A Journey Beyond: Equestria's First Ambassadors

Prologue Part 3

The Princess, the Sister, and the Ship

Celestia awoke feeling quite well rested.  As she started to stir, the burdens and obligations of the day to come started to push out her warm feeling of rest.  She sighed and gazed around the room; a few rays of light bled through the windows onto the stand containing her crown, hoof boots, and other daily attire.  Slowly, she rose from her bed and started putting it all on.  As she stood there slowly raising the items from the stand and applying them to herself, she started gazing around the room again.

Something wasn't quite right... yet she couldn't quite put her hoof on it.  Everything seemed to be in order, yet as she sleepily moved her gaze from wall to wall something was amiss.  As she raised her crown to her head, the sun glinted off of it and caused her to squint for a moment.  Then it finally hit her,  “The... sun?” She whispered to herself.

Her eye's widened and she immediately turned to her window.  The feeling of something being amiss now making complete sense, the sun was up!  She hurriedly threw her crown on and dashed to her door in a near panic.

“Good morning, Princess!”  Came the disembodied voice of a guard that Celestia hadn't even noticed yet.

“Buh, huh?”  Celestia stopped in her tracks upon hearing the voice.

The white pegasus guardspony was now in view, a bandage and gauze visible beneath her helmet.  She tensed up as she noticed Celestia's distress, “Is everything okay, your highness?!”

Celestia only managed to stutter out a few disconnected words, “I... Uh... Well, I... Yes.”

“...I'm sorry, your highness?”  The guardspony replied, cocking her head.

“I... Yes.  Everything's fine... what time is it?”  Celestia finally regaining her cool head, she managed a bit more of a complete sentence.

“It's just past noon, ma'am.”

Celestia's eyes visibly widened again, “NOON?”

“Princess,” The guardspony quickly added, “before you worry any further I might be able to clear some things up.”

“Please, anything to ease my confusion.”

“Your sister told me to relay you this when you awoke.”  The guardspony cleared her throat and began reading from a scroll she was holding, “Tia, I've taken care of your appointments and obligations for the day.  You have but one obligation today, and that is to meet me in the archives once you're awake.  Luna.”

Celestia was still utterly lost, but now at least she had a directive to follow.  “I... see.”  Came her terse reply.

The guardspony cracked a barely visible smile, “I'm glad that could resolve some of your confusion.”

“If only it hadn't brought on even more questions.”  Celestia said wearily, wishing she knew exactly what was happening.

“Unfortunately, I will not be able to help you any further.”  The guardspony searched the air for some appropriate words, but came up with nothing.

Celestia nodded, “Of course, of course...  You're dismissed then.”

“Aye, your highness”  The guardspony replied before turning to go down the hallway.

“Lightning Gale, was it?”

The guardspony turned, for a royal to know your name offhand was either a very good or a very bad thing... and she wasn't quite sure which end of the spectrum she was on.  Having little other choice though, she replied, “Commander Lightning Gale of the Royal Equestrian Sky Navy, your highness.”  She said as she bowed to the princess.

“Thank you.  Be on your way, then.”  Celestia's words were flat, and it was impossible for Lightning Gale to tell whether she had good or bad intentions.  Without any further business, Lightning Gale turned back down the hallway and left without another word.

Celestia mused, “Commander Lightning Gale... the acting captain of the R.E.S. Regency when it was lost.  I'd forgotten she'd been assigned here.”  Celestia muttered to herself.

<<♃>>

Luna was completely lost in her work.  She was shifting from book to book, marking this, scribbling on that.  She had at least four books completely marked up in what would look like complete gibberish to anyone but her.  In-fact, she was so engrossed in her work that she didn't even notice Celestia walk through the doorway and over to her desk.  It wasn't until she tapped her shoulder that she noticed she wasn't alone anymore.  “AH!”  Luna cried at the sudden poke, dropping the book she had been hovering in front of her.

“What do you think you're doing?”  Celestia's tone was stern.

Luna's reply was playful, “Just being a bit proactive, dear sister.”  She said as she picked the book she had been hovering back up.

“How exactly did you take care of all my duties for the day?”

Luna gave a wide smile, “I have my ways... I must say, for everything you do throughout the day, it's amazing how easily ponies accept 'Unfortunately she won't be able to make it today.' as an excuse.”

