A Journey Beyond: Equestria's First Ambassadors

Chapter 2

The City of Canterlot

A soft 'ding' noise was heard as Lightning pushed open the front door to the tailors.  Not expecting a bell, she looked up to find the source of the noise on instinct.  In that split second, the tailor pony popped up from behind her counter and said, "Welcome to my shop, Miss!"

Lightning's gaze immediately shot over to the tailor, "Ah! Er, ah.  Hello."  She sputtered.

The tailor raised one of her eyebrows, "...You may call me Mantua.  If I might, what is your name?"

"Err, I'm Lightning Gale."

"Alright Lightning Gale... is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes, yes.  Here..."  Lightning rummaged around finally produced the card Luna had left with her.

"Aha!"  Mantua's eyes sparkled, "You're finally here!"  She exclaimed as she rushed around the counter and began measuring each and every piece of Lightning's person.

"I uhm... I'm here for the uniforms..."

"Yes, yes.  I know you are!  I just had to be certain that the measurements I received were indeed correct.  I am happy to report that they were!"  Before allowing Lightning another word, she ushered her to a back room where several uniforms were laid out along the wall.  "You'll need  an everyday uniform and a dress uniform.  Pick any one you like."

"Aye..."  Lightning replied as her eyes searched around.  One uniform immediately caught her eye.  It was a relatively simple white and royal blue with an inlaid gold pattern on the collar.  There was a work uniform which looked nearly identical sans the gold pattern and other nonessential aesthetics.  She gathered up the two uniforms and then turned back to the doorway where she caught the slightly shocked tailor.  "...Is there something wrong with these?"  She asked.

The tailor shook her head, "No, no.  Not at all."  She replied as she turned to walk out of the room.  She muttered, "They're just so last season..." as she retreated from the room.

Lightning followed and in moments they were back in the front room.  Lightning set the uniforms on the counter where, again, the tailor gave her an odd look.  "Is something wrong...?"  Lightning asked the tailor, not quite sure what else to do.

"These have all been fully paid for by the royals... I figured they would have informed you of that.  You may leave, unless you wish to put them on now."

Being that Lightning need to head directly to the castle, she realized that putting on her uniform before leaving would probably be prudent.  "I think I will make use of that offer, then."

"Very well, the dressing room is just over there."  The tailor said, pointing her hoof in the direction of a wooden door.

"Thank you."  Lightning gale said as she slipped in.

The clothing fit like a glove, and looked great on her.  It certainly projected a presence befitting the captain of a vessel such as the one she was to take command of.  It wasn't long before she was out the door and trotting her way to the castle.

<<♃>>

Upon arriving at the castle, Lightning was immediately ushered inside by a duo of guardsponies standing on the front steps.  They didn't tell her anything more than a terse, "Follow us."  They went deep into the castle, and then began ascending a tower she swore was taller on the inside than the outside, and was starting to hope she'd never see steps again.  To her relief, the two guardsponies finally stopped and took a position on either side of a doorway and ordered her to enters.

The dim torchlit staircase was a steep contrast to the brightly lit room which the doorway led to.  Because of this, Lightning had to squint her eyes as she entered.  "Good morning, Captain."  Luna's unmistakable voice greeted her.  She took several tight blinks before her eyes had fully adjusted to the room.  When they had, she noticed that there were four other ponies besides her and the princess in the room.  The other four were sitting around the room, pointed at Luna.  Luna was positioned in front of a chalkboard which had some hand drawn diagrams and layouts.  This was  a briefing.

"Good morning Luna.  Everyone."  Nodding to Luna and then the others in the room.

"I've finished the briefing with your crew.  I'd love for you all to be able to discuss the expedition now, however we are short on time.  The expedition does depart today, after all!"

Lightning Gale's eyes widened and her mouth fell slightly agape but she quickly caught herself and regained her composure.  "Aye!  The expedition waits only for your command."

"Do any of you have any questions or concerns before the briefing is dismissed?"

"Yeah, we've not even seen the ship firsthand.  Is it really such a good idea to depart already?"  One of the crewponies asked.

"What better way to become acquainted with a ship than to fly with her?"  Lightning Gale replied.  The four began nodding in silent agreement upon hearing Lightning's words.

"Captain, would you like to say anything else before the crew departs?  It will be your first and last chance before you're all aboard the ship."  Luna asked.

