After The Fall

Took a break from my Nurse Redheart story to write this. Enjoy.

Ajax was absolutely thrilled to learn that Vinyl planned a trip. She practically kicked him out of the ship after he got his things packed. He brought a few things with him. A few self-cleaning outfits, his pad, his watch, and his necklace. They all agreed to meet at Twilight’s tree but got a pleasant surprise when they arrived.

Dax stared at the object before him. Rainbow, AJ, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Twilight all had looks of astonishment on their faces. Only Rarity seemed familiar with the object, Vinyl looked a little apprehensive as she looked at it.

After Twilight wrote to the Princess informing her of her plans, the Princess was delighted to hear what Vinyl had planned and offered a gift in an amazing show of hospitality. Only problem was Vinyl’s fears.

Twilight walked up to it and removed the note from the side and read it.

Dear Twilight and Friends,

I understand that Vinyl has planned a nice trip for you all whose purpose is to show Dax the best our fine nation has to offer. So I sent this yacht to be sure you have the best accommodations on your journey. In the hold you will find all the bits and notes you’ll need along the trip. Spend it wisely. Have fun on your trip,

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia.

“Well that’s awfully nice of her,” Twilight smiled.

“I’ll say! This is so awesome,” Rainbow squealed.

“This is the same exact yacht that I had the privilege of christening when I was in Canterlot that weekend!” Rarity said, “The Princess was certainly generous. This ship has enough rooms for all of us and more. Each bedroom has its own full bathroom. There’s a full kitchen, living room, and the top deck is simply wonderful. There’s even a system for pulling water out of the air!”

“Wowie Rarity! You certainly know a lot about this boat!” Pinkie bounced.

“Of course I do darling. I was offered ownership of it when I christened it but I didn’t have the bits at the time.”

Dax stared at the yacht. It was white like old earth yachts that used to sail the seas in the 21st century. Its design was similar to a seafaring craft only that the entire craft was anchored to a large balloon. Engines that were powered by some magic he couldn’t understand were attached to the back of the yacht and along the sides of the balloon.

Two pairs of landing gear propped the large craft up as it rested on the ground. A gang plank opened up almost like the cabin door on a private jet. Another door opened to reveal the cargo bay, stocked full of supplies needed for the trip.

Dax pulled up the map that outlined all the destinations that Vinyl had given him. A holographic map appeared on his watch.

Looking back at the yacht he smiled, “This is gonna be good.”

“Um,” Fluttershy spoke up, “Who’s driving?”

“Why me of course darling!” Rarity beamed, “I took the time to learn how to fly this thing when I was in Canterlot.”

She removed her sun hat and placed a captain’s hat atop her head. Picking up her various bags with her telekinesis, she strolled on board.

“All aboard!”

The others soon followed. Twilight traveled pretty light. Only carrying one suit case. Fluttershy was the same. AJ brought with her and entire kitchen set along with her clothes and other belongings she felt she needed. Rainbow Dash traveled lightly, bringing only a duffle bag and a cloud pillow. Pinkie loaded a large, pink cannon inside the cargo bay. When Dax asked her what it was he learned it was her party cannon. She bounded onto the ship leaving only Vinyl and Dax.

Vinyl stared at the large boat like it was the gallows complete with a masked executioner.

“Hey Vinyl,” Dax asked, “You alright?”

“Y-y-Yeah I’m fine,” she stuttered.

“Here; let me get your bags for you.” Dax raised his arm and watched as his and Vinyl’s things floated into the ship.

He was on the top of the gang plank and stared at Vinyl. She was nearly shaking in her shoes as her red eyes stared at the yacht.

“Are you coming?” Dax asked.

“Y-y-yeah. Uh… Just give me a minute.”

Dax was worried. Phobias weren’t something people got over easily. He walked over to her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, I’m here. Your fine. Nothing is going to hurt you.” He held out a hand.

Vinyl looked up and offered a wry smile. Tentatively she took his hand. Dax gracefully guided her up the gang plank and onto the ship.

“Aww,” Rarity said from the top deck. Dax shot her a look before disappearing in the belly of the yacht. Inside was elegant. A large foyer greeted them as the group got settled in. The floor had a large compass pattern built into it. A large spiral stair case led up to the next level. One hallway lead to the bedrooms whiles another lead to the kitchen and dining room. The top deck was mostly open accept for where another eating area was situated. It was roofed over with a stair case that lead up to the enclosed bridge that over looked the top deck.

