of the great hall and into the throne room, the herald wheezing to a stop just as I reached the dais, I found my dear demented lover, grinning her head off.

"Welcome to Canterlot, Your Magnificent Majesty!" Luna bellowed gleefully. "All Equestria is honored by your presence!" 

"Sorry, but I didn't bring you, or Equestria, any presents," I grumbled at her. 

Celestia laughed behind her hoof.

"No presents?" Luna continued, putting on an exaggerated expression of outrage. "Then there is some truth behind your reputation as a stern and merciless monarch?"

"Yup. The evil queen of Twilight Town, that's me. I don't even cover my muzzle when I sneeze."

Cadance joined the fray from where she stood next to the dais. "Oh Twilight, I taught you better than that! Being a tyrannical dictator has changed you!"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, this International Friendship Festival is off to a great start!"

Celestia chuckled. "Get it out of your systems, now. We need to be all smiles and cooperation at the opening ceremonies."

I glanced over at Rarity—pardon me, Her Exquisite Majesty of Marezambique, Sultana Rarity. "Now's your chance," I told her.

She waved a dismissive hoof. "I never stoop to badinage, dear." 

"A little swordplay, then?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rarity only had time to give me a wicked grin before Celestia interrupted. "Not in the throne room! Do you girls want a time-out?"

We all had a good laugh at that, and then it was time for us to join up with the other heads of state and parade out to the Grand Balcony.

We made our opening speeches[1] and then Celestia declared the festivities open.
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[1] I know what you're thinking, but mine was very short and succinct, actually. (Spike wrote it.) 
----------

Songbird Serenade's act had just opened on the main stage when Ao streaked down out of the sky and landed in front of me, shouting, "Treachery, Majesty! A fleet of warships approaches, hidden by clouds!" Fortunately, the singer and her band were magically amplified so much that the kirin's warning only reached a short way beyond the little crowd of royals around me. A general panic did not immediately ensue.

Call me paranoid for posting my kirin friend (and a few others) as lookouts in case of trouble, but Celestia's insistence on the absence of any soldiers at the festival, even ceremonial guards, had made my withers itch. 

I looked up in the direction Ao had come from, and saw a thick mass of dark clouds moving in on the city with suspicious speed. 

"Zashira!" I called.

The zebra[2] mare was at my side almost instantly. She looked a bit weird with a flower wreath slipping down over one ear and a fruity drink in one hoof, but her attitude was all business. "Yes, Captain?"
----------
[2] She looked like a zebra but was, in fact, a changeling by the name of Khaatarrekket, who was the third officer of my airship, Nebula. Yes, I have a rather complicated assortment of friends.
----------

"Get to the ship and bring as many of the special armaments as you can carry!"

"Wait!" Celestia called out, but Ket had already jumped over the balcony rail, growing an impressive pair of butterfly wings in a swirl of amber magic. She lost her floral crown, but I don't think she spilled her drink.

Celestia turned to me as Ket flew off toward the airship docks. "Twilight Sparkle! There may be a perfectly good explanation for this. We will try diplomacy first, and make no overt threats, understood?"

I nodded, looking up at the mass of clouds and roughly estimating their speed. "Your kingdom, your rules," I agreed. "Besides, I don't think Ket will be back with the overt threats before those warships arrive."

Celestia gave me a sour look, and Cadance a worried frown, but Luna's attention was on the cloudbank. She wore a tight grin and rolled her shoulders to loosen them up. 

Rarity glanced in my direction and then loosened the waist of her tightly cinched dress. I had thought that the large puffs of crinoline at her sides were probably there to bring her profile more in line with the rest of her winged peers, but I caught the glint of highly polished steel beneath, and realized that her faux wings also served as a very good hiding place for a brace of sword blades.

I knew that she loved being a sultana, and had done very well by her new adopted country, but it seemed she still had a fondness for her piratical phase and thought that attending a summit that included carnivorous species and historical enemies warranted some preparations for—contingencies, shall we say?

I felt a touch of chagrin that I hadn't hidden at least a few useful items under my regalia. My crown did have three magically charged gems that I could call upon for a backup reserve of mana, but they weren't weapons per se.

The other kings, queens, regents, and such had backed into the throne room and were muttering anxiously amongst themselves. 

Celestia frowned in thought for a moment and then came to a decision. "Cadance, would you please escort our guests back into the castle to the dining hall? Make them comfortable and do your best to keep them calm."

Cadance nodded and went to herd them away from any possible danger. There was a bleat of protest from the Duke of Maretonia, Sultan Xahjir[3] refused to be parted from his wife, and Queen Csharreee vanished in a swirl of changeling magic, but otherwise it went smoothly.
----------
[3] Rarity's husband. It's pronounced zah-yeer, but spelled with an X because Zwahili is full of informative prefixes and suffixes, but most Equestrians can't even get a grip on the za/ze determination, so I'm not going to go into it here.
----------

"Please don't make a fuss, darling," Rarity said to Xahjir. "Here, take one of my blades." One of the nearly hiltless rapier-like blades floated out from under her dress. Her zebra husband took it in an expert reverse-pastern grip and held it close to his barrel where it would be ready, but wouldn't immediately appear threatening.

That's when the first battleship tore through the cloud cover. It was an ugly, armored, slab-sided thing, its engines belching some sort of oily smoke as it came about, slowing and dropping level with the Great Plaza.

Songbird faltered to a halt. Most of the crowd was facing her, with their backs to the open sky, but her expression had them turning in place almost instantly.

"We need to get down there!" I hissed urgently to Celestia. "We need to be ready to get a shield up in case that thing fires into the crowd!"

Celestia leaped over the balcony rail by way of an answer, and the rest of us followed. I levitated Rarity and her husband along. 

The battleship slewed through the air and wallowed up to the outer edge of the plaza, colliding with, and toppling three of the open arcade columns along the periphery. 

We landed in the open space made by the crowd as they backed away from the smoke and marble rubble. We all readied our magic.

A large metal ramp swung down from the side of the ship to reveal… I almost laughed in relief. It was a small furry creature, not unlike an overgrown pukwudgie, carrying a metal bound box nearly half its size. The magic aura of the box was a simple utility spell, hardly threatening. The creature waddled to the foot of the ramp and set the box down. Then it pulled a telescoping gramophone horn out of the top, and a microphone out of the side.

The creature sounded male-ish when he began to speak, his voice amplified by the box.

"We come on behalf of the fearsome, the powerful, the almighty STORM KING!" Some large banners unfurled down the side of the ship. One was a portrait depicting a yeti-like being. 

"Who?" Luna asked, of nopony in particular.

"Never heard of him," I said.

Rarity sniffed. "Is he on the invite list?" 

The little creature kept on talking, sounding more and more like a carnival barker as he went on, finishing up with another introduction. "...Commander Tempest!" He threw his stubby arms wide in a theatrical gesture, and a tall purple mare in dark armor emerged from the dimness of the ship.

All hope I had that the encounter would end peacefully vanished. The mare carried herself like a warrior and strongly reminded me of another merciless pony who had once very nearly killed me. 

"Tempest, is it?" Celestia said in a quietly dangerous voice that I'd rarely heard. "How may we help you?"

The mare began to descend the ramp at a slow, measured pace. In the full light, I could see the jagged stump of her broken horn and the puckered scar that ran down the right side of her face. I couldn't suppress a shiver of revulsion and horror.

Half-way down the ramp, the sneering mare said in a low, menacing voice, "How about we start with your complete and total surrend—"

My blast and Luna's hit her almost simultaneously. Unfortunately, the strange dark armor wasn't just thaumically resistant, it had some sort of active defense. The jagged symbols on Tempest's shoulder and thigh blazed with energy and deflected our blasts right back at us. 

Luna blocked her returning shot with a quick snap shield, and I negated mine with a counter spell.

Tempest smiled at us. It wasn't a pleasant smile. "Such powerful magic! I'm going to enjoy taking it from you."

"Oh suffering stars!" I shouted at her. "This again? Why do you lunatics never learn?"

I had begun calling up a teleportation matrix when the miserable mare pulled out a crystal sphere, crackling with dark magic. She tossed it into the air, spun, and kicked it like a hoofball, straight at Rarity.

I snapped a shield up to intercept it, but the accursed thing burned through the shield nearly instantly and struck Rarity on the chest, shattering and releasing a noxious green vapor. She gasped as black crystals began to form all over her body and her four slim blades, which she  had been magically thrusting straight for Tempest, clattered to the floor.

Xahjir screamed in anguish and after an instant of terrible shock, I… I really want to underplay my reaction and say I "lost my temper," but the truth is, I gave into an absolutely murderous rage.

A chunk of marble pillar the size of my head slammed into Tempest's barrel, knocking her down and driving the breath out of her. If magic doesn't work, try physics, I alway say. The trick was to put all the magical umph into the rock before it got anywhere near her reactive armor. 

Unfortunately, her armor was pretty good physical protection as well. She scrambled to her hooves and produced another dark magic sphere as her ship began to disgorge immense yeti-like creatures that looked very much like the so-called Storm King. Two other ships loomed out of the clouds and began dropping more troops on long lines. I was willing to bet my tail that there were more ships coming in on different vectors to completely surround us.

Tempest kicked the second sphere, this time at Luna. I'm not a slow learner, and I used a big slab of pavement, ripped out of the plaza floor to stop the thing. It worked, leaving the slab entombed inside a crust of a black basalt-like material. Not a typical turn-to-stone spell then. I could only hope that it was survivable.

"Twi! What do we do?" It was Rainbow Dash, flying ahead of Pinkie Pie and Applejack as they all rushed toward me. They had been settling in to watch the concert from a balcony overlooking the plaza the last time I'd seen them. Dash must have carried them both down to the level of the plaza as soon as the action started.

The non-flying creatures of the festival crowd were backing away from the armored yetis, but they would soon be pressed up against the stage with no way to escape. Xahjir and Ao were cutting down the yetis as fast as they could, but more of the big armored beasts were dropping from the airships every second, and it wouldn't be long at all before we were overwhelmed.

"Dash, do whatever you can to stop the ships from unloading. Ket should be here any time with some zebra fire. AJ, help—"

Another sphere of dark magic streaked toward me, and I barely got a chunk of marble in front of me in time. While the black crystals were still forming around it, I sent it back at Tempest as fast as I could. She dodged it, but two of the other five rocks I followed up with slammed into her. I had hoped to knock her over the edge of the plaza, but she caught up against one of the broken pillars. She seemed stunned enough that I could finish giving orders. 

"AJ and Pinkie, help drive back the yetis!"

Luna needed no suggestions. She was already severing drop lines and peppering the soldiers with high-speed chunks of stone. Their armor and shields meant that direct magic blasts were ineffective, but she could teleport herself at will, appearing just behind the squads, hitting them where they were most vulnerable. A group that ran down the ramp from the ship to back up their commander all disappeared over the edge as she physically slammed into them. I winced at the sound of the impact, but Luna soared back into the melee with a joyous battle-cry, apparently unharmed by the collision.

I heard a roar from above and looked up to see an immense beast crouched on top of one of the battleships. It was a bear-like creature with wings and eight clawed arms, all furiously ripping armored plating off the top of the envelope. As I watched, several others like it appeared and began attacking other vessels and attempting to push them away from the city.

I smiled. It was a shame Queen Csharreee hadn't brought more than a half-dozen attendants to the festival, but the changelings were a huge help, nevertheless.

The flare of prismatic light and the accompanying concussion from behind us was another bit of good news. I took a quick glance over my shoulder and confirmed that Rainbow Dash had timed her sonic rainboom perfectly. She had almost made contact with the airships approaching the castle from behind us when her thaumic field snapped. Two ships were slewing around wildly and one had actually shed one of its huge armored plates and was nosing down into an uncontrolled dive.

Dash's rainbow trail arched upward as she gained altitude for another pass.

I had adjusted my tactical thinking to assume that our rear was covered when that damned-to-Tartarus evil mare pulled another surprise out of her… Well, out of her broken stub of a horn, actually. She had no way to channel or control her magic, but that didn't mean she was lacking in raw power. 

She unleashed a blast at Rainbow that would have cooked her if it had been a direct hit. Tempest led her target, as is second nature for any experienced fighter, but nopony understands just how insanely fast Dash is, particularly a pony that had never seen her in action before. Tempest's bolt detonated quite a ways behind her. The blast was enough to tumble Dash through the sky, but I was sure that she'd quickly recover and get back to doing what she did best.[4]
----------
[4] Being awesome, of course.
----------

Getting back to what I did best was a good plan. The battle surrounding me had become too chaotic to keep track of, let alone control, but I could complete one very important task. I could eliminate the biggest single threat we faced.

The five tons of solid marble I dropped on top of Tempest should have done the trick. Incredibly, even as battered and bruised as she was, she still managed to roll out from under the section of pillar I teleported over her head before it crashed into the plaza.

I was in the process of getting a bigger hammer when I heard a deep bellow from behind me. "YAK SMASH!"

Oh good, it's Rutherford, I thought. I hope he gets his subjects pointed in the right direction.

I needn't have worried. The yetis, being the largest things around, immediately captured Rutherford's attention. Their shields didn't do much to protect them from several tons of gleeful yaks, and bunching up in a defensive wedge only made them easier to hit.

