Chapters A new age was about to start in Equestrian history; Twilight was going to test a new device developed by the greatest Equestrian scientists and sorcerers, intended to be able to replicate the interdimensional magic of Discord and the mirror portal using only harmonious pony magic. It was a large gray metal machine with a hole towards the center, and a single diamond shaped purple crystal attached to the top. Numerous knobs and gauges were strung around it, but one thing stood out, that is, a large green lever on the side. Various ambassadors and nobles had gathered to see this new invention's activation unfold in the Canterlot Castle. Twilight and a few other ponies were busy running final checks on the devices systems to ensure it did not fail or malfunction.
"I still don't like this thing... it's not natural." said Discord, practically eyeing the machine with contempt as he floated by it.
"Discord, I've already told you that this work was made by the greatest minds in Equestria." groaned Twilight, who had become utterly pissed off with Discord's appearance of hating the machine. "It's incapable of failure."
"So they said about the Titanic , but look where it is now." pointed out Discord. "Under the sea. Some things simply weren't supposed to happen, and as a result something falls out and causes it to fail. Just as when I came back, it was not to be the tyrant I once was because your Elements turned me to stone again and then reformed me. Instead, life intended for me to become your friends... and ultimately, a better being as a whole. Wow, I just got really deep there... Writer, fix this shit."
"I agree with Discord, Twilight." said Pinkie Pie, jumping out of the central hole in the machine. "The machine's been firing my Pinkie Sense off for so long, I've adjusted to it firing whenever I'm near the machine. I don't even know why. It just seems to only fire near the machine, I think it's going to result in a doozy..."
"Discord, just like Pinkie Pie, we will never understand you and your antics. Just leave us to our work for the betterment of ponykind." replied Twilight, with an utter look of annoyance on her face.
"Bah, your funeral. I'm going to try and convince Celly and Lulu of their folly with supporting this project in the first place." he said. "And by the way, I see a lot of boats in your future." He then snapped his claws and warped next to Celestia and Luna, who were finishing talks with a few nobles, including a certain ass-a-holic.
"...And that's why this project is a terrible idea auntie!" said the pony in a tux, complete with a corsage.
"Blueblood, shut up. Just shut up." said both royal sisters simultaneously.
"I reckon I came at the wrong time to point out why the device is going to backfire." said Discord.
"Ugh, not you too..." said Celestia.
"Listen, Discord, we have been having a hard enough time trying to convince the nobles to show up. Please, just leave us be. The past few weeks have been a sheer mindbuck." added Luna.
"Hmmph, no one likes a whistle blower I guess." he said. "I don't even care that it will create a portal that will probably either teleport all of you to another dimension that may or may not be friendly or kill you in the most painful of ways possible, a first dimension crunch." With that last statement, he yanked on his face and teleported to the castle gardens to think for a brief moment.
"I always found these gardens to be a perfect place for uninterrupted deliberation..." he pondered. "I won't be able to live with myself if any of them die from this, especially Fluttershy... I know! I'll enchant the machine last second, just to ensure the warp doesn't kill them." He snaps his claws, and appears inside the machine. "Now, I just hitch this here..." He exchanged a plug out with magic. "And enchant this here..." He then made one of the interior bulbs light up in a blue hue. "And meld this here... but first, safety." He teleported a compact sautering gun and welding mask into the machine, and proceeded to use a little molten metal to bound the parts together. "...And perfect!" He then warped out from the machine, back amongst the rest of the crowd, and he whistled as he tossed his welding mask and sautering gun out one of the stained glass windows.
That day was going to be one of jubilation; had it not been for, erm, minor errors on the part of a certain pony…
“Good news everyone!” announced Princess Celestia, standing on a stage with Luna. “The new interdimensional device is now ready to be tested!” The crowd cheered as the rest Mane Six walked onto the stage. "And our Elements of Harmony are going to be the first to test it. This will be the first time anypony has successfully dimension jumped without the assitance of outside magic or influence. I hope that the dimension we see will be amicable and that we can all see the wonders that lie beyond the portal that will be created."
“Well, I guess it’s time to try the new device out, who knows what lies on the other side?” asked Twilight, looking through a book filled with various diagrams of the device. She turned three knobs that would set the (X , Y, Z) location that the group would warp to in the other dimension, along with recording the final measurements of the gauges before preparing to flip the lever.
“Wait a second…” said Pinkie, eyeing the machine. “I’ve got a bad feeling…” she said, before her entire body proceeded to bounce up and down. “IT'S GOING TO BE A DOOZY!!!!” she screamed, accidentally bumping into, and effectively snapping, the lever of the machine. It whirred and fired, energy coursing through the central hole and out the crystal at the top of the device.
"Why can't one day go by without something gone horribly wrong occuring?" asked Rarity as the machine whirred violently, before creating seemingly green trianglular warp portal that lead to a black zone.
"I told you this would happen..." said Discord as he dove into the portal in the fashion of a professional diver.
It began to grow steadily larger as nobles and ambassadors panicked and fled, only one thought went through Twilight’s head as she too, was swallowed by the dark, triangular portal;
“Today’s just not my day.”
It is… the Golden Age of Exploration of the Universe, a second coming of technology and culture in the beautiful world of the Royal Empire and Procyon Regime. Solar powered light ships ply the etherium of deep space, bringing colonists and trade to every corner of the galaxy. But even a golden age, of course, has its dangers. Some natural, such as black holes and solar storms, and some, decidedly less so. Where there are traders, there also pirates, always ready to prey on the unwary. Within the Empire, such crimes do not go unpunished. Those who would disturb the peace must face the Royal Navy, an elite squadron of her Majesty’s finest light ships. The Queen’s royal light ships have defended the Empire for over two centuries. Whether fighting pirates or Procyon invaders, the Royal Navy has alway been victorious, until now. Just as we, the Royal Empire and the Procyons are on the verge of peace, a new menace has appeared on the frontier. A menace which cloaks itself in mystery, and leaves no clue but destruction. A menace that may be too powerful for anyone to defeat…
“Personal Log:” said Mr. Jim Hawkins, a up and coming Royal Navy recruit. He was recording a datalog in his small torpedo boat’s cabin that he had started in his first years as a Navy cadet. “Jim Hawkins, Ensign. Entry Number 57.” The ship flew past a small enclave of islands.
