After discussing Radel’s living arrangements, Princess Celestia lead them to the dining hall, where breakfast was to be served. Thankfully, Celestia was allowing him to live aboard his ship, but she wanted him to remain close to Ponyville so Twilight could train him in the ways of magic. It was a simple request, and one he could easily fulfill. I’m just glad they trust me so much to not have any major restrictions.

Not only did she want him to remain close for the magical training, but it would help other ponies get used to his presence. This would be especially helpful, since it was practically impossible for him to return home or be found. There was also another... request, made to him about his technology. Well, it was more like persistent begging, but Twilight simply would not accept anything short of in depth discussions and theories relating to his ship and equipment. If only she knew…

Once his terms of residence were determined, and Twilight’s scientific inquiry sated for the time being, they sat at a large and highly decorated dining table. Within minutes of them getting comfortable, their breakfast was carried out by a single unicorn and his telekinesis magic. He had dark brown fur, a copper like mane and tail, and was wearing a black and white server uniform.

There were various dishes spread out amongst the table, some of which Radel couldn’t even recognize. However, there were still some dishes he was familiar with. For example, there seemed to be a Farmer’s Omelet of some sort, and a simple Caesar Salad, as well as a few other small items and ingredients. After awkwardly asking the server what was all served and the various ingredients of each dish and entree, Radel joined the princesses in the feast, and a feast it was indeed!

Surprisingly, after Radel had finished his last plate of food, there seemed to be nothing left but crumbs. Celestia and Luna seemed to have had bigger appetites than he expected, though it made sense, since they were larger than the average pony. And to think I had a large appetite at times…

After they all finished their meals, they casually conversed about things like how Radel was doing now and what he all knew and understood about Equestria, ponies, and their culture. They eventually moved these conversations to the castle corridors as they made their way towards the main entryway. The subjects discussed were quite helpful to Radel, as he learned more of Equestria and its neighbors. The ones that intrigued him the most were the Griffons, mainly due to the fact he’d never seen one yet. He couldn’t think of how different a Zebra could possibly be from a pony, and dragons sounded like they weren’t giant monsters like some of the old fairy tales from Earth.

As Celestia was going more indepth about the Griffon culture, a quiet beeping began sounding in Radel’s ear. “Just a moment Celestia,” Radel said, gently raising a hand, “Athena is contacting me, and I should answer.”

Celestia simply smiled at him, nodding at him so he knew she did not mind.

Radel lifted his right arm and activated his holo bracelet, and after doing so, did the same thing for the communication device he was wearing. “What can I do for you, Athena?” Radel asked as he casually walked towards a window within the corridor. It had a wonderful view of the main courtyard only a few stories below.

*Commodore, I have an update on the repair progress of the ship.*

Radel’s face lit up a little at this. “Tell me your update, Athena.”

*The maintenance drones have gotten the hangar bay doors operational again. We can now launch the automated repair ships to begin exterior repairs.*

“That’s good to know, Athena! Does this mean my personal shuttle is ready for launch?” Radel asked as a smile began to form on his face.

*Of course, Commodore. It can be at your position in two minutes.*

Suddenly, an idea sparked in Radel’s mind. “Athena, is there an undamaged crate of communicators?”

*Yes, Commodore. The crate has remained firmly secured in the cargo hold, as well as the rest of the cargo.*

“I want you to load it into my shuttle and send it to my location. I’ll be using it shortly, and I think I know of a useful way for communicating with our new friends,” Radel ordered.

*Yes, Commodore. Your shuttle will arrive in five minutes.*

Radel began making his way back towards the others. “Thank you, Athena. Radel out.”

As he was once again amongst the princesses, Celestia and Luna continued to give him strange looks. Luna was the first to voice her curiosity, “What were you speaking to Athena about?”

Smiling at them, he made a gesture for them to follow him as he began the walk towards the main doors once again. “She was giving me an update on the progress of the repairs on Ender’s Blessing, and something interesting and useful is now available. I’ll show you once we are outside in the courtyard.”

Luna gave him a smirk as they continued walking, as well raising a questioning eyebrow. “What else could you possibly surprise us with now?”

Luna’s question only made his smile grow more. “You’ll see soon enough…”

**********************************************************************************************************

After a few more minutes of walking through the castle, they made it to the main doors to the courtyard. As Radel led the way, the guards stationed at the doors opened them for them, and closing them again once they were outside.

Twilight stopped on the stairs and looked inquisitively at him, her features expressing nothing other than excited curiosity. “So Radel! What interesting thing do you have to show us?”

As if to answer her question, an object seemed to appear out of nowhere above them. As the princesses stared at it in awe and curiosity, the object began to slowly descend before landing in the courtyard before them. Once it was landed, a door of some sort opened and formed a ramp to enter it.