But that still left Tempest.

Using levitated slabs of stone continued to be a good way of blocking Tempest's horn blasts, but it was getting to be a bit hard on the plaza pavement. I had to switch tactics.

I dropped the pony-sized chunk of marble I had pulled out of the floor and sagged half-way to my knees, gasping and feigning exhaustion. It worked like a charm. 

Tempest grinned and produced another of the black magic spheres. "Goodbye, Princess," she said with a sneer as she tossed the thing into the air, preparing to kick it in my direction.

I drew on the power of my reserve crystals just to make sure nothing went wrong, and teleported a sizable chunk of the Canter River to a spot just over her head. Knowing how fast the nasty mare was, I didn't rely on gravity to do my work for me that time. I added as much inertia to the water as I could pull from the crystals, and the whole mass hit the floor with such an impact that many nearby ponies were bounced off their hooves.

The enormous boom of tons of water slamming down onto the plaza drew nearly everycreature's attention, and the attacking yetis quickly realized that the sodden, unmoving lump on the shattered pavement was their commander. 

"Surrender now," Celestia said. She sounded calm, even serene, but anypony who knew her well could tell how absolutely furious she was. I suddenly realized that I hadn't seen her take any action during the fight. She hadn't even moved as far as I knew.

Aside from the sounds of crumbling masonry and collapsing airships, there was a moment of silence. Then, the little creature, who had apparently been hiding behind the amplification box the whole time, jumped up and ran screaming for the flagship's ramp.

Celestia's horn pulsed once, and a gout of plasma, too bright to look at directly, streaked into the big, open bay of the ship. I could feel the heat of it as it passed, even dozens of lengths away. The ship exploded into flames, and the entire vessel began to break apart as it rolled off the edge of the plaza and dropped out of sight.

The little creature on the ramp turned away from the now molten end that had been attached to the ship and stared at Celestia with enormous eyes.

"No escape," she told him. "Only surrender." Her voice was low and soft, but it was pitched to carry across the whole plaza. Several more of the battleships, some trailing green flames as they sank, added a nice bit of emphasis to her words.

The little yeti dropped to his knees and then fell flat on his face. After a moment, the big ones began throwing down their shields and weapons.

"Wise choice," Celestia commented.

Luna popped in next to me, her coat shining with sweat and a fierce grin on her face. "Ha! By Typhon's teeth, was that not a battle to stir the blood?" She looked around and spotted Tempest. "Hast thou slain the villain, my love? 'Tis a pity; she fought well and cannilly."

I would have kissed her, but we were in public.

"Let's see," I said. I walked over to where Tempest lay sprawled. "Be careful of that," I told Luna, pointing to the crystal sphere full of roiling dark energy. For a wonder, the waterfall hadn't broken it. I assumed there might be some kind of unknown triggering mechanism, so I made sure to keep well away from it.

Tempest's armor wouldn't let me scan her, so I physically ripped a shoulder plate off her rig and stuck my hoof against her barrel under her foreleg. "No, her heart's still beating. That's good, because she can tell us how to reverse that dark stone spell. If it is reversible."

"Ah…" Luna looked back over her shoulder at the black crystalline form of Rarity. "I think Sultan Xahjir will have her blood if it is not."

I nodded. "If it's not, I'll hand her over to him on a silver platter, and watch." 

Luna gave me a gentle hip bump.

Cadence swooped down next to Celestia and said to her, "Shining is coming with the palace guard. They're bringing magical restraints and shackles. The Wonderbolt performers are—"

The only Wonderbolts in the city that day were the elite squad that were there to perform the aerial show, but they were already arriving with stretchers, first aid kits, and as many pegasus volunteers as they could muster.

Queen Csharreee and her attendants were helping to herd the yetis into compact bunches. She seemed to think that giant border collies were just the right aspect for the job.

The rest of the girls worked their way through the chaos and gathered around me. "Where's Fluttershy?" I asked.

Applejack snorted in disgust. "As soon as things got hoppin', Discord popped in, nabbed her, and skedaddled. That sidewinder coulda turned all o' them battleships to cheese or sumthin'!"

"Well, at least she's safe," I said. Would the yeti's anti-thaumic armor work against chaos magic? It was something to think about.

Shining Armor arrived with the guards and they gathered around Tempest. "Use the best suppressor you've got on her and then get that sphere into a containment box. Don't touch it directly or use magic on it," I told them.

A young guard pony knelt near Tempest with a suppressor ring in his hoof. "Not much of her horn left to get a grip on," he said. "She might be able to shake it off."

"Tie it on," I said, and pulled some of the bunting off the edge of the stage, tearing it into strips as I floated it over.

"Gimme the rest o' that Twi," AJ said. "I'll hog-tie her good an' tight"

Shining edged over to me. "You okay, Twi?" he whispered.

I looked around at the carnage. "If Rarity's okay, I'm okay. So—we'll just have to wait and see."


= = =
=

> 2 Reluctant Awakenings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Two - Reluctant Awakenings

Tempest groaned and stirred. The stubby little yeti looked up from the plate of sweets he had been gobbling, and I looked over the top of my book at her.

Her eyes opened and she blinked rapidly, trying to focus and then understand her surroundings.

"Do you want some water?" I asked, floating a glass with a straw over to her from the sideboard.

She jerked upright and there was a pathetic little fizzle and pop from her horn as she tried to fry me. Then she struggled futilely with her restraints, trying to reach the chain halter that held her suppressor ring in place. Then she tried to blow the suppressor off with sheer brute force. It told me a lot about her that she had even attempted that.

The golden ornamentation of the bedroom threw back little reflections of the tiny sparks she managed to emit, but other than producing a slight whiff of ozone, her efforts achieved nothing. 

"Are you done?" I asked. "That ring is pure orichalcum and was made by Clover the Clever herself. Even Celestia wouldn't be able to overpower it."

She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and then looked around at the room, carefully noting where the windows and doors were located. She looked down at the silk sheets that covered the back half of her body and then kicked them off, revealing the chains that held her to the bed.

The little yeti trotted over to her holding out one of the pastries. "You want a cream cake? They're really good!"

"Get this ring off of me, Grubber! Rip it off!" Tempest screamed at him.

He jumped back and cringed, throwing a frightened glance my way. "I… I'm sorry boss, but I… I can't."

I half expected her to pass out again, given the beating she'd taken and how agitated she'd become, but she simply turned her gaze on me, teeth clenched and bared, and eyes filled with anger.

"Where am I?" she demanded. 

I set my book down on the table next to my armchair and stood up. "You—" I said, as I walked over to the bed and loomed over her, "—are in the Twilight Town Embassy in Canterlot. This is sovereign territory, and I'm the sovereign. I hope you're an intelligent mare who can understand exactly what that means for your future health and well-being, because walking you through it step-by-step would be tedious, and I'm really not in the mood."

It was like snuffing out a candle. She just gave up and collapsed, her head hitting the pillow with a soft whump. "It means I'll never get my horn back, now," she said.

"Yes, Grubber told me something about that," I said.

If looks could kill, the little yeti would have been reduced to a fine mist. He wiped frosting off his face and gave Tempest a sheepish grin. "She already guessed most of it, boss!"

"Reconstructing a horn costs a fortune, yes," I said, and my brows furrowed as I stared at her incredulously, "But, attacking the only place in the world that can do the work has got to be the stupidest—"

The mare sat up as much as she could. "Only an immense amount of magic could do it! Don't try and tell me you'd just give away the magic of all four princesses…" She trailed off. I think my exasperated expression and emphatic face-hoof had something to do with it.

"Raw power can't recreate something as intricate as a unicorn's horn." I told her. "It does take powerful magic, yes, but also a lot of specialized knowledge, extremely rare materials, and precise detail work. Our doctors can do it if—"

"Impossible!" Tempest growled. "I searched for years—"

I rolled my eyes and cut her off, "So you don't believe me—an alicorn scholar—but some barbaric yeti warlord who hasn't met more than three unicorns in his entire life is an expert? Yes, it wasn't possible until recently, but magic is not static. The first successful reconstruction was performed two and a half years ago,[1] but since you've been off in foreign lands working as a toady for petty dictators, I guess you hadn't heard."  I shook my head in disgust and bit down on my lower lip, trying not to lose my temper.
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[1] I ought to know, because I was the one who brought the key matrix back from a neighboring universe.
----------

"I did what I had to," she said, her features falling into an expressionless mask. "I wanted my horn back, and the Storm King was the only one who offered to do it for me. He was the only one who even seemed to care."

I tried to keep my voice as calm and level as possible. "We all make mistakes, and I can sympathize. Next to losing my friends, losing my magic is the worst thing I can imagine."

"I lost my friends because I lost my magic."

I frowned at her. "Earth ponies have friends," I said.

She stared at me for a long moment before turning her head away. "You don't understand."

The mare could have used a couple dozen friendship lessons, but I just shrugged. "Well then, why don't we switch subjects? I'm interested in what information you can give me about the Storm King's armada. How many ships does he have? What sort of weaponry? What are his intentions? Things like that."

"Why should I tell you anything?"

"Why should you be loyal to a creature that lied to you and then set you up for a humiliating failure? Sailing into Canterlot when the entire horn and wing quartet was going to be present was—"

"That was the whole point!" she snarled at me. "We needed all four of you to fully power the Staff of  Sacanas! And defeating the mighty alicorns while all those other rulers looked on would have cowed them into submitting to us! It was an ideal plan!"

Well, that was a nice titbit of information. I thought that if I kept her a little angry she might let more things slip. "Except the show you actually put on was of an entire fleet being sunk by a bunch of mares in party dresses. How do you think your king is going to react to that news?"

Grubber nearly choked on a cupcake and Tempest actually laughed. It was a bitter laugh, but it was a laugh.

"Hey," the little yeti asked eagerly. "This is, like, an embassy, right? Howzabout you gimme some of that—whatchacallit—diplomatic immunity? I'm cooperating like mad here!"

"I think you mean political asylum," I replied.

"No! I'm not crazy or nothin'. I just don't want to be around when the Storm King hears about this."

"Grubber, you idiot," Tempest said, wearily. She turned to me. "I had to work my tail off to sell the King on this plan. When he hears about the disaster, he won't want anything to do with Equestria. I'll give you all the information you want, but you're in no further danger from him."

"Mmm," I replied noncommittally. I obviously couldn’t accept Tempest’s assessment unsupported and on the spot. Anyway, even if the warlord was no longer a threat to Equestria, I fully intended to be a threat to him. 

"Well, if you intend to cooperate, I suppose I should allow you more freedom of movement." I touched her bonds with my magic, deliberately hesitated, and withdrew. 

"Hey!" she cried out, straining at her chains. The steel links were thick, but the bed frame creaked and there was a cracking noise from somewhere beneath the mattress. Stars, but that mare was strong. "Truce, right? Leave the ring on, but let me up."

"Alright," I said, keeping my voice as casual and normal as possible. I hoped my little ploy to play on her impatience had upset her just enough to make it hard for her to lie convincingly. "But give me one little bit of info first."

"Sure, sure!," she replied and tugged at her chains again.

"How do I de-petrify somepony hit by one of those dark magic orbs of yours?" This was the primary question I had really wanted answered all along, of course.

She was desperate to be free of her bonds. She answered without hesitation or any attempt to bargain for the information. "We had some orbs that reverse the spell, but those went down with the ships. I suppose a disruption spell ought to do it, but it'll have to be an extremely powerful one to overcome the amount of mana packed into those potions."

"'Ought to'?" I wasn't ready to relax just yet.

She shrugged.

I supposed that would have to be good enough. I set the tumblers in the lock and opened it, letting the chains slide free. Tempest rolled out of the bed and stretched, making sure to keep her movements slow and non-threatening.

"You have the run of the suite," I told her. "If you need anything, just call for the guard outside the door."

"Aren't you going to stay for my information dump?"

"There are writing tools and paper in the desk over there. Just put down everything you know about the Storm King's military and plans, and I'll go over it later and come up with questions for you."

She looked surprised at this but said nothing. In fact, she made a furtive little shushing gesture at Grubber when it looked like he was going to say something.

I opened the door and stepped half-way through before pausing and turning back. "Oh! I almost forgot. If you leave this suite, your ring will instantly become white hot and stay that way for long enough to burn through your skull, so don't try to escape. If nothing else, think of the poor cleaning staff."

I stepped through the door and gently closed it behind me.


= = =


"Is she furious with me for abducting Tempest?" I asked Spike as we walked toward Celestia's private audience chamber.

He held out a spread paw and wiggled it slightly. "Just miffed, I'd say. She's more worried about Rarity than anything else."

I nodded. "And the others?"

Spike held up his paw again and counted them off on his claws. "Cadance had to calm down the leaders and their delegations. After some of them saw Celestia destroy a magically-armored battleship with one shot, they're almost as afraid of her as they were of the invasion fleet!"

"The bay was open," I explained to him. "Her little sunfire bolt didn't have to penetrate any magic armor. She just detonated it right under the center of the bay and it burned up through the overhead and into the gas cells. She had thermodynamics on her side."

Spike shrugged. "Maybe, but I don't think any of them know that, and it sure looked impressive!" 