"Just a few..."  Lightning said as she cleared her throat, "On this expedition we will all fly as equals.  Today we are short on time, so unfortunately we will not have the pleasure to properly introduce ourselves to each other.  I am of the firm belief that a crew should be tight knit, nearly a family if you will.  Today the foundations for such a relationship shall be laid, but the bonds I wish for you all to form can only be forged with time.  As to our mission, we are entrusted by the kingdom of Equestria to act as envoys and carry out the will of the two Princesses.  Each one of you was hand picked for this mission.  I have no doubts that you all will perform to your fullest."  She turned back to Luna, "That will be all."

"I don't believe I could have put it better myself.  Crew of the heavenly endeavor, you are dismissed.  We will convene at the location mentioned earlier at thirteen hundred hours.  All take your leave, Lightning please remain here."

The other crewmen all filed out to the staircase without another word, passing Lightning Gale who had only advanced a few feet into the room.  Once they had all left and were safely out of earshot, Luna began to speak, "Consider this another test from me."

"You mean not telling me that I'm to leave today?!  What am I to do with my residence when I leave?!"  Lightning Gale raised her voice, "I'd need to inform my landlord, I'd need to prepay in advance, I'd need to-!"

Luna cute her off, "Do be careful with your tone.  As friendly as I've been with you, it remains that I am your commanding officer and your superior.  Under royal decree, your residence has been taken care of.  It will be just as you left it when you return."

Lightning blinked, sighed, and then bowed her head, "Apologies, Ma'am.  I was out of line, Ma'am."

"Apology accepted Captain.  Now go, you have a couple hours before you must board the ship.  Use it to gather any personal effects you'd like to bring with you.  Take this scroll, it outlines specifics of your orders for today."  She said as she handed her a small scroll stamped with a wax seal.

"Yes, your highness."  Lightning finally raised her head and backed out of the room.

<<♃>>

"The first meeting with my crew went awfully."  "I can't believe how taken off guard I was.  I'm sure the crew picked up on it."  "I can't believe Luna would do such a thing!  Not tell me when I'm to leave for who knows how long!"  Were just a few of the many thoughts passing through Lightning's mind as she collected the belongings around her home that she would be taking on the voyage.  She'd always had a spartan homestead, and as such it didn't take long for her to gather up everything she planned on taking and put it in her saddlebags.  Once it was all together, she poked one of her saddlebags with her hoof.  It gave off a little rattle, revealing how empty they truly were.  She frowned, something about bringing so little on an extended voyage didn't sit right with her.  Nevertheless, she continued out into the city.

She wandered aimlessly around for a while, passing through various districts of Canterlot.  It wasn't often that she had free time, and thus she had never really gotten too familiar with the city.  She only knew the tavern she frequented and a few places close to her home that made decent food.  While perusing the various districts and window shopping, she stopped into a small knick-knack shop to kill time.  While browsing the worn shelves of the shop, she spotted a snowglobe featuring the Canterlot castle within.  It had a visible layer of dust, and was pushed far to the back of the shelf behind other assorted giftshop-esque junk.  Lightning Gale poked her saddlebags again and was greeted with the same empty rattling as before.  Not but a few moments later she was exiting the shop, the proud new owner of the snowglobe.

Just outside was a dining district, carts and stalls speckling the square.  Zebras hocking stories about how what they were selling were 'delicacies' from their homeland.  Pegasi, Unicorns, and Earth ponies could all be found doing much the same thing.  "Miss, come sample this dish here!  It's a delicacy back in Cloudsdale!" and "Over here!  These are the finest sandwiches you'll find not only here, but the planet over!  Why, even the king of the Gryphons gave them his stamp of approval!" were just a few of the hooks being shouted at the patrons of the dining district.

Eventually something did catch her eye, however it was none of the food.  A pony she recognized from the briefing in the castle earlier was sitting at one of the tables, a newspaper and some sort of exotic breakfast dish sat on the table before her.  Cimmerion, she remembered her name as.  A middle aged bat pony, she had a navy blue mane, a vivid burgundy coat, and piercing sky blue eyes.  A single streak of silver ran through her mane, betraying the stresses she'd gone through.  Lightning decided it would be as good a time as any to attempt to meet at least one of her crew and began to head over.

"Hello!"  Lightning called out as she approached the table.  "You're Cimmerion, right?"

"Ah, Captain."  She said as she put down her teacup to salute, "Lieutenant Commander Cimmerion, at your service.  What a coincidence to see you here."

"Indeed."  Replied  Lightning Gale, "At ease."

"Aye."  Cimmerion replied, raising her teacup once again.  A somewhat awkward silence followed as Cimmerion went back to her tea and reading the newspaper on the table.  Lightning's mind was racing for a conversation topic, but none came.  Finally, Cimmerion spoke up again, "Captain Gale?"

"Yes?"

"Permission to speak freely?"