Celestia sighed, “I... I see.  May I ask you your motive at least?”

Luna just motioned to the mess of books around her, “This.”

Celestia's reply was quick, and her tone was still stern, “What exactly is 'This'?”

“They're all books cataloging and recording all modern airship designs.  From freighters to warships.  Ever since our tea time a few days ago, I've been doing solid work for the Heavenly Endeavor.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow as she looked them over a bit more closely, “And what exactly are all these markings on them?”

“They outline what would need to be changed and fitted on them to make them acceptable for an expeditionary mission.  Not only that, they each have an estimated cost.”

“You didn't need to go through the extra trouble of estimating a cost, I'm sure we'd be able to foot the cost of any ship you could draw up.”

“When one works with no budget or restrictions in mind, one does not work to their fullest.”  Luna quickly tried to pull the conversation back to the task at hand, “As I was saying, I did a cursory look over of each one to see how viable they would be to convert to a proper expeditionary vessel.”

“Do you have any preference?”  Inquired Celestia.

Luna rolled her eyes around a bit, “Well...”

“I told you, if your reservations arise from cost, we can foot the bill of any ship you put forth.   We want and need the best.  The ship will be representing the entire kingdom to any foreigners, after all.”

Luna giggled, “Well then...”

“I feel like I've just walked into one of your traps...”

Luna winked at her sister before turning to the saddlebags sitting by her side.  After rummaging around for a moment, she used her magic to lay out a couple scrolls on the floor between herself and Celestia.  “I drew this up myself.  It's what took the better part of my time.”

“Better part of your time...?” Celestia replied, laughter and disbelief in her voice, “These look like they'd of taken a shipwright ages!  Where did you even learn to design airships?!”

Luna seemed almost reluctant to elaborate on the reason behind her substantial knowledge on ships, “Well... I'm sure you know that the sun and moon have always been used for navigation...”

“But of course.”

“Well, for more fine-tuned navigation required by ships and airships, the stars have always been the answer.  I'd spend a lot of time at dockyards, watching ships come and go... many a sailor had even thanked me for 'creating such an excellent night to sail by' back then...” Luna looked down, greeting the floor with a wistful smile, “For them to study my night so closely as to be able to navigate by it, it seemed only appropriate for me to study ships and airships at least a little bit.”

“I... I see.” Replied Celestia, “I wasn't aware of the intimate relationship between the night and naval navigation...”

“Besides the sailors themselves, few are.”

“'Tis a shame... navigation by the stars sounds quite interesting.”  The two sat in heavy silence for a moment before Celestia revived the conversation, “I don't see a balloon anywhere.  How does it even fly?”

“Aha!” Luna said as she perked up, “That's one of my favorite parts about it!  I was reading about how some newer airships have enchanted cores to allow more cargo storage, or smaller balloons, but with proper enchanting and load spacing we can eliminate balloons entirely.  You and I wil need to help with the initial enchanting of the core since it will be a monster, but I think it's possible for a regular unicorn to keep it flying.”

“You think?”

“I'm positive it's possible.  I wouldn't have designed the ship around it if I were beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

Celestia tossed the idea around in her head before finally accepting the fact that she barely grasped the concept despite her outward appearance, and that agreeing with Luna on this front would be the best course of action, “Then I can accept the risk, especially if it removes the inherent risk of balloons.”

“My sentiments exactly.  We don't know what the weather may be like, or what other conditions might arise out there, and balloon-floated ships could easily be disabled by strong winds or other nasty circumstances.   Besides that, look here...”  Luna placed her hoof on the paper, “See this?  There's four of these, two in the front and two in the back.  They're emergency balloons.  Should something go awry with the core, these can be deployed.  Though they aren't really suitable for long distances, they could allow the crew to land the ship safely.”

“I see you've thought this design through far more than I initially gave you credit for.  Does it have any... you know... defenses?”  Defenses were the one thing on airships that Celestia was familiar with, so it was natural for her to steer the conversation to familiar territory.