Dax found the two rooms reserved for Vinyl and himself before placing their respective things inside. He returned to the lobby and found Vinyl still staring in awe at the yacht. He smiled.

“Let’s go meet up with the others up on the bridge.”

He and Vinyl walked up to the bridge. It was a large open area with a series of controls. The one thing that Dax did immediately recognize was a large boat wheel. Rarity was checking up on the yachts systems.

Dax laughed to himself. He’d never thought the fashion designer was such a great sailor. He looked back at Vinyl who seemed to be regaining her spunky confidence.

“Alright,” Rarity said, “The A.S. Fashionista is ready to set sail!”

Seven groans echoed throughout the bridge.

“Do we have to call it that?” Rainbow Dash moaned, “Can’t we name it something awesomer? Like the Starbolt!”

“I’m with Rainbow on this one, Rarity,” Twilight said, “Since this boat is going to be our home for the next month we have to at least come to an agreement for a name for the ship.”

Fluttershy spoke up, “How about the Dandelion?”

Rainbow turned around. Her face said it all.

“What?” Fluttershy asked, “It’s a cute name.”

“How ‘bout… The Applebee,” Applejack commented.

“Ahhh….” Rainbow said, “How about no?”

“Hmm, how ‘bout the Starswirl?” Twilight asked.

“NO offense darling,” Rarity calmly said, “But we are NOT naming this boat after some old, wrinkly, wizard!”

Vinyl spoke up. “How about…The Mystro?” She said with a dramatic voice.

She got a few looks and the bickering began. Dax smiled. Something about this situation reminded him of a classic book he read at the battle school. A certain memory of a whale falling out of the sky and instantly trying to understand its purpose in life came to mind along with the memory of a bowl of petunias saying, ‘Oh no not again.’

“The Heart of Gold,” Dax said.

The bickering stopped. All the arguers stopped and stared at Dax. Suddenly under such scrutiny he shrunk down.

Vinyl spoke up, “I kinda like that.”

“Me too. It has pizazz to it,” Rainbow added.

“It sounds vaguely familiar,” Twilight said.

“It should,” Pinkie said, “That ship is the thing that smashed the fourth wall to begin with. In fact there it goes again,” she said pointing out the window, “Hi Zaphod!” She waved.

Dax stared. This was a blatant violation of the Laws of physics as he knew them. There was no conceivable way Pinkie could have any idea where he got that name.

“Ok, I’m not going to question how Pinkie knows that before my head hurts,” Dax said.

“It’s official then,” AJ said, “Heart of Gold it is.”

“It sounds fancy and fashionable. I like it too. We’ll draw a crowd when we land,” Rarity said, “The Airship Heart of Gold is ready to disembark.”

The fashion designer tapped a few buttons and levers on the controls. The ship rose off the ground. The landing gear retracted. The yacht rose into the sky.

Dax ran down onto the top deck. It was exposed and open to the air. Like a kid on the last day of school he ran to the railing and peered over the edge. Ponyville was getting smaller and smaller as the yacht rose higher. People watched in awe as the yacht sailed over head. A few pegasi people flew by the boat and waved.

Pinkie, Rainbow, AJ, Twilight, and Vinyl walked onto the deck. Vinyl stayed as far away from the railings as possible. Dax looked at the map. Their fist destination was the city of Trottingham, followed by Rodamnaly, Terminus, and lastly Las Pegasus.

While the others watched at the world below them in wonder and enjoyed Rarity’s driving before she set the yacht to auto pilot, Vinyl sat in the center of the deck, pulling her legs in a hug. Dax walked up to her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he sat next to her.

She sighed, “Can you keep a secret?”

“For you, sure.”

She whispered in his ear, “I’m afraid of flying.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’m terrified. Always have been. I have no problem with high buildings or being atop a mountain or anything but this?” she waved around, “I’m scared. What if the balloon has a hole in it? Or what if the yacht breaks free and falls?”

“Can I tell you a secret?” Dax asked.

“Uh, sure I guess,” Vinyl said.

“I used to be afraid of the ground.”

Vinyl laughed, “The ground?”