"Of course."

"I'm attempting to make peace with the fact that I'm not only leaving my hometown, but the entire kingdom of Equestria."

"I'm... wrestling with a similar problem."  She looked off into the distance, the anger at not being told she was to depart today coloring her expression.

"Then hopefully you will understand my request, made with all due respect, that I be left alone to examine my thoughts until our scheduled departure time."

Lightning wasn't really prepared for a request such as that, especially not one made as eloquently as it was.  "Yes, I understand."  Was all she managed before getting up to leave.

"Thank you."  Was Cimmerion's quiet response.

<<♃>>

Lightning's arrival time at the ship was different than that of the rest of her crew.  The scroll specified a time that was two hours later than the rest of the crew.  Additionally, the scroll ordered her to a different location than the ship itself.  For what reasons she did not know, but as they were Luna's orders she had no choice but to follow them.  And so, after hours of wandering around and passing time, she approached the location outlined in the scroll.  The castle took a much more overbearing position on the skyline, and the buildings grew taller.  This was the area of the city where much of the more well established companies and businesses called their home.  In addition to that, decorations began appearing.  Banners, flags, ribbons, and everything else you'd expect for a royal parade, though to her knowledge no such event was to happen today.  The decorations only increased in intensity as she continued forward, and she suddenly experienced a sinking feeling.  The talk of  'a fancy new ship' and 'a crazy mission' she had overheard in the tavern suddenly starting to click.  Rumors were the norm for a tavern and she had learned to just tone them out, but suddenly she realized they weren't rumors.  "Is this all for a celebration of launching the ship?"

"It is indeed."

Startled, Lightning Gale jumped and turned to face the source of the voice.  "Princess!"  She exclaimed as she laid eyes on the owner of the voice, bowing her head.

"At ease, Lightning Gale.   You're here in time, however it seems I miscalculated a little bit.  We've got little time, follow me."  Luna said as she turned down a nearby alley.

"Uhm, Luna... Is that not a dead end?"  Lightning ventured to ask.

"To most it is.  However..."  She stopped and turned to a nook, her horn glowing.  She stepped forward, her hooves sinking into the ground before turning back to Lightning.  “To us, it is not.”  She continued forward, and the ground seemed to swallow Luna whole.

Lightning Gale blinked at the impossible scene she had just witnessed.  Stepping up to where Luna had disappeared, she put her hoof forward and watched it seemingly sink through the solid matter.  As she lowered it, it eventually came to rest on a solid surface.  Cautiously, she continued with the next step, reaching slightly further forward than the first.  It sank even further than the first.  She continued this process slowly and steadily, and within moments she had descended below the road into a large tunnel.  "What is this?"  She asked as she looked around with a look of bewildered amazement.

"This is an old passageway built when the castle was first constructed.  It was to aid in escape and troop movements if it had ever been attacked.  Since that eventuality has never occurred, very few remember their existence... and even less know the spell to access them."

"Incredible...  but why are we taking it and not simply taking normal routes?"

"We'll be using it to go directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where your ship is currently docked.  The crowds are getting large already, this is just to ease our travel."

"E-exactly how big of an event is this?"  Lightning said, her disbelief causing her to stumble over her own words.

"We're sending a ship to lands unknown!”  Luna exclaimed, “I wouldn't be surprised if most of the shops in the city are closed at the moment just so they can go witness the ceremony."

It was all true.  All the whisperings of a grand new ship launching today that she had overheard in the tavern.  It had become second nature to her to simply tune out rumors, and talkings of a 'grand ship' with 'an impossible' or 'crazy' mission had easily flipped her rumor switch.  "I must have just... tuned it all out."  She said, dumbfounded.

"I assumed as much by your shock at today being the departure day.  Habits such as those need to be broken.  Although you passed my test on dealing with the unexpected, you failed on information gathering.  I'm not angry, merely wish for you to improve.  On a ship, keeping your ear to the whisperings of the crew is something a Captain should be doing at all times."  Luna gave her a stern look, but cracked a small smile.

"Aye, Ma'am."

"Now then, let us continue.  There's a lot of ponies waiting for us."

<<♃>>

The two emerged from the tunnel in the same way they had entered, however this end of the tunnel let out directly into a building, and a building undergoing heavy remodeling work at that.  Many walls were either halfway constructed or partially torn down.  Many of the structural beams were either bulked up by braces or being completely replaced, and in various spots scattered around the floor were swept piles of dust and wood shavings, or bits of unusable scrap wood and planks.  In addition to all this, tapestries had been hung over each window, presumably to keep the mess inside as concealed as possible.  One final thing that had not been immediately noticeable was a muffled hum.  The only thing Lightning was able to compare it to was the sort of sound she'd hear in the back room of a crowded tavern... however this sound was much more pervasive, seeming to come from all directions.