Radel turned towards the princesses, finally answering Twilight and Luna’s question. “The thing I wanted to show was this! Follow me, and I’ll explain more thoroughly...” As he was finishing this statement, Radel began making his way towards the object, waving his hand for the others to follow.

Once they were all close to the object, Radel lead the princesses into it before continuing his explanation. “This thing is my own personal transport. It’s basically a miniature version of my ship, solely meant to transport me and a dozen others.”

Almost immediately Twilight began hopping from one hoof to another in excitement as she looked at the transport around her. “This is so exciting!” She then trotted up to the cockpit of the transport, knowing nothing of what it was. “You must let me study this as well!”

Radel began to chuckle softly at Twilight’s reaction and it didn’t take long for Celestia and Luna to join him. “I’m glad you show so much interest in my equipment, Twilight! Someday we’ll look over some of it together.”

Celestia and Luna had returned their attention to the ship around them, studying its features in a more calm fashion. Celestia was the first to ask a question, “So, this ship is nothing more than a transport?”

Radel redirected his attention from Twilight towards Celestia, once he was certain she wasn’t going to start taking apart the cockpit. “Well, yes and no.”

That answer got another eyebrow raise from Luna. “What do you mean yes and no?”

“Yes, its main purpose is to transport, but it is also armed with small weapons systems. And, as you saw, it also has a cloaking device as well.” As Radel finished his clarification, he made his way to a storage crate to one side of the ship. As he opened the crate, he removed two communicators.

Luna walked up to the crate with Celestia, the two of them being on either side of him with the latter asking, “What are those, Radel?”

Before he could answer Celestia’s question, Twilight brought it upon herself to do so. “Are those more of the communicator you gave me?!”

“Yes, Twilight, they are.” He then turned and gave both Celestia and Luna a communicator each. “They are for Celestia and Luna, so they can easily contact me like you can.”

Luna brought hers close to her face as she studied it curiously. “How does it work?”

Radel reached to her hoof and grabbed the communicator. Once he did, he went to her side and helped her put it in her ear. “It just sits on your ear like this; all you have to do to speak with me is use your hoof to push the button on the side of it.”

After helping Celestia get her communicator on as well, Radel stepped out of the transport and began talking through his own communicator to the others. “So, can everyone hear me clearly?”

*This is so amazing! I can’t believe you are giving us such a gift.*

*That’s how I felt when he first gave me mine, Luna!*

Stepping back aboard the ship, Radel saw Luna intently studying the communicator on Twilights ear with Celestia doing the same over her shoulder. Chuckling a little at the sight, he made his way towards the cockpit. “I’m glad you all enjoy these devices. Later down the road, I hope to teach you more advanced uses of them.” He then looked towards Celestia, a more serious expression on his face. “It’d also make it easier and more efficient for your guards to communicate with one another, giving them a tactical advantage.”

Radel then turned back towards the cockpit and sat in the pilot seat, activating various systems of the ship and running a quick diagnostics check. As he worked on determining the state of the ship, the princesses watched over his shoulders, studying the controls curiously.

“Now, I plan on using this to return to Ponyville. Do you wish to join me, Twilight? Or will you be taking the train back?” He turned his head to look at Twilight, seeing her studying one of the monitors to the side of the cockpit.

Her attention immediately snapped to him, her face full of nothing other than utter excitement. She began to jump up and down, much like Pinkie Pie, as she said, “Really!? You’d let me join you in here for the return trip? I’d love to!”

Laughing at Twilight’s eagerness, Radel turned to Luna and Celestia. “Will you be joining us as well?”

Both Luna and Celestia shook their heads, though they had warm smiles on their faces.

“Sadly, we have other important matters to attend to shortly.” Celestia made her way towards the exit of the ship.

Luna put a hoof on his shoulder and gave him a warm smile. “Another time, hopefully.” She then departed as well, trotting to catch up with her sister. The two of them sat by the main doors of the castle, waiting to watch them depart.

Radel activated the controls for the ramp, causing it to raise and close, securing the ship for the journey. He began to read through the finished diagnostics of the ship and everything seemed to be in order. There was just one thing left…. “Twilight, take a seat in the co-pilot seat please.” Radel patted the seat beside him. “I want you strapped in to make sure you don’t get hurt.”

Twilight’s excitement seemed to double as she hopped into the seat beside him. Immediately, she used her magic to grab the straps, and after a minute, was able to get them secured around her.

While Twilight did this and continued to study the cockpit, Radel had activated the ship's engines and other systems. The loud hum of the engines winding up was music to his ears. It’s been awhile since I was able to take this baby out for a spin! Turning his attention back to Twilight, he gave her a huge grin. “Hope you’re ready for a ride, Twilight!” As he said this he began to slowly gain altitude with the ship, getting some distance between them and the ground.