“I hate final exams…”
“Today’s just not my day…” he thought.
*FLASH*
“AGH!!!” shouted several feminine voices that seemingly came out of nowhere but the Etherium.
“What on earth is going on out there?” he said aloud, walking through a small hallway in the ship.
“Sir!” said Mr. Onyx, Jim’s first mate. Mr. Onyx was the nephew of a deceased friend of Jim’s, Samuel Arrow. The two were extremely similar, but Mr. Onyx was a lot taller. Both were of Cragorian origin, giving them skin of rock, somewhat reflective of their disposition that was more akin to steel. “There appears to be… multicolored ponies that have warped onto the deck!”
“Mr. Onyx… did someone spike your coffee with LSD this morning?” asked Jim.
"I couldn't have made that up even if I had tried, Sir." answered Mr. Onyx.
Jim walked out of the cabin to receive a very peculiar sight. He saw that the helmsman had stopped the ship, and everyone on board, including Mr. Onyx were gawking at six, multicolored ponies that were lying in a pile on the deck, just next to the main mast. This was, as is expected by first contact between species, characterized by an awkward silence.
“Um… Hi?” asked Twilight to the strange menagerie of creatures that had surrounded them.
“Oh thank God they can speak,” said the helmsman. "Royal English at that..."
“Helmsman, calm down.” said Mr. Onyx. “I am sorry for your… unexpected arrival on board the RLS Comet, Miss…?”
“Twilight. Twilight Sparkle.” she said. “And these are my friends, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy.” At the stating of the final name, the crew, minus Jim and Mr. Onyx finally could not contain their laughter anymore and proceeded to laugh up a solar storm. "I'm serious, we were warped here by accident..." she slowly trailed off as the crew kept the uproarous laughter that was louder than carronade fire coming from four pirate vessels.
“Enough!” shouted Jim. “I am the leader of this fine vessel, Ensign Jim Hawkins. This is one of the Royal Light Ships (RLS) of the Navy, and we…” he said, semi-glaring at his crew. “Will make sure that you are taken care of until we can identify a port at which to drop you off. Most likely it will be the Crescentia, but that will have to wait I am afraid until after a brief excursion. You see, this vessel was on its way to an exam; one that would be my final exam to become a full fledged captain of the Royal Navy. So feel free to move about as you like until we come to a port, and you are free to help as you like, but when the exam starts, I would hope that you do not interrupt. I shall now return to my quarters to finish recording a datalog entry while Mr. Onyx shows you around the ship.”
“Yes, sir.” answered Mr. Onyx in turn. “If you would all kindly follow me,” he said as he lead the group of ponies around the small torpedo boat. Jim gradually walked back inside his cabin after Mr. Onyx began to explain what exactly was a light ship in the first place. “Well... seeing as you do not know what a light ship is, it is a wooden construct that is equipped with sails that absorb the energy of light, hence the name light ship. As you can see, we are current in the wide expanse of space, now cruising steadily… Ahem, cruising steadily…” he cleared his throat to signal to the helmsman to start the vessel again. “Through the Etherium. We are currently heading for a nearby sector at emergency full, and we use four speeds on our vessels. Full Stop, Ahead Slow, Ahead Full, and Emergency Full. We are at Emergency Full because we are late for the final exam of Mr. Hawkins. Now… Any questions?”
“Actually… a thousand.” said Twilight.
“Please don’t let egghead get started. We’ll be here all day.” said Rainbow.
“Actually, we aren’t going to be there for another thirty minutes, I’m afraid. So, fire away. And no, I do NOT mean the torpedo tubes,” he shouted loud enough for the gunners to get the message.
“Well... where are we right now?” asked Twilight.
“We told you, the RLS Comet.” replied Mr. Onyx.
“No, this place… it looks so much like the night skies that Princess Luna made back home. Full of stars…”
“I take it your species hasn’t mastered space travel yet, then.” he said with a chuckle.
“We’re in space!?!?” the entire groups of ponies said, shocked.
“But that doesn’t make any sense!” said Twilight. “According to numerous calculations done by spectrographers from the days of Starswirl the Bearded, space is supposed to be devoid of all air and atmosphere…”
“Before the Golden Age, our kind thought that too.” he said understandingly. “The truth is that there is a unique substance that allows people and... apparently ponies to breathe even in space, called Etherium. It has properties of water, making currents and such, yet is as easy to pass through as air. It allows our ships to move, only partially, as our ships are actually powered on the light of the stars, using solar sails that retain the energy. Effectively, we can move extremely rapidly without sacrificing efficiency and beauty in our vessels. They can be decorated without losing their overall practicality.”
“I did wonder why you claimed this ornate ship was a naval vessel…” said Rarity, looking at the careful wood carving on the railings of the torpedo boat.
“I wouldn’t be too focused on the beauty of the vessel, rather I would be focused on the gorgeous way the stars look. I’ve always found the Etherium blissfully… stunning.” Mr. Onyx said as he stared at the stars surrounding the approaching settlement known as the Crescentia.
“Wait, if this is a warship, where’s all your cool weapons or whatever?” asked Rainbow Dash.
"Helmsman, asteroid!" shouted the spotter, sitting comfortably in the crow's nest.
“Well, as you can see, this basic Stinger-class Torpedo Boat is equipped with a light laser lancer at the bow and a pair of torpedo tubes on the port and starboard sides of the vessel. I believe a demonstration is in order..." he said. "Men, ready the torpedos. This will be good target practice." The crew members began to load a small, black shell each into the long silver tubes on the sides of the ship. Two men, on the other hand, were charging the lancer mount at the bow.