Luna glanced around the room, before moving her hoof, “Here.  The hull will need to be extremely well worked.  The hatches will sit flush with the hull, so they should be all but invisible to an exterior viewer when closed.  When opened, four cannons can be rolled forward, two on each broadside.  I've done some research on modern naval warfare; there are only four cannons, so the ship wouldn't be able to trade broadsides with our largest warships, but it would be able to hold it's own against most small to lightly armed medium ships. I can't say for what they may encounter 'out there', but this being a diplomatic ship, we can't afford to have it bristling with weapons.  Best we have four of our best cannons and have them concealed.”

“I agree.  That should be more than enough for what it's mission is... also, now that I've seen it a bit closer... I must say, your design of the ship is quite...”  Celestia wasn't quite sure on what words she should use, but quickly settled on “befitting of the kingdom.”

Luna smiled, pleased at receiving the praise of her sister but continued on the explanation of the ship, “Every nook and cranny in the hull is used for something... well, all the 'functional' areas are.”

Celestia seemed perplexed, “functional areas?”

“Areas you would see on a normal ship.  Besides those, I've allocated an area that's a bit removed from the 'guts' of the ship for any foreign dignitaries.  It's regal and fancy, which should please even the snobbiest of emissaries.  There's enough space for eight comfortably, though realistically only about six should come aboard at a time, and the other rooms would be used for negotiations, meetings, and leisure.”

“I see, but what about the crew?”

“Well, due to the lack of balloons, a crew of six should suffice to maintain the ship.  Possibly seven, depending.  There's enough room for eight crew members, but that design choice was more for prudence than practicality.  The crew quarters are pretty standard for a ship of this size, though a bit nicer than what you'd find on a typical warship of our navy.”

“Ah... do you happen to have any choices or preferences for crew members specifically yet?”

Luna thought for a few moments, “Well, I'd imagine it would be almost essential for at least two unicorns to be members of the crew, thanks to the magical core.  Though I'm not even sure of that... and won't be until we have the core running.”

“I mean, did you have anypony specifically in mind?”

“Oh,” Luna blinked, “no... I don't.  Nor do I have any idea where to start.”

“I see.  Well I can have a scribe deliver you a list and brief history of our best and brightest, as a start.”

Luna perked up, “Could you have them ensure that at least a few either currently or have served or worked on an airship?  I can't expect them all to have experience, but at least a few should to make up for the others.”  Luna paused to think over any other essential attributes, “...We should also make sure none of them are afraid of heights.”  Luna chuckled at the thought.

“That wouldn't be a problem at all.  I'll have the scribe deliver you the lists by tomorrow, evening at the latest.  Though...”

“Hmm...?” Mused Luna, “Do you know somepony offhand?”

“Well, that pegasus who delivered your message to me, Lightning Gale.  As I recall, she served as first officer aboard the R.E.S. Regency.  That ship has some fairly similar specifications to your design.  She's always followed any orders implicitly, and those under her command always seemed to like her, an uncommon quality.  The one problem is... well, I'm sure you've heard that it was under her command that the Regency was lost.”

“I have, but I understand she handled the unprecedented circumstances calmly and with professionalism.  Considering that nearly everything they will encounter beyond our borders will be 'unprecedented', she may just be the perfect mare for the job.  Have her dossier included with the rest of that list of candidates.”  She went silent for a second before adding, “...I just want to look it over.  I don't doubt your judgment.”

Celestia chuckled, “You know far more about airships than I!  Perhaps you should doubt it.”

“I'll be sure to go over her dossier twice then!”  Luna laughed, but the atmosphere cooled back down to business after a few moments and she continued, “Anyway, Tia.  Before I let you go, I've got one more thing to show you.”

“Would it happen to have anything to do with that building you suddenly seized two days ago?”

“...It would.” Luna seemed a bit taken aback that Celestia had guessed it so quickly, “I take it that came across your desk quite quickly, then.”

“Of course, it was a royal requisition!”

Luna put her blueprints in her saddlebags and quickly stacked all the books she had been working with, “Well, that's good then.  Come, follow me.”  She said as she left the archives.

<<♃>>

“So,” Celestia started, after about fifteen minutes of walking in silence. “I take it that building is to be the ministry of foreign affairs?”

“It will be... Once it's complete.”

“Complete?”  Celestia asked, inquisitive.

“Well... you'll see.”