Twilight looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean GET READY FOR A RIDE!?!?”

Halfway through Twilight’s question, the ship had reached a good enough altitude to clear the cities tallest structures. As soon as that was the case, Radel punched it, causing the ship to launch forward at supersonic speeds. Unlike the train ride, they’d reach Ponyville in mere minutes.

As Twilight and Radel flew away, Celestia and Luna were staring after them. Both of them were completely stunned, and their mouths were agape. They’d never seen anything fly that fast ever. Radel’s ship seemed to be even faster than Rainbow Dash while doing a Sonic Rainboom! It only took a few seconds before the ship was out of sight, and they were able to break out of their state of shock and head back into the castle.

**********************************************************************************************************

After a few minutes of flying at crazy speeds towards Ponyville, with a few unnecessary maneuvers here and there, Twilight and Radel arrived back at Ponyville. Twilight was speechless the whole flight, holding onto her seat for dear life as Radel performed various stunts. As they were coming into view of the quaint little town, something big caught both their eyes.

Twilight gasped and held a hoof to her mouth. “Is that your ship, Radel!?”

It was his ship: Ender’s Blessing was slowly flying towards an open field next to Ponyville, emphasis on slow. Though it was an impressive sight, the damage on the exterior of the ship was still present. However, if one looked closely, they would see the various drones and automated ships making repairs to the hull.

I thought it’d take longer for Athena to get the engines up and running… “It is indeed, though I thought it would’ve taken Athena longer to get the engines operational.”

As if a signal was just given, Athena’s voice came through the ship’s communication system. “The engines still need work, Commodore. They are only good enough for slowly changing the ship’s position. It’ll take time to get them back to full power for speed, maneuverability, and penetrating the atmosphere.”

“So... why are you moving the ship, Athena?” Radel asked. He was utterly confused as to what made her think moving it was necessary or a good idea.

“I overheard Princess Celestia’s wishes of you staying near Ponyville. I thought it was best that you be as close as possible, should a situation require it in the near future.” Athena’s reasoning was reasonable. If something like those changelings hit the town, he’d be right there, ready to support them. I’d hate to have others navigate through the forest just to visit me or if they needed my help. If his memory was correct, according to Twilight, there are also some very dangerous creatures that live within the Everfree.

Radel began making an approach vector for the hangar bays of Ender’s Blessing, slowing down their speed in the process. “I agree with your reasoning, Athena. Please continue... also, I’m about to land in the hangar bay. Could you open the bay’s doors please?”

Immediately after Radel finished his request, the giant doors on the side of the ship for the hangar bay opened up.

Slowly flying towards the ship, Radel brought his personal transport through the large doors and entered Ender’s Blessing. While he looked for the landing pad for his transport, Twilight was busy looking around the hangar bay in awe. It was probably the craziest thing she’s ever seen. So far.

Once Radel found the landing pad for his transport, he placed her down gently with the expertise only a well trained individual would have. As the ship completed its landing, Radel powered down the shuttle’s engines.

Signaling for Twilight to follow, Radel led the way to the shuttle’s exit and stepped onto the landing pad. Twilight continued to gaze around them with both awe and excitement as she viewed their surroundings, but then she turned a curious look towards Radel. “Why did we land on your ship? Is this so we could discuss something?”

Radel continued to lead them as they made their way out of the hangar bay and deeper into the ship. “Yes, that is the reason Twilight.” Radel then turned to Twilight with a smile. “I hope I didn’t mislead you in thinking we were gonna discuss something about my technology.”

Twilight shook her head as she had a small laugh at that. “No, you didn’t, though I was hoping that was the case.”

Turning his attention back to the path ahead of them, Radel called the elevator they had come to a stop in front of. “What I actually wanted to discuss is related to the current issue of these… changelings.” Before he continued, the elevator arrived, and they both stepped in, Twilight needing an encouraging gesture from him. As the doors closed and the elevator began its ascent, Radel continued. “Is there an easy way for anypony to detect them?”

This caused Twilight to bring a hoof to her chin as she thought the idea over. “Well, other than noticing differences between them and the pony they replaced... It would take time to develop a tracking spell on their species.” Before Twilight could continue, the elevator arrived at their destination. She followed Radel as he led them into a wide open room, with some sort of circular table in the center and various consoles and screens spread around the room on the walls. “What is this place?” Twilight asked in curiousity.