“Yeah, I was terrified of it. Well mainly going planet side. Growing up in space most of your life does that. I heard stories of diseases people got planet side, natural disasters, and atmospheric pollution. It all scared me. I was used to having no worries about diseases since I lived in a space station, the largest natural disaster I ever saw was an asteroid impacting our moon, and pollution wasn’t ever a problem since our air was filtered.”

“So you developed a fear of your own planet?”

“Yeah. It wasn’t until the sixth grade that my parents finally forced me to go down there and stay with my cousins. Sure I was scared halfway to hell the first week. You’re gonna laugh at this; I brought a gas mask with me. But I my cousin got me to appreciate the majesty and serenity of planet life. By the end of that summer I was perfectly fine with living in either space or on a world.”

“But didn’t any of those things you were afraid of happen?”

“Oh yeah,” Dax laughed, “That summer alone there was a problem with the weather control and a hurricane formed. It nearly destroyed the house but when I saw how my family reacted to it I realized that I couldn’t go my entire life afraid of the world. After that I caught Colombian malaria and was hospitalized for three days but I honestly didn’t care at that point. I was too caught up with exploring my home world to notice my fears. I honestly didn’t even remember them until my mother brought them up.”

“So you managed to get over your fear even after the things you were afraid of happened?”

“Yeah, I guess I did. And now I’m on a completely alien world explaining one of my oldest secrets to a girl I had no idea existed two months ago. And none of this would have happened if I hadn’t gotten over my fears.”

Dax stood up, “I’m not going to make you face your fear but if I never did, half my life would have never happened the way it did.”

He returned to the railing and stared at the cloudscape before him. It was an ocean of churning marshmallow fluff. He admired the way the sun, high in the sky, reflected off the water in the clouds. Behind him Pinkie talked with Twilight and rest. Rainbow Dash bounced along one of the clouds off the edge of the ship. Dax laughed at her comical activities.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see the blue haired DJ standing at the railing. She gripped his shoulder, still unsure. Dax smiled at her and pulled her in for a hug.

“So this is what it’s like to fly?” Vinyl asked as she stared over the edge for the first time.

“Not really but this is what flight is like for someone without wings I guess. It’s not bad now is it?”

“No I guess not,” Vinyl laughed.

A thud was heard. Vinyl and Dax turned to see Pinkie pushing Vinyl’s turntables up the stairs and into a comfortable position in front of a support pillar that held the bridge up. The station sat on the exposed deck as Pinkie brought her party cannon onto the deck and shot decorations all over the deck.

Soon the place looked ready for a party. Drinks and snacks, courtesy of Applejack rested on a buffet table. Small speakers were rigged onto the railings.

“Oh I see what you did here,” Dax said turning to Vinyl, “She made a party boat.”

“You bet your cupcakes I did,” Pinkie smiled.

“Well what’re yall waiting for?” AJ asked.

Rainbow bounced back onto the ship, “Let’s party!”

“Isn’t it a little early for this?” Rarity asked.

“It’s never too early for a party!” Pinkie said.

Vinyl turned to Dax and winked. The two ran up to the turntables and pulled on their DJ shades. Vinyl with her amethyst purple shades and Dax with his gold aviators.

Vinyl grabbed her laptop and selected a song.

Listen to This

Dax and Vinyl pulled on their headphones and began nodding their heads to the music. Rainbow, AJ, Rarity, Twilight, and Pinkie all danced to the song while Fluttershy sat in a chair humming along to the beat.

The party boat got closer to the city as the day wore on. The impromptu party wound down at about dinner time.

After an extremely well cooked meal by AJ and surprisingly Rainbow Dash, Dax walked back onto the deck. The stars were beginning to come out as the sun finished setting. The others joined him and watched as the stars emerged. He walked up to a railing and leaned against it as the star scape came into view. Vinyl joined him at the railing, surprisingly not bothered by the aspect of being a couple hundred feet off the ground. Most likely because she couldn’t see it in the dark. She stared off at the stars with him.

“They’re beautiful aren’t they,” Vinyl said.

“Yes they are,” Dax said.

“You’ve been out there before,” Vinyl said, “Have you met any other people like us?”