"Fire!" shouted Mr. Onyx.
"Torpedos away!" shouted the spotter, who watched as the torpedo shot out rapidly.
The torpedos reduced the rock to fragments, leaving only small pebbles that the lancer easily took care of.
"Mr. Onyx, what on earth are you doing?!?" asked Jim, rushing out of the cabin's door.
"Asteroid, sir. Was directly in the ship's path, I took the most appropriate action." responded Onyx.
"Very well, I will be back in the cabin if you need me." he said, walking calmly back to the cabin, closing the door behind him.
"Well that was thrilling it seems..." he said, giving a smug looking to Rainbow, who currently had her jaw dropped. "Anyway, If you are interested in wanting to know more about the ship, the crew members are always focused on their positions; all of them love their jobs. But before you proceed to walk freely around the ship, may I ask where you six came from? And what exactly... would you would you call yourselves."
"We are from a country called Equestria. We were testing a transdimensional device when Pinkie Pie here accidentally crashed into it. The ruined device triggered a chain of events that, well..." she trailed off.
"Wound up transporting your group to our world?" he finished for her.
"Yes. Sadly, we have no idea on how to get home..." she said.
"We might be able to explain your plight to Parliament officials and they could get some of the royal scientists to try and recreate a device to send you back, but that would take a while." ended Mr. Onyx.
"There is one final thing I wanted to ask, may I borrow some books on this world?" she asked. "It might help me to make this transfer between worlds more fluid."
"You are going to have to ask Mr. Hawkins about that, as he has a small library in his captain's quarters." he answered. "He will most likely say yes, but I can't guarantee anything."
“Thank you for your help on getting us acquainted with this new dimension, Mr....?” asked Twilight.
“Mr. Onyx. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Sparkle.”
Meanwhile, in the Captain’s quarters of the RLS Comet:
“As I was saying… I hate final exams." resumed Jim. "I wasn’t nearly this nervous when pirates were chasing us all over Treasure Planet. I really shouldn’t be this tense at all. I mean, it’s only my entire naval career hanging on how well my crew and I do during this graduation exercise. Not to mention these strange ponies that have seemingly warped in out of the Etherium, but that can wait for now. I’ve been assigned command of a Stinger-class torpedo boat. A sweet little craft, fast and maneuverable. Still… it’s a lot more than the solar surfer I’m used to. Now if I could only keep my voice from shaking when I give commands and preventing these ponies from getting in the way of the crew I should be in business. Here’s hoping I manage to get us through the final exam without making any mistakes.”
He looked out one of the windows, into the Etherium surrounding the Crescentia. It was always a breathtaking sight, and it was one of the better things to do next to solar surfing, Jim's favorite pastime. The were approaching the Crescentia, and quickly passed over the settlements on the structure that gave of vibrant light.
"I hope Silver's alright." Jim thought. "It's been forever since we've talked, and the world just keeps getting weirder each day, with these strange ponies appearing out of nowhere but the Etherium, and the new, unknown iron menace coming out of the frontiers of the Empire. I just hope that after my crew and I pass this exam, that we will all be okay in the end. Perhaps these ponies might even prove helpful... But that's a long shot, even thought they seem intelligent. A whole new country doesn't appear from nothing, and it would only complicate the peace proceedings between the Empire and the Procyons. I can only pray things end well so that the Royal Empire can get the Procs to sign the treaty and put our minds to ease at last."
Mission 1: The Final Exam
Thirty Minutes Later…
The small torpedo boat approached an archipelago of floating islands, and on the edge of said archipelago lied several navy ships, including a pair of warsloops, another torpedo boat, a decorated heavy escort ship, and a trio of Fast Frigates. The ponies on board the RLS Comet looked at the amazing ships in awe.
“Mr. Hawkins, thank you for joining us this morning.” said the leader of the heavy escort ship, projecting her voice over a naval communication channel. “For those of you coming from other training academies, I am Admiral Amelia and it is my job to usher you into full service with this final series of exercises.”
“Well… here we go.” said Jim, with a look of concern on his face, standing in front of the captain’s quarter’s doors.
“All vessels are to use dummy loads in their weapons and pay strict attention to my commands.” said the Admiral.
“Hey, Spike would have been useful here…” commented Rainbow Dash.
“Hey! He might not be the brightest pony, but he’s… helpful.” said Twilight.
“Mr. Hawkins, what is that commotion on board your vessel?” asked the Admiral.
“Nothing mam!” he answered nervously. “We… umm… rescued a lifeboat of civilians. We couldn’t leave them behind, and if we dropped them off at the Crescentia we would have been late for the exam.”
“Very well, Mr. Hawkins. But keep them in check for the duration of the exam.” she said.
“Yes mam!” he replied nervously.
“Now, you may have noticed the three fast frigates from Her Majesty’s 32nd Strike Flotilla.” she informed the group of vessels. “These distinguished ships have volunteered to be your targets for the first scenario. You students will set a course to bring your flotilla to the west of the Montressor Archipelago.”
“Heh, wish them luck…” said Jim.
“Swing south below the archipelago, then attack the frigates by cutting through the small islands to engage them on the other side. This exercise will test how well you’ve learned to use the speed and maneuverability of smaller craft. Consult your maps and set course now.”
“You heard the Admiral, Mr. Onyx! Let’s get out there and be the first to hit them!” said Jim.
“Aye sir, bringing the engines to full power.” said Mr. Onyx. “Helmsman, set the course! Riggers, open the solar sails!” The ship’s engines began to kick in, and accelerated to a steady speed.
“Can we start speaking again, Mr. Rock Guy?” asked Pinkie Pie.
“Yes miss, the communication channel is closed…” he said, looking at the pony awkwardly as she was directly behind him, then gone in an instant.
“Alright, remember men; this is our final exam; we should do this easily, and hopefully without error.”
“Umm… Mr. Hawkins, was it?” asked Twilight as she walked up to him.