I sighed. "I'm sure Celestia knew exactly how it would look."

"Luna's just waiting for you to show up. After Celestia figured out you'd made off with that ugly, broken-horned mare, Luna was the one that calmed her down." He paused and thought back. "Said you'd get the information they needed and there wouldn't be any fuss about it or need to worry about 'niceties.' I don't mind telling you, I was pretty upset, too… I mean, not like Xahjir, or anything, but kinda, yeah. But Luna was just so calm and matter-of-fact about it, that we just assumed… You did find out how to get Rarity back, right?"

"Of course," I said.

"I knew you would!" he said cheerfully. His voice was light and confident, but his tight shoulders relaxed and he let out a long breath. "You know, I think Cadance is kinda disappointed she missed out on the action!"

I grinned. "Could be, Spike. She's no lightweight when her instincts kick in. How about the girls?"

"Fluttershy's still gone, but AJ and Dash are…" He hesitated.

"They're okay, right?"

"Oh yeah, yeah! They're fine! They were both bragging about how many yetis they took out, and they didn't seem worried at all. Heck, AJ told me not to worry! Then they… uh... " Was he blushing? It was hard to tell and he quickly changed the subject. "Pinkie's fine, too. She's supervising the clean-up and preparing for tomorrow's celebration."  

I was curious about how the festival would continue, and how it would impact the original schedule, but at that moment we entered the hall where the audience room was and I didn't have time to question him further. As long as my friends were okay; that's all that really mattered to me.

The guards opened the doors and announced us. Just a short while before, as the most junior Equestrian princess, and faced with expectant stares from Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Sultan Xahjir, I would probably have cleared my throat nervously, hesitated, or stuttered, but those days were behind me. I knew exactly the foremost question on their minds, and I didn't make them ask. I didn't even bother with greetings. "The Fail-Safe spell should do it, but I need to have as much supporting power available as possible when I cast it. I think those spheres were designed to overcome alicorn-level magic."

Xahjir exhaled so loudly it was almost a moan. "Bless you a thousand times, Queen Twilight!"

I walked right over and gave him a hug. "Having her back will be blessing enough."

Rarity had been moved to a secure inner chamber nearby, and we wasted no time going there. The spell is simple, but I had to account for certain other magics that were still active and bound to my friend. 

It took me several minutes of slowly weaving in the Fail-Safe while Luna fed me raw power to amplify the effect. The actinic glow of her horn threw long, shivering shadows across Celestia and Cadance’s faces as they stood by as backup in case anything went wrong.

The crystal shell was rotten with dark magic, of course, and terribly dangerous to work with. I don't know how or where the Storm King had acquired the corrupted alchemical reagents that created it, but I silently vowed to find the source and eliminate it.

But that wasn't the time for adding to my to-do list. I frowned and concentrated on disabling the magical bonds within the crystals without causing them to click into a self-sustaining relay and detonate. 

Lots of power is convenient, but being detail-oriented is what's critical for success with intricate, high level magic. Intent is also important in magic of all sorts, but my pure intent to rescue my friend wouldn't have saved me if I hadn't noticed the reversed chirality of the binding mandala. I would have to simultaneously reverse the flow of the original spell with dark magic while attempting to negate it with light magic. 

Well. If it was easy, they wouldn't have asked me to do it.

Luna later said that I caught the tip of my tongue between my teeth at the corner of my mouth, light and dark mana boiling from my eyes and horn as I grappled with the imprisoning spell, "...in a most adorable and terrifying manner." I'm not going to lie; I have somewhat mixed feelings about the glee evident in her observation.

Eventually, with very little ceremony given the powers involved, the black crystal coating safely shattered and sublimated, but it took a lot longer than I had anticipated and left me exhausted as well as relieved.

Rarity was… Well, she was relieved, of course, but several other strong emotions were vying for her attention and she took to expressing them in turns with her usual non-verbal vocalizations and dramatic gestures. Evidently, her connection to the Labyrinthine Crystal Engine[2] was strong enough that it allowed her to see the rest of the battle despite being petrified, and she had—opinions on the situation. Xahjir got the greater part of her attention, and seemed delighted by every outburst, no matter the quality. The rest of us merely looked on in awe and happiness.
----------
[2] It's a long story that can be found (somewhat fictionalized) in a book titled The Twilight Enigma. Suffice it to say that Rarity was a much more magical mare than she appeared to be.
----------

"And the worst part—" Rarity was running down to a conclusion, and most of her speech was perfectly intelligible by then. "—oh, my darlings, the Very. Worst. Part was that I did not get to serve up that nasty mare like a very small cake at a very large party!"

"Oh!" she continued, turning to me. "My precious needles! They are alright, aren't they?"

She meant her five slim sword blades. "Yes," I reassured her. "All cleaned, oiled, and put away in your suite."

"Oh, thank you, dear. You are always so understanding. Now! That mare—Tempest, I believe? Is she—"

"She's alive and has been granted political asylum," I said.

"WHA-A-AT?! Who would do such a thing? Oh, I'll bet it was the griffins! Who else would harbor a creature so thoroughly unpleasant as…" Rarity trailed off, staring at Spike, who was pointing a wingtip in my direction. Traitor.

Rarity went absolutely still, and that made everypony extremely nervous. "Darling," she said to me. She made the single word carry several different meanings, one of which was, I am trusting you to provide me with a complete and thorough explanation, and if part of that explanation involves you having made friends with that monster, I will throw a hissy fit of legendary proportions.

"The so-called Storm King that she was working for is some sort of jumped-up warlord from down south." I didn't like giving away my plans before they were half-formed, but I knew better than to cross Rarity when she was in a mood. "I need to get as much information as I can out of her before going after him."

Rarity thought about that for a long moment as she kept me fixed with her eyes. Finally, her face softened slightly, "Do you need somepony to play 'Bad Guard?' Because it wouldn't take much acting on my part."

I didn't have to put much consideration into the decision, because she was right. She'd be perfect. "As long as there's no swordplay involved," I said, grinning.

"No promises, darling!"


= = =


"Here's the deal," Tempest said as we entered the room. "You restore my horn, and then I'll give you every detail I know about the Storm King and his forces."

I guessed she had decided to believe me, after all.

"Counter offer," Rarity said in a happy, musical tone as she came in the door after me. "You give us every detail you know about the Storm King and his forces, and I won't turn you into griffin kibble." Her horn glowed and a dozen small blades whipped out from under her dress and began to spin in the air around her, making a hissing sound.

"I said, 'no swords!'"

"These are knives, dear."

For a wonder, Tempest didn't seem very intimidated. She snorted. "Alicorn of Love, huh? I'm beginning to think Equestria's reputation is a complete smoke screen. Too bad I didn't know that a week ago."

Rarity and I looked at each other in puzzlement. 

"Wait, you think she's Princess Cadance?" I said. At the same time, Rarity let out a lady-like squeal of rage.

"First you turn me to stone, and now you attempt to demote me? I am a Sultana, I'll have you know! Equivalent in rank to a queen! And not even a bow when I entered the room?" She turned to me and batted her eyelashes. "Mayn't I stab her just a little bit Twilight? I promise she'll still be able to answer questions afterward."

At that point, Tempest went for the improvised spear she'd made and hidden under the duvet. I nabbed her and floated her over to a clear space in the middle of the room. At the same time, I took Rarity's knives away from her and stacked them neatly on the sideboard. A quick scan of the room revealed Grubber hiding under the desk, and I hauled him out and plopped him down next to Tempest.

I had to spend a little time clarifying the neo-feudal jurisdictional realities for the murderous mare, and her reaction was understandably skeptical.

"So you're not the Princess of Friendship and the Alicorn of Magic?"

"Sometimes I am, but not here and now, which is very lucky for you. As far as Celestia is concerned, you're a vicious brigand and ought to be petrified and plopped into the Royal Sculpture Garden as a warning to future invaders. As her loyal vassal Princess Twilight, I would support her decision completely."

Tempest raised an eyebrow. "But…"

"But, I'm currently acting as the sovereign of a foreign nation, specifically Twilight Town, and you're on my territory where you've been granted political asylum." I paused for effect. "For now."

"Me, too?" Grubber asked. I nodded. "Woo-hoo! Yeah!" He bounced up onto his feet and punched the air. "We're skatin' free!"

I cleared my throat. He stopped bouncing and looked at me doubtfully.

Tempest sighed and shook her head. "Grubber, you idiot." Evidently, the phrase was some sort of mantra for her. "So… This Twilight Town? I've heard of it, but not much more. You named the place after yourself? You and the Storm King would get along."

"No, I didn't," I corrected her. "My subjects are just a bit—enthusiastic about me, that's all."

She cocked her head and stared at me. "Alicorn or not, you still look like a cheerful Equestrian fool. I was told that the Twilight Queen is some kind of monster."

Rarity burst out laughing at that point. "Oh, you have no idea! That's like calling Mount Everhoof some kind of hill!"

I was a little bit stung by the comment. "Hey! I'm not that bad!"

She leaned over and gave me a brief hug. "'Bad' is not the word I would ever use, dear. Perhaps... 'effective and efficient without regard to delicate sensibilities?'"[3]
----------
[3] She was quoting me. It was the phrase I'd suggested as a substitute for the Bey of Marerocco's description of me as, 'utterly vicious and terrifying' when I got rid of his corsair problem for him. Turning a mare's own weapons against her is completely unfair—and one of Rarity's specialties.
----------

Tempest remained silent for a while and then said, "Alright, let's continue negotiations, Your Majesty. Here's a freebie for you: Twilight Town is on the Storm King's list, and it's not far from the top, either."


= = =
=

> 3 Celebrating Survival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Three - Celebrating Survival

Not many ponies know it, but I often have nightmares. Luna fends off some, but not most of them. She says they're good for me. It sounds counter-intuitive, but I've learned through hard experience and a few unpleasant arguments that she's absolutely right.

My nightmares are of failure. Failing my friends and failing my responsibilities. Watching ponies and other creatures suffer and sometimes die because I wasn't strong enough, smart enough, or determined enough is horrible, but it certainly makes me want to be stronger, smarter, and more determined. 

When Luna appears in one of my nightmares, it's usually to give me a do-over. She won't erase the scenario created by my subconscious anxiety, but she gives me the chance to make better choices a second time around. Or a third. 

It's not pleasant, but she's right; it helps. 

That night, I watched armored yetis swarm over Canterlot, leaving black stone statues in place of ponies I knew and loved. Yes, my stupid brain seemed to have decided that I needed to relive and lose a battle I had already won.

Luna appeared and held up her hoof in an imperious gesture. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stood still, watching her expectantly. She surveyed the scene for a moment and then turned to me and tilted her head. I normally find that pose of hers charming, but I was just a bit frustrated.

"What? You expect me to be able to explain this? I think I did pretty well, considering the circumstances."

She didn't say anything in reply, but bent down and took hold of the pavement in her teeth. She flung her head up and the scenery rippled and pulled away like a painted canvas tarp. Beneath Canterlot castle was Vagabond House. Beneath the gold and white marble buildings of the High Street was the hodge-podge of brick and half-timber warrens that made up the oldest neighborhood of Twilight Town.

"Oh," I said. "Yeah. Okay, that makes more sense, I guess. Garden-variety anxiety dream."

"The question you must ask yourself is why you would clothe your realm in the trappings of Celestia's. Perhaps you regret your decision—"

"No! No, I've never regretted it! And Twilight Town isn't my realm. It's anarchy, pure and simple. I don't rule it. The "Queen" business is a convenient fiction. Just because they look to me for guidance and I'm powerful enough to… Wait. You said Celestia's realm! Equestria is your realm too!"

"Ah." Luna blinked and shuffled her hooves. "That is of no import. 'Tis of thee we are speaking."

Luna tends to slide back into Middle Equish when she's emotional, and that alone told me that her slip of the tongue 'twas of some importance. But she was right in that getting my own head straight was the primary concern at the moment. That didn't mean I was going to forget her little "mistake," though.

"Okay, okay! Yes, I am worried about the Town. But what Tempest has told me so far means the Storm King is a danger to half the world and not just my little so-called realm. But the Town means so much to…" I sighed, “Yeah, I think I'm getting the point now. I've got a choice to make." I sighed and woke up.

Luna was still there, wings wrapped around me, with her velvet-soft lips nibbling at my throat. I sighed again and lifted my head a touch. She almost made me forget her comment in the dream. Almost.

We showered and loaded ourselves up with all of our fanciest regalia. I made sure to recharge the gems in my crown and I took the extra precaution of hiding a few unfriendly items under my bejeweled caparison. I don't think there's ever been a kingdom in history that's been invaded twice on successive days, but knowing my luck, I wasn't going to take any chances.

The long negotiation/interrogation session with Tempest the previous evening had convinced me of a couple of things. Despite being powerful and ruthless, the single driving force behind her actions was the desire to restore her horn. Since I had convinced her that the only place in the world that could grant that desire was the Magical Prosthetics department at the Royal School of Thaumic Medicine, I was confident that she would defend Canterlot with her life—at least until she had the ability to control her magic again. Then, all bets were off.

So, I'd invited her to the party.