Hmm, Dax thought, the answer was yes and no. He’d seen relics and ruins of cities that were millennia ahead of what humans could even conceive of so there obviously was life other than his in the galaxy at one point in time but where it went was anyone’s guess.

“Nope,” he said, “You’re the first. Though it would have been inter-” He was interrupted by his watch. It blinked and beeped. He brought his arm up and checked the ID. Ajax.

“Hold on,” he said.

He walked up to the unoccupied bow of the ship and tapped the watch. Ajax’s from appeared on the device.

“You called?” Dax said.

“Dax, you’re heading along the Equestria/Griffin kingdom border correct?” she asked.

“Yes, why?”

“Here,” she said and sent a file over. Dax sent it to his integrated HUD and read the document.

“Throughout the past few hundred years there have been repeated conflicts between Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom. But in recent years there have been movements for peace between the two. Radical new leaders have won the support of the people and have brought peace between them. But there’s a group in the Griffon Kingdom called The Raven’s Claw who doesn’t want peace. While their views in no way reflect those of the general public, they have threatened drastic action. So while you’re near the border, watch out for possible military action by both sides against this terrorist group.”

“Got it,” Dax said, “Thanks for the heads up.”

“Be cautious until you’re away from the border. Inform your companions about this too. I don’t think they know.”

“Will do Ajax. Dax out.”

She nodded as her form faded from existence. Good thing he packed a rifle with him.

He walked back to the group.

Vinyl saw him returning and smiled, “Hey Dax, who was that?”

“Ajax. She called to tell me tha-” He was cut off by something sounding like a military jet flew overhead. It was a small object about the size of a small car. Several more flew past both above and below the boat, their collective wakes rocking the yacht. Dax gripped the railing as the boat rocked.

Dax barely had time to notice who the task force was before he heard several screams. He turned and saw AJ go over the side followed by Rainbow Dash who managed to catch her. Another belonged to Rarity as she watched Vinyl scream as she went over the edge.

“Shit!” Dax yelled. He let go of the railing and let himself slid off the edge of the ship and into the night below.

***

One year ago.

“Do you accurately understand your mission, Captain?” The commander asked.

Gilda looked up, tears in her eyes. She brought her clawed hand to her face and whipped away her tears. Dash was her best friend from flight school and now she had to commit the ultimate betrayal.

“Yes,” she sighed. She ran a hand through her white hair atop her head.

The commander sighed, “I know this is hard but you can’t be affiliated with any of the Elements in any positive way for this to work. I’m sorry you have to do this but it could only be you. If you succeed then you’ll be saving both our Kingdom and hers.”

“I know,” she sobbed, “But the fact she’s my best friend doesn’t make this any easier!”

“I know. You’ve trained for years for this and now you have to do this. Do it for all your family, friends, and colleagues, even those you don’t know.”

Gilda grew stolid again, “I will.”

“Good, Dismissed”

Gilda stood up, grabbing the manila envelope off the table and reading her mission details. The file read,

Operation Wolf in a Sheep’s clothing.

Infiltrate terrorist organization known as The Raven’s Claw and conduct emergency info drop offs, assassinations, and deception schemes.

The rest of the details were irrelevant to Gilda. This would be easy for her. The hardest part would be hurting her best friend.

“Dash forgive me,” Gilda said before exiting the compound and emerging into the bright light of Celestia’s sun.

“For the good of the mission,” she muttered to herself.

***

Spitfire looked down from her jet. If it could be called that. She sat laying down on a pair of wings with an engine directly underneath her. The tail of the craft only extended about a meter behind her. On the bottom of the wings were bombs. On the front of the wings where they met the engine were two prototype guns. They were the first rapid fire devices ever devised. And now they were mounted on her squadron’s Bijets as they were called.

The task force was a combination of Griffon and Equestrian forces meant to bomb a weapon’s depot. The location and contents were all carefully detailed in the info drop Fleetfoot picked up. Both governments knew there was a mole in The Raven’s Claw but refused to go beyond that.

She looked ahead. The border was only a few more kilometers from her current position. Suddenly there was a large airship getting really close really fast.

“Evasive maneuvers,” she whispered into her radio. The formation zipped past the ship. Spitfire looked back and noticed the yacht fading into the background. She turned back and looked at her Griffon counterpart. He gave an all clear.

“For the good of the mission,” was heard over the channel.