“Yes?” he asked in a slightly irritated tone.
“I was wondering if I could look into some of the books in your quarters, as I believe it will allow me to understand this world better…”
“Very well, in fact that would probably be a better place for you all right now, as I am extremely tense right now. I am rather worried…”
“I understand that testing feeling, I always had it when I was a student…” said Twilight.
“It’s terrible isn’t it? Anyway, you can go now. I am afraid my crew and I have to focus…” he said, walking towards one of the riggers. “Good job on the rigging!”
“Well he’s not exactly nice.” said Applejack as she walked towards Twilight.
“He’s stressed out, you know I get the same way when I take tests.” she replied.
“Yeah, only you get ten times worse partner.” Applejack said in response.
Before Twilight could react, however, a certain pegasus was giving the first mate of the vessel a hard time.
“Please, stay on the ship miss!” he said.
“Pfft, Why?” she asked.
“Because, the other ships might mistake you as one of the various hostile birds that inhabit the islands!” he shouted. “All ships are equipped with equipment to blast such creatures out of the etherium!”
“Please, I’m the fastest flier in Equestria. I can outrun a…” she said before a laser lancer from a nearby warsloop grazed her wingtips. “AHHH!!!” she screamed as she started to fall.
“Ah shit, I got ya!” he said. He already had experience before, as their spotter had a good eye, but terrible coordination, causing him to fall regularly. He quickly caught her in his arms as she fell, praying to God it was just a minor wound.
“Gah…” she said.
“My god…” he said, seeing how the wing was scorched by the lancer. The laser lancers had never been tested directly on a person; the only known targets they had ever been pointed at were ships and hostile wildlife. “Sir!!! SIR!!!! MR. HAWKINS!!!!!” he yelled for Mr. Hawkins.
“Vessel spotted sir!” said the spotter, noticing the fast frigates in the distance. “Oh my…” he said as he looked down at the scene below him.
“What is it now-” he said, before seeing the scene before him. “What the hell happened?” He rushed towards the pair.
“I flew a little too high and got shot at…” she said, somewhat embarrassed.
“Rainbow Dash!” shouted Twilight and Applejack, both galloping towards their friend.
“Luckily we have an onboard doctor in case of these accidents. Take her to the infirmary, fast.” said Jim.
“Yes sir.” he responded, carrying her down one of the hatches on the deck.
“And as for the rest of you…” said Mr. Hawkins. “Before any more of you get hurt, please go into my personal quarters. A ship this small doesn’t have a real room where I can receive visitors. So please just stay there… If something arises, I shall get all of you-”
“There are the frigates from the 32nd now. Students, attack! Try to get as many torpedo strikes as you can in two minutes.” interrupted the admiral over the communication channel.
“Great…” said Jim. “All hands, battlestations!” said Jim.
“Fire!” said the torpedoman on the starboard side.
“Quick…” said Jim, talking out of the side of his mouth. “Get inside my cabin. Now.”
“Alright…” said Twilight, and the rest of the group got the message soon enough.
“Aww… I was just starting to have fun.” said Pinkie Pie as Twilight had to drag her away from the the man who was charging the lancer at the front bow.
The group went inside the captain’s quarters, which luckily was not fully apart of the communication channel; various commands of the Admiral went through to the ponies, but not all of the course and the group could not be heard from within the room. The cabin itself was small, with several bookcases along one side. The room was notable for several framed maps on the wall, alongside a desk with an ink pen and more stacked maps and star charts. Regular books and holo-books lined the shelves, and there was one framed picture on the desk. But it wasn’t like the rest of the room, which seemed almost entirely lawful and civil. The picture showed a strange being, clothed in pirate attire and equipped with a tricorn hat. That, however, was where the objects the ponies recognized ended, as a strange black flag with a white alien skull and rings blew behind him. But the strangest thing about him was his appearance. He was a bit like a humanoid diamond dog, just without canine teeth. He also appeared to be part machine, with a strange laser device where his left eye should have been, a strange mechanism with a sword attached where his arm ought to have been, and an odd compression device where his leg was missing.
“Who is this…” asked Twilight, but something seemed to have stirred. A rattling noise was heard.
“Oh dear… not something else…” said Fluttershy, completely shaken by the events of the past few hours.
“Eyehe!” gurgled a small creature that flew out a nearby cabinet. A cabinet that Rarity was a little too close to.
“KILL IT!!!” she screamed, as it flew around the room at a fast pace.
“Kill it, kill it!” it screamed as it… turned into a miniature Rarity.
“Okay… That’s weirder than most stuff we deal with on a regular basis.” said Twilight.
“Regular basis.” it said as it turned into a miniature Twilight.
“The hay?” Said Applejack as it turned into her simultaneously and said the exact same thing. “Stop that!” she said as it turned into what was apparently its regular form: a small, gelatinous pink blob with a pair of white eyes with black pupils.
“Woohehehe!” it said.
“Aww… it’s actually kind of cute…” said Fluttershy as it made a soft noise.
“I heard a scream, what is it?” asked Mr. Hawkins as he walked into the quarters. “Ah, I see you’ve met Morphy.”
“Who?” asked the ponies.
“Morph, he’s a… well, morph.” he said.
“Awah!” said the gelatinous blob.
“You couldn’t have warned us that that was here?” asked Rarity.
“Hey, when you live with him you get used to it.” replied Jim. “He was a pet of an old friend of mine…” he said as he picked up the picture on his desk.
“Who is that?” asked Twilight, naturally curious about who the strange being was in the picture.
“A rather amicable pirate I met five years ago. He was almost like a father to me…” he said as he reminisced.
“A pirate?” asked Twilight.