Celestia narrowed her eyes, “See what?”

They rounded a corner, “Well... see.”  Luna replied, motioning with her hoof.  The building was a decent distance from the castle, but now that she had a destination rather than just exploring the outer rim it was a relatively quick trip.

“I... wow.” Celestia's expression showed disappointment,  “It's a sizable building but it's so... rundown.”

The two approached it, and once they were at a distance to properly appreciate it, Luna replied, “It won't be for long.  Look...”  Luna went silent, and her horn began to glow.  Before Celestia could ask what she was doing, a haze began to form around the building.  Before long, it compressed itself into a facade around the structure.  It was impressive to say the least.  Many of the exposed beams had been decorated with a light gold accent, most wooden beams and window panes had been replaced with beautiful sealed cherry wood, and banners and flags hung in several spots around the building.  It's rustic atmosphere was regal and imposing, yet somehow inviting and friendly.  It's air was reminiscent of the castles built in days of olde.

“That's quite the change!” Celestia exclaimed, her expression of disappointment all but melted away, “but now it seems very... formal.”

“This is the ceremonial configuration.  Allow me...”  The field broke into a haze again, before solidifying into a slightly different image.  The banners were now gone, as well as the red carpet in the doorway that Celestia had scarcely noticed before.  It still communicated a message of regality and formality, as to be expected of a foreign ministry, but it was now much less ceremonial.  After a few minutes and a good few eyefuls of the structure, Luna let the facade collapse and the buildings looks fell back to reality.

“So,” Celestia started, “who's the lucky team to undertake your renovations of this place?”

Luna showed disappointment in herself, “I... have yet to tackle that problem.”

“The team who maintains the Canterlot castle could do it.  They do good work, of course.”

“That would be a great help.  It's been a long time since I've been here... none of my acquaintances... besides you, of course... are...” Luna face had reddened, she was definitely getting emotional, “Available, anymore.”  She managed to say.

Celestia took a deep breath and began comforting her sister, “I understand how you feel.  I as well have had to see countless friends and acquaintances go before me.”

Luna smiled knowingly at her sister, but figured it would be best to move on from this sensitive subject for both their sakes.  “I'll also need a team to construct the ship.”

“I have a number of shipwrights I could-”

Luna quickly cut in, “Any shipwright must be trusted implicitly.”  Luna took a quick look around, “None but the crew and the ones who build it should know about the hidden cannon hatches, nor the rest of the vessels defense and offense capabilities.”

“I can have a select few of our regular shipwrights work on it, I've trusted them with slipping hidden components into our warships before; all of them together should be able to build your entire ship while keeping their lips sealed.”

“If you trust them, then I trust them.  I'll have the blueprint ready by tomorrow.”  A contented sigh escaped from Luna's lips, “I guess that's all I have to show you for now.  All that's left to do is actually 'do' all this.  Select the crew... begin construction of the ship... renovations of this building.  I'd say we can get the mission going within a month or two.  The ministry might not be done by then, but I doubt our explorers will bring back any foreign dignitaries within the few extra weeks that we'll need to finish it after they launch.”

“Agreed.”

Luna rolled her eyes around, “Well, I guess that's it.  I'll head back to the archives and finish up this blueprint... you enjoy the rest of your day off.”  Luna turned to head back to the castle, but was stopped by Celestia before taking a step.

“Luna.”

Luna turned back around to face her sister, “Yes, Tia?”

Celestia struggled with her next sentence, it had been a long time since she felt so thankful to anyone, let alone her sister who had been gone for over a thousand years.  “I just... I don't think you realize how much you doing all this means to me.  Thanks.  Truly.”

Luna nuzzled Celestia, “You're welcome.  I just hope I'll be able to meet your expectations.”

“Well, you've already failed me on one account.”  Celestia replied, no emotion in her voice and a stern look focused on Luna.

Luna was taken aback.  Her eyes wide she replied, “I-In what way have I failed you?”

“I've had a long time to get familiar with the sun, and through that experience I can tell you it's past noon on this day, and for the last few days similar events have come to pass.”  Celestia's expression was still solid.

“What could it being noon have to do with anythi-”

Celestia cut her off as she cracked a smile, “It's tea time, Luna.”