Several ponies/creatures thought I'd gone insane.

Pinkie demanded that I "double-dumpling" guarantee that Tempest wouldn't mess up her party—again, and Rarity… Well, the only way I could get Rarity to go along with it was to make her part of the plan. She got her revenge in a very Rarity sort of way.


= = =


"Can you make that—" I pointed at Tempest's chain halter and suppressor ring. "—look like jewelry? And maybe make her a dress of some sort? Simple, but elegant?"

"A dress?" Tempest almost snarled at Rarity as she approached.

"Oh, no, no, no, darling!" Rarity said, violently shaking her head. "A dress on her would look like a parasol on a steam engine!"

Tempest put her weight on her back hooves and frowned, probably trying to decide whether or not she ought to be offended.

Rarity marched right over to her and looked her up and down. "No, dear, if you want her dressed for a party, we shall have to go the Barbaric Splendor route. Something like Princess Chrysalis' little platinum chains outfit but—thicker and in gold. Maybe with a lightly quilted demi-caparison. Hmmm…" She trotted over to Tempest's right side and stared at her head. 

"It's a shame about the scar. She has quite a beautiful face otherwise." 

Wow. Rarity could be catty on occasion, but that was uncharacteristically mean of her, even considering that the target of her metaphorical claws was a mare who had intended to petrify and parasitize her. 

Tempest's eyes went wide and then narrowed down to slits. "I'm standing right here!"

"So you are, dear. Excellent posture, too! Do you fence?"

Tempest quite frankly had no idea what to make of Rarity. "Sometimes, I stab creatures who annoy me. Does that count?"

"Only if they're trying to stab you back." Rarity replied, absently. Then her eyes went wide. "Oooh! Ideeeea! What if we give her a nice bejeweled blade on top of the suppressor ring? That will give her a wonderful profile!"

"Uhm…" I knew that Rarity sometimes needed to be reined in when in the grip of her muse. "You plan on giving her a weapon?"

"Oh, just a little one! Besides, look at these muscles!" She poked Tempest's shoulder with a hooftip. "And she's nearly as tall as Luna. Even unarmed, she could kick the head off a Royal Guard before they could level a spear at her! She's not going to be a problem because she's not an idiot." Rarity turned back to Tempest. "Isn't that right, dear?"

Tempest's face scrunched up in confusion. "Is it weird that I can't decide whether to hoofbump you or trample you?"

"Neither is appropriate," Rarity said in a matter-of-fact tone. "But don't worry, you'll be playing une bonne sauvage, so ponies will undoubtedly give you the benefit of the doubt for any little faux pas you may commit." She turned and trotted for the door, turning her head just enough to toss a last parting shot. "You can, of course, bow as I exit."

Tempest was still sputtering as the door closed.


= = =


Quite a lot of the crowd (and the delegates, for that matter) were frightened of Tempest, but there were enough who tolerated her company that she quickly relaxed. She was a big hit with the griffins and dragons. We had her closely watched, of course, and the outfit that Rarity had made for her had several spells woven into the various gems that could be triggered remotely. We weren't idiots, either.

Her little sidekick, Grubber, seemed mainly concerned with eating as much as possible while staying in Tempest's protective wake. When he passed out, I made sure he didn’t have any cake lodged in his throat and teleported him back to his bed in the embassy.

Tempest watched me do it, and then gave me a considering look. "I think that's the happiest I've ever seen him."

"He doesn't really seem the type to fit in with a conquering military force," I replied, wistfully remembering Spike's younger days. 

She shrugged. "Grubber has a sadistic streak, and the Storm King likes underlings who can appreciate his so-called style."

"You don't strike me as a mare who savors cruelty."

She gave a start at that and narrowed her eyes at me. "I have no respect for weakness, or creatures who have over-blown ideas about their place in the world." She looked away again. "I admit that I enjoy pointing out the foolishness of their illusions when necessary, but I'm never needlessly cruel, no. Cruelty is for weaklings."

"Hah!" Came a shout from above as Luna glided down to the street, giving Tempest a companionable wing-slap between the shoulders that staggered the mare. "Well said, i'sooth! 'Tis well that a warrior be as kind in peace as she is fierce in battle!"[1]
---------------
[1] Luna's Modern Equish deserts her under the influence of strong drink as well as stress, but I was fairly sure she was not quite as inebriated as she seemed. Having had more than my share of cider that evening, I felt eminently qualified to pass judgment on the issue.
---------------

Tempest straightened up and looked her over for a brief moment before giving her a formal, if shallow bow. "Princess Luna."

"Commander Tempest Shadow, if I have it aright? As the Princess of the Night and all things that thrive in darkness, 'tis a name I favor well!"

I couldn't help myself. I leaned over to her and said quietly, "As I recall, you also enjoy a good tempest from time to time."

Luna roared with laughter and the goblet full of mead wobbled in her magical grasp. She slapped Tempest's side with a wing and said, "Wit, as well as strength and beauty! This mare is surely the summit of creation!" She gave me a long look from under lowered lashes that made my knees go weak.

Tempest was bewildered, and I didn't blame her. "Uh—sure. She's great."

Luna suddenly turned and loomed over her.. "Well, then! Admire her as you must, or worship her as do the wise, but know this, and know it well." Luna's mane and tail went pitch black, the little stars flaring and going out as the edges became as ragged and sharp as broken glass. Her voice came out as a predatory snarl that any dragon would have been proud of. "She is mine."

Tempest had barely time to take one surprised step backward before Luna shifted back to her cheerful, tipsy self, gave me a sloppy kiss on the mouth, and rocketed back up into the night sky.

"Sorry about that," I said, still watching my sweet, archaic lover soar over the city. "She gets a little jealous once in a while." I looked down and saw that Tempest was also staring upward. "You should take it as a compliment, really. She's pretty dismissive of most creatures as rivals, but you're… Uhmn…" Was I blushing? I had had a bit to drink myself, but surely not that much. "Well, I have a type, you know?"

Tempest looked down and frowned at me. "Not interested," she said.

Was I a little bit offended? Surely not. "Oh good! That means you won't end up in Tartarus trapped in an eternal nightmare." I paused and pretended to consider. "Well, not for attempted poaching, anyway."

Tempest squinted at me. "You… You're serious, aren't you?"

I laughed dismissively. "Oh, no! I really can't imagine you'd do anything that would make us go that far. You're a reasonable pony."

"Reasonable, yes," she said, flatly.

I walked with her for another hour or so, and formally introduced her to Ao, Spike, and Khaatarrekket, as well as many of my less unusual friends. The conversations ranged from light to intense, but they were all interesting. Eventually, Tempest and I found ourselves away from the crowd, near the edge of the great plaza, looking out over the moonlit Canter Valley.

"How do you do it?" Tempest asked suddenly. "How do you all get along and work together?"

The answer to that was one of the reasons I'd proposed the International Friendship Festival in the first place. Teaching by example. "It's pretty simple, really. We discovered that getting along was the easiest and most pleasant way to live. Some found out the hard way, but they all eventually learned that friendship is more fun and rewarding than just about anything else."

Tempest turned slightly and raised an eyebrow at me. "All?"

Cynical old nag. I was starting to like her despite myself. "Okay, not quite all," I admitted. "But, most of the others realized that polite avoidance worked fairly well in place of actual respect, and the few who stubbornly refused to get the message…" I trailed off. 

"Tartarus?" She still seemed skeptical.

I stared her right in the eyes and didn't blink. "I've put some there with my own hooves, and worse."

"You aren't joking."

"Not at all."

She nodded and turned back to the view. "I wish my information had been better. It does make more sense now."

"What does?"

She waved a hoof. "Equestria. A nation as soft and weak as it appears to be should have been overrun long ago, but it's just the same as any other place. Your mighty ones make the rules and the rest obey, or else. You ponies just cover it up with singing, candy, and ice cream."

I sighed. "It's not like that. Equestria does have ponies like me to defend it, but we rarely interfere in other ponies' lives directly. You can see how happy they are." I waved a wingtip back toward the center of the plaza where Songbird was just starting another set.

Tempest gave me a crooked smile. "Sure. Everypony likes ice cream."

The last thing I had intended was to get into a philosophical debate with her, so I just shrugged and said, "Whatever it is, it works for us."

Tempest stared at me for a long time, her eyes narrowing. I began to feel uncomfortable but not threatened. Not exactly. "So—" she finally said, "—they're happy. But what about you?"

I gaped at her. "Me? What… Why would you think I'm not happy?"

She kept staring at me. "Just a hunch. From what your long kirin pal told me, you were once on course to take over this place from Celestia. Now you've got a little kingdom of your own that you keep insisting you don't rule. Sounds like you're dodging something to me."

I could have easily come up with a dozen devastating counter arguments, but I was a little too inebriated to do them justice in even an informal debate. "Oh, I think you're far better at dodging than I am, Tempest. I really thought I had you with that chunk of pillar."

That got a surprised bark of laughter out of her. "Like I said, Princess, I wish I had gotten way better intelligence before I rolled up here expecting a pushover."

"Well—" I gave her my sweetest public relations smile and batted my eyelashes at her. "—now you know!" I gestured to the food stalls on the periphery of the crowd with a toss of my head. "Ice cream?"

She grinned back. "You're buying."


= = =


=

> 4 Schemes and Plans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Four - Schemes and Plans

The Canterlot Palace guards on duty the next morning must have been off duty at the party because I detected a certain redness in their eyes even through their uniform spells. I'm sure I saw one of them wince at the sound of my echoing hooffalls on the marble floor of the entrance hall, too. It seemed a bit unfair, but the observation made me doubly thankful that my alicorn metabolism had flushed all the toxins out of my system well before I awoke.

"Your plan succeeded, then?" Celestia asked as I entered the small parlor in her private chambers. I had scrawled a quick note requesting the meeting before tumbling into bed with Luna around midnight, significantly more inebriated than I was accustomed to being.  

I covered my mouth with a wingtip as I yawned. "Sorry! I was up pretty late last night."

"You could have slept in."

"No, I wanted to talk with you as soon as possible. There's a lot to get started on."

Her horn flashed and a large carafe of coffee and a platter of croissants appeared on a tray between us. I wasn't in such a rush that I couldn't spare the time to fill a mug while stuffing one of the rolls into my mouth.

Celestia graciously filled the gap in the conversation while I chewed and swallowed. "Your note would suggest that Tempest Shadow is not only willing to give you all the information she can, but would be glad to actively assist you against the Storm King's armada. That is quite an amazing change of attitude. I would like to know how you managed it."

I washed my croissant down with a gulp of coffee and sighed in happiness before I answered. "It's not really a change at all. Tempest is solidly on Tempest's side, and Team Tempest has one primary goal: getting her horn back. I just provided a framework for her to work out a new strategy."

Celestia nodded thoughtfully. "Would giving an amoral, dangerous pony the ability to apply her magic as anything more than a blunt instrument be a wise thing? To say nothing of the cost. I have to point out that Equestria[1] would not cover the fees and materials even if she were not an enemy. What guarantee do you have that she won't betray you once she has what she wants?"
----------
[1] i.e. Celestia herself. In theory, the Upper House of Parliament could deny any "request" she made, but not many of the comfortable nobles were inclined to commit political suicide.
----------

She caught me with another mouthful, and I had to make a "not-at-all" gesture with my wings. "Oh yesgh… I mean yes, she probably would double-cross us if it meant she could get an extra biscuit with her tea. Believe me, I understand that her damage only begins with that broken horn! But I'm working the old friendship mojo on her, and I think she could eventually be—" I almost said "a nice pony" and the stupidity of that stuck in my throat like an unchewed bit of croissant. "—a valuable ally.  Besides, I've arranged it so that she won’t get what she wants until after we get rid of her old boss."

"Won't she see your withholding her greatest desire as coercion? An unwilling—"

"Oh, no, no no! She knows the cost. I've promised to cover the procedural stuff but that still leaves an enormous fortune in orichalcum and a suitable crystal to somehow get hold of. You see, one of the things that I learned about the Storm King's armada was that it has acquired a large amount of orichalcum. Certainly more than is required for a horn restoration. Tempest is only going to get what she wants after the Storm King is defeated and his treasury thoroughly looted. Our goals are now the same, which leaves no motivation for betrayal. Not immediate betrayal, anyway."

I have to admit that I was feeling fairly smug at that moment.

Celestia bent over her coffee for a moment and then gave me a particular little sideways glance. That told me she was probably going to allude to a subject that we had mutually agreed to avoid at some time in the past. "And the rest of the Storm King's treasury?"

Of course I had plans for it, but I thought that simply blurting out, "I'm keeping it!" wouldn't go over very well with Celestia. I hesitated for so long that her expression became one of slightly worried curiosity. "Twilight?"

I took another croissant and stuffed the whole thing into my mouth to buy a few more seconds to think. I darn near choked on it and had to take a big slug of coffee to wash it down.

"Twilight."