“Yeah, I was on a crew of the ship piloted by the Admiral when she was a captain. The cook on board was planning on leading a mutiny, and I was on board because I had a… actually, I believe it’s better to show you the device that I barely managed to save from that trip.” He reached into the same cabinet that morph was hiding in, and pulls out a small bronze sphere. He pushes a few buttons, and spins some of its cross sections before it erupts into green light. The light eventually settles down, revealing many green holograms of stars, planets, and what appears to be a hole in the hologram. The hologam also showed a flat, holographic 'table' towards the center of the room, with small projections of ships on it along with various islands and a nebula.
“This… is a map that a dying man gave me on his last breathe.” he started to say. “He gave me it, and me and the doctor on board this vessel went off on an adventure to get to the planet where a secret treasure was. The cook had made sure every person on the vessel, minus the first mate Mr. Arrow, the Captain, and of course me and the Doctor, knew that the mutiny was going to happen. The crew made a few mistakes, and sprung the mutiny early because of a few problems caused by me. Mr. Arrow was killed by one of the crew members just before the mutiny, and he pinned it on me not securing his lifeline. This was a lie, and eventually one thing came to another and we barely managed to escape with a portion of the riches of the planet before it imploded. The cook wasn’t fully on board with the mutiny and ended up saving me, the captain, the doctor, and a castaway robot we found on the planet. The cook left the ship on the way back on a lifeboat loaded with treasure to make himself a new crew and left me Morphy and the remainder of the treasure.”
“Red and Blue teams, engage! And remember, when a flag turns black, it means that ship is considered destroyed and all its systems will deactivate until the end of the battle.” could be heard from outside the cabin.
“I’m sorry, there’s a lot more to the story than that, but I am afraid that will have to wait. All I really did was give you a basic gist.” He shifted the sphere back to its original form. “I’ll get to you all later…” he said, rushing out of the quarters.
Meanwhile, below deck in the infirmary…
“Doctor!” shouted Mr. Onyx as he carried Dash into the infirmary. The edges of her wings look blackened but the rest was fine. She was slightly whimpering at this point, but other than that fine. The infirmary itself was a room with various medical cabinets, an operating table in the center of the room, and three tables with diagrams and supplies sprawled across them. A man was sewing a gash on another man while a robot was writing in a leather bound book at one of the tables.
“What is it now Mr. Onyx? I was just finishing patching up a crew member.” said the man, not looking up from the man he was inspecting.
“We have an a civilian injury we need you to fix.” he replied.
“What is it? Laser musket, by the sword, or accident?” he asked again.
“I presume you would call it accidental discharge of a laser lancer. Also, the civilian isn’t exactly, erm... ordinary.”
“Well, what type of being is it?” asked the doctor. “Couldn’t be any type of species I am unfamiliar with.”
“Well I don’t presume you know how to take care of a cyan, rainbow maned pegasus with a burnt wing.” he said in a gruff voice.
“Did Mr. Hawkins slip LSD into your coffee again?” he asked, starting to look up.
“That was one time Mr. Doppler, one time. And it was not a trick I hope that Mr. Hawkins and B.E.N. repeat.”
“Hey, don’t bring me into this,” said B.E.N, as he finished writing. “You know we work… is that a pegasus? Or has the memory chip from the back of my head been yanked out again?”
“Yes, there is an injured cyan pegasus in my arms right now. In fact, there are five other equines on his ship in Mr. Hawkin’s cabin as we speak. This one flew above the ship and was mistaken for one of the hostile avians of the nearby islands by a warsloop. The warsloop reacted by firing a light laser lancer that grazed her wing.”
“You know I hate the medical profession, but at least I get to adventure with Mr. Hawkins again. Too bad they didn’t need an on board navigator.”
“Yes yes, we’ve been through this before Dilbert. Please, she needs immediate medical attention.”
“Alright, B.E.N, I am finishing the stitches on this poor fellow’s arms, please help Miss…?”
“Dash.” said the injured pegasus.
“Miss Dash with her injury.”
“I got it, Doctor.” the robot said, taking her from Mr. Onyx. “Don’t worry, you will be okay…”
“This all so new…” said Twilight as she looked through the pile of books she had amassed from Mr. Hawkin’s library.
“I don’t know if Mr. Hawkins would appreciate ya making a mess out of his bookcases like that…” said Applejack as she fiddled with the bronze sphere Jim left behind.
“Don't worry, I will put the books back when I am done...Ugh, some of this print is just way too small to read, though. Wished I could read it…” she said.
“Okee.” said Morph as he turned into a magnifying glass.
“Wha- well, thanks.” Twilight said, picking the Morph-magnifying glass up.
“Well he sure is interesting.” said Applejack. “And apparently practical.”
“Blast and bother, cease fire." could be heard from the communication channel. "I’ve just gotten word that Royal Navy Tender Providence is under attack by pirates. We’re the only group close enough to stop the blackguards from running off with the Tender! Break off and head due south at full speed. Engage any pirate vessel you see and show them what it means to poach this close to Crescentia! But be careful, this is not an exercise any more -- the pirates will be firing real laser cannons!”
“Umm… that does not sound good.” said Applejack, eyeing Twilight as if she was going to do something.
“Well… I think we should leave the professionals to their jobs.” she said.
“We were the professionals back in Equestria. You know how idiotic the military was back there, the royal guards were basically… what d’ya call’em? Those suicidal rodents?”
“Lemmings?” asked Twilight.
“Exactly. Lemmings. Only ten times more stupid.”
“Okay, first of all: the lemming suicide thing is a myth that was made up to amuse less intelligent ponies and to make readily available anecdotes for beings that die easily,” she corrected. “And secondly, the guards aren’t entirely incompetent. Just the vast majority of them.”
“Well, I’m going to go make sure they don’t need any help out there…” she said.
“Enemy vessel destroyed sir!” could be heard through the channel.
“See, they are competent enough.” said Twilight.
“They are competent enough!” said Morph, turning into a small, five years younger Jim, a spitting image of the lad before he joined the navy.
“Well... I guess we should go see what's going on out there anyway.” said Twilight, opening the door with her magic.
“Alright, let's get a headcount…” said Mr. Hawkins as a prison barge came alongside the boat.