Walking over to what Twilight thought was a table, Radel touched the side of it, making it come to life with a holographic image of the ship and the area surrounding it. “Welcome to the Command Center, Twilight. This room is meant for me to communicate with say... troops or other ships in my fleet, so I can easily and effectively give them orders.” He gestured to the device before him with the holographic images being displayed. “This holographic table allows me to see the area around me based on sensor data from it, other ships, or any other devices relaying their sensor data back to me. It’s called Tactical Control.”

Twilight walked up to the holographic table, studying it carefully. “This is amazing Radel, but what does this have to do with the changelings?” Twilight could see the use such a device would have in a battle between multiple ships under his command. But, what benefit does it give them against the changelings?

Radel then went to a console connected to the table, “You said there is currently no way of detecting them, correct?”

“Yes, there is so little known about them. Little information has been kept on changelings other than texts that have them as nothing more than a legend.” Twilight let out a huff of annoyance. “There is hardly any concrete information on their anatomy or anything else.”

This only caused Radel to shake his head in approval. “Then, it’s a good thing that I have a solution.”

Twilight looked up at Radel in excitement. “YOU DO?!”

With a big smile, Radel replied, “Of course. As I told you, other devices can relay their sensor data to me.” Radel turned his attention back to the console he was at and began to interact with it, causing the holographic display to change as he talked. “From our recent contact with them, I was able to extract a sample of their DNA. The sensors on my ship and other devices only detect key elements found in all life, so they would not be any different from a pony or tree on my scanners.” Suddenly, the display showed a device of some sort and a representation of various forms of life. “Buuuut. If I implement my sample of their DNA, any scanning equipment with it in their databanks would be able to distinct it from all other forms of life!” The display then changed to represent the ship picking up a changeling in disguise on its scans.

“That’s amazing Radel!” Twilight said in joy. “That’d help keep them from infiltrating Ponyville or anything else!”

Radel nodded his head in agreement. “Indeed. I’ve already had Athena work on implementing their DNA and other samples of pony DNA into our scanners and other equipment like it.”

Suddenly, another female voice spoke up, causing Twilight to jump in surprise. “The task is complete Commodore. So far, no changelings have been picked up in the area.”

“Thank you, Athena. That is good news.” responded Radel. Giving Twilight a warm smile, he continued. “Athena, I would like you to meet Princess Twilight Sparkle! She is one of our many new friends here in Equestria.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess Sparkle.”

Looking around curiously, Twilight replied. “I’m pleased to meet you as well Athena, but just Twilight is fine.”

“As you wish, Twilight.”

Twilight then returned her attention back to Radel. “Where is Athena anyways?” She continued looking around the room.

Radel chuckled as he watched Twilight’s reaction. “She is in the AI core room, but we’ll go there some other time.” Returning his attention back to the console he was at, he continued. “I have her working on constructing a dozen sensor arrays. They’ll be complete in the next day or two; it all depends on the state of the constructors.” The display then zoomed out to give a view of Equestria. “Anyways, with these sensor arrays, if placed correctly, we could receive the location of any changeling within Equestria!” The display then faded away as Radel stepped away from the console and approached Twilight. “Of course, I will only implement this idea with the approval of you and the other princesses.” He then bowed before her.

A small blush appeared on Twilight’s cheeks as she looked at him. “Radel, you already know I consider you a friend and don’t like it when friends act this way towards me!” She then sighed and gave him a more serious look. “But I understand you are only respecting my position. I’ll speak with Celestia and Luna tomorrow and see what they think.”

After standing back up, Radel gave Twilight a smile. “I know you don’t like that, but it’s just a great way to mess with you.” Then, his expression turned serious as well. “But I am being respectful to your position.” Heading towards the elevator again, Radel signaled for Twilight to follow.

After their short trip with the elevator, they found themselves in the hangar bay once again.

Twilight was the first to speak. “I’ll let you know what the others think once I know myself.”

Radel simply stood there, gazing at the setting sun that could be seen outside the hangar bay. “Most likely by the time you tell me their answer, I’ll be ready to put the plan into action.” He then smiled as he looked back at Twilight. “So, do you want me to give you a lift back home, or would you prefer to do it yourself?”

Twilight returned his smile and replied, “There’s no need, I’ll just teleport myself home. See you later, Radel!” And then in a flash of bright, purple light… she was gone.

Radel then returned his gaze to the setting sun, watching as the moon began to show itself as well. I only hope this plan will help protect these ponies...

Author's Note

So my next chapter is finally done! Took longer than I'd like but hey, life's a bitch sometimes. Anyways, I plan to hopefully get the next one done and out in the next week or two, all depends on how well I can get my life back in order after the death of my grandmother and the same goes for the rest of my family. That will not only effect my time available for working on my own story, but the time I have for my editing jobs for some other authors which come first! But I'll never give up!!!

Also another big thanks to my editor and friend Regreme