A frigid breeze rolled across Luna Bay, chilling the air. The small port town of Emerald Bay felt its cold touch. Boasting a residential population of merely 500 ponies, it was the latest expenditure of the great Crystal Empire. It was built to be a center of trade, allowing an alternate trade route for caravans that couldn't brave the Frozen North.
However, Emerald Bay currently held a very different purpose. Ironclad warships dotted the harbor. Everything from small corvettes to awe-inspiring ship of the lines, glistening in the afternoon sun in their ruby glory. The machines of war were a stark contrast to the simple merchant ships docked on the outskirts of the port.
Ponies were walking up the docks, away from the ships, finishing a long day of work. Guards flanked the crowds, keeping the workers in line. The guards wore intricate armor, a breastplate covering their chests, neck, back, and hindquarters. Pauldrons attached to the metal suits allowed free movement of their frontal legs, while decorative horns running down their back, as well as a pair on each pauldron, gave an intimidating look. However, what truly unnerved the crystal ponies was that dreaded helmet. A decorative mane dyed jet black protruded from the crest of the helm. Most disturbing of all, the slits allowing the wearer to see glowed an unnatural green, as if the helmet itself was alive.
A lavender pony with a crimson mane crouched behind a stack of pallets on the docks, peering at the passing crowd. The mare had her mane cut short, most of it being tied back into a ponytail. She had been preparing for this afternoon for over a moon now, memorizing the layout of the docks, the workers’ routines, the guards usual patrols, and today she was finally ready.
The light purple pony waited until passing crowd had disappeared into the town’s buildings before she left her cover. She moved with a low profile, crouching as she trotted from pallet stack to pile of crates, pile of crates to bundles of lumber. She had leather boots on each leg, muffling her otherwise noisy hoofsteps.
Daylight didn’t last long in this secluded corner of Equestria, the sun showing its face for about eight hours before retreating below the surface of the water. The coming darkness was what the red-maned pony was counting on. However, she was not counting on the wooden mallet that had been left in the middle of her path. She stepped right on it, landing right on her jaw and flinging the mallet behind her in the process. The mallet knocked over a shelf of tools a few pony-lengths behind her, and she stumbled forward, hardly being able to contain a scream. She had bitten down on her tongue, hard. She hid behind a pile of crates as she heard a guard clonking in her direction. She prayed with all her might to Princess Amore that the guard would assume that it had simply given under the weight of the tools. She breathed a sigh of relief as she heard the guard stomping away at a calm pace, and carried on with her mission. Thankfully, her hiding spot was not far from her objective. She set her eyes upon it, the sight of it alone seemingly soothing the pain from her tongue. To the average pony, it looked like just another merchant ship. But to her, it was her life.
It was a galleon of magnificent quality, the oak hull meticulously cleaned, it’s three sails in pristine condition, almost glowing in the moonlight. Three identical flags flew from the peak of each mast, a cerulean blue with the Crystal Empire’s signature snowflake insignia shining bright in the center. The young crystal pony quickly checked her surroundings, upon seeing no guards, she leaped from the dock onto the hull of the ship, grabbing onto the rigging, smiling as she passed the golden letter inscribed into the side of the galleon. Wayfarer.
The pony nimbly hauled herself over the side, double checking that she hadn’t been noticed. When satisfied, she wasted no time in making her way to the bow of the ship, using a small knife that had been strapped to her flank to cut away the ropes holding the jib in place. The sail hadn’t even finished unfurled before she start climbing the mast holding the mainsail, repeating the process, and sliding down the mast as the impressive piece of fabric unwound itself and fell into place.
She had just begun climbing the next mass when she noticed a green glow materialize just below her muzzle, but before she could react something wrapped and her neck and she was yanked back, choking and sputtering for air as she was suspended in midair above the Wayfarer. Her eyes began to water and her face began to purple before the unseen she was ungracefully deposited onto the dock with a loud thud. She laid there, gasping for air, easing her burning lungs. Her vision began to clear and she looked up, seeing a trio of guards, glaring at her with those horrible, lifeless eyes. She had barely opened her mouth before the closest guard’s horn flared with a purple aura, an unseen force slamming into the side of her head. The battered pony was again knocked to the ground, her jaw yet again closing on her wounded tongue, pain shooting throughout her head before she blacked out.
The young mare figured she had only been out for a few seconds, as the guards in front of her had barely moved once she managed to open her eyes again.
“What shall we do with her?” She heard one gravelly voice speak, shortly followed by another.
“She shall be made an example. Kill her, leave the body for the slaves to find.” The weakened pony forced a smile. At least she would be killed doing what she loved. Or attempting to. Her fuzzy vision could barely make out the lead guard’s horn beginning to glow once again, and she shut her eyes tightly, waiting for the inevitable.
“NO!”
The mare’s eyes shot open at the sound of the familiar voice. Her vision was still fuzzy but she could just make out a bluish blur slam into her would-be-murderer.
“Papa…?” She barely managed to croak. She attempted to stand, legs shaking before quickly giving in under her weight. The repeated falls did not help her vision, and she opted to stay down.
The mare forced her eyes open just in time to see two of the guards pinning her father down, the third standing above him, horn aglow with magic.
“We only need to kill one of them, and this one has so graciously volunteered.” If she didn’t know any better, she would have sworn that she had sensed a disgusting amount of glee in that sentence. Her vision began to clear when she saw the guard who had spoken lower its head, aiming its horn right at the stallion’s face. Her groggy mind finally put two and two together as she realized what was about to happen, and she began desperate attempts to stand, to run, to do anything to stop this. She fell to the ground once more.
“Papa!” Her weak voice barely managed to yell.
“Look away, Azimuth!”
Azimuth could not look away. A unicorn’s horn flashed, a green beam of magic slammed into her father’s form. One short cry of pain was the last she heard from her father before he slumped over. “Papa!?” The word felt like fire as it left her throat, and she used her front hooves to drag herself to his unmoving form. He wasn’t breathing. She couldn’t hear a heartbeat. She hadn’t even felt the tears that were streaming down her face, nor did she hear the hoofsteps galloping toward her as she laid her head on her dad’s chest, sobbing heavily.
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Azimuth limped through the door of their coastal home, leaning on her mother’s white coat. “Azzy…” Her mother attempted to say softly, her voice faltering as she choked back her own tears. Azimuth made no attempt to respond, silently walking up the stairs and barging into her room. She threw herself on her bed, doing the best a pony could do to forget that she had just lost her father. She stared out her bedroom window. Her usually happy home was downtrodden by King Sombra’s shadow.
As her eyes began to flutter and sleep tried to take it’s grasp, the world outside flashed with a purple haze. She had no time to ponder what had happened before a deep slumber washed over her.
Author's Note
Hullo! This is my first ever attempt at a piece of writing that wasn't for a school assignment! I'm absolutely terrified! Anyways, constructive criticism, songs of praise highlighting how I'm this generation's Shakespeare, and any general opinions are greatly welcome!