“What happened out here?” said Twilight, staring in awe as a ship was floating past them as it disintegrated into the Etherium.
“Pirate vessel was stealing a Naval Tender. Had to save it, we just collected their lifeboat. We're conducting a head count right now.”
“Okay... so what about your test?” asked Twilight.
“We passed, and the Admiral commended me and my crew for saving the tender. I am officially a Lieutenant of the Royal Navy. Anyway… wait, is that… TurnBuckle?” he asked as he looked at a cephalopodan helmsman that was calling for his name.
“Jim! Jim, I am not going to ask for favors, but I have to tell you: Silver says, ‘Beware!’” he said as he pressed a lump of black stone into Jim’s hand. He then immediately walked back into the line of prisoners.
“TurnBuckle, wait!” he shouted before the alien went aboard the barge with the rest of the prisoners. “That was… odd.”
“Sir! I have a small amount of news…” said Mr. Onyx, walking up from the interior of the craft.
“Yes?” asked Jim.
“I just finished a private conversation with the Admiral… and she apparently had three beings warp onto her ship as well. They want to speak with the ponies soon…”
“It must be the royal sisters and Spike…” murmured Twilight.
“Very well, send them in a little bit. I am going to record a data log entry before I do so.”
“Also, we’ve managed to secure space in the crew’s quarters of the ship for the ponies… They actually want them to stay.” said Mr. Onyx.
“Well… I don’t see why not now that the Admiral has approved them.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hawkins.” said Twilight.
“You’re welcome.” he said as he went inside the ship’s cabin.
Datalog Entry Number 58:
“In a day full of surprises, I found the strangest one after the battles were all over. As we hauled the last of the pirate prisoners aboard, I was surprised to hear my name called out. It was TurnBuckle, one of John Silver’s old crew; a face and form I hadn’t seen since my adventure to Treasure Planet, five years ago. I thought he was going to ask to be set free because we knew each other, but all he did was stumble up to me and press a lump of dark matter into my hand. “Silver says, ‘Beware!’” was all TurnBuckle told me. Before I question him further, he ducked back into line, and was herded off to the prison barge with the rest of the prisoners. By the time I found a moment to get back to my quarters with the ruckus these ponies caused and examine the rock, my mind was filled with a thousand thoughts of the old pirate I hadn’t seen in so many years. I had heard rumors of him from time to time… some whispers of his ship being seen on smuggling runs, or even that he had turned privateer, and was preying on Procyon shipping fleets in the name of Queen and Empire. I was still deep in thought when little Morphy, the pet Silver had given me all those years ago, jumped up on my desk and began to chirp and spin. To my amazement, he suddenly changed into a miniature version of old John Silver and croaked, ‘Beware! Beware!’ as if he had understood something that had evaded me. Despite Morphy’s tricks, I am no closer to an answer about either problem, the ponies and what has happened to Silver. Could Silver have been trying to warn me about those strange, new, iron ships on the frontier, or some sort of new pirate threat closer to home? Without Silver here all I have is more questions. And so, I’m left with these ponies to try and understand this message -- the one word Silver had to say -- and I can’t know whether it is a threat or a warning from the cyborg that befriended me years ago. Silver says, ‘Beware!’ and I would have to be.”
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Intermission 01: Meetings and The Crescentia
Intermission 01: Meetings and The Crescentia 1
After the prison barge had left along with the other students’ ships, the heavy escort ship, the RLS Lyonesse, stopped next to the Comet and proceeded set planks for boarding. Jim, however, wanted to keep these ponies a secret for a while, and as a result, asked them to stay in his cabin for a small bit. A red haired woman dressed in naval blue attire proceeded to walk across one of the set planks and walked straight to Jim.
“Ah, Lieutenant, again I commend you and your crew on the bravery you showed against those cowardly pirates.” said Admiral Amelia. “But I believe we have a much more… pressing issue.”
“What is it, ma’am?” Jim asked.
“As I believe Mr. Onyx has told you, three creatures warped onto my ship roughly thirty minutes prior to your arrival, Lt. Hawkins.” she replied. “Two are equines with wings and horns that claim to be immortal, and one was a decent sized lizard that seemed similar to the space dragons of the volcanic sectors. The crew sadly knocked said lizard out with a sedative syringe as soon as it appeared, as I was in my quarters making final preparations when they appeared. I was not told they were there until five minutes later. Last I checked, they had placed said lizard in one of the crew hammocks. And that was a nice adlib about how you rescued a lifeboat on the way out here, Mr. Hawkins.”
“What do you mean, ma’am?” he asked, sweating a little bit.
“I believe another group, specifically of six equines of various colors warped onto you ships thirty minutes before we started the exam and you hid them to avoid catching any suspicions. Am I correct, Mr. Onyx?” she said while turning her head towards the man of stone.
“He is guilty as charged, Admiral.” he said, trying to stifle his laughter..
“Thanks for that, Mr. Onyx.” said Jim, clearly ticked.
“No need to thank me, sir.” he said, full out laughing at this point..
“Tell them they can come out now.” she ordered.
“Umm… yes ma’am.” he said.
“And Jim, you should come out of your shell. You’ve built up a facade over the years in the academy, lighten up. I still remember that rebellious youth from Treasure Planet, and that I believe will be much more successful than this… falsification of the man I once knew.”
“Yes Admiral!” he said, opening the door to his cabin and rushing off.
Twilight had resumed reading Jim’s collection of books, and Morph had resume the magnifying glass shape. She had just finished another book when Jim came into the room that the ponies were in.
“Good news everyone…” he said, in a rather excited voice. “The Admiral wants to meet you all.”
“Really?” asked Twilight.
“I didn’t think you were gonna tell ‘em about us, since it would cause a ruckus.” said Applejack, giving him a strange look.
“My lug of a first mate told her that you were all on the ship in a private communication channel without my consent.” he said in good humor.
.
“Yay! More new ponies to meet!” said Pinkie Pie.