"Uh… ahh… Yes, yes, sorry about that. I… You know my little item acquisition project?[2] Well, it turns out that maybe I shouldn't have been as organized and methodical about pursuing it as I have been up to now." 
----------
[2] The world is littered with powerful magical items that could wreak havoc in the wrong hooves. My "little project" was a concerted effort to locate, acquire,[3] and lock away those items in order to make the world a safer place.
[3] i.e., appropriate, steal, loot, rob, or even buy on rare occasions. Creatures or nations in possession of such items were hardly ever willing to give them up, and that's why basing operations in a lawless free city and flying a pirate flag when necessary was so convenient. When you consider the matter carefully, flying le joli rouge and outright pilfering items is a lot less deceitful than the way that most imperial powers go about acquiring artifacts.
----------

Celestia was clearly surprised if not shocked by my statement. I hurried on, in order to avoid any discussion of my state of mind. "Since I started out in Zebrica, I've been concentrating my efforts mainly in that area of the world, trying not to leave any isolated spots 'behind the lines,' so to speak. So, I've been completely neglecting places in other regions, mainly to the south and southeast of us." I paused and took a deep breath. "Which is where the Storm King comes from."

I took another big gulp of coffee before I continued. "From what Tempest has told me, the Storm King had the same idea for a little project as I did, and his treasury contains a lot of questionable magical devices. The main difference is that he intends to use the items he acquires for conquest.

"So… The King has collected a lot of things so far, like the staff he wanted to power with our magic. The problem—well, a problem is that I don't know exactly what other unpleasant things he has in reserve, and removing him as a threat is going to be a lot more difficult and dangerous than the little battle we fought here, particularly if I try to take him head-on."

Celestia nodded again. "I take it Tempest didn't provide an itemized list of these things?"

"Unfortunately, she can't. He isn't exactly the trusting sort, and she wasn't with him for all that long. I'll have to deal with them as I encounter them." I let Celestia think it over while I poured myself another half-cup of coffee.

"Tempest thinks that the Storm King will avoid Equestria after this defeat, but I can't afford to rely on her judgment, Twilight. I'm afraid I will have to prepare for another, more powerful attack while appearing to be completely unconcerned."

Over the years I have learned to think through any of Celestia's odd statements before replying. I took a small sip of coffee and then said, without looking up from the cup, "The other monarchs are pretty impressed with Equestria[4] right now. Seeing you scrambling to strengthen our defenses would undermine that." I looked up. "Might even put thoughts in their heads."
----------
[4] See footnote 1.
----------

Celestia smiled. "And…?"

"And—" Curse it! That mare always played five moves ahead. "—gearing up for a battle might spur the Storm King into a preemptive attack." She opened her mouth to comment, but I held up a hoof to stop her. "And, a business-as-usual atmosphere will let me easily slip quietly into his territory for the little mission I've planned but haven't told you about yet, but which you've suspected ever since I set hoof in here."

She gave me a sly smile and tapped the floor gently with one hoof in barely audible applause. Then, she teleported away the food and replaced it with a very large map of Equestria and the lands to the south, along with an inkwell and quill holder. "I would love to know the details," she said calmly. 

"Well, first I'm going to head back—" I almost said home, but continued on with only the tiniest of pauses which I hoped (no doubt futilely) that Celestia hadn't noticed. "—to Twilight Town, so that I can set out for the south as Captain Blackmane. The fact that Tempest mistook Rarity for Cadance, and seems to have thought that I and Queen Twilight were two different ponies[5] means we have a hayloft full of plausible deniability. No need to drag Equestria's name in the mud if I mess up badly."
----------
[5] Not as uncommon a mistake as it seems. Even now, Twilight Twinkle of Fillydelphia and The Mad Sorceress of the Blighted Forest occasionally get some of my mail.
----------

"Or if you succeed in a spectacularly noticeable fashion."

I looked at her over the top of my coffee cup and raised an eyebrow.

"You do intend to make an example of him, don't you? One impressive enough to serve as a warning to future would-be conquerors?"

I sighed. "If blasting a centaur the size of a mountain to Tartarus didn't do the trick, what else could I possibly do to get the point across?"

"The answer to that question is exactly what I'm concerned about, Twilight."

"Testing a hypothesis through experimentation is the only way to find out for sure," I replied with faux cheerfulness. She said nothing. "That was a joke."

She stared at me for a long moment and then it was her turn to sigh. "They don't learn, Twilight. Believe me, there will be an endless supply of avaricious, brutal creatures that will think that they are the exception—that they will be the one to win the world by destroying or devouring everything that stands against them."

I nodded. "That's why I intend to eliminate him as a threat in the most direct and efficient way possible. No need to be showy about it, but if the best way to do that happens to be big and loud, I'm not going to hold back."

Celestia stared into her tea. "Fear leads to hate, Twilight."

I felt a little twinge of resentment at that. "Good ponies have nothing to fear from me—or Captain Blackmane, or Queen Twilight."

She looked up and gave me a completely artificial smile. "That's good to know."


= = =


After my planning session with Celestia, I went back to the embassy and called for a meeting with Nebula's officers. I had a big table set up in the reception hall because I knew that the five creatures I had invited would be outnumbered by the gate-crashers.

I wasn't wrong, but I had still underestimated the number of self-invitees that would be able to get past the embassy's guards.I had expected Luna, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and even Queen Csharreee, but those were only the first to arrive.

When Discord popped in (literally) with Fluttershy in tow, I began to suspect that things were getting out of hoof.

"—and don't think I won't, mister!" Fluttershy appeared in mid rant, pointing a foreleg at Discord's misshapen snoot.

"B-but I'm only thinking of your safety, sweetums!" he protested. From his whining tone, I figured he had already lost the argument, and was trying to weasel into an excuse-laden apology.

"If I stay safe while my friends go into danger, then what does that make me? A coward, that's what! Do you think I'm a coward, Discord?"

Wow. I had seen my tiny, delicate pegasus friend face down some ugly customers in my time, but watching the large and twisty "Lord of Chaos" try to squeeze himself down into a knotted lump beneath her anger was something unique. I briefly considered teleporting in a tub of popcorn.

"No, of course not! But can I at least come along? I want to protect you, darling!"

Fluttershy could recognise abject surrender when she saw it, and she relented immediately. "Oh dear, I know you mean well, but we'll be in disguise and trying to be quiet. You have such a wonderful outgoing and creative personality, that it just wouldn't be fair to you or the mission."

I marveled at the positive spin Fluttershy put on her evaluation of his character. I would have said his prudence and good judgment ranked somewhere south of that of an enraged howler monkey, and that I didn't fancy being exposed because he decided to belch up a school of winged piranha at exactly the wrong moment.

Discord seemed mollified. Evidently, Fluttershy knew what she was doing. She also somehow knew that  there was a clandestine mission before most of the rest of the crew. I really needed to improve my security measures. Speaking of which—

I turned to the server who was setting out glasses and pitchers of water and knocked her half-way across the room with an energetic horn blast.

Everyone gasped and silence fell over the room for one blessed instant. Then, the exposed changeling sat up and shook her spinning head, and the excited chatter was even louder than before.

The changeling hadn't even gotten back onto her hooves before I teleported her to a spot a pony length above the reflecting pool in the formal garden on the Blueblood estate. I would normally be a little more tolerant of Princess Chrysalis attempting to poke a spy's snout in my private business, but the events of the past couple of days had frayed my temper a bit. 

Khaatarrekket was by my side immediately, saying, "I'm very sorry, Captain! I didn't spot her. Must have had some additional stealth spells on her. How did you know?"

I pointed to the water pitchers and glasses that had been plunked down, seemingly at random, on the sideboard against the wall. 

"Ah." Ket nodded, and went to rearrange the glassware into neat, orderly rows. She's the best Third Officer flying, and I won't be told differently.

"Now..." I looked around the overcrowded table and asked, "Is that all, or should I send for more chairs?"

There was a crash from the doorway and a guard gasped out, "I'm sorry Your Majesty, but I couldn't stop her!" as a very upset Cadance strode into the room.

"Twilight!" she called out to me, ignoring everyone else in the room. "We're in danger!"

With a titanic effort, I managed to prevent myself from rolling my eyes. "Could you be a little more specific, please?"

"The Empire! My family, you, we're all in deadly danger. I've seen it!"

"Wait—like a vision? You get visions? Since when?"

She balked at that and looked around the room, as if only then realizing how many creatures were witnessing her outburst. "I… Perhaps we should speak privately."

"Alright. Give me just a second." I turned to the crowd and used my quarterdeck voice, which is slightly less percussive than the Royal Canterlot version. Since Cadance had derailed my meeting I vocally ran down my checklist headings as quickly as possible. 

"Ao, Ket, get Nebula resupplied and rearmed as soon as possible for a voyage of indeterminate length and—" I flicked a glance over my shoulder at Cadance. "—indeterminate destination. 

"Queen Csharreee, I am honored by your kind offer and I gladly accept your support. 

"Girls, pack whatever you think you'll need if you're coming along. This may be a long, unproductive trip, so don't feel obligated. Make sure Tempest gets shown around aboard and settled in.  Let Pinkie Pie know that—"

"Oh, she already knows," Applejack interrupted me. "She's aboard right now, stowing supplies in the galley. She'da been here, but she ain't much for this kinda plannin’."

"Uh… Right." I shouldn't have expected anything different. "Now, Sultana Rarity, I know you have your royal duties, and I'm sure Sultan Xahjir wouldn't want—"

Rarity effectively stopped me in my tracks with a single dismissive tsk. "I am not going to miss out on an opportunity to introduce an entirely new hemisphere to the swashbuckling fabulousity that is Silver Mask! My darling husband and I have an agreement on such matters, and he will not object."

Okay then. I gave her a curt nod of acknowledgement. All the necessary boxes had been checked. Except one.

I caught Luna's eye, and made a slight motion of my head. She nodded and stepped back into the shadow behind a tapestry, vanishing like a wisp of smoke. 

I trusted the rest of them to work out all the small details without my having gone over them as exhaustively as I had planned. Perhaps my sister-in-law's interruption had been for the best.

"Be prepared to sail tomorrow, an hour after sunset." I turned and strode toward the door to the private wing of the embassy. "Spike, Cadence, with me."


= = =


=

> 5 Seeing is Disbelieving
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Five - Seeing is Disbelieving

After sealing the doors and casting a privacy spell over the room, I turned to Cadance and said, "A vision? Really?"

She frowned at me. "You're not very pleasant when you're playing the Bandit Queen, Twilight. You were very terse with everypony back there."

I took a very deep breath, and then slowly exhaled, using the unnecessary, but ritually satisfying hoof motion that she had taught me so long ago. I wanted her to know that I was upset, but was being patient with her. "I wasn't playing, Cadance. I was being the Captain, and all my friends understand that. I'm sorry if a bit of that carried over into our conversation. Shall we start over?"

I turned to Spike who was watching us both with a bit of concern. "Spike, could you take notes for me? General outline, any significant details, you know the stuff."

He had a pad and quill in his claws before I finished speaking. "Aye-aye, Captain!" he said, giving me a little salute with the feathered end of his quill.

Cadance briefly stared at him like he'd grown a second head.[1] "This is not a joke, Twilight! Visions must always be taken seriously. However they come to us, they are always a true warning of approaching danger."
----------
[1] Which is a distinct possibility for some breeds of dragon, but a fortunately rare occurrence.
----------

"I wouldn't know. I mean… Would it surprise you to learn that I've never had a vision? I know Celestia and Luna have them, but I thought the phenomenon was limited to them and a few crazy oracles living in caves." Far too late to recall the words that had just exited my mouth, I realized what I had said. "Uhmn… No offense," I added sheepishly.

She ignored my implied insult. "I've always had them; even when I was a young pegasus, and they’ve always guided me well. I… I don't know why you haven't had any. I assumed all alicorns did, eventually."

Considering the depths of my dislike for vague prophetic nonsense in general, I wasn't surprised at my lack of unhelpful visions, but I didn't say that out loud. I shrugged. "Maybe someday," I said, hoping that day would never come. "So, what happened in your dream—ah, I mean vision?"

She hesitated and licked her lips nervously. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath before speaking. "It was very unpleasant. A huge, evil creature stood over the world, one foot on the Yaket Range, one on the Kentaurus Mountains." Spike began scribbling furiously.

"Bestriding the world," I muttered to myself, nodding. "So a global threat, not just to Equestria. Go on."

"He was reaching down, ripping glowing pieces out of the land. Ponies—" Cadance hesitated, her mouth stretching out into a tight, thin line. I could see that she was truly distressed by the mere memory of her vision. She took a deep breath, nostrils flaring, and then continued. "—and other creatures were being thrown aside, falling and screaming. He tore open the Crystal Palace and your home in Twilight Town. He even ripped the top of Mount Everhoof off, and raked up a huge island in the Southern Ocean.

I glanced at Spike and he nodded. He was getting it all down. "Okay," I said. "Specific locations, that's good. What else? Did you see Canterlot?"

"I saw him reaching for Canterlot at the end, but the vision ended there." Her jaw muscles jumped as she clenched her teeth. She hadn't looked at me the whole time she was speaking and seemed to be barely in control of her emotions.

I didn't want to add to her distress, but there were several questions I had to ask. "Did you get a clear idea of what he looked like? I'm thinking this may be a warning that the Storm King is a bigger threat than I imagine."

"Huge," Cadance said, thinking hard. "Thick, shaggy fur. Big horns. He was mostly in shadow, so I couldn't see much but his outline. Does that sound like him?"