"T'will be less than a fortnight before it's completion."  Luna mused.

"What... even is this place?"  Lightning asked, even as she looked around for clues as to where they might be.

"Tis the new... or rather, the first Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  From here, your ship will launch it's mission, and from here any foreign diplomats will be received.  T'was a trading house in it's history, but I felt it more than met our needs for a Ministry.  Err, or will meet the needs of our Ministry once it's complete."

"And how long is that going to take?"  Lightning asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Like I said, less than a fortnight.  It did not feel acceptable to try and delay the expedition any further."

"And what if we return with foreigners before the Ministry is complete?"

"I do not anticipate that to be an issue... however there are contingencies in place.  Do not worry, nothing going on here in Canterlot is of your concern."

"I can't see how not... but for the sake of time, I will concede."

Luna rolled her eyes, "Don't let these domestic matters concern you.  They are in capable hooves.  Now then, let us continue on.  We've a ceremony to put on, and more than a few ponies are waiting for us."

"Aye, ma'am."  The two proceeded to walk through room after room.  While passing through a particularly narrow hallway, the distant and muffled hum grew more pronounced, begging her to peak through a window at it's source.  Her curiosity getting the best of her, she pulled the tapestry away just a crack on the next window she passed.  The sight she was met with left her in amazement.  There were thick crowds of ponies covering every square inch of the street she could see.  Some were holding banners and flags bearing the Kingdoms seal, while others had more ornate flags depicting the royal sisters, the Canterlot castle, or any number of other things.  Gazing out, Lightning realized that this mission was far beyond her and her crew.  The atmosphere of the crowd was full of hope, overjoyed at the promise of a future and of what the expedition may find.  It was the sort of thing that she'd thought didn't exist anymore; the sort of awe and wonder that only a young filly or colt might be able to have.  Yet, there it was before her own eyes, a crowd amassed to witness the start of something that seemed as simple as an expedition beyond the Kingdoms borders.

Luna put a hoof on Lightning's shoulder, snapping her attention back and causing her to realize how long she'd been staring.  "Like it or not,"  Luna began, "The ship and the expedition have become a symbol of Equestria's future.  It will be a heavy burden, believe me.  I'm one of the few people in all of Equestria who can actually understand that."

Lightning's gaze shifted to the floor as she let the tapestry flap back into it's place over the window, "Ma'am, to give ponies hope was what I joined the Equestrian Sky Navy for.  There's no way I'd let second thoughts get the best of me when I'm this close."

"Nor would I expect you to.  However, I know how much a burden such as this can weigh on a ponies conscience.  Should you ever have the need, do not hesitate to talk with me.  Sometimes just letting another pony know can more than solve the stresses that these weights can cause.  Remember, even when you and your crew are away I will always be watching over you come nightfall.”

Lightnings hair raised at the promise.  “Yes, Ma'am.  Thank you Ma'am.”  Those were promises that every young filly or colt heard about the princesses when they were young, but to have one of the princesses themselves promise such a thing carried a different weight in her heart.

“Ahem.”  Luna coughed to switch gears, “Well, here's the door!”  Luna said as she took a turn at the end of the hallway.  “Are you prepared?”

“As prepared as I'll ever be.”

“Very well.  Follow two paces behind me and hold your head high!  Remember to smile and wave!”  Luna opened the door and exited in one smooth motion, a presence emanating from her.  It wasn't until she witnessed the princess in public that Lightning was reminded that she was truly royalty.  The rolling chatter had all but stopped, and it was replaced with a hushed silence.  However, the silence was short lived as the sound grew slowly from hushed whispers to roaring applause at Luna's appearance.  Now was not a time to gawk however, and Lightning quickly found her place two paces behind the princess.

Luna turned from left to right, offering an occasional wave to the crowd.  Although Lightning smiled as well, it was for a completely different reason.  They were walking straight towards a magnificent ship.  To her trained eye, it was obviously a long range ship designed for the expedition, but the lack of a balloon and presence of sales surprised her.  It was of mostly wooden construction, with white, gold, and purple accents across the ornate hull.  The ship bore a striking resemblance to the architecture of the capitol city of it's designers.  The picturesque sky as a backdrop for the beauty of a ship almost brought a tear to Lightning's eye.  She didn't get emotional about many things, but seeing her new command for the first time was definitely such an occasion.  Luckily, despite her emotions the pair boarded the ship without any complications.