“Pinkie, as para usual, calm down.” said Twilight.
“You’re lucky me and the Admiral are on amicable terms.” he joked again. “Anyway, here we go.” He opened the door and lead the group, tailed by Morph, outside the cabin.
When the group exited the cabin, Mr. Onyx and Admiral Amelia were talking with a pair of alicorns, one alabaster, the other naval blue. But next to them was a hammock tied up into a bag, snoring extremely loudly.
“Ah, thank goodness you all are okay!” said Celestia. “I thank you for taking care of my ponies, Mr. Hawkins.”
“You’re welcome, ma’am.” he said.
“These are the diarchs of the land of Equestria, Mr. Hawkins.” said Admiral Amelia. “They are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, controllers of the Sun and Moon that orbit their planet. The snoring, makeshift hammock bag is Twilight’s semi-useless, semi-lazy assistant, Spike.”
“Am I the only who sticks up for him?” asked Twilight as Spike let out a loud snore.
“His snoring is not exactly helping your case.” said Mr. Onyx.
“Wha-” came out of the bag. “Hey, let me out! This isn’t funny guys!” he said.
“Should we let him out?” asked Mr. Onyx.
“I have a better idea. Luna, make fall asleep again.” Celestia said as she rolled her eyes.
“Hey, just let him out!” said Twilight.
“He’s going to cause more harm than good right now, Twilight.” said Luna, using a tiny bit of magic to make Spike fall asleep again.
“Thanks a lot…” she grumbled.
“Pish-posh.” said Amelia. “And now that you are here… your diarchs and I have come to a conclusion on a pressing issue.”
“Yes?” asked Twilight.
“Apparently, a chaotic entity from your world has gone missing after the explosion.” said Amelia. “As a result, I shall require you six and your assistant here to stay on Mr. Hawkins’ vessel for the entire proceeds of the peace treaty. A diplomatic Procyon fleet is currently on its way to Parliament, where I shall introduce Celestia and Luna to the representatives and Queen after we deal with a few minor problems, including a pirate base.”
“Umm… What.” said Jim.
“I am leaving you in charge of these six.” ordered Amelia. “Take good care of them and treat them as you would any other crew member, perhaps better. They are effectively representatives of their nation, and can fight. Do not underestimate them, Mr. Hawkins.”
“Yes ma’am?” he said, still confused.
“Treat them as you would an escort mission. For all practical purposes, it is an escort mission without a destination for now. They most likely can help on all jobs except for handling the weaponry. Now, get your new crew members accustomed; you are now effectively on break until tomorrow, and I shall need you to meet me at one of the smaller archipelagoes at 0900 hours. Am I clear?”
“Crystal.” said Jim.
“Very well. I shall acquaint Celestia and Luna with the Crescentia, and I recommend you do the same with the others. You have a busy time frame, as the day is still young. Congratulations on passing, Lieutenant.”
“Yes ma’am.” he said.
“Thank you again, Mr. Hawkins. I do not know what I would do if these six ponies were harmed.” Celestia said.
“You’re welcome, ma’am.” he said. Amelia and the two princesses reboarded the Lyonesse as its sails flared, sending the ship off after the boards were removed.
“Well now…” Jim said. “What are we gonna do with this lazy bag of purps?” He gestured to the snoring, tied up hammock bag.
“Just let him sleep it off I guess unless you can undo it…” said Twilight.
“Option A it is then. Mr. Onyx, can you place him in the crew’s quarters?” Jim decided.
“Yes, sir.” said Mr. Onyx. “He certainly doesn’t weigh the same as a bag of purps, sir.” he said, heaving the sack of Spike onto his back.
“Be careful with him!” said Twilight. “He’s still young, you know.”
“I am personally more afraid for the wood of the ship if I were to drop the sack than its contents.” he said, laughing as he walked underneath to the crew quarters.
“Well… I suppose we should get to know each other a bit better after setting course to the Crescentia.” Jim said. “Helmsman! Set course for the Crescentia at Ahead Full!”
“Yes sir, Cruising Speed!” said the Helmsman in response.
“So what do you want to know?” asked Twilight.
“I… actually have over a thousand, but roughly two-thirds have nothing to do with your group.” Jim replied. “I may as well ask the other third. So…it might seem much to ask, but perhaps I am going to need, to quote a great work, a brief history of your world.”
“Wel-” started Twilight, before Applejack covered her mouth to stop her.
“I hate to stop this, but how far away is this Crescentia?” Applejack asked. “She will take a long time if you let her start I’m afraid.”
“We have a good amount of time before we get there, I’m afraid. Go on ahead, Twilight.”
“I can’t wait to start…” she said.
Prior to this situation, a decent sized pirate vessel drifted through the etherium on the edges of the Procyon Territories. The ship flew a common pirate flag, an alien skull with crossed rings. It had a large cabin, decent hull, and large sails with decent engines. The ship had one name, a simple name that fit the man who sailed it as Captain: The Argentum .
“We’re onto those etherium currents lads, as soon as we get to those Proc frontiers, we’ll be hauling the whole o’ their treasures lads!” said the captain. The captain waved his ‘arm,’ a metal appendage that the captain augmented himself.
“Ay, captain!” replied the loyal crew.
“Steady as she goes,” the man said. I’ll be in me cabin if ye need me.” He walked into the captain’s quarters towards the back of the ship. While sitting at his desk. he started to repair the bolts on his right ‘leg,’ another cybernetic device that also had a myriad of uses just like his arm. However, a small flash of light left something… incredibly strange to the pirate’s eye.
“What in the name of holy Mary are ye?” he asked.
“I might would like to ask the same of you, my fine sir.” it responded. The creature was a combination of parts from numerous animals, ranging from parts of reptiles to that of mammals.
“Hmm… I believe ye might be helpful.” he said. “Say… ‘ave you ever heard of a lad named Jim Hawkins?”
“No, but I would like to inquire who you are, and what you are?” the creature asked.