That's right, she hadn't seen the banner with his portrait on it before it went down in flames with the rest of the flagship. "Yeah, that sounds like him. Anything else? Details might be important."

"Those places he destroyed seemed very significant," Cadance continued. “More than just being familiar to me."

"Any idea about Mt. Everhoof or the island? The others are pretty obvious; they're places he can find powerful magical artifacts. That seems to be his prime motivation."

Cadance shook her head. "They felt important, but there were no specifics."

I forced myself not to snort in disgust. Visions. Prophecies. Useless, vague mis-information, more like. If Cadance had come to me the day before the Festival with this warning, it might have done some good. Sure, it was a nice confirmation that the Storm King was not going to give up on his plans just because we'd bloodied his snoot for him, but I didn't intend to give him the opportunity to continue any longer than was absolutely necessary, anyhow.

"Well, it seems like the best plan is to deal with him as soon as possible," I said. "Which just so happens to be my plan already. Convenient, isn't it?"

"I have the feeling you aren't taking this seriously, Twilight." Cadance frowned at me.

I sighed and put my hoof to my forehead. "Cady, my intent is to hunt him down and kill him along with any of his officers that seem capable of continuing with his insane ambition. How much more serious should I be?"

Cadance reared back. "You mean you're actually going to outright murder him?"

I stared right into her eyes. "Yes. That is exactly what I'm going to do. No fair fight, no trial, no negotiations, no mercy. I'm going to erase him and his thugs from the world as quickly and efficiently as possible."

"Twilight!" Cadance cried out. She flung her forelegs and wings around me and pulled me into a ferocious hug. "Oh, thank you, thank you! I was so worried that you'd want to go sailing in with your little airship, flying flags and waving cutlasses like it was some sort of game! I'm so glad you've finally seen sense about this."

That must have been an extraordinary vision! The Alicorn of Love was suddenly onboard with a straight-up assassination? I really wanted to ask for her reasoning, but I honestly couldn't see any beneficial outcome from questioning her, so I just hugged my sister-in-law back, gritted my teeth, and took the win. Sometimes, you have to make allowances for the idiosyncrasies of family.


= = =


Speaking of family, I had arranged to have tea with my parents, and while I was making sure everything was set up properly on the balcony facing the palace, one of the embassy stewards interrupted me by quietly clearing his throat.

"Yes?"

"Pardon me, ma'am. I know your parents will be arriving shortly, but there is a pony in the foyer who insists that she needs to see you immediately on extremely urgent business. Her name is Moondancer."

That was odd. I'd seen her on the day of the festival—well, the first, abortive day, just before Tempest and the hairy thunderers had shown up, and we'd had a nice little catch-up chat. I hadn't seen her that evening, but I'd made sure that she wasn't on any of the casualty lists. I couldn't think what might be so urgent. Maybe there was a friend who had been hurt that she thought I might help in some way?

"Send her in," I told the steward.

A moment later Moondancer galloped into the room, mane and tail in disarray, floating an untidy wad of papers next to her. "Twilight! I'm so glad I caught you! Oh, um…" She attempted a bow before she had quite finished moving, and nearly tumbled rump over horn. 

I caught her, her papers, and her glasses in my magic, and gently sat her down before me.

"Sorry, sorry! But I had a brainstorm and I need to tell you about it right away!" She pushed her papers into a rough pile with her front hooves while using her magic to replace and adjust her glasses. "It's the same thing all over again isn't it?" 

I had no idea what she was talking about, so I gave her a non-committal, "Mm."

"But I've come up with a way to fix it!" She looked up from her papers and pushed her glasses up her muzzle again. "Hey, are you taller?"

I smiled at her and said, "Take a deep breath and let it out slowly, then tell me what this—" I waved a hoof over the stack of papers. "—is all about."

She skipped the breathing exercise and dove right in. "Stealing magic! I mean, this—" she wheezed out the last word and then had to gasp for a breath.

"If you're here to steal my magic, you're going to have to wait in line," I told her with a grin. "I think it's become a fad."

"That's it, exactly!" she shouted.

"You're going to try to steal my magic? Really?"

"No, no! The fad thing! It's like everypony… uh… everycreature, or… is 'everymonster' a word? Anyway, everyone seems to want to steal our magic! How many times has it been now?"

"I've lost count."

"Right! So we need to do something about it!"

I was about to assure Moondancer that I was planning on doing something about it,[2] but she had the bit in her teeth and rushed on.
----------
[2] Without going into details about hypersonic chunks of rocks, lightning storms, and magically focused gravity blades. Moondancer had been born in Canterlot, and aside from the occasional monster attack, had lived the sheltered life of a scholar there. I didn't want to shock her.
----------

"This—" She stomped on the pile of paper. "—is the answer! I've come up with a way to stop it once and for all!'

Well. That was intriguing. "Go on."

"What if we steal it first? No, don't look at me that way, I mean it! You can use power from an amulet, a phylactery, right? So what if you put all of your power into a specially designed amulet and then just drew it from there as needed? The power storage could be synchronized via milliwave raptor entanglement, and locked into the substrate of the gemstone so that it couldn't be extracted all at once like Tirek did! Only ponies attuned to the matrix would be able to draw on it! It wouldn't even need to be anywhere near you, and that could be done with everypony! The whole kingdom! I'd have to work out the—"

I lay down next to her pile of formulae and diagrams. "Show me."

She shuffled the papers into order and spread them across the balcony floor. "Okay, so we know the spell matrix variations for the extraction process—"

Mom and Dad arrived sometime later, took one look at the scattered papers and the several pin and chalk boards I'd teleported in, and seated themselves at the table without interrupting. They told me later that it had been a very nice tea, and asked if maybe we could get together for a late supper or early breakfast.

"I am so sorry, Mom! I'll have the chef make a really nice dinner for us…" I remembered that I was scheduled to have dinner with Luna. "Oh, ah, do you mind if Luna joins us?"

"Not at all dear!" She smiled and kissed me on the cheek. "If you're still busy then, your father and I can catch up with her while you work. But do remember to eat something, won't you? There's a whole platter of sandwiches left on the table. I'm sure Moondancer could use some food as well."

Moondancer looked up at the mention of her name. "Oh hi, Ms. Twi, Mr. Twi! When did you get here?"


= = =


It turned out I did have a nice, leisurely dinner with my parents and Luna after all. 

After a few more hours of thaumic engineering speculation, I was convinced that Moondancer's plan was entirely possible, and had begun to have thoughts about the repercussions of success. That avenue of thought soon became a tangled warren of dim alleyways and I decided to call it a night.

I heaped well-deserved praise on Moondancer, not just because she had earned it, but also to take the sting out of what I had to do to her. 

"Please sign here and—here." I told her, pointing to the spaces marked on the form with little horseshoes.

"Royal Secrets Act?" She frowned at the clipboard. "Is this really necessary?"

"Just a formality, Moony,'' I told her breezily as I stuffed all the research papers into a thaumically neutral envelope, and closed it with an official ambassadorial magic seal. "As soon as I take care of the Storm King, I'll come back and we can dig into this again. It'll be fun!"

She smiled at me, a little doubtfully, and signed the form.

I walked her out and hugged her goodbye. When she was out of sight, I stepped just outside of my embassy grounds to add my official Equestrian Royal Seal to the envelope, and then went directly to the armored vault in the basement and placed it in a static spatial fold that was heavily booby trapped.

In the half hour before dinner I dictated a to-do list to Spike.

"Twi? I'm spelling some of these words phonetically, because I have no idea what they mean. Are you sure you don't want to write this list yourself?" he asked, squinting down at the scroll in his claws.

I reached over and ruffled his head frill with my wing tip. "Your misspellings couldn't possibly be less intelligible than my atrocious quillwork! Besides, I think that's the last item." I pretended to think for a moment. "Maybe add, 'Make sure there's a big amethyst cobbler for dessert tonight.'"

He grinned at me. "Really?"

I smiled back. "Maud sent a crate of choice specimens up from Ponyville last week." 

"Spicy ones?"

"That's what she said."

He licked his chops, his tongue practically wrapping all the way around his snout. "Oh, I gotta send her a thank you note in the morning!"

Dinner was wonderful. I suppose having just survived a potentially deadly invasion made me appreciate a quiet evening with family more than I usually would have, but it really was fun, and my parents stayed late. I finally shooed them out when Dad couldn't keep himself from yawning, and had a couple of embassy guards escort them home. It was completely unnecessary in the upper city, my mother insisted, and I agreed with her and sent them anyway.

"She is a delightful mare, your mother," Luna said as we stood at the gate, watching as they walked out of sight down the High Street.

"She loves you to distraction, you know," I told Luna, leaning against her luxuriously muscled shoulder.

"Ah! Also a mare of taste it seems." 

I would have bitten her on the ear, but I couldn't quite reach, so I made do with nuzzling the corner of her jaw.

She made a happy sound deep in her throat and then sighed. "I wish I was accompanying you."

We'd discussed it, but the possibility of having one of the diarchs of the most powerful kingdom in the world exposed on what was a blatant assassination mission aimed at another head of state… Well, if I may indulge in a vast understatement, it would look bad.

"Sorry," I muttered into her neck.

"Well," she sighed, "I suppose, on this last night together, I shall have to endeavor to ensure you do not forget me while gallivanting in foreign lands."

"As if I ever—eep!" 

Luna swept me up in one wing and effortlessly slung me over her back. She spun and trotted toward my suite. When I tried to wiggle off, she swatted me on my rump and growled, "Be still thou pirate wench! Memories await!"


= = =


=

> 6 Embarkation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Six - Embarkation

Canterlot Yards was busier than usual. Spike and I had put on our disguise amulets just after leaving the embassy so that we could trot along without interruption, and hardly a pony looked our way as we entered through the big front gates. The chemical smells of varnish, solvent, boiling tar, paint, engine grease, and envelope dope assaulted my nostrils as the shouting of apprentice shipwrights, riggers, crane chiefs, and other bustling workponies assaulted my ears. Gudgeon, the master shipwright, glanced up from the half-model on his workbench that he was scrutinizing, nodded to me, and muttered, "Cap'n," around the thick carpenter's pencil he had clenched between his teeth.

All the tension in my neck and shoulders immediately bled away. "Master Gudgeon," I replied. He nodded again and went back to his model, and I trotted past the boatshed to the slipway assigned to Nebula. Spike followed along behind me, nearly hidden beneath my large sea chest. I had told him that I could float it along behind us easily enough, but he insisted he wanted to carry it. To his credit, he did so easily. My little brother was growing up, and I suspected he wanted everypony to notice how strong he'd gotten.

I wasn't surprised to find most of her crew hard at work, because by the time I arrived, it was after lunch. Luna had kept me up very late, and then complained bitterly when I tried to get up and get going in the morning. 

"The hour is obscene, my love!" she had grumbled and cinched her forelegs tighter around my barrel. "'Tis not yet noon!"

I chuckled softly, but still gently untangled myself before kissing her on the tip of her muzzle as I slid out of bed.

She had been absolutely correct; I should have stayed in bed. There were dozens of letters waiting for me: mostly impractical requests for my time, but also some ridiculous demands and a couple of offers of marriage.[1]  I spent an irritating hour dictating replies to Spike while we both snatched a hurried breakfast.
----------
[1] One letter managed to be both of those, and got placed in the special out-box for more direct handling by some very specific ponies.
----------

Nebula's envelope sagged slightly in its stays, the gas cells inside only inflated enough to take half her weight while her hull rested on a huge slipway carriage. Several workers were clomping along low scaffolding attached to the carriage, busily inspecting Nebula's ballast valves and other through-hull fittings.

On her larboard side, there was a big chandler's wagon loading crates into a net attached to a jury-rigged crane from the main deck above. Standard procedure was to fly over to the chandlery pier after a refit or repairs and load supplies there, but I assumed that Ao and Ket were crowding the schedule in order to get us ready for departure as soon as possible.

Around to starboard there was a boarding gangway where other ponies were coming and going with smaller packages of goods. I followed a big earth pony up to the main deck.

"Welcome aboard, Captain!" Ao called out to me from the quarterdeck where she was supervising the crew working on the lift control housing. I had planned on a week or two in Canterlot for a significant refit. The work had barely begun when the Storm King's fleet had arrived to rearrange our priorities, and now everything was being hurriedly put back in place and restored to the original configurations. 

"Things are going as well as may be expected. This one is confident all will be in order by this evening," she continued, as I climbed the short ladder from the waist to the quarterdeck to join her.

"Any chance they got those additional speaking tubes installed?"

"Alas no, Captain." She gestured at the starboard rail where there was a line of empty notches and brass mounts. "But the fittings are in place, and Ms. Khaatarrekket has taken the tubing and other necessary pieces into stores. It is a job that may perhaps be done by the crew while underway."

"Good thinking. Can we—" I was interrupted by a metallic clatter from somewhere forward and a frustrated canine yowl. I turned and saw our new engineer, a rather small, sandy-colored diamond dog, perched on the number one engine pod. He was propped against the open cowling hatch and furiously yanking at something inside. 

I turned to Ao, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What is that dog doing to my ship?"

"This one is not entirely sure, Majesty,[2] but this one gathers that he is in the process of being professionally outraged by our capabilities in regards to engine maintenance."
----------
[2] Ao will usually manage to force herself to call me "Captain" while onboard, but sometimes she forgets.
----------

"This—" the dog howled as he finally managed to yank a complicated part out of the engine space, "—this thing is garbage!" He flung the part over his shoulder. It went overboard, fell to the slipway apron with a metallic smack, skittered over the edge, and headed for the Canter Valley a long way below us. "They bought parts in Klugetown or found them lying in a gutter, maybe?" The last wasn't aimed at anyone in particular; it seemed to be part of a running interior monologue that the dog couldn't quite manage to keep to himself. 

"Mr. Ralf!" I called out to him. "Might I remind you that we must be underway tonight?"

"Ah, captain ma'am." His large ears swiveled straight up, and he saluted, leaving a diagonal smear of grease above his right eye. "Number One is a good engine. He doesn't deserve bad parts! Ralf will fix him up, very soon!" He smiled fondly at the partially dismantled drive train and patted it gently. "Good engine," he said to it, his bushy tail wagging. He then dove back into his work, pointed snout first.

Until Ralf came aboard, we had never had a full-time engineer. Nebula could sail quite well, and having four engines meant that even at the peak of our privateering adventures we always made it back to a shipyard with one or two functioning acceptably. 

But things change, and hiring him had seemed like a good idea at the time.

"Anything else I should know?" I turned back to Ao, determined to leave the engineering in supposedly expert paws, no matter how doubtful I felt about the matter. 

She gave me a concise but thorough rundown of the current state of my airship while Spike unpacked my sea chest[3] in my cabin.
----------
[3] Yes, despite Nebula being an airship, her crew had sea chests and sea bags to carry their belongings. Naval and aeronautical traditions and terminology have murky antecedents, and it's best not to question them overmuch unless you like getting long and improbable lectures from old sailors as to why something that is obviously a piece of rope is actually a "line", and why a particular line is actually a "sheet". It doesn't help that the seat boards in the sterns of small craft are also called sheets, or that calling a sail a sheet seems perfectly logical, but in fact is a horrible gaff that marks one out as an absoluter duffer. It's like Pinkie Sense; a wise pony just goes along with it and doesn't bother asking fruitless questions about the whys and wherefores of the matter.
----------


= = =


I spent a couple of hours examining Nebula from stem to stern, keel to topmast, casting a gimlet eye on… well, everything. It's not that I didn't trust Ao, or any of the ponies that reported to her. Knowing my first officer as well as I did, I assumed she had done exactly the same. But it never hurts to have confirmation of thirdhoof information, and there were certain special stores that only I had access to.

Along the way I got to chat with each of the girls, busy at their own self-appointed tasks. Their various situations being as they were, none of them were in the normal line of command, and were listed in the rota as supercargos[4], so they worked at whatever jobs they thought needed doing. 
-----------
[4] Supercargo is perhaps a term that needs explaining. It is a portmanteau of "supervisor of cargo" and once strictly meant a representative of the owner of a cargo being transported. (Usually onboard to ensure against pilfering or poor stowage.) In modern usage it has become a catch-all term for crew who are an integral part of the airship's operation for a variety of reasons, but do not fit into the traditional rank hierarchy. When Pinkie Pie first learned of her new title of convenience, she wanted to make a red cape with a big blue "SC" embroidered on it, and was terribly disappointed to learn that her new rank didn't convey any sort of outlandish superpowers. 
-----------

Nebula's galley wasn't a separate enclosed space, it was a loosely defined area forward of the big iron cookstove that stood on granite tiles set into the forward end of the crew deck. The bulkhead that separated it from the forward storage lockers was completely covered with cabinets where most of the provisions were kept. 

I expected to find Pinkie Pie there, but it seemed as if almost all of the supplies had already been stowed away, and only Applejack was there, finishing up the job.  

"That's a right pretty tune yer humming, Twi," AJ said, looking up from the kegs of apple cider vinegar she was securing against the inner hull between two ribs with a light net and a springline. "What's the name o' that song?"

"Huh?" I hadn't realized that I had been humming, and I had to give it some thought. "Oh, it's a dance tune; very old. Luna likes it and plays it on her lute sometimes. I can't remember the name, I'm afraid."

"Well, y'oughta hum it fer Pinkie until she can play it on her squeeze box. Be nice to have s'more tunes to dance to."

"What? You don't like endless sea shanties?"

"Yer the one who always calls for Cider Before Breakfast, Captain, ma'am," she said with a sly grin.

I laughed. "Guilty as charged! I'll pull Pinkie aside when I get a chance."


= = =


Tempest and Grubber had been given a tiny cabin to themselves, and they seemed content to stay out of the way of the bustling crew. I poked my head in to see if there was anything they needed, and found to my surprise that Tempest still had the suppressor ring chained to her horn.

I frowned. "Why didn't the guards remove that when they brought you aboard?"

She shrugged. "There was some debate about exact orders. The big brave stallions decided it would be safer to let you do it."

I unlocked the chain and released the cams in the ring without comment, stowing the lot in a pocket of my greatcoat.

"Will I be getting my armor back?" Her voice was low and carefully neutral.

"I've got a large set of aeronaught's armor that ought to fit you with a few adjustments. I'll have your cutie mark engraved on the croupiere if you like." I glanced at the stylized design on her thigh. It might have been taken for three blossoms or fireworks bursts, or the sort of symbols that comic books used to indicate hoof hits. Probably that last one, I decided.

"I'm used to my old rig," she said with a bit more emphasis.

I sympathized with her, I really did. A pony's armor is a very personal and intimate thing, and I was sure she'd hate what I'd done to hers. Oh well, I told myself, I might as well rip the bandage off.

"Sorry, but I'm stripping it down to analyze and hopefully reverse-engineer that clever reactive defense built into it," I told her. "Not that I'd let you put hoof on my deck with the Storm Drain's mark on you, anyway."

She jerked her head up in surprise, and then tried not to laugh. It made her face go all scrunchy. It was, frankly, adorable.

Grubber had no such restraint. He laughed until he fell out of his bunk. "Ha, ha, ha! Storm Drain! Ha, ha! Oh brother! He'd have you skinned alive if he heard you say that!"

That casual comment made me a little bit more comfortable with my intention to murder the brute.


= = =


By the time the sun was sinking low in the sky, Nebula's gas cells were completely filled and tight in their shrouds. I walked both the dorsal and ventral catwalks that stood between the cells and her outer envelope and tested every one with a slight tug of my magic. I met Fluttershy near cell #2's main vent, where she was sniffing gently at the seal.

"All in order there?"

"Oh yes! I'm just double-checking." She turned to me, beaming. "Nebby is in wonderful shape. I can feel how eager she is to get flying again."

I reached out and gently brushed the Wheel of the Moon with my magic. "Not long now. Moonrise in less than an hour. You'll take her out?"

"Can I? It's been a long time…"

"There's no better hoof on her wheel," I said with utmost sincerity, and continued on my tour of inspection.

When I finished and returned to the deck, Ralf was testing the reassembled engines by running them up to 110% of their rated capacity. With their props cross-feathered to produce no thrust, they all hummed like giant, contented bees. I had to admit it; the dog really knew his business.

I felt a momentary urge to pat him on the head, but simply said, "Very well done, Mr. Ralf," in as business-like and captainly a manner as I could manage. His tail wagged furiously at the praise, nonetheless.

Rainbow Dash was on the quarterdeck pacing and lashing her tail, impatient with the wait, as usual. Well, I knew the cure for that.

"Dash, are you up for a night mission?"

Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "I'm ready for anything Twi! I mean, Captain! Are we gonna go now?"

"Soon," I said.

Dash sighed and rolled her eyes. "That could mean, like, an hour, or even two!"

"You know our course to Twilight Town?"

"Pft! Yeah!" She rolled her eyes again. "All that zig-zagging. I don't know why we don't just fly straight there."

"Reasons," I told her, knowing it was exactly the sort of explanation she would be most willing to accept. "I need you to scout ahead of us and make sure there are no suspicious ships loitering along our route. There will be a quarter moon tonight, so you should be able to make sure we've got a league or so of clear air to either side, even after sunset. If you spot any ship running without lights, even a balloon, you zip back here immediately and warn us, okay?"

"And I start now, right?" Her eyes were positively glowing with the anticipation of action.

"Check in every half hour or so," I said, and pointed with a sweep of my foreleg to the open sky.

My mane, tail, and the tails of my coat fluttered in the sudden violent gust caused by her departure.

Khaatarrekket, who had been going over a pre-flight check of the engine telegraph and ballast controls, cleared her throat. 

"Yes, Ket?"

"I was thinking that the raptor set[5] might be of use to Ms. Rainbow Dash on this mission. I could unpack it and get it ready for when she checks in, if…?"
----------
[5] The rapid amplitude-deviation interpretive oscillator set (RAPTOR for short, from the first and last three letters of the name) was a pair of crystal powered wireless microphone/speaker combinations that allowed two ponies to verbally communicate over a distance of many miles instantaneously. It gave us an incredible tactical advantage, and I would have had several sets made if they didn't require incredibly expensive and hard to get materials. As it was, we only had one set aboard, and I didn't think risking delicate equipment worth hundreds of thousands of bits to Dash's tender care was wise.
----------

"No need, Ket. I doubt there's anypony actually skulking around out there. This is just my admittedly justifiable paranoia coming up with a way to keep Dash from going stir-crazy. If she spots anything, she'll be back here almost as fast as raptor waves, anyway."

Ket chuckled. "As you say, Captain." She nodded to the consoles on either side of the wheel. "The controls and instruments are ready for flight. Ballast is at 95% and we have neutral buoyancy. I have pre-warmed the gas cell heaters. I don't think we will need them, but the night air can get very cold over the Unicorn Range even at this time of year."

"Very good, Ket!" I caught sight of a pale yellow form, climbing down the mainmast ratlines from the ventral envelope hatch. "Ah, here comes Fluttershy to take the helm. Inform Ms. Ao we are about to depart and get the watch to their stations, if you please."

"Inform Ms. Ao and watch to stations, aye Captain!" Ket saluted and went about her tasks.

I turned and stared out at the sky, fretted with clouds glowing amber in the last of the sunset. I smiled to myself and said, almost under my breath, "Time to fly."


= = =


=

> 7 Above It All
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Seven - Above It All

The dock lines were cast off and Fluttershy eased Nebula off the slipway cradle so gently that, not only didn't I feel the slightest bump, but I couldn't say for certain exactly when we lost contact.

The engines were barely ticking over in reverse, but Ralf was rushing from one mounting pedestal to the next, cocking his large ears at each engine for a few seconds, and then trotting to the next to repeat the process. I suppose he was listening for any sounds that would betray an imperfection in their operation. I had no idea why he thought it necessary after the stressful runup he'd put them through, but he'd proved his competency, and I wasn't about to second guess him.

The speaking tube from the cupola whistled. I unplugged it, said, "Blackmane here," and then put my ear to it.

Applejack's voice sounded clear and strong despite the long distance it had traveled through the small tube from the lookout position on the upper surface of Nebula's envelope near her bow. "We're clear of the gantries. Ain't no traffic above us."

"Thank you, AJ." I replaced the stopper and turned to Fluttershy. "We're clear, Ms. Fluttershy. Take us up."

Fluttershy's delicate hooves moved over the engine telegraph controls and flight surface console with practiced ease. The props spun up, and the engine pods pivoted in a complex pattern that lifted Nebula and rotated her away from the mountain at the same time.

On the main deck, Ralf was trying to monitor all four engines at once—and somehow managing it.

A few minutes later Fluttershy announced, "We're at altitude and on our correct heading, Captain,"

"Very good. Three… No wait." I smiled. "Would you like to give our new engineer a heart attack, Ms. Fluttershy?"

She looked back at me over her shoulder and frowned. "You're a mean old mare, Captain Blackmane." Her frown wobbled slightly, almost as if it were struggling to turn into a grin.

"That I am, Ms. Summer Breeze,[1] that I am! Ring for emergency ahead on all engines!"
----------
[1] We all had our disguise amulets on since before leaving Canterlot, of course. Aside from making us look like different ponies, no matter what we called each other, eavesdroppers would only hear our noms de guerre. My emphasis was for her sake.
----------

"All engines emergency ahead aye, Captain." She giggled under her breath, I swear she did.

Ralf stood quietly, watching the engines as they rumbled up to 120% of their rated capacity, pulling us forward with smooth and steady power.  I could feel the vibration of the deck below my hooves, but it was lighter and more even than it had been since the engines were brand new. "I think that pup is more than worth his pay," I muttered. 

Rainbow Dash appeared before we were above the foothills of the Unicorn Range, and gave me a full wing salute before she had even touched down on the quarter deck.[2]
----------
[2] I have no idea how she does it. I once spent a whole afternoon (in a very private place, of course) trying to replicate the stunt, and all I got for my trouble was several bruises and a lot of sod between my teeth from several ungainly faceplants.
----------

"Didn't see anything else in the air, with or without running lights," she told me. 