“An old cyborg. Name’s Silver, John Silver.” he said.
“I’ve never seen such as creature, you appear to be composed of tissue and metal at the same time…” added the creature.
“Ah, I get that a lot. Cyborg’s aren’t too common, now, are they? But I’ve never seen a creature such as yer self to be fair…” Silver said.
“I am a Draconequus; the one and only, and my name is Discord, spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. Sadly, I appear to have been thrust into this dimension without a guide.”
“How interested would ye be in becoming a space privateer wit me? I be in need of a first mate…” he said.
“I humbly accept your proposition!” Discord answered immediately. “So where are we off to?”
“Procyon frontiers.” said Silver. “We’re robbing those bogarts dry of their wealth in the name of old Queeny.”
“Excellent, as I believe I have an objective of my own already. See, I’ve figured out now during this conversation where the entropy of this world lies, and the only signature from my world lies in the home territories of your Queen near some strange crescent shape…”
“The Crescentia. We can go there later, I’m still a wee bit of a wanted man, even though I perform my work in the name of the Queen. I believe that’s where ol’ Jimbo is too anyway, so we’ll just take down a few procs and head that way.” he finished.
“Very well, Captain Silver!” Discord said, teleporting in a flash.
“And so, that’s how Equestria was made.” said Twilight as the Torpedo Boat proceeded to cruise to the reserved dock position.
“Wah- oh, thanks for that.” said a slowly awaking Jim, who had been resting his weight on the wooden railings of the ship.
“I started to ramble, didn’t I?” she asked, turning away from the railing.
“Why don’t you ask your friends and Mr. Onyx?” he said, gesturing to his first mate who had fallen asleep while sitting next to his cabin door. The other four ponies had fallen asleep next to him.
“Jim!” shouted a voice coming up from the lower parts of the deck.
“Coming Doctor,” he yelled in response. “I believe you probably want to check up on your friend, don’t you?”
“Of course,” replied Twilight, following the lieutenant to the lower deck of the ship. They entered the medbay, seeing a patched up Rainbow and a robot applying the last band of gauze.
“Jim, I never really got a chance to ask this, but why did I get sent a wounded cyan pegasus roughly an hour ago?” asked Doctor Doppler.
“Because, simply, shit happens Doc.” he said in response. “They don’t really know themselves how they got here other than through the manipulation of a transdimensional device.”
“She really should have been more careful…” he said.
“Ugh, you sound just like my parents.” said Rainbow.
“Well, at least THEY had common sense apparently.” he said. “I remember when Jim here used to fly his Solar Surfer into restricted areas, and his poor mother had to pay the fines for it! That’s what happens when you’re reckless!” Delbert finished.
“But he’s a successful naval guy now…” she argued.
“However, he wouldn’t be in one piece right now had it not been for the little bit of common sense his mother and I have given him. Silver too, but he really only encouraged that recklessness a bit…” Delbert said.
“Doc, I think that’s enough.” Jim ordered.
“So when can I start flying again?” asked Rainbow.
“Umm… we have absolutely not a single entry on your species… and you expect us to be capable of giving you a range in which you will heal?” B.E.N. criticized.
“I mean… if she heals near the rate of one of the old planet’s equines, it should not be too long hopefully. But don’t expect to start flying anytime soon.” the Doctor theorized.
“Grrreat...” she said.
“Look at the bright side, at least you can walk around now. Perhaps this will teach you some humility…” he said as he rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, sure, whatever.” she said. “Are we somewhere we can stop now?”
“Yes, we have arrived at the Crescentia. We were just about to wake up your friends, as Twilight here bored them and my first mate to sleep.” he said.
“Hey! You asked for that information…” Twilight said as she blushed.
“I can imagine how that happened already.” said Rainbow.
“Well… off to the spaceport!” said Jim, rushing out of the room.
“Hey, wait up!” said Rainbow as she galloped out of the room, trailing behind Jim.
The Crescentia, in the first time you see it, is a breath taking sight. A bustling metropolis filled with fine architecture and equally fine people. The structure was shaped for its name, the crescent shape of the old earth's moon. It is a breath taking sight to those familiar with the etherium of space, and as a result when the six ponies got a good sight of it, it was a shock.
"Whoa..." said Rainbow as she stopped to look at the giant city the ship had docked on.
"Hey, wake up Mr. Sandstone." Jim taunted as he jerked on the man of stone's arm.
"Sorry sir!" said a startled Mr. Onyx. "It was just that her speech... erm...uh..."
"Went on too long?" said Twilight.
"Eh... yes." he said. "I reccomend you hold off on such lengthy lectures, as we can't risk the rest of the crew falling asleep."
"Alright..." she said.
"So now... what about the rest of your friends?" Mr. Onyx asked.
"Well... we should probably wake them up." she said.
"Oy, captain!" shouted one of the crew members that was walking up onto the deck. He was carrying a hammock sack on his back.
"Yes? What is it?" asked Jim.
"I was about to rest for a while when I found another hammock tied up in it!" the sailor complained. "And it has..."
"Don't worry, it's just a lazy bag of purps. Just hand it here."
"Alright then." he said, handing Jim the bag.
"Thank you sailor." he said, and he untied the bag.
"Five...more...minutes." said the reptile inside.
"See? He's lazy, Miss Sparkle." said Mr. Onyx. Twilight responded only with a facehoof.
"No, we're at our destination. You're waking up now." said Jim as he turned the hammock bag upside down, emptying it as he would purps into a barrel.
"Ow!" shouted the dragon. "Could you NOT do that?"
"No. Because we have to go now." said Jim. "Mr. Onyx, I will guide these three since they're already awake. Can you get the other four up and awake while I start a bit early?"
"Of course, sir." Mr. Onyx replied. "The only thing I would suggest not doing is trying to get any of them on your solar surfer you have in your home here."
"Excellent." said Jim "Let's get going, I want to show you all around a bit."