"Good," I said. I pulled a notebook out of my pocket and flipped to a particular page of notes. "We should see a passenger liner from Tall Tale headed to Dodge Junction off the larboard bow in a quarter hour or so, unless she's off her schedule or—" I glanced at the engine telegraph. "—we cross her course early."

Dash followed my gaze. "Huh. Yeah, Nebula's kinda cookin’ along, isn't she?"

The engines hadn't caught fire or exploded by then, so—I just couldn't resist. "Wanna see her really move?"

Dash frowned at me. "What? Since when—"

"Ms. Fluttershy!" I said in my best quarterdeck voice. "Disengage all engine governors and ring all forward."

"Aye-aye, mean old mare," she repeated. She pulled the telegraph handles back to full stop, lifted the protective cover off of a set of bright red switches, flipped all four to the positions marked with red skulls and lightning bolts, and then jammed the telegraph handles as far forward as they would go.

Airships are big and heavy and they don't usually make abrupt maneuvers, but as the engines bellowed like outraged ursas, Nebula surged forward suddenly enough that Dash had to shift her stance to stay on her hooves.

"Whoa," she said. "Awesome!"

Thoroughly satisfied with her reaction, I turned to see how Ralf was taking it. He was standing aft of the mainmast, forepaws on hips, gazing calmly up at me with a huge, serene, smug smile plastered across his pointy little snoot. He didn't seem at all concerned that a ragged, unrestricted flow from the power crystals was tearing through his precious engines. I gave him a reserved, captainly nod in return and made a mental note to advance him two pay grades in the morning. 

"That'll do, Ms. Fluttershy. All engines ahead three-quarters."

A second or two later, Tempest rushed on deck and began quickly scanning the sky. When she saw nothing immediately, she called up to me. "Trouble, Your Highness?"

"Just shaking the dust off. And while we're aboard, use 'Captain' if you please."

She considered me silently for a moment and then said, "Of course, Captain." She walked to the rail near the #4 engine mount and gazed at it for a while. "These crystal engines are incredibly quiet for the amount of power they put out, aren't they?"

Given that I could actually hear what she was saying when she was standing less than three pony lengths from it, I had to agree, but I didn't bother to reply.

But there was someone present who was more than happy to talk about the quality of Nebula's engines. "Noise is mostly from turbulence caused by the props," Ralf told her, suddenly appearing at her shoulder. "If Ralf had time to insulate the cowling and fit new props, or shape the old edges correctly, they would be even quieter!"

One wouldn't have thoughtTempest would be all that interested in the details, but she stood listening to Ralf and sometimes offering comments for long enough for Rainbow Dash to make another patrol sweep.

When Rainbow returned and reported that she'd sighted the liner right where she ought to be, I told her that we could make do with regular lookouts for the rest of the night. Once we were across the Unicorn divide and above the western watershed, we wouldn't cross any other air lanes before we got to Twilight Town. 

"You should go get some sleep," I told her. "We rang seven bells[3] just before you landed, so the watch is almost over, anyway."

"Sounds good to me, Cap!" She lifted into the air again, wing-saluted,[4] and glided down to the main deck where she almost collided with Tempest who was headed for the fo'c'sle[5] ladder as well.
----------
[3] Timekeeping aboard both air and naval ships is noted by a pattern of bell strikes, starting with one at the first half hour into each watch, and adding one each half hour (struck in groups of two) until the bell is rung eight times at the end of the watch, when the pattern starts all over again. That is, except for the First Dog Watch, which has only four bells because it only lasts two hours, and the Second Dog Watch, which also only lasts two hours, but ends with eight bells being struck, even though only three bells were struck the previous half hour. Simple, really.
[4] I swear she knows how envious I am of her ability, because she does that every chance she gets.
[5] The correct abbreviation of "forecastle," the forward section of a ship. Pronounced sort of like "folks-ull." No, really. Look it up if you don't believe me.
----------

Tempest stopped and made an "after you" gesture with her forehoof. Dash evidently didn't like passing right under Tempest's muzzle, because she didn't walk by, but stared up at the (much) taller unicorn for several seconds, frowning. 

Tempest cocked her head, but otherwise didn't move.

Finally Dash snorted and said, "Size isn't everything, you know."

"Oh, that's certainly true," Tempest said, agreeably. "I can easily defeat much larger opponents." And with that, she slipped down the ladder to the crew deck, leaving Dash sputtering behind her.

I sighed. "It's going to be one of those voyages, isn't it?" I muttered. 

Fluttershy carefully checked the compass while Ket made a few minute adjustments to our ballast controls, and neither made any comment.

Ao took command at midnight, and shooed Fluttershy away from the wheel, even though she volunteered to stay on into the Middle Watch. "This one believes we will go to sails at the Forenoon Watch when there is a chance of a good wind on our beam. You will want to be well rested for that."

Fluttershy fairly (but not literally. This is Fluttershy I'm speaking of, after all) flew for her hammock while I informed Ao of what had passed during my watch before going below. I took a few minutes to make an entry into the log, and then tumbled into my bunk. I took in a long, deep breath, and was asleep before I had entirely let it go.


= = =


Luna snuggled up to me, a serpentine, not quite corporeal presence in my dreamscape. "All is well, my love?" She wrapped herself around, and around, and around me.

I snuggled right back. "Mmm… nearly perfect so far."

"I cannot remain long, I fear," she said sadly. "The Storm King's attack has had a lasting effect on the dreams of the ponies of Canterlot, and legions of hairy terrors yet stalk their slumber."

I kissed her pointy snoot and got a flickery kiss in return. "We each have our duties," I agreed reluctantly. "You'll check in every night though?"

"When I can."

"I'll have Spike send you letters when there's anything of substance to report."

"I look forward to accounts of your exciting victories in exquisite detail."

I chuckled and stroked her long, long back. "I intend them to be boring and unremarkable."

She gave me a little squeeze and said, "Two things thou never art," and dissolved into coiling darkness.


= = =


Spike woke me with a mug of fresh coffee plunked down on the little shelf near my bunk. I blinked and mumbled, "Thank you," before checking the compass, log, and clock set into the overhead[6] above my bunk. We were on course and at speed.
----------
[6] "Overhead" is aeronautical-speak for ceiling. It's like a different language that only sounds similar to Equuish. Walls are bulkheads, stairs are ladders, downstairs is below, halls are companionways, windows are ports or lights (or deadlights if they can't open), and the log mentioned above isn't a log book, it's a speed indicator. Maybe I should just append a glossary to this thing?  
----------

I sat up and floated the mug over, inhaling the rich scent of my special Tanzebran blend. The voyage hadn't felt real until that moment. I'd been mostly reacting, dealing with all the myriad details of my frankly sketchy plan and burying myself in the work so I wouldn't have to think about it too much. 

I had a ship full of creatures depending on me to make the right decisions, and it was high time I stopped letting my brain skitter away from its responsibilities. I rolled out of my bunk and scrawled several lines in my pocket notebook while sipping my coffee, drawing neat little squares next to each entry to be checked off later.

There were several ponies busy on deck when I went above to relieve the morning watch. Some were flaking out the sheets and readying the halyards in anticipation of switching over to sails, others were climbing the ratlines to get to their stations aloft. Fluttershy was already on the quarterdeck, standing with her forehooves hooked over the starboard rail, her eyes shut, and her wings half-open, testing the wind. 

"Good breeze for a sail, Ms. Fluttershy?"

"Oh yes," she sighed, without opening her eyes.

Clove Hitch (Nebula's Second Officer) turned the hourglass and rang eight bells. "Nothing to report. The watch is yours, Captain."

"Thank you, Ms. Clove Hitch, I have the watch. Fluttershy, you have the helm."

She slid in behind the wheel as Clove Hitch and Hawser went below for breakfast. 

I cast the keel spell, and Fluttershy brought out her silver bosun's pipe that she used to give orders to the deckhooves. Even though she tried her best, and had improved remarkably over the years, her best quarterdeck voice was barely a sixteenthdeck voice.[7]
----------
[7] Yes, it's an old and not-that-funny joke, but it's traditional, and that's really what matters to sailors.
----------

The changeover went perfectly, and soon Nebula was sailing along nicely on a beam reach with "clouds in her teeth", as the old saying goes

I opened the little door on the binnacle that concealed a set of controls and readouts for each engine, and did some quick mental calculations. It seemed that our power consumption rates were easily within their normal range—maybe even a bit below average, though I wanted a larger dataset before I called that for sure. I closed the cover and said as much to Fluttershy.

"I'm so glad! About Ralf, I mean. I never felt all that comfortable with Nebula's engines, and I've always felt guilty that I didn't know more about that part of her anatomy."

It was Fluttershy that had talked me into taking him on. She knew Nebula better than anyone, and claimed that the airship behaved exactly like a living, breathing creature. "Nebula feels better under sail," she once told me. "The engines are—useful, I suppose, but she likes riding the wind much better."

Ralf, unlike most of his semi-subterranean tribe, had nothing against sailing or flying, and had arrived in Twilight Town looking for engineering or mechanical work. He said he preferred crystal-powered engines, as he did have his tribe's notorious knowledge of gemstones, but he claimed to be able to work with steam or oil machines as well.

The only reason I had hesitated about taking him on was that he was, to put it bluntly, unbelievably cute, and I had originally suspected that his appearance had unduly influenced Fluttershy's judgment. I should have known that she would have never let anything like that sway her when her beloved Nebula was at the heart of the matter. Fairly atypically for a Diamond Dog, he was considerably shorter than an average pony when standing on all fours, which he claimed was an advantage when working in crowded engine spaces.

Now, with the engines shut down, he was climbing over the rails and walking the narrow rotating beams to open the pod hatches and inspect each engine in turn. As he clambered back aboard, he pulled a cloth from his many-pocketed vest and carefully wiped the rail in case he had left any bit of grease there, just as he'd done on the day I decided to hire him.

I glanced over the larboard rail at the mountain peaks below. We were nearly at the Hydra Pass, well into the Undiscovered West. "Come right to Northwest by West," I told Fluttershy. 

"Northwest by West, aye," Fluttershy acknowledged, and whistled orders to the crew to shift the sails as she turned Nebula closer into the wind. It was just at the limit of how high Nebula could point, and I expected to see a bit of shake in the windward edges of the sails, but Fluttershy, spun up engine three enough to even us out while we crossed over the ridgeline of the mountains into more favorable air. The compass needle never wavered from the line once she'd made the turn.

Once we were well north of the mountains, nearing the coastal forest, I ordered Fluttershy to change course to West by South and shorten sail. I wanted to shed some speed so we’d arrive in Twilight Town in the middle of the night.

While we were ghosting along, I used my spyglass to scan the woods to the north of us. We were over one of the wildest areas of the Undiscovered West; one of the bits that remained unexplored to any extent, and for a very good reason. Parts of that deep forest made the Everfree look like a rose garden in comparison. Pre-Discordian ruins lurked beneath the tree canopy and only an insane pony would go anywhere near them, let alone enter any of them. 

Which was why I was a little bit surprised to see a lone pony galloping flat-out away from the treeline. I immediately thought of Daring Do. She was one of the few ponies I knew who might be crazy enough to risk being in the area, but she had been in Canterlot for the festival, and wouldn't have had time to get all the way out there and into deadly peril. I mean, she's good, but not that good.

Besides, the pony running for her life was a unicorn.  I couldn't see what was chasing her, and I adjusted the focus of my spyglass a bit. Still nothing, but she seemed to be wearing some sort of weird, flapping green cape. Oh well; rescue first, questions later. 

"Clear the waist! 'Port onboard!" I called out to warn the crew on the main deck what I was about to do, and the crew scrambled out of the way with satisfactory speed. A moment later, with a pop and flash of my magic, the pony appeared amidships. The twin mysteries of her pursuers and fashion sense were both answered: She was covered with grass snakes. I leaped down to where I'd winked her aboard and began slicing away with my short blades. Rainbow Dash was there a second later, adding her cutlass to the task. It was only a couple of seconds before the mare was cut free of the nasty constrictors and the deck smelled like a freshly cropped lawn.

I wiped my blades and put them away while ordering a crewpony to get a mop and bucket. "Get that—juice, sap, whatever it is, get it cleaned up before it stains my deck, and heave the clippings overboard."

I had been very much afraid of snakes until Luna cured me of the irrational part of that fear, but creatures like the grass snakes still creeped me out. Ponies should eat vegetables, not the other way around.

The mare caught her breath enough to gasp out, "Thanks! Thanks a lot! For a minute there, I thought I was going to… Well…"

"You got a lucky charm or something?" Dash asked her. "'Cause it was, like, a million-to-one chance that we were here right when you needed us."

"Uh…" The mare suddenly became nervous and looked down at the deck while shuffling her hooves. "Yeah… I…"

I briefly puzzled over why anypony would be embarrassed about being outrageously lucky. I decided that introductions would be a good way to smooth over any awkwardness. "I'm Blackmane, captain of the airship Nebula. Welcome aboard. This is Rain Storm. And you are?"

She ducked her head again and shyly gestured to her rump. Her cutie mark was a 4-leaf clover surmounted by a golden horseshoe with a huge central diamond. "H-hi," she said, giving us a sheepish grin. "I'm Lucky Charm."


= = =


=